Tech Striker

Visual messaging app Snapchat has crossed 200 million monthly active users mark in India and 120 million of them watch content on the platform, parent firm Snap said on Tuesday. The company on the occasion announced the launch of an experimental AI -powered chatbot customised for Snapchat, My AI , that can recommend birthday gift ideas, plan a trip for a long weekend or even suggest a recipe for dinner. "Snapchat reaches over 200 million monthly active users in India," Snap said in a statement. The visual messaging app has over 750 million monthly active users globally comprising 90 percent of users in the age bracket of 18-24 years. "I am thrilled to have joined Snap at a time where the momentum among our Indian community has never been stronger. We see incredible potential for partners, creators and brands to build communities and businesses on Snapchat, and we couldn't be more excited about our future. "Young India has particularly valued the healthy

Sony said on Wednesday that the success of hit drama The Last Of Us from television network HBO is boosting sales of the game series upon which it is based, in a stand-out case of the group repurposing its popular franchises. “We could see very, very clearly that every time an episode of that show dropped, that sales of the game increased very dramatically,” Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan told an investor briefing. The success of the show is a notable example of efforts by Sony to drive business across different business lines after its transformation from an electronics maker to entertainment giant spanning games, music, and movies. Sony has also brought The Last Of Us franchise, which depicts characters struggling for survival in a post-apocalyptic United States, to PC as part of a push to diversify beyond consoles. “Already our PC business is a significant profit contributor,” Ryan said. Sony expects PC revenue to hit $450 million (about Rs. 3,722 crore) in the

WWDC 2023 — Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference — will begin with a keynote event on June 5, the company confirmed on Tuesday. The Cupertino company has revealed the schedule for the first day of the developer conference where it is expected to unveil upcoming versions of its iOS, macOS, iPadOS, tvOS, and watchOS operating systems. Apple is also tipped to launch its first mixed reality headset at WWDC 2023 , and the company has reportedly invited VR industry experts to its upcoming event. Apple announced in a press release that its WWDC 2023 keynote event would begin on June 5 at 10am PDT (10:30pm IST). As with previous events, you can stream the event via Apple's website, YouTube, the Apple TV+ app, and the Apple Developer app. Once the livestream ends, you can also watch the entire event again. This will be followed by the Platforms State of the Union at 1:30pm PDT (2am IST on June 6) and the Apple Design Awards at 6:30pm PDT (7am IST on June 6). Developers will

Shutterstock said on Tuesday it would buy animated-images platform Giphy from Meta Platforms for $53 million (roughly Rs. 438 crore) in cash, months after the Facebook owner had agreed to divest the company on competition concerns. Britain's competition regulator last year ordered Meta to sell Giphy over fears that it could deny or limit competitors such as Snapchat and Twitter access to the target's content. Meta had reportedly paid $400 million (roughly Rs. 3,300 crore) for New York-based Giphy in 2020. A year later the deal was challenged by Britain's Competition and Markets Authority and its successful campaign was the first time a regulator had forced a U.S. tech giant to sell an already acquired company. Shares of Shutterstock, which expects the deal to close next month, rose as much as 4 percent premarket. The company said Giphy would add "minimal" revenue this year and it would launch efforts to increase revenue from 2024. "This is an exciti

Netflix on Tuesday expanded its crackdown on password sharing to the United States and more than 100 other countries, alerting users that their accounts cannot be shared for free outside of their households. The streaming video pioneer has been looking for new ways to make money as it faces signs of market saturation, with efforts including limits on password borrowing and a new ad-supported option. Netflix on Tuesday said it was sending emails about account sharing to customers in 103 countries and territories, including the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Australia, Singapore, Mexico and Brazil. The emails state that a Netflix account should only be used in one household. Paying customers can add a member outside of their homes for an additional fee. In the United States, the fee is $8 (roughly Rs. 700) per month. Members can also transfer a person's profile so the user can keep their viewing history and recommendations. Netflix last year said it was going to limit

iQoo Neo 7 Pro launch in India could take place soon. The company's CEO posted a teaser for a "Pro" branded iQoo Neo smartphone that is headed to the Indian market. The smartphone is expected to arrive as a premium version of the iQoo Neo 7 5G that was launched in India in February with a MediaTek Dimensity 8200 SoC and support for 120W fast charging. The company is yet to reveal any specifications of the purported iQoo Neo 7 Pro handset. A teaser shared by iQoo CEO Nipun Marya on Twitter contains the text "Neo" at the centre of the image, with "7" and "P" at the top and bottom of the image. The teaser hints at the Neo 7 Pro moniker of the handset, but the company hasn't confirmed the name yet. It also doesn't reveal any details of its specifications and features. The tweet states that the handset will launch in India soon. POWERING SOON…??. #StayTuned #PowerToWin pic.twitter.com/CKL52vUlAW — Nipun Marya (@nipunmarya) May 23,

Bitcoin price on Tuesday crossed the $27,070 (roughly Rs. 22.35 lakh) mark for the first time in several days and was trading at $27,075 (roughly Rs. 22.4 lakh). With a slight increase of 1.56 percent, the world's most popular cryptocurrency rose in value by $290 (roughly Rs. 24,000) after days of trading around $26,000 (roughly Rs. 21.5 lakh). Industry experts have highlighted that Bitcoin is currently trading in one of the narrowest ranges recorded in the past three years. Ether , like Bitcoin , rose in value and was trading at $1,840 (roughly Rs. 1.52 lakh), or a gain of 2.36 percent, as per the Gadgets 360 crypto price tracker . “The crypto fear and greed index remains in the neutral zone with 50 points, up 1 point. Investor sentiment continues to be cautious in the backdrop of the US debt ceiling discussions,” Parth Chaturvedi, Investments Lead, CoinSwitch Ventures told Gadgets 360. Most cryptocurrencies also rose in value, after days of losses for crypto traders. Stablecoins

A judge dismissed a proposed class-action lawsuit against Elon Musk that claimed he cheated Twitter shareholders several times last year in the course of buying the social media company for $44 billion (roughly Rs. 3,61,687 crore). In a decision on Monday, US District Judge Charles Breyer in San Francisco said plaintiff William Heresniak lacked standing to sue because he challenged "wrongs associated with" Musk's buyout, not the fairness of the buyout itself. Breyer said Heresniak did not show harm from Musk's belated disclosure of a 9.2 percent Twitter stake, which the suit said let him buy more shares at lower prices before the buyout was announced, or from the closing's taking place 1 1/2 months later than planned. The judge also found no proof that Musk helped two friends then on Twitter's board, co-founder Jack Dorsey and Silver Lake private equity firm managing partner Egon Durban, breach their fiduciary duties by favoring their own and Musk's i

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) on Monday announced an expanded partnership with Google Cloud and the launch of its new offering — TCS Generative AI which leverages Google Cloud's generative AI services, to design and deploy custom-tailored business solutions.  Building on its domain knowledge across multiple verticals and investments, TCS has developed a large portfolio of artificial intelligence (AI)-powered solutions and intellectual property in the areas of AIOps, Algo Retail, smart manufacturing, digital twins and robotics.  The company is currently working with clients in multiple industries, to explore how generative AI can be used to deliver value in their specific business contexts, according to a company statement shared with stock exchanges on Monday.  AIOps is the multi-layered application of big data analytics and machine learning to IT operations data.  Generative AI is used in any algorithm/model that utilizes AI to output a brand-new attribute. Right now, the

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

As the race to develop more powerful artificial intelligence services like ChatGPT accelerates, some regulators are relying on old laws to control a technology that could upend the way societies and businesses operate. The European Union is at the forefront of drafting new AI rules that could set the global benchmark to address privacy and safety concerns that have arisen with the rapid advances in the generative AI technology behind OpenAI's ChatGPT. But it will take several years for the legislation to be enforced. "In absence of regulations, the only thing governments can do is to apply existing rules," said Massimiliano Cimnaghi, a European data governance expert at consultancy BIP. "If it's about protecting personal data, they apply data protection laws, if it's a threat to safety of people, there are regulations that have not been specifically defined for AI, but they are still applicable." In April, Europe's national privacy watchdog

Tata Consultancy Services on Monday said a consortium, led by the IT giant, received an advance purchase order valued over Rs. 15,000 crore from the state-run BSNL for the deployment of a fourth-generation mobile ( 4G ) network across India. This comes at a time when Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel are ramping up their infrastructure of 5G technology across the country. State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) on April 22 launched 4G services in pilot mode in parts of Punjab in a run-up to a formal rollout of 4G services. The company has started live testing of its 4G services with 135 tower sites using an indigenous telecom stack. According to a statement from Tata Group's Tejas Networks Limited released on April 3, it received an order worth Rs. 696 crore from BSNL for the upgradation of its all-India IP-MPLS based Access and Aggregation Network (MAAN). Tejas Networks, part of the Tata Group, designs and manufactures wireless networking products for telecommunications serv

Bitcoin recorded a drop of two percent as it stepped into Monday, May 22. The most expensive cryptocurrency failed to bag any gains over the weekend, leaving its trading value to hover over the mark of $26,653 (roughly Rs. 22 lakh). On both, national as well as international exchanges, Bitcoin is trading around the similar price point. While stepping into the weekend that was, Bitcoin was trading at a slightly higher price of $26,785 (roughly Rs. 22 lakh). Between Saturday, May 20 and Sunday, May 21 — Bitcoin fell by $132 (roughly Rs. 10,930) in its value. “Bitcoin traded at the $27,000 (roughly Rs. 22 lakh) level over the weekend but has since declined as the market eagerly anticipates a week filled with significant news in the United States. Investors and traders should closely monitor these events as they have the potential to impact market sentiment. Some amount of volatility might be observed in the market throughout this week. If buyers can maintain the price above the current l

iQoo Z7s 5G was launched in India on Monday. The smartphone is the latest addition to the iQoo Z7 series. The company launched the iQoo Z7 5G model earlier this year, with a MediaTek Dimensity 920 SoC and a 4,500mAh Li-ion battery unit with 44W Flash Charge support. The newly-launched iQoo Z7s 5G also packs a 4,500mAh battery and is equipped with 44W wired fast charging support. However, the phone is powered by Qualcomm's octa-core Snapdragon 695 SoC. The handset comes in two RAM variants and is offered in two colour options. iQoo Z7s 5G price in India, availability The newest Z-series smartphone is offered in two RAM variants - 6GB and 8GB, both paired with 128GB of inbuilt storage. The base iQoo Z7s 5G is priced at Rs. 18,999, while the 8GB variant is marked at Rs. 19,999. The handset is available for purchase on the official iQoo website and through Amazon. The iQoo Z7s 5G is offered in two colour options - Norway Blue and Pacific Night. iQoo Z7s 5G specifications, featu

Meta Platform's Instagram was back up for most users, the company said on Sunday, after a technical issue that disrupted services to thousands of people had been resolved. "Earlier today, a technical issue caused some people to have trouble accessing Instagram. We resolved the issue as quickly as possible for everyone who was impacted," a Meta spokesperson told Reuters. The company did not disclose the number of users affected by the disruption. Outage tracking website Downdetector.com showed more than 100,000 incidents in the United States, 24,000 in Canada and over 56,000 in Britain. More than 180,000 users reported issues with accessing Instagram at the peak of the outage. Instagram was down for some users on Sunday from around 5:45 p.m. EST (2145 GMT), according to outage tracking website Downdetector.com . The number of outages eased to just over 7,000 reports as of 8:30 p.m. EST. Downdetector tracks outages by collating status reports from several sources, in

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

Xiaomi Civi 2 , which debuted last year in China, is all set to get a successor. The Chinese smartphone company confirmed the launch of Xiaomi Civi 3 as well as the information on its processor via a Weibo Post sometime back. Now, the smartphone has been spotted on Geekbench listing revealing its performance score. The Xiaomi Civi 3 is confirmed to be powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 8200 SoC under the hood. Further, it is also tipped to come with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of onboard storage. According to Geekbench listing , the upcoming Xiaomi Civi 3 carries the model number 23046PNC9C. The smartphone has scored 1148 points in the single-core test and 3356 points in the multi-core test, according to the listing. Further, it reveals that the Xiaomi Civi 3 will run on Android-13 out-of-the-box. Additionally, the phone is said to come with an octa-core processor with four cores clocked at 2.0 GHz, three cores at 3.0 GHz, and one core at 3.10 GHz. Apart from these details on Geekbench listin

Oppo Reno 10 series is all set  to make its debut in China on May 24. The company has confirmed the launch of the lineup, which includes Oppo Reno 10, Oppo Reno 10 Pro, and Oppo Reno 10 Pro+, via its official China website. The company has also revealed some of the design and specifications of the high-end variant Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ on its landing page. Meanwhile, a tipster has also shared some design renders of the upcoming smartphone. The leak has also hinted at the launch of a new Oppo K-series phone, namely Oppo K11x. The design renders of the purported phone have emerged online as well. Tipster Evan Blass has shared  leaked images of the Oppo Reno 10 Pro+ images on his Twitter account. The phone can be seen in three colour variants — Gold, Black, and Purple. This has also been confirmed via the smartphone's listing on Oppo China website. The leaked images also showcase a triple rear camera setup sitting inside an elliptical camera island along with an LED Flash. The phone wil

Samsung Galaxy A14 4G could be launched soon in India as the latest addition to Samsung's budget-friendly Galaxy A series. Though the company is yet to reveal anything, a recent report has tipped the launch timeline in India as well as the phone's price and storage options. The smartphone was launched in Malaysia earlier this year, and hence, the global specifications are already known. The handset sports a 6.6-inch (1,080x2,408 pixel) PLS LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate. As per a report by Saminsider, the Galaxy A14 4G could launch next week in India as the budget-friendly offering from the company. The phone could come in two storage configurations — 4GB RAM + 64GB storage and 4GB RAM + 128GB storage. Additionally, the phone's price has also been tipped. The report suggests that the base model of the phone will be priced at Rs. 13,999, whereas the 128GB storage variant could cost Rs. 14,999. Apart from these, there are no details available on the Galaxy A14 4G sp

Vivo V29 Lite is reportedly in the works. The handset is speculated to debut soon in the global market as well as in India. While the company is yet to reveal anything about the purported smartphone, a tipster has leaked some of the key details of the smartphone, including the display and the camera specifications. The upcoming handset is said to house with a 5,000mAh battery and could run on Android 13 out-of-the-box. The phone is tipped to be powered by a Snapdragon 695 SoC. Tipster Sudhanshu Ambhore (Twitter: @Sudhanshu1414) via 91Mobiles Hindi, has leaked the specifications and features of the purported Vivo V29 Lite. The smartphone could sport a 6.78-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with 1080x2400 pixels resolution, 20:9 screen ratio, and a 120Hz refresh rate. The phone is tipped to be powered by a Snapdragon 695 SoC coupled with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. The smartphone could be equipped with a 5,000mAh battery with support for 44W charging. The report also sug

Japan is mulling to join India's UPI payment system and promote cooperation on the digital identity system, an official statement said on Friday. Bhutan, Nepal, Singapore and UAE have already started accepting Unified Payment Interface (UPI) payment systems. "Almost every global forum, whether G20, SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organisation) or G7, wherever we are presenting Hon'ble PM Modi's Digital India vision, has very good traction. "People understand how Modi ji has democratised digital technology. I thank the Japanese digital minister. He has accepted PM Modi's very deep and extensive vision of Digital India," Union Minister for IT and Telecom Ashwini Vaishnaw said. Japanese Digital Minister Kono Taro earlier on Friday said in an interview with a media channel that Japan is mulling joining India's UPI system and working on mutually recognising digital identities as well. "We just had our G7 Digital Ministers' meeting last month and w

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