‘Not Just Startups’ is TechPluto’s daily series that packs top startup and tech news from across the globe. The only news that makes it to ‘Not Just Startups’ series is what’s worth your time. This is where news appears before becoming a trending one.
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#15
Jaguar will release its stunning Tesla killer by 2018
The Jaguar will release its electric car model I-Pace by the end of 2018. It has a supercharger that will charge it within 2 hours. The car could travel up to 220 miles on a single charge. Moreover, the car will produce 400 hp of power making it go 60 mph under 4 seconds. The performance outpaces the Tesla models X 75D and 90D respectively. There is no word on the pricing from the company. However, the competitor’s similar model sells in the starting range of $85,500.
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#14
US govt might intervene in Apple-EU case
United States Govt is seeking to intervene in the Apple’s appeal against the EU’s order of paying back to Irish of up to 13 billion euros in taxes. The EU Commission had called the deal between Irish and Apple as sweet tax deals calling it illegal. After the Obama administration’s dismay against the ruling. The Trump administration has filed an appeal in European General Appeal Court to intervene in this matter. It’s not just Apple but an array of other brands such as McDonald’s, Starbucks etc who face similar charges of tax evasion in various European countries.
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#13
Germany serious over Facebook’s Terms of Services
Germany is investigating whether the Facebook’s Terms of Services qualify as extortion. Germany’s Federal Cartel Office (FCO) is looking into the popularity of Facebook from a different angle. It is accessing whether it is using its popularity to force users to agree to its terms and services. If this case goes forward then it could open up a whole new dimension to considering anti-competitive practices. It will cause serious harm to Facebook as it’s over $35 billion ads revenue depends on the user data.
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#12
World’s highest grossing mobile game to limit play time for minors
Tencent has imposed a daily gaming limits on minors to curb mobile gaming addiction. This is applicable to Honor of Kings, which is the world’s highest-grossing mobile game. The rule is for all persons under the age of 18 years. Those who are under 12 will play not more than 1 hour a day. Moreover, their access will be closed after 9 PM. Those between the ages of 12 and 18 years will have 2 hours daily to play the game. Honor of Kings has more than 200 million users worldwide. The decision had negative effects on shares as Tencent’s shares fell 5.1% after the announcement.
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#11
Samsung building Bixby powered AI speakers
After the online biggies such a Google, Amazon, Microsft’s offerings in the market. Samsung has decided to jump the bandwagon. It is developing its own voice-activated smart speakers incorporating the virtual assistant Bixby. It is going to cause a lot of challenge for Samsung to compete with the likes of companies such as Google who already hold a foothold in this sphere.
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#10
BBC spending big to compete Youtube and Netflix
BBC is moving towards its biggest investment in the field of children’s entertainment. The reason being the influence of American firms such as Youtube and Netflix. Described as its biggest investment in a generation. BBC will invest up to 34 million GBP to get back its young viewers. The plan is to invest over a period of three years. Moreover, the primary focus is UK generated content.
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#9
Ukraine seizes servers where Ransomware attack began
The head of the Ukrainian Cyber Police is considering criminal charges against the Tax software where the first NotPetya attack began. The Ransomware started spreading during the tax season in Ukraine. Therefore, there is suspicion on the company making tax software as they might have had released it intentionally.
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#8
Facebook head-on against US over user data request
Facebook is challenging the US government over the allegation that groups used it for Anti-Trump campaign during the presidential inauguration. The company received three warrants to search for three users on its platform. Facebook is holding on to First Amendment of US Constitution. According to Facebook, the users should know about the warrants so that they could fight against it.
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#7
Samsung poised to overshadow Intel
Samsung might soon become the leading manufacturer of semiconductor, throwing off Intel from its ace position. According to a research by Nomura Samsung is going to become the biggest semiconductor manufacturer in the world. Samsungs fourth quarter report showed a revenue of $15 billion while Intel’s $14.4 billion. Samsung produces its own chips for its devices. Moreover, it produces chips for its competitors as well.
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#6
Moto Mod with 360-degree camera in your phone
Motorola is back with its promise of introducing new features every year for which the company even conducted hackathons. In its latest release the Moto Z Mods it is going to offer consumers with a 360-degree camera. The phone is still in concept stage. However, it is promising to see that there is an array of features on offer for its users.
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#5
Amazon and Ebay struck with Ransom demand
Photobucket changed its terms which caused thousands of product photos to go blank on Amazon and Ebay. According to the reports, Photobucket provided free accounts for people to upload pictures on one location and use it on several other platforms. The new terms disallowed image-linking and caused the trouble. The company now requires a fee for the same free service up till now.
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#4
Bug causes 86% fall in Alphabet’s share prices.
Fresh blow for Uber
Uber’s expansion plans came to a halt in Europe when a senior advisor to the highest court said that Uber would require following the stringent taxi laws. France ruled that Uber is a taxi service and it should come under the same employment rules. Moreover, it will have no concessions with regards to laws and regulations. Last month the taxi drivers in Paris had revolted against the cab hailing service provider.
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Bing banging on Google’s turf
Bing has been able to take a good chunk of search engine market in UK and US from the turf of Google. In a research report by comScore. Bing has been able to take over 33% of US search market and 26% of UK’s search market.
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#1
Snapdeal rejects Flipkart offer
Snapdeal has rejected $700-$800 million bid offer from Flipkart. However, both the parties are still under the negotiations and all is not over yet.
Data compilation by Lipin
Editing and Presentation by Prashant Sharma
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