Saturday, November 30, 2019

Realme 5s to go on sale on December 2 via Flipkart, Realmecom: Price, Specifications and everything else you need to know

The Realme 5s will go on its next sale on December 2. The device will be available via Flipkart and Realme.com. The sale will start at 12PM IST. Those interested can register on the e-commerce websites by filling in details like the address and payment details. Coming to the specifications of the smartphone, the Realme 5s is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 SoC coupled with 4GB RAM. It comes in two storage variants - 64GB and 128GB. On the front, the smartphone has a 6.5-inch display with a 60Hz refresh rate and 1600 x 720p resolution. 

For the optics, the device has a quad rear camera setup. It sports a 48MP primary sensor with an f/1.8 aperture with 6p lens. It is accompanied by an 8MP wide-angle camera, a 2MP portrait lens and a 2MP dedicated macro lens. A 5000mAh battery powers the entire package. The smartphone can be charged using a micro-USB charging cable. The 4GB + 64GB variant of the Realme 5s is priced at Rs 9,999, while its 4GB + 128GB is priced at Rs 10,999. It is available in Crystal Red, Crystal Blue and Crystal Purple colour variants.  

Coming to the offers, on Flipkart, users can avail various bank offers including a 10-percent cashback for using an HDFC Bank debit card, a 5-percent cashback on Axis Bank credit card, and a 5-percent additional discount with Axis Bank Buzz credit card. Customers can also get an equivalent discount on EMI purchase made with an SBI credit card.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 9 start receiving December security update

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Note 9 devices have started receiving the December 2019 security patch. The update brings with it the security patch only and no new functionality. The update for the Galaxy Note 10 is version N97*FXXS1ASKB and is available in 25 European markets only. There is no information on when the update for the Note 10 will come to India. The Note 9 is getting the update in Germany only as of now with the update number N960FXXS4CSK. There is no information on when the update will come to India. Those using a Note 10 or a Note 9 can go into the settings app on the smartphone and selecting Software update. If the update is available, users can download and install it.

In other Samsung news, the company has filed a trademark for a new sensor called ‘Bright Night’. The filing suggests that it will be used in smartphones and tablets. Speculations suggest that the sensor will be used for low light photography. Leaks and rumours are abuzz about the features coming to the Samsung Galaxy S11 family of devices and one can expect the new sensor to make its debut on the new devices.

Samsung has also filed a patent for a feature called ‘Space Zoom’. Once again, details about the feature are not yet known, except for the fact that it will offer lossless zoom. It is possible that the feature is aimed at helping with Astrophotography, a much-touted feature in the Pixel 4. The upcoming Samsung phone is tipped to feature a quad-rear camera setup with support for 5x optical zoom. It is also tipped to feature a 2nd Gen 108MP sensor. To recall, Samsung unveiled the 108MP ISOCELL Bright HMX sensor in August this year. The sensor was developed in partnership with Xiaomi and is used in the Mi Note 10 smartphone.

Source

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How Jeff Beacher, owner of a Las Vegas nightclub frequented by celebs, helped build Airbnb's celebrity marketing program in 2015, making it into a luxury brand (Anne VanderMey/Bloomberg)

Anne VanderMey / Bloomberg:
How Jeff Beacher, owner of a Las Vegas nightclub frequented by celebs, helped build Airbnb's celebrity marketing program in 2015, making it into a luxury brand  —  For one week in the summer of 2015, consumers of celebrity gossip news couldn't escape Mariah Carey's trip to Malibu, California.



Face recognition systems reportedly active at Chaayos without the option to opt-out

According to a report by Medianama, a popular tea outlet in India Chaayos is gathering users face data without giving customers the option to opt-out of it. The popular chain is doing this as an alternative to OTP. In the UI of the display where one has to register, there is no option to opt-out of facial recognition. There is only a “start” option. There are a lot of questions that are left unanswered. For example how long is the data stored? Where is it stored? How long is it stored for? What other uses can Chhayos use the facial data for? Medianama points out that “In case the police approaches a Chaayos outlet to investigate a case, will the company share this facial data with them?” There is also no assurance on the safety of this data being collected. 

Nikhil Pahwa, founder and editor of MediaNama said, “I was buying tea and didn’t even notice what was on the screen, and suddenly, the screen showed me. Remember, all this is happening without facial recognition norms, or a privacy law in India.” 

In a series of tweets, Nikhil Pahwa says, “Issues: 1. No terms & conditions displayed.  2. Consent isn't real when there's no opt out option.  3. We don't know if Chaayos will sell this data/gives itself the right to.  4. We don't know what kind of other data this facial info is being linked to. We don't know what kind of info this data will be compared with from other external databases.  5. Biometric info is a permanent username+password. Should not be used. 6. This is sensitive personal info.+”

Chaayos terms and conditions page says the following which is quite alarming. It reads, “Unless a law prohibits us from excluding or limiting our liability, we are not liable for any loss you incur in connection with Login service, or your instructions, or any unauthorised transactions through or in connection with the Chaayos Face Login service. You agree to undertake any direct or indirect claims, legal procedures, legal liabilities, loses, damages arising from our actions in accordance with your orders or notices and all expenses (including all legal costs) which are of reasonable amount whatsoever and howsoever caused that may arise to be reasonably incurred by us in providing Chaayos Face Login service to you. And you promise to indemnify us, upon our request, for the losses and expenses that we have suffered”. You can read the complete terms and conditions here.

According to the source, Chai Point has had a similar system in place since 2018. The function of the system is the same, to remove the need for OTP.

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Flipkart Big Shopping Days, Mi Note 10, WhatsApp, and More News This Week

Flipkart Big Shopping Days sale, Mi Note 10 India launch teaser, and WhatsApp for iPhone update were some of the big tech news stories this week. The possible India launch date for Vivo V17 and Honor... https://ift.tt/2rFr13i

Flipkart Big Shopping Days Sale Begins: Here Are the Best Offers

Flipkart Big Shopping Days sale is back this month with hundreds of deals and offers. We've handpicked the best deals you can grab on mobile phones, laptops, TVs, and more today. The sale will be open... https://ift.tt/34CvXoh

Rick and Morty, The Sky Is Pink, Marriage Story, and More on Netflix in December

Rick and Morty season 4, Fast & Furious Spy Racers, Lost in Space season 2, The Sky Is Pink, Spartacus, Marriage Story, You season 2, The Witcher, 6 Underground, and more - these are the biggest... https://ift.tt/37TpIOV

WhatsApp’s new feature for iPhones, new Aadhaar app, Xiaomi has a new Tv and more

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Adobe: Black Friday online sales grew 19.6% YoY to $7.4B, as Thanksgiving sales rose 14.5%, to $4.2B; Cyber Monday sales are expected to reach $9.4B, up 18.9% (Ingrid Lunden/TechCrunch)

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Adobe: Black Friday online sales grew 19.6% YoY to $7.4B, as Thanksgiving sales rose 14.5%, to $4.2B; Cyber Monday sales are expected to reach $9.4B, up 18.9%  —  Following swiftly on the heels of a Thanksgiving that broke records with $4.2 billion in online sales, Black Friday also hit a new high …



23 top-end and mid-range phones from Apple, Samsung, OnePlus, Xiaomi, Realme and others that got price cuts in 2019

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Redmi 8 to Goes on Sale in India Today

Redmi 8 price is set at Rs. 7,999 for the 3GB RAM + 32GB storage option, while its 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant is priced at Rs. 8,999. However, for the first five million units, Xiaomi is offering... https://ift.tt/2P1kjwp

Black Friday sees record $7.4B in online sales, $2.9B spent using smartphones

Following swiftly on the heels of a Thanksgiving that broke records with $4.2 billion in online sales, Black Friday also hit a new high, although it just fell short of predictions. According to analytics from Adobe, consumers spent $7.4 billion online yesterday buying goods online via computers, tablets and smartphones. The figures were up by $1.2 billion on Black Friday 2018, but they actually fell short of Adobe’s prediction for the day, which was $7.5 billion.

Salesforce, meanwhile, said that its checks revealed $7.2 billion in sales (even further off the forecast).

Popular products included toys on the themes of Frozen 2, L.O.L Surprise, and Paw Patrol. Best selling video games included FIFA 20, Madden 20, and Nintendo Switch. And top electronics, meanwhile, included Apple Laptops, Airpods, and Samsung TVs.

A full $2.9 billion of Black Friday sales happened on smartphones. These conversions are growing faster than online shopping overall, so we are now approaching a tipping point where soon smartphones might outweigh web-based purchases through computers.

“With Christmas now rapidly approaching, consumers increasingly jumped on their phones rather than standing in line,” said Taylor Schreiner, Principal Analyst & Head of Adobe Digital Insights, in a statement. “Even when shoppers went to stores, they were now buying nearly 41% more online before going to the store to pick up. As such, mobile represents a growing opportunity for smaller businesses to extend the support they see from consumers buying locally in-store on Small Business Saturday to the rest of the holiday season. Small Business Saturday will accelerate sales for those retailers who can offer unique products or services that the retail giants can’t provide.”

Adobe Analytics tracks sales in real-time for 80 of the top 100 US retailers, covering 55 million SKUs and some 1 trillion transactions during the holiday sales period. Salesforce uses Commerce Cloud data and insights covering more than half a billion global shoppers across more than 30 countries.

One of the reasons we may be seeing slightly less fervent sales than the analysts had predicted is because the holiday sales season is starting earlier and earlier. Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving when many people have days off, has for a long time been seen by retailers as the start of holiday shopping season. That has changed as retailers hope to catch more sales over a longer period of time.

As more people shop, they are also shopping for more expensive items. Adobe noted that Average Order Value was $168, a new record level yesterday for Black Friday, up 5.9% on a year ago.

Smartphone sales were up 21% over last year and those who were not buying were, as a start, browsing, with whopping 61% of all online traffic to retailers coming from smartphones, up 15.8% since last year.

As with yesterday, e-commerce “giants” with over $1 billion in sales annually were doing better than smaller sites: they had more smartphone sales, and 66% conversions on browsers on smartphones, Adobe said. They have overall also seen a 62% boost in sales this season, versus 27% for smaller retailers.

As with the Thanksgiving sales patterns — when bigger retailers also appeared to do better than their smaller counterparts — there are a couple of reasons for this. One is that the bigger sites have a wider selection of goods and can afford to take hits with deep discounts on some items, in order to lure users in to add other items to their shopping cars that are not as deeply discounted. Or, bigger online retailers can simply afford to give bigger markdowns.

The other is that the bigger stores often have more flexible delivery options. Adobe noted that those using click-and-collect orders, or buy online, pick up in store / curbside grew by 43 percent.

It will be interesting to see how and if patterns change for smaller retailers on Sunday, which is being dubbed “small business Sunday” to focus on buying from smaller and independent shops. Shoppers have already spent $470 million, and Adobe believes it will pass the $3 billion mark. Cyber Monday, the biggest of them all, is expected to make $9.4 billion in sales.

Friday, November 29, 2019

Oyo Valuation Continues to Soar Despite Losses

Oyo's valuation has almost doubled in a year, reaching $10 billion between September 2018 and October 2019, despite significant losses in the financial year ending on March 31. https://ift.tt/34wVYFy

Bihar Police Constable Recruitment 2019 – Apply Online for 1722 Posts

Bihar Police recruit 1722 Driver Constable Posts. Candidates with 10+2 can apply online from 30-11-2019 to 30-12-2019.

IOCL Result 2019 – Trade & Technician Apprentice Result Released

Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) has released result for the post of Trade & Technician Apprentice.

SSC Answer Key 2019 – JHT, Jr Translator & Other Tentative Key Released

Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has released Tentative Key for the post of JHT, Jr Translator & Other.

TRB TN Result 2019 – Computer Instructor Gr I CV List Released

Teachers Recruitment Board (TRB), Tamil Nadu has released CV result for the post of Computer Instructor Gr I.

LIC Asst Result 2019 – Prelims Result Released

Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC) has released Prelims Result for the post of Asst.

Huawei Plans Legal Challenge to Latest US Pressure: Report

Huawei is preparing a legal counterpunch against new moves by American regulators to bar the company from accessing $8.5 billion in US federal funds for services and equipment, a report said Friday. https://ift.tt/2rFJ3SS

Apple 'Taking a Deeper Look' at Map Policies After Crimea Episode

Apple is "taking a deeper look at how we handle disputed borders" after it referred to the Russian-annexed Crimean Peninsula as part of Russia in its Maps and Weather apps for Russian users. https://ift.tt/37NbFua

Advanced Navigation raises $13M Series A for a range of products largely based on AI-enabled inertial navigation systems, which mostly do not rely on satellites (The Robot Report)

The Robot Report:
Advanced Navigation raises $13M Series A for a range of products largely based on AI-enabled inertial navigation systems, which mostly do not rely on satellites  —  Advanced Navigation today said it has raised $13 million in a Series A round to fund a “significant” global expansion …



Flipkart Big Shopping Days Sale Returns on December 1: What You Need to Know

Flipkart Big Shopping Days sale is taking place between December 1 and December 5. It will bring deals, discounts, and offers on smartphones such as Realme 5, Samsung Galaxy S9, Apple iPhone 7, and... https://ift.tt/35Iy7mt

From Inside Edge to Crisis on Infinite Earths, TV Shows to Watch in December

The Flash season 6, Inside Edge 2, Supergirl season 5, Lost in Space season 2, Arrowverse crossover Crisis on Infinite Earths, You season 2, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season 3, The Witcher, The... https://ift.tt/2OWZbHN

Lightspeed and Sequoia close $1.5 billion share sale from Oyo

The size and return multiple on the exit from Oyo was last seen when Walmart spent $16 billion to buy 77% stake in Flipkart, out of which $14 billion was spent buying shares of existing investors. https://ift.tt/2OvUxBs https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Samsung India revenue crosses $10 billion in 2018-19

In the flagship mobile phone business, Samsung India revenue increased by 15.4% at Rs 43,087.9 crore in FY19 as compared to Rs 37,349.7 crore in FY18. https://ift.tt/35KcUbI https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

20 tough questions Google asked in job interviews

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Black Friday 2019 deals on Apple Watch, Fitbit Versa, Samsung Galaxy Watch Active, and more

A few sales have already started, but you'll need to be ready on Black Friday to grab the doorbusters.

Interview with the Internet Society CEO, as he tries to defend the sale of the .org top level domain registry to private equity firm Ethos Capital (Kieren McCarthy/The Register)

Kieren McCarthy / The Register:
Interview with the Internet Society CEO, as he tries to defend the sale of the .org top level domain registry to private equity firm Ethos Capital  —  Inside the decided mind of Andrew Sullivan  —  Interview El Reg has quizzed Andrew Sullivan, the president and CEO of the Internet Society …



Hoaxes, political posts, conspiracy theories won't come under ambit of Govt's fact-checker unit

The team to check facts has been formed basically to refute “fake news on government schemes and announcements” has put in place a mechanism using 12 free software tools such as InVid and others, to send out instant posts on social media, to counter them. https://ift.tt/34yWxyz https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Techies take 'fast' lane on Internet highway

Tech workers finding ways to wean themselves off the internet, with a deliberate and phased fasting https://ift.tt/2L7GOip https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Xiaomi touches $5-billion revenue milestone in India in 2018-19

As per Xiaomi Technology India’s latest regulatory filings with the Registrar of Companies (RoC), the company’s total revenue in 2018-19 grew by 54% to Rs 35,426.92 crore as compared to Rs 23,061.11 crore it had clocked in FY18. https://ift.tt/2R2spHW https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

FASTag to Be Mandatory From Tomorrow: Here's How to Buy and Recharge

FASTag will become mandatory from tomorrow. Here's how you can purchase a FASTag for your vehicle or recharge an existing FASTag using an online or offline method. https://ift.tt/2DvRTFy

Realme 5s to Go on Sale in India Today at 12pm via Flipkart

Realme 5s key features include quad rear camera setup, a large 5,000mAh battery and runs Android Pie with ColorOS 6 skin on top. https://ift.tt/33zYZmY

iOS apps could really benefit from the newly proposed Security.plist standard (Catalin Cimpanu/ZDNet)

Catalin Cimpanu / ZDNet:
iOS apps could really benefit from the newly proposed Security.plist standard  —  Security.plist was inspired by the already-existing and highly popular security.txt standard.  —  Earlier this month, security researcher Ivan Rodriguez proposed a new security standard for iOS apps, which he named Security.plist.



Only seven out of 21 US presidential candidates have implemented DMARC on their domains' email, a basic security feature that could have prevented the DNC hack (Zack Whittaker/TechCrunch)

Zack Whittaker / TechCrunch:
Only seven out of 21 US presidential candidates have implemented DMARC on their domains' email, a basic security feature that could have prevented the DNC hack  —  Just one-third of the 2020 U.S. presidential candidates are using an email security feature that could prevent a similar attack …



Thursday, November 28, 2019

Scammers Increasingly Using Browser Notifications to Commit Fraud: Kaspersky

The monthly number of users affected by fraudulent browser push notifications as a means of phishing and advertising has grown from 17.2 lak https://ift.tt/34vCKQl

Jio Fiber Launches Rs. 351 Monthly Prepaid Plan to Attract Subscribers

Rs. 351 Jio Fiber prepaid broadband plan brings 50GB data at 10Mbps speeds for 30 days, while Rs. 199 Jio Fiber prepaid plan offers unlimited data access at 100Mbps speeds for seven days. https://ift.tt/2DtKdDG

TikTok Owner, Huawei Helping China's Repression of Uighurs: Report

Australian Strategic Policy Institute's International Cyber Policy Centre concluded that many Chinese tech companies "are engaged in deeply unethical behaviour in Xinjiang". https://ift.tt/33wSyRA

India plans security audit of WhatsApp after hacking attempt

WhatsApp last month sued Israeli surveillance firm NSO Group, accusing it of helping clients break into the phones of roughly 1,400 users across four continents https://ift.tt/2rCLwgU

Xiaomi Black Friday Sale brings discounts on Mi A3, Poco F1, Redmi K20 Pro, Mi Band 3, and more

Black Friday is a big sale in the west but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen over here. The smartphone maker Xiaomi has announced its Black Friday Sale in India, which means one can expect some notable offers and discounts on á¹­he company’s products. The sale commences on Friday, November 29, and will go on till December 2. While the Mi A3 will be discounted for the first time during the sale, the Redmi Note 7 Pro will also be up for sale at a lowered price, along with Poco F1, Redmi K20 Pro and many other handsets. Alongside smartphones, the company is also offering discounts on its accessories and ecosystem products such as the Mi Band 3, Mi LED Smart Bulb, Mi Bluetooth Speaker 2 and more. 

Xiaomi Black Friday Sale offers on smartphones

Starting with the Mi A3, its 4/64GB and 6/64GB model will receive a Rs 500 discount and will be available for Rs 12,499 and Rs 15,499 respectively. The 6GB + 128GB version of the Redmi K20 Pro will be available for Rs 25,999 after a discount of Rs 2,000, while its 8GB + 256GB version will be priced at Rs 28,999. In addition, there’s a Rs 2,000 Bumped Up exchange offer on the K20 Pro. The Redmi K20 will also be discounted by Rs 2,000 so that its 6GB/64GB variant is available for Rs 19,999, while its 6GB/128GB version would cost Rs 22,999 after a Rs 1,000 discount. 

In the mid-range handset segment, the Redmi Note 7 Pro is getting some notable discount. The 4/64GB , 6/64GB and 6/128GB version of the handset will be discounted by Rs 2,000, Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000 and will be available for Rs 11,999, Rs 11,999  and Rs 12,999 respectively. Redmi Y3’s 3GB RAM variant is being discounted by Rs 1,000 and will be available for Rs 7,999, while its 4GB RAM version costs Rs 9,999 after a Rs 2,000 discount. The Redmi 7, Redmi 7A and the Redmi Go will also be available at a discounted price, as shown in the image below. 

Xiaomi Black Friday accessories and ecosystem sale 

Xiaomi will also slash the prices off from some of its accessories like the Mi Band 3, which will be available for Rs 1,599 and the Mi Smart LED Bulb, which will cost Rs 999. The Mi Pocket Speaker 2 will be discounted by Rs 500 and will be available for Rs 999, while the Mi Air Purifier 2, Mi Car Charger and Mi Router 3C will be available on lowered prices during a flash sale. Xiaomi will be hosting flash sales during the Black Friday Deals at 10 PM, 4 PM and 6 PM. Additionally, there’s a 10 percent additional instant discount on all HDFC debit and credit cards on Mi.com, Flipkart and Amazon.

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An Alien Comet From Another Star Is Soaring Through Our Solar System

Something strange is sailing toward us. This is an interstellar comet - an ancient ball of ice and gas and dust, formed on the frozen outskirts of a distant star, which some lucky quirk of gravity has... https://ift.tt/2XTHI7g

HSBC to shift $20B in assets to a blockchain-based custody platform called Digital Vault, one of the biggest uses of blockchain technology by a bank, by March (Reuters)

Reuters:
HSBC to shift $20B in assets to a blockchain-based custody platform called Digital Vault, one of the biggest uses of blockchain technology by a bank, by March  —  LONDON (Reuters) - HSBC aims to shift $20 billion worth of assets to a new blockchain-based custody platform by March …



Realme X2 Pro Goes on Special Open Sale as a Part of Black Friday Offers

Realme X2 Pro is now on open sale in India for just 24 hours, days after the company concluded its invite-only early access sale. The flagship Realme phone is available for purchase via Flipkart and... https://ift.tt/2XTZSpq

Government Plans Security Audit of WhatsApp After Hacking Attempt

India wants to conduct an audit of WhatsApp's security systems following revelations that a spyware exploited vulnerabilities in the Facebook-owned messaging platform, technology minister said on... https://ift.tt/35L5Rj3

ETtech Top 5: Slowdown bites food delivery market, Ecomm's Black Friday sale & more

A closer look at today's biggest tech and startup news and why they matter. https://ift.tt/33tMN7i https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

10 tech companies that received highest number of H-1B visas in 2019

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Xiaomi in talks to back bike taxi app Rapido

​​The deal is expected to double the valuation of Rapido to over $300-350 million even as the startup continues to expand across the country amid flat growth in the cab segment. https://ift.tt/37PoT9C https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Panasonic Leaves Semiconductor Business With Sale to Taiwan's Nuvoton

Panasonic is abandoning the semiconductor business with the sale of its last business in that sector to a Taiwanese company. https://ift.tt/2L4Qvhj

Facebook, Instagram Back Online After Major Outage

Facebook said it had restored service following a major outage on Thursday that hindered access to the social platform and its other apps such as Instagram. https://ift.tt/33u54RV

CCI okays Amazon's plan to buy stake in Future Group

Joint business plan will help Future Group clock $1 billion of incremental revenue by 2021 https://ift.tt/2rBKy4u https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Brands & ecomm sites hope to strike gold on Black Friday

Brands & sites offering discounts up to 50% to cash in on the day considered start of Christmas shopping season in US https://ift.tt/34xQtGG https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Sony, RIL's TV18 may form joint venture for entertainment business

Sony will own a majority 51% stake in the proposed JV, while TV18 will own the remaining 49%. As part of the deal, the two companies will transfer 100% of SPN, 51% of TV18’s share in Viacom18 and 100% of Jio Studios business to the new entity, one of the sources said. https://ift.tt/2ON2sJu https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Karnataka govt scripting labour law for app-based services

Draft rules being vetted by National Law School profs; gig economy too in focus https://ift.tt/2OSlT3Q https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Realme 5s to Go on Sale for First Time in India Today

Realme 5s sale will be conducted today via Flipkart and Realme.com starting at 12pm (noon). Realme 5s is priced at Rs. 9,999 for the base 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant, while the 4GB RAM + 128GB... https://ift.tt/2Dt1cGu

HGS to sell its domestic CRM biz to Altruist

The Hinduja Group's BPM firm's domestic CRM business comprises primarily voice services and some non-voice processes. https://ift.tt/33uNhde https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

FMCG uses tech for tranformative impact in the marketplace

Zero stock-outs at retailers and making new products quickly available are critical for FMCG companies. An efficient network to push a pipeline of often perishable goods is also key. https://ift.tt/2stmPEp https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Slowdown bites food delivery market

Across the sector, monthly growth has fallen to 1-2% between August and October, hurt by a slowdown in consumer spending, and as major players Zomato, Swiggy and UberEats reduced discounts and promotions, multiple investors and industry executives told ET. https://ift.tt/33AjArC https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Best 2019 Black Friday deals on mobile devices, laptops, digital storage, wireless headphones, wearables, smart home products, TVs and more (The Inventory)

The Inventory:
Best 2019 Black Friday deals on mobile devices, laptops, digital storage, wireless headphones, wearables, smart home products, TVs and more  —  Corey Foster, Tercius, Ana Suarez, Jenna Valdespino, Almendra Carpizo, and Gerardo Rocha, Jr  —  The Best Black Friday Deals - 2019



Wednesday, November 27, 2019

Apple Starts Showing Annexed Crimea as Russia on Apps

Apple has complied with Moscow's demands to show Crimea, annexed from Ukraine in 2014, as Russian territory on its apps, lawmakers said Wednesday. https://ift.tt/2OPvY1s

14 things to know about government’s new Aadhaar app

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Google Photos starts rolling out manual face tagging, lets users tag faces that Google's algorithm detects but doesn't recognize (Rita El Khoury/Android Police)

Rita El Khoury / Android Police:
Google Photos starts rolling out manual face tagging, lets users tag faces that Google's algorithm detects but doesn't recognize  —  A few months ago, Google Photos product lead, David Lieb, told us that manually tagging faces was on the app's update roadmap.



Picnic, an online supermarket that delivers groceries in 125 Dutch and German cities, raises €250M, plans to build a new automated distribution center (DutchNews.nl)

DutchNews.nl:
Picnic, an online supermarket that delivers groceries in 125 Dutch and German cities, raises €250M, plans to build a new automated distribution center  —  Online supermarket Picnic has raised €250m in funding to develop a new, largely automated distribution centre which it hopes will come on stream within two years.



Korean crypto exchange Upbit confirms it has lost 342K of ether worth ~$49M, suspends deposits/withdrawals, says losses will be covered with its own assets (Wolfie Zhao/CoinDesk)

Wolfie Zhao / CoinDesk:
Korean crypto exchange Upbit confirms it has lost 342K of ether worth ~$49M, suspends deposits/withdrawals, says losses will be covered with its own assets  —  South Korean crypto exchange Upbit has lost cryptocurrency worth $49 million, the exchange has confirmed.



Uber's London Ban Marks Global Backlash for Ride-Hailing Giants

London's transport authority banned Uber for a second time on Monday, citing concerns about customer safety after vulnerabilities in the app let drivers fake their identities in thousands of rides. https://ift.tt/2QZ6aTo

Massive Black Hole That 'Shouldn't Even Exist' Spotted in Our Galaxy

Astronomers have discovered a black hole in the Milky Way so huge that it challenges existing models of how stars evolve, researchers said Thursday. https://ift.tt/2Oq2b0k

Redmi 8 Set to Go on Sale in India via Flipkart, Mi.com

Redmi 8 is set to be available for purchase in India today. The new Redmi 8 sale round will take place via Flipkart, Mi.com, and Mi Home stores. https://ift.tt/2OUokD7

Amazon Fab Phones Fest: 15 mobile accessories from Samsung, Sony and more you can get under Rs 999

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14 things to know about government’s new Aadhaar app

https://ift.tt/2OPQYFo

ETtech Top 5: Govt to cap Ola, Uber commissions, Trump's BAHA law and H-1B visa & more

A closer look at today's biggest tech and startup news and why they matter. https://ift.tt/35KL4fz https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Lithuania-based Vinted, an online marketplace for used clothes, raises $141M at a $1B+ valuation, led by Lightspeed with Burda, Accel, and others participating (Ingrid Lunden/TechCrunch)

Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Lithuania-based Vinted, an online marketplace for used clothes, raises $141M at a $1B+ valuation, led by Lightspeed with Burda, Accel, and others participating  —  The market for second-hand clothes — the “circular economy” as it's sometimes called — has been on the rise in the last several years …



Xiaomi growth slows in Q3 as China smartphone demand wanes

Smartphone sales still account for most of Xiaomi's revenues but it has been promoting its internet services division, which mainly consists of online ad sales https://ift.tt/2OOCAgs https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Amazon Said to Have Built a More Powerful Data Centre Chip

Amazon.com's cloud computing unit has designed a second, more powerful generation of data centre processor chip, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. https://ift.tt/2OQl0bZ

Dealmaster: More Black Friday deals are now live, including AirPods for $129

Apple's AirPods

Enlarge / Apple's AirPods.

Holiday deals have been flowing in since November began, but we're now starting to see proper Black Friday deals take effect. With Black Friday just a couple days away, Walmart has kicked off its shopping event with a bunch of savings and discounts that are some of the best we've seen all ready. Apple products top the list: now you can get AirPods with a charging case for $129 and an Apple Watch Series 3 for $129.

As for what you’re getting here: AirPods are some of the most popular wireless earbuds available, and the newest model with the charging case typically goes for $144. While we have seen major retailers drop the price to $134 before, this $129 price tag is a new low. These are the second-generation AirPods, featuring hands-free "Hey Siri" voice commands, 50-percent more talk time, and the new H1 chip that helps the AirPods pair and switch between devices more quickly.

These AirPods have a battery life of around five hours, and the case that comes with them provides an addition 24 hours of life. The included case is Apple's regular AirPods case, not the optional Qi wireless charging case that Apple introduced with the second-gen AirPods. However, that's always been an optional accessory that you can get for $79 and enables you to charge the case and the AirPods themselves with any Qi-compatible wireless charging pads.

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Vinted, the second-hand clothes marketplace, raises $141M at a $1B+ valuation

The market for second-hand clothes — the “circular economy” as it’s sometimes called — has been on the rise in the last several years, fuelled by economic crunches, a desire to make more responsible and less wasteful fashion choices, and a wave of digital platforms that are bringing the selling and buying of used clothes outside the charity shop. Today, one of the bigger companies in Europe working in the third of these areas is announcing a huge round of funding to double down on the trend.

Vinted, a site where consumers can sell and buy second-hand fashion, has raised €128 million (around $140.9 million) in a round that is being led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with previous backers Sprints Capital, Insight Venture Partners, Accel and Burda Principal Investments also participating. With this investment, the startup — founded and headquartered out of Vilnius, Lithuania — has passed a valuation of $1 billion (it is not specifying an exact amount), making it one of the biggest startups to come out of the country (but not the Baltics’ first unicorn… Estonian Uber competitor Bolt, formerly known as Taxify, is also valued at over $1 billion.)

The company is going to use the money to continue expanding in Europe, and building out more features on its platform to improve the buying and selling process, while sticking to its goal of providing a platform for consumers to list and buy used fashion.

“We want to make sure we don’t have new products,” CEO Thomas Plantenga said in an interview earlier. “All our sellers are regular people.” Some 75% of Vinted’s customers have never bought or sold second hand clothes in their lives before coming to the platform, he added. “The stigma is no longer there.”

Vinted’s growth comes on the heels of a remarkable turnaround for the startup. Founded in 2008 by Milda Mitkute and Justas Janauskas as a way to help Mitkute clear out here wardrobe before a house move, the company expanded fast, but at a price: by 2016, it was close to running out of money and business had slowed down to a crawl. Investors brought in Plantenga to turn it around.

“We changed the business model in 2016 to make the costs as low as possible for users to list clothes,” Pantenga said today. “That produced a dramatic change in our growth trajectory.”

The company, more specifically, went through some drastic changes. First, it clawed back a lot of its pricey international expansion strategy (and along with that a lot of the costs associated with it); and second, it removed all listing fees to encourage more people to list. Now, Vinted charges a 5% commission only if you conduct transactions on Vinted itself, bundling in buyer protection and shipping to sweeten the deal. (You can still post, sell and buy for free if you pay offline but you don’t get those perks.)

The turnaround worked, and the company bounced back, and two years later, in 2018, it went on to raise €50 million. Today, Vinted has some 180 million products live on its platform, 25 million registered users in 12 markets in Europe (but not the US) and 300 employees. It expects to sell €1.3 billion in clothes in 2019, has seen sales grow 4x in the last 17 months.

Vinted’s rise has matched a wider trend in the region.

Europe is the home to some of the world’s biggest “fast fashion” businesses: companies like H&M, Zara and Primark have built huge brands around making quick copies of the hottest styles off the fashion presses, and selling them for prices that will not break the bank (or at least, no more than you might have previously paid to buy a pair of average jeans on the discount rack of a Gap).

But it turns out that it’s also home to a very thriving market in second-hand clothes. One estimate has it that two out of every three Europeans has bought a second-hand good, and 6 out of 10 have sold their belongings using platforms dedicated to second-hand trade.

Even as the company continues to hold back on expanding into the US — perhaps burned a little too much by its previous efforts there; or simply aware of the wide competition from the likes of Ebay, OfferUp, Letgo, Poshmark, and many more — Vinted’s growth in Europe has caught the eye of investors in the that market.

“At Lightspeed, we look for outlier management teams building generational companies. We’ve been impressed by the team’s ability to build an incredible product and value proposition for their community, and adapt and expand their business along the way,” said Brad Twohig, a partner at Lightspeed. “Vinted is defining its market and has built a global brand in C2C commerce and communities. We’re proud to partner with Vinted and leverage our global platform and resources to help them continue to build on their success and achieve their goals.”

While charity shops have traditionally dominated this market, sites like eBay, followed by a secondary wave of platforms like Vinted and another competitor in this space, Depop, have made selling and buying items into an established, low-barrier business.

All the same, given that extending the life of one’s goods feeds into a do-good ethos, it’s noticeable to me that Vinted hasn’t quite replaced the Salvation Army: there is virtually no way to sell on Vinted and give the proceeds to charity, if you so choose.

It appears that this might be something Vinted will try to address in the future.

“We are looking at making fashion circular for our users so that clothing that they bought doesn’t go to waste,” Plantenga said. “[Giving proceeds to charity] is super interesting and we should explore it as part of our growth story. To be honest, those things have been in the background and not developed because we’ve just been trying to keep up with everything, but the idea fits into our culture.”

Revolut supports direct debits in the UK

Fintech startup Revolut is adding a key feature for users who want to replace their traditional bank account altogether. You can now pay with GBP direct debits. Revolut already added EUR direct debits last year.

While most people use cards to pay for goods and services in the U.K., some businesses require you to pay with direct debit. It can be a utility bill, a gym membership or a phone contract for instance.

Compared to card transactions, direct debits pull money directly from your account and transfer it to the recipient’s account. It doesn’t go through Mastercard or Visa. Some businesses love direct debits because it’s usually cheaper than card processing fees. Direct debits also don’t have an expiry date, unlike cards.

Customers from the European Economic Area can now share their GBP account details for direct debits in the U.K. Direct debits are protected against some fraud and payment errors by the U.K. Direct Debit Guarantee.

Revolut has partnered with Modulr for this feature as it uses Modulr’s API. Business customers will also be able to take advantage of direct debits. You can now pay suppliers with your account details, which could be convenient for large sums of money for instance.

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