Tech Roundup: ZMapp, Moto X+1 & More

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

• Deaths from Ebola virus outbreak touches 1,427 in West Africa, as two American aid workers Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol who received experimental drug ZMapp (antibodies harvested from Ebola infected mice) are declared cured in a promising development.
• Maryam Mirzakhani becomes the first ever woman recipient of Fields Medal, the highest ever honour bestowed for pioneering work in the field of Mathematics, along with three others.
• The reason we don't see our own typos is because what we see on the screen is competing with the version that exists in our heads.
• China blocks messaging apps Kakao Talk and Line to fight domestic terrorism and mandates the use of real names in WeChat; allegedly bans Apple iPads and Macbooks for government use.
• NSA was behind December 2012 Internet outage in Syria, reveals Edward Snowden in his latest interview with Wired, adding it was done accidentally while trying to monitor the country's Internet traffic.
• World's first smartphone, IBM Simon, turns 20.

Ready for Moto X+1? (Image: The Verge)

• Facebook partners with Indian telecom giant Airtel to provide free Internet to Zambia through Internet.org app.
• Sony sells 10 million PlayStation 4 consoles in nine months and finds itself unable to understand why it's so popular!
• YouTube's ad-free music subscription service YouTube Music Key to offer background audio and offline playback, reveals Android Police.
• Popular messaging app Snapchat in talks with media organisations and advertisers to deliver ephemeral news and ads, reports The Wall Street Journal.
• Samsung finally ditches all-plastic design with the metal-framed mid-range Galaxy Alpha smartphone; preps up Galaxy Note 4 for a Samsung Unpacked event on September 3.
• Motorola set to announce Moto X, Moto G smartphones and Moto 360 smartwatch on September 4; Microsoft to showcase Lumia 730 selfie phone on the same day.
• Cell phone unlocking is now legal in the USA following passage of Unlocking Consumer Choice and Wireless Competition Act.
• Microsoft Windows Phone 8.1 Update 1 adds folder support in Start Screen and improvements to Cortana and Xbox Music; to unveil Windows 9 Threshold come September 30 with Start Menu, Virtual Desktop among other features.
• Numerous leaks point to two iPhone models from Apple; September 9 rumoured to be the launch date.
• Upcoming version of Android L may be called Lemon Meringue Pie, according to new evidence gathered by Android Police.
• Prolific tipster of unreleased tech @evleaks (aka Evan Blass) calls it quits after deeming it unprofitable; leaks press renders of Moto X successor as "retirement gift".
• HTC unveils HTC One M8 for Windows Phone.
• Huawei and Lenovo gain smartphone market share last quarter at the expense of Samsung and Apple; Lenovo, the largest PC maker, now sells more smartphones than PC's.
• OpenSignal's Android fragmentation report says there are 18,796 unique Android devices this year.
• Pinterest adds messaging to have conversations around shared pins.
• Facebook removes mobile messaging from its main app on Android and iOS; now requires standalone Facebook Messenger app.
• Amazon to begin testing Prime Air drone delivery service as early as this year in India with trials in Mumbai and Bangalore, according to a report from The Economic Times.
• Samsung and Apple make peace; agree to drop all legal disputes outside the USA.
• Twitter will begin to show tweets from people you don't follow (mostly those you have marked favourite) in its latest money making strategy.
• Spice Fire One is India's first Firefox OS phone; challenges entry level handsets with a price of Rs. 2,299.
• Amazon Fire Phone gets its first software update with app folders, improved battery life and more.
• Samsung Galaxy S5 takes the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge; dares Apple iPhone 5S, HTC One M8 and Nokia Lumia 930 to do the same. Ahem!