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Tim Cook and Satya Nadella, who last month embarked on their biggest tours across Southeast Asia in years. The investments they pledged are set to help turn the region into a major battleground between the likes of Amazon, Microsoft and Google in future frontiers such as artificial intelligence and the cloud. The region’s growing workforce is making it a viable alternative to China as a center of talent to support companies’ global operations.

Perplexity AI. Notably, reports by Bloomberg and The Information had also made similar claims in the past, but had refrained from giving a fixed launch date.

Google to file its reply to appeals filed by KukuFM, Shaadi.com and the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation (IBDF) against a Competition Commission of India order. The antitrust regulator in a March 20 order had denied them interim relief in a case over the fee levied by the tech giant for listing apps on its Play Store. The appellate tribunal will likely take up the matter on May 24.

Google has been slashing its workforce since early 2023, with several rounds of layoffs already completed and more anticipated. CEO Sundar Pichai stated that these difficult decisions are part of a meticulous process, emphasising the need for precision and care: "It's about taking the time to do it correctly and well." Speaking to Bloomberg, Pichai acknowledged the weight of his decisions at the helm of such a large organisation, stressing that while the decisions are fewer, they must be clear and well-founded. Google's strategy for managing these changes involves streamlining operations and reorganising teams.

Also read: Can Perplexity do to Google what Microsoft did to IBM back in the day? They approached NCLAT after the CCI rejected their pleas on 20 March, saying there were insufficient grounds for such action. However, the CCI asked its Director General (DG) – its independent investigative arm – to continue its probe into Google's Play Store policies. The CCI had launched the probe on 15 March, saying Google may have violated various parts of Competition Act, and asked the director general to complete the investigation in 60 days.

OpenAI has been developing a search tool aimed at competing not only with Alphabet’s Google but also with Perplexity, a promising AI search startup. This new venture is expected to enhance the capabilities of OpenAI's ChatGPT, allowing it to fetch real-time information from the web and include citations in its responses, the report added. OpenAI declined to comment on the upcoming announcement, Reuters reported.

Also read | Invest in new ideas, not flavour of the season, says Accel's Prashanth Prakash This is the kind of big picture thinking that has made Prashanth one of the top venture capitalists and investors in the country — someone who continues to shape the startup ecosystem in India, which he has had a ringside view to over the span of two decades and more. At the moment, Prashanth focuses on companies in the consumer Internet services, online marketplaces and SaaS space and has led investments in startups like BlueStone, BookMyShow, FabHotels, QwikCilver, Rentomojo and TeaBox, but he will perhaps always be best remembered as the person who, along with co-founder Subrata Mitra, bet on Flipkart back when e-commerce was but a glimmer in Indian founders’ eyes.

Google’s lawyers have opposed the CCI order on alleged market dominance and anti-competitive practices concerning its Play Store. At Wednesday’s hearing, Google's lawyers said the CCI order was “overbearing", adding the penalty is based on assumptions, and does not prove how Google’s practice has been anti-competitive. A day earlier, Google had argued that its Play Billing system accounts for a tiny share of the country's overall payments industry, and that only 3% of all Play Store apps face commissions.

AI technology to improve everyday activities such as managing tabs, conducting searches, filling out forms, and reading webpages. The Chrome team gathered insights from various parts of the company to brainstorm innovative ways to make the browsing experience more user-friendly, according to a report from 9to5google. One of the current AI features in Chrome is designed to streamline tab organization through the use of emojis for easy scanning.

Alphabet’s primary competitor in the fast-paced artificial intelligence (AI) technology landscape. With heavy investments in companies such as OpenAI, Inflection, and Mistral AI, Microsoft is edging close to Alphabet in the AI tech race, particularly its application in the search tool — a space heavily dominated by Google, as per a Bloomberg report. Notably, the Microsoft chief took jabs at and even voiced strong statements against Google at a US anti-trust trial in October last year.

Mistral AI is nearing a deal to raise funds at a $6 billion valuation—nearly tripling its level from six months ago and giving the French startup added fuel to challenge Silicon Valley giants in the artificial-intelligence race. Existing backers General Catalyst and Lightspeed Venture Partners are expected to be among the biggest investors in the new funding round, in which Mistral is set to raise around $600 million, according to people familiar with the situation.

Google cuts jobs globally, but expands hiring in India and Mexico Pichai admitted that errors pertaining to Gemini's image generation feature and said, "From the ground up we are retraining these models...as soon as it’s ready, we will get it out to people". Pichai revealed that the feature will be re-released in a few weeks. Pichai is set to share a vision for the company’s future at Google I/O--the company’s annual developers conference next week.

Galaxy Z Fold 6 on social media before quickly taking it down. This glimpse revealed a possible evolution from the narrow and elongated outer display characteristic of earlier Z Fold models. The outer display's 23:9 aspect ratio in the Z Fold 5 made typical smartphone tasks like typing, browsing, and watching videos feel cramped and inconvenient.

Best Havells fans in India: 10 top rated and energy efficient models for you The Atomberg Renesa 600mm BLDC Motor Ceiling Fan combines style with efficiency, offering up to 65% energy savings compared to traditional fans. Its 5-star rated BLDC motor delivers high air delivery of 110 CMM with 840 RPM, while consuming only 28 Watts. This fan includes a Smart IR Remote for easy control of its 6 speeds and special features like boost mode, timer, and sleep mode.

Reasons to buyReasons to avoid The MI 43 inches Smart TV with Android offers a vibrant display and seamless access to apps and content through the Google Play Store. With built-in Chromecast, you can easily cast your favorite shows and movies from your phone to the TV. This TV also comes with multiple connectivity options and a sleek, stylish design.

Democracy Perception Index revealed a striking sentiment among Indians, with nearly 75% expressing concern that global corporations pose a threat to democracy. As per the survey findings, after economic inequality and corruption, global corporations are viewed as the third most significant threat to democracy. The US also stands out as among the countries with the highest levels of the perceived threat from global corporations. India is also ranked top among countries fearing that big tech companies like Google, Amazon and Meta threaten democracy.

Paytm marked a third consecutive month of decline in terms of Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transactions in Apri 2024, Business Standard reported. Data from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) showed Paytm saw a 9 per cent downturn in UPI volume for the month, recording 1,117.13 million transactions in April, compared to 1,230.04 million transactions in March this year, it added. Also Read | Paytm: Two more top executives depart amid restructuring efforts Consequently, Paytm's market share within the UPI applications’ ecosystem contracted for the third consecutive month — to 8.4 per cent in April, down from 10.8 per cent in February and 9.13 per cent in March, as per the report.

₹52,999. The smartphone runs on Google's own Tensor G3 chipset and comes with 7 years of promised OS updates, Gemini AI integration and a dual camera setup. Google Pixel 8a features a 6.1 inch Full HD+ OLED HDR display with 120Hz refresh rate, a peak brightness of 2,000 nits and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection on the front.

Saudi Aramco, an oil colossus, is planning to splurge. Microsoft is likely to spend more. The comparison with the famously capex-happy energy industry is apt not just because of the sums involved.

Pixel 8a is priced at ₹52,999 in India for the 8GB RAM/128GB storage variant and ₹59,999 for the 8GB RAM/256GB storage variant. The phone is currently available to order on Flipkart and it will go on sale at 6:30 AM on May 14. Google is offering a ₹4,000 instant discount by making the payment using SBI Bank Credit Cards.

iPhones, Macs, and other devices, according to the Journal, which cited unidentified people familiar with the matter. The server project is code-named ACDC within the company, the newspaper said. Apple shares rose as much as 1.2% in late trading on Monday.