Route Mobile partners with Robi Axiata Limited for RCS business messaging expansion

Route Mobile, a CPaaS provider, has partnered with Robi Axiata Limited in Bangladesh to provide managed services for RCS Business Messaging. Route Mobile will onboard clients, provide 24x7 support, and assist with sales in the Bangladesh market. RCS Business Messaging is a multimedia service by Google that allows brands to engage with customers through rich content. The partnership aims to expand Robi's market reach and accelerate the adoption of next-generation technology in Bangladesh. https://ift.tt/fWuAs0p

Hands-on with Best Take for Pixel 8, which uses AI to replace people's faces, a fun camera tool that worryingly helps AI standardize what happiness looks like (Geoffrey A. Fowler/Washington Post)

Geoffrey A. Fowler / Washington Post:
Hands-on with Best Take for Pixel 8, which uses AI to replace people's faces, a fun camera tool that worryingly helps AI standardize what happiness looks like  —  A new AI function called Best Take in Google's Pixel 8 lets you replace people's faces, saving memories of moments that never actually happened.

Filing: Alphabet-owned DeepMind cut expenses related to employees by to £595M in 2022, down 39% from £969M in 2021, as revenue fell 21% YoY (Thomas Seal/Bloomberg)

Thomas Seal / Bloomberg:
Filing: Alphabet-owned DeepMind cut expenses related to employees by to £595M in 2022, down 39% from £969M in 2021, as revenue fell 21% YoY  —  - Alphabet-owned AI research unit saw revenues fall in 2022  — London-based DeepMind slashed staff costs 39% in the period

Investors and analysts expect the Israel-Hamas war to derail the fragile recovery of Israel's tech sector, which accounts for 14% of the country's workforce (Steven Scheer/Reuters)

Steven Scheer / Reuters:
Investors and analysts expect the Israel-Hamas war to derail the fragile recovery of Israel's tech sector, which accounts for 14% of the country's workforce  —  The spiralling conflict with the Palestinians is set to derail a fragile recovery in Israel's all-important tech sector …

Sources: at an Activision townhall hosted by James Corden, Bobby Kotick discussed Microsoft, Elon Musk's Neuralink, hinted at a Guitar Hero revival, and more (Jez Corden/Windows Central)

Jez Corden / Windows Central:
Sources: at an Activision townhall hosted by James Corden, Bobby Kotick discussed Microsoft, Elon Musk's Neuralink, hinted at a Guitar Hero revival, and more  —  Kotick and Corden (not me) discuss the future of Activision.  —  What you need to know  — Sources familiar …

Apple spent $200M to $250M on Killers of the Flower Moon, debuting October 20, the first test of Apple's plans to spend $1B per year on movies for theaters (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg:
Apple spent $200M to $250M on Killers of the Flower Moon, debuting October 20, the first test of Apple's plans to spend $1B per year on movies for theaters  —  The tech giant is hoping the big screen will help sell little ones.  —  At the Cannes Film Festival, red carpets are unfurled to receive Hollywood's most important figures.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III PC open beta early access to start on October 12

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III will be released on November 10 and will feature Captain Price and Task Force 141 facing off against war criminal Vladimir Makarov. The game will include support for Nvidia DLSS 3 and Nvidia Reflex. PC gamers who have pre-purchased the game can start playing the beta version on October 12, which will include DLSS 2 and Nvidia Reflex. The beta version will be cross-play-enabled and will feature maps from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. https://ift.tt/heY7wCj

A look at the stalled efforts to ban TikTok in the US as defense officials, who want an outright ban, clash with economic officials who back a compromise (Gavin Bade/Politico)

Gavin Bade / Politico:
A look at the stalled efforts to ban TikTok in the US as defense officials, who want an outright ban, clash with economic officials who back a compromise  —  The administration is throwing its weight behind a new bill after previous legislative and national security efforts faltered.

Vivo Y200 5G smartphone to launch in India soon, confirms company

Vivo is teasing the launch of its new Y-series smartphone, the Vivo Y200, in India. The company has posted a video featuring actress Sara Ali Khan on its official X account. The specifications of the Vivo Y200 have not been revealed yet, but leaked posters suggest it may have a 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, an in-display fingerprint sensor, a 64MP main camera, a 2MP depth sensor, a 16MP front camera, and a 4,800 mAh battery with 44W fast charging support. Vivo recently expanded its V-series with the launch of the Vivo V29 and V20 Pro. https://ift.tt/kgxUNXl

Sources: after stockpiling components for months, Huawei aims to ship 60M to 70M phones in 2024, doubling shipments in 2023 and 2022, despite the US crackdown (Cheng Ting-Fang/Nikkei Asia)

Cheng Ting-Fang / Nikkei Asia:
Sources: after stockpiling components for months, Huawei aims to ship 60M to 70M phones in 2024, doubling shipments in 2023 and 2022, despite the US crackdown  —  New export controls expected from U.S. could thwart ambitious comeback plans  —  Huawei's release of the 5G-capable Mate 60 Pro took markets and policymakers by surprise.

As the Israel-Hamas war escalates, a look at the role of hacktivism for both sides, supported by outside groups, including DDoSing Israeli government sites (Wired)

Wired:
As the Israel-Hamas war escalates, a look at the role of hacktivism for both sides, supported by outside groups, including DDoSing Israeli government sites  —  Hacktivism is increasingly a feature of modern kinetic warfare.  It's playing out with particular ferocity in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Xiaomi could replace MIUI with MiOS for smartphones

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi is reportedly considering replacing its MIUI Android interface with a new operating system called MiOS. The company is planning changes for the upcoming version of its custom interface, with speculation that MIUI 15 may not be released. It is unclear whether MiOS will be a new operating system or just another Android-based skin. Xiaomi has a global user base of over 564 million monthly active users, and the new interface may be exclusive to users in China. However, Xiaomi is still testing MIUI 15 and plans to release it with its upcoming Xiaomi 14 smartphones. https://ift.tt/HadA41V

Zebronics launches a series of lifestyle laptops: All the details

Zebronics has introduced laptops under its Pro Series Y and Pro Series Z, including models with Dolby Atmos for immersive sound. The laptops, powered by Intel processors and running on Windows 11, offer up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB SSD storage. The Pro Series Y starts at Rs 27,990 ($375), while Pro Series Z starts at Rs 31,990 ($430). The laptops are available on Flipkart and Amazon. All models have a 15.6-inch FHD display and multiple connectivity options. https://ift.tt/GPmF8JY

An investigation details FTX staff's all-night race to stop a crypto heist as the exchange collapsed, ultimately losing $415M to $432M to unidentified hackers (Andy Greenberg/Wired)

Andy Greenberg / Wired:
An investigation details FTX staff's all-night race to stop a crypto heist as the exchange collapsed, ultimately losing $415M to $432M to unidentified hackers  —  The same chaotic day FTX declared bankruptcy, someone began stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from its coffers.

Investors and analysts: Intel, Nvidia, and others in Israel are set to fortify security and face disruptions after Hamas attacks; Nvidia cancels an AI summit (Reuters)

Reuters:
Investors and analysts: Intel, Nvidia, and others in Israel are set to fortify security and face disruptions after Hamas attacks; Nvidia cancels an AI summit  —  Tech companies operating in Israel are expected to fortify security as they could face disruptions, said investors and analysts …