Category: Tech

Uber Starts Showing Upfront Destination Info to Drivers to Reduce Cancellations, But There’s a Catch

Uber in India has started showing trip destinations to drivers to let them decide whether they want to accept the ride. The new move is aimed to address rider concerns over cancellation by drivers after knowing their trip destination. The cab aggregator has also introduced earnings for long-distance pick-ups to allow drivers to accept ride requests even when the rider is not at a nearby location. Additionally, Uber has promised to start paying drivers on a daily basis — between Monday to Thursday. Driver associations are, however, not yet pleased by the new announcements.

To address concerns over cancellations by drivers after knowing the trip destination, Uber has announced that it has started showing trip destinations to drivers to let them make an informed choice. The feature is already live across 20 cities and is set to be expanded to all the remaining ones in the future. However, there is a catch. It is not live for all drivers.

Uber said that the upfront destination feature is available for drivers who “meet a predefined trip acceptance threshold.”

Shaik Salauddin, Founder State President (Telangana) of Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU) and National General Secretary of Indian Federation of App Based Transport Workers (IFAT), said that the feature kicks in only when a driver completes five trips.

“The stipulation for completion of rides for accessing information on the upcoming ride should be removed,” he said while responding to Uber’s updates in a press statement.

The union leader also mentioned that if drivers did not accept the incoming ride, their ratings would be affected negatively.

“With back-to-back rides being pushed on the drivers to accept even before the current ride ends has been creating a nightmare situation for the drivers,” Salauddin said.

Uber, in its announcement, did mention that it would continue to monitor feedback from drivers and riders and iterate on the threshold over the coming weeks.

In addition to the upfront destination information, Uber said that it introduced additional earnings for drivers in case they have to travel a long distance to pick up riders.

“Drivers will be able to see the earnings for long pick-ups, separately displayed on the fare receipt,” the company said.

The feature is essentially aimed to help riders get cabs even when the demand is high and the availability of cabs is low in a particular area.

Salauddin said that despite making a public announcement, drivers are not yet being paid for their “dry runs” — either to pick up the rider or if they are stuck outside the city after completing their rider. He added by saying that the payments for the long distances travelled had not yet been compensated by the company.

In addition to long-distance payments claim, Uber said that it has started showing drivers the mode of payment — whether it is cash or online — before the beginning of their trip. This would, again, help riders to receive a reduced number of cancellations as drivers sometimes cancel rides if it’s not a cash trip.

Cash-only trips are favourable to most drivers as aggregators including Uber and Ola take time to credit their payments. Uber is claiming to address this issue — in addition to showing the mode of payment — by bringing a daily pay process for drivers.

“This will ensure that trip earnings from Monday to Thursday, are credited to drivers the next day, while earnings from Friday to Sunday, are credited on Monday,” the company said.

Uber also noted that it repeated complaints from riders on service quality essentials including cancellations and ensuring AC rides could lead to penalties and even restricted app access for drivers. The company, however, also said that it would remain committed to listening to riders and drivers and delivering the “Uber magical experience again.”

Countering Uber’s announcement, Salauddin said that as the company claimed to bring a magical experience back to its rides, it should have at least made it so for its drivers also.

“The drivers’ demands are for fare rates in proportion to the fuel rates in their city, access to information on the trip sans the mandatory regulations, compensation for dry runs and roll back on back-to-back trips being dumped on them continuously,” he said.

Uber recently hiked trip fares in certain cities by 12 percent including Delhi-NCR, claiming to help reduce the impact of fuel price hikes on drivers. However, drivers are not yet convinced by the move.

Salauddin said the increase should not be in percentage but equal to the hike in fuel prices in the rupee value.

In March, Uber introduced a Driver Advisory Council (DAC) to start getting feedback from drivers on its platform. That council is, however, called a “well-practised ploy” by existing driver associations including TGPWU and IFAT.

Salauddin alleged that the decisions taken in consultation with the DAC “are a sham.”

“When there is already a strong driver organisation with three years of public history doing immense work, why would a company set up an alternate institution unless they have malicious intent?” he questioned.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

SWIFT Partners with Capgemini to Test Cross-Border CBDC Interoperability

Bank messaging service, SWIFT, short for Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, is set to test the interoperability of Central Bank of Digital Currencies (CBDC) by interlinking several CBDC networks in order to execute cross-border payments. Besides currently linking financial institutions worldwide to communicate and execute financial payments, the Belgium-based member-owned cooperative has approached digital services provider Capgemini to help carry out its experiments. While there aren’t too many CBDCs around for SWIFT to experiment with right away, so far nine countries have brought CBDCs into use with China’s Digital Yuan (e-CNY) being one of the most widely experimented with digital currency.

An official blog post published on May 19 suggests that using CBDCs for cross-border payment solutions may have been a blind spot for the original idea of a digital currency since its development had the primary focus on resolving issues in line with domestic policies. However, Thomas Zschach, Chief Innovation Officer at SWIFT, expressed that new different CBDC networks must work together to enable “frictionless” transfers across the borders, and SWIFT will play a critical role.

“Capgemini and SWIFT are working together to develop a proof of concept to link a variety of CBDC networks along with other traditional currency networks. Globally, most central banks are creating CBDCs, ‘with a number of banks using different technologies, standards, and protocols for their digital currencies,” Zschach said.

As indicated in the company’s statement, the company will develop a gateway that will intercept, translate, and send domestic CBDC transactions to SWIFT for onward transmission. It will rely on existing SWIFT protocols, authentication models, and infrastructure. Over 11000 financial institutions are linked within 200 countries through SWIFT.

The new alliance is a continuation of the efforts SWIFT began with Accenture last year. As a result of that collaboration, a CBDC network and RTGS system were able to conduct a cross-border transaction.

The experiments will demonstrate that SWIFT has the capability and the technical components to link different networks if they are successful.

SWIFT’s head of innovation Nick Kerigan said, “This would help CBDCs address a major industry problem. We can also assist central banks with making their own CBDC networks capable of cross-border payments.”

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Corsair Voyager a1600 AMD Advantage Edition Unveiled as Company’s First-Ever Gaming Laptop

Corsair Voyager a1600 AMD advantage edition has been unveiled at Computex 2022 as the company’s first-ever gaming and streaming laptop. The Voyager a1600 gaming laptop will be equipped with AMD Ryzen 6000-series processors and AMD Radeon RX 6800M GPU. The company says that this laptop also comes with Corsair and Elgato’s vast ecosystem of exclusive software and technologies. Moreover, the laptop will feature a touch bar above the keyboard with ten touch shortcut buttons.

Corsair Voyager a1600 laptop price

The pricing and availability details of the Corsair Voyager a1600 gaming laptops haven’t been announced by the company yet. However, Corsair’s official website says that the laptop will be ‘launching soon’. On the other hand, Corsair announced its gaming laptop at an event held during Computex 2022.

Corsair Voyager a1600 laptop specifications, features

The Corsair Voyager a1600 gaming laptop will come with up to an AMD Ryzen 9 6900HS CPU, which can be paired with up to 64GB DDR5 RAM and up to 2TB PCIe 4.0 M.2 NVMe SSD. As for graphics, the Corsair gaming laptop will be equipped with an AMD Radeon RX6800M GPU. The laptop includes a full-size Cherry MX low-profile mechanical keyboard with per-key RGB backlighting as well as a full-HD webcam. It sports a 16-inch 2560×1600 QHD+ IPS screen that offers 240Hz refresh rate and supports AMD FreeSync Premium technology.

The gaming laptop supports two Thunderbolt 3 USB 4.0 ports, one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, one USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A, one SDXC 7.0 card reader, and one audio jack. The Corsair Voyager a1600 gaming laptop will feature an advanced compact vapour chamber cooling system that evenly spreads heat, achieving lower temperatures with a thinner profile than traditional cooling methods, according to the company.

Moreover, the laptop comes with Bluetooth v5.2 and will run on Windows 11 operating system. It will be packed with a 6,410mAh battery with support for 99W fast charging.

The Corsair Voyager a1600 gaming laptop comes with ten easy-access customisable S-key shortcut touch buttons that are placed above the keyboard. These buttons are powered by the Elgato Stream Deck software and offers one-touch streaming controls. The laptop also features a directional 4-microphone array with ambient noise cancellation that captures the user’s voice even in busy environments, as per the company.

“We are extremely excited to partner with Corsair to launch the first Voyager laptop exclusively with AMD Advantage design framework,” said Frank Azor, chief architect of Gaming Solutions at AMD. “The Corsair Voyager a1600 is the first truly mobile streaming solution; coupled with AMD smart technologies like SmartShift MAX, users can automatically unleash the full potential of this laptop whether gaming, streaming, or creating,” Frank further added.

In terms of dimensions, the Corsair Voyager a1600 gaming laptop comes in 356mm x 286.7mm x 19.9mm and weighs 2.4kg.

This week on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast, we discuss the Surface Pro 8, Go 3, Duo 2, and Laptop Studio — as Microsoft sets a vision for Windows 11 hardware. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Apple Reportedly Looking to Boost Production in India, Vietnam

Apple has told some of its contract manufacturers that it wants to increase production outside China, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

India and Vietnam, which are already sites of Apple production, are among the countries short-listed by the company as alternatives, the report added.

Apple last month forecast bigger supply problems as COVID-19 lockdowns slowed production and demand in China.

The report said that Apple is citing China’s strict anti-COVID policy and other reasons for its decision.

Apple declined to comment to WSJ and couldn’t be immediately reached by Reuters on Saturday.

Earlier this month, Apple supplier Foxconn had predicted a tough quarter for the parts maker. Foxconn warned that current-quarter revenue for its electronics business including smartphones could slip as growth slowed amid rising inflation and cooling demand in locked-down China, as well as escalating supply chain issues.

The Taiwanese firm, the world’s largest contract electronics maker, has grappled with a severe shortage of chips like other global manufacturers, which has hurt smartphone production including for its major client Apple.

While the company reiterated that COVID-19 controls in China only had a limited impact on its production as it kept workers on-site in a “closed loop” system, demand for its products in the country has suffered as people remain shut in. The slowdown has recently been exacerbated with a downturn in major markets due to high inflation and the war in Ukraine.

© Thomson Reuters 2022

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness Box Office Crosses $800 Million Milestone

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has grossed $803 million (Rs. 6,235 crore) at the worldwide box office, since its release in theatres on May 6, to emerge as the second-highest-grossing Hollywood movie of the pandemic era. The top spot, as we all know, is occupied by the Tom Holland-led superhero film Spider-Man: No Way Home, which raked in $1.89 billion (Rs. 1,46,766 crore) during its theatrical run. That said, the Doctor Strange sequel has outperformed films such as action thriller F9: The Fast Saga ($726 million), the James Bond thriller No Time To Die($774.2 million), and The Robert Pattinson-led DC film The Batman(($768.5 million).

Of the $803 million so far, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has collected $342.1 million (Rs. 2,655 crore) in the US and Canada. The remaining $461.1 million (Rs. 3,578 crore) came from nearly 49 markets elsewhere, with South Korea ($45.9 million), the UK ($43.8 million), Mexico ($35.7 million), and Brazil ($29.2 million) being the major contributors. The film, needless to say, hasn’t been released in China and Russia.

Doctor Strange 2 Review: The Multiverse of Madness is Too Much and Too Little

In India, the second Doctor Strange movie has collected nearly Rs.122 crore so far, overshadowing the Ranveer Singh-led Hindi-language comedy-drama Jayeshbhai Jordaar. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness might have benefited from the fact that it was released in India nearly a month and a half after SS Rajamouli’s Telugu-language period action drama RRR, and nearly three weeks after the Kannada-language actioner K.G.F: Chapter 2.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness remained in top position worldwide during the May 20 to May 22 weekend, collecting nearly $32 million (Rs.2,484) in the domestic market alone over its third weekend. It faced limited competition from the historical drama Downton Abbey: A New Era as the film collected $16 million (Rs.1,241 crore) to secure the second spot on box office charts in the US. This, however, is not surprising as the title, a sequel to the 2019 feature film adaptation of the period TV show Downton Abbey, caters primarily to older adults.

The second Doctor Strange movie is, however, not the only film to make headlines this week as the action-packed adventure movie Uncharted — also starring Holland — crossed the $400 million (Rs. 31.03 crore) mark worldwide while the animated adventure feature Sonic the Hedgehog 2 crossed $375 million (Rs.29.09 crore). While Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness still has enough gas in the tank to put up good numbers in the days to come, it will face competition from the Tom Cruise-fronted action movie Top Gun: Maverick when it releases May 27 in theatres globally.

Directed by Sam Raimi, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness explores the concept of a multiverse, which was introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe through the Tom Hiddleston-led series Loki and examined further in Spider-Man: No Way Home. Headlined by Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness cast includes Chiwetel Ejiofor, Xochitl Gomez, and Benedict Wong in key roles.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is playing in cinemas globally.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Apple Music Subscription Price for Students Hiked in India, Other Countries

Apple Music subscription price for students has been increased in India and some other markets. As a result of the update, Apple is charging Rs. 59 a month to college students for accessing its music streaming service in the country. Apple Music subscription for regular users has, however, not been revised and still starts at Rs. 99 a month. Apple has informed its student subscribers about the change through an email. Apple Music student subscription is claimed to offer access to 90 million songs and more than 30,000 expert-curated playlists. The bundled offerings with the service are identical to those the iPhone maker is offering to its regular customers under the Individual plan.

The company’s official site is reflecting the revised pricing of the Apple Music subscription for student users. It shows that the service is available at Rs. 59 a month. This is an over 20 percent increase from the earlier monthly charge of Rs. 49.

According to a report MacRumors, the change is not limited to India but is in place for student subscribers in other regions as well. These include Australia, Indonesia, Israel, Kenya, Malaysia, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, and the Philippines.

Despite the revision, Apple is still offering the student subscription with a discount over the regular Individual plan that is priced at Rs. 99 a month in India. Apple Music Family plan is also available to have access to the service for up to six people at Rs. 149 a month. Further, Apple offers Apple Music Voice at a monthly charge of Rs. 49.

The student subscription is specifically meant for university students. Users signing up for the service need to verify their university enrolment via discount site UniDays. A valid payment method is also required to be added to the Apple ID for billing the subscription.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on Twitter, Facebook, and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Bitcoin Regains $30,000 Territory as Ether and Most Altcoin Show Strong Upside Over the Weekend



Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Reportedly Looking to Raise $1.7 Billion in Fresh Funding

Aerospace firm SpaceX is looking to raise $1.7 billion (roughly Rs. 13,192 crore) in fresh funding, a massive initiative as its controversial founder Elon Musk continues to make news, television channel CNBC reported Sunday.

Citing a company-wide email the network said it obtained, CNBC reported the space travel pioneer would be paying $70 (roughly Rs. 5,430) a share — 25 percent above the $56 (roughly Rs. 4,345) a share the stock traded for in February after a stock split.

That would value the 20-year-old firm — the first private company to send astronauts into orbit, among many other firsts — at $127 billion (roughly Rs. 9,85,650 crore).

That valuation has climbed steadily in recent years as SpaceX raised billions to finance work on its next-generation Starship rocket and its Starlink global satellite internet network.

Meanwhile, independent online website Insider reported this week that SpaceX had paid $250,000 (roughly Rs. 2 crore) to resolve a complaint for alleged sexual misconduct by Musk against an attendant on a SpaceX corporate jet.

The 50-year-old Musk has rejected the charge, saying Thursday on Twitter that “for the record, those wild accusations are utterly untrue.”

Musk, who is also the CEO of carmaker Tesla, said he was making a $44 billion (roughly Rs. 3,41,501 crore) offer to buy Twitter.

But this week he said he first needed clarity on the prevalence of fake or spam accounts on the popular social media platform before moving forward with the purchase.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

iQoo Neo 6 India Launch Date Set for May 31, Will Feature Snapdragon 870 5G SoC: Expected Price, Specifications

iQoo Neo 6 launch date in India has been confirmed to be May 31. The Chinese company announced that the smartphone will hit Indian markets with Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 5G chipset and 80W flash charge. This is different from the China variant of the iQoo Neo 6, which featured a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC. The handset is expected to come in two colour options and house up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of inbuilt storage. Amazon had reportedly pushed out a notification last week indicating that the handset from iQoo will launch in India on May 31. Recent reports have also indicated that the sale of the smartphone may take place in the first week of June.

iQoo 6 Neo 6 launch date

iQoo Neo 6 launch date in India has been confirmed to be May 31 on Twitter, and there is a microsite on Amazon India that also teases the specifications. Earlier this week, the launch date was leaked by the e-commerce site when it reportedly pushed out a notification. Another report claimed that the sale of the upcoming iQoo smartphone would take place in the first week of June.

iQoo Neo 6 price in India (rumoured)

iQoo Neo 6 is expected to be priced at over Rs. 29,000 for its base model, as per a recent leak by tipster Paras Guglani. Meanwhile, its highest variant is tipped to have a price range higher than Rs. 31,000. iQoo Neo 6 is expected to be available in two colour options — Dark Nova and Interstellar.

iQoo Neo 6 specifications (leaked)

iQoo Neo 6’s Indian variant is expected to sport a 6.62-inch E4 AMOLED display with up to a 120Hz refresh rate, according to the tipster. The handset will run on Android 12. iQoo Neo 6 in India is confirmed to be powered by the Snapdragon 870 5G. The China variant of the iQoo Neo 6 was launched in mid-April, and features QualcommSnapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC.

As mentioned earlier, the Indian variant of the iQoo Neo 6 is said house up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of inbuilt storage. The handset is said to include a 16-megapixel front camera, apart from a triple camera setup with 64-megapixel (OIS), 8-megapixel, and 2-megapixel sensors. iQoo Neo 6 Indian variant is expected to house a 4,700mAh battery. The handset is also said to feature 80W fast charging.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Elon Musk-Twitter Deal Is a ‘Breath of Hope’, Says Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro called Elon Musk’s proposed takeover of Twitter a “breath of hope” as the two met in Brazil on Friday, adding he hoped the US billionaire would help end the “lies” about his widely criticised stewardship of the Amazon rainforest.

Bolsonaro and Musk, the CEO of electric carmaker Tesla and rocket company SpaceX, met to discuss rural Internet connectivity and monitoring of the Amazon. The meeting comes at a sensitive time for both men.

Bolsonaro faces an uphill battle to get re-elected in the October, and has become increasingly isolated on the global stage, while Musk was on Thursday accused of sexual harassment in a news report – an allegation he denies.

Bolsonaro, a far-right nationalist, has blasted major social media platforms for their efforts to combat disinformation, including taking down his baseless comments linking COVID-19 vaccines to developing AIDS. Musk, who Bolsonaro called a “legend of liberty,” has vowed to defend free speech on Twitter.

Bolsonaro has been globally condemned for advocating more mining and farming in the Amazon and for Brazil’s environmental backsliding. Recent satellite data show deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon has surged to a 15-year high under Bolsonaro.

Speaking alongside Musk at an upscale hotel in the countryside near Sao Paulo, Bolsonaro hailed the billionaire’s bid for Twitter, saying “it was like a breath of hope.”

“We need, and are counting on Elon Musk for the Amazon to be known by all in Brazil and the world, to show … how we have protected it, and how much harm is caused by those who spread lies about that region,” he told a news conference.

Later, in a press conference without Musk, Bolsonaro gushed about meeting the US billionaire. “It’s the start of a relationship which I’m sure will soon end in marriage,” he said.

Bolsonaro added that Musk’s Twitter purchase would represent “the freedom of press that we always want and desire, total freedom, without limit,” he said.

Bolsonaro also said that he was making Brazil’s Alcântara space base near the equator available to Musk’s rockets.

Musk tweeted on Friday afternoon that he aimed to discuss further monitoring of the rainforest and an effort to bring broadband internet to rural areas – a scheme that he had previously discussed with members of Bolsonaro’s government.

Musk was not asked about harassment allegations when he took questions after arriving in Sao Paulo, where he was also greeted by business leaders such as Telecom Italia Chief Executive Pietro Labriola and Banco BTG Pactual Chairman Andre Esteves.

Musk’s meeting with Bolsonaro, a longtime conservative firebrand who defends Brazil’s 1964-1985 military dictatorship, is indicative of the right-ward drift of his personal politics. On Wednesday, he said he previously voted for Democrats, but will now vote for Republicans.

For Bolsonaro, who has worried international observers as many fear that he may refuse to hand over power if he loses the October election, Musk’s visit was a public relations coup.

Bolsonaro lost an ally when former US President Donald Trump lost his 2020 re-election bid, and has not spoken with US President Joe Biden since the Democrat took office.

© Thomson Reuters 2022

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Scientists Synthesise Next-Generation Wonder Material Graphyne, an Allotrope of Carbon, for the First Time

Scientists have long tried to create new allotropes (forms) of carbon because of their versatility and usefulness for the industry. But only limited success was achieved so far. That is set to change now. In a major breakthrough, researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder, US, have successfully synthesised the long-hypothesised “next-generation wonder material” graphyne. An allotrope of carbon, graphyne is similar to graphene, which is highly valued by industry. In fact, the research on graphene was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2010. However, scientists were able to create only a few fragments before now, despite decades of work and theorising.

Carbon allotropes like graphene and fullerene were created using traditional chemistry methods. But these methods don’t allow synthesis of different forms of carbon in large capacity, like what’s required for graphyne. Wei Zhang, a professor of chemistry at CU Boulder, then decided to give it a try. Zhang studies reversible chemistry which allows bonds to self-correct, allowing for the creation of novel ordered structures.

Using a process called alkyne metathesis as well as thermodynamics and kinetic control, the researchers were able to successfully create a material that could rival the conductivity of graphene but with control. “There’s a pretty big difference (between graphene and graphyne) but in a good way,” said Zhang. “This could be the next generation of a wonder material. That’s why people are very excited.”

Scientists believe the breakthrough research would open new possibilities for electronics, optics and semiconducting material research. The researchers have published their findings in the journal Nature Synthesis.

“The whole audience, the whole field, is really excited that this long-standing problem, or this imaginary material, is finally getting realized,” Yiming Hu, lead author on the paper and a PhD student in Zhang’s lab group, said in a statement issued by the university. The researchers now want to study this material in detail, including how to create it on a large scale.

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on Twitter, Facebook, and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel.

Researchers Reveal How Mars Has Discreet Auroras Without Presence of Global Magnetic Field

WhatsApp Request Account Info Feature Rolling Out on Desktop: Report



Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Exit mobile version