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Apple watches are now available on website Apple has resumed sales of its latest Apple Watches on its website following a temporary halt by a federal appeals court. The Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 are now available online again, just one day after select Apple retail stores resumed their sales on December 27. These models would be broadly accessible in their physical stores by the upcoming Saturday. Read More Baidu's ChatGPT-like Ernie Bot has more than 100 mln users This development comes after the US International Trade Commission enforced a ban in response to Apple's infringement of patents held by medical device company Masimo, particularly related to a blood oxygen saturation feature in the Series 9 and Ultra 2 models. Apple had initially removed these watch models from its stores and website last week, in anticipation of the ban that was set to commence on December 26th. Apple, currently appealing against the ban, has suggested modifications to the watch designs to...

Huawei forecasts 9% revenue growth in 2023 as smartphones surge Chinese tech giant Huawei Technologies expects to report revenue exceeding 700 billion yuan ($98.5 billion) for 2023, according to comments from rotating chairman Ken Hu in an internal new year message seen by Reuters. The figure indicates around 9% year-over-year revenue growth from the 642.3 billion yuan reported in 2022. The forecast offers further evidence that Huawei is rebounding after U.S. sanctions starting in 2019 crippled some of its business lines by restricting access to critical global technologies such as advanced chips. In a surprising move in August, Huawei launched its Mate60 series of smartphones, which are believed to be powered by a domestically developed chipset. The release was widely viewed as marking Huawei's comeback into the high-end smartphone market after years of struggling under US sanctions. Huawei's smartphone shipments surged 83% in October year-on-year, helpi...

Elon Musk's X fails to block California's content moderation law Elon Musk's X on Thursday failed to block a California state law that requires social media companies to publicly disclose how they moderate certain content on their platforms. X, formerly known as Twitter, in September sued California to undo the content moderation law, saying the law violated its free speech rights under the US Constitution's First Amendment and California's state constitution. The law requires social media companies with a sizable gross annual revenue to issue semiannual reports that describe their content moderation practices, and provide data on the number of objectionable posts and how they were addressed. US District Judge William Shubb in an eight-page decision dismissed the social media company's request. "While the reporting requirement does appear to place a substantial compliance burden on social medial companies, it does not appear that the requirement is unjust...

Apple Vision Pro to release late January or early February Apple’s first and much-awaited “spatial computing” device, Vision Pro is set is release in early 2024 according to the WWDC in June. Apple analyst, Ming-Chi Kuo believes the release will be in “late-January/early-February”. On December 24, the analyst gave Apple enthusiasts exciting news regarding the first wave of Vision Pros being shipped to Apple in about a month, with total shipments numbering around 500,000 for the full year. Reports however, have suggested that Apple has scaled back expectations from around one million to “fewer than 400,000.” The pricey device is Tim Cook's new venture as CEO of the company, fuelling high expectations of the VR device the company has to live up to. Kuo refers to Vision Pro as “Apple’s most important product of 2024.”

Govt taking steps to boost investment in IT sector: PM Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Wednesday said that the government was taking steps to boost foreign investment in the Information Technology (IT) sector. “In this regard, positive progress has already been made,” the prime minister said while chairing the 5th meeting of the Board of Governors of Special Technology Zones Authority. Recognising the pivotal role that the IT sector can play in fortifying the country's economy, PM Kakar directed relevant authorities to formulate policies aimed at enticing global IT professionals to contribute to the sector's growth in Pakistan. With the country's immense potential in the IT domain, he emphasised the need to harness and leverage these capabilities for economic strength. The meeting delved into various matters related to the Special Technology Zones Authority, endorsing decisions made during the fourth meeting of the Board of Governors. Read also: IT potentia...

Three creativity apps for iPad artists If you own an iPad and an Apple Pencil, then unleash your creative side to make digital artwork right here on the device with every kind of stationery and tools available in these apps. From sketching and painting to note-taking and doodling, everything is now available right on your iPad for free. Paper by WeTransfer This app is a digital sketchbook for all artists out there with powerful tools to create fantastic illustrations. Paper doesn't feature any buttons making it unique as it plays primarily on touch intuitive design. Sketches can be stored in sketchbooks, which can be shelved accordingly in the app, while also letting you share your work with Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, or email or save them to your camera roll. While the basic drawing tool is free, you can unlock more advanced features like mix, colour, write, outline, and sketch for just $1.99 each. Paper tools are rather responsive and can help you achieve basic drawing and pain...

New leak unveils GTA V source code, GTA VI, and Bully 2 details Rockstar Games experiences yet another security breach as the source code for Grand Theft Auto 5, and files for GTA 6 and Bully get leaked. Previously, the individual who assisted in leaking GTA 6 gameplay footage last year was recently sentenced to an indefinite term in a psychiatric hospital. Furthermore, even the GTA 6 trailer was prematurely revealed, 15 hours ahead of schedule, in response to an earlier leak that had shared the trailer online. There are indications that a 4GB file containing GTA V code was shared online, but there is uncertainty about whether the complete source code of the game, which is rumoured to be approximately 200GB in size, has also been disclosed on the internet. Some sources claim that it has, while others suggest that the smaller 4GB file, which includes an early version of the San Andreas map, represents the entirety of the leaked code. Read More Apple files appeal after Biden administra...

Apple files appeal after Biden administration allows US ban on watch imports Apple on Tuesday appealed a decision to ban imports of its watches based on a complaint from medical monitoring technology company Masimo, after US President Joe Biden's administration declined to veto a government tribunal. The tech giant also filed an emergency request on Tuesday for the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit to halt the ban. It asked the Federal Circuit to pause the ban at least until US Customs and Border Protection decides whether redesigned versions of its watches infringe Masimo's patents, and to put the ban on hold while the court considers Apple's request. The customs office is due to make its decision on Jan. 12, Apple said. Masimo has accused Apple of hiring away its employees, stealing its pulse oximetry technology and incorporating it into the popular Apple Watch. The US International Trade Commission's (ITC) order bars imports and sales of Apple Watches...

Apple Watch import ban takes effect after Biden administration passes on veto US President Joe Biden's administration on Tuesday declined to veto a government tribunal's decision to ban imports of Apple Watches based on a complaint from medical monitoring technology company Masimo. The US International Trade Commission's (ITC) order will go into effect on Dec. 26, barring imports and sales of Apple Watches that use patent-infringing technology for reading blood-oxygen levels. Apple has included the pulse oximeter feature in its smart watches starting with its Series 6 model in 2020. US Trade Representative Katherine Tai decided not to reverse the ban following careful consultations, and the ITC's decision became final on Dec. 26, the agency said in its decision. Apple can, however, appeal the ban to the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The company has paused the sales of its Series 9 and Ultra 2 smartwatches in the United States...

Apple shares iPhone 15 Plus ad with longer battery life Apple shared a new ad of iPhone 15 Plus on Saturday last week, highlighting its long-lasting battery life. The ad depicts a sad socket that doesn't get the opportunity to charge the device since the iPhone barely needs it. According to Apple's tech specs the new iPhone 15 Plus can provide battery life up to 26 hours of offline playback and 100 hours of audio playback. The iPhone 15 Plus offers the longest battery life of any iPhone. Ad description reads, "Big screen. Big battery life. iPhone 15 Plus is here. Dynamic Island. New 48MP Main camera. 2x Telephoto. Next-generation portraits. Water resistant (IP68). USB-C. Durable color-infused glass. Aluminum design. You don't want to miss it."

India boosts AI in weather forecasts as floods, droughts increase  India is testing artificial intelligence (AI) to build climate models to improve weather forecasting as torrential rains, floods and droughts proliferate across the vast country, a top weather official said. Global warming has triggered more intense clashes of weather systems in India in recent years, increasing extreme weather events, which the independent Centre for Science and Environment estimates have killed nearly 3,000 people this year. Weather agencies around the world are focussing on AI, which can bring down cost and improve speed, and which Britain's Met Office says could "revolutionise" weather forecasting, with a recent Google-funded model found to have outperformed conventional methods. Accurate weather forecasting is particularly crucial in India, a country of 1.4 billion people, many impoverished, and the world's second-largest producer of rice, wheat and sugar. The In...

Twitter violated contract by failing to pay millions in bonuses Twitter violated contracts by failing to pay millions of dollars in bonuses that the social media company, now called X Corp, had promised its employees, a federal judge ruled on Friday. Mark Schobinger, who was Twitter's senior director of compensation before leaving Elon Musk's company in May, sued Twitter in June, claiming breach of contract. Schobinger's suit alleged that before and after billionaire Musk bought Twitter last year, it promised employees 50% of their 2022 target bonuses but never made those payments. In denying Twitter's motion to dismiss the case, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria ruled that Schobinger plausibly stated a breach of contract claim under California law and he was covered by a bonus plan. "Once Schobinger did what Twitter asked, Twitter's offer to pay him a bonus in return became a binding contract under California law. And by allegedly refusing to pay Schobinger...

Chrome’s password safety tool will now run automatically in the background Google's Safety Check feature for its browser which checks the internet to verify if any passwords have been compromised, will run automatically in the background on desktop apps. The Safety Check feature verifies bad extensions and site permissions users need to look at. Moreover, the feature can also revoke site permissions that haven't been visited in a while. Google Chrome is essentially adding more tools to the browser like performance controls for memory saver mode that makes tabs that have gone inactive to save memory usage. This tool can be found under the Performance tab in Settings. Chrome will now also have a feature allowing uses to group tabs together under a category for better organisation. These group tabs can be saved so they can be looked at again until the project is finished.

NASA streams cat video from space NASA streamed lab employee’s cat named Taters 18.6 million miles away in space from their Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. The high-definition video streamed the cat in space roughly 80 times the distance from the Earth to the moon. The experiment was part of NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications experiment to improve the infrastructure for communication beyond the Earth’s orbit. Read: Social media platform X back up after global outage “This would be like the same capability that you’d want to have if you’re sending an astronaut to the surface of Mars or something like that,” said Dr. Abhijit Biswas, the project technologist. “You want to have constant contact with them.” The demonstration was carried out with the help of NASA’s Psyche spacecraft which was launched on October 13 to explore an asteroid with same name. The transmitted data rates of 267 megabits per second are comparable to rates on Earth, which are often between 1...

Samsung Health introduces medication tracking feature Samsung Health app has incorporated a new medication tracking functionality, set to become available in the United States when the app updates later this week. The new feature allows users to set reminders for taking their medications and requesting refills from the doctor. These reminders can vary in intensity based on the importance of the prescription, ranging from gentle to strong. For critical medications, a strong reminder triggers a full-screen alert with a long tone on their smartphone. Less crucial reminders, like for supplements, are displayed as simple pop-up notifications. Galaxy Watch users can also receive these reminders on their wrist, helping them manage their medication schedule even without their phones nearby. Moreover, when users add a new medication to the app, they can record details like the pill's appearance, prescribed dose, and when to take it. This tool competes with apps like GoodRx and Apple's...

Apple ramps up Vision Pro production, plans February launch Apple is ramping up production of the Vision Pro mixed-reality headset, setting the stage for a launch by February, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday citing people with knowledge of the matter. Production of the new headset is at full speed at facilities in China and has been for several weeks, according to the report. The goal is for customer-bound units to be ready by the end of January, with the retail debut planned for the following month, the report added. The Vision Pro, priced at $3,499 launched in June and was expected to be available by early 2024 in the US. The company sent an email to software developers on Wednesday encouraging them to "get ready" for the Vision Pro by testing their apps with the latest tools and sending their software to Apple for feedback, according to the report. Media reports in July suggested the iPhone maker had been forced to make major cuts to production fo...

Social media platform X down for users globally Social media platform X and X Pro suffered outages globally early Thursday, according to Downdetector.com. Users on X, formerly known as Twitter, were unable to view posts on the social media site with a message that said "Welcome to X!" Users encountered loading issues on X Pro, formerly TweetDeck, with a message that said "Waiting for posts." Over 47,000 US users faced access issues with X and X Pro, according to Downdetector data. Downdetector tracks outages by collating status reports from several sources including users. The cause of the outage, which began a little after 12 am ET(0500 GMT), is not yet known, and emails to X's communications and support teams bounced back. Users on X, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, experienced an inability to view posts, receiving a "Welcome to X!" message. X Pro users encountered a message that said "Waiting for posts." The social media platform faced u...

Epic Games opens doors to blockchain games despite adult ratings Blockchain games are making a comeback on the Epic Games Store marketplace including the ones with adult-only ratings. While the store typically prohibits games labelled as "Adults Only" by the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), which usually indicates excessive nudity or violence, a recent announcement states that blockchain games falling into the AO category solely because of their blockchain integration will be exempt from this restriction. Epic Games Store has made changes to its content policy to accommodate such blockchain-based games. It's important to note that policies prohibiting content such as pornography, gambling, and hate speech remain in effect, and Epic Games clarifies that blockchain games cannot involve gambling activities. Read More Alphabet to limit election queries Bard and AI-based search can answer 📣 Heads up: Gods Unchained and Striker Manager 3 have returned to the Store...

Sony's game plans leaked online by hackers Sony-owned Insomniac Games' more than 1.3 million files, including game roadmaps, budgets and information about an upcoming "Wolverine" title, have been leaked online by the Rhysida ransomware group, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday. The files show the Japanese company plans to release several Marvel-inspired titles in the next decade, including "Spider-Man 3" and those based on Venom and X-Men, the report said. Insomniac and Marvel's licensing deal is as high as $621 million to develop and market the X-Men games by 2035, the report added. Sony did not respond to a Reuters request for comment. Rhysida announced the hack on Dec. 12, saying it would auction the data for about $2 million in bitcoin but later published the data on Tuesday, according to the report. The hack is the latest in the gaming industry, after early footage of Take-Two Interactive Software's "Grand Theft Auto VI" was put onli...

Flipboard becomes federated app with ActivityPub support Social magazine application Flipboard has just announced that it will be integrating with ActivityPub to join the decentralised social web. The app is ready to join in with other decentralised apps like Twitter rival Mastodon who have become supported networking protocol. The change will make Flipboard accounts more discoverable so that can be followed by other millions of followers on other decentralised social networks. The company had initially announced its intention to join the fediverse earlier this year using an API to set up a Mastodon server and observe the response of users. Previously, Flipboard primarily received its news sources from Twitter X, but it changed and replaced it with Mastodon and BlueSky. Read: OpenAI outlines AI safety plan, allowing board to reverse decisions Flipboard CEO Mike McCue told TechCrunch that, “As we said in the earlier part of this year, we will be embracing ActivityPub into Flipboar...

OpenAI outlines AI safety plan, allowing board to reverse decisions Artificial intelligence company OpenAI laid out a framework to address safety in its most advanced models, including allowing the board to reverse safety decisions, according to a plan published on its website Monday. Microsoft-backed OpenAI will only deploy its latest technology if it is deemed safe in specific areas such as cybersecurity and nuclear threats. The company is also creating an advisory group to review safety reports and send them to the company's executives and board. While executives will make decisions, the board can reverse those decisions. Since ChatGPT's launch a year ago, the potential dangers of AI have been top of mind for both AI researchers and the general public. Generative AI technology has dazzled users with its ability to write poetry and essays, but also sparked safety concerns with its potential to spread disinformation and manipulate humans. In April, a group of AI industry le...

Tencent turns to ByteDance in gaming showdown with NetEase Tencent Holdings is relying on one-time bitter rival ByteDance to promote its most important video game release in years, in a sign of warming relations as well as intensifying competition as China's gaming industry returns to growth. Tencent released on Friday mobile party game "DreamStar" that it hopes to challenge "Eggy Party", a similar offering from NetEase which has become a surprise hit this year with 100 million monthly active users. Analysts expect DreamStar to earn up to 6 billion yuan ($842 million) in its first year, while they forecast Eggy Party, which owes much of its success to advertising on ByteDance platforms, to earn 8 billion yuan for NetEase this year. In a battle to defend its status as China's biggest gaming firm, Tencent has chosen to promote Dreamstar on ByteDance's popular advertising platforms despite the two's rancorous history in barring one another from their ...

China's ban on Apple's iPhone accelerates More Chinese agencies and state-backed companies across the country have asked their staff to not bring Apple iPhones and other foreign devices to work, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. For over a decade, China has been seeking to reduce reliance on foreign technologies, asking state-affiliated firms such as banks to switch to local software and promoting domestic semiconductor chip manufacturing. Multiple state firms and government departments across at least eight provinces have instructed employees in the past month or two to start carrying local brands, the Bloomberg News report said. Apple did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for a comment. In December, smaller firms and agencies in lower-tier cities from provinces including Zhejiang, Shandong, Liaoning and central Hebei, which houses the world's largest iPhone factory, issued their own verbal directives, the Bloomberg ...

Gmail makes unsubscribing easier with a new button Post its announcement in October, Gmail has added a more prominent ‘Unsubscribe’ button on the web. Previously, Google announced the requirement for bulk email senders to include a one-click unsubscribe button within the body of their emails. Now, Gmail is taking a significant step to make this "Unsubscribe" button more prominent. On the web version of Gmail, users will notice a blue button placed next to the sender's name, the verification checkmark (if applicable), and the sender's email address. This marks a departure from the subtle version introduced back in 2014, which featured grey text and an underline. Read More China's ban on Apple's iPhone accelerates When the button is tapped, users will be prompted to confirm their action before Gmail proceeds to "unsubscribe for you by sending an email from your email account." This convenient shortcut also appears directly in the inbox when the user ...

Naughty Dog cancels The Last of Us multiplayer game Naughty Dog cancelled The Last of Us multiplayer game to focus on single-player narrative games. The developer had been delaying the launch of the multiplayer game for a while as it was working on The Last of Us II side by side. On Thursday, the company officially announced the cancellation of the project. The studio has stated that the multiplayer game was in its pre-production stage. However, they emphasized that in order to launch and provide ongoing support for "The Last of Us Online," they would need to allocate all of their studio resources towards creating post-launch content for an extended period. This would significantly impede the development of future single-player games. Read More OpenAI CEO promotes crypto project Worldcoin after fundraising report After the cancellation of the project, Naughty Dog is now focusing on The Last of Us Part II Remastered, which will be released on January 19th, 2024. The second s...