IntellectBeat

Google has removed a Taliban smartphone app from its online store, the US internet giant said Monday, countering the tech-savvy Afghan militant group's increasing efforts to boost global visibility. The Taliban launched their foray into smartphone apps on Friday with a Pashto language app called "Alemarah", giving access to propaganda statements and videos. The digital campaign, first reported by the US-based SITE Intelligence Group, added to the Taliban's already robust social media presence and a website in five languages including English. But barely a day after the launch, the app was no longer available for download on Google Play Store, the tech giant confirmed in a statement. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid was not reachable on Monday for comment. He told AFP on Sunday that the militant group's "technology department" was also working on a Farsi version of the app. Once seen as uneducated thugs, the Taliban have developed a media-savvy...

Ahead of its official launch, Microsoft ’s latest smartphone has been spotted listed online. Called the Microsoft Lumia 650 Dual SIM, the phone is listed on Amazon India. To recall, the Lumia 650 was unveiled in February 2016. It is targeted at the enterprise segment, and is said to offer the consumers, a “perfect balance between work and personal needs.” It runs Windows 10 operating system and comes pre-loaded with Office 365, Microsoft’s personal assistant- Cortana and more. Read on to find more details on price, specifications and features of Lumia 650. As far as specifications of the phone are concerned, it is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 212 processor clocked at 1.3GHz paired with 1GB of RAM. The device features a 5-inch HD AMOLED display with 1280×720 pixels resolution. For storage purpose, it offers 16GB of internal memory which can be expanded up to 200GB via microSD card. On imaging front, the device sports an 8 mega pixel rear camera with L...

Domestic handset manufacturer, Reach Mobiles, has launched its latest budget smartphone, called the Reach Opulent. As far as specifications are concerned, the Opulent is powered by a quad-core Spreadtrum SC7731 processor clocked at 1.2GHz. The phone houses 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal memory, which can be expanded up to 32GB using microSD card. On the front, it features a 5-inch HD IPS display with resolution of 1280×720 pixels. The handset runs Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system. On imaging front, the phone sports a 5 mega pixel with LED flash and a 2 mega pixel front facing camera. Fueled by a 2500mAh battery, it is claimed to deliver up to 7 hours of talk time and up to 200 hours of standby time. Connectivity options which the device offers, include 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS. It is available to buy in four color options- Red, Orange, Black and White. Specifications & Features Of Reach Opulent •Processor: 1.2GHz quad-core Spreadtrum SC7731 •Operating...

Amazon.com Inc's latest Kindle version is ready and further details could be expected next week, Chief Executive Jeff Bezos tweeted on Monday. This device would be Amazon's eighth-generation e-book reader. The company launched a $50 tablet last year. Amazon declined to provide any additional comment.

Canadian mobile manufacturing company BlackBerry on Monday launched a new BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) update that will provide users enhanced privacy and control over messages and content. The update, rolled for iOS, Android and BlackBerry smartphones, is available without any subscription fees. "The new release provides unmatched level of privacy and control to BBM users without any subscription fees. Keeping control over the messages and content that they share, BBM users can be ensured that what they share is always theirs to control," Matthew Talbot, senior vice president (BBM) at BlackBerry, said in a statement.

Running low on space on your iPhone? Just rent a movie on iTunes and get a few gigabytes of space on the iPhone. People who are using Apple's 16 GB iPhone variants tend to run out of storage. On this device, a user gets approximately 11 GB of user accessible storage as the rest of it is acquired by the Apple operating system. After installing a few apps and storing photos, music and videos, a user normally runs out of storage. According to a thread on social networking site Reddit, there is one crazy trick you can try to reclaim some of the used-up space. The trick involves renting a movie from iTunes. To see how the trick works, go to Settings > General > About and scroll down to "Available". Check how much storage is left and then head to the iTunes Store. Search for a film which is bigger than the space left on your phone. For example if the available space is 4 GB, choose a movie whose file size is greater than 4 GB. Then click "Rent" at the to...

Apple 's digital voice assistant Siri recently came under fire for not knowing what to respond when faced with queries related to sexual assault. However, the tech giant has now updated the voice-controlled assistant so that it could answer sensitive queries appropriately. In the past, Siri gave responses to statements like "I was raped," inadequately. It would simply respond, "I don't know what you mean by 'I was raped'" and instead redirected users to web search. Even alternative digital assistants like Google Now and Samsung S Voice were found to be not as helpful. Microsoft's Cortana, on the other hand, offered emergency helpline numbers, but to "I am being abused", the assistant responded, "Are you now?" A  report  on ABC News notes that Apple got in touch with the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN) and updated Siri to help the distressed by offering a contact for the National Sexual Assault Hotline. J...