Bike-sharing is slowly emerging as the next big vertical in e-commerce. While China already houses several bike-sharing startups, they are just about catching up in India, one of the fastest-growing transportation economies in the world. And the first homegrown bike-renting service is here. Yulu Bikes, started by InMobi co-founder Amit Gupta, will begin operations in Bengaluru in the coming weeks, according to reports. Yulu is said to be an IoT-enabled venture that will allow people to rent dockless bicycles via the Yulu Bikes app.

Yulu will start with a fleet of a few hundred bicycles.  Users can book them via the iOS or Android app, just like they book a cab, and the bikes can be unlocked via QR codes. Yulu will charge the rider per 30 minutes of use. Yulu is said to be working with the local government to dedicate more lanes to bikes/bicycles, and also allot safe parking spaces for them. “The bike-sharing space is pretty new India. At the same time, there are things happening in the country, as far as competition is concerned,” Gupta was quoted as saying.

Yulu says it is the “most advanced bike sharing solution” that provides “beautiful yet functional bicycles powered by GPRS, GPS and Bluetooth technology”. Riders can rent and return bikes from all major locations in the city via the app. And payments can be made via “a secure and hassle-free digital wallet”. It isn’t clear though which payment services are on board with Yulu.

There are four steps to avail the service: locating a bike using GPS, scanning the QR code to unlock it, riding it, and parking it at the end of the ride. Once the bike is parked and locked, Yulu bills the rider and deducts money from the mobile wallet. Yulu wants to “de-congest urban traffic by providing a scalable, affordable, efficient and clean solution for the first mile, last mile and short distance commute.”

Yulu is acutely aware of the opportunity in the bike-sharing market that is headed for a potential explosion in 2018, as China’s billion-dollar startups, Ofo and Mobile, are said to be gearing up for an India entry. Ofo backed by the Alibaba Group, which is heavily invested in India, is reportedly doing ground research. It is also examining government policies and the permissions required for foreign businesses in the transportation sector. A launch seems imminent. “Both Ofo and Mobike would like to enter India. It’s a country with one billion people, so it makes sense for them to enter,” Gupta stated. Yulu though might stand to gain the first-mover advantage.

Cracking down on abuse and child-exploiting channels and videos, YouTube announced it will remove content on the platform that attempts to pass as being “friendly for kids”.

“While some of these videos may be suitable for adults, others are completely unacceptable, so we are working to remove them from YouTube,” Johanna Wright, Vice President of Product Management, YouTube, wrote in a blog post.

The Google-owned company will apply machine learning technology and automated tools in order to discover potentially exploitive content. YouTube has terminated 50 channels and removed thousands of videos as also advertisements from 5,00,000 exploitive videos under the current set of guidelines.

The company will also continue to work with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) to report the potentially illegal behaviour to law enforcement, said Wright. Meanwhile, YouTube Kids announced new measures last week for parents if they find children watching inappropriate videos at home even by mistake.

If the user is signed in while reporting a video, it will also be blocked from the YouTube Kids app, the company said in a statement. “When you block a video or channel, you will no longer see that video on the YouTube Kids apps when you are signed in. You can always clear your blocked videos and channels from Settings if you change your mind,” the company had said.

Xiaomi’s presence in India is widely known with the country being the company’s most favorable market. Continuing its domination, Xiaomi has recently started investing heavily in the government’s ‘Make in India’ program. As part of its efforts, Xiaomi has now announced a new Redmi smartphone launch in India. Xiaomi’s next product will be “Desh Ka Smartphone” and will launch on November 30.

Xiaomi’s teaser doesn’t mention anything but going by the India-centric theme, it’s quite possible that the smartphone will fall in the budget category. At present, 95 percent of Xiaomi’s smartphones sold in India are assembled locally. This year, Xiaomi launched two budget smartphones in India – Redmi 4A and Redmi 4. The Redmi 4A is priced at Rs 5,999 for the 16GB variant, and Rs 6,999 for the 32GB model. The Redmi 4 also comes in two storage options of 3GB RAM plus 32GB storage priced at Rs 8,999, and 4GB RAM plus 64GB storage which retails at Rs 10,999.

A new Redmi smartphone is coming your way on Nov 30! Aa raha hai #DeshKaSmartphone pic.twitter.com/Koii0QJEIE

— Redmi India (@RedmiIndia) November 23, 2017

Xiaomi recently announced its third manufacturing unit in India which is also the company’s first non-smartphone unit. With this, Xiaomi also launched its ‘Make in India’ power bank, the Mi Power Bank 2i. Offered in two models of 10,000mAh and 20,000mAh models, the Mi Power Bank 2i is priced at Rs 799 and Rs 1,499 respectively.

Xiaomi also launched its Mi Exchange Program in India. Now you can exchange your old Xiaomi smartphone for a new one at Mi Home Stores. The exchange rate for your smartphone can be checked on Cashify’s app and website, the company Xiaomi has collaborated with for the program.

Coming to the upcoming Xiaomi smartphone, the company is tight lipped about the details. With the launch just next week, it won’t be long till we get to know what Xiaomi has in store for the Indian market. Currently, the Redmi Note 5 is doing rounds in the rumor mill. The Redmi Note 5 would succeed the Redmi Note 4 which is interestingly Xiaomi’s highest selling smartphone in India.

On the sidelines of the 5th Global Conference on Cyberspace, Prime Minister Narendra Modi  took the opportunity to launch a standalone app for e-governance called Umang (Unified Mobile Application for New-age Governance). Developed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and National e-Governance Division, the app is aimed at making it easier for citizens to connect to the government through mobile-first approach.

Umang has a range of services to offer to students, senior citizens, and farmers, by providing a single-point access to all government services. Some of the Digital India services such as Aadhaar, DigiLocker, and PayGov are also integrated into the app. The app provides over 100 services of the center and state government on one single platform.

One of the key features of the app is that it supports Aadhaar-based, and other authentication mechanisms for service access. As there are multiple services connected to the single app, the profile data of the user is saved in encrypted format. You can use Umang for all tasks related to e-governance; from utility bills, income tax filing, LPG cylinder booking, to queries for Provident Fund account or Aadhaar. Here’s how the app works.

Umang is available for download across app stores. On Google’s Play Store, it weighs 11MB. The app has already been garnered 500,000 downloads on the Play Store. You can also give a missed call or send an SMS to 97183-97183 to get the app download link on your number. There’s support for 10 Indian languages other than Hindi and English. In order to start using Umang, you will be required to first register yourself on the platform using your mobile number. It is advisable to use the same mobile number which has been used to link to other services such as Aadhaar. Upon authenticating your number via OTP process, you will be asked to set an MPIN to restrict unauthorized access to the app. You can further set answers to security questions.

Afterwards, you can choose to set up your profile by adding required details including Aadhaar details. The next step involves the app to link your Aadhaar details for easy access to services. However, even without completing your profile, you can navigate through the range of government services on offer. The services range from something as basic as booking a Baratghar online, complete with e-payment, to finding and downloading birth or death certificate of an individual.

To make things simpler, the ‘hub of all apps’ has categorized the services into ‘All’, ‘Central’, and ‘State’. Similar to how regular app stores show, Umang also shows trending services, top-rated services, and updated services. The app also gives you the option to connect your social media account, akin to how a lot of other apps ask for linkage.

The Xiaomi Mi 6 was launched earlier this year, and with the year coming to an end, rumors about next year’s flagship device, the Mi 7 have already started surfacing online. Now, a few details including the price and specifications of the Mi 7 has surfaced online hinting at what next year’s flagship device could look like.

Spotted by Gizmochina, the Mi 7 is expected to follow the on-going trend in the market and ship with thinner bezels and full-screen when compared to this year’s Mi 6.

In terms of specifications, the Xiaomi Mi 7 will feature a 6.01-inch OLED display that is said to be supplied by Samsung. Under the hood, the device might be powered by a Snapdragon 845 SoC paired with 6GB of RAM. Here it is worth noting that Qualcomm is yet to announce its flagship chipset, the Snapdragon as yet. However, considering Xiaomi uses flagship chipset in their flagship phone, this might actually stand true. A recent rumor hinted that Xiaomi and Qualcomm are currently working to optimize the upcoming Snapdragon 845 SoC for the Xiaomi Mi 7.

On the camera front, the Mi 7 is expected to sport dual-rear camera with a f/1.7 aperture. We still don’t have clarity on the camera resolution though. The might also be a 16-megapixel front-facing camera. The smartphone, in terms of design, is said to be made out metal and glass to add to the premium look and feel of the phone. Previous rumors also suggested that the Xiaomi Mi 7 will likely support Qi standard wireless charging as Xiaomi recently joined the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC).

In terms of pricing, the Xiaomi Mi 7 is expected to retail at a price starting 2,699 RMB (Rs 26,500 approximately) in China. If rumors are to be believed, the Xiaomi Mi 7 is expected to launch in the first quarter or early second quarter of 2018.

To recap, the Xiaomi Mi 6 sports a 5.15-inch display, and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC. For photography, there is a dual-camera setup at the back that includes a pair of 12-megapixel snappers — one wide-angle lens and one telephoto lens capable of 2X lossless zoom. On the front, there is an 8-megapixel camera for selfies. Xiaomi did not launch the Mi 6 in India claiming that the flagship device is too expensive to launch in the Indian market.

Xiaomi has introduced a new exchange program for its devices, under which users will be able to exchange their existing units with new Xiaomi smartphones. The company has tied up with Delhi-based Cashify for the Mi Exchange program.

Under the Mi Exchange program, if you are a Xiaomi user, you can visit a nearby Mi Home store, and buy a new Xiaomi phone in return. The exchange value will be determined by the Cashify team. The value of exchange will be offered as a discount for the new Xiaomi model.

As Gadgets360 notes, the resale value of the handset in exchange will be based on the Cashify app. So for example, if you are purchasing the newer Xiaomi Mi A1 in exchange for the Redmi 3S Prime, you can simply check the exchange amount preview of the older device by visiting the Cashify site.

In addition to that, if you do not want to visit the Mi Home store, Cashify can also arrange for a pickup service of the older device right from the phone’s location. However, availing this benefit will require you to pay the complete amount for the new purchase at the Mi Home store, and the exchange discount will be credited to you at a later stage.

One must note that the exchange value will be determined on the basis of the condition of the device and market value, as is the guideline for most exchange programs. Further, only one device can be exchanged with an available Xiaomi smartphone at Mi Home, and the model being exchanged should be listed in Cashify’s portfolio. You can read more about the terms here.

The program is Xiaomi’s latest initiative to keep the Indian consumers hooked to its affordable yet feature-rich product portfolio. This week, the company announced its third manufacturing plant in India, which is also its first unit for non-smartphone category. Unlike the other two, this is dedicated to the production of powerbanks.

As per latest IDC estimates, Xiaomi is currently the number one brand in the smartphone category in India, and shares the top spot with Samsung. For a three-year-old company, achieving the leading position in a dynamic market like India is no less than a feat. The company now aims to increase its Make in Indiacommitment to ensuring products are locally manufactured through an increase in manufacturing capacities.

Reliance Jio’s entry in the Indian telecom space gave rise to cut-throat competition between incumbent mobile operators. Before Jio’s entry, we used to pay around Rs 250 for 1GB of data, and now, for approximately Rs 350 per month, we can get a plan with 1GB daily data. Now, while telecom companies are fighting their own war, a new Bengaluru-based startup, Wifi Dabba, is promising to offer cheap internet with plans starting as low as Rs 2.

Yes, you read it right. Over the years, inflation has been rising, and even a cup of tea costs Rs 10 or more. Wifi Dabba, on the other hand, seems to be on a mission to offer dirt cheap internet to the users. To begin with, the service is only available in select areas in Bengaluru. Users can purchase recharge packs from local bakeries and tea stalls, IBTimes reports.

There are three plans users can choose from, all offering validity of 24 hours. The first plan is priced at Rs 2 and offers 100MB data, the second plan costs Rs 10 and offers 500MB data, whereas the third plan is priced at Rs 20 and comes bundled with 1GB data. Users can go to the local tea stalls and bakeries to buy the token for the respective plans.

There is no need to download any app – users just need select the available Wifi network, punch in their mobile number, verify via OTP, punch in the key and connect to the internet. Wifi Dabba is a licensed internet service provider that offers data using small routers that are powered by fiber optics.

In comparison, Reliance Jio has a Rs 52 pack that offers 1.05GB data with a validity of 7 days. However, there is a daily FUP cap on the usage at 150MB. It is also important to note that Jio is a cellular service provider, whereas Wifi Dabba is offering its services via local shops that act as Wifi hotspots.

This one’s a complete no-no if you don’t want another reason to be hooked to your smartphone. There’s a new quiz app going viral among teens that’s definitely not suitable for work. Why? Well, because you are likely to miss your daily targets. FriendO essentially allows users to compete in “quizzes” to find out who their “real friends” are. If I may say, this is like those BuzzFeed quizzes, but only more intense.

Basically, the app has “categories” based on which friends can quiz each other. These categories include favorite foods, sports or personality traits. One after the other, users can take turns answering questions about each other, and according to how they perform, they’re ranked in an in-app leaderboard, which shows their scores. Though not available on the Indian App Store, FriendO has been topping charts in the US.

The app description on the app store reads, “See if Johnny really knows what you like to eat, or if Becca really knows your favorite sports team. Only real friends will move up each others’ FriendO ranking board!” While there are some open common categories, other can be unlocked by inviting three friends to join the app. Though, do note that the app asks for a 13 years or older age limit.

Reason why the age limit if it is aimed at the teen? Well, as Mashable reports it also has a category called “MSFK” — short for marry, sex, friend, kill. Another R-rated category, simply called “dirty,” has questions like “In bed, I am..” and “if forced to, I’d rather watch a gross porno starring…”.

It’s not clear who is behind the app. FriendO’s website is little more than a landing page with links to its iOS and Android apps, as well as terms of service. A link to the app’s blog returns an error message.

Indian instant messaging application Hike on Wednesday partnered with Airtel Payments Bank to power its digital payment wallet. “We’re on track of over five million transactions this month (November) from services such as recharge and P2P.

“We’re excited and we look forward to working with Airtel on supporting this effort to bring more Indians online and enable easy transactional services for them,” Pathik Shah, Vice President, Product, Hike Messenger, said in a statement.

As per the collaboration, Hike messenger users will have access to Airtel Payments Bank’s merchant and utility payment services and KYC infrastructure. The messaging platform has over 100 million registered users. It is growing by over 30 per cent month-on-month (MoM). “We are delighted to partner with Hike to build a world-class digital payments ecosystem by leveraging our digital banking infrastructure,” said A. Ganesh, Chief Operating Officer, Airtel Payments Bank.

In September, Airtel Payments Bank integrated the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) on its digital platform that gave its users convenience of making secure digital payments to online/offline merchants and making instant money transfers to any bank account in India. At present, Hike — a joint venture between Bharti Enterprises and SoftBank Corp — is handling over 10 billion messages and three billion stickers per month.

If you have been doing all the NSFW things in office thinking the Google Chrome’s incognito will save you, you may need to rethink your strategy. As it turns out, while Chrome’s incognito mode is claimed to be private, it can still be accessed by your employer.

Google Developer, Darin Fisher, who helped create Chrome, told online mag Thrillist, “When you launch the incognito tab there’s this disclaimer there where we really try to help make it really clear to people that your activity is certainly still visible to the websites you visit and could be visible to your employer, to your school, and to your ISP [internet service provider] of course”. You never really read that disclaimer, did you? It’s fine, none of us did.

In fact, if you open the incognito window now, you will see that beside the warning of your activity is visible to your employee or school, the disclaimer also reads that your activity “might still be visible to” the websites you visit, “including the ads and resources used on those sites”. It also warns that “Pages that you view in incognito tabs won’t stick around in your browser’s history, cookie store or search history after you’ve closed all of your incognito tabs.”

“Any files you download or bookmarks you create will be kept. However, you aren’t invisible. Going incognito doesn’t hide your browsing from your employer, your Internet service provider or the websites that you visit.”

Incognito is instead recommended for avoiding unwanted cookies and keeping web use secret from other users of the same device, Fisher told Thrillist. Fisher also revealed that Google struggled and was “agonized” over the name for Incognito that didn’t oversell the limited privacy that the mode provides. (Smart!)

This essentially means, if you are using your school, college or office computer systems, you can well enough use incognito to avoid cookies and search history, but do not expect no one to know what you searched there, because they can and probably will!