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Can we pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shootin' stars I could really use a wish right now With the New year looming, we can all do with a few wishes and it looks like we are getting it. The annual meteor shower, the Quadrantid meteors will be making their scheduled appearance this Saturday, 4 January 2020. The shower is active for around two weeks from 27 December to 10 January. However the peak intensity of the shower last for only a few hours and if you miss it, well its tata, goodbye till next year. If you do manage to catch it, it is a sight to behold and you might be able to see around 100 meteors an hour. The Quadrantid Meteor Shower. Image credit: Flickr/Josh Beasley Here is everything you need to know to have a successful meteor watching experience: What are the Quadrantids? The Quadrantid meteors or Quads" are among the oddest meteor showers known to us. They were discovered fairly recently in 2003 and have a very short peak period of a few...

Samsung is rumored to be launching the Galaxy Fold 2 alongside Galaxy S11 series. A new report claims that the next foldable phone from Samsung could go on sale earlier than the mainstream flagships. To recall, Samsung launched the Galaxy Fold alongside the Galaxy S10 series on February 21 this year. Reportedly, Samsung will launch the Galaxy Fold 2 and Galaxy S11 series on February 11. According to a new report from South Korea's Yonhap News Agency, Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 could go on sale before the Galaxy S11. Samsung is said to be in talks with three of South Korea's major carriers to release the Galaxy Fold 2 in February. The next Samsung foldable phone is rumoured to be made available for sale "immediately" after its official unveiling. However, whether or not it will go on sale in markets outside South Korea before the end of February is yet to be known. Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 is tipped to be a clamshell foldable phone like the Motorola Razr (2019). It is said t...

In 2019, Google launched the first A-series of Pixel phones – Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL (review) – which carried a lot of flagship features with a sub-Rs 35,000 price tag. This year, Google also announced the fourth generation of Pixel flagship phones, which were unfortunately not made available for the Indian market . However, we are hoping the Pixel 4a and Pixel 4a XL make it to India. If we look at last year's launch timeline, then the Pixel 4a smartphones will likely be announced in April 2020. Ahead of the launch, some renders of the smartphones have apparently been leaked revealing a bunch of specifications of the smartphone. The leak comes via  OnLeaks and 91Mobiles  and claims that the Pixel 4a may feature a punch-hole design for selfie camera that will be located at the top-left corner of the display. The leak also claims that the Pixel 4a will likely feature a 5.7 or 5.8-inch display, with thinner bezels as compared to the Pixel 3a. The thin bezel also...

Union Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad announced that India will be opening up its 5G spectrum for trials to all telecom equipment manufacturers,  including Chinese telecom giant Huawei. An official has stated that the Huawei clearance, along with clearance for other telecom equipment makers, is only for the testing phase at the moment. "5G is the future, it is speed. We will encourage new innovation in 5G," said Prasad. Huawei India CEO Jay Chen thanked the Indian government for its decision. "We firmly believe that only technology innovations and high-quality networks will be the key to rejuvenating the Indian telecom industry. We have full confidence in the Indian government and industry to partner with the best technology for India's own long-term benefit and also for cross-industry development," said Chen. Why is Huawei's participation in 5G trials a big deal? One of the major technology-related pieces of news of 2019 was the fact that the Uni...

As Amazon and Walmart-owned Flipkart spend billions to make a dent in India’s retail market and reel from recent regulatory hurdles , the two companies have stumbled upon a new challenge: Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s richest man. Reliance Retail and Reliance Jio, two subsidiaries of Ambani’s Reliance Industries, said they have soft launched JioMart , their e-commerce venture, in parts of the state of Maharashtra — Mumbai, Kalyan and Thane. The e-commerce venture, which is being marketed as “Desh Ki Nayi Dukaan” (Hindi for new store for the country), currently offers a catalog of 50,000 grocery items and promises “free and express delivery.” In an email to employees, accessed by TechCrunch, the two aforementioned subsidiaries that are working together on the e-commerce venture, said they plan to expand the service to many parts of India in coming months. A Reliance spokesperson declined to comment. The soft launch this week comes months after Ambani, who runs Reliance Industries — India’s...

I often look back in wonder at the horrors of humanity’s past, marvelling at the primitive barbarity of Spartans that  tossed young Leonidases out to survive  in the untamed wilds, of Indian tribes that skewered the muscles of their young and hung them upside down till they fainted as a rite of passage, of the Amazonian people that forced boys to be bitten by bullet ants and girls to have every strand of their hair individually plucked out at their roots. When I think about it though, I would imagine that Generation Alpha — the successor to Gen Z — would ascribe that same horror to parents who sent their kids to school sans smartphone, to students who had to endure college without YouTube , and to the 20-somethings of yore forced to find mates without Tinder . Would Gen Alpha even be able to comprehend travel without Uber  or  Airbnb , navigation without Google Maps , and a social life without Instagram ? How would one even surv...

Former Nissan chairman Carlos Ghosn, who is awaiting trial in Japan on charges of financial misconduct, has arrived in Beirut, a close friend said Monday. He apparently jumped bail. It was not clear how Ghosn, who is of Lebanese origin and holds French and Lebanese passports, left Japan where he was under surveillance and is expected to face trial in April 2020. Ricardo Karam, a television host and friend of Ghosn who interviewed him several times, told The Associated Press Ghosn arrived in Lebanon Monday morning. “He is home,” Karam told the AP in a message. “It’s a big adventure.” Karam declined to elaborate. Local media first reported Ghosn arrived in Lebanon but didn’t offer details. There was no immediate comment from Japan or from Lebanese officials. Ghosn, 65, has been on bail in Tokyo since April and is facing charges of hiding income and financial misconduct. He has denied the charges. He had been under strict bail conditions in Japan after spending more than 120 days...

Samsung Galaxy S10 successor could launch earlier than expected. According to a new leak, Samsung Galaxy S11 series could launch on February 11, instead of February 18 that was reported earlier. Samsung is tipped to host the launch event that it usually calls “Unpacked” in San Francisco, California to unveil the next-generation Galaxy S-series phones. Alongside the Galaxy S11 series, the company is expected to unveil its next foldable phone - the Galaxy Fold 2.  According to a report from Israeli website Girafa, Samsung is said to launch the Galaxy S11 models before the official opening of Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2020. Samsung would get more time to promote its Galaxy S11 series by choosing a date ahead of MWC 2020 as its competitors will be bringing their flagships at the event. However, Samsung is yet to announce the launch date. Samsung Galaxy S11 series is expected to comprise of Galaxy S11, Galaxy S11+ and Galaxy S11e. The trio is said to feature a telephoto lens with 48...

This is it, the last day of 2019 has already arrived! Now, most of you must be planning to let your hair down and start the new year with bash by going to fancy parties and while many like me may planning to stay back at home in pyjamas and greet the new year with a peaceful vibe. One thing that is common in both the scenarios is everyone wants to celebrate it around their friends and family. But some of us cannot be with our close ones during this time of the year for whatever reason, you can always wish them in your own ways. Wishing people via text is now so old-school, that I would suggest you go ahead with themed WhatsApp stickers. All you need to do is go to the Play Store and search for apps like "WhatsApp stickers for New Year 2020" or something on the same lines and you will see a huge list of apps. Select any app and install it in your device. Once it is installed, open it and select the preferred stickers and tap on the "Add to WhatsApp" option. ...

Last month,  Instagram announced that it will be making alliances with fact-checkers around the world to expose deception in shared photos or videos. Starting today, the social media platform has started to roll out the feature. I spotted the fact-checker pop-up on Instagram  Stories today. For any post that is found by fact-checkers to be 'factually incorrect', the images are blurred with a 'False Information' warning. Right below the warning is an option to see why the image has been blocked. If you tap on that, you will be shown details on who the fact-checker, what is the conclusion on the authenticity of the content in the post, and more information that will explain why the content may not be true. After been warned that the content is false, you can still see the image by shutting the fact-checker pop-up and tapping on 'See Post' at the bottom of the image/video. The fact-checker pop-up shown to me was by  Agence France Presse APAC . Instagram sa...

Postmates and Uber have filed a complaint in California federal district court, alleging that a bill limiting how companies can label workers as independent contractors is unconstitutional. The complaint, which includes two gig workers as co-plaintiffs, was filed in U.S. District Court on Monday, days before Assembly Bill 5 (AB-5) is due to go into effect on Jan. 1. It asks for a preliminary injunction against AB-5 while the lawsuit is under consideration. The complaint argues that AB-5 violates several clauses in the U.S. and California constitutions, including equal protection because of how it classifies gig workers for ride-sharing and on-demand delivery companies compared to the exemptions it grants to workers who do “substantively identical work” in more than twenty other industries. AB-5 was authored by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, a Democrat representing the 80th Assembly District in southern California and signed into law in September by Governor Gavin Newsom. It is int...

Eric Feng : Analysis of PitchBook data since 2005 shows that in 2019, the number of enterprise-focused seed deals overtook consumer-focused seed deals for the first time   —  I recently wrote a recommendation letter for a former coworker who wanted to change careers by going back to school. from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2FdulWJ

Brenda Goh / Reuters : Huawei's Rotating Chairman Eric Xu estimates the company's 2019 revenue grew 18% YoY to $122B, says it shipped 240M smartphones, but forecasts “difficult” 2020   —  SHANGHAI (Reuters) - Huawei Technologies on Tuesday said its full-year revenue would likely jump 18% in 2019 to 850 billion yuan … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2ZBW7Wq

There are fireworks, there's a cityscape, there's a tiny boat, and there's Froggy the weather frog wearing a party hat, next to its pigeon friend (also wearing a hat) celebrating the New Year's Eve 2020. That's the Google Doodle for the day. For anyone who has used the Google weather app on mobile, you'd know of Froggy. And if you are thinking why is Froggy in the New Year's Eve doodle, well the connection is interesting because it's a leap year! Get it? Leap year, frogs leap, Froggy leaping into the leap year, New Year 2020?! I'm sure you get it. New Year's Eve 2020 Google doodle Another significance of Froggy in the doodle could be a dedication to all the "party animals" this New Year's Eve. Google has also shared a little message from Froggy on its blog : "Froggy is gearing up for New Year's celebrations in any weather. He says he’s most excited about it being a Leap Year. “The 2020s are sure to be ribbitting!” On...

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released images of a 'burning' cloud or the Perseus Molecular Cloud captured by its Spitzer Space Telescope. The fiery image showcased a gigantic collection of gas and dust that stretched over 500 light-years. The image of the Perseus Molecular Cloud is actually 'infrared radiation' of the warm dust and it makes it seem like the outer space is ablaze. According to Fox News , the cloud consists of more than 10,000 gas and dust solar masses and has been a reason for astronomers' fascination for years. The Perseus Molecular Cloud hosts an abundance of young stars. It was imaged here by the NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Image credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech "Clusters of stars, such as the bright spot near the left side of the image, generate even more infrared light and illuminate the surrounding clouds like the sun lighting up a cloudy sky at sunset," Fox News quoted NASA as saying. According t...

Bloomberg : Uber, Postmates sue CA to block AB5, days ahead of bill taking effect, say law unconstitutionally targets gig economy companies and benefits other industries   —  - Companies call labor rights measure unfair, unconstitutional  — A.B. 5 will qualify many contractors for employment benefits from Techmeme https://ift.tt/35cmpQn

Huawei reported resilient revenue for 2019 on Tuesday as the embattled Chinese technology group continues to grow despite prolonged American campaign against its business, but cautioned that growth next year could prove more challenging. Eric Xu, Huawei’s rotating chairman, wrote in a New Year’s message to employees that the company’s revenue has topped 850 billion Chinese yuan ($122 billion) this year, a new record high for the Chinese group and an 18% increase over the previous year. Xu said Huawei, the second largest smartphone maker globally, sold 240 million handsets this year, up from 206 million last year. “These figures are lower than our initial projections, yet business remains solid and we stand strong in the face of adversity,” he wrote. He acknowledged that Huawei is confronting a “strategic and long-term” campaign against its business by the U.S. government . If the campaign persists for long, it would create even more “difficult” environment for the 32-year-old firm...

Complaint says AB 5 unfairly targets companies and workers in the on-demand economy. from CNET News https://ift.tt/37kdspB

Froggy the weather frog finds the fireworks ribbitting. from CNET News https://ift.tt/2Qzlh3L

Chris Welch / The Verge : Sonos should rethink its Trade Up program's “Recycle Mode”, which bricks old Sonos devices for a discount on newer ones, and consider a policy of reuse   —  An irreversible kill switch for a discount is a bad deal for the environment  —  Late last week, Sonos was called … from Techmeme https://ift.tt/2SFsamN

Funding for tech startups has been on an inevitable upswing for years, a result of a virtuous circle where wildly successful tech companies on the public markets whet the appetites of investors and investors’ backers to find more diamonds, a push met by a pull from the rush of talent with entrepreneurial aspirations out to put that money to work. 2019 has felt a bumper year in that longer trend, with 9-figure rounds ($100 million or more) and “unicorn” statuses so prevalent that the numbers have started to cease to be news items in themselves. With 2020 now just days away, a look at the 50 biggest funding rounds for start-ups in the past year draw out some trends. We’re pulling out the top five below for a closer look, but it’s interesting too to see some of the other trends emerging across the rest of the pack. Automotive remains a huge pull when it comes to raising big bucks: part of the reason is because the space is capital intensive, as it straddles both software and hardware (t...