TecQ: Apple & Google Join Hands; Tech to Fight COVID-19 & More

Here’s a look at the top technology news of the week.

GIS stands for Geographic Information System which is mapping tool.

(Photo: The Quint/Arnica Kalra)

TecQ is our weekly round-up of stories from the technology industry.

Apple & Google to Make COVID-19 Tracking Tool For Mobile Devices

Google and Apple have never worked together for any tech product.(Photo: Google blog post)

In an unprecedented move, technology giants Apple and Google on Friday announced that they are partnering to work on a contact tracing platform for mobile phones that will be made available to government’s across the globe.

This platform will be used to trace the contact history of people who report positive for coronavirus.

Read the full story here.

Telcos Not Giving Talktime, Validity to All Prepaid Users: Report

All three telcos were asked to help prepaid mobile users in the country.(Photo: The Quint)

A few days back, the telecom regulatory body in the country had asked Airtel, Vodafone Idea and Reliance Jio to offer free talk time and extend the validity period for mobile users who were unable to recharge data on their phones.

But according to a new report from ET Telecom, the telcos are being selective in the numbers that are getting the benefits. The report claims many 2G mobile users have complained about not getting any extension to their validity, depriving them of being connected to their network in such a situation.

Read the full story here.

This Technology Is Helping India Fight Against Coronavirus

GIS stands for Geographic Information System which is mapping tool.(Photo: The Quint/Arnica Kala)

The COVID-19 pandemic is wreaking havoc across the globe and governments all over are looking for solutions to battle the spread of the deadly virus. One such technology that is helping keep a check on the virus is called Geographic Information System or GIS.

This GIS is like a framework for gathering managing and analysing data, which is geo-referenced and which has a latitude and longitude attached to it.

Read the full story here.

Sony Unveils New PlayStation 5 Controller – Twitterati Loves It

The new PlayStation 5 Dual Shock Controller.(Photo Courtesy: Sony)

Sony hasn’t shown us what the new PlayStation 5 will look like but the design of the new PlayStation 5 DualShock controller is out and it gives us a glimpse of what Sony is planning ahead.

The design gets a complete overhaul in terms of aesthetics and it now comes in a dual-tone white and black combination. This design upgrade marks the departure of the traditional all-black design which was standard for the past 25 years for PlayStation consoles.

Read the full story here.

Beware, This New Android Malware is Impossible to Remove

xHelper is an Android Malware that’s impossible to remove.(Photo: The Quint)

xHelper Trojan was discovered in 2019 and had quickly become infamous for being the malware that was impossible to remove. A Kaspersky report says that as of March 2020, the malware has infected nearly 55,000 Android devices, with many more still under its threat.

Read more about the Trojan here.