ISRO lines up 10 missions before Jan 2019

Following the missions, Sivan said, in January next, ISRO would launch the Chandrayaan-II mission (lunar lander) which will be the first operational mission of the GSLV-Mk III-vehicle. https://ift.tt/2K5Olwj https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Fintech can be used to fight global financial crimes: Narendra Modi

"There is an explosion of fintech innovation and enterprise in India. It has turned India into a leading fintech and Startup nation in the world. The future of fintech and Industry 4.0 is emerging in India." https://ift.tt/2B7JSWQ https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Mindtree partners with IISc for AI research

The company has created an endowment focused on AI research with the IISc and the partnership would facilitate teaching and research for AI in both Data Sciences and Natural Language Processing. https://ift.tt/2Fm63Nq https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

NASA Wants People on Mars Within 25 Years

NASA believes it can put humans on the Red Planet within 25 years, but the technological and medical hurdles are immense. https://ift.tt/2B4qvyb

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey Meets PM Narendra Modi

Twitter co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey Tuesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, and discussed the importance of global conversations on social media platforms. https://ift.tt/2RTl3DE

Flipkart's Binny Bansal Said to Have Resigned After Sexual Assault Allegations

The misconduct accusations followed an allegation of sexual assault, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters. https://ift.tt/2zRWq2T

Everything You Need to Know About Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu and Eevee

Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokemon: Let's Go, Eevee! are out this week for Nintendo Switch. Price, differences, gameplay, and more. Everything you need to know. https://ift.tt/2PUC7Mf

PUBG is landing on PS4 on December 7, pre-orders begin on PlayStation Store starting at Rs 2,790

PlayStation 4 gamers are finally going to get their hands on PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS (PUBG) as Sony has confirmed that the game is releasing for the platform on December 7. Up until now, PUBG was an Xbox exclusive as far as consoles are concerned and it is suggested that the one-year exclusivity contract has now ended. Sony has also started taking pre-orders for the game on PS Store, where the Survivor’s edition costs Rs 2,750, the Looter’s edition costs Rs 2,750, and the Champion’s edition costs Rs 3,999. Here’s what you get in all three editions: PUBG Survivor’s edition for PS4 PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS Survivor's Edition on PS4 includes the following: - Base game - Vikendi Event Pass - 2300 G-Coins - 20,000 BP - Pre-order PlayStation exclusive skins. The full game requires PlayStation Plus subscription to be able to play multiplayer. In-game purchases are optional. PUBG Looter’s edition for PS4 PUBG Looter's edition grants the base game and the Pre-order PlayStation exclusive skins. PUBG Champion’s edition for PS4 The Champion’s edition of the game includes the following: -  Base game - Vikendi Event Pass - 6000 G-Coins - 20,000 BP - Pre-order PlayStation-exclusive skins. For all three editions, the pre-order bonus includes Nathan Drake desert outfit from Uncharted series and Ellie’s backpack from the Last of Us. Also keep in mind that at least 25GB of space is required on PS4 consoles to download all three editions of PUBG for PS4. Sony has also released an announcement trailer for the game and you can watch it below. https://ift.tt/2FlSVYE

You can vote for your favourite app and game for the Google Play Awards 2018 right now

Google releases a list of the best apps and games every year but this time, it’s also asking Android users to vote for their favourite ones on the Google Play Store. The company’s year-end awards are now interactive as it has added new ‘Fan Favorite’ categories as part of its “Best of Play” yearly app awards list. It should be noted that the while the company's press statement mentions that users will will also get to vote for the movie they think was the best this year, but the option is not available as of writing. To vote, one can either open Play Store app on their Android-powered phone to cast a vote or head over to the webpage here. Do note that voting closes on  November 26, 2018 and the Fan Favorite winners, along with Google’s list of the Best of 2018 picks will be announced on December 3, 2018. Even though there are a slew of games, Google has limited the number of games and apps one can vote for. Additionally, a person can cast only one vote per category. After that,  they will be shown where their chosen app or game stands. Talking about games, one will see some well-known titles like PUBG, Clash Royale, Hill Climb Racing 2 and others competing against each other. While in apps, there are options to vote for Google Pay, Where Is My Train and many others. It seems that Google has localised the voting for apps and games since Gaana, Hotstar and Zee5 are also on the list.  Last year, Red Bull TV won the award for the Best TV Experience, while the Best VR and AR Experience awards were won by Virtual Virtual Reality and Woorld respectively. Transformers: Forged to Fight won the award for the Best Game on the Play Store, while the Best Multiplayer game award went to Blizzard Entertainment’s, Hearthstone. For a complete list of last year's winners, click here.  https://ift.tt/2z4ZTvh

Siri can now unlock Volkswagen cars, enable alarms

Taking a step forward in the world of connected devices, Apple and Volkswagen (VW) have deepened their relationship on the latter’s VW Car-Net app for iOS. Those who own a (select) Volkswagen car and an iOS-powered device can now use Siri to lock and unlock their cars, check estimate mileage with the fuel or charge left in their vehicle, and enable alarms. Not only that, the development will also allow VW owners to use the virtual assistant to start and stop a charging session for their electric car, to turn on the defroster, set a specific temperature and locate their car. Car-Net is not a free app and users have to pay a monthly subscription fee to use it. Users need to update to at least iOS 12 to get the most out of the app. The “Shortcuts” feature that Apple launched with iOS 12 could come handy for people who live in cold areas. They could use Siri to remotely start their defroster and set the temperature inside the car, The Verge says. Though the feature is not revolutionary, it is surely a step towards what tech giants are planning for the future. The development comes after Amazon launched Echo Auto - an Echo device designed for use in vehicles. It uses power from a vehicle’s 12v socket and features eight microphones to listen to voice commands. The device connects with Alexa using a smartphone and plays through the car speakers. It can be controlled through a user’s voice to play music, check the news, open the garage door, find the nearest gas station, among other commands. The Verge says that Amazon has also partnered with carmakers like Ford to install the virtual assistant in cars. https://ift.tt/2DAQMGD

Xiaomi Mi 9 renders surface, may feature a 64-inch AMOLED screen and 3700mAh battery

Last week, a report claimed that the Mi 9 flagship smartphone from Xiaomi could be the first handset to get a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8150 processor. A new development has now supported this claim and even delved out more information on the design of the smartphone. Tipster Ben Geskin has shared a render of next year’s rumoured flagship device on Twitter and listed its probable specifications. The Xiaomi Mi 9 render shared by the tipster shows a notch which is is quite smaller than what we have seen on other Xiaomi devices. It is not a waterdrop notch as it houses a camera and another sensor. Geskin says that the smartphone could sport a 6.4-inch AMOLED display that will be equipped with an under-display fingerprint reader. The smartphone may be powered by the upcoming Snapdragon 8150 chipset and could be offered in three RAM variants: 6GB, 8GB and 10GB. The smartphone may have a glass back, it is expected to support wireless charging. The Mi 9 may be a 5G device. When it comes to the camera, the smartphone could get a triple rear camera setup. The renders show an LED flash placed between the first two camera sensors and a third one below this setup. The primary camera of the unit may have a 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor the other two be be of 13MP and 16MP resolutions. The smartphone is claimed to be fueled by a 3,700mAh battery with Quick Charge 5.0 support. Previosuly, a report said that the Xiaomi Mi 9 will arrive in the first half of 2019 and, like the Mi 8, will apparently launch in China first. https://ift.tt/2Fldp3x

Netflix for iOS gets updated according to new iPad Pro resolution and rounder edges

Nearly two weeks after Apple announced its new iPad Pro devices, Netflix for iOS has been updated to support the new screen resolutions. Although Netflix’s latest release notes do not tell the details about any new features but they do imply that the content on the app is optimised fopr the new iPad Pros. “Someone eyeing your Netflix app on the bus? Make sure it’s the latest and greatest. Get the update for our best experience yet. And in this release, we fixed bugs and made performance improvements. Just for you,” the release notes read. This year’s iPad Pros have same screen resolution as the last generation. The 11-inch iPad Pro has a resolution of 2388x1668 pixels giving it a pixel density of 264ppi. The 12.9-inch iPad Pro has a 2732x2048 pixel resolution giving it a resolution of 264ppi. The design of the new iPad Pro has changed to be more angular compared to the rounded edges found on the previous generation iPads. And the company has done away with the Home button in favour of Face ID. Hence, a refresh was needed to accommodate the rounded corners and Home indicator. 9to5mac says that the apps which are not optimised according to the new iPad Pros look letter-boxed for the status bar and Home indicator, and the apps that are not updated for the 12.9-inch in general get pillar boxing as well. “This is easily noticeable in video apps as full screen videos don’t go to the edge of the iPad unless it has been updated for the new iPads,” the news platform claims. 2018 iPad Pro specifications Apple announced two new iPad Pro tablets this year - one with 11-inch display and other with 12.9-inch. The edges are rounder as compared to the edges found on the previous generation iPads. The tablets have four speakers and magnets all around to hold and charge the new Apple Pencil. For connectivity Apple removed the lightning cable in favour of USB-C, giving users the ability to connect the iPad to a host of devices such a 5K display. While talking of the display, both the variants have Apple’s True Tone display, fingerprint-resistant oleophobic coating and 600 nits of brightness. The displays of the new iPads support 120Hz refresh rate. Under the hood, the new iPad are powered by the A12X Bionic chip. The new chip has more than 12 billion transistors. It is an 8-core CPU with 4 performance cores and 4 efficiency cores. Apple says that the new A12X Bionic gives 35 percent faster single core performance than its predecessor whereas the multicore performance is up to 90 percent faster. During the launch keynote Apple even said that the chip is faster than 92 percent of portable PCs sold in the last 12 months. In the camera department, the new iPad Pros now has Face ID and for this it has Apples True Depth front facing camera. The front facing camera is a 7MP shooter, whereas the rear camera is a 12MP one with an f/1.8 aperture lens. The camera can record video at a maximum of 4K at 60fps with slow mo at 1080p at 120 fps and 720p at 240 fps. https://ift.tt/2FjprdL

MIUI 10 v8118 beta build reportedly supports Google Camera app

Xiaomi users in China that are on the beta version of MIUI are reportedly receiving the new MIUI 10 v8.11.8 beta update for eligible devices. Gizmochina says that this new update brings support for installing the Google Camera app on the phones with the update but the new feature is said to be limited to China-based MIUI ROM for now. In order to install the Google Camera app or any third-party camera app, a ROM build needs to support the HAL3 or Camera2API and the new MIUI 10 beta comes with the former. Till now, one needed to root their device to sideload the app and even then, there was no guarantee that all its features would work.  The Google Camera app incorporates some great features and the Pixel Phones also use the same. Using the app enables capturing bokeh images on phones that are still using a single camera setup and it also brings various other features like Photobooth, Night Sight, HDR+, Live Lens, Super Zoom and more. All of these features are available on Pixel phones and are being ported unofficially to many other phones too. It is not known when the updated ROM will be made available in a stable build globally for Xiaomi phones. Xiaomi also recently rolled out the MIUI 10 Global Stable ROM for the Poco F1 and it brings fixes for issues ranging from buggy "OK Google" to distorted headphone output sound while playing PUBG on the phone.  Apart from its MIUI running phones, Xiaomi also has the Mi A2 that runs on stock Android. Android Pie beta for the smartphone was leaked recently and it suggests features like Adaptive Battery, renewed filled-in navigation buttons and navigation gestures for the device. The information comes just a few weeks after Xiaomi Mi A1 was spotted running Android 9 Pie on Geekbench. Given the reports and leaks, the Xiaomi Mi A2 could be become company’s third phone after Mi Mix 2S and Mi A1 to receive the latest Android OS update. You can read more about this here. https://ift.tt/2Psvi5i

Its official: Apple T2 security chip on MacBook Pros and iMac Pros bars third-party repairs

Last month, a report revealed that Apple has partially blocked the third-party repair on devices that feature the company’s custom T2 security chip, by using a proprietary diagnostic software. The report said that the only way these devices can be repaired is by using company's proprietary tools. Apple has now confirmed these claims to The Verge but reportedly could not provide a list of repairs that require proprietary tools and could not comment on whether the practice began with the iMac Pro’s introduction last year or if it’s a new policy. The diagnostic software prevents third-party repairs of parts on the 2018 MacBook Pro that includes the display, Touch ID, keyboard, battery, logic board, trackpad and speakers, and for the iMac Pro, the tools are said to be required when repairs are made to the logic board and flash storage of the device. Not running the diagnostic software after any of these parts are replaced/repaired will “result in an inoperative system and an incomplete repair,” according to Apple's directive to service providers. The proprietary Apple diagnostic software is said to be available internally, only at Apple Authorized Service Providers and Apple stores, thus eliminating any chance of third-party repairs. However, iFixit performed repairs and replaced the display and logic boards of the latest 2018 13-inch MacBook Pro and found that the laptop is working fine. iFixit claimed that even if there is a restriction that impairs devices that undergo third-party repairs, it has not been activated yet. “The T2 is ‘a guillotine that [Apple is] holding over’ product owners. That’s because it’s the key to locking down Mac products by only allowing select replacement parts into the machine when they’ve come from an authorized source — a process that the T2 chip now checks for during post-repair reboot,” iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens told The Verge. “It’s very possible the goal is to exert more control over who can perform repairs by limiting access to parts. This could be an attempt to grab more market share from the independent repair providers. Or it could be a threat to keep their authorized network in line. We just don’t know,” Wiens added. According to Apple’s security guide, “The features of the Apple T2 Security Chip are made possible by the combination of silicon design, hardware, software, and services available only from Apple. These capabilities combine to provide unrivaled privacy and security features never before present on Mac.” Apple’s T2 security chip reportedly comes with a hardware microphone disconnect feature for added security. According to Apple’s security guide, the hardware microphone disconnect feature physically kills the connection between the microphone and the rest of the hardware every time the lid of the MacBook is closed. This is done to prevent any software (with root or kernel privileges) either on macOS or on the T2 security chip from accessing the microphone. This prevents eavesdropping on a closed MacBook as no malicious software can reconnect something that’s physically removed. https://ift.tt/2B224RY

PUBG Mobile Star Challenge global finale to be held in Dubai

Tencent has announced that its PUBG Mobile Star Challenge global finale will be held in Dubai. The event will take place from November 29 to December 1, at the Festival Arena in Dubai. The event allows players to participate in squads of four and battle it out for a total prize pool of $600,000 (approx Rs 4,35,75,000). However, the event is not open to all and is limited to players who have a fan following of at least 1,000 people on platforms such as YouTube Gaming, Twitch, Facebook Live, Smashcast TV, Mixer, Cube TV, Nimo TV, etc. There are no such requirements for the remaining three players. However, there can be no substitutes and rosters cannot be changed.  The tournament will be held across six regions, Asia, North America, South America, Europe, China, and Korea/Japan. After registrations, each team participates in 15 matches and the top ten matches will be included in the final result. The tournament committee will then pick out the top 40 qualifiers from each region (top 60 in Asia) to enter the preliminaries.  The winners of the regional finale will get $20,000(approx. Rs 14,52,500), while the two runners-up get $15,000 and $10,000 respectively. The winners of the global finale win $200,000 (approx Rs 1,45,25,000), while the two runners-up $100,000 and $50,000. Further, the most popular player in the regional final get $10,000. Winners will also get a contract to become an official streamers. For more information about the tournament, check out the official site here. Further, the public is also invited to buy tickets and watch the event in Dubai. While the tickets have not yet gone on sale, those interested can pre-register here. https://ift.tt/2DigNJT