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  The Indian cricket board could soon get richer by at least Rs 5000 crore with the addition of two new franchises during the 2022 edition of  Indian Premier League. The IPL, which is currently an eight-team tournament, will become a 10-team affair from the next edition and during a recent governing council meeting, the modalities of the bidding process were chalked out. "Any company can buy the bid document paying Rs 75 crore. Earlier top brass was thinking about keeping the base price for two new teams at Rs 1700 crore but later it was decided to keep the base price at Rs 2000 crore," a senior  BCCI  source told PTI on the condition of anonymity. The source, who has dealt with the financial side of  IPL  in the past, said that the  BCCI  stands to gain at least Rs 5000 crore if the bids go as per plan with plenty of large business conglomerates showing active interest in bidding. "The  BCCI  is expecting anything in the range o...

  Celebratory gunfire echoed across Kabul as  Taliban  fighters took control of the airport before dawn on Tuesday following the withdrawal of the last  US  troops, ending 20 years of war that left the Islamic militia stronger than it was in 2001. Shaky video footage distributed by the  Taliban  showed fighters entering the airport after the last  US  troops took off a minute before midnight, marking the end of a hasty and humiliating exit for Washington and its NATO allies. "The last  US  soldier has left Kabul airport and our country gained complete independence,"  Taliban  spokesman Qari Yusuf said, according to Al Jazeera TV. The US Army shared an image taken with night-vision optics of the last US soldier to step aboard the final evacuation flight out of Kabul - Major General Chris Donahue, commander of the 82nd Airborne Division. America's longest war took the lives of nearly 2,500 US troops and an estimated ...

  Apple  is reportedly planning to launch  iPhone  13 lineup next month and now a new report has claimed that the upcoming models will feature low earth orbit (LEO) satellite communication connectivity to allow users to make calls and send messages in areas without cellular coverage, According to the reliable  Apple  analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the upcoming lineup will feature hardware that is able to connect to LEO satellites. This could allow  iPhone  13 users to make calls and send messages without the need for a 4G or 5G cellular connection, reports MacRumors. iPhone  13 is expected to use a customised version of the Qualcomm X60 baseband modem chip. This chip will support communications over satellite. Kuo also noted that the iPhone 13 will use a customised version of the Qualcomm X60 baseband modem chip. This chip will support communications over satellite. A recent survey has revealed that many iPhone users want the upcoming iPhone m...

  TCL  might be a new name in India, but this Chinese electronics maker is well recognised globally for its feature-rich and competitively-priced smart televisions. Expanding its product portfolio in India, the company recently launched its  Android  11 TV platform based smart QLED TVs. Leading the pack are the  TCL  C725 QLED TV models with screen size of up to 65-inch, quantum LED display tech supported by high dynamic range formats (Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR, HLG), Onkyo sound system powered by Dolby Atmos, and wide input and connectivity options. Besides, it is one of the few smart televisions in the market that come with USB-powered plug-and-play webcam (mics integrated) for video calls and meeting over  Google  Duo. On paper, the  TCL  C725 QLED TV seems to be a wholesome package. But is it worth spending Rs 72,990 over for a 55-inch model (review unit)? Let’s find out: Design The TCL C725 QLED TV boasts a bezel-less front prof...

  The pandemic has seen a proliferation of digital bureaucracy, adding to the inconveniences of everyday life and travel. Perhaps all the new apps, QR codes and endless clicking haven’t fazed the web wizards. But what of the millions of digital dinosaurs like me who don’t worship our gadgets? If even my nimble children stumbled down the rabbit hole of the British government’s online Passenger Locator Form and failed to find the right Covid PCR test providers due to badly designed IT, what chance do I have? One answer is go to Estonia, the Baltic republic with a tiny population (just more than 1.3 million people), high-tech achievements and more vaulting international ambitions. Here you can become a naturalized digital citizen, with instant access to all the state’s services, without a geek’s expertise. “For everybody under the age of 35, digital comes naturally. For everybody else it goes against nature,” says Kaja Kallas, Estonia’s prime minister, who I visited in Tallinn, ...

  The PC market in the US grew 17 per cent year on year (YoY) in the second quarter of 2021, with total shipments of desktops, notebooks, tablets and workstations reaching 36.8 million units, says a new report. According to market research firm Canalys, notebooks were the best performers, with shipments up 27 per cent YoY, while desktops showed signs of recovery, increasing 23 per cent. Tablets were almost stagnant, with shipments down 1 per cent, as educators move away from them and the surge of consumer shipments due to the pandemic fades. "It is clear now that pandemic-related use cases will extend well into the future," Brian Lynch, Research Analyst at Canalys, said in a statement. "This points toward a significant refresh opportunity in the future -- fantastic news for PC vendors and their channel and ecosystem partners," Lynch added. For the second quarter in a row, HP led the US PC market, with over 8 million devices shipped. HP continued to dominat...

  Chinese electronics maker  Xiaomi  on Thursday launched in India the Mi TV 5X series of smart televisions. The Mi TV 5X will be available in 43-inch, 50-inch and 55-inch screen sizes priced at Rs 31,999, Rs 41,999 and Rs 47,999, respectively. All three models will be available from September 7 online on Mi India online store and Flipkart, and offline at the Mi Home, Mi Studio and Croma. In partnership with HDFC Bank,  Xiaomi  is offering a cashback of up to Rs 3,000 to HDFC Bank credit cards customers. Besides, the smart televisions will be available with up to 9 months no interest equated monthly installments (no cost EMI) offer from select banks and non-banking financial companies. The Mi TV 5X series is based on Google  Android  10 TV platform with Xiaomi’s PatchWall 4 user interface. The company has integrated IMDb in the user interface to show content’s customer ratings, alongside the collections of top IMDb fan-rated titles themed around genr...

  Expanding its consumer  laptops  line-up in India, Chinese electronics maker  Xiaomi  on Thursday launched the Mi Notebook 2021 series. Powered by 11th Gen Intel Core processors, the series comes with models named the Mi Notebook Ultra and Mi NoteBook Pro. Both the Ultra and the Pro models come in Intel Core i5-11300H and Intel Core i7-11370H processors variant, with options to choose from 8GB RAM and 16GB RAM with the former and 16GB RAM in the latter. Both the Mi NoteBook Ultra and Mi NoteBook Pro run-on Windows 10 Home and will be eligible for free upgrade to Windows 11 when available. They come preloaded with MS Office Home & Student Edition 2019, and Mi SmartShare. The  laptops  will be available online on the Mi online store, Amazon India, and offline at Mi Homes and other retail stores from August 31. Mi NoteBook Ultra: Specifications and features This one is a premium laptop made from a single block of series 6 aluminium. Touted as a ...

  Just over a week after the newly appointed Minister of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) Ashwini Vaishnaw said the government will support startups and entrepreneurs in their initial phase, where they face most challenges, he launched  Startup  Accelerators of MeitY for Product Innovation, Development and Growth (SAMRIDH) programme on Wednesday. SAMRIDH will create a conducive platform for Indian software product startups to enhance their products and secure investments for scaling their business. The programme is being implemented by MeitY  Startup  Hub (MSH). Government will support startups and entrepreneurs in the most challenging phase which is the initial risk phase, Vaishnaw had said earlier. The SAMRIDH initiative will not only provide funding support to startups, but will also help in bringing skill sets together which will help them become successful, Vaishnaw said Wednesday. “Employment in traditional as well as new age industri...

  Analytics firm Tableau has partnered with the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), Ministry of Education, Government of India to equip students and educators from AICTE’s over 10,500 higher learning institutes with modern data analytics skills. Through the partnership,  AICTE  plans to train 500,000 students and faculty over the next two years, said Buddha Chandrashekhar, Chief Coordinating Officer,  AICTE. "That's a great goal, that’s the target we picked up for the next two years. We need to go step by step. We will...by the end of two years, train more than 5 lakh students to get empowered by using Tableau," he added. Through this partnership, Tableau will provide  AICTE  with Tableau Desktop and Tableau Prep licenses, access to eLearning, and sample curriculum material co-created with University professors for educators to get started teaching analytics in classrooms. AICTE has selected over 200 educators as Tableau Champions to ...

  Electric vehicle maker  Tesla  has started to hire roboticists to build its recently announced  Tesla  Bot, a humanoid robot to become a new vehicle for its AI technology. The automaker started listing some roboticist job postings related to  Tesla  Bot -- Mechanical Engineer-Actuator Integration (Humanoid Robot), Mechanical Engineer-Actuator Gear Design (Humanoid Robot), etc, reports Electrek. "The Tesla humanoid robotics modelling team is looking for a highly skilled and motivated colleague that would like to help building the next generation biped robot. You will be working closely with a multi-disciplinary team with the goal to build a humanoid robot that can support manufacturing operators in tedious and exhaustive tasks," Tesla wrote in one of the job descriptions. Recently, Musk announced that his company is working on a humanoid robot and the prototype will arrive sometime next year. The 5.8-inch bot would be used to handle automated ...

  Foraying into the wireless charger segment, American storage device maker Western Digital on Wednesday announced the  SanDisk  Ixpand Wireless Charger portfolio. The new line-up of wireless chargers includes the  SanDisk  Ixpand Wireless Charger Sync and  SanDisk  Ixpand Wireless Charger 15W with adapter. The SanDisk Ixpand Wireless Charger Sync is a one-of-its kind device with functionality of  wireless charging  and data storage integrated in one device. With storage capacity of up to 256GB, the SanDisk Ixpand Wireless Charger Sync allows automatically back up of photos, videos, and contacts while the phone is charging on the wireless charger. Compatible with Qi charging protocol, this charger wirelessly charges the supported smartphone at a peak power of 10W. The SanDisk Ixpand Wireless Charger Sync comes with adaptor and 6-foot (1.8m) cable. It supports multiple backup profiles. For the backup, the charger requires wireless connecti...

  Short-form video app  TikTok  has launched a new creative toolset called  TikTok  Effect Studio -- currently in private beta testing -- that will allow its own developer community to build  augmented reality  (AR) effects for the platform. On a new website titled "Effect House,"  TikTok  is asking interested developers to sign up for early access to Effect Studio. On the form provided, developers fill out their name, email, TikTok account info, company and level of experience with building for AR, as well as examples of their work, reports Engadget. The website also asked if they are using a Mac or PC (presumably to gauge which desktop platform to prioritise), and whether they would test Effect House for work or for personal use. The project was first spotted by social media consultant Matt Navarra, via a tip from Sam Schmir. TikTok confirmed the tech website was launched earlier in August, but the project itself is still in the e...

  The capacity of  data centre  industry is expected to double by 2023 to over 1,000 MW to meet the rising demand amid sharp growth in digitalisation, according to property consultant JLL. The industry's capacity is expected to double from 499 MW in January-June 2021 to 1,008 MW by 2023, it added. MW indicates IT design power load. The capacity expansion is "driven by strong digitalisation, rising cloud adoption and ambitious growth plans of  data centre  operators", JLL  India  said in a statement. JLL released its 'H1 2021  India  Data Centre  Market Update' on Tuesday. Stating that acceleration of digitalisation has forced enterprises to scale up their IT infrastructure, the consultant said a strong demand for co-location/cloud facilities, which offer scalability, security, and connectivity at lower costs, has been witnessed across  India. Investors and global data centre players have increased their commitment during t...

  Leading Wi-Fi solutions provider Netgear on Tuesday launched a new  gaming  router 'Nighthawk XR1000 Pro  Gaming  Wi-Fi 6' in the Indian market at a price point of Rs 31,999. The XR1000 router operates with a Wi-Fi 6 speed of up to 5.4 Gbps and aims to enable a number of users to connect more devices simultaneously, without impacting speed or reliability, by efficiently packing and scheduling data. Wi-Fi 6 operates with 4x increased capacity, which is faster than Wi-Fi 5 (802.11ac) system. One can also manage the XR1000 from their phone using the NETGEAR Nighthawk Mobile App for Android and iOS devices. "Running on DumaOS 3.0, an operating system designed for gamers and streamers of all skill levels, the OS enables the router to stabilize ping, reducing lag spikes, and keeps the player in the game with reliable wired and wireless connectivity for fast-paced  gaming  and solid uploads for content creation," the company said in a statement. The...

  Apple on Wednesday announced that the American technology giant has integrated India’s  Gaana  and JioSaavn music streaming services to its HomePod mini smart speaker. Powered by Siri, the HomePod mini can now take voice command to stream content from these music services, besides Apple Music. However, the newly integrated music services need to be added to the HomePod mini. Here is how to do it: How to set-up  Gaana  and JioSaavn on the HomePod Step 1:  On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, open the app for your streaming service and go to the app settings. A subscription might be required for some streaming services. Step 2:  Tap the option to Connect with HomePod.  Step 3:  Follow the onscreen instructions to set-up music streaming services on the HomePod.  How to choose a default music streaming service on the HomePod Step 1:  Open the Home app on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.  Step 2:  Tap Home , go...