TecQ is our weekly round-up of our top technology stories.
1. The Life (and Death) of Mobile Wallets… and Cards
The payments landscape in India has gone well beyond traditional providers with a plethora of competitors jockeying for pole position. Of all the alternate payment providers, mobile wallets were in a distinct sweet spot to grab the opportunity and they grabbed it with both hands.
The confluence of low cost smartphones along with the rising internet penetration provided the building blocks. The opportunity was sensed and multiple wallets spread all over, initially targeting the remittance, online recharge and bill payments use cases.
Read the story here.
2. Melding Brain and Computer: Can Elon Musk Really Make It Happen?
Elon Musk has done the most Elon Musk thing ever by unleashing yet another bizarre (a word slowly becoming synonymous with the Tesla CEO) and overly-ambitious business plan to the world.
The plan involves implanting electrodes in the human brain to, in the short-term, cure brain injuries, congenital defects, seizure stemming from the brain, and in the long run, merge the human mind with machines to allow people to communicate with each other by simply uploading their thoughts to another person’s mind (among other things).
But wait, what does that really mean? Read here to know.
3. Cryptocurrencies Can Make You Rich. How Does That Work in India?
Want to get rich quickly? Don’t bother dabbling in gold, rupees or dollars. What you should be looking at is cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Ripple, Litecoin, Dash, Monero and others. While Bitcoin is the most talked about and watched cryptocurrency, other less-famous cryptocurrencies have been gaining traction in the past few weeks.
It is all very geeky, but if you are into it, you will realise that the interest in blockchains and coins of other cryptocurrencies is rising fast. Read the full story here.
4. Moto Z2 Play First Impressions: A Modular Maverick
Motorola (yes, not Moto) has launched the modular-laden Moto Z2 Play in India, priced at Rs 27,999. The phone will be available both online (Flipkart) and offline. At this price point, it’s directly competing against the Honor 8 and OnePlus 3T.
When Motorola shared its media invite, we presumed that the speculations about the dual rear camera featuring Moto G5S will be put to bed, but as it turns out, we’ve got the Moto Z2 Play. So, what does this phone offer that others don’t? Read here to know.
5. Car-To-Car Communication: CB Radios vs VHF Handsets
Picture this: you and a bunch of friends are on a road trip in a group of three or four cars. Or maybe on a long bike ride with a group of fellow riders. How do you communicate with each other?
It’s not always convenient to whip out a cellphone and dial the person in the car ahead. It’s quite likely that you may find yourself in a poor network zone or even a no network zone (like Ladakh, which, by the way, is in season for road trips right now). There may be the need for spontaneity, like warning the convoy or riders behind you of oncoming traffic or a road block.
Read the story here.
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