Here’s a look at this week’s top 10 tech news.
Contents
Times Internet Limited launches itimes.com
Times Internet Limited (TIL) launched itimes.com, an interest networking website.
"Itimes.com is oriented around building communities around the topics people care to read about. It’s an interesting proposition and we hope that it will engage users and help create and curate relevant content" said Satyan Gajwani, CEO, TIL.
The website will feature over 5,000 interests within which users will be able to share photos, start discussions, create events and even build a following.
Cognizant to acquire 6 companies of the C1 Group
Cognizant entered into an agreement to acquire 6 companies of the C1 Group, an independent consulting and IT services firm based in Hamburg, Germany.
"This strategic acquisition underscores our commitment to the German and the larger European markets, and reinforces our position as one of the top consulting and IT services companies across the region" said Francisco D’Souza, CEO, Cognizant, in a statement.
The acquired companies will be focusing on 3 industry segments including manufacturing and logistics, energy and utilities and financial services.
Twitter offers users an archive of their tweets
Twitter announced the availability of an archive of tweets tweeted by users on the microblogging website. Users will now be able to download a complete history of their tweets and retweets.
"We look forward to seeing the old Tweets you uncover. Tweets can be searched by month, words, phrases and even @usernames. As you go through all of your Tweets, share your favorites using #TwitterArchive" said the company in an official blog post.
Sabeer Bhatia led AMP Technologies unveils new facility in Chennai
Sabeer Bhatia led AMP Technologies announced the launch of its new facility in Chennai which will employ over a 1,000 professionals. The company’s cloud based platform delivers lease administration, finance and accounting and due diligence services to commercial real estate investors.
"We give you a real-time indication on what is going on with the real estate that you manage" said Sabeer Bhatia.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos files airbag patent for smartphones, tablets and other devices
Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon has been granted a patent for a new motion sensing technology which consists of an airbag that can protect smartphones, tablets, cameras and other devices.
"Prior to impact between a surface and a device, a determination of a risk of damage to the device is made. If the risk of damage to the device exceeds a threshold, a protection system is activated to reduce or eliminate damage to the device" said the patent which reportedly involves the use of a gadget’s built in camera, gyroscope, and other onboard sensors.
Oracle buys Eloqua for $817 million
Oracle announced the acquisition of Eloqua, a firm developing software for cloud based marketing automation.
"Eloqua’s leading marketing automation cloud will become the centerpiece of the Oracle Marketing Cloud and is an important addition to the Oracle Customer Experience offering" said Thomas Kurian, Executive VP, Oracle Development. NASDAQ listed Eloqua has a current market capitalization of over $800 million and the deal saw equity exchanging hands for $23.50 per share.
Facebook launches Poke for Mobile
Facebook introduced Poke, an iPhone app which allows users to send messages, pictures or videos to friends. These messages will expire after 1,3,5 or 10 seconds. Users can set the number of seconds after which the message will be erased from the receiver’s app. Multiple friends can be poked at once.
TCS to hire 16,500 IT and BPO professionals at Rajarhat campus
TCS announced that it will be hiring more than 16,500 IT and BPO professionals at its new software development campus in Rajarhat, Kolkata. The 40 acre campus is being built at a cost of over Rs. 1,350 crore.
"The new TCS Rajarhat facility will drive the next phase of our growth in the eastern region and help us access skilled professionals and students from in and around Kolkata" said Ajoy Mukherjee, Executive VP and Global Head, Human Resources, TCS.
The first phase of construction is expected to be completed by Q1 2014 and the second by end of 2014. India’s largest IT services provider has also undertaken a unique skill development initiative at an on-site Construction Skill Training Center.
PSY’ Gangnam Style crosses 1 billion views on YouTube
K-pop artist PSY’s Gangnam Style video crossed a billion views on YouTube. The most watched video on YouTube has been liked by over 6 million users.
"For those interested in the business side: a number of assessments and projections have been posted claiming Gangnam Style has generated over $8.1 million in advertising deals, hit more than 2.9 million in song downloads since July, and achieved other incredible feats" said a post on YouTube’s official blog.
Google Music launches free scan and match feature
A service similar to that of iTunes Match and Amazon’s scan and match service, Google Music will now sync users’ music library to an online storage. Songs will be stored online, which will be streamed at 320 kpbs to users via the Google Play Music App or play.google.com/music. While competitors charge $25 per year for similar services, Google offers it for free.
