Digital transformation using artificial intelligence and hybrid cloud has accelerated amid the Covid-19 pandemic and these new technologies can play an important role in helping companies gain competitive advantage, IBM Chief Executive Officer Arvind Krishna said on Tuesday.

Speaking during a keynote at the IBM’s Think Digital 2020 conference, Krishna, who took charge last month, said the pace of adoption of transformation journeys by enterprises has been “compacted” into months.

“The importance of hybrid cloud and AI has accelerated. What has changed is the pace at which they’re being adopted.

 Transformation journeys (of) last few years are now being compacted into months… They’re looking for long lasting answers on what they can do with technology to address the key issues that Covid-19 has brought to light,” he said.

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When it comes to Garmin, all that comes to mind is a dedicated fitness smartwatch which tracks crucial metrics with the accuracy that most fancy smart wearables don’t. However, it makes you shell a lot of money. Recently, Garmin brought Forerunner 45, an update to its Forerunner 35. The smartwatch, geared towards beginner to intermediate-level runners and fitness enthusiasts, comes for a price that may not pinch all.

We spent a few weeks with the watch — running, cycling, and sometimes just walking around the city — and here’s what the experience was like:

Design and display

Garmin Forerunner 45 is very slim and extremely lightweight — something an ideal fitness wearable should have. You can hardly feel it on your wrist due to its size and weight.

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The Delhi High Court is scheduled to pronounce on Tuesday its order on an interim application seeking stay on airing of webseries ‘Hasmukh’ on online media streaming platform Netflix for allegedly maligning image and reputation of lawyers.

Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva has earlier reserved its order on an advocate’s interim application.

The application was filed in a suit seeking injunction on broadcast of the web series, which was opposed by Netflix on the ground that any such order would be contrary to freedom of speech and expression guaranteed under the Constitution.

The suit seeking injunction on airing of the series or deletion of some of its content, especially from its fourth episode, was moved by lawyer Ashutosh Dubey who said the web series maligned the image and reputation of advocates everywhere.

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Karnataka Education Minister, S Suresh Kumar on Monday announced that the SSLC exams will be held as soon as possible, the officials have been asked to be prepared.

The guidelines have been given by the Primary Education Minister to all Deputy Directors of Education departments.

“Sanitisers, masks, screening, and all guidelines will be followed at exam halls,” said Kumar in a statement.

Meanwhile, Karnataka has reported 651 Covid-19 positive cases so far, said State Health Department said on Monday.

Microsoft’s Windows 10X will come to single-screen devices like notebooks and desktops. Originally planned for dual-screen devices, the flexible operating system will now debut on single-screen devices, and the technology giant will look for the right moment to bring the dual-screen devices to the market, said the company in a statement.

“The world is a very different place than it was last October when we shared our vision for a new category of dual-screen Windows devices,” Panos Panay, Microsoft’s Chief Product Officer, Windows and Devices, said in a statement late Monday.

“With Windows 10X, we designed for flexibility, and that flexibility has enabled us to pivot our focus toward single-screen Windows 10X devices that leverage the power of the cloud to help our customers work, learn and play in new ways,” he added.

Windows 10X was originally planned for dual-screen devices like the Surface Neo.

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Microsoft’s Windows 10X will come to single-screen devices like notebooks and desktops. Originally planned for dual-screen devices, the flexible operating system will now debut on single-screen devices, and the technology giant will look for the right moment to bring the dual-screen devices to the market, said the company in a statement.

“The world is a very different place than it was last October when we shared our vision for a new category of dual-screen Windows devices,” Panos Panay, Microsoft’s Chief Product Officer, Windows and Devices, said in a statement late Monday.

“With Windows 10X, we designed for flexibility, and that flexibility has enabled us to pivot our focus toward single-screen Windows 10X devices that leverage the power of the cloud to help our customers work, learn and play in new ways,” he added.

Windows 10X was originally planned for dual-screen devices like the Surface Neo.

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Samsung on Monday announced pre-booking offers on electronic products for people who want to purchase televisions and digital appliances after a lockdown to contain the coronavirus is eased.

The South Korean electronics maker is taking orders online on Samsung Shop and seeks to get them express delivered from the Samsung Authorized Retailer as soon as deliveries are permitted. The offer applies to Samsung consumer electronics products — televisions, refrigerators, air conditioners, washing machines and smart ovens.

The company in a statement said, “As a precaution against the spread of the pandemic, Samsung has made arrangements across its retail and distribution channel, to help consumers to pre-book the products, without having to step out of their homes.”

Consumers pre-booking on Samsung Shop will get 15 per cent cashback when paying with HDFC cards. There is an options to choose no interest equated monthly instalments (no-cost EMIs) and long-term finance options, up to 18 months.

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Hackers put more than half a million login details for the teleconferencing app Zoom on the dark web, The Sunday Times newspaper reported.

The logins were put up for sale at 1 pence (1.25 cents) each and were discovered and bought by cybersecurity intelligence company Cyble, the paper said. Cyble bought the logins from a Russian-speaking person on the Telegram messaging service, which allows anonymous messaging.

 ALSO READ: Hotels offer guests ‘pay now & check-in later’ option to tide through Covid

Zoom Video Communications has seen global usage of its service surge during coronavirus shutdowns, but has come under increasing pressure over vulnerabilities in the app’s software encryption. The company has been sued amid accusations it hid flaws in its app and has seen cases of online trolls sneak in and disrupt web meetings with profanity and pornography.

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The government on Friday mandated the use of its contact tracing app Aarogya Setu in containment zones and for all public and private entity employees, raising questions about the privacy, legality and efficacy of such a measure.

In its annexure to the lockdown extension guidelines on Friday, the Ministry of Home Affairs said that for containment zones, “The local authority shall ensure 100% coverage of Aarogya Setu app among the residents of containment zones.”

It further said “Use of Aarogya Setu app shall be mandatory for all employees, both private and public It shall be the responsibility of the Head of the respective Organizations to ensure 100% coverage of this app among the employees.”

Privacy experts and technology lawyers have long questioned the efficacy of using contact tracing apps at large scale without adequate testing for coronavirus (Covid-19).

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Digital payments nosedived in April, as economic activities in the country came to a near standstill due to the nationwide lockdown, data released by National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) indicated.

The value of IMPS (Immediate Payment Service) transactions in April fell to about Rs 1.21 trillion in April, from about Rs 2.02 trillion in March. The transaction count was 122.5 million in April, from 216.8 million in March, NPCI declared on Twitter and Facebook. In February, before the lockdown started, the IMPS counter had witnessed about Rs 2.15 trillion worth of value in 247.8 million transactions.

ALSO READ: Aarogya Setu mandatory in containment zones; private firms question move

The IMPS is typically used for transactions up to Rs 50,000. The drop in such payments, 43.72 per cent vis-a-vis February, and 40 per cent since March indicate a huge contraction in economic activities.

Similarly, transactions through BHIM and UPI (Unified Payments System) fell 26.7 per cent to Rs 1.51 trillion, from Rs 2.06 trillion in March. The number of transactions fell from 1250 million to 990 million between April and March. In comparison, February witnessed 1330 million transactions for a total volume of Rs 2.23 trillion.

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