Five contenders for Google's $30 million competition to land spacecraft on moon

Five teams have qualified to compete in a $30 million Google-backed competition to land and operate robotic spacecraft on the surface of the moon, the XPrize Foundation said on Tuesday.
Contenders now have until Dec. 31 for their spacecraft to be launched, said the foundation, which is running the Google Lunar XPrize and eight other technology stimulus contests.
Previously, competitors needed to complete activities on the lunar surface, such as having their vehicles travel 1,640 feet (500 meters) and broadcast high-definition video, by the end of the year.
Since the contest was announced in 2007, interest in the Google Lunar XPrize has been high, with 33 teams originally signing up to compete for the $20 million first prize.
Second place is worth $5 million and bonus money is available for accomplishing extra tasks, such as visiting an Apollo landing site or finding water on the moon.
Google's parent company, Alphabet has produced a documentary series about Lunar XPrize competition.
Five teams remain in the running: Israel's SpaceIL, Florida-based Moon Express, an international team known as Synergy Moon, India's Team Indus and Japan's Hakuto.
SpaceIL plans to fly on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which recently returned to flight following a launch pad accident.
Team Indus and Hakuto will share a ride on an Indian PSLV launcher.
Moon Express is banking on a launch from startup Rocket Lab, which is developing a small rocket called Electron. Whether it wins the XPrize or not, Moon Express is building a business to provide lunar transportation and services, such as research and mineral extraction, Chief Executive Bob Richards said in an interview.
Synergy Moon is counting on one of its partners, Mojave, Calif.-based Interorbital Systems, for its launch aboard a new rocket known as Neptune.
"We're thrilled to have five contenders that are working from all over the world on this one mission," XPrize Senior Director Chanda Gonzales-Mowrer said in an email.
The race to moon is among nine XPrize contests currently underway. The competitions are designed to make big technological leaps in aerospace, medicine, education and other fields by luring new participants and private capital with cash prizes.
The original 2012 deadline for the Google Lunar XPrize has been extended three times, but contest organizers said they will stand by the current timeline which requires teams to launch on or before December 31.

Microsoft ties-up with EY to deliver intelligence and analytics services in India

MUMBAI: Global leader in advisory services EY and Microsoft on Tuesday announced to develop and deliver innovative high-performance intelligence and analytics advisory services in India.
These services will address the requirements of various industry sectors, including financial, life sciences, retail, consumer and packaged goods and government and public sector.
The services will be powered by Microsoft's comprehensive digital and cloud technologies, including Azure Analysis Services, Machine Learning, Microsoft Power BI and Microsoft Cortana Intelligence Suite.
"This partnership bolsters our value proposition and brings together our deep understanding and experience in technology advisory with the robust platform and market penetration of Microsoft," Rajiv Memani, Chairman and Regional Managing Partner at EY India, said in a statement.
EY's cross-sector advisory experience and the power of Microsoft's data intelligence and analytics offerings will enable the co-creation of a broad range of portfolios.
"Digital Transformation led growth is the key priority of Indian businesses today and cloud enabled data analytics will play a crucial role in their success," added Anant Maheshwari, President of Microsoft India.

Nokia ‘Heart’ Android smartphone’s specifications revealed

NEW DELHI: Nokia made its much-awaited return to the smartphone market this year with the launch of the HMD Global-manufactured Nokia 6 Android smartphone. The company is already rumoured to be planning to launch a premium smartphone, likely called Nokia P1.

And now, it seems that the Nokia 6's younger sibling is in the works as well. An unannounced smartphone, codenamed 'Heart,' has been listed on GFXBench benchmarking website, complete with specifications.

According to the benchmark listing, Nokia 'Heart' will run Android 7.0 Nougat out-of-the-box and feature a 5.2-inch HD display of 720x1280 pixel resolution. It'll likely be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 SoC, which is also what the Nokia 6 uses.

The device is also seen as having 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. On the other hand, the Nokia 6 has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.

As for the cameras, the Nokia Heart is listed as having a 12MP rear camera capable of shooting Full HD videos. There's also a 7MP front-facing shooter on-board.

We may witness the launch of the the Nokia 'Heart' at HMD Global's pre-MWC 2017 event. The company could also showcase the rumoured P1 at the event.

It's almost official that we'll be seeing a Nokia-branded high-end smartphone this year. The confirmation comes from HMD Global, which holds exclusive licensing rights to Nokia brand.

Recently, while answering users' questions on microblogging website Weibo, the company said that its upcoming smartphone will be powered by Qualcomm's top-of-the-line Snapdragon 835 processor.

Google Voice app gets a major overhaul

NEW DELHI: Google has issued a major update to its Voice app after quite some time. The update brings new features and a revamped UI. The update is available for Google Voice on iOS, Android and the web. But since it's being rolled out incrementally, all users won't get the new version of Google Voice right away.
"It's been several years since we've made significant updates to the Google Voice apps (and by several, we mean around five), but today we're bringing a fresh set of features to Google Voice with updates to our apps on Android, iOS and the web," said Jan Jedrzejowicz, product manager, Google Voice.
The interface of the updated app is cleaner and intuitive. It focuses on better organization of messages, calls and voicemail sub-sections. The inbox section now has three separate tabs for these. The text messages stay in one continuous thread for easy viewing.
"We've upgraded the messaging experience with support for group and photo MMS as well as in-notification replies. And we're starting to introduce voicemail transcription for Spanish and will improve accuracy over time," added Jedrzejowicz.
The company says it will be adding more updates and features to Google Voice. It has also been added that those using Hangouts won't need to use the new app, but can still try it out to see the new features.
On a related note, Google has finally started testing its Instant Apps feature. The were announced in May 2016 at the company's I/O developer conference. Months after the preview, the search giant has finally made some of the Instant apps available for Android users on Google Play Store. However, they are still not available for everyone.
Instant Apps run on Google's servers instead of the device. This not only helps save time but also internet data and storage. Users can experience the apps completely before downloading them.

Lenovo K6 Power 4GB RAM version to launch in India on January 31

NEW DELHI: Back in November last year, Lenovo launched its K6 Power smartphone in India. The company launched the 3GB RAM variant of the handset. Priced at Rs 9,999, the K6 Power is available exclusively on Flipkart.
Now, Lenovo has announced that it will bring the 4GB RAM variant of the smartphone in the country on January 31. As with the regular version, this one will also be exclusive to Flipkart.
In terms of major specifications, the Lenovo K6 Power has a 5-inch Full HD display of 1080x1920 pixel resolution. Running Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS, it is powered by a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 SoC paired with 3GB of RAM. There's also 32GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD cards.
For imaging duties, the K6 Power has a 13MP rear camera with LED flash and an 8MP front-facing snapper. The dual-SIM device also has a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and Dolby Atmos support for enhanced audio.
Measuring 9.3mm in thickness, Lenovo K6 Power supports 4G LTE and includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and microUSB as major connectivity options. It has USB OTG support with reverse charging functionality.
The company launched the K6 Power along with the K6 and K6 Note smartphones, at the IFA event held in Berlin, Germany last year.
The K6 has a 5-inch Full HD display of 1080x1920 pixel resolution. It comes with 2GB of RAM and 16GB/32GB internal storage, expandable further through microSD cards. The dual SIM smartphone has a 13MP rear camera with LED flash and an 8MP front camera for selfies. Connectivity options include 4G LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS, with a 3,000mAh battery rounding off the spec sheet.
The third smartphone in the series - Lenovo K6 Note, comes with a 5.5-inch Full HD display of 1080x1920 pixel resolution. It features 3GB/4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, expandable further via microSD cards. The handset boasts a 16MP rear camera with dual-tone LED flash and an 8MP selfie snapper. The dual-SIM smartphone has 4G LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS as major connectivity options and is powered by a 4,000mAh battery.

Dekkho partners with Sony Music

CHENNAI: Online video streaming platform Dekkho has entered into a tie-up with Sony Music for premium video content. Under the association, the platform will have complete access to Sony Music's catalogue of over 80,000 music videos.
Dekkho and Sony Music will additionally collaborate to produce music videos which will first exclusively appear on Dekkho for 5 days before anywhere else. Sony Music and Dekkho will also team up with artists to promote and popularize the concept of premium video streaming in India and create a social video community exclusively for Dekkho.
Speaking on the partnership, Tanay Desai, co-founder, Dekkho, said, "Music is the most viral and retentive category of premium video in India. We want to create a one-of-its-kind ecosystem to drive superior user experience when it comes to connecting fans and artists across the globe. Our partnership with Sony Music gives us an excellent opportunity to not only meet growing demand for high-quality content, but also to collaborate on identifying and nurturing top talent in the community. With our novel approach to content provision and Sony Music's production strength,we are confident that digital-first viewers in India will make Dekkho their favorite destination for online video."
"We are very happy to partner with an exciting new OTT video service Dekkho, led by optimistic entrepreneurs, Tanay Desai & Vinay Pillai. They have ambitious plans to disrupt the digital video OTT segment with an unique approach to content windowing and curation. We will power their service with our vast library of Bollywood, Regional and International music videos", said Hari Nair, director Digital Business, Sony Music Entertainment.

BHIM app to get support for these 7 Indian languages: Report

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently launched BHIM, India's very own e-wallet app. Currently available only on Android, the app supports English and Hindi languages as of now. But if a report is to be believed, BHIM will soon support up to seven regional languages including Gujarati, Bengali, Kannada, Odia, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu.
As per a report by Livemint website, a source associated with the app's development has suggested that the app will soon have support for seven other Indian languages. Along with this, the app will get improved user experience.
Vijaynanda Prabhu, vice-president of client engagements for Reverie Language Technologies, further added that, "The regional language support is expected to go live very soon. Over the next three- four months; Punjabi, Marathi and Assamese are most likely to go live in the BHIM app." Reverie Language Technologies is one of the companies working to enable regional language support in BHIM app.
BHIM surpassed 10 million downloads on Google Play Store within 10 days of its launch. The app was launched on December 30 on Android.
Three days within its launch, the app became the most popular Android application in India.
The app is based on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), common across all banks and financial institutions.
The app aims to enable people send and receive money through their mobile phones by linking their bank accounts. It will also work on feature phones through the upgraded USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) platform.

This may be how LG’s G6 smartphone look like

NEW DELHI: LG recently started sending out media invites for the launch of its G6 flagship smartphone. The handset is set to be unveiled at the upcoming Mobile World Congress. Now, a purported image of the device has surfaced online, hinting at what it may look like.
The leaked image shows the top half of the smartphone with thinner bezels as compared the LG G5. The info with the image reads that the smartphone will have a screen-to-bezel ratio greater than 90%.
LG G6 has been confirmed to feature a 5.7-inch display and will be completely made of glass. It will sport curved corners and is also expected to have water-resistant.
As per previously leaked renders, the back panel of the G6 is quite similar to that of G5. It has the same camera cut-out and a fingerprint sensor below it. The device is expected to be slimmer than the LG G5, which is around 7.7mm thick.
According to some rumours, LG G6 will feature an advanced iris scanner.
LG G6's rumoured iris scanner will combine the camera sensor with the scanner. Besides the eye scanner, the company is rumoured to launch LG Pay platforms, which will compete with Samsung Pay, Apple Pay and Android Pay.
The company recently launched its V20 flagship smartphone India. Having a price tag of Rs 54,999, the V20 is the first non-Google smartphone to come with Android Nougat 7.0 out-of-the-box. It's also the first handset to use Google's 'In Apps' feature that lets users search content from built-in apps including contacts, emails, text messages, photos and user-installed apps.
The LG V20 is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 SoC paired with 4GB RAM and has 64GB of internal storage, expandable up to 2TB via microSD cards.

Google Pixel smartphones fail to make a dent in the Indian smartphone market

NEW DELHI: Pixels are not adding up to make a perfect picture for global technology giant Google. Certainly not in India, the world's fastest growing and second largest mobile phone market after China.
Google's Pixel smartphone was launched in India with an advertising blitz in October 2016. And given its super premium positioning, November 2016's demonetisation wasn't an inhibiting factor. But sales have been tepid at best, say retailers and analysts. Comparisons with the failure of Google's low-end smartphone project, Android One, are beginning to be made.
Retailers and industry insiders say Pixel sales have not taken off mainly thanks to very high prices - Rs 57,000 upwards - and the greater brand pull of Apple's iPhones and Samsung Galaxy variants in the super premium category.
Sales data are not shared by Google or retailers. But shipments are an indication. Google has shipped around 30,000 Pixel phone units during the initial launch period and around 10,000 more subsequently, industry insiders said.
They added that Apple and Samsung shipments over the same period came to lakhs of units. Analysts said Pixel had captured the No. 3 spot, behind Apple and Samsung, in the first two months after launch, in the Rs 40,000-plus category, getting a 5% share. But since then Pixel has lost substantial ground, they told ET off the record.
But a Google spokesperson said Pixel sales were as per the company's expectations. "Over the last few months, we have received very positive feedback from consumers. Excitement continues to be high for the Google Assistant, camera and the overall speed and responsiveness of Pixel phones, and sales have been in line with our expectations," the spokesperson said, in response to queries from ET .
Pixel is lagging globally too. The smartphone has sold around 2.5 million units since its October 2016 launch, Counterpoint Research says. Analysts say Apple would have sold over 70 million phones while Samsung's numbers would be over 80 million in the October-December period despite the latter's trouble with flagship Galaxy Note 7, several units of which exploded or caught fire. Apple and Samsung are yet to report the numbers for the period.
"Because Google was coming for the first time on its own, there was a hype initially, but there hasn't been happening much since. Sales have not been good," said Subhash Chandra, managing director of Bengaluru-based Sangeetha Mobiles.
The retailer, one of the large-format chains including Croma, Reliance Digital, Spice Mobility and Jumbo that Google has partnered with, also said that since Pixel was priced high it had stocked relatively fewer units. But even after increasing stocks and presence across more stores, sales did not improve.
Another top retail chain that was supposed to sell Pixel and Pixel XL put the decision on hold after seeing the tepid market response to the devices, a senior executive at the company told ET. He did not wish to be named.
Analysts expect a price correction. "Sales for Google tapered off after initial shipments pre-Diwali... pricing correction should be on cards in the first half of this year to drive up the sales before Samsung's next flagship rolls out," said Neil Shah, Research Director at Counterpoint Research.
Earlier this week, Google began selling Pixel through Snapdeal and offered Rs 10,000 instant cashback from Yes Bank, Rs 10,000 ecash from Yatra, and a free mobile protection plan from Allianz worth Rs 5,999.These discount schemes came after Google offered no-cost EMIs starting at Rs 3,167 per month for all online and offline purchases in October last year. It was then offering cashback of Rs 7,000 for HDFC Bank card holders, and exchange schemes via Flipkart, which was giving an additional discount of Rs 5,000.
There are some analysts who feel Pixel wasn't aimed at capturing market share but at adding to the Google brand.
"It was more of a brand building exercise, to showcase that Google can make a good premium smartphone... they never expected volumes from Pixel," said Navkendar Singh, senior research manager at IDC India.

No Snapdragon 835 for the LG G6 as Samsung 'calls the shots'

NEW DELHI: The upcoming LG flagship may reportedly not sport the latest Qualcomm processor Snapdragon 835, courtesy Samsung. According to a news report in Forbes, LG G6 may not come with Snapdragon 835 SoC but will instead run on relatively older Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor.
The report claims that the reason for G6 coming with the old chipset is because its arch rival Samsung, has already called dibs on the initial quantities of Snapdragon 835. "The Snapdragon 835 won't be available in large quantities until after the Galaxy S8 launches," one of the industry insiders told The Forbes.
Qualcomm's latest processor Snapdragon 835 is made using Samsung's 10nm process. Also, since the Samsung Galaxy S8 is rumoured to launch in April, OEMs may not get adequate supplies of the new processor till that month.
This means that the LG fans may miss out on much-touted features of Snapdragon 835 like improved efficiency, camera recording capabilities and Quick Charge 4.0 technology.
LG has already confirmed that its upcoming flagship smartphone will include an unusual display resolution of 1440 x 2880 pixels. This is slightly wider than the QHD resolution which is 1440x2560 pixels. Also mentioned it will comprise a heat dissipation pipe inside, something that has already been rumoured before.
Samsung too is said to come with a single heat pipe inside its Galaxy S8, the same technology that has been used in the Galaxy S7 smartphones.
Both LG and Samsung are also expected to include their own versions of digital assistants.
Recently, LG sent out media invites for an event it is holding on the sidelines of MWC on February 26. Motorola, Huawei and HMD Global (licence holder for Nokia smartphones) have already announced that they will be holding an event on this date. Sony has planned its event for February 27.

Chinese phones ring louder as Indian buyers disconnect homegrown brands

NEW DELHI: It has been a rapid slide for Indian smartphone manufacturers as Chinese companies strengthen their grip on buyers. Led by heavyweight Micromax, homegrown brands have taken a severe beating as Chinese phone makers such as Vivo and Lenovo strengthen their hold on the market, driven by new devices and aggressive marketing and sales strategies.
None of the Indian brands figure in the top-five smartphone ranking released for the fourth quarter of 2016, a far cry from the first quarter where at least three brands were Indian, according to numbers provided by market research firm Counterpoint.
The pressure from the Chinese brands is so intense that even Samsung, which still leads the market, has also lost out on market share. The Korean company's share in the smartphone market stood at 24% in the fourth quarter of last year against a 29% share during quarter one.
While the investments and focus of the Chinese brands is something that is very visible over the last few years, their large-scale acceptance amongst buyers is something that surprises many. The general perception amongst buyers earlier was that Chinese brands were generally poor in product quality, and they lacked the bandwidth to service their phones.
But this has been changing as the companies make inroads into offline retail stores while also becoming highly-visible through heavy investments in big-ticket sporting and entertainment events.
Vivo, which was not in reckoning at the beginning of 2016, came up strongly during the year to finish the fourth quarter with a share of 10% and finish second behind Samsung. It was followed by Xiaomi, Lenovo and Oppo.
"Indian companies are falling behind as they are not refreshing their product line-up. Also, their access to new technologies and components is limited and they have not been able to compete with Chinese makers," said Tarun Pathak, the telecom sector analyst at Counterpoint."Moreover, Chinese companies are expanding their distribution and retail presence very rapidly. They are winning offline retailers by giving them better margins as well as new products with latest technologies such as front-flash selfie," Pathak added.
An interesting twist to the sales last year was the strong numbers of Apple. The premium device maker saw sales cross a record 2.5 million units in 2016. A third of these numbers came in the fourth quarter which was led by the new iPhone 7 device.

Huawei rolls out Android 7.0 Nougat update for Honor 8

NEW DELHI: Chinese smartphone maker Huawei has started rolling out Android 7.0 Nougat update for its Honor 8 smartphone. The update weighs around 2.2GB in size and is being rolled out in several countries simultaneously.
The Android 7.0 Nougat update includes system-related optimizations, stability improvements and better app functionalities.
Along with Android 7.0, the update also packs in the latest EMUI 5.0 skin layer. It has a new colour scheme and a redesigned menu bar. Besides updated Quick Toggles in the notification shade, the new UI brings QR scanning functionality for active sharing, a new recent apps screen, split-view multitasking and an app drawer, among numerous other features.
For those unaware, Honor 8 was launched in India last year at a price tag of Rs 29,999. It flaunts a metal body design with a glass back and also has a fingerprint sensor. The handset features a 5.2-inch full HD 2.5D curved display of 1080x1920 pixel resolution. The screen comes with eye-care technology that reduces the background light to reduce strain on user's eyes.
Powering the Honor 8 is an octa-core Kirin 950 processor paired with 4GB of RAM. It offers 32GB of onboard storage, expandable up to 128GB via a microSD card.
Huawei Honor 8 runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system topped with EMUI. The hybrid dual-sim device boasts 12MP rear dual cameras with dual-tone LED flash and an 8MP front-shooter for selfies. Connectivity options of the device include 4G, LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, NFC and USB Type-C. The handset is backed by a 3,000mAh battery with fast-charging support.

This may be HTC's upcoming Android Wear smartwatch

NEW DELHI: Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC's upcoming Android Wear-based smartwatch, codenamed 'Halfbreak,' recently leaked on Chinese social networking website Weibo. Now, another image of the purported wearable has surfaced on the web, revealing some of its key details.
As per the leaked image, HTC Halfbreak smartwatch has a circular display of 360x360 pixel resolution. The wearable has two buttons placed on the right side. It's also expected to come with a heart rate sensor and bears an Under Armour logo. 
The image further highlights that the smartwatch runs Android version 1.0, upgradeable to version 2.0. Other than that, not many details are available as of now.
HTC recently launched its Desire 10 Pro smartphone in India. Talking about specifications, the HTC Desire 10 Pro comes with a 5.5-inch Full HD display of 1080x1920 pixel resolution. Under-the-hood is a 1.8GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio P10 processor coupled with 3GB/4GB of RAM. The handset has 32GB/64GB of internal storage and supports microSD cards of up to 2TB in size.
HTC Desire 10 Pro runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system topped with the company's Sense UI. It's also equipped with a fingerprint sensor. The smartphone flaunts a 20MP rear camera with LED flash, along with a 13MP front-facing camera for selfies.
The smartphone comes equipped with HTC BoomSound and is backed by a 3,000mAh battery. Connectivity options include 4G, LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and NFC.

Idea Cellular ties up with Flipkart to offer free 14GB internet data

NEW DELHI: Idea Cellular has tied up with Flipkart to offer 15GB of 4G data at the price of just 1GB. As part of the offer, users having an Idea 4G SIM card will get 14GB extra data after paying just for 1GB, provided they buy an eligible 4G smartphone from Flipkart.
The list of eligible smartphones is on Idea Cellular's website. Some of the supported handsets include OnePlus 3, Moto Z Play, Google Pixel, Lenovo Phab 2 Plus, Honor 8, Moto G4 Plus, Asus Zenfone 3 Laser and more.
Availing the offer is easy. After purchasing the smartphone, users have to insert the SIM card and navigate to Idea Cellular 4G's homepage. After this, they'll need to register their mobile number with the purchased smartphone. As the last step, users will need to get a 1GB 4G data pack and the extra 14GB would be credited to their account automatically.

Alibaba to use UC Web for its e-commerce push in India

Vying to be an alternative of Google and Facebook, Alibaba Mobile business unit UC Web is banking on its content recommendation strategy besides pushing group's e-commerce and digital entertainment business in India.
"Essence of our business is lying on the data technology. We believe that UC News is only surface how we implement data technology. It recommends people content (for consumption).
"Instead Google is letting people search content...we have our own study and expectation that we will be neck to neck," Jack Huang, President of Overseas Business, Alibaba Mobile Business Group told in an interview.
UC Web has announced to invest Rs 120 crore to push scale up content business in India. It claims to have crossed 100 million monthly active users in November 2016 and has 57% market share (as per stat counter) in Indian mobile browser segment.
Huang sees India as the most critical overseas market for UCWeb and expects the investment will help propel company's strategy to push mobile internet to an era of 'GUF' (Google, UCWeb, and Facebook).
Huang said that from business angle, he thinks that search engine is still lying at the essence of entire Google's ecosystem and they have been cultivating rest of their products based on search engine ecosystem.
He said the company will target at content consumption through UC News where Google and Facebook "to some extent are not fiercely targetting at".
"In the future (content recommendation) will be better than search. That is our essence, we will definitely focus on it. It will lead our way to go down to operation system level in diverse," Huang said.
He, however, said that UC Web does not have "any plans to develop an Operating System in the near future".
Huang said that Alibaba has many different wings and UC Web will do cross wing collaborations.
"In India, we have Alibaba's e-commmerce going in and some other wings from Alibaba digital media and entertainment group also going in. UC will play role as a media traffic platform to support other wings. There will also be another chemistry system of all this," Huang said.
Talking about concerns over data privacy, Huang said the company will strictly follow global laws and laws of the Indian government.
"We have already set up an entire server system in India and all the data we have on our platform will be kept in India only," Huang said.
Earlier this month, UC News announced a detailed monetary compensation plan for content creation. The company has plans to add more than 30,000 self publishers, bloggers and key opinion leaders on its user generated content platform 'We-Media' in 2017.

Amazon's Great Indian Sale helped boost our topline, claims Flipkart

BANGALURU: In the run up to a long weekend, online marketplace Flipkart will conduct a three day sale from January 24 to January 26. This follows Amazon India's Great Indian Sale from January 20 to 22 which saw a 200% growth in volumes for Amazon India.
The e-tailer said that it will make minimum spends on above the line (ATL) advertising in print and TV as the marketplace looks to rationalize its spends on marketing. Another reason, it claims, is that Amazon India's sale has helped it boost its topline because it has better offers.
"Because of the sale by rival marketplace, we saw a surge of 2.5 times on our platform over regular days for specific categories such as large electronics like TV, washing machine and smartwatches in the gadgets category between January 20-22. We flashed a few good discounts on this during the sale period. For the Republic Day sale, we will roll out discounts for lifestyle categories, women's apparel and mobiles,, said Smrithi Ravichandran, director at Flipkart.
She added that the new brands which have come on board after Diwali, including Moto M, Pixel and iPhone7 will be a part of the discounts for Republic Day Sale. Flipkart Republic Day sale will also see participation from the marketplace's in-house brand Flipkart Smart Buy.
The current sale will see Flipkart spending its marketing dollars on digital and social media promotions instead of ATL spends. "We spent one-fourth on marketing as compared to rivals during the Big Billion Days sale. We are focused on ensuring how can we spend less on this and pass on the benefits to the consumers,, added Ravichandran.
The marketplace expects the orders to be delivered in time without having to increase the time required for delivery. "Our service partners work seven days a week except for national holidays. We are adjusting for January 26th on our Service Level Agreements and plan on delivering the orders in time,, said Ravichandran.
While discounts have come down over the past year in light of government regulations on deep discounting by marketplaces, the number of sale events have continued to be a major feature on the marketplaces for customer acquisition. The e-commerce industry which saw a 30% setback in business as a result of 'demonetisation' in November is looking at the sale events as a means to make up for the losses during November-December 2016 period.

BlackBerry's new solution may help in better crisis management in India

NEW DELHI: Canadian smartphone and enterprise software maker BlackBerry is bringing its secure networked crisis communication platform in India, seeing good potential for it in the background of events like Chennai Cyclone that hurt connectivity in the city.
Having initiated discussions with enterprises for potential deployments, Blackberry will initiate pilot projects with some enterprises within a month, while full commercial contract may come towards the second half of 2017, Adrian Szwarcburg, director-APAC/Africa sales at AtHoc, BlackBerry, told ET. The company is bringing the solution through its AtHoc division.
The executive said the potential for the solution is huge in India, and it could contribute 15-20% of its revenue here over a period of time, as the market size for the technology could reach multi-million dollar per year in India. "Starting from a pilot, the contract value could be in tens of thousands of dollars per year," he said, explaining a typical deal size for the solution.
During the recent cyclone in Chennai, Microsoft used AtHoc to warn its staff and asked them not to come to the office, Szwarcburg said, adding there are some other global companies that are using the solutions in India.
BlackBerry's AtHoc is looking at tapping defense and security, government agencies, airports authorities and metro train projects like Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), besides enterprise verticals like healthcare.
"So far, Indian customers that we are meeting are companies with large employee base across multiple locations," Szwarcburg said. "You need crisis management plan in such cases. A lot of companies have actually started creating functions for these. It is no more an additional job for IT, IT security or HR. There are specialized people to do this job."
AtHoc's suite unifies crisis communications within and between organizations, their people, devices and external entities. It provides a multi-channel communication system allowing users to send the same message as a text, phone call (automatic text to speech), email and voicemail.
"The awareness for employee safety and business continuity is now much higher in India as compared to some years ago. Many companies are investing in it. I think it is a good time to be in India," Szwarcburg said.
The service is delivered through on-premises infrastructure to customers with more sensitive information like the defence department, while it is available through cloud for other commercial customers.
AtHoc, which was bought by Blackberry, specialises in critical communications and provides solutions to 80% of the US federal government.

Gionee F5L smartphone gets certified by TENAA

NEW DELHI: It seems that Chinese smartphone maker Gionee is planning on launching a new handset. Recently, a smartphone going by the model number F5L received TENAA certification in the company's home country of China.
As per the TENAA listing, the unannounced smartphone is likely to be powered by a 1.5GHz octa-core processor and have a 5.3-inch HD display. It is expected to come with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage.
For imaging duties, the Gionee F5L will probably have a 13MP rear camera and an 8MP front-facing shooter. Running Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the smartphone is expected to come with a 4,000mAh battery.
Earlier this month, Gionee launched its Steel 2 smartphone in China. In terms of specifications, the Gionee Steel 2 has a 5-inch HD display of 720x1280 pixel resolution. Running Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system, it is powered by quad-core MediaTek MT6737 processor paired with 3GB of RAM and 16GB/32GB of internal storage. The handset also accepts microSD cards for memory expansion.
For imaging duties, the Steel 2 sports an 8MP rear camera (with LED flash) and a 5MP front camera for selfies.
Equipped with a fingerprint sensor, the smartphone is backed by a 4,000mAh battery and offers 4G LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS as major connectivity options.
Measuring 144.3mmx70.5mmx8.6mm and weighing 160g, the dual-SIM Steel 2 is available in Jazz Gold and Gold Black colour options.

BSNL offers free local and STD calls at Rs 439 for 3 months

NEW DELHI: Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited announced a plan offering free local and STD calls for three months at Rs 439, becoming the latest one to enter the brutal price war going on between Reliance Jio and the incumbents.
State run public sector telco said Monday that the plan will be provided as a promotional offer for pre-paid users and will be available for a month as well, where users need to pay only Rs 149 for free voice and STD calls.
"This promotional offer is on pan-India basis from January 24, for all new customers and customers of other operators who want to port out their number and join BSNL under mobile number portability," BSNL CMD Anupam Shrivastava said.
"This promotional offer is on pan-India basis from January 24, for all new customers and customers of other operators who want to port out their number and join BSNL under mobile number portability," BSNL CMD Anupam Shrivastava said.
Customers are coming forward to get our service which has helped our company to increase our market share by 1% since March 2015 even in these hyper competitive telecom services market, he added.
As a fair usage policy the calls to other network is limited to half an hour per day, and consumers can purchase the plan from channel partners, retail distributers and customer service centres, across the country.

Now 'Pay with Amazon' for third party transactions

BANGALURU: Not just for transaction on its own platform, online marketplace Amazon India wants users to 'Pay with Amazon' on third-party websites as well. Offering instant cashbacks and refunds, Pay with Amazon has tied up with 25 online brand stores. The brands include Crocs, Sennheiser, Cafe Coffee Day and others. Pay with Amazon is also partnering with smaller merchants on-boarding platforms such as Kartrocket and Zepo to integrate an option for payment using instruments like saved card details and pre-paid balance on Amazon for checkouts.
Amazon is also in talks with app-based consumer businesses in the online food aggregation, travel, ticketing and entertainment space for its broader payments play.
Amazon India has been working on its payment product over the last one year and had hired IDFC Bank's chief digital and data officer, Sriraman Jagannathan, as vice-president to head the payments vertical. The company had also acquired payment gateway and mobile wallet company Emvantage in February 2016. Earlier restricted to a gift-card option, the payments vertical at Amazon India has now opened up options for individuals to pay via the gateway for small transactions. Customers can load Rs 10,000 at a time on Amazon Pay Balance and can add Rs 50,000 overall.
"Through our partnership with banks, we have reduced payment friction by improving the reliability of the two-factor authentication, thereby increasing convenience for customers transacting on mobile or on patchy networks," said Jagannathan. Pay with Amazon has integrated its system with SBI, HDFC, ICICI, Citibank and others to reduce friction in transaction.
He added that the move banning high denomination currency notes by the Indian government led to a by the Indian government push for user adoption on the digital transaction side and product development for Pay with Amazon. Demonetisation also saw transactions jump multifold for digital wallet players like Paytm and MobiKwik.
As part of the recently concluded sale at Amazon India between January 20 and January 22, the platform was incentivising users to transact using Amazon P Balance for 15% cashbacks. "We want users to transact even nominal amounts as low as Rs 250 for self-use to experience the payment. It is also an important leg for the sale," said Jagannathan.He added that the payments vertical will also use the data for matching consumers and banks for credit requirements going ahead.
The sale period saw 30x growth in usage of Amazon Pay Balance with users adding money to the wallet, and the number of new users grew by 360% during the sale period.
Rival Flipkart had acquired UPI-based payments company PhonePe in April and enabled payments through the wallet on the Flipkart platform in August. The PhonePe app has stopped all UPI-based payments on the Flipkart platform in an ongoing tussle between ICICI and the app for restrictive practices.

This may be Nokia's rival to Apple 'iPhone 8' and Samsung Galaxy S8

NEW DELHI: It's now almost official that Nokia fans will see a Nokia-branded high-end smartphone this year. The confirmations comes from HMD Global that holds exclusive licensing rights to Nokia smartphone brand. The high-end smartphone that is expected to compete with the flagship smartphones from Apple and Samsung in 2017.
While answering users' questions on microblogging website Weibo, the company said that its upcoming smartphone will be running on Qualcomm top-of-the-line Snapdragon 835 processor. Snapdragon 835 is the top-of-the-line processor from the US giant and is expected to power most of the high-end smartphones to be launched in the year 2017.
Samsung Galaxy S8 too is said to come with Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor under-the-hood.
According to a report in Nokia Power Users website, Nokia's Weibo account replied to one of the queries by a user saying that it understands their 'mood' and a handset with this processor is already under works.
In the Weibo post, the company post also added that since the high-end mobile processor has just been released, it may take time to launch a device with this processor.
According to recent sports, the company's premium handset may be called Nokia P1. The report further adds that the smartphone may feature a 5.3-inch display protected with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5, fingerprint sensor and quick-charge capabilities.
For photography, the smartphone is expected to sport a 22.6MP rear camera with Zeiss-certification. It is speculated to run Android 7.0 Nougat out-of-the-box and come with IP57 rating which makes the device dust and water-resistant.Last month, HMD Global confirmed its presence at MWC 2017.
The MWC event is also speculated to see the launch of the company's 18.4-inch tablet that recently made its appearance on a mobile benchmarking website. The tablet is said to feature a QHD resolution display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, 4GB RAM and 12MP front and rear cameras.

Nokia’s tablet with mammoth 18.4-inch display 'leaked' online

NEW DELHI: Nokia fans, your favourite brand is not just returning to smartphone market but seems also to tablets market. latest rumours suggest that a Nokia-branded tablet is in the pipeline.
HMD Global, which holds the rights to exclusively manufacture Nokia devices, is said to be working on a 2650 x 1440 pixel device. The device, according to a report in Nokia PowerUser website, has reportedly been spotted on GFXBench mobile benchmarking website.
According to the report, the alleged Nokia tablet will be running Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box. It will include an 18.4-inch QHD (2560x1440 pixels) resolution display and will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor with 4GB RAM and Adreno 540 GPU.
The listing also reveals 64GB storage, out of which users will get 52GB for apps and content. On the optics front, the tablet is expected to feature a 12MP rear shooter with the ability to record videos in 4K resolution. There will also be a 12MP front-facing camera with similar video-recording ability.
The Nokia tablet is expected to compete with Samsung's Galaxy View tablet that has the same 18.4-inch display with full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) resolution. Other specifications of the tablet too are lower than the ones mentioned above via the GFXBench website.
The tablet may launch at the upcoming MWC 2017 event. HMD Global is also said to launch the Nokia P1 smartphone. As per recent reports, the device is a high-end smartphone powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 835 processor and coupled with 6GB of RAM.
The report further adds that the smartphone features a 5.3-inch display protected with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5, a fingerprint sensor and quick-charge capabilities.
For photography, the smartphone is expected to sport a 22.6MP rear camera with Zeiss-certification. It will run Android 7.0 Nougat out-of-the-box and is also expected to come with IP57 rating which makes the device dust and water resistant.

Apple, Foxconn to set up a manufacturing plant in US

NEW YORK: Taiwan technology giant Foxconn is teaming up with Cupertino, San Francisco-based Apple to set up a display-panel manufacturing facility in the US with an investment of $7 billion, the media reported on Monday.
"The facility could create between 30,000 and 50,000 new jobs and could include the production of TV screens in addition to smartphone displays," marketwatch.com quoted Terry Gou, Foxconn's chairman and CEO, as saying.
The plan comes after US president Donald Trump in his inauguration speech reiterated his "America First" agenda meant overturning international trade treaties.
"During his campaign, Trump had repeatedly threatened high import tariffs in order to encourage American and foreign companies to move production to the US," BBC reported.
He singled out China as a significant cause of lost manufacturing jobs in the US.
Foxconn -- formally known as Hon Hai Precision -- has most of its factories in China where it assembles Apple's iPhones.
Last year, the firm took over Japanese electronics veteran Sharp and the display-making investment being considered in the US is thought to be under the new Sharp unit.
The White House website, updated after Trump's inauguration, makes clear that the new administration will pursue plans to alter trading relationships with Asian countries.
Trump also said he will renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta) with Canada and Mexico.

Google explains how it deals with malware in millions of apps

NEW DELHI: Google's open source-based mobile operating system Android is often targeted for being prone to attacks and malware. It is largely believed that Android hosts more malware than Apple's iOS largely due to its open source ecosystem. Most malware are said to make their through malicious apps. So, how does Google keep a check on millions of applications and protect against malware?
In a recent article, Digital Trends explains how the company keeps the platform safe.
The report, which quotes Google, apparently scans every single Android app from the Google Play Store in search for malware and other viruses. Although a large portion of malicious apps are filtered on this level only, some still bypass the process and make it through to user's mobile device.
In that case, Google keeps a track on how every single app performs when it has been downloaded on the device. The search giant keeps a track on the user's device and the apps behaviour. If the app for some reason plays with the security protocols of the smartphone and cuts the connection between the device and Google's servers, the company then monitors how many handsets are witnessing the same connection problem after the app has been installed. Once the count reaches a certain number, Google inspects the particular app once again to check for malware or any other bug.
Google says that this is only one of the ways how it keeps a track of malicious Android apps. The search giant has said that it has already caught and flagged 25,000 apps in just three families of malware using the process mentioned above. The three families in which 25,000 were flagged are Hummingbird, Ghost Push, and Gooligan.
According to a recent report by App Annie, India surpassed US to become the country with most number of apps downloaded in 2016. India witnessed 6 billion app downloads, which is almost double of what it was in 2015 (3.5 billion).

Lenovo may soon launch new variant of Moto Z smartphone with faster processor

NEW DELHI: Lenovo's Motorola seems to be planning to bring a revamped version of its last year's flagship, the Moto Z smartphone. The handset has now been spotted on Geekbench benchmark with an upgraded processor and Android OS version.
Although the current Moto Z model comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, the new version listed on the benchmarking website sports the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. Listed with model number XT1650, the smartphone is seen running Android 7.1.1 Nougat OS. For those unaware, the company has already rolled out Android 7.0 Nougat to its current Moto Z smarpthones.
The listing also suggests that the handset will come with 4GB RAM, which is said to be an upgraded LPDDR4X variant instead of the old LPDDR4 version.
It looks like Lenovo is aiming to make its latest Moto Z smartphone future-proof with new processor, latest Android OS and better RAM. This may also save the company time and energy in creating an-all new flagship model.
There is no word as to when Motorola plans to make its Snapdragon 835 variant of Moto Z official. However, it's likely that the smartphone makes its appearance at the company's pre-MWC 2017 event in Barcelona. The company has already sent out invites for the event to be helpd on February 26.
With these specifications, the upgraded Moto Z smartphone will surely compete with the flagship smartphones from LG and Samsung to be launched this year. As both LG's upcoming G6 and Samsung's Galaxy S8 smartphones are expected to run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 processor.
The Motorola Moto Z current model was launched in India last year in October at Rs 39,999.

Google Maps may soon tell you bad the parking is at your destination

Users running v9.44 of Google Maps will now see a tiny "P" emblem beside the time and distance to their destination. If the parking options are "Easy" or "Medium," the emblem will be blue. If the options are "Limited," the emblem will turn red.
As Android Police first reported, the feature will appear when users are traveling to public spaces such as restaurants, airports, and malls. One key caveat is the traffic volume isn't in real-time - merely an indication of how easy or difficult finding parking is on average.
You can now book an Uber directly from Google Maps
Parking is a surprisingly big problem for urban planners looking to cut down on traffic. In cities, roughly 30% of congestion comes from people looking for parking. These are the drivers squaring up to parallel park or circling the block multiple times, each of them causing a chain reaction of back ups behind them.
The new feature in Google Maps should help cut down on that congestion. If you know not to spend 15 minutes roaming for a spot that might not exist, you can leave more room for the people who did park in those spaces to exit the lot.
The feature also shaves precious minutes from both your trip and those of the people you might delay by searching. According to research done at UCLA, people's collective search for parking can add up to 950,000 miles of travel per year, with approximately 48,000 gallons of gas wasted.
A tiny blue emblem can go a long way.

Batteries for Tesla and other electric car makers are getting cheaper

What would it take for you to buy an electric vehicle?

Lower average prices can't hurt - and as this chart from Statista shows, those have come a long way. As noted in a recent report from McKinsey & Company, advances in battery tech have helped the average battery pack price go down from about $1,000/kWh to roughly $227/kWh since 2010.
McKinsey says that figure will continue to come down, potentially bringing EVs close to parity with the cost of other cars. This process is already in motion, to an extent, with the likes of the Chevy Bolt and upcoming Tesla Model 3.
But while that decrease would address one of potential EV buyers' biggest concerns, EV sales are still low, and many roadblocks remain ahead. The driving ranges on most EVs still aren't as long as they should be; McKinsey itself notes that only "around half" of consumers in the US and Germany actually comprehend how EVs work, and the number of EV charging stations out in the wild is still low.

HP announces price hike across portfolio

In a move to adjust to currency movement and commodity prices globally, printing and personal computer major HP Inc. on Friday hiked the list prices of its products by three-five percent across categories in the Indian market.
The increased list prices will be applicable to the new arrivals once the existing stock is sold out, a top company executive told IANS in a chat here.
"HP is increasing the list price of its products in India. As a standard business practice, the company regularly reviews pricing and makes adjustments accordingly, based on a variety of factors including currency movement and commodities prices. Actual price increases will vary by product," Rajiv Srivastava, Managing Director, HP Inc. India, told IANS.
HP Inc. maintains the top spot in the Indian PC market with an overall market share of 28.8 per cent.
According to a recent report by the International Data Corporation (IDC), HP grew by 18.9 per cent quarter on quarter over Q2 2016 owing to the partial execution of state-owned education projects.
With increasing LFR (Large Format Retailer) and online presence during festive and back to college season, the vendor recorded 20 per cent growth in overall consumer market in the third quarter of 2016.
"Our unwavering commitment towards delivering amazing products and solutions to consumers and businesses that empower them to succeed in this digital age has helped us sustain the market leadership," Ketan Patel, Senior Director, Personal Systems, HP India, had told IANS
This week, HP Inc. announced to make the world's first workstation called Z2 Mini available in India which is designed for users in Computer Aided Design (CAD) and other compute-intensive industries.
The HP Z2 Mini workstation will be available from January 25 onwards at Rs 72,000 (starting price) in the country.
"Designed for the workspace of the future, HP Z2 Mini Workstation is remarkably versatile and it showcases next level power by offering twice the power of a business-class mini PC, a key for designers," Patel added.

Flipkart's Republic Day sale may offer discount on Apple Watch

NEW DELHI: Apple fans, the upcoming Republic Day sale on e-commerce website Flipkart may offer you discounts on Apple Watch. The company hints at this in a tweet. The tweet has an image with six hands holding smartphones. The screen of these smartphones shows a product on which the company is expected to offer discounts during the sale period. One of these is the Apple Watch.
The company offered discounts on Apple Watch during the recent 'Apple Fest' it hosted on its website as well. During the fest, Flipkart offered discounts on both Apple Watch Series 1 and Series 2 smartwatches. There were some additional bank offers on the smartwatches too.
Apple launched the latest edition of its smartwatch Apple Watch Series 2 in October 2017. The smartwatch launched in India alongwith the company's latest flagship smartphones iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. 
Apple Watch Series 2 sports a starting price tag of Rs 32,900. The refreshed previous-generation Apple Watch -- now called Series 1 -- is available at a starting price of Rs 23,900.
The smartwatch was unveiled at the launch event of the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in September 2016. At the event, Apple also refreshed its first-generation Apple Watch, giving it minor hardware upgrade in the form of a new processor. The company discontinued the original Apple Watch launched in 2015.
The biggest difference between the Apple Watch Series 2 and the original Apple Watch is that the former is 'swim proof', while the original was only 'splash resistant'. The other major change is the addition of a built-in GPS.
The dates of Flipkart's Republic Day Sale are January 23, 24 and 25. Flipkart also has an interesting offer for buyers. The e-tailer has asked users to vote for five products by adding them to their wishlist and the e-tailer promises to give them the best deals on these products. These products can be smartphones, electronics, accessories and more..

Samsung probe finds faulty battery caused Note 7 fire, claims report

Samsung probe into the exploding batteries that forced the electronics giant to scrap its Galaxy Note 7 smartphones has found irregularly sized batteries caused overheating, the Wall Street Journal reported Friday.
The South Korean conglomerate was forced to discontinue its flagship Note 7 after a chaotic recall that saw replacement phones also catching fire, with the debacle costing the company billions in lost profit and reputational damage.
Samsung is set to unveil the results of its investigation Monday, but sources told the WSJ that the findings indicated some of the problematic batteries were irregularly sized, causing overheating, while others had manufacturing problems.
Samsung announced a recall of 2.5 million units of the oversized Galaxy Note 7 smartphone in early September after several devices exploded or caught fire.
When replacement phones also started to combust, the company eventually decided to kill off the Note 7 for good.
The company blamed faulty batteries made by an unnamed supplier -- widely believed to be its sister company Samsung SDI.
Initially, the WSJ said, Samsung officials believed the problem was limited to batteries made by the Samsung affiliate, and recalled those devices while boosting production of smartphones carrying batteries made by Hong Kong-based Amperex Technology Ltd. to replace recalled devices.
The probe found that the issue with the batteries from Samsung SDI was an irregularly sized battery which did not fit the phone properly which then caused overheating, the WSJ said.
In the batteries made by Amperex Technology Ltd. the flaw centred on a manufacturing issue resulting from the quick ramp-up in production of replacement phones, the WSJ said, without specifying what the problems were.
The recall fiasco has taken a major toll on the reputation of the world's largest smartphone maker, which has promised a "complete reform" of the firm's overall production and quality control process to prevent another crisis.

Apple files $1 billion lawsuit against Qualcomm

Apple filed a $1 billion lawsuit against supplier Qualcomm Inc on Friday, days after the US government accused the chip maker of resorting to anticompetitive tactics to maintain a monopoly over key semiconductors in mobile phones.
Qualcomm is a major supplier to both Apple and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd for "modem" chips that connect phones to wireless networks. The two companies together accounted for 40% of Qualcomm's $23.5 billion in revenue in its most recent fiscal year.
In the lawsuit filed in US District Court for the Southern District of California, Apple accused Qualcomm of overcharging for chips and refusing to pay some $1 billion in promised rebates. Apple said in its complaint that Qualcomm withheld the rebates because of Apple's discussions with South Korea's antitrust regulator, the Korea Fair Trade Commission.
"If that were not enough, Qualcomm then attempted to extort Apple into changing its responses and providing false information to the KFTC in exchange for Qualcomm's release of those payments to Apple. Apple refused," Apple said in its lawsuit.
In a statement, Qualcomm General Counsel Don Rosenberg called Apple's claims "baseless."
"Apple has been actively encouraging regulatory attacks on Qualcomm's business in various jurisdictions around the world, as reflected in the recent KFTC decision and FTC complaint, by misrepresenting facts and withholding information," Rosenberg said in the statement.
"We welcome the opportunity to have these meritless claims heard in court where we will be entitled to full discovery of Apple's practices and a robust examination of the merits."
Qualcomm's stock closed 2.4% lower at $62.88 on the news.
Qualcomm has patents for chips which include standard essential patents, a term used to describe technology that is required to be licensed broadly and on "reasonable" terms.
In its lawsuit, Apple accused Qualcomm of refusing to license the technology to other manufacturers to prevent them from making the chips.
It also accused Qualcomm of selling chips while requiring Apple to pay a separate licensing fee for the same chips, in a "no license, no chip" policy.
In addition, Qualcomm pressured network carriers to not sell or support Apple devices made with Intel chipsets Apple said.
The KFTC fined Qualcomm $854 million in December for what it called unfair patent licensing practices.
In February 2015, Qualcomm paid a $975 million fine in China, while the European Union in December 2015 accused it of abusing its market power to thwart rivals.
On Tuesday, the US Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against Qualcomm, saying the San Diego-based company used its dominant position as a supplier of certain phone chips to impose "onerous" supply and licensing terms on cellphone manufacturers. Qualcomm said it would contest the FTC complaint.
Qualcomm was the sole supplier of modem chips for Apple's phones until the release of the iPhone 7 in September. Intel Corp supplied about half of the modem chips for the newest models, said Stacy Rasgon, a senior analyst at Bernstein Research. Intel's shares closed up 1 percent at $36.94 after the Qualcomm suit was announced.
Apple made the move around the same time that Samsung, which had switched to using its own internal chips for its Galaxy S6 phones, returned to Qualcomm for the Galaxy S7.
Qualcomm "has been able to manage through (the Apple contract loss) pretty well because they got back Samsung at the same time," Rasgon said.
Apple is known for seeking multiple suppliers to keep prices down, said Jim Morrison, vice president of technical intelligence for TechInsights, which tears down devices to analyze their parts.

Jallikattu protests get support from city-based startups

CHENNAI: Startup founders are throwing in their lot with protest movements across Tamil Nadu demanding that Jallikattu, the bull-taming sport, be performed across the state.
They are exhorting employees to also make common cause with a movement, which has run afoul of animal rights activists, but is regarded as an intrinsic part of the Tamil culture.
Jallikattu protests have been swelling across the city's Marina beach as the state's youth activists, software engineers, farmers and politicians of all hues band together to demand that the traditional sport be performed.
"We believe that Jallikattu is an integral part of our culture," said Girish Mathrubootham, co-founder of Freshdesk, who said that the "protests are important."
Mathrubootham's commitment to the city has a storied past - he had briefly considered moving to Bengaluru for want of talent but had later decided that he could build his products from Chennai. An ardent Rajinikanth fan, Mathrubootham's office space also doubles up as an exhibit of the superstar's celluloid journey with themed artwork adorning almost every wall. "A Murattu Kaalai theme is not off the mark," he said, referring to the actor's 1980-film. Asked if he will consider making changes to his office decor in view of the current Jallikattu protest, he said some 'new themes' were being considered.
"One of them is that of 2.0 (Rajinikanth's sci-fi thriller). Maybe, we will consider a kaalai (bull) theme, too," he said. Other startup entrepreneurs too have been quick to demonstrate their support. "We are more than neutral. We are pro-jallikattu," said Suresh Sambandam, the chief executive officer of workflow automation software provider Kissflow. "We have staged many agitations in front of the Tidel Park. The startup warehouse in the building had a few other firms that have pledged support too," he said, adding that the movement is finding widespread support across the startup sector.
For startups, the idea of lending voice to the cause of conducting the sport had occurred even earlier as part of an event titled Startup Pongal that was held on January 12.
The event had the startup community dressed in traditional attire observing cultural festivities. One of the organisers told, "We had even deliberated if we should collectively express support during that event, but thought against it as we came to know that viewpoints differed and it would not be right to generalise opinion on the sport."
The open acknowledgment of support from startups for Jallikattu coincides with sweeping solidarity from across various quarters in the state. Restaurants, even small eateries, downed shutters in the state. The Chennai city transport buses plied on reduced capacity as nearly 10 trade unions, including the Centre of Indian trade Unions, pledged support to the movement. Bank employees with the All India Bank Employees Union protested at a different location after the Marina got choked with vehicular traffic on Friday afternoon.

Samsung Galaxy S8 may come with this LG G6 ‘feature’

NEW DELHI: LG has already confirmed it will be using heat pipes in its upcoming G6 flagship smartphone. Now, a new report says that rival Samsung, too, may use a similar technology for its upcoming Galaxy S8 flagship smartphone. According to a report by Digitimes website, the Galaxy S8 will be launching in March this year.
It has been also mentioned that the thermal pipes will be produced by Taiwan-based Auras Technology and Chaun Choung Technology (CCI). Rival LG is said to use heat-pipes supplied by Japan-based Furukawa Electric and Taiwan-based Delta Electronics.
The report adds that Samsung was earlier planning to use two ultra-thin heat pipes to enhance heat dissipation. But the company later decided to use just one heat pipe, as is the case with Galaxy S7.
Another feature that is expected to arrive in the Galaxy S8 is a new digital assistant named Bixby.
Samsung has been rumoured to launch its AI-powered assistant, Bixby, for quite some time now. It's being assumed that the assistant will be unveiled along with its upcoming flagship smartphone - Galaxy S8.
The latest addition to the rumours is the fact that the AI will not be limited to payments and controlling native apps, but will also be able to access the smartphone's camera.
According to a post on SamMobile website, Bixby will offer visual search and optical character recognition using Galaxy S8's camera. The camera app will reportedly come with a dedicated Bixby button to access the assistant. The AI will then scan/identify the image and search for it online.
Besides Bixby, a new UI feature might be introduced in the Galaxy S8 - an 'Always On' status bar. This would allow for one swipe access to quick settings and toggles.
In all possibilities, Samsung may launch the Galaxy S8 on March 29 this year. The company, however, is yet to reveal the final launch date.

Apple’s upcoming iPad models reportedly delayed until later this year

NEW DELHI: Apple's three upcoming iPad models have been rumoured for quite a few months now. The trio is also expected to include a 10.5-inch or 10.9-inch screen size variant. But now, it seems that Apple fans will have to wait for a few more months.
According to a new report from Digitimes website, launch of Apple's new iPads has been delayed to the second half of this year. Until now, the iOS-powered tablets were rumoured to come in the second quarter of 2017.
In addition, the report cements previous rumours suggesting that Apple could launch a 9.7-inch iPad model with an affordable price. The other two models are likely to include a 10.5-inch version and a next-gen 12.9-inch iPad Pro. The three models are likely still under the planning stage, so it's not sure if they'll ever make it to the market.
Apple is claimed to be getting the components of its 9.7-inch iPad from secondary suppliers. The LED modules will be supplied by Korea-based Seoul Semiconductor. The 10.5-inch iPad and the 12.9-inch iPad Pro may come with an Apple A10X processor. Other modules are expected to come directly from Apple's primary suppliers.
As per a recent report, citing KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, there won't be a 'Mini' iPad model in the upcoming iPad line-up. A note by Kuo said that the smaller 9.7-inch iPad model will reportedly run on an Apple A9 chip, which is used iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus. The chip maybe manufactured by Samsung.
Kuo further noted that the 9.7-inch model may contribute to 50-60% of total iPad shipments. Interestingly, he also predicted that iPad shipments may drop again.
Apple was supposed to begin production of 10.5-inch iPad last month, as per the report. This variant is expected to have the same size as the 9.7-inch iPad Pro. This essentially means that the device will cut down on screen bezels.

Self-driving car technology will raise a lot of issues

DAVOS: Evangelists for driverless cars see a bright future coming down the road: thousands of lives saved, countless driving hours freed up, cityscapes transformed with traffic jams vanquished.
But the new technology also threatens millions of jobs and raises a slew of ethical dilemmas -- prospects that were on the minds of business chiefs and politicians meeting at the World Economic Forum this week.
"Companies are going to have to start thinking about it, governments are going to have to start thinking about it," said Missy Cummings, the director of the Humans and Autonomy Lab at Duke University in North Carolina.
"The reality is we can't just keep our head in the sand like an ostrich," she told AFP in Davos, singling out the coming impact on employment.
In the United States alone, an estimated four million people work as truckers, taxi drivers and in other jobs that are under threat when the driverless vehicles come into widespread use -- a matter of years, experts predict.
In October, delivery drivers got an uncomfortable glimpse of the future when a self-driving truck built by Uber's Otto unit successfully delivered a beer shipment.
- New game, new players -
Cars with some autonomous functions -- such as the ability to adjust the speed -- are already on our roads, and more than a dozen automakers including BMW, Kia, Volkswagen and General Motors are racing to get fully self-driving cars to market by 2020.
Champions of the technology point to its potential to reduce the 1.3 million road deaths worldwide each year -- too many of them at the hands of a tired or distracted driver, or one who simply did not react fast enough.
The auto industry is already changing fast thanks to the advent of services like Uber and electric vehicles, and carmakers are eyeing both the threats and opportunities.
Renault-Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn summed up the transformations as a "reshuffling of the cards" for the industry.
"There is a new game, let's see who is going to be able to prevail," he told an audience in Davos.
The dash for driverless technology is bringing new players into the car business, notably Google, Apple and BlackBerry.
The disruption will create jobs too -- engineering posts and roles in any number of new services. There is talk of mobile doctors' surgeries and moving nail salons.
But the transition will be painful, not least because most cabbies and truck drivers are not qualified to slide seamlessly into new engineering roles.
"We don't have, at this point, really well designed (plans) for re-education," said EU transport commissioner Violeta Bulc at a panel in Davos.
"All this massive change that has not been experienced before, because digitalisation is really making dramatic shifts."
- Offices on the move - How to regulate the new vehicles is already giving a headache to authorities around the world.
Inga Beale, CEO of the Lloyd's of London insurance market, said in Davos that insurers were having to grapple with the question of liability in case of an accident.
The US government unveiled a regulatory framework in September, but the carmakers are having to deal with ethical and legal dilemmas too.
At the extreme end, if an intelligent car is faced with the terrible choice of killing one person to swerve around a crowd of five, what should it do?
There was some relief for the industry when the US government this week found no safety-related defect in a fatal crash involving a Tesla car on autopilot last May.
In public, auto bosses are focusing on the ways that going driverless is going to change our lives for the better.
Ghosn painted a picture of a world where we are liberated not only to check our emails or watch TV while in the driver's seat, but also run an entire office on the move.
"You can be in the car and do everything you're doing in the house or in the office -- except that it's mobile," he enthused.
Eventually, automated transport systems and innovations such as shared car ownership could free up our congested cities and clean up our air, promoters say.
For now, the approach is safety-first: the beer-delivering Uber truck had a human watching from the cabin, and a police car in tow.

Meghalaya govt provides 178 laptops to meritorious students

SHILLONG: Meghalaya government today handed over 178 laptops to meritorious students. The students who were awarded the laptops had excelled in their studies in standard X and standard XII examinations in 2016 conducted by the state board, ICSE, ISC and CBSE.
Speaking on the occasion, state Information and Technology minister Ampareen Lyngdoh said education was a capital investment and a permanent asset to all.
"We honour your dedication and hard work with small gifts which we feel will send a loud message that we wish to build a sense of dedication and discipline among you," she said.
She said the IT department has been at the forefront in building IT skills in the state and have carried out a study to identify such skills required by students.
"We have designed and launched programmes for providing training to our students in line with the industrial requirements," Lyngdoh said.
Commissioner and Secretary D P Wahlang said the award which started in 2007, would also include CBSE class X students in next year's ceremony.
He observed that the trend has changed when earlier the top positions used to be captured mostly by students from urban areas, but now students from rural areas have also come to the fore front.

Asus Zenfone 4 smartphone series may launch in May this year

NEW DELHI: Now that Asus has launched its Zenfone 3 line-up, rumours about the company's next generation smartphones have already started brewing up. If a report by Digitimes is to be believed, Asus will be launching its Zenfone 4 smartphone series in May this year.
The Taiwanese tech giant will ship over 20 million smartphones this year, claims the report, citing information from the handset's supply chain.
It has been mentioned that Asus shipped about 17.5 million Zenfone smartphones in 2016, which is about 14.6% lower than the 20.5 million units it shipped in 2015. However, it's been said that the launch of Zenfone 3 Zoom in February, along with the Zenfone AR and Zenfone 4, may increase the shipment numbers and earnings for this year.
The report further claims that Asus was operating in losses for the first three quarters in 2016 and showed a turnaround only in the fourth quarter.
Asus is set to launch another smartphone in India. As per industry sources, the company will be launching a new handset in February.
There are few details available about the smartphone so far. Sources suggest that the device will feature a 5.5-inch display and have a 4,100mAh battery. It's also expected to sport a 13MP rear camera with dual-LED flash, along with an 8MP front-facing snapper.
Asus launched its Zenfone 3 Zoom smartphone at the recently-concluded CES 2017. The smartphone has a dual rear camera setup capable of 2.3X optical zoom and 12X total zoom.
The cameras are powered by Sony IMX362 12 MP sensors (with 59mm focal length). They can capture more light and are claimed to take superb low-light images. Asus has added its Super Pixel technology in the smartphone, along with laser and phase detection autofocus.