Top news this week: eBay hack, 8GB iPhone 5c, Surface Pro 3 and more!

From Microsoft’s new Surface Pro 3 to 8Gb iPhone 5c, yet another exciting week of nifty tech launches comes to an end. If you have missed out on what’s new in the tech terrain, here’s a quick recap of top news this week.

Earlier this week, Microsoft unveiled a larger but lighter version of its Surface tablet dubbed Pro 3, hoping that the company’s expertise in business software will help it take on Apple in mobile devices. The all new Surface Pro 3 tablet, which comes in three models starting from $799 and costing up to $1,949, features a 12-inch screen, much larger than Apple iPad’s 9.7 inches. It also comes with access to Microsoft’s Office software suite, employed in businesses around the world.

Finally, Apple has launched the 8GB version of its iPhone 5C in India for Rs 37,500, a move aimed at capturing a larger share of the burgeoning smartphone market in India. The new device will be available in the market over the next few days.

With Amazon ramping up its presence in India, two local online retailers are preparing for tougher competition with separate deals worth a combined $400 million set to be finalised this week. Flipkart, India’s largest online retailer has acquired online fashion retailer Myntra in a deal said to be worth about $300 million. Both entities will work independently. In a separate deal, local online retailer Snapdeal has raised $100 million from five investors.

eBay said earlier this week that hackers raided its network three months ago, accessing some 145 million user records in what is poised to go down as one of the biggest data breaches in history, based on the number of accounts compromised.

Google is developing a new 7-inch tablet that can capture 3-D images, and plans to produce about 4,000 of these prototypes beginning next month. The device, which is part of Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects group ‘Project Tango,’ will have two back cameras, infrared depth sensors and advanced software that can capture precise three-dimensional images of objects, according to the Journal.

Motorola’s latest budget wonder – Moto E – was back in stock on Friday at 11AM, exclusively via Flipkart. Only 20,000 units were put up for sale. Looks like, there were too many takers for the Moto E as several users repeatedly got error messages stating ‘Internal server error’. Several buyers have already begun venting frustration on Twitter.

To compete with the budget wonder Moto E, Micromax has now launched the all new Unite 2 smartphone priced similarly at Rs 6,999. It is the first Micromax smartphone running Android KitKat and is available across all leading retail outlets in India. Another highlight of the device is its support for 21 regional languages.

Samsung is developing a smartwatch that can make or receive calls without having to be tethered to a mobile phone. Is it the Gear Solo, a standalone smart watch-phone that leaked earlier this month?

A bill to end the government’s bulk collection of telephone records cleared the US House of Representatives on Thursday in the first legislative effort at surveillance reform since former contractor Edward Snowden disclosed the program a year ago.

Secret, the anonymous sharing app, has finally arrived on Android after winning hordes of fans and users on iOS. The app, which started as a beta are soon earned cult status among the Silicon Valley set, brings some exclusive features for the Android launch, which not even the iOS app can boast of. In that sense, Secret is breaking away from the group of developers who prefer an iOS-first strategy.

The financial capital, notorious for its traffic snarls, has achieved a first in the country after a city-based pizza outlet used an unmanned drone to execute a delivery by taking the aerial route recently. It had to later face police interrogation for launching the drone without proper permissions.

Reports earlier had been suggesting Apple would announce its biggest $3.2 billion Beats acquisition this week, but there has been no show so far. Billboard has now listed several reasons citing its sources, why the deal is possibly delayed.

Just ahead of the big day on May 27, LG has given a sneak peek into the new case it plans to launch. The company officially announced the new QuickCircle for the G3 this week. The case shows a circular opening on the front that can help performs several functions without the need to open the case.

Reliance Jio the subsidiary of RIL has started offering Wi-Fi hotspot services in select locations in India. Reliance Jio has also commenced its mobile network where it plans to offer services on a test-basis.

India’s official prime minister Twitter handle will be handed over to premier-elect Narendra Modi, an official statement said on Wednesday, a day after the account was reset sparking a furious backlash.

Police has arrested six Iranians suspected of posting a version of US singer Pharrell Williams’s hit song “Happy” on the Internet. The clip shows three men and three unveiled women singing and dancing to the tune in the streets and on Tehran rooftops.

Within a week of announcing Gmail as the first Android app to cross 1 billion downloads on Play store, Google bumped up the app to version 4.8. The new Gmail update brings a slew of new features including saving attachments to Drive, spam explanations, improved side navigation menu and more.

US search engine Google has overtaken rival technology titan Apple as the world’s top brand in terms of value, global market research agency Millward Brown said on Wednesday.

A woman in Italy was told she had broken Facebook’s terms and had her account suspended by the social network after putting up a picture in support of the LGBT community. 28-year-old Carlotta Trevisan’s profile was suspended after she posted a picture showing two women kissing in support for LGBT rights. The account has now been restored and the so-called offending picture is back.

Facebook is letting friends pry. New “ask” buttons popping up in profiles of friends at the leading social network let people inquire about omitted information such as whether they are in romantic relationships or where they live.

The indictment of five Chinese military officials on cyber espionage charges will intensify friction between Beijing and Washington that has been growing as China gets bolder in asserting its territorial claims in disputed seas in East Asia.

The Nokia XL Dual SIM has been listed on the company’s official store for Rs 11,489. The XL is among the trio of Android-based devices – X+ and XL – from Nokia. The company promises to deliver the device in five working days.

News has it that Facebook is developing its own video-chat app, known internally as Slingshot, after its failed attempt to acquire mobile messaging startup Snapchat.

Evleaks – with a track record of providing accurate information about yet-to-be-announced smartphones – reveals that Google will not be releasing a Nexus 6 this year. Further, the prolific tipster tells users not to worry as there’s a ‘silver’ lining to this cloud, clearly hinting at Android Silver.