TECHNOLOGY
Sundar Pichai wishes India on I-Day with Google Doodle
The Doodle, illustrated by Kerala-based guest artist Neethi, celebrates India's 75th Independence Day by showcasing the age-old tradition of flying kites. "Happy Independence Day, India! We're commemorating 75 years with a special #GoogleDoodle celebrating family, community and the colourful kites that float in the skies every August 15," the Indian-American CEO wrote on Twitter.
Musk pitches lofty goals in magazine run by China's Internet censorship agency
The July issue of China Cyberspace features articles from Musk and Ant Group CEO Eric Jing Xiandong, the company that runs the Chinese payment service Alipay, citing a Xinhua reporter, The Verge reported. Musk says the magazine invited him to share his "thoughts on the vision of technology and humanity," and then proceeds to describe and promote the technology used by the companies he owns -- Tesla, SpaceX, and Neuralink --- that he believes can "help achieve a better future for humanity".
Google asks users to help redesign Home app experience
As spotted by a Reddit user, the company is "recruiting for a group of highly engaged testers that are willing to help Google Nest test an unreleased product," reports Android Central. The announcement was posted on the product testing platform Centercode. The company did not specify the product in question but stated that the testing would focus on a "next generation design" of the Google Home app.
Samsung develops artificial muscle actuators for immersive VR, AR
According to SamMobile, two of the tallest barriers to VR/AR immersion are the lack of variable focus and tactile feedback. An image rendered inside a VR headset does not change focus between objects according to the user's line of sight. Similarly, VR and AR controllers lack the tactile feedback depth and versatility to trick users into thinking that virtual objects they might happen to interact with have weight to them.
YouTube plans to launch its own online streaming store
According to a report in Wall Street Journal, the YouTube 'Channel Store' will allow consumers to choose streaming services through the main YouTube app. The company is already in talks with entertainment companies about participating in the YouTube marketplace. The YouTube online store "has been in the works for at least 18 months".
Researcher hacks Musk's Starlink system with $25 homemade device
Belgian security researcher Lennert Wouters revealed the first-ever hacking of Starlink's user terminals or satellite dishes located at homes and buildings. At the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas in the US, Wouters successfully hacked the Starlink internet system using a homemade circuit board or modchip that cost around $25 to develop, reports Wired. Wouters revealed a voltage fault injection attack on a Starlink User Terminal (UT), that allowed him to break into the dish and explore the Starlink network.
Google fined $40 million for misleading users on Android location tracking
According to Australia's Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC), the data was collected between January 2017 and December 2018. The Court previously found that Google breached the Australian Consumer Law by representing to some Android users that the setting titled "Location History" was the only Google account setting that affected whether Google collected, kept and used personally identifiable data about their location.
Facebook sees massive drop in teen usage in last 7 years
Chinese short-form video platform TikTok has rocketed in popularity and is now a top social media platform for teens among Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat. Some 67 per cent of teens say they ever use TikTok, with 16 per cent of all teens saying they use it almost constantly. Google-owned YouTube tops the 2022 teen online landscape among the platforms, as it is used by 95 per cent of teens. TikTok is next on the list of platforms that were asked about in this survey (67 per cent), followed by Instagram and Snapchat, which are both used by about six in 10 teens.
Telegram CEO blames Apple for delay in major update release
In his Telegram channel, Durov said the upcoming update had been stuck in Apple's "review" for two weeks. "The only thing that we find discouraging is that we are often unable to distribute the new versions of Telegram due to the obscure 'review process' imposed on all mobile apps by the tech monopolies," Durov said. "For example, our upcoming update -- which is about to revolutionise how people express themselves in messaging -- has been stuck in Apple's 'review' for two weeks, without explanation or any feedback provided by Apple," he added.
LinkedIn rolls out new tools for better user engagement
The company revealed a 20 per cent increase year-on-year (YoY) among users adding visual content in their posts on the platform. Among the new tools, the company said users can now add a clickable link to images or videos."You can now encourage your followers to take further action on or off LinkedIn by simply adding a clickable link directly onto your images and videos to drive your audience to your website, an upcoming event, recent newsletter or other resources," the company said in a post.
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