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  Facebook on Friday said it is partnering with the Indian government to roll out a vaccine finder tool on its mobile app in India, which will help people identify places nearby to get inoculated. The social media giant had, earlier this week, announced a USD 10 million grant for emergency response efforts for COVID-19 situation in the country. "Partnering with the Government of India, Facebook will begin rolling out its Vaccine Finder tool on the Facebook mobile app in India available in 17 languages to help people identify places nearby to get the vaccine," Facebook said in a post on the platform. In this tool, vaccine centre locations and their hours of operation have been provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW). Click Here

  Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday asked the district administrations across Maharashtra to immediately set up their oxygen projects and to ensure stocks of essential medicines are maintained and asserted that the state government has to be very careful and plan for the "third wave". While talking to the Divisional Commissioner, Collector, Municipal Commissioner about the situation in COVID-19 , the Chief Minister gave clear instructions to the district administration that not only the declaration but also its implementation should be seen, as per the Chief Minister's Office. "Though the number of patients has stabilised to some extent due to strict restrictions in the state, now we have to be very careful and plan for the next third wave," said Thackeray. Read More

  Amazon said Wednesday that it plans to give more than 500,000 of its workers a raise as it seeks to attract new workers. The online shopping giant, which already pays new hires at least USD15 an hour, said it will start increasing pay between 50 cents an hour to USD3 an hour starting next month. Those getting raises include warehouse workers, who pack and ship orders, as well as those who work in Amazon's package sorting centers and other facilities. Amazon said the pay raise is part of its push to hire more workers. The company has needed more people to get orders to shoppers during the pandemic as Americans increasingly shop online. Click Here

  Expanding its Galaxy M-series, South Korean tech giant Samsung has launched a new 5G-ready smartphone -- Galaxy M42 5G -- in India, starting at Rs 21,999. The smartphone comes in two storage models that includes a 6GB+128GB variant and a 8GB+128GB variant, priced at Rs 21,999 and Rs 23,999, respectively. The company said that as part of an introductory offer, users can purchase Galaxy M42 5G at a special price of Rs 19,999 and Rs 21,999 respectively, on Samsung.com and Amazon sale in May. The 5G-ready smartphone will also be available with select retail stores. "Samsung has the largest number of 5G devices globally and with the launch of Galaxy M42 5G, we are launching our first mid-range 5G smartphone in India," Aditya Babbar, Senior Director and Head, Mobile Marketing, Samsung India, said in a statement. Click Here

  Australia Adam Zampa said that the bio-bubble for the Indian Premier League ( IPL ) 2021 is the most vulnerable one he has been in so far due to the Covid-19 situation in India. "We've been in a few (bubbles) now, and I feel like this is probably the most vulnerable," Zampa told The Sydney Morning Herald. Zampa said that the tournament should have been held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as it was last year. "I just feel like because it's India, we're always being told about the hygiene over here and being extra careful ... I just felt like it was the most vulnerable. The IPL that was held in Dubai six months ago didn't feel that way at all. I felt like that was extremely safe. Personally, I feel like that would have been a better option originally for this IPL but obviously, there's a lot of political stuff that goes into it," said Zampa. Read More

  With the Indian government opening up the process of COVID-19 vaccination for every citizen above the age of 18 from May 1, all eyes are now on the cricketers who are plying their trade in the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League . The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has left the decision of vaccination on the players. Speaking to ANI, sources in the know of developments in the BCCI said it is for players to decide on vaccination once the doors open for everyone above the age of 18 from May 1. "The Indian players can get vaccinated from Saturday. It is a call that is left on players," the source said. Asked if an exception can be made for the foreign players as well since there are players from England, Australia, South Africa and West Indies currently playing in the IPL, the source said: "Only the Indian players can get vaccinated here." Read More

  Twitter has added a new prompt in the timelines of users to help them get correct vaccination information in their respective countries including India. The new prompt appears at the top of users' Twitter feeds for both iOS and Android users. "As COVID-19 vaccinations become more widely available, we want you to have access to the latest vaccine info in your country," Twitter said in a tweet on Monday. "This week you'll see a prompt in your timeline that links to sources about vaccine safety, efficacy, and news from public health experts," the company added. Clicking on the link will take you to the information page prepared with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India, and organisations like the World Health Organization (WHO) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the US. Click Here

  Google CEO Sundar Pichai and his Microsoft counterpart Satya Nadella have assured help to India as the country grapples with a ravaging coronavirus crisis that has put enormous pressure on its hospitals due to a shortage of beds, oxygen and medical supplies. India logged a record of 3,52,991 new coronavirus infections in a day on Monday, taking its total tally of COVID-19 cases to 1,73,13,163. The death toll increased to 1,95,123 with a record 2,812 daily new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data. "Devastated to see the worsening Covid crisis in India. Google & Googlers are providing Rs 135 crore in funding to @GiveIndia, @UNICEF for medical supplies, orgs supporting high-risk communities, and grants to help spread critical information," Indian-origin Google CEO Pichai said in a tweet. In another tweet, Microsoft's Indian-origin CEO Nadella said that his company will continue to use its resources and technology for relief efforts and suppo

  Intel Corp on Thursday raised its annual sales outlook on booming demand for personal computers, but its second-quarter profit forecast fell short of analyst expectations as the company spends heavily to get its manufacturing operations back on track and catch up to rivals with faster chips. Intel shares were down 3.1% to $60.60 in after-hours trading after the results. The company also missed first-quarter expectations in its closely watched data center chip unit. Intel fumbled new manufacturing technology in recent years, causing it to fall behind rivals such as Advanced Micro Devices Inc and Nvidia Corp in the race to make faster, smaller chips. Patrick Gelsinger, who returned to Intel as its chief executive earlier this year, said the chipmaker has begun to resolve its manufacturing problems, and in March announced a major expansion plan to build new factories in the United States and Europe. Click Here

  Sunrisers Hyderabad were dealt a big blow as one of their premier pacers T Natarajan was ruled out of the ongoing Indian Premier League due to a knee injury that he had picked up during the series against Australia. CHECK MI vs PBKS playing 11 and head to head stats here Natarajan had played only two out of the four games for Sunrisers Hyderabad this season and it is understood that he never fully recovered from the knee injury that he had sustained due to excessive workload on the tour of Australia. 2021 IPL points table and team rankings "Natarajan never fully recovered from his knee injury. He went for rehabilitation at the NCA but it is now evident that even when he was declared fit to make a return against England appearing in one T20 and one ODI, he was not 100 per cent match ready. Now he could be out for a longer period as he had rushed his comeback without doing proper rehab," a BCCI source told PTI on conditions of anonymity. Read More

  Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus ' gaming triggers for Android and iOS smartphones are now available in India for Rs 1,099. The company hasn't confirmed that these gaming triggers will be releasing globally, reports The Verge. These triggers can be clipped around the edge of most smartphones -- any Android or iOS device, so long as they're less than 11.5mm thick with a case on. If you want to do some mobile gaming but hate touch controls, these could provide a more intuitive, controller-like alternative to tapping on your screen, the report said. Each trigger appears to have just one shoulder button with an Omron switch that OnePlus CEO Pete Lau says is "pleasingly clicky" to tap. Click Here

  As the world celebrates Earth Day on Thursday, Apple has debuted documentary special "The Year Earth Changed" and second seasons of 'Tiny World and 'Earth at Night in Color on Apple TV+ , thus brining environment-friendly content at one place. These premieres join a specially curated collection of environmentally-themed Apple TV+ programming, including films, series and episodes that celebrate Earth Day's mission, including: Here We Are. Long Way Up, The Elephant Queen and Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds, the company said in a statement. Showcasing exclusive footage from around the world after an unprecedented year hit by the pandemic, "The Year Earth Changed" is a timely documentary special that takes a fresh new approach to the global lockdown and the uplifting stories that have come out of "The documentary, narrated by David Attenborough, is a love letter to planet Earth, highlighting the ways nature bouncing back can give us hope

  As Covid-19 cases in the country surge, the Chinese smartphone maker OPPO on Wednesday announced that it is all set to launch its e-store in India on May 7. The OPPO-owned online store will allow customers and to shop for any of their favourite products just with a click of a button. It will give customers a premium buying experience with exciting offers for buyers from the comfort of their homes. "The launch of the OPPO e-store is a big leap in increasing our omni-channel retail presence," Damyant Singh Khanoria, CMO, OPPO India, said in a statement. "We're focusing on further strengthening our online and offline presence equally. This platform will empower users to stay connected in these difficult times by enabling access to innovative technology from the comfort of their homes," Khanoria added. Click Here

  Microsoft is reportedly working on a new app store for Windows 10 that will introduce a modern and fluid user interface, as well as bring changes to the policies that govern what kind of apps can be submitted to the store by developers. The new store will feature a new user interface (UI) and big policy changes for app developers. "According to sources familiar with the matter, this new Store will pave the way to a revitalised storefront that's more open to both end-users and developers," reports Windows Central. The new app store will follow the same design refresh that the rest of Windows is following with Sun Valley, which is expected to ship towards the end of this year. Many in-box apps, including this new Store app, will be reinvigorated with new layouts, WinUI designs, iconography and fluid animations, the report said. Read More

  Apple said it has reached an agreement with the right-wing social app Parler that could lead to its reinstatement in the company's app store. Apple kicked out Parler in January over ties to the deadly January 6 siege on the US Capitol. In a letter to two Republican lawmakers in Congress, Apple said it has been in substantial conversations with Parler over how the company plans to moderate content on its network. Before its removal from the app store, Parler was a hotbed of hate speech, Nazi imagery, calls for violence (including violence against specific people) and conspiracy theories. Apple declined to comment beyond the letter, which didn't provide details on how Parler plans to moderate such content. In the letter, Apple said Parlor's proposed changes would lead to approval of the app. Parler did not immediately respond to a message for comment. As of midday Monday, Parler was not yet available in the app store and Apple did not give a timeline for when

  By Elizabeth Culliford, Sheila Dang and Munsif Vengattil (Reuters) - Facebook Inc CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Monday the company planned to launch several audio products, including Clubhouse -style live audio rooms and a way for users to find and play podcasts. Facebook 's incursion into the audio market comes as the sudden explosion of interest in Clubhouse, an audio app where billionaires and celebrities including Tesla CEO Elon Musk have popped in to chat, could be waning. Downloads of the Clubhouse app, which is only available on Apple's iOS devices, suffered an estimated 70% decline in downloads in March from February when it hit a high. Zuckerberg said the world's largest social media network planned in the coming months to launch features including short-form audio clips called "Soundbites" and ways to create sound effects or improve audio quality. Facebook said in a blog post https://bit.ly/3e8FGsc it would begin to test live audio rooms, which w

  Short video app Chingari said on Monday it has partnered with streaming platform Biiggbang Amusement, which focuses on content for users that matches well with their schedule. “At Biiggbang Amusement, our constant endeavour is to present stories that can teleport the audience to another world and satisfy their need of entertainment regardless of the time crunch. Curating and getting content from around the world to add it to the Indian milieu is what we thrive on and I firmly believe, this collaboration with Chingari aligns perfectly with what we are trying to achieve. Also, we would like to take this opportunity to introduce our tagline - ‘Jab Bhi Kare Mann, Entertainment Dan Dana Dan’, as this exclusive partnership will help us achieve exactly that,” said Sudip Mukherjee, Founder and CEO, Biiggbang Amusement. Read More

  E-commerce giant Amazon is building a computer vision-based grading solution for food products such as onions and tomatoes. The machine learning-based approach analyses produce images to detect defects such as cuts, cracks and pressure damage. It can carry out millions of assessments per day at a cost that is far below compared to any other method, said a top Amazon scientist. “Quality is one of the key drivers of fruit and vegetable purchasing decisions and a critical factor in achieving customer satisfaction,” said Rajeev Rastogi, vice president, machine learning, Amazon India at the company’s Smbhav event. “Having humans grade the quality of fruits and vegetables by manually examining each individual piece of produce like tomato or onion is not scalable to millions of quality assessments per day.” Amazon plans to develop a conveyor belt based automatic grading and packing machine. It would leverage hardware and machine learning to pack produce into predetermined quality grad

  Apple is all set for its first event of the year on April 20 and media reports suggest that new iPads with 5G support and Apple TV upgrades along with a deep dive into iOS 14.5 are on the anvil. Called 'Spring Loaded,' the Apple event will showcase some exciting new products and features. According to The Verge, new iPad Pros will reportedly get a 5G support, speed boost with a new chip similar to Apple's M1, a Thunderbolt port for faster transfers and compatibility with more devices, and support for 5G. "The larger 12.9-inch Pro may also be the first Apple device to feature a Mini LED display," the report said on Thursday. The iPad mini is also likely to receive some fresh upgrades, like a larger display and updated internals. The long-awaited 'AirTags' could also be revealed at the event. Read More

  As artificial intelligence (Ai) technology gets all-pervasive, the European Union is considering a ban on the use of AI for mass surveillance and social credit scores, among other applications. The leaked draft proposal, first reported by Politico and is expected to be made official next week, would see the EU take a strong stance on certain applications of AI, similar to the EU's regulation of digital privacy under the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation), reports The Verge. According to the draft, a ban on AI is needed for "indiscriminate surveillance," including systems that directly track individuals in physical environments or aggregate data from other sources. It also seeks a ban on AI systems that create social credit scores, which means judging someone's trustworthiness based on social behavior or predicted personality traits. Read More

  Sony on Thursday launched a new 32-inch BRAVIA 32W830 Android TV for India market at Rs 30,990. The new model will be available across all Sony Centers, major electronic stores and online channels from April 15. This is the first 32-inch TV in India that comes enabled with Google Assistant, the company said in a statement. The TV also comes with more than 5,000 apps and built-in Chromecast. It delivers exceptional Full HD clarity by upscaling every pixel for a better and more vivid TV viewing experience. The TV reproduces more natural and attractive clarity, bringing you the excitement of watching shows, movies and gaming in vividly detailed HDR, the company said. Click Here

  Future Retail on Wednesday said Amazon has approached Supreme Court against a Delhi High Court order which stayed a single judge's order restraining Future Retail Ltd from going ahead with its Rs 24,713 crore deal with Reliance Retail to sell its business. "The company's advocates are in receipt of communication dated April 13, 2021, from advocates of Amazon.com NV Investment Holdings LLC informing that Amazon has filed a Special Leave Petition before the Supreme Court of India against the captioned order dated March 22, 2021 passed by the Division Bench of the High Court of Delhi," Future Retail informed the stock exchanges. Future Retail said it will "defend the matter/proceedings through our legal counsels". On March 22, the Delhi High Court stayed a single judge's order restraining Future Retail Ltd (FRL) from going ahead with the deal with Reliance Retail to sell its business, which was objected to by US-based e-commerce giant Amazon. Cli

  Expanding its ZenBook series , Taiwanese tech giant ASUS on Wednesday unveiled two new laptops -- ZenBook Duo 14 and ZenBook Pro Duo 15 OLED -- in India. Starting at Rs 99,990, ZenBook Duo 14 (UX482) is now available across online and offline channels, while ZenBook Pro Duo 15 OLED (UX582) will be available from mid-May at a starting price of Rs 2,39,990. "At ASUS, our job is to keep pushing the limits on innovation and try to go above and beyond the expectations of our consumers," Arnold Su, Business Head, Consumer and Gaming PC, System Business Group, ASUS India, said in a statement. "We are very excited to introduce this product to the Indian market, encouraging our consumers to push boundaries and 'Live out of Line'," Su added. The ZenBook Duo 14 is Intel Evo verified and features up to 11th Gen Intel Core i7 processor with Intel Iris Xe graphics. Read Full Article Here

  In yet another bid to offer top-of-the-line specifications packed in a stylish machine, market leader Lenovo has brought a new laptop -- Yoga Slim 7i Carbon -- to India that will appeal to both entrepreneurs and millennials. Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon , a Windows 10 Home laptop, comes in two CPU options -- 11th-Gen Core i5 and 11th-Gen Core i7. This is paired with either 8GB/16GB LPDDR4X RAM clocked at 4266MHz, up to 1TB PCIe Gen 3 NVMe SSD, integrated Xe GPU to handle the graphics. It is now available at a starting price of Rs 1,19,990. According to the market research firm IDC, Lenovo led the global traditional PC market (including desktops, notebooks and workstations) in the first quarter of 2020 with a 24.3 per cent share, as the worldwide shipments grew 55.2 per cent (on-year). Click Here

  Samsung is all set to launch Galaxy M42 , its first mid-segment 5G smartphone in India, later this month that will be priced between Rs 20,000-Rs 25,000, industry sources said on Monday. Galaxy M42 will be the first 'M' series smartphone with 5G connectivity. Industry sources told IANS Galaxy M42 is tipped to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor and is likely to launch in 6GB and 8GB RAM variants. Galaxy M42 will also get 'Knox Security', the first for a Galaxy 'M' smartphone. Samsung Knox offers multi-layered security to smartphones and defends the most sensitive information from malware and malicious threats. Galaxy M42 5G will be available on Amazon.in and Samsung.com, besides select retail channels. Read More

  Actor Tom Holland will star in the first season of a new seasonal anthology series for Apple TV Plus . Titled "The Crowded Room", the show comes from Academy Award-winning scribe Akiva Goldsman, the streamer said in a statement. Described as a gripping anthology series, the show will explore the true and inspirational stories of those who have struggled and learned to successfully live with mental illness. Season one is inspired by the award-winning biography "The Minds of Billy Milligan" by Daniel Keyes. The 10-episode season will feature Holland as Billy Milligan, the first person ever acquitted of a crime because of multiple personality disorder, now known as dissociative identity disorder. Click Here

  Zoom's decision to stop access to its service for Russian state agencies should lead to the development of domestic alternatives to this popular video communication app, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said. "We need to switch to alternatives, they do exist," Peskov told reporters on Wednesday, according to a report by TASS news agency. His comments came after Zoom reportedly decided to restrict access by the Russian state-owned companies to its software. "Of course, our app developers will need to work hard to put the finishing touches on their products. We still have shortcomings in this area. Nevertheless, they (similar services) exist and they will be able to countervail the absence of such a popular service as Zoom. As the saying goes, nature abhors a vacuum," Peskov explained. Read More

  Realme C20, Realme C21, and Realme C25 will make their India debut on Thursday. They are all budget phones. The brand has been trying to expand its portfolio in India, recently launching the Realme 8 series smartphones. A virtual live event has been scheduled for the launch through the company’s social media accounts. The three smartphones are already available in other parts of the world. While Realme C20 made its debut in Vietnam in January, Realme C21 and Realme C25 were unveiled in March in Malaysia and Indonesia. The India launch event for Realme C20, Realme C21, Realme C25 will start at 12:30pm IST and the smartphones will be available on Flipkart. Realme C20 specifications -> Read Full Article Here

  Chinese smartphone major Vivo on Wednesday said it has appointed cricketer Virat Kohli as its brand ambassador. With the association, Vivo aims to reach the millennials and technologically driven consumers, and a 360-degree marketing approach will characterise the company's association with Kohli, a statement said. Vivo IPL 2021 Kohli will be seen spreading awareness and promoting the launch of Vivo's upcoming product series in the pipeline, it added. The association will include all ATL and BTL (above and below the line) activities, including the brand's forthcoming events, TV, print, outdoor and social media campaigns. Click Here

  Samsung is the only smartphone brand in India with a product line-up covering almost the entire price spectrum. Though the company is competitive in the premium market, it lags behind others in the midrange and budget segments because its smartphones are generally on the expensive side when you look at the price-specifications ratio. The South Korean electronics maker has taken steps to make its affordable offerings as competitive as premium ones, and the efforts are seen in the company’s recently launched Galaxy A52 midrange smartphone. It is loaded with premium features, including a sAMOLED screen of 90Hz refresh rate, stereo speakers, 64-megapixel-based quad-camera array on the back, and a water- and dust-resistant design. There is a lot to like about the Samsung Galaxy A52 based on what it offers on paper. But is the smartphone that good in real life? Khalid Anzar finds out: Read Full Article Here

  (Reuters) - Audio-chat app Clubhouse said on Monday it will launch a monetization feature for its creators on the platform and that it will not receive any payment from it. Starting Monday, all users will be able to send payments through the platform, Clubhouse said. The feature to receive payments will initially be available only to a small test group, and later rolled out to other customers. Users can send payment to Clubhouse creators who have the feature enabled, by tapping a 'Send Money' option. The audio-based social network company said a small card processing fee will be charged by its payment processing partner, Stripe. Read Full Article Here

  Expanding its Galaxy F Series, Samsung on Monday launched Galaxy F12 and Galaxy F02s smartphones in India. Galaxy F12 comes in two memory variants -- 4GB/64GB and 4GB/128GB -- priced at Rs 10,999 and INR 11,999, respectively. Galaxy F02s is priced at Rs 9,999 for the 4GB/64GB variant and Rs 8,999 for the 3GB/32GB variant. Both the products will be available on Samsung Online Store, Flipkart and select retail stores, the company said in a statement. Galaxy F12 comes with a True 48MP quad camera with ISOCELL plus technology, a smooth 90Hz Display and a 6000mAh battery. Galaxy F02s comes with a 6.5-inch HD+ Infinity-V Display and a 5000mAh battery. Click Here

  The OnePlus 9 Pro seems to have placed Chinese smartphone brand OnePlus, known for its midrange flagships, in the league of best premium smartphone makers alongside those like Samsung and Apple. The previous-generation OnePlus premium smartphones (the OnePlus 7 Pro, OnePlus 7T Pro and OnePlus 8 Pro) were also good, but they lacked the imaging competence, design superiority, innovation and novelty offered by the best premium smartphone brands. A distinct product with something exclusive to offer is what OnePlus needed to make a meaningful stride in the premium smartphone market. After struggling to get that right for some time, it may to have cracked that with the OnePlus 9 Pro. From its Hasselblad partnership for the camera system to a QHD+ resolution screen of 120Hz refresh rate, ingress protection rating and fast wireless charging support, the OnePlus 9 Pro has a lot to show for itself. Read Full Article Here

  Facebook has introduced new tools to give its user more control over what they share and see on the social media platform. By default, anyone on Facebook can see and comment on public posts. While the default comment settings remain unchanged, the social media platform now allows its users to control the commenting audience by choosing from a menu of options ranging from anyone who can see the post to only the people and Pages tagged in the post. Besides, the newly introduced tools also let users filter News Feed on Facebook, giving them more control over the content that appears on their timelines. Set-up Facebook to control the commenting audience To change who can comment on your public posts, log-in to Facebook account and follow the below mentioned steps: Read Full Article Here

  After successfully launching two smartphones under the OPPO F19 Pro series, the Chinese smartphone maker on Thursday announced that it is all set to launch OPPO F19 on April 6. The OPPO F19 will feature a massive 5000mAh battery paired with 33W Flash Charge, and a brilliant AMOLED Full HD+ punch-hole display. The company claims that with 33W Flash Charge, which runs on a 11V3A solution, OPPO F19 fully charges in only 72 minutes. OPPO F19 is crafted for the youth who looks for trendy and stylish smartphones that not only complements, but also augments their lifestyle, the company said in a statement. OPPO has been a leader in the industry when it comes to flash charging solutions and the latest offering, OPPO F19 is no different. It will redefine the fast charging solutions in its price segment, it added. Click Here

  The low-end version of the battle royale game PUBG called Lite is officially closing down on April 29. PUBG Lite was introduced in 2019 for entry-level mobile devices. The Indian government banned both PUBG Mobile and PUBG Mobile Lite on September 2 last year. The news of PUBG Lite's shut down was confirmed by the developers Krafton via a message on its official website. "We are deeply grateful for the passion and support from the astounding number of PUBG Lite fans that have been with us. During the strenuous times of the Covid-19 pandemic, we hope that PUBG Lite was able to provide our fans a fun way to stay safe," the developer said. "Unfortunately, we have made the difficult decision to close service after much deliberation and the time has come for our journey to end. We regretfully inform you that service of PUBG Lite is scheduled to end on April 29th, 2021 (UTC)," the company added. Read More