Tech Roundup: Windows 10 S, WannaCry Ransomware Attack & More

[A recurring feature on the latest in Science & Technology.]

Alphabet/Google:

• Updates Google Allo with support for chat backup, link previews and incognito mode for groups.
• To unveil its smart Google Assistant for iOS as early as this week at Google I/O developers conference (May 17-19), reports Android Police citing trusted sources.
• Teams up with Uber's rival Lyft to work together in bringing self-driving car technology to mainstream.
• Officially unveils Android Automative alliance to release a car-focussed version of Android operating system (just like how it licenses Android to phone OEMs and hence not to be confused with Android Auto, a smartphone app that uses the car's dash as an external touchscreen monitor).
• Set to redesign Google Calendar for the web with a Material Design refresh later this year.
• Fixes a widespread sophisticated phishing attempt that allows an attacker to send a malicious Google Docs link that redirects an unsuspecting user to a web app called "Google Docs" that requests access to his entire contact list and email to propagate the attack; warns users to be mindful of the access they give to third-party apps.

Is Google testing a revamped, colourless search results page?

Apple:

• Continues to report increasing revenues (US$ 7.04 billion) from App Store, iTunes Store, Apple Music subscriptions, Apple Pay, iCloud and AppleCare, even as iPad sales shrink to a five year low.
• Acquires machine learning startup Lattice Data for US$ 200 million.
• Releases iOS 10.3.2, macOS 10.12.5 and iTunes 12.6.1 with bug fixes and security updates.

Facebook:

• Hits 1.94 billion active users on the network; ad revenues from mobile account for 85% of the total (up 1% from previous quarter).
• Reports 175 million daily active users of WhatsApp Status, a facsimile of Snapchat Stories it launched back in mid-February.
• Refutes claims that it helped advertisers target teens who feel "worthless;" says it "does not offer tools to target people based on their emotional state," and that it was an analysis done by an Australian researcher "to help marketers understand how people express themselves on Facebook."
• Rolls out Instant Games on Messenger worldwide.
• Launches Express Wi-Fi in India in partnership with local internet service providers as part of its Internet.org initiative to expand internet services in the country.
• To downrank low-quality webpages with malicious ads in users' algorithmic news feeds.
• Updates Instagram for mobile web with capabilities to upload photos.

Microsoft:

• Comes clean about the exact telemetry data it collects from Windows 10 users following Electronic Frontier Foundation's warning last year that Microsoft blatantly disregarded user choice and privacy.
• Targets Chromebooks and Chrome OS with Windows 10 S, a lightweight version of Windows 10 that makes Edge the default browser, Bing the default search engine and Windows Store the only platform to download and install apps (upgradeable to a full Pro version at additional cost); new devices to ship this summer starting US$ 189.
• Reportedly planning to allow app developers to build bots that can be integrated with Bing search results.
• Announces fall Windows 10 Creators Update with new Material Design called Fluent Design System, universal clipboard and other continuity features to access content from across devices, including iPhones and Android smartphones (through Cortana).
• Demonstrates a new Garage project called Presentation Translator that makes it possible to translate PowerPoint presentations in real-time.

Uber:

• Expands its food delivery service UberEats to Mumbai, India.
• Faces setback after European Court of Justice rules it should be regulated like any other transportation company; says it "cannot be regarded as a mere intermediary between drivers and passengers," and that it should "be required to obtain the necessary licenses and authorizations under national law."

In other news:

• World Health Organization sounds alarm bell in Congo after a fresh outbreak of Ebola virus kills three.
• Over 200,000 computers running Windows XP (no longer officially supported by Microsoft since 2014) across 150 countries fall victim to a sophisticated WannaCry ransomware attack that exploits a vulnerability used by USA's National Security Agency to remotely control Windows computers (the exploit, called EternalBlue, was released by hacker group Shadow Brokers last month) as Microsoft issues an out-of-band security update; accidentally killed by registering a specific domain that prevented further infections.
• Amazon launches Echo Show with touchscreen, camera and support for voice calling features (also available for Echo, Echo Dot and Alexa app) for US$ 229.
• One of internet's oldest websites About.com rebrands itself as Dotdash (refers to letter "A" in Morse Code).
• Twitter partners with Bloomberg for 24/7 live streaming news network; to launch later this fall.
• Fitbit, maker of activity trackers, reports sales of 3 million devices for the quarter ending March 31, 2017 in a fresh turnaround.
• Samsung joins the self-driving car bandwagon; gets approval to test them on South Korean roads.
• Snap Inc. stock nosedives after user growth plateaus (166 million) and losses mount; CEO Evan Spiegel brushes off Facebook's copycat attempts by saying "just because Yahoo has a search box doesn't mean they're Google."
• Popular web browser Opera adds Messenger, WhatsApp and Telegram integration.