TECHNOLOGY
Google to shut its G Suite app Currents
According to The Verge, the company will begin winding down Currents on July 5, with data available for export until August 8, 2023, when it will no longer be available. Moreover, the tech giant in a blogpost said that it will discontinue Currents and will replace it with Spaces (a central place where people can share files, assign tasks, and stay connected).
Spotify to shut its music guessing game 'Heardle'
Spotify acquired the game last year in July. Similar to Wordle, Heardle gives players six chances to guess the artist and title of a popular song, but instead of putting in different letters to construct words, players listen to the song's opening to guess the artist and title, according to TechCrunch.
US hits at Chinese 'fast fashion' apps that outpace Zara, H&M
The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC), created by Congress in 2000, said in its latest report that these platforms primarily rely on US consumers downloading and using Chinese apps to curate and deliver products. "These firms' commercial success has encouraged both established Chinese e-commerce platforms and startups to copy its model, posing risks and challenges to US regulations, laws, and principles of market access," the report mentioned.
Reddit users tricked into paying for AI-generated nude images of woman
Reddit users have been paying for nude images of a fake, AI-generated woman called Claudia. One such image attracted hundreds of comments, with one user writing "you're looking very pretty", with another adding "holy crap, you are beautiful", reports Independent. However, some users spotted the fake images too.
Instagram Reels adds dedicated 'trends' section for creators
The social network has added a dedicated destination for trending audio and hashtags, two new metrics to Reels insights and brought gifts on Reels to more countries. Creators will now be able to see what the top trending topics and hashtags are on Reels. "We're making it easier for you to edit your reels on Instagram by bringing together video clips, audio, stickers, and text on a unified editing screen," said Meta.
Starboard acquires conservative social media app Parler
Parler was forced to go offline in the wake of encouraging violence during the Capitol Hill chaos in the US in January 2021. Google and Apple also removed the platform from their respective app stores for violating their policies. Last year, both the companies allowed Parler to return to the app stores, following improvements the company made to better detect and moderate hate speech.
Apple shipped $7.5 bn worth iPhones, iPads in India in FY23
In FY23, Apple shipped more than 7 million iPhones and half a million iPads in the country, registering a 28 per cent growth for iPhone shipments, according to initial estimates provided by market intelligence firm CMR. As Apple doubles down on domestic manufacturing in India, the tech giant is likely to garner 6 per cent market share in FY23-34, with selling more than 8 million iPhones in the country in the period.
SpaceX gets US FAA launch licence, Starship test flight likely on April 17
With the clearance in hand, the first test flight will likely take place on April 17, SpaceX said in a tweet. The FAA in a statement said: "After a comprehensive licence evaluation process, the FAA determined SpaceX met all safety, environmental, policy, payload, airspace integration and financial responsibility requirements." "Targeting as soon as Monday, April 17 for the first flight test of a fully integrated Starship and Super Heavy rocket from Starbase in Texas," SpaceX wrote in a tweet on Friday, after getting the licence.
Zoom acquires employee communications platform Workvivo
Founded in 2017, Workvivo provides a feature-rich employee experience platform, combining advanced internal communication and engagement tools, a social intranet, and an employee app, all blended into one central hub, forming the heart of a company's digital ecosystem.
Musk creates AI company called X.AI to take on Microsoft's OpenAI
Incorporated in Nevada, Texas, the company has Musk as the only listed director, and Jared Birchall, director of Musk's family office, as secretary, according to a filing.
X.AI has authorized the sale of 100 million shares for the privately held company, reports Wall Street Journal. Musk aims to create an AI firm to take on Microsoft-backed OpenAI, the creator of the successful AI chatbot called ChatGPT.
Don't Miss
Advertisement