Technical updates

Microsoft on Tuesday laid out an aggressive spending plan to meet demand for its new artificial intelligence services after surpassing Wall Street estimates for fiscal fourth-quarter revenue and profit. Costs rose sharply as Microsoft built new data centers to support AI, and Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood said on a conference call with analysts the company's capital expenditures would continue rising each quarter throughout fiscal 2024. Shares fell about 4 percent in after-hours trade. Wall Street is looking at how generative AI services may benefit Microsoft, which secured an early lead with investments in OpenAI , owner of the popular ChatGPT service. Microsoft is weaving AI into its own products, such as the $30 (roughly Rs. 2,460)-a-month "Copilot" assistant for its Microsoft 365 service that can summarize a day's worth of emails into a quick update. It is also aiming to sell cloud computing services that other firms will use to build AI services. Micr...

iQoo started teasing the arrival of iQoo Z7 Pro 5G in India earlier this week. The exact launch date is yet to be officially confirmed by the Vivo sub-brand, but a tipster now suggests that the latest Z series phone will go official in the country in the next two weeks. Expected price in India and specifications of the iQoo Z7 Pro have also been tipped. The handset could be powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 SoC paired with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of inbuilt storage. The iQoo Z7 Pro 5G is said to feature an AMOLED display with 120Hz refresh rate and dual rear cameras. Tipster Paras Guglani (@passionategeekz) has  leaked the pricing and key specifications of the iQoo Z7 Pro 5G on Twitter. As per the tipster, the handset could be priced between Rs. 25,000 and Rs. 30,000 in India. It is said to go official in the next 10 to 15 days. In this price segment, the handset could compete with handsets including Motorola Edge 40 , Poco F5 5G , Google Pixel 6a , and Nothing Pho...

Apple on Tuesday found itself the target of a $1 billion (roughly Rs. 8,200 crore) class action lawsuit brought by more than 1,500 apps developers in the UK over its App Store fees. Apple's services business, which includes the App Store, has seen revenues grow at a rapid pace in the last few years and now hovers around $20 billion (roughly Rs. 1,63,400 crore) per quarter. However, the commissions of 15 percent to 30 percent that the company charges some app makers for the use of an in-app payment system have been criticised by app developers and targeted by antitrust regulators in several countries. Apple has previously said that 85 percent of developers on the App Store do not pay any commission and that it helps European developers to access markets and customers in 175 countries around the world through the App Store. The UK lawsuit at the Competition Appeal Tribunal is being brought by Sean Ennis, a professor at the Centre for Competition Policy at the University of...

Spotify Technology on Monday raised prices for its premium plans across several countries including the United States and United Kingdom, as the music-streaming company looks to boost profitability in an uncertain economy.  The move will result in a $1 (nearly Rs. 80) price increase for Spotify's US plans, with the premium single now starting at $10.99 (nearly Rs. 900), duo at $14.99 (nearly Rs. 1,230), family at $16.99 (nearly Rs. 1,390) and the student plan at $5.99 (nearly Rs. 490).  Spotify has moved in recent months to boost margins with hundreds of layoffs and a restructuring of the podcast unit, which it had built up with billions of dollars in investment. The price increases come at a time when streaming services, both audio and video, are under rising investor pressure to boost profitability after years of prioritizing user growth.  Rivals services from Apple and Amazon.com and Tidal have all increased prices this year, while YouTube also hiked prices last...

Alphabet 's Google violated a software developer's patent rights with its remote-streaming technology and must pay $338.7 million (nearly Rs. 2,770 crore) in damages, a federal jury in Waco, Texas decided on Friday. The jury found that Google's Chromecast and other devices infringe patents owned by Touchstream Technologies related to streaming videos from one screen to another, a court representative said on Monday. Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda said on Monday that the company will appeal the verdict and has "always developed technology independently and competed on the merits of our ideas." Attorneys for New York-based Touchstream did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. Touchstream, which also does business as Shodogg, said in its 2021 lawsuit that founder David Strober invented technology in 2010 to "move" videos from a small device like a smartphone to a larger device like a television. According to the complaint, G...

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked will be held in Seoul on July 26 and the company will introduce a host of new products during the event. The  Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 , Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 , and Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series of tablets are expected to debut at the event. The Galaxy Tab S9 series is expected to comprise base, Plus and Ultra models. These devices were spotted on a retail websites by a tipster ahead of their debut on Wednesday. Tipster Evan Blass spotted the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, and Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series on retailer websites ahead of the product launch and shared them in a series of tweets. On one of the websites , the phones and the tablet models are listed with a pre-order option. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is shown in four colour options on one of the sites , whereas the Galaxy Z Fold 5 is listed with three colour options. The tipster has also spotted the upcoming products on a French retailer's site. Photo Credit: Evan Blass (@evleaks)   The Ga...

Lawyers for FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried rejected prosecutors' claims that his discussions with a New York Times reporter amounted to witness tampering but agreed to accept a gag order, they said in a letter to the judge in the criminal fraud case. The letter, released on Sunday, came after prosecutors sought to bar Bankman-Fried and allies from making public statements that could interfere with the case. Cryptocurrency exchange FTX, once valued at $32 billion (roughly Rs. 2,62,334 crore), filed for bankruptcy protection in November as it was unable to repay depositors. Bankman-Fried has pleaded not guilty to fraud. In the letter, Bankman-Fried's attorney confirmed he had spoken with and provided personal documents to the New York Times that included documents written by a former colleague, Caroline Ellison, who has cooperated with the US government. "Bankman-Fried did not violate the protective order in this case, nor did he violate his bail conditions, nor did he ...