Here are our top five news stories of the week.
The world of technology saw some interesting news this week. The one big news in the world of tech this week was the leak of the popular HBO series, Game of Thrones. Not only were the episodes leaked but hackers have demanded millions in Bitcoin ransom, threatening to make public the email communication and marketing plans of the top level executives. The Blue Whale dare, too, spread to other parts of the country with another teenaged boy attempting suicide to complete the challenge.
While the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and Apple iPhone 8 leaks continued to dominate charts, there were also a few launches that we saw. The excitement is now to see the second flagships for 2017 unveiled and each new leak brings something new. LG too shared details about the camera of the upcoming LG V30 smartphone. Google Pixel 2 and Google Pixel XL 2 leaks also emerged. Essential founder Andy Rubin finally confirmed that the smartphone availability date will soon be announced. Along with upcoming devices, there was one significant smartphone launch in India.
After being widely teased on social media platforms, Lenovo finally announced the Lenovo K8 Note. The smartphone is a budget device priced at Rs 12,999. In terms of specifications, Lenovo K8 Note comes with a 5.5-inch full HD (1080p) IPS display with 2.5D curved glass. Under the hood runs a MediaTek Helio X23 Deca-Core chipset clocked at 2.3GHz. There are two internal storage and RAM variants: 32GB/3GB of RAM and 64GB/4GB RAM. On the rear is a dual camera setup with a 13-megapixel primary sensor and a 5-megapixel depth sensor. The front houses a 13-megapixel snapper with an LED flash. The phone comes with a 4,000mAh battery.
While smartphone makers are trying to battle the influx of Chinese devices in the country, Xiaomi continues its successful run. After rising to the number two position in India, Xiaomi recently announced that Redmi Note 4 sales have crossed the 5 million mark in 6 months of launch. The budget smartphone is priced at Rs 9,999 and has been the top selling budget smartphone in Q1 of this year. While the company’s overall target was the sale of 7 million units, it has managed to cross the 5 million mark in a short span and is hopeful of overachieving the set target.
With the arrival of smartphones, there has been a boost in the number of apps. There are apps for every possible need – and then some more. But a new app is claiming to bring people together in a different way – by letting friends tell them exactly what they think of them. The app Sarahah has turned into a viral trend and everyone is using it to tell others exactly what they think of them. While many are praising the app and calling it ‘honest’, many are also terming the app as another method of cyber bullying. However, the app continues to be one of the most trending and used apps of all times.
Though internet giants are fighting bullying in the online space, the companies are having other internal battles. A Google employee recently published a long manifesto highlighting the gender disparity in the company. He also hinted at the gender disparity is due to women being more prone to stress. The incident has raised a lot of questions regarding the gender gap in the technology industries.
As the e-commerce industry continues to grow, so do the investments. SoftBank has invested over $2 billion in the largest Indian e-commerce portal, Flipkart. The portal now has $4 billion in cash through its investments. With the investment, SoftBank is the largest investor in Flipkart, taking the lead from Tiger Global which held the lead before SoftBank.
Lenovo K8 Note launch
- Lenovo K8 Note with dual-cameras, stock Android Nougat launched: Price, specifications, features
- Lenovo K8 Note vs Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 vs Honor 6X vs Coolpad Cool 1: Price, specifications, features compared
- Lenovo K8 Note first impressions: Betting on stock Android, dual cameras and multimedia experience
- Lenovo K8 Note to go on sale via Amazon India on August 18 with launch day offers
- Lenovo K8 Note: Top 5 features from dual-camera setup to the 4,000mAh battery
5 million units of Redmi Note 4 sold
- 5 million Redmi Note 4 units sold in India in 6 months: Xiaomi
- Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 users start receiving Android 7.0 Nougat update
Sarahah App
- Sarahah app: Do we really need an ‘honest’ messaging app?
- Sarahah app elicits candid confessions and love interests, but Twitter has some savage replies
Google executive fired
- Julian Assange offers job to fired Google employee; says ‘Censorship is for losers’
- Google’s gender ratios show that it is hardly delivering on promises of inclusion
- Google executive’s anti-diversity ‘manifesto’ leaked, creates a storm in the company
- Sundar Pichai cancelled diversity and gender Town Hall after Google employees reports online harassment
- James Damore says Google is ‘shaming’ and ‘smearing’ him
- Google’s sacking of ‘anti-diversity’ employee is right under the circumstances