CTC BLOG

FP StaffJan 31, 2022 15:54:18 IST

Music streaming giant Spotify is in a spot of bother.

The company has lost anywhere between $2 and $4 billion in value, artists have been demanding that their music be pulled off the platform and users uninstalling with the app. The hashtag CancelSpotify has also gone viral.

Let’s examine why the Swedish streaming giant is facing the music:

Spotify gets the full Joe Rogan Experience

In May 2020, Spotify inked a $100 million deal with arguably the biggest podcaster on the planet: Joe Rogan.

Now critics say Spotify is getting exactly what it paid for: The Joe Rogan Experience.

Rogan, who has become a lightning rod for giving platforms to far-right personalities, climate deniers and conspiracy theorists, recently interviewed Dr Robert Malone.

Malone, a virologist and immunologist,  has become a hero in the anti-vaccine community and been banned from Twitter for sharing misinformation.

Malone has questioned the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine and falsely suggested that millions of people have “been hypnotised into believing” that the vaccines work to prevent serious disease.

Rogan, who is not exactly known for challenging his guests on their views, later put out  a video on Instagram saying that he was only seeking to have conversations on his podcast with people who have “differing opinions.”

“If I pissed you off, I’m sorry,” Rogan said. “I will do my best to try to balance out these more controversial viewpoints with other people’s perspectives so we can maybe find a better point of view.”

“I’m not trying to promote misinformation, I’m not trying to be controversial,” Rogan said. “I’ve never tried to do anything with this podcast other than to just talk to people.”

He also said that he schedules the guests on his podcast himself, and that he would try to book doctors with different opinions right after he talks to “the controversial ones.” Rogan noted that he earlier sat down on the show with Dr Sanjay Gupta, the chief medical correspondent for CNN, Dr Michael Osterholm, who is a member of President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 advisory board, and Dr Peter Hotez from Baylor College of Medicine.

Artists voice concern

Following Rogan’s podcast, veteran rocker Neil Young demanded that they remove his music from Spotify to protest Rogan spreading misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine.

The US rocker had written a letter to the streaming platform asking for his music to be pulled off because Spotify “is spreading false information about vaccines — potentially causing death to those who believe the disinformation”.

Young had reportedly said Spotify “can have Rogan or Young. Not both.”

Following his request, Spotify, in a statement on Wednesday, said that it regretted Young’s decision, “but hope to welcome him back soon.”

However, Young wasn’t the only one who asked for his music to be pulled off the platform.

On Friday, Joni Mitchell sought to remove all of her music from Spotify in solidarity with Neil Young.

Mitchell, who like Young is a California-based songwriter, said, “Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives. I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue.”

It is of signifance to note that Young and Mitchell are both polio survivors — contracting it in the early 1950s before a vaccine became available.

Britain’s Prince Harry and his wife Meghan also waded into the controversy and expressed their concern to Spotify about COVID-19 misinformation on its platform.

A spokesperson for their Archewell foundation was quoted as telling Reuters, “Hundreds of millions of people are affected by the serious harms of rampant mis- and disinformation every day. Last April, our co-founders began expressing concerns to our partners at Spotify about the all too real consequences of COVID-19 misinformation on its platform.

“We have continued to express our concerns to Spotify to ensure changes to its platform are made to help address this public health crisis. We look to Spotify to meet this moment and are committed to continuing our work together as it does.”

Spotify takes action

Reacting to the negative press and the billions of lost valuation, the music streaming service on Sunday said that it will add content advisories before podcasts discussing the virus.

In a post Sunday, Spotify chief executive Daniel Ek laid out more transparent platform rules.

“Personally, there are plenty of individuals and views on Spotify that I disagree with strongly,” wrote Ek. “It is important to me that we don’t take on the position of being content censor while also making sure that there are rules in place and consequences for those who violate them.”

Ek said that the advisories will link to Spotify’s fact-based COVID-19 hub in what he described as a “new effort to combat misinformation.”

It will roll out in the coming days, Ek added.

He did not specifically reference Rogan or Young.

With inputs from agencies

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Asha MenonJan 28, 2022 15:34:43 IST

Vivek Wadhwa is many things. An academic–Distinguished Fellow at Harvard Law School and Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Engineering–an entrepreneur, author of best-sellers and one of the first people to call out the dangers of technology industry’s addictive products.

In 2018, when conversations around Facebook’s privacy breaches and meddling in US elections were just beginning, he and Alex Salkever published their book Your Happiness was Hacked–Why Tech is Winning the Battle to Control Your Brain and How to Fight Back. With it, they became the digital-detox pioneers.

With pandemic making us even more dependent and addicted to our screens, Wadhwa tells Moneycontrol how best we can maintain our digital sanity.

Which is the first device you reach for in the morning? How long after you wake up?

My phone, after half an hour or an hour of waking up. I don’t always listen to my own advice.

What do you check for?

Unfortunately, I installed Whatsapp a year ago so I get a stream of forwards… the same garbage (that everyone else gets). Even I have relatives sending chains of messages. I respond if it is urgent or I ignore them. Then I check my emails. Again if they are urgent, I respond (immediately) otherwise I wait for a few hours.

What are the apps you have on your phone?

WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Twitter, Email… now Skype (for the interview with Moneycontrol).

Which is the app you couldn’t get rid of, the one you were compelled to reinstall?

Whatsapp. I need it for my Indian friends… Indians don’t seem to do emails. I uninstalled the app twice but finally I had to accept it (defeat) and it stayed. So now I manage its use by simply ignoring it, except for the messages from family and few colleagues, who show up as on the favourites’ list. My WhatsApp bio says that… that I rarely use WhatsApp and that people should email me instead at [email protected]. Otherwise people send you all kinds of junk from the time they are awake. Now they know that I don’t respond.

What are all the devices that you have and what is your relationship, if we can call it that, with them?

I have a phone, a laptop and a smart TV… I don’t use cable. My laptop has two screens, with two inputs–one screen for working and the other for entertainment. They work as two different worlds.

What would you define digital sanity as?

You have to take charge of the technology, control it and not let it control you. Otherwise, you will get overwhelmed. I don’t take calls after 9 pm, unless they are urgent. I don’t check texts … I ignore them. On LinkedIn, I have around 900 requests … I simply ignore them. Emails are easier to control. Check (engage with) emails on your own terms. I have told people that either you send me concise messages or I will ignore them … so people get about 400 to 500 words before I lose interest. Also, if I think they are rambling on, I ignore them. I am not obliged to do anything with them.

How many emails do you get in a day and how many do you respond to?

Around 300 to 400, from around the world. I respond to maybe a half of them… so I do 100 to 150 emails a day. I take about three to four hours a day for my communication with the world, which is largely done through emails. Then I spent two to three hours on reading and learning. Then do whatever else I am working on, like reviewing a paper and so on.

What are a few tips you would give to the reader, to take charge of their relationship with tech?

One, go through every app on your phone and evaluate what would happen if you don’t have it. If you can do without it, take it off. One you have decided on your app, you set the rules on how you will use it. Two, decide how and when you are going to use it (app or digital devices). Preferably switch off a few hours before you go to sleep. I don’t take calls after 9 pm. Three, learn how to use Do Not Disturb (mode). Turn off the notifications … otherwise you keep getting messages and alerts throughout the day. These technologies are designed to keep you addicted by sending notifications. It is a common problem in India … the overload, you are bombarded with messages and texts throughout the day. But you should decide when to check your phone or device.

If you do these three things, 80 to 90 per cent of the (stress) will be taken care of. The book (Your Happiness was Hacked, 2018) gives smaller tips… the entire list.

It isn’t easy to switch off for people who have managers three or four levels above…

You need to tell your manager that you will take a few hours of family time when you get back home… a good block of time. You dictate the rules to everyone. Companies expect you to respond (immediately) but taking an hour or two off shouldn’t be a problem.

Do you see people more aware of the dangers of these technologies, years since the book was written?

Now we accept that the tech industry is evil, that Facebook is manipulating and polarising us. The book (Your Happiness was Hacked) was one of the first on it … we had to be very careful. Its subtitle was ‘Why Tech is Winning the Battle to Control Your Brain’. But now, a reminder is needed more than ever. People are fast-forwarding misinformation and this is polarising entire societies. People are addicted to technology more than ever. Earlier data was expensive but now practically everyone in India has a smartphone, with the cost of phones and data falling. Earlier only the educated middle-class could afford this but now even the poor are using it (smartphone) and they are not educated or savvy enough to separate misinformation from information.
It has become a pandemic of misinformation, fear and addiction.
Religious fundamentalism, whether it is Muslim or Hindu fundamentalism, is on the rise. These technologies are doing to India what they did to America… ripping societies apart. In America, everyone blames (PM Narendra) Modi for the rise of Hindu nationalism and so on… But it isn’t Modi, it’s technologies like Facebook and Whatsapp that’re causing it. People are getting more and more of the same garbage, and they are believing it. You wake up in the morning to 50 such messages from friends with all of these videos and stories, and you begin to believe it.

When you follow people on Twitter, do you make a conscious effort to follow people you disagree with?

Yes. I follow Trump supporters and Biden supporters. I find reading from people who I disagree with more interesting … because you learn a lot from them. But the share of people I agree with would be more. I try to keep it 50/50 but honestly it would be more like 25 per cent of people I can’t stand and 75 per cent of those who I agree with. I try to follow women on Twitter as well, but someone they are only a third of the people I follow… maybe because men are more vocal.

Which country do you think is managing this tech-driven social discord well?

China. China is cutting the legs off this industry. I rarely am supportive of China but its government has realised the damage these technologies are causing. They are now leading the world in (managing the crisis). They are trying to regulate these (the companies’) algorithms. They are asking for the algorithms to be published, they are asking for better privacy controls and are telling them that they will be made liable if their platforms are spreading misinformation. So if WeChat (Chinese app that supports messaging, payments and social-media conversations) is spreading misinformation, their exec can go to jail! India needs to wake up and do that.
Yes, you are going to have the western media haranguing India about it. But right now, India is being colonised by these western companies. Now there is no moderation done by these companies. Facebook (which owns WhatsApp) says the communications are encrypted and that can’t be done. But, if India says that Indian customers will be able to sue them if there is misinformation on their platforms, then suddenly Facebook will develop the capability to do the moderation.

The government has to take a tough stand and say that laws apply to anything that happens in India. The government needs to have the courage to do that.

Do you think local apps could be the answer?

The local apps will need the same rules. They need to be told that they can’t abuse (users’ personal) data, that they have to publish their algos … that if women are auctioned on their platforms, they are going to go to jail for that.

Has the pandemic made the tech-relationship worse?

People are using Zoom and online conferencing more, which is a good thing. But the pandemic is also worsening the tech addiction. People upgraded their phones, got better plans and started using their devices much more.

Have you switched devices to help you manage your tech use better?

Not really. I did try the limited phones but I need a high-definition camera, and I am spoilt in a way that I need the latest tech. So I have a regular Android phone and I delete apps I don’t need. I don’t use cable TV, I use a smart TV, so that I can choose what I want to watch. I use my son’s Netflix account.

How do you help your family manage their digital use?

Are you kidding? No one listens to me. I am not dumb (to even try).

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Ameya DalviJan 26, 2022 20:13:40 IST

Price: Rs 19,990

Rating: 4/5

More than five quarters have passed since we got our hands on the Sony WF-1000XM3 TWS earphones that impressed one and all. It is time to make way for its successor that promises improvements on every front. While I was expecting it here around Diwali, it has finally reached our shores this year; better late than never. Let’s meet the Sony WF-1000XM4 noise cancelling true wireless (TWS) earphones and look at the enhancements it brings to the table in the premium personal audio segment.

Sony WF-1000XM4 TWS Earphones: Build, design and features (8/10)

The design has drastically changed since the XM3, and while the XM4 buds don’t look generic, they look, well, more normal. Though these buds are 10 per cent smaller than their predecessors, they are still quite chunky. The build quality is solid with a smooth matte finish and sizable touch zones at the back of the buds. The charging case here is significantly smaller; 40 per cent smaller than XM3’s to be specific as per the company, and weighs almost half.

You get two colour variants in the Sony WF-1000XM4 – black and grey, and we got the latter for review. The black looks slightly better in my opinion, but then I belong to Bruce Wayne’s ‘does in come in black’ school of design, so decide for yourself. You have a silver ring around the microphone vents that breaks the design monotony in a good way. The charging case is draped in the exact grey shade and has a USB-C charging port at the back and a multi-coloured charge status LED at the front.

Despite the larger footprint, the earbuds are fitted with a 6 mm driver and weigh under 7.5 grams each. The larger earbuds shells here are probably necessitated by the amount of advanced circuitry they hold, starting with Sony’s V1 processor. It not just takes care of the active noise cancellation (ANC) but also supports LDAC codecs over Bluetooth 5.2 with a maximum throughput of up to 990 Kbps. These earphones also support AAC and SBC codecs in case the source device isn’t LDAC compliant.

The earbuds are touch enabled and let you perform a handful of tasks using single tap, double tap and triple tap gestures. The functions can be reconfigured using Sony’s Headphones Connect app. Unlike its predecessor, the XM4 comes with ingress protection with a modest IPX4 rating for the buds making them sweat resistant. They should be able to survive the odd splash too, but don’t push your luck too far. You get wear detection sensors to pause the audio when you remove the buds from your ear, and resume when you put them back on.

Sony WF-1000XM4 TWS Earphones: Comfort (7.5/10)

Despite their relatively larger size, the earbuds fit into the ears reasonably well and you don’t feel any discomfort. However, they tend to stick out of the ears a bit. The bundled foam eartips provide good passive noise isolation. While the seal is quite good, the fit isn’t the most reassuring, especially when you wear them for a jog. You constantly feel like they may pop out of the ear, but to their credit, they didn’t. 

You get three pairs of eartips in the bundle including the preinstalled mid-sized tips. Do spend a couple of minutes choosing the right size as that helps in achieving better noise cancellation. The companion app also lets you decide the right size for you.

Sony WF-1000XM4 TWS Earphones: Performance (9/10)

Let’s start with the wireless range. The connection stays strong for a little over 10 metres with a clear line of sight between the buds and the source device, and up to 6 metres even with a concrete wall in between. That’s an impressive range  given that I was using them with LDAC codecs with sound quality being the priority. Pairing the XM4 with a different device can be slightly tricky if you don’t read the manual. They simply won’t appear in the list of devices unless you touch and hold both buds for a few seconds to get them in pairing mode.

The Sony WF-1000XM4 supports three listening modes – Noise Cancellation On, Ambient Sounds On and Normal mode (ANC/Ambient Sounds Off). You can choose any two or all three from the Headphones Connect app. You can toggle through them by tapping the left earbud once. The quantum of ambient noise that you want them to let in can be finetuned from the app too, along with accessing other audio settings like equalisers, DSEE Extreme audio upscaling and 360 Reality Audio setup.

The app also lets you program the touch controls, however, just like in case of the XM3, the options are available in sets, and one cannot choose individual functions for each gesture. For instance, if you select Playback controls for the right earbud, a single touch will be assigned to Play/Pause function, double tap for next track and triple tap for previous track. You cannot change that. That leaves you with a choice between volume control or ANC toggle for the left bud, but not both. I was hoping that Sony would have changed this by now, but alas!

Time to talk about the sound quality. The Sony WF-1000XM4 is sufficiently loud at 60 to 70 per cent volume level for most things. The sound output of the WF-1000XM3 was one of the finest I had heard on TWS earphones, and if anything, the WF-1000XM4 takes the audio quality a notch higher. The sound signature isn’t perfectly neutral, and in fact there is a clear bias in favour of low end frequencies, resulting in a pleasantly warm sound. But the bass isn’t overdone to a point where it masks other frequencies, primarily the mids. But there’s ample punch in the sub-bass that is thoroughly enjoyable.

The mids are reproduced very well with clear vocals and good instrument separation. The highs are sharp with ample sparkle, yet perfectly tempered so as not to sound sibilant, and the overall detail in sound is excellent. There is very little to complain about in the imaging department, and the sound stage is as broad as it gets on TWS buds. Most popular genres of music sound good on the Sony WF-1000XM4, and thus it is bound to appeal to a broader audience, but with deeper pockets. I used the LDAC codec throughout the course of testing.

The active noise cancellation was excellent on the Sony WF-1000XM3 and it continues to be as good, if not better on the XM4 too. It remains arguably the best ANC I have experienced on TWS earphones. It cuts down on a lot of ambient noise like the whir of a ceiling fan or the buzz of traffic when outdoors and lets you enjoy your music peacefully. The ambient mode here is quite effective when you need to be aware of your surroundings (while crossing the road or listening to announcements) or need to have a quick conversation with someone in the room without taking the buds off. The sound quality remains equally solid in all three modes.

Sony WF-1000XM4 TWS Earphones: Call quality (7/10)

The call quality of the WF-1000XM4 is more than decent but not exceptional. You will hardly face a problem when indoors. The person on the line was clearly audible, and I was heard with ample clarity by the other person too. But when you step outdoors, the microphones do pick up some ambient noise that the person on the line complained about on and off. I expected a little better here given that this is a premium product.

Sony WF-1000XM4 TWS Earphones: Battery life (8/10)

Sony claims a battery backup of 8 hours for the buds on a full charge and a total of 24 hours with the charging case. During my testing, I got a little under seven hours out of them with ANC switched on more than half the time. The case can recharge these buds twice more, thus taking the total battery backup upwards of 20 hours, which is pretty good. Generally, I would term 20 hours as decent or above average, but given that I was using LDAC codec all the time and there was also a generous use of ANC, 20 hours here is an achievement.

The battery status of each earbud as well as the charging case is visible in the companion app, and it also prompts you when the charge on the case drops below 30 per cent. It takes about 90 minutes to charge the buds and case fully using a standard USB-C charger. Sony also claims that 5 minutes of charging can give you about an hour of music playback; a handy feature to have. The case also supports Qi wireless charging.

Sony WF-1000XM4 TWS Earphones: Price and verdict

The Sony WF-1000XM4 TWS earphones can be purchased for Rs 19,990 with a one year warranty; exactly the same price the XM3 was launched for. Yes, it is expensive as expected, but the performance is definitely a cut above anything we have come across south of Rs 20,000, and flaunts arguably the best active noise cancellation among TWS earphones available in India. Add to that support for LDAC codecs, a good companion app and impressive battery life.

The XM4 is not necessarily a ‘one product to rule them all’. Its design may not appeal to the fashionistas or its output to the purists seeking neutral sound signature. But the sound quality is impressive with a warm and detailed output that will appeal to a broad audience, and even better than that of the Apple Airpods Pro.

Call quality needs a bit of improvement, especially in noisy outdoor environments, and the ability to assign specific functions to touch gestures would be good to have. And yes, the price will serve as a deterrent for many. But when it comes to pure sound quality and ANC, the Sony WF-1000XM4 is hard to beat. 

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Hiral ThanawalaJan 22, 2022 15:51:54 IST

In the COVID-19 pandemic, online shopping through mobile applications and websites has become extremely popular. Now, online shopping isn’t limited to clothing. It has expanded from grocery and electronics to pharmaceutical products. There is barely anything that’s not available for shopping online at a discounted price. E-commerce websites such as Amazon and Flipkart are going live with republic day sale offers across categories. Here are the five best cashback apps that will make your online shopping way more rewarding!

To earn additional cashback, you need to create an account with the below-listed cashback apps. They do not charge any registration fees. Then, you can go to an online shopping site or mobile apps such as Amazon or Myntra and continue shopping as usual. Track the additional cash back earned on the CashKaro app. Such apps pass on a part of the marketing fees earned as cashback to customers for shopping through them.

CashKaro

CashKaro has partnered with Amazon, Flipkart, Big Bazaar, AJIO, Myntra, and over 1,500 more merchants. You get to earn 5 per cent to 30 per cent additional cashback/rewards. Once you have Rs 250 or more cashback/rewards, you can transfer this to your bank account or redeem as Amazon/Flipkart Gift Cards.

CouponDunia 

CouponDunia has partnered with Flipkart, Amazon, MakeMyTrip, PayTM, BookMyShow and over 2000 more online brands to offer cashback, best offers and discounts. You get to earn 2 per cent to 12 per cent additional cashback/rewards. Once you have Rs 250 or more cashback, you can transfer it to your bank account or use it for mobile recharge, load it in PayTM wallet or redeem it as Flipkart/Amazon vouchers.

GoPaisa

GoPaisa has partnered with Amazon, Flipkart, Jabong, LensKart, MakeMyTrip, Tata CliQ, Yatra and over 1000 more online brands to offer promo codes, coupons and cashback offers. You get to earn 2 per cent to 15 per cent additional cashback/rewards. You can do a redemption of the cashback amount to recharge the prepaid mobile number or DTH connection or pay bills for electricity, water, etc. and make payments at partner websites. Furthermore, there is an option of bank account transfer.

Lafalafa

Lafalafa mobile app is a coupon and cashback aggregator. It offers coupons for over 500 merchants which includes Amazon, Flipkart, Jabong, Paytm, Myntra, Firstcry, etc. You can earn cashback as high as 50 per cent from partnered merchants.

Zingoy

Zingoy offers cashback on everyday shopping essentials and special sales from over 1000 registered merchants like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, Ajio, Croma, Pharmeasy, etc. You get to earn up to 28.5 per cent additional cashback from partnered merchants. You will also receive payback when your referral signs up and does the shopping every time. The minimum threshold will be a validated cashback of Rs 250. The cashback earned from vouchers can be claimed just like other earnings.

Have a disciplined approach while shopping through these cashback apps. Keep the notifications off from apps on hot deals and deep discount sales as you will end up splurging. Avoid overspending to earn additional cashback/reward. If you spend more than you can repay by using the credit cards on these apps, you will end up in a debt trap.

While downloading any of these cashback mobile applications, it’s recommended you understand the terms and conditions of the app. Figure out whether you can control the access and permissions while installing the cashback apps on your mobile. There are privacy concerns and risks of data leakage. Review the recent customer experiences on earning cashback and redemption.

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Ankur SharmaJan 21, 2022 12:24:00 IST

Witnessing massive violation of national communication security policy guidelines and instructions of the government by officials and to control leaks of classified information, a new communication security advisory has been issued by the intelligence structure, News18 has learnt.

According to the sources, the new communication has asked all government officials not to use WhatsApp, Telegram, etc, to share confidential information as private companies control storage servers that are located outside the country and can be misused for different exchanges. Sources said that the communication has also given instructions on videoconferencing and for officials working from home.

All ministries have been asked to take “urgent steps” to stop such violations and follow the communication security policies and guidelines while dealing with confidential, secret, or restricted communications.

“Various officials scan a classified document, store it in their mobile and send and share with others through private applications. New devices pose a big risk for national security and must be avoided while discussing important classified or secret issues by all ministries,” a senior official aware of the development told News18 on the condition of anonymity.

Top government sources said that the new communication sent to all ministries advises that during meetings where classified issues are to be discussed, officials keep their smartphones and smartwatches outside the room. In offices, officers and staff shouldn’t keep various office assistant devices like Amazon Echo, Apple HomePod, Google Home, etc. Further, digital assistants like Siri and Alexa in smartphones and smartwatches must be switched off while entering into a meeting where classified issues will be discussed. Smartphones must be deposited outside the meeting room while discussing classified issues.

Since various government officials are working from home, guidelines have been shared for this.

No sharing of classified information from home

Sources aware of the development told News18 that it has been advised that while accessing digital office systems, officers must avoid sharing classified, secret information or documents on home setup. The system should be connected with the office network through a virtual private network. Officials have been asked to use security-hardened devices only. Sources also said that the electronic official system can’t be accessed from home and must be connected through an office network. Officials shall not share any classified, secret information from home.

Avoid discussing important things on VC

Sources said that for virtual meetings, the communication says no classified information or issue be discussed during VCs and it should be done in an office setup. Instead of private meeting applications, all officials and ministries should use the Government of India’s setup. VC solutions established by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), National Informatics Centre (NIC), etc, should be used and access should be done through passwords and waiting room facilities, attendance must be marked during videoconferencing, said the sources.

Why mobile apps pose a threat?

A senior official responsible for dealing with the cybersecurity of various government departments said that countries like Pakistan and China develop applications that contain security issues and can be used as spyware. “No one knows which application can have spyware and it is mandatory to follow communication security guidelines issued by security agencies. Various countries develop applications, install servers in different locations and store data which are accessible to law enforcement agencies of these countries,” the official said.

According to a recent report in the Wall Street Journal, a mobile app that is mandatory for all participants in next month’s Winter Olympics in Beijing contains security flaws that could make it easy for a hacker to steal sensitive personal information, cybersecurity researchers in Canada have warned.

“The China-built app, My 2022, will be used to monitor the health of attendees, as well as facilitate information sharing, leading up to and throughout the 2022 Games. Technicians with Citizen Lab, a human-rights-focused cybersecurity and censorship research group at the University of Toronto, said they found the app failed to authenticate the identity of certain websites, leaving transfers of personal data open to attackers,” the news report says.

India banned Chinese apps

The Government of India in 2020 blocked close to 100 China-origin apps in the country that included notable names such as TikTok, SHAREit, UC Browser, and WeChat, CamScanner, etc, apart from the online game PUBG.

Most travelers these days use their phones to navigate. Perform a simple Google search on an address, and a detailed map with voice directions, nearby attractions, gas stations, restaurants, hotels and more is just a tap away. Still, there are companies that build additional features into mapping to try to stand apart from the reliable, but maybe not-so-sexy Google Maps. Wayze and Tripit are two examples, while Roadtrippers is still another. So is it worth adding Roadtrippers to your crowded app drawer? Maybe.

The major benefit of Roadtrippers is its friendly, easy-to-navigate interface. When opening the app, you can tap the “Nearby” button and you’ll be presented with large icons ranging from “Breakfast” to “Take a Walk.” Tap one of those and you’ll see what’s in your location in that category on a map. Tap further and you’ll get a description of the destination along with reviews and hours of operation, if available. In our tests, the app provided useful information just about 40 percent of the time. 

Once you have your destination chosen, you can choose to “Start Trip,” which will take you to your phone’s mapping app, or “Navigate,” which leads to a screen asking you to download Roadtripper’s beta turn-by-turn navigation system. We can’t imagine why you’d do that when your native mapping app should be just fine.

Where Roadtrippers really shines is through the use of its “Start A Trip” function. Here you simply enter a destination and choose which attractions you’d like to highlight along your route. You can choose to focus on pretty much anything you’d find on a road trip from national parks to nightlife. You can add and remove different categories to suit the focus of your trip, and the “nearby” function is still available to show you what’s in your immediate area as you drive.

Roadtripper allows you to add up to seven destinations along your route in the free version; any more than that and you’ll need to upgrade to Roadtrippers Plus, which costs $29.99 per year. 

Another standout feature of Roadtrippers is the free guide section. These are articles built around a theme such as “48 Hours in New York City,” or “007’s America.” They can help you plan a unique vacation or you can just enjoy them as fun armchair travel adventures.

Roadtrippers is available online and as an iOS and Android app.

Download The Roadtrippers App Here

There are almost as many travel apps out there as there are travel destinations. In general, they all do some things well, and some things not so well. WikiCamps is certainly in the same, erm, camp. With a focus on – you guessed it – camping, the app can help you find nearby places to pitch your tent, park your RV, or take in some local sites. And while it can certainly be helpful, the app also suffers from so not-so-great features that might make it not worth paying to own it.

Like many apps, WikiCamps comes with a 14-day free trial. After that, it costs a one-time payment of $1.99 for lifetime access. The free trial period is well worth it because you can try out different destinations to see just how well it will work for you. Many users report a lack of data on local attractions and campsites, while our tests were data rich, so it might just depend on where you’re looking. It seems WikiCamps has a strong following in Australia, so the crowd-sourced information it relies on might just take some time to fill in around the rest of the world.

Beyond the actual data it contains (or doesn’t contain), WikiCamps has a wealth of smart features. Tap the hamburger button in the top-left of the screen, and you’re presented with a list of nearby attractions, campgrounds, hotels and more. Or you can enter a destination to see what might be in the area where you intend to travel.

Tap on any one attraction and, if available, you’ll find contact details, photos, web links, user ratings and a mapping button that lets you load directions into your favorite mapping app such as Wayze, Google Maps or TomTom Go. You also get a week-long weather forecast for the site. Plus, because this is a Wiki built by members, you can edit the site if you notice that something is wrong or if you want to add additional information or photos, and you can also leave and read reviews from other users.

A filter button lets you sort sites according to what you’re looking for and helps clear the clutter. You can for example, switch the toggles to include only free campgrounds that accept pets and have water facilities. You can see results either on the map or the list. One unfortunate thing is that the app seems to use Google Maps, so you wind up seeing all of the destinations that Google provides, but they aren’t all clickable so things can get a bit confusing. 

Another nice aspect of WikiCamps is the ability to download offline data on a state-by-state basis, so you can access sites even in remote areas where you might not be able to get online. Also, there is a travel forum where you can ask others any questions you might have about destinations.

While the app offers a trip-planning function, we found it difficult and confusing to use. You can search on your destination, but there seems to be no easy way to indicate that you want to add it as the end point in your trip. Instead, you can try to build a trip by tapping on sites and tapping “Add To Planner,” but it’s a cumbersome way to go about things. 

Because WikiTrips is built by the community, it can be hit or miss in terms of the information it provides. Some spots have lots of entries, while others are fairly bare. And the Trip Planner doesn’t seem to have much utility. But, for just $1.99 it might be a worthwhile tool to add to a frequent-camper’s resources, and it’s certainly worth taking the two-week free trial out for a spin.

Download WikiCamps Here

Ameya DalviJan 20, 2022 12:02:25 IST

Time to look at the best smartphone options available under Rs 10,000 at the start of 2022. And quite frankly, I wasn’t thrilled with what was on offer. Yes, we did get five good options but the choice was pretty straightforward given the limited handsets that would meet our requirements. We refused to entertain any phone with less than 4 GB RAM, 64 GB internal storage and a competent processor. Photography enthusiasts on a tight budget may have a few pleasant surprises here. Let’s take a look.

Best phones to buy under Rs 10,000 in India

Poco M2 Reloaded

The Redmi 9 Prime isn’t available in this budget this time. But worry not, the Poco M2 Reloaded is, and it is pretty much the same phone. It is one of the few phones in this segment to sport a Full HD display. You get a 6.53-inch screen protected against scratches by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The phone is powered by a Mediatek Helio G80 SoC, and accompanied by 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal (expandable) storage. The chipset is powerful enough for day to day tasks, and also for a bit of gaming at low to medium settings.

The Poco M2 Reloaded flaunts quad cameras at the back. You get a 13MP main camera along with an 8MP ultra-wide shooter, 5MP macro camera and a 2MP depth sensor. The image quality is acceptable for this budget. An 8MP front camera takes care of selfies and video calls. This phone has a 5000 mAh battery that lasts for a day and a half of moderate use. It runs Android 10 with MIUI 12 on top.

Poco M2 Reloaded price in India: Rs 9,999 for 4 GB RAM/ 64 GB storage

Micromax IN Note 1

The Micromax IN Note 1 is our next best pick in this budget. This is the second of the two phones on this list with a Full HD+ display. The 6.67-inch screen here has a resolution of 2400 x 1080 pixels, and it has a tiny punch hole on top for a 16MP front camera. This phone is powered by a slightly more powerful Mediatek Helio G85 chip, and you get 4 GB RAM and 64 GB of internal storage that can be expanded further with a microSD card.

The Micromax IN Note 1 has four cameras at the back that consists of a 48MP primary camera, 5MP ultrawide shooter, 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth sensor. A 5000 mAh battery keeps the phone powered for over a day and a half of moderate use, and also supports 18W fast charging. The phone runs Android 10. The X-shaped pattern at the back of the phone is eye-catching.

Micromax IN Note 1 price in India: Rs 9,499 for 4 GB RAM/ 64 GB storage

Motorola E40

The Motorola E40 is another phone in this list to flaunt a 48MP rear camera. Giving it company are a 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth sensor. An 8MP camera at the front takes care of selfies and video calls. The main camera captures some crisp shots in different lighting conditions that are bound to meet expectations in this budget if not exceed them. The phone has a 6.5-inch HD+ display, and it supports 90 Hz refresh rate for smooth scrolling in compatible apps; something great to see in this segment.

The phone is powered by a Unisoc T700 chip, and again, you get 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage that can be expanded further with a microSD card. The Motorola E40 too has a 5000 mAh battery that keeps it running for well over a day and a half of standard use. The phone runs Android 11, and like all Motorola phones, you get a near-stock Android user interface to go with it. If you are a fan of stock Android UI, this is the phone for you under 10K.

Motorola E40 price in India: Rs 9,999 for 4 GB RAM/ 64 GB storage

Samsung Galaxy M12/F12

In case you weren’t aware, the Samsung Galaxy M12 and F12 are identical phones, one available on Amazon India and the other on Flipkart. In addition to the brand value, you also get a pretty decent feature set. You get a 6.5-inch HD+ display again with a 90 Hz refresh rate for flicker-free scrolling. The phones have huge 6000 mAh batteries that can keep them powered for two full days of moderate use, and support 15W fast charging.

These phones offer four cameras at the back comprising a 48MP primary camera, 5MP ultrawide snapper, 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth sensor. You get an 8MP camera at the front to handle selfies and video calls. These Samsung phones are powered by an Exynos 850 SoC, and you get 4 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage. The storage can be expanded further using a microSD card. The phones run Android 11 with Samsung’s One UI 3.1.

Samsung Galaxy M12/F12 price in India: Rs 9,499 to Rs 9,699 for 4 GB RAM/ 64 GB storage

Infinix Hot 10S

If you are looking for a phone with a large screen, look no further. The Infinix Hot 10S sports a 6.82-inch HD+ screen that also has a 90 Hz refresh rate for smoother experience. Just like the Micromax phone above, this too is powered by a Mediatek Helio G85 SoC that is a good choice in this budget. Yes, you get 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage here too, and can be expanded further using a microSD card.

Rear camera department includes a 48MP primary camera and a 2MP depth sensor. The 8MP selfie camera gets the designated job done. This large phone also has a large 6000 mAh battery that should keep this phone running for close to two days of moderate use. The back panel of this phone has a neat little texture that adds to the style quotient. The Infinix Hot 10S runs XOS 7.6 based on Android 11.

Infinix Hot 10S price in India: Rs 9,999 for 4 GB RAM/ 64 GB storage

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The ConversationJan 20, 2022 14:05:32 IST

In less than 24 hours the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists will update the Doomsday Clock. It’s currently at 100 seconds from midnight – the metaphorical time when the human race could destroy the world with technologies of its own making.

The hands have never before been this close to midnight. There is scant hope of it winding back on what will be its 75th anniversary.

The clock was originally devised as a way to draw attention to nuclear conflagration. But the scientists who founded the Bulletin in 1945 were less focused on the initial use of “the bomb” than on the irrationality of stockpiling weapons for the sake of nuclear hegemony.

They realised more bombs did not increase the chances of winning a war or make anyone safe when just one bomb would be enough to destroy New York.

While nuclear annihilation remains the most probable and acute existential threat to humanity, it is now only one of the potential catastrophes the Doomsday Clock measures. As the Bulletin puts it:

The Clock has become a universally recognized indicator of the world’s vulnerability to catastrophe from nuclear weapons, climate change, and disruptive technologies in other domains.

Multiple connected threats

At a personal level, I feel some sense of academic kinship with the clock makers. Mentors of mine, notably Aaron Novick, and others who profoundly influenced how I see my own scientific discipline and approach to science, were among those who formed and joined the early Bulletin.

In 2022, their warning extends beyond weapons of mass destruction to include other technologies that concentrate potentially existential hazards – including climate change and its root causes in over-consumption and extreme affluence.

Many of these threats are well known already. For example, commercial chemical use is all pervasive, as is the toxic waste it creates. There are tens of thousands of large scale waste sites in the US alone, with 1,700 hazardous “superfund sites” prioritised for clean-up.

As Hurricane Harvey showed when it hit the Houston area in 2017, these sites are extremely vulnerable. An estimated two million kilograms of airborne contaminants above regulatory limits were released, 14 toxic waste sites were flooded or damaged, and dioxins were found in a major river at levels over 200 times higher than recommended maximum concentrations.

That was just one major metropolitan area. With increasing storm severity due to climate change, the risks to toxic waste sites grow.

At the same time, the Bulletin has increasingly turned its attention to the rise of artificial intelligence, autonomous weaponry, and mechanical and biological robotics.

The movie clichés of cyborgs and “killer robots” tend to disguise the true risks. For example, gene drives are an early example of biological robotics already in development. Genome editing tools are used to create gene drive systems that spread through normal pathways of reproduction but are designed to destroy other genes or offspring of a particular sex.

Climate change and affluence

As well as being an existential threat in its own right, climate change is connected to the risks posed by these other technologies.

Both genetically engineered viruses and gene drives, for example, are being developed to stop the spread of infectious diseases carried by mosquitoes, whose habitats spread on a warming planet.

Once released, however, such biological “robots” may evolve capabilities beyond our ability to control them. Even a few misadventures that reduce biodiversity could provoke social collapse and conflict.

Similarly, it’s possible to imagine the effects of climate change causing concentrated chemical waste to escape confinement. Meanwhile, highly dispersed toxic chemicals can be concentrated by storms, picked up by floodwaters and distributed into rivers and estuaries.

The result could be the despoiling of agricultural land and fresh water sources, displacing populations and creating “chemical refugees”.

Resetting the clock

Given that the Doomsday Clock has been ticking for 75 years, with myriad other environmental warnings from scientists in that time, what of humanity’s ability to imagine and strive for a different future?

Part of the problem lies in the role of science itself. While it helps us understand the risks of technological progress, it also drives that process in the first place. And scientists are people, too – part of the same cultural and political processes that influence everyone.

J. Robert Oppenheimer – the “father of the atomic bomb” – described this vulnerability of scientists to manipulation, and to their own naivete, ambition and greed, in 1947:

In some sort of crude sense which no vulgarity, no humour, no overstatement can quite extinguish, the physicists have known sin; and this is a knowledge which they cannot lose.

If the bomb was how physicists came to know sin, then perhaps those other existential threats that are the product of our addiction to technology and consumption are how others come to know it, too.

Ultimately, the interrelated nature of these threats is what the Doomsday Clock exists to remind us of.

Jack Heinemann, Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics, University of Canterbury. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

If you found this article, you likely already know what a VPN is and what it’s used for, but just in case you need a brief refresher, here’s a rundown. VPNs are essentially a server that you connect to before you do most of your online activity so that any services, sites, or networks that you connect to see the IP of the VPN, not your own. It’s useful for things like avoiding firewalls, geographical barriers and keeping your personal IP address from falling into the hands of suspicious sites.

Now that that’s out of the way, we can get to the real meat and potatoes of all of this. Which VPN should you be looking into?

In this article, we’re taking a look at two big contenders among the very best VPN services on the market: IPVanish vs ExpressVPN. Both of them fulfill just about every standard requirement of your typical VPN service, but they both have their strong suits, and they both offer unique features that might just make them a more attractive choice for you than the other, depending on how you plan to use them.

IPVanish

IPVanish started in 2012 as nothing but a few dozen servers with some windows software. Now, it has grown into a powerhouse of the VPN market and is consistently rated one of the best VPNs out there. This is why it’s such a shame that IPVanish isn’t talked about nearly as much as certain other names.

IPVanish has grown exponentially as a service in recent years, and its features are now in line with all the other top dogs on the VPN market. It’s consistently rated in the top 10 available VPNs.

ExpressVPN

Starting all the way back in 2009, ExpressVPN is now one of the world’s most extensive VPN services out there. It typically fights with the other prominent heads of the game and has made efforts to offer more features, better service, and more reliability as a result.

Because of this, ExpressVPN is able to contend year after year for the spot of top VPN, and while it can be debated whether it’s the one true king (or queen) of the VPNs, it’s undeniable that its quality certainly earns it the recognition and high placement that it holds on most lists.

The Comparison

Both of these VPN services are clearly pretty impressive. If you’re on the market for a VPN, it’s very unlikely you’d be dissatisfied with either choice. However, we’re writing this article to help you pick the BEST choice for you, not a good choice. So buckle in because here comes the comparison. Let the battle between these two VPN titans commence.

Speed

One of the first factors worth looking into is data speed. No matter which service you use, your download and upload speed are going to take at least a minor hit when you connect to a VPN. In short, this is because when you’re connecting to a website, you don’t just make a direct connection. You access the VPN, which then has to connect to that site. This creates an extra barrier that will add some delay no matter how quick the service is.

The goal is simply to keep that delay as low as possible, and some VPNs do this better than others. While speeds will vary heavily depending on what area you’re trying to connect from and whether or not the VPN has servers around that region, we can still compare the average overall speeds.

Unfortunately for IPVanish, ExpressVPN has them pretty heavily beat in the speed department.

While this gap between the two has certainly diminished in recent years as IPVanish has expanded their server count, ExpressVPN still commonly gets speeds much faster than IPVanish in most regions, especially areas such as the UK.

While your circumstance will vary depending on your location and original internet speed, most users report their original download speed decreasing by about 40-50% with ExpressVPN, and about 50-60% with IPVanish.

That isn’t to say IPVanish is slow. It’s still one of the faster VPNs on the market. But when it’s directly compared with ExpressVPN, the Mbps speeds begin to show a pretty drastic difference.

ExpressVPN wins this one.

Base Location

While this part isn’t exactly a competition, it’s still an essential piece of knowledge to know. Every VPN service has a location that they are based from; their main hub. While this doesn’t tend to affect the service too much, it does play a part in where most of their servers would likely be to offer the fastest and most reliable connections and what country’s laws dictate the services that VPN can provide.

ExpressVPN’s home base enjoys the warm sun of the Caribbean, stationed in the British Virgin Islands.

IPVanish, on the other hand, is based in Orlando, Florida, in the United States.

This round doesn’t really have a winner.

Supported Platforms

VPN services typically offer software to make using their servers easy for customers. Most big names on the market make this software compatible with all major systems, but some cover more than others.

IPVanish’s software is compatible with Windows, Mac OS, iOS, Linux, Android, Chrome OS, and Fire TV.

It’s a wide, versatile range that would suit a majority of users’ needs. However, the app itself has been reported to have problems occasionally. Crashing and timing out, unfortunately, isn’t all too uncommon when attempting to connect to a server. 

The software even occasionally tends to mess with your network settings. Reddit user B_Wease, for example, stated that when they turned the service off, they couldn’t connect to their own internet on that device.

The app does show a lot of information and helps check every detail about your connection, but some users might find it a bit cluttered, especially if you don’t know what a lot of that info is even for.

You can download IPVanish’s software here.

ExpressVPN’s software is compatible with Windows, Mac OS, iOS, Linux, Android, Chrome OS, Fire TV, Firestick, Kindle Fire, and Chromebook. ExpressVPN covers an even greater range of devices, impressively enough. Not only that, but most report their service to be far more reliable, as complete crashes are infrequent when connecting to various servers. With their software, usually, the worst you’ll experience is a short delay.

You can find download ExpressVPN’s here.

This round goes to ExpressVPN.

Servers & Countries

The following criteria will be the number of countries each service spans and how many servers each has. We’ll be upfront about this one. ExpressVPN takes this round as well, hands down.

That is, of course, due in part to them having been in the game longer than IPVanish. Every service slowly expands its arsenal and reaches further across the globe to suit the needs of their customers as they grow. ExpressVPN has had more time to do that and has been more successful in doing so.

That isn’t to say IPVanish is struggling in this department. Covering 57 countries with a server count of over 1,900, it has one of the bigger server counts on the VPN market.

Unfortunately, it just doesn’t compare to ExpressVPN’s 3,000+ servers over a total of 95 countries.

ExpressVPN takes this round as well for a hat-trick.

Simultaneous Connections

While things may be looking grim for IPVanish as our underdogs, things might just turn around for them here. All VPN services have a limit on how many connections you can make with their VPN at once. This keeps customers from overloading their servers with too many requests at once and slowing things down for themselves and others. However, the hard limit that services put on their VPNs vary.

ExpressVPN has its limit at five. Five simultaneous connections are relatively standard for most VPNs, and most customers wouldn’t struggle too much with that limit.

IPVanish, however, has its limit at ten. This is actually fairly generous, as most VPNs don’t allow nearly as many simultaneous connections, especially for a standard package. This limit would hardly be a problem for most people to ever wrestle with, as it’s pretty rare for a room to be filled with more than ten computers that all desperately need to access the VPN right this instant.

IPVanish is on the board with a win!

Privacy

This next comparison will be one of the more important ones for many people looking into a VPN service. It’s the main reason why VPNs have become so popular recently. As the digital world grows, people want to feel secure, and knowing your personal IP can be tracked at any time leaves people with an uneasy feeling. This is what has led to the success of the VPN.

So how do you compare privacy? Well, there are two main factors that we’re going to be looking at. The first is the encryption system that each service uses.

Both ExpressVPN and IPVanish use something known as AES 256-bit encryption for their services. AES, or Advanced Encryption Standard, is an encryption method that supports the largest possible bit size and encrypts data to the point where it’s essentially impossible for hackers or anyone who comes across that data to use brute force to access the information. It was initially created for use by the federal government, so yes, it’s pretty secure.

So if your connections are unreadable when you make them, what about after they’ve already been made? What about the logs and records of each connection you’ve made to a VPN?

That’s a significant factor that most people look into for VPN services. Since the whole point of a VPN is to let customers be secure on the internet, the last thing they want is to know that a log of every connection they make is kept somewhere. What would happen in the event of a data breach of their logs? If a record is held somewhere, a hacker could find out even more information from someone using a VPN than if someone wasn’t!

Luckily, neither service keeps logs or records of any kind of traffic. This is one of the features that make both VPNs so popular. It’s quite rare to find services that keep no logs on their user activity whatsoever. ExpressVPN and IPVanish, however, both state that they maintain no data or records of connections from their customers.

This round is a tie!

Customer Support

In a perfect world, it wouldn’t matter what the customer support is for each service, as the product itself would work flawlessly. But until VPNs start singing and butterflies come out of our routers when we connect to them, yes, we will occasionally need customer support.

Both services offer live chat service on their websites, available 24/7. They also both have email support if you prefer to get your help the old-school way.

We have ourselves another tie!

Pricing

Last but certainly not least, we have the price for a plan in our ExpressVPN vs. IPVanish battle. Both of these services offer multiple payment plan options, where you will receive a discount for buying longer-term plans. However, for this, we’ll be looking purely at the monthly plan for each.

Both of these services have prices that put them right at about the average for most VPNs. For a monthly plan, ExpressVPN will cost you $12.95, whereas IPVanish costs a cool $9.99, making it actually on the lower end of average VPN costs.

IPVanish takes this last round.

ExpressVPN vs. IPVanish, which is better?

While both of these services are excellent, there’s a reason why ExpressVPN is fighting to take the crown. Under most circumstances, ExpressVPN does offer a higher quality service. Its speeds are superior, it has higher server counts, and it’s frequently rated as one of the best VPNs out there.

However, there are a few places where IPVanish takes the lead, such as the generous ten simultaneous connections that it allows you to have at one time. The cheaper pricing all makes it a serious contender. If ExpressVPN’s prices feel a little steep to you, IPVanish offers a genuinely excellent service for a reduced plan cost.

Here is a visual of everything to keep in mind between the two.

	IPVanish	ExpressVPN
General Rating	4.8 / 5	4.9 / 5
Based In	United States	British Virgin Islands
Unlimited Bandwidth	Yes	Yes
Unlimited Server Switching	Yes	Yes
Country Count	57	95
Server Count	1,900+	3,000+
Encryption	AES 256-bit	AES 256-bit
Logging	No	No
Simultaneous Connections	10	5
Customer Support	24/7 Live Chat + Email	24/7 Live Chat + Email

Just remember, if you choose either of these, rest assured that you will be getting a quality service no matter what. Both are trusted, both are reliable, and both are high-end VPNs.

In the end, it comes down to customer preference.

FP StaffJan 19, 2022 10:41:53 IST

Microsoft is making history after announcing on Tuesday that it will be acquiring ‘Call of Duty’ maker Activision Blizzard for $68.7 billion in the biggest gaming industry deal.

The deal will be Microsoft’s biggest-ever and is set to be the largest all-cash acquisition on record.

Here’s what you should know about the record-making deal:

The all-cash $68.7 billion deal will turn Microsoft, maker of the Xbox gaming system, into one of the world’s largest video game companies.

The deal will see the Xbox maker become the world’s third-biggest gaming company by revenue behind China’s Tencent and Japan’s Sony, maker of PlayStation games consoles.

Announcing the acquisition, Microsoft Chief Executive Satya Nadella was quoted as saying, “Gaming is the most dynamic and exciting category in entertainment across all platforms today and will play a key role in the development of metaverse platforms.”

For those who don’t know, Activision is known for popular games such as Call of Duty and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater. Started in 1979 by former Atari Inc employees, Activision has created or acquired many of the most popular video games, from Pitfall in the 1980s to Guitar Hero and the World of Warcraft franchise.

An Associated Press report said that if the deal survives scrutiny from US and European regulators in the coming months, it could be one of the biggest tech acquisitions in history. Dell bought data-storage company EMC in 2016 for around $60 billion.

The deal comes at a time when Activision has been buffeted by complaints of sexual harassment, misconduct and workplace discrimination. Last year, it was being investigated by the Securities and Exchange Commission over complaints of workplace discrimination and in September settled claims brought by US workforce discrimination regulators.

California’s civil rights agency sued the Santa Monica-based company in July, citing a “frat boy” culture that had become a “breeding ground for harassment and discrimination against women”.

According to a press release detailing the announced acquisition, Bobby Kotick, the controversial CEO of Activision Blizzard, will continue in his role.

A bigger deal than LinkedIn

Microsoft’s previous top acquisition was LinkedIn in 2016, which cost over 26 billion.

CNBC.com reports that at the time of the LinkedIn announcement, Microsoft was valued at about $400 billion, so the purchase amounted to roughly 6.5 per cent of its market cap.

Today, Microsoft has a valuation of almost $2.3 trillion and is paying just three per cent of its market cap for Activision.

With inputs from agencies

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FP TrendingJan 18, 2022 11:36:57 IST

A giant space rock, bigger than any building on Earth, is expected to fly past the planet today, 18 January. Giving information about the same, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said that the 1994 PC 1 also known as asteroid 7482 is expected to safely pass by Earth at a distance of 1,230,000-miles.

Reports suggest that asteroid 1994 PC 1 has been classified as ‘potentially hazardous’ by NASA because of its closeness while shooting past the Earth. The asteroid has been studied by NASA’s planet defense experts for decades.

Check NASA’s tweet here:

Near-Earth #asteroid 1994 PC1 (~1 km wide) is very well known and has been studied for decades by our #PlanetaryDefense experts. Rest assured, 1994 PC1 will safely fly past our planet 1.2 million miles away next Tues., Jan. 18.

Track it yourself here: https://t.co/JMAPWiirZh pic.twitter.com/35pgUb1anq

— NASA Asteroid Watch (@AsteroidWatch) January 12, 2022

According to a report by Hindustan Times, the giant space rock is about 1.6 km wide, which means it is twice the size of world’s tallest building Burj Khalifa (828 metres). An asteroid of this size has the potential to cause catastrophic damage on the Earth.

The American space agency puts asteroids in potentially hazardous category if they are over 140 meters in size with orbits of them as close as within 4.6 million miles of the orbit of Earth around the Sun.

Track asteroid 1994 PC 1 here.

NASA is keeping an eye on asteroid 1994 PC 1 for many decades and it is a Near-Earth Object since it is closer than 1.3 astronomical units (AU), with one AU being equivalent to 93 million miles.

However, the closest approach of asteroid 1994 PC 1 to Earth will occur at 4.51pm EST today (3.21am IST on January 19). As per Earthsky, it will be the closest approach for this giant space rock for at least the next 200 years.

The most recent space rock to strike the planet exploded in the atmosphere eight years ago near Russia.

Recently, the American space agency started a mission to deliberately crash a spacecraft into an asteroid as a test run to prevent a massive space rock from destroying life on Earth. In the fall of 2022, the spacecraft is expected to hit the asteroid.

Keywords: Asteroid, 1994 PC 1, asteroid 7482, NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Administration

According to news reports, people who pre-book the SUV will get a chance to win special 20-inch M Light alloy wheels, which are worth Rs 20 lakh, for free

If you’ve been hesitant to dive into the world of photo editing beyond applying simple filters in Instagram, you might want to check out Pixlr. It’s a truly powerful online photo editing software program with loads of options that never overwhelm you with their complexity. The result is that even those new to the world of photo editing can get started fast, greatly improve or change their photos, and have fun doing so. Oh, and the best part? The program is completely free.

Getting started with Pixlr begins with choosing either Pixler X, which is a more basic and easy-to-use version of the software, or Pixler E, which provides more tools, but might be a bit much for those new to photo editing. Both versions are free.

Next, simply open a photo, which you can do by either navigating to one stored on your device, or by entering a URL for a web-based image. Alternatively, you can start from scratch by selecting from one of Pixlr’s many blank templates which include handy specs for items including Icon, Instagram, Facebook Cover, and more. As if that wasn’t enough, Pixlr also integrates with free photo site Unsplash, so you can import any of those images to work on with a simple search and click. 

Once you’ve got a project to work on, navigating your options is as easy as selecting one of the icons on the left. Hovering over each button pulls up a handy box with an illustration to tell you exactly which tools the icon will open. You have all of the usual photo editing tools here including resizing the canvas and photo, creating and working with layers, cropping, adding effects, and applying an impressive number of filters, which are combinable and controlled with slide bars. This all adds up to lots of creative freedom to get exactly the look you want. 

Of particular note is Pixlr’s “Liquify” tool that allows you to swirl, enlarge, or shrink small portions of a photo for an impressive degree of fine tuning. Other options include a cutout tool, that lets you extract elements from the photo into other layers or delete them altogether; a “Retouch” suite that lets you dodge/burn, clone and heal any area of a photo; text insertion; and doodle tools including a variety of brushes, pens, shapes and an eraser. 

Down the right side of the screen you’ll find your layers arranged in an easy-to-navigate strip.

When you’re done working with an image, you have the option to save or download your file in a variety of formats including JPG, PNG, and WEBP. A particularly appealing component of Pixlr is that the images you download are completely watermark free – so you don’t get roped into having to shell out cash after you get your creation just the way you want it.

That being said, Pixlr does offer two upgraded versions of the software – both of which eliminate the banner ads you’ll have to put up with if you use the free version. The Premium level costs $3.99 per month when paid on an annual basis and adds additional editing tools, including what the company calls “AI CutOut,” the ability to use the software’s “eye” to instantly remove backgrounds. On top of that, you get 3,000 additional overlays, 7,000 more stickers and icons, 5,000 decorative fonts and video tutorials. Stepping up to the Professional version, which costs $14.99/year based on an annual membership, increases the number of overlays to 28,000, and provides access to Pixlr’s own “Stock Content” which is a repository of over 10 million images, graphics, fonts, video clips and 3D files. 

Whether or not you’ll need to upgrade really depends on how deep you want to go with photo editing. But signing up for the free version is certainly a smart step, and you just might find that it has all you need to add professional flare to your images. 

Karthik VenkateshJan 15, 2022 14:02:32 IST

When products die

Goldeneye (1995), Pierce Brosnan’s first outing as James Bond, features a climactic scene in a disused park in Moscow littered with fallen statues dating back to the erstwhile Soviet Union. Busts and statues of communist leaders and symbolic representations of worker-power (all with the proverbial hammer and sickle) are scattered around, as Bond confronts his nemesis. The previous Bond film, Licence to Kill had been released in 1989 before the momentous events of that year had signalled an end to the Soviet Empire. The statues in Goldeneye were a reminder to the viewer of the changing world where the ghosts of the past still lurked.

Picture then a similar such park populated by obsolete products. In your mind’s eye, which products do you see littered around? Audio cassette players and cassettes? Pagers? Telephone directories? Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs)? The telegraph?

The imminent death of the vintage Blackberry

On 4 January, 2022, one more product joined the bandwagon. The imminent death of the Blackberry is not an exaggeration. True, it hasn’t yet kicked the bucket. But with the company announcing that it was turning off support for its operating system and associated services, many vintage Blackberrys are likely to have stopped functioning or will get there soon. The Blackberrys that will continue to run are the ones that use the Android operating system.

The history of Research in Motion, the company that birthed the Blackberry goes back to 1996 when they introduced a two-way pager, the Inter@ctive Pager 900. The first BlackBerry device, the 850, was introduced in 1999 as a two-way pager in Munich, Germany. The name BlackBerry was coined by the marketing company Lexicon Branding. The name was chosen due to the resemblance of the keyboard’s buttons to the drupelets that compose the blackberry fruit.

In 2002, the Blackberry smartphone was released. Through that decade, as better and better versions of the phone hit the market, the Blackberry took the market by storm. By 2009, it commanded a 20 per centmarket share of the smartphone market. But with Apple and Samsung making a concerted bid for world domination, Blackberry’s offerings soon began to fall by the wayside. By 2013, the company was looking to be acquired. Its heydays were in the past. Corporate rejigs and other such acrobatics kept things going and the vintage Blackberry continued to enjoy a niche following … until 4 January!

The fabled telegraph

On July 14, 2013, the last telegram in the world was sent off from a telegraph station, somewhere in India. On May 24, 1844, the telegraph era had dawned with the transmission of the message, ‘What hath God wrought!’ between Washington DC, and Baltimore, Maryland. Developed by Samuel Morse, it soon revolutionized communication. By 1851, more than 50 telegraph companies were up and running in the USA.

In India, the first experimental electric telegraph line was started between Calcutta and Diamond Harbour in 1850. The construction of telegraph lines that connected Kolkata (then Calcutta) and Peshawar in the north; Agra, Mumbai (then Bombay), and Chennai (then Madras) in the south; Ootacamund (Ooty) and Bangalore, began in November 1853. William O’Shaughnessy, an Irish physician, was instrumental in its development.

A few years later, it proved almost invaluable in saving the Empire. On May 11, 1857, a message sent from Delhi to Ambala and thereon to Lahore relayed news of the mutiny in Meerut. It was the beginning of what later came to be termed by the British as the ‘Sepoy Mutiny’ and the Indians as the ‘First War of Indian Independence’. The telegram prompted the British to quickly move to retake Delhi and eventually crush the uprising.

Legend has it that a captured mutineer, being led to the gallows, pointed to a telegraph line and cried out, ‘There is the accursed string that strangles us!’

In memory of the events of that fateful May, a Telegraph Memorial was unveiled on 19 April, 1902, in front of the new British telegraph office in another part of Delhi ‘to commemorate the loyal and devoted services of the Delhi telegraph office staff on the eventful 11th May 1857’. A 20 feet-high grey granite obelisk, its inscription includes the words of Robert Montgomery, the lieutenant governor of Punjab: ‘The electric telegraph has saved India.’

A memorial to a product, no less! A signpost for posterity.

The disappearance of landmarks

Allow yourself to wander back to the ‘90s or even the noughties. Picture the streets back then. Three things that were ubiquitous in that time have all but disappeared now. The ‘one-hour photo lab’, the STD/ISD PCO and the video rental store.

The photo lab dates back to the time when cameras with film rolls were the order of the day. Photography was a deliberate, thought-through activity, the results of which one came to know only when the film roll was ‘developed’. Today, the smartphone has made photography an instant gratification activity. Posing, examining, reposing in a loop is de rigueur. The camera-phone killed the film roll, the analogue cameras that used them and the photo lab in one fell swoop.

The STD/ISD PCO began to crop up as the first telecom revolution, pioneered by Sam Pitroda and C-DoT, began to show visible results in the late ‘80s. As phone connections became easier to obtain, the ‘STD booth’ began to crop up all over the country. Often, these were adjuncts to grocery stores, photocopying stores and other neighbourhood landmarks. One popped in, made the call and then walked out. They were a godsend in a country where for decades, a personal telephone connection was a status symbol.

As the second telecom revolution unfolded and the mobile phone became an omnipresent commodity, the STD booth became an anomaly. The mobile phone is also largely responsible for the disappearance of telephone directories and Yellow Pages, which died silent, unheralded deaths.

As for the video rental store, the growth of cable TV and more recently, streaming platforms, did them in.

The odd STD booth or video store still survive, maybe — ghosts from the not-so-distant past!

On their way out?

Even as we speak, other products too are on their last legs. Consider the printed roadmaps that most car dashboards contained and that many used to navigate through the city. Digital maps have now taken over this function. Printed roadmaps are on the fast route to becoming historical relics.

The fax machine too is swiftly moving in the has-been direction. Email and scanners have largely eroded its use. Similarly, multi-volume encyclopaedia sets have been replaced by online versions.

All deaths and disappearances may not necessarily be for the better, though. The gradual disappearance of bookstores and neighbourhood libraries should concern everyone. Bookstores, libraries and their well-stocked bookshelves were once doorways to other worlds and possibilities. The joy that was sparked by the discovery of books and writers on store or library bookshelves is perhaps, unmatched. “Paradise is a library, not a garden,” the Argentinian writer, Jorge Luis Borges once said.

Correlation is not necessarily causation, of course. But still, consider that the gradual erosion of the reading habit over the last couple of decades has been accompanied by a growing illiberal streak throughout the world and the puzzling rise of strongmen (yes, mostly men!). Food for thought?

While products do pass on, their memories often survive, often in interesting ways. The telegraph as technology is well and truly dead, but the name lives on. Many newspapers around the world continue to use it. Why Telegram is even the name of a digital messaging app.

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose (the more things change, the more they stay the same). At least more or less.

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