Monday, February 28, 2022

Lenovo debuts updated Windows 11 and Chromebook IdeaPads with 12th-Gen Intel CPUs and the Tab M10 Plus running Android 12, available in June starting at $190 (João Carrasqueira/XDA Developers)

João Carrasqueira / XDA Developers:
Lenovo debuts updated Windows 11 and Chromebook IdeaPads with 12th-Gen Intel CPUs and the Tab M10 Plus running Android 12, available in June starting at $190  —  Lenovo has a ton of announcements coming out of MWC 2022, and among them are a handful of new laptops geared towards consumers under the IdeaPad brand.



Orange picks Nokia for rollout of 'standalone' 5G in France

The technology is installed from scratch instead of being based on 4G, and is capable of offering the highest performance, telecoms equipment maker say. https://ift.tt/PxkXB5Y

Lenovo unveils updated ThinkPads: X13 with Snapdragon chips, X1 Extreme with a 165Hz display, and updated P-series and T-series with new Intel processors (Monica Chin/The Verge)

Monica Chin / The Verge:
Lenovo unveils updated ThinkPads: X13 with Snapdragon chips, X1 Extreme with a 165Hz display, and updated P-series and T-series with new Intel processors  —  A new X13, a new X1 Extreme, and more  —  Lenovo has dumped a whole bunch of new ThinkPads into the world, and there's some exciting stuff in there.



Ukraine's military, politicians targeted in hacking campaign on Facebook, says Meta

Meta Platforms said a hacking group used Facebook to target a handful of public figures in Ukraine, including prominent military officials, politicians and a journalist, amid Russia's ongoing invasion of the country. https://ift.tt/gDzvu8V

A look at AcadArena and other "game guilds" in Southeast Asia, which loan out NFTs of in-game creatures as "scholarships" to players of games like Axie Infinity (Rest of World)

Rest of World:
A look at AcadArena and other “game guilds” in Southeast Asia, which loan out NFTs of in-game creatures as “scholarships” to players of games like Axie Infinity  —  In just a year, guilds boosting players into NFT games raised more than $80 million in Southeast Asia.



Sunday, February 27, 2022

Amazon launches first earphones in India; new phones from Samsung, Realme, Oppo iQoo; Ukraine vice-PM’s letter to Apple and more

Amazon launches first earphones in India; new phones from Samsung, Realme, Oppo iQoo; Ukraine vice-PM’s letter to Apple and more https://ift.tt/d9cU42r

Amazon launches first earphones in India; new phones from Samsung, Realme, Oppo iQoo; Ukraine vice-PM’s letter to Apple and more

Amazon launches first earphones in India; new phones from Samsung, Realme, Oppo iQoo; Ukraine vice-PM’s letter to Apple and more https://ift.tt/d9cU42r

Amazon launches first earphones in India; new phones from Samsung, Realme, Oppo iQoo; Ukraine vice-PM’s letter to Apple and more

Amazon launches first earphones in India; new phones from Samsung, Realme, Oppo iQoo; Ukraine vice-PM’s letter to Apple and more https://ift.tt/d9cU42r

Amazon launches first earphones in India; new phones from Samsung, Realme, Oppo iQoo; Ukraine vice-PM’s letter to Apple and more

Amazon launches first earphones in India; new phones from Samsung, Realme, Oppo iQoo; Ukraine vice-PM’s letter to Apple and more https://ift.tt/d9cU42r

Amazon launches first earphones in India; new phones from Samsung, Realme, Oppo iQoo; Ukraine vice-PM’s letter to Apple and more

Amazon launches first earphones in India; new phones from Samsung, Realme, Oppo iQoo; Ukraine vice-PM’s letter to Apple and more https://ift.tt/d9cU42r

Amazon launches first earphones in India; new phones from Samsung, Realme, Oppo iQoo; Ukraine vice-PM’s letter to Apple and more

Amazon launches first earphones in India; new phones from Samsung, Realme, Oppo iQoo; Ukraine vice-PM’s letter to Apple and more https://ift.tt/d9cU42r

Saturday, February 26, 2022

Bitcoin price stabilises around $39,000 amid talks of Russia-Ukraine dialogue

The second major cryptocurrency Ethereum was at $2,710 per coin, up 2.66 per cent. https://ift.tt/xhFSn9i

NetBlocks: Russia has blocked access to Twitter amid a broader crackdown on social media platforms in the country (Russell Brandom/The Verge)

Russell Brandom / The Verge:
NetBlocks: Russia has blocked access to Twitter amid a broader crackdown on social media platforms in the country  —  Disturbing images from the invasion have circulated widely on the platform  —  As the invasion of Ukraine enters its third day, Russia has blocked access to Twitter …



Taiwan sees limited impact from Russia Ukraine war on the chip supply chain

Taiwan is a major chip manufacturer, home to the world's largest contract chip manufacturer and Asia's most valuable listed company, TSMC, and key to alleviating a global shortage of semiconductors which have in some cases forced auto production lines to shutter. https://ift.tt/02PLGaQ

Union Cabinet approves nationwide roll-out of Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission

The Union Cabinet on Saturday approved the nationwide roll-out of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) with a budget of Rs 1,600 crore for five years, according to an official statement. The National Health Authority (NHA) will be the implementing agency of the central sector scheme. https://ift.tt/BsaKtrM

BitConnect's Satish Kumbhani charged by US in $2.4 billion Ponzi scam

Kumbhani, 36, was charged in San Diego with misleading investors about BitConnect’s purported propriety technology, which falsely promised returns based on phony “volatility software” that tracked cryptocurrency exchange markets, prosecutors said. https://ift.tt/2YQtIKF

SC to government: Make stand on Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency trade clear

The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Centre to make its stand clear on whether cryptocurrency trade involving Bitcoin or any other such currencies is legal in India or not. https://ift.tt/YOaskl5

Friday, February 25, 2022

Russia may legalise cryptocurrency to avoid sanctions

The increased adoption of cryptocurrencies is helping Russian President Vladimir Putin evade the first wave of financial sanctions from the West and the country may legalise cryptocurrencies in order to sustain and virtually avoid all the sanctions as it invades Ukraine, the media reported. https://ift.tt/QgowsJA

UK proposes requiring online platforms to introduce identity verification tools to help users block anonymous trolls, as part of its Online Safety Bill (Ryan Browne/CNBC)

Ryan Browne / CNBC:
UK proposes requiring online platforms to introduce identity verification tools to help users block anonymous trolls, as part of its Online Safety Bill  —  - The proposals mean online platforms would need to give users a way to verify their identity, and allow them to block any unverified accounts.



Clubhouse begins rolling out in-room chat

Social audio platform Clubhouse is introducing an in-room chat feature that will allow users -- from the mods to the listeners in the audience -- to communicate with each other via text during a live room. https://ift.tt/YJcemEg

Russia-backed falsehoods and digital tricks related to its invasion of Ukraine are putting tech giants on the defensive over the spread of online disinformation (Politico)

Politico:
Russia-backed falsehoods and digital tricks related to its invasion of Ukraine are putting tech giants on the defensive over the spread of online disinformation  —  The world's biggest social media companies are scrambling to combat a global barrage of Kremlin-backed falsehoods …



Poland sees more cyberattacks on government servers, official says

The computer servers of the Polish government and the national system for payment clearing have experienced more cyberattacks in recent days, a government official in charge of cyber security said. https://ift.tt/HrkmJen

How to change chat theme or colour on Instagram

A couple of years ago, Facebook announced several new messaging features for Messenger and Instagram. These features include Watch Together, Vanish Mode and others. https://ift.tt/VTRjqYz

Thursday, February 24, 2022

WhatsApp group admins not liable for objectionable posts by members: Kerala HC

The administrators or creators of a WhatsApp group cannot be held vicariously liable for any objectionable content posted on it by any of its members, the Kerala High Court has held. https://ift.tt/8NYvZGn

Experts say Russia could use cryptocurrency to minimize the impact of US sanctions, including a forthcoming digital ruble and spoils from ransomware attacks (New York Times)

New York Times:
Experts say Russia could use cryptocurrency to minimize the impact of US sanctions, including a forthcoming digital ruble and spoils from ransomware attacks  —  Russian companies have many cryptocurrency tools at their disposal to evade sanctions, including a so-called digital ruble and ransomware.



Echo Buds (2nd Gen) vs AirPods (2nd Gen) vs OnePlus Buds Pro vs Galaxy Buds 2

https://ift.tt/ecA7GRN

India-based Niyo, which provides digital savings accounts and other banking services, raises a $100M Series C led by Accel and Lightrock India (Manish Singh/TechCrunch)

Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
India-based Niyo, which provides digital savings accounts and other banking services, raises a $100M Series C led by Accel and Lightrock India  —  India's Niyo has raised $100 million in a new financing round as the consumer-facing neobank platform looks to add lending and other features …



How to set daily time reminder alert on Facebook

https://ift.tt/yCzbeTj

Wednesday, February 23, 2022

Canada-based eSentire, which provides a managed threat detection and response service, raises $325M at a $1B+ valuation, bringing its total funding to $411.2M (Duncan Riley/SiliconANGLE)

Duncan Riley / SiliconANGLE:
Canada-based eSentire, which provides a managed threat detection and response service, raises $325M at a $1B+ valuation, bringing its total funding to $411.2M  —  Canadian managed detection and response startup eSentire Inc. today said it has raised $325 million in new funding to invest in research and development and hire more people.



Apple Car may come with autopilot tech from S.Korean company: Report

Apple is working on a self-driving electric car that could launch in a few years and now a new report has claimed that the iPhone maker has partnered with a South Korean company to develop the autopilot chip for its car. https://ift.tt/7wKLmAx

Tesla to pay $275,000 penalty in US, here's why

Elon Musk-run Tesla has agreed to pay a $275,000 penalty for violating the Clean Air Act. https://ift.tt/nfNRjgb

Despite letting some employees permanently work from home, tech companies are spending billions of dollars expanding their office spaces across the US (Kellen Browning/New York Times)

Kellen Browning / New York Times:
Despite letting some employees permanently work from home, tech companies are spending billions of dollars expanding their office spaces across the US  —  Even as they allow some employees to change how often they come into the office, tech companies are rapidly buying and leasing properties around the country.



Virgin Hyperloop fires half of its workforce

US-based Virgin Hyperloop, which had expansion plans for the Indian market, has reportedly laid off nearly half of its staff. https://ift.tt/CSNXB1f

Tuesday, February 22, 2022

SC to hear Pegasus snooping case on February 25

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear the case relating to the Pegasus surveillance scandal on February 25, after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta requested for a new date before the Chief Justice N.V. Ramana, pointing out that he is supposed to be arguing a different part-heard case on Wednesday. https://ift.tt/5kAM86O

Indian online healthcare service MediBuddy, which offers doctor video calls and more, raises a $125M Series C led by Quadria Capital and Lightrock India (Deepsekhar Choudhury/Business Standard)

Deepsekhar Choudhury / Business Standard:
Indian online healthcare service MediBuddy, which offers doctor video calls and more, raises a $125M Series C led by Quadria Capital and Lightrock India  —  MediBuddy, an online healthcare company, has raised $125 million in funding from Quadria Capital and Lightrock India, along with participation from existing investors.



Users should be allowed to sue US tech giants under EU rules, civil groups say

The call by the coalition of 31 groups and academics comes as EU lawmakers and EU countries thrashed out the final points of the Digital Markets Act (DMA) proposed by EU antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager just over a year ago before it can become law. https://ift.tt/0xCSfLs

Intel details its new bitcoin mining Bonanza Mine ASICs, claiming 300 of the chips consume 3,600 watts and deliver up to 40 terahashes per second of performance (Paul Alcorn/Tom's Hardware)

Paul Alcorn / Tom's Hardware:
Intel details its new bitcoin mining Bonanza Mine ASICs, claiming 300 of the chips consume 3,600 watts and deliver up to 40 terahashes per second of performance  —  Intel's 3,600-watt Bitcoin-mining powerhouse  —  At ISSCC 2022, Intel shared the deep-dive details of its new Bitcoin-mining Bonanza Mine ASICs …



20 most popular emojis of 2021 and what they mean

https://ift.tt/A53OfFQ

Monday, February 21, 2022

Capcom announces Street Fighter 6: 10 things you should know

https://ift.tt/Fbtl0OK

Nigerian fintech Tingo, which processes ~$4B in e-commerce transactions annually, seeks $500M to expand in Africa; Tingo, valued at $6.3B, plans an IPO in H1 (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg:
Nigerian fintech Tingo, which processes ~$4B in e-commerce transactions annually, seeks $500M to expand in Africa; Tingo, valued at $6.3B, plans an IPO in H1  —  Sign up to our Next Africa newsletter and follow Bloomberg Africa on Twitter  —  Nigerian financial-technology company Tingo Inc …



Trump Media & Technology Group launches Truth Social in the US App Store; some users received error messages or were placed on a waitlist when signing up (Queenie Wong/CNET)

Queenie Wong / CNET:
Trump Media & Technology Group launches Truth Social in the US App Store; some users received error messages or were placed on a waitlist when signing up  —  Some people who downloaded the social media app received error messages when they tried to create an account.  Others were placed on a waitlist.



Facebook whistleblower takes on Meta with fresh complaints

The nonprofit organisation that represents Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen has filed two new complaints against Meta (formerly Facebook), accusing the social network of misleading investors about its efforts to tackle misinformation about climate change and Covid-19. https://ift.tt/IMLGNPA

Sony PlayStation 5 set to go on pre-orders in India: Report

Sony PlayStation 5 is set to go on pre-orders from Tuesday (February 22) in India. The console will be available for pre-booking at 12 noon at all the retail stores like ShopatSC, Amazon, and GamesTheStop. https://ift.tt/M6DFluh

Brazil-based Sólides, which offers HR management software to over 12,000 Brazilian businesses, raises $100M from Warburg Pincus (Tatiana Bautzer/Reuters)

Tatiana Bautzer / Reuters:
Brazil-based Sólides, which offers HR management software to over 12,000 Brazilian businesses, raises $100M from Warburg Pincus  —  Private equity firm Warburg Pincus has invested $100 million in Brazilian human resources startup Solides for an undisclosed minority stake …



Donald Trump's social media app launches on Apple App Store

Donald Trump's new social media venture, Truth Social, launched late on Sunday in Apple's App Store, potentially marking the former president's return to social media after he was banned from several platforms last year. https://ift.tt/qk5xNVB

Sunday, February 20, 2022

Tropic, which helps enterprises buy and manage software as well as to identify cost savings on purchases, raises a $40M Series B led by Insight Partners (Christine Hall/TechCrunch)

Christine Hall / TechCrunch:
Tropic, which helps enterprises buy and manage software as well as to identify cost savings on purchases, raises a $40M Series B led by Insight Partners  —  Global spend on enterprise software was expected to reach $599 billion by the end of 2021, and new forecasts say it is now projected …



Interview with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on the company's strategy after its failed Arm bid, Omniverse's progress, and its bet on self-driving cars (Dean Takahashi/VentureBeat)

Dean Takahashi / VentureBeat:
Interview with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on the company's strategy after its failed Arm bid, Omniverse's progress, and its bet on self-driving cars  —  Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang didn't get to fulfill his dream of acquiring Arm for $80 billion.  Regulators held the deal up and Huang called off the deal after “giving it our best shot.”



Global DRAM memory market, prices down in Q4: Report

Global dynamic random access memory (DRAM) shipments dropped nearly 6 per cent in the fourth quarter from three months earlier, a report showed on Friday, amid sluggish demand from manufacturers that had hoarded up the key consumer electronics component over continued chip shortages. https://ift.tt/ckmYBq8

Estimated Mac lineup for 2022: M1 Pro and M2 Mac mini, M2 13" MacBook Pro, 24" iMac, and MacBook Air, an iMac Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max, and a new Mac Pro (Mark Gurman/Bloomberg)

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Estimated Mac lineup for 2022: M1 Pro and M2 Mac mini, M2 13" MacBook Pro, 24" iMac, and MacBook Air, an iMac Pro with M1 Pro and M1 Max, and a new Mac Pro  —  As Apple gears up for its first product launch event of the year, the spotlight turns to its 2022 Mac plans.



Spotify's acquisitions of Podsights and Chartable prepare it to compete better with YouTube, offering programmatic ads and robust analytics to creators (Ashley Carman/The Verge)

Ashley Carman / The Verge:
Spotify's acquisitions of Podsights and Chartable prepare it to compete better with YouTube, offering programmatic ads and robust analytics to creators  —  Why the company went on a shopping spree  —  This story originally ran in Hot Pod, The Verge's preeminent audio industry newsletter.



HR experts, industry execs, and government officials in Taiwan say the current shortage of chip talent on the island is the most serious they have ever seen (Nikkei Asia)

Nikkei Asia:
HR experts, industry execs, and government officials in Taiwan say the current shortage of chip talent on the island is the most serious they have ever seen  —  Semiconductor giants hike salaries to lure island's dwindling number of graduates  —  TAIPEI/HSINCHU, Taiwan …



How to apply Covid-19 Advance fund using UMANG app

https://ift.tt/ap2TqVh

Saturday, February 19, 2022

Q&A with Intel EVP Dr. Ann Kelleher on lessons learned from the company's misadventures with 10nm process nodes, its vision for Foundry Services, and more (Dr. Ian Cutress/AnandTech)

Dr. Ian Cutress / AnandTech:
Q&A with Intel EVP Dr. Ann Kelleher on lessons learned from the company's misadventures with 10nm process nodes, its vision for Foundry Services, and more  —  It's somewhat of an understatement to say that Intel's future roadmap on its process node development is one of the most aggressive in the history of semiconductor design.



China warns against using metaverse as a tool for illegal fund-raising

China's banking and insurance regulator issued a warning on Friday against using the metaverse as a tool for illegal fund-raising, amid widespread interest in the country's private sector. https://ift.tt/N9skt7U

How Apple may get to $1T in revenue by 2030, from $366B in 2021, using its hardware expertise, high consumer trust, and capital reserves to enter new markets (Scott Galloway/No Mercy/No Malice)

Scott Galloway / No Mercy / No Malice:
How Apple may get to $1T in revenue by 2030, from $366B in 2021, using its hardware expertise, high consumer trust, and capital reserves to enter new markets  —  Round numbers have no inherent meaning — they're a consequence of 10 fingers.  But they provide a benchmark, a way to focus our observations.



Project Zero: Linux developers patch security holes faster than anyone else, on average in 25 days, compared to Google in 44 days, Mozilla 46, and Apple 69 (Steven Vaughan-Nichols/ZDNet)

Steven Vaughan-Nichols / ZDNet:
Project Zero: Linux developers patch security holes faster than anyone else, on average in 25 days, compared to Google in 44 days, Mozilla 46, and Apple 69  —  Linux programmers do a better job of patching security holes than programmers at Apple, Google, and Microsoft.



A look at Microsoft's AI system in Argentina's Salta province to predict teenage pregnancy, which faced pushback from activists for being invasive and opaque (Wired)

Wired:
A look at Microsoft's AI system in Argentina's Salta province to predict teenage pregnancy, which faced pushback from activists for being invasive and opaque  —  A government leader in Argentina hailed the AI, which was fed invasive data about girls.  The feminist pushback could inform the future of health tech.



Trump's Truth Social app launch delayed until March: Report

The much anticipated former US President Donald Trump's social network 'Truth Social' has been delayed until March, The New York Times reported. https://ift.tt/S0NlkxO

Twitter, Google blocked ads from medical journal about health, racism

Tech giants Twitter and Google blocked advertisements of a special issue of medical journal Health Affairs that focused on racism and health, the companies have claimed. https://ift.tt/03VL64n

Friday, February 18, 2022

Indian startup Pine Labs, a digital payments and financial services provider, raises $150M in primary and secondary funding, sources say at a $5B+ valuation (The Economic Times)

The Economic Times:
Indian startup Pine Labs, a digital payments and financial services provider, raises $150M in primary and secondary funding, sources say at a $5B+ valuation  —  The digital payments and financial service provider has already received the first tranche of $75 million from Alpha Wave, show regulatory filings.



Sundar Pichai announces $100 million Google Career Certificates Fund

Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai has announced a new $100 million Google Career Certificates Fund to prepare a skilled workforce for high-paying, high-growth jobs in fields like data analytics, IT support, project management and user experience design. https://ift.tt/2XHxSGp

Intel delays launch of standalone desktop graphics chips to Q2

Intel Corp said on Thursday it has pushed back the launch of standalone graphics chips for desktops to the second quarter https://ift.tt/wQrlK78

In landmark step, Australian state sets minimum pay for Amazon contractors

Australia's New South Wales state ordered employers of freelance delivery drivers such as Amazon.com Inc to pay a minimum rate, a decision hailed by a union as making it the world's first jurisdiction to compel the retailer to follow laws on such payments. https://ift.tt/gbZhXFR

Amazon Summer Appliances Fest: Discounts on ACs, refrigerators and more from Samsung, LG, Havells and other brands

https://ift.tt/shlMVFY

Constellation Energy plans to invest $1.6B to revive the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania and sell all the output to Microsoft data centers (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg : Constellation Energy plans to invest $1.6B to revive the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania and sell all the out...