CTC BLOG

Mehul DasJun 30, 2022 11:17:36 IST

OnePlus has finally confirmed the India launch of its upcoming Nord series phone. The company has revealed that the device will be launched in India on 1st July. The launch event in all likelihood will be live streamed on OnePlus’ website, as well as across their social media platforms.

The OnePlus Nord 2T was launched in the international market approximately 2 months ago. Back then it was confirmed that the device would be launched in India. What wasn’t spoken about in that event, was whether there would be any differences in the specs between the international version and the Indian version. 

Having observed all sorts of leaks and reports, what we can tell is that the specs between the two versions are identical. We get the same 6.43-inch Full-HD+ AMOLED display, with a punch-hole cutout and a refresh rate of 90Hz. Powering the device is MediaTek Dimensity 1300 SoC paired with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The mid-range device has stereo speakers as well as an alert slider.

It has a quirky-looking triple rear camera set up, with the main shooter being a 50MP Sony IMX766s sensor, with OIS. We also have an 8MP Sony IMX355 ultra-wide system and a 2MP depth sensor. At the front, we get to see a 32MP wide system for selfies.

As for the battery, we get a 4,500mAh battery, instead of the usual 5,000mAh unit that one gets on most mid-range phones these days. The OnePlus Nord 2T supports 80W fast charging.

In terms of pricing, the OnePlus Nord 2T is expected to come in the mid-range category and can therefore be priced somewhere around Rs 28,000 for the base, 8GB+128GB variant. There is also a strong possibility that as a part of their launch event, OnePlus might announce a special discount scheme for early adopters. The device will be available for buyers starting July 5 in India.

OnePlus will also be launching the OnePlus TV 50Y1S Pro, which will be available from July 7. OnePlus will also release new colours for the Bullets Wireless Z2 and Nord Buds at the launch event.

FP StaffJun 29, 2022 12:58:27 IST

A few weeks back, India’s Computer Emergency Response Team or CERT-In and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology or MeitY had decided to implement new cybersecurity regulations. 

These regulations were meant for VPNs and cloud storage service providers and required them to store all user-centric data on their servers for a period of five years. They were also required to share this data with regulatory and law enforcement agencies during investigations.

Although the new regulations were set to take effect from June 27, after much backlash CERT-In has decided to delay the new VPN policy by three months and push the timeline by a period of 3 months.

CERT-in has now announced that the new VPN policy will now come into effect, starting September 25, thus, giving VPN providers more time to comply with the new rules. However, there would be no changes to the policies themselves.

In a statement, CERT-IN has stated, “MeitY and CERT-In are in receipt of requests for the extension of timelines for implementation of these Cyber Security Directions of 28th April 2022 in respect of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Further, additional time has been sought for the implementation of a mechanism for validation of subscribers/customers by Data Centres, Virtual Private Server (VPS) providers, Cloud Service providers, and Virtual Private Network Service (VPN Service) providers.”

Meanwhile, a number of VPN and cloud service providers have already exited the Indian market and many more are contemplating moving their servers out of India. 

ExpressVPN and SurfShark VPN, two of the most widely used VPN services had recently announced to remove their servers from India as they could not comply with the new VPN rules. Although both of them will continue to work for Indian users via virtual servers in India, they will not be hosting any servers in the country.

The new regulations, required VPN and cloud service providers to store user data like their names, IP addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers for at least five years, even if the user does not continue with their services. Furthermore, ISPs and all data centres, including the ones that VPN services use are required to keep a log of all activities from an ISP for a period of 180 days, for national security and cybersecurity purposes.

Because this flies straight into the face of any VPNs terms of services and their basic agenda, VPN providers who host their servers in India are faced with a dilemma. That is why most of these providers are planning to shift their servers out of India and into other areas that are safe havens. 

Ameya DalviJun 29, 2022 16:52:56 IST

Pros:
– Good build quality and in-ear fit
– Impressive vocal clarity and detail in audio
– Suitable for podcasts
– Good call quality
– IPX4 water resistant
– USB-C charging port

Cons:
– Low bass may not appeal to a vast majority
– Placement of physical buttons could have been smarter
– No volume control on the earbuds
– Buds occasionally reconnect with the phone even when in the case

Rating: 3.5/5

Price: Rs 2,499

Whenever we discuss true wireless (TWS) earphones under Rs 2,500, the first name that comes to mind is the Realme Buds Q2. In terms of overall features and value, it is still unbeatable in this budget. Given the number of features it packs, the Realme pair is more of an exception rather than a norm in this segment. And audio is a territory that can never have a ‘one shoe that fits all scenario. Some people like extra bass, some don’t, and some may not even care about features like active noise cancellation (ANC).

Philips has recently launched a pair of TWS earbuds that does not flaunt any fancy features and simply focuses on comfort and sound output. The company hasn’t even bothered with touch controls or a companion app. Will such simplicity work in this day and age when competing brands are bombarding users with a plethora of features in this budget too. Let’s get to know more about the Philips TAT2206BK wireless earphones.

Philips TAT2206BK TWS Earphones: Design and Comfort (7.5/10)
The Philips buds look good in the black matte finish and the build quality is quite solid too. The same finish extends to the case, which is not too big and almost pocketable. It isn’t nearly as slim as the Realme Buds Air series but a lot more compact than that of the OnePlus Nord Buds. It has a USB-C charging port at the base and a charge indicator LED at the front. 

The angled buds with silicone tips fit snugly in the ears without any discomfort, while the short stems stay out. The preinstalled medium-sized silicone tips offer decent passive noise isolation (in my case), and there are two more pairs of different-sized tips in the bundle to try out. The buds stay put during jogs or workouts and I didn’t need to adjust them frequently. However, there seems to be an issue with the magnets in the case that are meant to hold the buds in place when in there. 

No, the buds don’t pop out if you turn the case upside down but the buds tend to reconnect with the phone sporadically even when inside. At times they don’t disconnect immediately when you put them in the case. This may be a fault specific to our review unit but it shouldn’t happen. Firstly, it unnecessarily wastes battery, but the more irritating part being your calls are routed to the earphones without your knowledge and you don’t hear a thing in the phone’s earpiece until you manually switch to it. 

Philips TAT2206BK TWS Earphones: Features and Specifications (6/10)
As I mentioned in the intro, the Philips TAT2206BK has nothing fancy in this department to report, not even touch controls. The company has opted for physical buttons instead. While I have no issues with that, the placement is not ideal; a common error from two years ago. With the buttons placed right at the back of the buds, you tend to push the earbuds deeper into the ear every time you press them. Thankfully, it has a soft press and one doesn’t need to exert much pressure. 

You do not get a companion app here to reconfigure the inputs or alter the sound profile. You get to play/pause the audio, jump to previous/next tracks and summon the voice assistant using a single click, double click and click-and-hold gestures. There is no option to adjust the volume from the buds. Each earbud is fitted with a 6 mm driver and a microphone. These earphones are Bluetooth 5.0 compliant with support for AAC and SBC codecs. 

The earbuds have an IPX4 rating for moisture resistance. So you can take them along for a workout or a jog as they can survive a bit of sweat or a light drizzle, but don’t wash them under a tap. The wireless range is good with the buds maintaining a strong connection up to 10 metres with a clear line of sight, and half of that with a concrete wall in between. Each earbud is equipped with a 55 mAh battery, and the charging case has a 350 mAh one. 

Philips TAT2206BK TWS Earphones: Performance (7/10)
This is where things are a little different from the competition. The majority of the earphones in this segment are predominantly bass-heavy, but that’s not the case with this pair. Philips hasn’t bothered taking the popular route, and instead chosen to focus on midrange frequencies. Instead of an abundance of bass, you get a mids-forward sound profile here which provides good vocal clarity and sharper instrument sounds. The highs are crisp and well tempered without sounding sibilant.

However, the earbuds do not produce sufficient bass to lend an ideal warmth to the output. It is probably because of the smaller drivers used here. They don’t sound flat and certainly aren’t totally bass deficient, but the audio may not please the masses. The output sounds fairly balanced when indoors, but the bass feels inadequate when in noisy outdoor environments. If you do not prefer bass-heavy sound, you will like the sound profile here and will appreciate the extra detail in the audio. Bassheads should simply avoid this pair.

The buds get loud enough at 50 to 60% volume. The soundstage is reasonably broad for the segment. Watching videos wearing these Philips earphones is a good experience, and the mids-centric sound provides better dialogue clarity. Though the company hasn’t mentioned the latency figures, there was no noticeable lag between video and audio when streaming content from OTT platforms. This pair is a good option for listening to podcasts too. 

Philips TAT2206BK TWS Earphones: Call quality (7.5/10)
The Philips TAT2206BK has a solitary microphone on each of the buds and does not advertise features like ENC, yet the call quality is quite good. And the ambient noise is kept in check too. Both parties on the call were clearly audible to each other irrespective of whether I was indoor or outdoor. The voice sounds slightly on the softer side but it is clear. Occasionally one needs to adjust the direction of the earbud stems for the listener to hear you more clearly. 

Philips TAT2206BK TWS Earphones: Battery life (7/10)
The battery backup on these Philips earbuds is not spectacular but above average. The company states figures of 6 hours for the earbuds and 18 hours for the buds and case combined. In my tests, the earbuds lasted close to 5 hours on a full charge at 50-60% loudness. And the case could recharge them twice over, taking the overall battery backup close to 15 hours. 

The case takes about two hours to charge fully with a standard USB-C charger. You do get a bit of fast charging here but the figures aren’t flattering for today’s standards. A 15 minutes of charge can give you close to an hour of playtime on this product. 

Philips TAT2206BK TWS Earphones: Price and verdict
Like most Philips audio products, there is a vast difference between the MRP and the actual selling price. The Philips TAT2206BK TWS earphones were recently launched at an MRP of Rs 6,999, but one can purchase them for as low as Rs 2,499 on Flipkart and some other retailers with a one-year warranty. The selling price is way more sensible than the MRP for what the product offers. While the product will not appeal to bassheads, it is a good option for those looking for better vocal clarity and detail, and also for calling. 

Barring midrange reproduction and call quality, it cannot come close to the Realme Buds Q2 that sells for the exact price, and at times another Rs 500 lower in online sales. The Buds Q2 offers a more balanced sound with a good amount of bass along with configurable touch controls, multiple sound profiles and a companion app. Did I mention functional ANC? Such a combination is quite rare in this segment.

Another option to consider in this budget is the OnePlus Nord Buds that offers a unique design, more than decent sound quality thanks to a custom equaliser, configurable controls, a companion app and much better battery backup with faster charging. As you can see, there are plenty of good options under Rs 3,000 in India. Choose one that offers the features and sound output that suits you best.

FP StaffJun 29, 2022 15:42:27 IST

Carl Pei-led Nothing Company is currently taking pre-orders for their first smartphone, the Nothing Phone (1). Although the priority, for the time being, is to cater to online orders for now, Nothing also plans to sell their smartphone through offline channels.

In India, the offline sale of the Nothing Phone (1) is likely to take place through Reliance Digital stores. The Nothing Company is planning to collaborate with Reliance Digital to sell the Nothing Phone (1) in India.

Talking about the pre-booking, the customers will have to pay Rs 2,000 as a deposit while registering themselves for the pre-order pass. Once the registration is done, Nothing will share the invite on the registered email ID and the customers will be able to track their order as well.

The Phone (1) will officially be launched on July 12. The launch event is scheduled to be live streamed on Nothing Company’s YouTube channel and other social media platforms. 

The Phone (1) will be delivered to the consumers on an invite-only basis which means that they will have to pay Rs 2,000 in advance to book the device which will be adjusted in the final bill.

The Nothing Phone (1) will apparently be offered in three variants. There is an 8GB + 128GB unit, an 8GB + 256GB unit, and a12GB + 256GB unit. 

Pricing for the upcoming smartphone has also leaked online. Apparently, the base variant 8GB + 128GB variant will be be priced at $397 which is approximately about Rs 31,300. Next up, the 8GB + 256GB unit will be priced at $419 or roughly Rs 33,000. Finally, the top tier 12GB + 256GB variant will be priced at $456 or Rs 35,900.

In global markets like Middle East and Europe, the Nothing Phone (1) is tipped to go on sale two weeks after its launch date. Consumers in India, however, will be getting their hands on the Nothing Phone (1) before people from other regions. 

The Nothing Phone (1) has apparently been equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G SoC and will come with a 6.55-inch OLED display with a refresh rate of 120 Hz. On the back, the phone will be getting a 50MP sensor as the main shooter along with a 16 MP sensor as the secondary camera.

FP StaffJun 28, 2022 20:30:22 IST

As fast as the Indian roadways network is growing, safety continues to be one of the biggest issues for India, We have one of the highest rates of traffic accidents in the world. We are responsible for nearly 11 per cent of all road fatalities across the globe even though we have just 1 per cent of the world’s vehicles. 

If estimates are anything to go by, there are about 17 deaths every hour and an accident every minute on Indian roads. Six out of 10 accidents involving commercial vehicles can be prevented with timely driver interventions. 

Moreover, accidents are bad for the economy. It is estimated that the commercial fleet industry suffers efficiency losses of up to INR 48,000 crore every year due to accidents and fleet breakdowns. 

To counter this, Intel is planning to develop and deploy their Onboard Fleet Services an array of smart telematics and AI & ML enabled monitoring systems. Not only will these systems help improve driving conditions and driver behaviour, but will also help identify bad patches of roads which may turn out to be accident hotspots.

This in turn will help union minister Nitin Gadkari and the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways achieve their target of reducing the number of road accidents and fatalities by 50 per cent by 2025 and eliminating them altogether by 2030. 

Improving Driver Behaviour
Most accidents happen on Indian roads because of driver behaviour. Not wearing seat belts, not paying attention to the road or the traffic, using mobile phones, driving when fatigued or even driving under the influence. Using an array of telematics devices and sensors, driver behaviour can be recorded, studied and analysed which can then be used to retrain drivers so as to improve a driver’s behaviour.

This way, drivers who drive attentively and while following the law to the T, can also be rewarded with better insurance premiums, or even better performance scores and bonuses.

Safety Analytics and ADAS
During their pilot programmes of implementing their Onboard Fleet Services, Intel found that alerting a driver just two seconds prior to an immediate impact gave the driver enough time to react and avoid an accident.

To that effect, Intel is developing safety analytics and other ADAS systems that would alert drivers in a better manner, and give them more time to react. 

Improving vehicle health management
Vehicle health management especially for fleet operators can work wonders, not just in terms of saving them cost from their vehicles breaking down, but also by helping operators avoid accidents. Preventive health management systems can alert operators about what parts of a vehicle need immediate attention and needs to be replaced or repaired.

Thanks to IoT or the Internet of Things, it can send real-time data and analytics, which can then be used to alert the driver of an impending failure. This way, drivers can address the issue, without compromising their safety.

Identifying grey spots on roads
Nivruti Rai, Country Head, Intel India, and Vice President, Intel Foundry Services, said that Intel actually carried out a pilot program in the city of Nagpur. Intel attached several buses in the city with an array of sensors and studied telematics from those sensors to identify parts of the city’s roads which were accident-prone, as well as grey spots, or unidentified areas where the probability of an accident taking place is very high. 

Not only can these findings be used to improve the infrastructure around such spots to help avoid an accident, these findings can also be used to create models which would ensure that such grey spots are never made in the first place. Something as basic as putting up a sign saying that an area is prone to accidents made drivers take note, and drive more carefully in those areas.

FP StaffJun 28, 2022 13:22:09 IST

Asus is all set to launch the new ROG gaming smartphone, the ROG Phone 6, in July. The ROG Phone 6. The ROG Phone 6, which succeeds the ROG Phone 5 and the ROG Phone 5S is going to be one of the first devices to feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip to actually get launched. 

The ROG 6 series is expected to launch on the 5th of July, although no official date has been announced as of yet.

Like all previous ROG devices, the ROG 6 is touted to be one of the best mobile gaming devices on the market, and like always, it is supposed to have a design that draws heavy attention.

While the design will be somewhat similar to the previous ROG phones, it will be somewhat more symmetrical this time around. The camera hump on the back of the device will be sharing space with a secondary screen along with the ROG logo. 

The smartphone has been spotted online on Geekbench, 3C, and TENAA, which revealed most of the key specifications of the device. Asus is going to launch the device in two versions, the ROG Phone 6 and the ROG Phone 6 Pro and both the devices are going to be powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chip.

The non-Pro model is expected to come with a 6.78-inch OLED display with FHD+ resolution and will have a refresh rate of 165Hz. The Pro-model ROG 6 is also going to come with either 12GB or 16GB LPDDR5 RAM, and 1TB storage. Both the variants will come with the same, 4nm octa-core Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 SoC from Qualcomm.

Both the variants will get a 64MP main camera on the back, along with a 16MP sensor with an ultrawide lens, and a 5MP sensor with a macro lens.

Powering the device will be a large 6,000 mAh battery with 65W fast charge support. The devices are expected to have two USB Type-C charging ports, one on the bottom, and one on the side to charge the device even while in landscape mode.

Also, Asus recently announced that the ROG Phone 6 and the ROG Phone 6 Pro are both going to be splash-resistant when they shared a tweet that called the devices the “world’s 1st IPX4 gaming phone.”

FP ExplainersJun 28, 2022 11:11:30 IST

Google’s Gmail is one of the most used email services on the planet, and for good reasons. There probably isn’t anyone with a smartphone who does not have a Gmail account.

Sure, if you have an Android device, you need to have a Google account and thereby Gmail, but even on the other side of the aisle, you will find plenty of people who prefer using Gmail, over anything that Apple or Microsoft provide.

One of the biggest pet peeves that Gmail users had to put up with is the fact that the service simply stops working the moment your internet gets interrupted or a weak signal. In order to counter that, Google has now added the ability to use Gmail without an active internet connection.

Here’s how it works and what all users can do with Gmail when they have a weak connection.

Email services like Gmail or any other service require an active internet connection to enable users to check their mail inbox, get new mails, and respond to them. 

However, with the offline mail mode enabled for Gmail, users will be able to access more or less every feature of Google’s email service without any internet. 

They will be able to check their inbox, open up unread emails, and even send new emails to recipients.  

So, if you want to use the offline mode for Gmail, follow the steps below to get started right away.

• Open your Gmail account on a PC and navigate to the in-app settings menu. This will be under Settings>See All Settings.
• From there, go to the “Offline” tab at the top of the navigation bar.
• Here, check the box for “Enable offline mail” to switch on the offline mode for Gmail. If you want to, you can tinker around with the options and settings for the feature.
• Once you’re done, just click on “Save Changes,” at the bottom, and you’re good to go.

When the offline mode is turned on, Gmail will automatically sync your latest emails for offline access and keep them for a certain period, ranging from 7 days to 90 days.

When you send someone an email in offline mode, it will not actually send the mail to the recipient but will save it in an Outbox folder.

The moment your system has an active internet connection, no matter how unstable it is, Gmail will send all your emails in the Outbox and download a light version of your incoming email. Do keep in mind that it won’t download any attachments, for that, you will need an active and stable connection.

FP StaffJun 27, 2022 10:45:14 IST

Motorola is launching their flagship device, aptly called “The Frontier” sometime next month. Having focused on budget and mid-range phones for years now, Motorola is hoping that their upcoming flagship, the Frontier will go a long way to help re-establish the brand as a player with serious chops.

We had earlier reported that the upcoming Motorola Frontier would feature the world’s first smartphone camera sensor with 200MP, and actually beat Samsung. Motorola Frontier is reportedly using Samsung’s ISOCELL HP1 sensor for its main camera. It will also feature the 50MP ISOCELL JN1 and 12MP Sony IMX663 as secondary and tertiary sensors.

Samsung ISOCELL HP1 uses the ChameleconCell pixel-binning tech that effectively turns a block of 16 pixels into one pixel when shooting in low light conditions. This means that when utilising the tech, the 200-megapixel sensor will actually create 12.5-megapixel images. Shooting in daylight or in well-lit conditions should give you full 200MPs to play with.

Another major improvement that we will see in the Motorola Frontier, would be the charging speeds. Up until now, Motorola has often lagged behind others in terms of charging speeds, having managed a high of 68W in its current Edge 30-series flagship while others such as OPPO forged right ahead with 80W or more. Some upcoming devices from Realme & iQOO are working on fast charging speeds that are near about 200W. With the Frontier, Motorola will be providing users with 125W fast charging and wireless charging with 50W.

As for the other specs, a leak from a Chinese regulatory body named 3C or the China Compulsory Certification, suggests that the Motorola Frontier will have a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 SoC, and will support a refresh rate of up to 144Hz. The leaks also suggest that the Motorola Frontier will have a 60MP front-facing camera.  

Just to be clear, Motorola won’t be selling the device with the moniker Frontier, that is just the codename. In all likelihood, Motorola will be going for something like the Edge 30 Ultra instead. This is because it is expected to improve vastly on its immediate Edge X30/30 Pro/Plus predecessor.

FP StaffJun 27, 2022 11:56:43 IST

Like every year, Apple will be launching their latest iPhone in autumn or fall as the Americans like to call it. The launch event is scheduled to take place sometime in September or early October. However, Apple won’t be only launching the iPhone. Instead, they will be launching a hoard of devices.

To be precise, Apple is planning to launch four new iPhone 14s, a set of new iPads, three Apple Watches, several M2 / M3-upgraded Macs, and a pair of refreshed AirPods Pro buds, a new HomePod, and an upgraded Apple TV model.

Although Apple has already announced 2 new Macs that will feature its latest flagship M2 processor at the WWDC, it also plans to launch several new Macs with a number of variations of the M2 processor. 

This includes an M2 Mac Mini, an M2 Pro Mac Mini, an M2 Pro or an M2 Max 14 and 16-inch MacBook Pros, as well as an M2 Ultra or an M2 Extreme Mac Pro.

And then there are the rumours surrounding Apple’s mixed reality headset, which is all but certain for an Autumn release this year. And if things weren’t heated enough for Apple fans already, rumours suggest that Apple is almost ready with their M3 SoC, and will launch something or the other by the end of the year, or by early 2023.

For the iPhone 14, there are rumours that only the Pro and Pro Max models are reportedly set to receive the new and more powerful A16 chip, as well as support for an always-on display. The Pro models are also going to get a whole new 48MP camera sensor, and a new notch design, which features a pill and a hole-shaped cutout for Face ID and the front-facing camera, respectively. 

The standard, non-Pro models of the iPhone 14, will have the same A15 chip that comes with the iPhone 13. Also, instead of a Mini model, this year, we will have the iPhone 14 Max, with a 6.7-inch display.

Apple’s also expected to release three new models of the Apple Watch Series 8 this fall. There will be the standard Watch Series 8, a new SE Watch, and a more ‘rugged’ version of the Watch Series 8 aimed at people into extreme sports. 

While the S8 chip present in the upcoming Watch Series 8 will offer the same level of performance as the preceding S7 and S6 chips, the Watch coming next year will reportedly feature an upgraded processor. 

Apple is also likely to discontinue their best-selling smartwatch, the Series 3 Watch this fall, in favour of the new SE, which could also come with the S8 processor.

As for the upcoming iPads, rumours indicate that Apple will launch M2-equipped 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models later this year, in addition to a larger iPad between 14 and 15 inches coming in the next year. There is also a new entry-level iPad that will come with an A14 chip, 5G, and USB-C connectivity.

FP StaffJun 27, 2022 13:07:49 IST

Apple is slated to launch a host of new devices this fall, including four models of the upcoming iPhone 14 series. Along with the new iPhones, the Cupertino-based tech giant is also set to release an updated version of the AirPods Pro.

Apart from having features such as fast charging over USB-C, Apple is also likely to add a hearing aid function and heart rate tracking features on the new AirPods Pro 2.

A report on the leaked features of the AirPods Pro 2 suggests that the 2nd generation of Apple’s pro-TWS earbuds will be powered by an H1 chipset and will have support for self-adaptive active noise cancellation or ANC. 

Furthermore, it adds that Apple will include a heart rate tracker and a USB Type-C support alongside hearing aid functions. Users with hearing problems will be able to use the second-generation AirPods Pro as a hearing aid device. 

The AirPods Pro 2nd Gen is also said to come with a heart rate tracker that will analyse the data from the inner ear and will monitor the heart rate and body temperature. Furthermore, features such as self-adaptive equalisation, spatial audio and audio sharing that are also found in the AirPods 3rd Gen will be included in the upcoming AirPods Pro 2nd Gen.

New renders of the AirPod Pro 2nd Gen have surfaced, suggesting that Apple will be offering a USB Type-C port with multiple openings on both sides. Earlier it was tipped that the design of the next generation of AirPods Pro will be similar to the existing AirPods Pro and the stem will also be of the same size. 

FP ExplainersJun 22, 2022 11:21:56 IST

Last night, nearly half of all websites on the internet were inaccessible and were showing error 500. Error 500 mainly occurs when there is an issue with the CDN or content distribution networks.

As a result, some popular services and websites like Discord, League of Legends, a number of popular news websites and some of Google’s services were interrupted.

Large chunks of the internet are returning an nginx 500 Internal Server Error right now (I’m assuming something’s messed up at Cloudflare or similar) but this is definitely my favourite pic.twitter.com/cK5x49ZLiR

— Neil Studd (@neilstudd) June 21, 2022

Yesterday’s internet blackout was mainly caused due to an outage of Cloudfare’s servers. The online security company was quick to identify the problem and rectify the issue, getting these services back up and running, but it was a chaotic few minutes there.

More Sites Reporting
Coinbase
Google Services
NordVPN
ARK Survival Evolved
Grindr
Omegle

— GhostfromTexas (@GhostfromTexas) June 21, 2022

According to Cloudflare’s incident report, the issue was reported at approximately 6:34 a.m. UTC, the problem was identified just over 20 minutes later around 6:57 a.m., and the fix was implemented at around 7:20 a.m. 

Some major services that were interrupted included Amazon Web Services and Google Services. Anyone familiar with the inner workings of today’s internet will realise that nearly 60 to 70 per cent of the entire internet is hosted on Amazon’s servers and that AWS handles over 75 per cent of the Internet’s existing traffic on any single day. 

Any disruptions that effects AWS and its subsidiaries will disrupt a major chunk of the internet.

The crypto ecosystem in particular was hit badly. Nearly all of the major crypto wallets and exchanges use services from Cloudflare. 

Gotta love seeing 95% of the crypto ecosystem down because of a Cloudflare outage

Very decentralized! Great work guys!

— Altcoin Psycho (@AltcoinPsycho) June 21, 2022

Platforms like Coinbase uses the network, proxy & security provided by Cloudflare. As a result, the crypto market crashed even further, with several users unable to carry out transactions.

Anonymous sources inside Cloudflare believe that the reason why their servers went down was that they were trying to install an update patch to their server management systems, which did not go according to plan and caused an error.

Although Cloudflare was quick to realise this and promptly took action to rectify the problem, it just goes on to show, how badly the modern internet infrastructure has been set up that one company’s server going down somehow results in basically 1/3 of the internet going down.

FP StaffJun 23, 2022 10:34:00 IST

The GSAT-24 satellite, built by ISRO for NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), was successfully launched on Thursday by French company Arianespace from Kourou in French Guiana (South America).

The launch was delayed by several minutes. The Ariane-5, launch vehicle from Arianespace, lifted off and put into orbit GSAT-24. According to reports, the lift-off was scheduled for 2:30 am on Thursday, the mission had a launch window between 2:30 am and 4:13 am on 23 June IST (India Standard Time).

Around 2:28 am IST, Arianespace made an announcement that “complementary checks have postponed the lift-off by a few minutes in the launch window”.

pic.twitter.com/O35PeRtlFv

— Arianespace (@Arianespace) June 22, 2022

The hosts on the firm’s dedicated channel announced a 15-minute delay but didn’t mention on the cause. After a break it said that an anomaly was detected post the filling of the tanks and that it had been fixed and the lift-off was scheduled for 3:20 am.

The Ariane-5 lifted-off exactly at 3:20 am.

Weighing 4,180 kg, GSAT-24 is a 24-Ku band communication satellite with pan-India coverage for meeting DTH application needs.

It was the first “demand driven” communication satellite mission undertaken by NSIL post space sector reforms.

NSIL, a Government of India company under the Department of Space, has leased the entire satellite capacity to Tata Play.

GSAT-24 was launched on-board Ariane-V VA257 flight from the Guiana Space Centre, Europe’s spaceport in Kourou.

With inputs from agencies

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FP ExplainersJun 23, 2022 11:29:55 IST

The Government of India will be implementing new energy rating rules for air conditioners from July 1. The new ratings will be in continuation of BEE or Bureau of Energy Efficiency’s notification of the new parameters regarding the implementation of the revised energy consumption standards for ACs in the country. 

The new rules mean higher energy efficiency guidelines for 5-star models, and as a result, AC prices are set to go up by at least 10 per cent.

Once the new star ratings come into effect, the existing ACs’ energy ratings will go down by one star. Therefore, a 5-star AC purchased this summer will be equivalent to a 4-star from next month. There is also a slight change in the ratings of window and split ACs.

AC manufacturers will be required to change the designs of their units. These changes include new or revised parameters like increasing airflow, the surface area of copper tubes and having a more efficient compressor to increase their energy efficiency.

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) was originally scheduled to change the energy rating norms for ACs in January 2022. The same was delayed as manufacturers had requested BEE to delay it by six months so that they could clear the last two years’ inventory which was impacted due to the Covid lockdown.

Basically, this means that ACs produced keeping the new parameters and new energy ratings in mind will be at least 7-10 per cent more expensive for manufacturers, a cost which will be passed on to the consumers.

The next change in the rating norms for AC is scheduled to be announced in 2025. The new energy ratings that will come into effect from July 1 will be applicable till December 2024.

In an announcement earlier this month, BEE said that there will be no change in star ratings for frost-free and direct cool refrigerators this year. However, from next year, that is January 2023, the energy ratings of refrigerators too will be revised. Consequently, prices of higher-rated refrigerators too will go up.

If you’re looking at VPNs, you’ve likely heard of at least one of these two names before. NordVPN and ExpressVPN are the two biggest VPN providers on the global market and are renowned for their premium quality and rapid speeds. 

As the world becomes an increasingly digital place, internet security is of the utmost importance, and tools to protect your privacy become more vital every day. Enter VPNs, an easy way to hide from prying eyes and keep personal details hidden when surfing the web.

With this article, we’re going to compare NordVPN vs. ExpressVPN to decide which service offers the best quality of all and which is worth your dime.

Overview

	ExpressVPN	NordVPN
Lowest Pricing	$8.32/month	$3.67/month
Server Count	3,000+	5,000+
Country Count	94	62
Number of Devices	5	6
Money-Back Guarantee	30 days	30 days
Encryption	256-bit AES	256-bit AES
Accessibility	10/10	10/10
Live Support	Yes (24/7)	Yes (24/7)
Logging	Strict no-logging	Strict no-logging

What is NordVPN?

NordVPN is the first example of a VPN provider becoming a downright household name. With its massive advertising budget, it has swept the world by storm, quickly becoming the single most commonly-used VPN app worldwide. 

As you’ll notice, NordVPN’s software goes for an excellent minimalistic design, bringing a blend of easy user accessibility and efficient manoeuvring to get to where you need. It runs beautifully on all devices and is nearly identical across different platforms, with all the same features. 

This is a rarity for most services but is extremely handy for switching between devices freely without having to memorize a different interface for each one. It makes the process of using the VPN with different devices completely stress-free.

You can freely swap between any server that NordVPN has available at any time. In case you’re new to VPNs, Nord has the fastest and most reliable server for your location selected by default as a way to recommend it to you if you’re not sure which server to pick. It also comes loaded with any number of useful features you might need, such as split-tunnelling, killswitch, etc.

NordVPN’s Speeds

In testing, we were all but certain that NordVPN’s speeds would be lightning-fast. Even still, they managed to surprise us. Simply by the way a VPN works, they are almost always expected to drop your internet speed by at least a small margin. A VPN’s speed decides how much that margin really is.

We tested on a connection that clocked in at about 100 Mbps without any VPN enabled. Upon enabling Nord on the quickest server it could find for us, we ran the test again. NordVPN managed to pull a stable 94 Mbps, less than a 10% drop in speed.

That kind of speed is unheard of for most services, which tend to range commonly around a 50%-30% drop at best. Not just this, but NordVPN also offers alternative connection methods, such as Nord’s WireGuard protocol service, NordLynx. When testing with NordLynx, the speeds were even more impressive, clocking in at a consistent 98 Mbps, and in some cases, even going higher than our original speeds.

It’s safe to say that NordVPN is one of, if not the single fastest service currently on the market. Even if you somehow manage to find a location that isn’t near one of NordVPN’s 5000+ dedicated servers, testing at further locations never dropped our speeds below 90 Mbps.

NordVPN User Feedback

On Reddit, real-life users of Nord sing its praises more than any other provider. Its reputation is supported by trusted experts and hobbyists alike who have used the service for years.

Whether you’re brand new to the VPN world, or an experienced veteran, you’ll find it hard to come across a better all-purpose VPN than Nord.

You can download NordVPN here.

What is ExpressVPN?

ExpressVPN is a revered service that is commonly known as the fastest VPN available. It offers some genuinely great features, such as highly secure torrenting support and well-optimized software for all major devices. It has a large number of servers spanning almost 100 countries, meaning there are few places in the world where you’d be hard-pressed to find a close, quick connection.

Its software is extremely easy to use with quick drop-down menus and easy-to-navigate settings. It has one of the lowest learning curves of any software we’ve tested, meaning you should be able to navigate and customize the VPN like a pro within a matter of minutes after purchase. It performs so well that you could leave ExpressVPN running and not even notice it as you go about your business.

Like everything else about the software, switching servers is fast, fluid, and reliable. We never had a single crash or ‘infinite loading cycle’ like with certain services. However, should the need ever arise, the instant killswitch works perfectly, as well as any other feature you could want from a VPN (except for, curiously, an adblocker).

ExpressVPN’s Speeds

One of ExpressVPN’s claims to fame is being the fastest there is. While it might dominate most other services, does it really compare to what NordVPN is capable of? We tested it on the same 100 Mbps speed in order to find out.

First, we tested its speeds with the recommended server for the fastest connection. After a few tests, we found ExpressVPN to hold a consistent speed of about 92 Mbps. That’s less than a 10% drop, which is excellent for any service! However, it doesn’t beat Nord’s lightning-fast speeds.

Finally, we tried using further servers. We were pleasantly surprised to see that even using servers on the other side of the world from us didn’t drop ExpressVPN’s speeds to anything lower than 85 Mbps. Once again, astounding speeds for any premium service, but just below Nord.

ExpressVPN User Feedback

Similar to Nord, ExpressVPN finds high praise on sites like Reddit, where users are willing to forgive the high price tag in exchange for a truly outstanding service.

It’s true, ExpressVPN has quite the hefty price tag to it (its cheapest plan coming out to a little under $100 a year), but if that doesn’t turn you away from wanting to give it a try, we guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

You can download ExpressVPN here.

Best VPN per category

Category	VPN	The Verdict
Best VPN for Windows		While ExpressVPN is without a doubt a high-quality service, NordVPN’s software and servers run so smoothly on Windows that it would be an outright crime to call it anything less than the single best Windows VPN available.
Best VPN for Mac		NordVPN’s highly optimized software and excellent reliability make it a perfect pick for Mac users. The ability to choose your protocol to find your best fit also makes it able to perform so much more smoothly on Mac devices than ExpressVPN can.
Best VPN for Android		Unfortunately for NordVPN, ExpressVPN’s speeds don’t falter over any of their devices, offering consistent speeds with mobile as well as desktop. NordVPN’s speeds hiccup slightly with Android devices, leaving ExpressVPN as the winner here.
Best VPN for iOS		Just like with Android, ExpressVPN wins with iOS devices as far as speed, stability, and consistency. While the features are nearly identical, NordVPN’s software and servers just seem to have the occasional struggle with iOS mobile devices.
Best VPN for Torrenting		ExpressVPN provides airtight security for P2P connections that is almost unbeatable. While NordVPN’s built-in protection comes close, it only allows P2P for specific servers, and none of its protocols offer the level of security and performance that ExpressVPN does for torrenting.
Best Overall VPN		While ExpressVPN has Nord beat in the mobile department, overall, NordVPN’s service is just too much to compete with on desktop devices. Its speeds, reliability, performance, and software features all trump what ExpressVPN can offer, even if by just a small margin.

Our verdict

Overall, NordVPN seems to win this rivalry. However, it’s important to note that ExpressVPN has some strengths over Nord, such as its torrenting and mobile support. While Express has some excellent versatility in its functions, NordVPN has it beat as an overall VPN. Its reputation in the VPN community doesn’t just stem from its enormous advertising budget. It really does deserve its praise.

That said, we can’t stress enough how incredible both of these services are. Every VPN is tailored to different users, and if ExpressVPN looks as if it would better suit your interests, there’s a good chance it would. A large portion of it comes down to preference, and we can assure you that both of these providers get a thumbs up from us when it comes to their premium quality.

Mehul DasJun 24, 2022 13:07:33 IST

Samsung officially unveiled a new smartphone camera sensor that has a resolution of 200MP. The new sensor is actually the third generation of their ISOCELL HP sensor. 

The first sensor in this series, the ISOCELL HP1, was actually the first smartphone camera sensor that was 200MP, but it was never shipped in official phones. However, a Motorola phone is in the pipeline with the ISOCELL HP1.

Samsung has already started shipping samples to vendors and other smartphone manufacturers, and they plan to start mass production and shipping these sensors by the end of this year.

Currently, Sony dominates the smartphone camera market. Leading smartphone manufacturers from all around the world have been using sensors from Sony, and this includes Samsung, as well as Apple. Samsung is looking to disrupt Sony’s stronghold over the market.

Samsung’s first generation ISOCELL HP1 200MP sensor will first appear in a Motorola phone. Samsung had decided that the ISOCELL HP1 sensor did not meet their requirements so they decided to keep improving on it. 

The ISOCELL HP3 is that it features 0.56-micron pixels, allowing Samsung to produce a smaller 1/1.14-inch camera sensor format, while its predecessor, the ISOCELL HP2  offered 0.64-micron pixels that paved the way for a 1/1.22–inch sensor profile.

The advantage that the HP3 has over HP2 is that the smaller sensor surface area takes up less space, which means other manufacturers won’t have much trouble keeping their phones slim despite equipping them with a 200MP camera sensor. 

Samsung recently showcased the chops of its latest camera sensor by taking cat pictures and printing out a giant canvas that was bigger than the size of a basketball court. The goal was to showcase the terrific levels of detail that the camera can capture.

The ISOCELL HP3 also comes with a number of software tweaks for better results. For example it uses Tetra2 (or Tetra Square) pixel-binning technology that merges 16 adjacent pixels to create a larger pixel capable of absorbing more light data to produce brighter and more detailed photos, especially in challenging situations.

Samsung is also levelling up the auto-focusing game with the ISOCELL HP3 sensor. Samsung’s camera division adopted the new Super QPD tech that arms each pixel with auto-focusing capabilities and relies on a system that puts a single lens over four-adjacent pixels to detect the phase differences in both horizontal and vertical directions.

The end results are more accurate colours and a faster focus lock experience. Samsung is also shifting to an upgraded Smart ISO Pro feature for HDR imaging. Instead of a dual-ISO approach that combines two images captured at high and low ISO settings to produce the final HDR shot, the new version relies on a triple-shot approach for taking a trio of images at three different ISO levels (low, mid, and high) to produce an even wider dynamic range.

Samsung also increased the 10-bit and 12-bit capture all the way up to 14-bit RAW capture. For video recording, the new Samsung sensor is capable of native 8K recording without any cropping, while 4K videos can be shot at a frame rate of up to 120fps. Full-HD slo-mo videos at 480fps.

The new 200MP sensor from Samsung likely won’t appear in a Samsung Galaxy phone this year, as camera upgrades are usually reserved for Galaxy S flagships. The most obvious bet would be the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which will likely break cover in Q1 2023. In all likelihood, Samsung’s new ISOCELL HP3 may be seen in Chinese brands like Vivo and Oppo, in their Find X series and X Series flagships.

Mehul DasJun 24, 2022 15:55:07 IST

Verifying a user’s age is one of the biggest challenges that social media platforms face today. To counter that, Meta-owned Instagram is now testing a number of new methods for age verification, including having the user upload a video selfie and then letting their own piece of AI software judge their age.

At present, some users when they update their date of birth on the platform to reflect that they are over 18, are required to show upload an ID. Because Instagram has encountered several cases where teenagers have used fake IDs, they had to come up with a new way to verify their age. Instagram also had to face concerned parents and patrons over the fact that people had to upload IDs, given Meta’s coloured history with collecting a user’s data.

While the ID-based system will stay on for the time being, Instagram is developing a number of other ways to verify the age of a user. In a test run, they are asking users to get three mutual friends who can verify their age. They are calling this “social vouching,” although clearly, there is a lot of potential for abuse here.

The most interesting way that they are going about this age verification business is by using AI. Instagram is asking some users to shoot a selfie video and submit it for verification. An AI bot will then study the footage and check for a number of parameters, and then “judge” whether one is indeed over the age of 18 years.

Instagram is using the services of an online verification company called Yoti, a company that uses AI to verify the user’s age.

Instagram says that Yoti trains its AI on “anonymous images of diverse people from around the world who have transparently allowed Yoti to use their data and who can ask Yoti to delete their data at any time.” And for people under the age of 13, Yoti collected data with parents or guardians giving explicit consent.

Instagram says that once you upload a video selfie and Yoti uses it to confirm your age, the image isn’t used for anything else, and is deleted after your age has been confirmed. However, given Instagram’s parent company Meta’s history of misusing user data, one should be cautious to take this approach.

Ameya DalviJun 24, 2022 17:28:09 IST

Asus launched a highly unusual device in India this week, one that has been in the making for a few years now. Yes, we are talking about the Asus ROG Flow Z13. When a bunch of us techies were introduced to the product a few weeks ago, there wasn’t a common consensus about what category the product actually fit in. Some thought it was a tablet, some a laptop, some even called it a portable gaming console and a few thought it was impractical. 

Image Credit: Ameya Dalvi | Tech2

This may remind you of the blind men and the elephant story, but rest assured, we had our eyes wide open and also managed to closely observe the product from all angles. So why such a divided house, you ask? Well, it’s just the way the product has been designed. Either of those observations can be right, and at the same time, it probably doesn’t entirely fit into either of those categories in a traditional way. Enough of the suspense and it’s time for me to tell you everything about the key aspects of the product.

Image Credit: Ameya Dalvi | Tech2

So what exactly is the ROG Flow Z13?
No, I am not opening the debate again! As Asus likes to put it, the ROG Flow Z13 is a detachable 2-in-1 gaming tablet. Detachable because the keyboard is detachable. 2-in-1 because it is a tablet and a gaming laptop rolled into one. I will break it down further. For starters, it runs Microsoft Windows 11 and not Android. Secondly, it hosts some pretty powerful hardware that I will touch upon in a subsequent section. But the design is a little unusual.

Image Credit: Ameya Dalvi | Tech2

Think of it like a reverse laptop where the thin screen side stays horizontal, while the rest of the bulky body is placed vertically. You still have the screen in front of you in the usual vertical position with the processing hardware behind it, while you have an ultra flat keyboard on the table. There is a retractable stand behind the vertical part to support it. If it’s hard to imagine, we have ample images for you to check out. Asus claims that this reverse form factor provides much better airflow and cooling, and hence better performance.

How big and heavy is this device?
The Asus ROG Flow Z13 is fairly compact for a laptop but quite bulky for a tablet. It is 12 mm in thickness and weighs close to 1.1 kg. Asus thinks it is a featherweight, but I am not sure about the kind of birds they have near their development centre. Add another 300 grams for the bundled 100 Watts adapter that supports fast charging and claims to juice up 50% of the Z13 battery in just 30 minutes.

Image Credit: Ameya Dalvi | Tech2

What are the key specifications of the ROG Flow Z13?
The Z13 is powered by a 14-core Intel i9-12900H CPU and an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3050 Ti laptop GPU. You get 16 GB dual channel DDR5 RAM and 1 TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe M.2 SSD. It has a 13.4-inch UltraHD+ IPS display with a resolution of 3840 x 2400 pixels. The touchscreen display has a 60 Hz refresh rate and is compliant with Dolby Vision. It has a built-in 3-microphone array and 2 speakers with Smart Amplifier technology with Hi-Res certification and Dolby Atmos support.

Keeping it powered is a 56 WH 4-cell battery. As for wireless connectivity, you have dual-band WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2. As you can see the machine is loaded to the brim. But in case you find the GPU underwhelming, you have an option of upgrading it to RTX 3080 using an external XG Mobile module. Think of it as an external graphics card that you need to pay extra for. You can also opt for an XG Mobile with AMD Radeon RX 6850M XT GPU.

Image Credit: Ameya Dalvi | Tech2

Just like all 2022 ROG models, the Flow Z13 also features the MUX Switch that reduces in-game latencies and boosts performance by up to 10%. It also features two display options (both touch panels) – a 4K 60 Hz display with 85 per cent DCI-P3 coverage, or a Full HD 120 Hz screen with 100 per cent sRGB coverage.

What is the price of Asus ROG Flow Z13 in India?
The Asus ROG Flow Z13 is priced at Rs 1,36,990 with a one-year warranty and is now available for purchase in online and offline stores.

Image Credit: Ameya Dalvi | Tech2

Asus ROG Flow Z13 initial impressions summary
While the debate about the category to place it in will continue, I quite liked what I saw and the interesting approach Asus has taken to build it. It may be too bulky for a tablet and probably too expensive for a gaming laptop with an RTX 3050 Ti. But it gives you the option to use it as either, and the compliance with XG Mobile external GPUs can be a game changer. One can also look at it as a portable gaming PC if you have the money to spare.

Image Credit: Ameya Dalvi | Tech2

There is definitely an X-factor in the way the Asus ROG Flow Z13 is built and that little transparent window at the back with LED lighting is bound to catch the eye of gamers. It surely isn’t a product for all, but then this is just the first of its kind at the moment. We are yet to see the best of this approach, and I hope Asus continues on this path longer.