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  Meesho, a fast-growing internet commerce platform, has announced a $5.5 million ESOP (employee stock ownership plan) liquidity programme for all eligible current and former employees with vested stocks. This is the company’s second such liquidity program in less than a year. Last month, Meesho raised a $570 million Series F from Fidelity Management & Research Company, B Capital Group, and other new and existing partners like Prosus Ventures, SoftBank Vision Fund 2 and Facebook, growing its valuation by over 2x to $4.9 billion. “We continue to see meteoric progress not only as a business but also in our efforts to democratize internet commerce for everyone,” said Vidit Aatrey, founder and CEO, Meesho. “Our employees have been at the forefront of driving this momentum, and we want to give them ample opportunities to celebrate and grow with us. As we hire across the board and scale our tech and product talent by 2.5X, ESOPs will give employees high ownership, while providing

  Facebook Inc is now called Meta, the company said on Thursday, in a rebrand that focuses on its ambitions building the " metaverse ," a shared virtual environment that it bets will be the next big computing platform. The name change comes as the world's largest social media company battles criticisms from lawmakers and regulators over its market power, algorithmic decisions and the policing of abuses on its platforms. CEO Mark Zuckerberg, speaking at the company's live-streamed virtual and augmented reality conference, said the new name reflected its ambitions to build the metaverse, rather than its namesake social media service. The metaverse, a term first coined in a dystopian novel three decades ago and now attracting buzz in Silicon Valley, refers broadly to the idea of a shared virtual environment which can be accessed by people using different devices. Read More

  After announcing robust quarterly results during the earnings call, Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the new Pixel 6 series and Google Tensor chipset lay a good foundation. The new Pixel 6 and 6 Pro bring together the best of Google Artificial Intelligence (AI), software and hardware, with the most advanced and inclusive cameras the company has ever built, Pichai added. "If you look at the Google Tensor bet, these are multiyear bets, which finally play out and I couldn't be more excited by the reception for Pixel 6 and Google Tensor," he said. "And I think it lays a good foundation of what we want to do in the future," he added. The Google CEO said he is excited about the range of Pixel phones available this holiday season. Click Here

  After receiving Dadasaheb Phalke Award , India's highest film honour, from Vice President Venkaiah Naidu a few days ago, superstar Rajinikanth paid a visit to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind. On Wednesday, Rajinikanth took to Twitter and shared a few pictures from their meeting.  He also shared that it was a great pleasure to meet the PM and President. "It is a great pleasure to meet and greet the esteemed President and the Prime Minister," he tweeted. Rajinikanth was accompanied by his wife Latha. The meeting comes after Rajinikanth was conferred with the 51st Dadasaheb Phalke Award on Monday at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi. He received the award for his remarkable contribution to Indian cinema. Click Here

  It hasn't been long since Vivo launched its X60 series (review) that placed the Chinese smartphone maker at a fine spot in the cluttered smartphone market in India. And Vivo did not take long to launch its X70 series, yet again in collaboration with lens major Zeiss. The Vivo X70 series is geared towards content creators as imaging remains a focus here, not just that, the new series also features Vivo’s V1 imaging chip, which the company claims took almost two years to develop. That said, Vivo’s X60 Pro and X60 Pro+ had already set the bar so high for rivals and now with a new iteration in the X series, it remains to be seen if Vivo lives up to the expectation. I took the X70 Pro+ for a spin—from photography to gaming, I put the phone to a stiff test to see what’s on offer. I’ll talk about everything this phone has to offer in this review: Vivo X70 Pro+ : Design and build quality -> Read Full Article Here

  Facebook and Instagram have removed from their platforms a live broadcast that Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro delivered in which he said people in the U.K. who have received two coronavirus vaccine doses are developing AIDS faster than expected. Facebook's press office confirmed in an emailed statement to The Associated Press that the content was removed Sunday night because it violated Facebook policy regarding COVID-19 vaccines . Our policies don't allow claims that COVID-19 vaccines kill or seriously harm people, the statement said. The company didn't respond to AP questions regarding why three days elapsed before the much-criticised content was removed nor whether language barriers played a role, as Bolsonaro was speaking in Portuguese. Read More

  A consignment of made-in-China toys , which are highly popular among children in India, has been seized in the US after they were found to be coated with dangerous chemicals, according to officials. The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), ahead of the holiday shopping season, warned consumers to be extra diligent while shopping online for children's toys after the recent seizure of toys that were coated in unsafe levels of lead, cadmium and barium. The CBP officers and a Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) compliance investigator initially inspected the toys on July 16, according to an official statement. The shipment of seven boxes, which arrived from China, included 295 packages of Lagori 7 Stones, a popular children's game in India where children throw a ball at seven stacked square stones. Read More

  Amazfit GTR 3, the successor to the Amazfit GTR 2, seems a promising entry in this year’s smartwatch line-up, bringing several upgrades such as a brighter screen, better battery life, and more. Amazfit has been good value for money, but the only issue, as we have seen earlier, is weak software support that spoils the experience. Has Amazfit managed to cross the barrier with GTR 3? Let’s find out this and more about in this review: Amazfit GTR 3 : Build and design Straight out of the box, I set my eyes on this sleek smartwatch with a large round screen curved at the edges meeting aluminum alloy case giving this watch a pristine look. The GTR 3 has a 1.39-inch AMOLED HD touch display (454x454 pixels) with 326ppi pixel density. it offers crisp and bright colorus even in direct sunlight. The display has a 1,000nits peak brightness and features tempered glass with an anti-fingerprint coating. The display feels really good in daily use and clearly, this is one of the finest displ

  Google launched the latest Google Pixel smartphones Tuesday, betting on its first custom-designed system processor and a new version of the Android operating system to lure buyers away from Apple Inc.’s iPhone. The Pixel 6 and 6 Pro differ only slightly in size, memory and camera specs, with both built around Google’s Tensor system-on-chip, a custom semiconductor that took four years of development. Tensor is optimized for Google’s strengths in image processing and artificial intelligence, helping deliver faster and more accurate speech recognition and better battery life. While Google’s Android is the top smartphone operating system globally, the Alphabet Inc. unit has a minuscule market share in mobile handsets. The company is now trying to stand apart from the competition with its own processor, joining Apple in making such a move. Click Here

  Apple Inc. took the most aggressive step yet to strip Intel Corp. chips from its computers, announcing more powerful homegrown Mac processors alongside a total revamp of its MacBook Pro laptop computers. The company showcased the chips at an event Monday called “Unleashed” that also included its latest audio products. The new components, called the M1 Pro and M1 Max chips, are 70% faster than its M1 predecessors, Apple said. It also unveiled a redesigned MacBook Pro, adding larger screens, MagSafe charging and better resolution. With the new processors and devices, Apple is aiming squarely at the high-end chips that Intel has provided for the MacBook Pro and other top-end Macs for about 15 years. Last year, Apple started transitioning its low-end Macs to its own M1 Apple Silicon chip. The new chips, however, are a bolder stroke, aiming at far outclassing Intel’s highest-performing products. Read More

  Facebook said it plans to hire 10,000 workers in the European Union over the next five years to work on a new computing platform that promises to connect people virtually but could raise concerns about privacy and the social platform gaining more control in people's online lives. The company said in a blog post Sunday that those high-skilled workers will help build the metaverse, a futuristic notion for connecting online that uses augmented and virtual reality . Facebook executives have been touting the metaverse as the next big thing after the mobile internet, though their track record is spotty on predicting future trends. Expectations that CEO Mark Zuckerberg made four years ago of taking virtual vacations with faraway loved ones via a headset or using a smartphone camera to improve an apartment virtually have not materialised so far. Read Full Article Here

  The iPad Mini has been through five cycles of generational refreshes, yet its design has not been as radically improved as it has in the recently launched sixth-generation upgrade. Called the iPad Mini 6 or iPad Mini 2021 by technology enthusiasts, the new iPad Mini looks modern and in line with Apple’s most other big-screen tablets. The design refresh boasts trimmed display bezel areas, which allowed Apple to accommodate a tad bigger screen than the last-generation model, without compromising on the compact ergonomics the iPad Mini is known for. Other design changes include flat sides and back, both of which aid handling and improve overall usability. Speaking of handling, the iPad Mini has a fingerprint scanner (Touch ID) embedded in its power button mounted on the top side. It takes some time to get comfortable with it, especially if you are a user of the iPhone X or higher models. Once accustomed, the Touch ID feels natural to use for unlocking the device, logging in to apps

  Actor Norah Fatehi on Thursday appeared before the Enforcement Directorate (ED) here for recording her statement in connection with a money laundering case filed against alleged conman Sukesh Chandrashekar, officials said. Fatehi, 29, appeared before the investigating officer of the case at the agency office here.  Sources said her statement is being recorded under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in connection with a money laundering case filed against Chandrashekar and his actor wife Leena Maria Paul. The agency had earlier questioned actor Jacqueline Fernandes in this case. She is expected to depose again before the agency on Thursday. Read More

  In a boost to its electric vehicle (EV) push, Tata Motors on Tuesday closed a deal to raise Rs 7,500 crore from TPG Rise Climate and Abu Dhabi’s ADQ. This is the first major fundraising by an Indian carmaker to push clean mobility. The investment will be in a newly formed subsidiary Tata Motors has formed for the EV business. The Rs 7,500 crore (close to $1 billion) will give a stake of 11-15 per cent stake to the TPG-ADQ combine in this subsidiary. Bank of America was the advisor to TPG Rise Climate, and Morgan Stanley and JP Morgan have advised Tata Motors’ EV unit. The group is the leading player in the EV business with more than a 70 per cent market share. Chief Financial Officer P B Balaji said the company would invest more than Rs 16,000 crore over next five years. The investors will be issued compulsorily convertible instruments over an 18-month period. Investment will be made in tranches. Read More

  The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has handed over copies of their reply to the lawyers concerned on bail applications of Aryan Khan and others in connection with drug seizure on a cruise ship off the Mumbai coast. The NCB has opposed bail for each accused. Earlier today, the NCB had told Special Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) court that it would file a reply on the bail plea of Aryan Khan and others. The court will resume the hearing at 2:45 PM today and the Additional Solicitor General Anil C Singh is likely to appear in the court. Click Here

  First, we need a basic definition of artificial intelligence . AI is the ability of machines and computers to mimic the human mind's decision-making and problem-solving capabilities. Note that that ability is limited at present. But, it still has massive implications for everything that constitutes the human world. Now let's go a little deeper. With AI , machines can understand and achieve specific goals. It is built on machine learning and deep learning. Machine learning is the process by which machines automatically learn from existing data. However, some human intervention is involved in the process. Here, the machine usually requires more structured data to learn. Click Here

  Google 's free email service Gmail is reportedly down in some parts of India on Tuesday as users were unable to send or receive emails. According to Down Detector , 68 per cent users reported that they are facing issues in website, 18 per cent reported server connection and 14 per cent mentioned about login issue. Users in India and in some other countries went to social media platforms complaining they were unable to access Gmail. "I am not able to send or receive mails, is Gmail down," one use said. "I guess, again Gmail is not working, or I'm the only user who is facing issue," mentioned another user. Read Full Article Here

  Xiaomi India on Wednesday announced that it has sold over 20 lakh smartphones in 5 days of the festive sale across channels. In the premium segment, Xiaomi 11 Lite NE 5G , and Mi 11X Series received maximum demand, followed by Redmi Note 10S and Redmi Note 10 Pro, and Redmi 9 Series in the mid value segment. "Continuing the brand's legacy, 'Diwali With Mi' brought attractive discounts and offers across Mi.com, the Great Indian Shopping Festival on Amazon, and The Big Billion Days on Flipkart and offline channels. On the back of a strong product portfolio, the company recorded a 10X growth in the premium segment ( >20K ) vis-a-vis last year," the company said in a statement. Read More

  Apple Inc. set a release date of Oct. 15 for its latest smartwatch, a sign that it’s coping with production challenges that had dogged the new device. The company plans to begin taking orders for the product -- called the Apple Watch Series 7 -- this Friday, Oct. 8, starting at 8 a.m. New York time. It will then hit stores a week later, Apple said in a statement on its website. The Series 7 watch was unveiled on Sept. 14, but Apple left the release date vague at the time, saying it would be “later this fall.” The device has a bigger display, marking the first time the company has enlarged the watch’s screen since the Series 4 three years ago. Click Here

  A local court on Monday extended till October 7 the NCB remand of Aryan Khan , son of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan , and two others in connection with the seizure of banned drugs from a cruise ship off the city coast, observing their further interrogation was required for investigation which is of prime importance. The trio was produced before the court after the end of their one-day custody given to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Sunday. The NCB had arrested them after raiding the Goa-bound ship. Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate R M Nerlikar also remanded to NCB custody till October 7, the six other accused who were arrested in the case late Sunday night and produced in the court on Monday. The court, in its order, noted that the investigation in the case was of prime importance and considering this aspect, the further presence of the accused before the NCB was necessary. The fact is that the co-accused in the case were found in possession of intermediat

  Scarlett Johansson and Walt Disney Co. settled a lawsuit over the actress’s pay in the Marvel superhero film “ Black Widow ,” a case that highlighted growing tension over the role of streaming big budget films. Terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed, but both sides issued statements suggesting no lingering animosity, despite Disney’s initially aggressive response to the actress’s lawsuit.  “I am happy to have resolved our differences,” Johansson, 36, said in her statement Thursday. “I’m incredibly proud of the work we’ve done together over the years and have greatly enjoyed my creative relationship with the team. I look forward to continuing our collaboration in years to come.” Read Full Article Here