Moto M Launched in India, Flipkart’s Next Big Sale, and More: Your 360 Daily

Today was a pretty busy day in the world of technology, as Moto M all-metal smartphone was launched in India, Flipkart announced dates of next big sale, and iPhones received an India-specific feature. Read these stories and other major tech news of the day in your 360 Daily tech round-up.

Moto M smartphone launched in India
Lenovo has launched the Moto M smartphone in India at Rs. 15,999 for the 32GB + 3GB model and Rs. 17,999 for the 64GB + 4GB variant. The all-metal, dual-SIM (Nano-SIM) Moto M smartphone has a 5.5-inch IPS display with 2.5D curved glass design and Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow software. The Motorola smartphone has a 2.2GHz quad-core MediaTek Helio P15 processor, 16-megapixel rear camera, 8-megapixel front camera, 128GB microSD card support, 3050mAh battery, and 4G VoLTE support.

Flipkart announces dates of next big sale
Flipkart has announced that it will host its Big Shopping Days sale from December 18 to December 21, where big discounts on smartphones and electronics can be expected. SBI credit card users will get a 10 percent discount during the Big Shopping Days sale, and top 10 spenders will get a couple holiday trip to either Europe, Sri Lanka, Andamans, Mauritius, or Himachal Pradesh. Flipkart has not revealed the offers it will provide to customers during the Big Shopping Days sale.

iPhones get first India-specific feature with iOS 10.2 update
Apple has publicly released the iOS 10.2 update for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users that brings an India-specific feature – an SOS or panic button, which has been made mandatory by the government. Along with this, the iOS 10.2 update brings 100 new emojis, new effects in iMessage, the new TV app, as well as camera improvements. The iOS 10.2 update will be available for iPhone 5, the fourth-generation iPad, and sixth-generation iPod touch, as well as later devices.

HMD Global unveils first phones with Nokia branding
HMD Global – the company that has the licence for the Nokia name on mobile devices for 10 years – has unveiled its first mobile phones with Nokia branding. The two feature phones, named Nokia 150 and Nokia 150 Dual SIM, do not have Internet access but have MP3, FM radio, Bluetooth with SLAM, and up to 22 hours of talk time. The two Nokia feature phones are priced at $26 (roughly Rs. 1,800).

Lenovo Yoga Book laptop launched in India
Lenovo Yoga Book, which the Chinese company claims to be the world’s thinnest and lightest 2-in-1 laptop, has been launched in the Indian market at Rs. 49,990. The new Lenovo Yoga Book has a 10.1-inch with full-HD (1200x1920 pixel) resolution, 2.4GHz quad-core Intel Atom x5-Z8550 processor, 4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage, up to 128GB microSD card expansion, and 8500mAh battery that is said to deliver 13 hour of battery life. The Lenovo Yoga Book laptop also has a Nano-SIM slot, Dolby Atmos support, 8-megapixel rear camera, 2-megapixel front camera, and 4G LTE support.

Google’s Gboard keyboard app now available for Android users
Google’s Gboard app, which was available for iOS, has made its way to Android as an update to the Google Keyboard app; the Gboard app supports the insertion of GIF images directly from the keyboard. The Gboard app integration to Google Keyboard also brings the G button for quick searches from the keyboard. When the G button is disabled, you will see a pop-out toolbar for access to themes, settings, and one-handed mode. The GIF integration is not visible in apps that do not support the feature yet.

Bihar government to ban porn sites from free Wi-Fi in colleges
Pornographic and other “undesirable” websites will be banned on the free Wi-Fi network that Bihar government will provide to colleges and universities. The Wi-Fi facility is only for educational purposes, and restrictions will be put on data usage on the premises of the concerned educational institutions. The free Wi-Fi facility will be provided to 300 colleges and nine universities across Bihar starting February as part of Nitish Kumar government’s good governance policy.

Apple may invest $1 billion in SoftBank tech fund
Apple is said to be in talks to invest up to $1 billion in a $100-billion fund that Japanese tech giant SoftBank is setting up. According to a WSJ report, Apple will aim to gain insight on emerging technologies with this investment. SoftBank is investing at least $25 billion in the fund, and has held discussions with Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) for investments of $45 billion.