IBM’s earnings showed that its cloud and cognitive software revenues were down by 4.5% to $6.8 bn. Revenue from cognitive applications — where AI incomes are mentioned — were flat. However, Red Hat performed well, with a rise of 18% in revenue YoY. But overall IBM’s revenue declined for the fourth straight quarter. Experts, however, said it’s too easy to say that IBM’s transformation strategy has failed, the results aren’t there yet.
5G smartphone shipment is expected to rise over 9x to touch 38 mn units in 2021, driven by brands like OnePlus and Apple, according to research firm Counterpoint. The firm said that India’s smartphone market was one of the fastest to recover after pandemic and recorded its best quarter ever in the quarter ending Sept 2020 in terms of shipments. India’s 5G shipments stood at 1.7 mn in the period and are projected to cross 4 mn by the end of 2020.
Hiring in 74% of India’s tech firms are set to rise by 14% in 2021, said a report by recruitment services firm Michael Page India. The report highlights a stable recovery in 2021 with recruitment across industries verticles. Job roles such as app architect backend engineer and CTO will be in demand. Professionals having skills such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) will be in most sought after in 2021.
Microsoft Edge added Password Monitor feature which will scan the dark web for lists of leaked passwords, logins and let the user change them. The new feature will be rolled out today. The Password Generator and Monitor other features include more fine-grained permission controls per-site for cookies, one can set site-wide permissions like a camera and microphone access, and support for SecureDNS over HTTPS.
Croma and Tata Sky had claimed to fix vulnerabilities in their websites which could have exposed sensitive information— names, addresses, phone numbers and purchase history —to cyber criminals even without hacking. The vulnerabilities were discovered by Rahil Bhansali and Ankit Pandey. Bhansali gave the detailed of the vulnerabilities, which was due to some problems with the APIs in both the website, in a blog post.
Google said it will shut down search engine in Australia if the govt goes ahead with the proposed media code that would force it and Facebook to pay local media firms for content sharing. The new law will make the two big tech giants negotiate payments with local publishers and broadcasters for content. If they failed, authorities will decide the price. Australian PM Scott Morrison, in response, said ” We don’t respond to threats.”
India’s digital economy accounts for about 14% of global app downloads, 4x higher than the global avg. The avg time spent on mobile phones in 2020 is 37% more compared to 2019, app downloads grew by 28%. India contributed 9% of global app downloads in 2019. After lockdown, mobile usage rose by 20%. Indians on an avg spent 4.8 hrs on a device in 2020, beating the global avg of 4.2 hrs. VoD phenomena is a big one driven by OTT, gaming and short video apps.
Hyundai Motor, South Korean automaker, has invested in Tel Aviv-based Israeli startup UVeye, an automated vehicle inspection systems’ developer. Hyundai aims is to use the platform in global production lines. UVeye has raised more than $40 mn from Hyundai and other investors in four years of its launch. Its system combines AI, cloud architecture, ML and sensor fusion tech. Hyundai Motor investments in Israeli companies include Autotalks and Opsys Technology.
Dangal Games, an Indian online skill-based gaming platform has raised $1 mn in Series A round. The company would use funds to expand the business and become the leading player in the skill-based gaming sector. ” The fund would be used to diversify the product portfolio and tech capabilities of the business”, said Varun Mahna, founder and CEO of Dangal Games. It currently offers Poker Dangal and Rummy Danga and plans to add fantasy games ahead of IPL 2021.