TOI Tech

• newAsus ROG Showdown second-edition to start from January 29
  Asus has announced the second edition of its online tournament -- ROG Showdown -- in India.The second edition of ROG Showdown will commence on January 29.
  - 3 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 8:50pm -
• newAmazon sale: Top deals on headphones from Sennheiser, JBL, Sony, Bose and others you can’t miss
  
  - 2 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 8:43pm -
• newApple, Google, other US business groups applaud Biden's immigration reforms
  Called the US Citizenship Act of 2021, the legislation modernises the immigration system, and also proposes to eliminate the per country cap for employment-based green cards, a move that would benefit…
  - 1 hour ago 22 Jan 21, 7:19pm -
• newFacebook oversight board to decide if Donald Trump should stay suspended
  Facebook blocked Donald Trump's access to his Facebook and Instagram accounts following the storming of the US Capitol by the former president's supporters earlier this month.
  - 1 hour ago 22 Jan 21, 7:16pm -
• newNext Apple MacBook Air to lose weight, get MagSafe charging
  The current MacBook Air weighs 1.2 kgs and is little more than half an inch thick. It would be interesting to see how Apple manages to shrink weight further.
  - 44 mins ago 22 Jan 21, 6:57pm -
• newApple iPhone 12 Mini not selling much compared to iPhone 12 Pro models: Report
  Reports claim that iPhone 12 mini is not selling much when compared to the iPhone 12 Pro models. Despite being expensive, buyers are mostly eager to either buy the iPhone 12 Pro or 12 Pro Max.
  - 1 hour ago 22 Jan 21, 5:03pm -
• newLG K42 with 4000mAh battery, quad-rear camera launched at Rs 10,990
  LG has expanded its smartphone lineup with the launch of its latest budget smartphone. The company has launched LG K42 in India.
  - 2 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 4:27pm -
• newAmazon Republic Day Sale: Grab incredible deals on iPhone 12 mini, OnePlus 8T, Galaxy M51, and more
  
  - 2 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 4:02pm -
• newAmazon Sale: Get up to 30% off on room heaters at Amazon Great Republic Day Sale
  
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• newOppo Reno 5 Pro 5G vs Xiaomi Mi 10T vs OnePlus 8 vs Samsung Galaxy S20 FE: Best smartphone to buy under Rs 40,000
  
  - 4 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 2:22pm -
• newGoogle is changing Android TVs from March: What you should know
  Google is making it mandatory for all Android TV devices to support AV1 streaming codec. A report by XDA has now mentioned the deadline to offer AV1 streaming code in all Android TV devices including…
  - 4 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 2:05pm -
• newHonor’s first ‘Huawei-less’ phone launched in China
  Honor has launched its latest flagship smartphone V40 5G in China. It is the first smartphone of the company to be launched after Huawei sold it.
  - 5 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 1:30pm -
• Amazon Republic Day sale: Up to 74% discount on true wireless earbuds from Sony, Oppo, Jabra and others
  
  - 5 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 12:52pm -
• Infinix Hot 10 Play with 6000mAh battery launched
  Infinix has expanded its smartphone lineup with the launch of Infinix Hot 10 Play. It is an entry-level smartphone which runs Android 10 Go Edition and is backed by a 6000 mAh battery.
  - 5 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 12:49pm -
• WhatsApp may soon roll out video and voice calling support on web
  As per a tweet by Guillermo Tomoyose, this feature has been spotted on Windows 10 on WhatsApp. The same has been corroborated by WABetaInfo again announcing, “WhatsApp is rolling out WhatsApp Beta c…
  - 5 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 12:46pm -

Business Today Tech

• newHuawei Mate X2 to launch in 2021: Possible specs, India price, features, and everything else we know
  The Huawei's Mate X2 is one of the most anticipated devices of 2021 and the closest competitor to the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2. Here, we have stacked up everything about this device we know so far.
  - 4 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 1:58pm -
• Google parent Alphabet shuts project Loon that provided internet connections from giant balloons
  Loon was first unveiled in 2013 and aimed to give internet connections using giant balloons drifting on currents high in the stratosphere.
  - 5 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 1:11pm -
• newApple may launch thinner MacBook Air this year with MagSafe charging
  Apple is reportedly working on a MacBook Air design overhaul this year.
  - 5 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 1:20pm -
• newPUBG maker now wants to launch new PUBG-like mobile title, survival horror game, and animated series in 2022
  Krafton, the company that owns the PUBG IP, is now looking expanding the PUBG universe with at least two new games.
  - 5 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 1:27pm -
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• Infinix Hot 10 Play with MediaTek Helio G25 SoC launched: Price, specifications and more
  Like most Infinix devices, the Infinix Hot 10 is ab entry-level device with a Mediatek Helio processor and dual rear camera setup.
  - 6 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 11:45am -
• OnePlus Watch gets closer to India launch as two models receive BIS certification
  The OnePlus Watch will reportedly be a rebranded or slightly modified version of the Oppo Watch and Oppo Watch RX.
  - 6 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 11:51am -
• Nokia Quicksilver may be HMD's mid-range 5G phone with Snapdragon 690 SoC
  HMD Global has not said anything about the Nokia Quicksilver yet, which is why everything is a little dicey right now.
  - 6 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 11:55am -
• LG K42 with military-grade durability, four rear cameras launched in India: Price, specifications
  LG K42 comes with the MIL-STD-810G military compliance for durability that allows the phone to endure adverse climate conditions.
  - 7 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 10:59am -
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• YouTube rolls out hashtag landing pages for users to discover niche content and videos
  Previously the video platform used to show related content when users typed in a term with a hashtag. Now, according to YouTube's support page, the hashtag landing page will only show content or video…
  - 7 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 11:03am -
• Xiaomi Mi 10T gets massive discount during Flipkart Big Saving Days sale: Here is why it is a good deal
  The Mi 10T comes with high-end specs which including the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 chipset a fast 144Hz display.
  - 8 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 10:10am -

Techmeme

• newDespite the pandemic, Amazon wants Alabama warehouse workers to vote in person on a proposal to form a union, objecting to NLRB's decision to allow vote by mail (Matt Day/Bloomberg)
  Matt Day / Bloomberg:Despite the pandemic, Amazon wants Alabama warehouse workers to vote in person on a proposal to form a union, objecting to NLRB's decision to allow vote by mail  —  - Compa…
  - 33 mins ago 22 Jan 21, 5:40pm -
• newMarques Brownlee, aka MKBHD, on starting and scaling one of the biggest YouTube tech channels to 13.5M subscribers, day-to-day work, and future of his business (Nilay Patel/The Verge)
  Nilay Patel / The Verge:Marques Brownlee, aka MKBHD, on starting and scaling one of the biggest YouTube tech channels to 13.5M subscribers, day-to-day work, and future of his business  —  Marque…
  - 1 hour ago 22 Jan 21, 4:55pm -
• newFOSS Patents' Florian Mueller files a complaint with US and EU antitrust authorities after Google and Apple reject his COVID-19-related game (Foo Yun Chee/Reuters)
  Foo Yun Chee / Reuters:FOSS Patents' Florian Mueller files a complaint with US and EU antitrust authorities after Google and Apple reject his COVID-19-related game  —  BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A Ger…
  - 2 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 4:10pm -
• newAside from Facebook Oversight Board's binding decision on Trump, Nick Clegg says it'll be interesting if it has guidance for similar situations in the future (Sara Fischer/Axios)
  Sara Fischer / Axios:Aside from Facebook Oversight Board's binding decision on Trump, Nick Clegg says it'll be interesting if it has guidance for similar situations in the future  —  Facebook's…
  - 3 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 3:35pm -
• newDating Group, which says it has 73M registered users, acquires Once, a Swiss-based app which leverages AI to provide one match per day to each user, for €14.9M (Charlotte Tucker/EU-Startups)
  Charlotte Tucker / EU-Startups:Dating Group, which says it has 73M registered users, acquires Once, a Swiss-based app which leverages AI to provide one match per day to each user, for €14.9M  —…
  - 4 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 2:40pm -
• newSources: Samsung is considering building a $10B chipmaking plant in Texas, a major investment it hopes will help it catch up with industry leader TSMC (Bloomberg)
  Bloomberg:Sources: Samsung is considering building a $10B chipmaking plant in Texas, a major investment it hopes will help it catch up with industry leader TSMC  —  - It's looking to build a cu…
  - 4 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 1:50pm -
• Six MEPs file complaint alleging European parliament's COVID-19 testing site transferred personal data to the US without valid legal basis (Natasha Lomas/TechCrunch)
  Natasha Lomas / TechCrunch:Six MEPs file complaint alleging European parliament's COVID-19 testing site transferred personal data to the US without valid legal basis  —  The European Parliament…
  - 5 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 1:05pm -
• Sources: Apple is working on a thinner and lighter 13-inch high-end MacBook Air with MagSafe charging and next-gen processors to launch as soon as this year (Mark Gurman/Bloomberg)
  Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:Sources: Apple is working on a thinner and lighter 13-inch high-end MacBook Air with MagSafe charging and next-gen processors to launch as soon as this year  —  Apple Inc…
  - 6 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 12:07pm -
• NASA has discovered dozens of fresh craters on Mars by using an AI to analyze orbital image data, a promising new method to study planets in our solar system (Daniel Oberhaus/Wired)
  Daniel Oberhaus / Wired:NASA has discovered dozens of fresh craters on Mars by using an AI to analyze orbital image data, a promising new method to study planets in our solar system  —  An algor…
  - 8 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 10:20am -
• AWS will maintain an open source fork of Elasticsearch and Kibana, after criticism from Elastic which changed its licensing terms to monetize cloud-service use (Tom Krazit/Protocol)
  Tom Krazit / Protocol:AWS will maintain an open source fork of Elasticsearch and Kibana, after criticism from Elastic which changed its licensing terms to monetize cloud-service use  —  Fed up w…
  - 14 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 3:50am -
• Tastytrade, a Chicago-based online brokerage and financial media company, to be acquired by UK's IG Group in a deal worth over $1B in cash and stock (Bloomberg)
  Bloomberg:Tastytrade, a Chicago-based online brokerage and financial media company, to be acquired by UK's IG Group in a deal worth over $1B in cash and stock  —  - U.K. firm to buy Chicago-bas…
  - 15 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 3:05am -
• Intel says it's investigating the leak of an infographic related to its Q4 earnings report, which prompted its release ahead of stock market close on Thu. (Richard Waters/Financial Times)
  Richard Waters / Financial Times:Intel says it's investigating the leak of an infographic related to its Q4 earnings report, which prompted its release ahead of stock market close on Thu.  —  Br…
  - 16 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 2:40am -
• Report: 70% of Americans now have access to a broadband plan costing $60 or less, up from 52% at the end of 2019 (Joanna Nelius/Gizmodo)
  Joanna Nelius / Gizmodo:Report: 70% of Americans now have access to a broadband plan costing $60 or less, up from 52% at the end of 2019  —  It looks like things might be improving—at least a…
  - 16 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 2:15am -
• In an Australian Senate hearing, a Google executive said that a law forcing Google to pay news outlets for links could prompt it to stop offering Search (Josh Taylor/The Guardian)
  Josh Taylor / The Guardian:In an Australian Senate hearing, a Google executive said that a law forcing Google to pay news outlets for links could prompt it to stop offering Search  —  As Google…
  - 17 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 1:00am -
• Facebook's Oversight Board decision on Trump's suspension will set important precedents for online deplatforming and for the Board's long-term legitimacy (Evelyn Douek/Lawfare)
  Evelyn Douek / Lawfare:Facebook's Oversight Board decision on Trump's suspension will set important precedents for online deplatforming and for the Board's long-term legitimacy  —  On Jan. 7, th…
  - 17 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 12:45am -

Forbes Tech

Techcrunch India

• Decrypted: With more SolarWinds fallout, Biden picks his cybersecurity team
  All change in the capital as the Biden administration takes charge, and thankfully without a hitch (or violence) after the attempted insurrection two weeks earlier. In this week’s Decrypted, we look…
  - 1 day ago 21 Jan 21, 6:00pm -
• Indian stock exchanges approve $3.4B Reliance and Future deal in setback for Amazon
  Indian stock exchanges on Wednesday approved the $3.4 billion deal between retail giants Reliance Retail and Future Group in yet another setback for Amazon, which has invested more than $6.5 billion i…
  - 2 days ago 21 Jan 21, 1:19am -
• India asks WhatsApp to withdraw new privacy policy over ‘grave concerns’
  India has asked WhatsApp to withdraw the planned change to its privacy policy, posing a new headache to the Facebook-owned service that identifies the South Asian nation as its biggest market by users…
  - 3 days ago 19 Jan 21, 11:28am -
• Prosus Ventures leads $30 million investment in Indian agritech startup DeHaat
  Once overlooked, agritech startups are beginning to have a moment in India. On Tuesday, DeHaat, an online platform that offers full-stack agricultural services to farmers, said it has raised $30 milli…
  - 4 days ago 19 Jan 21, 4:30am -
• Salesforce leads $15M investment in Asian HR tech platform Darwinbox
  Darwinbox, which operates a cloud-based human resource management platform, has raised $15 million in a new financing round as the Indian startup looks to further expand in the country and Southeast A…
  - 4 days ago 19 Jan 21, 12:31am -
• Twitter is bringing Moments to Indian social app Dailyhunt
  Five years after its launch, Twitter Moments is growing beyond the American social networking platform. On Monday, Twitter said it had partnered with Dailyhunt to bring Moments to the Indian social ap…
  - 4 days ago 18 Jan 21, 7:29am -
• Flipkart doubles down on rewards program, partners with 5,000 retail outlets in India
  Flipkart on Monday launched SuperCoin Pay that its customers will be able to use across thousands of retail stores across the country as Walmart-owned e-commerce giant bets on its loyalty program to w…
  - 4 days ago 18 Jan 21, 7:01am -
• WhatsApp delays enforcement of privacy terms by 3 months, following backlash
  WhatsApp said on Friday that it won’t enforce the planned update to its data-sharing policy until May 15, weeks after news about the new terms created confusion among its users, exposed the Facebook…
  - 7 days ago 15 Jan 21, 7:30pm -
• 12 ‘flexible VCs’ who operate where equity meets revenue share
  A dozen active investors who offer funding via revenue-based, compensation-based and blended-return streams.
  - 8 days ago 14 Jan 21, 9:47pm -
• WhatsApp faces legal challenge over privacy in its biggest market
  WhatsApp is facing a legal challenge in India, its biggest market, after a petition was filed Thursday before Delhi High Court over the upcoming change in the Facebook-owned app’s data-sharing polic…
  - 8 days ago 14 Jan 21, 3:59pm -
• Google cracks down on personal loan apps in India following abuse and outcry
  Google said on Thursday it has pulled some personal loan apps from Play Store in India and was implementing stronger measures to prevent abuse following reports that said several firms were targeting…
  - 8 days ago 14 Jan 21, 7:48am -
• Madrona promotes Anu Sharma and Daniel Li as partners
  
  - 9 days ago 14 Jan 21, 2:05am -
• Amazon launches $1.2 mobile Prime Video plan in India
  Amazon is doubling down on one of the biggest strengths of its Prime Video streaming service: aggressive pricing. The e-commerce giant on Wednesday launched Prime Video Mobile Edition, an even more af…
  - 9 days ago 13 Jan 21, 8:44am -
• App stores saw record 218 billion downloads in 2020, consumer spend of $143 billion
  Mobile adoption continued to grow in 2020, in part due to the market forces of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to App Annie’s annual “State of Mobile” industry report, mobile app downloads grew…
  - 9 days ago 13 Jan 21, 8:00am -
• Amazon makes education push in India with JEE preparation app
  Amazon on Wednesday launched Amazon Academy, a service that will aim to help students in India prepare for entry into the nation’s prestigious engineering colleges. The American firm is the latest e…
  - 9 days ago 13 Jan 21, 7:47am -

TechCircle

• Enterprise payments firm Airpay secures Series A funding from Kalaari Capital, others
  Mumbai-based payment services startup Airpay has raised Rs 24 crore ($3.6 million) as part of a Series A round led by Kalaari Capital and existing investors Rakesh and Rajesh Jhunjhunwala. The company…
  - 21 Mar 17, 12:00pm -
• Exclusive: Tiger Global may be part-exiting Flipkart with 3x return
  Tiger Global, the biggest investor in Flipkart, may have struck a deal with Microsoft and other new investors to sell a part of its stake in the e-commerce company in the latest fund-raising round tha…
  - 21 Mar 17, 9:34am -
• Two Bangalore women give a ‘clean’ twist to co-working spaces
  Co-working spaces – the idea of an open and communicative work culture – is finally picking up in the Indian startup ecosystem. The past two years have witnessed many startups, including Innov8, I…
  - 21 Mar 17, 7:40am -
• Bombay High Court bars taxi unions from disrupting Uber’s operations
  US-based Uber Technologies Inc’s India subsidiary Uber India Technologies Pvt. Ltd has obtained a restraining order from the Bombay High Court that prevents dissenting taxi union bodies from disrupt…
  - 21 Mar 17, 7:24am -
• ShopClues looks to raise $75-100 mn in pre-IPO round
  Clues Network Pvt. Ltd, which runs e-commerce company ShopClues, is looking to raise $75-100 million (Rs 490-652 crore) in fresh funding even as it begins discussions with merchant banks for an initia…
  - 21 Mar 17, 6:42am -
• Exclusive: GrabOnRent close to raising Series A round
  Bangalore-based GrabOnRent Internet Pvt. Ltd, which runs product rental marketplace GrabOnRent, is close to raising $3 million (Rs 19.5 crore) in Series A funding from new and existing investors, two…
  - 20 Mar 17, 2:24pm -
• Flipkart raises $1 bn in down round: Report
  Flipkart Pvt Ltd, the Singapore-based holding company of India’s largest e-commerce marketplace, has reportedly raised $1 billion in a massive fundraising round. The funds were secured at a down rou…
  - 20 Mar 17, 1:49pm -
• Tips to make the Startup culture a resounding success
  The startup culture that is slowly gaining momentum calls for adequate support at various levels to sustain itself. In the absence of the same, the enthusiasm may soon lose its vitality. It is necessa…
  - 20 Mar 17, 12:15pm -
• Snapdeal strategy head Jason Kothari formally takes over at FreeCharge
  E-commerce firm Snapdeal, operated by Jasper Infotech Pvt. Ltd, has appointed Jason Kothari as chief executive officer of its mobile recharge platform FreeCharge. Kothari will also continue his key le…
  - 20 Mar 17, 9:11am -
• After venture capital, startups taking ‘vendor capital’ for granted
  The bloodletting in the Indian startup ecosystem continues with hotel-booking app RoomsTonite shutting shop on the heels of the Stayzilla fiasco, which is still playing out in the media. I have previo…
  - 20 Mar 17, 8:29am -

Inc42

• newReliance Jio Platforms Profit Grows 15% IN Q3 FY21; ARPU Climbs To Over INR 151
  Reliance Industries’s digital venture Jio Platforms has reported a net profit of INR 3,489 Cr in the third quarter (Q3)…
  - 2 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 4:36pm -
• Union Budget 2021: Crypto Startups Seek Clarity On GST, Taxation On Earnings
  As John McAfee, founder of the eponymous security software company and a crypto enthusiast, spent his 110th day in a…
  - 5 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 12:58pm -
• Amazon Clarifies Frontizo Common Director Issue In Karnataka HC
  The US-based ecommerce company Amazon told the Karnataka High Court on Thursday that Amazon Seller Services, which runs the company’s…
  - 6 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 11:46am -
• Decoding India’s $10.6 Bn eHealth Opportunity Post Covid-19
  The Covid-19 pandemic is a terrible human tragedy. But it has also acted as a catalyst for rapid business and…
  - 6 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 11:45am -
• Zomato Acquires Sports Discovery Startup Fitso For Over 80 Cr
  Indian foodtech unicorn Zomato has acquired full-stack sports facilities provider and discovery startup Fitso in a deal reportedly worth INR…
  - 8 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 10:41am -
• Sanjay Mehta’s 100X.VC Reveals Third Batch With 10 Early-Stage Startups Joining Portfolio
  Serial investor Sanjay Mehta-led venture capital firm 100X.VC revealed the 10 seed-stage startups of its Class 03 portfolio at the…
  - 8 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 10:01am -
• CBI Finally Files Case Against Cambridge Analytica Over Indian Facebook User Data Mining
  The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case against UK-based political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica and Global Science…
  - 9 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 9:11am -
• India May Drop Ecommerce Policy Due To Inter-Ministerial Loggerheads
  India may drop its proposed ecommerce policy that would impact not just Amazon and Flipkart, but also food and grocery…
  - 9 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 8:58am -
• Zomato Looks To Raise $500 Mn To Get IPO Ball Rolling
  After closing a $660 Mn round in 2020 with 10 new investors added to the cap table, food delivery platform…
  - 12 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 6:22am -
• Razorpay, Paytm Told To Block Transactions For Chinese Instant Loan Apps In India
  As scrutiny mounts over India’s instant loan apps crisis, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and Criminal Investigation Departments (CID) of various…
  - 12 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 6:02am -
• Sequoia-Backed Raw Pressery To Be Acquired By Wingreens In Distress Sale
  Sequoia-backed D2C beverages brand Raw Pressery is reportedly being acquired by ready-to-eat food brand Wingreens Farms in a distress sale…
  - 14 hours ago 22 Jan 21, 4:10am -
• Can Sachet Plans Help Global OTTs Find Mass Validation In India?
  Last week (Jan 14), Amazon Prime Video, the B2C content arm of the ecommerce giant, launched a mobile-only plan for…
  - 1 day ago 21 Jan 21, 2:30pm -
• Electric Vehicles This Week: EV Startups Raise $12 Mn, New Launches & More
  Ride hailing giant Ola has partnered with Siemens for its upcoming electric vehicles manufacturing facility, which is deemed to be…
  - 1 day ago 21 Jan 21, 2:20pm -
• Better Liquidity, Institutional Framework: Here’s What Lending Startups Expect FM To Address In Union Budget 2021
  The Indian economy has survived the pandemic. After reporting a contraction of 24% in the GDP in the April-June quarter…
  - 1 day ago 21 Jan 21, 11:13am -
• How Simpl’s BNPL Model Paved The Way For India’s New-Age Digital ‘Pay Later’ Market
  From the perspective of a consumer, the financial system can be oversimplified into operations of debit and credit. While debit…
  - 1 day ago 21 Jan 21, 11:10am -