Tech News Updates: January 2019

Thursday, January 31, 2019

MyJio App Now Offers Deals, Discounts Through 'Jio Prime Fridays' Section

The Jio Prime Fridays section lists offers and deals from sources MakeMyTrip, Paytm, and ShopClues.

Redmi Note 7 India Launch Date Leaks, Expect Announcement on February 12

According to a leaked invite, Xiaomi will be launching the Redmi Note 7 in India on February 12 which could have a starting price of Rs 9,999.

Budget 2019: Government Sets Target of 1 Lakh Digital Villages, Talks About Make in India Growth

India is leading the consumption of voice calls and mobile data using our mobile phones, which he specified is an increase of over 50 times in the past five years.

Budget 2019: Government Announces National Artificial Intelligence Centre, National AI Portal

Goyal announced that a national centre for artificial intelligence is under consideration. Along with that a national AI portal will be developed soon.

Tech Lobby Takes India to Task Over Plans to Police Online Content

An Asian Internet lobby group, whose members include Google and Facebook, on Thursday criticised India's plans to regulate social media content.

Hundreds of Malicious Accounts Deleted From Facebook, Twitter

Fake and malicious accounts on Facebook and Twitter are being deleted regularly claim the social media giants.

Apple Restoring Facebook’s Developer Certificate After Ban Over Privacy Abuse

Facebook says Apple is restoring its access to a key development tool that the iPhone maker disabled Wednesday.

Apple Revoked Google's Enterprise License Temporarily, as Punishment For Distributing Internal Apps to Consumers

Apple tightens the knot around its enterprise certification program as Google becomes the second big name in the week to violate its terms.

'Dr. Mario World' Mobile Game Announced by Nintendo, Line

Dr. Mario World, the latest mobile title featuring popular Nintendo characters, will be released in mid-2019.

'Alexa, How Have You Been': Amazon Clocks a Prime Holiday Quarter And Reports Record Profits

Amazon said a record number of people signed up for its Prime membership too.

Amazon Removes a Lot of Products From Shop Window, as E-commerce FDI Rules Come Into Play

Amazon’s own range of Echo speakers, its Presto-branded home cleaning goods and other Amazon Basics products have also vanished from the website.

UAE Said to Use Cyber Super-Weapon to Spy on iPhones of Foes

A team of former US intelligence operatives working for the UAE are said to have used tool called Karma to hack into the iPhones of activists, diplomats, and rival foreign leaders.

Fortnite 7.30 Leaked Skins Listed

Fortnite 7.30 skins, back bling, gliders, axes and more leaked.

WhatsApp Hires EFF's Nate Cardozo as Privacy Policy Manager

Facebook has roped in Nate Cardozo - a long-time Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) counsel - as the Privacy Policy Manager for WhatsApp.

Paytm Launches Domestic Hotel Bookings, Acquires Noida-Based NightStay

Paytm has also partnered with more than 5,000 hotels across the budget, luxury, and business segments.

Firefox 65 Brings New Content Blocking Controls to Desktop and Android, Firefox 66 Beta Released

There is a new small "i" icon right in the address bar that lets you access the content blocking settings, and let you change privacy options if you so desire.

Facebook to Shut Down Research App After Outcry Over Paying Teens to Harvest Data From Their Phones

Facebook is said to be been paying teens and adults up to $20 a month to install an application that tracks their phone and Web activities.

Slack Says It Has 10 Million Daily Active Users

The number of paying customers using Slack has risen by more than 50 percent over the past five years to over 85,000, Slack Technologies Inc said in a blog post.

Gmail's Mobile App Starts Receiving Material Theme Redesign, No Dark Mode in Sight

Gmail is getting a new Material Theme-based redesign over the next few weeks, however, there's no dark mode.

Twitter Testing News-First Timeline on Android

The new Twitter for Android feature comes with a prompt that says - "Catch up on what's happened while you were away".

Facebook Warned by Irish Watchdog Over WhatsApp Integration

Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has warned Facebook over its planned integration of its chat services - WhatsApp, Messenger and photo-sharing app Instagram

Apple Group FaceTime Bug Allegedly Discovered by a 14-Year-Old Fortnite Player

A US-based woman claims that her teenage son discovered the FaceTime bug last week and warned Apple about the same.

Microsoft Outlook for iOS Gets New Design, Custom Swipe Actions

Microsoft Outlook new features include custom swipe actions, deeper integration of calendar, and more.

China's Bytedance Staff Say Bonuses Clipped by Slowdown, Competition

Bytedance, which owns short-video platform Tik Tok, has cut back holiday bonus payments ahead of the Chinese New Year, according to employees.

Apple Music to Be Available for Free Streaming on American Airlines Flights

Apple has announced that Apple Music subscribers can stream songs or videos without buying Wi-Fi on any domestic American Airlines flight from February 1.

WhatsApp Payments Coming to More Countries Soon, Reveals Zuckerberg

Mark Zuckerberg revealed that Facebook will soon roll out Payments on WhatsApp in select other markets.

Samsung Galaxy M20 Review: Perfect Ingredients For An Affordable Android Phone

The Galaxy M20 could well be the phone that brings Samsung back into the affordable Android smartphone game.

Uber Suspends Taxi Service in Barcelona After New Regulation

The new regulation came after pressure from taxi drivers, which have held many strikes in Barcelona and remain on strike in Spanish capital Madrid.

Apple iPhone 11 Concept Advertisement Envisions Upcoming Smartphone: Watch Video

The concept video shows how the upcoming Apple iPhone 11 could look like.

UberBoat, UberBoat XL Services to Start From February 1 in Mumbai

In June 2017, UberBoat launched a similar service for tourists in Croatia who wish to explore the picturesque local islands.

Nintendo Registers Highest Quarterly Profit in Nine Years, Yet Slashes Switch Console Sales Forecast

“We didn’t work hard enough to convince customers of the Switch’s appeal,” admits the company.

WhatsApp Announces 'Startup India-Grand Challenge'

WhatsApp, which has 1.3 billion global users and over 200 million users in India, has been working closely on its business platform for a year now.

Facebook-WhatsApp Integration Not Before 2020: Mark Zuckerberg

In an earnings call after announcing Facebook's fourth-quarter results late Wednesday, Zuckerberg said they were early in thinking through the integration plan.

Gmail for iOS, Android Gets New Material Theme: Everything Need to Know

Google has rolled out a new design update for the Gmail app on Android and iOS devices.

Google Chrome to Start Warning Users About 'Lookalike URLs'; Group Tabbing Feature Live in Canary Channel

The latest stable version of Chrome has a "Navigation suggestions for lookalike URLs" flag to confirm the feature.

Apple Engineer Attempted to Leak Confidential Information to China

"Apple takes confidentiality and the protection of our IP very seriously and we are working with authorities on this matter and are referring all questions to the FBI," the report quoted Apple as saying.

Instagram Stories Now Has 500 Million Active Daily Users; Facebook Plans New Products to Improve People's Lives

Instagram Stories was launched as a Snapchat clone back in 2016.

Mario Kart Tour for Android and iOS Delayed to Summer 2019

Mario Kart Tour release date delayed and Nintendo explains why.

Wednesday, January 30, 2019

IDC: Samsung Still Leads as Global Smartphone Market Declines by 5.9 Percent in Q3 2018

Samsung continued to be the leader followed by Huawei, Apple and Xiaomi for the Q3 of 2018.

Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram Unified Messaging Platform Won’t Arrive Until at Least 2020: Zuckberberg

Facebook said one of the major reasons why it wants to move forward with the integration is making end-to-end encryption default in more its services.

Apple's Response to Group FaceTime Bug Being Probed by New York AG, Governor

The Group FaceTime bug allows an iPhone user placing a call using FaceTime to hear audio from the recipient's phone even if the call has not gone through.

PayPal Adds Record 13.8 Million New Active Accounts in Q4 2018

Comparably, PayPal had added just 8.7 million new active accounts a year earlier. Around 2.9 million of new accounts were added through acquisitions.

PUBG Mobile Zombies Mode: How to Play it Before Actual Release

PUBG Mobile had released a Zombie mode teaser of the PUBG Mobile-Resident Evil 2 crossover at the PUBG Mobile Star Challenge in 2018.

Xiaomi Mi Max 4, Mi Max 4 Pro With 7.2-inch Display And 48-Megapixel Cameras Leaked

The Mi Max 4 and Mi Max 4 Pro could launch as the next big-screened phones from Xiaomi later this year.

Jio Effect: BSNL Offers Additional 2.2GB of Daily Data on Select Prepaid Mobile Recharge Plan Until April 30

The BSNL additional data offer is valid on Rs. 186, Rs. 429, Rs. 485, Rs. 666 and Rs. 999 prepaid mobile recharge plans along with Rs. 187, Rs. 333, Rs. 349, Rs. 444 and Rs. 448 prepaid STVs from the company.

PUBG Mobile India Series 2019: 5,75,000 Register For India's Biggest Mobile Gaming Tournament

The first online in-game qualifier round of PUBG Mobile India Series 2019 will be held between January 21 and 27 where all the registered players need to play 15 classic rounds with their squad members in Erangel.

Tesla CFO Deepak Ahuja Announces Retirement, Company Shares Fall by 5 Percent

Following the announcement, Tesla stocks fell about 5 percent in after-hours trading. Zach Kirkhorn, the company's current Vice President of Finance, will replace Ahuja.

Redmi Note 7 With 48 Megapixel Camera, Could be Priced in India at Rs 9,999: Here Are The Details

Donovan Sung, global spokesperson & director of product management, Xiaomi has tweeted the image of the Redmi Note 7 confirming the company is keen to release the smartphone in international markets, most probably in early February.

Apple Music Hits 56 Million Subscribers, Continues Its Race Against Spotify

Apple Music has jumped 6 million ever since CEO Tim Cook announced a milestone of 50 million back in May 2018.

Redmi Note 7 With 48 Megapixel Camera Price in India Could Atart at Rs 9,999: Here Are The Details

Here is How A Woman Turned Her AirPods into Earrings to Keep Them Safe: Watch Video

According to Buzzfeed News, Gabrielle posted a video on Twitter modelling the AirPod earrings, and the video has gone viral with over 3.4 million 'views, 1.9 lakh likes and over 46,000 retweets.

"Hey Siri, Which is India's No.1 Premium Smartphone?" Asks OnePlus as it Trolls Apple

According to the Counterpoint report, OnePlus recorded highest ever shipments ever in Q4 2018 and maintained lead in the premium phone segment for three consecutive quarters.

Global Smartphone Market Declined For First Time in 2018

Samsung had 19 percent share, followed by Apple and Huawei, both at 14 percent, globally. Xiaomi with 8 percent market share was fourth.

Google Follows Facebook, Disables iPhone App That Studied User Habits

For now, the app Screenwise Meter is still available for Android phones via Google Play.

Microsoft Posts Profit on Ongoing Cloud Businesses Growth

Chief executive Satya Nadella said Microsoft continues to see gains from its cloud services after having shifted away from many of its consumer offerings

Facebook Now Has 2.32 Billion Monthly Active Users, 1.52 Billion Daily Active Users

Facebook on Wednesday easily beat Wall Street's profit estimates, soothing investor concerns that increased spending on the privacy of its users would blunt growth.

Apple Busts Facebook for Distributing App That Tracked Teen User Data

Apple says Facebook can no longer distribute an app that paid users, including teenagers, to extensively track their phone and web use.

Facebook Continues to Register Strong Growth, Despite All The Scandals And Outrage

Users don’t seem to be abandoning the social network, and even more so, are using it more than ever before.

Apple says Facebook App Which Offered Users $20 For Access to Phone Data, Violated App Store Policies

Facebook says fewer than 5 percent of the app’s users were teens and they had parental permission.

Google Disables Screenwise Meter App to Avoid Punishment For Violating Apple App Store Policies

The Screenwise meter app is similar to the Facebook Research App, through which the social network was offering $20 to users who would be willing to share all their phone usage habits

Apple's Response to FaceTime Bug is Now Being Investigated by New York Attorney General

They would also probe Apple’s slow response towards fixing the issue, after they were made aware of the bug.

SAP Plans Restructuring After Signs of Weakness Emerge

SAP will take a restructuring charge to reshape its business after growth slowed in parts of the software maker over the last three months

YouTube Officially Details Video Download Recommendations; Android, iOS Users Get Reordered Video Resolution Options

YouTube was earlier spotted testing a Recommended videos section in some markets.

For Bruised Apple, a Need to Go Beyond the iPhone

In recent weeks, Apple shares have been hammered on concerns that its best days are over, with smartphone sales slipping and no new "big thing" on the horizon.

Apple Says Developer Earnings Hit $120 Billion Since 2008 App Store Launch

Apple says app developers earned more than a quarter of that money in the past year alone.

Fortnite 7.30 Update Adds Android and iOS Controller Support, 60Hz Support on Select Android Phones

The Fortnite 7.30 update adds a host of new features to Epic Games' battle royale title. These include support for controllers for Fortnite Android and iOS, 60Hz on select Android smartphones and the Solid Gold Limited Time Mode (LTM).

PM Modi on PUBG Mobile Addiction: Hopes Children Move From 'PlayStation to the Playground'

Prime Minister Modi weighed in on PUBG Mobile addiction during his interaction with students and parents at his Pariksha Par Charcha 2.0 event in Delhi.

WhatsApp Web Picture-in-Picture Mode Gets Support for Facebook, Instagram, YouTube Links

This feature comes with the latest WhatsApp Web 0.3.2041 update, and the service should update automatically when you open it in your browser.

PUBG Mobile Zombies Mode Launch Date Is Next Month: Report

PUBG Mobile zombies mode release date is due next month according to a report from dataminers.

FaceTime Bug Allows Anyone to Listen to Your Audio Feed, Here's How to Disable FaceTime Until a Fix Comes

FaceTime bug allows an iPhone user placing a call using Apple's FaceTime video calling feature to hear audio from the recipient's phone even if the recipient has not yet picked up the call.

WhatsApp for Android to Get New Feature to Track Shared Images, Simplified Media Menu

WhatsApp has once again been spotted testing new features in its beta builds for Android.

Apple Disables Group FaceTime After Major Privacy Bug Discovered

Apple has temporarily disabled the Group FaceTime feature while it works to release a permanent fix for audio bug.

Snapchat Said to Weigh What Was Once Unthinkable - Permanent Snaps

Snap said to be considering changes to Snapchat, known for disappearing photos and videos, that could make users' public posts longer lasting or even permanent.

Chrome 72 Rolled Out for Desktop, Android, and iOS Users: Here's What's New

Chrome 72 for Android brings along upgrades for the media player notifications while using Incognito tab, and more.

Review: Asus ZenBook 13

There is no argument about the fact that Asus has done an excellent job with the new ZenBook 13. It looks great, is very portable, and offers a decent performance package that should satisfy your everyday needs.

UAE Said to Use Cyber Super-Weapon to Spy on iPhones of Foes

A team of former US intelligence operatives working for the UAE are said to have used tool called Karma to hack into the iPhones of activists, diplomats, and rival foreign leaders.

Fortnite 7.30 Leaked Skins Listed

Fortnite 7.30 skins, back bling, gliders, axes and more leaked.

WhatsApp Hires EFF's Nate Cardozo as Privacy Policy Manager

Facebook has roped in Nate Cardozo - a long-time Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) counsel - as the Privacy Policy Manager for WhatsApp.

Honor View 20 Review: Punching a Hole Into The Notch, And The OnePlus 6T Will Surely Notice

This is, from what we have experienced, an Honor phone that is truly grown up.

Apple Sued by Lawyer Over FaceTime Eavesdrop Bug

The FaceTime bug continues to be a big headache for Apple. The company is now being sued by a lawyer as it allowed an unknown person to eavesdrop on his private conversation with a client.

Twitter Testing News-First Timeline on Android: Here Are The Details

Earlier in 2015 and 2016 Twitter released "While you were away" and "Never miss an important tweet" features but they were not to specifically highlight news stories.

Paytm Launches Domestic Hotel Bookings, Acquires Noida-Based NightStay

Paytm has also partnered with more than 5,000 hotels across the budget, luxury, and business segments.

Firefox 65 Brings New Content Blocking Controls to Desktop and Android, Firefox 66 Beta Released

There is a new small "i" icon right in the address bar that lets you access the content blocking settings, and let you change privacy options if you so desire.

Test Drive Review: All New 8th Generation Toyota Camry

Toyota is currently the largest car manufacturer in the world with over 10 million annual sales, thanks to cars like Camry. Toyota has sold more than 19 million Camry till date and has been offering the sedan in India since 2002.

Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Jio Effect: Vodafone Launches Rs 154 Recharge With 180 Days Validity

In order to compete with Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel’s voice only prepaid mobile recharge plans, the Vodafone Rs. 154 prepaid mobile recharge plan has been launched in India.

Slack Says It Has 10 Million Daily Active Users

The number of paying customers using Slack has risen by more than 50 percent over the past five years to over 85,000, Slack Technologies Inc said in a blog post.

Gmail's Mobile App Starts Receiving Material Theme Redesign, No Dark Mode in Sight

Gmail is getting a new Material Theme-based redesign over the next few weeks, however, there's no dark mode.

Twitter Testing News-First Timeline on Android

The new Twitter for Android feature comes with a prompt that says - "Catch up on what's happened while you were away".

Facebook Warned by Irish Watchdog Over WhatsApp Integration

Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) has warned Facebook over its planned integration of its chat services - WhatsApp, Messenger and photo-sharing app Instagram

Facebook Reportedly Paying Teens to Harvest Data From Their Phones

Facebook is said to be been paying teens and adults up to $20 a month to install an application that tracks their phone and Web activities.

Apple’s FaceTime Bug Was Uncovered by 14-Year Old Teenager, Who Warned Apple About it

A woman from Arizona, US claims that her teenage son discovered the bug last week and had apparently even warned Apple about it.

Apple’s FaceTime Bug Was Uncovered by 14-Year Old Teenager

A woman from Arizona, US claims that her teenage son discovered the bug last week and had apparently even warned Apple about it.

Facebook Paying Teens $20 Per Month to Install Data Harvesting VPN App on iPhones

The app is similar to Facebook's Onavo Protect app that Apple banned in June and was removed in August.

Apple CEO Tim Cook Reveals Why iPhones Not Selling in Emerging Markets Like India

Apple has already begun reducing the price of the iPhone for third-party distributors in China and may follow the same in India where the iPhone is considered very expensive.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 With 48 Megapixel Camera Coming to India in February: Everything You Need to Need

Xiaomi has tweeted the image of the Redmi Note 7 confirming the company is keen to release the smartphone in international markets, most probably in early February.

Nokia 9 PureView With Five Rear Cameras Gets Certified in China Ahead of MWC Launch: Here Are The Details

Nokia 9 PureView internally codenamed "TA-1094," appears to sport the cameras in a flower-like pattern with one shooter in the centre, surrounded by the others along with an approval-seal from Zeiss.

Will The Maharashtra Government Ban PUBG, After an Eleven Year Old Demands That in a Letter?

In the letter to the Maharashta Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, he said that this is an "appeal to forthwith ban online game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds [PUBG] as it promotes immoral conduct such as violence, murder, aggression, looting, gaming addiction and cyber bullying".

Apple Group FaceTime Bug Allegedly Discovered by a 14-Year-Old Fortnite Player

A US-based woman claims that her teenage son discovered the FaceTime bug last week and warned Apple about the same.

iPhone Revenue Down 15 percent, iPad And Mac Sales Up And More: What Apple Q1 2019 Numbers Mean

Despite iPhone sales slumping, the services division continues to go strong, as do the sales of the iPad, Mac and the Apple Watch.

Apple Watch, Using Aetna Client Data, Wants to Help You be Healthy

Called "Attain," the Apple Watch app will reward Aetna customers for meeting activity goals and fulfilling recommended tasks, such as getting vaccinations or refilling medications, with a subsidy toward the cost of an Apple Watch or gift cards for U.S. retailers.