Tech News Updates: August 2019

Saturday, August 31, 2019

UA HOVR Sonic2 Review: Incredibly Smart Running Shoes That Don’t Break The Bank

These Under Armour shoes pair with an app on your smartphone and log running data without having to wear another wearable, for instance.

NRAI Says In-Principle Agreement Reached With Swiggy, Zomato on Delivery

Anurag Katriar, Head of NRAI Mumbai Chapter said an in-principle agreement had been reached to resolve issues within a specific timeline.

Skype Update Brings the Ability to Draft, Bookmark, Preview Messages; Split Window Feature Rolled Out for All Desktop Users

The latest Skype update brings the ability to save messages that didn’t get sent.

Google Expands Scope of Its Bug Bounty Programme, Unveils Data Protection Reward Program for Developers

Google has expanded the scope of its bug bounty program to cover all apps with over 100 million downloads.

CamScanner App With Over 100 Million Downloads Removed From Google Play Store Over Advertising Malware

Google Play Store has removed the CamScanner OCR app after Kaspersky researchers discovered malware in the app’s recent versions.

Top Five Smartphones to Buy in India Under Rs 10,000

If you are on a tight budget, then these are the best smartphones to invest under a price range of Rs 10,000.

Friday, August 30, 2019

Telegram Moves to Protect Identity of Hong Kong Protesters

Telegram, a popular encrypted messaging app, will allow users to cloak their telephone numbers to safeguard Hong Kong protesters against monitoring by Chinese authorities, according to a person with direct knowledge of the effort.

Gmail Brings One-Swipe Gesture to Switch Accounts on Android

The latest Gmail version 2019.08.18 also reportedly contains the first signs of Dark Mode as well.

WPS Office Now Available on the Mac, Company Promises Increased India Focus

WPS Office 2020 is now available to download for Android, Windows, Linux, macOS, and iOS.

Microsoft Outlook Gets Dark Mode on Android and iOS, Other Office Mobile Apps to Get It Soon

Microsoft has announced that it is rolling out support for a dark mode on Outlook for Android and iOS while other Office mobile apps will receive it in the coming few weeks.

Facebook Acknowledges Flaw in Messenger Kids App

Facebook acknowledged a flaw in its Messenger Kids app, weeks after two US senators raised privacy concerns about the application.

Apple Apologises Over Siri Privacy and Will No Longer Retain Audio Recordings

Apple apologised for privacy mishaps surrounding its Siri voice assistant and said that it would no longer retain audio recordings of Siri interactions.

Jack Dorsey Hacked: Twitter Claims Platform is Safe as Chuckling Squad Claims Blame

While spam posts from Twitter founder-CEO Jack Dorsey's account have been removed, the move marks a rather alarming moment in the cybersecurity saga unfolding across the internet right now.

Xiaomi Mi TV PRO Series to Get Android TV 9.0 Based Update Starting Today

Xiaomi has confirmed that it is bringing Android TV 9.0 update to all of its Mi LED TV PRO range.

NRAI Says In-Principle Agreement Reached With Swiggy, Zomato on Delivery

Anurag Katriar, Head of NRAI Mumbai Chapter said an in-principle agreement had been reached to resolve issues within a specific timeline.

Skype Update Brings the Ability to Draft, Bookmark, Preview Messages; Split Window Feature Rolled Out for All Desktop Users

The latest Skype update brings the ability to save messages that didn’t get sent.

OnePlus TV Will Receive Android TV Updates For Next Three Years: Pete Lau

The OnePlus TV will receive at least three years of Android TV software updates, similar to OnePlus' smartphone software update strategy.

Realme 5 Going on Sale Today at 8PM: Price, Offers, Features and More

Key features of the Realme 5 include a 6.5-inch HD+ display, Snapdragon 665 processor, a quad-camera setup, and a 5,000mAh battery.

WhatsApp Preferred and Effective Choice of Right-Wing Users: Research

About 46.5 percent of the messages shared by right-wing users were multimedia messages, such as photos, audio and video files. Whereas, Just 30 percent of left-wing messages included multimedia.

Microsoft Confirms HoloLens 2 Will Start Selling in September

Microsoft is aiming to sell HoloLens 2 to businesses and enterprise customers, as it proclaims on its website: 'mixed reality is ready for business'.

Amazon Alexa Now Offers Over 30,000 Skills For Indian Consumers

Amazon announced in July that developers can now start building Alexa skills for Indian customers with the new Hindi voice model available in Alexa Skills Kit (ASK).

Redmi Note 8, Redmi Note 8 Pro Coming to India in 8 Weeks Says Manu Kumar Jain

Xiaomi India head and Global VP, Manu Kumar Jain has confirmed that the new Redmi Note 8 and Note 8 Pro should come to India by the end of October.

Four Upcoming WhatsApp Features Arriving Soon on the Popular Messaging App

WhatsApp plans to bring a host of new features in order to stay relevant and popular as competition is heating up.

Google Expands Scope of Its Bug Bounty Programme, Unveils Data Protection Reward Program for Developers

Google has expanded the scope of its bug bounty program to cover all apps with over 100 million downloads.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ Review: If You Can, Loudly Say Shut up And Take My Money

What you get for your money is a massive display, great design, loads of power under the hood and the robust S-pen stylus functionality.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Mumbai Banker Loses Rs 87,000 via UPI-Based Transactions on Google Pay

The Mumbai police have registered a case under sections of cheating of the IPC and IT Act in this regard.

Flipkart to Completely Stop Single-Use Plastic in Packaging by 2021

Flipkart claims that as of August 1, 2019, it had reduced its use of single-use plastic by up to 25 percent.

Waymo Urges US to 'Promptly' Remove Barriers to Self-Driving Cars

Waymo says that NHTSA must address safety standards that assume a human is behind the wheel before AVs can be deployed.

Amazon to Promote Helpline Numbers for Customers Who Search About Suicide

Results from its India website included sleeping pills, pesticides and a book entitled 'How To Commit Suicide.'

It is Confirmed, The New Apple iPhones Will be Unveiled on September 10

The next iPhones, new software across all product line-ups as well as the Apple TV service are expected.

Tech Firms Struggle to Police Content While Avoiding Bias

For Facebook, Google, Twitter and others, it's a no-win whipsaw, amplified by a drumbeat of accusations.

Digital Tax Deal in Works but Key Questions 'Outstanding': OECD

For Pascal Saint-Amans, progress is being made but several key issues still need to be hammered out.

Google Pay Set to Tap Into 12 Million Kirana Stores in India

Google Pay which reported 55 million monthly active users in India in May has set eyes on tapping over 12 million ubiquitous kirana stores.

Google Assistant Now Lets You Choose Family Members Through the Google App for Easier Interactions

Google has quietly rolled out a small improvement to change the way you can set up family members, now letting you define family relationships through the app.

Google Hire Online Job Service to Shut Down in 2020

Google will shut down its job application tracking system "Google Hire" that was launched just two years ago, the company said in a statement.

Facebook Working on New App to Rival Snapchat, Called Threads: Report

In a fresh assault on Snapchat, Facebook is reportedly developing a new messaging app called Threads.

Looking Forward to Welcome Customers at Our First India Retail Store: Apple

The return of Apple in India comes at a time when the company is reportedly set to manufacture top-end iPhone XS and iPhone XR smartphones, courtesy its supplier Foxconn in the country.

“We Should Assume we Are Very Dumb” Says Elon Musk at World AI Conference

The two tech leaders had a special conversation at the ongoing Artificial Intelligence Conference in China.

Microsoft Outlook Gets Dark Mode on Android and iOS, Other Office Mobile Apps to Get It Soon

Microsoft has announced that it is rolling out support for a dark mode on Outlook for Android and iOS while other Office mobile apps will receive it in the coming few weeks.

Jack Ma, Elon Musk to Talk at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai

The talk will come amid an intensifying war over trade and technology between the United States and China.

OnePlus Gets It Right With OnePlus 7T

OnePlus has carved a niche in the Indian market by staying true to that very legacy.

Leaked Hands-on Photos Reveal Reliance Jio’s Upcoming JioFiber Hybrid Set-top-box

The photos of the alleged product have been shared by DreamDTH which show the hybrid set-top-box sporting a dark blue finish with the Jio logo on top.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Xiaomi’s Mi TV PRO Series to Get Android Pie Update Starting in September: Report

We can expect Xiaomi to finally roll out Android Pie update for its Mi TV range starting next month.

Huawei Mate 30 Will Not be Allowed to Launch With Google Apps and Services

Huawei Technologies, the world's second-largest smartphone manufacturer is set to unveil its new Mate 30 line of phones on September 18 in Munich.

Redmi Note 8, Redmi Note 8 Pro to Launch Today: Here’s How to Watch the Livestream

Xiaomi is hosting a grand event in Beijing to launch the new Redmi Note 8, Note 8 Pro, RedmiBook refresh and the Redmi TV series.

CamScanner App With Over 100 Million Downloads Removed From Google Play Store Over Advertising Malware

Google Play Store has removed the CamScanner OCR app after Kaspersky researchers discovered malware in the app’s recent versions.

Facebook Acknowledges Messenger Kids App Flaw Weeks After Raised Privacy Concerns

Facebook Vice President Kevin Martin wrote in a letter that the fix has been implemented which is designed to prevent the issue from happening again.

Facebook Acknowledges Flaw in Messenger Kids App

Facebook acknowledged a flaw in its Messenger Kids app, weeks after two US senators raised privacy concerns about the application.

Apple Apologises Over Siri Privacy and Will No Longer Retain Audio Recordings

Apple apologised for privacy mishaps surrounding its Siri voice assistant and said that it would no longer retain audio recordings of Siri interactions.

Fortnite v10.20 Update Brings a Borderlands 3 Crossover Called FortniteXMayhem

Fortnite is getting a Borderlands 3 crossover with the v10.20 update.

PUBG Mobile: IT Ministry Says a Ban Is Difficult, but Is There a Better Way of Dealing With Challenges That Games Present?

During a hearing this month, MeitY informed Bombay High Court that it is technically difficult to ban the game from all the sources unless the creator withdraws the game from circulation or puts some restrictions.

US, France Reach Agreement on Digital Taxes

Macron admitted that there had been "a lot of nervousness" about France's new tax on tech behemoths such as Google and Facebook.

Uber Unveils 24x7 Safety Helpline in India, for 'Urgent, Non-Emergency Issues'

This new Uber feature is in addition to the in-app SOS button already available in the safety toolkit.

Truecaller Crosses 1 Million Paying Subscribers Globally

Truecaller on Tuesday announced that it has crossed one million paying subscribers globally and has added a series of new features to its paid subscription service, Truecaller Premium.

Google Calendar Spam: How to Stop Being Bombarded by Unwanted Calendar Invites

Google Calendar spam invites could be filled with malicious links, and clicking on them may lead to a potential theft of private data.

NRAI Goes After 'Deep Discounts' in Delivery Services

National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) has now asked delivery platforms to do away with deep discounts while addressing other issues.

Mario Kart Tour Release Date Set for September 25, Will Be Available for Android and iOS

Nintendo’s Mario Kart Tour mobile game will finally be released for compatible Android and iOS devices on September 25 globally.

Snapchat's Landmarkers Feature Enters India, Lens Studio 2.1 Released With New Templates

Snapchat received the Landmarkers feature back in April, but it's now expanded to two Indian monuments. Snap has also brought Lens Studio 2.1 to let Lens creators build new AR experiences.

WhatsApp for iPhone Latest Beta Brings Memoji Stickers Support, ‘WhatsApp From Facebook’ Branding

WhatsApp for iPhone latest beta version 2.19.90.23 brings Memoji Stickers support for users testing the app.

Juggling Between Social Media Apps to Tackle Stress Can Lead to Addiction

When faced with stress, instead of switching off or using them less, people move from one aspect of the social media platforms to another.

Google Pay Set to Tap Into 12 Million Kirana Stores in India

Google Pay which reported 55 million monthly active users in India in May has set eyes on tapping over 12 million ubiquitous kirana stores.

ACT Stream TV 4K Review: Has the Potential to Replace Your DTH, But There's a Catch

If you are looking for an Android TV box, this is probably the best choice, provided you have the company's broadband service.

PUBG Mobile 90fps, 120fps Refresh Rate Options Spotted on Beta Update

A beta version of PUBG Mobile shows that the popular battle royale game will be getting 90fps and 120fps high-refresh-rate modes.

PUBG Mobile Could Soon Get 90fps, 120fps Refresh Rate Options

A beta version of PUBG Mobile shows that the popular battle royale game will be getting 90fps and 120fps high-refresh-rate modes.

Ex-Google Engineer Indicted for Stealing Self-Driving Car Secrets, Pleads Not Guilty

Anthony Levandowski faces a 33-count indictment, made by his former employer, Waymo. However, he says he isn't guilty of stealing trade secrets for his own self-driving company, called Ottomotto.

Amazon Fab Phones Fest: Discounts on iPhone XR, Samsung Galaxy M30, Mi A2 and More

The Amazon Fab Phones Fest is offering deals on smartphones and accessories which will be running from August 27 to August 30

Microsoft is Hosting an Event on October 2 in New York, New Surface Devices Incoming

As per reports, Microsoft could likely unveil its latest much-anticipated dual-screen surface laptop at its upcoming October 2 event in New York City.

Google Pixel 4 With Sprint Logo Leaks in Hands-on Images

Pictures of Google's Pixel 4, which is scheduled for a 2019 release, have been leaked on messaging app Telegram. The images show the Pixel 4 has a single colour finish, on top of slippery glass casing.

Apple Releases iOS 13.1 Developer Beta Before Official Roll-out of iOS 13

Apple posted an iOS developer beta, making it the first time an iOS release has been used in a development beta before its stable version is made available.

Amazon Echo Show 5 Review: Alexa With a Display Makes For a Cool Smart Assistant

Whose bedside table doesn’t need a generous helping of smartness?

Google Assistant Now Lets You Choose Family Members Through the Google App for Easier Interactions

Google has quietly rolled out a small improvement to change the way you can set up family members, now letting you define family relationships through the app.

Google Hire Online Job Service to Shut Down in 2020

Google will shut down its job application tracking system "Google Hire" that was launched just two years ago, the company said in a statement.

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Oppo Reno 2 With 20x Zoom Launching Today in India: How to Watch Live Stream

Oppo is bringing its new Reno 2 range which is touted to offer 20x zoom and will go on as an India first series.

Oppo Reno 2 Launching Today in India: How to Watch Live Stream

Oppo is bringing its new Reno 2 range which is touted to offer 20x zoom and will go on as an India first series.

Maitri: Noida Girls Create Award Winning App to Connect Old-Age Homes & Orphanages

The app has seen over 1,000 downloads till date and has 13 old-age homes and 7 orphanages connected through it.

What Happens to Your Paytm or Amazon Pay Wallet if You Have Not Completed Full KYC

Once the eKYC or partial KYC or minimum KYC validity expires, you may be left with a wallet app that either restricts use or blocks you out completely, depending on specific policies.

Draft E-Commerce Guidelines Will Soon be Mandatory For Amazon, Flipkart, Paytm Mall And More

Among key guidelines, the e-commerce companies will also be required to ensure that personally identifiable information of customers are protected and should not directly or indirectly influence the price of the goods or services and "maintain a level playing field.

Apple Will Donate to Preserve And Restore Amazon Rainforest as Fires Still Burn

This comes after Brazil turned down a $20 million fire-fighting aid package cobbled together by the G7 countries. According to data, the fires in Amazonas released approximately 25 megatonnes of carbon dioxide between August 1 and August 26.

Jio Effect: This BSNL Plan Costs Rs 96 And Offers 10GB Daily 4G Data For 28 Days

There is a second plan as well, that is priced at Rs 236 and has a validity of 84 days.

Tencent Launches WeChat for Drivers

Tencent on Monday unveiled a version of its popular social media app WeChat tailor-made for drivers with state-backed Chinese carmaker China Chang'an Automobile Group.

Indian Bug Hunter Finds Flaw in Instagram Again, Wins $10,000

Barely a month after winning $30,000 from Facebook for spotting a flaw in Instagram, Chennai-based security researcher Laxman Muthiyah on Monday said he again discovered a new account takeover vulnerability.

Microsoft Bug Bounty Programme for Chromium-based Edge Web Browser Launched, Rewards Up to $30,000

Microsoft has started a bug bounty programme for its Chromium-based Edge browser, wherein researchers from around the world can report and submit bugs in the browser, in return for rewards of up to $30,000 from Microsoft.

Google, Dell Partner to Launch New Chromebooks for Enterprise Users

Google and Dell both are working together to make new versions of the Latitude 5400, starting at $699 and Dell Latitude 5300 two-in-one, starting at $819, with an enterprise version of Chrome OS built-in.

Lenovo Refreshes Gaming Lineup With Legion Y540, Y740 Notebooks: Price, Specifications and More

The two new gaming notebooks sport the Intel 9th Gen processors, Nvidia RTX GPUs and with optional 144Hz displays.

IMDb TV is Amazon's New Free Video Streaming Service for Android and iOS

IMDb TV, an online streaming platform allowing users to watch content from a large library of movies and TV shows, can be downloaded and used for free, as rumours had suggested.