Friday 22 December 2017
Jio v Airtel v Vodafone v Idea: 1GB 4G Data Per Day Plans Compared
Ever since Reliance Jio jumped into the Indian telecom scene, a price war has raged among major telecom operators to offer the most affordable prepaid packs and postpaid plans. Customers are, in turn, taking advantage of the cheapest mobile data and call rates in the world.
With the availability of 4G in India touching new highs this year, users are consuming massive amounts of data and operators are pandering to the needs with tariffs that offer high daily limits for data. We look at all the prepaid packs and postpaid plans that offer 1GB of 4G data per day. For the purposes of simplicity, we're excluding all packs and plans that offer more than 1GB data per day per month.
Wednesday 20 December 2017
Google Chrome's Native Ad Blocker to Roll Out From February 15
After joining the Coalition of Better Ads back in June this year, and promising a native as blocker by early 2018, Google Chrome has announced when the rollout will happen on mobile and desktop platforms. This feature is expected to roll out to all compatible operating systems starting February 15, 2018.
Google, in a blog post, had announced that Chrome had joined the Coalition for Better Ads, an industry group that focuses on improving online ads. Chrome had, simultaneously, also introduced tools like Ad Experience Report to get publishers accustomed to the standards that were to follow.
Another feature, called Funding Choices, was released in beta earlier this year. This feature allows Web publishers to give their site visitors the option to either enable ads or pay for a pass that removes all ads. There has been no update on this front yet.
On Monday, the Coalition for Better Ads announced the Better Ads Experience Program, which aims to certify Web publishers that will agree to not use the 'most disruptive' ads. This program will also accredit browsers and advertising technology companies that will assess publishers' compliance with the Standards and filter digital ads appropriately.
Thursday 14 December 2017
Conjoined Twins Separated After 12 Hours Surgery By 20 Doctors In Mumbai
MUMBAI: For Seetal Zalte and her husband Sagar Zalte, the 13 hours they spent outside an operation theatre in city-based BJ Wadia Hospital on Tuesday seemed endless.
However, at 5 PM, the agonising wait seemed worthwhile when a doctor broke the news that Love and Prince, over one-year-old conjoined twins of the couple, had been successfully separated by a team of 20 doctors following a complex surgery.
Love and Prince now lie in the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) of the hospital in separate cots.
Wednesday 13 December 2017
Giant Prehistoric Penguins Once Swam Off The Coast Of New Zealand
An international team of scientists have announced the discovery of a previously unknown species of prehistoric penguin.
The bird waddled around off the east coast of New Zealand between 55 and 60 million years ago. And it was a giant as far as penguins go. The researchers estimate that it probably weighed about 220 pounds and was around 5 feet 10 inches tall.
"That's about as tall as a medium-sized man," says Gerald Mayr, a paleontologist at the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum in Franfurt, Germany, and the lead author of the new study published today in Nature Communications. "This particular specimen is one of the largest known fossil penguins."
The largest living penguin, on the other hand, the Emperor penguin, is a good bit shorter – around 4 feet.
Tuesday 12 December 2017
How to choose the best smart speaker for you: shopper's guide
LOS ANGELES – Hey, Alexa, which of the seven Echo speakers should I buy, and what's the difference between them?
And OK Google, the new Home Mini is so affordable at $29 for the holidays. How does it stack up to the entry level Echo, Amazon's Dot?
If you're shopping for a smart speaker, here's how to decide which model and brand fits your needs and some advice on what to do once you own one.
You can also listen to a podcast version of this Talking Tech report.
Smart speakers, which bring voice computing into the home, are one of the hottest categories for holiday gifts, due to their popularity and deep discounts. The entry-level speakers, the Amazon Echo Dot and Google Home Mini, both sell for $49, but are discounted to $29 right now, while the top of the line Echo currently sells for $149.
With the smart speakers, you can use your voice and the "wake" word commands "OK Google" or "Alexa," to do a host of different things. "Every morning I ask Alexa what the weather is," says Mary Neville of Chicago, one of several users we spoke to recently for the accompanying video. "And play music while I'm cooking."
Also: you can get weather reports, the morning news, recipes, play radio stations, streaming music and podcasts and control your smart home.
How to choose the best smart speaker for you: shopper's guide
LOS ANGELES – Hey, Alexa, which of the seven Echo speakers should I buy, and what's the difference between them?
And OK Google, the new Home Mini is so affordable at $29 for the holidays. How does it stack up to the entry level Echo, Amazon's Dot?
If you're shopping for a smart speaker, here's how to decide which model and brand fits your needs and some advice on what to do once you own one.
You can also listen to a podcast version of this Talking Tech report.
Smart speakers, which bring voice computing into the home, are one of the hottest categories for holiday gifts, due to their popularity and deep discounts. The entry-level speakers, the Amazon Echo Dot and Google Home Mini, both sell for $49, but are discounted to $29 right now, while the top of the line Echo currently sells for $149.
With the smart speakers, you can use your voice and the "wake" word commands "OK Google" or "Alexa," to do a host of different things. "Every morning I ask Alexa what the weather is," says Mary Neville of Chicago, one of several users we spoke to recently for the accompanying video. "And play music while I'm cooking."
Also: you can get weather reports, the morning news, recipes, play radio stations, streaming music and podcasts and control your smart home.
How to choose the best smart speaker for you: shopper's guide
LOS ANGELES - Hey, Alexa, which of the seven Echo speakers should I buy, and what's the difference between them?
And OK Google, the new Home Mini is so affordable at $29 for the holidays. How does it stack up to the entry level Echo, Amazon's Dot?
If you're shopping for a smart speaker, here's how to decide which model and brand fits your needs and some advice on what to do once you own one.
You can also listen to a podcast version of this Talking Tech report.
Smart speakers, which bring voice computing into the home, are one of the hottest categories for holiday gifts, due to their popularity and deep discounts. The entry-level speakers, the Amazon Echo Dot and Google Home Mini, both sell for $49, but are discounted to $29 right now, while the top of the line Echo currently sells for $149.
With the smart speakers, you can use your voice and the "wake" word commands "OK Google" or "Alexa," to do a host of different things. "Every morning I ask Alexa what the weather is," says Mary Neville of Chicago, one of several users we spoke to recently for the accompanying video. "And play music while I'm cooking."
Also: you can get weather reports, the morning news, recipes, play radio stations, streaming music and podcasts and control your smart home.
Monday 11 December 2017
Thylacine DNA reveals weakness – and kinship with the kangaroo
The first full genetic blueprint of the long-extinct thylacine has revealed the animal suffered from genetic weakness well before it was isolated on Tasmania10,000 to 13,000 years ago.
An international team of researchers led by associate professor Andrew Pask from the University of Melbourne used DNA from the 106-year-old preserved remains of a juvenile thylacine or Tasmanian tiger to sequence the animal's genome, making it one of the most complete genetic blueprints for an extinct species.
Their findings, published in the journal Nature, provide new information on the biology of the unique marsupial and reveal that the population was in danger long before it came in contact with humans.
Tasmanian tigers on Australian mainland 'killed off by drought'
Read more
"We've always known that the Tasmanian tiger did not have much genetic diversity, so it would be more susceptible to diseases," he said.
Thursday 7 December 2017
'Curse Of Osiris' In 'Destiny 2:' 3 Things I Like And 2 Things I Don't……
Destiny 2 got its first major expansion yesterday with Curse of Osiris, a Vex-themed adventure that sends the player to Mercury to rescue an exiled Warlock and save the universe from…something. I've burned my way through the campaign in about three hours, and my first reaction is mixed, at best. The storytelling here is still leagues above anything we saw with the original Destiny, but a convoluted narrative and a tendency towards recycling made my first few hours with this expansion feel a little strained even as they delivered a few exceedingly impressive moments. The real test of this expansion will be how it handles elements like the Raid Lair and Masterwork Weapons in the coming weeks, but so far it's becoming once again a little difficult to imagine how this experience is going to stretch forward. But there's more play to be had, and it's possible that we'll reach a satisfying stasis soon enough. For now, here is some of what works and doesn't about the new content.
'Curse Of Osiris' In 'Destiny 2:' 3 Things I Like And 2 Things I Don't…
Destiny 2 got its first major expansion yesterday with Curse of Osiris, a Vex-themed adventure that sends the player to Mercury to rescue an exiled Warlock and save the universe from…something. I've burned my way through the campaign in about three hours, and my first reaction is mixed, at best. The storytelling here is still leagues above anything we saw with the original Destiny, but a convoluted narrative and a tendency towards recycling made my first few hours with this expansion feel a little strained even as they delivered a few exceedingly impressive moments. The real test of this expansion will be how it handles elements like the Raid Lair and Masterwork Weapons in the coming weeks, but so far it's becoming once again a little difficult to imagine how this experience is going to stretch forward. But there's more play to be had, and it's possible that we'll reach a satisfying stasis soon enough. For now, here is some of what works and doesn't about the new content.
Comcast's xFi Advanced Gateway modem is now available nationwide………………
It's no secret that modems provided by your ISP can leave a lot to be desired. While we generally recommend you use your own hardware when it comes to your internet connection, plenty of people just go with the standard default modem and router. Comcast is making that process just a little bit easier thanks to the xFi Advanced Gateway modem and router. The modem, which the company is billing as the most advanced device it's ever made, made its debut back in May, but starting today it's available in every market that Comcast offers gigabit internet.
Wednesday 6 December 2017
Comcast's xFi Advanced Gateway modem is now available nationwide………
It's no secret that modems provided by your ISP can leave a lot to be desired. While we generally recommend you use your own hardware when it comes to your internet connection, plenty of people just go with the standard default modem and router. Comcast is making that process just a little bit easier thanks to the xFi Advanced Gateway modem and router. The modem, which the company is billing as the most advanced device it's ever made, made its debut back in May, but starting today it's available in every market that Comcast offers gigabit internet.
Android 8.1 Oreo goes final, rolling out now to Pixel and Nexus devices
After two developer previews, Android 8.1 Oreo is ready for the masses. Google announced that the new OS is rolling out now and is posting system images for the Pixel 2 and 2 XL, the Pixel 1 and 1 XL, the Pixel C tablet, and the Nexus 6P and 5X. The Android Open Source Project (AOSP) code drop should be happening now, too.
Android 8.1 Oreo is a minor maintenance release after the major update of Android 8.0. The biggest feature in 8.1 is a new "Neural Networks API" (NNAPI), which is designed for running machine-learning operations on mobile devices. Phones with specialized machine-learning hardware can hardware accelerate this API, while older devices can use a CPU fallback mode. The API provides a base layer, higher-level, machine-learning framework to plug into, like Google's TensorFlow Lite.