Tech Nuggets with the Technology

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Rocket Lab successfully launches fifth Electron rocket this year

Rocket Lab has added another successful commercial launch to its track record: The rocket startup’s ‘As The Crow Flies’ mission took off today from its LC-1 launch site in New Zealand as planned. The rocket took off at 9:22 PM ET (6:22 PM PT), during its second launch opportunity of the day after the first window was pushed due to high altitude winds.

This is the ninth Electron launch for the company thus far, and the eighth mission for a commercial customer (the first was a test mission in 2017) since it began ferrying payloads for paying clients in 2018. Today’s launch carried a satellite called ‘Palisade’ for client Astro Digital, which is a technology demonstrator that will test the company’s next-generation geocommunications satellite design.

This mission was a late-stage substitute, swapping in for another Rocket Lab client who had to delay their own launch. Rocket Lab founder and CEO Peter Beck told TechCrunch that “Electron is a launch on demand service — we’re ready when the launch customer is,” highlighting the flexibility of the launch service they offer to adapt to the needs of their customers.

After successful launch and kick stage separation, the Astro Digital satellite now awaits its final deployment into its target orbit, which should happen in the next few hours. We’ll update with the results of that maneuver.

IBM reports Q3 revenue of $18B, down 3.9% YoY, the fifth consecutive down quarter; Red Hat sales of $371M, included for the first time, did not stop the decline (Olivia Carville/Bloomberg)

Olivia Carville / Bloomberg:
IBM reports Q3 revenue of $18B, down 3.9% YoY, the fifth consecutive down quarter; Red Hat sales of $371M, included for the first time, did not stop the decline — - Third-quarter revenue fell 3.9% in fifth period of decline — Red Hat included in results for first time since 2018 purchase

Cars24 has closed $100M Series D funding from new & existing investors

Lead investors Unbound and KCK Global put in $25 million each https://ift.tt/2ML3swZ https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Watch Rocket Lab’s next Electron rocket launch live

Rocket Lab is launching its ninth Electron rocket today, with the launch set for 00:41 UTC (8:41 ET/5:41 PT). The mission, called “As The Crow Flies,” will be taking off from the company’s LC-1 launchpad in New Zealand, carrying a payload from Astro Digital to orbit.

The launch was actually supposed to take a different spacecraft up to low Earth Orbit, but the payload was swapped late last month – an unusual move for a rocket launch, and one that Rocket Lab is using to demonstrate the flexibility of its commercial service model. Rocket Lab’s other customer had a delay, and Astro Digital was ready to send up one of its ‘Corvus’ imaging satellites, so it got to move up the timing of its launch as a result.

Rocket Lab is currently on track to launch as planned, and the launch stream for the mission will be live above starting at around 20 minutes out from the T-0 launch window.

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Watch the Trailer for Hotstar's First Original Movie, Chhappad Phaad Ke

Hotstar is foraying into the original movie business with Chhappad Phaad Ke, starring Vinay Pathak, Ayesha Raza, Sheetal Thakur, and Siddharth Menon. Directed by Sameer Hemant Joshi and produced by... https://ift.tt/31knO5t

Amazon sale: These phones from Samsung, Honor, Xiaomi and others available at discount in ‘Deal of the Day’

Continuing our list of smartphones in ‘Day of the Deal’ category, here are five phones that you may consider buying in Amazon sale. https://ift.tt/2ORS8Ss

Redmi Note 8 Pro, MIUI 11 India launch today: Watch live stream, expected price, and more

Redmi Note 8 Pro is all set to launch in India today at 12 PM. The company has already launched the device alongside the Redmi 8 in China. It was launched in August. The phone is being teased on Amazon India website as well as on Mi.com. Xiaomi is also expected to launch MIUI 11 Global ROM at today’s event.

Redmi Note 8 Pro specifications

Redmi Note 8 Pro features a 6.53-inch FHD+ LCD display that has a waterdrop notch. According to the company, it boasts a 91.94 percent screen to body ratio. It also sports a curved Gorilla Glass 5 panel on the back.

Redmi Note 8 Pro is powered by the MediaTek Helio G90T chipset. In China, it was launched in three variants: 6GB RAM + 64GB storage, 6GB RAM + 128GB storage and 8GB RAM + 128GB storage. However, we don’t know which variants will make their way to India. Further, it has liquid cooling support for improving the gaming experience.

In the optics department, Redmi Note 8 Pro sports a quad rear camera setup: Samsung-developed 64MP sensor with an aperture of f/1.7 + an 8MP ultra-wide lens + a 2MP depth sensor + a 2MP macro lens. On the front lies a 20MP selfie shooter. The company says Redmi Note 8 Pro is capable of recording videos at 960 frames per second.

The smartphone packs a 4500mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging. Redmi Note 8 Pro runs MIUI 10 based on Android 9 Pie. However, the company may announce the rollout of MIUI 11 Global ROM alongside the device.

Redmi Note 8 Pro also features NFC, splash-proof coating, Corning Gorilla Glass 5, and a 3.5mm audio jack.

Redmi Note 8 Pro Price in India (expected)

Redmi Note 8 Pro’s price and availability details are yet to be known. For reference, Redmi Note 8 Pro starts at CNY 1,399, which converts to Rs 14,000 approx. It goes up to CNY 1,799 (approx. Rs 18,000) for 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant.

Watch Redmi Note 8 Pro launch live

As mentioned earlier, Redmi Note 8 will launch in India at 12 PM. The company will be live streaming the launch on YouTube. You can watch the live stream in the below-embedded video.

https://ift.tt/31hGUJi

Hotstar to launch original films

The first of these movies will Vinay Pathak's dark comedy "Chhappad Phaad Ke", produced by Saregama's Yodlee Films https://ift.tt/33AOZdQ https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Twitter says world leaders 'not above' its rules

Twitter said it reserves the right to take "enforcement action" on offending tweets, notably those including threats of violence or posting of private information. https://ift.tt/2MiKFtJ https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Here's Why Google Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL Won't Launch In India

Google Pixel 4 comes with a starting price tag of $799 (roughly Rs. 57,000) and Pixel 4 XL for $899 (roughly Rs. 64,000). https://ift.tt/2OStXmE

After a decade of League of Legends, Riot looks to expand with new games

League of Legends: Wild Rift promises the same basic gameplay with shortened matches and controls tailored for mobile and console gamers.

For a decade now, Riot Games has been known almost exclusively for League of Legends, the ultra-successful MOBA that can still attract 8 million simultaneous players at its daily peak. But in an anniversary livestream tonight, the company confirmed a veritable smorgasbord of new gaming and entertainment projects for the first time, all set in the same League of Legends universe.

Those projects include:

League of Legends: Wild Rift: A new version of the MOBA built from the ground up with a twin-stick control scheme designed for consoles and mobile phones and a focus on 15 to 18-minutes games. Due on mobile phones in 2020.
Legends of Runeterra: A competitive card game set in the League of Legends universe. Cards will not be unlocked via randomized pack purchases, Riot said.
"Project A": Described as "a stylish, competitive, character-based tactical shooter for PC," this sounds like Riot's answer to Overwatch or Team Fortress 2. More information expected next year.
"Project L": "A fighting game set in the LoL universe" that's "in early stage development." Likely being developed by the remnants of Rising Thunder developer Radiant Entertainment, which Riot acquired in 2016.
"Project F": "A very early development project that explores the possibilities of traversing the world of Runeterra with your friends," as Riot describes it. Brief streamed footage looked reminiscent of Diablo and other third-person action RPGs.
League of Legends Esports Manager: A team management game that lets players manage a team of simulated LoL pros that sounds similar to the Football Manager series. Planned to launch with League of Legends Pro League support next year.
Teamfight Tactics Mobile: A smartphone port of Riot's recent autobattler game mode, planned for the first quarter of 2020.
Arcane: An animated series set in the League of Legends universe, planned for 2020.
League of Legends Origins: A "feature-length documentary" highlighting the game's growth, available now on Netflix.

The rapid project expansion, after a full decade of existence as a de facto single-game company puts the Tencent-owned conglomerate and its 2,500 employees immediately in a class with multi-franchise publishing behemoths like Activision Blizzard, Electronic Arts, and Ubisoft. Unlike those companies, though, Riot is currently focusing all of its efforts on games in a single shared universe, building on ten years of lore and character design as it attempts to rapidly expand to other popular genres.

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https://arstechnica.com