The tech world had a fabulous run this week and if you did too, here's IndianWeb2 giving a quick recap of the top ten things that happened in the tech world this week.

1) Bosch India, Intel Develops Compact IoT-Enabled Climate Monitoring Device

Seeing the grave problem of pollution that is currently plaguing the entire Indian subcontinent, Bosch, the German-based multinational engineering and electronics company, has developed a Micro Climate Monitoring System (MCMS).

Made by Bosch’s Indian arm in partnership with Intel in the US, the compact and efficient IoT-enabled device, offers its users sensor-based monitoring of particulate matter, carbon monoxide and NOx content in the air. Bosch's MCMS is based on a state-of-the-art technology, which makes use of chemical sensors, which help in bringing down the size of the monitoring system to 1/100th the size of a conventional one currently available in the market.

2) Google Launches My Business, A Website-Builder for SMBs and Startups

The week saw Tech giant Google rolling out “Website With Google My Business”, a new feature that will help SMBs and startups in India build a mobile optimised website instantly right from their phone in less than 10 minutes.

Being made available in ten languages including English, Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Kannada and Malayalam, the “Website with Google My Business” tool will let businesses create their first website absolutely free of cost.

Available for Google My Business users, this new feature will provide templated, editable websites for SMBs created from their data and photos on Google Maps. The tech giant makes use of small businesses listing to build the website, taking care of the design and makes sure that their website is easily found in Search and Maps.

3) Use of AI in Startup Investment Decisions in Future

Techseen’s Sharmistha Mukherjee in a recent interview with Manish Singhal, Founding Partner, pi Ventures found out that the venture capital world is warming up to the idea of leveraging Artificial Intelligence to make Investment Decisions.

Considering the fact that AI is now responsible for revolutionising several areas of a company’s operations, including decision-making processes and helping in budgeting, that time is not far behind when AI will help investors in determining their investment moves. In fact, the west is already witnessing some interesting advancements in the area with several US venture investors trying their hand at AI to make their investment decisions. Though this is still very young, but it does offer a lot of potential. According to Singhal, pi Ventures will also try its hands at the technology for taking investment decisions sometime in the near future.

4) Apple Jumps into IoT, Smart Homes with HomePod

Apple officially unveiled its smart speaker called the HomePod at its recently concluded Apple Worldwide Developers Conference held in California, USA.

According to Apple, HomePod is much more than just a regular speaker because it is capable of adapting to wherever it’s playing. Combined with Apple Music, the smart speaker gives its users an effortless access to one of the world’s largest music catalogs. Through HomePod, Apple promises to take its user’s listening experience to a whole new level as everything is controlled through natural voice interaction with Siri.

5) WannaCry Attacks Forces Microsoft to Release Update for OS It Doesn’t Support

In the wake of the recent WannaCry ransomware saga, Software giant Microsoft has released new security updates for older versions of Windows so as to protect all its Windows customers from any such potential cyber-attacks. The move has come as a surprise to many as the giant typically issues updates only for the operating systems that it is still supporting.

The security updates by Microsoft also includes updates to Windows XP, the OS that was recently targeted by the WannaCry ransomware attack.

While Microsoft normally releases updates only for OS that it is still supporting- which currently means Windows 7 and newer versions, It decided to change its practice this time and extend its service to older versions too because it didn’t want the WannaCry ransomeware episode to be repeated again. During the attack in May, the malware ended up taking advantage of un-patched versions of windows to encrpyt millions of computers worldwide.

6) Pune Startup Launches India’s First App for Google Tango

Tech giant Google’s Project Tango, which is considered as the biggest thing to have happened to smartphone technology in a few years, is finally in India. Renewate, a Pune-based tech startup, has recently launched an app for Google Tango that aims to help property owners, contractors and interior designers visualise all the renovation requirements beforehand via utilising the power of Augmented Reality (AR) technology.

With the AR app, Renewate has become the first company from India to have launched an app for Google Tango. In order to use the app, one just needs to download it from the Play Store, and then point their Tango enabled device at a certain section of the house and add electrical devices, paint schemes, tiles and much more. The app will allow people to understand how the new additions would fit in with the already available overall design and aesthetics of the house/room.

7) Chennai Startup Launches Blockchain-based Contract Management System

In order to make companies progress from the outdated paper contracts to something with much more longevity and sophistication, a Chennai-based blockchain company called Primechain Technologies has developed and launched Primechain-CONTRACT, a blockchain solution for Contract Lifecycle Management – storage, tracking, searching and reporting.

Primechain's digital signature process is executed directly by the blockchain, thus making the process secure, inexpensive and very quick when compared to its digital and paper counterparts.

According to Primechain, their solution will significantly reduce regulatory risks for organisations, automate workflows and enable senior management to take better decisions. Using the solution, organisations can improve their eDiscovery process, instantly disseminate updated policies and procedures and allow key personnel involved in the contract to easily access the contracts anywhere, anytime they want by simply using their mobile phones.

8) Samsung Announces Bixby Voice Assistant Preview

When Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus’ were launched two months ago, Samsung roped in the customers on the pretext of getting their hands on a new virtual assistant, Bixby. And now, after months of wait, the tech giant is finally rolling out an assistant preview in which some S8 and S8 Plus owners will get to test Bixby’s voice features before anyone else.

The users with the early Bixby access will be able to send a text, change their settings, or make phone calls with their voice. Since only a limited number of people will receive this early access, there are no guarantees that you will get one even if you sign up.

9) US government Awards Millions to HPE, Intel, and Others To Build Next-Gen Supercomputers Before China

In a bid to outrace China in the supercomputer race, the US government's Department of Energy has given exorbitant amount of money to US-based tech money. The department has doled out a total of $258 million in funding to HPE, Cray, AMD, Intel, IBM, and Nvidia. The capital received will be put to use in developing exascale supercomputers, which will be capable of a billion billion calculations per second.

10) WannaCry ransomware Attack 'linked to North Korea'

The WannaCry ransomware attack that took the entire world by storm in May this year is being linked to North Korea, according to latest discoveries. For the uninitiated, Ransomware is a malware that blocks access to a computer or its data and demands money to release it. The infamous malware had attacked parts of Britain’s National Health Service and other companies worldwide in May this year.

Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre (NSCS) has reportedly attributed the WannaCry malware, which affected the NHS and other organisations worldwide in May, to the North Korean-affiliated hacking team Lazarus Group. The discovery was uncovered during an international investigation led by NCSC into the WannaCry bug.
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