Short Tech News

In March, the virus gripping the world — COVID-19 — started to spread in Africa. In short order, actors across the continent’s tech ecosystem began to step up to stem the spread. Early in March Africa’s coronavirus cases by country were in the single digits, but by mid-month those numbers had spiked leading the World Health Organization to sound an alarm. “About 10 days ago we had 5 countries affected, now we’ve got 30,” WHO Regional Director  Dr Matshidiso Moeti said at a press conference on March 19. “It’s has been an extremely rapid…evolution.”  By the  World Health Organization’s stats Tuesday there were 3671 COVID-19 cases in Sub-Saharan Africa and 87 confirmed deaths related to the virus — up from 463 cases and 8 deaths on March 18. As the COVID-19 began to grow in major economies, governments and startups in Africa started measures to shift a greater volume of transactions toward digital payments and away from cash — which the World Health Organization flagged as a condui

Xiaomi India MD Manu Kumar Jain has announced that the price of Xiaomi, Redmi, and Poco phones in India has gone up starting today as the new GST rates come into effect. from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/33Ye1F9

The Vivo S6 is the company’s newest addition to the Vivo S series of smartphones. It supports 5G and has an octa-core processor. from RSS Feeds | MOBILES - RSS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/3azN4tS

The Vivo S6 is the company’s newest addition to the Vivo S series of smartphones. It supports 5G and has an octa-core processor. from RSS Feeds | MOBILES - RSS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/3azN4tS

Virtual meeting app Zoom, which has seen its popularity skyrocket in the coronavirus pandemic, is in hot water after users complained to the FBI of being startled by porn during meetings. from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2Uy7MVl

WWE and Sony Pictures Networks India have renewed their partnership for another five years. That means WWE Raw, WWE SmackDown, WWE NXT, and WWE specials will stay on Sony’s bouquet of TV channels in the Indian subcontinent. The new deal grants SonyLIV rights access to WWE Network. from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2R1rK8Z

WhatsApp reportedly has been working on multi-device support for a while now. The feature was spotted in the beta version of WhatsApp for iPhone in November last year, and traces of it being in development go back to as far as July 2019. from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2R4mvFw

Facebook on Tuesday activated a feature allowing people impacted by the coronavirus pandemic to reach out for help from their community. from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2JwIJvs

Disney+  has finally rescheduled its launch date in India. Earlier it was scheduled to roll out on 29 March, which the company then held back and has now revised the date to 3 April. Disney+  will be rolling out in collaboration with Hotstar and together will be rebranded as  Disney+ Hotstar . Disney+ Hotstar will stream content in eight Indian languages including Tamil, Telugu and others. You will be able to watch all the Marvel Cinematic movies on  Disney+ Hotstar . This is not a drill! The biggest Super Heroes, magical stories for everyone, exclusive Disney+ Originals and all that you've been waiting for are (finally) landing on Disney+ Hotstar. 3rd April. Really. #StayHomeStaySafe pic.twitter.com/zOKkuyrWEC — HotstarPremium (@HotstarPremium) March 31, 2020 Here are the two subscription plans that will be available in India. Subscription plans Disney Plus Hotstar VIP- Rs 399/year At a subscription cost of Rs 399 for a year, you will be able to watch the content o

Just three months after capping what was the best year for Indian startups, having raised a record $14.5 billion in 2019 , they are beginning to struggle to raise new capital as prominent investors urge them to “prepare for the worst”, cut spending and warn that it could be challenging to secure additional money for the next few months. In an open letter to startup founders in India, ten global and local private equity and venture capitalist firms including Accel, Lightspeed, Sequoia Capital, and Matrix Partners cautioned that the current changes to the macro environment could make it difficult for a startup to close their next fundraising deal. The firms, which included Kalaari Capital, SAIF Partners, and Nexus Venture Partners — some of the prominent names in India to back early-stage startups — asked founders to be prepared to not see their startups’ jump in the coming rounds and have a 12-18 month runway with what they raise. “Assumptions from bull market financings or even

Just three months after capping what was the best year for Indian startups, having raised a record $14.5 billion in 2019 , they are beginning to struggle to raise new capital as prominent investors urge them to “prepare for the worst”, cut spending and warn that it could be challenging to secure additional money for the next few months. In an open letter to startup founders in India, ten global and local private equity and venture capitalist firms including Accel, Lightspeed, Sequoia Capital, and Matrix Partners cautioned that the current changes to the macro environment could make it difficult for a startup to close their next fundraising deal. The firms, which included Kalaari Capital, SAIF Partners, and Nexus Venture Partners — some of the prominent names in India to back early-stage startups — asked founders to be prepared to not see their startups’ jump in the coming rounds and have a 12-18 month runway with what they raise. “Assumptions from bull market financings or even

Xerox on Tuesday dropped its unwelcomed bid to buy computer and printer maker HP for about $36 billion, blaming market turmoil caused by the coronavirus pandemic. from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2UyvfFW

Disney+  has finally rescheduled its launch date in India. Earlier it was scheduled to roll out on 29 March, which the company then held back and has now revised the date to 3 April. Disney+  will be rolling out in collaboration with Hotstar and together will be rebranded as  Disney+ Hotstar . Disney+ Hotstar will stream content in eight Indian languages including Tamil, Telugu and others. You will be able to watch all the Marvel Cinematic movies on  Disney+ Hotstar . This is not a drill! The biggest Super Heroes, magical stories for everyone, exclusive Disney+ Originals and all that you've been waiting for are (finally) landing on Disney+ Hotstar. 3rd April. Really. #StayHomeStaySafe pic.twitter.com/zOKkuyrWEC — HotstarPremium (@HotstarPremium) March 31, 2020 Here are the two subscription plans that will be available in India. Subscription plans Disney Plus Hotstar VIP- Rs 399/year At a subscription cost of Rs 399 for a year, you will be able to watch the content o

Vivo S6 is official in China, and the phone comes with Exynos processor and a quad camera setup at the back. The phone has a waterdrop-style notch display, and it packs a large 4,500mAh battery onboard, but the fast charging support is limited to 18W. from RSS Feeds | MOBILES - RSS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/347III4

Vivo S6 is official in China, and the phone comes with Exynos processor and a quad camera setup at the back. The phone has a waterdrop-style notch display, and it packs a large 4,500mAh battery onboard, but the fast charging support is limited to 18W. from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/347III4

Vivo S6 is official in China, and the phone comes with Exynos processor and a quad camera setup at the back. The phone has a waterdrop-style notch display, and it packs a large 4,500mAh battery onboard, but the fast charging support is limited to 18W. from RSS Feeds | MOBILES - RSS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/347III4

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk said on Tuesday the company has extra FDA-approved ventilators that can be shipped free of cost to hospitals within regions where the electric carmaker delivers. from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2UQjHgj

As many as 25 percent of people infected with the coronavirus may not show symptoms, the director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention warns — a startlingly high number that complicates efforts to predict the pandemic’s course and strategies to mitigate its spread. In particular, the high level of symptom-free cases is leading the CDC to consider broadening its guidelines on who should wear masks. “This helps explain how rapidly this virus continues to spread across the country,” the director, Dr Robert Redfield, said in an interview broadcast on Tuesday. The agency has repeatedly said that ordinary citizens do not need to wear masks unless they are feeling sick. But with the new data on people who may be infected without ever feeling sick, or who are transmitting the virus for a couple of days before feeling ill, Redfield said that such guidance was “being critically re-reviewed.” Researchers do not know precisely how many people are infected without feeling ill or if

As many as 25 percent of people infected with the coronavirus may not show symptoms, the director of the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention warns — a startlingly high number that complicates efforts to predict the pandemic’s course and strategies to mitigate its spread. In particular, the high level of symptom-free cases is leading the CDC to consider broadening its guidelines on who should wear masks. “This helps explain how rapidly this virus continues to spread across the country,” the director, Dr Robert Redfield, said in an interview broadcast on Tuesday. The agency has repeatedly said that ordinary citizens do not need to wear masks unless they are feeling sick. But with the new data on people who may be infected without ever feeling sick, or who are transmitting the virus for a couple of days before feeling ill, Redfield said that such guidance was “being critically re-reviewed.” Researchers do not know precisely how many people are infected without feeling ill or if

If you’re not sick with the new coronavirus, should you wear a mask in public? Global health authorities say no. Amid a shortage of masks, the U.S. is sticking with that advice but Tuesday, President Donald Trump suggested people who are worried wear a scarf. That shortage is so severe that the  Joint Commission , which accredits U.S. hospitals, said Tuesday that if facilities can’t provide proper masks, health workers are allowed to bring their own from home. Front-line health workers have the greatest need for  masks . And when people are sick, wearing a mask helps lessen the chances of infecting others. In places where relatives care for the sick at home, the World Health Organization also has recommended they wear a mask. But “there is no specific evidence to suggest that the wearing of masks by the mass population has any particular benefit,” Dr Mike Ryan, the WHO’s epidemics chief, told reporters Monday. “In fact, there’s some evidence to suggest the opposite,” he added, no

If you’re not sick with the new coronavirus, should you wear a mask in public? Global health authorities say no. Amid a shortage of masks, the U.S. is sticking with that advice but Tuesday, President Donald Trump suggested people who are worried wear a scarf. That shortage is so severe that the  Joint Commission , which accredits U.S. hospitals, said Tuesday that if facilities can’t provide proper masks, health workers are allowed to bring their own from home. Front-line health workers have the greatest need for  masks . And when people are sick, wearing a mask helps lessen the chances of infecting others. In places where relatives care for the sick at home, the World Health Organization also has recommended they wear a mask. But “there is no specific evidence to suggest that the wearing of masks by the mass population has any particular benefit,” Dr Mike Ryan, the WHO’s epidemics chief, told reporters Monday. “In fact, there’s some evidence to suggest the opposite,” he added, no

Vericool , a Livermore, Calif.-based startup that’s replacing plastic coolers and packaging with plant-based products, has raised $19.1 million in a new round of financing. The company’s stated goal is to replace traditional packaging materials like polystyrene with plant-based insulating packaging materials. Its technology uses 100% recycled paper fibers and other plant-based materials, according to the company, and are curbside recyclable and compostable. Investors in the round include Radicle Impact Partners ,  The Ecosystem Integrity Fund ,  ID8 Investments  and  AiiM Partners , according to a statement. “We’re pleased to support Vericool because of the company’s track record of innovation, high-performance products, well-established patent portfolio and focus on environmental resilience. We are inspired by the company’s social justice commitment to address recidivism and provide workplace opportunity to formerly incarcerated individuals,” said Dan Skaff, managing partner of

Vericool , a Livermore, Calif.-based startup that’s replacing plastic coolers and packaging with plant-based products, has raised $19.1 million in a new round of financing. The company’s stated goal is to replace traditional packaging materials like polystyrene with plant-based insulating packaging materials. Its technology uses 100% recycled paper fibers and other plant-based materials, according to the company, and are curbside recyclable and compostable. Investors in the round include Radicle Impact Partners ,  The Ecosystem Integrity Fund ,  ID8 Investments  and  AiiM Partners , according to a statement. “We’re pleased to support Vericool because of the company’s track record of innovation, high-performance products, well-established patent portfolio and focus on environmental resilience. We are inspired by the company’s social justice commitment to address recidivism and provide workplace opportunity to formerly incarcerated individuals,” said Dan Skaff, managing partner of

OnePlus has officially announced that it will globally unveil its OnePlus 8 series on 14 April. In the tweet , it is also mentioned that the said event will begin at 4.30 pm IST. It is expected that this upcoming series will include OnePlus 8, 8 Pro and an affordable variant OnePlus 8 Lite. According to another tweet by the company, the smartphones of OnePlus 8 series will come with 5G connectivity and a 120 Hz refresh rate display. Ready to #LeadwithSpeed ? — OnePlus (@oneplus) March 31, 2020 OnePlus 8, 8 Pro expected specifications According to previous reports , OnePlus 8 is expected to come in a new purplish-red gradient that is likely to be called Interstellar Glow. Both sources also suggest that it might also come in Glacier Green and Onyx Black colour variants. OnePlus 8 is likely to come with a punch-hole display that sits in the top left corner of the display. At the back, the renders suggest that we might see a vertical camera module that houses a triple rear came

OnePlus has officially announced that it will globally unveil its OnePlus 8 series on 14 April. In the tweet , it is also mentioned that the said event will begin at 4.30 pm IST. It is expected that this upcoming series will include OnePlus 8, 8 Pro and an affordable variant OnePlus 8 Lite. According to another tweet by the company, the smartphones of OnePlus 8 series will come with 5G connectivity and a 120 Hz refresh rate display. OnePlus 7T Pro launched at a price of Rs 53,999. Image: tech2/Abhijit Dey. Ready to #LeadwithSpeed ? — OnePlus (@oneplus) March 31, 2020 OnePlus 8, 8 Pro expected specifications According to previous reports , OnePlus 8 is expected to come in a new purplish-red gradient that is likely to be called Interstellar Glow. Both sources also suggest that it might also come in Glacier Green and Onyx Black colour variants. OnePlus 8 is likely to come with a punch-hole display that sits in the top left corner of the display. At the back, the renders sugg

Air pollution has decreased in urban areas across Europe during lockdowns to combat the coronavirus, new satellite images showed on Monday, but campaigners warned city-dwellers were still more vulnerable to the epidemic. Cities including Brussels, Paris, Madrid, Milan and Frankfurt showed a reduction in average levels of noxious nitrogen dioxide over March 5-25, compared with the same period last year, according to the Sentinel-5 satellite images. That coincides with lockdowns in many European countries which have curbed road transport – the largest source of nitrogen oxides - and slowed output at gas-emitting factories. The new images, released by the European Space Agency (ESA) and analysed by the non-profit European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), show the changing density of nitrogen dioxide, which can cause respiratory problems and cancer, like heat maps. Daily weather events can influence atmospheric pollution, so the satellite pictures took a 20-day average and excluded r

With the entire country is in lockdown to flatten the coronavirus curve, most people are working from home. To allow seamless work in these times, Reliance JioFiber has now come up with a new broadband plan that provides 10 Mbps broadband free for households. As per Reliance Jio, the initiative falls under their #JioTogether campaign. “We are committed to keep you connected through these trying times,” the telecom company posted on Facebook along with details about the plan. Keeping in mind the lockdown due to COVID-19, Jio wants to ensure everyone stays connected. “For this period Jio is providing basic JioFiber broadband connectivity (10 Mbps) for your home, wherever geographically feasible, without any service charges,” read the Facebook post. The benefit of the new plan is only until the lockdown is in effect in India. Once the lockdown is over, subscribers of the free plan will be moved to other existing plans. For subscribing to the free JioFiber 10Mbps plan, people will h

With the entire country is in lockdown to flatten the coronavirus curve, most people are working from home. To allow seamless work in these times, Reliance JioFiber has now come up with a new broadband plan that provides 10 Mbps broadband free for households. As per Reliance Jio, the initiative falls under their #JioTogether campaign. “We are committed to keep you connected through these trying times,” the telecom company posted on Facebook along with details about the plan. Keeping in mind the lockdown due to COVID-19, Jio wants to ensure everyone stays connected. “For this period Jio is providing basic JioFiber broadband connectivity (10 Mbps) for your home, wherever geographically feasible, without any service charges,” read the Facebook post. The benefit of the new plan is only until the lockdown is in effect in India. Once the lockdown is over, subscribers of the free plan will be moved to other existing plans. For subscribing to the free JioFiber 10Mbps plan, people will h

Zoom, the videoconferencing app whose traffic has surged during the coronavirus pandemic, is under scrutiny by the office of New York’s attorney-general, Letitia James, for its data privacy and security practices. On Monday, the office sent Zoom a letter asking what, if any, new security measures the company has put in place to handle increased traffic on its network and to detect hackers, according to a copy reviewed by The New York Times . While the letter referred to Zoom as “an essential and valuable communications platform,” it outlined several concerns, noting that the company had been slow to address security flaws such as vulnerabilities “that could enable malicious third parties to, among other things, gain surreptitious access to consumer webcams.” Over the last few weeks, internet trolls have exploited a Zoom screen-sharing feature to hijack meetings and do things like interrupt educational sessions or post white supremacist messages to a webinar on anti-Semitism — a phe

Older people remain most at risk of dying as the new coronavirus continues its rampage around the globe, but they’re far from the only ones vulnerable. One of many mysteries: Men seem to be faring worse than women. And as cases skyrocket in the U.S. and Europe, it’s becoming more clear that how healthy you were before the pandemic began plays a key role in how you fare regardless of how old you are. The majority of people who get COVID-19 have mild or moderate symptoms. But “majority” doesn’t mean “all,” and that raises an important question: Who should worry most that they’ll be among the seriously ill? While it will be months before scientists have enough data to say for sure who is most at risk and why preliminary numbers from early cases around the world are starting to offer hints. Not just the old get sick Senior citizens undoubtedly are the hardest hit by COVID-19. In China, 80 percent of deaths were among people in their 60s or older, and that general trend is playing out

Zoom, the videoconferencing app whose traffic has surged during the coronavirus pandemic, is under scrutiny by the office of New York’s attorney-general, Letitia James, for its data privacy and security practices. On Monday, the office sent Zoom a letter asking what, if any, new security measures the company has put in place to handle increased traffic on its network and to detect hackers, according to a copy reviewed by The New York Times . While the letter referred to Zoom as “an essential and valuable communications platform,” it outlined several concerns, noting that the company had been slow to address security flaws such as vulnerabilities “that could enable malicious third parties to, among other things, gain surreptitious access to consumer webcams.” Over the last few weeks, internet trolls have exploited a Zoom screen-sharing feature to hijack meetings and do things like interrupt educational sessions or post white supremacist messages to a webinar on anti-Semitism — a phe