Top News of the week: Facebook-WhatsApp deal, Galaxy Note 3 Neo launch, Google Project Tango and more!

The dust on the Google-Lenovo deal had barely settled and we were stunned by yet another high profile Facebook-WhatsApp deal. Besides, the week also saw Samsung launch its new “lite” aka “Neo” variants of its popular devices, Flappy Bird clones being rejected, Google’s Project Tango and more. Take a quick recap of the top news of the week.   **Facebook acquires WhatsApp messaging app for $19 billion** Facebook on Wednesday, announced that it will acquire the popular cross-platform mobile messaging company, WhatsApp for $19 billion. In a filing to the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC), Facebook announced the acquisition.   **Google tried to keep WhatsApp away from Facebook, was reportedly ready to top $19 billion** Facebook may have struck gold with WhatsApp, but it was not the only tech giant vying for the cross-platform messaging app. It’s been reported that Google first offered a humble $10 billion to buy WhatsApp at one point, and then went on to offer to beat Facebook’s $19 billion. [caption id=“attachment_218634” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Google wanted a piece of WhatsApp too (Image credit: Reuters)[/caption]   **Meet IIT and ISB alumni Neeraj Arora, the man who helped Facebook clinch the $19 billion WhatsApp deal** WhatsApp, a mobile messaging application, has been the buzz for the last two days after Facebook acquired it for $19 billion.  But did you know that India-born Neeraj Arora, responsible for “all things business at WhatsApp”, played a key role in sealing the deal? And with Facebook’s promise of making no changes in the way WhatsApp functions, Arora will have to drive the integration of the business operations of the messaging platform with the social network.   **How the creators of WhatsApp transformed from strugglers to billionaires** 37-year-old Jan Koum, born in the Ukraine, went to the US when he was 16-years-old. His family struggled living on food stamps, venture capitalist Jim Goetz revealed in a blog post. Acton’s story shows us that persevering in spite of rejection worked miracles for him. In 2009, Facebook turned Acton down for a job**.**   **Samsung starts pre-booking of Galaxy Note 3 Neo at a discounted Rs 38,990** Just a couple of days after Samsung launched the Note 3 Neo for India at its event in Bali for Rs 40,990, the device was put up for pre-booking. As an introductory offer, the Note 3 Neo is listed on Samsung’s e-store at a discount of Rs 2,000. The first 1,000 customers to pre-book the Note 3 Neo can take it home for Rs 38,990.     **Introducing Project Tango: Google’s smartphone that would 3D map your entire home** Google’s Advanced Technology & Projects group announced Project Tango with the stated objective of giving “mobile devices a human-scale understanding of space and motion”. Project Tango is an Android-based prototype 5-inch phone and developer kit with advanced 3D sensors, reports Techcrunch. With the sensors, the phone is capable of tracking motion, and can build a visual map of rooms using 3D scanning. [caption id=“attachment_218643” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Google’s Project Tango to give mobile devices a human-scale understanding of space and motion[/caption]   **Sony Xperia Z1 Compact launched in India for Rs 36,990: Flagship internals in a small package** Announced at the CES this year, the Xperia Compact-mini version of Sony’s popular flagship Z1-has finally reached Indian shores this week. It is now listed on the company’s official site at a price of Rs 36,990.   **Not just fingerprint scanner, Samsung Galaxy S5 to come in gold as well: Report** Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy S5 smartphone at the Mobile World Congress 25 February and according to the latest rumours the smartphone is likely to come with a ‘gold’ coloured version as well. Think Apple’s iPhone 5s anyone?   **See the Taj Mahal and other Indian heritage sites in 360-degree panoramas thanks to Google Street View** First-time visitors to Indian normally have a day chalked off to see the Taj Mahal and take in the sights around Delhi. But from today, these very people can get a virtual tour of major landmarks in and around the capital, and in other parts of the country, thanks to Google Street View.   **Flipkart, Snapdeal and Amazon not authorised sellers: Lenovo and Toshiba** In the second such instance in the past few months, Lenovo is one of two companies to have started a campaign asking its customers to not purchase its products at online retailers Flipkart. Snapdeal, and Amazon.in. Besides Lenovo, Japanese computer maker Toshiba also objected to certain practices on Indian e-commerce websites.   **Moto G gets Android 4.4 KitKat update in India** Motorola began rolling out Android 4.4 KitKat updates to the Moto G smartphone in India. Moto G was launched on February 5 in India in an exclusive arrangement with Flipkart, and Motorola has lived up to the promising of rolling out the latest Android update within days. [caption id=“attachment_218238” align=“aligncenter” width=“768”]  Hello Moto![/caption]   **High-end Fujifilm X-E2 launched in India: Body-only price is Rs 76,999; Rs 1,09,999 with XF 18-55mm lens** Fujifilm has announced the launch of its latest X-series camera – the X-E2 – featuring the APS-C X-Trans CMOS II sensor, in India today.The X-E2 will be priced at Rs 76,999 for the body only and Rs 1,09,999 along with the XF 18-55mm kit lens.   **Steve Jobs to soon appear on US postage stamp** Apple’s co-founder the late Steve Jobs will soon appear on a US postage stamp, according to a new report by The Washington Post. The list shows that Steve Jobs’ photo will appear as part of collectible stamp edition in 2015.  While his name is confirmed in the list, the design isn’t ready yet.   **Apple releases iOS 7.0.6 and 6.1.6 updates to fix SSL security issues** A major flaw in Apple software for mobile devices could allow hackers to intercept email and other communications that are meant to be encrypted, the company said in a Friday afternoon announcement.Apple has released updates for iOS to patch the security flaw with encrypted connections. It has released iOS iOS 7.0.6 for iPhone 4 and above, iPod touch (5th generation), iPad 2 and later. It has also released iOS 6.1.6 update for iPhone 3GS and fourth-generation iPod touch.   **Tizen, not Android: Next Galaxy Gear may change OS allegiance** While the original Gear is an Android-based smartwatch, the Gear 2, which will also be known as the Galaxy Band, is likely to run on Samsung’s own Tizen OS. People familiar with the matter told CNet that Samsung would unveil the new Gear smartwatch at the Mobile World Congress and it will run company’s Tizen software. [caption id=“attachment_209269” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  New version of the Gear to run on Tizen?[/caption]   **Gionee unveils incredibly thin Elife S5.5 with octa-core processor and 13MP camera** Chinese phone maker Gionee has unveiled its newest smartphone dubbed Elife S5.5. Now, the name doesn’t imply a 5.5-inch display, rather the company wants to highlight that it is the slimmest smartphone with a thickness of just 5.5mm. However, the Elife S5.5 isn’t just about uber-portability; it packs in a 5-inch full HD Super AMOLED display, and will be powered by an octa-core 1.7 GHz processor.   **How not to be a Glasshole: Prim Google issues an etiquette guide** Google has put out a handy little guide for Google Glass users and Explorers where it talks about etiquette while using Glass. As part of the Don’ts list Google has urged users not to be a ‘Glasshole’ while using the smartglasses.   **New Google Maps rolling out to all users worldwide** Google is all set to roll out the new Google Maps to all users now. The new Maps experience which was unveiled during Google I/O last May had been in preview mode for this long and is now set to be rolled out worldwide in the coming weeks.   **Firefox, Chrome browsers pose multiple cyber-security threats, warns CERT-In** Multiple vulnerabilities have been detected in popular browsers Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, and cyber-security sleuths have advised Internet users in the Indian cyberspace to guard against arbitrary activities on their systems.   **Candy Crush Saga maker King plans IPO, could be valued at $5 bn** King, the company behind the hit mobile phone game “Candy Crush Saga,” is planning a US stock market debut that some analysts think could value it at more than $5 billion and herald a flurry of technology company listings this year. [caption id=“attachment_218513” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Candy Crush Saga maker King Digital now plans IPO[/caption]   **Galaxy Grand Neo launched for Rs 18,450: Can Samsung’s mid-ranger overcome the Moto G?** At the Samsung Forum 2014, the company has launched its mid-range Galaxy Grand Neo for Rs 18,450. The latest in Samsung’s Grand series comes with an almost similar specs sheet to the Galaxy Grand 2, and is effectively a toned-down version of the latter.   **Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Neo launched for Rs 16,490; Note Pro 12.2 priced at a staggering Rs 64,900** Samsung has launched the Galaxy Tab 3 Neo as well as the Note Pro 12.2 at its Samsung Forum 2014 event in Bali today, where we also saw the launch of the Galaxy Note 3 Neo for the Indian market. The Galaxy Tab 3 Neo is priced at Rs 16,490 and the Note Pro 12.2 is pegged at Rs 64,900.   **Bharti Airtel acquires Loop Mobile, rises to the top spot in terms of subscribers** Bharti Airtel has acquired Mumbai-based Loop Mobile, marking one of the biggest acquisitions in the Indian telecom sector. The deal is speculated to be around Rs 700 crore. As a part of the deal, Airtel will get around 3.2 million Loop subscribers, its retail outlets and about 400-500 cellular towers.   **Google acquires Israeli startup SlickLogin, maker of sound-based password systems** Google is acquiring SlickLogin, an Israeli startup that develops sound-based password alternatives, in what is being called an “acqui-hiring” deal, which means SlickLogin’s staff and knowledge will be integrated into Google. SlickLogin confirmed the deal on its website. [caption id=“attachment_218038” align=“aligncenter” width=“640”]  Never coming back again[/caption]   **Apple and Google reject Flappy Bird clones; no more apps with ‘Flappy’ in the title** Last week, the game’s maker, Don Nguyen, took everyone by surprise or rather shock as he yanked the game off app stores citing reasons like “overwhelming response from users.” Post Flappy Bird’s demise however, a ton of replica apps have been rushing to fill the void. But now, news has it that Google and Apple have started rejecting apps that have the word “Flappy” in their name.