Phone monopoly is big prize in Ethiopia sell-off

In the weeks since Ethiopia announced sweeping privatization plans after decades of state control, foreign businessmen have been beating a path to Belachew Mekuria's office.

from Reuters: Technology News https://ift.tt/2AkfuKw

GVC shares hit record high after U.S. betting deal with MGM Resorts

GVC Holdings Plc shares leapt to a record high on Monday after it agreed to set up an online betting platform in the United States with U.S. hotel and casino operator MGM Resorts International .

from Reuters: Technology News https://ift.tt/2Ly3ydu

CLS, IBM and banks test blockchain app store

Foreign exchange settlement provider CLS, IBM and nine financial institutions, including Barclays Plc and Citigroup Inc , are testing a platform to access blockchain-based applications, the companies said on Monday.

from Reuters: Technology News https://ift.tt/2OqXrFu

Argos catalogue reveals unannounced DJI Mavic drone

The store's literature has photos and technical details of the as yet unannounced Mavic 2 Pro drone.

from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2NRsSYD

Overwatch League: London Spitfire triumph in first final

London Spitfire scored a solid victory over its opponent, Philadelphia Fusion, in the e-sports final.

from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2v6qNBl

US military draws up 'do not buy' list for software

US military programs and agencies will be stopped from using code that could compromise their work

from BBC News - Technology https://ift.tt/2mUxHFb

Neymar, the World Cup's favorite flopper, explains his antics - CNET

The Brazilian player says in an ad that he's "not a brat," but he does sometimes exaggerate on the pitch. No duh.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2OxPRJc

NASA finds 3D-printed houses we could use on Mars - CNET

The space agency's years-long competition to find a house suitable for Mars is up to its third and final phase.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2NYi5vJ

AI bot writes a pretty darn believable Taylor Swift song - CNET

Sing out, all you starry-eyed hipsters, a neural network is trying to recreate the singer's very personal lyrics.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2OwMRNB

Nissan makes Rear Door Alert standard on Altima, Rogue, Sentra - Roadshow

Inspired by smelly lasagna (!), the tech is designed to help drivers avoid leaving a child in a hot car.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2v3iYw5

Avengers: Infinity War now on Digital HD: Every way to watch - CNET

Big, bad Thanos is snapping his way to your living room.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2Kd8iQ3

China’s drug rehab centers use VR to catch addicts who still want a fix - CNET

The system monitors eye movement, body heat and heart rate.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2NUt2P0

Math shows Tom Cruise running on screen equals a successful movie - CNET

According to Rotten Tomatoes, Cruise has run over 24,000 feet on screen, and that has translated to box office gold.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2OvAMIk

3D-printed guns: 9 states sue Trump administration for an emergency ban - CNET

Downloadable plans for untraceable guns are on the internet, again.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2ApMMYT

Samsung's second quarter stung by soft smartphone sales - CNET

The company turns in its lowest profit growth in a year.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2mVwvkN

Star Trek sound-effects master Douglas Grindstaff dies at 87 - CNET

Next time you hear a Tribble coo, a transporter materialize or a phaser blast, remember the man who made it happen.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2AoFtk3

Sorry, Elon Musk: NASA says plans to terraform Mars won't work - CNET

Making Mars habitable has been a staple of science fiction, which is where scientists say it will have to stay.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2OpuUjT

Uber discontinues its self-driving truck program - Roadshow

Ride-hailing startup plans refocus on self-driving car effort.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2mZ7GUZ

Galaxy Note 9: All the rumors on specs, price, Aug. 24 sale date and Fortnite game - CNET

Samsung's next big phone will go head-to-head with the 2018 iPhone.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2OuhX8s

MoviePass goes down again amid Mission: Impossible blackout, price hikes - CNET

If the film being blocked out didn't deter you last weekend, perhaps having to pay extra will.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2v5qvua

Killmonger would give Infinity War villain Thanos a fight - CNET

Now here's a clash of the baddies we'd like to see. Can this be one of Doctor Strange's 14 million futures?

from CNET https://ift.tt/2M670Iq

TSA's new scanners could mean leaving your laptop, liquids in carry-on - CNET

Three cheers for easier security checks.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2mWS5Wk

Whirlpool wants to give you another cooking option in the kitchen - CNET

The appliance manufacturer has received a patent for a device that enables you to cook food with a water bath.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2LQbh63

Galaxy S9 battery life isn't as good as we had hoped - CNET

After more than four months of testing, our results are in.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2vlrYvE

Halo Smart Labs is folding and your smart alarm smoke will soon turn dumb - CNET

The makers of the weather-sensing Halo+ Smoke Alarm have gone out of business, so your $130 smoke detector might soon lose its connection to the internet.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2mW1bCF

Amazing scenes from the Overwatch League Grand Finals - CNET

The London Spitfire defeated the Philadelphia Fusion in the Overwatch League's first ever Grand Finals, in front of a crowd of 20,000 at Brooklyn's Barclays Center arena. Follow along to see what is was like to be among that crowd.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2NRD7fm

20 ways Warner thinks the US could crack down on Big Tech - CNET

Suggestions include creating GDPR-like data protection laws and funding media literacy programs.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2v1yDf9

Avengers 4: Release date, cast, plot and title rumors - CNET

Think Avengers: Infinity War was intense? Marvel fans have a year to predict which beloved characters are taking the long dirt nap for good.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2J2Zyzq

DJI's Mavic 2 Pro plans just got officially spoiled by an ink-and-paper catalog - CNET

Update: DJI was forced to confirm the Mavic 2 Pro -- after a retailer started advertising the drone!

from CNET https://ift.tt/2OqYXaO

Mercedes-AMG G65 recalled for high-speed rollovers in reverse - Roadshow

Don't attempt any J-turns until you've had this recall addressed.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2OvwHUn

New Crypto-Miner PowerGhost Targeting Corporates in India: Kaspersky Lab

PowerGhost uses multiple fileless techniques to discreetly gain a foothold in corporate networks, meaning that the miner does not store its body directly onto a disk.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2v1kajy

Xiaomi, Oppo Reportedly Planning to Launch Foldable Smartphones in 2019

Oppo and Xiaomi may join Samsung and Huawei in launching foldable phones in 2019.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2AqWF8H

Uber Hits the Brakes on Self-Driving Trucks in the US

In the absence of an urgent need for self-driving trucks to keep Uber Freight competitive, members of that team will work on autonomous cars or be offered spots elsewhere in the company.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2AsNEMs

Realme Separates From Oppo to Create Independent Brand, Aims to Create Smartphones for "Young People Around the World"

Sky Li, former Global VP at Oppo, has resigned to take up the responsibility of running the Realme brand globally.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2KegRdz

iOS 12 Developer Beta 5 Hints at 'Dual-SIM' Support for iPhones; New tvOS 12, macOS 10.14 Mojave, watchOS 5 Developer Beta Versions Released Too

The iOS 12 developer beta 5 update also brings an imagery hinting at new AirPods with wireless charging support.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2Oqa5EZ

Facebook Sued by Shareholder Over Record Stock Plunge

James Kacouris alleged Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg violated federal securities laws by misleading shareholders about the number of active users and the slowing growth of its revenue.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2M4YjhC

Mars Closest to Earth in 15 Years Today: Where & How to Watch Live in India

On July 31 2018, with Mars closest to Earth in 15 years, people in India should have a good view of the Red Planet.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2O05DMb

Bitcoin Price Briefly Slips Below $8,000 as Investors Turn Risk Averse

At 3:17pm (1917 GMT), Bitcoin price was down 2.48 percent at $8,011.69 on Luxembourg-based Bitstamp exchange.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2AwBpya

Honor 9N First Flash Sale in India Today: Price, Specifications, Launch Offers

Honor 9N price in India for the 4GB RAM variants starts at Rs. 13,999, and the smartphone will go on sale tomorrow on Flipkart and the Honor website exclusively.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2AonpXg

Oppo F9 Pro New India Teaser Confirms Display Notch, VOOC Flash Charging

The Oppo F9 Pro will support VOOC fast charging, and with this tech, the phone will enable 2-hours of talk time only on five minutes of charging.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2M4kww8

IBM Wins $83 Million in Groupon E-Commerce Patent Fight

IBM sued Groupon for $167 million, accusing it of building its online coupon business on the back of the IBM e-commerce inventions without permission.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2NYXqHX

WhatsApp Group Video, Voice Calling Feature Rolled Out for Android, iOS Users

WhatsApp group video calling on Android and iOS supports up to four people.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2vnmh0f

OnePlus 3, OnePlus 3T to Get Android P Soon; Android 8.1 Oreo Skipped

OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T were launched with Android 6.0 Marshmallow and Android P will be the third major Android update for them.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2mYB4eo

Apple Investors Seek Clues on 2018 iPhone Models With Q3 Results

Apple's fourth-quarter forecast will give clues to when the new iPhones will debut, according to Shannon Cross of Cross Research.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2OvLkr2

US Eases Export Controls for High-Tech Sales to India, Gives Same Status as NATO Allies

US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the move to grant Strategic Trade Authorization status STA1 to India reflects its efforts to improve its own export-control regime.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2v3qU0q

Guardians of the Galaxy Cast Asks Disney to Rehire James Gunn in Open Letter

The cast of Guardians of the Galaxy has published a collective open letter in support of director James Gunn, who was fired by Disney earlier in July for a series of offensive tweets.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2mWzj15

Samsung Profit Growth Slows Over Lacklustre Smartphone Sales

Sales of Samsung Galaxy S9 and other flagship smartphones declined while the company had to spend more marketing expenses to promote phones.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2OuFkP2

Honor Note 10 Launch Set for Today in China

Honor Note 10, which is expected to arrive with certain AI-based features, will reportedly also come to global markets at a pre-IFA event on August 30.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2AqaiF9

Amazon Prime Video App's User Interface to Get a Major Upgrade: Report

Amazon Prime Video users could soon be receiving a new UI on their mobile devices.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2OsVTec

Samsung Galaxy A (2019) Series Tipped to Sport Triple Rear Cameras, In-Display Fingerprint Scanner

Samsung Galaxy A (2019) smartphones are now expected to get premium features like a triple rear camera setup and an optical in-display fingerprint scanner.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2OqNVSW

Amazon Stops Using Pilot Episodes to Garner Audience Feedback

The customer feedback on pilots helped in making some of the most critically acclaimed and popular Amazon series to date including the "Transparent" and "Mozart in the Jungle."

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2K7L4uB

Honor Note 10 Hands-on Images Leak Ahead of July 31 Launch

Honor Note 10 is set to launching on Tuesday in China, and the latest leak showcases the phone from front and back.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2vlvmqK

Mozilla to Bring Chrome-Like Site Isolation Feature for Firefox Users

Mozilla's Project Fission started in April and aims to reduce memory consumption in order to ensure site isolation works well on the Firefox.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2K7Arbb

YouTube Dark Mode Now Rolling Out to Android Devices

The YouTube dark mode turns the interface all black and reduces strain on the eyes while navigating the app, especially at night.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2v0b2Mb

15-Year-Old Indian-American Boy Graduates as Engineer, Starts PhD in US

Tanishq Abraham graduated from the University of California, Davis with the highest honours of summa cum laude, and is now going for a PhD.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2mREzD7

Asus ZenFone 3 Max Update Brings ZenUI 5.0 Based on Android 8.1 Oreo

Asus has announced that Android 8.1 Oreo is now rolling out to the ZenFone 3 Max (ZC553KL) variant.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2uXNK9o

Beijing Said to Shut Down 1,000 Manufacturing Firms By 2020

Beijing will focus on dynamic, high-tech industries and withdraw from "ordinary" manufacturing, the Communist Party paper People's Daily reported.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2NW0ZP5

Samsung Galaxy On8 (2018) Price in India Revealed Ahead of Reported Launch

Samsung Galaxy On8 (2018) Price in India Revealed Ahead of Reported Launch

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2v0cyOa

Robots Left Unsecured Online May Pose Danger: Study

It is possible to control these unsecured robots to remotely spy on camera feeds and even send commands to move the robots around, the study says.

from RSS Feeds : RSS NEWS Feed - NDTV Gadgets360.com https://ift.tt/2Ajlqnm

Pentagon flags risky software suppliers

from ComputerWeekly.com https://ift.tt/2vfLBp7

M&S aims to give 1,000 employees data skills

from ComputerWeekly.com https://ift.tt/2LxxLt7

Government to fund six connected vehicle simulation projects

from ComputerWeekly.com https://ift.tt/2Ov1xNd

IBM and CLS to work on blockchain app store

from ComputerWeekly.com https://ift.tt/2LwWsWF

Security Think Tank: Not all security service providers are created equal

from ComputerWeekly.com https://ift.tt/2OtVPes

Dubai disputes court and Smart Dubai partner to apply blockchain

from ComputerWeekly.com https://ift.tt/2NROp3k

Digital identity system for EU nationals should be used for all UK citizens, says report

from ComputerWeekly.com https://ift.tt/2uZq7xv

Search begins for UK’s cyber security Unsung Heroes

from ComputerWeekly.com https://ift.tt/2v0YaoZ

How to make sense of desktop as a service

from ComputerWeekly.com https://ift.tt/2K7Afsw

AWS’s sales up almost 50% year-on-year in second quarter

from ComputerWeekly.com https://ift.tt/2M5gnZb

Blockchain media project Civil turns to Asia with fund to kickstart 100 new media ventures

Civil, the blockchain-based journalism organization, is casting its eye to Asia after it set up a $1 million fund that’s aimed at seeding 100 new media projects across the continent over the next three years. The organization has teamed up with Splice, a Singapore-based media startup which will manage the fund, according to an announcement.

There’s been a lot of attention lavished on Civil for its promise to make media work more efficiently using blockchain technology and its upcoming crypto token, CVL. The organization has raised $5 million in financing from ConsenSys, the blockchain corporation led by Ethereum co-creator Joe Lubin, and its ICO takes place next month with the goal of raising around $32 million to launch its network and actively onboard new media companies worldwide.

But the company is waiting around. Civil has already actively jumped into the media space — providing financial backing to the newly-formed The Colorado Sun — but the scope of the project in Asia is different in trying to kickstart a wave of new media organizations by giving them money to get off the ground.

Alan Soon, co-founder and CEO of Splice, told TechCrunch that it hasn’t been decided whether the financing will be in the form of grants or equity-based investments. Despite that, he said deals will be “pre-seed, micro-investments to help entrepreneurs take their ideas to prototype stage.”

Soon said that all kinds of media are in play, ranging from the more obvious suspects such as publishers, reporting websites and podcasts to behind-the-scenes tech like automation, bots and adtech.

Notably, though, he clarified that the beneficiaries of the fund will be under no obligation to adopt Civil’s protocol, the technology that will be funded by the upcoming ICO. Splice itself, however, has committed to doing so which will mean it gains access to the network’s content, licensing opportunities and more.

“I’m with Civil because I really believe in their values,” Soon added. “They want to do the right thing for this space.”

from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2Aq1HlU

Samsung reports Q2 profit slowdown, says Galaxy S9 sales were lower than expected

Struggling against competition from Chinese smartphones, Samsung Electronics posted a lackluster second-quarter earnings report with its slowest profit growth in more than a year. On the bright side, the Korean tech giant said its semiconductor business is doing well.

Operating profit rose 5.7% year-over-year to 14.9 trillion won (about $13.3 billion), representing Samsung Electronic’s slowest quarterly profit growth since the first quarter of 2017. Net income was 11 trillion won (about $9.8 billion), almost the same result Samsung posted in the same period a year ago. Sales revenue dropped 4% to 58.5 trillion won (about $52.3 billion).

Samsung blamed lower-than-expected sales of the Galaxy S9, its flagship smartphone, seasonality and competition from lower-priced handsets. Two Chinese companies in particular, Xiaomi and Huawei, have emerged as formidable rivals, putting pressure on Samsung in China and India.

As in previous quarters, Samsung’s semiconductor business posted strong performance even as its smartphones suffered. Samsung reported that second-quarter operating profit for its chips rose 45% year-over-year to 11.6 trillion won. The company said it anticipated strong demand for chips during the second half of the year thanks to demand from high density data centers. It expects smartphone and tablet demand to continue lagging, however, thanks to competition from lower-priced devices with strong specifications.

from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2mVPprH

Logitech is buying Blue Microphones

Logitech today announced its intention to acquire Blue Microphones, the hardware company behind popular podcasting microphones like the Yeti and Snowball. It’s a pretty logical acquisition, as far as these things goog –Logitech already operates in the audio space, with speakers and gaming headsets.

The acquisition of Blue would add an important dimension to that category and help the company take on a rapidly expanding space. Blue’s best known products aren’t high-end, exactly, but they’ve become the go-to choice for upstart podcasters looking to get in on the ground floor in the medium.

Heck, we’ve been known to use them from time to time for our own podcasts. The company offers higher end products for music producers, as well, and in recent years, Blue has begun dabbling in the gaming space, offering up microphone and gaming bundles.

“Logitech’s acquisition of Blue Microphones will accelerate our entry into a growing market, and offers another way for us to help bring people’s passions to life,” Logitech CEO Bracken Darrell said in a release tied to the news. “Joining with Blue is an adjacent opportunity for us – a new way to grow – with additional synergies related to our existing gaming, PC webcam and audio categories.”

Blue is being acquired for $117 million in cash. We’ve reached out to the companies to determine what the deal will mean for the Blue brand and its existing staff.

Update: In an emailed statement a company spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that the Blue brand is sticking around and the company’s team will be joining up with Logitech. “Logitech is delighted to welcome all Blue employees plus contractors to Logitech. The brand is also welcomed into Logitech’s broader portfolio.”

from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2ApybwJ

Firefox is getting a new logo (or 10)

When you think of “Firefox,” you probably think of something that looks like this:

Or, perhaps, something like this:

That logo (or some iteration between the two) has been the browser’s logo since it launched back in 2002. Its time for change, Mozilla says.

In a blog post about “evolving the Firefox brand,” Mozilla Creative Director Tim Murray outlines the company’s thinking: Firefox isn’t just one browser now. With side projects like Firefox Rocket (the company’s browser for connections with less bandwidth) and Firefox Reality (Firefox, but for virtual reality), the company is finding it needs a bit more wiggle room with its design language.

While they shared a few work-in-progress potential logos, they were quick to note that none of them are final. They might tweak things over time (and they’re asking for feedback), or just go back to the drawing board all together.

The whole thing might sound a bit up-in-the-air right now, and that’s mostly intentional — it’s still pretty early days in the process. But eventually, Firefox will be getting a new logo; or, more accurately, new logos.

The work was presented in two potential “systems,” each composed of one “Masterbrand” logo and 11 auxiliary logos. The masterbrand would be the primary one used for representing the brand as a whole, while those beneath it could each represent an individual product.

The two new “Systems” of icons:

If it’s a choice between the two systems, I like System 2 — but I’ve always liked the existing Firefox logo, and that’s the set that feels like more of an update and less of a complete replacement. It’s more “Firefox”, less just “fox.”

Firefox says the branding shift should come together “over the next few months” — so if you’re a fan of the classic logo, it’ll still be hanging around for a while.

from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2LMthOz

Google snags Sony’s ‘Magic Lab’ VR guru

Google has hired Richard Marks, Sony’s Magic Lab head who was behind much of the company’s VR efforts, to a position in its Advanced Technology and Projects group, VentureBeat reports.

Google confirmed the hire to TechCrunch, sending along a statement from ATAP head Dan Kaufman. “ATAP is at the intersection of science and application where our goal is to solve significant problems and close the gap between what if and what is. We’re super excited about Richard joining the senior team and look forward to his contributions.”

According to LinkedIn, Marks spent the last 19 years at Sony, including time as a research fellow while getting his doctorate at Stanford. Marks has been the public face of Sony’s virtual reality efforts throughout the development of the company’s virtual reality tech, but has also worked on some of the computer vision tech behind other PlayStation products.

The Magic Lab, which Marks ran, was devoted to researching gaming technologies for future generation hardware and software. One of the big projects to emerge from the group was called “Project Morpheus,” a precursor for what would later be called PlayStation VR.

While Sony was quick to express an interest in virtual reality technologies and publicly debut its experiments with PS VR years before its 2016 launch, the technology platform has been facing an uncertain future as headset sales have failed to meet expectations.

The PlayStation VR headset debuted as a cheaper alternative to headsets from Oculus and HTC that debuted at prices that were hundreds of dollars more expensive, but after aggressive price slashing from Oculus moved hardware margins downwards across the board, the console maker seems to have had a tougher time distinguishing its efforts. Also, while it had appeared that Sony’s efforts were arriving ahead of a current-generation Xbox VR play, the company announced that it would not be pursuing a virtual reality headset for the Xbox One X, though that was initially a selling point of the more powerful system.

It’s unclear where exactly Marks will be directing his attention at Google within ATAP, though the company certainly has plenty of efforts in the AR/VR and gaming spaces that would benefit from his experience.

from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/2mVQiAA