Supercomputer set to be ready by 2021

Intel and the US Department of Energy (DOE) will deliver the first supercomputer with a performance of one exaFLOP in the US. The system being developed at DOE's Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago, named "Aurora", will be used to dramatically advance scientific research and discovery. The contract is valued at more than $500 million and will be delivered to Argonne National Laboratory by Intel and sub-contractor Cray Inc in 2021.

The system's exaFLOP of performance - equal to a "quintillion" floating point computations per second - combined with an ability to handle both traditional high performance computing (HPC) and AI will give researchers an unprecedented set of tools to address scientific problems at exascale.

These breakthrough research projects range from developing extreme scale cosmological simulations, discovering new approaches for drug response prediction and discovering materials for the creation of more efficient organic solar cells. The Aurora system will foster new scientific innovation and usher in new technological capabilities, furthering the US scientific leadership position globally.

"Achieving exascale is imperative, not only to better the scientific community but also to better the lives of everyday Americans," said Rick Perry.

Apple launches all-new iPad Air and iPad mini

The new iPads are available to order starting today.

7.9-Inch iPad mini brings Apple Pencil support, advanced Retina Display and the A12 Bionic Chip to a familiar form factor.The new iPad Air with support for Apple Pencil and Smart Keyboard introduces high-end features and performance at a breakthrough price.Apple has introduced the all-new iPad Air in an ultra-thin 10.5-inch design, offering the latest innovations including Apple Pencil support and high-end performance at a breakthrough price. With the A12 Bionic chip with Apple’s Neural Engine, the new iPad Air delivers a 70 percent boost in performance and twice the graphics capability, and the advanced Retina display with True Tone technology is nearly 20 percent larger with over half a million more pixels.

Apple also introduced the new 7.9-inch iPad mini, a major upgrade for iPad mini fans who love a compact, ultra-portable design packed with the latest technology. With the A12 Bionic chip, the new iPad mini is a powerful multi-tasking machine, delivering three times the performance and nine times faster graphics. The advanced Retina display with True Tone technology and wide colour support is 25 percent brighter and has the highest pixel density of any iPad, delivering an immersive visual experience in any setting. And with Apple Pencil1 support, the new iPad mini is the perfect take-anywhere notepad for sketching and jotting down thoughts on the go. The new iPads are available to order starting today and in stores next week.

Apple Pencil opens up new creativity and productivity possibilities for iPad mini and iPad Air users, from drawing and writing down thoughts to marking up documents and retouching photos. The must-have tool among students, professionals and creatives delivers a remarkably fluid and natural drawing experience and provides pixel-perfect accuracy and low latency for activities within popular apps including Procreate, Notability, Pixelmator Photo (coming soon) and Microsoft Office.

The Apple-designed Neural Engine of the A12 Bionic chip powers the next generation of apps and iPad workflows using advanced machine learning and Core ML for engaging AR experiences, photo-realistic effects in 3D games and stunning graphics performance within apps.

Staying connected is now easier and faster with iPad mini and iPad Air, featuring the same great Wi-Fi performance and Gigabit‑class LTE connectivity built into the most advanced iPad Pro models. With eSIM technology built in, users can easily connect to wireless data plans right from iPad when traveling in more than 180 countries around the world.

With advanced front- and back-facing cameras, iPad mini and iPad Air take gorgeous photos and capture clear and stable 1080p HD videos. The upgraded cameras with exceptional low-light performance and HD video recording are great for document scanning and connecting with friends and family on Group FaceTime calls, and with advanced sensors, help enable immersive AR experiences.

The App Store is the best place to discover more than 1.3 million apps designed specifically for iPad — from journaling with Apple Pencil to managing schedules and finances, editing photos, learning, connecting with friends and family, and playing games. Unlike stretched-out phone apps on other platforms, apps designed for iPad run and look great on every iPad.

iPad Air and iPad mini are perfect for staying productive on the go with iOS, helping users get things done faster with features like Siri Shortcuts, photo search and Voice Memos. The Dock provides quick access to frequently used apps and documents from any screen, and multitasking is easy with Split View and Slide Over. Drag and Drop makes moving images, text and files between apps easier than ever, and managing documents in the Files app is seamless and easy on iPad and across Apple devices.

Apple today announced an upcoming update to iWork for iOS, available next week, with enhanced integration of Apple Pencil including new animation options in Keynote that let users draw an animation path for any object, and an all-new user interface that enables easy implementation of build effects, including move, rotate and scale.

The new iPad Air and iPad mini join the most affordable 9.7-inch iPad and the most advanced iPad Pro models, offering the best, most innovative iPad lineup ever. The complete lineup now includes Apple Pencil support, best-in-class performance, advanced displays and all-day battery life6 for an experience unmatched by any other device. Whether customers prioritise portability, screen size, power or price, there’s an iPad for everyone.

The new iPad mini and iPad Air come in silver, space grey and gold finishes in 64GB and 256GB configurations. The new iPad mini starts at Rs 34,900 for the Wi-Fi model and Rs 45,900 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model and the 10.5-inch iPad Air starts at Rs 44,900 for the Wi-Fi model and Rs 55,900 for the Wi-Fi + Cellular model and are available through Apple Authorised Resellers and select carriers.

Apple Pencil (1st generation) is available for purchase separately for Rs 8,500. The Smart Keyboard for the 10.5-inch iPad Air is available for purchase separately for Rs 13,900 with layouts for over 30 languages

Fujifilm launches X-T30 Camera

Fujifilm has announced it's latest offering X-T30, the mirrorless digital camera for the Indian market.

The latest model to join the X Series, known for its superior image quality combined with the company's proprietary color reproduction technology.

In it's compact body that weighs just 383g, the X-T30 features the latest 26.1MP X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor and the fast X-Processor 4 image processing engine.

It offers highly accurate AF performance across the entire frame and silent continuous shooting capability of up to an impressive 30 fps, ensuring that you would never miss a decisive photo opportunity in a variety of situations.

The camera can also record 4K/30P video while applying "Film Simulation mode", including the "ETERNA" with rich color reproduction technology.

Its 

SOON, GMAIL TO ALLOW YOU TO SCHEDULE YOUR EMAILS

Gmail may soon get yet another new feature that would allow users to schedule their mail, according to reports.

Gmail, which recently introduced smart compose, seems to have been testing this feature for some time now and may soon be rolled out.

According to 9to5 Google, which found the reference to scheduling features embedded in the code, Gmail is now making email scheduling a first party capability, according to Gmail 2019.03.03 for Android.

While this isn't the first time that the feature has been spotted. Back in 2018, Android Police also reported about Gmail testing this feature.

According to the reports, scheduling an email will be quite easy. If required, the scheduled email can also be cancelled. The email would then be converted into ordinary drafts.

Moreover, the feature appears to be handled via the cloud, so messages can be sent even if you're offline or your phone battery is dead. In the recent past, Gmail has a lot of new features such as smart reply tool that uses artificial intelligence to compose your messages for you,as well as expiry dates for emails that you don't want to stick around forever.

Snapchat to launch gaming platform next month

The platform, codenamed “Project Cognac,” will feature a handful of games from outside developers.The new gaming initiative will be unveiled at Snap’s first-ever summit for content and developer partners in Los Angeles on April 4.Parent of Snapchat messaging app Snap Inc plans to announce its gaming platform for developers next month, online news service Cheddar reported on Friday, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Shares of the company rose nearly 3 per cent in trading before the bell.

The platform, codenamed “Project Cognac,” will feature a handful of games from outside developers designed to work specifically in the Snapchat app, according to the report. The new gaming initiative will be unveiled at Snap’s first-ever summit for content and developer partners in Los Angeles on April 4 and video initiatives like more original shows will also be announced, the report added.

Technology news website The Information first reported that Snap was working on a gaming platform in June 2018. Snap declined to comment on the Cheddar report. 

Snap Inc’s Snapchat, known for its disappearing messages and funny filters, has struggled since going public in March 2017, as Facebook’s popular photo-sharing app, Instagram, has replicated many of its novel features.

Stuffcool introduces bac in-ear headphones

This in-ear wired earphone has nylon braided cable to make sure that the cable doesn’t get tangled even when taken out of your pocket. The earphone is available in three different colour variants – blue, black and silver.

Stuffcool has launched its in-ear wired earphone – bac. This in-ear wired earphone has nylon braided cable to make sure that the cable doesn’t get tangled even when taken out of your pocket or bag. bac hands-free earphone is made for music lovers who don’t want to compromise in the clarity of their favourite songs. The ear heads, as well as the housing of aux connector, is made with metal for premium looks and to make sure that the earphone gives better output.

bac earphone also has a mic to make calls with ease, volume slider button to +/- volume and multi-function button (MFB) for changing the tracks, to pick/drop calls and even to use the voice assistants like Siri/ Google Assistant.

The earphone is available in three different colour variants – blue, black and silver.

The retail price of the product is Rs 999 and is currently available for an introductory offer price of Rs 799. The product carries 6 months warranty and is available at pan India leading retails stores and online at stuffcool.com, amazon.in & flipkart.com.

ROOMBA i7+: Bye bai.

New-gen robot cleaners map your room and clean it like a pro. 

The recently launched iRobot Roomba i7 and i7+ smart home robot use spacial recognition techniques to map the co-ordinates of your room and figure out the optimum path to clean the room. For every room.

While everything else in your house is getting smarter -- from the TV to the refrigerator to the AC -- why not a home cleaning solution? Having a human being clean up for you might seem a waste of human effort, especially since technology today, is smart enough to clean your household just as -- if not more -- efficiently than a human being.

The recently launched iRobot Roomba i7 and i7+ smart home robot use spacial recognition techniques to map the coordinates of your room and figure out the optimum path to clean the room. For every room, the Roomba 'remembers' a different map, which includes aspects such as furniture, orientation, and co-ordinates. The iRobot sits at a central docking station for charging, and being given orders, it travels along the pre-mapped area to clean the room. Being entirely app-based, you can operate Roomba while you are away from home when there are no human beings present in the room or any motion to disturb the map.

Compared to earlier models, the Roomba i7+ self-empties the collected dust, by going back to the docking station and emptying the dirt into a collection chamber that can be manually emptied, once the 'collection bag' is full in about a month. iRobot claims that its filter mechanism captures 99 per cent of pollen, mould, dust mites, and cat and dog allergens. Roomba i7 automatically adjusts the height of the cleaning head so that while one brush loosens and agitates dirt, the other moves in the opposite direction to extract and pull the dirt in.

And like many smart appliances today, the i7 Roomba is Alexa-ready. If you have already set up an Amazon Echo, you can say: "Alexa, tell Roomba to start cleaning!"

Roomba i7+ is priced at Rs 89,990, while the i7, which comes without the dust collection bin, costs Rs 69,900.