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Google unveils new version of Workspace for 3 bn users


Google has announced Workspace Essentials Starter, a new offering that will allow users to sign up for no-cost access to Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, and Meet, more using their existing work e-mail.

Google has announced Workspace Essentials Starter, a new offering that will allow users to sign up for no-cost access to Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, Drive, and Meet, more using their existing work e-mail. Essentials Starter aims to help employees and their teams break down silos and work together in new ways.

"The new Google Workspace Essentials Starter Edition is a no-cost solution for business users looking to enhance teamwork and unlock innovation with secure-by-design collaboration," Kelly Waldher, VP of marketing Google Workspace said in a blog post.

With Essentials Starter, the firm is making it easy for employees to choose their own productivity tools and bring modern collaboration to work. Essentials Starter works much like legacy G Suite does today. It doesn't require file conversions, plug-ins, or new desktop software, and all the tools in Essentials Starter will work within existing environments, Google says. In addition, Essentials Starter provides encrypted and secure access to files, helping keep users safe and their information private.

courtesy: economic times

Paytm users can book Covid-19 vaccination slots on app

Paytm has announced the launch of vaccination slot booking in addition to its Vaccine Finder service on the app. Paytm users can now search, discover & also book their vaccination slots for both Covaxin and Covishield at the nearest center through the Paytm app.

In May, as vaccination opened for all in India, the company had launched Vaccine Finder on the app, with filtering options that helped the user generate leads for vaccine booking, including information such as the type of vaccine available and the fee charged for it. The company said that over the last several weeks Paytm users have checked for the availability of vaccination slots via Paytm.

With the slot booking option now available on the app, users across the country can complete their vaccination process.

The application uses Co-Win integration to gather data about vaccination centres. Users will need to register using their number and can locate the centres via pin code or name of the district. They will then be asked to select their age group and wether they are looking for the first or second dose.

Paytm spokesperson said, "It is our endeavor to help India come out of this pandemic a lot stronger. Our vaccine finder will help citizens seamlessly book slots at the nearest center and get vaccinated."

The new service is one of the measures that Paytm has undertaken as part of its Covid-19 relief measures. Under its #OxygenForLife initiative, Paytm Foundation donated Oxygen concentrators and is also setting up oxygen plants in government hospitals across the country.

source: live mint

Facebook Messenger upgrades with new themes, Photo & Videos in reply bar

Facebook Messenger has introduced new chat themes, a quick reply bar for media viewer and new payment tools like QR codes and payment links for Messenger users in the US that will enable users to send and receive money.

Messenger has introduced a quick reply bar that will make it easier for users to respond to shared media without having to separately open the photo or video.
Messenger has also added three new messaging themes that will enable users to transform the background of their chats.
Messenger has also introduced QR codes and payment links for users in the US that will enable users to send and receive money.

Facebook Messenger has introduced new features to enhance the experience of Messenger users. It has introduced chat themes, a quick reply bar for media viewer and new payment tools like QR codes and payment links for Messenger users in the US that will enable users to send and receive money from anyone even if they are not Facebook friends. The quick reply bar for individual messages and chat themes features were rolled out to Instagram users last year when the cross message functionality went live in October. The update added some options previously available on Facebook Messenger, including colourful chats, reactions with any emoji, swiping to reply to individual messages, sharing videos with more friends without having to download the app.

Now, Messenger has introduced a quick reply bar that will make it easier for users to respond to media shared by friends and family without having to separately open the photo or video. To send a reply to a photo or a video, users will have to tap on the photo or video and send a response through the quick reply bar at the bottom of the screen. To head back to the main chat thread, they can swipe up to exit the full-screen media viewer.

Messenger has added three new messaging themes that will enable users to transform the background of their chats. These include Olivia Rodrigo's new album, Sour that has a whimsical chat theme featuring Olivia's signature face stickers. Messenger Themes also includes World Oceans Day chat theme, which lets users virtually explore the world's oceans and also promotes sustainability and the importance of keeping our oceans clean for future generations. Messenger has also introduced a chat theme for Fast and Furious with the new F9 chat theme featuring the Fast Saga's 20th anniversary.

Messenger has also introduced QR codes and payment links for users in the US that will enable users to send and receive money. Messenger notes that US Messenger users can leverage QR codes and payment links when they want to send or request money with Facebook Pay, even if they are not connected on Facebook. They will not be required to download a separate payment app or add new contacts. Users can access your personal QR code and payment link, by visiting Messenger settings and tapping Facebook Pay and sharing the payment link or allowing friends to scan their QR code to send or request money.


source: india today

Poco M3 Pro 5G first sale in India


[b]Poco M3 Pro 5G will go on sale for first time in India.
Poco M3 Pro 5G will be available on Flipkart.
The smartphone is priced at Rs 13,999 for base variant.

Poco M3 Pro 5G will go on sale in India for the first time on Monday afternoon. The smartphone was launched in the country last week and competes with the existing affordable smartphones like Redmi Note 10 and Realme 8. The Poco M3 Pro 5G is a successor to the Poco M3 that was launched earlier this year and is also company's first 5G smartphone in the country. The phone also brings a high refresh rate display and a triple rear camera setup to the sub-Rs 15,000 category.

Notably, this is Poco's first smartphone launch in India in almost two months. The smartphone maker had postponed its India launches due to the Covid-19 situation in the country at that time. In case you plan to buy this smartphone, here is everything you need to know.

Poco M3 Pro 5G price in India is set at Rs 13,999 for the 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage model while the 6GB RAM and 128GB storage variant of the phone costs Rs 15,999. The smartphone will go on sale via Flipkart at 12 noon and the company is offering an early bird pricing for both the variants. Each model will be available for Rs 500 less as part of the early bird offer.

The Poco M3 Pro 5G has been launched in three colour options - Cool Blue, Power Black, and Poco Yellow. The smartphone features a Samsung Galaxy S21 like design language and comes with a glossy rear panel.


Poco M3 Pro 5G features and specifications

The Poco M3 Pro 5G features a a 6.5-inch full-HD+ hole-punch display with 90Hz refresh rate, DynamicSwitch feature, 91 percent screen-to-body ratio, and Corning Gorilla Glass protection. The display is capable of automatically switching between different refresh rates depending on what's running on it.

The Poco M3 Pro 5G packs the MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC, paired with the Mali-G57 GPU, up to 6GB of RAM, and up to 128GB of UFS 2.2 internal storage. The connectivity options include Bluetooth, 3.5mm audio jack, and USB Type-C port.

The triple rear camera system on the Poco M3 Pro 5G includes a 48-megapixel main camera, a 2-megapixel macro camera, and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. There is an 8-megapixel camera at the front, housed in a central hole-punch cutout.

The phone packs a 5,000mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging. There is also a side-mounted fingerprint scanner on the phone.[/b]

source: india today

Thanks for the wonderful share..

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Awesome and best wishes to the human calculator..

Apple allow users to sign up without passwords using Face, Touch ID


Announced in a developer session called "Move beyond passwords", Apple introduced something they call Passkeys. (TNW/Apple)

Apple had announced in the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) last year that it is going to allow you to sign in to websites on Safari using Face ID and Touch ID. Now, they are taking that a step further and are introducing passwordless sign-ups. Announced in a developer session called "Move beyond passwords", Apple introduced something they call Passkeys. These Passkeys will allow you to sign up for services without any passwords. "Despite their prevalence, passwords inherently come with challenges that make them poorly suited to securing someone's online accounts," Apple explained.

So how exactly will Passkeys work?

When you visit a website that supports Passkeys, you will enter your username of choice when you register and then use Face ID or Touch ID to sign in instead of using a password. Your Face ID or Touch ID will be used to authenticate you and sign you in. Passkey is coming to the iPhone, iPad, and Macs later this year as a technology preview so it will be turned off by default. This new Passkey tech is a part of the iCloud keychain and it is based on FIDO (Fast IDentity Online) Alliance's WebAuthn protocol. Apple joined this alliance last year to support password-free authentication.

As you can see on the chart, this Passkey is a pretty secure method for authentication and this will prevent you from falling prey to a phishing attack. However, this tech is not going to work for devices that aren't a part of the Apple ecosystem. With those Android devices, you will still have to use passwords.

Now, it's not all bad news since Google and Microsoft already have support for passwordless logins through biometric authentication and hardware keys like Yubico. Microsoft had mentioned in March that more than 200 million accounts are already using a login method that doesn't involve passwords.

Besides this new tech involving Passkeys, Apple has also created APIs for hardware security keys in macOS Monterey and iOS 15. Developer beta for iOS 15 is currently out and the public beta is coming soon. Developer beta for Monterey and watchOS 8 is also out.

source: tech hindustan times

YouTube, WhatsApp, and TikTok were the most popular apps for kids

What were kids looking for in 2020-2021? A Kaspersky study reveals what the kids were more interested in online over the last year and what they were looking for.

The last year has been interesting and strange for all of us, and particularly for kids. While we struggled with working remotely, the kids had to acquaint themselves with online classes along with all other aspects involving social distancing. Away from online classes and homework, what kept the kids interested and occupied? A study by Kaspersky, called the Kaspersky Safe Kids study revealed exactly that.

According to the study, over the past year, kids' interest in categories like 'software, audio, and video' and 'e-commerce' has gone up, while interest in 'internet communication media' and 'computer games' decreased slightly. With apps, YouTube, WhatsApp, TikTok were the most popular ones with TikTok beating Instagram with almost double the level of popularity.

The most popular website categories among children were 'software, audio, video' (44.38%), 'internet communication media' (22.08%), and 'computer games' (13.67%). For the most popular apps, YouTube lead by a wide margin, in second place was WhatsApp, and third was TikTok. The top 10 most popular apps also included four games: Brawl Stars, Roblox, Among US, and Minecraft.

Country-wise the breakdown of popularity of Software, Audio, Video websites showed that the largest source of visitors to these resources in South Asia was India, with 54.91%, nearly three percentage points more than the next largest contributor.

India is a country where children visit video platforms from PCs more often than children in other countries. Going by that India came in fourth in terms of time spent on the YouTube mobile app, with 37.34%. Children in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and India were the most active Zoom users, with 8.40% and 5.96% respectively. Facebook was not the favorite social network among children though, however, it still does enjoy some popularity among children in Egypt (10.08%), Mexico (5.9%), and India (2.87%)

When it comes to music tastes, alongside traditional leaders like K-POP bands BTS and BLACKPINK, singers Ariana Grande, Billie Eilish, and Travis Scott, another musical genre, like 'phonk' became popular last year. There is also a trend towards 'creative' videos with more and more requests for beats, samples, and lessons on creating music in various programs appearing at the top of the list. At the same time, TikTok remained the main musical trendsetter for children.

Cartoons account for half (50.21%) of all video searches by children around the world. The most popular ones are Lady Bug and Super Cat, Gravity Falls, and Peppa Pig. In second place were various TV shows – the most frequent search in English was The Voice Kids. In movies and TV series, the most popular trailers were Godzilla vs Kong, Zach Snyder's recent Justice League, and the Disney+ mini-series WandaVision. Netflix also continues to attract the attention of more kids – the most frequent requests via the platform were for Cobra Kai and Stranger Things.


For video games, those trending the most included Minecraft (22.84%), Fortnite (6.73%), Among Us (3.80%), Brawl Stars (6.34%), and the much-loved Roblox (3.82%). At the same time, the most frequently played game in the top 10 for almost all countries is Roblox. Of all the regions, it was children from Kazakhstan who became leaders in visiting sites devoted to computer games with 26.01%. In second place were children from the UK (19.40%). But we see a very different picture in India, where children hardly ever visited sites dedicated to video games from a PC (just 5.08%).


source: tech hindustan times

Netflix launches online store

Coming soon to the Netflix online store will be exclusive merch based on 'The Witcher' and 'Stranger Things', two original series with rabid fandoms, as well as new Netflix logo-wear from Japanese fashion house BEAMS.

Streaming giant Netflix has launched its online store called Netflix.shop, the company's first owned-and-operated retail outlet to sell products directly.

As per Variety, the online store will sell exclusive, limited editions of "carefully selected, high-quality apparel and lifestyle products" tied to Netflix's shows and brand on a regular basis

Products debuting this month on the online store are streetwear and action figures based on anime series 'Yasuke' and 'Eden' as well as limited-edition apparel and decorative items inspired by the French thriller series 'Lupin' in collaboration with the Musee du Louvre.

For the launch of the store, the company is introducing a collection of anime-inspired collectibles from three up-and-coming designers: Nathalie Nguyen, Kristopher Kites and Jordan Bentley.

Netflix developed and launched the e-commerce site with Shopify. The shopping site will first be available in the US before expanding to other countries in the coming months.

Netflix already has licensing deals for hundreds of products based on its original programming, sold by Target, Walmart, Amazon, H&M, Sephora and other retailers.


source: tech hindustan times

Apple has announced the 12 winners of the 2021 Apple Design Awards

Apple has announced the 12 winners of the 2021 Apple Design Awards and one of the them is an app called NaadSadhana that's been created by Sandeep Ranade from India. Here's a look at all the winners and a closer look at the homegrown one.

Apple recently hosted the Apple Design Awards for this year where they announced the 12 winners for this year. There were six new award categories this year that recognised developers for their innovation, visual and graphics, interaction, delight and fun, inclusivity, and social impact. "The work of these developers embodies the essential role apps and games play in our everyday lives, and serve as perfect examples of our six new award categories," said Susan Prescott, Apple's vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations. Besides the physical Apple Design Award, this year's winners will also receive a prize package that includes hardware for every developer to continue creating great apps and games.

The winners in the 'Inclusivity' category include the Voice Dream Reader app by Voice Dream LLC (United States) and a game called HoloVista created by Aconite (United States). Winners in this category provided a wholesome experience for all by supporting people from a diversity of backgrounds, abilities, and languages.

In the 'Delight and Fun' category, winners were picked based on the memorable and engaging experiences enhanced by Apple's technologies. The two winners here were two games - Pok Pok Playroom by Pok Pok (Belgium) and Little Orpheus by The Chinese Room (United Kingdom).

The 'Interaction' category honoured winners who delivered intuitive interfaces and effortless controls. The two winners in this category were the CARROT Weather app by Brain Mueller, Grailr LLC (United States) and the Bird Alone game that's made by George Batchelor (Canada).

Winners of the 'Social Impact' category picked two apps that helped users improve their lives in a meaningful way. The Be My Eyes app by S/I Be My Eyes (Denmark) and the game called Alba by ustwo games (United Kingdom) were the two winners.

Winners of the 'Visuals and Graphics' category have been picked for their stunning imagery and high-quality animations. Loona app by Loona Inc (Belarus) and the Genshin Impact game by miHoYo Limited (China) were the two winners.

The 'Innovation' category included apps/games that provided state-of-the-art experiences through a novel use of Apple technologies. NaadSadhana by Sandeep Ranade (India) and League of Legends: Wild Rift by Riot Games (United States) were the two winners.

NaadSadhana is an all-in-one, studio-quality music app that helps musicians of all genres and any level of expertise perform and publish their music. The app began as one that could be used for practicing Indian classical singing and has now expanded to support seven different genres of music. With the help of artificial intelligence (AI) and Core ML, NaadSadhana listens as a singer improvises a vocal line, provides instant feedback on the accuracy of notes, and generates a backing track to match, all in real-time.

"Two years ago I attended my first WWDC and the Apple Design Awards honestly felt like an Oscars Award ceremony. I never, in a million years, imagined that my work and research would ever get this high an honor. I have been pinching myself now and again to try and convince myself this is really happening," Ranade said.

"This is a huge honor for me as a solo software engineer. And that this is the first time that an app about Indian music/culture is receiving this award and this makes it even more momentous," he added.


More details, https://www.apple.com/in/newsroom/2021/06/apple-announces-winners-of-the-2021-apple-design-awards/

source: tech hindustan times

Nvidia plans to drop driver support for Windows

While over a billion devices now updated to Windows 10, the graphics hardware manufacturer plans to drop support for older Windows versions later this year. Are you one of the estimated 15 percent of users running the outdated Windows 7?

American multinational technology company Nvidia is planning to drop support for Windows 7, 8, and 8.1 later this year. The drivers will be exclusively available for Windows 10 in October, with only critical security updates available on Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 through September 2024.

According to The Verge, Microsoft has already dropped support for Windows 7 and Windows 8, and even the extended support for Windows 8.1 will end in January 2023.

"The vast majority of our GeForce customers have migrated to Windows 10 OS. In order to ensure GeForce owners experience the best possible security, support, and functionality, Nvidia will now focus on Windows 10 operating system," read a support note from Nvidia.

Even though there are 1.3 billion active Windows 10 devices, but Windows 7 is still in use in many parts of the world. Estimates say that Windows 7 still accounts for 15 percent of all Windows versions.

Windows 10 dominates Steam usage though, making up nearly 93 percent with Windows 7 at just under 2 percent. Microsoft is also expected to launch a new version of Windows, likely to be named Windows 11, in October.

As per The Verge, Nvidia's last driver to officially support these old versions of Windows will be made available on August 31st, with an October 4th release being the first to only support Windows 10.


source: tech hindustan times

Xiaomi to launch Mi Watch in India on June 22

The Mi Watch Revolve Active will come with an SpO2 sensor, built-in GPS, and the maximum sports modes.

Xiaomi has announced the launch of a new smartwatch in India. Mi Watch Revolve Active will launch in India on June 22 at 12pm. As the name suggests, this smartwatch will be a new variant of the Mi Watch Revolve that launched in India last year. Xiaomi has a dedicated page for the Mi Watch Revolve Active where it has listed different features of the smartwatch. The Mi Watch Revolve Active is also confirmed to be available on Amazon India.

The smartwatch will be equipped with a built-in GPS so you'll be able to track your runs and outdoor activities. Mi Watch Revolve Active will also let you support your VO2 Max which is the maximum rate of oxygen consumption during workouts. In addition to this, it will have a body energy monitor and an HR monitor. The smartwatch will also feature the "maximum sports modes ever." But the sports modes haven't been specified by Xiaomi.

It will also come with health features such as stress management, and sleep monitoring. The Mi Watch Revolve Active will also support different watch faces. The smartwatch will also have Amazon Alexa built-in for voice assistant support. In addition to all these features, the smartwatch will support calls and app notifications. There will be six watch bands available for the Mi Watch Revolve Active. These include black, white, maroon, blue, green and dark grey.

The Mi Watch Revolve Active seems quite similar to the Mi Watch Revolve in terms of design and features. But there may be more focus on health and fitness on the newer version. This will be Xiaomi's second smartwatch in India after the Mi Watch Revolve that costs ₹10,999. The Mi Watch Revolve Active is expected to be priced around the same.


source: tech hindustan times

Redmi Note 10S India launching on May 13


Xiaomi has confirmed that the Redmi Note 10S will be launched in India on May 13. The announcement comes days after the smartphone maker had posted a picture of the retail box of the upcoming phone.

1. Redmi Note 10S India launch date has been announced.
2. Xiaomi will launch new Note 10 phone on May 13.
3. Redmi Note 10S should have MIUI 12.5.

Xiaomi has confirmed that the Redmi Note 10S will be launched in India on May 13. The announcement comes days after the smartphone maker had posted a picture of the retail box of the upcoming phone. The box had hinted at some of Redmi Note 10S features including the presence of a 64-megapixel primary camera, MIUI 12.5 and an AMOLED display. The box had 12.5 written on it, which few believed could also be the launch date of the phone May 12. Now, that Xiaomi has announced that it will unveil the phone on May 13, it is almost confirmed to MIUI 12.5.


Xiaomi has also announced that it will be an online only launch event, keeping up with the current times. The new smartphone will further expand the Redmi Note 10 line-up which already has three smartphones - Redmi Note 10, Redmi Note 10 Pro and Redmi Note 10 Pro Max. All three models were equipped with AMOLED displays while the Pro Max also came with a 108-megpaixel main camera.

The Redmi Note 10S was unveiled globally, and it was only about time it was launched in India. It will be interesting to see where Xiaomi positions the Redmi Note 10S. It is likely to be more affordable than the Redmi Note 10 but, is already confirmed to have a better camera 64-megapixel main camera. The phone should be positioned between Rs 10,000 and Rs 15,000 category.

The Redmi Note 10S is likely to feature a 6.43-inch FHD+ AMOLED screen with a punch-hole for the front camera. The device is expected to be powered by the MediaTek Helio G95 chipset, coupled with up to 8GB RAM and 128GB UFS 2.2 storage. The biggest upgrade will be the much-talked about MIUI 12.5. . The new version of Xiaomi's operating system was announced earlier this year but is yet to be introduced in India. The company has been talking about it for a while but the Redmi Note 10S can be the first phone to get it, as teased by the retail box.

The phone should have a quad rear camera setup including a 64-megapixel main camera coupled with an 8-megapixel ultrawide sensor, a 2-megapixel macro and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. A 13-megapixel front camera is expected for selfies and video calls. The phone is also expected to feature a 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging

It will also feature a USB C port, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner, stereo speakers, and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection.


source: india today

PUBG Mobile India renamed to Battlegrounds Mobile India - Launching soon !!!


PUBG Mobile India teasers came out first ahead of Diwali last year but the launch has not taken place yet.


1. PUBG Mobile India may be renamed to Battlegrounds Mobile India.
2. The India launch date for PUBG Mobile is still not available.
3. A previous report suggested PUBG Mobile may be released on a single digit date.

PUBG Mobile India release is perhaps one of the most anticipated things right now. Ever since the ban last year, PUBG (Playerunknown's Battlegrounds) Mobile players have been awaiting the comeback of their favourite game. Last week, PUBG Mobile India accidentally released some trailers to tease the launch but they were quickly pulled down. And now, a leaked poster suggests PUBG Mobile India will be released as Battlegrounds Mobile India, though a date for that is still not clear.

According to Gemwire, which has previously shared PUBG Mobile India related news, the PUBG Mobile India website hosts a "creative asset". This creative has suggested that the Indian version of PUBG Mobile, so far known as PUBG Mobile India, will be called Battlegrounds Mobile India. There was a poster that was reportedly a part of the creative that was lying in an embedded link to a video on Vimeo. This embedded link previously hosted the Diwali teaser for the PUBG Mobile India launch last year, according to Gemwire. The video file on Vimeo was named "India Recall Campaign Motion_v02.mp4".

The folks at Gemwire claim that they managed to find that Krafton, the parent company of PUBG Mobile, registered the "battlegroundsmobileindia.in" domain in India on April 7. However, we could not independently verify whether this domain exists.

Right now, there is a deluge of evidence that points out the efforts Krafton has been making to bring back India's beloved mobile game. Last year's ban caused a massive disappointment to India's gamer community. However, when Krafton took matters into its own hands, it promised the PUBG Mobile game would return. It announced PUBG Mobile India as the new version and it is heavily censored in terms of gore and other features that are aimed at reducing the time players used to previously spend on the game.

Since then, Krafton has been trying to get approval from the Indian government. At a recent gaming convention, held with the government's support, a Krafton official confirmed that the company is continuously striving hard to bring the game back to India's gaming ecosystem. The biggest roadblock here is the permission that the government is in no mood to give to the PUBG Mobile makers. Although the government has not made its stance clear officially, it has often spoken about how it is still not convinced enough to allow PUBG Mobile in India.

Earlier this year, union minister Prakash Javadekar said that PUBG is one of the games that are "violent, explicit, addictive, and tend to create a complex in the mind of children". The minister also said the government is planning to set up a centre of excellence in gaming that would promote the Indian cultural ethos, instead of violence. He added that the gaming centre will teach courses on VFX, gaming, and animation so that Indian games promoting the cultural ethos can be developed. And these courses are likely to be available this year.


source: india today

Apple introducing autocomplete suggestions for AppStore

Apple has introduced new search suggestions for the iPhone and iPad App Stores. Here's how they can help find specific apps more quickly and easily.

1. Apple's recent change to App Store will make it easier to drill down to more specific results.
2. Apple has begun rolling out an autocomplete feature for keyword searches on App Store.
3. Currently, the autocomplete feature is only available in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.


Apple has begun rolling out a new feature in their App store called Search Suggestions. The feature has been implemented in the form of tags and is designed to help users search for apps based on certain categories and attributes. This new feature is meant to narrow down your hunt for new apps or specific applications and speed up the process which is exactly what users need.


The search suggestions feature presents itself the moment the user starts typing on the search bar. The engine will adapt to the term you use, e.g., 'game' outs suggestions such as 'offline', 'kids', 'puzzle', and more. For a deeper dive on 'puzzle', the App Store shows 'word' or 'jigsaw', for example.

Apple announced the search suggestions feature on Twitter, saying how users can choose multiple suggestions to refine and allow for new app and game discovery.

This feature is only available on App Stores in the United States of America, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia for starters and will most certainly expand to more geographies later on.

Google's Play Store has similar filtering options below the search but, instead of keyword suggestions, it includes some special options for apps and games that are top-rated, editor's choice, paid, new, and Play Pass, which may be more useful. Ideally, the user should be able to do an advanced search using all the fields that the App Store collects from developers. For example, an ideal App Store search should be able to find games that are paid, but do not require a subscription, have a rating over 3.5 in the puzzle category, and can be played offline.

Allowing the user to find exactly what is desired doesn't seem like a bad thing, but perhaps Apple and Google know that it would limit their revenue to some extent. For now, this small improvement may make it a bit easier for users to find certain games or apps in the iOS App Store.


source: india today

WhatsApp is adding a new feature for voice messages


WhatsApp is testing a new feature that will allow users to review their voice messages before sending them.

1. The new feature which is under development will help users listen to their voice messages before sending them.
2. WhatsApp has recently added new mute features as well.
3. The Facebook-owned app is also making it easier to export chats from iOS to Android.

WhatsApp is testing a new feature that has been released for beta testers. The feature allows users to listen and review their voice messages at different playback speeds, WhatsApp is now starting to develop another new feature for voice messages.

The feature that WhatsApp is developing allows users to review their voice messages before sending them, unlike the current version where users have no option to review the voice message before sending them. However, with the new feature users will be able to listen to voice messages before sending them.

This new feature will add a new Review button, that you can easily tap to listen to the voice message. As mentioned before, after tapping the Review button, you can listen to the voice message you were previously recording, and you will be able to decide if you want to discard or send it.

This feature is under development and their plans are to release it in a future update on WhatsApp for iOS and Android.

The Facebook-owned messaging application recently enabled four features Always Mute, to mute chats forever. No Calls for Verified Businesses. Media Guidelines. New Storage Usage UI and tools.

Muting groups is very common nowadays, for this reason, WhatsApp has introduced the possibility to mute always group notifications the last year, but it might not be enough, because users can still receive notifications when someone mentions them in a message.

Recently, reports have suggested that WhatsApp is working on a new feature that will allow iOS users to export their data and chats. As per a report by WABetaInfo, the latest version of the beta for android has been revealed to have this feature of chat import.

With the help of this feature, iOS users will be able to export their chats which can later be loaded on Android devices. The charts will be exported as an external file probably and imported on android devices through WhatsApp.


source: india today

Verizon quits digital ad space, sells Yahoo and AOL to Apollo

Verizon and Apollo have announced a deal for the former's digital media businesses, which were previously under Yahoo and AOL. The deal will see Verizon quitting the digital advertising space for good and focus on its internet provider businesses.

1. Verizon will get $4.25 billion in cash along with its 10 per cent stake in the company.
2. The conglomerate will be rebranded as Yahoo post the acquisition by Apollo.
3. The companies expect to close the deal by the second half of this year.

Verizon has announced that it will sell its media group to Apollo Global Management for $5 billion. This will include digital media properties that were originally under AOL and Yahoo. Post the deal, Verizon will keep a 10 per cent stake in the company, which will be rebranded to just Yahoo.

Verizon had acquired AOL for $4.4 billion in 2015. It announced its plans to buy Yahoo for $4.83 billion in cash right next year, a deal that was ultimately completed in 2017. Since then, the company had been running Yahoo and AOL as an online media division called Oath under former AOL CEO Tim Armstrong.

With Oath, Verizon wanted to dominate that online advertising space, taking on Google and Facebook in the process. The project, however, did not gain momentum and was ultimately rebranded as Verizon Media Group in November 2018. Selling the division to Apollo Global Management now reveals that Verizon is no longer interested in the business.

Under the deal, Apollo Global Management, a private equity firm, will acquire online media brands like TechCrunch, Yahoo Finance and Engadget. Verizon, in turn, will get $4.25 billion in cash along with its 10 per cent stake in the company. The companies expect to close the deal in the second half of 2021.

Guru Gowrappan, chief of Verizon Media Group, will continue to lead the now rebranded Yahoo under Apollo. CNBC reports that the media properties changing possession will now be challenged to grow and become profitable in the coming years. Apollo Global Management plans to attract yet another sale for the divisions or exit from the business altogether.

The sale comes as part of a series of strategic decisions made by Verizon recently. Within the last year, the company sold or shut down its media properties, including HuffPost, Tumblr and Yahoo Answers.

Verizon's intention to quit the space altogether and focus on its internet provider businesses, focusing on 5G networks, was hence clear for some time now. The recent deal that sees its media properties being sold at much lower valuations than they were acquired for seems to be the final nail in the coffin.


source: india today

Apple Watch may soon helps to check your blood glucose levels

Apple has been listed as a client by a UK-based firm that manufactures photonics chips. Based on the work of the company, it is expected to supply glucose monitoring sensors to Apple for its Apple Watch in the coming years.

1. Rockley Photonics has listed Apple as one of its few large customers.
2. The company manufactures sensors that can monitor a person's blood using infrared light.
3. The firm has a "supply and development agreement" with Apple.

Apple might have a big feature lined up for the future iterations of the Apple Watch. As per a recent SEC filing, it seems that upcoming models of Apple Watch will have glucose monitoring capabilities on them.

The regulatory documents have been filed by a UK-based startup called Rockley Photonics, as spotted by Telegraph. The company designs sensors that can monitor a person's blood using infrared light. The specialised sensors can monitor elements that are normally monitored using medical or specialised equipment.

The company recently revealed its financial standings as it plans to go public in New York soon. As per the filings, it has Apple listed as one of its "few large customers." Interestingly, the company claims that it earned 100 per cent of its revenue in 2020 from its two largest customers. However, it is not sure if Apple is one of them or not.

The listing, however, does point out an imminent detail that Apple is indeed a client of the UK firm. This directly points to the possibility that Apple is using the sensors by Rockley Photonics for one of its products, which is most likely to be the Apple Watch.

As per the listing, Rockley Photonics has a "supply and development agreement" with Apple. Apart from such deals, the company generates revenue from engineering fees for development work on future products.

Rockley CEO Andrew Rickman said that the technology developed by the company would possibly be in consumer products by 2022. However, he did not clarify if this would be an Apple product.

The dots connect if you look at the long-held speculation that Apple will bring glucose monitoring capability to Apple Watches. The company has reportedly been involved in patent applications for components, like the sensors by Rockley, that could monitor glucose levels through the skin. Such a method would eliminate the need of drawing the user's blood every time to monitor glucose level.

To think of it, that is the only natural progression for the smart wearable by Apple. Since Apple Watch already comes with an electrical heart rate sensor as its most hailed feature, the company is poised to double down on such non-invasive medical analysis for its wearable.

source: india today

Apple released new updates in IOS 14.5.1


Apple has rolled out an update to its iOS 14.5 within a week of release. The new iOS 14.5.1 mainly focuses on the App Tracking Transparency bug which users reported.

1. iOS 14.5.1 now available for iPhone 6s and later models.
2. Apple has also released watchOS 7.4.1 as well as macOS 11.3.1 updates.
3. The new minor updates for iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch, and iPad comes after a week of the major update.

Apple has started rolling out an update to its iOS 14.5 update, which brings a fix for the App Tracking Transparency bug that users widely reported. The new iOS 14.5.1 is a minor incremental update and is about 130MB in size, which could vary depending on the model. Several iPhone users reported that a bug prevented some users from accessing the new privacy-related feature App Tracking Transparency prompt after upgrading to iOS 14.5.

Apple, alongside, has also rolled out iPad OS 14.5.1, macOS Big Sur 11.3.1 and watchOS 7.4.1 updates. As before, iOS 14.5.1 is now available for iPhone 6s and later models, while iPad OS 14.5.1 is available for iPad Pro, iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, and iPad mini 4 and later.

The new update has a small changelog and primarily focuses on fixing the bug that prevented several users from accessing App Tracking Transparency prompts. The changelog says, "This update fixes an issue with App Tracking Transparency where some users who previously disabled Allow Apps to Request to Track in Settings may not receive prompts from apps after re-enabling it. This update also provides important security updates and is recommended for all users."

Notably, the new update doesn't fix the issue that caused the App Tracking Transparency option in Settings to be greyed out. 9to5Mac claims that several users still can't access the option even after upgrading to iOS 14.5.1.

If you haven't received the prompt for the new update, you can manually check for the update via Settings > General > Software Update.

Apple has also released the watchOS 7.4.1 update for Apple Watch Series 3 and above models. Notably, the watchOS 7.4 update was a major upgrade and added the capability to let iPhone users unlock the device with the Apple Watch while wearing a face mask. Unfortunately, there's no clear word on what fixes the watchOS 7.4.1 brings for Apple Watch models. The changelog for the minor update says, "This update provides important security updates and is recommended for all users." The watchOS 7.4.1 update is about 60MB in size.

Talking about the new macOS 11.3.1 update, Apple hasn't revealed the full changelog for the minor update. The changelog reads, "macOS Big Sur 11.3.1 provides important security updates and is recommended for all users."


source: india today

Apple to Launch HiFi Streaming for Apple Music & Airpods 3


Apple could be adding a new Hi-Fi tier to its Apple Music, offering high-resolution music streaming to better compete with Spotify. Sources close to Hits Daily Double claim the announcement will be made within weeks. This means the new “Hi-Fi” tier will bring CD-quality, lossless audio to iPhones and iPads.

Details are sketchy at the moment, but the new Apple Music HiFi will reportedly cost $9.99 per user, the same as its individual plans. Essentially, Apple Music HiFi will provide a high-quality music experience to listeners.

Apple’s new iMac, iPad Pro and Apple TV 4K available now up for pre-orders
The move is clearly aimed at Spotify, the world’s most popular music streaming service. Earlier this year, Spotify announced its premium “HiFi” tier, allowing music listeners to experience more depth and clarity in their songs. During the launch, the music streaming giant said the new HiFi tier will be rolled out in “select markets later this year.” It’s not clear whether India will be among the first wave of markets or when exactly the premium tier will be available.

Currently, Apple Music does not offer a high-resolution audio tier. But there are a number of music streaming services that offer a lossless tier, including Amazon, Tidal and Deezer. All of these services offer a true high definition 96kHz/24-bit experience.

AirPods 3 launch around the corner

The same report suggests Apple is closer to reveal the third-generation AirPods. We have been hearing about AirPods 3 for quite sometime, which are expected to feature the design of the AirPods Pro without the noise-canceling technology. They may have a shorter stem, interchangeable tips, and a smaller charging case than the AirPods Pro. It’s not clear if the new entry-level AirPods would have spatial audio and transparency mode. Apple hasn’t officially announced any specific launch date or event to mark the debut of the AirPods 3. Expect the AirPods 3 to cost $159, the same price as the current AirPods.


source: indian express

Vi Expands Wi-Fi Calling Service to Apple iPhones

Vi Wi-Fi Calling is available in select regions
Users should have an active 4G SIM card
Vi Wi-Fi Calling offers clear voice even after patchy connection


Vi (Vodafone Idea) has expanded its voice over Wi-Fi calling service to Apple iPhones. The telco was already offering Wi-Fi calling for select Android smartphones, and now it's rolling out the feature to iPhones too. Vi announced that iPhones running iOS14.5 will be able to use Wi-Fi calling service in order to make and receive voice calls on a Wi-Fi network instead of using their existing cellular network. This feature comes in handy in areas that have bad cellular reception. If the users in such areas have a reliable Wi-Fi connection, they will get better voice quality without any extra cost.

As per Vi, all iPhone users who have updated their handsets to iOS14.5, that was rolled out last week, can use their smartphone to make calls using Wi-Fi if they are in an area that has patchy cellular reception, to get a great voice quality. The feature is only available in select regions. As per Vi website, the service is currently being offered in Maharashtra and Goa, Kolkata, Gujarat, Delhi as well as Mumbai circles.

The update also brings a number of privacy features and support for Face Unlock while wearing a mask (if you have an Apple Watch) and App Tracking Transparency that lets users control which apps should be allowed to track their activity across other apps and websites for offering personalised ads and sharing data with third parties.

Here's how to enable Vi WiFi Calling on your iPhone (iPhone 6s or above):

In order to get the feature working, the users should have a working Wi-Fi, supported handset, and an active 4G SIM card
Upgrade your iPhone OS to the latest version
Go to Settings > Phone > and enable WiFi-calling
Apart from Apple handsets, Vi currently offers Wi-Fi calling facility on smartphones from OnePlus, Oppo, Realme, Samsung, and Xiaomi.


source: gadgets ndtv

MyGov Corona Helpdesk Chatbot Helps Find Nearby COVID-19 Vaccination Centres

WhasApp users need to punch in their PIN code in the chatbot.
The chatbot will throw a list of vaccination centres in your area.
MapmyIndia has a feature to find nearby vaccination centres.

India's vaccination drive is in its third phase and all citizens above the age of 18 are now eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The government has introduced a central CoWIN portal for all users to register for the vaccine and book appointment slots. While the CoWIN portal offers a list of nearby vaccination centres, the WhatsApp-powered MyGov Corona Helpdesk chatbot has added a new functionality to make it easier for people to search for vaccination centres in their locality. To recall, the chatbot was launched last year.

The MyGov Corona Helpdesk chatbot on WhatsApp now offers the ability to find nearby vaccination centres. This chatbot was launched last year to help eradicate fake news and spread awareness about COVID-19. It crossed 1.7 crore users milestone in just 10 days of its launch. With the third phase of the vaccine rollout underway, the MyGovIndia Twitter account has tweeted that the MyGov Corona Helpdesk chatbot now helps people find nearest vaccination centre.

How to find nearest vaccination centre using WhatsApp

The MyGov Corona Helpdesk chatbot is available only on WhatsApp and you must be a member of the instant messaging platform to be able to take advantage of the new feature rollout. Follow the steps below to find the nearest vaccination centre.

Save the number 9013151515 or click here to visit this link to open the MyGoV Corona Helpdesk Chatbot.
Type Hi or Namaste in the chat to begin the conversation
An automated response will ask for a series of questions and ultimately your pin code where you reside in. Enter the pin code.
MyGoV Corona Helpdesk Chatbot will then send the list of vaccine centre in the mentioned location.
Apart from WhatsApp, you can also look for nearby vaccination centres through the MapmyIndia platform or even the CoWIN platform. The homepage of the CoWIN website has a 'find nearby vaccination centres ' feature and punching your PIN code will throw a list of all the registered vaccination centres in the area.


source: gadgets ndtv

Vi customers recharge payments through WhatsApp

Vi users will be able to do their recharges and pay bills from any location on the AI-powered virtual assistant which is available on WhatsApp. The payments service will work for both postpaid and prepaid customers across all payment gateways or UPI.

Vi will now allow users to make payments through WhatsApp and other UPI-based platforms through its AI powered Virtual Agent VIC.
Vi users will receive a link via SMS to make their payments and recharges using VIC.
Vi users can also experience the same by sending Hi on VIC number 96542 97000.

Vodafone Idea or Vi will now allow users to make payments through WhatsApp and other UPI-based platforms through its AI powered Virtual Agent VIC. Users will be able to do their recharges and pay bills from any location. The payments service will work for both postpaid and prepaid customers and will work across all payment gateways or UPI. Vi customers can recharge with any pack instantly in just two clicks using the virtual agent. Vi users will receive a link via SMS to make their payments and recharges using VIC. Vi users can also experience the same by sending Hi on VIC number 96542 97000.

"Vi has introduced another industry first service for its customers enabling them to conveniently do their recharges and pay bills anywhere, anytime. Vi customers can now enjoy on the spot seamless payments and recharge through its AI-powered Virtual Agent VIC on its Digital Assets and also on WhatsApp," the company in a statement noted.
This initiative is aimed at making its customer's life simpler, faster and to provide a personalised user experience on digital payments. "In addition, this personalized user experience on Digital Payments aligns with the evolution of mobile-based consumer behavior and drives a healthy adoption," it further said.

Vi had introduced the AI-powered chatbot last year that serves as a digital customer service and supports virtual assistants. The telco noted that VIC allows Vi customers to get instant response on a host of service requirements including bill payments, recharges, VAS, plan activation, new connection, data balance, bill requests, etc."VIC enables VIC to be intuitive, simple-to-use, secure, and allows customers to converse with Vi by leveraging the power of AI," Vi noted.

In related news, Vi has reported a positive change in adding subscribers for the first time in 15 months and for the first time since the merger of Vodafone and Idea. Vodafone Idea reported a subscriber addition of 1.7 million users in January 2021, according to data released by TRAI. Airtel led with an addition of 5.9 million subscribers, with Jio registering an addition of 1.95 million during the month.

Vodafone Idea gave the highest mean upload speed in February. Vodafone's mean upload speed in February 2021 was at 7.2 Mbps while it was at 6.7 Mbps in January 2021. Idea recorded a mean upload speed at 6.4 Mbps in February 2021 while it was at 6 Mbps in January 2021. Vi has also topped TRAI's call quality index for the past few months. The telecom company has maintained its top rank in terms of call quality since November last year.



source: india today

Google has introduced Live Caption feature

Google has introduced Live Caption feature to its web browser Chrome on desktops. Already available on smartphones, the feature will help translate any audio or video being played through the browser into on-screen words.

The new Live Caption feature will generate captions for any audio and video played on the Chrome browser.
The feature was already available on all mobile devices.
Google says that the feature will help 466 million people in the world who are deaf or hard of hearing.

oogle is pushing out an exciting new feature for the users of Chrome on desktops. Named Live Caption, the feature will allow users to caption any audio and video that they play on the web browser.

Many might have experienced it as an Android accessibility feature for some time now. Live Caption by itself is not new, but it does come as a big addition to Google Chrome on desktop. The rollout will bring the on-screen translation that we used on our smartphones to our web surfing sessions on desktops too.

But for those who have not used the feature first-hand, Live Caption translates any audio playing through the browser into words that appear on-screen. It is much like the Subtitles feature on YouTube that detects words in a video and makes them appear as subtitles.

Live Caption on Chrome is further meant to help "466 million people in the world who are deaf or hard of hearing," Google notes in a blog. The feature will also help those in a noisy environment or who are trying to keep the volume down considering their surroundings.

The bottom line - "Captions make online content more accessible." Google promises that Live Caption will work across social media sites, video platforms, podcasts and radio content and "most web-based video or audio chat services." It will also generate captions for personal videos like those stored in Google Photos or those in embedded video players.

The feature will have much more implications than the clearly observable. Note that most of the top-strata online platforms have their tools for generating captions on all sorts of audio/ video content. So do smartphones, with several apps available on the app stores for the purpose, in addition to Screen Readers as accessibility options within the phones.

So what exactly will the introduction of Live Caption to Chrome on desktops accomplish? The answer might lie in the not-so-developed sections of the Internet.

Chrome is the most used web browser in the world. Most of this user base is still on desktops and laptops. Couple that with the fact that there are still websites and online services with a digital presence not as refined as that of the bigwigs. You can often see them as small e-commerce stores or learning websites.

Live Captions, if it works as it is meant to, will help add a whole new audience to such platforms. Imagine reading college lectures, online tutorials and other such content on your desktop instead of just trying to listen to what is being said.

Bonus, it will work on local files too, when opened in the browser.

The success of the feature here depends majorly on the accuracy of the translation. A prior experience with the feature on our smartphone ensures us of its accuracy. Since the same tool is being used for the desktop version, Live Caption is sure to be a handy accessibility option.

How to enable Live Captions on Chrome

To turn on Live Captions on your Chrome browser -

Open Chrome Settings > click on the Advanced section > go to the Accessibility section > switch on Live Caption.

The captions are generated on the device and not online. Live Caption will hence work even when there is no Internet connection.

For now, the feature only supports English and is available on the latest release of Chrome on Windows, Mac and Linux devices around the world. Google also promises to bring it to ChromeOS soon



source: india today

Google launches Threadit, a short video platform for professionals

Threadit lets users record small videos to their team members to express their point of view or convey something that they had missed saying in a meeting.

Google has launched a new short video platform called Threadit
Threadit lets users record small videos to their team members to express their point of view.
Threadit will be available on your chrome browser or as a chrome extension.

oogle has launched a new short video platform called Threadit but before you get too excited, you should know that this app is not for entertainment purposes. Threadit lets users record small videos to their team members to express their point of view or convey something that they had missed saying in a meeting. This is also a great tool for people who are not comfortable expressing their views in front of a larger audience. Using this tool, the professionals can simply record their opinion about something and send it across to either their team members or their manager.

COVID-19 does not seem to leave our way anytime soon so the remote working might continue for a little longer. This tool has been specifically designed for users to express their views in a short and crisp manner. Google has not launched a separate app for this so Threadit will be available on your chrome browser or as a chrome extension. This would help express better than emails or chats.

"We use Threadit to show each other our progress, ask questions or request feedback without needing to coordinate schedules. This helps us reduce unnecessary meetings while still becoming a tighter-knit team. We have more time to think and do focused work, and the meetings we keep are more effective and easier to schedule for everyone," Keller Smith, Founder, and General Manager, Threadit said in the blog.

Keller said in the blog that this new extension would also minimize the need for a video meeting. Without meetings, a lot of time would also be saved.


In order to use Thread, who will have to speak straight to the camera and hit the record button. You can record as many short clips as you would like, and Threadit will stitch them all together into one cohesive video message. Once the tool is done stitching the video, you can send it to your team. You can attach the Threadit in your email as well.

To get the extension, you will have to sign to the website using your Gmail id. Post which you can access Threadit directly from your web browser or mobile device. You can also skip downloading your video and share the Threadit using the link.

Talking about the tool, Keller said, "Threadit gave us an opportunity to hear from everyone on our team, not just the loudest voices in a live meeting. We had more control over our time and could contribute when we were each ready." The feature is being rolled out globally.


source: india today

Elon Musk says Tesla would be shut down if its cars were used to spy

Tesla Inc chief executive Elon Musk said on Saturday his company would be shut down if its cars were used to spy, his first comments on news that China's military has banned Teslas from its facilities.

"There's a very strong incentive for us to be very confidential with any information," Musk told a prominent Chinese forum during a virtual discussion. "If Tesla used cars to spy in China or anywhere, we will get shut down."

Sources told Reuters on Friday that the Chinese military has banned Tesla cars from entering its complexes, citing security concerns over cameras installed on the vehicles.

Those restrictions surfaced as the top Chinese and U.S. diplomats were holding a contentious meeting in Alaska, the first such in-person interaction since U.S. President Joe Biden took office in January.

Musk urged greater mutual trust between the world's two biggest economies, in his remarks to the China Development Forum, a high-level business gathering is hosted by a foundation under the State Council.

He was holding a discussion panel with Xue Qikun, a Chinese quantum physicist who heads the Southern University of Science and Technology.

In China, the world's biggest car market and a key battleground for electric vehicles (EVs), Tesla sold 147,445 vehicles last year, 30% of its global total. However, it is facing more competition this year from domestic rivals from Nio Inc to Geely.

Musk has made several high-profile appearances in China, where Tesla makes as well as sells EVs. In 2019, he discussed Mars and artificial intelligence with Alibaba's outspoken founder Jack Ma.

At a delivery event last year for China-made Model 3 sedans, Musk danced enthusiastically on stage, stripping off his jacket in what became a social media storm.


source: indian express

Facebook develops neural wristbands to read brain signals



Facebook has teased its new augmented reality interface, based on technology developed by CTRL-Labs, the startup it acquired in 2019. A new video by Facebook shows off wristbands that use EMG (electromyography) to turn subtle neural signals into actions.

These include actions like typing, swiping, playing games or even an archery simulator. The wrist bands that control all of this, also feature haptic feedback, allowing users to 'feel' their actions, which are now more responsive than simple hand tracking. Check out the video below

A detailed blog post by Facebook Reality Labs offered more information on the new wristbands. The bands can track basic 'clicks' which are essentially touching your thumb and index finger together. The wristband will track your nerve signals via your arms, instead of a visual sensor.

While the initial tech was developed for all these years ago by CTRL-Labs, Facebook wants to take the possibilities of the EMG wristbands to the next level by integrating them with day-to-day computing.

Facebook said in the post that it has been implementing various prototypes that provide various kinds of haptic feedback. One of these is the 'Bellowband', with eight pneumatic bellows around each wrist, which inflate/deflate to produce distinct sensations. The 'Tasbi' on the other hand, uses vibrating actuators and a squeezing mechanism to relay signals to you.

Not reading your mind:

Mark Zuckerberg recently criticised neural implants, suggesting that people shouldn't have to get their heads opened (to fit a neural transmitter) to use virtual or augmented reality. Hence, the Facebook tech will use devices like the EMG band to collect data from your arms in a much less-intrusive way, unlike Elon Musk's Neuralink.

However, the bands will still collect a lot of data. While Facebook does have a neuroethics program to examine the privacy, safety and security implications of such tech, people will still need to trust that a lot of data based on how their body moves is being collected.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hc2ADtNgeCM


source:  indian express

Telegram introduces new voice chat features


Admins can record audio from voice chats to save talks and publish them for followers who missed the live event

Telegram has launched voice chats in channels. The instant messaging application had first introduced Voice Chats in the month of December. The platform claims that Voice Chats on channels will have no limits on participants.

This update also brings recordable voice chats, rich lists of participants, raise hand mechanics, invite links for speakers and listeners, voice chat titles, and a way for public figures to join voice chats as their channels.

According to a release by the platform, admins of channels and public groups can now host voice chats for millions of live listeners. New people will be able to tune in like public radio.

Recorded Chats

Admins can now record audio from voice chats to save talks and publish them for followers who missed the live event.

Once you finish recording, the audio file becomes instantly available in Saved Messages. Chats that are being recorded are marked with a red light next to their title.

Raise Hand

In chats where participants are muted, listeners can tap to raise their hand and alert the admins that they want to speak.

The user's bio text is visible in the list of participants, which can be used to detail expertise, interests, or just a little bit about yourself. This info might help admins find a good slot for your questions or comments.

Speaker and Listener Links

Admins of public groups and channels can create invite links that open the voice chat right away. Separate links can be made for speakers and listeners. This way users won't need to unmute important guests when they join – and they can use a different link to promote the upcoming chat to their communities.

Voice chats also have optional titles which help users see the topic of conversation before they join.

When entering a voice chat in a channel, users have the option to join with their personal account or appear as one of their channels. Celebrities and public figures can use this to avoid drawing too much attention to their personal accounts.

Gestures

Android users can choose which action is assigned to swiping left in the chat list: archiving chats, pinning, muting, deleting or marking them as read. (On iOS, all these swipe actions are always available, depending on which way you swipe.)




source: live mint

Micromax launches new In 1 smartphone in India


The phone will be available in two colours purple and blue. The phones get metallic and matte finish

Micromax the third smartphone since the brand was re-launched last year in November. The new Micromax In 1 is a mid-range smartphone which sports a MediaTek chipset. The phone also comes with almost stock Android experience.

The new Micromax In 1 has been launched at a price of ₹10,499 for the variant with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. The phone also gets 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage variant, which is priced at ₹11,999. For buyers purchasing the device on 26 March, the company has priced the lower variant at ₹9999 and ₹11,999 for the higher variant.

The smartphone will be launched via Flipkart and Micromaxinfo.com. The phone will go on the first sale on 26 March at 12PM. The phone will be available in two colours purple and blue. The phones get metallic colours but matte finish.

The phone is powered by MediaTek Helio G80 chipset. The phone comes with a 6.67-inch display which comes with FullHD+ resolution and a punch hole. The screen aspect ratio is 20:9. The brightness maxes out at 440 nits. The phone boasts a response time of 25ms.

The phone also features a 5000mAh battery which supports 18W of fast charging. The company claims the battery can provide a standby of 180 hours.

The Micromax In 1 comes with a 48MP AI Triple camera lens. The camera also gets an 'advanced night mode'. The front-facing camera is an 8MP unit, housed in a punch-hole.

The phone will launch with Android 10 out of the box. The company claims the Micromax In 1 will provide a stock experience and has also promised roll out of Android 11 by May this year.




source: live mint

Google removed 3 billion ads officially for violating policies


Tech giant Google recently revealed in a blog post that it blocked or removed 3.1 billion bad ads, including COVID-19 related advertisements, internationally in 2020 for violating its policies. According to Mashable, the organisation has also limited an extra 6.4 billion advertisements.

"In 2020, our policies and enforcement were put to the test as we collectively navigated a global pandemic, multiple elections around the world and the continued fight against bad actors looking for new ways to take advantage of people online," said Scott Spencer, VP, ads privacy and safety, in a blog post.

He further added that "thousands of Googlers worked around the clock to deliver a safe experience for users, creators, publishers and advertisers. We know that when we make decisions through the lens of user safety, it will benefit the broader ecosystem. Preserving trust for advertisers and publishers helps their businesses succeed in the long term."


Mashable announced that Google has refreshed or added more than 40 arrangements for advertisers and publishers. Discussing Covid related advertisements, the tech giant restricted and blocked more than 99 million Covid-related promotions from serving consistently, including those for miracle cures, N95 masks due to supply shortages, as well as fake vaccine doses.

Notably, this is the main year that Google is sharing data on advertisement limitations which is a core part of its overall strategy. It says that confining advertisements permits the firm to tailor its methodology dependent on geography, local laws and our certification programs

"We know that when we make decisions through the lens of user safety, it will benefit the broader ecosystem. Preserving trust for advertisers and publishers helps their businesses succeed in the long term," states Google blog.



source: live mint
published from a wire agency feed

The first developer preview for Android 12 is now live


The new update brings slight changes to the user interface. For instance, dialogue boxes will now blur the background and make the interface look more modern overall

The first developer preview for Android 12 is now live. Google announced the update through a blog post late Wednesday, and it is only available for the company's Pixel smartphones right now.

"In Android 12 we're making the OS smarter, easier to use, and better performing, with privacy and security at the core. We're also working to give you new tools for building great experiences for users, whether they're using phones, laptops, tablets, TVs, or cars," Dave Burke, VP of Engineering at Google, in the blog post.

The new update brings slight changes to the user interface. For instance, dialogue boxes will now blur the background and make the interface look more modern overall.

"We're refreshing notification designs to make them more modern, easier to use, and more functional. In this first preview you'll notice changes from the drawer and controls to the templates themselves. We're also optimizing transitions and animations across the system to make them more smooth. As part of the updates, for apps targeting Android 12 we're decorating notifications with custom content with icons and expanded affordances to match all other notifications," Burke said in a different blog post.

While the new version doesn't bring big changes to Android, it includes support for the HEVC video format. Videos encoded in HEVC will automatically start working with the new update. Android 12 will also add support for spatial audio, while the AVIF image format is also going to be supported. AVIF is expected to be an update to JPG image formats, which have been the default for smartphones and desktops so far.

Further, Android 12 will also include certain privacy and security updates, which users may not see upfront. The software will reduce some tracking controls from apps, by using Google's new "SameSite" cookie settings, which have been seen on the Chrome browser before.

Android 12 developer preview is available for the Pixel 3/3 XL, Pixel 3a/3a XL, Pixel 4/4 XL, Pixel 4a/4a 5G, and the Pixel 5 smartphones.



source: live mint

Facebook introduce Instagram for kids under age of 13


This new version will be controlled by parents, according to the latest statement by the company

Facebook may soon launch a new version of their popular social media platform, Instagram. This new version will be built specifically for children under the age of 13. Currently, the regulations on Instagram don't allow kids under the age of 13 to build their profile on the platform.

The company has claimed that they will be "exploring a parent-controlled experience" on Instagram, according to a report AP.

Facebook had also recently announced new features on Instagram in order to safeguard teenagers on the application.

The platform is also facing criticism for the inclusion of kids on the application. Critics have claimed that Facebook is doing this to expand its user base.

Similar to the new version of Instagram, Facebook had revealed a new version of Messenger Kids in 2017. The platform introduced it as a way for children to chat with family members and friends approved by parents.

It doesn't give kids separate Facebook or Messenger accounts. Rather, the app works as an extension of a parent's account, and parents get controls, such as the ability to decide who their kids can chat with. But many child-development experts urged the company to pull it, saying kids don't need to be on social media.

"Increasingly kids are asking their parents if they can join apps that help them keep up with their friends," Facebook said in a statement. "Right now there aren't many options for parents, so we're working on building additional products — like we did with Messenger Kids — that are suitable for kids, managed by parents."

When it launched Messenger Kids, Facebook said it wouldn't show ads or collect data for marketing to kids.


source : livemint

Working iPhone 11 returned to owner from the lake after 6 months


The iPhone 11 has a water resistance rating that says it can survive in up to two metres for up to 30 minutes, but here's what happened when a user dropped it in a lake six months ago.

Apple's recent iPhones, like many other expensive devices, come with an IP (ingress protection) rating that certify the device to be safe under water for a specific amount of time. The iPhone 11 has a rating of IP68 (meaning it can survive a maximum depth of two meters up to 30 minutes) but a recent news report claims the device was able to survive for much longer - nearly six months underwater.

According to a report from AppleInsider, freediver couple from Chilliwack managed to retrieve two phones from the bottom of Harrison Lake in British Columbia. The couple regularly clear rubbish from the bottom of the lake and found the phones - one flip phone and the other an iPhone 11. While the former was inoperable, the latter started working when they took it home, the report states.


The couple then contacted the original owner of the device, a resident of Vancouver who reportedly dropped her phone into the lake in September 2020. The owner, Fatemeh Ghodsi, lost her balance when the device fell into the lake after which she was told that there was no way to retrieve it from the water, according to the report.

She told CBC Canada that she was in "complete shock" and that she first thought it was her friends pranking her as the message had arrived from her old number, but she ended up visiting the couple in Chilliwack to get her smartphone back. "It was kind of like a zombie phone coming back to me, because I'd totally make (sic) peace with it being gone," she stated.

Last month, we reported about another iPhone user who plunged into the freezing water at Victoria Harbour to pick up his iPhone that had fallen in the night before on Valentine's Day, only to find it was working fine and photos that a bystander had clicked of him delivered immediately once he turned it on in his pocket. It certainly looks like Apple's devices are more durable than the company advertises, but don't go dropping them in large water bodies - your warranty will be void if there's any water damage.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifzizYAf-hs


source: hindustan times

Facebook Reels goes official in India

Facebook's short form video test in India is now officially called "Reels." Facebook users can now create and share Reels on the News Feed.

Facebook on Tuesday announced the official launch of short form videos on its platform, a feature it had been testing since last year in India. The feature is now called "Facebook Reels." Facebook also announced it would allow select Instagram creators to share their Reels on Facebook. This feature is being tested in India first.

Facebook is rebranding its TikTok-like short form videos to Reels. Facebook had started testing the ability for users to create and share short form videos on the News Feed last year in India. Facebook Reels is similar to Instagram Reels wherein users can select a song from Facebook's music library, choose different effects, set a timer, speed up or slow down the video, and more.

Facebook is still keeping Reels different on each platform. Facebook Reels will stay on Facebook with the option of sharing it on the News Feed. The same goes for Instagram Reels, which can be shared only on the app. It's only for select creators that Facebook is allowing cross-platform sharing. There's no word yet on when Facebook will make this feature open to all creators on Instagram.

Select Instagram creators such as Pooja Dhingra, Ashish Chanchlani, Awez Darbar and Bong Guy will have the option to share their Instagram Reels as recommended videos on Facebook. Creators, who are part of this test, will see an option to share their Reels on Facebook. These Reels will be shown as recommended content to anyone on Facebook with the creator's Instagram username.

The latest test comes as part of Facebook's effort to cash in on the short form video craze in India, something TikTok started. It launched Instagram Reels here shortly after the TikTok ban, and also introduced a dedicated Reels Tab first in India. It also made Reels available on the Instagram Lite app for users in India first.



source: tech hindustan times

Xiaomi to launch Redmi TV in India on March 17

Xiaomi has already been launching a range of Redmi TVs in home-country China and the brand could be bringing some of these variants to India during the March 17 launch.

Xiaomi spin-off Redmi will be launching the Redmi TV in India on March 17. The brand has been sending out the launch invites for the same. Xiaomi India Managing Director Manu Kumar Jain recently teased the launch of the Redmi TVs in India and the new update on the launch comes days later.

“Last year, our Redmi brand took a huge step forward towards its journey into new categories,” Jain had said during an event. “We began our phone-plus strategy and we launched many new product categories such as power banks, TWS, and the fitness band. And this year, in 2021, we are proud to introduce something bigger,” he added.

The Redmi TV invite suggests that the brand will be bringing an XL experience to viewers with the new Redmi TVs. While no specifications or screen sizes have been hinted at yet, it seems Redmi will be launching multiple sizes, at least one of which could be a large size TV.

The Redmi TVs will be different compared to the Mi-series of televisions in India. Since the new products are launching under the Redmi brand and not the Xiaomi brand, we think the new TVs could be budget-friendly additions to the brand’s Television lineup.

Xiaomi has already been launching a range of Redmi TVs in home-country China and the brand could be bringing some of these variants to India during the March 17 launch. The brand also launched a large 86-inch Redmi TV in China recently alongside the K40 smartphone, but that is unlikely to be launched in India right now.

For now, we must wait for Redmi to reveal more details on the upcoming Redmi TVs in the following days, perhaps closer to the launch on March 17. People will be able to watch the launch live on Redmi India’s YouTube channel.


source: indianexpress

WhatsApp new features: Make voice & video calls from desktop

WhatsApp constantly keeps updating its app to provide users with seamless functioning while chatting or even during voice or videos calls. And with that, the Facebook-owned messaging app is back in the news for a fresh round of features for its 2-billion plus users worldwide.

From voice and video call support finally rolling out on WhatsApp Web to being able to mute videos before uploading on chat or stories, WhatsApp released a plethora of features this week.

Here is a lowdown on the latest features of WhatsApp this week in stable or beta releases:

-Voice and video calling feature on desktop app:

The biggest update this wek from WhatsApp has to be voice and video calling finally coming on its desktop version.

WhatsApp announced end-to-end encrypted voice and video calls for its desktop app version and also shared a link to download the app on your computer. You can enable the new WhatsApp feature by downloading the desktop app from here.

WhatsApp said its nearly five-year-old desktop app for Mac and Windows will only support one-to-one calls for now, but that it will be expanding this feature to include group voice and video calls "in the future."

-Disable read receipts for voice messages:

WhatsApp's 'Read Receipt' feature earlier never had the option to disable the 'blue ticks' from voice messages sent on individual chats. Despite the read receipts being disabled, the voice notes sent over personal chats do not support the feature of blue ticks tuned off. So, every time you send a voice clip over, you will be able to see its ticks turn blue once the receiver hears it.

However, it now seems to have enabled the option to disable 'Blue ticks' visibility for voice messages too, at least for iOS users.

Users can now be able to switch off the read receipts that notify the sender of whether you've listened to the audio sent by them or not. To use the new feature a user needs to go to WhatsApp Settings > Account > Privacy. Read more.

-Mute videos before uploading on stories, chats:

This new WhatsApp feature essentially allows you to mute videos before sharing it as your WhatsApp status or sending it to other chats. The feature can be accessed from the video editing screen when one shares a video with another contact. However, it is currently available only on Android.


Users will be able to see a volume icon on the video editing screen to mute the video. It is available along with other video editing options such as trimming, adding text etc. Read more.

-Redesigned media footer for Android users:

WhatsApp is testing a new media footer in the beta version of the Android application.

According to a report by WABetaInfo, a website that tracks new features and updates on the beta version of the application, version 2.21.5.4 shows a redesigned media footer. A media footer can be found on the bottom of page before sending any pictures or videos or any other media. The media button icon has been modified to reflect a new icon. Earlier versions of the application used '+' symbol. The re-designed bar also shows up when a user posts a status on the app. In terms of functionality in the app, there doesn't seem to be any changes apart from the design of the UI. Read more.


-Multiple-device support:

Although it's been in the news for a long time, WhatsApp is also reportedly working on a multiple device feature. The feature will allow the WhatsApp account holder to access the same account from different devices, without the need to have the primary connected to the internet. Currently, users can only access the services of the platform via WhatsApp Web. However, the primary device needs to stay connected to the internet in order for it to function properly.


source: live mint

Truecaller decides to shut down UPI services in India

Caller ID application Truecaller has suspended its services on the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to focus on core offerings such as communication and safety, a company spokesperson said.

The spam-blocking app has operated the payments service under Truecaller Pay for the last four years. However, while it will not add new UPI users, the company could integrate Truecaller Pay with other UPI partners on its app, but the final call is yet to be taken.

"We have identified other opportunities where we believe we are uniquely positioned to serve the community. The potential impact of such investment would be significantly higher compared to that of payments where many companies are already contributing. To summarize, this is a strategic decision to deprioritize payments, and focus on products and solutions that can help create significantly more impact in areas like communication, trust and safety," the spokesperson told Mint.

At its peak in mid-2020, Truecaller Pay had close to 20 million registered UPI users, and offered services like bill payments through its banking partners ICICI Bank and Bank of Baroda.

Truecaller said the discontinuation of the UPI service will not have any impact on its lending operations, and the platform will continue to distribute credit through partnerships with its partner non-banking financial companies.

At present, Truecaller has over 200 million monthly active users in India, with around 120,000 premium customers. The company claimed that it notified the users of its decision two weeks ago. "As per guidance from regulators, we gave two weeks' notice to users," the spokesperson said.

In March, Truecaller launched a personal safety app called Guardians, which allowed Indian users to share their location with family, friends and authorities on their phone contact list. On pressing the emergency button on the app, guardian contacts, added by the user were alerted about the user's exact location.

According to Anand Prakash, a cybersecurity researcher and chief executive of PingSafe AI, Guardians had a major bug at the 'Log in with Truecaller API' level, allowing attackers to log into the victim's Guardians account by just using the phone number. "Once the attacker has successfully logged in, they can track all your family members' locations. The application also leaked the victim's account details such as date of birth, profile picture and emergency contact details. It allowed an attacker to add more family members to the account once the account was taken over. Truecaller was quick to fix the vulnerability within a few hours," read the PingSafe AI blog.

source: live mint

WhatsApp new security to protect your chat backups with password


Encrypting the backups with a password only you know would theoretically prevent anyone from accessing your chat history without your authorization.

WhatsApp is reportedly working on rolling out a security feature to protect your chat backups with password and encryption.

WABetaInfo, a blog that tracks developments of the Facebook-owned messaging app, reported a year ago that the security update is a work-in-progress. However, it recently shared screenshots of how it could be presented in the service's iOS and Android apps.

"To prevent unauthorized access to your iCloud Drive backup, you can set a password that will be used to encrypt future backups," one of the screenshots reads. "This password will be required when you restore from the backup." The app then asks the user to confirm their phone number, and select a password that's at least eight characters long. Another screenshot warns that "WhatsApp will not be able to help recover forgotten passwords."

• The chat database is already encrypted now (excluding media), but the algorithm is reversible and it's not end-to-end encrypted.
• Local Android backups will be compatible with this feature.

The chat DB and media will be encrypted using a password that only you know.

As previously announced, @WhatsApp is working on cloud backups encryption.

The chat database and media will be safe from unauthorized access when using a password. The password is private and it's not sent to WhatsApp.

It will be available in a future build for iOS and Android.

Although you can protect WhatsApp with a password lock and the chats are already encrypted, as the company says, the service warns that this protection doesn't extend to online backups stored on Google Drive and iCloud right now.

Thus, encrypting the backups with a password only you know would theoretically prevent anyone from accessing your chat history without your authorization.

These latest reports about the feature come as WhatsApp's reputation has taken a hit from a new privacy policy, which has stoked fears that it may store more information with parent company Facebook

In January, WhatsApp had introduced its privacy policy mandating its users to accept its terms and conditions, failing which the accounts and services would be terminated after February 8, 2021, for the respective user.

After facing criticism over the privacy policy, WhatsApp took to micro-blogging site Twitter to clarify that "no one will have their account suspended or deleted on February 8 and we will be moving back our business plans until after May."



source: live mint

50 Telemarketing Dont's




Apologise for calling. You're not sorry and your prospect knows you aren't

Be afraid to ask for the sale.

Be afraid to challenge the prospects' objections through good questions

Be afraid to change your approach and message if it isn't working

Be rude or dismissive of your prospects replies to your questions

Eat when making calls. Chomping and chewing while calling is bad

Forget to keep it legal. Make sure you screen against the CTPS opt-out register before you dial

Get distracted by ANYTHING else whilst on a call i.e. text messages, emails, colleagues, facebook! Do however NEVER ignore a fire alarm!

Guess! If you do not know the answer to a question a prospect poses then be honest and promise to find out and call them back.

Have your mobile on when making calls, you will be tempted to look to see who is calling and this will tell the prospect your attention is not 100% on them

Interrupt the prospect when they are talking. It is an indication you are not listening

Keep your telemarketing team in the dark, make sure they are prepared with responses to typical objections and reasons
why the prospect should see you NOW

Lie – You will get found out and it damages the credibility of your brand

Forget to ask if the product/service is relevant to any other individuals/departments in the company you are calling. 
Even if it's not of interest to the person you are speaking to, there may be a need elsewhere.

Make assumptions based on what you think you already know.

Make friends with the gatekeeper too early — Their job is to block you. The more info you give, the more they can ask questions

Over complicate the calls. Use the KISS technique!

Over script the calls and sound stilted

Overuse the prospect's name. You DO NOT need to get it in to every sentence — it sounds like a hard sell tacky sales call.

Patronise your gatekeeper or prospect.

Pitch something you don't really understand. — You will get found out

Prejudge any call. You never know what their issues are in the background that may prove an opportunity

Promise anything that you cannot deliver be it about the product or simply timescales for calling someone back.

Rush your call — Slow down and take your time. You will sound more confident

Say 'How are you today' — It's a tell-tale sign of a sales call

Set yourself up to fail. Give yourself realistic targets that you can meet and exceed

Sit back and wait for calls to come to you – be proactive and make the calls. It is a numbers game in many respects.

Slam the phone down — It damages your brand

Smoke! You may think no-one can tell but they can. Smokers will know what you are doing and non-smokers will think you are a heavy breather!

Sound bored and uninterested. If you are, your prospect will be

Speak too quickly — You sound less authoritative

Stalk someone you are struggling to get hold of. The gatekeeper will remember and this will gain your company a bad reputation for nuisance calls. You are also more likely to be blocked.

Swear. Profanity will get you on a fast track to a dial tone in your ear

Type while you are listening or talking — They can hear you

Um and er. Know what you are going to say and relax

Use industry jargon or buzz words that you don't understand. The prospect will assume you are more of an expert than you are and answer you in jargon expecting you to know exactly what they mean.

Use patronizing / slang names :- love, pet, darling, sweetie ...........yuck, yuck, yuck and not professional.

Use unnecessary humour or jokes – get to the point.

Waffle! Be concise and don't go on and on

Wait for ages on hold — hang up and try another time. Don't waste precious calling time

Worry about failure — Before the call you had no appointment. If they say no, you still don't have an appointment. Nothing has changed.

Talk over your prospect – it shows you aren't listening

Spend ages researching a company before calling, if they are not there, it's a waste of valuable calling time.

Be afraid to go on a course to improve your telephone and marketing skills

Have a lot of background noise when you are calling.  It will sound like you are in a call centre which is not always desirable

Argue with your decision maker if they are not interested.  Keep your integrity high

Underestimate the power of 'mirroring' language or using NLP techniques to really build rapport

Call unprepared for objections and how you will handle them

Forget to follow-up when you said you would.

Bully your prospect into meeting you

50 Telemarketing Do's



Ask for what you want — an appointment, a demo, a sale – Don't be shy. It's the reason you are calling.

Ask great questions — Open ones to encourage the listener to talk and find info. Closed ones to qualify and filter

Be confident – It radiates to your prospects. Expect to succeed and you will

Be honest — it really is the best approach. You WILL get found out if you lie.

Be motivated  —  People buy people. If you're not positive about what you offer, why should your prospects be interested?

Be patient – Telemarketing can take time and perseverance

Be prepared to make your calls at times to reach your decision-makers e.g.  before 9am and after 5pm if necessary

Build rapport  —  Use frames of reference, name drop, mirror their language and use their name (but not too often)

Call out of normal hours and lunchtime – the gatekeeper won't be there to protect your Decision Maker

Change your pitch if it isn't working. Plan a call structure that is like a good story. An attention grabbing start, a compelling middle and a great ending!

Secure a good call list. Make sure it is clean before calling. A good list is the best asset to your success

Ensure your phone line is clear – No gremlins in terms of interference

Find a 'Trojan Horse' — To get under their radar so that they will engage with you especially if they have already a current supplier of your services

Follow up – Make your follow up calls on time and keep doing so until you know where you stand

Get agreement from your prospect to call them back at a later date. Even if they aren't interested now, things can change

Have a pen and paper at the ready at all times. Take down concise and good notes including language, style and key info

Have your diary open and ready to give available dates

Keep control of calls with the gatekeeper. Sound authoritative and you have a better chance of getting through. Keep what you say short.

If you feel you must leave voicemail messages, make sure they are enticing and compelling with a good call to action

Listen carefully — You have two ears and one mouth

Sound professional on the phone with a good speaking voice, pace and tone. Match your prospects if you can

Make sure you are calling for the right decision-maker contact. Ask the question

Make sure you have a relevant email to send should the prospect ask for more information

Make sure your data is as fresh as possible

Make you are able to talk 'off script' to really engage the prospect

Make sure you are passionate about your product or service

Make sure you fully brief your agency if you are outsourcing calls

Make the calls — Don't delay. Just get on the phone. Inertia is your worst enemy

Prepare likely objection handling questions and techniques. You know the objections. Plan for them

Plan your calls — Know your products, market, competitors, pitch and the issues your company resolves or the opportunities your company creates

Read between the lines of what the prospect says. Clarify if you're unsure.

Role-play or record your calls to see what could have been done better. Listen back to improve your techniques

Send timely info when requested including appointment confirmations

Set realistic objectives — based on your market, experience and proposition

Set realistic targets – how many calls per hour?  How many appointments do you want to make? Over what timeframe?

Smile — It transmits to your voice

Sound authoritative. You need to sound at least as important as the person you are speaking to. It's peer to peer and you won't get past the gatekeeper if you don't.

Summarize the conversation with the prospect to ensure that you have listened and understood their 'pains' before you go ahead and pitch / recommend your product or service

Take good notes — Include info on verbatim comments, language, tone, pace and personality

Try to fool an IVR by dialling 0 to get to the switchboard. Or call accounts and try to be put through that way

Use a good CRM system — so you can quickly search and find follow up calls

Assume you are going to get what you want and ask for it with that assumption in mind

Use evocative and compelling words like huge, massive, significant, dramatic and so on — It adds impact but don't go wild!

Use the 'feel, felt, found' technique to combat objections along with good open questions

Use frames of reference — Past work, client reference points, and industry examples

Treat people how THEY would like to be treated. Consider their motivations and needs and treat them accordingly.

Use natural engaging language — sound natural. Use simple English. It helps rapport

Use technology to speed things up eg click to dial CRM and Skype number recognition enables 1-click dialling

Use telemarketing to follow up other marketing activity eg emails or visitors to your stand

Have a glass of fresh water available for those 'parched' moments. Watch out for how caffeine affects you.

Google to launch unified Drive for Desktop, Backup and Sync


Google will launch one unified Drive for Desktop and Google Drive File Stream, Backup and Sync will become defunct later this year.

Google noted that it is merely a name change for Google Drive File Stream for business users as the functionality remains the same.

It also noted that the Backup and Sync users will have to transition to the unified Drive for Desktop when the deadline comes. However, as of now, there is no action required from personal account users.


Google Drive File Stream, Backup and Sync will become defunct as separate platforms later this year as Google looks to launch a unified Drive for desktop. It will sync clients for Windows and macOS. As of now, there are two sync apps, Drive File Stream for business users, and Backup and Sync for consumer users. Google notes that the development will create a powerful and unified sync client for anyone who uses Drive whether it is for business or personal purposes. It further notes that the sync will help users by curbing confusion about which app to use, resulting in better performance, and make it easier for admins and IT teams to manage deployments.

Google Workspace in a blog post noted, "Some of our Google Workspace customers have deployed both sync solutions, which can be confusing for end users and challenging for IT departments to manage. To address this, we're planning to unify these sync clients later in 2021, bringing the most used features from both Drive File Stream and Backup and Sync to all of our users."

Google notes that the unified platform will be available later in 2021. However, the new unified client will be available in beta and will help organisations and users understand how the unified client will work before it becomes generally available in 2021.

As of January 29, 2021, Google changed Drive Stream's name to Google Drive for desktop. Google in its release notes wrote that it is only the branding that has changed with the functionality remaining the same and that as of Version 45 the Google File Stream is Google Drive for Desktop. Google also changed G Suite's name to Workspace. Google noted that the application name has been changed to Google Drive on macOS. "The mount point path remains the same, so you can still find all your files in the same places, but shortcuts to the application have been renamed to Google Drive," Google noted.

Google said that it will give a 3 months' notice for Google Workspace admins and end-users before the time comes to transition to Drive for desktop. It also said that the transition will be self-serve for end-users, meaning users will have to switch to the platform themselves. However, there is no action required from Backup and Sync users with personal Google accounts as of now. The name change from Drive File Stream to Drive for desktop will take place by default and will be visible to users with Google Drive for desktop version 45 and up.



source: india today

WhatsApp's new features - Badge & Pin Message



WhatsApp is working on a lot of new features including multi-device support.

As per report, WhatsApp will add a new mention badge alongside the pin message option.

The new feature has been spotted in the latest beta update.


WhatsApp is working on a lot of new features. The newest feature that has surfaced in the latest beta update is a dedicated badge that can be used for mentioning people during group chats and more. As per report, WhatsApp will add a new mention badge alongside the pin message option. The new feature has been spotted in the latest beta update.

As per Wabetainfo, WhatsApp has released today the 2.21.3.13 beta update. A new mention badge has been added for group chats. "After several updates that addressed bug fixes and general improvements, WhatsApp has released today the 2.21.3.13 beta update. It has nothing new apparently, but we can show today a preview of the feature they're working on in this build: the mention badge! The feature is very simple to explain: when you receive a mention in a group, a new badge will be added in the group cell," the report read.

The feature will be useful during group chats. If rolled out, the mention badge can be used to tag people in a group. The WhatsApp features tracker reports that the feature is under development and it will be rolled out in a future update. As of now, only some of the beta testers can access the feature.

Apart from this, WhatsApp has also rolled out a new sticker pack called Taters n tots for Android users.

On a related note, WhatsApp in the last few months has released a lot of new features. The latest feature that WhatsApp has rolled out recently is the face and fingerprint unlock while linking the device. In order to link WhatsApp Web or Desktop to the WhatsApp account, users will now be asked to use their face or fingerprint unlock on their phones, before scanning a QR code from the phone to link their device. WhatsApp has said that this will prohibit illegal logins to your WhatsApp account on the web. For instance, once the new feature is rolled out, your friend or colleague will not be able to link devices to your WhatsApp account without you. Whenever someone tries to log in without permission on the web version of the messaging app, a notice will pop up on your phone and you can unlink devices from your phone at any time without being physically present in front of your desktop.



source: india today

PayPal says to shut domestic payments business in India


Paypal has said that it is shutting domestic payments business in India.

PayPal Holdings Inc will wind down its domestic payments business in India from April 1, the company said in a statement on Friday.

San Jose, California-based PayPal will instead focus on its cross-border payments business, which means global customers will still be able to pay Indian merchants using the service.

"From 1 April 2021, we will focus all our attention on enabling more international sales for Indian businesses, and shift focus away from our domestic products in India," the company said.

"This means we will no longer offer domestic payment services within India from 1 April."

PayPal was a payments options on many Indian online apps such as travel and ticketing service MakeMy Trip, online film booking app BookMyShow and food delivery app Swiggy.


source: India today

How to restore your deleted Instagram posts

Instagram has a new feature that lets you recover your deleted photos, videos, reels, IGTV videos and stories.

Instagram earlier this week introduced a new feature that lets users recover their deleted posts. Instagram explained situations where hackers might gain access to your account and delete posts, and you don't have any option to recover them.

The new Instagram feature is called "Recently Deleted" and it's rolling out to users globally. This works on photos, videos, reels, IGTV videos and stories as well. Instagram will also ask users to verify their account when permanently deleting or restoring content from Recently Deleted. If you have deleted posts and wish to restore them, here's what you need to do.

Tap on the hamburger icon and click on the settings icon.

Scroll down and select account from the list of options available.

Once you're here search for Recently Deleted.

The Recently Deleted folder will contain photos, videos, reels, IGTV videos and stories that have been deleted.

Select the post you wish to restore from the list of options.

Instagram stories will stay in the folder for 24 hours, and all other posts will be available for 30 days since the time they were deleted. Once the 30-day period is over, Instagram will permanently delete these posts. The verification process for users before permanently deleting or restoring content will be done via text or email. This can help prevent hackers from gaining access to user accounts.

Recently Deleted is yet to reach users in India but Instagram has started rolling out this feature on Android and iOS so it should be available soon.




source: tech hindustan times

Nokia 5.4 to launch in India soon

Flipkart has confirmed the launch of Nokia 5.4 in India with a "coming soon" teaser page.

HMD Global's first smartphone launch in India this year will be the Nokia 5.4. Flipkart has confirmed the launch of Nokia 5.4 with a "coming soon" teaser page for the smartphone. Nokia 5.4 made its debut in December last year.

The Flipkart teaser page shows off the smartphone's highlights including the camera, punch-hole display, battery life and processor. Nokia 5.4 is available at a starting price of 189 euros ( ₹17,000 approx) for the base model. It comes in two colour options of Polar Night and Dusk. The smartphone has a punch-hole display, a rear fingerprint sensor and a dedicated Google Assistant button.

Nokia 5.4 features a 6.39-inch HD+ display with a punch-hole selfie camera. Under the hood of the phone runs Qualcomm's Snapdragon 662 processor. It comes in three variants of 4GB+64GB, 4GB+128GB and 6GB+64GB.

The smartphone has a quad-camera setup featuring a 48-megapixel primary sensor, a 5-megapixel ultra wide angle lens, a 2-megapixel macro sensor and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. There's a 16-megapixel camera for selfies on the Nokia 5.4.

Nokia 5.4 packs a 4,000mAh battery with a USB Type-C port for charging up to 10W. On the software front, Nokia 5.4 runs Android 10 out-of-the-box. The smartphone is Android 11 ready, and it is confirmed to receive two Android OS updates. Nokia 5.4 also supports face unlock in addition to a fingerprint sensor.

HMD Global has also teased the launch of Nokia 3.4 in India. It looks like Nokia 5.4 and Nokia 3.4 will make their debut in India together.



source: tech hindustantimes

OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei announces new venture called 'Nothing'


Nothing will be releasing its first smart devices in the first half of this year

This announcement comes shortly after a $7 million round in seed financing in December 2020

Carl Pei, one of the founders of smartphone brand, OnePlus has founded a new consumer technology company called 'Nothing'. The new company is based in London. Nothing will be releasing its first smart devices in the first half of this year.

This announcement comes shortly after a $7 million round in seed financing in December 2020 that included tech leaders and investors such as Tony Fadell, Casey Neistat, Kevin Lin, Steve Huffman and Josh Buckley. Kunal Shah the founder of CRED, has also invested in Nothing.

While there's not much to go about, in terms of what smart devices the company is working on, a Wired report from December hints that the company is working on audio-related products. However, Pei did not confirm if these audio devices are limited to headphones. Details regarding the new products are expected to be revealed ahead of official launch.

"It's been a while since anything interesting happened in tech. It is time for a fresh breeze of change," said Carl Pei, CEO and founder of Nothing. "Nothing's mission is to remove barriers between people and technology to create a seamless digital future. We believe that the best technology is beautiful, yet natural and intuitive to use. When sufficiently advanced, it should fade into the background and feel like nothing."

"Consumer tech is a tidal wave of limitless potential. Nothing will be the brand at the forefront and I can't wait for the world to experience its products," said Casey Neistat, YouTuber and Investor in Nothing.



source: live mint

Apple to crack down on tracking iPhone users with new privacy notifications


The new privacy pop-up notifications, which will be part of an iPhone software update, will start appearing on most iPhones in late March or some point in April

Apple on Thursday said that it will roll out a new privacy control in the spring to prevent iPhone apps from secretly shadowing people.

The new privacy pop-up notifications, which will be part of an iPhone software update, will start appearing on most iPhones in late March or some point in April, a requirement that major digital advertising companies such as Facebook have warned will harm their businesses.

The delay in its anticipated rollout aims to placate Facebook and other digital services that depend on such data surveillance to help sell ads.

The one-time notices will require an app developer to ask a user's permission before the app tracks their activities "across other companies' apps and websites." Digital advertising experts believe that the warning will cause many users to decline permission.


The California-based tech giant announced the move last June but said in September that it would delay the change to give digital advertisers more time to adjust.

Currently, iPhone users are frequently tracked by apps they install unless they take the extra step of going into iPhone settings to prevent it.

Facebook said in December that it plans to show the pop-up notification because it did not want Apple iPhone users to lose access to its apps.

On an earnings call on Wednesday, Facebook executives told investors that the change could start hurting the company's revenues in the first quarter, with Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg accusing Apple of having "every incentive to use their dominant platform position to interfere with how our apps and other apps work."


Apple on Wednesday disclosed that it has an active installed base of 1.65 billion devices, more than 1 billion of which are iPhones, with 620 million paying subscribers on its devices.

For its part, Alphabet's Google on Tuesday said that it would cease practices, including the use of an Apple-supplied tracking identifier, that would require it to show the warning, thus avoiding it.

Apple has said that is offering alternative technology free of charge that will help advertisers attribute paid clicks and taps without engaging in what Apple deems tracking.

Google said on Tuesday that is proactively working with Apple to improve the alternative offering.

Apple said on Wednesday that it will roll out new tools such as a way to attribute clicks made on video advertisements.


Apple also released an 11-page report to illustrate how much apps can learn about their users in daily life.



source: livemint

Elon Musk's newly launched version of Model S for game title Cyberpunk 2077


Elon Musk the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX recently announced that the newly launched version of Model S is capable of running the demanding game title Cyberpunk 2077

The world of cars and gaming only overlap in the case of high-definition racing games but now there's more to the relationship between them. The next generation of consoles, Sony's Playstation 5 and Microsoft's Xbox Series X bring demanding AAA gaming titles along with their launch. The computing power of these next-gen consoles helps them to run some intense titles like Cyberpunk 2077. However, it seems some cars have a similar, if not better, computing prowess.

The bold claim comes from the richest man on the planet himself. Elon Musk the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX recently announced that the newly launched version of Model S is capable of running the demanding game title 1Cyberpunk 2077. The business tycoon, through a tweet, claimed that the big screen on the new and updated Tesla Model S can run the game.

The Tesla Model S got its first major update since its launch in the year 2012. Clearly, the update also brings better computing power to the car. Considering that the computer on the Model S does not only have to keep the wheels spinning but also manouvre through traffic on its own, running games shouldn't be a task for the vehicle. Tesla Arcade is also built into the new car that is expected to be able to other major gaming titles.

The Model S gets a 17-inch portrait display with a resolution of 2200x1300 which is placed at the centre of the dashboard of the car. The electric vehicle also gets a second display under the centre facing towards the passengers.

Elon Musk claims that the new Model S can reach from zero to 60 mph (97 km/hr) in under 2 seconds. This also makes it the first production car to reach such an acceleration threshold.


source: live mint

Now, WhatsApp chat history can be imported to Telegram


As new users are hopping on to messaging services to try the variations in the technology services, the freeware cloud-based instant messaging software and application service Telegram has launched a new feature that can import user's chat history from WhatsApp.

Telegram has hence reported that the new feature is likewise accessible for Android. Close by WhatsApp, conversations from Line and KakaoTalk can likewise be imported, as indicated by Telegram's iOS changelog.

Whereas, on iOS users can bring chats from WhatsApp into the most recent version (7.4.1) of Telegram and proceed with the conversation, in so far as each WhatsApp user has a Telegram account.

The expansion of the element comes as Telegram is detailing tremendous expansions in user numbers, with its service presently gloating more than 500 million dynamic clients around the world. The reason has all the earmarks of being WhatsApp's new protection strategy, which incited security concerns about the Facebook-possessed informing application (WhatsApp later deferred the presentation of the new policy, and demands it won't influence the security of buyer conversations or profile information).

For users escaping from WhatsApp to Telegram, having the option to take their talk narratives with them implies one less obstruction to exchanging.

The import cycle chips away at a chat-by-chat premise yet seem to work for both individual and group chats, in any event with WhatsApp. To import a conversation from Facebook's messenger on iOS, open the pertinent discussion, and tap the group or contact name from the top point of the chat to open its information screen.


From that point, the 'Export Chat' alternative opens the iOS Share Sheet, where users will see the choice to choose Telegram. At that point, simply select a Telegram chat to import the messages.

On Android, Telegram noticed that the WhatsApp 'Export Chat' choice can be found by tapping the three-spot button on the upper right of a visit, and afterward choosing 'More'.

If any messages brought into talks have a little 'Imported' mark on them noticing when they were initially sent, and when they were brought into Telegram, and messages are noticeable to all chat members. However, users have the choice of bringing in WhatsApp chat accounts with or without their pictures. Imported messages show up in the request wherein they are imported, instead of in the request they were initially sent.




source: livemint

Panasonic launches first box-style mirrorless camera


Panasonic claims that the new LUMIX BGH1 is approved by Netflix as a primary camera for filming Netflix Originals

Panasonic India announced the launch of its latest addition to its LUMIX series, LUMIX BGH1 for the Indian market. The company claims that this is LUMIX's first box-style digital single-lens mirrorless camera. The BGH1 is a modular cinema camera that can be used by professional filmmakers.

Panasonic claims that the new LUMIX BGH1 is approved by Netflix as a primary camera for filming Netflix Originals. The camera is priced at ₹1,94,990 and it will be available across Panasonic brand shops and Panasonic 4K Imaging School.

Speaking about the launch, Mr. Sandeep Sehgal, Business Chief, Imaging Business Group, Panasonic India & SAARC said, "Panasonic has been a frontrunner in developing cinematic cameras and delivering value-based imaging technology. Designed for versatility, expandability and ease of installation, LUMIX BGH1 is a multi-application box that provides everything a professional needs to unbox their creativity. With its miniature form factor, it is ideal for gimbal and drone work as well as broadcast, live streaming, documentary, and cinema production. We strongly believe this cinema digital camera will create a niche for itself amongst the cinematographer community."

The LUMIX BGH1 allows multi-camera control. It allows shooting on drones, live streaming and other set-ups. The new range is equipped with deep learning real-time detection technology to provide precision focusing of subjects and a double SD Card slot for backup recording or relay recording.

The camera can be powered with the same cable that connects it to a network, and up to 12 of the cameras can be controlled at once with the accompanying LUMIX Tether for Multicam app. The BGH1 gets timecode and genlock BNC ports to sync up with other cameras to make syncing in post-production easy.

LUMIX India is also offering an exclusive membership program with Lumix Pro Services(LPS) which is designed for professional photographers, filmmakers and cinematographers to offer prioritized support, expedited delivery and repairs, special discounts, exclusive phone support and more.



source: live mint

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef71MJhS0zU

My Kids Diary helps you to build a dream personalised website for you & your kids on their name.

Website doesn't have to be only for business purposes, people with personalized websites create their own identity. It's an ideal place to show the world your skills, talents, opinions & best memories.

Interested to register your name?

Just a click away - Click here to check name availability
Launch your personal website in 299 seconds*

My Kids Diary
Website: www.mykidsdiary.in

This platform connects the parents in a secure way to provide their own personalized website for kids to update stories, albums, videos and audios & helps Kid to explore their individual identity to connect with daily milestones. Price starts from Rs.299 / month or Rs.2990 / year.

Gingly
Website: www.gingly.com

This platform provides a personalized website for professionals or any personality to create their own identity in their life by keeping updated their profile, stories, albums, videos and audios. Instead of sharing the skills in social sites, these platforms make them stand unique and explore them globally. Price starts from Rs.299 / month or Rs.2990 / year.

Reference professional websites:

www.vijaybargotra.com
www.shivrajroy.com
www.artistkumaresan.com
www.sudhakar.asia
www.nkalyan.com
www.chsekar.com
www.lionshameelath.com
www.drmeenakshia.com


Reference kids websites:

https://www.varshitha.co.in/
https://www.amdiya.in/
https://www.sandeeproshan.com/

Unlike social media platforms it's your own independent website maintained by you.

Register your name today before it is registered by someone?

Ready to book check for name availability - Click, www.mykidsdiary.in

Get your own personalised website & domains with My Kids Diary

Importance of having a personal website

Your personal website is about making a lasting first impression.

As you will have experienced many a time, people tend to ask whether you have a website and where they can find you online.

Whether you are hunting for new work or starting a new side project, most people will verify your offering by searching for your name online; deciding on your credibility by checking out your online presence.

Having ultimate control over what information you would like them to see is super important when it comes to shaping their perception of you. Having your own website means you govern this.

Additionally, if you set up your site correctly, you will reach more people in your target audience which means more connections and opportunities.


It's the ultimate portfolio

In the digital age, people are more visual than ever, so the more you can show them what you do, the better.

Treating your website as your portfolio will help with building your personal brand and ultimately getting more business.

With your personal website, you can showcase exactly what sets your work apart from your peers and competitors.

This is particularly crucial for designers, artists, and those that work in the digital industry. A great website will give your prospective clients a sense of who you are, what you're capable of and whether you are the one they should hire to execute their project.

By featuring some samples of your work, whether that be sites you've built, blogs you've written, galleries you've featured in, anything, your personal website is a digital portfolio of your online work and identity.

Your brand and work will always evolve.  The beauty of showcasing this on your own personal website is that it can easily be updated and reshaped as you grow.

Your creativity shines through

With your very own personal website, you'll be able to customize it completely. This includes everything from background photos and videos to fonts for the copywriting displayed.

Unlike social networking platforms such as Facebook and Instagram where you need to abide by their default layouts, your creativity will shine through which is a showcase of your flare and personality.

This gives the people looking for you a visual representation of who you are. It should be centered on your positive attributes, illustrating your experience and emphasizing your strengths.

You're always available

With the internet allowing for international business, it's imperative you're always available.

By having your own website, anyone, from anywhere in the world can view your services and portfolio at any time of the day. This means that "business hours" won't have any effect on you getting work or not.

It is always available to existing and potential clients – a 24hr platform that displays your credentials, client testimonials and expertise.  Exciting times!

Now, let's look at how you should go about choosing a domain name for your personal website.

Choosing a domain name for your personal website

Now that you understand the importance of having a personal website, let's look at the three things to remember when choosing your domain name.

1. Don't settle – Use your very own name

When creating your personal website, you should be able to use the name of your choice – preferably your own. The website is all about you and you should be able to register the exact name that you want.

The problem with domain extensions such as .com, .in or .co.in is that the likeliness of your desired domain already being taken is quite high.

Most of them have been around since before the turn of the millennium so unless you have a super unique name, we recommend using a new, but reliable domain extension.

2. The shorter the better

Even though you're technically allowed to use up to 64 characters in your domain name, we suggest you don't. Nobody has time for that – especially in a world where the average human scrolls through 100 meters of social media a day.

We're all processing a lot of information every day and so your domain name should be short so that it's easier to read and easier to remember.

3. Choose an appropriate domain extension  

There are many domain extensions available, over 400 now to be precise. You need to choose one that is synonymous with your field and industry.

There's also a huge chance that you will be able to register the exact name that you want, which is the first step towards creating your personal brand.

A personal website is vital for getting more business and building your own professional brand.


=========================


Highlighting Benefits:

A personal domain is a web address that allows you to take control of your online identity by directing visitors to any site. Register a personal domain, and then forward it to any website, blog or other pages you control, like your Facebook or LinkedIn profiles. There's no limit to how many personal domains you can have.


Pointing your personal domain to your Facebook or LinkedIn pages is a great way to set up an instant online presence, without having to build your own website. You'll always control what your visitors see when they go there. A personal domain is a great choice for businesses as well. It allows you to control every aspect of your brand — even the address you give to your customers.


Keep it short - A short domain has better chance of sticking in somebody's mind once they hear it. Which leads us to the next tip...
Make it memorable - Using your own name or a catchy phrase helps people match a personal domain to you.
Have a plan - Once you secure your personal domain, don't just let it sit there. Get online and make your ideas real.


When everything depends on your personal brand, use domain name registration to protect it. Register a domain with variations of your actual name. With all the available domain extensions out there today, get as many as you can to manage your online reputation.

Once you set up your personal domain and see what it can do, you'll be tempted to take the next step. Use it to set up a custom email address based on your domain to add to your credibility. Once you see how easy that is, use it to create a personal website using a platform like My Kids Diary & Gingly.

If you have a resume or portfolio you'd like to circulate but don't have a website, a personal domain is the answer. Because you can send a personal domain to nearly any place online, it's a perfect solution if you have documents stored in the cloud. Link them to your personal domain to make them easier to find and download.









source idea: prime pixles nic icu, Godaddy

Interview With Young Entrepreneur Vinusha MK

https://youtu.be/ef71MJhS0zU

Google in talks with Jio, Airtel to introduce high-speed internet using light beams


Google is reportedly in talks with telecom companies Airtel and Jio to introduce high-speed internet and telecom connectivity using light beams.

The technology sends light beams – instead of radio waves – between transmitters and receivers attached to servers placed on buildings and structures.

Google's Project X noted that their team is in conversation with telcos, ISPs and governments around the world about the potential for wireless optical communication technology.

Google is reportedly in talks with telecom companies Airtel and Jio to introduce high-speed internet and telecom connectivity using light beams. The technology is part of Project Taara which uses light to transmit information at super high speeds through the air as a very narrow, invisible beam -- it is like fiber but without the cables, as per Project X, a company within Google.

The technology sends light beams instead of radio waves between transmitters and receivers attached to servers placed on buildings and structures. The speed could be as high as 20 gigabytes a second compared with less than one gigabyte a second that many consumers get now, a source familiar with the matter told ET Telecom. "This will be a game-changer since it can connect one to remote regions, have internet connectivity across buildings without cables and reduce the burden on towers," the source told the publication

Project Taara has been piloted in Andhra Pradesh in India and Kenya in Africa, as per reports. Google's Project X noted that their team is in conversation with telcos, ISPs and governments around the world about the potential for wireless optical communication technology to significantly accelerate the deployment of the extensive, high-throughput networks necessary to support the future of the web.

"The system is effective in areas that are difficult to connect using fiber cables. These include sites located around forests, water bodies, railway tracks, or land with high real estate costs," the blog says. It is based on open standards to work seamlessly with existing infrastructure and environments.

The blog notes that wireless optical communication technology can transmit data at high speeds of up to 20Gbps. A single link can cover distances up to 20 Km and be used to extend fiber networks. The project aims to offer a cost-effective and quickly deployable way to bring high-speed connectivity to remote areas. Taara links help plug critical gaps to major access points, like cell towers and WiFi hotspots, and have the potential to help thousands of people access the educational, business, and communication benefits of the web.

Earlier in February this year, Google shut its 'Station' project through which it gave free Wi-Fi to 415 railway stations in India. The project was pulled off by the company after 5 years of its operation owing to the increased 4G connectivity across the country and cheap data tariffs. In July, Google had committed $10 billion to India under its digitisation fund out of which Rs 33,737 crore were invested in Jio Platforms for a 7.7 per cent stake.


source: live mint

WhatsApp Pay in India was possible because of UPI system

"Indians can communicate with one another for less than the cost of a postcard and that's what we've tried to do with messaging and hopefully we can do that together with payments," Zuckerberg said.

WhatsApp Pay started rolling out for Indian users in November in partnership with the National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI).

Facebook CEO Zuckerberg said that it was only possible because of the unified payment interface (UPI) system and 140 banks that made it easy.

WhatsApp has refuted allegations of the payment system not being secure in the Supreme Court.



Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in the first virtual conference of Fuel for India, 2020, said WhatsApp payments were only possible because of the unified payment interface (UPI) system and 140 banks that made it easy. WhatsApp Pay started rolling out for Indian users in November in partnership with the National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI).

"We just launched WhatsApp payments in India last month -- now you can send money to your friends and family through WhatsApp, as easily as sending a message. That was possible because of the UPI system that has been built in India," Zuckerberg said during a chat with Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani.

"Indians can communicate with one another for less than the cost of a postcard and that's what we've tried to do with messaging and hopefully we can do that together with payments and make it so people can use India's new UPI system, which I think is just great. India is the first country to do anything like this," Zuckerberg added.

The virtual conference happened a day after WhatsApp refuted allegations of the payment system not being secure in the Supreme Court on Monday. The allegations had led to a controversy last year over breach of privacy and financial data security following claims that Indian journalists and human rights activists were among those globally spied upon by unnamed entities.

In a plea, The Pegasus issue was being referred by senior advocate Krishnan Venugopal, appearing for Rajya Sabha MP Binoy Viswam, who had filed a petition alleging breach of data security of Indians using UPI services by Amazon Pay, GooglePay, and others.

A bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde referred to Venugopal’s submission and told senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who was appearing for WhatsApp, that a serious allegation was made against WhatsApp that it can be hacked. Sibal, while denying the allegations, said, "Absolutely baseless. There is no such pleading (in the writ petition). It is just an oral submission made across the bar without basis."

Venugopal also asserted that another issue in the case was data localisation. "Problem with WhatsApp, Amazon, and Google is that when they allow payment to happen and data goes abroad. Critical financial data is allowed to be accessed by companies abroad and RBI justifies it. This is a violation of privacy judgment as my data is being grossly misused as these companies then collect this data and use it for advertisement purposes," Venugopal said.

However, WhatsApp in its recent blog post highlighting Apple’s requirement for nutrition labels on every app said that it does not track the exact location of users but notes the IP addresses for verification purposes.

source: India today

Reddit to buy Dubsmash

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but a spokeswoman for Reddit said the acquisition was based on a combination of cash and stock

Social network firm Reddit said on Sunday it would buy short-video platform Dubsmash, becoming the latest company to expand in a space dominated by Chinese-owned TikTok.

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but a spokeswoman for Reddit said the acquisition was based on a combination of cash and stock.

The success of ByteDance's TikTok has prompted many social media companies to add short-video services to their platforms, with Snapchat Inc rolling out "Spotlight" in November and Facebook Inc launching "Instagram Reels" earlier this year.

Both Facebook and Snap had approached Dubsmash about a deal earlier this year and talks had progressed far enough to include discussions of a price tag in "the hundreds of millions of dollars," the Information reported in August.

Reddit said in a blog post that the deal would give its users, who can already upload and stream videos, access to Dubsmash's editing and short-video creation tools.

Founded in 2013, Dubsmash became popular as a platform that let its users create short-form lip-sync videos to popular movie dialogues or sound bites and share them with other users.

Dubsmash's mobile app has been downloaded 196.8 million times globally since its launch, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower. For comparison, TikTok's mobile app has been downloaded just under 2.6 billion times globally since its launch, the data showed.

San Francisco-based Reddit added that Dubsmash would maintain its own platform and brand.

Dubsmash's entire team, including co-founders Suchit Dash, Jonas Drüppel and Tim Specht, will join Reddit.


source: live mint

Google tests Dark Mode feature on desktop


The look matches the dark mode version of Google's search app on mobile, which has been available since May 2020.

Tech giant Google is testing the Dark Mode feature on its desktop search results.

According to a Mashable report, 9to5 Google has noticed that the company is testing a dark theme for desktop search. In this feature, the white background has been replaced with a dark gray hue, while Google's colourful logo has been replaced by white lettering.

The look matches the dark mode version of Google's search app on mobile, which has been available since May 2020. Notably, 9to5Mac claimed the dark mode is not enabled on the Google.com homepage, which is odd, but would likely change when the feature goes live.

As reported by Mashable, Dark mode on Google's desktop search currently appears to be available to only a small number of users. One Reddit user who has seen it said the dark mode just randomly turned on by itself, and it reverted back to light mode shortly after. Strangely, the same user says that the dark mode did not come with any sort of toggle button, meaning he was unable to turn it off while it was active.



source: live mint

Google's new storage policy for Gmail, Drive & Photos


1. Starting 1 June, 2021, any new photos and videos that will be uploaded on Google Photos will count toward the free 15 GB of storage that comes with every Google Account or the additional storage that user has purchased as a Google One member

2. The free 15GB or the additional amount of data purchased is shared between Google Drive, Gmail and Photos

3. Any photos or videos you've uploaded in High quality before June 1, 2021 will not count toward your 15GB of free storage. Photos and videos backed up before June 1, 2021 will still be considered free and exempt from the storage limit

4. You can verify your backup quality at any time in the Photos app by going to back up & sync in Settings

5. If you have a Pixel 1-5, photos uploaded from that device won't be impacted. Photos and videos uploaded in High quality from that device will continue to be exempt from this change, even after June 1, 2021

6. Google claims that over 80% of users should still be able to store roughly three more years worth of memories with the free 15 GB of storage. The company will notify the user when the storage starts getting close to the 15 GB mark.

7. The platform offers tools that will allow users to pick out pictures/ videos that need to be deleted.

8. To understand how this impacts you, you can see a personalized estimate for how long your storage may last. This estimate takes into account how frequently you back up photos, videos and other content to your Google Account.

9. In June 2021, the user will be able to access a new free tool in the Photos app to easily manage your backed up photos and videos. This tool will help you review the memories you want to keep while also surfacing shots you might prefer to delete, like dark or blurry photos or large videos.

10. Google also provides subscription services for its users with plans starting as low as ₹130 for 100GB of cloud storage per month

Indian app Chingari announces partnership with Thrace Music

This partnership between Chingari and Thrace Music is part of the marketing strategy developed by Adventure Global India, Thrace Music's exclusive licensing and distribution partner in India

Indian short video-sharing app Chingari announces its global partnership with Thrace Music, an international record label company that boasts of a playlist by artists like Brianna, Kate Linn, Monoir, Ehna, Qupra, Starla, Dharia, Iarina, Esotique, and others. With this pact, Chingari will provide a bigger catalogue of international music for its content creators and will have a new library of songs to choose from for their creator base. The company claims that this association will foster better engagement on the app and garner more talent from all parts of India.

This partnership between Chingari and Thrace Music is part of the marketing strategy developed by Adventure Global India, Thrace Music's exclusive licensing and distribution partner in India.

Mr Sumit Ghosh, Co-founder and CEO of Chingari App, said, "Chingari has always been a step ahead in empowering our content creators. In the last few months, we have associated with a number of platforms to ensure that our content creators have countless options to make their videos more amazing. Our pact with Thrace Music is another step to engage our audience. We are very confident that the tracks by Thrace Music will enjoy immense popularity on the platform as they have a universal appeal and there are songs for every mood."

Mr Deepak Salvi, Co-founder and COO of Chingari App, said, music is meant for everyone, no matter who you are, or where you come from, everyone listens to music in some way. With such a vast pool of creators on Chingari we constantly work on source to provide new opportunities to create interesting and engaging videos. And that's how Chingari has always been on top of its game. This association with Thrace Music having its music on the app is giving a global platform to our creators.

Mr Chris aka Monoir, Founder, said, "We are very excited to partner with India's most loved short video app Chingari. Our music has been immensely popular in India and we have received so much love from music lovers here. The association with Chingari is like music finding its way to a larger audience, which will help both the platforms reach newer heights and engage more people.

Earlier, the Chingari App collaborated with hoichoi, an OTT platform for Bangla content. Prior to it, Chingari joined hands with Dance With Madhuri. Chingari also teamed up with content house NH Studioz to distribute Indian cinema. The platform screened blockbuster films through this association.

Chingari claims that it has surpassed the average engagement time of platforms like SnapChat and Facebook. With this, the Chingari user base of over 40 million. The company also claims that more than 95 million videos are viewed on the platform every day.

source: live mint

What's new with WatchOS 7.2

WatchOS 7.2 brings new cardio fitness level alerts to Apple Watch

Apple Watch is also getting a new WatchOS 7.2 update primarily to include support for Apple Fitness+, accessible via the Fitness app. Users can watch the videos on supporting devices, such as iPhones, iPads and Apple TV, but won't be able to sign up for the service without an Apple Watch. The Apple Watch workout stats, including total time, total and active calories burned, and the impact of the workout on your activity rings, will be prominently displayed on the device you are watching the videos on, which could be an iPhone, an iPad, or an Apple TV. The metrics displayed will also include average heart rate along with something called Burn Bar, which compares your effort to others who have done the same workout.

Apart from the possible health benefits from the subscription-based service, the update also brings new cardio health notifications to the Apple Watch. The wearable can now notify you when your Cardio Fitness Level is low. The calculation of cardio fitness is based on VO2 Max (oxygen utilisation in your blood at any given point), which is similar to Fitbit's cardio score but additionally includes notifications to remind users of their cardio health. Users above the age of 20 can also review their Cardio Fitness Level — calculated on the basis on age, sex and activity — in the Health app on iPhone.

The update also includes support for Family Setup in Bahrain, Canada, Norway, and Spain (cellular models of Apple Watch Series 4 or later and Apple Watch SE)


How to download iOS and iPadOS 14.3, iOS 12.5, and WatchOS 7.2 updates

The WatchOS 7.2 has rolled out for Apple Watch Series 3 or later (including Apple Watch SE). Apple mandates you to put your watch on charge to begin the update. In the Watch app on your supporting iPhone, you can similarly navigate to Settings > General > Software Update, and click on Download and Install to get the update. The updates have been rolled out to users in India.

source: gadgets ndtv

Apple iPhone, iPad iOS 14.3 update brings a lot of new features

Apple has rolled out new updates for iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch with the official launch of Apple Fitness+ service. The iOS 14.3 update brings a lot of new features, including ProRaw support for the iPhone 12 Pro and the iPhone 12 Pro Max that bumps up the camera capabilities of the top-tier phones. The iOS and iPadOS 14.3 also bring support for Apple's recently launched AirPods Max over-ear headphones and introduces new privacy labels on the App Store pages. WatchOS 7.2 brings support for Apple Fitness+ on the Apple Watch, along with new cardio fitness score and alerts. Apple has also released the iOS 12.5 update that brings COVID-19 Exposure Notifications, apart from some security updates. Here's a roundup of the new features and fixes that come with iOS 14.3, iOS 12.5, iPadOS 14.3, and WatchOS 7.2 updates.


What's new with iOS and iPadOS 14.3

Starting with the big news, the iOS 14.3 brings support for Apple Fitness+, a new fitness service from Apple that includes studio-style workout videos that can be watched on iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. The videos will also display Apple Watch (Series 3 and later) fitness metrics, such as average heart rate and calories burned, on the top right side of the screen. The videos updated weekly will have ten workout formats: High Intensity Interval Training, Indoor Cycling, Yoga, Core, Strength, Dance, Rowing, Treadmill Walking, Treadmill Running, and Mindful Cooldown.

Apple Fitness+ subscription is initially available in US, UK, Australia, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand. It's important to note that the service is deeply integrated with Apple Watch and users can't sign up for Fitness+ without it. But, interestingly, Apple says users will be able to follow the workouts without the Apple Watch after signing in. The Apple Fitness app does not come as a default on iPad tablets and has to be manually downloaded from the App Store. But as per a report by 9to5Mac, some users have reported having trouble downloading the Fitness app on their iPads.

The iOS 14.3 brings ProRAW support on the iPhone 12 Pro₹ 119,900 and the iPhone 12 Pro Max. This means that the two phones can now capture pictures in Apple's ProRaw format and also edit them on the Photos app. The update will bring a simple ProRaw toggle to the Camera app. But each photo captured in the format will be upwards of 25MB, and, therefore, ProRaw is best used sparingly if space is a constraint.


The Photos app on iPhone and iPad will get an option to record videos at 25fps. iPhone 6s, iPhone 6s Plus, iPhone SE, iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X will also be able to mirror the front camera for still photos with the iOS 14.3 update.

The iOS and iPadOS 14.3 also bring support for AirPods Max, the new over-ear headphones from Apple priced at Rs. 59,900. The update enables high fidelity audio, Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency modes (similar to AirPods Pro), and spatial audio with dynamic head tracking through the new headphones.

Among other highlights of the iOS and iPadOS 14.3 are changes to the Weather app. Your devices will now be able to relay air quality recommendations through the app and through Siri in India and US, along with the UK, Germany, and Mexico. The air quality levels data is provided by Breezometer.

There's a new tab in the Apple TV+ app that makes it easier to discover Apple Originals. You can now also search for shows by categories, such as genres, and see recent searches and suggestions as you type.

Apple says that the Health app is getting the ability to indicate pregnancy, lactation, or contraceptive use in Cycle Tracking, which will help to better manage period and fertile window predictions.

Safari is getting a new default search engine option in Ecosia. The search engine claims to use the ad revenue earned to fund tree plantation drives. The new search engine adds to the existing options of Google, Yahoo, Bing, and DuckDuckGo. The iOS and iPadOS 14.3 update also includes support for launching App Clips by scanning Apple-designed App Clip Codes via the Camera app or from Control Center.

Bug fixes address problems with receiving MMS messages and notifications for text messages, videos not appearing correctly when shared via the Photos app, Bluetooth unavailable in Settings, devices not being able to charge wirelessly (including a Magsafe Duo Charger issue that prevented devices from charging wirelessly at less than maximum power). The iOS and iPadOS 14.3 update also fixes the problem of App folders not opening, Spotlight search results and opening apps from Spotlight not working, wireless accessories and peripherals using the WAC protocol failing to complete setup, and groups on the Contacts app failing to display members when composing a message.

The Apple release notes also notifies the addition of a new privacy information section on the App Store. This is the introduction of the privacy labels that mandates developers to detail how they process user data, a move recently criticised by WhatsApp for favouring Apple's native apps. The iOS and iPadOS 14.3 update also adds new security information.




iOS 12.5 for older iPhone and iPad models

For the iPhone and iPad models that don't support iOS 14, Apple has also released the iOS 12.5 update that brings COVID-19 Exposure Notifications. The devices use Bluetooth to exchange Bluetooth identifiers when two or more users come in contact. A user who tests positive can update their health status on the Exposure Notification application being used in their region. This will send a notification to all users who have come in contact with the person to get tested. Apple and Google have partnered to provide this service, which, the companies say, does not collect location data. Apple says that the iOS 12.5 update also brings some security updates to older iPhone and iPad models and is recommended for all users.

How to download iOS and iPadOS 14.3, iOS 12.5, and WatchOS 7.2 updates

The iOS 14.3 update is for iPhone 6S and later, and the iPadOS 14.3 update applies to iPad Air 2 and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation). To download the updates, you'll need sufficient battery on your devices or will have to put them charging. To check if you have got the update yet, go to Settings > General > Software Update, and click on Download and Install. Follow the same process for iOS 12.5, which is available for the iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Air, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, and iPod touch (6th generation).



source  gadgets ndtv

Facebook Collab Music Video App Launched

Facebook Collab experimental music-making app has been launched on Apple's App Store. The collaborative iOS app was launched as an invite-only beta back in May by Facebook's New Product Experimentation (NPE) team and is now available for all iOS users in the US. The team has also made updates to the app, based on inputs from the beta test community. Collab allows users to create, watch, and mix and match original videos with a focus on music. A ‘collab' features three 15-second independent videos playing in sync. The app is designed to help users make music together even when they're not physically together.

Announcing the public availability of Collab, Facebook's NPE team said that they had worked closely with the beta test community to make updates to the creation, sharing, and discovery of new collabs. Audio syncing is one of the improvements that will help users adjust their recordings to be aligned with others in the collab.

Collab was launched as an invite-only beta app in May.

“Collab automates the complexity of audio and video syncing so you can easily produce a final composition you love,” the Facebook NPE team said. The social media giant also said that no musical training or experience is required to use the app. To create a collab, you're required to swipe on any row to bring in a new video clip that could sound good with your composition.

While Collab is similar to TikTok, users here can sync three videos in landscape mode simultaneously, resulting in a final, vertically-oriented video that can be shared.

Facebook said that it had optimised the experience for loads of setups after testing with dozens of headsets and hardware configurations since May. Users can now even use external audio interfaces to bring music from electronic instruments such as keyboards, guitars, and drum kits into their recordings.

Collab is available to download for iOS users from the App Store in the US. There has been no announcement on the international availability of the app so far.

source: gadgets ndtv

Snapchat's Bitmoji Paint Online Multiplayer Painting Game


Snapchat is rolling out a new original game called Bitmoji Paint. The game includes painting and cutely grotesque customisable avatars. Users can paint squares present in the grid as a shared canvas.

Announcing Bitmoji Paint in a press release, Snap Inc. said that the game will allow millions of players to "come together simultaneously to contribute to one, massive collage."

Developed by Snap Games Studio, the game will allow Bitmoji avatars created by Snapchatters to travel around the globe and team up with friends to create a shared canvas. Users can create everything from simple scribbles to giant landscapes.

"Our goal with Bitmoji has always been to be the world's avatar, to give people a digital version of themselves that represents them and lets them be themselves online," the Verge quoted Ba Blackstock, co-founder of Bitmoji as saying.

"And so now with games, it's also letting people play together in a really new and fun and exciting way," he added.

Snapchat has also offered a voice chat feature in the game's menu and users can communicate with their friends while scribbling.

"You can send fun messages, and also even [make] giant landscapes, all these things are all possible in Bitmoji Paint," said John Imah, head of games and entertainment partnerships at Snap.

The social media platform will also offer users Snap Tokens, that can be used to upgrade Bitmoji avatars with fun objects like roller skates and hoverboards to help move around quickly, or equip with ink painters or paint rollers to help create larger creations easily.


source: gadgets ndtv

Nokia C1 Plus Mobile Price & Specifications

Nokia C1 Plus is backed by a 2,500mAh battery that supports standard 5W charging.

Nokia C1 Plus has been launched in the European market as an entry-level smartphone. It runs on Android 10 (Go edition) with basic specifications and 4G connectivity. Nokia C1 Plus is offered in two colour options and a single RAM and storage configuration. It has thick bezels all around the display, with a huge chin and forehead. You get a single camera on the front and the back. Nokia C1 Plus is claimed by the company to deliver all-day battery life and latest OS features.

Nokia C1 Plus price

Nokia C1 Plus is priced at EUR 69 (roughly Rs. 6,200) for the sole 1GB + 16GB storage model. It is offered in blue and red colour options and will be available for purchase in the European market this month. There is no exact sale date for the phone yet.

Nokia has not shared if and when the phone will be released in India.


Nokia C1 Plus specifications

The dual-SIM (Nano) Nokia C1 Plus runs on Android 10 (Go edition). It features a 5.45-inch HD+ display with 18:9 aspect ratio. The phone is powered by an unnamed quad core processor with 1.4GHz clock speed, accompanied by 1GB DDR3 RAM. In terms of cameras, there is one on the back and one at the front. Both are 5-megapixel sensors with flash and the rear camera supports HDR imaging.

Nokia C1 Plus comes with 16GB of onboard storage that is expandable via microSD card (up to 128GB). Connectivity options include 4G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS/ A-GPS, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a Micro-USB port for charging. Nokia C1 Plus packs a 2,500mAh battery with support for standard 5W charging.

Sensors onboard include ambient light sensor, proximity sensor, and accelerometer (G-sensor). You get FM radio as well. Nokia C1 Plus measures 149.1x71.2x8.75mm and weighs 146 grams.




source: gadgets ndtv

Ola to Invest Rs. 2,400 Crores

Ola's new plant will have an initial annual capacity to produce two million scooters and will create nearly 10,000 jobs.

Ola, backed by Japan's SoftBank Group, said on Monday it planned to invest  Rs. 2,400 crores to set up a factory in the southern state of Tamil Nadu to produce electric scooters.

The plant will have an initial annual capacity to produce two million scooters and will create nearly 10,000 jobs, Ola said in a statement, as it gears up to launch electric scooters in the coming months.

The Indian government has been pushing automakers to move to cleaner fuel technology, especially electric, in an effort to reduce its oil import bill and curb pollution in major cities.

While carmakers have been slow to launch electric vehicles (EVs), mainly due to the high cost of batteries and weak demand from buyers, sales of electric scooters and rickshaws have picked up pace and are leading India's electrification drive.

The country needs an investment of over $180 billion (roughly Rs. 13,23,800 crores) in vehicle production and charging infrastructure until 2030 to meet its EV ambition, according to the CEEW Centre for Energy Finance (CEEW-CEF), an Asian think tank.

This is the latest push by Ola - which already has a presence in other countries such as Australia, New Zealand, and the UK - to grow its electric mobility ambition. The factory will build electric vehicles for India, as well as to sell in regions like Europe, Asia, and Latin America.

Last week, the company hired Julien Geffard, formerly at Peugeot Motorcycles, to build and grow its EV business in Europe.

In November, Ola had said it hired General Motors' veteran Jose Pinheiro as global head of manufacturing and operations for its electric business.


© Thomson Reuters 2020

source: gadgets ndtv

YouTube India has announced its top 10 trending videos, music videos, and creators, two weeks after its American counterpart did so. Ajey 'CarryMinati' Nagar is the top YouTube creator in India, and his vertically-shot reaction video to YouTube taking down his other video 'YouTube vs Tik Tok: The End' for violating the site's terms of service — 'Stop Making Assumptions | YouTube vs Tik Tok: The End' — emerged as the top trending video. In the music video department, it's rapper Badshah topping the Indian charts with 'Genda Phool,' which also features the voices of Jacqueline Fernandez and Payal Dev. It's interesting that there is just one common track ('Illegal Weapon 2.0') between YouTube's top music videos charts and Spotify's top songs in India. Here are the charts in full:

YouTube top trending videos (India)

1.CarryMinati - Stop Making Assumptions | YouTube vs Tik Tok: The End
2. Jkk Entertainment - Chotu Dada Tractor Wala | "छोटू दादा ट्रेक्टर वाला " Khandesh Hindi Comedy | Chotu Comedy Video
3. Make Joke Of - Make Joke of || MJO || - The Lockdown
4. TRT Ertugrul by PTV - Ertugrul Ghazi Urdu | Episode 1 | Season 1
5. Bristi Home Kitchen - Chocolate Cake Only 3 Ingredients In Lock-down Without Egg, Oven, Maida | चॉकलेट केक बनाए 3 चीजो से|
6. ETV Dhee - Pandu Performance | Dhee Champions | 5th August 2020 | ETV Telugu
7. Round2hell - The Time Freeze | Round2Hell | R2H
8. Ashish Chanchlani Vines - Office Exam Aur Vaccine | Ashish Chanchlani
9/ BB Ki Vines - BB Ki Vines- | Angry Masterji- Part 15 |
10. Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah - Tapu Proposes To Sonu On Valentines Day! | Latest Episode 2933 | Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah

YouTube top creators (India)

1.CarryMinati
2.Total Gaming
3. Techno Gamerz
4. Jkk Entertainment
5. ashish chanchlani vines
6. Round2hell
7. Technical Guruji
8. CookingShooking Hindi
9. Desi Gamers
10. The MriDul

YouTube breakout creators (India)

1. CarryMinati
2. Total Gaming
3. Techno Gamerz
4. Desi Gamers
5. The MriDul
6. Lokesh Gamer
7. Mythpat
8. Khan GS Research Centre
9. AiSh
10. Helping Gamer

source: gadgets.ndtv.com

Google's new tools lets you develop apps without knowing how to code


AppSheet is Google Cloud's no-code development platform that is designed to let anyone create a powerful app without having to write a single line of code.

Google, earlier this month, bundled all its productivity tools and other services under Google Workspace. Now, less than a month after introducing Google Workspace, the company has rolled out a new tool to Workspace that enables users to develop apps without even learning how to code.

Enter: AppSheet.

To give you a quick brief about this tool, AppSheet is Google Cloud's no-code development platform that is designed to let anyone create a powerful app without having to write a single line of code. Instead of learning to code or finding someone to create the app that a user needs, they can use AppSheet to create the app so that they can focus on using it instead of developing or fixing it. This new tool enables users to create their own application using AppSheet directly from Google Sheets.

Now, Google has added Google AppSheet to the Google Workspace bundle. This means that when users access the interface of Google Workspace, they will see AppSheet along with other tools and services.

To use this tool, here's what users need to do: open up a Sheet > under "Tools" click on "Open in AppSheet." "Once you create an AppSheet account (if you didn't have one already), AppSheet will take care of the coding part, analyzing the data structure and creating a prototype app from it," Google explained in a blog post.

More details - https://solutions.appsheet.com





source: hindustan times

Apple Iphone 12 - Phone Details & Features

A14 Bionic, the fastest chip in a smartphone. An edge-to-edge OLED display. Ceramic Shield with four times better drop performance. And Night mode on every camera. iPhone 12 has it all — in two perfect sizes.



I Phone 12, the new one in the iPhone 12 series was launched on October 13, 2020. The smartphone features an immersive 6.10-inch touchscreen display that has a resolution of 1170x2532 pixels at a pixel density of 460 pixels per inch (ppi). The dimensions of the mobile are 146.70 mm x 71.50 mm x 7.40 mm (height x width x thickness) and weighs around 164 grams. Further, the iPhone 12 features an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. You can buy the phone in Black, Green, Red, Blue, and White colors at a starting price of Rs. 79,900.


The iPhone 12 is a dual-SIM (GSM and GSM) mobile in which you can use both Nano-SIM and eSIM cards. The smartphone runs iOS 14 and has an inbuilt storage of 64GB so that you can store all your local files, songs, videos, pictures, docs and more without any space constraints. In addition to this, the smartphone from Apple houses a non-removable battery that supports both wireless and proprietary fast charging.

Speaking about the camera specifications, the iPhone 12 on the rear features a 12 MP primary camera with f/1.6 aperture and a 12 MP camera with f/2.4 aperture. Also, the rear setup has autofocus feature. While on the front, the mobile comes with a 12 MP camera with f/2.2 aperture for clicking some awesome selfies.

On iPhone 12, you get various connectivity options such as Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/Yes, Lightning, Bluetooth v5.00, NFC, GPS, 3G, and 4G (with support for Band 40 used by some LTE networks in India). Sensors on the smartphone include proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, barometer, accelerometer, gyroscope, and compass/ magnetometer. Also, there is face unlock with 3D face recognition for security purpose.

 

Key Features:

iPhone 12 has 6.10-inch display and 1170x2532 pixels resolution
Dual camera setup on rear with features like autofocus and more
Front camera is of 12 MP
Runs iOS 14
64GB inbuilt storage
Dimensions of the phone are 146.70 mm x 71.50 mm x 7.40 mm; weight is 164 grams
Color options: Black, Green, Red, Blue, and White
 

iPhone 12 Price in India and US:

iPhone 12 Model   Price in India   Price in the US
iPhone 12 64GB   Rs. 79,900   $799
iPhone 12 128GB   Rs. 84,900   $849
iPhone 12 256GB   Rs. 94,900   $949

APPLE IPHONE 12 PRICE IN INDIA

Apple iPhone 12 smartphone price in India is likely to be Rs 74,900.
As for the colour options, the Apple iPhone 12 smartphone may come in Gold, Silver, Space Grey colours.


Pre-order iPhone 12 from 23 October
Pre‑order iPhone 12 mini from 6 November
From ₹8,227/month or ₹69,900 before trade-in.*


More details - https://www.apple.com/in/iphone-12/


source - gadgetsnow

Apple launches iPhone 12 Mini Price & features


Apple claims it is the smallest and thinnest 5G phone in the world.

The new Apple iPhone 12 Mini will be similar to the iPhone 12 in terms of features
The phone gets a compact 5.4-inch screen


Apple's 'Hi-Speed' event revealed a total of four new iPhones. Departing from the tradition of three iPhones launched at the event. Apple has introduced a fourth new model which comes with an extremely compact form factor, considering the trends of 6.0-inch plus screen in the market. While the iPhone SE comes with a smaller 4.7-inch screen, the footprint remains the same.

The iPhone 12 Mini comes with a 5.4-inch screen which is also going to be the USP of the device. Apple has priced the Apple iPhone 12 Mini at $699 (approximately ₹51,400) which is just $100 lesser than the 6.1-inch iPhone 12, which is priced at $799 (Roughly ₹58,700).

In India, the iPhone 12 Mini will start at a price of ₹69,900. The iPhone 12 series will be sold in India from 30 October onwards. Both iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Mini will be available in 64 GB, 128 GB, and 256 GB storage variants. The iPhone 12 will start at ₹76,900.

The iPhone 12 Pro will cost ₹1,19,900 for the base 128GB variant, while the 12 Pro Max starts at ₹1,29,900 in India

The display on iPhone Mini is a 5.4-inch screen which also gets a notch similar to the other iPhone 12 variants. However, the size of the notch may seem bigger due to the relatively small screen size. The FaceID and the front facing lens are housed in the notch. The device gets Super Retina XDR display and a ceramic shield.

Apple claims it is the smallest and thinnest 5G phone in the world. The iPhone 12 Mini, similar to the other iPhones launched at the event, will be powered by the A14 Bionic chipset. In terms of camera sensors, the phone will be launching with a dual lens setup.



source - livemint

Google search now lets you hum to it when you forget a song

The machine learning algorithm gives you a list of songs that match your tune
This feature is available on Android and iOS

Google announced its newest feature, hum to search, on October 15, 2020. This option enables you to hum a song you cannot remember, to the Google Search widget or the latest version of Google app.

The California-headquartered technology company also extended this feature to its Artificial Intelligence(AI)-based Google Assistant. It works when you say, "Hey Google, what's this song?" One can hum the tune, which doesn't have to be pitch perfect, for ten to fifteen seconds and it then gives you a list of songs similar to the tune.

The list is generated by Google's machine learning algorithms that identify the tune, enabling them to give the "potential song matches."

How does this work?

The company's search models are trained to identify singing, whistling, humming or studio-recording of the tune. As the machine learning model identifies a tune, it is converted into a numeric sequence that will represent the song's melody.


"A song's melody is like it's fingerprint," said Krishna Kumar, Senior Product Manager of Google Search. Having their own unique identities, the tunes are matched to the "right fingerprint" by their machine learning models. As the number-based sequences are generated, the algorithm compares them to songs that are available across the globe.

Built on the work of Google's music recognition technology, the models match the human version of the tune to a song that was recorded in a studio. This music recognition technology was used in the 'Now Playing' feature found in Google Pixel phones and the SoundSearch feature on the Google app.

The "hum to search" feature is currently available in more than twenty languages on Android and works in English for iOS users.

source - livemint

Micromax to launch first smartphone after 2 years


Homegrown smartphone brand, Micromax on Friday announced its return to India's smartphone market. The company has been out of the market for over two years now, having failed to battle against Chinese smartphone companies, which controlled the supply chain and brought the smartphone prices in India to an all-time low.

According to Rahul Sharma, co-founder of Micromax, the company will not make low-cost smartphones anymore, something it has always been known for. "We will only come out with performance-oriented products. You won't see phones worth ₹3000, 5000 from Micromax anymore," he said.

Sharma said Micromax plans to play in the ₹7,000 -10,000 to ₹20,000 -25000 segment and will sell — both online and offline — from early next month, bringing out an entire lineup of In branded phones by the end of the year. He claimed Micromax will have better phones than Chinese brands in the same prices that they offer. "Whatever features Chinese brands are giving, we'll give at the same price point or at a better price point," he said.

The company will start with two In branded phones in the first week of next month, but Sharma says an entire lineup of products will be launched by the end of the year. Sharma also said the company won't run ads on its phones, something users have criticized Chinese smartphone players for. "It will be a very clean experience. All the software has been done by us and all updates will happen from India," he said.

Indian smartphone brands have been eyeing a comeback ever since the Indian government announced its production linked incentive (PLI) scheme for mobile manufacturing. Both Lava and Karbonn, two well-known Indian brands, are expected to start selling smartphones soon as well. The scheme gives 4-6% benefits for manufacturing phones in India, with foreign companies being allowed these benefits on phones with invoice value about Rs. 15,000 only.


"Everybody was looking to Chinese phones because they were coming down heavily on pricing," said Sharma. This is where the PLI scheme comes in, which allows Indian manufacturers to battle the Chinese in pricing. "If you can get revenues up to Rs. 10,000 crore then Rs. 600 crore comes straight to your bottomline. I think this is a great cushion that has been provided to all the Indian companies, that will help us to fight these guys," he added.

Micromax's In phones will also be followed by other connected devices, including air conditioners and more.


source - livemint

Apple First ARM-Powered Mac Machines Launch on November 17 Event

• Apple to soon do away with Intel powering its MacBooks
• The new Apple Silicon chip will be based on ARM architecture
• Rumoured AirPods Studio could have head and neck detection

Apple has been tipped to host another launch event soon – on November 17. A third launch in a span of three months could see the Cupertino company finally launching its very own line of processors, ditching Intel and going completely solo. The product that headlines the event could be Apple's first Mac powered by the Apple Silicon chip. Apple had confirmed the news that it will be transitioning from the Intel chips that currently power all of its Mac machines to Apple Silicon at the WWDC 2020, its first all-online developer's conference in June. But it doesn't stop just there. Apple is also tipped to launch the rumoured AirPods Studio over-ear headphones early next year.

Apple's November event expectations

Tipster John Prosser speculates that the launch of Apple Silicon could take place as early as November 17. The new leak is in line with Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook promising at WWDC 2020 that the first Mac powered by Apple Silicon would launch before the end of the year. To what it could be, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had predicted that the first machines to run on the new ARM chip could be the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro and the new iMac. Kuo had also said that Apple hopes to run all its new macOS products on Apple Silicon by 2021. Some unreleased MacBook model numbers have also been reportedly leaked in Apple's filing with the Eurasian Economic Commission (EEC), hinting at an upcoming launch. Kuo had later said an ARM-powered MacBook Air would be due next year.

Apple's tipped early 2021 launches

Meanwhile, Prosser claims that Apple will confirm both the events exactly a week before their scheduled dates; to recap, the Apple Silicon could launch on November 17, 2020, and the AirPods Studio and the AirTags four months later on March 17, 2021.


He had also tipped a few of the AirPods Studio's coveted features in a tweet last month, along with an alleged high-quality render. He had claimed that the AirPods Studio, codenamed B515, will be designed in high-quality leather and metal, have magnetic earcups that automatically detects left and right ears (reversible with no L/R marking), and have a USB Type-C port. A 3.5mm headphone jack is not to be expected on any Apple device anymore. Lending more weight to the rumours, a recent report had suggested that the AirPods Studio headphones would also get neck and head detection, custom equaliser settings, and the all-important active noise cancellation.

The AirPods Studio were earlier expected to launch along with iPhone 12 at Apple's October 14 mega launch where it introduced the iPhone 12 series and the HomePod mini, until its production hit a snag, according to Prosser. What we know so far about the rumoured AirTags is that they will be much like a keychain with a Bluetooth tracker. They look a tad bigger than a bottle cap in alleged renders.

The new iPhone 12 series has been launched with four models and the pre-order dates and availability of all of them in India have now been announced.

courtesy: gadgets ndtv

Apple Store Goes Down Ahead of iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro Pre-Orders

• Apple Store is inaccessible due to the downtime
• iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro pre-orders will begin in key markets from Friday
• Apple will start taking iPhone 12 pre-orders in India from October 23

The Apple Store is down at the moment. Although Apple hasn't provided any reason for the downtime, it comes just hours ahead of the iPhone 12 pre-orders that are initially beginning in key markets including Australia, China, Germany, Japan, the UK, and the US. Alongside iPhone 12, Apple is also set to take pre-orders for the iPhone 12 Pro in the initial list of markets on Friday. The India pre-orders for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro will begin from October 23.

Apple has put up a message on its online store in the US and other markets where the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are going for pre-orders. The message reads, "You're... early. Pre-order begins at 5:00 a.m. PDT. Enjoy the extra sleep."

During the official launch on Tuesday, Apple highlighted that pre-orders for the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro would go live in Australia, China, Germany, Japan, the UK, the US, and over 30 other countries starting 5am PDT (5:30pm IST) on Friday, while their availability scheduled for October 23. However, both new iPhone models will be available for pre-orders in India on October 23, with their availability set for October 30.

That said, the Apple Store is down in India as well. The India website, that was launched just last month, says, "We'll be right back. Updates are coming to the Apple Store. Check back soon."

Notably, the downtime in India comes just ahead of the Diwali offer that Apple will kick-off through its online store on Saturday, October 17. The offer will bring free AirPods with every iPhone 11₹ 47,999 purchase. Apple may also add a bank offer to make the deal even sweeter for Indian customers.

Alongside the Apple Store, Amazon and Flipkart are also offering attractive deals and discounts on the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Pro.


courtesy: gadgets ndtv

Google to Move Users From Hangouts to Google Chat Early Next Year

• Video calls on Hangouts will also start using Meet from November
• Users won't be able to call phone numbers from Hangouts next year
• Google says both Hangouts and Google Chat will be active for a while

Google has announced that it will transition its users from Google Hangouts to Google Chat under the re-branded Google Workspace (previously G Suite) in the first half of next year. Google Workspace brings Gmail, Calendar, Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Meet, and now Chat, within an integrated, unified space. Up until now, Google Chat was only available for premium G Suite customers. But it is set to become a free service within Gmail and as a standalone app (much like Google Hangouts).

The new Google Workspace, too, is only available for business customers right now. The company in a blog post has said that it will bring it to the rest of the people next year. Google Chat will retain some Hangout features, such as direct and group messaging, and discard some others. Google says the new messaging application will also have the same phishing mechanism as Gmail. It means links and attachments sent via Google Chat will automatically run through real-time data from Google Safe Browsing and flagged if malicious.

Google has also assured that users' Hangouts data, including conversation history and contacts, will automatically migrate to the new Google Chat once it goes live sometime in the first half of 2021. The company has not given an exact date of the transition, nor has it specified things users will have to do to make the jump.

Video calls on Hangouts will also start using Meet from November. And users won't be able to call phone numbers from Hangouts starting early next year. Some other details are particular to Google Fi and Google Voice users. For Voice users, the company has said that it will start directing text messages and calls from Hangouts to the Voice app this month, and remove Voice support from Hangouts entirely next year. Google Fi users won't be able to manage text messages and calls from Hangouts from sometime early next year.

The transition, however, will be gradual and both Hangouts and Chat will be available for a while, reports The Verge, citing additional details that Google has shared with the publication.



courtesy: gadgets ndtv

Update to iOS 14.2, Apple to bring more emojis

After making the iOS 14.0.1 official, Apple is now testing iOS 14.2.

After making the iOS 14.0.1 official, Apple is now testing iOS 14.2. The company has released the beta version for the testers and it is likely to come with a lot of new emojis.

As per emojipedia, Apple will get a host of new emojis in the next iOS update. The emojis were spotted in the beta version of iOS 14.2. This means that the emojis could be released for a wider audience in the coming weeks. Some of the emojis that were spotted are transgender, new sea animals like seal, needle and thread, skating shoes, and more

Apple has included emojis of a man in wearing a veil and a woman in Tuxedo, making it more gender-neutral. Another set of emojis shows a man, woman, a girl feeding milk to a baby, highlighting the gender roles. The new set of emojis will also see some prominent insects such as a cockroach, which is extremely well-articulated, a fly.

Apart from the iPhone users, the MacBook users will also get to experience the new set of emojis. However, these emojis were spotted in the beta update of the iOS, and Apple can also change or replace them in the final release.


source - India Today

Poco C3 to come to India

Poco India has confirmed that the Poco C3 will be sold online via Flipkart.

Poco India has announced a new smartphone is coming on October 6.

It will be called Poco C3 and it could be a rebranded Redmi 9C.

Poco C3 is arriving in India on October 6. The company has announced the next smartphone to a completely new series will launch at noon next week. There is no information on what this smartphone will come with or what it would look like but there is strong speculation that the Poco C3 is going to be the rebranded Redmi 9C.

Redmi 9C launched originally in Malaysia back in June. So if the Poco C3 is indeed a repackaged version of Redmi's budget phone, we have its specifications and looks all clear.

The Poco C3 might have a 6.53-inch 720p LCD with 20:9 aspect ratio. It is likely to be powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio G35 processor paired with up to 4GB of RAM. For its cameras, you might get a 13-megapixel main camera and two 2-megapixel auxiliary cameras on the back while a 5-megapixel camera will be on the front. The Poco C3 should have a 5000mAh battery with 10W charging.

Poco India says the Poco C3 will debut at noon on October 6 via an online event and that it will sell exclusively on Flipkart. We do not know the official price yet but a leaked image of Poco C3 retail box points that the 4GB RAM and 64GB storage model could cost Rs 10,990. Let us wait for the launch event to see what Poco India has in store for us.

courtesy: India Today

Google extends Meet unlimited call


Google has said in a blog post that it will extend longer calls available to free Meet users until March 31 next year.

Google is extending the free longer calls in its Meet service until March 31, 2021. The company said that the feature which was to expire at the end of September will now continue to work as it is.

"As a sign of our commitment, today we're continuing unlimited Meet calls (up to 24 hours) in the free version through March 31, 2021 for Gmail accounts," Google said in a blog post.

Gmail users can make use of Meet to make video calls directly from their inbox.

"We've also added a ton of experiences to Meet to make connecting more fun and more productive, too. You can now see your family on the big screen when you cast your calls to your TV, or join hands-free on your Nest Hub Max. Jump on the call without worrying about the holiday wrapping paper mess behind you with background blur, or take trivia night to the next level by seeing 49 of your competitors (and yourself) at the same time. You can even keep score using our collaborative digital whiteboard," Google wrote in its blog post.

It is worth noting that Google with Meet competes with the likes Zoom. Zoom, in comparison, offers free users a limited 40-minute call time.

Google said it was making the announcement because "for many of us, it's difficult to see each other in person these days (and that) video is now playing a crucial role in helping us connect."



courtesy: India today

Google Plans on Producing Less Than a Million Pixel 5 Smartphones

Initial production for Pixel 5, Pixel 4A (5G), and Pixel 4A is reportedly set at 3 million units.

Google plans to produce less than 1 million Google Pixel 5 smartphones this year, as per a report. This is a modest goal for the tech giant to set for the flagship Google Pixel 5 that has just been launched. Google Pixel 4A (5G) was also launched alongside Pixel 5, and the Pixel 4A a few months back. Initial production for all three models is set at just 3 million units, the report added, as Google's total handset sales last year fell below the company's target, and market demand had further been hit by the pandemic.

Citing sources, the report by Nikkei Asia claims that production for the flagship Google Pixel 5 could be as low as around 800,000 units. Google has reportedly given a relatively conservative forecast for the flagship phone this year as Google Pixel 4 did not sell well last year, and the market demand this year has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

However, the production volume is subject to adjustment depending on how the market reacts after the phones are released, Nikkei Asia added.

Alphabet's Google shipped 7.2 million Pixel smartphones last year as per research company IDC, falling short of the company's target of 8 to 10 million units, stated the report. For the first six months of 2020, Google shipped just 1.5 million smartphones, a sharp drop from the same period last year, when Google sold 4.1 million units, showed the data.

The sources also told the publication that Google's plan further suffered as COVID-19 caused a delay in production of the Pixel 4a. Although lower-priced models like the Pixel 4a have smaller margins, they help boost shipment volumes.

The coronavirus pandemic further disrupted Google's diversification plan to produce all handsets, including the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4A series, in Vietnam this year. People familiar with the matter told the publication that so far only the Pixel 4a series had entered production there; Pixel 5 was still being manufactured in Shenzhen, China


source - gadgets ndtv

How to Enable SMTP Authentication for Outlook 2010 & 2013 ?

• Open Outlook
• Click on the File tab and select Account Settings. The Account Settings box appears.
• Verify that the E-mail tab is selected. Your email account appears, usually labelled yourname@domain.com
• Click on the account to highlight it, and click on the Change icon above it. The Internet E-mail Settings appear.
• Under the Server Information section, ensure that the box marked Outgoing mail server (SMTP) is set to smtp.gn.apc.org
• Click the button More Settings... in the lower right-hand corner. The Internet Email Settings box appears.
• Click on the tab Outgoing Server.
• Click the tick box "My outgoing server (SMTP) requires authentication", and ensure that the circle-box "Use same settings as my incoming mail server" is selected.
• You should ensure you are using a secure connection. Click on the "Advanced" tab. Next to outgoing server, change the SMTP port number from "25" to "587" and in the "use the following type of encrypted connection" box, choose "TLS".
• Click OK to close the Internet Email Settings box.
• Click the Finish button to close the Internet E-mail Settings box. Click the Close button to close the Account Settings box.
• SMTP authentication has now been enabled.

Google removed PayTM from Play Store


Google has taken down the Paytm app from the Play Store while other apps like Paytm for Business, Paytm mall, Paytm Money, and a few more are still available.

Google has taken down the Paytm app from the Play Store while other apps like Paytm for Business, Paytm mall, Paytm Money, and a few more are still available for download. Paytm declined to comment and said the company will issue a statement after investigating the matter. The application is available for download on the Apple App Store.

Google hasn't specifically revealed the reason behind taking down the app downloaded by millions of users in India but in a blog posted today the tech giant cites policy on gambling.

In the blog, Google's Suzanne Frey, Vice President, Product, Android Security and Privacy stated, "We don't allow online Removeds or support any unregulated gambling apps that facilitate sports betting. This includes if an app leads consumers to an external website that allows them to participate in paid tournaments to win real money or cash prizes, it is a violation of our policies."

Frey noted, "We have these policies to protect users from potential harm. When an app violates these policies, we notify the developer of the violation and remove the app from Google Play until the developer brings the app into compliance."

"And in the case where there are repeated policy violations, we may take more serious action which may include terminating Google Play Developer accounts. Our policies are applied and enforced on all developers consistently," Frey further stated.

Redirecting users from one application to another is not permitted on the Playstore. This is the reason 'Remove China Apps' was permanently pulled down. Even Mobikwik found itself in a similar situation when they flashed Aarogya Setu ad banner on their app.

source - indian express

YouTube to launch short-video Shorts in India

YouTube said it will continue to add more features and expand to more countries in the coming months as it learns from its users and listens to their feedback.

YouTube is launching short video format 'Shorts' starting in India with an early beta version in the next few days.

YouTube said Shorts is a new short-form video experience right on YouTube for creators and artists who want to shoot short, catchy videos using their mobile phones.

"Over the next few days in India, we're launching an early beta of Shorts with a handful of new creation tools to test this out. This is an early version of the product, but we're releasing it now to bring you — our global community of users, creators and artists — on our journey with us as we build and improve Shorts," YouTube said in a blogpost on Monday.

YouTube said it will continue to add more features and expand to more countries in the coming months as it learns from its users and listens to their feedback.

YouTube said Shorts is a "new way to express yourself" in 15 seconds or less.

"Every month, 2 billion viewers come to YouTube to laugh, learn and connect. Creators have built entire businesses on YouTube, and we want to enable the next generation of mobile creators to also grow a community on YouTube with Shorts," it said.

YouTube in one among many social media companies who have launched a short video format to fill the gap left by short video app TikTok's ban. Facebook launched Instagram Reels inside the app right after India banned TikTok in June. There are dozen more local competitors.


courtesy: economic times

Amazon has considered investing in Reliance Retail Ventures

Mukesh Ambani-led Indian conglomerate Reliance Industries is looking to sell a roughly $20 billion stake in its retail arm to Amazon, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday. The technology giant has considered investing in Reliance Retail Ventures and is willing to sell up to a 40% stake in retail unit, the report said.

Amazon has held discussions about investing in the conglomerate's Reliance Retail Ventures Ltd. unit and has expressed interest in negotiating a potential transaction, a person with knowledge of the matter told the publication.

ET had earlier reported that Reliance Retail Reliance Industries is looking to raise Rs 60,000-63,000 crore by selling a 15% stake in Reliance Retail Ventures, the holding company of its retail businesses, to a clutch of private equity investors and sovereign wealth funds.

On Wednesday, US private equity major Silver Lake picked up 1.75% in Reliance Retail Ventures for Rs 7,500 crore, valuing the company at Rs 4.21 lakh crore.

"As a policy, we do not comment on media speculation and rumors," a Reliance spokesman said in an emailed response to the publication "Our company evaluates various opportunities on an ongoing basis. We have made and will continue to make necessary disclosures in compliance with our obligations."

Interestingly, when Reliance Industries acquired the retail business of Future Group last month, the conglomerate had structured the deal in a way that Amazon doesn't become its shareholder. Amazon owns 49% stake in Future Coupons, which owns about 10% stake in Future Retail, that operates more than 1,000 stores under Big Bazaar, Fbb, Foodhall and Easyday Club brands.

The acquisition gives Reliance Retail sway over a network of nearly 1,800 stores and brings in Rs 26,000 crore in additional sales to create a Rs 1.89 lakh crore ($26 billion) retail empire spanning about 14,000 brick-and-mortar stores, making it seven times bigger in terms of revenues than its nearest rival Avenue Supermarts that runs D'Mart.

These developments come after Reliance's digital unit Jio Platforms racked up $20 billion from a clutch of investors including Facebook, Google and Intel among others, in less than three months.


courtesy: economic times

Mobikwik joins IPO queue, eyes public listing by 2022


Homegrown fintech company Mobikwik said on Tuesday that it had "kickstarted" the process for a public listing by 2022, joining startups such as PhonePe, Paytm and Zomato that have publicly announced their plans to go in for Initial Public Offerings.

The company has also elevated senior vice president Chandan Joshi as cofounder.

"As co-founder, Chandan will join (co-founders) Bipin (Preet Singh) and Upasana (Taku) in setting the internal work ethos and momentum, organizing teams better for faster delivery, improving fiscal performance and getting the company in shape for IPO in 2022," the company said in a statement.

Joshi, who joined Mobikwik in 2018, has also been promoted as CEO of its payments business, the company said. In his new role, Joshi will take charge of Mobikwik's core payment business.

"Chandan has demonstrated all the right traits that we look for in a business leader - he leads from the front, is invested in his teams, is tenacious in driving business results and in closing large strategic deals," co-founder and CEO Bipin Preet Singh said.

It is not the first time that an outside executive has assumed the title of co-founder in India's broader startup landscape.

Zomato and Rebel Foods are among Indian startups where senior executives outside the original founding team have been promoted as a 'co-founder.'

"I joined in the aftermath of de-monetisation and my first assignment was organizing the retail payments business, then to run e-commerce payments and finally to grow all of the payments business," Joshi said. "I am confident that together we will be able to profitably grow MobiKwik and take the company public."

The company reduced its losses to Rs 8.5 crore and posted revenue of Rs 379 crore in financial year 2020, as per regulatory disclosures.

courtesy: economic times

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_xy234WqGs&

India open sources code for Aarogya Setu iOS app


Developers have criticised the government for not uploading the code for updated versions of the Android app fast enough, while others have complained about not making the server side of the code publicly available


The Indian government has open sourced the code for its contact tracing app Aarogya Setu's iOS version. The move comes just over two months after the government open sourced the code for the app's Android version. The code is available on OpenForge, which is the Indian government's own open source platform. The Android version is available on Microsoft-owned open source platform Github.

While the government open sourced the code on 10 August, the announcement was made today on app's official Twitter handle.

Open sourcing the code for an app allows developers to take a closer look at how the app functions. They can also find bugs in the system and report the same to the creator. The Indian government had also announced a bug bounty programme worth ₹1 lakh, for those who can successfully find bugs in the code and report them. The winners of the Android bug bounty program will be announced soon.


Developers have criticised the Indian government for how it has handled open sourcing the code for its app. Some have said the government isn't uploading the code for updated versions of the Android app fast enough, while others have criticised them for not making the server side of the code publicly available. Keeping the server side code private means developers can't tell how the data collected by the app is used in the backend.

The Aarogya Setu app currently has 15 crore users, according to numbers shared by the government on its Twitter account. While its download numbers have ramped up fast, the government has so far never disclosed how many monthly or daily active users the app has. These numbers typically used to gauge whether users are using an application.

source - live mint

Chinese loan app Moneed leaked over 350 mn India users data

Besides name and phone number, the database includes information about the phone a person was using, the apps installed on said phone, and their IP addresses, suggesting that Moneed's access to a user's data is extremely invasive

A vulnerability in Chinese micro-lending app, Moneed, may have exposed personal details of millions of Indian users. The vulnerability was found by security researcher Anurag Sen, who informed the company about it. While Moneed didn't immediately respond to the researcher's email, the company claims it has fixed the error after a report from The Next Web yesterday.

The database, which was seen by Mint, has over 350 million records of Indian users, including their names and phone numbers. It was stored on a server in China, even though the company's founder, Leon Xu, claimed all Indian data is stored in Mumbai. The database also includes information about the phone a person was using, the apps installed on said phone, and their IP addresses, suggesting that Moneed's access to a user's data is extremely invasive.

The company has another app on the Play Store, called MoMo, which works the same way as Moneed. The permissions list for that app says it can even control a phone's vibration, connect and disconnect from WiFi networks, have full network access, modify a phone's storage and read content on the phone, read contacts and modify them, and much more.

The app takes access to users' contact lists, and uploads the same to its servers. That means your phone number and name may be on the database even if you haven't used the app.

In a conversation with Mint via LinkedIn, Xu said the company has millions of users in India. He denied that the data belonged to Moneed at first, and said the researcher hadn't reached out to the company. However, he later said he would check with his teams about the same.

In an official statement sent to Mint today, the company said it has "thoroughly" communicated with the researcher and made fixing the loophole its top priority. "We have also thoroughly checked every part of our internal technology system with strengthening our firewall and security protection to completely meet the standards and requirements according to the laws and regulations set forth by the authorities," the company said in its statement.

The researcher, though, says that all he received from the company was a single email, with a statement similar to the one put on its social platforms and sent to the media.


source - live mint

Nokia 5.3 to launch in India soon

HMD Global has not kept the Nokia 5.3 under wraps. In fact, the company went ahead and listed the device on their website

HMD Global has not kept the Nokia 5.3 under wraps. In fact, the company went ahead and listed the device on their website. Now the company has started teasing the launch of the device on social media, indicating that the device will be launched soon.

A recent tweet by Nokia India shared a teaser of the Nokia 5.3. The teaser claims that the phone will be launching soon. The tweet stated, "Never miss out on capturing your favourite moments with the Nokia 5.3."

Since the phone is already available in other markets. We have a good idea of the specifications that the device will get. However, the price is still a mystery. The device is priced at 189 euros globally which roughly translates to ₹16,800. HMD Global is expected to price the device on similar lines in India.


The phone comes with a 6.55-inch screen with an aspect ratio of 20:9. The display comes with a water drop notch which houses the front facing camera. The phone gets a HD+ resolution.

In terms of optics, the Nokia 5.3 features a quad-camera setup. The primary sensor is a 13MP unit. The main lens is assisted by a 2MP depth sensor, 5MP ultra-wide angle sensor and a 2MP macro sensor. The water-drop notch houses a front facing lens with 8 MP resolution. As seen in the images shared by the website, all four lenses on the rear panel are placed in a circular highlighted area with the fingerprint sensor placed under it.

The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset and globally, the phone is available with three RAM variants starting from 3GB RAM, 4GB RAM and all the way to 6GB RAM.


source - live mint

Telegram rolls out one-on-one video calls

Telegram has introduced one-on-one video calls which are end-to-end encrypted and secure.

Telegram has rolled out a video calling feature for all users.

It can be accessed through App Store or Play Store.

Only one-on-one video calls are available as of now with group video calls to be rolled out soon.

Telegram has rolled out an end-to-end encrypted video calling feature for Android and iOS in its alpha version. The cloud-based messaging system brought out the feature shortly after it was made available in the beta version. However, in the beta version, it was not available through PlayStore and the process was a little tedious as users had to access it through the App Page of Telegram.

The latest alpha version enables all users to access the video calling feature. The one-on-one video calling feature can be accessed by all users through PlayStore or App Store. If it is not immediately available, users should update the app to see the feature.

"2020 highlighted the need for face-to-face communication, and our alpha version of video calls is now available on both Android and iOS," Telegram noted in its blog post.

So, how can users make video calls using Telegram?

It is the same as making an audio call on Telegram. Once users make an active audio call, the video option appears in the call which users can now enable.

Users have to follow these steps to make a call on Telegram:

--Open the Telegram app.

--Go to the profile page or click on the three lines on the left-hand side.

--Click on the Calls option from a left-hand side window.

--Choose the contact to which call has to be made.

--Once the call is active, users can switch to the video mode.

Alternatively, users can go to the chat of the contact to which they want to make a video call. Then click on the three dots on the right-hand side, and choose the option to video call.

Telegram noted that the video calls also enable the picture-in-picture option so that users can multitask while being active on the video calls. As of now, the video calling feature is only available for one-on-one video calls but it will soon be made available to group video calls, Telegram noted. Telegram further asserted that video calls are end-to-end encrypted and secure.

"All video calls are protected with end-to-end encryption. To confirm your connection, compare the four emoji shown on-screen for you and your chat partner if they match, your call is 100 per cent secured by time-tested encryption also used in Telegram's Secret Chats and Voice Calls," Telegram noted.

The feature marks its presence on Telegram as the app becomes seven years old. "In 2013, we began as a small app focused on secure messaging and have since grown into a platform with over 400M users. Telegram is now one of the top 10 most-downloaded apps and is used all over the world," Telegram noted. Telegram launched its voice calling feature called Telegram Calls in 2017.

source - india today

Reliance Jio will offer free live streaming of IPL 2020 with these prepaid plans

As per a report, Reliance Jio will allow prepaid customers with access to Disney+ HotStar and JioFiber users to stream IPL 2020.

Reliance Jio will let select prepaid customers live stream IPL 2020 for free.

These are users of prepaid plans at Rs 401 and 2599 who have access Disney+ Hotstar.

JioFiber users with plans above Rs 849 will also get to live stream IPL 2020 for free.


Reliance Jio will let select prepaid customers live-stream IPL 2020. Reliance Jio introduced Disney+ Hotstar subscription on select plans some time ago and now customers with access to the subscription will be able to live-stream IPL 2020 on Disney+ Hotstar, as per a report by 91 mobiles.

Moreover, Reliance Jio will also let JioFiber customers live stream IPL 2020. Jio customers who are not subscribed to Disney+ Hotstar or do not have free access, the IPL 2020 streaming will be limited to just five minutes. Let's look at these plans.

Rs 401 Reliance Jio plan: The Rs 401 plan by Reliance Jio gives users up to 90GB data. This translates to 3GB data per day with a validity of 28 days. The plan also gives users an additional 6GB on top of the daily usage limit. The plan also features free calling Jio-to-Jio with a FUP limit of 1,000 minutes to other networks, 100 SMS messages per day, and complimentary access to premium Jio apps like Jio Cinema, Jio TV, JioNews, and others.

Rs 2,599 Reliance Jio annual plan: This annual prepaid plan comes with 2GB daily data for 365 days and an additional 10GB above the daily data limit. This makes a total data spread of 740GB in the 12 months. This plan also comes with a complimentary one-year subscription to Disney+ Hotstar, free calling within Jio network, a FUP limit of 12,000 calling minutes to other networks, 100 SMS per day, free access to Jio apps like Jio Cinema, Jio TV, JioNews, and others.

JioFiber plans with IPL live streaming: All Jio Fiber plans priced above Rs 849 will get an access to live stream IPL 2020 as they come with a complimentary annual subscription to Disney+ Hotstar VIP content.

Disney+ Hotstar can be subscribed on a monthly or an annual basis. If users are looking for a premium subscription, it will cost them Rs 1499 for a year. They can pay Rs 299 every month. Disney+ HotStar also offers a VIP subscription that costs Rs 399 for the entire year. Both plans will give users access to live stream IPL 2020.

source - india today

After Microsoft and Twitter, Oracle in talks to buy TikTok's US operations

Oracle is now in talks with the China-based company to acquire the US operations of TikTok

US President Donald Trump had given an ultimate to TikTok to sell off its US business within 90 days.

Microsoft in a statement had announced that they are in talks with Bytedance and US government to acquire the US operations of TikTok.

Seems like ByteDance's TikTok has too many takers in the US. After Microsoft and Twitter, tech giant Oracle is now in talks with the China-based company to acquire the US operations of TikTok. US President Donald Trump had given an ultimate to TikTok to sell off its US business within 90 days else he will shut down the app in the country.

As per the Financial Times report, Oracle has been considering has been in talks with Bytedance regarding TikTok's US operations. If reports are to be trusted, Oracle is seriously considering taking over TikTok's US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand operations. The report also revealed that Oracle already owns a stake in ByteDance.

Bytedance and Oracle are yet to comment on this piece of news.

Earlier, Microsoft in a statement had announced that they are in talks with Bytedance and US government to acquire the US operations of TikTok. However, a Financial Times report later revealed that Microsoft is not only eyeing the US operations but also planning to take over the global operations of the short video platform. Microsoft, however, is yet to issue an official statement about its plans to acquire the global business of the ByteDance-owned short video platform.

Apart from Microsoft, Twitter was also in talks with Bytedance regarding a potential deal. However, the experts had stated that it would be practically impossible for Twitter to acquire a company like TikTok within 45 days as it does not seem to possess the kind of financial backing. A report stated that One of Twitter's shareholders, private equity firm Silver Lake, was interested in funding a potential deal.

US President Trump had earlier signed an executive order barring transactions with ByteDance. "The spread in the United States of mobile applications developed and owned by companies in the People's Republic of China continues to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States," the executive order reads. "At this time, action must be taken to address the threat posed by one mobile application, in particular, TikTok."

TikTok, however, wasn't expecting Trump to take such a drastic step. In response to Trump's order, TikTok had said in a statement, "We are shocked by the recent Executive Order, which was issued without any due process. For nearly a year, we have sought to engage with the US government in good faith to provide a constructive solution to the concerns that have been expressed. What we encountered instead was that the Administration paid no attention to facts, dictated terms of an agreement without going through standard legal processes, and tried to insert itself into negotiations between private businesses."

source - india today

Chinese artificial intelligence company files $1.4 billion lawsuit against Apple


Shanghai Zhizhen first sued Apple for patent infringement in 2012 regarding its voice recognition technology. In July, China's Supreme People's court ruled that the patent was valid.

Chinese artificial intelligence company Shanghai Zhizhen Intelligent Network Technology Co., Ltd., also known as Xiao-i, has filed a lawsuit against Apple Inc, alleging it has infringed on its patents.

The company is calling for 10 billion yuan ($1.43 billion)in damages and demands that Apple cease "manufacturing, using, promising to sell, selling, and importing" products that infringe on the patent, it said in a social media post.

Xiao-i argued that Apple's voice-recognition technology Siri infringes on a patent that it applied for in 2004 and was granted in 2009.

Apple did not respond to a request for comment. Reuters was not immediately available to find a copy of the court filing.

The lawsuit marks the continuation of a row that has been ongoing for nearly a decade.

Shanghai Zhizhen first sued Apple for patent infringement in 2012 regarding its voice recognition technology. In July, China's Supreme People's court ruled that the patent was valid.


source - tech economic times

Samsung offers Galaxy S20+ free with its QLED 8K TVs, check Independence Day Offers

Samsung on Monday announced 'Samsung Independence Day Offers' exclusively for televisions, refrigerators, smart ovens, washing machines, and air conditioners. The new offers will be available until August 31, 2020.

During the offer period, Samsung is bundling a slew of deals, finance schemes with up to 15% cashback, and easy EMIs of as low as ₹990.

Samsung is offering a free Galaxy S20+ worth ₹77,999 with its QLED 8K TVs. It is also offering a 10-year no screen burn-in warranty and 3-year warranty on the panel on select QLED TVs.

On Samsung Smart TVs, customers will get a cashback of up to ₹9,000 and easy EMIs as low as ₹990 along with the option of one EMI off on 43-inch and above models. Samsung is also bundling one-month free Zee5 subscription with select Samsung TVs and 30% off on Zee5 premium packs.

Those looking for a new refrigerator, Samsung is offering a free Galaxy Note 10 Lite worth ₹37,999 with its SpaceMax Family Hub fridge. Additionally, on purchase of Samsung refrigerators and washing machines, consumers can avail up to 15% cashback and easy EMI options as low as ₹990, along with one EMI off on refrigerators above 300L capacity.

Consumers can further avail options such as EMIs of up to 36 months and one free EMI on select TV and refrigerator models.

"Consumers purchasing Samsung Air Conditioners can avail easy EMIs of as low as ₹990. On purchase of Samsung's Wind-Free Air Conditioner that comes with 23,000 micro-holes to gently spread air evenly throughout the room, maintaining a comfortable level of coolness without any draft, consumers will get up to 15% cashback Additionally, benefits such as 5-year condenser and PCB controller warranty, 10-year warranty on the Digital Inverter Compressor on select air conditioner models along with free installation and free gas recharge will also be offered," said Samsung in a release.

source - tech hindustan times

WhatsApp gets green chit to rollout UPI payment service in India


This was mentioned in an affidavit, which was filed by RBI in June, stating that it was satisfied with
WhatsApp's compliance with data storage rules and can bring Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to everyone.

It looks like Facebook's WhatsApp is all set to introduce its payment services in India. The UPI payment feature was a part of beta testing until recently. As per a report from Live Mint, the instant messenger app may join hands with National Payments Corp. of India (NPCI). It is said to have met the data localisation requirements as well. This was mentioned in an affidavit, which was filed by RBI in June, stating that it was satisfied with WhatsApp's compliance with data storage rules and can bring Unified Payments Interface (UPI) to everyone.

"We would like to confirm that WhatsApp has satisfied the data localization requirements based on Cert-In auditor's reports and we hereby are giving ICICI Bank (payment service provider bank for WhatsApp) the approval to go live," stated the affidavit submitted by RBI.

In case you aren't aware, the local data storage rule by RBI is that companies should store the payments data, information on payments, settlement transaction, customer data and more in India itself.

"We understand NPCI is satisfied with WhatsApp's compliance with RBI's payments guidelines on data localization. Our team has worked hard to meet these standards over the last year," the spokesperson said to Mint. The instant messenger is however, still waiting to get a formal confirmation from NPCI to begin its UPI-based payments system in India.

Just last month it was reported that WhatsApp is planning to team up with Indian lenders to expand banking services in rural areas and for those with low income. It has already partnered with ICICI and HDFC Bank for this.

source - tech hindustan times

Facebook says Jio deal to drive small biz to WhatsApp

Zuckerberg says he is 'excited about the opportunity' here and that the company plans to expand to other markets once the platform is proved in India

Facebook Inc. chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said his company's partnership with Mukesh Ambani-controlled Jio Platforms will help the American tech giant bring "millions of small businesses" in India to its popular messaging app WhatsApp.

"A big part of the partnership that we have with Jio will be to wire up and get thousands of small businesses across India on-boarded onto WhatsApp, to do commerce there," Zuckerberg told analysts on the company's June quarter earnings call on Friday morning.

The head of the world's largest social media network said he is "excited about the opportunity" here and that the company plans to expand to other markets once the platform is proved in India.

"Once we prove that out with Jio in India, we're planning on expanding it to more folds in India and to other countries as well," Zuckerberg said.

Zuckerberg's remarks are in line with Ambani's earlier announcement that JioMart and WhatsApp will be working closely in India. Reliance Jio started a WhatsApp-based service for JioMart earlier this year, allowing users to place orders on the platform through WhatsApp.

The messaging platform itself announced, earlier this month, that it now has 15 million users on WhatsApp Business in India, the chat platform's business-facing part. Many of these are small businesses. WhatsApp is also close to bringing WhatsApp Pay, its unified payments interface (UPI)-based payments service. This will allow the platform to offer a more holistic buying experience for customers.

The National Payments Corp. of India informed RBI iin June that WhatsApp Pay now meets localisation rules for a payments platform.


source - live mint

Apple buys startup to turn iPhones into payment terminals


Apple Inc has acquired Mobeewave Inc, a startup with technology that could transform iPhones into mobile payment terminals, according to people familiar with the matter.



Apple Inc has acquired Mobeewave Inc, a startup with technology that could transform iPhones into mobile payment terminals, according to people familiar with the matter.

Mobeewave's technology lets shoppers tap their credit card or smartphone on another phone to process a payment. The system works with an app and doesn't require hardware beyond a Near Field Communications, or NFC, chip, which iPhones have included since 2014.

The Cupertino, California-based technology giant paid about $100 million for the startup, one of the people said. Mobeewave had dozens of employees, and Apple has retained the team, which continues to work out of Montreal, according to the people familiar. They asked not to be identified discussing a private transaction.

"Apple buys smaller technology companies from time to time and we generally do not discuss our purpose or plans," an Apple spokesman said.

Apple typically buys startups to turn their technology into features of its products. Apple added Apple Pay to the iPhone in 2014, allowing users to pay for physical goods with a tap in retail stores. Last year, it launched its own credit card, the Apple Card. Integrating Mobeewave could let anyone with an iPhone accept payments without additional hardware.

This would put Apple into more direct competition with Square Inc., a leading provider of payment hardware and software for smartphones and tablets.

On its website, Mobeewave shows a demonstration of a user typing in a transaction amount and then a customer tapping their credit card on the phone to process the payment on the device.

Samsung Electronics Co. partnered with Mobeewave last year to allow its phones to use the technology. Samsung's venture arm is also an investor in the startup, which has raised more than $20 million, according to PitchBook.

The deal would be one of several for Apple this year. It recently acquired weather app Dark Sky and virtual-reality content broadcasting company NextVR. Other purchases include Voysis, Xnor.ai and Inductiv to improve Siri and artificial intelligence, and Fleetsmith for enterprise device management.

source - indian express

Microsoft confirms plans to buy TikTok in US by September 15

The Satya Nadella-led company in a blog post revealed that Microsoft has plans to seal the deal with TikTok's parent company Bytedance by September 15, 2020.

Microsoft on Sunday confirmed that it is prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the US.

Microsoft has discussed the privacy concerns with US President Donald Trump.

Microsoft also said that the discussions are preliminary and it doesn't intend to provide any other information unless there is a final outcome.

Microsoft on Sunday confirmed that it is prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of the short video platform, TikTok in the United States. The Satya Nadella-led company in a blog post revealed that Microsoft has discussed the security concerns with US President Donald Trump and it plans to seal the deal with TikTok's parent company Bytedance by September 15, 2020.

"Microsoft fully appreciates the importance of addressing the President's concerns. It is committed to acquiring TikTok subject to a complete security review and providing proper economic benefits to the United States, including the United States Treasury. Microsoft will move quickly to pursue discussions with TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, in a matter of weeks, and in any event completing these discussions no later than September 15, 2020. During this process, Microsoft looks forward to continuing dialogue with the United States Government, including with the President," the Microsoft blog read.

If Microsoft takes over the US arm of Bytedance-owned TikTok, it will operate the short video platform in countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. "The two companies have provided notice of their intent to explore a preliminary proposal that would involve a purchase of the TikTok service in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand and would result in Microsoft owning and operating TikTok in these markets. Microsoft may invite other American investors to participate on a minority basis in this purchase," the company said in a blog.

Microsoft also said that it will make sure that all the private data of American TikTok users would not be shared with any of the countries and would remain in the United States. It further said that if by fluke a data is transferred outside the United States, Microsoft will make sure that data is deleted from servers outside the country after it is transferred. This is one of the prime reasons why TikTok is facing heat in countries like the United States and even India, where it was banned a few months ago. TikTok was accused of sharing private data of users with China.

Microsoft will take cognizance of all the security and privacy concerns, also plans to add world-class security, privacy, and digital safety protections. It also ensures complete transparency to users and the governments. "This new structure would build on the experience TikTok users currently love, while adding world-class security, privacy, and digital safety protections. The operating model for the service would be built to ensure transparency to users as well as appropriate security oversight by governments in these countries," the company said

However, Microsoft also said that the discussions are preliminary and it doesn't intend to provide any other information unless there is a final outcome to their discussions.

source - india today

Recurring payments via UPI - now set autopay feature

With this latest feature, customers can enable recurring e-mandate using any UPI application for recurring payments such as mobile bills, electricity bills among others up to ₹2,000

If the amount exceeds ₹2000, customers have to execute every mandate with UPI PIN

National Payments Corporation of India (NCPI), today launched its new UPI AutoPay feature in a virtual Global Fintech Fest event.

With this latest feature, customers can enable recurring e-mandate using any UPI application for recurring payments such as mobile bills, electricity bills, EMI payments, entertainment and OTT subscriptions, insurance, mutual funds and loan payments, among others of up to ₹2000. If the amount exceeds ₹2000, customers have to execute every mandate with UPI PIN.

Here is how to enable it:

1) You can can create e-mandate through UPI-enabled bank ID or QR Scan for transactions up to ₹2000.

2) For this, you have to authenticate your account through UPI PIN, which you created when you made the UPI account, for one-time and subsequent monthly payments would be debited automatically.


2) Any UPI-enabled application would also have a 'Mandate' section, through which you can create, approve, modify, pause as well as revoke auto debit mandate.

3) The mandate section will allow you to view your past mandates for reference and records.

4) The mandates can be set for one-time, daily, weekly, fortnightly, monthly, bi-monthly, quarterly, half yearly and yearly.

The feature is introduced under NPCI's UPI 2.0 platform.

Some of the banks, merchants and aggregators who have already gone live with UPI AutoPay are Axis Bank, Bank of Baroda, HDFC Bank, HSBC Bank, ICICI Bank, IDFC Bank, IndusInd Bank, Paytm Payments Bank, AutoPe-Delhi Metro, AutoPe-Dish TV, CAMS Pay, Furlenco, Growfitter, Policy Bazaar, Testbook.com, The Hindu, Times Prime, Paytm, PayU, RazorPay, among others. Jio Payments Bank, State Bank of India and YES Bank will soon go live with UPI AutoPay.


Here is how you can set up a UPI account:

One of the commonly used UPI apps for digital transactions is the BHIM app. Here are the steps to set up a UPI account via BHIM app:

Download and install BHIM app from Google Play store or Apple App Store.

Select your preferred language.

Select the SIM which has your mobile number registered with your bank account.

Set-up a four-digit login password, which you would need to enter every time you log in to the app.

Select and link your bank account. Set your UPI PIN by providing last six digits and expiry date of your debit card.

After this, your account is now registered and you can send or request for money to be transferred to your account. However, you cannot link your mobile wallet to UPI, you can only link your bank account to it. You can link more than one bank account to UPI if you want to.

Payments on UPI in June hit an all-time high of 1.34 billion in terms of volume with transactions worth nearly ₹2.62 lakh crore, as per National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) data.

On a month-on-month basis it registered a 8.94% growth from 1.23 billion in May.

source - live mint

Uber cabs will now get safety screens between driver and riders

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Uber on Wednesday that it will install safety screens or safety cockpits in 20,000 Premier sedans for the safety of riders and the drivers.

Uber's rival in India, Ola had also announced a similar safety tool for its riders and driver-partners.

The safety screens will be initially available in Premier sedans but Uber has plans to expand it to other categories as well.

Ride-hailing giant Uber on Wednesday that it will install safety screens or safety cockpits in 20,000 Premier sedans for the safety of riders and the drivers. Earlier, Uber's rival in India, Ola had also announced a similar safety tool for its riders and driver-partners. The safety screens or the "safety cockpits" would minimize the interaction between the two parties hence reducing the risk of contracting the deadly coronavirus.

As per Uber, the safety cockpits are protective ceiling-to-floor transparent plastic screen, which is installed between the passenger and the driver. This would help people follow the social distancing norms within the confines of the cab. Additionally, it acts as a safeguard to prevent droplet and aerosol transmission. The safety screens will be initially available in Premier sedans but Uber has plans to expand it to other categories as well.

Talking about the new move, Pavan Vaish, Head of Central Operations, Uber India and South Asia, said, "At Uber, we are constantly defining transportation safety standards and take all possible precautions to ensure the safety of both riders and drivers. After pioneering safety cockpits in the Indian market, Uber teams will continue working around the clock to leverage its technology and global expertise for continuing to innovate the best possible product experience for all our drivers and riders.''

The ride-hailing giant resumed services after the lockdown 4.0 was lifted in India. It has started functioning the way it used to before the lockdown was imposed albeit with a comprehensive set of safety measures.

For instance, the rider and driver-partners are required to wear masks during their journey and if any of the party is seen breaking the norms, the trip can be canceled by either party. Uber had developed a special technology called the Go Online Checklist, which will be used to confirm whether a driver has taken necessary safety measures or not and whether he is wearing a mask or not. Only when the details are confirmed, the driver can start his services.

Uber had advised their driver-partners and riders to not switch on AC during the ride as that could reduce ventilation. They have advised riders to sit at the rear seat and open windows for ventilation.

The company claims that Uber has purchased safety supplies worth 50 million dollars and sourced more than 3 million face masks, 1.2 million shower caps for Moto riders, 200,000 bottles of disinfectants, and 200,000 bottles of sanitizers for free distribution to all its driver-partners in India.

In order to encourage drivers to wear masks and use sanitizers, Uber had delivered protective equipment to all active drivers on its platform. They are advised to sanitize their cars after every trip using the supplies.

source - india today

TikTok says it plans to add 10,000 jobs in the US


TikTok has said that it is looking to add 10,000 "good-paying" jobs in the US.

The House of Representatives has voted to prevent government employees from installing TikTok on government-issued devices.

Trump's administration is running ads on Facebook asking voters to sign TikTok ban petitions as part of his campaign.


Chinese video-making company TikTok has said that it plans to add 10,000 jobs over the next three years in the US after facing scrutiny from the government. A TikTok spokesperson told news agency AFP that the new jobs would be in various regions of the US including engineering, marketing, and other sectors.

"These are good-paying jobs that will help us continue to build a fun and safe experience and protect our community's privacy," another spokesperson told CNN. TikTok currently has 1400 employees in the US.

The House of Representatives has voted to prevent government employees from installing TikTok on government-issued devices, as per Gizmodo.

Colorado Republican Congressman Ken Buck passed the banning of TikTok as one of several amendments to the 2021 defense spending bill, the National Defense Authorization Act.

As per the amendment, no employee or officer of the United States may download TikTok, or any app from any Bytedance-owned entity.

The development comes shortly after US President Donald Trump's administration posted ads on Facebook encouraging users to sign petitions banning TikTok from the US.

"The Chinese Communist Party is using TikTok to collect massive amounts of data from American citizens and our government that could be used in a cyberattack against our republic," Buck said in a House session. "We must take action to protect our nation and stop the Chinese Communist Party's efforts to undermine our national security."

TikTok has previously said that it was reviewing the structure of the company. "As we consider the best path forward, ByteDance is evaluating changes to the corporate structure of its TikTok business. We remain fully committed to protecting our users' privacy and security as we build a platform that inspires creativity and brings joy for hundreds of millions of people around the world," TikTok in a statement said.

source - india today

Google Meet to roll out new security features

The company on Tuesday announced that the new feature will prevent uninvited users from accessing the video meetings.

Google is rolling out some important security features for its video conferencing platform, Google Meet.

The new feature will give more control to the host so that he can monitor who can "knock" to join a meeting.

Google Meet will also get a feature that would allow the host to block users who do not have a Google account.

Google is rolling out some important security features for its video conferencing platform, Google Meet. The company on Tuesday announced that the new feature will prevent uninvited users from accessing the video meetings. Google Meet is being extensively used by educational institutions and offices.

The new feature will give more control to the host so that he can monitor who can "knock" to join a meeting. The host can stop a participant from entering a meeting even if he has been a part of it before, the host can control whether the participant can knock and join the meeting once again or not. Apart from this, Google Meet will also get a feature that would allow the host to block users who do not have a Google account. The Safety Locks prohibits users from joining a meeting if they are not logged in to a Google account.

If a user's knocking request has been denied many times by the host, he or she will be automatically blocked from sending another request. Google Meet's rival Zoom had also announced new updates after multiple issues of Zoom bombing were reported by the users.

Earlier, Google Meet had announced a special security feature for Education meetings. The feature will block anonymous users from gatecrashing Education meetings. "To increase the privacy of education meetings in Google Meet, anonymous users (users not signed into a Google account) can no longer join meetings organized by anyone with a G Suite for Education or G Suite Enterprise for Education license. This prevents participants from sharing a link publicly to encourage anonymous users to request access. Note, this does not prevent users from dialing in by phone," the Google blog said.


Google Meet automatically block anonymous users from entering a meeting because they can cause disruption to learning by "making noise and sharing content, and become a distraction for the meeting organizer when they try to join meetings." The feature will be gradually rolled out for users across the globe. It would be available to G Suite for Education and G Suite Enterprise for Education customers

On a related note, Google has rolled out the Meet integration with Gmail for Android users. The Google Meet-Gmail integration will make it more convenient for users to start a call or join a call simply by entering a code. A new meeting can be started by simply tapping on the Meet option that is provided in Gmail. However, GSuite users who wish to use Gmail and Google Meet separately can also have the option to remove Google Meet from Gmail.

source - india today

A senior executive at TikTok owner ByteDance said the company plans to invest "a huge amount" of capital into its newly-established educational technology business but warned that the unit will be unlikely to profit in the next three years.

Beijing-based ByteDance has made educational technology one of its top priorities alongside short video app TikTok, which is facing scrutiny in Washington over suspicions China could force the company to turn over user data.

Chen Lin, senior vice president at ByteDance, said in an internal speech that the company entered the educational technology sector in 2016 via investments and trying out various projects, according to a transcript published by the company on social media.

ByteDance operates one-on-one English tutoring app GoGoKid and online course livestreaming app Qingbei.

Eight-year-old ByteDance's revenue mainly comes from its Chinese short video app Douyin and news aggregator Jinri Toutiao. The company is a late entrant to China's educational technology market, as industry leader Yuanfudao was founded in 2012 and rival Zuoyebang started up in 2013.

The industry was one of a few sectors that saw its fortunes shine during the coronavirus pandemic as widespread lockdowns in China and school closures forced students to take online classes from home for many months.

© Thomson Reuters

source - gadgets ndtv

Airtel Xstream Broadband Users Can Get Xstream Box at a Refundable Security Deposit of Rs.1,500


Airtel Xstream Fiber broadband users are receiving a notification about the Xstream Box offer through the Airtel Thanks app.


Airtel Xstream Fiber users are offered with Xstream Box at Rs. 1,500
The smart set-top box is available at Rs. 3,639 for regular customers
Airtel Thanks users can also avail the Xstream Box at Rs. 2,249

Airtel is offering the Xstream Box to its broadband customers at a refundable security deposit of Rs. 1,500. The new development comes just a couple of months after the telco provided its Android-based set-top box (STB) to One Airtel plan subscribers under a complimentary offer. In addition to broadband users, the regular Airtel Thanks app users have also been provided the Xstream Box at a discounted price of Rs. 2,249. This is down from the existing price of Rs. 3,639. The latest promotional offers would help Airtel expand the user base of its Xstream Box that runs on Android 9 Pie and offers features such as built-in Chromecast and Google Assistant support.

Airtel Xstream Fiber broadband users are receiving a notification about the Xstream Box offer through the Airtel Thanks app. The offer brings the Xstream Box at a refundable deposit of Rs. 1,500. This means that if you have an Airtel broadband, you'll be able to get the smart STB at a not just at a discounted price but can also get its complete refund once you place its return.

Customers who're availing the new offer will need to pay a total of Rs. 1,951 that includes the Xstream Box refundable security deposit as well as one month of rental for 129 channels. The company is also bundling Zee5 subscription for free for the first three months.


Airtel in May brought the complimentary offer for its One Airtel plan subscribers under which it offered Xstream Box at the identical security amount of Rs. 1,500. That offer is notably so far limited to the Rs. 899 and Rs. 1,349 plans.

In addition to the offer specifically for select Xstream Fiber broadband customers, Airtel is offering the Xstream Box at a discounted price of Rs. 2,249 to all the Airtel Thanks app users. The amount in case of the Airtel Thanks users is, however, of non-refundable nature.

Airtel is competing against ACT Fibernet's ACT Stream TV 4K and Reliance's Jio Fiber Set-Top Box by offering its Xstream Box in the market. The Airtel offering is touted to provide over 500 TV channels in 4K resolution and movies as well as Web shows in across 13 languages.


source - ndtv gadgets

Reliance announced Jio TV+


Jio TV+ is a content aggregator that brings Over the top (OTT) platforms, TV channels, various apps, and services together to its Jio set-top-box users.


Reliance announced Jio TV+ at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) 2020 on Wednesday. Jio TV+ is a content aggregator that brings Over the top (OTT) platforms, TV channels, various apps, and services together to its Jio set-top-box users.

During the event Reliance's Aakash Ambani demonstrated the Jio TV+ User Interface (UI) brings together 12 leading global OTT platforms like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney Hotstar, Sony LIV, and many more as the customers will be able to search for shows and movies easily.

One of the main features of Jio TV+ is that it requires a single login instead of logging in different apps separately. The voice search is much like Amazon Firestick's Alexa. Jio mentioned that users can access various online apps from different genres from the Jio App Store on the set-top-box. "Through the Jio Developers program, any app developer can develop, launch, and monetize their apps. Developers who wish to partner with Jio can visit http://developer.jio.com,” Jio said.


"For decades, TV content has been largely broadcast-dependent without any interactivity. With JioFiber, we have reimagined this experience and brought interactivity to TV. Through the Jio App Store on the Set Top Box, one can access internet applications across multiple genres such as entertainment, education, health, cooking, yoga, gaming, religion, and many more," Akash said at Reliance's AGM event.


Akash also talked about Jio TV+'s unique interactive features. One of the examples is that the users will be able to participate in a poll or vote for their favourite contestants in reality shows. Furthermore, the realtime comparison of the votes in favour and the percentage will be displayed on screen.

Along with Jio TV+, Reliance also launched its latest innovation Jio Glass. "The Jio Glass is at the cutting edge of technology that provides best-in-class Mixed Reality services to give users a truly meaningful immersive experience," Kiran Thomas at the event.


source - indian express

Coinbase says $280,000 in bitcoin transactions during Twitter hack

The cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase said that it stopped around 1,100 customers from sending bitcoin to hackers who gained access to high-profile Twitter accounts last week.

Last Wednesday, over 100 Twitter accounts, some belonging to major companies like Apple and high-profile people like Vice President Joe Biden and Bill Gates, were hacked as part of a massive coordinated bitcoin scam. According to Twitter, the hackers were able to convince some of the company's employees to use internal systems and tools to access the accounts and help the hackers defraud users into sending them bitcoin.

According to Forbes, Coinbase and other cryptocurrency exchanges were able to stop some customers from sending bitcoin to the hackers by blacklisting the hackers' wallet address. Specifically, Coinbase says it prevented just over 1,000 customers from sending around $280,000 worth of bitcoin during last Wednesday's attack. Roughly 14 Coinbase users sent around $3,000 worth of bitcoin to the scam's bitcoin address before the company moved to blacklist it, the company said.


"We noticed the scam and began blocking transactions within a couple of minutes of the initial wave of scam posts," a Coinbase spokesperson told The Verge on Monday.

Twitter accounts belonging to cryptocurrency exchanges including Binance and Gemini were also targeted during Wednesday's attack. Coinbase's chief information officer told Forbes on Sunday that it learned of the scam shortly after tweets were posted from fellow exchanges' accounts.

As of Monday, Twitter is still investigating Wednesday's attack. On Friday, the company put out a blog post confirming that 130 accounts were targeted and the hackers were able to initiative a password reset, log in to the account, and send tweets for 45 of those accounts. Twitter also said that the hackers were able to download account data belonging to eight unverified users.


source - the verge

Vodafone Idea introduces eSIM for RED customers

Vodafone Idea's postpaid customers can now do away with physical SIM cards as the telco has brought in eSIM services compatible with Apple iPhones.

Vodafone Idea has launched eSIM services for postpaid customers.
As of now the service is available in Mumbai, Delhi, and Gujarat circles.
As of now, the Apple iPhone customers are eligible to avail the eSIM service.

Vodafone Idea has launched eSIM services for postpaid users with Apple iPhones for now. The service will soon be made available to other devices as well.

According to Vodafone, eSIM stands for "Embedded Subscriber Identity Module" that is embedded inside a device. It is a digital SIM that allows users to use a Vodafone postpaid number without using a physical SIM. The benefits of the e-SIM as noted by Vodafone are that users will be able to use dual SIM on their eSIM enabled phones. Moreover, it saves users from the hassle of physically entering or removing SIM cards since their eSIM will be embedded in the device.

All changes will be done remotely by the mobile operator on the eSIM.

Who is eligible for an eSIM? Vodafone postpaid customers having eSIM compatible devices which are Apple smartphones including iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max, iPhone SE 2020, iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, and iPhone XR will be able to activate the service. Users should upgrade to the latest software version on these eligible handsets and make it eSIM ready.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Fold will soon be eligible to avail the service, Vodafone said. The service is currently available for Vodafone RED customers in Mumbai, Delhi, and Gujarat circles and is likely to expand.

To activate the eSIM, eligible users must follow these steps:

--To start the process, SMS eSIM registered email ID to 199.

--For a valid email ID, users will receive a confirmation SMS. Users should reply with ESIMY to confirm the eSIM change request. In case of invalid email id, users will receive an SMS from 199, to start the process again with the correct email id

--After they get a confirmation SMS, users will receive another SMS from 199 asking to provide consent over a call.

--After providing the user's consent on the call, users will receive a final SMS regarding the QR Code which they will receive on your registered email id.

--Users should scan the QR Code received on their registered email id.

Users must note that it will take around two hours for an eSIM to get activated.

Users should make sure that the phone is connected to Wi-Fi or mobile data and then follow these steps:

--Go to Settings > Select Mobile Data > Click on Add Data Plan

--Users should Scan QR code received on mail.

--Finally, users should follow the prompts on the phone.


source - india today

Sony vlogging camera may launch in India


Sony's latest compact camera ZV-1, especially designed for digital content curators, may launch in India this week.

Sony India could launch its vlogging camera ZV-1 on July 24.
Sony ZV-1 is designed to draw attention of digital content curators.
Sony ZV-1 features touch screen display, eye autofocus and more.

Sony ZV-1 camera was launched in the global market last month. The ZV-1 is an advanced point-and-shoot camera designed to attract modern-day vloggers. Now, Sony India may introduce this compact camera on July 24 as per hearsay.

Sony ZV-1 could be a treat for digital content curators in India. Similar to Sony RX-100 series cameras, the ZV-1 is a compact camera with added features and modes such as adjusting the level of background blur to highlight the subject's face.

Sony ZV-1 packs a 20.1-megapixel image sensor and supports a 2.7x optical zoom. The ZV-1 features an aperture scale of F1.8-to-F2.8 and an ISO scale of 125-to-12800. The ISO range allows ZV-1 to shoot better quality images in low-light conditions. The vlogging camera can record 4K videos at 30 fps, FHD videos at different frame rates ranging from 24p to 120fps.

The 3-inch LCD touch screen display of Sony ZV-1 can be flipped-out entirely for flexible shooting. The ZV-1 comes with an eye autofocus feature. Cameras with an eye-AF feature detect the human eye to establish focus and lock it even when the camera and the subject is continuously moving.

The other features include a dedicated button for adjusting the background blur. Sony ZV-1 also comes with a Product Showcase setting which allows shifting focus from subject's face to an object that is being shown to the camera. For the audio, the ZV-1 gets a three-capsule microphone for clear voice recording.

The price of the Sony ZV-1 for the Indian market is yet to be announced. For the availability, the vlogging camera is expected to be launched on July 24, 2020.

courtesy - india today

Reliance Jio-Google smartphone deal


The new Jio-Google smartphone is set to pose a major challenge to Chinese phone makers such as Xiaomi and BBK Electronics, owner of the Realme, Oppo and Vivo brands, which currently dominate a $2 billion market for sub-$100 smartphones in India

A $4.5 billion deal under which Alphabet's Google will collaborate with India's Reliance Industries on a new smartphone likely heralds a big shake-up for the world's second-largest mobile market, industry executives and analysts say.

Reliance boss Mukesh Ambani, announcing the partnership at his company's annual meeting last week, said Google would build an Android operating system (OS) to power a low-cost "4G or even 5G" smartphone that Reliance would design.

The new phone is set to pose a major challenge to Chinese vendors such as Xiaomi and BBK Electronics, owner of the Realme, Oppo and Vivo brands, which currently dominate a $2 billion market for sub-$100 smartphones in India.

Powered by a clever mix of Bollywood, cricket-driven marketing and product features such as powerful cameras, the Chinese firms sell roughly eight of every 10 smartphones in the country.


"If history is anything to go by, Reliance will undercut other brands and pose a real threat to the low-end smartphone market," said Rushabh Doshi of tech researcher Canalys.

Reliance executed a similar plan in 2017 with the launch of the JioPhone, a no-frills device that gave users internet access for as little as $20. JioPhone now has more 100 million users, many of whom are internet first-timers.

"They (the Chinese players) are likely to cut their price to compete and their margins could shrink," said A Gururaj, the former India head of contract manufacturers Wistron and Flextronics. "I see the Google-Jio phone as a big hit."

Reliance's ambition to hand a smartphone to every Indian could also win subscribers from telecoms rivals Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel, who still have hundreds of millions of users with old-style feature phones on basic 2G networks.


Realme declined to comment. Reliance, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo did not respond to requests for comment.

Vodafone Idea and Bharti Airtel did not immediately respond to requests for comment.


The alliance will see Google invest $4.5 billion in Reliance's digital unit, which houses telecoms and fibre businesses as well as music and movie apps.

Jio Platforms has also since April won the backing of global financial and tech investors including Intel and Qualcomm , which could bolster its smartphone ambitions.

While Reliance has given no details on the specifications or price of the new smartphone, the timing of its launch, or who might build it, the Jio network's 387 million subscribers and the Google brand name will give it a big leg up.

The Reliance-Google phone would likely be optimised for the Jio network and offer users improved performance, said Arvind Vohra, a tech consultant and the former India head of China's Gionee.

Just as important are the possibilities for bundling Jio's massive video and music libraries with the phone. Google's Android team also aims to ensure access to apps related to health, communications and jobs, and ease of use for first time smartphone owners, Sameer Samat, vice president for Android and Play at Google, told Reuters.

That kind of packaging could help woo roughly 350 million Indians who still use basic, non-touch phones and are yet to taste high-speed mobile data on fancier devices.

The collaboration with Google could also set the stage for further partnerships between smartphone makers and Reliance to make devices specifically for the Jio telecoms network, said analysts.

Some Jio customers are already making plans to upgrade to the Reliance-Google smartphone when it hits the market.



source - live mint

Google introduces a new shopping experiment called Shoploop

Shoploop is an ecommerce platform that helps users discover products in an entertaining, informational and snackable video format. Check out Shoploop by visiting https://shoploop.app on your mobile device.

Google is conducting an experiment under the Area 120 project. The company is planning to combine three important aspects of online shopping into one single platform

Google is conducting an experiment under the Area 120 project. The company is planning to combine three important aspects of online shopping into one single platform. Right from spotting a product to checking video reviews and going on to even ordering the same product. Google claims this new experiment called Shoploop will provide new ways to discover new products in a short, entertaining video format.

According to Google, "the experience on Shoploop is more interactive than just scrolling through images, titles and descriptions on a traditional e-commerce site." All Shoploop videos are shorter than 90 seconds and help discover new products.

Shoploop also helps the user with product reviews. For example, Alex shows live product usage in her video to get rid of pimples, and Kim includes practical tips and advice on how to use a face roller in her video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IEPeQ4GT3xI&feature=youtu.be

Once the product is spotted, the buyer can either save the product to buy it later or click straight to the merchant's website to complete the purchase. One can also follow theiri favourite Shoploop creators and share videos.

Lax Poojary, General Manager, Shoploop stated in an official blog, "Currently, we're focused on content creators, publishers and online store owners in the beauty industry in categories such as makeup, skincare, hair and nails. Our goal is to provide them a platform where they can review and recommend products and help others shop directly from their videos. For example, Jessica, contributing editor at Allure, shows the benefits of using a Mihakka (a face exfoliating tool made with clay from the Atlas mountains in Morocco), and Adeline Koh, owner of handmade skincare company Sabbatical Beauty, highlights the craftsmanship and story behind her products. If you are a content creator or a store owner in any of these product areas, you can apply through our website to be an exclusive Shoploop creator."

Currently, the application is built for mobile users and will soon be launched for desktop users as well.

source - livemint

Samsung to introduce five new power devices on August 5th Event

Samsung is hosting its Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event on August 5 wherein the company will launch the Galaxy Note 20 series smartphones along with the Galaxy Fold 2 smartphone.



Samsung will introduce "five new power devices" at its upcoming online Unpacked event, revealed TM Roh, who is the President and Head of Mobile Communications Business at Samsung Electronics.

The event is scheduled to take place on August 5.

In a blog post, Roh said that so much has changed since the last few months and in this "new era", they have a "special responsibility" to help society continue to move forward.

"Since I took over the reins at Samsung Mobile six months ago, so much has changed... I consider this new era as the 'Next Normal' and technology - especially mobile technology - has a critical role in it. In just a few months, we've seen our lives change in unimaginable ways. Distance learning, at-home fitness, online concerts, and so much more have all been enabled by mobile technology," Roh said.

"As leaders of the tech industry, we have a special responsibility - and now a true sense of urgency - to help society continue to move forward. So many people are counting on us to give them new ways to communicate, new ways to work, and new ways to connect," he added.

Roh further stated that the new devices will deliver the company's vision to be the innovator of new mobile experiences that flow "seamlessly and continuously".

"At this summer's Galaxy Unpacked, we'll be introducing five new power devices. These devices deliver on our vision to be the innovator of new mobile experiences that flow seamlessly and continuously wherever we go. They combine power with seamless functionality, whether you're at work or play, at home or away. In the Next Normal, you will be empowered to live life to the fullest with these devices in your hand (and in your ears, and on your wrist.)," the post read.


source - hindustan times

Reliance announces new JioGlass for 3D interactions


The Jio Glass weighs just 75gm and comes with personalized audio.

In order to access content on the device, the company will provide a simple cable that can be attached to the smartphone.


Reliance announces new JioGlass for 3D interactions, watch holographic content

Reliance Jio has announced a new product called Jio Glass. The new product is aimed at enhancing the virtual space by making it more interactive using 3D avatars, holographic content and even normal video conferencing features.

The Jio Glass weighs just 75gms and comes with personalized audio. In order to access content on the device, the company will provide a simple cable that can be attached to the smartphone in order to access different use case scenarios.

The Jio Glass can use 3D avatars to make interactions better in the virtual world. The company will also allow designed discussions by sharing 3D holograms.

According to the company, Jio Glass will get support from 25 apps for now. The Glass can be used for educational purposes using holographic content.


Reliance Industries also announced a new stakeholder in Jio Platforms. The company has announced Google as a new strategic partner. The company has claimed that the search giant will invest ₹33,737 crore with a stake of 7.7%. This takes the total investment by stakeholders to ₹1,52,056 crore.

Before the Google announcement, Reliance Industries had sold stakes worth ₹1,18,318.45 crore which includes investors like Facebook. While the lockdown and times of uncertainty hit the share values of most companies, Reliance Industries has managed to soar through by an increment of over 120% since the lockdown began in mid-March. Other major investors and collaborators from the tech world include chipset makers Intel and Qualcomm.


source - live mint

Asus Rog Phone 3 images reveal new design of gaming phone


The new Asus Rog Phone 3 will launch on 22 July. The company has also put up a dedicated page on Flipkart for the device

Asus ROG Phone 3 is one of the most awaited smartphones in the world of mobile gaming. There are some aspects of the phone that have been leaked and even teased officially by the company. However, a new report gives us a good look at how the device looks like.

Popular tipster Evan Blass shared leaked images of the new Asus Rog Phone 3.The leaked images confirm the previous rumours about the device. Going by the new leak, via Gsmarena, we can see that the button placement on the device is the same as the Asus Rog Phone 2. However, the speaker grill does have a coloured accent. The glowing logo is also making a comeback with the Rog Phone 3.

The optics on the Rog Phone 3 comprise a triple camera setup along with one 64MP lens and one 13MP unit according to TENAA certification.


The new Asus Rog Phone 3 will launch on 22 July. The company has also put up a dedicated page on Flipkart for the device. The launch event will be held online and is scheduled to begin at 8:15 PM. The teaser also suggests that the device will be a Flipkart exclusive.

The smartphone will be the first phone to launch with Snapdragon's latest flagship chipset. Qualcomm claims that the new chip is designed for faster efficiency by almost 10 per cent for AI applications and gaming.

The Kryo 585 CPU has a higher clock speed than the standard 865, which offers a 10 per cent performance increase. The Adreno 650 GPU offers a 10 per cent boost to graphics rendering. This will be the first time a mobile chipset will be capable of reaching over 3GHz frequencies.


The phone is expected to get a display with 120Hz or 144Hz refresh rate. The ROG Phone 3 is also expected to come with a massive 6000mAh battery with 30W fast charging





source - live mint

New Android malware found capable of stealing passwords, credit card data

While the malware can steal passwords and login credentials, it can also prompt the user to enter payment details within apps that deal with financial transactions

A new Android malware is plaguing applications. To be precise, the malware is capable of targeting 337 applications and rob users of critical information like passwords and even credit card information.

According to a report by ZDNet, the new malware is called Blackrock and it surfaced in the month of May. The report claims that a security firm called ThreatFabric was the first one to spot it.

According to the researchers, the new malware uses the source code of another malware strain. However, this new malware gets additional features which give it the ability to steal passwords and credit card information. One of the biggest differences, in comparison to other Android malware, is that it can target many more applications.

The researchers claim that this malware uses something called 'overlays' which masks the original app and asks for payment data. This happens before the user is allowed to enter the official application.

While the malware can steal passwords and login credentials, it can also prompt the user to enter payment details within apps that deal with financial transactions.

The BlackRock masks itself be asking for Android permissions using the Accessibility feature, then it uses an Android DPC (device policy controller) in order to provide access to other permissions. According to the report, ThreatFabric claims the trojan can also perform other intrusive operations such as Intercepting SMS messages, perform SMS floods, spam contacts with predefined SMS, Start specific apps, Log key taps, Show custom push notifications, Sabotage mobile antivirus apps and more.


source - livemint

Credit card skimming campaign targeting e-commerce websites

Researchers at the cybersecurity firm found over a dozen websites which have been compromised with malicious code injections into one of their legitimate JavaScript libraries

Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) on Saturday issued a public warning about a credit card skimming campaign spread through sports, health and e-commerce websites.

In an official post, CERT-In explains attackers are targeting websites hosted on Microsoft's IIS server running with ASP.NET web application framework (used to develop web apps and services).

The problem lies with version 4.0.30319 of ASP.NET which is no longer officially supported by Microsoft and contains multiple vulnerabilities which makes it easier for attackers to exploit them.

CERT-In has advised websites using ASP.NET web framework and IIS web server to use the latest version and conduct security audits of web application, web server and database server, in addition to checking web server directories regularly for any malicious web shell files and remove them before they can be exploited.

CERT-In refers to a recent Malwarebytes Labs report, which found a known vulnerability (CVE-2017-9248) for ASP.NET that has been exploited recently to steal credit card credentials.

Researchers at the cybersecurity firm found over a dozen websites which have been compromised with malicious code injections into one of their legitimate JavaScript libraries.

ASP.NET is a widely used web application framework by websites running shopping cart applications. The compromised websites found by Malwarebytes Labs had a shopping cart which was targeted by attackers.

The skimmer codes injected into the JavaScript libraries are designed to steal credit card numbers as well as passwords.

Researchers point out, the skimming campaign started sometime in April.

Due to covid-19 online transactions and payments have increased considerably. This has widened the attack surface for hackers. While CERT-IN's warning was specific to a few websites that were using the outdated web server framework, in another recent instance attackers have been found to be targeting mobile apps to steal card details.

Cybersecurity firm ThreatFabric has recently detected a new malware called BlackRock which has targeted over 337 Android apps.

It uses overlays (fake window) with keylogger functionality on top of a legitimate app prompting users to enter card details to get access into the app. As the users enter the card details the keylogger captures them to forward to attackers.


source - live mint

Amazon to offer deals on iPhone 11 series, MacBooks and more on Apple Days sale

• Customers can get iPhone 11 series at its lowest price ever with a flat discount of ₹5,400
• Customers can avail an additional discount of ₹4,000 on iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max using HDFC cards

Amazon.in is going to offer interesting deals on Apple products in India. The e-commerce website is organizing a sale specific to the American brand and is calling it 'Apple Days'. The sale will provide deals and offers on latest iPhone 11 series, Apple Watch, MacBook and more. The new Apple Days sale will start at midnight and will be live until 25 July. This new sale will also comprise offers from participating brands and sellers.

Customers can get iPhone 11 series at its lowest price ever with a flat discount of ₹5,400. It will now be available for ₹62,900. Customers can avail an additional discount of ₹4,000 on iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max using HDFC Bank Debit and Credit Cards. iPhone 8 Plus will be available for ₹41,500.

During Apple Days sale, customers can get deals on latest Apple accessories as well as avail discounts on other Apple products. The iPad will be sold at a discount of ₹5,000 and the company is also offering a flat ₹1,000 off on Apple Watch Series 3 with HDFC Bank Debit and Credit Cards. They can also get an instant discount of ₹7,000 on popular Apple Macbook Pro using HDFC Debit and Credit Cards.


Apple is expected to launch the next generation of iPhones in the month of September. According to the reports so far, the company will be launching four new smartphones under the iPhone 12 series. This will include a iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Plus (or Max), iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 Pro Plus. All four phones are expected to feature a notch format on the display but with varying degrees of screen to body ratio.



courtesy - live mint

Top budget smartphones coming to India this month


Tech companies will be launching three new budget smartphones in India this month. The list includes the Samsung Galaxy M31s, Infinix 4 Plus and the Realme 6i.

Xiaomi on Monday launched the Redmi Note 9 in India. The newly launched smartphones that joins the likes of the Redmi Note 9 Pro and the Redmi Note 9 Pro Max will go on sale in India on July 24.

To give you a quick brief about the pricing, the Redmi Note 9 is available in India in three variants. The base variant, which consists of 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage space, costs ₹11,999. The top variant consisting of 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage space costs ₹14,999. There is also a 4GB RAM and 128GB storage space variant that costs ₹13,999.

Xiaomi has launched its next-generation smartphone for the budget buyers. But the list doesn't end there. Tech companies are launching a bunch of new budget smartphones in India later this month.

So, here are the top budget smartphones coming to India in July:

Samsung Galaxy M31s

The Samsung Galaxy M31s will launch in India on July 30 and it will be available via Amazon India. The phone is already listed on the e-retail platform, which gives us a glimpse of the phone's design. The listing shows that the Galaxy M31s will come with a vertically stacked quad rear camera setup that is placed in a rectangular camera module. On the front, the phone will have a punch-hole display. The phone will come with dual-tone colour scheme. The Galaxy M31s is expected to be priced under ₹20,000.

Infinix 4 Plus

Infinix will launch the Infinix 4 Plus smartphone in India on July 21. The company has been teasing details about its upcoming smartphone on its social media handles. These listings reveal that the Infinix 4 Plus will come with a 6.82-inch display and a 6,000mAh battery. The Infinix 4 Plus is expected to be priced under ₹15,000.

Realme 6i

Realme will launch its next generation budget smartphone, the Realme 6i, in India on July 24. The upcoming smartphone is already listed on Flipkart. The Flipkart listing reveals that the phone will come with a quad-rear camera setup with a punch hole display in the front that is placed towards the left side of the screen. The listing also reveals that the Realme 6i will be powered by MediaTek Helio G90T processor. It is expected to be priced under ₹15,000.

In addition to the above mentioned smartphones, Asus will be launching a new premium budget gaming smartphone, the Asus ROG Phone 3, in India this month. The phone will be making a debut in India on July 22. It is expected to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ SoC and be powered by up to 16GB of RAM and a 6,000mAh battery.


source - hindustan times

Google Introduces New Features for G Suite Business Users


Google has come up with a new feature to unify Gmail, Chat Rooms, and Meet for G Suite Business Users."We're integrating core tools like video, chat, email, files, and tasks, and making them better together, so that you can more easily stay on top of things, from anywhere," informed Google in a blog post. The company looks forward to making it a better home to work.

The New feature provides the desktop users with a view of chat in one column, a doc in another, and a Google Meet video chat hovering over both.

In order to improve real-time collaboration, google brings all of G Suite's communication tools under one tab. Users can co-edit documents with their team on one side of the window at the same time video chatting on the other side using Gmail's chat feature. It helps them to avoid switching between tabs while working.

Google is also integrating its chat with the mail feature under Gmail. That means, at a click of button within Gmail, users can switch between chats and emails. This also allows them to search within chats, like how they do in emails.

The new feature also help users to use new tools to pin important rooms, and new "do not disturb" and "out of office" settings.

There are also features for shared files and tasks in Chat rooms where the group can access common chats and important documents.

"The idea behind this is not just to bring these ingredients into the same pane of glass, but also realizing something that's greater than the sum of its parts," G Suite VP and GM Javier Soltero said.

Google in May integrated its Meet video conferencing service into Gmail. The meet has facilities for scheduling and screen sharing, real-time captions, and layouts that adapt to the preferences of users.

Gmail introduced the Meet feature at a time were a massive number of people worked and studied through video conferencing due to COVID – 19 Crisis


source - examsdaily

How do you make your MailChimp email go into someone's primary Gmail inbox instead of the Promotions inbox?

Short answer: You can't.

The individual Gmail user can so choose. YOU cannot.
(Thank you Google!)

Gmail is very sophisticated. Mailchimp (and other mass marketing email senders) are *correctly* identified by the sending domain - which makes them Promotions. So they go to the Promotions tab (it's not an inbox) - by default.

You (the sender) cannot change which tab your mailchimp emails appear under. To do that, you would have to create/use a different domain - not mailchimp.

And not any other known mass mail sender, either.

If the recipient wants your emails to appear somewhere else, they can right-click on the email, and move it to the desired tab. Gmail will then remember this preference for future emails from that sender.

Source - quora

Gmail delivers messages to tabbed inboxes based on complex and changing algorithms that consider subscriber engagement, content, and sender information. Marketing and bulk emails often have a higher chance of being delivered to the Promotions tab.

Unfortunately, Mailchimp has no control over the placement of emails in Gmail, and there is no proven way to "beat" Gmail's algorithms. Only a subscriber can move your emails from the Promotions tab to the Primary tab.

In this article, you'll learn about Gmail tabs, and what subscribers can do to ensure your campaigns are delivered to their Primary tab.

Benefits of the Promotions tab

Gmail's Promotions tab contains marketing emails and promotional offers. When Gmail introduced inbox tabs, many marketers worried that subscribers would overlook mail in the Promotions tab.

Fortunately, studies show that people use the Promotions tab. According to ReturnPath's study of three million Gmail users, the tabs improved deliverability, increased open rates, and decreased spam complaints. Plus, Gmail's inbox organization doesn't affect all your Gmail subscribers. Inbox tabs are optional for Gmail users, and many people disable them

Source - mailchimp

Want 1Gbps Internet From SpaceX Starlink Satellites? Sign Up For The Beta


SpaceX updated the website for its Starlink satellite internet project on Friday.

Starlink is the company's ambitious plan to build an interconnected network of about 12,000 small satellites, to beam high-speed internet to anywhere in the world

A confirmation email from SpaceX says that a private beta test is planned for "later this summer, followed by public beta testing."


SpaceX updated the website for its Starlink satellite internet project on Friday, as the company continues to move closer to its goal of offering direct-to-consumer broadband from space later this year.

"Get updates on Starlink news and service availability in your area," the website reads, with a submission form for an email address and zip code. The form allows prospective customers to apply for updates and access to a public beta test of the Starlink service.

Starlink is the company's ambitious plan to build an interconnected network of about 12,000 small satellites, to beam high-speed internet to anywhere in the world. In addition to getting the satellites in orbit, SpaceX will need to build a vast system of ground stations and affordable terminals if it is going to connect consumers directly to its network.

SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell in 2018 said that "it will cost the company about $10 billion or more" to build the Starlink network. Since the beginning of 2019, SpaceX has raised nearly $1.7 billion in capital.


Those who enter their email address and zip code on the Starlink website receive a confirmation email, saying the service "is designed to deliver high speed broadband internet to locations where access has been unreliable, expensive, or completely unavailable." The email said that a private beta test is planned for "later this summer, followed by public beta testing."

SpaceX told the FCC in April that Starlink "will begin offering commercial service in the northern United States and southern Canada" before the end of this year, "and then will rapidly expand to near global coverage of the populated world in 2021."  Additionally, SpaceX founder Elon Musk has declared that Starlink's internet speed will rival existing Earth-bound services, saying in March that the network will have a "latency below 20 milliseconds, so somebody could play a fast-response video game at a competitive level."

The Starlink update comes the day before SpaceX is set to launch its ninth Starlink mission, launching 58 more satellites to orbit. To date SpaceX has put 482 Starlink satellites in orbit.


source - cnbc

Google said on Monday that it plans to invest $10 billion in India over next five to seven years as the search giant looks to help accelerate adoption of digital services in the key overseas market.

Sundar Pichai, chief executive of Google, today unveiled Google for India Digitization Fund through which the company will be making investments in the country.

"We'll do this through a mix of equity investments, partnerships, and operational, infrastructure and ecosystem investments. This is a reflection of our confidence in the future of India and its digital economy," he said via video conference at the company's annual event focused on India.

Investments will focus on four areas:

First, enabling affordable access and information for every Indian in their own language, whether it's Hindi, Tamil, Punjabi or any other

Second, building new products and services that are deeply relevant to India's unique needs

Third, empowering businesses as they continue to embark on their digital transformation

Fourth, leveraging technology and AI for social good, in areas like health, education and agriculture

India is a key overseas market for Google, where a range of its products and services, including Search, YouTube and Android, have made inroads with much of the entire online population. The nation of 1.3 billion people has emerged as perhaps the last great untapped growth market for American and Chinese giants.

More than 500 million people in India are online today and over 450 million smartphones are in active use in the country.

"There's still more work to do in order to make the internet affordable and useful for a billion Indians...from improving voice input and computing for all of India's languages, to inspiring and supporting a whole new generation of entrepreneurs," said India-born Pichai.

Google, like every other American tech giant, makes only a fraction of its revenue from the world's largest internet market. But that does not appear to be a priority for any American or Chinese tech giant in India that is currently searching for the next hundreds of millions of users in developing markets.

Facebook, which rivals Google and Amazon in India, made a $5.7 billion investment in Reliance Jio Platforms, the top telecom operator in the nation, in April this year to digitize 60 million mom and pop stores in the country.

Reliance Jio Platforms, a four-year-old subsidiary of India's most valued firm Reliance Industries, has raised more than $15.7 billion since the second half of April from 12 high-profile investors.

During his visit to India early this year, Amazon founder and chief executive Jeff Bezos said the e-commerce giant was ploughing an additional $1 billion into India, totaling the company's to-date commitment to $6.5 billion.

Google's announcement today also comes at a time when India appears to be shutting its door to Chinese firms. New Delhi last month banned 59 apps and services developed by Chinese companies. Among those that have been banned include ByteDance's TikTok, Alibaba Group's UC Browser and Tencent's WeChat. Some industry players believe that this ban would help American tech giants further expand their tentacles across India as they face less competition.

In April this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government also amended its foreign direct investment policy to require all neighboring nations, including China, with which it shares a boundary to seek approval from New Delhi for their future deals in the country.

For dozens of Indian unicorn startups in India, including unicorns Zomato, Swiggy and Paytm, that count Chinese investors as some of their biggest backers, New Delhi's move is likely to result in additional difficulties in raising future capital.

Gaining foothold in India has also become more crucial for American technology giants that have been largely shut out from doing business in China. Earlier this month, Google said it had abandoned plans to offer a new cloud service in the world's largest internet market.

Ravi Shankar Prasad, India's electronics and information technology minister, said that Google was "rising to the occasion by trying to invest a fairly substantial amount in India's digital transformation. "I'm very happy that Google is recognising India's digital innovation and the need to create further opportunity," he said.

Google has backed a handful of startups in India to date, including Bangalore-headquartered hyperlocal delivery service Dunzo. In May, Financial Times reported that Google was in talks with Vodafone Idea, the second biggest telecom operator in India, to acquire a 5% stake in the company.

Sanjay Gupta, the head of Google in India, said the company's new $10 billion commitment to India today would shape the future of many of its products and services in the country. "We are recommitting ourselves to partner deeply and support India in becoming a truly digital nation," he said.

One of the ways Google, which began operations in India in 2004, has extended its reach in the country is through partnerships with local smartphone vendors to produce and sell low-cost handsets that receive timely and more frequent software updates.

Without disclosing many details, Caesar Sengupta, GM & VP of Payments and Next Billion Users at Google, said today that the company will focus on "enabling more high-quality low-cost smartphones so that more people can access the internet to learn, grow and succeed."

Source - tech crunch

Dear Sudhakar,

 Please check this link to signup,

https://beta.apple.com/sp/betaprogram/welcome

It's only been a couple of weeks since Apple first announced iOS 14, and developers have been able to test it out since then. Developer Beta 2 was released earlier this week, and now it's time for the public beta, along with public betas of iPadOS 14 and tvOS 14.

iOS 14 is set to be quite a significant update for iPhones and iPod Touch devices. Widgets are getting a fresh redesign, coming in different shapes and sizes, and now you finally add them to the home screen. There's also a new app drawer called App Library. Not only is this a one-stop-shop to find all of your apps, but you can now choose to have apps not display on your home screens at all. It's one of the biggest visual overhauls that the OS has ever seen.

iPadOS 14 actually doesn't include widgets on the home screen or the App Library. It does have the redesigned widgets that are still in the widget drawer, but a big focus on iPadOS 14 is handwriting recognition. Apple aimed to make writing with the Apple Pencil as easy as using a keyboard, adding gestures for a hard return on text, removing text, and more.

tvOS 14 isn't a huge update, which really isn't surprising. It adds picture-in-picture, and support for playing 4K videos that are streamed over AirPlay.

If you want to start testing out the new updates without having to pirate a configuration profile, you can sign up here. The sections for macOS 11 Big Sur and watchOS 7 are still listed as coming soon.

source - neowin

Google seems to have lost ownership of its blogspot.in domain. The domain is part of Google-owned Blogger, a blog-publishing service, that the company acquired in 2003.

On Blogger, country-specific domains are not different blog addresses, but a domain redirect based on the country where you're currently located. When searched within India, Blogger points to username.blogspot.in as opposed to username.blogspot.com. A lot of users in India then also end up sharing .in permalinks all over the Web.

From a WHOIS lookup, it seems that the blogspot.in domain has been picked up by a domain service provider.

Domain Name: blogspot.in
Registry Domain ID: DE2DC9C0E8E694C28ADEF0F444F121B45-IN
Registrar URL: www.domainming.com
Updated Date: 2020-06-29T20:00:06Z
Creation Date: 2020-06-24T20:00:05Z
Registry Expiry Date: 2021-06-24T20:00:05Z
Domain Status: inactive

In February 2013, Blogger introduced multiple country-specific URLs. For example, username.blogspot.com will automatically redirect to username.blogspot.in in India and username.blogspot.com.au in Australia. At the time, Google explained the intent that if the company receives a request to remove content that violates local law, that content may no longer be available to readers on local domains where those laws apply.

Blogger doesn't seem to be a focus product for Google for a while, however, this mess would hurt a lot of bloggers and readers with broken links all over. A search result on Google for 'site:blogspot.in', for example, yields over 4.5 million results at the time of writing.

Source : neo win
Courtesy : hacker news

What is JioMeet and how to download and Use ?

After testing for months Reliance Jio has finally launched JioMeet in the country. The JioMeet app is available on both Google Play store and Apple App store. With JioMeet, Reliance Jio is undoubtedly aiming to take on the likes of other video calling platforms such as Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, Microsoft Teams, among others.

Reliance launches JioMeet at the time when people across the country are discarding products that are not made in India especially with China as an origin country. Currently, JioMeet has been rated as high as 4.8 on App store and 4.6 on Google Play store. The app has already been downloaded by 100k Android users.

We used JioMeet video conferencing application for some time and here's everything you need to know about the platform and a few tips and tricks you can keep in mind to use the platform in a better way.

JioMeet: Few important things to keep in mindReliance Jio JioMeet video calling platform launched in India:

How to download and start a meeting,

Check at jiomeet.jio.com

*JioMeet can be used for both one-on-one meeting and group video conference call hosting up to 100 participants at the same time.

*Signing up to JioMeet to start a meeting is easy. You will just need to enter mobile number, name, email ID. That's it.

*You will be able to join a meeting without signing up. To start a meeting you will need to create an account and login.

*Similar to Zoom, JioMeet lets you schedule a meeting and share the meeting code in advance with the participants.

*Most video calling platforms have a time limit for free meeting. A meeting on JioMeet can go on for 24 hours without any interruption.

*Keeping privacy in mind, each and every meeting hosted on JioMeet is password protected.

*Similar to Zoom, JioMeet also comes with Screen Sharing option.

*Just as Zoom, JioMeet also comes with Waiting Room option. You can choose to enable or disable it. The option should be enabled for better security of the meeting. With Waiting Room option turned on, no one will be able to join a meeting without the host's permission.

*JioMeet comes with multi-device support. You will be able to seamlessly switch from one device to another while on call. It supports up to 5 devices.

*Another interesting feature that JioMeet brings is Safe Driving Mode. This will be helpful for people who need to attend an important video conference while on their way to somewhere.


How to join a JioMeet call ?

To join a JioMeet meeting you will just need to click on the Join option on the home screen and enter the Meeting ID provided by the host.

The platform provides an option to disable audio and video before joining the meeting. Notably, JioMeet allows you to join a video conference even if you don't have an account with JioMeet.


How to start a JioMeet call ?

To start a meeting you need to sign up with your name (first and last) and phone number, and then enter OTP. It's as easy as that.

*Just click on New Meeting option on the home screen. Notably, of you have ever users Zoom you won't face any issue as both more or less have the same interface.

*Select whether you want to keep Video on or off and generate a personal meeting ID. There's also an option to not generate ID but it's better if you enable the option.

*Click on Start Meeting

*Invite participants by clicking on participant option and then on invite. You can choose to mute or unmute participants when they join.

*You can send Meeting ID link via various platforms including messages, WhatsApp, Twitter, among others.




source : India express

Social app Chingari, a desi alternative to Chinese TikTok, on Friday said it has crossed 10 million downloads on Google Play Store and content creators are making a beeline to join the app

"Our retention numbers and the app's daily engagement time are also witnessing a solid increase. Our team is working round the clock to provide all our customers with a seamless experience," said Biswatma Nayak, Co-founder.

Earlier, the app reached three million downloads in just 10 days and garnered about 500,000 downloads in just about 72 hours.

"We would like to welcome all TikTok users to come and try Chingari, a 100 per cent 'Made In India' app," said Sumit Ghosh, Co-founder and Chief Product Officer.

The app is available in languages like English, Hindi, Bangla, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, Punjabi, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu.

source - zee news

Steps to Download All Your Videos on Tiktok

The Government of India banned 59 mobile apps including TikTok, UC Browser and other Chinese apps on Monday, 29 June, calling them "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, the security of the state and public order".

For the ban to come into effect and for these apps to be removed, the ministry will send a legal notice to Google and Apple to remove these 59 applications from their respective app stores.

As of 9:30 am on 30 June, the TikTok app has been taken down from the Google PlayStore.

The second step would be to inform telecom operators and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in the country to stop the traffic of data on these applications as data is key for these apps to work. Since the ban was announced on 29 June, we are not really sure how long will the process take for these apps to cease functioning.

How to Save My Content on TikTok?

TikTok users have the chance to download and save their videos and other data from the app in case the data is deleted.

Here is how to download your content on TikTok:

There are two methods to save your content from Tiktok on your phone.

The first is a manual method and will be tedious based on how you many video you have uploaded in the past.

The second method is to request your data directly from Tiktok.

Manual Method:

Open TikTok and go to your profile.

Open a video and tap the three-dot icons in the top-right corner.

Tap "save video".

The video will be downloaded on your device. However, the videos will carry a TikTok watermark.


source - live mint

Uber shuts down Mumbai office permanently

Uber's Mumbai employees will continue to work from home until December, the person said. It is not clear if the employees will be moved to another office in Mumbai next year

After laying-off almost one-fourth of its staff in India (600 employees) in May, ride-hailing firm Uber has shut down its Mumbai office, said a person aware of the development asking not to be named.

Uber's Mumbai employees will continue to work from home until December, the person said. It is not clear if the employees will be moved to another office in Mumbai next year.

A spokesperson for Uber declined to comment on the development but added that it will continue to provide "a high level of service to all its riders in Mumbai".

Uber's Mumbai office closure comes almost a month after the ride-hailing firm announced a global downsizing exercise that affected around 6,700 employees worldwide. The India layoffs affected 600 employees across segments, including customer and driver support, business development, legal, finance, policy, and marketing verticals.


Apart from cutbacks on jobs on jobs in India, Uber seems to be cutting down on property and related rental and lease expenses, as part of its global downsizing process. Uber's chief executive officer Dara Khosrowshahi said in a recent conference call that the firm has already planned expenditure cutbacks worth $1 billion due to business disruptions caused by covid-19.

According to Uber Technologies Inc.'s filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in the US in early May, the company has committed to pay up to $145 million worldwide to employees in severance pay and other benefits such as insurance.

This year, Uber India also sold its food delivery business to Zomato. The deal also included UberEats picking up a 10% stake in Zomato. Apart from India, Uber also exited at least eight food delivery markets in the past few quarters as the company looks to turn profitable by end of FY21, according to its SEC filings.


In the first quarter of the current financial year (Q1 2020), Uber's overall revenue rose 14% year-on-year to $3.54 billion. The company's net loss widened to $2.9 billion in the reporting quarter, a 163% increase from the $1.1 billion loss reported in the first quarter of 2019.
Uber's India rival, Ola, also trimmed around 1,400 jobs in May after the coronavirus pandemic severely hit travel and mobility businesses. Apart from ride-hailing firms, vehicle rental startups including Bounce, VOGO, Yulu, Zoomcar, and others have also faced a severe dip in ridership during the three-month lockdown.

Even as both Ola and Uber and urban mobility startups opened up their services in a staggered manner in May, most mobility firms are yet to return to the level of demand they had before the lockdown was introduced in March.



source: live mint

Indian alternative to TikTok app registers over 1 crore downloads

• The Bengaluru-based company claims its app downloads have already crossed the one-crore mark from 5 lakh last month
• Ghosh said Chingari is now scaling up its operations and plans to put in place a 100-member team for content moderation

After the ban of popular Chinese apps in India, homegrown brands are leaping into action and filling the massive void left behind by a few of the most downloaded apps on the market. One such app, Chingari, has been pitched as an alternative to TikTok. In just 22 days of its existence on Play Store, the app has managed to garner over 1 crore downloads on the Android app store. The app has been reviewed by over 93K users on Play Store and current rating stands at 4.1.

The Bengaluru-based company claims its app downloads have already crossed the one-crore mark from 5 lakh last month.


"We have been witnessing massive growth three weeks prior, which has accelerated further after the government's ban (of 59 Chinese apps). We already have over 1.1 crore downloads and 70 lakh users everyday on our platform," Chingari's co-founder and Chief of Product Sumit Ghosh told PTI.

Ghosh said Chingari is now scaling up its operations and plans to put in place a 100-member team for content moderation in the next six months.

"We have a nimble team right now, about 20 people. But given the growth that we are registering, we will be investing aggressively and scaling up operations," he added.

Recently, a French security researcher by the name Robert Baptiste claimed that the company behind the app Chingari, Globussoft was compromised. According to the researcher, the site had a malware. To this Ghosh responded that the flaw will be fixed soon.


source - live mint

QuoteEach Good Morning, we are born again. What we do today is what matters most

Quote"Opportunities don't happen. You create them."

"The road to success and the road to failure are almost exactly the same."

Flipkart will now let you book domestic and international flight tickets

E-commerce platform Flipkart will now let users book flight tickets through its platform

Users can book both international and domestic flight tickets using Flipkart.

The company is also offering discounts and offers for first-time users

E-commerce platform Flipkart will now let users book flight tickets through its platform. Users can book both international and domestic flight tickets using Flipkart. The company is also offering discounts Just below the booking platform, Flipkart provides links to state-wise advisory for passengers, guidelines for safe travel, and safety measures against COVID-19 during travel, users can read all the travel advisories before booking a flight ticket.

The company is also providing various offers to the buyers which includes buying the ticket on EMI, this would let users pay only 10 percent of the amount and pay the remaining account through EMI. Users can also use Flipkart SuperCoins to avail discounts while flight booking. Flipkart has shared a couple of coupons, which buyers can use while booking a ticket online. The company will provide a flat 10 percent discount for first-time users if you use the code FKNEW10. For domestic flights, it would provide discounts up to Rs 2500 using code FKDOM. For round trip bookings, Flipkart is offering a flat discount of Rs 600 if you use coupon RNDTRP. There is also an additional discount of Rs 750 for all flight bookings, you have to use the code FLYTWO.

offers for first-time users, which would make Flipkart a better and cheaper alternative for flight bookings.

You van either download Flipkart travel app or visit the website www.flipkart.com/travel/flights. The interface is quite simple and easy to use, once you have reached the site, enter the "From" city and "To city" and select the class and dates. Users can select different times and prices of the flights as per their needs.

Flipkart claims that the tickets are affordable and cheaper on their websites as compared to other travel websites. "You can do your flight ticket booking on Flipkart at surprisingly affordable prices. You can get your tickets for domestic flights and international flights at prices that are amazingly cheap and pocket-friendly. Hence, you won't have to worry about not being able to visit your desired destination due to financial reasons. Also, you won't have to call anyone and take help to go ahead with the ticket booking process. The site has an easy-to-use interface. So you can navigate your way through it, and by the time you are done with your booking, you will move a day closer to your travel date. You can open the site and check the plane ticket prices for the domestic or international destinations that you want to visit," the description on the site reads.


source - india today

"If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary."

QuoteNetwork marketing is the fastest growing business model in the world today

API startup "Postman" raise new funds at $2 billion


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Software as a Service (SaaS) company Postman is in advanced talks with New York-based investment fund Insight Partners to raise around $150 million at a valuation of $2 billion, two people in the know of the deal details said.

Postman is a collaboration platform for managing, developing and testing application programme interfaces (APIs). APIs are a set of tools for building applications used by software developers.

Postman, among the buzziest Indian SaaS companies, was valued at $350 million just a year ago, and if the deal goes through it will be one of the biggest jumps in valuation for an Indian startup, catapulting the company into the growing Indian SaaS unicorn club comprising Freshworks, Druva and Icertis.

"The company is in final talks to close new financing which is going to take its valuation to $2 billion, that is a massive bump up from its previous round..," said a person in the know on condition of anonymity as the talks are private.

Postman and Insight Partners did not respond to ET's detailed query till press time on Friday.

The company previously picked up $50 million in its Series B funding round, led by San Francisco-based venture capital investor Charles River Ventures in June 2019.

Venture capital fund Nexus Venture Partners cut Postman's first institutional cheque of $1 million and then followed it up with a $7 million Series A investment.

The Bengaluru and San Francisco-based firm counts Microsoft, Twitter, PayPal and DocuSign as customers and said it had crossed the 10 million user milestone in February this year, adding over 3 million developers on its platform in less than a year. The company claims it has users from across 500,000 organisations as customers.

Insight Partners, which boasts of $30 billion in capital commitments, has previously backed Indian firms like BharatPe, a QR code-based payments startup and Chargebee, a subscription billing platform.

An investor in microblogging platform Twitter and e-commerce software firm Shopify, among a string of other enterprise software companies, Insight raised a $9.5 billion fund in April, its largest growth equity corpus to back startups in the consumer and enterprise segment.

The fund ploughs anywhere between $10 million and $350 million across stages.

"With a focus on the enterprise software sector, for Insight the investment in Postman fits in well with its overall theme...," said another person aware of the development.

Postman was founded in 2014 by Abhinav Asthana and Ankit Sobti after the duo realised it was extremely difficult to keep track of API updates. Back then, they made the product available to users as a plugin on the Google Chrome Web Store, but quickly moved to found Postman and started selling the service.

Insight's talks for an investment in Postman come at a time when Indian SaaS firms are improving their standing as value creators, with a growing number of large funds like Tiger Global backing several firms in this space.

According to SaaSBOOMi, which is a community for SaaS companies in India, India's SaaS industry clocked $1.5 billion in revenues in 2019, and is expected to grow to $10 billion by 2025. In that time, India is expected to grow from controlling a 2.6% share of the global SaaS market to 8%.

Other fast-growing Indian SaaS firms with sizeable valuations include CleverTap, which raised $35 million led by Sequoia Capital in October last year; SirionLabs, which raised $44 million led by Tiger Global and Avatar Growth Capital in May this year, and MindTickle, which raised $40 million led by Norwest Venture Partners in July last year.

source - tech economic times

IT professionals may move away from Bengaluru

Young technology professionals in India's IT hub – Bengaluru – may scout for homes away from its preferred tech suburbs as they become cheaper to own or rent following a realignment in the hitherto-seen office culture.

As software companies push their work-from-home model beyond the immediate response to the Covid-19 pandemic, when it had become imperative, techies may choose to move into less congested areas, encouraged by expanding metro connectivity, and away the city's technology hubs such as Mahadevapura, Whitefield, Electronic City, Bellandur and Sarjapura.

Apartments and plots have commanded a premium in these areas precisely because they have been the first choice for developers planning new residential projects.

Developers will respond with new strategies after waiting for a few more months to see whether the work-from-home culture will catch up and spread among technology companies, sources in the real estate sector said. In the weeks following the lockdown, Bengaluru's IT services industry began shifting from campuses to homes, with about 85% of its workforce working from home currently, even as industry leaders said it would significantly alter the way services are delivered.

India's largest IT employer TCS has already indicated that three-fourths of its nearly 5,00,000 employees will work remotely by 2025.

Bengaluru makes up for the largest share of India's export in software services.

This approach of software firms, which has already met with some degree of success, may eventually lead to some equitable development of the city, experts said, as people move into the periphery seeking better standards of living and lower costs.

"The stretch between Central Silk Board to KR Puram in Bengaluru may look deserted if work-from-home picks up and succeeds as a serious work culture," said V Madhu, who headed the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation, and years later, a private budget housing firm. "The plots of land on either side of this road has been one of the favourite picks for developers."

Kishore Jain, the Bengaluru president of real estate developer body Credai, said people would move into less congested areas only if the government moves to improve infrastructure there. For instance, on Kanakapura Road in the south of Bengaluru, the metro rail network is reaching beyond the city limits, and this type of transit-oriented development would benefit a large number of people, driving real estate investments as well, he added.

According to Madhu, who also headed Karnataka's infrastructure development department for some time, the government should make haste in encouraging development of socioeconomic infrastructure like schools, supermarkets and malls within 6-10 km radius of metro terminals like Challaghatta, Gottigere and Bommasandra.

"The government should revisit its development plan for Bengaluru, align it with changing urban dynamics and encourage private players to participate in creating necessary infrastructure in areas around metro terminals," he said.


source - tech economic times

QuoteThe best preparation for tomorrow is doing for best today

Over 3,000 Indian restaurants in UK set to close due to Covid - 19

Going for an Indian' on a Friday night has become a part of British culture over the decades, but senior figures in the Indian restaurant industry believe the coronavirus pandemic is dealing a body blow to thousands of outlets that were already struggling.

Of the nearly 9,000 Indian restaurants across the UK, over 3,000 are expected to close, leading to job losses in the tens of thousands in the £4 billion-industry. Many have switched to takeaway service, but its financials are nowhere near that of a packed open restaurant.

"Delivery companies were already putting restaurants out of business. This pandemic has driven a stake in our hearts. How can you sustain a business if only 20 or 30 people are allowed in a restaurant", wonders London-based celebrity chef Cyrus Todiwala.

"People are scared to go to restaurants. We are all worried about the future of the industry, no one knows how the future will shape, with major fall in tourists, people working from home and government loans offering only marginal relief", he added.

Running several outlets across London, Todiwala is among many who have switched to takeaway services, including another celebrity chef, Manoj Vasaikar, of Indian Zing, and central London restaurants such as Dishoom, Masala Zone and Gymkhana.

Vasaikar said: "Restaurants that cater to mainly neighbourhood clients are doing well with takeaway due to brand loyalty built over the years, but the revenue is still 40% to 50% down. Rents are very high in some London areas, so restaurants there are suffering."

"More than 3,000 restaurants will close due to the pandemic. Offices are closed, so there is no income from that important stream. The Conservative government has helped with loans, but the logistics of staffing, delivery and takeaway is a headache", he added.

According to senior chef Sunil Kumar, if restaurants were doing business worth £10,000 a day before the lockdown, it is now barely £1,000, serviced by a single chef instead of previous five or more. There is not much revenue in takeaways, he added.

An assessment by the Aston Business School suggests that thousands of the UK's 'curry houses' could struggle to reopen after lockdown is lifted, and to survive, the remaining ones will need to raise prices to a realistic level to offset the fall in revenues from less crowded restaurants.

Monder Ram, professor in the Aston Business School, said: "The sector's facing so many challenges...Supermarkets are one of the most prolific sellers of curries and large chains of pubs and restaurants are also entering this market, (and) these problems of competition and newcomers have been accentuated by Covid-19."

"A group of friends going out for a lively evening of entertainment finished off with a curry is part and parcel of the British way of life. If you take that away you're taking away the very essence of what going out for a curry means," he added.

The industry is faced with pandemic-related challenges when the influential Migration Advisory Committee in June 2019 recommended easing of norms to recruit professionals and chefs from outside the EU. Stake-holders believe the Friday night experience may no long be the same across city centres and towns across the UK.



source - Hindustan times

QuoteDon't complain about things, you are not willing to change

Why My Kids Diary ?

For more details, please visit the website www.mykidsdiary.in and register your kids name

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QuoteThe biggest mistake, a small business can make is to think like a small business

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Google Maps makes it easier to share your location



Google introduced Plus Codes in Maps back in 2015 in a bid to make it easier for people to find places that don't have a physical address or are simply difficult to find. Now, the company is making it easier for the Android users to share their location using Maps' Plus Codes.

To give you a brief about the feature, Plus Codes are simple and easy to use digital addresses that have been derived from the latitude and longitude of a users' location. These codes can be used to uniquely identify any location. They work in places that haven't been mapped and they don't use country codes to identify an individual's location.

The company launched this feature in India back in 2018 to enable Maps' users to share addresses. Now, the company is bringing an update to Google Maps that makes using this feature a tad bit easier.

How to find and share your Plus Code:

Step 1: Open Google Maps App.

Step 2: Find your exact location.

Step 3: Tap on the blue dot that highlights your location.

Step 4: Now you will see the Plus Code representing your location on top of the screen.

Step 5: Use Share your Location option to share your plus code.






source - Hindustan times

QuoteMaturing is realizing how many things don't require your comment

Govt offering up to 4 lakhs to find bugs in Aarogya Setu

The government made its Covid-19 contact tracing app open source. Along with it a bug bounty programme for Aarogya Setu was also announced. Anyone who reports a vulnerability in the app will be rewarded up to ₹4 lakhs.

The bug bounty programme is open to anyone with knowledge of the same, and who can report any vulnerability in the app. Interested users can send an email to bugbounty@nic.in with the subject line "Security Vulnerability Report". Users can also suggest improvements to the source code of Aarogya Setu by sending an email with the subject line "Code Improvement".

For reports that are approved, the user or researcher will be notified about it. Researchers who discover any vulnerability are not allowed to publicly disclose it before it has been resolved. Also, this bug bounty programme is not eligible for employees from the Aarogya Setu team, the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and Ministry of Electronics and IT (MeitY).

Researchers will be awarded ₹3 lakhs for finding and reporting security vulnerabilities in Aarogya Setu. ₹1 lakh per vulnerability will be given. As for suggesting improvements in the source code, up to ₹1 lakh will be awarded to the researchers.

The bug bounty programme started on May 27 and it will continue till June 26. So all those who are interested will have to submit their reports within this period.

source - hindustan times

TRAI recommends using 11-digit long mobile numbers in India


The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) on Friday released its recommendations on "Ensuring Adequate Numbering Resources for Fixed Line and Mobile Services". As a part of that, the regulatory body has recommended using 11-digit long mobile numbers in the country.

According to TRAI, replacing 10-digit mobile numbers with 11-digit ones will lead to the availability of more numbers in the country. "Switching from 10 to 11 digits with the first digit for mobile number as '9' would give a total capacity of 10 billion numbers. With the current policy of allotment after 70% utilisation, this would suffice till India has 7 billion connections," TRAI wrote in its recommendations.

Apart from this, the regulatory body also recommended using '0' as a prefix in front of mobile numbers while calling from a fixed line connection. At present, inter-service area mobile calls from a fixed line connection can be accessed by a dialing '0 in the prefix'. However, mobile phones can be accessed from a fixed line phone without using '0' in the prefix. This, as TRAI explains, puts a "limitation that any digit which has been used as a first digit for a fixed network (for local calls) cannot be used for mobile numbers".

"By making it mandatory to access mobile numbers in a service area from a fixed network by dialing prefix '0', all the free sub-levels in levels '2', '3', '4', and '6', can also be used for mobile numbers," TRAI wrote in its recommendations.

Additionally, TRAI recommended shifting mobile numbers used for dongles from 10 digits to 13 digits.

Besides this, TRAI recommended that a new National Numbering Plan (NNP) should be issued at the earliest. "Consolidated list of short codes should be issued at the earliest," TRAI wrote in the document adding that "the consolidated list of short codes should be updated every year incorporating all withdrawals and new allocations."


source - hindustan times

QuoteA simple HELLO, could LEAD to a million things...

Using pirated MS Office and Adobe Photoshop? Firm asked to pay Rs 30 lakh damages


The Delhi High Court has awarded Rs 30 lakh damages to Microsoft Corporation, Adobe Systems and Quest Software while restraining a company based in the national capital from using or distributing their pirated and unlicensed software.

Justice V Kameswar Rao said in the absence of any defence of the Nehru Place's firm and the magnitude of the violation carried out by the defendants, the three companies are entitled for damages and Rs 30 lakh be equally shared by them.

The high court's order came on a suit filed by Microsoft Corporation, Adobe Systems and Quest Software against a firm named 'Chetu' which provided IT services and solutions to its clients, and related parties, after they came to know that the company was using their unlicensed/pirated software programs on its computers.

The high court restrained  the defendants, their principal officers, directors, agents, franchisees, servants, and all others acting for and on their behalf are restrained from directly or indirectly using for any kind of computer related activities or otherwise, pirated/counterfeit/unlicensed softwares of the Plaintiffs.

The lawsuit said to determine the sphere of activities of the defendants, they hired an independent investigator to carry out an investigation into their activities.

During the investigation, it was found that there are around 300 computer systems at Chetu, which are operating upon software programs such as Microsoft Office and there was no installation of Open Office on any of the computer systems.

It was further revealed that 40 to 50 employees at the firm were working on software programs such as Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Flash, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe CS3 and Adobe Reader.

The defendant firm claimed in the court that it was a fully licensed Microsoft certified old partner since 2003 and its use of Microsoft products is governed by the terms of the Microsoft Partner Network Agreement.

However, when the plaintiffs (Microsoft, Adobe and Quest) conducted a license check within their database, it revealed that there were no substantial licences purchased in the name of the defendant or its related parties.



source - deccan chronicle

TikTok rating improves in Google Play

TikTok rating on Google Play Store has fairly improved to 2.9 stars as more negative reviews have been taken down. The app's reviews have now been reduced to 20 million on Google Play.

TikTok received heavy backlash from people in India with trends to delete the app running on social media for a few days. This led to many people posting negative reviews of TikTok on Google Play and giving it the lowest possible 1-star rating. The trend may have died down but it's taking some time for TikTok's rating to come up.

Google is however helping the ByteDance-owned app by deleting millions of reviews within a span of 24 hours in some cases. A Google spokesperson confirmed to TechCrunch that it removed millions of negative TikTok reviews "as a corrective action to curb spam abuse".

Google displays app ratings based on user reviews on its Play Store. Apple also allows app ratings on the App Store but the damage isn't so bad there. TikTok has so far received 1.2 million ratings on the App Store and it's currently at 3.4 stars. TikTok is also the number one entertainment app on iOS.

TikTok receives its highest number of downloads in India. The app has so far garnered 611 million lifetime downloads from India and this accounts for 30.3% of the app's total downloads, according to data from Sensor Tower. TikTok continued to be the most downloaded non-game app globally but it was beaten by Zoom last month.

source - Hindustan times

Google to start reopening offices starting July 6


Alphabet Inc's Google said on Tuesday it would reopen buildings in more cities at roughly 10% of their capacity beginning July 6 and scale it up to 30% in September, if conditions permit.

Google and its peer Facebook Inc had allowed their employees to work from home in early March following tough government-mandated restrictions to contain the coronavirus.

Google said on Tuesday it would give each employee an allowance of $1,000, or the equivalent value in their country, to expense necessary equipment and office furniture, as it expects most of them to largely work from home for the remainder of the year.

There are a limited number of employees whose roles are needed back in the office this year and they would return on a limited, rotating basis, Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai said in a blog post.

source - Hindustan times

QuoteHandle your BUSINESS without people knowing your BUSINESS

QuoteIf Opportunity doesn't KNOCK, build a DOOR

A security researcher alerted Thailands national computer emergency response team, known as ThaiCERT, after he found a database exposing over eight billion Internet records on millions of Thai internet users.

Although it is not clear who owns the database, the researcher, Justin Paine, believes that a subsidiary of a major Thailand-based mobile network operator named Advanced Info Service (AIS), likely controlled the database.

The database, containing DNS queries and Netflow data, was lying on the internet without a password.

"Using this data it is quite simple to paint a picture of what a person does on the Internet," Paine wrote in a blog post on Monday.

According to a report in TechCrunch, Paine alerted AIS to the open database on May 13. After not getting any response for a week, Paine reported the matter to ThaiCERT on May 21. The database was secured on May 22.

"Based on data available in BinaryEdge this database was first observed as exposed and publicly accessible on May 1, 2020. I discovered this database roughly 6 days later on May 7, 2020," Paine wrote in the blog.

Although DNS queries do not carry sensitive information like passwords and private messages, they can give away which websites and apps a user uses.


source - Hindustan times

In 2020's first quarter, TikTok and Douyin generated 315 million downloads globally, up from 187 million a year earlier, said Sensor Tower, noting the positive influence of Covid-19 on the video-sharing apps' popularity.

ByteDance Ltd.'s millennial sensation TikTok and its Chinese twin app Douyin ranked top in the world among mobile apps for April revenue, according to Sensor Tower data that excludes games and advertising.

Focusing narrowly on in-app purchases, TikTok and Douyin's numbers for the month showed a tenfold increase to $78 million, propelling them ahead of more established names like YouTube, Tinder and Netflix, which rely more on existing subscriptions.

The Chinese market, served by Douyin, contributed 86.6% of the app income, followed by the U.S. with 8.2%. In either version of the video-streaming app filled with dance videos and memes, users can purchase virtual currency to spend on supporting their favorite creators.
Like many social media platforms, ByteDance is testing the waters of online commerce, even while it continues to rely on advertising as its main source of income. Emarketer expects that more than 75 million US social-network users aged 14 and older will make at least one purchase from a social channel in 2020, up 17.3% from 2019.

(By Zheping Huang)

source - Hindustan times

Hackers have had access to an unreleased iOS 14 version for months

An early version of Apple's upcoming iOS 14 has reportedly been around for months now since February. iOS 14 has been leaking in parts but this one is a pre-release version and security researchers, hackers and bloggers have had access to it, according to a report by Motherboard.

The report says that this iOS 14 leak is the entire version of Apple's new operating system which will release later around September. It's quite surprising that the full build of an unreleased iOS version is out and that too almost eight months before it's release. Apple hasn't even released the public beta of iOS 14.

This iOS 14 version leaked when someone got their hands on an iPhone 11 running an iOS 14 version dated December 2019. This was supposed to be used only by Apple developers but it got out. There's more to the story. It was later sold by vendors in China for thousands of dollars and the internal build of iOS 14 was extracted and distributed to the iPhone jailbreaking and hacking community.

Hackers have been distributing this iOS leak to security researchers. 9to5Mac also has a copy of the leak through which it has been revealing some features of iOS 14.

The final iOS 14 will have some differences from this early version when it launches. But it's noteworthy that for the first time an unreleased iOS version has been leaked and is continuing to spread among more people.

source - Hindustan times

BSNL extends Work @ Home plan until June 20

State operated Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited has extended the validity of its Work@Home plan until June 20.

The announcement regarding the extension of the work from home plan was made by the company's Chennai team via a circular. As a part of the plan, BSNL is offering 5GB of internet data per day to all its existing landline users at a download speed of up to 10Mbps. Once the 5GB limit is exhausted, the download speed will get reduced to 1Mbps.

Apart from the data benefits, the Work@Home plan also offers 1GB of email ID space and unlimited downloads and uploads to its users. This plan is available for free to all landline users and it is available to customers across the country except for the users in Andaman and Nicobar islands.

It is worth mentioning that BSNL had first introduced this plan back in March this year right around the time the lockdown in light of the Covid-19 outbreak was first announced. At the time, the company had announced that the plan would be available until April 19. Later in April, the company extended the validity of the plan to May 19. Now, the company has again extended the validity of the plan for one month.'


source - Hindustan times

QuoteYour most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning

Tata Sky Broadband has revised its offerings across India and has introduced a new high-speed 300 Mbps plan that is going to be available in selected areas. The company has also hiked the prices for its existing unlimited plans by ₹ 50.

Tata Sky Broadband's fixed plans have also been revamped with the company reducing its offerings to four tiers. The company has continued to tease its upcoming landline services with the 'coming soon' tag.

The new 300 Mbps plan is priced at ₹ 1,900 per month. While all of Tata Sky Broadband's current unlimited plans come with a fair usage policy (FUP) of 1,500GB, the new 300 Mbps plan comes with a FUP limit of 3,300GB or 3.3TB.

The company has mentioned that the speeds on unlimited plans will reduce to 2 Mbps once users reach the FUP limit.

Users subscribing to a six-month or annual pack will receive a 10% and a 15% discount respectively. This makes the 6-month plan for the 300 Mbps package come for ₹ 9,720 and the annual one for ₹ 18,360 after discount.

Tata Sky Broadband provides a free router for all plans and free installation for users who have signed up for at least a three-month pack. The existing plans of Tata Sky including the 25 Mbps, 50 Mbps and 100 Mbps - which are now priced at ₹ 950, ₹ 1,050 and ₹ 1,150 respectively.

Users subscribing to the six month pack of the base 25 Mbps plan pay ₹ 4,860 while the annual pack users pay ₹ 9,180. Similarly, users who subscribe to the six-month 50 Mbps plan will be paying ₹ 5,400 while the annual pack is worth ₹ 10,200.

Further, the six-month 100 Mbps plan has been priced at ₹ 5,940 while the annual pack of the 100 Mbps plan is priced at ₹ 11,220.

Tata Sky Broadband's fixed plans have been reduced to four tiers including two 50 Mpbs plans and two 100 Mpbs plans.

The base 50 Mpbs plans are priced at ₹ 790 per month with a data limit of 150GB and the top-tier plan is priced at ₹ 1,000 with a 500GB data limit. The company offers a Data Rollover option on all its Fixed GB plans.

The base 100 Mbps plan has been priced at ₹ 950 per month with a data limit of 250 GB and the top-tiered 100 Mbps plan is priced at ₹ 1,050 per month with a data limit of 500 GB.

Like is the case with unlimited plans, Tata Sky Broadband offers 10% and 15% discount on Fixed GB plans along with the free installation on three months, six months and annual plans.


source: hindustan times

QuoteLessons in Business life will be repeated, until they are learned

QuoteAlways deliver more than expected

QuoteChase the vision, not the money. The money will end up following you

List of 100 Passenger Trains run from June 1

Kushinagar Express

Konarka Express

Darbhanga Express

Kamayani Express

Mahanagri Express

Udyan Express

Bhopal Express

Lucknow Mail

Sanghmitra Express

Padatik Express

Shramjevi Express

Sampoorn Kranti Express

Prayagraj Express

Gomti Express

Karambhumi Express

Shram Shakti Express

Samprak Kranti Express (Jodhpur to Delhi Sarai Rohila)

Suryanagri Express

Pushpak Express

Gorakhdham Express

Shivganga Express

Mangla Express

Champaran Satyagraha Express

Karnataka Samprak Kranti Express

Husain Sagar Express

Falaknuma Express

Sachkhand Express

Telangana Express

Purushottam Express

Howrah-Mumbai Mail

GoldenTemple Mail

Ashram Express

Paschim Express

Karnavati Express

Mewar Express

Mahananda Express

Netravati Express

AP Express

Mahamana Express

Golconda Express

Rayalseema Express

Sabarmati Express (Ahmedabad to Darbhanga)

Sabarmati Express (Ahmedabad to Varanasi)

Tapti Ganga Express

Vaishali Express

Poorva Express (Howrah to New Delhi via Patna)

Poorva Express (Howrah to New Delhi via Gaya)

SaptKranti Express

Satyagraha Express

Suhaildev Express

Shaheed Express

Saryu Yamuna Express

Brahmputra Mail

Azimabad Express

Godavari Express

Duronto Express (Howrah to Yashwantpur)

Duronto Express (Sealdah to Puri)

Duronto Express (Shalimar to Patna)

Duronto Express (Ernakulam to Nizammudin)

DurontoExpress (Secunderabad to Nizammudin)

JanShatabdi Express (Howrah to Bhubaneshwar)

JanShatabdi Express (Howrah to Patna)

JanShatabdi Express (Patna to Ranchi)

JanShatabdi Express (Dehradun to Kaathgodam)

JanShatabdi Express (Guwahati to Jorhat)

JanShatabdi Express (Haridwar to Amritsar)

JanShatabdi Express (New Delhi to Dehradun)

JanShatabdi Express (New Delhi to Una-Himachal)

JanShatabdi Express (Ajmer to Delhi SR)

JanShatabdi Express (Howrah to Barbil

Avadh Express (Bandra to Gorakhpur)

Avadh Express (Bandra to Muzaffarpur)

Bihar Sampark Kranti

Gujarat Sampark Kranti

Goa Express.

Online booking on IRCTC for 200 trains to begin at 10 am today


The Railways will today commence bookings for the second lot of trains announced on Wednesday. The booking will start at 10 am.

Only online e-ticketing will be done through IRCTC website or through Mobile App, and no tickets will be booked across the reservation counter on any railway station, the Railways said.

The ARP (advance reservation period) shall be maximum 30 days and RAC and wait list will be generated as per extant rules, it said. Those with waiting list tickets will not be permitted to board the train, the Railways added.

No unreserved (UTS) tickets will be issued and no tickets will be issued on board to any passenger during the journey, it said, adding no tatkal (instant) and premium tatkal booking shall be permitted.

The Railways had on Wednesday issued a list of 100 pairs of trains that it will operate from June 1, putting in operation popular trains such as Durontos, Sampark Krantis, Jan Shatabdis and Poorva Express.

It said that these will have both air conditioned (AC) and non-air conditioned classes and fully reserved coaches.

These special trains will run on the pattern of regular trains, covering tier 2 cities and also major state capitals like Mumbai and Kolkata, the Railways said.

Fare shall be as normal, it said. But second seating(2S) fare shall be charged for General (GS) coaches being reserved. Seats will be provided to all passengers, it added.

Just like the 15 pairs of special trains being run on the Rajdhani routes, on these trains too face cover/mask and Aarogya Setu app will be compulsory and passengers have to reach the station 90 minutes before the scheduled departure of train.

Only asymptomatic passengers would be allowed to travel and those found symptomatic will get full refund, railways said.

All quotas in these trains have been restored and concessions will be given to only four categories of Divyangjan and 11 categories of patients.Passengers have also been asked to carry their own linen and only packed food items will be available in the panty cars on payment basis, the Railways said.
 
These special services shall be in addition to the existing Shramik special trains being run since May 1 and Special AC trains being run since May 12.

courtesy: hindustan times

QuoteWho you are tomorrow, begin with what you do today

QuoteFocus on being productive, instead of busy

Zoho launches small business CRM system called Bigin


Zoho has launched Bigin, a CRM system that is designed for small and micro businesses, that aims for simplicity and easy customer tracking.

Bigin, which costs $7 per user per month billed annually, sits outside of Zoho One, an application buffet that includes Zoho CRM. Bigin aims to be a starter CRM system that would feed into Zoho CRM upgrades.

The timing for Zoho's launch is notable given that small businesses have been crushed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Many small businesses have struggled to stand up digital operations amid stay-at-home orders and are quickly building out tech stacks--especially if companies were solely physical.


https://www.zoho.com/bigin/


source - zdnet

Facebook survey shows 31% of small businesses stopped operating

One-third of U.S. small businesses have stopped operating, while another 11% expect to fail in the next three months if Covid-19 conditions persist, according to an April survey.

"The numbers are devastating," said Sheryl Sandberg, the chief operating officer of Facebook Inc., which helped conduct the survey of 86,000 business owners and employees, in partnership with the Small Business Roundtable.

Most of the closed businesses don't know how they will find the money to reopen, and don't expect to rehire employees that they had to cut. "That's because they think they can't -- it's not that they don't want to," Sandberg said in an interview. In normal times, small businesses account for two-thirds of U.S. job growth, she said.

Facebook and the Small Business Roundtable planned to do the monthly survey before coronavirus hit, expecting it to paint a much brighter picture of their impact on the economy. The vast majority of Facebook's advertisers are small businesses, using Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp to communicate with their customers.

Now, those companies are increasingly relying on the internet. More than one-third of the businesses surveyed say their sales have moved completely online. Facebook has raced to build new tools for them, such as digital gift cards and food delivery buttons, so that they can recover more quickly.

Businesses that are still operating have had to become creative about their strategy, as well. Restaurants are selling to-go cocktails, grocery stores are building plastic shields to protect their workers at the checkout counter, and hair stylists are providing home cutting tips over video chat. Of the businesses that are closed, 19% are still paying at least partial wages to employees who can't work.

Smaller Classes

Sam Lee, who operates a ceramic studio and store in San Francisco, has been renting out pottery wheels to members, and picking up their creations curbside. Her decision has helped the business stay afloat. Meanwhile, in her studio, Dusted and Blue in San Francisco, she's been moving wheel stations six feet apart, preparing for the time she's allowed to operate.

Lee also worries people will lose out on some of the conversation and community the studio was meant to foster. "We'll likely have to do smaller classes," she said. "We're still waiting to hear what we'll have to do. What are the regulations going to be? How long is it going to last?"

Hospitality and event-based businesses may take longer to recover. Veronyca Kwan, co-founder of Bella Belle Shoes, said her wedding shoe business saw sales drop 75% in April.

"If weddings are not happening, people are not going to buy bridal shoes," she said. Without pop-up sales events and wedding showcases, which drive a lot of the interest in the brand, Kwan has turned to Instagram and tried to improve the company's placement on search engines.

The survey shows the majority of small business owners and employees are still optimistic about the future. Bella Belle was approved for a small business loan from the government, and said declines in May weren't as sharp as feared. "It's a rollercoaster," she said.

Meanwhile, 29% of workers and owners of small businesses were concerned about bringing the coronavirus home, as the vast majority of small business employees don't have access to paid sick leave or paid time off. Among hotel, cafe and restaurant employees, more than 90% lack paid leave.

The struggle has been especially acute for women, who still shoulder the majority of the household work in addition to their businesses, and have had to stop working at a higher rate than men in order to balance it.

"If we don't have equality in the household we're not going to have equality in the workforce," Sandberg said. "Crises exacerbate trends."


courtesy: tech hindustan times

Ola resumes service in over 160 cities in India


Ola is giving drivers and customers an option of cancelling the ride if anyone of them is seen not wearing the mask.

Ola/Uber cabs will abide by the enhanced safety protocols applicable with every trip as per the state governments guidelines.

Ride hailing service Ola on Monday said it has resumed normal ride operations in more than 160 cities with enhanced safety protocols applicable with every trip as per the state governments guidelines.

The company said that driver-partners operating three and four-wheelers on the platform will be available to serve mobility needs on Ola app, with highest levels of safety precautions in Covid-19 sensitive states like Karnataka, Telangana, Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu (except Chennai), Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Assam.

The safety protocols include "compulsory mask usage for driver-partners and passengers, complete sanitization of cars post-trips, adhering to social distancing norms by limiting to two passengers per ride amongst other key steps through our '10 Steps to a Safer Ride' initiative," a company spokesperson said in a statement.

Ola vehicles will not operate to and from government identified red or containment zones.

"All driver-partners are required to wear masks and need to authenticate this before the start of every ride by sharing a selfie through their partner app," said Ola.

Ola is giving drivers and customers an option of cancelling the ride if anyone of them is seen not wearing the mask.

To avoid re-circulation of air, the AC will be switched off and windows will be kept open during all rides.

Meanwhile, Uber India said it has resumed ride services in 34 cities.

The company said that riders will constantly be notified with further information and the status of specific cities through its app.





courtesy: hindustan times auto

Quote"If you don't drive your business, you will be driven out of business"

Good techy solutions to save the files during upload and download..
is the same process on every cloud solutions ? or only google drive..

[smg id=16038]

Wonderful share Sudhakar..

video is amazing.....

1 man
1 instrument
1 river
60 Days

Built amazing cave and swimming pool
Best creator
Best thinker
Best hard worker

Ultimate is the way he took swim and take rest with crossed legs
Shown his efforts and restless works
Hard work pays
6 months of pain turned 10 crores gains

QuoteWake up with Determination, Go to bed with Satisfaction

Facebook buys GIF company Giphy

Facebook has announced its acquisition of GIF platform Giphy and according to Axios, the deal is valued roughly at $400 million. GIPHY, a leader in visual expression and creation, is joining the Facebook company today as part of the Instagram team, Facebook announced in a post today.

Facebook has further said that they are planning to integrate Giphy into Instagram and other apps, "so that people can find just the right way to express themselves".

"By bringing Instagram and Giphy together, we can make it easier for people to find the perfect GIFs and stickers in Stories and Direct," the company explained.

Giphy already is integrated on other social media platforms like Twitter, currently it is unclear if Facebook is going to end those relationships and keep Giphy restricted to its own apps.

Facebook has been using Giphy's application program interface for a while now through Facebook app, Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp and first tried to acquire the company in 2015.

"In fact, 50% of Giphy's traffic comes from the Facebook family of apps, half of that from Instagram alone," Facebook said.

"Giphy will continue to operate its library (including its global content collection), and we're looking forward to investing further in its technology and relationships with content and API partners. People will still be able to upload GIFs; developers and API partners will continue to have the same access to Giphy's APIs; and Giphy's creative community will still be able to create great content," Facebook added.




source - Hindustan times

WhatsApp beta on Android starts rolling out Messenger Rooms

Facebook earlier today announced the global roll out of Messenger Rooms. WhatsApp has now started rolling out Messenger Rooms shortcut for its Android beta app in select countries.

This seems to be a gradual roll out and WhatsApp beta users in the US have started receiving it, according to WABetaInfo. The feature is available on WhatsApp beta 2.20.139. Facebook while announcing the launch of Messenger Rooms also confirmed its shortcut arriving on WhatsApp and Instagram as well.

This shortcut opens up to Messenger Rooms which is Facebook's new video conferencing feature. Although a Messenger feature, users who don't have a Facebook account can also join a call through an invite.

On WhatsApp, the Messenger Rooms shortcut will be visible on the attach file section. If it's available you'll see a new 'Room' icon replacing the previous camera icon. This shortcut is also visible in the calls tab and group chats. In addition to the voice/video call icon, you'll see a new Messenger Rooms icon above it. Also, when you tap the call icon to make group calls there will be an option to "create a room".

This is not to be confused with WhatsApp's in-app group video calls. WhatsApp recently increased the group call limit from four to eight people. Messenger Rooms is a bigger platform with support for 50 people in one call. Like Houseparty, you can create rooms and invite people to join them. Anyone with the room link can join the call, and you can also lock the room.


courtesy: Hindustan times

LLR Online Form and Documents - Tamilnadu


Before applying for DL, one should get learner licence (LLR commonly called). One who completed 18 years, can apply for LLR through online in https://sarathi.parivahan.gov.in/sarathiservicecov9/newLLDet.do You can select your RTO/MVI office with the help of Pincode. You can apply for LLR either directly or through recognised driving schools.

Online portal is self-guided and fill up all information required. You have to upload all the necessary documents such as address proof, age proof and medical certificate if applicant age is more than 40 years etc.

You can make fees either by online or through nearest SBI branch by offline. Once payment done you can fix the appointment in online itself to take photographs at the RTO/MVI office to avoid unnecessary waiting time. At the end of the process, you will get barcode/QR code acknowledgement slip. Take print out of the acknowledgement slip and visit to the RTO/MVI office on the appointment day and time (you can reach just half an hour before the appointment time).

After scrutinizing your application by the Motor Vehicles Inspector, photographs will be taken and you can get LLR print out from portal. This LLR is valid for six months and you can apply for DL of your choice within one month of LLR issue date.

             If applicant failed in Learner Licence test, he/she can reappear for test on the next day onwards after paying necessary fees. If LLR is expired the applicant has to apply fresh.


Syllabus for LLR Test

              Traffic signs & signals, rules of the road regulations made.

              Duties of driver during involvement in accident.

              Precautions to be taken while passing un-manned railway crossing.

              The Documents he/she should carry with him while driving a vehicle.


Age Limit

             Any person who has completed 16 years of age may get a license for driving a Motor Cycle without Gear - Not exceeding 50 cc.(with parental consent ) Any person who has completed 18 years of age may get a license for driving a Motor Cycle with Gear and Light Motor Vehicle.Any person who has completed 20 years of age and passed 8 th standard with valid DL and one year driving experience, can apply for Heavy Motor Vehicle (HMV).


Educational qualification

             There is no minimum educational qualification for driving non transport vehicle such as Car, Motor cycle, Tractor etc.

             To obtain driving licence for transport vehicles (Goods vehicle, Bus, taxi etc), the applicant should have minimum educational qualification of pass in 8th standard.


Documents required

              Application in Form-2 generated through Online

              Age proof

              Address proof

              Medical Certificate in Form No.1-A. (in case of Transport vehicle and the age of the applicant is more than 40 years old)

              Application cum Declaration as to the Physical Fitness Form-1


Fees

              Fee for LLR for single class of vehicle Rs.230/-.

              Fee for LLR for double class of vehicle Rs.380/-.


source - https://tnsta.gov.in/vehicle_learnerlicence1.jsp

Zomato to lay off over 600 employees


a) Zomato is letting go of over 600 employees as their roles are redundant now.

b) Zomato will assist sacked employees find new jobs while they get financial support from the company.

c) Zomato is also introducing up to 50 per cent pay cuts for the remaining workforce.


Zomato has announced it will be laying off around 13 per cent of its workforce to absorb the impact of the covid-19 pandemic.

In a post, the company has announced it will initiate the process of identifying the redundant workforce, which is over 600 employees, but there will be compensations given to the impacted employees.

As remote working goes mainstream, Zomato is foreseeing it as the next venture for its business, which includes hyperlocal deliveries of groceries, in an attempt to become "a transaction first company."

A number of measures have been announced by the food delivery platform, including temporary pay cuts of employees of up to 50 per cent and a major shift to remote working.

Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal has said the company will assist the 13 per cent laid-off workforce -- which belongs to a little over 600 employees according to the news agency IANS -- in finding new jobs while supporting them "financially" and "emotionally" for six months.

The impacted employees will receive video calls from Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal, COO Gaurav Gupta, and CEO of food delivery business Mohit Gupta, to walk them through the next available steps for them. Zomato will offer severance of 50 per cent of their salaries for six months, in addition to health insurance and support to find other jobs immediately. Zomato has not specified if the sacked workforce belongs to the delivery business or other departments.

The latest round of layoffs comes as the second biggest firing of employees in the company, months after Zomato sacked around 540 employees in September last year, citing the proliferation of automation into the industry that left several roles redundant.

The remaining workforce at Zomato will be handed over pay cuts of up to 50 per cent, wherein the low-earning employees will get a minimum lowering of wages. Zomato has said some of its employees voluntarily took pay cuts earlier and those employees will "not be expected" to take the additional pay cuts. But these are temporary reductions in salaries of employees and should be done away within the next six months, per Goyal's post.

Goyal has written a blog post outlining the big changes slated for the company. While the company immediately switched to delivering groceries after the coronavirus pandemic forced restaurants to either shut or operate cautiously, it is seeking to turn into a company that will ramp up the number of transactions happening on the platform. "There’s no going back to the ‘normal’ all we should focus on is building for the ‘new normal’.

Considering what we know at this point, the idea is to make a complete shift towards being a transactions first company, focusing heavily on a small number of large market opportunities in the food value chain," he wrote.

Ever since Zomato entered the hyperlocal delivery business of groceries, it has expanded into 185 cities in India. Emerging as a potential threat to the more established companies in the same business -- BigBasket and Grofers -- Zomato sees a "long term potential in this segment." Goyal has also emphasised how contactless dining is becoming the "need of the hour" and that there are now around 25,000 restaurants globally complying with the norm.


courtesy: indiatoday

QuoteSet a goal that makes you want to jump out of bed in the morning

MakeMyTrip will now deliver food

MakeMyTrip will now deliver food from 5-star hotels – Roseate and JW Marriott.

MMT's announcement comes at a time when because of the coronavirus pandemic, travel and hotel aggregators are struggling as bookings come down to zero.

But it will now be struggling in a space that is currently dominated by Zomato and Swiggy


India's largest travel aggregator announced a major new business vertical today – MakeMyTrip will now deliver food from 5-star hotels.

MakeMyTrip (MMT) has jumped into food delivery – a business that continues to be hot even during the coronavirus lockdown. The company has rolled out an online gourmet delivery service in partnership with luxury and premium hotel chains and independent properties across cities in India.



courtesy: business insider

QuoteIt is not enough to be busy, the question is: what are we busy about ?

What is Migraine Head ache ?

A headache of varying intensity, often accompanied by nausea and sensitivity to light and sound.

Migraine headaches are sometimes preceded by warning symptoms. Triggers include hormonal changes, certain food and drink, stress and exercise.

Migraine headaches can cause throbbing in one particular area that can vary in intensity. Nausea and sensitivity to light and sound are also common symptoms.

Preventive and pain-relieving medication can help manage migraine headaches.

Symptoms:

Usually self-diagnosable

Migraine headaches can cause throbbing in one particular area that can vary in intensity. Nausea and sensitivity to light and sound are also common symptoms.

People may experience:

Pain areas: in the eyes, face, or neck

Pain types: can be dull

Headache: can be acute, frequent, or throbbing

Visual: sensitivity to light, distorted vision, or seeing flashes of light

Whole body: dizziness, light-headedness, or malaise

Sensory: aura or sensitivity to sound

Gastrointestinal: nausea or vomiting

Also common: irritability, nasal congestion, or scalp tenderness

Self - Care:

Stress management:

Pursuing an enjoyable activity or verbalising frustration to reduce stress and improve mental health.

Improved sleep habits:

Good sleep practices include having a regular bedtime schedule and avoiding naps, caffeine and TV before bedtime.

Avoid migraine triggers:

Common triggers include alcohol, caffeine or poor sleep.

Diet modification:

Adjusting diet to reduce triggers causing disease or address dietary deficiencies.

Consult a doctor for medical advice

Sources: Apollo Hospitals and others (Google)

Today's Business Quotes:

Quote"Some people dream of Success, while other people get up every morning and make it happen"

Amazing and most important tips.. which i too had past experience but for last few years trying to over come with this mind set to negotiate myself and giving place for customer to negotiate. This is wonderful tip for the presales or sales guy. Because in most of the sales tips one more major point is, we have learn to choose the customer..

Thank you Mr.Subramanian (www.subbu.co) for the tips and looking forward more.

Thank you Sudhakar (www.sudhakar.asia) for this wonderful share.

To reduce dependence on Zomato and Swiggy, restaurants seek own delivery platform

The restaurant industry that has been clashing with food delivery platforms over prices and commissions is planning its own digital offerings and delivery services to reduce dependence on aggregators such as Swiggy and Zomato.

Hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak and the lockdown, restaurants are also looking at a common loyalty programme that can help the business grow in the future, which will be very different from the pre-coronavirus world.

"Aggregators have become virtual landlords, they came in trying to solve a genuine problem but eventually they are just decimating the small businesses with their business policies," Thomas Fenn, a National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) member, said addressing a virtual town hall on May 6.

The industry should work together to create an alternate technology solution to expand business in the post-Covid19 world, Fenn, who owns the popular Mahabelly restaurant in New Delhi, said.

Close to 500 people had logged into the Facebook live session.

While NRAI didn't share details of its plan, Fenn said the focus would be on easy reconciliation, transparent pricing, cheaper delivery and protection of customer data.


Citing NPCI offering UPI, TCS helping run passport services and Infosys the GST Network, Rahul Singh, cofounder of Beer Café, said the industry was looking for a similar solution to bring all restaurants onto a common platform.

The owners have complained against aggregators' predatory pricing, high commissions and even hiding customer data from restaurants.

"They have been using our own data to develop private label solutions and their own brands, at the same time they hide details about customers who are ordering from us," said Fenn.

Even commissions had shot up to 24 percent from around 6 percent, making life difficult for restaurants, he added.

Swiggy has its private labels like The Bowl Company and Homely. It also runs Access Kitchens or virtual kitchens that process orders only from Swiggy. Even Zomato has a cloud kitchen called Zomato Kitchen.

This is the first time the food and beverage industry is trying to create an alternative digital platform, the success will depend on the coming together of a highly fragmented and dispersed sector.

The technology used by Swiggy and Zomato has made ordering and tracking deliveries simple, how much it can be replicated by an industry body run by restaurant owners and celebrity chefs is something that needs to be watched.

Three factors -- customer loyalty, online orders and payments and digitised delivery logistics—will drive the solution NRAI is looking for.

It can leverage social media platforms like WhatsApp, Facebook or Instagram to reach out to consumers.

Given that Facebook was working with Reliance's Jio Platforms to expand into a hyperlocal delivery with small stores as suppliers, Fenn said something similar could be done in the food delivery business as well.

Most restaurants didn't employ delivery staff to cut costs but outsourcing it to Swiggy and Zomato was working out to be more expensive, he said.

"For instance, we can leverage Dunzo, Delhivery and so many other players for our delivery partnerships, there are ways to connect restaurants to delivery partners by leveraging technology," he said.

The restaurant industry had never worked on a common loyalty programme and that was something that could be looked at, NRAI president Anurag Katriar, also CEO deGustibus Hospitality, said.

"We are in an advanced stage of discussion around creating a restaurant network-wide loyalty programme, a customer can eat in one restaurant and get points redeemable in another restaurant, that will be a force multiplier for business," he said.

This could be aimed at Zomato's loyalty programme Zomato Gold that covers restaurants across major cities. This programme had been a flashpoint between Zomato and restaurant partners.

On "contactless dining", a term Zomato and few other restaurant aggregators have thrown about, Katriar said NRAI was looking at bringing in a digital dining experience to make consumers feel safer when eating out.

NRAI represents more than 5 lakh restaurants in a $4-billion industry.

With restaurants shut across the country, the food and beverage industry has been one of the worst-hit sectors, with more than 70 lakh people looking at a bleak future.

NRAI has on multiple occasions sought the government's intervention to bail out the industry but, so far, nothing has come of it.

Not just restaurants, food delivery platforms are facing similar problems. With the lockdown in its third phase and an uptick in coronavirus cases, orders have dwindled.

Will the coronavirus outbreak tear apart a partnership that has changed the way India eats or will the warring sides find a way to stick it out? Only time will tell.

Disclosure: Reliance Industries Ltd. is the sole beneficiary of Independent Media Trust which controls Network18 Media & Investments Ltd.

courtesy: money control

Indian Railways to start special trains from May 12, bookings on IRCTC

The Indian Railways will be gradually starting passenger train operations from May 12, initially, with 15 pairs of trains (30 return journeys), the government has said.

It has said that these special trains will run as special trains from New Delhi station connecting Dibrugarh, Agartala, Howrah, Patna, Bilaspur, Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Secunderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram, Madgaon, Mumbai Central, Ahmedabad and Jammu Tawi.

The booking for reservation in these trains will start from May 11 at 4 pm, the government has said, adding that the booking option will be available only on IRCTC website.

"Ticket booking counters at the railway stations shall remain closed and no counter tickets (including platform tickets) shall be issued. Only passengers with valid confirmed tickets will be allowed to enter the railway stations," the government has said.

"It will be mandatory for the passengers to wear face cover and undergo screening at departure and only asymptomatic passengers will be allowed to board the train," it added.

The railways had shut services after a national lockdown was announced following the outbreak of coronavirus in the country. The government is currently running special services, called Shramik special trains, for stranded migrants to travel back to their respective states.


courtesy: moneycontrol

The Ranking downgrade of SBI, Bank of Baroda, and ICICI Bank

Bank of America has downgraded the ratings for four of India's largest banks — the State bank of India (SBI), Bank of Baroda, IndusInd Bank and ICICI Bank.

The emerging cycle of non-performing assets will be the 'biggest nightmare of 2020' according to Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma.

Bank of America's downgrade follows in the footsteps of UBS and CLSA, who also slashed their expectations from banks.

According to Sharma, the rise of bad loans is likely to spillover beyond banks to the fintech sector where a large number of startups have been giving out small unsecured loans.

Indian banks had barely cleaned up the massive pile of unpaid loans from the country's corporates, the coronavirus pandemic is barrelling into an economic crisis that may bring a fresh wave of non-performing assets (NPA) ⁠— this time from the small borrowers.

Bank of America (BoA) has downgraded the earnings estimates for four of the biggest banks in India ⁠— the State Bank of India (SBI), Bank of Baroda, IndusInd Bank and ICICI Bank.

This is what Vijay Shekhar Sharma, the billionaire founder of Alibaba-backed Paytm, described as the 'biggest nightmare' of 2020 in an exclusive chat with Business Insider on April 10.

Source - Image Attached

SBI, part of the Fortune 500 list, saw the biggest slash in rating, from being a stock that people should buy to a stock that's now expected to underperform alongside Bank of Baroda (BoB).

Even IndusInd Bank, where more than 90% of the customers have chosen not to opt for the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) three-month moratorium on repayments has been downgraded to neutral — the same as ICICI Bank.

The only bank which managed to avoid a cut is HDFC Bank — the equity that BoA maintains a 'buy' rating for in the sector.

However, BoA isn't the only one to lower its expectations. UBS also cut its estimates after banking shares dipped by over 30% in April.

This was followed by CLSA slashing the target price on banks by up to 70%.

Source - Image Attached

Experts believe that most fintech lending companies that hold non-banking financial company (NFBC) licenses will take a significant hit as a result of the coronavirus crisis — especially since they don't fall into the RBI's offer of the three-month moratorium on repayments.

The RBI reduced the reverse repo rate to increase liquidity for NBFCs but that only solves one part of the problem. "There is a moratorium, but even after that, people will not have money to pay. So there will a pass credit rating discount which will happen in this country," Sharma predicted.

Startup NBFCs were booming in 2019 with as many as 69 companies garnering $593 million of capital and now both the companies and the investors are staring at a possible spike in bad loans. Indian banks already have a massive pile of bad loans amounting to over ₹9 lakh crore at last count.

"There should be a moratorium on credit ratings also," said Kanchan Gupta from the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), in agreement with Paytm's Sharma.
'
With cash flow drying up as people struggle to repay their loans and investors shy away from loosening their purse strings, it's not just banks, even fintech startups are going to get hit on both sides of their balance sheets.

courtesy: business insider

Amazon introduces Prime Gaming in India with free in-game content for Prime subscribers


Amazon Prime members in India get access to a variety of benefits ranging from faster delivery times to Prime-exclusive deals, along with access to services like Prime Video, Amazon Music, and more. Adding on to the list, Amazon has now introduced gaming offers for Prime members in the country, offering free in-game content like collectable characters, upgrades, in-game currency, and Prime-only tournaments, in a couple of popular mobile games.

As per a recent report from the Times of India, Amazon has set up a new micro site for the gaming benefits which lists down all the games in which members will be able to unlock the new benefits. These include popular titles like Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, World Cricket Championship, Black Desert Mobile, Words with Friends 2, Mafia City, and The Seven Deadly Sins. To claim the Prime benefits in these games, users will have to log-in to the game with their Amazon Prime account and click on 'Allow' when prompted.

In a statement regarding the new Prime benefits, Akshay Sahi, Director and Head of Prime at Amazon India, said, "With the launch of Prime gaming, we continue to make Amazon Prime more valuable for members in India. We recognize the need for in-game content by mobile gamers to enhance their playing experience and are delighted to provide access to this content free to Prime members. We will continue to add new in-game content for other popular games, with frequent content refreshes."

For now, the free content line-up is quite limited and includes things like a Stadium Unlock for World Cricket Championship, 50 Gold and 10K cash for Mafia City, an item chest, hero and skin trial cards for Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, and a Mystery Box for Words with Friends 2. However, you can expect new content and games to be added to the list in the near future.



courtesy: xda developers

Microsoft offers $100,000 to hack its custom Linux OS

Microsoft is offering hackers up to $100,000 if they can break the security of the company's custom Linux OS. The software giant built a compact and custom version of Linux last year for its Azure Sphere OS, which is designed to run on specialized chips for its Internet of Things (IoT) platform. The OS is purpose-built for this platform, ensuring basic services and apps run isolated in a sandbox for security purposes.

Microsoft now wants hackers to test the security of the Azure Sphere OS, paying up to $100,000 if the Pluton security subsystem or Secure World sandbox is breached. The bug bounty program is part of a three-month research challenge that runs from June 1st until August 31st. "We will award up to $100,000 bounty for specific scenarios in the Azure Sphere Security Research Challenge during the program period," explains Sylvie Liu, a security program manager at Microsoft's Security Response Center.

The challenge is focused on the Azure Sphere OS itself, and not the underlying cloud portion that's already eligible for Azure bounty program awards. Microsoft is specifically looking for a group of security researchers to try and break its Linux OS security. Physical attacks are out of scope, but researchers can apply to be part of the challenge here.

Azure Sphere was announced at last year's Build developer conference, and it's still relatively new. Businesses like Starbucks are rolling out Azure Sphere to secure its store equipment, which feeds back data points on the type of beans, coffee temperature, and water quality for every shot of espresso.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella sees IoT devices as a key area for the company, describing its cloud business as the biggest hardware business at Microsoft earlier this year. Nadella is chasing the billions of IoT devices that analysts predict will be in use over the next decade. Azure Sphere is a key part of the mission to help secure and manage these devices, and part of Microsoft's increased push to win a world beyond Windows that's increasingly moving to cloud computing.


courtesy: theverge

Professionals with these top tech skills are in high demand


According to Vikram Ahuja, co-founder, Talent500 by ANSR Consulting, a recruitment platform, there is a huge demand for a full stack developer as firms are now looking at doubling their product development.

Despite hiring activity being badly hit due to the coronavirus outbreak, professionals equipped with certain skills continue to be in demand, according to experts.

These include cloud computing, network architect, full stack developers, data scientists and augmented and virtual reality experts.


Network architect/engineer


Nothing has brought forth the importance of network engineer like COVID-19. Their role includes planning, implementing and managing computer networks. This could include data, voice, calls and wireless networks.

They are also responsible for ensuring connectivity at all times and diagnosing and troubleshooting network errors.

This is one of the hot profiles right now as industries are moving to remote working model.

Who needs them? All firms need network engineers, especially tech firms where they are needed to oversee the network. According to Indeed.com, there are about 105 jobs for freshers and also opening in major firms such as Accenture and Tech Mahindra for the profile.

Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality (AR/VR) engineer

What is AR/VR? In AR, technology is used to enhance or augment the real world whereas VR lets you immerse in a whole different world in 3D.

Demand for AR/VR engineers have been on the rise in the last few years with tech majors investing in the technology. But the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed the demand ever further. According to reports, demand for AR/VR technology increased after the virus outbreak intensified increased 2X as companies are looking to train their staff using the technology.

Who is hiring? Tech firms like Google that are making investing in the tech and game developers. According to Naukri.com site, there are close to 180 job postings for VR engineers with payscale ranging between Rs 3 lakh per annum and Rs 15 lakh per annum depending on experience.


Full stack developer

A full-stack developer is someone who can handle both the frontend, which involves the user or the business, and the backend, essentially the technical part.

Full-stack developer should be knowledgeable in languages such as Python and Java (backend) and HTML and Javascript (for frontend), MySql or other databases languages and server technology. In addition, they should also possess project management skills.


Who is hiring?

According to Vikram Ahuja, co-founder, Talent500 by ANSR Consulting, a recruitment platform, there is a huge demand for a full stack developer as firms are now looking at doubling their product development. Their salary might range anywhere between Rs 5 lakh per annum to Rs 18 lakh per annum based on experience and talent.


Cloud computing

During the Q4 FY2020 results announcements major IT firms had one area where the traction was significant. It was cloud. With the virus outbreak, came the need to migrate to cloud and fast if the companies had to stay in business. Like Arvind Krishna, CEO, IBM pointed out during an event, the pace at which this adoption is happening has accelerated due to COVID-19 and the transformation is happening in few months period compared to few years before.

Who is hiring? All cloud giants are hiring including Google, AWS and Microsoft. According to a report by Virtualisation Review, while Microsoft has reportedly frozen hiring in other areas, it is still recruiting Azure talents. According to executives, salary could range between Rs 4-5 lakh for freshers and Rs 25 lakh for a decade of experience.

AI, Data science and ML

These three skills continue to be in demand as more firms are beginning to invest in digital. Speaking at the IBM Think Digital 2020 event, CEO Arvind Krishna said that every company will be an AI company going forward, for the innovation and scale can come from deploying AI. All sectors from hospitals and banks and startups are investing heavily in AI to make their systems more intelligent and efficient. Data scientists are at the core of all these innovations, who help companies make sense of data.

According to executives, firms are even willing to pay a premium for this talent even amid the crisis. A beginner can get a salary of Rs 8-10 lakh per annum and in a couple of years can step it up to Rs 16 lakh. A data scientist with five to six years of experience can get Rs 30 lakh.



courtesy: money control

Apple WWDC 2020 to take place on June 22: iOS 14 expected for iPhones

Apple has finally revealed when it will be holding its annual worldwide developers conference (WWDC) 2020. The event, which will be hosted online for the first time, will take place on June 22. The firm has also announced the Swift Student Challenge, through which student developers can submit their coding work.

“WWDC20 will be our biggest yet, bringing together our global developer community of more than 23 million in an unprecedented way for a week in June to learn about the future of Apple platforms,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “We can’t wait to meet online in June with the global developer community and share with them all of the new tools we’ve been working on to help them create even more incredible apps and services. We look forward to sharing more details about WWDC20 with everyone as we get closer to this exciting event.”

This year, the company is holding the conference online-only in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic. “The current health situation has required that we create a new WWDC 2020 format that delivers a full program with an online keynote and sessions, offering a great learning experience for our entire developer community, all around the world. We will be sharing all of the details in the weeks ahead,” said Schiller last month.

At the conference, Apple usually unveils the next major iterations of iOS, watchOS, iPadOS, tvOS and macOS. These also hint the arrival of new device later in the year. This time we are expecting Apple to reveal iOS 14 for iPhones.

courtesy: hindustan times

Govt Issues Notice Against Wipro For Benching 300 Employees

The letter by NITES states that Wipro BPO located in Pune (Phase 2 Hinjewadi) has benched its employees starting 23 April 2020 and that the jobs of 300 employees have been put at risk.

Further, the letter points out that this is a clear violation of Maharashtra state Government's and Central Government's directions, rules and regulations.

These employees include those working in the travel and hospitality vertical of Wipro.

The letter states, "On behalf of NITES, Maharashtra we would like to bring to your notice that we have received complaints from employees of Wipro BPO Pune Phase 2 Hinjewadi regarding putting employees on bench to maintain profitability of business under COVID-19 pandemic."

In the letter, NITES demands that the labour commissioner office take  strict action against Wipro BPO in Pune stating reasons that the firm has failed to follow the basic policies of Human Rights and violated Maharashtra state government's rule and regulation.

Another employee has also seconded this development and said that employees have been benched by the organization by late April. He revealed that when the employees are put on bench, they are given a specified time limit to find projects. However, it is unclear whether they would be laid off in case they arent able to find any.

In a startling development, it has been revealed that leading IT company Wipro has benched around 300 employees during this lockdown phase, and as a result, their salaries have been slashed.

Maharashtra based IT union National Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) has complained about this to the Pune Labour commissioner about this. And based on this complaint, office of the Labor Commissioner has issued a notice to Wipro.

On the other hand, Wipro's CFO, Jatin Dalal, has revealed that the company's condition is worse than it was during the 2008 global financial crisis due to its unpredictability.

Saurabh Govil, Chief Human Resources Officer, Wipro said, "We will look at if people can go on furloughs and leaves. If sub-contractor costs can come down and if we can deploy people there. We will have to cut costs wherever possible. These are tough times and we may have to take tough decisions."

The company has also halted revenue guidance due to the lack of clarity and deferred promotions and stopped wage hikes as well.

However, the company has penned a statement that says, "The speculation related to the workforce is unfounded and has no basis. Wipro categorically denies these malicious rumors. Wipro reiterates that there are no retrenchment plans. Also, we request you not to misrepresent or misinterpret intra-company surveys that are undertaken from time to time on various topics. The company has well defined policies and people practices in place to take care of its employees.


courtesy: trak.in

Google releases Flutter 1.17 and Dart 2.8 stable SDKs for app development


Flutter is a cross-platform programming framework, aiming to solve the woes of developing cross-platform apps without the mess of non-native code. With knowledge of the Dart programming language, a developer can build apps for Android, iOS, web, and desktop with a unified UI look across all. Flutter 1.9 brought macOS and Catalina support in an alpha state, while v1.12 release matured their support past the pre-alpha state. Now, Google is out with a new v1.17 release of Flutter and v2.8 release of Dart, marking them as the first stable releases for Flutter and Dart in 2020.


Flutter 1.17

Last month, Google had announced changes to its release process. The company's earlier process lacked clarity on when releases would be built, what code would be in it, and so on. Now, Google plans to ship stable releases on a roughly quarterly cycle. This by itself posed a few challenges, as the release infrastructure had to be retooled for the new release process. Now, Flutter 1.17 is being released to the stable channel for developers. Google has closed 6,339 issues since their previous Flutter 1.12 release, and they have closed more bugs than have been opened this year, leading to a net decrease of ~800 issues.

In addition to bug fixes, Flutter 1.17 brings substantial performance improvements, improved support for Metal on iOS, and includes new Material widgets.

Performance improvements

Apps built with Flutter 1.17 versus older releases will see a 20-37% speedup for the default navigation case in which there are opaque routes with no transparency. There's also a considerable improvement in app sizes built with Flutter 1.17. For example, the Flutter Gallery sample is now 8.1MB in 2020 versus 9.6MB at the end of 2019. For memory usage, the 1.17 release brings a 70% memory reduction in fast scrolling through large images.


Metal support

Metal is Apple's low-level graphics API that provides nearly direct access to the underlying GPU of iOS devices. Flutter now uses Metal by default when building for supported iOS devices, making Flutter apps run faster. The improved Metal support improves rendering speeds of iOS apps by about 50% on average. On iOS devices that don't fully support Metal, namely devices with iOS versions lower than 10 and released before the A7 processor, Flutter falls back to OpenGL.



Material widgets

Flutter 1.17 adds support for new Material widgets. There are also updates to existing widgets. For instance, NavigationRail helps developers to add responsive app navigation models to apps and is great for apps that can switch between mobile and desktop form factors. DatePicker and TextSelection overflow widgets have also been updated: DatePicker's new visuals match the updated Material guidelines and add a new text input mode, while TextSelection now has improved fidelity for iOS and Android when buttons are longer than can be displayed without overflowing. Lastly, Google is also shipping the new Animations Package that provides pre-built animations implementing the new Material motion specification.


Other changes in Flutter 1.17

Google has completed implementing the Type Scale portion of the 2018 Material Design specification without breaking existing Flutter apps.
Google Fonts for Flutter v1.0 is also now available. This lets developers experiment with and use any font from fonts.google.com in their app. The developer can decide whether to bundle the font with the APK or whether the user receives the font by downloading it from the API.


Google has improved the accessibility of Flutter apps with fixes to scrolling, text fields, and other input widgets.

Google is also preparing to swap out the current version of Dart DevTools with the new Flutter version. Developers can test this new version by starting DevTools and then clicking the "breaker" icon in the top-right hand corner of DevTools. The biggest improvement in the new Flutter version of Dart DevTools is the new Network tab which shows the network traffic for your Flutter app when you hit the "Record" button.

Another improvement is an experimental "fast start" option allowing you to start Flutter app debugging up to 70% faster when you're building an app for Android.

Google is also giving a shoutout to the Superformula team for remaking the entire MGM Resorts Android app in Flutter.

Dart is the programming language used for building apps in Flutter. With the release of the Dart 2.8 SDK, Google is introducing a couple of changes:

Improvements to the pub client tool, which is used to manage packages downloaded from the pub.dev package repository.

Google has improved the performance of pub get by adding support for parallel fetching of packages and deferring pub run precompilation.

Google has also added a new tool (pub outdated) for ensuring package dependencies are kept up-to-date.

Preparation for Sound null safety, since null references are a common source of application crashes that happen when code attempts to read a variable that has a null value.

Google is preparing to add support for sound null safety in Dart, which will ensure that all variables expressed hold non-null values.

Implementing sound null safety is a huge undertaking that will initially cause breaks in the Dart language and libraries. Google wants developers to be aware of these breaking changes and file any issues on their issue track.



Video link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fq4N0hgOWzU&


courtesy: xda developers

Future iPhones could come with this cool new audio technology


Apple's iPhones are some of the most advanced smartphones in the market right now. The company leaves no stone unturned in bringing new features and technologies to its smartphones. Now, a new report hints that the company is working on a cool new technology that would improve the audio quality of iPhones by manifolds.

A newly published Apple patent describes that the company is bringing binaural recording to its future iPhone models.

To give you some idea about this technology, binaural recording of sounds leads to a full 3D sound capture. In simple words, devices with this technology are able to reproduce the exact sound scene, which gives the listener the sensation of 'being there'.

In its patent, as noted by Patently Apple, the company says that the binaural recording "can be accomplished through spatial rendering of audio inputs using Head Related Transfer Functions (HRTF), which modifies a sound signal in order to induce the perception in a listener that the sound signal is originating from any point in space."

The company also says that while this approach is compelling for virtual reality VR applications, wherein a user can interact both visually and audibly in a virtual environment, in traditional video capture applications binaural audio can distract a user. "In contrast, monophonic or traditional stereophonic recordings may not provide a sufficient sense of immersion," the patent says.

The patent then dwells into the details as to how this technology would be implemented. You can take a peek at Apple's patent here.

As far as the timeline of implementation of this technology is concerned, there is no word on when Apple iPhones will be able to make binaural recording or if at all this technology will ever make it to iPhones. For now, all we can do is sit tight and wait for Apple to give us a clue about its future plans.




courtesy: hindustan times

Guidelines out for companies willing to work with 33% staff

The authorities of Gurgaon and Noida have issued detailed guidelines for companies willing to open their offices with 33% workforce.

The guidelines mandate companies to strictly observe the social distancing protocol, including restricting the number of people in a lift, providing health insurance to workers and random testing for Covid-19.

The companies have also been advised to keep a one-hour difference between two shifts.

"We have asked the companies to adhere to the guidelines issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). They will have to sanitise the premises and ensure social distancing," said Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) CEO VS Kundu.

The Uttar Pradesh government has also issued separate protocols for industries and private companies, including those based in Noida, which lies in the 'red zone'.

The local administration has allowed 33% workforce to attend office though employees coming from outside Noida will not be allowed.

"Companies have been asked to do RT-PCR test of 5% staff on random basis. In meetings or training, employees should sit at least 6 ft away from each other," a Noida administration official said.

The work space providers are also taking necessary precautions before re-starting work.

"While we are putting in place all the recommended practices like deep sanitisation of all our centres, regular and strict cleaning of all the touch-points, and continuous temperature monitoring at the entry gate, we will also be informing and updating clients about the practices being put in place," said Akshita Gupta, co-founder and CMO of NCR-based ABL Workspaces.



courtesy - indiatimes

Google - There Is More To Rankings Than Just Quality

Gary Illyes from Google said on Twitter "there's more to ranking than just quality." He added a fact, that Google uses "hundreds of signals to offer users the most relevGoogle - There Is More To Rankings Than Just Qualityant piece of content for their query." Sometimes other ranking signals can push a lesser quality page above the higher quality page in the Google search results.

What does this mean? Gary explained "sometimes that means that indeed they get the highest quality, other times it may mean that they get lower quality, but much faster."

In short, he said that Google uses "hundreds of signals" for ranking web pages in search. So it is not just about, is this page the highest quality page - there are many other signals Google uses for rankings

content courtesy: searoundtable

Because of IT People

The whole world is in Corona crisis but IT people are working from home and office.

Because of IT people All banking systems continue to function.

Because of IT people the stock trading system continues as it is

Because of IT people All hospitals are functioning because of websites and softwares

Because of IT people ATM software works 24 hours a day to keep it running smoothly,

Because of IT people 24x7 hours of monitoring to keep all websites running,

Because of IT people Internet, phone services are running because softwares that IT people manage.

Because of IT people There are millions of mobile apps that you use every day because of IT

Because of IT people You get uninterrupted Updates on all the news channels because of the news softwares

Because of IT people All entertainment channels are functional because of softwares

Facebook WhatsApp etc. Social media is functioning efficiently today because of IT people.

Because of IT people Your kids are learning online because of IT.

Because of IT people

Pharmaceutical software are running and managed by IT researching software is made by IT people,

All lab test reports are made.

Because of IT people The software that manages the power grid are maintained by IT

There is nothing in the world today that does not require computers and softwares

IT people are working from home so as to ensure everything continues to run smoothly.

*Everyone is saluting to life saving doctors, nurses, police, cleaners, .....*

*But All IT guys who are working behind the scenes and are making the life go deserve even bigger Salute.*

[/b]

Facebook AI launches Blender, an open-source chatbot


Facebook has launched Blender, an open-domain chatbot for more in-depth and human-like conversations.

Facebook stated that Blender is the first chatbot to build a diverse set of conversational skills.

67 percent evaluators concluded that Blender sounds more human than Google's chatbot Meena.

Facebook's AI has built an open-sourced Blender, the largest, open-domain chatbot, the tech giant's blog noted.

It has been trained on 9.4 billion parameters -- nearly 4 times as many as Google's Meena and more than 10 times as many as the previous largest OS
chatbot available on the internet, Engadget reported.

Facebook stated that Blender is the first chatbot to build a diverse set of conversational skills which include empathy, knowledge and personality in one system.

The bot in terms of engagement feels "more human" according to human evaluators, the blog noted.

To feel more human-like, the bot is designed in such a way that it can assume a persona, discuss nearly any topic, and show empathy — in natural, 14-turn conversation flows.

Facebook stated the composition used in making the AI. The bot uses transformer neural networks on large amounts of conversational data.

Facebook stated that the chatbot uses previously available public domain conversations that have 1.5 billion training examples of extracted conversations.

"Our neural networks are too large to fit on a single device, so we utilized techniques such as column-wise model parallelism, which allows us to split the neural network into smaller, more manageable pieces while maintaining maximum efficiency," Facebook stated.

Stephen Roller, a research engineer at Facebook's AI lab (FAIR) told Engadget "There are a lot of sophisticated techniques that you have to use in terms of how you chop this thing up. If you split it over different devices and chop it up like the wrong way, then you're going to lose that efficiency that you have and you're not going to be able to scale to these terabyte-sized data sets that we've been working with."


Facebook said that it has introduced Blended Skill Talk (BST) for training and evaluating desirable skills like the use of personality, knowledge, and display of empathy.

Further in the composition goes beam search, token sampling and n-gram blocking.


"To make sure conversational agents don't repeat themselves or display other shortcomings, researchers typically use a number of possible generation strategies after the model is trained," Facebook notes.

To test the bot, it was kept against Meena, Google's chatbot which has not been released yet. The blog states that human evaluators were shown a series of dialogues between humans paired with each respective chatbot.

After being presented with Meena in action and Blender in action, 67 percent of evaluators concluded that Blender sounds more human.

courtesy: india today

Following the government order of letting cab aggregators operate in orange and green zones, Uber has confirmed that it will start operating from Monday (May 4, 2020) in select regions. "If you must travel, Uber is ready to serve residents in these zones from Monday, May 4, 2020. Riders will constantly be notified with further information and the status of specific cities through our app," says the firm.

Users will have to use the Uber app to choose from available rides in their areas. In green zone, Uber recommends that not more than two riders should travel in a single ride at a time, besides the driver. Also, no one should sit next to the driver while travelling.

Areas covered in green zone are Cuttack, Guwahati, Jamshedpur, Kochi, Silvassa and Daman.


The orange zone areas include Amritsar, Gurgaon, Panchkula, Tiruchirapalli, Asansol, Hubli, Prayagraj, Udaipur, Bhubaneshwar, Kozhikode, Puducherry, Vapi, Coimbatore, Mangalore, Rajkot, Vishakhapatnam, Dehradun, Mehsana, Rohtak, Durgapur, Mohali, Thiruvananthapuram, Ghaziabad, Nadiad and Thrissur.

The aggregator has confirmed that it won't be operating in red zones for now. "Our services remain suspended in all cities which fall under the red zone. However, we'll continue to serve our communities in this zone with Uber Essential and UberMedic." 


Uber Essential is available in Bangalore, Bhopal, Hyderabad, Indore, Mumbai, Nashik, and Ludhiana. UberMedic is available in Delhi. Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, Pune, Kolkata, Patna, Lucknow, Noida, Kanpur, Prayagraj, Agra, Ghaziabad, Jamshedpur, Surat, Guwahati.



Uber safety guidelines:

Uber has mentioned some safety guidelines that it is taking to keep drivers and riders safe.


-If you're sick, please stay home.

-Wash your hands with soap or use a sanitizer before and after every ride.

-It's mandatory to wear a face mask/ covering during an Uber ride. If you sneeze or cough, do so into your elbow or a tissue.

-You can either open the windows for ventilation or ask your driver to switch on the A/C in the fresh air mode only.

-Whenever possible, please use digital payments.


courtesy: hindustan times

Gingly.com - Trusted Community for Professional to share their Life Story & Business Experience.

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- Kalyan, (www.nkalyan.com)

Starting February 15, 2021, G Suite accounts will only allow access to apps using OAuth. Password-based access will no longer be supported.

To strengthen G Suite accounts against hijacking attempts, we'll be turning off access to apps that can access Google accounts with only a username and password, called Less Secure Apps (LSA).

Access will be turned off in stages, according to the following timeline:

June 15, 2020 - Users who try to connect to an LSA for the first time will no longer be able to do so. This includes third-party apps that allow password-only access to Google calendars, contacts, and email such as CalDAV, CardDAV and IMAP. Users who have connected to LSAs prior to this date will be able to continue using them until usage of all LSAs is turned off.

February 15, 2021 - Access to LSAs will be turned off for all G Suite accounts.


What do my customers need to do?

To continue using email, contacts, or calendar tools with their G Suite accounts, customers need to switch to a more secure type of access called OAuth. This connection method allows apps to access account information with a digital key instead of requiring users to reveal their username and password. Instructions for updating email, contacts, and calendar apps are included in the customer message below.
What can I do to support my customers?

We've contacted your affected customers about this change. To better prepare your customers, we recommend taking the following actions as soon as possible:

Carefully review the notification we sent to your customers (copied below). It includes details about switching to third-party apps that use OAuth to securely access G Suite account information.

Follow up with your customers to provide additional support as needed.


Thanks for choosing G Suite.

[smg id=16020 type=full]

Chillara Illa Pa !!!

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Keka Beka Keka Beka

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Why No Government Hospital ?

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Meme Creators

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Cheques Transactions to be BAN soon in INDIA

Are you using cheque book for digital transactions.Make sure that you make alternative arrangements because the Narendra Modi Government may soon ban the usage of cheques in order to speed up the acceleration of digital transactions and move towards the less cash society.

Government officials have said that "the decision has already being taken and it would be announced in the next budget session". They have also said that the government has taken this decision after consulting experts and it would have the following benefits

# Digital Transactions

Currently, many high-end digital transactions are done through cash and cheques are used to withdraw cash.Govt feels that cheques are withdrawn more high-end transaction would be a shift to digital platforms such as IMPS, RTGS and NEFT. Although there is a ban on cash transaction above Rs 2 lakhs this doesn't apply to cheques as there is no limit on cash withdrawal using cheques.

# Reduction in pending cases

Currently, many cheque bounce cases are filed in courts and these take a long time to solve as these are civil cases and these are not filed in consumer courts and this adds backlog to the Judiciary. If cheques are abolished people would shift to the digital transaction and there are various platforms available to complain if a digital transaction fails and thereby reducing the judiciary backlog and they can concentrate on other important cases.

courtesy: SMTV

Bigg Boss Julie interview Troll


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One interesting word in English

OXYMORON :

An Oxymoron is defined as a phrase in which two words of opposite meanings are brought together...

Here are some funny oxymorons :

* Clearly Misunderstood
* Exact Estimate
* Small Crowd
* Act Naturally
* Found Missing
* Fully Empty
* Pretty Ugly
* Seriously Funny
* Only Choice
* Original Copies

And people say the Mother of all Oxymorons is-

"Happily Married"

Super Political Singer | Spoof | Madras Central

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BHIM App - Digital Payment Transactions via Finger Print - NO CARD/CASH

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched a UPI (United Payments Interface) based app called BHIM, short for Bharat Interface for Money. The BHIM app is a straightforward UPI app, which would allow anyone to make simple digital payments directly from their bank account, and it is now available for download.

The BHIM app is supposed to support Aadhaar-based payments, where transactions will be possible with just a fingerprint impression, but that facility is yet to start.

The UPI-based BHIM app allows anyone to pay or receive money through online banking, unlike a wallet where you have to first load the money before you can use it.

"Be it a smartphone or feature phone of Rs 1,000-1,200, BHIM app can be used. There is no need to have Internet connectivity," says PM Modi. "One only needs a thumb. There was a time when an illiterate was called 'angutha chchap'. Now, time has changed. Your thumb is your bank now. It has become your identity now."

Let's take a closer look at everything you need to know about the BHIM app.

Also seeBHIM app explained in 10 points

What is BHIM app?

With the BHIM app, anyone can send or request money through the app to make a digital payment. The app is linked to your bank account, so you don't have to load money in it unlike a wallet, and a merchant does not have to worry about transferring the money back to their bank account.

How to download BHIMP app?

Download the BHIM app by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on Google Play to start using the free Android app.

How to download BHIM app for iPhone?

BHIM app is presently now available on Android and will come to iPhone 'soon'.


How exactly does the app work?

BHIM lets you choose your preferred bank, after it has verified your mobile number. You get an SMS, so it's best to use the same number as the one that's linked to the bank account. BHIM will ask you to set a 4-digit passcode. Pick something you won't forget easily because you'll need the code every time you open the app.

The app will then ask you to select your bank. If your account is UPI activated, it will reflect the relevant number. You'll see options to send and receive money, and transact via IFSC. If UPI is not activated, you can put in six digits of your debit card number, and the expiry date, after which the app will let you use it.

To send money, type in the mobile number or VPA address. BHIM will verify the payee. Type in the amount, and hit pay. If the payee doesn't have UPI, tap on the three dots above the send money option. The ACCOUNT + IFSC option will open up, where you can put in the details.

One problem currently is that you can access only one account per mobile number. So if your number is linked to two accounts, you will have to disable the selected one and go back to the bank selection option.


How do I use BHIM app?

After you download the BHIM app, you'll have to register your bank account through the app, and set a UPI PIN. Your mobile number is your payment address, and you can start transacting. Through the app, you can send or receive money to a phone number, check balance, or scan a QR code to make a payment without sharing a phone number.

Using the BHIM app, money can also be sent to non-UPI banks through IFSC, like you do with normal net banking.

Does the BHIM app work on feature phones?

Apart from the Android app, the interface behind the BHIM app can be accessed using USSD (Unstructured Supplementary Service Data) from feature phones – you will need to dial *99# to access it. With this method, an Internet connection will not be required to use the core functionality behind the BHIM app.

What banks support the BHIM app?

All the major banks are supported by the BHIM app – as long as the bank supports UPI, you will be able to access your money through the BHIM app.
The list of banks supported by the BHIM app is as follows:

Allahabad Bank
Andhra Bank
Axis Bank
Bank of Baroda
Bank of India
Bank of Maharashtra
Canara Bank
Catholic Syrian Bank
Central Bank of India
DCB Bank
Dena Bank
Federal Bank
HDFC Bank
ICICI Bank
IDBI Bank
IDFC Bank
Indian Bank
Indian Overseas Bank
IndusInd Bank
Karnataka Bank
Karur Vysya Bank
Kotak Mahindra Bank
Oriental Bank of Commerce
Punjab National Bank
RBL Bank
South Indian Bank
Standard Chartered Bank
State Bank of India
Syndicate Bank
Union Bank of India
United Bank of India
Vijaya Bank

What are the BHIM app transaction limits?

There is a maximum of Rs. 10,000 per transaction permitted, and Rs. 20,000 within 24 hours.

What's so special about BHIM then?

BHIM also has options to transfer via IFSC and MMID as well for non-UPI banks. It indicates the government has decided to go with one app that will enable digital payments via UPI. Of course, for BHIM to be of use to a majority of people, everyone must start accepting and activating UPI as a payment method.

As of now, iOS users are out of this system — and Apple devices are used by affluent users who are often likely to do a lot of digital transactions. From an infrastructure point of view, there's a long way to go before BHIM becomes India's default payments app. The Internet is spotty or non-existent across vast swathes of the land. And the Aadhaar-based payments part for BHIM is yet to be rolled out fully