Tech Bites

The Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope instrument onboard ' Pragyan ' rover of Chandrayaan-3 has unambiguously confirmed the presence of sulphur on the lunar surface near south pole, through first-ever in-situ measurements, ISRO said on Tuesday.  It also said the instrument also detected aluminium, calcium, iron, chromium, titanium, manganese, silicon and oxygen, as expected. "The Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) instrument onboard Chandrayaan-3 Rover has made the first-ever in-situ measurements on the elemental composition of the lunar surface near the south pole. These in-situ measurements confirm the presence of Sulphur (S) in the region unambiguously, something that was not feasible by the instruments onboard the orbiters," the space agency said in a statement. According to ISRO, LIBS is a scientific technique that analyses the composition of materials by exposing them to intense laser pulses. "A high-energy laser pulse is focused onto the ...

Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi  reported a 4 percent revenue drop in the second quarter, tracking a shrinkage in China's handset market, but said its move into making electric vehicles was running ahead of schedule. Sales dropped to CNY 67.4 billion (nearly Rs. 76,450 crore) from CNY 70.17 billion (nearly Rs. 80,650 crore) in the same quarter a year earlier, but beating analysts' estimates of CNY 65.13 billion (nearly Rs. 74,860 crore). Net income rose to CNY 5.14 billion (nearly Rs. 5,830 crore) over the period, an increase of 147 percent from CNY 2.08 billion (nearly Rs. 2,390 crore) a year earlier, also beating expectations. The company put the increase down to cost cutting and efficiency improvements, particularly in its physical stores. "Despite the macroeconomic headwinds in the global market we continue to expand our footprint," Xiaomi President Lu Weibing said on an earnings call.  "Several of our peers already exited from certain areas in this chal...

The Idol has been cancelled at HBO , after just one season. HBO has chosen not to renew the controversial series from Sam Levinson and Abel ‘ The Weeknd ' Tesfaye, which was subjected to poor reception from both critics and audiences alike. Season 1 ended after merely five episodes, despite initially mentioning six planned episodes. This caused many to wonder if the studio was pulling the plug on the show early on due to hate-watching, albeit it was claimed later that it was a communication error. When rumours about the cancellation of a second season began making rounds in June, HBO's PR team stepped in to say that a decision had not been made. “ The Idol was one of HBO's most provocative original programs, and we're pleased by the strong audience response,” an HBO spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter . “After much thought and consideration, HBO, as well as the creators and producers have decided not to move forward with a second season. We're grateful to...

ChatGPT has a new, professional cousin! OpenAI recently introduced ChatGPT Enterprise, a dedicated solution tailored for businesses and professionals who want to use its AI service. In a recent blog post published on Monday, the company expressed its conviction in the potential of AI to enhance all facets of professional activities, fostering heightened creativity and productivity within teams. Major step for OpenAI The unveiling of ChatGPT Enterprise signifies a notable step towards an AI assistant uniquely attuned to workplace demands. This AI solution adeptly handles a spectrum of tasks, conforms to organizational specifications, and prioritizes the safeguarding of corporate data. The current landscape is abuzz with discussions surrounding the transformative influence of AI across diverse industries. OpenAI evidently aspires to position itself as the vanguard of this transformative movement. The latest iteration of the chatbot addresses previous concerns over data privacy and s...

The Indian Space Research Organisation or ISRO is going to attempt a brave mission to create history, yet again. The Indian space organisation is planning to launch the Aditya-L1 observatory, on board the PSLV-C57 rocket on September 2, 2023, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre SHAR Sriharikota, India. The mission is to place the Aditya L1 observatory at Lagrange Point 1 or L1, a special point between the sun and the Earth, from where it will be able to study the star with an uninterrupted view. For this mission, ISRO is going to spend over Rs 400 crores. If that number seems high, rest assured, that’s not the case — after all, ISRO has a knack of completing its space missions at an abnormally low cost. But why is ISRO placing an observatory at L1 or Lagrange Point 1 in the first place? What is a Lagrange Point There are several points in our solar system, where the gravity of the sun, is equal to the gravity of a planet. These are called Lagrange Points. In total, there are 5 such...

Oppo is all set to launch new A series phones, which also includes Oppo A38. The smartphone has reportedly been spotted on various certification sites. While the company is yet to confirm the launch of the smartphone, a recent report has leaked the renders and specification of the purported Oppo A38. The handset is expected to be the successor of the Oppo A36 , which was launched last year in January. It came equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 SoC, paired with 8GB of RAM and 256GB internal storage. An Appuals report , in collaboration with tipster Sudhansu Ambhore, has leaked the renders, price and certain specifications of the upcoming Oppo A38. The smartphone is said to come in Black and Gold colour variants. The pricing of the smartphone is expected to be around EUR 159 (nearly Rs. 14,200) for the 4GB RAM + 128GB storage variant.  While the company has not revealed any details about the smartphone, it is reportedly slated to launch in Europe in September. The phone could ...

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stressed that a comprehensive set of rules are necessary govern the crypto sector. PM Modi, during an exclusive interview with Business Today said that it is only wise to keep up pace with advancements in the technological sector. The regulation of cryptocurrencies has been among India's top agendas as part of its ongoing G20 Presidency that is scheduled to culminate in December this year. India's finance ministry as well as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) also deem it important that crypto activities are officially governed. PM Modi , during his interview, noted that technologies must be democratised and adopted with a unified approach rather than being overlooked. Talking about the cryptocurrency sector , PM Modi strongly advocated a global consensus-based model that would keep the foundational rules for the sector same for all countries. “The rapid pace of change of technology is a reality—there is no point in ignoring it or wishing it awa...