Apple and Google on Wednesday released the first version of exposure notification (earlier called contact tracing) Application Programming Interface (API) to select developers associated with public health authorities (PHAs) around the world.

This is a developer-focused release and is consistent with both the companies deliver beta copies of their software at the same time.

 Aimed at helping developers begin testing in anticipation of the API’s release in mid-May, another goal of the release is to encourage feedback that will help improve the various features, the tech giants said in a statement.

“Collaboration and transparency have been two key principles of the project for both companies. Additional details will be announced on Friday,” they added.

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In partial relief to Vodafone Idea, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the Income-Tax (I-T) department to refund the telecom company Rs 733 crore, pending for the assessment year (AY) 2014-15, within four weeks. The court also asked the department to conclude proceedings relating to the firm’s demand of refunds in respect of AY 2016-17 and 2017-18 as early as possible.

Vodafone Idea, which is facing a financial crisis after the apex court ordered it to pay adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues and penalties totalling Rs 53,000 crore, will, however, have to wait for other refunds, worth Rs 4,579 crore, from the I-T department.

The court order said that for AY 2014-15, Vodafone’s then Indian entities filed income-tax returns (ITRs), claiming a refund of Rs 1,532 crore. In November 2015, Vodafone filed returns for AY 2015-16, claiming a refund of another Rs 1,355.51 crore.

A year later, the company claimed a refund of Rs 1,128.47 crore for AY 2016-17.

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Microsoft Corp on Wednesday beat Wall Street sales and profit expectations, powered by sharp demand for its Teams chat and online meeting app and Xbox gaming services as the world shifted to working and playing from home because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The company’s shares, up over 12 per cent this year, rose about 5 per cent in extended trading.

The results reflect Chief Executive Satya Nadella’s focus over his six-year tenure on cloud computing, in which companies tap Microsoft’s data centres for computing power – a growing business dominated by Amazon.com Inc’s Amazon Web Services.

For the fiscal fourth quarter, Microsoft gave business-unit forecasts that were below analyst estimates, predicting tough times for LinkedIn and some small-business software sales.

“Ultimately, Microsoft is not immune from what is going on broadly in the world in terms of GDP growth,” Nadella said on a conference call with investors.

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CBSE exam 2020: The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Wednesday said it was considering sticking to the earlier plan and conducting CBSE 10th and CBSE 12th board exams for main subjects only after analysing the situation when the coronavirus lockdown would end on May 3. The statement came amid speculation over the date of the remaining CBSE board exams.

CBSE tweeted, “Recently, there has been a lot of speculation regarding 10th CBSE Board exams. It is reiterated that the board’s decision to hold board exams for 29 subjects of class 10 and 12, stands the same as mentioned in circular dated April 1, 2020.”

The Board added that all stakeholders would get 10-day notice before the exams are conducted.

Meanwhile, Delhi Education Minister Manish Sisodia on Wednesday recommended CBSE exams be cancelled. He said CBSE 10th and CBSE class 12 students should be promoted on the basis of internal exams and assessment.

The board, however, had earlier denied the possibility of cancellation of the pending board exams.

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HBO Max, WarnerMedia’s original video streaming service, will be available on Apple devices at its launch on May 27. The service will be fully integrated with the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch and Apple TV.

Customers who are billed through the App Store or through Apple TV Channels for HBO Now will be upgraded automatically to HBO Max at no additional charge, reports AppleInsider.

New customers who want to subscribe to HBO Max will be able to do so via an in-app purchase, priced at $14.99 per month.

HBO Max will be available as a native app only for the fourth-generation Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K.

However, subscribers with older Apple TV second and third generation set-tops can stream HBO Max content from their iPhone or iPad to their TV with AirPlay.

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Cloud major Oracle on Tuesday announced that the video meet app Zoom is turning to Oracle Cloud Infrastructure to support its growth and evolving business needs.

Zoom has grown exponentially in recent times due to Covid-19 pandemic. The company said it now connects around 300 million-plus user on daily basis.

  “We recently experienced the most significant growth our business has ever seen, requiring massive increases in our service capacity.

We explored multiple platforms, and Oracle Cloud Infrastructure was instrumental in helping us quickly scale our capacity and meet the needs of our new users,” Zoom CEO Eric S. Yuan said in a statement.

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Facebook-owned instant messaging platform, WhatsApp now allows up to eight people in a group video call. The number of total participants allowed in a video call were earlier limited to four. The change has been done in view of increasing number of people turning to digital platforms to connect with friends and family amid the Covid-19 pandemic.

Last month, WhatsApp said that people on average are spending over 15 billion minutes talking each day on WhatsApp calls, well above a typical day before the pandemic.

“…we see that people all over the world are turning to voice and video calling on WhatsApp more than ever before. Group calling has been particularly useful and our users have asked to connect with more people at once,” WhatsApp said in a blogpost.

Starting Tuesday, the company is doubling the number of participants one can have on a WhatsApp video or voice call from 4 to 8 people at a time, it added.

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Looking to expand inorganically, social media start-up ShareChat has acquired meme platform Memer for an undisclosed amount. With the acquisition, the eight-member team at Memer has joined ShareChat, which will be contributing towards making the Bengaluru-based portal a more robust platform with a stronger regional connect.

The company is actively looking to partner with more such start-ups in areas such as AI, ML, computer vision, online gaming, live streaming and other such technologies.

 “We are looking for inorganic opportunities to complement our organic efforts and power the growth engine. We are on active lookout for startups that complement our product capabilities and share the vision of serving diverse content and social needs of Indian masses. Memer happens to be the first step towards this approach,” said Manohar Charan, VP, Corporate Development and Strategic Finance, ShareChat.

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Samsung is now seeding a software update for its first-generation Galaxy Buds true-wireless earphones that brings new connectivity features, which the company introduced in the upgraded Galaxy Buds+ earphones. The update has a size of around 1.39MB and it is available for download though Samsung Wearable app. 

Here are the new features that the update brings:Adds Microsoft Swift Pair support

 The Galaxy Buds now support Microsoft Swift Pair feature, which allows easy and instant pairing of Bluetooth-based earbuds with Windows 10-based computers.

Enhanced Ambient Sound

The update brings Ambient Sound automatic to Galaxy Buds. With this feature enabled, you can now hear your surroundings and remain aware of the world around you, even when you are watching movies or listening to your favourite tunes with the volume up. In addition, you can now experience Ambient Sound even with only one earbud in, giving you options for how you tune in, or tune out, of your surrounding environment.

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After testing on public roads, Tesla is rolling out a new feature of its partially automated driving system designed to spot stop signs and traffic signals.

The update of the electric car company’s cruise control and auto-steer systems is a step toward as CEO Elon Musk’s pledged to convert cars to fully self-driving vehicles by this year. But it is against recommendations from the US National Transportation Safety Board that instructed Tesla to limit where the Autopilot driving system can operate because it has failed to spot and react to hazards in at least three fatal crashes.

In a note sent to a group of Tesla car owners who were picked to test the stoplight and sign recognition feature, the company said it can be used with the Traffic Aware Cruise Control or Autosteer systems.

The feature will slow the car whenever it detects a traffic light, including those that are green or blinking yellow. It will notify the driver of its intent to slow down and stop, and drivers must push down the gear selector and press the accelerator pedal to confirm that it’s safe to proceed.

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