SwiftKey introduced Tamil transliteration last week
The latest update also brings GIF support
After announcing transliteration support for seven new Indian languages in beta mode last week, SwiftKey has now brought transliteration support for these languages in the stable version, apart from Tamil and Tamlish. With the latest update, SwiftKey now supports transliteration for Bangla, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Odia, Punjabi, and Telugu. Additionally, it has also added GIF support, along with bug fixes and improvements.
Thanks to transliteration, these supported language speakers will now be able to use SwiftKey to type in their native language by spelling words out phonetically in English. SwiftKey will throw corrections and next word predictions in both English and the native language, allowing you to write in a mixture of the regional language and English, as you prefer.
Apart from this, SwiftKey also introduced support for GIF, and they can be now accessed from the emoji panel. Currently, GIF searches only happen by category, but SwiftKey says we can expect more choice in the future. There’s also a new keyboard shortcut for Bluetooth access and hard keyboards as well. Several bug fixes are also included in the changelog, most notably the issue of app crashing when deleting punctuation in the Japanese layout, and app crashing when deleting the exclamation mark.
For those unaware, SwiftKey was acquired by Microsoft early last year, and it already offers keyboards in 22 Indian languages. If you have Swiftkey on Android, check for the latest update. If you haven’t received a notification, download the latest version of the SwiftKey app from Google Play Store or you can even download the APK Mirror from here.
A new firewall programme can protect smartphones from malware attacks
It can be implemented as a tiny chip, or an independent software module
Researchers use machine learning algorithms to monitor smartphones
Scientists have developed an innovative firewall programme that can protect smartphones from malicious codes and security threats.
Earlier this year, researchers from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) in Israel discovered a security vulnerability in the internal communications between Android cellphone components and a phone's central processing unit (CPU).
They alerted Android developer Google and helped the company address the problem.
"Our technology doesn't require device manufacturers to understand or modify any new code," said Yossi Oren from BGU. "It's a firewall that can be implemented as a tiny chip, or as an independent software module running on the CPU," said Oren.
Some 400 million people change their phone's components, such as touchscreens, chargers, and battery or sensor assemblies, which are all susceptible to significant security breaches and attacks.
These components, referred to as "field replaceable units (FRUs)," communicate with the phone CPU over simple interfaces with no authentication mechanisms or error detection capabilities.
A malicious vendor could add a compromised FRU to a phone, leaving it vulnerable to password and financial theft, fraud, malicious photo or video distribution, and unauthorised app downloads.
"This problem is especially acute in the Android market with many manufacturers that operate independently," researchers said.
"An attack of this type occurs outside the phone's storage area; it can survive phone factory resets, remote wipes and firmware updates. Existing security solutions cannot prevent this specific security issue," they said.
"There is no way for the phone itself to discover that it's under this type of an attack. Our solution prevents a malicious or misconfigured FRU from compromising the code running on the CPU by checking all the incoming and outgoing communication," said Omer Schwartz from BGU.
The research team uses machine learning algorithms to monitor the phones' internal communications for anomalies that may indicate malicious code.
The software allowed them to identify and prevent hardware-generated data leaks and hacks. The researchers are seeking to further test the patent-pending technology with phone manufacturers.
Petya malware is doubted to be more than just a money-making ransomware
Petya ransomware attack hit major global companies on Tuesday
Mumbai's JNPT post also reported to be compromised by the attack
The cyber-attack that crippled computer systems in Ukraine and other countries this week employed a ruse - the appearance of being ransomware - that seems designed to deflect attention from the attacker's true identity, security researchers said.
And many companies initially fell for it.
The first reports out of cyber-security firms on Monday, when news of the attack hit, was that a new variant of WannaCry, a virus that encrypted data and demanded a ransom to restore it, was on the loose.
In fact, a number of researchers said this week, the malware - which researchers are calling NotPetya - does not encrypt data, but wipes its victims' computers. If the data is not backed up, it's lost, they said.
"It definitely wasn't ransomware and wasn't financially motivated," said Jake Williams, founder of Rendition Infosec, a cyber-security firm, which has analysed the virus. "The goal was to cause disruption in computer networks."
Moreover, the email address to make a payment to retrieve data is no longer accessible, said Matt Suiche, a hacker and founder of Comae Technologies, a cyber-security firm.
He said in a blog post this week that the ransomware feint was likely a way to make people think "some mysterious hacker group" was behind the attack rather than a nation state.
"The fact of pretending to be a ransomware while being in fact a nation state attack . . . is in our opinion a very subtle way for the attacker to control the narrative of the attack," Suiche said.
Security researchers cautioned that it is too early to know for sure who is behind it. But some say that the targeting and distribution method of the malware point to Russia.
More than half the victimized computers were in Ukraine, including banks, energy firms and an airport.
Russia, which has annexed Crimea and has backed separatists in eastern Ukraine, has carried out an aggressive campaign of cyber-attacks and harassment there.
In December, Russian government hackers disrupted the power grid in Kiev and a year earlier they knocked out power in western Ukraine.
In this case, to get into victims' computers, attackers infected a financial software program in Ukraine, called MEDoc, that delivers software updates to businesses through the Internet.
That's called a "watering hole" attack, which targets users who navigate to the site for updates or to browse. It is also a tactic that Russian government hackers have used in the past to compromise industrial control system networks, Williams noted.
MEDoc is one of only two software options Ukrainian businesses have to pay their taxes, noted Lesley Carhart, an information security expert.
"This was a clever choice" for several reasons, she noted in a blog post, including that the "distribution base" within the country was "extremely comprehensive" as many companies used the software.
NotPetya did not spread across the open Internet, she said in an email. "Its tactic was to compromise a few computers inside a network" once the hacker got in, say, by delivering the malware through MEDoc. Then it could rapidly spread to other computers in the same network using a variety of other methods.
"While most 'patient zero' computers were in Ukraine . . . the corporate networks those computers [connect to] could potentially span the globe, and infection could also spread to any customers, partners, or vendors with whom they had unrestricted network connections and shared accounts," she said.
That might explain how US pharmaceutical giant Merck, the Danish shipping firm Maerskeven and the Russian oil company Rosneft got infected.
The Rosneft infection might be an unintended consequence - collateral damage, Williams said.
Valentyn Petrov, head of the information security service at Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said that the attack's timing, on the eve of Ukraine's Constitution Day, indicated this was a political attack.
"We are in an interesting test phase in which Russia is using modern cyber weapons," Petrov said, "and everyone is interested to see how it is working - and how threats can be countered."
The smartphone was allegedly not charging at the time
HTC says it is looking into the customer's report
When one hears of a smartphone exploding, the first thought that occurs to us is of Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 - a fact that's telling of just how much the product recall and its aftermath pervaded both daily life and popular culture. Now, a new isolated incident has come to light involving a smartphone by HTC. Earlier this week, a woman on Facebook announced that her HTC Desire 10 Pro exploded, burning her fingers. HTC says it's investigating the customer's report.
Making the claim in a Facebook photo earlier this week showing a bandaged hand, Nidhi Kapoor said her 'HTC 10' exploded on June 21. She added that the smartphone was not on call or charging when it exploded.
Gadgets 360 contacted HTC for comment, and were provided the following statement, "HTC is aware of the customer's report and we are working to investigate as quickly as possible. As always, our customers' safety is a top priority."
The Taiwanese smartphone maker also clarified that the smartphone in question was in fact an HTC Desire 10 Pro - not an HTC 10 as Kapoor wrote - and that the incident occurred outside of India.
Kapoor in her Facebook post goes on to say that HTC didn't provide her with a satisfactory response in the time between the incident and the revelation, alleging the company repeatedly asked for her email ID and the smartphone's IMEI number. Let's wait and see how this case unfolds.
The devices we carry around in our pockets and hold to the side of our faces are not immune to mishaps, and some of these can be disastrous. Smartphones (and pretty much most modern portable electronics) bear lithium-ion batteries, which, if improperly handled, can catch fire and even explode. There've been numerous cases in the past, and as we mentioned, Samsung was caught in the headlines this past year thanks to the Galaxy Note 7's explosive battery.
Google said it would stop scanning contents of Gmail users' inboxes
Users will still see personalised ads, but would be based on other data
Privacy activists have long complained on the scanning of emails
Google said Friday it would stop scanning the contents of Gmail users' inboxes for ad targeting, moving to end a practice that has fueled privacy concerns since the free email service was launched.
A Google statement said Gmail users would still see "personalised" ads and marketing messages but these would be based on other data, which may include search queries or browsing habits.
Google Cloud senior vice president Diane Greene said in a blog that the free Gmail service would now follow the same practices as its corporate G Suite Gmail.
"Consumer Gmail content will not be used or scanned for any ads personalisation after this change," Greene said.
"This decision brings Gmail ads in line with how we personalise ads for other Google products. Ads shown are based on users' settings. Users can change those settings at any time, including disabling ads personalisation."
Privacy activists have long complained that the scanning of email contents amounts to unwarranted "eavesdropping" on users.
The Internet giant earlier this year reached a settlement in a class action lawsuit in the matter, but a federal judge rejected the deal as inadequate.
US District Judge Lucy Koh ruled in March that the settlement was difficult to understand and "does not clearly disclose the fact that Google intercepts, scans and analyzes the contents of emails sent by non-Gmail users to Gmail users for the purposes of creating user profiles of the Gmail users to create targeted advertising."
Danny Sullivan, founding editor of the online blog Search Engine Land, called the move a "big change" for Gmail, noting that the scanning of email contents "has been the biggest hit against the services since it began."
But Sullivan wrote on Twitter: "On the other hand, does it reassure consumers to know that Google has better info now about how to target them than by reading their emails?"
The hack is part of ongoing cyber-terrorism across the globe
The message left by the group ended with "I love the Islamic state"
Government websites, many of them in Ohio, were hacked Sunday with a message that purports to be supportive of the Islamic State terrorist group.
A message posted on the website of Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich said, "You will be held accountable Trump, you and all your people for every drop of blood flowing in Muslim countries."
The message, left by "Team System Dz," also ended, "I love the Islamic state."
The same message also infiltrated government websites in the town of Brookhaven, New York, according to news reports in that state, as well as the website for Howard County, Maryland. In the past, the group also claimed responsibility for similar hacks in the past in Richland County, Wisconsin, and in places such as Aberdeen, Scotland, and Sweden.
Several other government websites were hacked in Ohio, including that of first lady Karen Kasich, Medicaid, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and the Casino Control Commission.
Tom Hoyt, chief communications officer for Ohio's Department of Administrative Services, was among Ohio officials who confirmed the hack.
"All affected servers have been taken offline and we are investigating how these hackers were able to deface these websites," he said. "We also are working with law enforcement to better understand what happened."
He said the hacking in Ohio happened at about 11am EDT (8:30pm IST). He hoped the websites would be up and running sometime Monday.
The websites in Brookhaven and Howard County also remained down on Sunday. When asked about the outage on the Brookhaven site, a spokeswoman who answered the phone at the New York town's police department simply offered a "no comment."
The hack is part of ongoing cyber-terrorism that has impacted governments and corporations across the globe.
Some see these types of hacks - sometimes called "defacement" - as simply a nuisance, though in some instances, they have been disruptive to work and government life.
But others see cause for alarm. "Wake up freedom-loving Americans. Radical Islam infiltrating the heartland," Josh Mandel, the Ohio treasurer and a Republican candidate for US Senate, said in a tweet Sunday.
Authors of the website Cryptosphere, which tracks hackers worldwide, have detailed dozens, if not hundreds, of similar hacks in recent years by the so-called Team System DZ, which they called a "pro-ISIS hacker crew" and claim are based in Algeria.
Impacted websites, they said, have included those for a synagogue in Florida, the student union at the University of New Brunswick in Canada, for UK Rugby and a number of websites on Wordpress.
Russia's state communications watchdog threatened Friday to ban the Telegram messaging app, saying the company behind the service had failed to submit company details for registration.
In a message on its website, the Roskomnadzor agency warned that "time is running out" for Telegram to comply with the law.
Otherwise "Telegram must be blocked in Russia," it said.
The free instant messaging app lets people exchange messages, photos and videos in groups of up to 5,000 people. It has attracted about 100 million users since its launch in 2013.
In an unusual move, the agency's chief, Alexander Zharov, addressed Telegram's secretive Russian chief executive, Pavel Durov.
"I publicly call on the Telegram team and personally Pavel Durov: carry out the Russian law!" Zharov wrote, adding: "The choice is yours."
The watchdog said it had been sending messages to the company "practically every day" asking it to send company information for Roskomnadzor's register.
Durov, who has previously refused to bow to government regulation that would compromise the privacy of users, called the threat "paradoxical" on one of his social media accounts.
He said it would force users, including "high-ranking Russian officials" to communicate via apps based in the United States like WhatsApp.
The 32-year-old had previously created Russia's popular VKontakte social media site, before founding Telegram in the United States.
Durov said in April that the app had "consistently defended our users' privacy" and "never made any deals with governments."
But the service has drawn the ire of critics who say it can let criminals and terrorists communicate without fear of being tracked by police, pointing in particular to its use by Islamic State jihadists.
The app is one of several targeted in a legal crackdown by Russian authorities on the Internet and on social media sites in particular.
Since January 1, Internet companies are required to store all users' personal data at data centres in Russia and provide it to the authorities on demand.
And draft legislation that has already secured initial backing in parliament would make it illegal for messaging services to have anonymous users.
A bill approved by lawmakers in its first reading Friday would also ban the use of virtual private networks (VPNs) and proxy servers to bypass Russian internet controls.
The bill's author, Maxim Kudriyatsev, said it was not a new ban but was meant to stop accessing sites already blocked.
But Russia's internet ombudsman Dmitry Marinichev said the VPN bill was "going against common sense", speaking to RBK independent news site earlier this month.
The Kommersant business daily criticised the slew of legislation this month, saying: "The Russian internet needs protection against laws."
Google has quietly started removing personal medical records
Earlier, Google had only removed webpages with identifying financial info
Health records can also appear online without consent
Alphabet Inc.'s Google has quietly started removing a new category of online content - personal medical records - from its search results, a departure from its typically hands-off approach to policing the web.
Google lists the information it removes from its search results on its policy page. On Thursday, the website added the line: "confidential, personal medical records of private people." A Google spokeswoman on Friday said that such information is only pulled when the company gets specific requests from individuals.
Previously, Google had only removed webpages with identifying financial information, such as credit card numbers, and with content that violates copyright laws. In 2015, Google bent its longstanding laissez-faire policy by adding "revenge porn" to its removal list - sexually explicit images uploaded without consent. The same approach applies with all these categories: Google will remove information after considering specific requests.
Health records can also appear online without consent. In December, a pathology lab in India mistakenly uploaded the records of over 43,000 patients containing sensitive information, including names and blood tests for HIV. The records were indexed in Google's search results.
Google has also recently adjusted its tightly-held search ranking system to filter misleading articles, or fake news, following criticism for hosting and promoting the content in results.
SpaceX has succeeded in landing a Falcon 9 first-stage booster
Falcon 9 blasted off carrying 10 satellites for Iridium Communications
It was the second series of Iridium satellites launched by SpaceX
The American company SpaceX on Sunday successfully placed 10 satellites for the communications company Iridium into orbit using a Falcon 9 rocket.
After launching as scheduled from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California at 1:25pm local time (8:25pm GMT or 1:55am IST), the Falcon 9's first stage returned less than eight minutes after taking off.
As planned, it landed on a barge floating in the Pacific Ocean.
SpaceX has successfully landed multiple rockets on both land and water, as part of its effort to bring down the cost of space flight by re-using multimillion dollar components instead of jettisoning them in the ocean after launch.
It was the second series of Iridium satellites launched by SpaceX, after a set of 10 were delivered in January.
In total SpaceX, which is headed by billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, will launch a series of 75 satellites for Iridium's satellite constellation, Iridium NEXT by 2018.
The $3 billion (roughly Rs. 19,350 crores) project is a bid to upgrade the Virginia-based Iridium's global communications network.
Airtel Surprise Offer was launched back in March this year
The operator has extended it as the Monsoon Surprise Offer
The offer had originally been launched in face of Jio competition
Airtel on Sunday announced the 'Monsoon Surprise Offer' for postpaid users, an extension of its 'Airtel Surprise Offer' by another three months. With the extension, the company is offering up to 30GB of data for three billing cycles. To avail the Monsoon Surprise Offer, Airtel postpaid subscribers will have to log into the My Airtel app after July 1. As mentioned, Airtel is extending its up to 30GB of free data offer for three months launched for postpaid subscribers in March as the Airtel Surprise Offer.
The telecom operator, alongside the rest of the industry, faced intense competition from new entrant Reliance Jio, which made its big splash last year. A fierce tariff war has raged since in the second largest telecom market in the world, with Airtel, Vodafone, and Idea urgently trying to retain subscribers in the face of unlimited calling and value for money data plans offered by Reliance Jio. An Airtel spokesperson confirmed to PTI that the extra data will also be available to those who have already opted for the previous similar offer.
Bharti Airtel CEO, Gopal Vittal, detailed the offer in an email to subscribers, adding, "This is our way of saying thank you for being part of the Airtel family & for having trusted us and believed in us over the years. We are, and will always be, committed to nurturing this special relationship with you."
PM Modi on Sunday met with CEOs of 20 leading American firms
He is on a visit to US to strengthen Indo-US bilateral ties
Tim Cook, Sundar Pichai, and Jeff Bezos were amongst present CEOs
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday met with CEOs of 20 leading American firms, in a round table interaction with the group that included Tim Cook of Apple, Sunder Pichai of Google, John Chambers of Cisco, and Jeff Bezos of Amazon. He said India has now emerged as a business-friendly destination, more so with the upcoming implementation of landmark GST beginning next month, while asking the CEOs to invest in the country.
The Prime Minister also said that India attracted the largest amount of foreign direct investment (FDI) as a result of the NDA government's policies in the last three years. PM Modi also spoke about the reforms undertaken by his government, saying they numbered over 7,000, and were aimed at "ease of [doing] business and minimum government, maximum governance."
"Interacted with top CEOs. We held extensive discussions on opportunities in India," PM Modi tweeted after the meeting that lasted for about 90 minutes. He said the world is now focused on India's economy, especially in areas like manufacturing, trade, commerce, and people-to-people contact, due to a young population and a rising middle-class.
"The whole world is looking at India. 7,000 reforms alone by GOI for ease of (doing) business and minimum government, maximum governance," Gopal Bagley, spokesman of the Ministry of External Affairs quoting the Prime Minister as saying.
India's growth presents a win-win partnership for the country and the US, and American companies have a great opportunity to contribute to that, PM Modi told the CEOs.
"If America becomes stronger, India will be a natural beneficiary," he said. On the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Modi said its implementation is a complex task that may well turn out to be "a subject of studies in US business schools."
"This shows India can take big decisions and implement them swiftly," he said. During the interaction at the Willard Hotel, where he is staying, PM Modi also gave a patient hearing to the wishlist of the top bosses.
The Prime Minister pointed out opportunities for tourism through developing hotels in "PPP (public private partnership) model" at 500 railway stations, Baglay said. Modi said his government has focused on improving the quality of life of the people, and added that working towards this end requires a global partnership.
Therefore, he added, India is working on principles like Minimum Government, Maximum Governance', efficiency, transparency, growth and benefit for all. "In concluding remarks, PM stresses imp of coopn 4 startup, innovation &tapping huge intellectual, edu & vocational training potential in India," Baglay tweeted.
The CEOs lauded the Prime Minister's initiatives of demonetisation and digitisation of economy and the GST, the spokesman said. They also expressed support for 'Make in India', 'Digital India', 'Start Up India' and other flagship initiatives of the government.
According to Indian officials present at the meeting, several CEOs showed willingness to be partners in skill development and education initiatives in India. They also mentioned social initiatives being undertaken by their companies in India in women empowerment, digital technology, education and food processing. Infrastructure, defence manufacturing and energy security also came up for discussion during the meeting.
"CEOs applaud reform measures and steps taken by the government to improve ease of doing business," Baglay tweeted. "CEOs outline priorities in India and suggestions for mutually beneficial partnerships in line with inclusive growth," he said, adding that they reaffirmed their commitment to growing with India and attested to its attractiveness as an FDI destination.
Pichai told reporters after the meeting that Google was excited about investing in India. Praising the steps being taken by the Indian government in the last three years, he said the US companies are looking forward to the roll out of the GST.
"Good," said Apple CEO Tim Cook as he emerged out of the meeting. The US-India Business Council (USIBC) President Mukesh Aghi said the CEOs praised the reforms being undertaken by the Prime Minister and underscore his efforts to make India a business-friendly destination. Responding to a question, Aghi said the H-1B visa issue was not discussed at the meeting.
Among other CEOs present at the meeting were Shantanu Narayen of Adobe, Ajay Banga of MasterCard, David Farr of Emerson, Doug McMillon of Walmart, Punit Renjen of Deloitte Global, Jim Umpleby of Caterpillar, Alex Gorsky of Johnson and Johnson, Jamie Dimon of J P Morgan Chase, and Marillyn Hewson of Lockheed Martin. Posting a picture of the Prime Minister with the CEOs on Twitter, Bagley said, "strengthening the Indo-US economic partnership."
The new ride option lets you travel for a flat fee, with no cancellation
Bengaluru starts at Rs. 49 for 6km, Mumbai starts at Rs. 99 for 8km
Last week, Uber had announced the launch of a new feature called UberPASS in select cities as a pilot. Now, the company has started rolling out the option to users. With UberPASS, you pay a flat fee to ride, with no cancellation fees or subscription - however, at least during the current pilot, you have to complete a minimum number of rides this week, to continue accessing it next week. The UberPASS fares are being applied to UberGO rides, and don't apply on shared rides, or higher car categories.
The UberPASS feature is being rolled out to users in a phased manner - the only way to access it is if Uber sends you an email or SMS alert. After that, you can select it while booking the car.
According to the company, select riders will receive an email to unlock the feature. There is no specific eligibility criteria, but about 10 percent of riders in the four cities will get access to UberPASS. These riders will then get offers (which could include flat fares) on UberGO rides, which would vary from city to city. This in turn would unlock UberPASS.
In Mumbai, for Rs. 99, you can take an Uber for up to 8km, and Rs. 159 for 8-15km. As mentioned above, there are no cancellation charges or subscription fees with UberPASS, and no promo code either; UberPASS is simply an option in the ride types, along with UberX and UberGO.
In Bengaluru, the company is offering fares of Rs. 49 for 6km, and Rs. 99 for up to 12km. An Uber representative who spoke to us said it wouldn't be able to share a city-specific breakup, but it appears that the Chennai fee is Rs. 100, and it's pointed out that actual drop location and pickup location must be entered correctly - changes could mean that the flat fee does not apply.
Both RAM variants of Coolpad Cool 1 are available with discounts
Coolpad Note 5 currently available on website at Rs. 9,999
Coolpad smartphones are currently available on Amazon India at discounted prices and with exchange offers. The smartphones being offered on the website include Coolpad Cool 1 Dual, Coolpad Note 5, and Coolpad Note 5 Lite.
Starting with the Coolpad Cool 1 Dual, the smartphone comes with dual cameras at the back and is available in 3GB and 4GB RAM variants in the country. The 3GB RAM variant with 32GB of built-in storage, which was launched at a price of Rs. 11,999, is currently available on the website at Rs. 9,999 with exchange of up to Rs. 7,712. The 4GB RAM variant of Coolpad Cool 1 Dual with 32GB inbuilt storage, which was launched at Rs. 14,999, is currently available at Rs. 11,999 on Amazon India with maximum exchange up to Rs. 9,412.
The Coolpad Note 5 (32GB built-in storage), which sports a 5.5-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) display, houses a 4010mAh battery, and packs 4GB of RAM, is usually available on the website at Rs. 10,999 but currently being offered at Rs. 9,999. Customers can further avail an exchange of up to Rs. 7,712 on the website.
Amazon India was also offering the Coolpad Note 5 Lite, which features 3GB RAM and 16GB built-in storage, at a discounted price of Rs. 7,499 (usually priced at Rs. 8,999) but the smartphone has already gone out of stock. The website says that it is currently unknown if the smartphone will come back in stock or not. Notably, the Coolpad Note 5 Lite was available with an exchange offer up to Rs. 5,952 on the website.
