Tech Roundup: Microsoft SIM, #netflixeverywhere & More

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

Alphabet/Google -

• Lenovo and Google team up for first consumer-facing Project Tango 3D mapping device; to hit markets this spring.
• Receives more than 367,000 Right to be forgotten requests concerning 1.3 million URLs in the European Union since its inception back in May 29 2014.

Apple -

• iMessage lawsuit that alleged had prevented former iPhone owners who switched to Android from receiving texts gets dismissed.
• Reportedly cuts back on iPhone 6s orders due to falling demand; stock price dips below 100$.
• Files patents for a dual camera system and waterproofed ports.
• Ramps up efforts in AI by acquiring Emotient, a startup that uses artificial-intelligence technology to read people's emotions by analysing facial expressions; follows last year's similar purchase of Perceptio.
• Registers top level car domains including apple.car, apple.cars and apple.auto.
• May ship iPhone 7 with Lightning-connected EarPods, per 9To5Mac adding further credence to rumours that Apple will do away with 3.5-mm audio jack; Beats-branded wireless Bluetooth earphones also expected.
• Announces record $1.1 billion in App Store sales during holiday season; customers spent $144 million on New Year's Day alone.
• Samsung agrees to pay Apple $548 million, finally putting the long protracted patent infringement fight to an end.

Facebook -

• Virtual reality headgear Oculus Rift goes for pre-order at $599; shipments expected in March.
• Facebook Messenger gets Uber integration; crosses 800 million monthly active users.

Microsoft -

• Windows 10 installs cross 200 million, five months after launch.
• Launches Surface Pro 4 convertible laptop in India for Rs. 89,900
• Reportedly planning Google Project-Fi/Apple SIM-like contract-free cellular service of its own that requires a Microsoft SIM to function; releases Cellular Data app on Windows Store.
• To drop official support for Internet Explorer versions 8, 9 and 10 effective January 12.

Others -

• IUPAC officially adds elements 113, 115, 117 and 118 to the Periodic Table, thus completing the seventh row.
• North Korea conducts successful hydrogen bomb test; records 5.1 magnitude on Richter Scale.
• HSBC apologizes after a service blackout disrupts online banking services for more than 2 days.
• World's first hacker-induced power outage reported in Ukraine; hacking group Sandworm suspected.
• Car maker Volkswagen refuses to let US authorities probe into company's emissions-cheating scandal citing German privacy laws.
• Internet of Things, connected home products, virtual reality, drones and ultra-slim Windows laptops dominate Consumer Electronics Show this year at Las Vegas as smartphones and smartwatches take a backseat (Oh, by the way Sony's new turntable PS-HX500 is cute!).
• On-demand streaming media service Netflix rolls out to 130 new countries, including India and Russia, in its largest expansion ever, with China being the notable exception.
• Creators of Lumosity app settle with US's Federal Trade Commission after falsely claiming its brain training programs can help users perform better and delay age-related cognitive impairment; to pay $2 million in fines.
• BlackBerry to continue operations in Pakistan after government drops its request to access user emails and text messages.
• Twitter may lose its defining feature; to stretch tweets to 10000 characters in an attempt to stay relevant, reports Re/code (the question is why when there are already options like TwitLonger and Medium).
• T-Mobile confirms it throttles video streaming sites when Binge On unlimited video service is activated.
• Online dating service Tinder opens its first international office in Delhi, India.
• Tizen OS-powered Samsung Gear S2 smartwatch to get iOS compatibility this year.
• Samsung reportedly planning to add features it removed from Galaxy S6 on its next generation Galaxy smartphone; microSD card support, water resistance, bigger batteries and possible camera downgrade expected.
• Nextbit Robin smartphone ships February 16 to its Kickstarter backers.
• Lenovo officially kills Motorola as a consumer brand following its acquisition back in early 2014; to co-brand future high-end devices as 'Moto by Lenovo'.
• Yahoo! shuts down video streaming service Yahoo! Screen; plans to slash workforce amid management turmoil and shareholder frustrations over a lack of a turnaround.
• Microsoft suggested apps pop up in Android fork Cyanogen OS (not CyanogenMod) as part of Cyanogen Inc's deal with Microsoft for a Google-less Android OS.
• Popular messaging app WeChat now lets users in USA, Hong Kong and India make VOIP calls to mobile and landline numbers; a 99 cent credit will provide 100 minutes of free calls around the world.
• San Francisco's largest cab company Yellow Cab Co-op files for bankruptcy in what's being called Uber's first casualty.