Madras High Court demands a ban on the popular video app TikTok: Here’s why

Aman Singh
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Madras High Court demands a ban on the popular video app TikTok: Here’s why

After the ban of popular battle royale PUBG Mobile in Rajkot, Gujarat, another popular app TikTok may also have to face a ban Madras. On Wednesday, Madras High Court asked the Central Government to ban the download of the Chinese entertainment app TikTok. According to the High Court, the app “encourages pornography”.

TikTok is a highly popular app in India and is currently one of the most-used apps among the Indian youth. TikTok was created by Beijing Bytedance Technology and it allows users to make and share short videos with special effects and voice effects. After the popularity of the app surged in the urban Indian areas, it garnered a lot of appreciation from people living in rural parts of India too. We should mention that around 1.3 billion Indian people reside in rural areas.

TikTok enables users to upload jokes, funny video clips and dance videos to share with the world. Furthermore, users recreate the scenes of popular Bollywood movies and upload them. But with the growth of the platform in India, it also became a platform where youth put some obscene videos.

The IT minister of Tamil Nadu spoke to Reuters in February, and called some of the TikTok’s more suggestive dance videos as “unbearable”. Prior to this, a Hindu nationalist group which is close to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had called for the ban of the app in India because of the same reason.

It should also be noted that in February, BJP’s Amit Malviya who is the chief of information technology, said that the party was tracking TikTok conversations and called it “a brilliant medium for creative expression”.

Coming back to the ban, the Madras High Court, which has been hearing a public interest litigation against the app said that the children who were using the app were vulnerable to exposure to sexual predators. That’s the reason the High Court is demanding a ban on the Chinese video app. According to an order seen by Reuters, the court also mentioned that “there is a possibility of the children contacting strangers directly”. The Court also asked the media to not broadcast the videos shown on TikTok on their platforms.

On this matter, a TikTok spokesman told Reuters that the company was committed to abiding by local laws and they were waiting for a copy of the court’s order. Once the verdict of the court was before them, they would take the appropriate action. The spokesperson said, “Maintaining a safe and positive in-app environment … is our priority.”

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Vu Technologies launches three new televisions in India: Price and features

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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Vu Technologies launches three new televisions in India: Price and features

California-based Vu Televisions has expanded its range of televisions in India with the launch of three new offerings. The newly launched televisions from the company including Vu Pixelight TV (next generation), Vu UltraSmart TV and Vu Premium Android, have been designed to enrich the experience of video on demand content from the likes of Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime and others.

According to the company, it has a proprietary upscaling technology that combines multiple advanced machine learning algorithms that work in parallel with a state-of-the-art DSP (digital signal processor) in order to provide an enhanced video/audio playback for VOD content. Here are the pricing details and specifications of the newly launched televisions by Vu Technologies:

Vu Pixelight TV (next generation) price and features

Vu Pixelight 4K TV is claimed to deliver upscaled picture and sound quality for streaming Video on Demand (VOD). The television is accompanied by a Pixelight Remote with 4 Hotkeys that give users instant access to some premium licensed apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime and YouTube. In addition to this, there is apps menu on the television from where users can access a lot of Indian applications and content.

These include the likes of Eros Now and Hungama Play among others. The newly launched television comes with Vu Pixelight HDR technology that is said to enhance the visuals on the display. Other than this, there is a built-in Dolby Audio and DTS technologies. Vu Pixelight 4K TV is available in four screen sizes – 43-inches, 50-inches, 55-inches and 65-inches. These variants are priced at Rs 30,000, Rs 39,000, Rs 42,000 and Rs 66,000 respectively.

Vu UltraSmart TV

Coming to Vu Ultrasmart Full HD TV, it also comes pre-loaded with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube apps. Much like next-generation Vu Pixelight TV, the television comes with a 4-Hotkeys remote so that users can access these apps with ease. The television has Smart Interface, which basically ensures that the device has an enjoyable and easy way to access smart content.

Vu UltraSmart TV also has a High Bright Panel coupled with an in-built Dolby and DBX-TV audio and the television houses all of these on a piano design body. The television is available in three screen sizes – 32-inch, 40-inch and 49-inch – that are priced at Rs 14,500, Rs 21,000 and Rs 31,000 respectively.

Vu Premium Android TV

Last but not the least, Vu Premium Android 4K TV is powered with HDR 10 & Dolby Vision technology which, according to the company, upscales the details on the display of the device by maximizing contrast and colour accuracy to deliver an immersive 4K HDR picture quality. Other than this, there is built-in Dolby MS12 Audio and DBx-tv, that help the television in delivering wider soundstage audio clarity to your content.

The Vu Premium Android 4K TV runs with Android 8.0 Oreo which gives the user access to the entire Google Ecosystem. In addition to this, the television also has certified apps like YouTube and Hotstar that can be accessed via Vu ActiVoice remote. The device is available in 43-inch, 50-inch, 55-inch and 65-inch screen sizes that are priced at Rs 35,000, Rs 41,000 and Rs 47,000 and Rs 72,000 respectively.

Speaking on the launch of the televisions, Devita Saraf, Chairman and CEO of Vu Technologies, India said, “The revolutionary VOD Upscaler technology has been in development for more than 3 years, with 107 man years of engineering effort to create it.  Vu makes television for the new- age consumer who wants to experience detailed picture quality and sound clarity, beautiful aesthetics and a world of content. Having customer-centric approach has led Vu to the unwavering loyalty of the customers- high net worth individuals and young professionals.”

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Google to launch its game streaming platform Stadia in India by 2021: Report

Aman Singh
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Google to launch its game streaming platform Stadia in India by 2021: Report

Google recently launched its Stadia streaming service for gamers at the GDC 2019. At the time of its launch, Google announced that the service will be available in four major countries of the world – the US, Canada, the UK and Europe.

And a new report has surfaced online saying that Google is planning to launch its game streaming service in India in 2021. So gamers in India will have to wait for a while before the platform makes its way to India. The reports and news come from multiple people who are familiar with the matter. Google has also discussed the matter with other possible local partners and is setting up the grounds before it launches Stadia in India. With Stadia, Google will become the first company to launch a gaming-related streaming service in India. Other than the four countries mentioned above, Google’s Stadia launch in other countries is yet to be confirmed.

According to a report by Gadgets360, an anonymous firm owner said, “We’ve been told that Stadia should be out in two years. Game publishers have expressed interest as well and would be in touch with us too.”

But it should also be noted that Google’s Stadia consumes a lot of data and bandwidth and internet speed and connection in India is not as great as compared to other countries where the platform has been launched. So, the company might face some problems if the internet condition stays the same as it is now. But it is also highly likely that India’s internet will be boosted in the coming years.

We should point out that data services in India has been on the changing side right now, however, it is not enough to support Stadia’s data consumption. So, before Stadia’s launch in India we might see the search giant teaming up with ISPs (Internet Service Provider) to make a relevant playing ground for Stadia.

“PS Now uses about 3GB per hour at 720p. At the moment there’s no clear indication on how this would work in India with Google Stadia. Chances are you may use up a month’s worth of FUP (fair usage policy/data caps) with a single stream at 1080p or 4K. We haven’t received information on this yet,” an ISP employee said.

Speaking about Google Stadia’s release in India, a spokesperson from the company said, “We have no information to share at this time as Stadia is not slated for launch in India just yet.

But there are certain regularities and limitations if Google plans to team up with ISPs. Furthermore, it would be also interesting to see how much the search giant pays to the developers per hour in the Indian market where video games have a lower price.

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Moto G7 and Motorola One lines begin receiving Google’s call screening feature

Avani Bagga
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Moto G7 and Motorola One lines begin receiving Google’s call screening feature

Google’s call screening technology is undoubtedly among the best features for Android that the technology giant has come up with so far. However, as of now, the feature is only available on Google’s Pixel smartphones.

The ‘Call Screen’ feature was announced by Google at the launch of its Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL smartphones. While the two smartphones were launched with the feature, call screening later also made its way to other Pixel handsets.

A recent report that surfaced online claimed that the ‘Call Screen’ feature will soon make its way to some smartphones by Nokia and Motorola too. While it is only expected to arrive on smartphones that run Android One, we should mention that all Nokia handsets are a part of the Android One program and some of Motorola’s devices are enrolled in it too.

And now, there is a new update on this. Motorola has today announced that its Moto G7 and One smartphone lineups will be the first devices outside Google’s Pixel family to get the very useful Android feature.

The ‘Call Screen’ feature from Google uses software to automate the answering of calls. It gives users information about who is calling and why. Pixel users can use the Android feature by pressing the ‘Screen Call’ button that appears each time they get a call from an unrecognized number. The feature then gives them information about who is calling and why in real-time as well as later in the form of a transcript.

It is a very useful feature and particularly comes handy to deal with robocalls. According to the Federal Trade Commission in the United States, around 5,00,000 complaints are received every month regarding automated calls and texts. The situation is similar in other parts of the world too because spam calls is a global issue. Besides Google, other companies like AT&T, Comcast, T-Mobile and Verizon are also working to identify and block spam calls.

According to Motorola, its Moto G7 and One families of smartphones have already started receiving access to the ‘Call Screen’ feature and it comes integrated with Google’s Digital Well Being. Motorola will soon be sending out an update to its smartphones that will add this feature, however, we don’t have an exact timeline for the same.

While there is no word on when the feature will be arriving on Nokia smartphone, we expect it to come soon as all Nokia devices from HMD Global are a part of Google’s Android One program, and are usually very quick with new updates and features.

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OnePlus 7 case renders leaked, shows pop-up selfie camera and triple rear cameras

Avani Bagga
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OnePlus 7 case renders leaked, shows pop-up selfie camera and triple rear cameras

OnePlus smartphones are loved by the masses for offering premium specifications at a price that is relatively much lesser than other flagship smartphones. Maybe this is the reason that OnePlus smartphones never fail to make headlines. Whether it is an update about a previous smartphone, or a leak or a render about an upcoming one, OnePlus is always in news.

Speaking of upcoming OnePlus smartphones, we have some news about the upcoming OnePlus 7 handset. A report has surfaced online that shows a new case render of the upcoming mobile phone, and at the same time, gives us a closer look at the OnePlus 7. The alleged transparent case for OnePlus 7 smartphone comes with a number of cut-outs, including one at the top which indicates that the handset will come with a pop-up selfie camera.

In addition to this, we can see a vertically stacked triple rear camera setup at the back panel of the smartphone. The case also has cut-outs at the bottom for the USB Type-C port, a loudspeaker grill, a primary microphone. There is one more cut-out that the smartphone has which is speculated to be for the SIM card tray of the device. If this is true, then the upcoming OnePlus 7 smartphone will come with a SIM tray at the bottom.

It is worth adding here that these case renders were first shared on Twitter by Slashleaks’ contributor Sudhanshu Ambhore.

According to previous reports, we know that OnePlus 7 is expected to sport a 6.5-inch Full HD+ Optic AMOLED display and the handset’s base model will come with 6GB of RAM. OnePlus 7 will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor and is speculated to come with a 4,000mAh battery. The handset will run Android 9.0 Pie skinned with the company’s own OxygenOS. However, we should point out that the device will not come with 5G connectivity, as OnePlus will be launching another, more expensive 5G smartphone.

Another thing that we know for sure about OnePlus 7 is that it would not come with wireless charging. The company’s CEO Pete Lau has said that OnePlus’s Warp charging is among the best in the industry and the company plans to stick to that even in its future smartphones.

Furthermore, the presence of a pop-up selfie camera indicates that the device will offer a full-screen experience to its users. Prior to this, we have seen an elevating selfie camera on smartphones from Vivo and Oppo, which are owned by the same parent company as OnePlus — BBK Electronics. And it is not the first time that we have seen the companies borrow features from each other.

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Apple’s 2020 iPhones to come in 5.42-inch, 6.06-inch and 6.67-inch screen sizes: Report

Aman Singh
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Apple’s 2020 iPhones to come in 5.42-inch, 6.06-inch and 6.67-inch screen sizes: Report

Apple has not released any new iPhones in 2019 and its official launch event will take place in September. However, we do know with various reports that the Cupertino-based technology giant is planning to launch three iPhones, much like 2027 and 2018. The 2019 iPhone models will be released with the same screen size as last year. While two of them will have OLED panels, one will sport an LCD display panel.

And now, a report has emerged that sheds light on Apple’s 2020 iPhones. Apple will reportedly launch three iPhones in 2020 and all three will come with OLED display panels. The company is expected to use Samsung’s Y-Octa or LG’s TOE touch display technology to keep its 2020 iPhone models slim and thin.

The report first surfaced in Digitimes and it claims that the 2020 iPhone models will come with 5.42-inch,  6.06-inch and a 6.67-inch screen sizes. It should be noted that these screen sizes are different than the one Apple currently uses in its iPhone models. Currently, the iPhone XS, iPhone XR and iPhone XS Max come with 5.8-inch, 6.1-inch and 6.5-inch screen sizes respectively. Comparing the current and the upcoming screen sizes of the iPhone we can see that the biggest screen size change has been given to the smallest iPhone model. And this time, all the three devices will pack OLED panels.

Also, the smallest of the 2020 iPhone with 5.42-inch display is reported to use Samsung’s Y-Octa display panel or the LG’s TOE touch display. Use of any of these display panels will reduce the cost of the iPhone’s production as well as the cost of its display. It should be noted that the Y-Octa display panel from Samsung is a touch-integrated OLED panel which is thinner than the traditional display panel Apple or other smartphone makers use. Furthermore, according to a 2018 report, Apple was planning to use the Samsung’s Y-Octa panels in its future iPhones to make the smartphones thinner and lighter and the company is expected to use it in its 2020 iPhones. But other details about the Y-Octa panel or TOE touch panel from LG is currently not known.

Other information about Apple’s 2020 iPhones is not known yer.

Speaking about the upcoming 2019 model of iPhones, reports suggest that the iPhone 11 will be sporting triple-rear camera setup in a squared camera cut-out. Although there is no official confirmation about iPhone’s triple-camera setup, the leaks and renders of the iPhone 11 hint at a triple rear camera setup on the device.

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Huawei P30 Pro, P30 Lite smartphones to launch in India on April 9

Avani Bagga
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Huawei P30 Pro, P30 Lite smartphones to launch in India on April 9

Chinese smartphone brand Huawei last month launched its P30 Pro an P30 handsets at an event in Paris. And now, the company is all set to unveil the Huawei P30 Pro and P30 Lite smartphones in India too. Huawei has sent out invites to the media announcing the launch date of the two smartphones in the country.

While globally, Huawei launched the P30 smartphone as its flagship handset’s younger sibling. However, it seems like the company has changed the name of the device to Huawei P30 Lite for its India launch. Here’s everything that you need to know about the two upcoming handsets:

Huawei P30 Pro, Huawei P30 Lite launch in India

The Chinese smartphone brand will be launching the two handsets in India on April 9 at an event in New Delhi. The launch event will begin at 11.15 am. As of now, there is no word on whether the launch event will be live-streamed by the company. We will keep you updated about the same.

Huawei P30 Pro, Huawei P30 Lite price

In Europe, the cost of Huawei P30 Pro starts at €999 for the 128GB storage model. On the other hand, its 256GB storage version and its 512GB storage variant costs €1,099 and €1,249 respectively. Huawei P30 (which will be renamed as Huawei P30 Lite in India), on the other hand, costs €799. We would have to wait for the event to get the official pricing of the smartphones in India.

Huawei P30 Pro specifications

Huawei P30 Pro runs Android 9,0 Pie skinned with the company’s own EMUI 9.1. Powered by Huawei’s Kirin 980 SoC coupled with 8GB RAM, this smartphone comes with 128GB/256GB/512GB of internal storage. It features a 6.47-inch full-HD+ (1080×2340 pixels) OLED display that has curved edges and sports a waterdrop notch.

On the camera front, Huawei P30 Pro handset comes with a quad-camera setup on its back panel that comprises of a 40MP primary sensor with and f/1.6 aperture, a 20MP wide-angle lens with an f/2.2 aperture, an 8MP sensor with periscope style zoom system and a ToF sensor. The cameras of the smartphone have support for HDR+ mode and in addition to this, the app comes with 5X optical zoom and 10X hybrid zoom and 50X digital zoom.

For selfies and video calls, Huawei P30 Pro smartphone has a 32MP sensor that comes with support for AI HDR+. This device houses a 4200mAh battery and comes with reverse wireless charging.

Huawei P30 Lite specifications

Coming to Huawei P30 Lite, while some of the specifications of the smartphone are the same as its bigger sibling’s, it comes with its own set of differences too. Huawei P30 Lite has a triple rear camera setup that comprises of a 40MP primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture, a 16MP wide-angle sensor and an 8MP sensor with an f/2.4 aperture. The Huawei P30 Lite smartphone also has support for 3X optical zoom and 5X hybrid zoom. Other than this, the device packs a 3,650mAh battery and comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage option. Rest of the specifications are the same as Huawei P30 Pro’s.

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iPhone XR gets a temporary price cut, now available at Rs 59,900

Avani Bagga
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0
iPhone XR gets a temporary price cut, now available at Rs 59,900

If you are an Apple fan, today is definitely a good day for you. The company has slashed the price of its iPhone XR in India, making the ‘affordable iPhone’ of its latest lineup more affordable. Starting this Friday, you would be able to buy the iPhone XR at a price of Rs 59,900 from Apple authorized retail partners. We should mention that compared to its original price of Rs 76,900, this is a big discount and Apple fans should make use of this opportunity to upgrade to the latest iPhone lineup.

The offer is valid for a limited period and during this time, HDFC Bank credit and debit card holders will be able to avail an additional discount of 10%, that will further bring down the cost of iPhone XR to Rs 53,900.

It is worth mentioning that this, of course, is the price of the 64GB storage version of iPhone XR, and the 128GB and 256GB models will cost Rs 58,400 and Rs 67,400 respectively to HDFC Bank card holders. Those who don’t have a card from HDFC will have to pay Rs 64,900 and Rs 74,900 for the 128GB and 256GB storage models of iPhone XR respectively. We should add that the original cost of the 128GB storage model of iPhone XR is Rs 81,900, while the 256GB storage version bears a price tag of Rs 91,900.

The HDFC cashback will be available to both opting for paying the full amount in one go, or to people opting for EMI transactions of 12/24 months. We should mention that the report about iPhone XR’s price cut first appeared on Gadgets360.

With the discounted pricing, a number of people may be interested in buying the iPhone XR. The only reason behind the slow sales of the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR is said to be their pricing. We should add here that post the discount, the iPhone XR competes directly with the likes of Samsung Galaxy S10e and costs lower than Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+. Some may even expand their budget a bit and buy the iPhone XR instead of OnePlus 6T.

Apple launched the iPhone XR in September last year along with the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. It is the most affordable of the three smartphones and is powered by Apple’s A12 Bionic chipset, just like the other two. If you are thinking of making use of this offer to buy the iPhone XR, you can read our review of the device before making the purchase here.

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Panasonic’s online brand Sanyo launches five new Duo Cool Inverter Air Conditioners: Price and features

Aman Singh
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Panasonic’s online brand Sanyo launches five new Duo Cool Inverter Air Conditioners: Price and features

With summer finally beginning in India, Japanese electronics maker Panasonic’s online brand Sanyo has launched Duo Cool Inverter Air Conditioners (ACs) in the country. The company has launched a line-up of new Inverter ACs which packs features like energy efficiency and it also fulfills the health and lifestyle requirements of the consumers. The new Sanyo Inverter ACs has five new models ranging from 3-star to 5-star ratings. The new ACs come in 1 ton, 1.5 tons and 2 tons range. Here are the details of the ACs that you should know about:

Sanyo Inverter Air Conditioners price

The newly launched ACs bear a starting price of Rs 24,490 and they will be available on Amazon.in and other select retailers.

Sarthak Seth, Business Head of Sanyo, Panasonic India, said, “We are delighted to introduce the new range of Sanyo inverter ACs for Indian consumers. This is an inverter only AC range as our research has shown that energy efficiency is a key deciding parameter in India while buying air conditioners. Consumers can now purchase Sanyo Inverter AC at a price which is even lower than that of a regular fixed speed AC. With the Duo Cool Inverter technology and Glacier Mode feature, Sanyo Inverter ACs ensure efficient and faster cooling with exceptional power saving performance. The ACs compliment the consumer’s need for convenience along with savings.”

Sanyo Inverter Air Conditioners features

The ACs by Sanyo come with a Duo Cool Inverter technology which, as the name suggests, gives them the ability to cool instantly while still being energy efficient. The ACs also come with Air Purification system which purifies the air inside the room. The ACs have PM 2.5 Air Purification system which helps the AC eliminate and remove the airborne particles, including the particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in size to improve the indoor air quality. This also means that you don’t need an air purifier separately.

The ACs also have an ECO function in all the five Sanyo ACs, which optimizes their performance to make them consume less electricity and be more energy efficient. While the 100% Copper Condenser gives the ACs resistance to corrosion while providing two times faster heat exchange and enhancing energy efficiency.

Out of all the five ACs, 2 of them come in 1-ton capacity where one has got a 3-star and the other is a 5-star rating. Similarly, there are 2 ACs which come in 1.5-ton capacity with 3-star and 5-star rating. And lastly, there is a lone 2-ton AC with 3-star rating.

Other features the new line of Sanyo ACs have are the Glacier mode which increases the fan speed by 35% to deliver instant cooling in less time. There is also an Auto restart function which saves the originally saved settings so that the user won’t have to set the AC again after restarting it. The self-diagnosis mechanism inside the air conditioners diagnose the problems the AC is facing and it displays it on the screen so that the user could understand what is wrong with the device. The remote of the air conditioner has glow in the dark feature along with temperature control and power on and off button for easy operation.

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Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead and Arrow episodes used to spread malware: Report

Avani Bagga
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Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead and Arrow episodes used to spread malware: Report

We all love spending our free time in front of our television or laptop watching our favourite TV shows. Some of us even prefer video-streaming services over human company. And maybe this is the reason that cybercriminals are now actively using new episodes of popular TV shows to distribute malware, according to a latest research.

According to a report by Kaspersky Lab, popular TV shows that are watched by scores of people across the globe including Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, and Arrow are among the shows that are receiving the most attention from spammers. Kaspersky has talked in detail about this and more in a newly published report called ‘Game of Threats: How cybercriminals use popular TV shows to spread malware.’

It is a known fact that TV shows are a universal way for people to entertain themselves and with the rise of torrents, online streaming and other methods of digital distribution, is very common for them to suffer from copyright infringement. In many regions, programs like these can be accessed via illegal channels like torrent trackers and some streaming platforms. However, unlike legitimate resources, these torrent trackers may have sent users a file that looks like an episode of their favourite TV show, but actually, it is a malware with a name similar to that of the episode.

It is very easy for illegitimate resources to replace the real episode of TV shows with a malware carrying version, and most users are not careful enough to check this. Considering this, the research firm took a look at some of these compromised files from 2017 and 2018. The leading name in the list of both the years is Game of Thrones. We have to say, we are not surprised.

According to the report, the show accounted for 17% of all infected pirated content in 2018, which attacked 20,934 attacked users. The next two in the list were The Walking Dead and Arrow, which attacked 18,794 and 12,163 users respectively.

We should add here that in 2018, no new episodes of Game of Thrones were released and even then, the TV show managed to top the list. It is also worth noticing that other shows in the ranking were accompanied by high profile promotional campaigns. In all the cases that were observed, the malware distributors opted for the first and last episode of each season.

Speaking about this, Anton V Ivanov, security researcher at Kaspersky Lab said, “We can see clearly that malware distributors exploit TV shows that are in high demand on pirated websites: these are usually actively promoted dramas or action series. The first and final episodes, attracting the most viewers, are likely to be at greatest risk of malicious spoofing. Online fraudsters tend to exploit people’s loyalty and impatience, so may promise brand new material for download that is, in fact, a cyber-threat. Keeping in mind that the final season of Game of Thrones starts this month, we would like to warn users that it is highly likely there will be a spike in the amount of malware disguised as new episodes of this show.”

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Mozilla Firefox is working to reduce the notification spam sent by websites

Aman Singh
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0
Mozilla Firefox is working to reduce the notification spam sent by websites

Mozilla Firefox happens to be one among the most used internet browsers today. However, the notification spam on it tends to hamper the user experience. However, Firefox has now come up with a way to fight and stop notification spam so that its users won’t have to deal with them. According to a recent study by Mozilla, pop-up notifications that show up instantly after the user opens a website can be a pain. And a majority of people don’t want to be bothered by these so-called pop-up notifications, that’s why they choose to ignore and cancel the pop-up by clicking on ‘No’. In its study, Mozilla found out that 97 percent of the time users have declined the permission for the pop-up notifications.

So, to give its users a clean and notification-free internet experience, Mozilla is working on a new version of Firefox which will block all notification requests. Currently, the new Firefox is in its beta phase, but the company will soon release the final version of the same. The new ‘nightly’ version of Firefox lets users block all the notification requests, unless the user has decided to interact with the website by clicking on it or by typing something.

The nightly version of Firefox will display an icon on the address bar if a website wants to send notifications to the user. Although Mozilla has agreed that this is not a perfect solution for the problem but it thinks that it is still an early test. The beta test of Mozilla Firefox will run till April 29. After a successful completion of the first test, Mozilla will conduct a second test to prevent the notification spam. According to Mozilla, it will launch a small experiment in Firefox 67 which will allow it to collect information on how the users interact with permission prompts and notification pop-ups they see on the internet when opening a website. This experiment will be run on a small percentage of Firefox users.

Earlier in 2018, Mozilla had added a new feature to the Firefox which allowed the users to opt out from receiving all new permission pop-ups for push notifications. But it should be noted that there are still a large number of users who rely on and use web apps and the notifications they receive are helpful for them.

However, Mozilla Firefox is not the only web browser which is looking to take control of the notification spam problem. Google Chrome is also working on several strategies to help fight notification spam. On Monday, tweets of Alex Russell, a Chrome engineer indicated that the browser may come up with a new solution to deal with notification prompts in the near future.

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Xiaomi to reduce ads on MIUI 11, remove vulgar ads: CEO Lei Jun

Avani Bagga
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Xiaomi to reduce ads on MIUI 11, remove vulgar ads: CEO Lei Jun

Xiaomi is currently ruling the budget segment of the Indian smartphone market because it is known to offer its handsets at a price that is lesser than its rivals. However, the company cleverly makes up for it by showing a great number of ads to its users, thanks to the fact that Xiaomi’s skin MIUI is full of bloatware and comes with a number of annoying number advertisements. Xiaomi has received a lot criticism for showing so many ads, some of which are even vulgar in nature, on MIUI skin to its users.

However, this may change Xiaomi’s upcoming MIUI 11 Android skin. The company’s CEO Lei Jun has said that Xiaomi will cut down on ads in MIUI that affect the user experience and at the same time, remove the vulgar ads that pop up every now and then on the skin, hampering the user experience. Besides this, the team working on MIUI has also disclosed that the upcoming MIUI 11 will come with features like voice call recording within QQ app, have its own recycle bin and get some other useful features.

In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo, Jun said that he has held discussions with developers in order to address users’ grievances regarding Xiaomi’s MIUI. Xiaomi’s chief also wrote in the comments section of the same post that the company will get rid of pesky ads that hamper the experience for users. Jun also said addressed the issue of vulgar ads on the platform, saying that the company is working to take care of them too.

In another post on Weibo, Xiaomi’s Product Director Wang Teng Thomas reinforced CEO Jun’s promise of taking care of ads in MIUI. Xiaomi’s ad reduction steps are likely to be seen on the MIUI 11 Android skin of the company.

In addition to this, the MIUI team has also disclosed a number of other MIUI 11 features and asked users in China to vote for three of them. The developments of the ones that get the maximum number of votes will be prioritised by Xiaomi. The features for MIUI 11 that are being worked on include voice call recording support in QQ app, a local recycle bin, a magnification shortcut to let users that will let users zoom in text or images, and others.

Xiaomi has also said that MIUI will come with a monochrome mode that will help users in saving the battery of the smartphone. It is being speculated that the mode will be called Super Power Saving Mode.

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Inbox by Gmail continues to work even after being discontinued

Aman Singh
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Inbox by Gmail continues to work even after being discontinued

Google’s Inbox by Gmail has been discontinued by its parent company, two weeks after the technology giant announced that it will be closing down the service on April 2.  As expected, the Android app of Inbox has been removed from Google’s Play Store. When the user opens the updated Inbox app a message gets prompted saying, “This app is no longer available”. As of now, users can use the older version of the Inbox app, we expect that to stop working soon too. But luckily for some, the newest version of the app is still active in the iOS devices.

It was in September 2018 that Google for the first time announced that it would discontinue Inbox by Gmail and two weeks back, it said that it will be doing it on April 2. And as promised, the platform has been discontinued. However, even after being discontinued, the web platform of the service still works, but it will undoubtedly shut down soon. The latest version of the Inbox by Gmail for Android has also stopped working.

But there is a way the users of the platform can use the platform for now. Some Reddit users noticed that the older versions of Inbox for Gmail Android app were still functional. Even the newest iOS app of Inbox by Gmail (version 1.3.19) still works. But it should be noted that the Inbox by Gmail app is no longer present on the Google Play Store or the iOS App Store.

So if you are one among the users who still wants to use the app, you can download the older version of Inbox by Gmail from trusted app websites. Google has released the last publicly available version of Inbox by Gmail for Android users back in October 2018, so the users can download any versions which were released before the October 2018 version to continue using the app. But it should be noted that this is not a permanent solution and soon Google will remove the app forever which will make it stop working at all places. But until that time comes, users are free to use the older versions of the app.

As we mentioned earlier, the latest iOS app of Inbox by Gmail still works just fine. However, it is yet to be seen when the company will pull the plug and make the app unusable forever. Inbox by Gmail was introduced back in 2014 and it gave the users a new way of accessing the Gmail. After its launch, some of its features were introduced in the Gmail itself but there are still many features which are still missing from Google’s regular email service.

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Canon XA50/ XA55, XA40/ XA45 camcorders with 4K recording launched: Get all the details here

Aman Singh
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Canon XA50/ XA55, XA40/ XA45 camcorders with 4K recording launched: Get all the details here

Japanese electronics maker Canon has added its first 4K capable professional camcorders to its existing XA Series of cameras. The newly launched cameras – XA50/ XA55, XA40/ XA45 – are compact and light in build and they come equipped with features for enhanced mobility. With the new cameras, users can record 4K videos while moving.

The camcorders by Canon are able to record 4K videos in 25/30p. Canon XA50/ XA55 comes equipped with 1.0 type CMOS sensor which lets it record high quality footage while the XA40/ XA45 comes equipped with a 1/2.3 type CMOS sensor.

Speaking about the launch of the two cameras, Kazutada Kobayashi, President and CEO, Canon India, said, “With our vision of elevating the imaging culture in the country and keeping innovation and quality in focus, we are happy to introduce the four new XA series for enabling video content creators to strengthen innovations in the Indian market. We have designed this series of camcorders for professional use, keeping in mind the high degree of mobility required for on-location videography in fields such as weddings, broadcasting, webcasting, reporting, short films, documentary and event shooting. With this launch, we aim to widen the connect with both budding and professional videographers across the country.”

Canon XA50/ XA55 and XA40/ XA45 price and availability

Although Canon has not revealed the price of the camcorders yet, but it has announced that the newly launched camcorders will be available for purchase in the first half of 2019. Canon XA45/XA40 camera will be available for purchase starting April 2019, and on the other hand, the XA55/XA50 can be picked up in June 2019.

Canon XA50/ XA55 specifications

As mentioned above, Canon XA50/XA55 comes with 1.0 type CMOS sensor which produces high quality images and footage. Canon has put in the XA series for the first time ever and it produces the imaging performance required to support the professional users.

The Canon XA50/XA55 also comes with a DIGIC DV 6 image processor along with 4K-compatible 15x optical zoom lens which optimizes the 4K 25/30p images/videos captured across the entire zoom range – starting from 25.5mm at the wide-angle end to 382.5mm at the telephoto end.  The Canon XA50/ XA55 also has the Canon’s Dual Pixel CMOS AF technology which makes the camcorders deliver high performance autofocus and subject tracking during the shooting.

The Canon XA50/XA55 comes with touch panel which lets the users control the workings and settings of the newly launched devices. The touch panel delivers high precision and accurate focusing.

Canon XA40/ XA45 specifications

On the other hand, the Canon XA40 and the XA45 comes with a 1/2.3 type CMOS sensor along with a 20x optical zoom lens and a DIGIC DV 6 image processor. The Canon XA40/XA45 has a lightweight built and it measures at 131mm (W) x 180mm (H) x 231mm (D) and carries a weight of 1.13kg.

The Canon XA40/XA45 is also capable of 4K video recording at 25/30p and it comes with a large zoom range – 29.3mm at the wide-angle end to 601mm at the telephoto end. Both the Canon XA40/A45 comes with HD Processing function which utilizes data acquired by the 4K imaging sensor to record full HD video.

It is also worth pointing out that Canon’s XA55 and XA45 comes with 3G SDI terminal port which the XA50 and XA40 lack.

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Oppo A7n with dual-rear cameras and 16MP selfie camera launched: Price and specifications

Aman Singh
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1
Oppo A7n with dual-rear cameras and 16MP selfie camera launched: Price and specifications

After the launch of the Oppo F11 Pro with the triple-rear camera setup and a pop-up selfie camera, the Chinese smartphone brand has come up with a new device called the Oppo A7n. The Oppo A7n smartphone has been launched in China and it packs a MediaTek Helio P35 SoC and features an HD+ display. The device comes with a dual-rear camera setup where the primary camera is a 13MP sensor. The Oppo A7n handset is somewhat identical to the Oppo AX5s which was launched last month. However, the former has more RAM and has a higher resolution selfie camera than the Oppo AX5s.

Oppo A7n price and availability

The Oppo A7n has been released in the Chinese markets only and it bears a price tag of CNY 1,499 (approximately Rs 15,300) on the company’s official listing. Oppo A7n has only been made available in Lake Light Green colour.

Although the Oppo A7n has been launched in China, the availability of the smartphone in other markets including India has not been announced yet. The company might announce it in the next few weeks.

Oppo A7n specifications

The Oppo A7n sports a 6.2-inch HD+ (720 x 1520p) display with 270ppi pixel density and an aspect ratio of 19:9. The Oppo A7n’s official online listing reveals that the device comes with Hyper Boost Acceleration Engine which will increase the performance and gaming experience of the smartphone. The handset is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio P35 (MT6765) SoC paired with IMG GE8320 GPU and 4GB of RAM. Oppo A7n runs Android 8.1 Oreo skinned with ColorOS 5.2.1 and has dual-SIM (Nano) support. The smartphone comes with 64GB internal storage and has support for a microSD card of up to 256GB. The Oppo A7n packs a 4,230mAh battery and comes with a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.

On the camera front, the Oppo A7n comes with a dual-rear camera setup which comprises of a 13MP primary camera with an f/2.2 aperture paired with a 2MP secondary sensor with an f/2.4 aperture. For selfies and video calls, Oppo A7n features a 16MP selfie camera with an f/2.0 aperture. The camera of the Oppo A7n comes with artificial intelligence (AI) backed beautification feature which, according to the company, can recognise 296 facial points to uplift selfies.

Other features of the Oppo A7n includes 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS/ A-GPS, NFC, Micro-USB with USB OTG support, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Sensors in the Oppo A7n includes an ambient light sensor, gravity sensor, magnetometer, and virtual gyroscope.

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This Chrome extension can ‘transform’ Gmail into Inbox for Gmail

Avani Bagga
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1
This Chrome extension can ‘transform’ Gmail into Inbox for Gmail

Inbox by Gmail has finally bid farewell to the world today. The app never garnered as much popularity as Gmail enjoys, but some users really loved Inbox because of the useful features that it offered. Launched in 2014, the app survived for almost five years before it was killed off by its parent company.

However, before the app was removed from the face of the earth, a Chrome extension emerged that can be used to transform Gmail into a service that looks more like Inbox. Dubbed Inbox for Gmail, the Chrome extension can be downloaded via the official Chrome Web Store. But it is worth mentioning that the new extension has been made by a team of developers in Sweden and comes with a number of UI elements that Inbox for Gmail had.

If you are someone who is going to miss Inbox for Gmail, you will love this extension. But it is worth pointing out that the extension is nowhere affiliated with the official Inbox for Gmail service.

According to the listing of the extension on Chrome Web Store, the Inbox Theme for Gmail gets the experience of Google Inbox to Gmail. It gives users a clean and organised design on Gmail, that was earlier available exclusively on Inbox by Gmail. On installing the extension, you would be able to see the mix-and-match of grey and grey and white colours on your Gmail account.

Furthermore, the extension will also transform the top bar of the email service with colour schemes on the mailbox components that are active on the screen. So, if you are looking at your Inbox, the top bar will be shown in a vivid Arctic Blue colour, while it changes to a bright Orange when you look at Starred messages.

However, while the extension manages to add the look and feel of Inbox for Gmail to Google’s current email service, it does not get any of the renowned features that Inbox was known for.

But it is worth adding here that in the last few months, Google has added a number of features from Inbox for Gmail to Gmail. Smart Reply, Nudges, and inline attachments are among the Inbox for Gmail features that have now been added to Gmail. However, since only some of the features that Inbox users loved made their way to Gmail and many are not available even now, many users feel that using Gmail after being accustomed to Inbox is more of a downgrade.

If you wish to download the extension you can head to Chrome Web Store and look for Inbox Theme for Gmail. The extension will soon work with Firefox and Safari too.

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WhatsApp now lets you decide who can add you to Groups

Aman Singh
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WhatsApp now lets you decide who can add you to Groups

WhatsApp Groups are a necessary evil. Sometimes, being in a WhatsApp Groups helps save a lot of time as you don’t have to call different people in order to get your plan into action. However, there are also times when being a part of a group on WhatsApp is downright annoying, because you simply aren’t interested in the conversation other participants are having. Moreover, leaving WhatsApp Groups is not always an option, and that can also be bothersome as seeing a 100+ messages on muted group is not something everyone can ignore. But this won’t continue anymore as the Facebook-owned messaging app has will now let you decide who can add you to groups on WhatsApp.

According to the instant messaging app, the feature will enhance the privacy of the user on the app by giving them control over which WhatsApp users will be able to add them in various Groups.

To enable the new settings, users need to go to ‘Settings’ in their app and tap on the ‘Account’ section. Once it is open, the user needs to go to ‘Privacy’ and then to ‘Groups’. Once the option of Group is selected, they will be given three choices – Nobody, My Contacts and Everyone.

On selecting ‘Nobody’, the user will have the option to approve any group that the has been sent an invite to, if he accepts the invite he will be able to join the group else not. The person who is inviting the user to a group will have to send a private invite to the user which would expire in three days if left unattended. The ‘My Contacts’ option lets people who are in the contact list of the user make him a part of the group and lastly, the option of ‘Everyone’ lets anyone who has the user’s contact make him a part of a group.

With the new privacy setting, WhatsApp has given the users more control over whom can add him to a group. The WhatsApp update with these new settings will roll out to some users starting today. In the coming weeks the feature will be made available to all WhatsApp users across the globe.

WhatsApp groups are great for connecting with more than one people and sending/receiving messages to everyone at the same time. The groups in WhatsApp has many uses but it can be used to spread lies, fake news and misleading information. Since WhatsApp has given the user the ability to create groups where more than 200 participants can send/receive messages simultaneously, it has become a very sensitive platform.

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Popular email app Spark makes its way to Android

Avani Bagga
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Popular email app Spark makes its way to Android

Technology giant Google didn’t just kill off its social media platform Google+ right on April 2, but its email service ‘Inbox for Gmail’ too. It was an alternative email service by Google that packed a number of features that Gmail initially did not have like message grouping and reminders. Although it never managed to garner the kind of popularity that is enjoyed by Gmail, the app will be missed by a lot of its users because it offered some very useful features.

However, we should add here that the last few months saw a number of features of ‘Inbox for Gmail’ make their way to the regular Gmail app. These include Smart Reply, Nudges, inline attachments and others. But then, only some of the features that Inbox users loved made their way to Gmail. There are many that are not available even now, and because of this, many users feel that using Gmail after being accustomed to Inbox is more of a downgrade.

Amid all this, Spark saw an opportunity that it could make use of. For those unaware, Spark is an email client on iOS that has garnered a lot of appreciation for the features that it offers like smart notifications, snoozing, send later, quick replies and reminders. And now, Spark is becoming available for Android smartphones too.

However, in its current version for Android, some features of the app are missing. Quick replies and integrations with third-party apps are two such features. However, they are expected to be made available on the Android version of Spark’s app very soon.

In case you loved Inbox and don’t want to settle for Gmail in spite of the additions that it has got, Spark is definitely app that is worth giving a try to. We should mention that Spark is not identical to Inbox, but it does have a number of features that we have seen previously on Inbox. Also, it is one among the best alternatives to Inbox that you will find.

We should mention that Google is doing everything that it can in order to make Gmail attractive to potential users. We have already spoken about Gmail getting a number of Inbox features, but it is worth adding that the email service recently also got a Material Redesign that completely changed its look and feel. Other than this, Gmail is also getting support for AMP, which will enable users to shop and fill out forms from their inbox itself, as they would not be redirected to the website they got the email from.

Update: You can also read here about a Chrome extension that will make your Gmail account look like Inbox.

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Airtel to launch an e-books platform soon

Avani Bagga
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Airtel to launch an e-books platform soon

After launching digital content platforms like Wynk Music and Airtel TV, Bharti Airtel Ltd will soon be unveiling a service for readers. Dubbed Airtel Books, the service will come with a collection of e-books for smartphone users. We should add here that with the launch, Airtel aims to upgrade its subscribers to a higher tariff plans and retain then on its network.

The digital content strategies of telecom companies are now becoming increasingly crucial for them because cheap data tariffs are no longer a way to attract consumers, primarily because all the players are offering data at dirt cheap prices. As of December 2018, Airtel had a total of 284.2 million playing subscribers on its network. Its music streaming app Wynk has 120 million users, which Airtel TV enjoys a user base of 80 million.

Speaking about the upcoming book service, Sameer Batra, CEO, content and apps, Bharti Airtel said, “In the past, we made good progress on the entertainment side and we were studying many categories apart from music and video. We realized e-books is a niche and strong category, especially as Airtel has high-quality customers on its network. Also, it’s an uncluttered space.”

While Reliance Jio‘s apps does include JioMags, it focuses on magazines and not books.

The upcoming service will be available to both Airtel and non-Airtel customers and those who subscribe to it will be able to access it on Android as well as on iOS. Airtel Books will initially offer more than 70,000 titles from leading Indian as well as international authors across various genres like crime, romance, fitness, diet, spirituality, business, history and politics, and classics. Furthermore, although at the beginning Airtel Books will have books in English and Hindi, it will soon diversify and include titles from other languages as well.

It is worth mentioning that in December 2017, the company had acquired a strategic equity stake in Juggernaut Books via its wholly owned subsidiary Nettle Infrastructure Investments Ltd. Juggernaut Books was co-founded two years ago by Durga Raghunath and Chiki Sarkar and the company has Nandan Nilekani as its investor. The telco will be relying on Juggernaut to curate content for its upcoming application.

Airtel has also said that it will give all its users a complimentary trial for 30 days. The Readers Club subscription will cost Rs 129 for six months and Rs 199 for a year. Other than this, there will be an option to pay separately for a single book too.

Batra also added, “As e-books is a niche category, we believe the propensity to pay will be higher compared to other kinds of content. We also plan to offer special benefits for Airtel subscribers and are exploring how to bundle the e-books offering with our rewards programme Airtel Thanks. If you are a high-paying Airtel subscriber, we may give some complimentary benefits also.”

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Google Pixel’s Call Screen feature to come to Nokia and Motorola smartphones: Report

Aman Singh
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Google Pixel’s Call Screen feature to come to Nokia and Motorola smartphones: Report

Google Pixel smartphones are known to have a useful feature called ‘Call Screen’ that helps the users identify and avoid spam calls on their device. The ‘Call Screen’ feature does this with the help of Google Assistant.

While till now, you needed to have a Google Pixel smartphone to get this feature, Call Screen is now all set to come to the Google Phone app in Nokia and Motorola devices as well. A code has been found in the beta version of the Google Phone app that indicates that smartphones from Nokia and Motorola may receive the Call Screen feature as well. The Call Screen feature was introduced by the search giant back in October 2018.

A Reddit user named hkyq wrote on the platform that he found the Google Phone beta app while browsing the code. The user also found two flags, which clubbed with the codes found, suggest that the search giant might expand its Call Screen feature to other smartphone manufacturers including Nokia and Motorola. But other than the mentions of the two brands, there are no other details mentioned.

The name of the device or model which is set to receive Google’s Call Screen feature has not been mentioned. However, it is being speculated that only those devices of Nokia and Motorola which run Android One will receive the said feature. We should mention that are a number of smartphones from both the manufacturers that runs on Android One. However, no official comment from either of the companies has been made in this subject.

When Call Screen feature is enabled, the users see an option of Screen Call whenever they receive a call on their device. If the feature is turned on, it uses Google Assistant to talk to the caller and present a transcription of the same to the user. After looking at the transcription, the user can decide if he wants to attend the call, disconnect it or let the Assistant keep the conversation going.

The Call Screen feature was launched by Google back in October 2018 and it rolled out in the new Pixel 3 and the Pixel 3 XL devices which were launched last year. The feature was then rolled out to other Pixel devices later in December 2018. Google’s Support Page states that English-speaking people in the United States who own the Pixel 2, Pixel 2 Xl, Pixel 3 or the Pixel 3 XL can use the said feature.

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Waiting for PUBG 2? Here’s some bad news for you

Aman Singh
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Waiting for PUBG 2? Here’s some bad news for you

PUBG or PlayerUnknown’s Battle Grounds is one of the most popular games in the world today. Although earlier, the game was only available for PCs, the PUBG’s popularity surged tremendously since its mobile version was rolled out. PUBG Mobile has scores of users in India as well as in other parts of the world. However, there won’t be a second version of the ever-popular game. And this has been confirmed by none other than PUBG’s creator Brendan Greene has. Greene has said that he is not planning on making a second version of PUBG Mobile.

He also added that he has moved to other projects within the PUBG Corp. and his next game will be different from PUBG. The upcoming game will be of a completely different genre, however, it will still be a multiplayer like PUBG. But it is being speculated that in the new game, the players would not have to kill other players.

“I’ve done the killing thing. It’s fun. I think I’ve provided others with a good way of killing each other. But I want to explore some other things,” Greene said in a conversation with GamesIndustry.biz. But when asked if the new project he has been working on will be a co-operative game/multiplayer game, he confirmed that there might be a possibility of such a game releasing.

“That’s something we’re going to explore. The last man standing concept is great, but I’ve done that. I don’t really intend to make PUBG 2. I’ve done battle royale, it’s time to try something else. There are ideas about how we connect to people and how we provide the different experiences I have,” he further added to his statement.

It should be noted that in the heat of the new releases of battle-royale genre of games like Battlefield: Firestorm or COD: Blackout, PUBG Mobile still remains popular. Although the PC version of the game might be facing stiff competition from its rivals, PUBG Mobile continues to grow in popularity with more and more number of people joining in the battle. It should be noted that PUBG has now been released for other platforms as well such as the Xbox One, PS4, PC and Mobile. The game has also gotten a new map called Vikendi snow map which was demanded by the players for quite some time. Furthermore, PUBG regularly releases new updates and contents for its game to keep it interesting for players as well as make sure that it’s bug free.

But it should also be noted that PUBG Mobile, which is hugely popular in India, has received its fair share of criticism too. The game was banned in Rajkot, Gujarat, and some players were also arrested for playing PUBG Mobile after it was banned.

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Google+ shut down begins today: Everything that you should know

Avani Bagga
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Google+ shut down begins today: Everything that you should know

Technology giant Google has finally started shutting down Google+ and it is now deleting the accounts of all the consumers on its social media platform. This marks the end of Google’s attempt to compete with the likes of Facebook and Twitter.

Google has said that Google+ is being closed down due to “low usage” and also because it became a liability for the company to keep it secure. The technology giant revealed that Google+ suffered two data breaches that had the potential of exposing information of millions of users on the platform to outside developers.

It was the first data leak that made Google decide that it was time to close down Google+. When the second data breach happened, the search giant preponed the date for closing down the social media platform. So while Google+ earlier had to be shut down by August, it will now close down by April.

In the case of both the data leaks, Google has clarified that there is no evidence of developers being aware of the bugs, let alone them taking an advantage of them. According to Google’s timeline for the shutdown for Google+, the APIs for the social media platform have already been cut off.

Speaking further about the platform, Google’s Ben Smith said in October last year, “While our engineering teams have put a lot of effort and dedication into building Google+ over the years, it has not achieved broad consumer or developer adoption, and has seen limited user interaction with apps. 90 percent of Google+ user sessions are less than five seconds.”

We should add here that during the first few years of Google+, the search giant forced its users to create an account on the platform in order to comment on its other services. For instance, user could not comment on YouTube videos without having a Google+ account. Needless to say, the move drew criticism from many. Furthermore, Google also tied the process of creating a Gmail account to being on Google+. However, being forced into the platform did not work well with most users, so they couldn’t really get themselves to appreciate Google+ features that were not present on other social media platforms.

The features that made Google+ stand out included Circles, which let users organise people into different categories like Friends, Work, Family and more, so they could decide what to share with which Circle. Other than this, it was a platform where people could have conversations based on a topic, something that is not present on Facebook. In spite of all this, Google+ never managed to become a hit among the masses.

Google has already said that it will take it a few months to delete all personal Google+ accounts, so don’t be surprised if you come across pages from the website even after today. However, the content deletion has already started.

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Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 7 Pro to go on sale today at 12 pm noon

Aman Singh
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Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 7 Pro to go on sale today at 12 pm noon

Xiaomi took wraps off its Redmi Note 7 Pro and Redmi Note 7 smartphones in February this year and the two devices garnered appreciation for offering powerful specifications at an affordable price. After a couple of flash sales that the company has conducted, Redmi Note 7 Pro and Redmi Note 7 will go on sale once again today. The customers can purchase the two smartphones from Flipkart, Mi.com or Mi Home Stores. Xiaomi has also come up with some sale offers for customers of the Redmi Note 7 Pro and Redmi Note 7.

Redmi Note 7 Pro, Redmi Note 7 price and sale offers

The Redmi Note 7 Pro holds a price tag of Rs 13,999 for the 4GB RAM/ 64GB storage variant while the 6GB RAM/128GB storage variant of the device costs Rs 16,999.

The Redmi Note 7 Pro comes in three colour options — Neptune Blue, Nebula Red, and Space Black.

On the other hand, the Redmi Note 7 holds a price tag of Rs 9,999 for the 3GB RAM/32GB storage variant while its 6GB RAM/64GB storage variant costs Rs 11,999.

The Redmi Note 7 comes in three colour options as well – Onyx Black, Ruby Red, and Sapphire Blue.

As mentioned above, both the devices Redmi Note 7 Pro and Redmi Note 7 will go on sale today from 12pm (Noon) IST on Flipkart, Mi.com and Mi Home Stores. Sale offers on the devices include up to 1,120GB data along with unlimited calling on the Airtel network. Airtel is also offering various Airtel Thanks benefits on the purchase of any of the devices. Reliance Jio is also offering double data benefits to its subscribers on the recharge of Rs 198 and above.

Redmi Note 7 Pro specifications

Redmi Note 7 Pro sports a 6.3-inch Full HD+ (1080 x 2340 pixels) resolution display with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The device is powered by an 11nm octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 SoC paired with 4GB or 6GB RAM. The smartphone runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with MIUI 10 and comes with 64GB or 128GB internal storage with support of a microSD card of up to 256GB. The device packs a 4,000mAh battery that has support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0.

On the camera front, the Redmi Note 7 Pro holds a dual rear camera setup which comprises of a 48MP primary sensor with an f/1.79 aperture along with a 5MP depth sensor. For selfies and video calls, there is a 13MP selfie camera. The device also has a fingerprint sensor at the back

Other features of the Redmi Note 7 Pro includes 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, USB Type-C port, and 3.5mm headphone jack

Redmi Note 7 specifications

On the other hand, the Redmi Note 7 is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC paired with 3GB RAM or 4GB RAM. The device comes with 32GB and 64GB of storage options and has support of a microSD card of up to 256GB.

On the camera front, the Redmi Note 7 sports a dual-rear camera setup with a 12MP primary sensor with an f/2.2 aperture and a 2MP secondary sensor. On its front panel, there is a 13MP selfie camera.

Rest of the specifications of the Redmi Note 7 are the same as Redmi Note 7 Pro’s.

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Ford’s electric car will travel more than 300 miles on a single charge

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Ford’s electric car will travel more than 300 miles on a single charge

Ford will be seen launching its first long-range electric vehicle — an SUV that is inspired from the Mustang muscle car — in 2020. The company has also announced that the SUV will be able to travel more than 300 miles on a single charge. Ford first teased its upcoming car at the Detroit Auto Show and since then, the electric vehicle has been codenamed as ‘Mach 1’

The executives from the company have stated time and again since 2017 that they intend to offer more than 300 miles their first electric vehicles that reaches the masses. We should mention that although this is the company’s first long range electric vehicle, shorter range all-electric Focus hatchbacks and Ranger trucks from Ford have gone on sale in the past.

With Ford‘s latest announcement, it looks like the company is all set to execute its plans. The company has said that based on Europe’s Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure, ‘Mach 1’ will eclipse 370 miles or 600 kilometres.

It is worth adding that the WLTP standard came into action in 2018 in order to evaluate the energy consumption of cars, including EVs, on the road. The standard is more strict than the one that it replaced, however, the estimates of WLTP are more optimistic than the ones that were generated by the Environmental Protection Agency in the US.

But then, it is hard to say what estimate the EPA will arrive at just on the basis of the WLTP one. For instance, the Jaguar I-Pace has a WLTP rating of around 292 miles and it wound up with an EPA range of 240 miles. Going by this, we can assume Ford’s upcoming car’s range to be closer to 300 miles. Other comparisons between WLTP and EPA show a narrower difference between the two estimates and extends Mach 1’s range to 330 miles.

But then, we should add that any value above 300 miles will be good enough to make Ford one among the top companies on the EV range leader board. Currently, the only company that sells electric cars with over 300 miles of range is Tesla. Electric vehicles from companies like Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Jaguar have ranges between 200 miles and 260 miles.

However, this is set to change with Porsche’s first all-electric car, which is all set to hit the road this year.  We should add here that Ford has committed more than $10 billion to its EV line-up, so we are expecting that the upcoming car to really turnaround things for the company.

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PlayStation Store will now only refund pre-orders and games if they aren’t downloaded

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PlayStation Store will now only refund pre-orders and games if they aren’t downloaded

Japanese electronics maker Sony has validated a refund policy for purchases that are made from the PlayStation Store, which is coming into effect starting today. With the new policy enacted, the terms for refund will differ on the basis of the type of content that you are returning.

Going forward, users will not be able to get credit back on a purchase if you have downloaded it or started playing it. However, the only exception to this are subscriptions like PS Plus and PS Now. We should mention that this comes right after Sony cut off third-party retailers like Gameloft from selling PS4 download codes.

It is worth adding that if you have pre-ordered a game, you will have up to 14 days from the date of purchase to receive a refund for it. However, this is also not applicable if you begin downloading and streaming the content or even preloading it, for that matter. But then, in spite of all this, if you are eligible to get your money back, the company will return it to the original payment method. This is not even the worst bit yet.

In case games are already released along with all DLC and season passes, you would still get 14 days to get a refund in case you haven’t downloaded or streamed the content. However, in this case, you will get the refund as PSN wallet credit.

Sony has also suggested users turn off ‘Automatic Downloads’ since if a game that you don’t wish to keep gets downloaded with this function, you would not be eligible to get a refund. This is an important tip to keep in mind, considering that a majority of the players have the feature on, as it enables them to start playing the game as soon as they have some time at hand instead of having to wait for it to download first.

It’s a nightmare for some users to wait for a game to download, and with the new policy, Sony is asking users to do that with every game that they play on PlayStation. Coming to subscriptions to PlayStation Plus or PlayStation Now, they can be refunded within 14 days of purchase, however, Sony will credit this to your PSN wallet and not your original payment method.

But then, the company has also added that it will initiate the refund on the basis of how much of your subscription has lapsed. So, if you get lesser money than what you originally paid, don’t be surprised.

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