One Thing Today in Tech
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Gurugram to Connaught Place in 7 minutes by air, minus the pollution, for the price of an Uber ride?
InterGlobe Enterprises, the company that operates India's top airline Indigo, and Archer Aviation Inc., an American company that's about to commercialise its electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, said yesterday they have partnered to launch and operate an all-electric air taxi service in India. The two companies aim to work with in-country business partners to bring as many as 200 of Archer's eVTOL aircraft, called Midnight, to India by 2026
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Razorpay steps up Malaysia push, Rahul Kothari named point person for SEA expansion
Razorpay, a leading fintech name in India, yesterday elevated Rahul Kothari to the position of chief operating officer for India and Malaysia. Kothari was previously chief business officer at the company. He will report to founder and CEO Harshil Mathur. The company formed an advisory board earlier this year and is putting in place a leadership structure that will take it to an IPO, eventually
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Razorpay signals intent to step up SEA expansion, names COO for India, Malaysia
Razorpay, a leading fintech name in India, providing a payments platform and banking-as-a-service software to some 10 million businesses, in the country, yesterday elevated Rahul Kothari to the position of chief operating officer for India and Malaysia. Kothari was previously chief business officer at the company. He will report to founder and CEO Harshil Mathur, the Bengaluru company said in a press release yesterday
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Slack CEO Lidiane Jones quits to run Bumble as founder Whitney Wolfe Herd steps down
Bumble yesterday announced that Lidiane Jones, currently the chief executive at Slack, will succeed founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd, on Jan. 2. Wolfe Herd will become Executive Chair at that time, the company said in a press release yesterday. Nasdaq listed Bumble, which will report its fiscal third-quarter earnings later today, is expected to cross a billion dollars in revenue this year. Jones, a former Microsoft executive, will be tasked with a turnaround mandate with Bumble's stock trading at less than a third of its listing price
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Apple iPhone 15 Pro: A quick unboxing
With Diwali less than a week away, we thought a quick unboxing of Apple's latest iPhone would be interesting, as some of you might be considering upgrades. The phone, with the Titanium design, is lighter by almost 30 grams versus last year's 14 Pro. The design has also allowed Apple to shave off the 15 Pro's width and height almost imperceptibly versus its predecessor, while retaining the 6.1-inch display. And the type-C port and the "action button" are other quick highlights
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Apple continues to grow iPhone sales in India amid global dip
Apple, last week, reported another quarter of revenue decline, amid heightened global uncertainties, but also another quarter of strong sales in India. "We achieved an all-time revenue record in India," CEO Tim Cook told analysts and investors in a conference on Thursday last week. Apple shipped a record 2.5 million iPhones to India in the three months ended Sep. 30, according to an estimate from Counterpoint Technology Market Research, last week. Industry estimates suggest Apple may end 2023 with as many as 9 million iPhones shipped to India
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What we want in wireless audio — Findings from Qualcomm's State of Sound report 2023
In the smartphone chip giant's latest annual report on consumer preferences with respect to wireless audio tech, one finding is that people want to use the same device across all use cases, from listening to music or gaming while commuting, and for work. As premium devices expand in capabilities and features, this year's responses suggest that consumers will be willing to spend more on one device which is optimised for multiple purposes, Qualcomm notes in its report
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US President Biden moves to establish AI guardrails with Executive Order
US President Joe Biden yesterday issued an executive order outlining new regulations and safety requirements for artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, as the pace at which such technologies are advancing has been noted by governments around the world. The sweeping executive order addresses various potential harms related to AI technologies and their applications ranging from telecom and wireless networks to energy and cybersecurity. The order introduces a safety measure by defining a threshold based on computing power for AI models
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Qualcomm's State of Sound 2023 report says we want one device to hear them all
In the smartphone chip giant's latest annual report on consumer preferences with respect to wireless audio tech, one finding is that people want to use the same device across all use cases, from listening to music, or gaming, while commuting, and for work. As premium devices expand in capabilities and features, this year's responses suggest that consumers will be willing to spend more on one device which is optimized for multiple purposes, Qualcomm notes in its report
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US to change H1-B rules to curtail fraud, make the process more efficient
Big changes are coming to H1B visa rules, that could have significant impact for India's $245 billion IT services industry and possibly for startup entrepreneurs as well. The proposed changes are aimed at loopholes such as multiple registrations that improve the chances of an applicant in the lottery system for this non-immigrant visa.
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H1-B rule changes coming soon, to discourage fraud, improve flexibility, including startup founders
Big changes are coming to H1B visa rules, that could have significant impact for India's $245 billion IT services industry and for startup entrepreneurs as well. The proposed changes are expected to streamline eligibility requirements, boost program efficiency, provide more benefits and flexibility for both employers and workers, and reinforce integrity measures, the US Department of Homeland Security said in a press release Oct. 20