India is now Zoom’s largest market
Over the last year, Zoom has grown in popularity to become one of the most widely used video-conferencing platforms. And, now India has become Zoom’s largest market for new and all-time installs, followed by the U.S, according to a report by analytics firm Sensor Tower. In India’s App Store and Google Play Store, Zoom app installs grew 106% to about 28 million in the second quarter of 2021 compared with the previous quarter. In contrast, the global app installs of Zoom declined 14% quarter-over-quarter to a little over 93 million in the June ending quarter. However, Zoom has remained one of the top 10 most downloaded apps globally, and took the sixth spot in the second quarter. According to the analytics firm, Zoom has amassed approximately 944 million downloads since January 2014. Last year, Zoom saw nearly 140 million installs in India, which accounted for over 20% of the app’s global installs, as per Sensor Tower. Recently, Zoom had announced the acquisition of German machine learning translation solutions company Kites, to provide efficient cross-language translations to users during video calls .
(Subscribe to our Today's Cache newsletter for a quick snapshot of top 5 tech stories. Click here to subscribe for free.)
Andy Murray’s Wimbledon NFT sells for $177k
Former world number one Andy Murray’s Wimbledon 2013 winning moment was sold as a non-fungible token (NFT) for $177,777 (about ₹1.3 crore) at an auction on the WENEW platform. The auction winner will receive all five NFTs in the Andy Murray x Wimbledon series and physical artefacts of them, an opportunity to play tennis with Murray at the All England Club, two VIP tour experiences and Centre Court tickets to next year’s Wimbledon men's final, Challenge Cup trophy replica, as well as signed memorabilia. WENEW, which is a curator and provisioner of iconic moments as NFTs, also sold over 600 limited-edition NFTs of Murray’s other moments at Wimbledon 2013 and his emotional runner-up speech from 2012. Murray defeated Novak Djokovic in the men's singles final at Wimbledon 2013, ending Great Britain's 77-year wait for a homegrown Gentlemen's Singles Champion. In another development, the market for NFTs surged to new highs in the second quarter, with $2.5 billion in sales so far this year, up from just $13.7 million in the first half of 2020 .
Harley-Davidson’s all-electric LiveWire One
Harley-Davidson on Thursday unveiled LiveWire One, the first bike from its all-electric LiveWire brand that was announced in May. The new electric motorcycle is built for the urban rider with advanced software and hardware. “LiveWire One builds on the DNA of Harley-Davidson but with the electric focus and ambition of the new LiveWire brand,” Harley-Davidson CEO Jochen Zeitz, said in a statement. The electric motorcycle has a range of about 235 km in city, and can be fast-charged from 0 to 100% in 60 minutes, according to the company. The bike’s powertrain has a maximum output of 105 hp, with a top speed of 177 km/h. Harley-Davidson claims LiveWire One can go from 0 to 60 mph (about 96.5 km/h) in just three seconds. It also offers connectivity features to stream directions, monitor alerts, and track recharge status. LiveWire One will be available at a starting price of $21,999 (about ₹16.4 lakh) in the U.S., and is expected to be available in international markets from 2022, Harley-Davidson said. In another EV update, BMW this week unveiled its new futuristic-looking electric scooter designed for urban mobility .
New Nintendo Switch OLED
Nintendo on Tuesday announced that a new Switch OLED model will be launched on October 08 with a retail price tag of $350 (about ₹26,000). The new Switch model features a vibrant 7-inch OLED screen with vivid colours, a wide adjustable stand for tabletop mode, a new dock with a wired LAN port, 64GB of internal storage, and enhanced audio for handheld and tabletop play. It also allows players to play on the TV and share the detachable Joy-Con controllers for right-out-of-the-box multiplayer fun. Besides, in handheld mode, the system can be taken on the go to enjoy its play-anywhere versatility. Nintendo Switch OLED will be available in two colour options along with a carrying case and a screen protector. According to the company, the OLED model is compatible with the full library of Nintendo Switch games. Plus, all previously released Joy-Con for Nintendo Switch are compatible with the new system. In May, Nintendo had announced a new software dubbed Game Builder Garage for its Switch video game console, to help people create their own video games .
Volvo, Daimler, Traton to invest €500 mn for charging network
Three leading commercial vehicle manufacturers Volvo Group, Daimler Truck and the Traton Group have signed an agreement to install and operate a high-performance public charging network for electric trucks and coaches across Europe. “The joint aim is to initiate and accelerate the build-up of charging infrastructure to enhance customer confidence and to support EU’s transformation to climate-neutral transportation,” the trio said in a joint statement. The agreement lays the foundation of a future joint venture (JV), equally owned by the three parties, where they intend to invest together €500 million. With operation planned to start in 2022, the JV aims to install and operate at least 1,700 high-performance green energy charging points close to highways as well as at logistic and destination points, within five years of its establishment. Further, they plan to increase the number of charging points with additional partnerships along with public funding. In a separate development, EV maker Tesla recently opened its first charging station in China with its own solar and energy storage facilities .
You can read more at thehindu.com/technology
