Tech NEWS { 23-Feb-2015 }

1. Apple hiring brightest brains to make car battery

            A year and a half ago, Apple had applied for just eight patents related to auto batteries. Recently, it has hired a bevy of engineers, just one of whom had already filed for 17 in his former career, according to a Thomson Reuters analysis.

2. US urges Lenovo customers to remove Superfish

            The US government has advised Lenovo Group customers to remove 'Superfish,' a program pre-installed on some Lenovo laptops, saying it makes users vulnerable to cyberattacks.

3. Google using new CAPTCHA to collect data for ads

            The 'CAPTCHA' has infuriated web users for years: It's that login test that asks you to type in a hard-to-read sequence of letters or numbers in order to prove are not a robot. Get one letter wrong and you'll be denied access.

4. Motorola to make ‘exciting’ announcement on February 25           

            Motorola has made a mysterious announcement about a product it is going to launch next week. The Lenovo-owned manufacturer has sent out invites to only international media, informing them of an event on February 25.

5. 1,500 mobile phones to be launched in 2015

            As mobile phone brands like Xiaomi, Asus, Motorola, Obi etc slug it out to increase their market share in India, around 1,400-1,500 new models are expected to be launched in 2015.

6. Cisco dumps bell curve assessment for appraisals

Cisco, for long one of the foremost practitioners of the bell curve methodology to evaluate employees, has decided to junk the practice and replace it with a new feedback mechanism. The company believes this will foster teamwork and collaboration.

7. Xiaomi to sue websites for selling phones illegally

Xiaomi will be taking legal action against websites selling its phones illegally and infringing on the company's trademark in India where the Chinese handset maker has an ongoing patent dispute with Ericsson. 

8. Samsung gives first look of Galaxy S6 in teaser

            Samsung has released a teaser video for its Unpacked event in Barcelona on March 1, and it's given us a sneaky look at the Galaxy S6 in the process. 

9. Lawsuit over default Google apps in Android dismissed

            A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit accusing Google Inc of harming smartphone buyers by forcing handset makers that use its Android operating system to make the search engine company's own applications the default option. 

10.  Flipkart uses Amazon package as dustbin

            An image posted by Reddit India has created a buzz on social media and led to a Twitter war between e-commerce giants Flipkart and Amazon.

Gopinath TB, 

CEO, Meteora Gaming

www.meteoragaming.com

Tech NWES { 21-Feb-2015 }

1. Apple, Japan Display in talks to build $1.7 billion plant

            Japan Display Inc is considering building a new plant to supply smartphone screens for Apple Inc, which may shoulder much of the 200 billion yen ($1.68 billion) investment, Japan's Nikkan Kogyo newspaper said on Friday.

2.  Amazon wants to sell you designer labels

For the first time, a menswear version of Fashion Week will come to New York this summer. Bulbs will flash as photographers hustle to document the best looks from the spectacle's dapper attendees. Designer labels such as Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, and Rag & Bone will showcase their most creative garments on radiant catwalks.

3. Microsoft-Nokia deal disregarded workers' needs: Labour Union

The Labour Progressive Federation (LPF) has said commercial interests have trampled over genuine needs of workers of Nokia India mobile phone factory near here.

4.  Making your home 'smart', the Indian way

            Most home automation platforms offer a trifecta of 'sensors-apps cloud' — a central hub connected to sensors equipped to detect movement or heat; apps that allow users to control these sensors; and access to remote systems, or the 'cloud,' to store and analyze data.

5. Samsung Galaxy S6 to have smaller battery than Galaxy S5

            The launch of Samsung Galaxy S6 is just around the corner, and the rumour mill keeps on revealing new details about the upcoming smartphone. 

6. Angry Birds maker to debut in Chinese market

            Finland's Rovio will start tailoring its Angry Birds mobile games to the Chinese market with help from Beijing Kunlun as it aims to step up business in the world's most populous country, it said on Thursday.

7. T-Mobile Q4 revenue beats estimates

T-Mobile US, the No.4 US wireless operator, posted quarterly profit and revenue that handily beat market estimates as aggressive discounts helped it add more than 2 million subscribers.

8. Lenovo to stop pre-installing controversial software

            China's Lenovo Group Ltd, the world's largest PC maker, said it will no longer pre-install software that cybersecurity experts said was malicious and made devices vulnerable to hacking. 

9. Motorola replies to Apple's jibe over design

            It's hard to argue taste with Apple design chief Jonathan Ive, but that's exactly what Motorola's president seems to be doing in his defense of why the company allows customers to design their own smartphones.

10. Russian competition watchdog opens case against Google   

            Russia's Anti-Monopoly Service has opened a case against Google following a request from Russia's biggest search site Yandex, Interfax news agency reported on Friday citing the regulator.

Gopinath TB, 

CEO, Meteora Gaming

www.meteoragaming.com

Tech NEWS { 20-Feb-2015 }

1. Motorola set to launch its costliest phone in India

It looks like Motorola is all set to introduce Moto Maxx, its high-end smartphone in the Indian market. Flipkart, which is Motorola's exclusive retail partner, has started teasing the phone via its social network accounts.

2. YouTube paid music service goes into beta

            Google Inc's YouTube is set to launch its long-awaited paid monthly subscription service called YouTube Music Key in a few months, said Robert Kyncl, the online video service's head of content and business operations, at the Code/Media conference.

3. Samsung buys Apple Pay competitor LoopPay

            Samsung Electronics Co Ltd has bought US mobile wallet startup LoopPay, signaling its intention to launch a smartphone payments service to compete with a recent offering from rival Apple Inc. 

4. Pinterest eyes $11 billion valuation with new funding

Pinterest, a photo pin-up site, is in talks to raise $500 million in a round of funding that would more than double its valuation to $11 billion.

5. At $8.7 billion, TCS fastest-growing IT brand globally

            The brand value of the country's largest software exporter TCS grew to $8.7 billion in 2015, clipping at a growth of 271% from $2.3 billion in 2010, making it the fastest growing software brand in the world over the past five years.

6. OnePlus One 16GB coming to India soon

Chinese manufacturer OnePlus is bringing the 16GB variant of its One smartphone to the Indian market next week.

7. Microsoft offers Rs 7,000 discount on Lumia 830, 930

            Microsoft Devices has announced a cash back offer of Rs 7,000 on its premium devices - Lumia 830 and 930 as part of its Holi promotions. The cash back amount will be offered upfront to all consumers who walk in to a retail store starting February 20. 

8.  Apple removes sensors from smartwatch

            Apple reportedly had some sensors removed from its new smartwatch after discovering that arm hair was obstructing its functioning.

9. Videocon to launch 68Mbps 4G service in UP, Bihar

            Videocon Telecom has plans to invest Rs 1,200 crore over three years on high-speed 4G mobile services to be launched in UP and Bihar by December at rates close to 2G and 3G internet services. 

10. Lenovo accused of exposing own laptops to hacking

Lenovo Group, the world's largest PC maker, had pre-installed a virus-like software on laptops that makes the devices more vulnerable to hacking, cybersecurity experts said on Thursday. 

Gopinath TB, 

CEO, Meteora Gaming

www.meteoragaming.com