ISRO's GSLV Mark-III launched Planned for First Week of June

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is planning to launch the GSLV Mark-III in the first week of June, ISRO Chairman AS Kiran Kumar said on Friday.

"GSLV Mark-III is our next launch. We are getting ready. All the systems are in Sriharikota. The integration is currently going on," he told reporters in Hyderabad while talking about Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark-III.

"The whole process of assembling the various stages and then integrating the satellite into the heat shield, these activities are going on. First week of June is when we are targetting this launch," he said.

GSLV Mark-III would be a powerful launch vehicle built to lift heavy communications satellites to space.

ALSO SEEISRO Successfully Launches GSAT-9 'SAARC' South Asian Communication Satellite

Noting that communications satellites built beyond the capacity of 2.2 tonnes have to be launched from foreign soil, Kiran Kumar said efforts are on to launch satellites upto four tonnes and even beyond in India itself.

The technology on lithium ion batteries developed by ISRO is good for space programme in terms of cost-effectiveness, but it requires the efforts of industry to develop it to reduce costs, he said.

"But, the same thing, if you have to do in a commercial manner, the prices have to be significantly brought down. That would be possible when it is done on a large scale. What the industry is supposed to do is to take this technology and develop it so that it becomes cost effective for automotive industry," he said.

The lithium ion batteries technology is expected to be used in electric vehicles.

NASA, ISRO Team Up to Inspect 'Oldest Civilisation' Site in Haryana

Teams of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of the United States and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) would inspect the excavation being carried out at an archaeological site in Haryana's Fatehabad district to verify claims of it being the oldest civilisation in the world.

Archaeologists have recovered artefacts pre-dating the Harappan Civilisation from the site, located in village Kunal in Fatehabad district.

NASA and ISRO inspection is likely to be done in October this year, 2017, Haryana Archaeology and Museums Minister Ram Bilas Sharma said on Monday.

"The recovery of artefacts, estimated to be 6,000 years old, strongly indicated that the civilisation that had flourished in Kunal was in fact the oldest civilisation in the world. The Harappan Civilisation, considered so far to be the oldest civilisation, flourished about 3,500 years ago," the Minister said.

The artefacts recovered included ornaments and pots, apart from spherical structures.

The Haryana government is considering to establish international-level museums at Kunal and Rakhigarhi.

Tim Cook Spotted Testing Apple Watch-Based Glucose Monitor: Report

Apple CEO Tim Cook has been spotted testing a glucose monitor prototype which was connected to his Apple Watch to understand how his blood sugar is affected by food and exercise.

"The company is said to have a team of biomedical engineers working on developing sensors for non-invasively monitoring blood sugar levels," CNBC reported on Friday.

The current glucose trackers on the market rely on tiny sensors and rumours suggests that the company is already conducting feasibility trials in the Bay Area.

According to CNBC, the Apple team is working at a non-descript office, miles from corporate headquarters. The initiative was envisioned by the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

If such sensors are successfully developed, that would be a breakthrough as it is highly challenging to track glucose levels accurately without piercing the skin. It can help millions of people turn devices like Apple Watch into a must-have.

In February, at the University of Glasgow, Cook reiterated Apple's commitment to the health space and the executive spoke about the struggles faced by people with diabetes.

"There is lots of hope out there that if someone has constant knowledge of what they are eating, they can instantly know what causes the response and that they can adjust well before they become diabetic," Cook said.

Apple Assured of Full Support for Its Manufacturing Facility by Karnataka Gov.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Apple has begun initial production of iPhone SE in India
• Karnataka government on Thursday assured full support to the company
• The phones will be manufactured by Wistron

Expressing "delight" over US tech giant Apple's decision to begin initial production of iPhone SE in the city, the Karnataka government on Thursday assured full support to the company.

"I am delighted to know that one of the most valuable technology companies in the world Apple has decided to manufacture its iPhone SE models in Bengaluru.

I congratulate the Apple team for their decision and making the project a reality," State Industries Minister R V Deshpande said.

"The iPhone SE model is very popular and in high demand globally. It is a matter of great pride that in future these phones will be available globally with a Made in India seal," he said in a statement.

Apple had on Wednesday said it is beginning initial production of a "small number" of iPhone SE in the city and start shipping to domestic customers this month.

Stating that the government has assured full support for Apple's manufacturing facility in Bengaluru, Deshpande said it is important to note that there was stiff competition among states to get this project.

"The fact that Apple chose Karnataka has yet again affirmed Karnataka's investment attractiveness and business friendly environment," he said.

The Karnataka government had in February announced Apple's proposal to commence initial manufacturing operations in Bengaluru.

The phones will be manufactured by Wistron, a Taiwanese OEM for Apple at Peenya in the city.

The Minister has also expressed hope that the move will boost job creation and enrich innovation and technology ecosystem in the state.

The company has also announced opening of App Accelerator in Bengaluru, an initiative that would provide support to Indian developers and enable them transform the design and performance of their apps on its mobile operating system iOS.

Xiaomi Redmi 4A to Be Available for Pre-Orders via Mi.com Today

HIGHLIGHTS

• The smartphone was launched in India in March
• Xiaomi Redmi 4A price in India is Rs. 5,999
• It will go up for pre-orders at 12pm IST via Mi.com

The Xiaomi Redmi 4A (Review) will become available for pre-orders via Mi.com at 12pm IST on Friday. The Redmi 4A price in India is Rs. 5,999.

Those that pre-order will be guaranteed availability of the Xiaomi Redmi 4A smartphone, with the company saying the smartphone will be shipped within 5 days. The complete payment will need to be made online, and there is no cash on delivery option.

The Xioami Redmi 4A was launched in India in March, following its launch in China in November. Featuring a polycarbonate body, the Redmi 4A bears a hybrid dual-SIM card slot, and runs MIUI 8 based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The smartphone features a 5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) display, and is powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core Snapdragon 425 SoC coupled with the Adreno 308 GPU and 2GB of RAM.

It sports a 13-megapixel sensor with PDAF, a 5-lens system, an f/2.2 aperture, and is backed by a LED flash. There is a 5-megapixel sensor with an f/2.2 aperture on board as well. The Redmi 4A comes with 16GB of inbuilt storage that is expandable via microSD card (up to 128GB).

The Redmi 4A's connectivity options include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, GPS/ A-GPS, and Bluetooth v4.1. Sensors on board the smartphone include accelerometer, ambient light, gyroscope, infrared, and proximity. Dimensions of the new Xiaomi smartphone are 139.5x70.4x8.5mm, and it weighs in at 131.5 grams. Redmi 4A is powered by a 3120mAh battery with fast charging support.

Xiaomi Mi Max 2 Launch Set for May 25

HIGHLIGHTS

• Xiaomi Mi Max likely to go on sale in China first
• Mi Max 2 said to sport 6.44-inch display, like its predecessor
• The phone will be launching on May 25

Xiaomi has finally revealed that it will be launching the Mi Max successor on May 25 in China. The company launched a dedicated website where it's teasing the upcoming Xiaomi Mi Max 2 for next week launch.

The dedicated website is teasing some features like over 6-inch display on the Mi Max 2 alongside a large 5000mAh battery. As rumoured earlier, the Xiaomi Mi Max 2 will be going on sale in China first. The company has also teased the launch on Weibo.

Based on the leaks so far, the Xiaomi Mi Max 2 is said to come in 4GB of RAM with Snapdragon 626 SoC, and 6GB of RAM with Snapdragon 660 SoC variants priced at CNY 1,499 (roughly Rs. 14,000) and CNY 1,699 (roughly Rs. 15,900) respectively. Some of the other rumoured specifications include a 6.44-inh full-HD display and 12-megapixel rear camera with Sony IMX378 sensor. The phone is also said to sport a 5-megapixel front camera. Much like the Mi Max, the Xiaomi Mi Max 2 is also likely to launch outside China. The company is also widely expected to introduce a 128GB storage variant of the Mi Max.

Some of the purported leaked images have suggested that the Mi MaX 2 will sport an all-metal body. The handset is also said to pack dual speaker grilles at the bottom edge of the device and a USB Type-C port. The 3.5mm audio jack is seen on the top of the device, and the fingerprint scanner is situated in the centre at the back, just like its predecessor.

Last year, Xiaomi was claimed to have managed to ship 1.5 million units of the Mi Max in the two months since its launch in China.

Moto Z2 Force Image Leaked; Tipped to Sport Similar Design to Moto Z2 Play

HIGHLIGHTS

• Smartphone tipped to come with dual-LED flash support at front
• Moto Z2 Force is expected to support Moto Mods
• The smartphone is expected to carry Moto branding at front

After we got our first leaked image of Lenovo's alleged Moto Z2 smartphone, the Moto Z2 Force has now popped up on the Internet. Interestingly, if we go by the leaked image, the upcoming smartphone seems to share its design elements with the earlier leaked Moto Z2 Play smartphone and will come with support for Moto Mods as well.

While the newly leaked images, obtained by Android Authority, appear to be exactly same as the earlier leaked images of Moto Z2 Play at first glance, there are notable differences between the two smartphones. As per the leaked image of Moto Z2 Force, the smartphone will come with a dual-camera setup at the back, compared with single camera module on Moto Z2 Play, and will have a considerable camera bump on the back side of the device.

Apart from the dual cameras, the Moto Z2 Force has also been tipped to carry dual-LED flash on the right side at front, compared with left side on Moto Z2 Play, and feature a Moto 'batwing' logo right above the home button that was missing from the Play version of the device.

Notably, the new render suggests the same design that was earlier tipped in a leaked render video of the smartphone. The Moto Z2 Force is expected to sport a ShatterShield screen and feature support for Gigabit LTE and Moto Mods. As Gigabit LTE is currently supported only by Snapdragon 835 SoC, the Moto Z Force will feature the aforementioned processor if not a newer variant.