Odisha transport authority signs MoU with BSNL on vehicle tracking app

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Odisha transport authority signs MoU with BSNL on vehicle tracking app

The State Transport Authority (STA) in Odisha on Thursday signed an MoU with Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) for the development, management, and operation of vehicle location tracking (VLT) applications.

Under the Nirbhaya scheme for women’s safety, the Central government has made vehicle location tracking systems mandatory for public transport vehicles and goods vehicles to enhance the security of women and children while traveling in public transport.

Accordingly, the Odisha government has made the installation of VLT devices with panic buttons mandatory for all new commercial vehicles to be registered on or after January 1, 2023, and the vehicles registered on or before December 31, 2022, will have to comply by March 31, 2023.

For this purpose, the BSNL, under its ‘Vahan Suraksha’ model, will develop, deploy, integrate and commission a vehicle location tracking software for tracking and monitoring of vehicles covered under the project, said an official.

The organization will also develop mobile applications for various stakeholders and users and commission Geographic Information System (GIS) map for vehicle location tracking systems, he said.

Speaking at the event, state transport commissioner Arun Bothra said the objective of the project is to introduce a tracking system as required for the implementation of central notifications for continuous monitoring of public transport vehicles for the safety of passengers, better road safety, and better support for enforcement services.

This will also help in keeping track of public buses running as per the permit, he said.

A command control center is being set up in Bhubaneswar to track the vehicles plying across the state.

The 24×7 integrated command center will use both Global Positioning System (GPS)-based vehicle tracking and the GSM/GPRS channel for triggering emergency alerts.

The common emergency toll lines, motor vehicles wing, the police control room, and related enforcement units will be looped into a real-time data-sharing network with the command center functioning as an interface for stakeholder agencies, said Dhananjaya Senapati, additional commissioner of transport (technical).

He said the government of India has approved vendors to fit VLT devices and panic buttons. The state will publish the standard operating procedure (SOP) for the empanelment of these vendors within a few days.

Accordingly, these vendors will be impaneled and they will start affixing the devices to both new and old vehicles, Senapati said.

Except for auto rickshaws and e-rickshaws, all passenger transport vehicles, including both government and private buses, school and college buses and cabs/taxis will be equipped with VLT panic buttons for the safety of women and children.

All goods vehicles operating under the strength of national permit and all goods vehicles transporting explosive and hazardous materials will also have to install the VLT devices.

SpaceX is all set for its 30th Starlink launch of 2022

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SpaceX is all set for its 30th Starlink launch of 2022

Elon Musk-owned SpaceX is all set to launch its 30th Starlink mission of 2022 on Thursday.

According to Teslarati, no earlier than (NET) 10:50 am EDT (14:50 UTC) on Thursday, a Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off from SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) LC-40 launch pad with 54 internet satellites in tow.

Weighing in at 16.75 tonnes (36,900 lb), the batch of Starlink V1.5 satellites is one of just a few left for SpaceX to complete the second of five ‘shells’ that make up its first constellation.

As per the report, even before Starlink 4-36 launch, more than two-thirds of the 4,408 satellites required to complete the constellation were already in orbit and (by all appearances) working as expected.

Of the 3,131 working satellites in orbit, approximately 2,700 are at their operational altitudes and theoretically capable of serving customers on Earth.

Another 390 satellites are in the process of climbing to their operational orbits. Once they’re done, SpaceX’s first Starlink constellation will be more than two-thirds complete. The constellation is made up of five orbital ‘shells’ – distinct groups of satellites that share a similar orbital inclination (the angle between the satellite’s orbit and Earth’s equator) and altitude, the report said.

Two of those shells, known as Group 1 and Group 4, contain 3,168 satellites or more than two-thirds of the constellation, it added.

They are nearly identical and focus on Earth’s mid-latitudes, where almost every person (and customer) on Earth resides.

Both are almost complete: astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell estimates that 1,456 of 1,584 possible Group 1 satellites are operational. Group 4 is one launch behind, with about 1,405 working satellites in orbit.

Vodafone Idea’s board to finalise fund raising plan on Friday

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Vodafone Idea’s board to finalise fund raising plan on Friday

Debt-ridden telecom company Vodafone Idea’s board will meet on Friday to finalize plans for raising funds.

Vodafone Idea has informed the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) that its board will meet on October 21 to consider a proposal to raise funds through the issuance of convertible debentures.

“Vodafone Idea Ltd has informed the BSE that the meeting of the Board of Directors of the company is scheduled on October 21, to consider and approve a proposal for issuance of debenture securities convertible into equity shares on a preferential or private placement basis to a vendor, subject to regulatory and other statutory approvals as may be required, including shareholders’ approval,” the company said in a notice to the BSE.

Vodafone Idea has been trying to raise funds for a long time but has not succeeded.

It may try and raise funds through the issuance of convertible debentures through private placement to a vendor.

Vodafone Idea owes an estimated Rs 6,800 crore to mobile tower giant Indus Towers and also Rs 2,400 crore to ATC.

Indus Towers is said to have asked Vodafone Idea to clear its outstanding dues and pay every month on time for the continuity of business post-November 2022.

Meta’s AI translator can translate unwritten languages

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Meta’s AI translator can translate unwritten languages

Meta has announced an AI-powered speech-to-speech translation system for unwritten languages.

As part of Meta’s Universal Speech Translator (UST) project, the company has built a translation system for Hokkien, which is a primarily oral language of the Chinese diaspora but lacks a standard written form, the company said in a blog post.

Since oral languages do not have standard written forms, producing transcribed text as the translation output does not work. So, the company has focused on speech-to-speech translation.

The company has created a number of techniques, such as speech-to-unit translation, which converts input speech into a series of sounds and generates waveforms from them.

Another technique is to use text from a closely related language to generate waveforms.

The Hokkien translation model is still in progress and can translate only one full sentence at a time, the company said.

The company is also releasing SpeechMatrix which is a large collection of speech-to-speech translations developed through a natural language processing toolkit called LASER.

The tools will allow other researchers to create their own speech-to-speech translation systems.

“Our AI research is helping break down language barriers in both the physical world and the metaverse to encourage connection and mutual understanding,” the company said.

Adobe to bring new AI-based technology to its Creative Cloud

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Adobe to bring new AI-based technology to its Creative Cloud

Software major Adobe has announced creator-centric artificial intelligence (AI)-based technology — Generative Artificial Intelligence (Generative AI) — to its Adobe creative tools.

At its annual creativity conference “Adobe MAX 2022,” the company said that the new technology will allow creators to give their idea to the AI and the machine will generate certain images. If the creators do not like those images, they can rewrite them and get something closer to what they want.

“We are investing our research and product design talent to develop an approach that centers on the needs of creatives by integrating Generative AI in Adobe creative tools,” the company said in a blog post.

The Generative AI feature in “Photoshop” allows creators to add new objects, create variations based on their existing images, or even add a new section to a composite.

The Generative AI in “Adobe Express” will allow less experienced creators to achieve their unique goals. Creators will be able to create unique text effects that marry perfectly with your image by providing suggestions like “electrical cables” or “orchid petals”.

With Generative AI in “Lightroom,” creators will be able to change a daytime scene to nighttime, change shadows and other details, and even expand a photo beyond the scene they shot, the company said.

Google to alert parents when their kids leave school

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Google to alert parents when their kids leave school

Google has announced new updates to Family Link, which offer a range of options and help keep families safer online.

The new updates have already been rolled out and will be completed over the next few weeks.

In a new update to the “Location tab”, parents can see all of their children on the same map with their device location. Also, parents can turn on notifications to be alerted when their child arrives at or leaves a specific destination like school or soccer practice, the company said in a blog post.

Moreover, the “Highlights tab” will allow the parents to track the usage of their child’s device by showing a snapshot of their child’s app usage, screen time, and recently installed apps.

“We’re also adding resources from trusted partners like Common Sense Media, ConnectSafely, and the Family Online Safety Institute to help parents navigate conversations around online safety at home,” the company added.

For parents and children, Family Link will also be available on the web. With this, parents will be able to access online features even when they are away from their phones or don’t have the app.

For children, the Family Link web experience will help them better understand their parental control settings.

Additionally, the “Controls tab” enables parents to monitor children with the ability to set screen time limits for individual devices or specific apps, as well as set content restrictions.

Zoom Events announced to boost virtual events in India

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Zoom Events announced to boost virtual events in India

Video conferencing platform Zoom on Wednesday announced the availability of Zoom Events, an all-in-one platform with the power to produce immersive and engaging virtual experiences for Indian users.

The company said that Zoom Events combines the reliability and scalability of Zoom Webinars, Zoom Meetings, and Team Chat in one comprehensive solution for event organizers, with the ability to produce live events for internal or external audiences of almost any size.

“The preference for virtual and hybrid events is growing as people continue to look for flexibility in how they connect, learn, work and attend events,” Sameer Raje, General Manager and Head of India and SAARC Region at Zoom, said in a statement.

“Event organizers are on the lookout for a comprehensive, intuitive and easily scalable platform for hosting interactive and engaging events and Zoom delivers the perfect solution,” Raje added.

The platform said that since launching in 2021, more than 7,000 customers had used Zoom Events, and the platform has averaged more than 150 events daily.

Zoom also hosted Zoomtopia 2021 on Zoom Events, delivering the latest and greatest in the world of communications to more than 30,000 virtual attendees worldwide.

“With Zoom Events, customers can produce and host impactful virtual experiences, including customer, company, and public events, and reach more people in engaging ways. We are excited to bring this innovation to our customers in India to help them create memorable events which attendees will love,” Raje said.

Zoom Events enables businesses across industries to seamlessly host virtual and hybrid experiences, including company events like all-hands and sales summits and external events like user conferences.

Samsung launches Finance+ programme in India

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Samsung launches Finance+ programme in India

Samsung India on Tuesday launched its popular digital lending program Samsung Finance+ for consumers to buy its wide range of consumer electronics products this festive season.

The company said that Samsung Finance+ is a simple, universally accessible digital lending platform wherein consumers will be able to upgrade to their favorite premium Samsung consumer electronics product by getting a loan sanctioned within 20 minutes at retail stores across the country.

“At Samsung, consumers are at the heart of everything we do. Samsung Finance+ is a testimony to our consumer-centric innovation and will help drive financial inclusion, furthering our commitment to Powering Digital India,” Mohandeep Singh, Senior Vice President, Consumer Electronics Business, at Samsung India said in a statement.

“We are positive that Samsung Finance+ will touch the lives of millions of consumers, especially those who are new to credit and are in semi-urban and rural markets,” he added.

The company mentioned that it is launching Samsung Finance+ at around 3,000 consumer electronics stores in 1,200 cities across the country.

It also plans to take Samsung Finance+ to more than 5,000 retail outlets in appx 1,500 cities by the end of 2022, supporting consumers during the festive period.

The Samsung Finance+ platform was developed in India at the Samsung R&D Institute Bangalore (SRI-B), where engineers worked closely with the Samsung India team to assess consumer requirements and design the features of the platform, the company noted.

TikTok brings adult-only streams, raises age requirement for going live

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TikTok brings adult-only streams, raises age requirement for going live

Short video platform TikTok confirmed that it is introducing live streams for adults and is also increasing the minimum age requirement for live streams on its platform.

Currently, people must be aged 16 or over to host a LIVE. From November 23, the minimum age will increase from 16 to 18.

“In addition, in the coming weeks, we plan to introduce a new way for creators to choose if they’d prefer to only reach an adult audience in their LIVE,” the platform said in a blog post.

“For instance, perhaps a comedy routine is better suited for people over age 18. Or, a host may plan to talk about a difficult life experience and they would feel more comfortable knowing the conversation is limited to adults,” it added.

TikTok LIVE brings people together through content that entertains and inspires, providing creators an opportunity to show up as their most authentic selves as they forge meaningful connections and share a window into their lives with a global community.

“To help creators focus on entertaining and engaging their viewers, LIVE creators can already use our keyword filtering tool to limit comments they feel aren’t appropriate. In the coming weeks, we are rolling out an updated version of this feature that will send a reminder to people and suggest new keywords they may want to consider adding to their filter list,” the company said in a blog post.

“To do this, the tool looks at the content a creator most commonly removes from their life, spotting similar words in these comments and then suggesting the host may want to add these words to their filter list. When we tested this feature, we found that it nearly doubled those using keyword filtering when looking at the most popular LIVE creators.”

TikTok said it has recently upgraded our Multi-Guest feature.

Through Multi-Guest, hosts can now go LIVE with up to five guests using a grid or panel layout, keeping audiences engaged as they respond to questions, host how-to videos, or simply share a moment together with the community.

And once LIVE, creators can tap the three dots to change a variety of settings. This includes the ability to flip the camera, add effects and stickers, filter comments, and add moderators if they haven’t already been assigned.

YouTube ends its Premium paywall experiment for 4K videos

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YouTube ends its Premium paywall experiment for 4K videos

YouTube has ended a test that required a Premium subscription for 4K resolution videos.

In the experiment, the Google-owned streaming platform asked some users to pay for a Premium account in order to view videos in 4K resolution.

Because of users’ outrage, it has now stopped this test, reports TechCrunch.

“We have fully turned off this experiment. Viewers should now be able to access 4K quality resolutions without Premium membership,” YouTube said in a tweet.

The streaming platform conducted the experiment to know how users would respond if a certain function was moved to the Premium tier.

“It is a part of our experiment to know better the feature preferences of Premium and non-Premium viewers,” it had said in a now-deleted tweet.

The company claims to have more than 50 million paid subscribers of YouTube Music and Premium offerings globally.

The Premium subscription includes features like ad-free viewing, video downloads for offline consumption, and background play, the report said.

Recently, the company introduced handles, a way for people to easily find and engage with creators and each other on the streaming platform.

Handles will appear on channel pages and Shorts so that they will be instantly and consistently recognizable.

It will soon be simpler and faster to mention each other in comments, community posts, video descriptions, and more.

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