Google WiFi launch, Apple VR, Asus Zoom: Tech news you need to know

Public WiFi from Google at Mumbai CST | Apple VR | Asus Zenfone Zoom | Craigslist to shop for storm buddies | It’s an appy day

YouTube will now let you loop a track without a third party app. Just right click on the video playing and click on loop. (YouTube)

Public WiFi from Google at Mumbai CST: Google in partnership with the Railways' telecom wing, RailTel will launch the first public WiFi service at the Mumbai Central railway station as the joint partnership kicks of its project of providing free WiFi across 400 stations in the country on Friday. Earlier, Google had said that the service would be free with no payment walls and there would be speed reduction to maintain fairness for all commuters accessing the WiFi. Later, railway ministry sources revealed that a fee between ₹ 25 to ₹ 30 would be levied after the first one hour.

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Apple VR: January isn't even over and we already have two virtual reality headsets in the country — Samgung Gear VR and ANT VR. The VR headsets make games and movies feel more immersive by strapping a screen inches from your face and blocking out everything else. While Google Cardboard made everyone realise how easy it was to make VR headsets using the screen of your phone, Oculus is and HTC have made self-suffient VR headsets like the Rift. According to the latest update from Sillicon Valley, Apple doesn't want to be left out of the excitement. Reports say, that Apple has hired Doug Bowman, a professor at Virginia Tech who recently won an award from Microsoft for a HoloLens project.

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Facebook, the owner of Oculus announced the open-sourcing of Transform, an tool that makes 360 degree videos 25% smaller. At the companies Video @Scale conference, Facebook explained how the video shot from multiple angles is folded into a cube around the VR viewer's line of sight.

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Asus Zenfone Zoom : Asus is all set to launch the Zenfone Zoom today. Expected to cost short of ₹30,000, unlike most phones, 3X optical zoom at the disposal of a 13 megapixel camera and performs really well even in low light conditions. Despite packing optical zoom, it's just 12 millimetres thick. It will also include a 5.5 inch full HD display, Intel Atom processor, 4 GB of RAM and 3,000 mAh battery. It still runs Android Lollipop with the Zen UI.

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Craigslist to shop for storm buddies: As New York preps for Winter storm Jonas, some citizens have ditched Tinder, in favour of Craigslist — a listing site that people post classified advertisements on. The ads posted by New Yorkers offer company, food, hot chocolate, cuddling and even more intimate incentives for the period of the storm when everyone will most likely be locked indoors till the weather clears. This isn't the first time Craigslist has been used as a blizzard buddy finder.

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It's an appy day : The three titans of Silicon Valley — Facebook, Microsoft and Google — each, decided that it was a fine day to launch apps. While Facebook launched a sports app to rival ESPN, Microsoft Labs' Mimicker Alarm app for Android requires you to make expressions to prove that you've woken up. Google keeping it simple, is sending out a new weather app that has a frog as the protagonist of animate weather depiction. Facebook's Game Hub is a centre for live scores on basketball, soccer for now and only available on the iPhones in US.

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YouTube Loop: YouTube doesn't want you to leave, and you love to loop songs. So YouTube will now let you loop a track without a third party app. Just right click on the video playing and click on loop. As simple as that.