Google today announced a fresh batch of features arriving on some of the best Android smartphones as part of its December 2024 Feature Bundle, with a core focus on AI, accessibility, and user convenience. The highlight of the feature bundle comes as a solid upgrade to Android's Live Caption accessibility feature. Back in August, Google expanded Live Caption support to seven new languages. Today, the tech giant is making these captions a lot more 'expressive.'
Amazon is taking its delivery service to the skies with the successful debut of drone delivery service in Europe, marking a milestone for its expansion plans to roll out the service across Europe. The test took place on December 4th in San Salvo, Italy. This follows similar programs already in place in the US and is part of the company’s overall aim to reduce carbon emissions, shorten delivery times, and improve its logistics network.
Børge Brende, President and CEO of the World Economic Forum, says India is the "Startup Nation" of the world. Brende emphasized the transformative potential of this entrepreneurial surge, likening it to the Silicon Valley boom that birthed global giants like Google. He highlighted the significance of India's vibrant startup culture, contrasting it with regions more reliant on large, industry-policy-driven companies.
Meta-owned WhatsApp and the India SME Forum have joined hands to launch an application, ‘Digishaastra,’ to help accelerate digital adoption among MSMEs in the country. With the help of the application, any small business can create a profile and add detailed information on the products and services they offer and reach out to their target audience. This feature is available on WhatsApp for Business. Businesses can register through the Digishaastra website.
Thousands of businesses may not realize they are subject to a new reporting process mandated under the Corporate Transparency Act, which went into effect in January 2024. Those who fail to file by this deadline—or fail to update this information if needed—could face up to two years of imprisonment and fines up to $10,000, in addition to civil penalties of up to $591 per day. For most eligible businesses, the filing deadline is Jan. 1, 2025.
By enabling entrepreneurs outside of India's big cities, Sushil Sharma, the CEO and founder of Marwari Catalysts and a visionary leader, hopes to transform the startup ecosystem in that country entirely. Sushil is deeply committed to changing the perception of innovation in Tier II and III cities. He works directly with founders to understand their particular goals and obstacles.
Duddilla Sridhar Babu, the minister of IT and industries, stated on Thursday that the state government would support entrepreneurs who establish food processing facilities to raise farmers' incomes. In Buggapadu of Satupally mandal in the district, he and Tummala Nageswara Rao, the minister for agriculture, officially opened the TGIIC Mega Food Park.
With over £20 billion predicted to be spent by UK consumers during the "Golden Quarter," the peak period from October to post-Christmas sales, the campaign's research revealed that the holiday season might be a lifeline for small companies. Additionally, the small business industry could benefit from an estimated £4.4 billion, as the public is predicted to spend up to a fifth (22%) of their Christmas money on independent businesses.
Despite an impending ban, TikTok's US shopping sales increased to over $100 million on Black Friday, demonstrating the app's growing popularity. According to the firm, TikTok Shop, the app's e-commerce function, saw a 165 percent yearly increase in shoppers during the two days between Black Friday and Cyber Monday. According to TikTok, posts using the hashtags #tiktokshopblackfriday or #tiktokshopcybermonday had over 7 billion views.
As the AI company seeks to increase the number of industry uses for its technology, OpenAI released a $200/month version of its well-liked chatbot ChatGPT, which can be utilized for research and in engineering sectors. OpenAI's current ChatGPT Plus, Team, and Enterprise subscriptions will be supplemented by the new tier, known as ChatGPT Pro.