Facebook confirms the acquisition of Bloomsbury AI

Facebook today has announced that the London-based team at Bloomsbury AI will be joining the company. Facebook says that the Bloomsbury team's leading expertise in machine reading and understanding unstructured documents in natural language will strengthen Facebook’s efforts in natural language processing research. This will further help Facebook in understanding natural language and its applications. The Bloomsbury AI team will help in growing Facebook's AI efforts in London, joining a roster of strong engineering talent. The financial terms were not disclosed, but reports suggest that it might be between $23 and $30 million. Bloomsbury AI was backed by Fly.VC, Seedcamp, IQ Capital, UCL Technology Fund and the U.K. taxpayer-funded London Co-investment Fund. Facebook's post doesn't clearly state that its intentions to bring out new AI-based tools, but says that its expertise will help Facebook’s efforts in natural language processing research. It is also possible that the said applications could include detecting misinformation and any sorts of problematic content. Source | Via

Google renames Chrome Duplex to ‘Duet’ to avoid confusion over Duplex phone-call

At the Google I/O 2018 event the company introduced the Duplex Assistant  AI-based phone call technology. The feature uses Assistant to make phone calls and book appointments for users when asked. Then again, Google's Chrome team has officially renamed the experimental 'Chrome Home' interface to 'Chrome Duplex.' To avoid any confusion, the company is now renaming Chrome Duplex to Chrome Duet. Chrome Duplex is finally taking shape with Chrome 69, it packs a design that balances easy access to controls on large devices and the traditional top address bar. Now the latest change comes to its name and to avoid the obvious confusion with another Google product. Since the Google Duplex is a wide-ranging technology that spans across both Assistant and Search, it is understandable why it deserves the name. The Chrome Duet rename is not yet live in the latest build (69.0.3481.0) of Chrome Canary for Android. So the change should happen in the coming few days. The information behind this name change comes as a code change request in Chromium Gerrit, which reads: Rename Chrome Duplex to Chrome Duet This rename is to avoid name collision with Google Duplex; a feature completely unrelated to Chrome toolbars. Source | Via

Samsung Galaxy Note9 S Pen with Bluetooth support passes through the FCC

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 will be unveiled on August 9th and the company is planning something big with the S Pen this time around. Over the weekend we heard reports that the Galaxy Note 9’s S Pen might be able to control music playback, long-range self-timer. Now the FCC certification more or less confirms Bluetooth support. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 S Pen comes with model number EJ-PN960, will connect to the Note 9 over 2.4GHz Bluetooth LE. The FCC listing refers to it as 'Stylus Pen' and the name 'N960'matches up as an accessory to the Note 9’s model number of SM-N960. The FCC listing, however, doesn't reveal any other functionality, then again, popular leakster stated that the Note 9 S Pen can be used to control timers on the phone from distance, as well as music playback. The S Pen’s button will work similarly to perform actions on a pair of Bluetooth headphones; you could click it to pause, long-press or double tap to skip tracks or perform another action. The unlocked Note 9 for the US has also passed through the FCC with model number SM-N960U. Source | Via

Apple MacBook Pro 2018 with Intel Core i7 Coffee Lake CPU, 13-inch retina display surfaces in benchmarks

Apple seems to be prepping on launching a new MacBook Pro revamp later this year as the model is now spotted surfacing the Geekbench benchmark test. According to the listing, the model is MacBook Pro 15,2 and it is powered by the Intel Core i7-8559U Coffee Lake CPU, runs up to 28W. Since the CPU is yet to be shipped on any product, hints that this model would be a modern update to Apple’s MacBook Pro line. The chipset is a quad-core CPU that has a 2.7GHz base frequency and turbo boost up to 4.5GHz. The new model usually arrives at the end of the year and this time around we will also be seeing a low-cost Apple MacBook Air model as well and it comes with a 13-inch Retina display. Though the MacBook Pro line-up is definitely due, we haven't heard much about whats coming. If the Geekbench scores and details it reveals are legit, we can expect a solid CPU upgrade and according to Intel specifications, this model comes with 8 MB L3 cache and Iris Plus integrated graphics. The benchmark suggests Apple is sticking with LPDDR3 RAM, but then again it means that the possibility of 32GB RAM upgrade option is unlikely. The benchmark ...

BSNL launches WINGS Internet Telephony Service with unlimited audio, video calling at Rs. 1099 for one year

State-owned telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) today announced the soft launch of its  Internet Telephony (VOIP) Service "WINGS", after the TRAI recommendation in October last year and DOT clarification on Internet Telephony,  last month regarding Internet Telephony by access service providers. This service uses Mobile Numbering scheme is provided using IP-based access network of IMS NGN Core switches. To use the service, a customer needs to install a SIP client (soft app) on their smart devices such as laptops, smartphones or tablets with internet, which will act as SIP phone to make and receive calls from anywhere in India and abroad with landline or mobile phone. The subscriber uses its parent IMS core and IP access network of any location for the voice service through BSNL "Wings". BSNL is offering unlimited Audio and video calling for one year at one time activation of Rs. 1099. New Connections booking will start today and customers will be wait-listed for service in all Telecom Circles of BSNL with connections going live from 1st August 2018 on first come first serve basis.

Samsung introduces first IoT-powered Smart Door Lock with Wi-Fi

Samsung SDS, the company's Smart Home Division has introduced the first IoT-powered Wi-Fi smart door lock (SHP-DR900) that has built-in low-power Wi-Fi chip that doubles the battery life since it can be connected to the indoor wireless router. This can notify the door open status or intrusion attempts to a smartphone in real-time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVk8kFxvzCU You can open the doors remotely from the smartphone when family members or relatives are vising, and you can check every access history at any time.  When leaving the house, the door lock sensor detects the movement and distance of the person and implements a smooth door opening, with the locking mechanism automatically loosening by the lock. In addition to basic SSL/TLS, Samsung SDS has used its own security technology to improve security for hacking prevention. The technology is called SEAL: Samsung SDS-secure Encapsulation for Application Layer that encrypts data stored inside the door lock into a Samsung SDS proprietary algorithm, S-WBC (Samsung SDS-white box cryptography, Samsung SDS-White Box password), and the data sent from the smartphone to the server. In addition, the SHP-DR900 is equipped with an improved fingerprint sensor compared to its previous generation smart locks that can recognize fingerprints more quickly and accurately. In addition to mobile app and fingerprint, ...

Sygic is developing offline maps for Apple Carplay

Apple at the WWDC 2018 event Apple announced that it is opening up CarPlay is opening for 3rd-party applications, post the announcement, Sygic now confirmed offline maps development for Apple Carplay. Sygic is the World first offline navigation for iOS. The company has been pioneering the car connectivity beginning with Jaguar Land Rover. Projecting Sygic to the built-in dash screen in Skoda. The latest integration works great in latest Ford cars. If you have an iOS12 supported iPhone you can connect it via cable or Bluetooth with CarPlay. Your built-in dash now projects Sygic offline 3D maps. Including all the features like Predictive Routing, traffic or speed limits. The company said that in the upcoming weeks, you can expect even more updates about Sygic and Apple CarPlay.

WhatsApp launches Research Awards to tackle social science and misinformation

To tackle social science and misinformation, WhatsApp is commissioning a competitive set of awards to researchers interested in exploring issues that are related to misinformation on WhatsApp. The company said that it would welcome any proposals related to social science or discipline. WhatsApp Research Awards will provide funding for independent  research proposals that are designed to be shared with WhatsApp, Facebook, and wider scholarly and policy communities. Since these are unrestricted monetary awards, it will offer investigators an option to extend their existing research portfolio. It will accept applications from individuals with established experience studying online interaction and information technologies, as well as from those who are seeking to expand their existing research into these areas. The company also made it clear that no WhatsApp data will be provided to award recipients, and all data from award research efforts will be owned by the researcher. It also said that the program will make unrestricted awards of up to $50,000 per research proposal. All applications will be reviewed by WhatsApp research staff, with consultation from external experts. The applications for applying to this award are due by 12 August and all the applicants will be notified about further actions via email by 15 September. WhatsApp Spokesperson said: WhatsApp cares deeply about the safety of our users. Through this new project, we look forward to ...

JioMoney app vulnerability said to have exposed users’ Aadhaar details; Reliance Jio denies it

According to an independent security researcher, a vulnerability in Jio's JioWallet app said to have exposed personal data of the users. The Aadhaar numbers were exposed along with details like date of birth, when did they verify SIM card and their JioMoney account MPIN. C.S. Akshay who is an independent security researcher started digging the JioMoney code when the service’s customer support was unable to resolve a grievance. In a Tweet, Akshay said: “Absolutely irritated, I messed with Jio Money with [which] the issue resided and boom, a vulnerability was discovered.” However, he deleted the Tweet on the subject after getting a call from Jio. Though Jio never publicly announced how many users are enrolled on JioMoney, the company encourages all its subscribers to download the entire Jio suite of apps, which includes JioMoney. Jio on the other runs its own payments bank, it has also partnered with many companies including insurance. It also has partnerships with Uber, Sodexo, Snapdeal and Dominos Pizza. It’s unclear if this incident has reached to RBI yet. Interestingly, this isn't the first time Jio has had a vulnerability in its app ecosystem. Back in 2017, Imran Chhimpa figured out a way to auto-fetch Jio users’ details from their phone numbers with a ...

boAt Rockerz 275 Wireless Neckband-Style water-resistant earphones launched for Rs. 2499

boAt, popular for its audio accessories has launched Rockerz 275, its latest Neckband-Style earphones. It has 12mm dynamic drivers and Premium CSR8635 Chipset for clear audio output. It utilizes a gleaming housing, flexible headband and an in-ear design to create a seal between the ear tips & your ear canal providing a locked-in, comfortable, noise-isolating in-ear fit for any activity while delivering clear and dynamic sound. Highlights of boAt Rockerz 275 12mm dynamic drivers for high definition audio and power packed bass Impendance: 32ohm; S/N ratio: 102dB at 1KHz; Frequency response: 20Hz-20kHz Sweat and water resistant (IPX5) Powered by Qualcomm CSR8635 chipset with support for  dual pairing and Qualcomm audio technology with distortion free audio performance and talk-time extension Smooth grip make sure your earbuds don't fall out no matter what the activity is Bluetooth 4.1 with the aptX codec technology offers studio-quality sound Audio is automatically paused and the headset channels the cell phone calls seamlessly. One can also get instant call alerts with the in-built vibration alert feature. 150mAh battery promises up to 10 hours of playback time, gets full charged in 2 hours with the included USB cable and just 20 minutes of charging offers 1-2 hours of run time The boAt Rockerz 275 ...