List of All Articles with Tag 'tec'

Google has warned billions of WhatsApp users that backup storage for old chats, photos and videos will soon no longer be free. Messages and media on the hugely popular messaging app will now count towards a user’s Google Account cloud storage limit if they use an Android device. Personal Google Accounts come with 15GB of free storage, however that is shared across Google Drive, Gmail and Google Photos. This means any additional photos, videos and audio files from WhatsApp may force many users to pay for additional storage space. “As an important heads up, WhatsApp backups on Android will soon start counting toward your Google Account cloud storage limit, similar to how WhatsApp backups are handled on other mobile platforms,” a Google community manager wrote in a blog post on Tuesday. “WhatsApp backups on Android will continue to work, as long as you have available space within your Google Account storage. If you hit your storage limit, you’ll need to free up space to resume backups by removing items you do not need.” The change will begin rolling out to WhatsApp Beta users next month, before coming to all WhatsApp users on Android in early 2024. Of the roughly 3 billion WhatsApp users around the world, an estimated 73 per cent of them access the app on Android. There are several price options for additional Google storage, with the cheapest monthly plan for 100GB of data starting at $1.99. This would cover all but the most data intensive WhatsApp users. The update comes amid a major overhaul of how Google manages online accounts and data, with all personal accounts that have been inactive for more than two years set to be deleted in December. The move is intended to improve security for active users, though some have noted that it may inadvertently impact people who have set up accounts for young children in order to share memories and milestones, as well as users who are in control of the accounts of deceased relatives. Read More Gmail: Google issues three-week warning to account holders

Nasa’s James Webb Space Telescope has spotted a “fluffy” planet with an atmosphere made up of a collection of intriguing materials. The planet has a similar water and cloud cycle to that of our own Earth. But the clouds are made of sand and the clouds are made of silicate. Other parts of the atmosphere are more like our own and could be an intriguing hint of the telescope’s ability to investigate planets that might be home to distant alien life. Data gathered using the telescope revealed that WASP-107b - a planet 200 lightyears away that orbits a star in the constellation of Virgo - has a dynamic atmosphere made up of water vapour, sulphur dioxide, and sand clouds. Scientists say this exoplanet - a planet outside the Solar System - has a cloud cycle similar to Earth, except the droplets are made of sand instead of water vapour. While clouds have been inferred on other exoplanets, the researchers said their work, published in the journal Nature, is the first instance where astronomers have been able to identify the chemical composition of clouds in a distant planet. Study author Dr Achrene Dyrek, an astronomer at CEA - a French government-funded research organisation in Paris, said: “JWST enables a deep atmospheric characterisation of an exoplanet that does not have any counterpart in our Solar System, we are unravelling new worlds!” European astronomers used JWST’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) to peer deep into WASP-107b’s atmosphere. WASP-107b is just a little smaller than Jupiter but its mass is less than 10% of the gas giant. This makes it one of the lowest density exoplanets known, thus earning the label “fluffy” - like candyfloss. The fluffiness of this exoplanet allowed astronomers to look much deeper into the atmosphere - roughly 50 times deeper compared to Jupiter - revealing its complex chemical composition. While the team found the presence of water vapour, SO2, and silicate clouds, they said the greenhouse gas methane (CH4) was notably absent, hinting at “a potentially warm interior”. Just like clouds on Earth, the sand clouds high in WASP-107b’s atmosphere undergo a continuous cycle of sublimation and condensation. Study author Dr Michiel Min, a senior scientist at the SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research, said: “The fact that we see these sand clouds high up in the atmosphere must mean that the sand rain droplets evaporate in deeper, very hot layers and the resulting silicate vapour is efficiently moved back up, where they recondense to form silicate clouds once more. “This is very similar to the water vapour and cloud cycle on our own Earth but with droplets made of sand.” The researchers said their work marks “a significant milestone” in understanding more about the climatic conditions of other exotic worlds. Study author Professor Leen Decin, of KU Leuven in Belgium, said: “The discovery of clouds of sand, water, and sulphur dioxide on this fluffy exoplanet by JWST’s MIRI instrument is a pivotal milestone. “It reshapes our understanding of planetary formation and evolution, shedding new light on our own Solar System.” Additional reporting by agencies Read More Robot hand with bones, ligaments and tendons 3D printed in world first Ring to preview security features with abuse charity to boost safety WhatsApp users warned they will soon have to pay to keep old messages and photos Robot hand with bones, ligaments and tendons 3D printed in world first Ring to preview security features with abuse charity to boost safety WhatsApp users warned they will soon have to pay to keep old messages and photos

A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators has written to Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg demanding documents about its

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's Ocado Group has secured its first deal outside grocery retail to provide its robotic warehouse technology to

Commerzbank AG on Wednesday said it has received a crypto custody licence in Germany, which it said will

By Josh Ye HONG KONG Chinese tech giant Tencent Holdings said that it will look for domestic source

By Clara Denina and Pratima Desai LONDON (Reuters) -Glencore's deal to buy Teck Resources' steelmaking coal unit shows how cheap

Nvidia Corp. is on pace to rise for a record 11th consecutive session even as at least one

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said his government will take Wednesday’s decision by the Constitutional Court fully into account

Ancient clay tablets unearthed from ancient ruins in Turkey by archaeologists have revealed a language lost to the passages of time. The new language was discovered in the ancient capital of the Hittite Empire at Hattusa (known as Boğazköy-Hattusha). The well-preserved tablets are among many incredible artworks found at the site - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Over the past four decades, researchers have dusted off nearly 30,000 unique tablets - with most written in Hittite. New research, however, shows that some of the tablet haul shows that they are written in a language previously unknown to modern man. Of course, the meaning and words of this language have not been deciphered, but it appears from early inspection to branch off from languages used within the Hittite Empire - and is being referred to as Kalašma. archaeologist Interestingly though, researchers from the Istanbul Department of the German Archaeological Institute have noted that the new language is found within a recitation in a 'cultic ritual text'. While that's usually the basis of a middling horror movie, we're certain that there's nothing to worry about - it stems from an ancient Hittite practice. Professor Daniel Schwemer explains that the discovery wasn't unexpected. "The Hittites were uniquely interested in recording rituals in foreign languages," he said. These ritual texts provide insight into little-known languages, and thanks to this discovery, one more has been added to the list. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Signs of trouble in the cybersecurity sector are making some investors nervous ahead of Palo Alto Networks Inc.’s

Researchers have come up with a new form of glass-infused paint that they claim can reduce vast amounts of electricity used by air-conditioning units. The E-Coating paint, invented by Hoi Fung Ronaldo Chan and Can Jovial Xiao, uses recycled waste glass to create a reflective cooling cover that can be applied to roofs and walls to reflect the Sun’s rays. The innovation was among the 2023 James Dyson Award global winners, announced on Wednesday, which grants £30,000 to support the next stages of its development. “We invented E-Coating with a desire to help tackle the serious environmental problems our planet is facing,” said inventor Ronaldo Chan. “The prize money will allow us to further our research and development goals and start a company to take our invention to the next level.” Mr Chan and his fellow inventors plan to use the money to improve the E-Coating’s adhesion and ease of application, as well as investigate new formulas for indoor use. “Ronaldo and Can Jovial Xiao have come up with a clever way to turn waste into something much more valuable,” said James Dyson. “It is a dual solution that is good for the environment and saves money.” Other winners of the awards include a hands-free IV device that allows medics in disaster zones to transport patients without having to hold up IV packs, as well as a ‘Life Chariot’ that serves as an off-road trailer that can be used for medical evacuations. The success of the E-Coating comes just one week after scientists demonstrated a new ultra-white ceramic material that can reflect 99.6 per cent of sunlight – a record high. An experiment with the material on a house roof was able to reduce electricity consumption for cooling by more than 20 per cent. The development of the ceramic is still in the experimental stages, with a study published in the journal Science on 9 November, however the researchers claim it could be easily mass produced using common materials. Read More Scientists invent device to keep brain alive while severed from the body