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Showing posts from May, 2023

Vedanta-Foxconn, Other Chip Firms Expected to Re-Apply for Government Funding Under Revised Scheme

Some applicants including Vedanta Foxconn JV are expected to re-apply for government incentives under the modified semiconductor scheme opening from June 1, according to sources. Under the Modified Semicon India Programme , the government has increased the financial incentive of 50 percent of the project cost for companies, consortia, joint ventures for setting up semiconductor fabs in India of any node (wafer size). In the old scheme, the incentives varied on the basis of wafer node size. Similarly, a fiscal incentive of 50 percent of the project cost is available for setting up of display fabs of specified technologies in India, a statement said on Wednesday. "Government has decided to invite new applications for setting up of Semiconductor Fabs and Display Fabs in India from June 01, 2023, under the Modified Semicon India Programme. The applications will be received by India Semiconductor Mission ," the statement said. Minister of State for Electronics and IT, Rajeev...
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Delhi Metro Launches WhatsApp-Based Ticketing Service for Airport Line Commuters

Delhi Metro commuters will now be able to travel on the Airport Line using a WhatsApp- based ticketing service launched on Tuesday. The system allows commuters to receive a QR code-based ticket directly on WhatsApp, officials said. "Further enhancing the travel experience for its commuters in an easy-to-navigate digital mode, Delhi Metro today introduced a WhatsApp-based ticketing service for travel on its Airport Express Line," the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said. The service was launched by DMRC Managing Director Vikas Kumar at the Metro Bhawan here in the presence of other senior officials. With the introduction of this facility, commuters on the Airport Line will now be able to use WhatsApp chatbot-generated QR code-based tickets from their smartphones. This facility will make commuting more efficient and seamless for commuters, especially national and international travellers heading to or coming from the airport, using the Airport Line, as they can now pu...
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US Scraps Excise Tax Proposal on Bitcoin Mining After Biden Refuses to Slash Crypto Taxes

The US has come to a decision regarding the imposition of excise taxes on Bitcoin miners operating from within the country. The US will not be adding any new tax layer upon the US' Bitcoin mining sector as the proposal extended earlier this month has officially been scrapped. The development was confirmed to the media by a regulator in the US. It is noteworthy, that this decision comes immediately after US President Joe Biden clearly refused to slash the existing taxes on crypto gains. It seems, not levying an excise tax on Bitcoin miners is the US' way to keep earning from crypto taxes while also not pressurising the industry from all sides. Earlier this month, the US' Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) floated a proposal to have Bitcoin miners pay a tax equal to 30 percent of the total energy cost that they consumed in the crypto mining process. The decision to pull the plug on this proposal could be part of a bunch of tax-related rebates introduced by the US administra...
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New Low-Cost Smartphone Attachment, Custom App to Monitor Blood Pressure at User’s Fingertip

Scientists have developed a simple, low-cost clip that uses a smartphone's camera and flash to monitor blood pressure at the user's fingertip. The clip developed by researchers at the University of California (UC) San Diego, US, works with a custom smartphone app and currently costs about 80 cents (Rs. 5.6) to make. The researchers estimate that the cost could be as low as 10 cents (Rs. 0.7) apiece when manufactured at scale. The technology, described in the journal Scientific Reports, could help make regular blood pressure monitoring easy, affordable and accessible to people in resource-poor communities, they said. It could benefit older adults and pregnant women, for example, in managing conditions such as hypertension, according to the researchers. "We have created an inexpensive solution to lower the barrier to blood pressure monitoring,” said study first author Yinan Xuan, a Ph.D. student at UC San Diego. "Because of their low cost, these clips could be han...
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Tecno Camon 20, Camon 20 Pro 5G, Camon 20 Premier 5G With MediaTek Chipsets, AMOLED Displays Launched in India

Tecno Camon 20, Camon 20 Pro 5G, and Camon 20 Premier 5G were launched by the company on Saturday. The new series of smartphones is equipped with chipsets from MediaTek and sport AMOLED displays. The Tecno Camon 20 and Tecno Camon 20 Pro feature similar specifications including a 64-megapixel primary camera, while the Tecno Camon 20 Premier 5G packs a 50-megapixel camera. All three handsets are equipped with 5,000mAh batteries. The company is yet to announce pricing and availability details of the more expensive Camon 20 Premier 5G. Tecno Camon 20, Camon 20 Pro 5G, and Camon 20 Premier 5G price in India and availability Tecno Camon 20 price in India is set at Rs. 14,999 and the handset goes on sale today in a single 8GB + 256GB RAM and storage option in Glacier Glow, Predawn Black, and Serenity Blue colour options. The Tecno Camon 20 Pro 5G , on the other hand, is priced at Rs. 19,999 for the 8GB + 128GB model, while the 8GB + 256GB variant is priced at Rs. 21,999. Bot...
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China to Send First Civilian Into Space on Tuesday as Part of Crewed Mission to Its Space Station

China will send its first civilian astronaut into space as part of a crewed mission to the Tiangong space station on Tuesday, its Manned Space Agency announced, as Beijing pushes ahead with its extra-terrestrial ambitions. The world's second-largest economy has invested billions of dollars into its military-run space programme, trying to catch up with the United States and Russia after years of belatedly matching their milestones. Until now, all Chinese astronauts sent into space have been part of the People's Liberation Army. "Payload expert Gui Haichao is a professor at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics," China Manned Space Agency Spokesperson Lin Xiqiang told reporters Monday. Gui will be "mainly responsible for the on-orbit operation of space science experimental payloads", Lin said. The commander is Jing Haipeng -- on his fourth mission into space, according to state media -- and the third crew member is engineer Zhu Yangzhu. The...
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Apple's $50 Million 'Butterfly' Keyboard Class-Action Lawsuit Settlement Approved by US Court

A US judge on Thursday approved Apple's $50 million (roughly Rs. 412 crore) class-action settlement resolving consumer claims over certain defective MacBook keyboards, in a ruling that spurned challenges to the deal. US District Judge Edward Davila in San Jose, California, federal court in his ruling called the settlement "fair, adequate and reasonable." Eleven consumers from New York, Florida, California, Michigan and several other states were the lead plaintiffs in the national class action alleging consumer protection and warranty claims. The lawsuit accused Apple of failing to provide sufficient repairs or troubleshooting help for certain MacBook "butterfly" keyboards made between 2015 and 2019. An Apple spokesperson on Friday did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. The plaintiffs' lawyers announced the deal a year ago. Apple denied any wrongdoing. Class members will receive $50 (roughly Rs. 400) up to $395 (roughly Rs. 32,600) ...
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Google Chrome for Desktop Refreshes Browser Customisation Options With New Colours, Themes

Google has begun rolling out new personalisation features for its Chrome Web browser on desktop. The browser, that is estimated to be used by over 2.65 billion people from around the world, will now let community members experiment with more themes and colours. In order to suggest customisation options to the liking of the users, Chrome will track previous selections and show options accordingly. For now, these new customisation options are only reaching desktop users of Chrome. The new side panel on Chrome browser is being loaded with multiple gradients of hues, that could change the overall appearance of the browser as per the preference of the user. “You can test out different colours, themes and settings in real time by opening a new tab in Chrome and clicking the ‘Customise Chrome' icon in the bottom right corner. A new side panel will open with the available customisation features. Here, you can experiment with different features and easily see how they will show up on you...
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Inside ‘Alone in the Dark’: THQ’s Re-Imagining of the ‘90s Lovecraftian Survival Horror Game

Before Resident Evil , there was Alone in the Dark — a Lovecraftian survival horror game from Frédéric Raynal, that relied on fixed, pre-rendered backdrops upon which 3D characters would scurry about. The game design impressed creator Shinji Mikami to adapt it into RE's early model, prior to which it was planned as a first-person shooter. Arriving on the scene in 1992, Alone in the Dark spawned an entire series of compelling titles, before eventually fading into obscurity over the next decade. That is, until Swedish developer Pieces Interactive took it upon itself to dig the franchise back from its haunting grave through a modernised re-imagining — one that ironically now draws inspiration from the recent Resident Evil remakes. It forms a complete circle. Best described as a love letter to the original, Alone in the Dark — out October 25 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X — brings back lead characters Detective Edward Carnby and Emily Hartwood to the moody Derceto Mansion, in respon...
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Facebook Parent Meta Starts Final Round of Layoffs as Part of Plan to Cut 10,000 Roles

Meta Platforms started carrying out the last batch of a three-part round of layoffs on Wednesday, according to a source familiar with the matter, as part of a plan announced in March to eliminate 10,000 roles. Meta in March became the first Big Tech company to announce a second round of mass layoffs, after showing more than 11,000 employees the door in the fall. The cuts brought the company's headcount down to where it stood as of about mid-2021, following a hiring spree that doubled its workforce since 2020. Some employees took to platforms such as LinkedIn on Wednesday to announce that they were laid off in a round that was expected to cut deeply into the ad sales, marketing and partnerships teams. Meta Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg in March said that the bulk of the layoffs in the company's second round would take place in three "moments" over several months, largely finishing in May. Some smaller rounds could continue after that, he said. Overall the cuts ...
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After ChatGPT, Italy's Regulator Plans to Review Other Artificial Intelligence Platforms

Italy's data protection authority Garante plans to review other artificial intelligence platforms and hire AI experts, a top official said, as it ramps up scrutiny of the powerful technology after temporarily banning ChatGPT in March. Garante is among the most proactive of the 31 national data protection authorities which oversee Europe's data privacy regime known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The agency was the first to ban AI chatbot company Replika , to impose fines on facial recognition software maker Clearview AI , and to restrict TikTok in Europe. In March, it temporarily banned Microsoft -backed OpenAI 's bot ChatGPT and launched a probe over the application's suspected breach of privacy rules. "We plan to kick off a wide-scope review of generative and machine learning AI applications which are available online because we want to understand if these new tools are addressing issues linked to data protection and privacy laws complian...
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TikTok Users in Montana, US, File Lawsuit Seeking to Block State's Ban on App

Five TikTok users in Montana who create content posted on the short-video app filed a lawsuit in federal court seeking to block the state's new ban on the Chinese-owned platform. Montana Governor Greg Gianforte on Wednesday signed legislation to ban TikTok in the state, effective Jan. 1. The five users seek to block the law, which makes it unlawful for the app stores of Alphabet's Google and Apple to offer TikTok within the state. The lawsuit, filed in US District Court in Montana late on Wednesday, names the state's attorney general, Austin Knudsen, who is charged with enforcing the law. The TikTok users argue the state seeks to "exercise powers over national security that Montana does not have and to ban speech Montana may not suppress." The suit said users believe the law violates their First Amendment rights. "Montana can no more ban its residents from viewing or posting to TikTok than it could ban the Wall Street Journal because of who owns it or...
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NASA Partners With Blue Origin to Build Spacecraft for Moon Mission

A team led by Jeff Bezos' space company Blue Origin won a coveted NASA contract to build a spacecraft that will send astronauts to and from the moon 's surface, NASA's chief announced on Friday, capping a high-stakes contest. NASA's decision will give the agency a second ride to the moon under its Artemis program, after it awarded Elon Musk 's SpaceX $3 billion (nearly Rs. 24,850 crore) in 2021 to land astronauts on the moon for the first time since the final Apollo mission in 1972. Those initial missions using SpaceX's Starship system are slated for later this decade. The Blue Origin contract is valued roughly $3.4 billion (nearly Rs. 28,150 crore), NASA's exploration chief Jim Free said, with Blue Origin privately contributing "well north" of that amount, Blue Origin's lunar lander head John Couluris said. "Honored to be on this journey with @NASA to land astronauts on the Moon — this time to stay," Amazon .com billionaire...
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Instagram Could Release Text-Based App to Rival Against Twitter by June 2023: Report

Meta Platforms ' Instagram is planning to release a text-based app that will compete with Twitter and may debut as soon as June, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. The Facebook parent is testing the product with influencers and some creators, according to the report . The company did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Meta has been contacting talent agencies and celebrities to gauge their interest in trying an early version of the app, which will be integrated with Instagram, said Alex Heath in a newsletter. "The decentralized app is built on the back of Instagram but will be compatible with some other apps like Mastodon ," according to a newsletter by Lia Haberman, who teaches social and influencer marketing at UCLA in California. The report also mentions that the parent company Meta has made the new app secretly available to select creators for months. It is said to be separate from Instagram yet al...
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Big Tech Gets Support From EU Regulators Against Telcos' Network Fee Push

EU telecoms regulators' group BEREC on Friday warned the European Commission against proposing legislation pushed by the sector to get Big Tech 's help to pay for the rollout of 5G and broadband, saying it did not see a competition problem or a market failure. The comments from The Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) to the European Commission which is now looking into the issue underscores the high-stakes battle between Big Tech and Europe's major telecoms operators. "There is no evidence of a competition problem or a market failure to the detriment of end-users regarding IP-interconnection," the group said. Echoing Big Tech's arguments, BEREC said it has its doubts about a mandatory network fee levied on the companies. "It is questionable that mandatory payments from CAPs (content and application providers) to ISPs (internet service providers) would lead to member states meeting the connectivity targets," BEREC ...
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Meta Announces New Details on Data Centers for AI Projects

Meta Platforms on Thursday shared new details on projects it was pursuing to make its data centers better suited to supporting artificial intelligence work, including a custom chip "family" that it said it was developing in-house. The Facebook and Instagram owner said in a series of blog posts that it designed a first-generation chip in 2020 as part of the Meta Training and Inference Accelerator (MTIA) program, which was aimed at improving efficiency for the recommendations models it uses to serve ads and other content in news feeds. Reuters previously reported that the company was not planning to deploy its first in-house AI chip widely and was already working on a successor. The blog posts portrayed the first MTIA chip as a learning opportunity. "From this initial program, we have learned invaluable lessons that we are incorporating into our roadmap," it wrote. The first MTIA chip was focused exclusively on an AI process called inference, in which algorith...
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HTC U23, HTC U23 Pro With Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1​ SoC Launched: Price, Specifications

HTC U23 , HTC U23 Pro were launched in Taiwan on Thursday. The HTC U23 series was teased earlier by the company. The official teaser also suggested that the phones will be compatible with the company's Viverse VR platform. With the launch of the smartphones, we will soon see how exactly it will work together. The phones are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipsets. Both handsets come with IP67 ratings. The base model sports a triple-rear camera unit, while the pro model features a quad-rear camera system. HTC U23, HTC U23 Pro price, availability Offered in Aqua Blue and Roland Violet colour options, the base HTC U23 model is available in a single storage variant of 8GB + 128GB. The company has not yet revealed the price and availability details of the phone. Meanwhile, the HTC U23 Pro is available for purchase through the online HTC Taiwan store . The 8GB + 256GB is priced at TWD 16,990 (roughly Rs. 45,500) and the 12GB + 256GB variant is marked at TWD 17,990 (rough...
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