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LATEST TECH NEWS: Apple counters hacking assertion from cybersecurity personnel. 4 other things and a trivia you need to know today, April 24, 2020

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These 5 latest stories from the tech space will keep you updated with trends today.

1.    Apple counters hacking assertion from cybersecurity personnel

3 customers sue Apple for selling their data despite privacy claims

Mobile device giant, Apple, on Friday countered hacking assertion from cybersecurity personnel, claiming there are no evidence that hackers had exploited flaw in its Mail app. Following the speculation, Apple noted that it is yet to see any concrete evidence of cyberattackers exploiting newly discovered vulnerabilities in the Mail app for iPhone and iPad, software used by hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

This is the US company countering assertions by cybersecurity company ZecOps that software flaws may have allowed hackers to infiltrate iPhones and other iOS devices for more than a year. Apple launched an investigation and said in a statement the mail issues were insufficient by themselves to allow cyberattackers to bypass built-in security, adding it will issue a fix soon.

2. Igloo raises $8.2M to support insurance in Southeast Asia

Singapore-based Igloo, formerly known as Axinan, has reportedly raised $8.2 million as the insurance-tech startup looks to broaden its foothold in half a dozen Southeast Asian markets and Australia.

According to reports, InVent, a corporate venture capital arm of telecommunications firm Intouch Holdings, led Igloo’s extended Series A round. Existing investors Openspace Ventures,  a venture capital fund that invests in Southeast Asia, and Linear Capital, a Shanghai-based early-stage venture capital firm focusing on tech-driven startups, also participated in this round.


Tech Trivia:

What does DNS, in internet technology, stand for.

Answer: See end of post.


3. U.S media investors unveil Pitchers and Pitches, calls for 60-second tech pitch 

Investors at U.S. media firm, Techcrunch, have unveiled Pitchers and Pitches, calling for best 60-second pitches from startups across the world. This initiative was launched to move business forward as ideas require new thinking, new tools and new opportunities along with tried-and-true essentials.

Read also: LATEST TECH NEWS: Paystack launches support for Nigerian, Ghanaian businesses. 4 other things and a trivia you need to know today, April 23, 2020

According to the organisation, the first Pitchers and Pitches session was free and open to the public. The aim was to randomly select five startups that emerge with the best 60-second pitches in the hosting. Participants would gain valuable insight into the art of telling their startup’s story in under a minute.

 4. Gogoro set to launch e-bike brand Eeyo in the U.S.

Gogoro, the Taiwanese company known for its electric scooters, has  announced a new ebike brand that will go on sale in the United States first. Details about the ebike, called Eeyo, haven’t been released yet, but it is noteworthy because it marks Gogoro’s  first product launch in the U.S.

Eeyo, according to reports, will be available for purchase in the U.S. in May, before launching in Europe and Taiwan this summer. Founded in 2015 by former HTC executives Horace Luke and Matt Taylor, the company stated that its Smartscooters are now the best-selling brand of electric two-wheel vehicles in Taiwan. Just recently, the company also licenses its technology, including swappable, rechargeable batteries, to manufacturers like Yamaha, Aeon and PGO.

5. Kickstart’s B2B scale-up programme opens applications for a new cohort

Kickstart innovation platform

Kickstart, a Zurich based innovation platform, has opened applications for its fifth iteration of its annual B2B scale-up programme. While Kickstart’s programme is aimed at late-stage start-ups interested in entering the Swiss market, African startups are equally invited to apply. According to the Swiss organisation, in a recent publication, the organisation is set to absorb about 100 entrepreneurs to join its three-month programme, which kicks off in September.

Kickstart further explained that applicants would create specific pilots and commercial projects with one of Kickstart’s 50 corporate and public sector partners, which include businesses like AXA, Roche, Credit Suisse and Lafarge Holcim. Commenting on the experience being a former participant of the Kickstart initiative, Vic Arulchandran, co-founder from Nivaura described the opportunity as a 3 year leverage. He stated: “What we found really valuable about the Kickstart was not just the advice and support we received throughout, but the high-level access we were given to some of Switzerland’s top businesses. In three months, Kickstart opened doors for us that would have taken three years on our own.”

Tech Trivia Answer: Domain Name System

The Domain Name System is a hierarchical and decentralized naming system for computers, services, or other resources connected to the Internet or a private network. It associates various information with domain names assigned to each of the participating entities. It passes as a register build-block.

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