Trump Signs Order, Deadline for TikTok Sale Set

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August 15, 2020

Trump tikTok ban order signed — Image Courtesy: Free Press Journal

Latest Order by Trump concludes investigation for national security, the latest action against the video-sharing app – TikTok

An order was issued late on Friday by Donald Trump calling out TikTok’s owner ByteDance to divest its U.S. operations. A 90-day deadline was set for compliance for the transaction to be completed. The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the event, and here’s what its implication is.

Trump tikTok ban — Image Courtesy: Wall Street Journal

TikTok has come under the radar of the United States surrounding concerns around national security. These claims are made on the basis of possible data sharing with Chinese authorities or companies, following the Indian TikTok ban. Trump had even issued an executive order just last week, saying it would ban U.S. transactions with ByteDance and WeChat in 45 days, escalating concerns about the global tech economy.

Trump’s Order Sets Deadline for TikTok Sale

In this order, Trump asked ByteDance to take action that impairs the national security of America ordering ByteDance to sell off any assets that support its operation of TikTok without the borders of the United States. The Trump administration has set out on a task to purge “untrusted” and “controversial security”-based apps. It is not surprising that most of these are China-based companies (Remember Huawei?).

Compared to the earlier order, TikTok now has some more time, till around November 12 to work out its operations. Earlier, it was supposed to end around September 20. Microsoft Corp was said to be interested in buying TikTok’s American operations but there are expected to be many other potential buyers interested. Nevertheless, Trump had said that he would ban TikTok on September 15, raising concerns over a political fallout.

According to the latest order, TikTok would also have to destroy all data of American users, including data from Musical.ly. For those unaware, ByteDance had acquired Musical.ly back in 2017, merging it with TikTok.

Instagram Spotted Testing Reels Shortcut on Their App

By

Kirtik Singh

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August 14, 2020

Instagram to Introduce Direct Access to Reels via a Shortcut

The new Reels Button Shortcut on Instagram would replace the Explore button, which will be moved to the top of the Homepage Feed.

Instagram is testing Reels quite rigorously and it is not hidden that it wants to gauge on TikTok’s audience. After the government of India’s ban on 59 Chinese apps, Instagram released the feature in the Indian market quite soon. Now, accessing Reels is going to be easier after Instagram is making a shortcut to it, replacing the Explore tab.

Why Instagram Reels Needed a Shortcut?

TikTok was evidently popular in the masses due to its instant access to short videos directly as the app was opened. Instagram Reels was introduced with a similar video watching experience in mind and has garnered a huge audience. Now, Instagram wants to make accessing the Reels section easier by introducing a shortcut button to it, directly in the footer of its mobile apps.

Instagram Reels Shortcut UI change button — Image Courtesy: NDTV Gadgets 360

Clearly, Instagram wants to get more users on board to Reels, hence it is making the right moves. Clicking on the Reels Shortcut button gets users to the new reels section. Afterward, a random Reel starts playing, which can be moved to the next one by swiping. You might think it is just like a clone of TikTok’s interface, which it is.

Why Can I Not See This New Option

While we are sure this option is being rolled out, it might be in testing. As a result of which, only some of the people in our team can view the new UI. We can expect it to slowly roll out to more devices on the latest version of the app.

You can always let us know down in the comments below, what you feel about this change. Well, I used the Explore tab a lot, so I am not in favor of the change. But we would like to know what you feel about it!

Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition Aka Galaxy S20 Lite With Exynos 990 SoC Spotted On Geekbench

By

Punkaj Kumar

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August 14, 2020

Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition Spotted On Geekbench

Samsung announced the Galaxy S10 Lite smartphone earlier this year, and now there are rumors about Galaxy S20 Lite floating around. The electronics company is reportedly working on the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition, also called Galaxy S20 Lite. A recent Geekbench listing has revealed that the upcoming phone will be powered by Exynos 990 SoC processor. The latest reports claim that the phone may launch in Q4 of 2020. However, Samsung has not confirmed the details yet.

The Galaxy S20 Fan Edition has surfaced on the Geekbench 5 benchmarking site with model number SM-G780F. The listing also shares the scores of its single-core and multi-core tests on the device. It scores 588 and 2448 in the tests, as shown in the picture below.

Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition Geekbench Score

This is not the first leak about the smartphone. The same benchmarking platform had listed the device with model number SM-G781B last month also. It reported that the device will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC, with 6 GM RAM. This device was believed to be Samsung Galaxy S20 Lite.

Expected Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition Specifications

Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition System Information

The Galaxy S20 Fan Edition may arrive in two variants — a 6 GB RAM, and an 8 GB RAM with 128 GB of inbuilt storage. The display will reportedly come with a 120Hz refresh rate and a battery with a capacity of 4,500 mAh. And this great device also said to run on Android 10.

As far as cameras are concerned, some tips indicate that Samsung Galaxy S20 Fan Edition will have a triple camera setup in the rear. The rear camera setup comprises of a 12-megapixel primary camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide sensor, and another 8-megapixel telephoto lens. At the front, there will be a powerful 32-megapixel camera.

The phone will also be available in four color variants — red, green, orange, and white. We don’t know the exact price of the handset yet, but if reports are to be believed, it could come with a price tag of $750.

Google Introduces 5 New Android Features For Safety and Wellbeing

By

Punkaj Kumar

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August 14, 2020

Google Introduces 5 New Android Features For Safety and Wellbeing

Google has introduced five new features for Android phones for the safety and well-being of the users. The tech giant briefed through a tweet and shared a detailed article on the new features. Usually, we look for Android updates to get access to the new features, but just to inform you — Google can bring any number of features to all Android phones without any need to upgrade the core software. The company has brought these new features in the same manner where you don’t have to do any software upgrade. Now, more than 80% of Android users will be able to do five new things with their smartphones.

Five New Android Features

The five new features for Android released by Google are here as under:

1. Detect Earthquakes and Get Alerts in Advance

Track Earthquake With Android — Image credits: Google/YouTube

Yes, you read it right! Now your Android smartphone can detect earthquakes and will work as a seismograph in your pocket. It detects earthquakes with the Android Earthquake Alerts System, which Google boats to be the world’s largest earthquake detection network. This will work on the devices that run Android 5.0 and above.

To use this feature, all you have to do is type “earthquake near me” in the Google Android App and search.

2. Save Time During an Emergency

Stuck in an emergency? Here is where ELS, Emergency Location Services will help you. Thanks to Google’s emergency location services tool that is now available in 29 countries to more than 800 million users. With this, when you’re in an emergency, your phone will share your device language along with local emergency phone numbers. So even if you don’t know the local language, local emergency operators would already know which language you speak so that they arrange the translator quickly.

3. Sleep Better, No Interruptions

Google has added a bedtime tab to its Google Clock app with which you can schedule your sleep time. You can monitor your sleep, track screen time, and also play soothing music during sleep. If you have the Digital Wellbeing app installed on your phone, you can directly schedule the sleep time within the app or turn on Bedtime mode.

Accessibility Features

4. Do More Things With Android Auto

Android Auto is now updated with new features, and thanks to the Android Auto calendar app that keeps track of your calendars right in your car. Without needing to look at your phone while driving, you can get a quick look at your schedule directly on your car display. In addition to this, you can also manage your preferences with the settings app on the car’s display itself.

5. Real World is More Accessible to Low Vision People

To help blind people or people with low vision, Google has brought new features to its Lookout app. This app uses computer vision technology to aid low-vision people doing things in the physical world easily. The new features help people scan long documents and convert them into a readable text format. Not just this, it can also recognize various food products from their labels.

This functionality is available on smartphones running Android 6.0 and above.

X-Cube 3D Stacking by Samsung Change the Way Chips are Manufactured

By

Kirtik Singh

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August 14, 2020

Samsung has introduced new 3D Stacking chip manufacturing technology, called X-Cube (or eXtended CUBE). This IC Packing technology will allow for smaller designs for nodes of the 7nm and 5nm EUV process.

Samsung X Cube 3D Packaging Technology for Chips — Older 2D technology

Samsung had started using its 5nm EUV technology to make chips a few months back but they have been working to improve their older technologies as well. Earlier today, Samsung announced that its new X-Cube 3D IC chip packing and manufacturing technology will offer faster speeds and better efficiency. Samsung Wafer Works – the company’s contract chip manufacturing division has completed the testing of chips using this new 3D X-Cube technology and it will now be available for manufacturing 5nm and 7nm chips.

Striking Features of X-Cube 3D Stacking

If you have heard about how chips or microcontrollers work, you’ll know that size does matter! In fact, smaller the overall size of the chip (and between the cores), better it is for efficiency and cost. Thus, Samsung’s X-Cube tech takes a step forward by stacking multiple components over one another. The 3D stacking allows for ultra-thin placement of multiple chips and component layers to create a dense semiconductor.

How Does X-Cube Differ From Older Technologies?

Samsung’s new technology offers this amazing futuristic complex design capability due to the process it used for manufacturing. The TSV (through silicon via) technology can make vertical electrical connections between these layers, instead of using wires. A much more compact form factor is allowed due to this, compared to what was being used. Samsung claims that using this 3D X-Cube technology, designers can create customized designs as per their needs. The signal path between chips is reduced due to TSV technology, improving latency and efficiency.

Just announced today, the 3D Stacking technology can be expected to have a bright, long-lasting future. The future prospect of 3D layering suggests its use in 5G, AR, AI, HPC or High-Performance Computing, Cloud Services, and mobility. Samsung Foundry plans to showcase this technology during the Hot Chips 2020 Expo starting August 18, 2020. While Samsung is still improving its 5nm technology, it is said to also work on a 3nm process that could be seen sometime soon.

The New Mi TV Lux by Xiaomi is the World’s First Transparent TV

By

Kirtik Singh

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August 13, 2020

With a 55-inch OLED screen that turns transparent and 120Hz refresh rate, this Transparent TV by Mi can turn heads.

Transparent Mi Tv Lux — Image Courtesy: The Verge

For the Chinese market, Xiaomi has launched a totally nerve-wracking product, a transparent TV! The Mi TV Lux Transparent Edition is a smart TV that goes transparent when it turns off. This makes Mi the first to release a commercially sold transparent TV in the world. While most TV manufacturers are trying to improve their display quality, resolution, and display tech, it is interesting, if not viable, for Mi to do something out of the box.

Specs and Features of Mi TV Lux Transparent Edition

The 65-inch Mi TV Lux was launched in China back in June this year. This new launch is a special edition of the same TV, that can turn transparent with its smaller but see-through display. This TV features a 55-inch Full-HD edge to edge screen that is an OLED panel. The screen also supports MEMC technology, as well as a 120Hz refresh rate. With a 93% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage and 10-bit support, this panel with 1ms of response time is a treat to look on. Yes, the screen is Full-HD, which is on the lower side for 55-inch TVs, but a transparent panel just throws that thought off.

Not to forget is the fact that this is a smart TV. Thus, the Mi TV Lux has 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage, with a Cortex-A73 Quad Core CPU and Mali-G52 GPU. All this resides in its base, as the TV can not sport a back panel(duh). Sound is handled by dual 8W speakers which support Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus, as well as DTS-HD. The transparent TV also has all the necessary connectivity options, including dual-band WiFi, 3 x HDMI ports, 2 x USB Ports, Bluetooth v5.0, and an Ethernet RJ-45 port as well. The TV has a built-in app store and runs on MIUI’s TV port software.

Being transparent, the TV has no backlight and thus, the image shall appear to be floating. While the TV is off, it just looks like a glass panel and while it is turned on, it merges the visuals on the screen with the backdrop. We don’t know how good the viewing experience would be, but it does seem quite different from the competition.

Pricing and Availability

The Transparent Edition of the Mi TV Lux OLED is priced at CNY 49,999 or around Rs. 5,38,000 in China. It goes on sale in China from August 16, alongside other products that Xiaomi announced in its 10-year celebration launch.

Amazon Launches Project Zero in Seven New Countries To Fight Fake Products

By

Punkaj Kumar

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August 11, 2020

Amazon Launches Project Zero in Seven New Countries To Fight Fake Products

Amazon has announced the expansion of Project Zero, an anti-counterfeit program to seven new countries. The company is taking its program to Australia, Brazil, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates. Project Zero will now be available in 17 countries, announced the company on Monday midnight.

Project Zero is an Amazon program designed to help brands fight fake products on Amazon’s e-commerce platform. It intends to protect and empower the brands using the machine learning capabilities.

The program was launched back in 2019 to ensure that the customers always receive authentic goods when shopping on the e-commerce platform. According to Amazon, over 10,000 brands, including BMW, ChessCentral, LifeProof, Veet, and many others, have already enrolled in the program.

How it Helps Brands

As per Amazon, Project Zero makes use of three key components to protect and empower brands:

1.. The ML-powered automated protections of Amazon continuously scan more than 5 billion daily product listings globally. The system then automatically prevents and blocks suspicious/counterfeit listings.

2. Project Zero directly empowers the brands and provides them self-service tools to directly remove the counterfeit listings from the Amazon store. The automated protections also feed the removed listings to catch potential counterfeit listings in the future.

3. The third component is product sterilization, a technique using a unique code that brands apply to their products within their manufacturing or packaging process. The system individually scans and confirms the authenticity of every single purchase on Amazon stores.

Project Zero in India

The e-commerce giant had launched Project Zero in India in November 2019 to block counterfeit goods. Project Zero was first announced by Amazon in February 2019 and since then, it has now reached 17 countries today. Using machine learning to fight counterfeit goods is one major example of harnessing technology to control online frauds.

Oxygen OS 11 Unveiled by OnePlus: Way to Android 11

By

Kirtik Singh

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August 11, 2020

Oxygen OS 11 Unveiled in China, Global launch soon — Image Courtesy: 9to5Google

OnePlus has taken off by putting out the Final Build of its Developer Preview of Oxygen OS 11 in China yesterday. Hydrogen OS, or Oxygen OS minus Google Services, is the software that runs on OnePlus phones in China. We have come to love Hydrogen OS over the last few years, now running on top of Android 11. This brings with it new features such as a design overhaul, always-on display, Zen Mode 2.0, and more!

OnePlus’s Oxygen OS Track Record

Over time, OnePlus is known for Speed, and this also goes down to speedy updates. OnePlus was one of the first Android Manufacturers apart form Google to launch an Android 11 preview program and is also usually the first one to push out the latest version of Android to its mainstream devices.

This program right now is open for OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro users as it is the developer build. We can soon expect OnePlus to release an Open Beta for other users soon! Now, let’s talk about everything new in Oxygen OS/Hydrogen OS 11.

New features in Oxygen OS 11

1. Always On Display

As teased by OnePlus on Twitter, an always-on display will finally be a reality on OnePlus devices. This is a feature that was known as Ambient Display on OnePlus devices, but it turned off after a few seconds. The new update will allow the phone to enable showing this display for a very long time, hence “always-on”. There will be various clock styles and schedule settings for customizing the AOD as well.

What makes a step above is the ability to put a high-precision line drawing of any photo on the Always-On display. YES! OnePlus is using AI to convert any image you want to put as a high precision outline drawing on the Always On Display. We’re really excited to test how this works.

2. Design and UI Changes

Oxygen OS 11 New UI — Image Courtesy: Weibo

With every update, manufacturers try to make their UI more appealing and user friendly, exactly what OnePlus tried to do as well. Oxygen OS 11 brings in a new and improved dark mode, which works on layering to improve visibility of UI elements. OnePlus has also introduced new fonts in Hydrogen OS 11 which can be expected to also make way into the global build. The preloaded Gallery and Weather apps have also been updated with new animations and better design. There’s even new wallpapers, icons, and ringtones for mixing up things!

3. Zen Mode 2.0

Zen Mode 2.0 on OnePlus devices with Android 11 — Image Courtesy: Gizmochina

Zen Mode is OnePlus’s digital detox feature that enables users to lock down their phones for a limited time. Once locked out, none of the functionalities can be used, and it’s a great way of focussing on more important tasks. The new Zen Mode has got more themes to it, as well as some UI improvements. There are also options for setting the duration for longer periods compared to the older Zen Mode. There is even a multi-meditation feature that allows you to invite a friend to take a break!

4. One-Handed Use

With phones getting larger and out-of-hand(pun intended), manufacturers are trying to make UI changes for easier access to all parts of the screen. One UI from Samsung was first to do it, and we’re glad OnePlus has taken notes! Hydrogen OS images show whitespace left on top just like OneUI to make more used functions more accessible. We are yet to see if this is just for the settings app, or a system-wide setting. Either way, we’re glad OnePlus is finally working on this.

OnePlus has rolled out Hydrogen OS 11 in China yesterday and we can soon expect a global build as well. The official stable release will be scheduled sometime around October as track records suggest.

OnePlus 7T Series Receives OxygenOS Open Beta 7 With August 2020 Security Patch

By

Punkaj Kumar

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August 10, 2020

OnePlus 7T Series Receives OxygenOS Open Beta 7 With August 2020 Security Patch

OnePlus has started rolling out OxygenOS Open Beta 7 for the OnePlus 7T series. A new OxygenOS open beta build is available for download on OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro. The new update comes with the August 2020 security patch with newly added OnePlus Tips & Help sedition and several fixes and optimizations.

The company announced in a post through its forum that Open Beta 7 will add several features and optimizations. It will have new user assistance features, optimizations for the phone’s Messages app, and some improvements in the stability of Wi-Fi transfer.

In short, the new OxygenOS release is just a minor update to improve the overall experience and performance of the phone. Only users who are running a beta version of OxygenOS will receive this build as an OTA update. Other users can download it from OnePlus’ official software upgrade page.

You should know that both the OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro run OxygenOS, proprietary Android skin of OnePlus. Both the phones usually receive updates at the same time.

OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro Updates

OnePlus launched OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro phones last year on September 26, and October 10, respectively. Both the phones were launched with Android 10, the latest version available at that time. Currently, Android 10 is the stable version for both the phones, and we expect the phones will get Android 11 next month. The devices are said to receive at least two major Android updates in the future. As per some reports, OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro will receive updates of Android 11 in 2020 and Android 12 in 2021.

About OxygenOS Open Beta Updates

The OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro received their first Open Beta update in March this year. The update came with the February 2020 security patch, with better RAM management, and other fixes. One another addition, inspired by the Google Pixel and Galaxy S20 was that of Live Caption. In the same month, ie. in late March, both phones received the second Open Beta update bringing the March 2020 security patch. This update also brought the Instant Translation feature and improved Adaptive Brightness.

Flipkart Leap is a Startup Accelerator Programme To Help Scale Companies

By

Kirtik Singh

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August 10, 2020

Flipkart Leap to Identify B2B and B2C Startups and Help Them Scale-Up Through an Intensive Virtual 16-Week Programme

Indian E-Commerce giant Flipkart launched its first accelerator program for startups. This will help these upcoming startups to grow and contribute to the growth of the economy in India.

How Flipkart Leap Will Benefit Startups?

Flipkart Leap has the aim of identifying B2C and B2B startups and helping them scale up with their 16-week program. This is all a product of Flipkart’s ongoing expertise in DevOps, product catalog, technology, operations, and business. Moreover, this program will have master class sessions who can share the best practices to follow to these startups.

As per Flipkart, this program can provide the right knowledge, tools, ecosystem, and frameworks for startups to grow and create world-class products. This can be only done by thoughts driven by values and by building market-ready solutions for the demand.

The focus of Flipkart Leap is to use digitization and advancement in technology that could transform the landscape of startups. These can provide disruptive solutions that could change the face of e-commerce in the upcoming years.

Scene of the Indian Startup Market

As of today, India’s startup ecosystem is the third-largest in the world with consistent annual growth of 12% to 15%. Economic reports suggest the birth of 2 to 5 startups every single day, most of which don’t grow well due to lapse in strategies. This is exactly what Flipkart plans to elevate with its startup accelerator program.

Application for Flipkart Leap Programme

The applications for Flipkart’s startup accelerator program Flipkart Leap begin today itself, i.e., August 10. For more information regarding the program, you can visit Flipkartleap. Flipkart also mentioned an email ID for queries regarding the program, where concerns can be addressed.

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