Microsoft must pay patent owner IPA Technologies $242 million, a federal jury in Delaware said on Friday after determining that Microsoft's Cortana virtual-assistant software infringed an IPA patent.The jury agreed with IPA after a week-long trial that Microsoft's voice-recognition technology violates IPA's patent rights in computer-communications software.IPA is a subsidiary of patent-licensing company Wi-LAN, which is jointly owned by Canadian technology company Quarterhill and two investment firms. It bought the patent and others from SRI International's Siri Inc, which Apple acquired in 2010 and whose technology it used in its Siri virtual assistant."We remain confident that Microsoft never infringed on IPA's patents and will appeal," a Microsoft spokesperson said.Representatives for IPA and Wi-LAN did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the verdict.IPA filed the lawsuit in 2018, accusing Microsoft of infringing patents related to personal digital assistants and voice-based data navigation.The case was later narrowed to concern one IPA patent. Microsoft argued that it does not infringe and that the patent is invalid.IPA has also sued Google and Amazon over its patents. Amazon defeated IPA's lawsuit in 2021, and the Google case is still ongoing.© Thomson Reuters 2024.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

That’s a skinny XPS. | Image: Windows Report Want a look at Dell’s new notebook lineup that’s apparently powered by Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon X Elite processors? Courtesy of Windows Report, these leaked images come ahead of Microsoft’s May 20th event where new Surfaces (and other laptops) are expected to sport the same chips.They unsurprisingly look like laptops — albeit with overall slimmer profiles.The most interesting model is Dell’s new XPS 13 9345, which seems to be a sleeker rebirth of the XPS 13 Plus from 2022. It’s got the same touchy touch-bar on the top row and comes with only two USB-C ports for I/O. Image: Windows Report Dell XPS 9345 Image: Windows Report Dell Inspiron 14 7441 Plus There’s also a leaked... Continue reading…

Murder in Mahim, JioCinema's new original series based on Jerry Pinto's novel of the same name, is a crime thriller that tells the story of a brutal murder of a gay sex worker in a public toilet at Mumbai's Mahim railway station. Starring popular character actions Vijay Raaz and Ashutosh Rana, the series blends conventional crime thriller narrative with social commentary, putting its performances front and centre of the unfolding investigation.All through eight episodes, Raaz's police inspector and Rana's former journalist – both of whom are now estranged friends – try to solve the gruesome case in their own distinct ways. Through the course of the investigation, we are taken to gay clubs, queer parties, rallies, and the forbidden bylanes of Mumbai, where the bleak and alarming world of gay prostitution exists after dark. The series dives into the lives of sex workers, depicting their plight and persistence with discernible care.While Murder in Mahim seems a bit overstretched and predictable with beaten plots, familiar loopholes and the heavy-handed social commentary at the beginning, it soon grows into an unmissable piece of art with powerful performances. If you'll be a little patient with the series, at least till the third episode, you are in for a cinematic delight that takes up complex themes effortlessly.Shivaji Satam in a still from Murder in MahimThe show unfolds the various layers of homophobia and abuse, from offensive name-calling and outright prejudice-driven cruelty to honey-trapping crimes where queer people, who are being blackmailed, have nowhere to turn to for help, including the police. Murder in Mahim covers the engulfing impact of homophobia across classes; from penniless queers being forced into prostitution to even those positioned at powerful ranks, terrified of coming out of the closet, the series looks at the concerns of the LGBTQ community with a wide lens. Depiction of queer lives is also done with a natural tone and does not come off as forced, overly dramatic, or pompous.There is a particular scene showing two lesbian lovers in a room panic when their parents, who still don't know about their sexuality, come over unannounced. The reaction of all the characters is thankfully measured and innocent and the scene normalises queer lives.However, Murder in Mahim also attempts to play it safe at some points, especially when Rana's Peter Fernandes and his wife are shown to be uncomfortable with the possibility of their son being gay. Clueless as to what might be the “remedy” to this “condition,” in some scenes the couple comes off as a dummy model of what might be wrong with a parent of a queer child, only to grow into what an ideal parent should be like later.However, the show isn't just about homosexuality. Murder in Mahim also subtly takes on the conflicts and complexities of a father-son relationship. What a beautiful portrayal! It is so rare for the Indian film and television industry to pick up on this theme and do justice to it. Whether it is the estranged relationship between Vijay Raaz's Shiva and his grumpy father, played by Shivaji Satam (of ACP Pradyuman fame from C.I.D) or Shiva and his teenage son, who are slowly drifting apart, the series handles the dynamic with tenderness. I could find myself smiling at so many scenes in the second half of the show, some of which evoked the amusing relationship between Amitabh Bachchan's grumbling father and Deepika Padukone's headstrong daughter in Piku.There is a scene, which perhaps will sit with me for a long time, where a junior police constable finds his teenage son's dirty magazines. One would expect admonition to follow, but the otherwise comical character sensibly handles the situation without pushing his son into a pit of guilt and shame. It's a simple yet powerful scene that depicts the unsaid tenderness between a father and a son.Vijay Raaz and Shivani Raghuvanshi in a still from Murder in MahimMurder in Mahim also takes a satirical stance against sensationalism-driven media and indifferent police officials, who conveniently distort facts before chewing away “brilliant news writeups” or “official statements” sans any reliable source of information, adding fuel to the already raging fire of homophobia. There is a scene where the press is seen accusing an old man of being a pedophilic, homophobic monster on flimsy ground. As the media inquisition piles on, the character helplessly observes angry protesters outside his house. The fictionalised scene isn't too far from fact, underscoring several similar real-life incidents where news reporters conveniently brushed off ethics for clicks and views.Even though Murder in Mahim has plenty of intense sequences that pick up on the smallest nuances of the human psyche and emotions, the makers have perfectly struck a balance with frequent comic relief to break the tension — often necessary for a film or show with a stark social message to appeal to the masses, who wouldn't otherwise turn to or even have access to select cinema approved by the critics. The makers have made a decent attempt at conveying complex and important issues in an accessible and palatable manner, without compromising on the intricacies of the subject at hand.Murder in Mahim does drag in the first few episodes, but with its moving storyline, powerful performances and brilliant cinematography, the series shines slowly but surely.

From midsized and midrange stars to big, beefy monsters, these are the best technically portable gaming rigs you can get. Continue reading…

Apple Inc. has closed in on an agreement with OpenAI to use the startup's technology on the iPhone, part of a broader push to bring artificial intelligence features to its devices, according to people familiar with the matter.The two sides have been finalizing terms for a pact to use ChatGPT features in Apple's iOS 18, the next iPhone operating system, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the situation is private. Apple also has held talks with Alphabet Inc.'s Google about licensing that company's Gemini chatbot. Those discussions haven't led to an agreement, but are ongoing.An OpenAI accord would let Apple offer a popular chatbot as part of a flurry of new AI features that it's planning to announce next month. Bloomberg reported in April that the discussions with OpenAI had intensified. Still, there's no guarantee that an agreement will be announced imminently.Representatives for Apple, OpenAI and Google declined to comment.Apple plans to make a splash in the artificial intelligence world in June, when it holds its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. As part of the push, the company will run some of its upcoming artificial intelligence features via data centers equipped with its own in-house processors, Bloomberg has reported.Last year, Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said he personally uses OpenAI's ChatGPT but added that there were “a number of issues that need to be sorted.” He promised that new AI features would come to Apple's products on a “very thoughtful basis.”On Apple's earnings conference call last week, he argued that Apple would have an edge in AI.“We believe in the transformative power and promise of AI, and we believe we have advantages that will differentiate us in this new era, including Apple's unique combination of seamless hardware, software and services integration,” Cook said during the earnings call.© 2024 Bloomberg L.P..embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

With all the hype surrounding the best graphics cards from Nvidia and AMD, you might think that a discrete or dedicated graphics card is a given for any PC. However, while most graphically demanding applications need a dedicated GPU for decent performance, there are many use cases where you can get by perfectly well without one.

Picking the right laptop or desktop PC to handle your day-to-day workloads isn't exactly an easy process. From choosing the right processor and display to figuring out the amount of RAM and storage you need, there are plenty of things to mull over. While you're navigating through all these components, picking all the right parts for your laptop or PC, you'll also come across the terms 'Intel vPro' and 'Ryzen PRO'.

In some respects, Apple has fallen behind when it comes to AI. But the brand looks to be making a big push this year, with new M4 chips and the promise of big things that will hopefully be revealed in great detail at its upcoming WWDC event set to take place in June. While we were a bit in the dark about what to expect, we now have some intel that shows that Apple may be partnering with OpenAI to bring some much-needed muscle to its upcoming AI efforts.

iQoo Neo 9s Pro series — comprising the iQoo Neo 9s Pro+ and Neo 9s Pro models — could be launched soon. While the Neo 9s series has been in a rumour mill for a while, recent reports revealed that there will be not one but two models turning the Neo 9s into a series, which is expected to arrive following the launch of the iQoo Neo 9 Pro (which was recently launched in India). The same report also sheds light on the purported iQoo Neo 9 Pro specifications, which may end up being one of the first phones to ship with a MediaTek Dimensity 9300+ chipset. Now, more details about the more expensive model — the iQoo Neo 9s Pro+ — have been revealed by a tipster on a Chinese microblogging website.The news comes from tipster Digital Chat Station via a Weibo post which has revealed several details about the upcoming smartphone. A previous report saw the same tipster reveal that the unreleased smartphone would launch with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. In his latest post, the tipster mentions that iQoo Neo 9s Pro+ will be sold as a mid-range device (or a premium device in India) and that it will be released at a later date this year. This also means that the two phones may not be launched at the same time.The source goes on to add that the iQoo Neo 9s Pro+ will be equipped with a 6.78-inch display with a 1.5K resolution (2800 x 1260 pixels) and a 144Hz refresh rate. The device will also feature 2160Hz pulse width modulation (PWM) and DC dimming as well.This device is said to feature a 50-megapixel primary camera and will be available in two variants. The first one is a 16GB + 512GB RAM and storage configuration, and the second is a 16GB + 1TB variant. The tipster also adds that the phone will be equipped with a separate graphics co-processor like with the iQoo 12 which has a special Q1 supercomputing chip working alongside Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip.The phone is expected to be priced very competitively according to the source, given that it will offer a top-end Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC at the higher end of the mid-range globally or at the lower end of the premium segment (if it comes to India).Earlier this year, iQoo launched its Neo 9 Pro smartphone in India, which offered a two-tone, vegan leather rear panel. The which currently retails at Rs. 34,999 has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip, along with iQoo's Q1 co-processor. It has a 6.78-inch AMOLED panel and is equipped with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The phone packs a 5,160mAh battery and offers 120W wired charging using a proprietary charger..embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }Is the iQoo Neo 7 Pro the best smartphone you can buy under Rs. 40,000 in India? We discuss the company's recently launched handset and what it has to offer on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Google Chrome could introduce new features powered by artificial intelligence (AI) to users that could help them perform certain tasks easily on the browser. One of these new features is likely to be related to performing visual lookups while browsing the web. New information that has recently surfaced online suggests that Chrome is likely to bring a version of Google's Circle to Search feature that arrived earlier this year with the Samsung Galaxy S24 series and is available on some Android smartphones.X (formerly Twitter) user @Leopeva64 shared in a series of posts that Google Chrome is testing a new Lens UI element which is an animation, similar to the Circle to Search feature on Android phones. As per to videos shared in a series of posts, with this feature, there will be a dedicated Google Lens button in the toolbar on Chrome.(1/3) The new Lens UI in Chrome now has an animation that is similar to what you see when you activate Android's "Circle to Search" (in case there was any doubt that this feature will be Chrome's version of "Circle to Search"):https://t.co/XQGSzmicpt pic.twitter.com/NSXoILdoRT— Leopeva64 (@Leopeva64) May 7, 2024When the new Google Lens button is selected, a search icon appears next to the cursor and users can drag and select the portion of the screen they want to look up. The results related to the image or text in the selected area appear in a tab on the right side of the screen. This is similar to the Google Lens feature existing in Chrome, but it is expected to be presented as an improved version, allowing users to conduct searches by selecting elements on the screen.Google is yet to officially confirm that such a feature is in development for the desktop version of its Chrome browser. However, Google Chrome Director of Engineering Adriana Porter Felt recently hinted that newer AI-backed features are likely to come to Chrome. Reading webpages, similar to summarisation tools that we see in Microsoft's Copilot and Samsung's Galaxy AI, could be a feature that Google Chrome's AI-integrated upcoming features could include alongside the aforementioned Search-related feature, that could arrive on a future version of Chrome.Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 alongside the Galaxy Tab S9 series and Galaxy Watch 6 series at its first Galaxy Unpacked event in South Korea. We discuss the company's new devices and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

iPhone 16 Pro is expected to arrive later this year as the successor to the iPhone 15 Pro and the company's next-generation smartphones could feature an upgraded display, according to a tipster. While Apple's Pro handsets can go up to 1,000 nits of brightness, the purported iPhone 16 Pro models could offer a 20 percent increase in brightness for standard dynamic range (SDR) content, along with slightly larger panels. The smartphones are also tipped to arrive with an upgraded chip and a new 'Capture' button later this year.Tipster Instant Digital (translated from Chinese) claims in a Weibo post that the iPhone 16 Pro will support up to 1,200 nits of typical brightness, when the handset is displaying SDR content. This is a 20 percent increase over the 1,000 nits limit on the iPhone 15 Pro models. Meanwhile, the tipster says that the peak brightness for HDR content will be 1,600 nits, which means that customers should not expect any changes over the current generation handsets.The increase in brightness isn't the only display-related change coming to the iPhone 16 Pro models — Apple is likely to increase the size of the display panels on both Pro handsets, according to reports. The purported iPhone 16 Pro‌‌ and iPhone 16 Pro‌‌ Max models are said to be equipped with 6.27-inch (159.31 mm) and 6.85-inch (174.06 mm) displays, respectively.Last month, it was reported that the iPhone 16 an iPhone 16 Pro models could make their debut later this year with larger batteries. However, the iPhone 16 Plus model could arrive with a smaller battery than the current generation iPhone 15 Plus, according to a tipster.Other upgrades likely to arrive on the iPhone 16 Pro models include a faster A18 chip, which is also expected to power on-device generative AI features on the company's iOS 18 mobile operating system. This year, Apple is also tipped to introduce a new 'Capture' button on the iPhone 16 series that will allow users to quickly take photos with a tap, according to reports.

This week's OTT releases have thriller elements at the very core. Whether it is JioCinema's crime mystery Murder in Mahim – based on the plight of homosexuals in India - or Apple TV's sci-fi series Dark Matter, you'll be glued to your screens in anticipation of what follows next. The former carefully dissects the homophobia-ridden social fabric of our society, and the latter delves deep into the endless possibilities of how our lives could have turned out.Hotstars' Doctor Who Season 14 serves wit, humour, suspense, and mystery. With decades of material to compare with, this nascent instalment has a lot to prove.Another big pick is SonyLiv's Undekhi, returning for a third season. It explores the dark underbelly of being drunk on wealth and power, with an influential family at focus. The first two seasons were quite a hit amongst the audience, making this revival much anticipated.If you are looking for something in non-fiction, you can go for Netflix's newest true crime documentary, Cooking Up Murder: Uncovering the Story of César Román, which explores the intriguing murder case of a Spanish chef who built a successful career over a web of secrets and false identities.You could also go for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazaar (if you haven't already binged the period drama). The show was the second most-watched non-English TV show on Netflix globally this week, with 4.5 million views between April 29 and May 5.If you want to skip intense dark genres, you can opt for Prime Video's latest German series, Maxton Hall — The World Between Us, a feel-good high school drama with a millionaire student and a scholar at crossheads.Top OTT Releases This WeekWith that, here are the top OTT releases of the week which have made it to our weekend binge-watch list!Murder in MahimWhen: Now StreamingWhere: JioCinemaMurder in Mahim is a crime thriller based on homophobic honey-trapping sex crimes, where a gay sex worker is murdered in Mahim railway station's washroom. The show stars Vijay Raaz and Ashutosh Rana, a police officer and a former journalist, who are working on solving the case. The eight-episode long series is set in Mumbai in 2013, back when homosexuality was a crime.While the show seems a bit overstretched and predictable with beaten plots, tested loopholes, and the obvious social commentary at the beginning, it soon grows into an unmissable piece of art with powerful performances. If you are a little patient with Murder in Mahim, at least until the third episode, you are in for a cinematic delight that effortlessly takes up even the trickiest of themes, such as the father-son relationship.Undekhi Season 3When: Now StreamingWhere: SonyLivUndekhi follows the Atwals, a powerful and wealthy clan of Manali, which is now more vengeful and violent than ever. After evading the grips of law after the head of their family, the foul-mouthed Papaji killed a dancer, Undekhi starts working on his succession plans. As he is forced to face the demons of his past, chaos unfurls in the already disoriented family.In the third season, buried secrets resurface, kickstarting thrilling encounters, emotional roller coasters and more drama. Among the lead characters are Harsh Chhaya, Surya Sharma, Anchal Singh, Ankur Rathee, and Dibyendu Bhattacharya.Dark MatterWhen: Now StreamingWhere: Apple TV+Apple TV's latest Sci-Fi series follows Jason Dessen, a physicist, professor and ordinary family man who is abducted into an alternate version of his life one night. Stuck amidst the possibilities of various diverse lives he could have lived, and his previously mundane life turns into a hellish nightmare. The rest of the series follows the panicked physicist trying to reunite with his real family, who, interestingly, now has the biggest threat in the form of himself. Based on Blake Crouch's acclaimed novel of the same name, Dark Matter stars the likes of Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Connelly, Alice Braga, and Jimmi Simpson. Two episodes have been released on the platform, and the rest will drop every Wednesday.Doctor Who Season 14When: Now StreamingWhere: HotstarDoctor Who, one of the longest-running and most popular sci-fi tropes of all time, is back with yet another instalment. The show follows extraterrestrial Time Lords called Doctor Who, who travels the universe in a time-travelling spaceship, often with companions.This season is touted as the fifth series led by Russell T Davies as head writer and executive producer, the fourteenth to air following the programme's revival in 2005, and is the fortieth season overall.The new season stars Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor and Millie Gibson as his vibrant new sidekick. The duo embarks on journeys through time and space, meet remarkable allies and confront formidable adversaries.