Amazon secures patent to prevent online price comparison in stores
After recently launching its physical retail stores, Amazon has been granted a patent that will prevent consumers from using the in-store Wi-Fi to check product price listings online. The technology can intercept URLs, monitor search terms, and potentially block access to certain sites. The store staff can then track the customers' location and offer them discount coupons. Read on for the latest tech updates.
Twitter's App design revamped
The Twitter app has undergone a significant redesign to improve user interface and accessibility. The changes have primarily enhanced the aesthetic value and reduced clutter by introducing new typography, as well as changing the placement of the settings tab and the look of icons. Some of these changes were introduced to the Android app last summer, while iOS received the update only yesterday.
China launches its first X-ray space telescope
On Thursday, China launched a 2.5-tonne Hard X-ray Modulation Telescope named 'Insight' from the Jiquan Satellite Launch Center into an orbit 550 km above Earth. The telescope will help scientists study black holes, strong magnetic fields, gamma-ray bursts, and spacecraft navigation. This is the latest development in China's enthusiastic space programme, aimed at having the country's own crewed space station by 2022.
Facebook committed to countering terrorist propaganda
Facebook has been susceptible to being used as a platform for terrorist propaganda in the past. Through a blog post, the company has reinforced its commitment towards removing accounts that various terrorist groups leverage to spread dangerous content. It intends to achieve this by employing Artificial Intelligence algorithms and human expertise for counter-terrorism operations such as image-matching, 'cluster' detection, and urgently reviewing reported posts.
Alibaba to invest in ride-hailing start-up 'Grab'
E-commerce company Alibaba's co-founder Jack Ma is reportedly in talks to partake in South-Asian ride-hailing start-up Grab's $1.4 billion fundraising round. The investment would benefit Alibaba's digital payment service, Alipay- by integrating the mobile wallet into the Grab app. Grab provides 2.5 million daily rides across seven countries. This move comes after Alibaba's major competitor, Tencent, invested $1.2 billion in Grab's rival company, GO-JEK.
Chinese bike rental start-up 'Mobike' receives $600 million investment
Tencent Holdings led a $600 million funding round for Chinese bike rental firm 'Mobike'. With 100 million users, Mobike executes almost 25 million rides daily. The funds are to be directed towards developing R&D, IoT (Internet of Things), and Artificial Intelligence technology. Mobike's operations recently expanded to Singapore, and the UK launch is scheduled for June-end.
