PayPal, an American online payments firm, recently announced that it shall permit the use of cryptocurrency in the US for making payments at several online merchants worldwide.
What is the new feature of PayPal?
The new feature of PayPal is called ‘Checkout with Crypto’ that was rolled out today and is an extension to the current facility provided to US users. Till now, the platform enabled users to buy and sell cryptocurrency straightaway via their accounts. With the ‘Checkout with Crypto’, the users will not only be able to make transactions but also immediately change their Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, or Litecoin to US dollars.
According to Dan Schulman, President and CEO of PayPal, “This is the first time you can seamlessly use cryptocurrencies in the same way as a credit card or a debit card inside your PayPal wallet”.
PayPal wants to encourage people to use cryptocurrency as a significant mode of payment. As a result, the company will not charge any intermediate fee for making transactions in cryptocurrencies. Moreover, the fiat conversions will occur as per the standard PayPal conversion rates.
How to use the new ‘Checkout with Crypto’ feature?
The users in the US can find the new ‘Checkout with Crypto’ feature in their PayPal wallet. It must be noted that the feature will only appear if the user has a minimum cryptocurrency balance for making an eligible purchase.
The app will display the crypto balances for kinds of cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Ethereum, and Litecoin. According to PayPal, the user will be allowed to use only one type of cryptocurrency for making a purchase.
How to use the new ‘Checkout with Crypto’ feature?
What is the significance of the new ‘Checkout with Crypto’ feature for PayPal and Tesla?
PayPal is one of the most preferred digital platforms across the globe. The new ‘Checkout with Crypto’ feature is expected to make the company a reliable cryptocurrency exchange medium as well.
According to Dan Schulman, President and CEO of PayPal, “Enabling cryptocurrencies to make purchases at businesses around the world is the next chapter in driving the ubiquity and mass acceptance of digital currencies”.
PayPal’s new feature will also open new payment options for the associated brand Tesla. PayPal announced the new feature only a week after Elon Musk, Tesla’s CEO revealed that people can make payments in bitcoins for buying Tesla cars. The electric vehicle company even bought $1.5 billion worth of cryptocurrency to show that it is interested in offering flexibility and diversity in the investments and returns.
However, this will not be valid in many countries such as India. The Indian Government or banks do not recognise cryptocurrencies.
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Google announced a set of new features for its web mapping service named Google Maps. The new features include indoor navigation and eco-friendly driving route suggestions. The company may release the features in batches rather than all in a single update. Also, not all features are expected to be available in all countries.
What are the new upcoming features of Google Maps?
The following are the new features of Google Maps that may be released in the upcoming application updates.
Live Augmented Reality
This feature is one of the major announcements regarding the Google Maps updates. Using Live Augmented Reality, the app will provide directions to various places including airports, shopping malls, and transit stations. In the Augmented Reality view, you will see icons indicating the directions. The feature earlier worked only in the outdoor environments. Now, it will show directions in an indoor location consisting of multiple floors.
New interface for Transport Options
Google Maps will get a new interface for route directions and modes of transportation. The company will turn its tabs view into a scroll view so that users can easily see the details about various transport options. Based on the traffic situations in different cities, Google Maps will prioritise the suitable modes of transportation for each city. The new interface will be available in the next few months.
Optimised Driving Route Suggestions
To make optimise transportation, the Google Map will prioritise different routes as per the fuel consumption. Currently, the application suggests the route with the minimum travelling time. The new update will, by default, recommend the most fuel-efficient route. This feature will be released globally on Android and iOS platforms.
What are the new upcoming features of Google Maps?
Low-emissions Zones Alert
Google is planning to initially release this feature in countries having regulations of emissions like the UK, France, Germany, and the Netherlands. As soon as you enter a low-emission zone, the app will automatically send you an alert to check your vehicle emissions. This feature conforms to the regulations that don’t permit vehicles beyond a certain level of emissions.
Weather and Air Quality information
Weather and air-quality information are searched quite frequently by people who are moving from one place to another. Google Maps will get new layers of air-quality indices in countries like the US, India, Australia, and Australia. These are countries usually have one of the highest values of air quality indices. The weather layer will be added in the Google maps globally on Android and iOS platforms.
Grocery Pickup Tool
This tool will ensure a fast and hassle-free grocery buying experience. This feature will initially be rolled out in selected grocery shops in selected parts of the world. Using the grocery pickup tool, the users will be able to share their location and the estimated time of arrival (ETA). As a result, the grocer will keep your order ready beforehand saving time and inconvenience.
Google Maps already provides dozens of features that make travel from place to place convenient and fast. The above features will expand the reach of the app to indoor levels and make your travel eco-friendly.
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On the second day of the Xiaomi Mega Launch event, the Chinese tech firm made two major announcements. The company first introduced its first foldable smartphone Mi MIXFold to the world then it launched its most premium laptops, Mi Laptop Pro 2021. There will be two variants, a 14-inch and a 15-inch model, which look identical to Apple MacBook Pro. Check out its pricing, specs and availability details below.Starting with the specifications and design, Mi Laptop Pro 14 and Mi Laptop Pro 15 come with a metal unibody design built of 600 series aviation-grade aluminium alloy. The former one is slimmer while the latter one is thicker in size.Mi Laptop Pro 14As the name suggests the Mi Laptop Pro 14 features a 14-inch display with a resolution of 2.5K. It supports a 120Hz refresh rate panel with TUV Rheinland Low Blue Light Certification and an aspect ratio of 16:10. On the other hand the Mi Laptop Pro 15 sports a 15-inch OLED display with 3.5K resolution protected with Corning Gorilla Glass, TUV Rheinland Low Blue Light Certification with SGS Eye Care display and DC dimming. It offers 100 percent DCI-P3 colour gamut, 600 nits peak brightness, a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio and a 93% screen-to-body ratio.Both the laptops are powered by an 11th Generation Intel Core processor, paired with a GeForce MX450 for graphics. It packs 16GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB PCIe SSD. In this, you will get two versions an i5 variant with and without NVIDIA GeForce MX450 GPU and the other one is the i7 variant. Besides this, there is a backlit keyboard and a large touchpad in addition to a fingerprint sensor. The Mi laptop runs Microsoft Windows 10 operating system assisted by MIUI+, Xiaomi voice assistant and an HD webcam. The Mi Laptop Pro 14 is backed by a 56WHr battery with 100W fast charging support. While the Mi Laptop Pro 15 houses a 66Whr battery with 100W fast charging support. Mi Laptop Pro 15For connectivity, there are four Thunderbolt ports, WIFI 6 wireless LANan Driver and a dual USB Type-C port.Mi Laptop Pro 14 and Mi Laptop Pro 15 Price and availabilityThe Mi Laptop Pro 14 price starts at CYN 5,299 that translates to Rs 59,216. Whereas the Mi Laptop Pro 15 will be available with a starting price of CNY 6,499 that translates to Rs 72,626. Both the device will be available in China in two colour options of black and silver.
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Spotify, a Swedish audio streaming and media services provider, is planning to release live audio recordings. The platform is already renowned as a music and podcast streaming service. Spotify recently revealed to acquire Betty Labs, the developer of the well-known sports audio application ‘Locker Room’.
How will the acquisition of Betty Labs benefit Spotify?
The Chief Research and Development officer at Spotify, Gustav Söderström believes that the acquisition of Betty Labs shall enhance the reach and capabilities of Spotify. Now the platform will be able to give a tough competition to the existing live audio applications including Twitter Spaces, Clubhouse, and Discord.
According to Gustav Söderström, chief R&D officer at Spotify, “But who knows, maybe we’ll integrate some of these features or all of these features in the future”.
What new features will Spotify get after acquiring Betty Labs?
Despite the acquisition of Betty Labs, the ‘Locker Room’ application will remain in the App Store rebranded a different name. The company is also planning to extend the ‘Locker Room’ application to the Android platform. The audio application shall primarily focus on topics like sports, music, and culture.
According to Spotify, anyone interested shall be able to host conversations and not just approved creators. The live audio service will work perfectly for creators who need a wider audience in real-time to promote their new music album or wish to deliver a social networking strategy. The company will also try various monetisation features bringing some paid chats pertaining to the exclusive content.
How will the new features of Spotify benefit live audio-streamers?
According to Gustav Söderström, chief R&D officer at Spotify, the new features of Spotify will not be new to the live audio-streamers. They are already used to recording and uploading their chats on platforms like Spaces and Clubhouse. Spotify will offer a much convenient and popular platform to them.
He further added, “We might want to make that more seamless”.
Spotify may give a tough competition to Clubhouse.Download Clubhouse on the App Store
Why does Spotify want to release a live-audio application?
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has also given a boost to the podcast industry. People have learnt to utilise the power of the internet and podcast are one of the most significant means in this direction. Podcasts are convenient to use and are a rich source of information. As soon as you subscribe to a podcast feed, new content is automatically saved on your computer based on availability.
Recently, podcast streaming has become quite popular with big firms investing in live audio as well as podcast content. Last year, Amazon, an American multinational technology company, acquired a podcast network named Wondery. Facebook, the leading social media tech company, is also planning to design a live audio feature.
Although Spotify mainly focuses on music streaming and podcasts, it has begun to promote live audio recording as well. Bringing different formats will help the company attract a wider and more diverse pool of listeners.
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Amazon, the American multinational technology company, is said to be currently working on custom networking chips. These silicon chips may be used to design community switches. The idea to enhance the inside infrastructure by designing silicon chips started to surface in 2015 when the company acquired an Israeli chipmaking agency Annapurna Labs for USD350 million.
How will the custom networking chips benefit the company?
The project of the custom silicon chips will bring several short and long-term benefits to the technology firm. These are as follows.
Infrastructure expansion
Amazon Web Services, a subsidiary of Amazon, offers cloud computing solutions to individuals, organisations and governments. The custom networking chips will help the company further expand its Information Technology infrastructure.
Clear up bottlenecks
Amazon’s projects extensively rely on silicon chips. Being a tech giant, silicon chips are used in the backend in all the services provides by the company. As a result, they become bottlenecks in the Amazon software program. The design of silicon chips within the company will help clear the bottleneck and enhance the project pipeline.
Self-reliance
Amazon heavily depends on Broadcom for silicon chips that are the core element in the switches designed by the company. The indigenous production of silicon chips will help Amazon become self-reliant in the procurement of silicon wafers. Amazon has already started taking small steps towards self-reliance as the machine studying software program already runs on Annapurna chips.
Increased Supply
Self-reliance doe not mean merely catering to self-requirements, but also fulfiling the needs of others. The increased production of silicon chips will help Amazon find customers of the chip and raise revenue. This will demand more dedicated management of machines and the demands of the enterprises.
How will the custom networking chips benefit the company?
Is Amazon building a silicon product first time?
This is not the first time when Amazon is designing a silicon product. There has been an instance when the company collaborated with other firms dealing with silicon chips. Amazon previously cooperated with MediaTek, a Taiwanese fabless semiconductor company to design a silicon chip. The chip was created to enhance the response time of Alexa in Amazon’s Echo Echo sensible speaker.
Amazon is constantly working on AWS Trainium which is the second custom machine learning (ML) chip designed by the subsidiary company. The chip is designed to provide high performance while training Machine Learning models on cloud platforms. It is evident that the company would require its personal silicon chips to fuel the project.
Which other tech-giants are working on silicon chips?
The ability to produce silicon chips helps companies to customise the hardware requirements as per the projects. Recently, big tech companies like Google and Microsoft have started working to develop custom chips for their gadgets. Apple is not a beginner in developing custom chips for its devices. The M1 chip of Apple has already proved its potency in terms of processing capabilities.
Amazon might not be a leader in the smartphone industry. However, self-reliance for the silicon chips would surely bring more specialisation in its cloud computing framework.
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In a bid to take on Samsung, Motorola and Huawei, the Chinese smartphone company Xiaomi has launched its very first foldable smartphone in the market. After launching Mi 11 Ultra, Mi 11i and Mi 11 Lite the company introduced Mi MIX Fold featuring a liquid lens camera. Yes, the company has launched its first-ever foldable handset exactly after two years since it was first teased.Xiaomi Mi MIX Fold price and availabilityThe Xiaomi Mi MIX Fold is relatively cheaper than the popular Samsung Galaxy Fold. The tech firm has priced it at 9,999 yuan (approx Rs 1,11,820) for the 12GB RAM with 256GB variant, while the 12GB RAM with 512GB variant will be available with a price tag of 10,999 yuan (approx Rs 1,23,000) and the 16GB with 512GB variant at 12,999 yuan (approx Rs 1,45,366). As of now, the device will be limited to China only.Mi MIX Fold specificationsXiaomi has officially forayed into the flexible phone market with the debut of Mi MIX Fold. The market is largely dominated by three companies Samsung, Motorola and Huawei. Xiaomi’s Mi MIX Fold adorns a similar form factor as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2, which folds inwards. The display inside features an 8.01-inches OLED screen with 2,480 x 1,860 OLED. However, the display supports a 60Hz refresh rate panel in contrast to Z Fold 2 and the Mate X2.The outer display offers a 6.5-inch OLED display with 2,520 x 840 pixels of resolution and a 27:9 aspect ratio. Unlike the primary one, this supports a 90Hz refresh rate panel.Under the hood, there is the top of the line Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 processor paired with up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage optionsThe Xiaomi’s foldable phone carries four speakers fine-tuned by Harman Kardon and is further backed by a 5,020 mAh battery having 67W fast charging support. The Mi MIX Fold also features a desktop mode to give it a feel of a traditional desktop UI, therefore, turning it into a mini laptop.Here Xiaomi has given a large camera module similar to the Mi 11 Ultra having a small secondary panel. On the front, there are three camera sensors including a 108-megapixel primary sensor, 13-megapixel ultra-wide sensor and an 8-megapixel ‘liquid lens’. The latter one works as a macro lens and doubles up as a telephoto lens offering a 3x optical zoom. According to the company the 8-megapixel ‘liquid lens’ is powered by its own Surge C1 ISP that helps in quick focusing as well as optimised White Balance with a higher dynamic range.The company did not talk about the hinges, but Mi MIX Fold is claimed to withstand up to 1 million bends.
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The Chinese smartphone brand, Oppo, has brought its latest budget smartphone to the market. The company has launched Oppo A54 successor to Oppo A53 that was launched last year. The device has been introduced in Indonesia and it features a triple rear camera setup. This smartphone is backed by a massive 5,000mAh battery with fast charging support. Furthermore, it is powered by MediaTek Helio P35 SoC.Oppo A54 pricing and availability detailsOppo A54 has been launched in Indonesia in a single 4GB RAM with 128GB storage options. The price of the device has been set at IDR 2,695,000 that translates to Rs 13,600. The mobile phone will be available in two colour options of Crystal Black and Starry Blue. This can be purchased via Lazada Indonesia website.The newly launched smartphone is expected to launch in India too but the company is yet to share details on the international availability of the device.Oppo A54 tech specificationsOppo A54 comes with a 6.51-inch HD+ display having 720×1,600 pixels of resolution, 89.2 percent screen to body ratio, and 269ppi pixel density. The screen has support for a standard 60Hz refresh rate. It runs ColorOS 7.2 on top of Android 10. Powered by MediaTek Helio P35 (MT6765) SoC Oppo A54 offers 4GB of LPDDR4x RAM and 128GB of storage. The internal memory can be expanded up to 256GB via a microSD card.In terms of camera capabilities, Oppo A54 features a triple rear camera setup that includes a 13-megapixel primary sensor. In addition to this, it also includes a 2-megapixel macro lens and another 2-megapixel depth sensor for portraits. Upfront there is a 16-megapixel sensor for taking selfies and video calling.This Oppo smartphone packs a 5,000mAh battery, which is supported by 18W fast charging tech. There is an Optimised Overnight Charging feature that prevents the phone from getting overcharged by adjusting charging according to sleeping hours. Oppo A54 is IPX4 rated for dust and water resistance. On the connectivity front, there is 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, and a USB Type-C port.
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The e-commerce website Flipkart is hosting Daily Trivia Quiz. Every day it brings a bunch of new questions for its users. By answering them correctly you can win exciting prizes. The questionnaire is based on questions related to general knowledge. Also, the users can win free vouchers and super coins, among other offers via the daily quiz. March 31 Flipkart Daily Trivia Quiz Answers has already gone live on its platform.
The participant should be at least 18 years old and should have a valid login ID. The Quiz is available on the mobile platform and not the web version. E-commerce conducts the quiz on daily basis and goes live at 12:00 AM IST and runs till 11:59 PM IST. The winners are announced within 15 days from the date of participation that can be viewed under the Gems/Rewards section in the app.
How to participate in the Flipkart Daily Trivia Quiz
To participate download the Flipkart app on your phone. Then open the Flipkart app then head to Game Zone. Now click on the Daily Trivia Banner or search for Daily Trivia. Enter the game and answer all 5 questions with correct answers.
March 31 Flipkart Daily Trivia Quiz Answers
Question 1: Which of these has the ability to orient itself as it falls to land on its feet?
Answer: Cat
Question 2: Ghar ka bhedi Lanka dhaye’ is an idiom referring to which Ramayana character?
Answer: Vibhishana
Question 3: Waymo is a self-driving car company owned by which technology giant?
Answer: Alphabet
Question 4: What station code is used by the railway station with the longest name in India?
Answer: MAS
Question 5: Which term was coined in 1959 by American scientist Arthur Lee Samuel?
Answer: Machine learning
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Amazon app is back with another quiz on its platform. The Amazon quiz for March 31 has gone live on its app. The company brings a questionnaire every day that let customers from across the country stand a chance to win bumper prizes just by playing at home from 12 AM to 11:59 PM. The quiz session is available for app users in India. Gadget Bridge provides answers to make sure our readers also get a chance to win amazing prizes. In today’s Amazon Quiz the participants can get a chance to win Sony DSLR.
Now if you are excited to participate in the quiz all you need to do is follow the below-mentioned instruction. But before you start if you are not a registered customer download the Amazon App from Google Play Store to get registered and follow the steps:
Open the app and log in to your account. If you are not a member then first register yourself by providing some personal information.
Next, scroll down on the home screen and search for the Amazon Quiz banner or you can also find it on FunZone.
Then tap on the start button to begin the quiz.
Now you are asked five questions. Each question has four options as answers. You have to answer all the five questions correctly to win prizes.
Answering all the questions correctly you will be selected for a lucky draw.
The lucky draw winner’s names will be announced at the end of the month. The lucky one will win prizes.
Below is the Amazon Quiz Answers For 31 March 2020
Question 1: Stories I Must Tell: The Emotional Journey of an Actor’ is a memoir by which actor?
The answer is- Kabir Bedi
Question 2: Space Enterprise Encouragement & Development (SEED) is a new initiative by which Indian organisation?
The answer is- ISRO
Question 3: Which singer’s debut single “Drivers License” broke the Spotify record for the most streams for a song in its first week?
The answer is- Olivia Rodrigo
Question 4: The method of preparing coffee so as to produce these beautiful patterns is known as what?
The answer is- Latte Art
Question 5: Where will you find these Twin Towers?
The answer is- Kuala Lampur
Every day the e-commerce platform brings opportunities for its millions of customers to win daily prizes such as mobile phones, other gadgets including Pay Balance also. The quiz can be played every day from 12 AM to 11:59 PM every day through Amazon App. Today’s quiz winner’s name will be announced via a lucky draw at the end of the month.
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Apple today officially announced its Worldwide developer’s conference 2021. The Cupertino-based company confirmed that this year too it is going to host the WWDC21 online-only commencing from June 7. Like last year the company has decided to hold the event online owing to the coronavirus pandemic. Apple’s Worldwide developer’s conference for the year 2021 will be hosted from June 7 till June 11 in an all-online format. The conference will be available to all developers for free via the Apple Developer app and Apple Developer website. Apple has not yet revealed its upcoming lineup of new software but the conference will offer unique insight into the future of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS. “Building on the record-breaking participation and learnings from last year’s online conference, WWDC21 is an opportunity for developers to learn about the new technologies, tools, and frameworks they rely on to build innovative and platform-differentiating apps and games,” Apple commented.In addition to this like last year, Apple also announced that this year’s Swift Student Challenge, an opportunity for young developers to demonstrate their coding skills by creating a Swift playground, is now accepting submissions. For those who are unaware Swift Playgrounds is a revolutionary app for iPad and Mac that makes learning the Swift programming language interactive and fun. Now through April 18, students can submit their Swift playground to the Swift Student Challenge. Winners will receive exclusive WWDC21 outerwear and a customised pin set. For more information, visit the Swift Student Challenge website.“We love bringing our developers together each year at WWDC to learn about our latest technologies and to connect them with Apple engineers,” said Susan Prescott, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations and Enterprise and Education Marketing. “We are working to make WWDC21 our biggest and best yet, and are excited to offer Apple developers new tools to support them as they create apps that change the way we live, work, and play.”The company says that this year’s conference will include announcements from the keynote and State of the Union stages, online sessions, 1:1 labs offering technical guidance, and new ways for developers to interact with Apple engineers and designers to learn about the latest frameworks and technologies.Additionally, to support the local economy Apple part of its $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, Apple is also committing $1 million to SJ Aspires, an education and equity initiative launched by the City of San José. SJ Aspires offers a performance-based scholarship program that educates students about their college and career choices, and provides individual mentorship and advising as well as online tools to help reduce the barriers Black and Brown students face in accessing academic opportunities. More information will be shared on this program through the Apple Developer app, on the Apple Developer website, and via email.
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Mi MIX Fold specifications
