Technology

In a groundbreaking start to the new year, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has achieved a significant milestone with the successful launch of its inaugural X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite. This cutting-edge satellite is poised to provide valuable insights into celestial phenomena, particularly black holes. ISRO’s chairperson, S Somanath, lauded the accomplishment and revealed ambitious plans for multiple launches throughout the year. Addressing the media after the successful mission on January 1, 2024, Somanath declared, “Yet another successful mission of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) has been achieved. PSLV-C58 has flawlessly positioned the primary satellite, XPoSat, into its designated orbit at 650 km with a 6-degree inclination.” VIDEO | “The new year has begun with the launch of the PSLV, and we will have an exciting time ahead,” says ISRO chairperson S Somanath on launch of space agency’s maiden X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite. (Full video available on PTI Vi...

ISRO’s recently launched space observatory satellite, the XPoSat or X-ray Polarimeter Satellite is one that has been completely designed by the women scientists and engineers, working at ISRO, Mission Director Dr Jayakumar M has revealed. Speaking at a press conference after the successful launch of the XPoSat, and several other payloads on board the PSLV-C58 rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikotta, the Dr Jayakumar said, “We are extremely happy to see the grand success of the launch of the PSLV. XPoSat is a space observatory.” #WATCH | On ISRO’s PSLV-C58 XPoSat Mission launch, Mission Director Dr Jayakumar M says “XPoSat is a space observatory…This is a totally women-engineered satellite for comparison of Solar irradiance and UV index. This showcases women’s empowerment in the field of science and… pic.twitter.com/FOlLgSOM9R — ANI (@ANI) January 1, 2024 He added, “What makes this more interesting, is the host of new technologies that is getting demonstrated i...

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is gearing up for a groundbreaking start to 2024 with the launch of its maiden X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat), a space-based observatory designed to explore X-ray polarization and its cosmic sources, including celestial entities like black holes, neutron stars, and magnetars. Scheduled to lift off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota at 9:10 am on Monday, the PSLV-C58 rocket will carry the primary payload, XPoSat, along with 10 other satellites destined for deployment in low-earth orbits. XPoSat’s Mission XPoSat stands as the world’s second X-ray polarimetry mission, following NASA’s launch of the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE) in 2021. Notably, XPoSat will operate within the medium X-ray band, distinguishing it from IXPE, which focuses on the soft X-ray band. If successful, India will secure its position as the second country globally to launch an advanced astronomy observatory dedicated to studying the i...

We already looked at the best flagship phones of 2023. They are great to dream about and drool over (yes, all of them are splash resistant), but in reality, not many people have a lakh Rupees or more to spare for a smartphone. Today, we look at the best phones of this year across various budgets that most people like us can actually consider buying. We will start around Rs 60,000 and go all the way down to under Rs 25,000. So here are the smartphones that impressed us most this year. Best Smartphones of 2023 Best phone around Rs 60,000: OnePlus 11 5G After a lacklustre 2022, OnePlus turned things around in a big way in early 2023 thanks to the OnePlus 11 5G. Packed to the brim with features generally reserved for the Pro variant, the phone remains mighty impressive. This stylish phone is powered by Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, and offers 16 GB RAM and 256 GB UFS 4.0 storage. It has a 10-bit 6.7-inch curved LTPO3 AMOLED display with a resolution of 3216 x 1440 pixels....

Yes, it is that time of the year where we reflect on the good things in tech in the past twelve months. We start with the premium-most smartphones that were launched in India this year. In this article, we won’t bother with things like affordability or value for money but celebrate the best in the segment in terms of features and performance. I am sure you may have guessed some already, but let me formally introduce you to those we believe are the best flagship smartphones of 2023. Best Flagship Smartphones of 2023 Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max No surprises here. The premium-most model from the latest iPhone 15 series is yet again the ‘best iPhone ever’. The debate about lack of enough innovation may go on long into 2024, but there are a ton of tweaks, both major and minor, that make the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max worthy of being in this list. While the switch to USB-C may have grabbed all the headlines around its launch, the switch to a Titanium frame from stainless steel is a game changer ...

Pros: – Very good design, outstanding build quality – Thickness and weight kept in check, inconspicuous display crease – Brilliant displays – inner and outer both – Powerful processing hardware, ample storage – Fluid and intuitive UI that adjusts seamlessly across displays – Impressive camera performance with a good mix of cameras – Good battery backup for the category – Phone speakers are surprisingly good Cons: – Expensive – No in-display fingerprint scanner or wireless charging – Macro shots look dull Rating: 4.2/5 Price: Rs 1,39,999 It would be fair to say that 2023 has been a good year for OnePlus; way better than 2022 for sure. It started with the OnePlus 11 – a mighty impressive smartphone that ticked a lot of boxes and raised the bar for their non-Pro phones. Their final release of the year has been the most ambitious till date and also their most expensive across categories. Foldable phones are still far from being mass-market products. The use case is also fa...

The year-on-year demand for Electric Vehicles in the US has sagged so much so that carmakers are now reassessing their investment plans in the sector and delaying introducing new models. According to Wall Street Journal , the demand has shifted to hybrids and traditional ICE vehicles, customer inertia being attributable to relatively exorbitant costs and patchy availability of charging stations. The demand pattern bears out the sentiment, according to WSJ , since the urban areas still have raked in good sales figures as compared to rural and semi-urban areas owing to issues with the number of charging stations. According to the WSJ report, EV inventory is piling up at the dealers’ and it takes three weeks more to sell an EV than a fossil fuel car. As per the report, sales of EVs rose in the first 11 months of 2023, but at a pace way slower compared to the last year. Car experts, though, are hopeful that sales will pick up once there are more affordable models available on the road...

Shares of major Chinese tech giants experienced a substantial decline in Hong Kong on Friday following the introduction of new regulations by Beijing aimed at curbing online spending in the gaming industry, as reported by Reuters. This move is part of a broader crackdown by China on its massive online gaming sector, with authorities seeking to address concerns about a perceived rise in gaming addiction among young people. In August 2021, China implemented restrictions barring individuals under the age of 18 from playing online games on weekdays and limiting their playtime to three hours on most weekends. The latest regulations, outlined in a draft by the National Press and Publication Administration, mandated spending limits in online games. Additionally, measures within games that encourage high spending, such as daily login rewards, are slated to be banned, as per a report by CNN. The proposed draft also prohibits in-game activities that could lead to the trading of virtual goods...

In a major setback for Apple, the Cupertino-based tech giant’s attempt to delay an import and sales ban on its Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 has been rejected by the US International Trade Commission (ITC). The ITC denied Apple’s motion to stay the ban while the company awaits an appeal, according to a filing on Wednesday. Apple had announced earlier this week that it would remove the Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 from its store shelves in response to an October ruling by the ITC. The ruling stated that Apple’s SpO2 sensors violated patents held by medical device manufacturer Masimo. The last day for customers to purchase these watches from Apple stores is December 24th, and the import ban is scheduled to take effect on December 26th. Apple is reportedly exploring various options, including implementing software changes, to circumvent the ban, as reported by Bloomberg. The ITC’s filing explained, “For the reasons discussed in the Commission Opinion issued concurrently herewith, th...

Mahindra & Mahindra’s Scorpio-N, also known as the Mahindra Scorpio in Australia and New Zealand, has faced a major setback with a 0-star safety rating in the Australasian New Car Assessment Programme (ANCAP) crash tests. This comes as a surprise for many Indian Petrolheads, mainly because the Scorpio-N is one of the safest SUVs plying on Indian roads today. And this is not just us saying that. After all, the Scorpio-N received the much coveted, 5-star rating in the GNCAP or Global New Car Assessment Programme crash tests Scorpio-N in Australasia Launched in Australia in April 2023 and in New Zealand in August 2023, the Mahindra Scorpio-N is available in both six-seat and seven-seat variants in these countries. The ANCAP safety rating applies to all versions of the SUV. ANCAP evaluates vehicles across four key areas: Adult Occupant Protection, Child Occupant Protection, Vulnerable Road User Protection, and Safety Assists. The Scorpio-N scored 44 per cent in Adult Occupant Prot...

Billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates, a prominent advocate for discussions surrounding the benefits and drawbacks of artificial intelligence (AI), recently shared his insights on the future of this transformative technology. The 68-year-old co-founder of Microsoft expressed his thoughts in a comprehensive 6,000-word blog post on GatesNotes. In his post, Gates lauded AI as a revolutionary force that is poised to supercharge innovation across various industries. While acknowledging its potential, he also emphasized the need to consider the global impact of AI. Gates began his reflection by noting that 2023 was a transformative year for him, marked by becoming a grandparent and using AI for substantial work. Addressing the potential of AI, Gates touched upon its role in sectors such as education and mental health. He highlighted AI’s capacity to bring about significant changes, drawing parallels with the early days of the internet and its subsequent integration into everyday life. G...

Recent revelations from internal documents obtained by Reuters shed light on Tesla’s handling of chronic “flaws” and “failures,” blaming drivers for defects such as collapsed suspensions and breaking axles, some leading to wheels flying off electric vehicles at highway speeds, as per a report by Reuters. Tens of thousands of Tesla owners, even those with practically new vehicles, experienced suspension or steering failures in recent years, as disclosed in the newly obtained documents. Tesla engineers internally labelled these incidents as “flaws” and “failures.” Despite this, the documents suggest that technicians were instructed to inform consumers that the issues were not due to faulty parts but were the result of drivers “abusing” their vehicles. This approach underscores the controversial stance of Tesla and its CEO Elon Musk in handling customer complaints. This news follows a July report by Reuters, revealing Tesla’s creation of a dedicated team to suppress driving range compl...

Alphabet-owned Google has announced that it plans to implement restrictions on the types of election-related queries that its chatbot Bard and generative AI-based search experiences can respond to in the lead-up to the 2024 US Presidential election. The company aims to enforce these restrictions by early 2024, as per a report by Reuters. In addition to the US Presidential election, 2024 is anticipated to witness several pivotal elections globally, including national elections in India, the world’s largest democracy, and South Africa, among others. Google expressed its commitment to a heightened focus on understanding the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in serving voters and campaigns associated with these elections. Meta, the parent company of Facebook, also took a stance on AI in political advertising, revealing earlier in November that it would prohibit political campaigns and advertisers in regulated industries from using its new generative AI advertising products. Adverti...

CEO of Accenture, Julie Sweet, has revealed that most companies are not adequately prepared to implement generative AI applications at scale. The primary hurdles include a lack of robust data infrastructure and essential controls to ensure safe and effective use of the technology she told Financial Times in a recent interview. Despite the widespread hype surrounding generative AI in 2023, Sweet emphasized that the technology remains in the experimental phase for many companies. Macroeconomic uncertainties are also contributing to a cautious approach, hindering overall IT spending. Analysts anticipate another significant revenue increase from generative AI projects in Accenture’s upcoming quarterly results. However, the figures, totalling $300 million over the past six months, still pale in comparison to the company’s annual group sales of $64 billion. Corporate executives express an eagerness to leverage generative AI for enhanced data understanding and improved customer service au...

In a recent development, Meta’s independent oversight board issued criticism towards the social media giant for the removal of posts depicting human suffering in the Israel-Hamas conflict. Functioning as a kind of social media supreme court, the board, established by Meta in 2020, overturned two decisions regarding removal of posts and called on the company to respond more swiftly to evolving circumstances in the ongoing conflict between Hamas and Israel. One of the cases involved Instagram’s removal of a video illustrating the aftermath of a strike on or near Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City during Israel’s ground offensive. The video portrayed Palestinians, including children, who were reportedly injured or killed. The second case centred on Facebook’s decision to remove a video featuring an Israeli woman pleading with her captors not to harm her during a hostage situation amid Hamas raids on Israel. Oversight board co-chair Michael McConnell acknowledged the difficulty of the decis...

Pros: – Bright and vivid Retina XDR display – Amazing battery life that can last almost an entire day – Impressive performance in the M3 SoC – Has some major graphical prowess – Great speaker set up – Plenty of ports as per today’s standards – Solid gaming capabilities – Great keyboard setup Cons: – Supports only 1 external display – No Space Black option for M3 MacBook Pros Price: Rs 2,09,900/- for the tested 16GB+1TB variant Rating: 4.75/5 Apple has been on a roll with their M line of SoCs and has been delivering one massive hit after the other, with the various Pro and Air devices that they have launched. In the new MacBook Pro 14-inch, we get the latest, M3 silicon, which, as per Apple’s demonstration at the Scary Fast even where it was launched, was significantly faster than the MacBook Pro with the M1 silicon. Image Credit: Firstpost | Mehul Reuben Das On paper, it may seem that the M3 is getting only a marginal upgrade over the M2 SoCs that we saw in the 15-i...