LATEST TECH NEWS: Zoom video chat rivals Google Meet with free version. 4 other things and a trivia you need to know today, May 13, 2020

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

1. Zoom video chat rivals Google Meet with free version

Chinese video conferencing product, Zoom, has countered its rival’s latest development with the new release of its free version. Recall that Google recently completed the rollout of the free version of its videoconferencing tool into the market.

As Google attempts to capitalize on the recent boom in videoconferencing brought about by the coronavirus outbreak, Zoom is seen not slacking either, especially for remaining the video conferencing king. Playing to the market, the pandemic causing untold disruption around the world, video meetings have really taken off, with workers, as well as friends and family, using the technology to connect with one another from the comfort of their own homes.

2. Taiwan M17 raises $26.5 million Series D led by Vertex Growth

M17, the Taiwan-based live streaming entertainment startup, has raised a $26.5 million Series D. The deals book revealed that the round was led by Vertex Growth Fund, with participation from Stonebridge Korea Unicorn Venture Fund, Innoven Capital Singapore, Kaga Electronics and ASE Global Group.

According to M17, the new funding will be used for growth in Japan, one of M17’s key markets, and expansion into the United States and other regions including the Middle East. With an existing impressive performance, the coronavirus pandemic has also increased the number of users logging onto the live streaming apps to stay entertained during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Tech Trivia:

What is a technical term for the “brain” of the computer?

Answer: See end of post.

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3. Cryptocurrency platform Luno crosses 4 million users

South Africa’s cryptocurrency platform Luno announced Wednesday, May 13, that it has reached over four million customers worldwide, having added a million new users since September last year. In a public statement, Luno stated it also saw the second-biggest increase of website traffic across all exchanges for the month of April, higher than the likes of Binance, Coinbase and Kraken.

Read also: LATEST TECH NEWS: Musk challenges authorities as he opens Tesla plant. 4 other things and a trivia you need to know today, May 12, 2020

Analyts have noted, however, that this development comes during the halving of Bitcoin, which follows the recent addition of Litecoin to the Luno platform. Traffic records also revealed that Luno saw the second-biggest increase of website traffic across all exchanges for the month of April.

4. Facebook to pay $52 million to settle employees with PTSD

Social media giant, Facebook, has reportedly agreed to pay its content moderator employees $52 million as part of a settlement over a lawsuit filed by workers who suffered mental health issues as a result of their jobs. According to the agreement, the social media giant will pay a minimum of $1,000 to 11,250 content moderators who developed issues such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Because of the stressful job of moderating graphic and disturbing content on Facebook, moderators who have been diagnosed with a mental health condition can reportedly get up to $1,500, and those who have multiple diagnoses can receive up to $6,000. Facebook also noted that on top of a cash payout, content moderators will also get access to personal sessions with a licensed mental health professional or counselor, as well as monthly group therapy sessions, the Verge reported.

5. London’s femtech company Astinno closes grant worth $450k

Towards funding the further testing of a wearable it’s developing for women experiencing a perimenopause symptom known as hot flushes, London-based femtech hardware startup Astinno has picked up an Innovate UK grant worth £360k ($450k).

Product review on the design indicated that the sensor-packed device, which it’s calling Grace, is being designed to detect the onset of a hot flush and apply cooling to a woman’s wrist to combat the reaction — in a process it likens to running your wrists under a cold tap. According to the organisation, the aim is for algorithmically triggered cooling to be done in a timely enough manner to prevent hot flushes from running their usual unpleasant and uncomfortable course.

Tech Trivia Answer: CPU

The brain of a computer is CPU. The computer brain is a microprocessor called the central processing unit (CPU). The CPU is a chip containing millions of tiny transistors. It’s the CPU’s job to perform the calculations necessary to make the computer work — the transistors in the CPU manipulate the data.

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