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  Samsung  Electronics  stayed on as the world's second-largest tablet computer vendor in the second quarter of the year, a report showed on Friday, as it strives to catch up with industry leader Apple. The South Korean giant logged a market share of 18 percent in the April-June period, after shipping 8.2 million Galaxy Tab tablets, up 19 percent from a year ago, according to market researcher Strategy Analytics. "The Android  tablet market  is undergoing big changes as vendors retool their portfolios for more productivity solutions for the hybrid work and digital learning era," Chirag Upadhyay, an analyst at Strategy Analytics, said. " Samsung  leads the segment with its Galaxy Tab S7, including premium features like 5G connectivity." Apple defended its top position with a 35 percent share as its iPad shipments jumped 11 percent on-year to 15.8 million units in the second quarter, reports Yonhap news agency. Lenovo Group came in third with a 10 percen

  Home-grown  electronics  manufacturer  Micromax  is all set to launch the  Micromax  In 2b on Friday at 12 pm IST. The upcoming device is going to be the fourth IN-series handset after the IN Note 1, IN 1b and In 1  smartphones. The company made a comeback to India’s price-conscious smartphone market with the launch of IN Mobile series in November last year. The firm is also reportedly working on its In 2C smartphone with its launch scheduled for the next month. Micromax  In 2b will be available on the e-commerce site Flipkart and Micromaxinfo.com. Ahead of the launch of the new In 2b smartphone, Micromax released a teaser revealing its colour variants and design. According to the promotional video, Micromax In 2b will be available in three different colours; blue, black and green. Going by some media reports, the device is likely to be more suitable for entry-level smartphone users. It is also said to deliver at least 30 per cent improved graphic performance as compared to its prede

  After a slight delay in launch, London-based tech start-up Nothing’s first audio product is finally here. Called the  Nothing  ear (1), this pair of wireless earbuds boasts a novel and distinct transparent design. Priced at Rs 5,999, the ear (1) is full of features, including some that you find only in expensive wireless earbuds, such as active noise cancellation and wireless charging. On paper, the  Nothing  ear (1) seems to beat the competition hands down. But is it equally good in real-life experience? Let’s find out: Design The  Nothing  ear (1) looks different, in a good way. Unlike other wireless earbuds, the ear (1) has a semi-transparent design, for both earbuds and charging-cum-storage case. One must give it to Nothing’s co-founder Carl Pei for taking the bold decision of going ahead with a semi-transparent design for the ear (1) simply because it is always easy to cover things up using pretty props; adding finesse on a naked design takes some effort. That said, the ea

  When vehicles that were concept cars or showstoppers at motor shows become market-ready and roll out at dealerships in your town, you know that the brands have reached a tipping point and it’s a matter of time before the models become commonplace. That’s the case with  electric cars  the world over. They are increasingly becoming more prevalent with new model launches, as brands such as Lamborghini, Lotus and more launch cars that they say will be their very last “fossil fuel” version. To be sure, this Audi’s latest launch is not the first electric SUV in the market. There have been others that range from the mass market Hyundai Kona to the Mercedes-Benz EQC in recent years. But what makes the e-tron SUV (Q5 equivalent) special is that from inside and out it looks and feels the same as a regular  Audi  SUV. Except that there’s no gear, no sound and no engine. However, it has an auditory feature that throws up a soft but audible whirring sound like a spaceship while driving as w

  Apple  Inc. and Google-parent Alphabet Inc. have each managed to make copious sets of obscene amounts of money in any environment — pandemic or not. But the paths for the two technology behemoths may start to diverge later this year. Both companies reported blowout numbers late Tuesday that far exceeded Wall Street expectations.  Apple  posted adjusted earnings per share of $1.30, compared with an average analyst estimate of $1.01, resulting in a quarterly profit of $21.7 billion for the three months ended in June. Likewise, Alphabet generated earnings per share of $27.26, ahead of the $19.35 consensus, while generating net income of $18.5 billion for its second quarter. Shares of  Apple  fell in after-hours trading, while Alphabet’s stock climbed. There’s a logic behind the reactions. No two tech giants are the same, and it comes down to their business models. Take Apple. For all the talk about its software-and-services businesses, the company’s foundation still relies on the

  Three of the world’s largest companies --  Apple  Inc.,  Microsoft  Corp. and  Alphabet  Inc. -- reported about $57 billion in combined profit in a record-busting quarter, riding a resurgence in consumer and business spending. Yet markets responded coolly. In part, investors were skeptical that these companies can continue to post double-digit growth for quarters to come. The world’s largest tech companies have gotten larger at a torrid rate. Their market valuations have skyrocketed this year as world economies rebounded from pandemic lows -- with both  Apple  and  Microsoft  topping $2 trillion in market value -- adding pressure to keep up the pace. All the companies were bullish about their prospects, but investor optimism was tempered by signs that the momentum of the past year may be ebbing. “All three of these companies -- Apple, Microsoft, Google -- are just performing phenomenally,” Jeremy Bryan, a portfolio manager at Gradient Investments, said in an interview with Bloo

  India ranks fifth highest in terms of the impact from  automation  and ninth in terms of level preparedness, according to a recent research study conducted by Deloitte and commissioned by Autodesk Foundation. The country faces a greater likelihood of being impacted by  automation  due to larger employment shares in agriculture, manufacturing and construction -- all identified as high-risk industries by the report titled 'The Future of Work is Now: Is APAC Ready?' It explores the state of  automation  and future of work across 12 Asia Pacific countries including Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The report aims to help identify the labour markets most vulnerable to technological disruption in A-Pac and propose solutions to help workforces thrive as automation becomes a reality. The research finds India, Bangladesh and Pakistan are most at risk and least prepared for the comi

  By Stephen Nellis (Reuters) - Apple Inc  said on Tuesday that a global chip shortage that has bit into its ability to sell Macs and iPads will start to affect iPhone production and forecasted slowing revenue growth, sending its shares lower. Apple executives said revenue for the current fiscal fourth quarter will grow by double-digits but be below the 36.4% growth rate in the just-ended third quarter. Growth will also slow in Apple's closely watched services business, they said. In a conference call with investors, Apple executives also said that while the impact of the chip shortage was less severe than feared in the third quarter, it will get worse in the fourth, extending to iPhone production. Shares of Apple, whose valuation has more than doubled in about three years to nearly $2.5 trillion, were down 1.7% to $144.24 in after-hours trading after the call. Earlier in the day, Apple reported third-quarter sales and profits that beat analyst expectations as consumers b

  By Akanksha Rana and Julia Love (Reuters) - Microsoft  Corp posted its most profitable quarter on Tuesday, beating Wall Street expectations for revenue and earnings, as PC sales declines stemming from a global chip shortage were more than made up for by a boom in cloud services. Shares ticked up 0.7% after  Microsoft  projected that growth in its Azure  cloud computing  business will continue apace following a quarter in which sales climbed 51%. Overall revenue rose 21% to $46.2 billion, beating analysts' consensus by about $2 billion, according to IBES data from Refinitiv. The pandemic-driven shift to remote work has boosted consumer appetite for cloud-based computing, helping companies including Microsoft, Amazon.com Inc's cloud unit and Alphabet Inc's Google Cloud. Microsoft's "guidance was off-the-charts strong and it shows the cloud growth story in Redmond is hitting its next gear," said Daniel Ives of Wedbush Securities. Revenue in Microsof

  By Sheila Dang and Nivedita Balu (Reuters) - Google  parent Alphabet Inc's quarterly revenue and profit surged to record highs, the company reported on Tuesday, powered by a rise in advertising spending as more consumers shopped online. Shares of Alphabet, the world's largest provider of search and video ads, rose 3.3% in extended trading after the results, which handily beat analyst estimates. Shares of Facebook, which competes with  Google  in web ad sales and reports its own results on Wednesday, rose 1.3%. Overall, it was a stellar day for the big U.S. tech companies - Apple and Microsoft also reported record earnings. With consumers spending more time online during the coronavirus pandemic, retailers have been pushing to reach them there, whether they're shopping for products using  Google  search or watching videos on YouTube. The nascent U.S. economic rebound that's accompanied the vaccine rollout and the easing of restrictions is also helping as consum

  Three tech companies Apple, Microsoft and  Google  owner Alphabet reported combined profits of more than USD 50 billion in the April-June quarter, underscoring their unparalleled influence and success at reshaping the way we live. Although these companies make their money in different ways, the results served as another reminder of the clout they wield and why government regulators are growing increasingly concerned about whether they have become too powerful. The massive profits pouring into each company also illustrated why they have a combined market value of USD 6.4 trillion -- more than double their collective value when the COVID-19 pandemic started 16 months ago. APPLE Apple's first iPhone model capable of connecting to ultrafast 5G wireless networks continued to power major increases in quarterly revenue and profits for tech's most valuable company. With iPhone sales posting double-digit growth over the previous year for the third consecutive quarter, Apple's pr

  ·         Smartphone maker  Oppo  expects online sales to contribute about 50 per cent to overall business of the company in this year with its reach expanding to smaller towns as well through e-retailers, a senior company official said on Monday. ·         Oppo  India Chief Marketing Officer Damyant Singh Khanoria told PTI that as part of its omnichannel strategy the company is looking to focus on its online presence. ·         "Our intent and ambition from the e-commerce platform is to really drive about 50 per cent of overall business through ecommerce. It's Flipkart and we are also ramping up our own presence in e-commerce," Khanoria said when asked about the business outlook of the company for the year. ·         Oppo  has been primarily focussing on retail channel partners but now it will enhance partnership with ecommerce companies. ·         According to the market research firm IDC, Oppo's business increased around 35 per cent in the first quarter of 2021 w

  American information technology company Hewlett-Packard on Monday launched in India the Victus 16 range of gaming laptop. Powered by AMD Ryzen and Intel Core processors, the Victus 16  laptops  boast high resolution screen of fast refresh rate, enhanced thermal control features, and HP’s proprietary OMEN Gaming Hub. The Victus by  HP  E series laptops, powered by AMD Ryzen processor, will be available on Amazon at a price starting at Rs 64,999. The Victus by  HP  D series laptops, powered by 11th Gen Intel processor, is priced Rs 74,999 onwards. It will be available on Reliance digital store in coming weeks. “We are on the cusp of a major gaming boom in India based on the rising popularity of gaming witnessed in the last few years. For youngsters in India, gaming is increasingly becoming a passion point like music or any other sport. In fact,  HP  India’s recent Gaming Landscape Report 2021 suggests that over 90 per cent respondents agree that gaming is a viable career option. Be

  Chinese electronics maker  Lenovo  on Monday launched in India the Legion 5 Pro gaming laptop. Powered by AMD Ryzen 5000 H-series processors, the gaming-centric laptop boasts up to 140W NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 discrete graphic processing unit. Priced at Rs 1,39,990 (for NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060, 16GB) and Rs 1,59,990 (for NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070, 32GB), the  Lenovo  Legion 5 Pro is now available for pre-ordered on Amazon India and  Lenovo  online portal. It will be available at retail stores from August. As for the specifications, the  Lenovo Legion  5 Pro is powered by the Ryzen 7 5800H processor, which is built on AMD's ‘Zen 3’ architecture. According to Lenovo, the gaming laptop is equipped to deliver competitive gaming and productivity performance with lightning-fast frame rates and uncompromised battery life of up to 8.1 hours. The Legion 5 Pro comes with the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 30 Series discrete graphics processing unit. These GPUs boast Nvidia’s 2nd Generation Ray Traci

  By Elizabeth Culliford (Reuters) - A counterterrorism organization formed by some of the biggest U.S. tech companies including  Facebook  and Microsoft is significantly expanding the types of extremist content shared between firms in a key database, aiming to crack down on material from white supremacists and far-right militias, the group told Reuters. Until now, the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism's (GIFCT) database has focused on videos and images from terrorist groups on a United Nations list and so has largely consisted of content from Islamist extremist organizations such as Islamic State, al Qaeda and the Taliban. Over the next few months, the group will add attacker manifestos - often shared by sympathizers after white supremacist violence - and other publications and links flagged by U.N. initiative Tech Against Terrorism. It will use lists from intelligence-sharing group Five Eyes, adding URLs and PDFs from more groups, including the Proud Boys, the Thre

  Chinese smartphone maker  OPPO  has been consistent in upgrading its Reno line of smartphones, but the changes that successive editions have brought are mostly incremental. Take for example the recently launched Reno6 Pro  5G.  A successor to the  Reno 5 Pro  5G  (review) , this smartphone brings a slightly more powerful processor (MediaTek Dimensity 1200) and OPPO’s new camera-centric innovations. Priced at Rs 39,990, the Reno6 Pro  5G  is about Rs 13,000 more expensive than the  Realme X7 Max (review) , the only other MediaTek Dimensity 1200 system-on-chip-powered smartphone currently available in India. So, should you pay for the Reno6 Pro 5G more than you would pay for its peers in the same league just for its camera innovations? Or is there more to it that makes it a worthy package? Let us find out: Design OPPO  keeps experimenting with the back cover design in its Reno  smartphones.  There is some of that here, too. Though the smartphone looks similar to its predecessor,