Here are today’s Top 5 News & Events from Around the World. Take a look!
#5
Ola Will Invest $100 Million in Vogo, the Indian Scooter Sharing Startup
The Indian ride-hailing firm Ola is all set to invest $100 million in VOGO, which is a domestic scooter sharing start-up in the country. Ola plans to expand its app with the addition of scooter sharing and broaden its customer base. The companies revealed the details in a joint statement today. Vogo primarily operates in the southern region of the country covering cities such as Bengaluru and Hyderabad. Vogo didn’t reveal the exact details on its current fleet strength but it said that it will use the money to expand its operation by adding 100,000 scooters. It also stated that it has more than 100,000 users and over 20 million kilometers have been covered through its scooter sharing services. Ola co-founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal said in a statement that Ola with this investment will build an intelligent multi-modal network for ‘first-last mile’ connectivity in the country.
___
#4
Samsung Planning Hologram Tech Like the Star Wars, Will It Help Boost Sales?
Samsung is intending to bring something very significant to its next-generation of Galaxy handsets. If the latest patent is an indication then the South Korean company is planning to bring star wars like hologram tech to its flagship Galaxy phones. In a report by LetsGoDigital, the patent reveals the technology that might find its way into the next generation of Galaxy phones. The hologram will hover above the smartphone screen just like in the star wars movies. If the company is able to pull this off, it will help boost its sales and bring a whole new perspective in the smartphone industry. According to the patent filed with USPTO, the technology will enable the phone’s screen to project a 3D image in the air with the help of a light source.
___
#3
SoftBank Alum Unveils Companion Robot in Japan, Will It Resurrect Fledgling Household Robot Market?
Japan is the land of robots, from Asimo to powerful industrial robots, the country is filled with technology years ahead for the rest of the world. While Japan has seen the growth of industrial robots, the Asian country has not adopted the idea of household robots. All might change with the launch of Lovot, the amalgamation of ‘love’ and ‘robot’ from Groove-x. The robot is designed to stimulate the feeling of love in its users. It has simple inbuilt functions such as getting warm when touched, sleep when held and follow the user when commanded. Additionally, the robot can use its camera’s for home security and watch the baby for the owners. Despite the small list of functions, the company is hopeful that its product will catch on with the imagination of the people.
___
#2
Algorithms Getting Smarter in Breaking Text CAPTCHAs
The researchers at the UK and China have developed a new algorithm that can break test CAPTCHAs faster and with less time. The researchers believe that the new finding will help to make websites even more secure and the possibility of breaking into a website by overcoming a text CAPTCHA will reduce. According to a researcher, the new algorithm is able to crack a captcha within 0.05 of a sec while using the desktop PC. Still, the findings are interesting and tell a scary story also. As the algorithms become more powerful, a websites first line of defense, in this case, the captcha’s are no longer foolproof. The scientists were able to break into 33 top websites in the world with their latest algorithm.
___
#1
Civil Rights Group Call for Mark Zuckerberg’s Resignation
In the wake of recent scandals, Facebook has found itself in a murky situation. Dozens of civil rights groups have asked for the restructuring of the Facebook board to bring accountability to the company. In a letter sent to Mark Zuckerberg, the Facebook’s CEO, the Muslim Advocates, Equality Labs, Southern Poverty Law Center, and MoveOn.org along with 29 other groups have demanded that the CEO and Sharyl Sandberg step down as board members. The civil rights group has cited New York Times report that brought forward the case were Facebook used a PR firm to discredit critics and call George Soros as antisemitic. Zuckerberg meanwhile has maintained that whatever took place was due to ignorance, and the company owes its apology to George Soros as well. Also, Zuckerberg has said that the social media giant is setting up an independent body that will make sure such instance doesn’t take place again. Still, the civil rights group argue that Zuckerberg owns 60% of the voting rights in Facebook, hence the independence of this entity is questionable. The group also seeks expansion of the board by addition of people which would represent the diversified group that the social media giant represents.
___