CTC BLOG

tech2 News StaffMay 01, 2019 10:56:14 IST

WhatsApp announced a couple of important updates to its messaging platform at the Facebook F8 Developer Conference. The major announcements included Products Catalog and Account Kit, so it revolved mostly around the Business side of WhatsApp.

Ami Vora, VP Product Management at WhatsApp in Facebook F8 developer conference 2019. Image: Facebook.

WhatsApp Product Catalogs

The biggest announcement coming from WhatsApp at the F8 developer conference has to be the support of displaying product catalogs. WhatsApp Business users will now be able to showcase all their products on the platform that don’t own any website.

This feature is specifically targeted towards small businesses that find it more beneficial to communicate with its customers directly on the messaging platform instead of using a website to sell its products. Regular users will be able to view the product catalogs of businesses directly inside the chat window without requiring to visit a website. Launched back in January 2018 on Android, with around 3 million users reported by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, it was also launched on the iOS platform recently.

Ami Vora, VP Product Management at WhatsApp talking about Product Catalogs in WhatsApp at the Facebook F8 developer conference 2019.

Account Kit

The next big announcement was the release of the Account Kit SDK or software development kit. Account Kit is a tool that enables users to register and log into apps effortlessly just by using their phone number and email address. It allows users an alternative to SMS OTPs to login using their phone numbers. With the SDK, app developers will be able to give users an option to choose between the two.

Fighting fake news

Considering the massive user base of 200 million in India, WhatsApp has been actively working on introducing features to take on the problem of fake news being exchanged on the platform. It implemented new methods like labelling ‘Forwarded’ messages and limiting the number of forwarded messages that can be sent, right before the Lok Sabha elections.

It had also partnered with fact checkers and now, they’re addressing user reports more actively. They have been banning about two million accounts every month with the use of machine learning. While this is automatically done or invoked after reports filed by users, 75 percent of the work is carried out without any kind of human intervention. Looking at the cognisance and commitment of WhatsApp towards eliminating fake news from the platform, we were expecting to hear more useful features around it. However, nothing substantially new was announced at the conference.

Apart from these big announcements, WhatsApp revealed that its peer-to-peer payments service WhatsApp Pay will be coming to other countries in the next few months after its launch in India for a fraction of the 200 million userbase. Portal will now be able to make encrypted calls with WhatsApp on Facebook’s smart display device.

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A few hours ago, Facebook had introduced some cool new features at the F8 event which the company plans to add. Facebook has named the upcoming new update as FB5, which will also include Dark Mode for the web and mobile.

According to Facebook, the FB5 will be much simpler, faster, more immersive and will make it easier for users to find what they are looking for. The release of the FB5 update is yet to come soon, while the Facebook hasn’t provided the public release date yet. However, Zuckerberg has said to release the FB5 build for developers later today.

Here’s how the new Facebook will look like

On mobile, we’re rolling out Dark Mode first in Watch only, to help cut down on glare and put photos and videos in focus.

— Facebook (@facebook) April 30, 2019

Facebook Dark Mode on Mobile

Dark Mode feature on mobile will first be available on the “Watch” tab only. This will allow users to try out the new dark mode feature until the final release. This would cut down the glare and will allow users to focus on videos and images easily.

It’s also unclear when Facebook plans to release the dark mode feature on mobile. We at iLounge tried to find any updates for the Facebook iOS app, however, we found no updates available at the time of publishing this article.

Facebook Messenger App for macOS and Windows

Facebook has also said to be working on a Messenger App for the macOS and Windows. Users would also be able to make group video calls and multi-task while using Messenger. Currently, the company is still working on the App and has said to release the software for downloads later this year.

Watch the F8 Full Event Video

If you are interested in reading more about the upcoming FB5 features, click here to read more as Facebook has published an in-depth article on what they introduced at the F8 today.

tech2 News StaffMay 01, 2019 02:06:36 IST

Facebook’s F8 Conference is underway where 5,000 developers, creators and entrepreneurs from around the world came together for it. CEO Mark Zuckerberg opened the main keynote and made it clear that Facebook’s main focus this year was privacy. However, there were some new improvements to Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp, which are all services owned by Facebook. Here’s what’s new.

Messenger

The first thing that was addressed regarding the Messenger app, apart from the whole privacy shebang, is that the app is going to be lighter and faster. Messenger will also now support a communal viewing option as well which means that you can now simultaneously watch video from the Facebook app and invite others to watch together while messaging or on a video chat. This feature is set to roll-out globally soon.

Close Friends.

There is also going to be a new Messenger app for desktop for both Windows and MacOS and it will also support group video calls. This is also in a testing phase and will roll-out to global audiences later. Apart from that Messenger is also getting a new dedicated tab where you can see all the stories and updates from your closest friends. This is also something that will roll-out later in the year.

Customer Acquisition.

Messenger also has something stored for businesses as well by giving out a feature to create an ad that drives people to a simple Q&A in Messenger to learn more about their customers.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp Business.

While much of what was announced for WhatsApp had already been implemented in different parts of the world, at F8 something new for WhatsApp Business was announced. In the coming months, users will be able to see a business catalogue right within WhatsApp. This will allow Businesses to showcase their goods directly on the app making them easily discoverable.

Instagram

The popular photo-sharing app has introduced a couple of new features. The first one is the ability to shop the products that Instagram creators are sporting in their posts. You can just tap to see exactly what they are wearing and buy it on the spot. This feature will be available to everyone globally. Access to this feature will expand over time.

Buy from creators.

Instagram is also doing its part in raising funds for a cause by adding a donation sticker in Stories. 100 percent of the donations made will go to the non-profit organisation you are supporting. This feature will be available in the US and it will come to more countries sooner.

Donation stickers.

There will also be a new design introduced in the camera app for Instagram including a Create Mode, which gives you an easy way to share without a photo or video. You can just use creative tools like effects and stickers without needing to upload a photo.

Create mode in Camera.

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tech2 News StaffApr 30, 2019 21:07:15 IST

Realme recently announced the Realme 3 Pro (Review) smartphone with the Snapdragon 710 SoC for a starting price of Rs 13,990. Realme CEO, Madhav Sheth, touted that the phone is the only smartphone in its segment that can support Fortnite. Obviously, Chinese smartphone giant Xiaomi is not going to take this subtle-insult to the Redmi Note 7 Pro (Review), which is the Realme 3 Pro’s real competition.

Manu Kumar Jain with Fortnite on Redmi Note 7 Pro.

On Twitter Manu Kumar Jain, VP of Xiaomi announced that with the latest MIUI 10.2.10.0 update the Redmi Note 7 Pro will be supporting Fortnite as well. For those who are unaware, Fortnite, the insanely popular multiplayer game by Epic Games, is available on Android but only high-end phones are able to play the game.

You asked for it.. and here it is!

The incredible #RedmiNote7Pro now comes with #Fortnite support with latest #MIUI 10.2.10.0#RedmiNote7 Pro:
Newly launched @Qualcomm SD 675
Fastest mid-premium chip
#48MP Sony IMX 586
Gorilla Glass 5 on front & back#Xiaomi pic.twitter.com/RLKEHv71kb

— Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) April 30, 2019

In more recent news surrounding the Redmi Note-series, Xiaomi is now rolling out a new MIUI 10.3.5.0 update for the budget Android smartphone which apparently improves camera performance and adds some new features, apart from fixing a number of known bugs.

As per a report by XDADevelopers, the new MIUI 10.3.5.0.PFGMIXM update is now rolling out to Redmi Note 7 owners via an OTA update. Even though this update does fall into the category of fairly small in terms of features, at 1.66 GB, it’s a hefty download.

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tech2 News StaffApr 30, 2019 14:08:51 IST

Amazon is gearing up to host its ‘Summer Sale’ in India from 4-7 May and while that’s still a few days away, the online retailer has already begun offering a sneak peek at the top deals on smartphones and a range of other gadgets.

From what has been revealed on a newly created page for the sale on Amazon, the retailer reveals that there will be price cuts on popular phones like the OnePlus 6T (review), Realme U1 (review) as well as newly launched phones like the Huawei P30 Pro (review) and the Galaxy A50 (review).

Amazon India is promising the ‘lowest price ever’ on a number of popular smartphones during the sale period including the Redmi 6A, Realme U1, Honor Play, Vivo Nex, Honor 8X and the iPhone X.

Amazon Summer Sale 2019 banner. Image: Amazon India

During the sale period, users will also be offered better exchange bonuses on certain top-selling smartphones. These include the Oppo F11 Pro, Samsung Galaxy S10, Vivo V15 Pro, Oppo F9 Pro, and the Oppo R17 Pro. Most smartphones listed in the sale will also feature no-cost EMI payment options for credit and debit card users from major banks.

Amazon has tied up with State Bank of India to offer 10 percent instant discount to the bank’s credit and debit card users. There will be a cap on the maximum discount anyone can get via this offer, which will be notified once the sale goes live.

Besides smartphones, Amazon Summer Sale will also include deals on a large selection of electronics and accessories. Amazon says over 5,000 electronics products will be a part of the sale. TVs and appliances will be available with discounts worth up to 60 percent.

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Amazon devices will receive discounts up to Rs 4,600 during the upcoming Summer Sale. These devices include Fire TV Stick, Kindle readers and Echo speakers.

Amazfit Pace and Amazfit Verge smartwatches will also be discounted during the sale, along with portable Bluetooth speakers from Sony and JBL.

If you’ve been saving up for a Smart TV, the upcoming sale would be a great time to land discounts of up to 50 percent.

The sale gets even better if you happen to be a Prime subscriber. Prime users get a 12-hour headstart over regular users, essentially allowing access to all the deals by 12 pm on 3 May.

While all these include the featured deals during the sale period, there will be more discounts on offer once the sale goes live. Do remember to visit tech2 for a low-down on the best deals once the prices are revealed.

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tech2 News StaffApr 29, 2019 19:38:44 IST

One of the best things to have come out post demonetisation has to be the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). It allows instant peer-to-peer transactions (p2p) thanks to its real-time inter-bank settlement process and you can use your mobile phone and a virtual ID to do these transactions. Almost every digital wallet company offers UPI as one of the services with peer-to-peer transactions. So far, Amazon’s digital payments arm, Amazon Pay, was only offering UPI payments through Axis bank. But that has finally changed.

Representational image. Image: Reuters.

According to a report in The Economic Times, Amazon Pay could start offering peer-to-peer payments along with other payment products as part of its UPI push. Amazon’s UPI ambitions had come to a halt after it failed to fulfil the data localisation mandates from RBI. But now that Amazon has adhered to all the data localisation norms, which means it is ready to start its p2p services.

Vikas Bansal of Amazon Pay, India, said that Amazon has a highly engaged set of users who should adapt quickly with its payment products. Bansal said that bank transfers will bring in more features as one can now transfer through a virtual ID from bank account details.

“We will store the recently-done transactions which will make it easier for the user to make recurring payments,” said Bansal.

Like with Google Pay, users can use the Amazon Pay for instant bank transfers through the ‘send money’ or ‘request money’ link through the Android app. As a launch offer customers can get up to Rs 120 cashback on Sending Money through UPI.

“Our goal is to make Amazon Pay the most trusted, convenient and rewarding way to pay for our customers. The customers trust their Amazon app and we continue to expand payment use cases directly on the app. With this launch, we have the largest selection of shopping and payment use cases on the Amazon Android app which provides added convenience and control to our customers.” said Bansal.

In terms of the UPI landscape in India, Google Pay is at the pole position in terms of the transaction value. However, if one looks at transaction volumes, it is Paytm that is ahead of the pack, followed closely by PhonePe and Google Pay.

Google Pay to transfer payments worth Rs 43,000-45,000 crores in March, while Paytm and PhonePe dealt with transactions worth Rs 31,000-32,000 crore. That does happen to be a sizeable gap and as per BharatPe, a payments company that helps smaller merchants, Google Pay’s average transaction value is higher by a steady 50 percent compared to PhonePe and Paytm.

Cashless transactions have now become simpler and convenient thanks to BHIM UPI. @dilipasbe #DigitalIndia #InstantPayments #HighOnUPI #NPCI pic.twitter.com/LNERMecgyS

— BHIM (@NPCI_BHIM) April 1, 2019

When looking at the sheer number of transactions, Google Pay, PhonePe and Paytm, now process roughly 80-90 per of UPI transactions across the country. Each of the payments services clocked 221-225 million transactions in March out of the total 799.54 million.

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An Indian blog named CashKaro and SlashLeaks have worked together to make a 360-degree concept video of Apple’s upcoming iPhones in 2019, which is expected to be called the iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Max or iPhone XI and the iPhone XI Max. The video that they made are based on the leaked images and information about the device.

In the video, they have given us an idea of how the iPhone 11 devices are expected to look like. According to the video, it looks like the upcoming iPhone could have a circular mute button. It’s unclear whether Apple is to change the mute button but according to rumors, the company might.

iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Max 360-Degree Concept Video

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According to the 360-degree concept video, the three cameras on the device does look very ugly with the white color surroundings of the camera on the white iPhone. Surely, black surroundings of the camera would make the device look better. let’s hope Apple doesn’t make this mistake with the new cameras they plan to add.

Update: A new concept video has been released, which appears to be even better than this one. Check out the video here.

Let us know what you think about the concept video in the comments below.

tech2 News StaffApr 29, 2019 20:50:22 IST

As we approach the launch of the OnePlus 7-series the leaks and reports are coming in high and fast. We know that OnePlus will launch two phones this year which will be the regular OnePlus 7, an incremental update over the OnePlus 6T and more premium OnePlus 7 Pro, which will look to compete with the high-end tier-1 flagships from Samsung and Huawei.

OnePlus 7 case by Olixar.

From previous teasers, OnePlus has also confirmed that the 7 Pro will have a triple-camera setup.

Now we have a report that delves slightly into what we can expect from the camera. Wired got an early hands-on with the camera of the OnePlus 7 Pro and here is what they had to say about it.

“From a pro photographer’s point of view, one of the main differences with a smartphone is the optical zoom,” says OnePlus imaging director Simon Liu to the Wired. The device is said to offer 3X optical zoom which as per the report is said to be pretty good, however, it doesn’t beat the Huawei P30 Pro‘s 5X zoom. There is also the option to get 10x digital zoom as well.

OnePlus will be holding out the exact specs of its triple-camera till launch date but the report has stated that there will be no time-of-flight sensor, which many smartphones are using for better portrait modes and AR. Other things that the report mentions is that the OnePlus 7 Pro’s camera will have a shutter lag of 0.3 seconds. The main camera, presumably a Sony IMX 586 sensor, will use pixel binning to create 12 MP shots.

Wired also said how much of a big leap the OnePlus 7 Pro is from the currently available OnePlus 6T, which is good, but also said that it “doesn’t feel wilfully disruptive and attention-grabbing like the Huawei P30 Pro.” This could spell a bit of trouble considering that the device is expected to be priced a lot higher than the regular non-Pro model as per recent leaks.

We should know more about the OnePlus 7 and 7 Pro camera once they are announced on 14 May.

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Several screen time monitoring apps have disappeared off Apple’s App Store in a crackdown that emphasizes safety and security of the users.

According to the New York Times, the parental control and screen-time apps were either forced to remove features that could potentially gain access to too much data from users or taken out the App Store entirely. The news platform further speculated that the move was due to the rollout of the new iOS 12 Screen Time feature. Several developers have filed antitrust complaints, with Kaspersky Lab leading the charge.

Phil Schiller, Senior VP of Marketing at Apple, responded with an email, stating that the move was about protecting the security and privacy of the children and their parents. The VP further mentioned that while NY Times did not disclose the fact that some of the affected apps were using MDM, or mobile device management technology, which could potentially access the child’s device location, app use, web surfing habits, camera, network access and more.

For some, eliminating these screen time apps may feel like a step backward, but it’s all about the company protecting its users’ security and privacy.

tech2 News StaffApr 29, 2019 17:19:35 IST

Facebook’s spurt in revenue has been marred by controversy after controversy over the last few years. The company has been accused of manhandling user data and also of not doing enough to prevent extremist content on its platform.

Mark Zuckerberg. Image: Reuters

With nearly a third of the world’s population on the social media network, Facebook is undoubtedly a leader in the technology world whatever be its misgivings. At its yearly conference, F8 which is scheduled to take place from 30 April to 1 May, the tech giant is expected to make many announcements. Here’s what you can expect.

AR, VR and Oculus

As per the schedule posted by Facebook for F8, the conference will begin with a keynote where Mark Zuckerberg is expected to announce advancements in VR amongst other things. The keynote is followed by a session labelled “Getting Things Done Virtually: The Value of VR for Enterprise”. Facebook-owns Oculus so it may be that it announces some new improvements to the headset or announce another variant for it. There are other sessions as well which will speak about the implementation of AR on Instagram, in music, and even when shopping.

Instagram and Messenger

F8 will likely see announcements perhaps on an updated UI for Instagram and some new features. We might hear about several rumours that have said that Instagram could get a setting for hiding your likes and could also get a communal chat option. There were also rumours of a feature currently in testing which integrates Messenger with the native Facebook app under a new “Chats” section.

Facebook’s privacy issues

Last year’s F8 was opened by Mark Zuckerberg to address the massive Cambridge Analytica scandal that Facebook was embroiled in. 2018 and 2019 have also not been kind to the company with issues of data privacy and handling of extremist content cropping up every now and then which has ultimately resulted in a nearly $5 billion fine imposed by the US FTC.  It is possible Mark Zuckerberg will be addressing these issues in the keynote tomorrow.

Tech2 will be running a LIVE blog of the event, which starts from 10.30 pm IST, so tune in to get the latest updates.

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Get the 2Do Task Manager now for just $19.99 and save an incredible 60% off today! Use our promo-code MADNESS15 to receive an extra 15% off at checkout!

If you’re unorganized and always running out of time trying to complete tasks having no idea on how or why you’ve left things to the very bitter end, then the 2Do Task Manager is the application you desperately need.

The software is perfect for those looking to improve upon their productivity and concentration. With a simple to use user interface, the software is built to keep the user experience convenient and easy. However, don’t let the easy interface fool you into thinking this software is not jam-packed with all the best time-saving features and tools.

What Makes 2Do Task Manager So Special?

2Do is one of the best productivity managing tools out on the market right now. You can jot down multiple tasks in a matter of a couple of seconds with the Quick Entry feature and stay on top of all tasks using the color-coded lists that are supported by a great set of sort, tag, location, focus, and date range filters. 2Do Task Manager also allows you to batch schedule tasks with a simple drag and drop feature that makes sure nothing slips through the cracks. However, the best feature by far is definitely the location-based alerts that ring whenever there’s a task for you to do nearby.

Reviews

2Do task manager has met great reviews from around the internet. The Mac App store has given the software 4.8 stars out of 5 stars rated by more than 118 users who have used the software personally. Additionally, TUAW has stated “2Do is a great choice for 99% of the Mac owners who are looking for a robust task manager to handle a variety of home and work tasks.” regarding the software. With many great reviews, you can be assured that this task manager software is definitely something you can rely on.

2Do Task Manager has a retail price of $49.99 but with our deal, you only have to pay $19.99. Which means you get to save up to 60% off! Also, if you use our store-wide promo-code MADNESS15 at the checkout page, you get to save another 15% off. Hurry though, offers are limited and will expire in 6 days.

Buy It Here Now

tech2 News StaffApr 29, 2019 09:58:21 IST

Xiaomi’s Redmi 7 smartphone will go on sale for the first time at 12 pm today. The phone, which succeeds the Redmi 6, will be available amazon.in and mi.com at prices starting at Rs 7,999 for the 2 GB RAM + 32 GB storage variant and Rs 8,999 for the 3 GB RAM + 32 GB storage model.

As noted in our review of the device, the Redmi 7 sets new benchmarks in the budget smartphone segment, and it has an attractive design to boot.

Redmi 7 specifications

In terms of specs, we’re looking at a phone with a 6.26-inch HD+ display, Snapdragon 632 SoC, either 2 GB or 3 GB of RAM, 32 GB of storage – expandable by 512 GB via microSD – and a 4,000 man battery.

The camera system includes a 12 MP f/2.2 + 2 MP dual camera on the rear and an 8 MP f/2.0 at the front.

For biometrics, you get a fingerprint unlock. A faster but less secure face unlock mode is also supported.

For our full review, check out the video below:

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A YouTuber named ConceptsiPhone and Hasan Kaymak appears to have made an epic iPhone 11 concept video that is based on all the leaked information we have so far. Recently, an Indian blog named CashKaro had also made a 360-degree concept video. However, this video seems to be more like the real thing due to its detailed 4K video quality.

From dark mode to three cameras that we are expecting on the iPhone 11, everything appears to be added to the concept video. Check out the video below and see for yourselves.

iPhone 11 Concept Video

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Let us know what you think of the concept video in the comments below. I find it much better and more realistic to the video we shared yesterday.

tech2 News StaffApr 28, 2019 09:34:51 IST

The US Federal Communications Commission has approved SpaceX’s plans to fly a fleet of internet-transmitting satellites, Starlink, at an orbit lower than originally planned.

As per a report by The Verge, SpaceX originally planned to launch 4,425 Starlink satellites to ranges between roughly 1,110 to 1,325 kilometers. This plan won the FCC’s approval in early 2018. But the company later decided based on test data that it would like 1,584 of those satellites to orbit at the much lower height of around 340 miles (550 kilometers).

SpaceX reasoned that lower elevation would allow it to cut latency down to 15 milliseconds and cut the total number of satellites by 16 without reducing coverage. The company also said the lower altitude would allow any satellites that lose orbit to begin burning up quickly instead of clogging Earth orbit with space junk, something that was the concern of a recent NASA study.

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launching SpaceX’s two test Starlink satellites. Image: SpaceX

Competing satellite internet firm OneWeb and satellite operator Kepler Communications both filed against the plan, claiming that Starlink could cause signal interference at the lower elevation and potentially even pose a collision risk. In its approval, the FCC found that “the modification proposed by SpaceX does not present significant interference problems and is in the public interest.”

The FCC added that SpaceX claims “because all its satellites have propulsion and are maneuverable to prevent collisions, they are considered to pose zero risk to any other satellites in this orbital region,” as well as that the company says “operating satellites at the 550 km altitude will ensure a 100 percent success rate of post-mission disposal within 5 years, even assuming worst-case conditions.”

The body also concluded that SpaceX’s estimate of collision risks in the case a satellite’s propulsion systems become inoperable “is well within accepted boundaries… even with worst-case assumptions that go well beyond any realistic scenario.”

In a statement, SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell told The Verge, “This approval underscores the FCC’s confidence in SpaceX’s plans to deploy its next-generation satellite constellation and connect people around the world with reliable and affordable broadband service.”

While beaming down the web from satellites sounds like a great idea, numerous other companies have run into problems with their own similar projects. Facebook’s Project Athena, after failing to get drones to work properly, turned to satellites with the aim of launching one by early 2019 which the company hasn’t yet. Similarly, Google is working on Project Loon, which aims to transmit LTE to remote regions of the world with hot air balloons, but it has run into numerous crashes and is facing a major patent lawsuit. Amazon has also announced its own initiative.

SpaceX has already produced a bunch of Starlink satellites and is on track to start launching them in May.

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tech2 News StaffApr 28, 2019 13:48:38 IST

Suspecting malicious cyber attacks and data breach possibilities, Google is removing all apps from a Chinese Android app developer named DO Global from the Play Store.

Partly owned by Chinese internet giant Baidu, DO Global has close to 100 apps in the Play Store with more than 600 million installs. As per a report by Buzzfeed News, 46 apps by the publisher has already been removed from the store and Google intends to ban all apps soon.

“We actively investigate malicious behaviour, and when we find violations, we take action, including the removal of a developer’s ability to monetise their app with AdMob or publish on Play,” the report quoted a Google spokesperson as saying.

Representative Image.

That’s not all. Google is furthering the ban to the publishers’ ad products appearing on Android as well.

“DO Global apps no longer offer ad inventory for purchase via Google’s AdMob network.”

Buzzfeed had earlier reported that six apps from DO Global were committing ad fraud and concealing their ownership deals. The Chinese company claims to have more than 250 million monthly active users for its apps and the reach of nearly 800 million users through its ad platform on Android.

“Their removal from the Play Store marks one of the biggest bans, if not the biggest, Google has ever instituted against an app developer,” the report noted.

DO Global was a subsidiary of Baidu until it was spun out earlier in 2018. Baidu, however, continues to retain a 34 percent stake in the company.

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These days, applicants are coming up with unique, interesting ways to show their qualifications and CVs. Why type a boring old resume when you can put your best foot forward by showing up with your very own website?

A website is the medium of choice, whether it be for blogging, sharing your passion for your hobbies, helping people out or when you need a personal virtual space to rant.

hPage.com is your best choice when you want to create a personal website without any knowledge of how to build them. Here’s how easy it is to use the website builder:

Sign Up. The portal is designed to allow fast and easy registration. Simply enter your preferred login, password and email address, and voila! You’re all signed up and ready to create a free website.

First-time users can enjoy the free package as long as they like, but there’s always an option to upgrade to the paid one, especially if you’ll need hPage’s premium features.

Choose Your Template. Browse through dozens of available templates and pick one that best fit your style. You can then easily build a free website that looks like a million dollars.

Customize. Paint a virtual picture as you customize your site’s template. The website builder software is quite robust and has a collection of tools that allow you to tweak, edit and change things to your heart’s desire.

Adding designs is mostly a drag and drop affair. This means you can choose Building Blocks, click on it and drag it onto the unfinished website. You may also change templates at this point without having to go back or losing your current work.

Choose Your Domain Name. Make it short, sweet and easy to remember. Choose the .com domain if possible, and make .net, .info or .org into secondary ones.

Publish Your Website. When everything looks good, it’s time to show your website to the world.

Follow these steps to creating your unique website. Then, the content and uploading is all up to you.

tech2 News StaffApr 28, 2019 12:19:18 IST

Chinese smartphone makers are continuing to strengthen their grasp on the Indian smartphone market.

The market share of Chinese brands has reached a record 66 percent during the first quarter of this year, according to the latest Counterpoint’s Market Monitor research report.

The Xiaomi Redmi 7. Image: Omkar Patne

Driven by new product launches, Xiaomi remained at the top of the smartphone market share table with a 29 percent share, witnessing a decline of 2 percent in comparison to the same period last year. The Chinese brands grew 20 percent year-on-year (YoY) riding mainly on the growth of smartphones brands such as Vivo, Realme and Oppo. Vivo’s volume grew 119 percent whereas Oppo witnessed a growth of 28 percent year on year.

Feature phone shipments in Q1 2019. Image: Counterpoint

In the meantime, India’s overall smartphone shipments grew 4 percent year-on-year, the report added.

Talking about the reasons for the growth of Chinese brands, Associate Director of Counterpoint, Tarun Pathak said that data consumption is on the rise and users are upgrading their phones faster as compared to other regions. This has led to users spending more on their purchase which is driving up the overall average selling price (ASP) in the market.

Pathak expects these trends to continue in the future in the mid-tier segment.

Xiaomi Redmi 6A remained the top model followed by Xiaomi Note 6 Pro, Redmi Y2, Samsung Galaxy M20, and Galaxy A50. Chinese brand aggressive offline expansion and a strong focus on product build helped to retain its top position in the Indian smartphone market.

Earlier in February, Xiaomi India Managing Director Manu Kumar Jain claimed that the Chinese smartphone maker is 54 percent bigger than the second brand.

. @CounterPointTR report for Q1 2019 is out: Xiaomi is once again the No. 1 smartphone brand in India.

Read here: https://t.co/PrulqcNbHY

We are now #1 for 7 consecutive quarters! Thank you Mi Fans and all our partners for your love & support. #Xiaomi #Redmi pic.twitter.com/n4goqLrNqU

— Manu Kumar Jain (@manukumarjain) April 27, 2019

However, Xiaomi faced fierce competition from non-Chinese brand Samsung, which had about 23 percent market share. In the premium segment, Samsung surpassed OnePlus to become the number one player driven by the good response for its newly introduced Galaxy S10 series.

In the feature phone segment, Reliance Jio remained the leader, followed by Samsung, with about 30 percent market share.

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Asian News InternationalApr 27, 2019 11:47:15 IST

“I spy with my little eye,” that’s how the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) made its debut on Instagram with a picture of a seemingly ordinary work desk.

Instagram.

Many would wonder why an agency like the CIA needs to be on social media; isn’t their job to be in stealth mode? Well, it seems in a bid for ‘transparency’, the top spy agency has made its debut on the current favourite social media platform that is ironically owned by Facebook.

Before you jump the gun, the CIA won’t be sharing selfies of good-looking agents, nor there will be any clues to secret locations.

Through Instagram, the agency expects to also hire new recruits. At the time of writing, the official @cia account has 20.2K followers.

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tech2 News StaffApr 27, 2019 14:55:28 IST

Samsung Galaxy S10, S10 Plus, and S10e prices have been reduced.

As per an official release we received from Samsung, effective from 27 April 2019, which is today, the Galaxy S10 lineup now has a bunch of discounts and cashbacks, which effectively brings the lowest variant’s price down to Rs 46,900, with discounts of up to Rs 11,000.

Samsung Galaxy S10e offer

Reportedly, the Samsung Galaxy S10e (review) price now starts at Rs 46,990, down from Rs 55,990. But the fineprint here is that only if you have an HDFC debit or credit card, can that Rs 9,000 cashback be availed. For any other bank card user, there will only be a cashback of Rs 5,000.

The Samsung Galaxy S10e. Image: Tech2/Omkar Patne

Samsung Galaxy S10 offer

The Samsung Galaxy S10 128 GB variant also comes with an instant cashback of Rs 5,000. There’s an additional cashback of Rs 6,000 if the purchase is made using HDFC debit or credit card.

Similarly, for the 512 GB variant, there is an instant cashback of Rs 8,000 in addition to Rs 6,000 cashback via HDFC debit or credit card.

Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus offer

And as for the highest variant of the lineup, on purchase of the Galaxy S10 Plus (review) 128 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB variants, consumers can get an upgrade bonus of Rs 9,000 in addition to Rs 6,000 cash back via HDFC debit or credit card.

Samsung Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10 Plus, Galaxy S10e prices

For a quick recap, without the offer, the Galaxy S10 Plus is available in at Rs 1,17,900 for the 1 TB variant, Rs 91,900 for the 512 GB variant, and Rs 73,900 for the 128 GB model.

The Galaxy S10, on the other hand, is priced at Rs 84,900 for the 512 GB variant and the 128GB model costs Rs 66,900. The Galaxy S10e comes with only 128 GB storage variant and is priced at Rs 55,900.

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tech2 News StaffApr 27, 2019 15:42:58 IST

As part of Mark Zuckerberg’s 2019 personal challenge, he released a 93-minute video of his discussion with Sapiens author Yuval Noah Harari, where the two talk about why it is so important that we don’t store sensitive data in countries with weak rule of law or where governments can forcibly get access to that data.

Zuckerberg said that Facebook will not comply with laws and set up local data centers in authoritarian countries where that data could be forcibly accessed. He also said in the recent earnings call that he is ready to risk Facebook shutting down in authoritarian countries if the company is forced to locally store data.

While laws can help protect user privacy and data in countries that are justly ruled, however, the local storage of data can be problematic in nations where governments might use military might to see the data. That could help them enhance their surveillance capabilities, disrupt activism or hunt down mutineers.

Image: Facebook

Zuckerberg said, “I actually think the bigger question is what is it going to be? And the most likely alternative to each country adopting something that encodes the freedoms and rights of something like GDPR, in my mind, is the authoritarian model, which is currently being spread, which says every company needs to store everyone’s data locally in data centers and then, if I’m a government, I can send my military there and get access to whatever data I want and take that for surveillance or military. I just think that that’s a really bad future. And that’s not the direction, as someone who’s building one of these internet services, or just as a citizen of the world, I want to see the world going.”

Russia and China already have data localization laws. Germany requires telecommunications metadata to be stored locally, and India has a similar rule for payments data.

Another very crucial questions Yuval Noah Harari asked Zuckerberg was: “Is it still true in a world where we have the technology to hack human beings and manipulate them like never before that the customer is always right, that the voter knows best? Or have we gone past this point?”

To this Zuckerberg said that “I think people really don’t like and are very distrustful when they feel like they’re being told what to do.” (Who is going to decode that now!)

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Agence France-PresseApr 27, 2019 09:16:44 IST

Facebook on Thursday filed a lawsuit in US federal court to bar a New Zealand company from selling fake “likes,” views and followers to Instagram users.

The company and three people targeted in the lawsuit operated a service to raise the profile of Instagram accounts by bolstering them with bogus followers, views and “likes,” Facebook director of platform enforcement and litigation Jessica Romero said in a blog post.

“By filing the lawsuit, we are sending a message that this kind of fraudulent activity is not tolerated on our services, and we will act to protect the integrity of our platform,” Romero said.

Representative Image.

Romero did not identify the company or the individuals’ names in the legal complaint, which accused them of using fake businesses and websites to sell “engagement services” to Instagram users looking to buy status.

Such activity violates terms of service at Facebook-owned Instagram.

“We previously suspended accounts associated with the defendants and formally warned them in writing that they were in violation of our Terms of Use, however, their activity persisted,” Romero said.

She described the lawsuit as part of an ongoing effort to prevent fraudulent activity at its family of services, which includes a photo and video sharing social network Instagram.

Facebook and other online social platforms have been under pressure to prevent deception and misinformation.

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