TECHNOLOGY
Amazon makes Luna cloud gaming service available on Android
Luna is available by invitation only. Interested users can sign up for early access on the company's website. When Amazon's cloud gaming service Luna was rolled out for early access in October, it was initially available on PC, Mac, Fire TV, iPhone, and iPad, leaving Android users out in the cold.
GoDaddy inks $365mn deal to acquire payment processor Poynt
The announcement comes at a time when rapid convergence of online and in-person consumer shopping is accelerating the need for small businesses to provide connected commerce experiences across all channels for their customers. Integrating Poynt with GoDaddy's websites, marketing and WordPress commerce services will enable small businesses to boost sales and customer satisfaction by bridging both online and offline shopping experiences.
WhatsApp Pay now live with 4 top banks in India
After two years of waiting, Facebook-owned WhatsApp payment service received approval from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in November to go live on Unified Payment Interface (UPI) with over 160 supported banks. WhatsApp can expand its UPI user base in a graded manner starting with a maximum registered user base of 20 million.
Instagram testing new 'Lite' version of app in India
Making the announcement at the first "Facebook Fuel For India" virtual event, the photo-sharing app also introduced the second edition of the "Born on Instagram" creator program. This is not the first time Instagram is testing a feature in India before a global roll out. The platform showcased a slew of new features in the past few months that have either debuted in India or India has been one of the first countries to test it.
Twitter shuts down live-streaming app Periscope
Twitter bought Periscope in March 2015 before the product had been publicly launched. The Periscope app for Android and iOS was developed by Kayvon Beykpour and Joe Bernstein. Sources then said the acquisition amount was "sizeable", above $50 million. Some said it fell between $75 and $100 million.
Microsoft rolls out new Office apps for M1 chip-powered Macs
The company said on Tuesday that it is releasing new versions of many of its Microsoft 365 for Mac apps that run natively on Macs with M1 - Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. Video collaboration app Teams, however, has not been included in the latest Microsoft update for Mac.
Twitter hit with $547,000 fine in Ireland's first major GDPR case
This is the first time a US-based tech firm has been fined in a cross-border case under Europe's data privacy law that came into effect on May 25, 2018. The DPC's investigation into Twitter commenced in January, 2019 following the receipt of a breach notification from the social media company.
Extra-marital app Gleeden crosses 13 lakh users in India
During September, October and November subscriptions from India grew by over 246 per cent as compared to June, July and August. According to the company, the platform has gained almost three lakh subscribers in the last four months of which 2.5 lakh users were added in the past two months.
Apple launches 'Fitness+' subscription service
To use Fitness+, one must have an iPhone 6s or later updated to iOS 14.3 and an Apple Watch Series 3 or later updated to watchOS 7.2. It also works with an Apple TV HD or Apple TV 4K updated to tvOS 14.3 or an iPad Air 2 or later that is running iPadOS 14.3 and has the Fitness+ app installed.
US opens probe into users' data collection by 9 top tech firms
The FTC said in a statement late on Monday that it is issuing orders to nine social media and video streaming companies, "requiring them to provide data on how they collect, use, and present personal information, their advertising and user engagement practices, and how their practices affect children and teens".
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