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- Tech Adoption Rate Increased Dramatically During the Pandemic
- Instagram Is Working to Enable Making Posts From PCs
- Twitter Submissively Asking Apple Users for Their Data
- Amazon miniTV Service Launched to Take on YouTube India
- BSNL Bharat Fibre Updates IP Protocol to IPv6 in Broadband Networks
- Oppo Find X3 Pro Mars Exploration Edition Launched: Price, Specs
- Amazon One-Month Prime Membership Discontinued in Adherence to RBI Norms
- Redmi Note 10 Pro Goes on Open Sale With Price Cut
- WhatsApp’s Move Is Understandable, But Unfair
- ACT Fibernet Rs 999 Plan Can’t Beat Airtel’s Offering
| Tech Adoption Rate Increased Dramatically During the Pandemic Posted: 15 May 2021 08:47 AM PDT
Covid-19 has had major implications all around the world, wreaking havoc even to this day. With the pandemic came the need to stay at home to stay safe and, it seems that constant lockdowns and quarantines within homes have had some positive effects. The previous year saw people adapting to technology like never before, going from doing tasks physically to suddenly moving online, from business owners to students to the old, everyone had to use technology for the most basic things. With this enhanced dependence on technology, it seems that older adults have been well adapted to technology, at least as per a report that suggests lockdown might have resulted in ease of adapting to technology within the older sections of society. Yes, the people who at one time believed tech to be odd and quirky are now inept with it due to the increased dependence, allowing them to catch up with the times, for lack of a better metaphor. What Does The Report SuggestThe report suggests that older adults have engaged with technology in massive amounts, for tasks such as keeping up with exercise regimes, religious activities and staying in touch with their loved ones. The participants of the test suggested that they interacted with their neighbours for the first time via the internet and by making use of Google Meet or Zoom, with some of them stating that they moved to this medium for trivial tasks such as regular conversations or general meet and greets with their acquaintances. Furthermore, those who engaged in such activities did not fall prey to loneliness, thus being able to adapt to and make use of technology to keep in touch with their loved ones. Social distancing also seems to have had an impact, with many users realising the wonder of technology and how it does not have physical bounds such as distance. The report also mentions that due to the lockdown the overall digital literacy has gone up, now making older sections of society more dependent than ever before, since they were forced to make use of technology for basic needs such as groceries and clothes. Over 84% of these participants were 60 years or older, with 91 out of the 1,400 people being studied mentioning that their prayer groups had moved online, whilst some mentioned family meetings had become Zoom meetings and game nights. |
| Instagram Is Working to Enable Making Posts From PCs Posted: 15 May 2021 07:53 AM PDT
Instagram has been the social media king for quite some time, offering users the option to post their life updates and videos on a platform that is more image friendly, rather than being text-based like Twitter. Ever since its inception, Instagram has been working on features that make it easier and fun for the user, from IGTV to stories to the more recent Reels function, all of which make for a fun and useful social media application. That being said, the application has limited sharing or creation of images or posts to phones, leaving desktop users in the dark. It seems that this is soon set to change as the company is working on a feature that will also users to share and make posts via their laptop browsers. Instagram Posts Via Laptops, Is This True?Yes, this is true as, according to a report by tipster Alessandro Paluzzi, Facebook-owned Instagram is working on a feature meant to allow users to share images and videos through their desktops. What this means is that users will be able to use the application to its full extent, just like Facebook and WhatsApp, with the major features on offer on both platforms. Apart from sharing the development of this feature, the tipster also decided to share a couple of screenshots that give insights regarding how the feature would work. For those of you wondering, the feature will function similar to how it does on the mobile version of the image and video sharing application. With the feature, users will be able to upload videos and images directly through their computers, select the size and orientation of their choice, write a description, add desired filters, location and other key details in a way much like the mobile version. The key difference that this will make is the amount of time one spends on their phone for Instagram since when the feature is rolled out, users will be able to fully utilise Instagram regardless of the device in use. Do note that this feature is still under development, which means that there is no exact release date and revisions could be made. A rollout is expected, but there have been no hints, so it might not happen anytime soon. In other Instagram related news, the company added a new feature earlier this week that allows the user to choose their pronoun of choice, be it he/him, she/her, or they/them, with no restrictions. The user can do so by going into their profile. |
| Twitter Submissively Asking Apple Users for Their Data Posted: 15 May 2021 05:10 AM PDT
Apple recently released the iOS 14.5 update, which brought with it one of the most useful yet controversial features from the company, dubbed App Tracking Transparency. For those of you unaware, the feature forces app developers to ask for the user's permission prior to tracking them. This was not the case earlier, with developers allowed to track them without any prior notice. With the rollout, most users have opted to stop app tracking, but this is not good for the app developers who make use of the data to serve ads for additional revenue. To tackle this issue, app developers have been adding pop-ups or in-app prompts asking users to enable tracking, and the latest of these developers seem to be from Twitter. Twitter Submissively Asks Users to Allow Tracking PermissionFirst spotted by MacRumours, the prompt mentions that allowing app tracking will help Twitter keep ads relevant. This justification is rather simple, followed by a link to the photo settings, given you click 'Continue' so that you can turn app tracking on. Specifically, the prompt mentions that Twitter will keep ads relevant to you if you allow it to track data from other companies on the specific device, such as apps you use and websites that you visit. For additional context, Twitter has included another link to a support page on the help centre that explains why Twitter asks for this permission. This is a subtle bid to get users to allow Twitter tracking, especially considering how the company highlighted that Apple's App Tracking Transparency would be a potential risk to the social platform. In case you missed it, Twitter mentioned in a letter to its shareholders that it expected total revenue to grow faster than expenses in 2021, given that the global pandemic is controlled and that modest impact from iOS 14.5 are expected. The speed of the revenue would vary on execution, response roadmap and macroeconomic factors, added the letter. This, when compared to the likes of Facebook and Instagram, is a much better approach, with the former two deciding to take an aggressive approach, even hinting in a threatening manner about the chances of Facebook becoming a paid application, as it mentions that enabling tracking is what is going to help keep Facebook or Instagram free of charge. We will have to wait to see whether or not users allow this tracking to occur and what are the several impacts that may occur given that a majority of users still decline to allow tracking to occur. |
| Amazon miniTV Service Launched to Take on YouTube India Posted: 15 May 2021 04:40 AM PDT
Amazon has announced a new streaming service in India called the Amazon miniTV. According to the company, the service is a free ad-supported OTT platform that will feature content like web series, tech, lifestyle, food videos, comedy content, and a lot more among others. The company suggests that the Amazon miniTV service will be available within the Amazon app and you needn't have to download anything separately. Do note that the service will be initially available for Android devices only and the iOS and mobile web version is said to go live in the upcoming month. The company is yet to reveal any specific date. How to Get Access for Amazon miniTV ServiceThe company claims that the Amazon miniTV service is already available on the Android app. Here's how you can watch content on Amazon miniTV.
The company claims it has invited popular YouTube content creators to create content for the miniTV platform. It has also joined hands with popular studios like TVF, Pocket Aces, and popular comedians like Shruti Arjun Anand, Elvish Yadav, Prajakta Koli, Ashish Chanchlani, Amit Bhadana, Round2Hell, Harsh Beniwal, and more. Besides, the service will also offer tech shows from Trakin Tech, fashion and beauty videos from Sejal Kumar, Malvika Sitlani, and more. If you're interested in cooking then you can also watch your favourite recipes from Kabita's Kitchen, Cook with Nisha, and more. Amazon India suggests that the company is planning to add some exclusive content to the platform in the upcoming days. It seems that Amazon has launched the miniTV service aiming to take on YouTube, it would be interesting to see how it performs. |
| BSNL Bharat Fibre Updates IP Protocol to IPv6 in Broadband Networks Posted: 15 May 2021 04:05 AM PDT
Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has implemented IPv6 in its Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) service networks. This is to counter the issue of more subscribers on the telco's broadband network. With the arrival of the second round of lockdowns around the country, the need for fibre broadband internet has shot up yet again. Because of that, BSNL Bharat Fibre, the FTTH arm of the state-run telco, has been adding plenty of subscribers at a very fast rate. Another reason for the fast addition of broadband users is the quality and competitive plans that BSNL provides to its users. The telco has upgraded its broadband networks from IPv4 to IPv6 for ensuring that a smooth internet experience can be provided to the users. IPv4 Addresses Might Have ExhaustedSince BSNL has been adding a ton of new subscribers, the telco might have exhausted the IPv4 addresses soon. To ensure that it doesn't hinder the broadband internet experience of the users, the telco has upgraded its networks to IPv6 for the FTTH users who are parented towards BSNL’s Juniper BNGs(Broadband Network Gateway). One thing that's bound to happen when you configure IPv6 on your FTTH ONT (optical network terminal) is a better browsing experience. Since multiple websites today are compatible with IPv6, configuring the ONT to IPv6 will allow you to get a faster internet experience. You can change the WAN settings on your ONU/ONT device of the connection. Presently, the IP protocol on your ONU device would be configured as IPv4. But you need to change that to IPv4/IPv6. BSNL Bharat Fibre PlansBSNL Bharat Fibre offers a total of 6 plans for Rs 449, Rs 599, Rs 799, Rs 999, Rs 1,277, and Rs 1,499. The base plan of Rs 449 offers users 30 Mbps speed, Rs 599 plan offers 60 Mbps speed, Rs 799 plan offers 100 Mbps speed, Rs 999, and Rs 1,277 plan offers 200 Mbps speed, and the Rs 1,499 plan offers 300 Mbps speed. All of the plans come with 3.3TB FUP data, and none of the prices mentioned above is inclusive of GST. Users can also purchase some of these plans with long-term validities as well. BSNL offers the above plans in select circles of the country. |
| Oppo Find X3 Pro Mars Exploration Edition Launched: Price, Specs Posted: 15 May 2021 03:04 AM PDT
Oppo Find X3 Pro Mars Exploration Edition has finally launched in the company’s home country of China today. The newly launched smartphone comes with a new Sky Rock Grey paint job on the rear panel along with a Custom OS theme and more. With the launch of the Mars Exploration Edition, the company has added the fifth colour option to the Find X3 Pro's portfolio. Earlier the smartphone was available for sale in Cosmic Mocha, Gloss Black, Blue, and White colour shades. The Find X3 Pro Mars Exploration Edition comes with highlighted features like an AMOLED display, a 120Hz refresh rate, a 50MP camera, Snapdragon 888, a 4500mAh battery, and a lot more. Let's have a closer look at the price, specifications, and features of the smartphone. Oppo Find X3 Pro Mars Exploration Edition PriceThe Oppo Find X3 Pro Mars Exploration Edition is launched in 16GB RAM and a 512GB storage variant. The handset is available for sale at CYN 6,999 (Approx Rs 79,675) in the home country China. The limited-edition smartphone comes in a custom gift box but offers similar specifications to the Find X3 Pro previous models. Find X3 Pro Mars Exploration Edition SpecificationThe newly launched Find X3 Pro Mars Exploration Edition comes with a Sky Rock Grey paint job on its rear panel. Besides, the smartphone also arrives with a customizable Mars theme and ships in a limited edition retail box, rest all the specifications are the same as the earlier Find X3 Pro. Just to recall, the Find X3 Pro Mars Exploration Edition flaunts a 6.7-inch LTPO AMOLED QHD+ display with a resolution of 3216 x 1440 pixels and a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. It has a peak brightness of 1300 nits and a punch-hole cutout design for a selfie camera setup. Under the hood, the handset draws power from the Snapdragon 888 chipset, clubbed with up to 16GB RAM and 512GB storage. On the security part, the Find X3 Pro Mars Exploration Edition features an in-display fingerprint scanner and face unlock tech. The Find X3 Pro Mars Exploration Edition sports a 50MP primary camera accompanied by a 50MP ultra-wide sensor, 13MP telephoto camera, and a 3MP macro sensor along with an LED flash. The rear camera bump is placed at the top left corner of the panel and also offers a Mars 2021 branding. At the front, the handset offers a 32MP camera sensor for selfies and video calls. The special edition smartphone ships with a 4,500mAh battery with 65W SuperVOOC 2.0 flash charging. |
| Amazon One-Month Prime Membership Discontinued in Adherence to RBI Norms Posted: 15 May 2021 02:49 AM PDT
Amazon's Prime membership has been one of the most useful subscription services available in India, providing access to a music streaming app, an entertainment application and giving benefits to the Amazon shopping application. Most, if not all of our readers, are probably using Amazon's application for one need or the other, be it Prime Video for content consumption or just the Amazon application to purchase goods. The subscription plan has been fairly cheap, at least in comparison to the likes of Netflix, offering different durations as well. The base duration of one month has been quite useful, but it will no longer be on offer. The company will be offering either a three-month or annual Prime membership. Why did the company remove the one month plan? Find out by reading ahead. Amazon To Remove One Month Plan, Free Trials Discontinued TooAmazon has revealed that it would no longer be offering a monthly membership plan due to the new Reserve Bank of India mandate. For those of you unaware, the one month plan was quite cheaply priced, with the cost being a measly Rs 129 per month. The new guidelines from RBI ask banks and financial institutions to bring an additional factor of authentication for processing recurring online transactions, with the deadline for the same set for September 30. Amazon, as of the time of writing this article, has updated its support page to showcase the removal of the monthly membership plan for Amazon Prime. To add to this, the company has also temporarily discontinued free trials since April 27. As of now, if a user wishes to join Prime, they can either purchase the three-month subscription, priced at Rs 329 or get the annual plan, priced at Rs 999. The new RBI framework, which was originally announced back in August of 2019, has been extended to September 30 of 2021. This deadline was extended to avoid any inconvenience to the user. In the beginning, RBI had issued the framework to roll out AFA for recurring transactions of up to Rs 2,000 in 2019 but later extended that rule to transactions of up to a limit of Rs 5,000 per transactions. Any transactions above the amount would require an OTP. It will be interesting to see whether the overall subscriptions for Amazon Prime take a hit due to the removal of the monthly plan since some users might have subscribed for a short duration, be it for lack of use or for any other reason. |
| Redmi Note 10 Pro Goes on Open Sale With Price Cut Posted: 15 May 2021 01:15 AM PDT
Redmi Note 10 series was launched in India at the starting of this year, and the company has added three new budget phones to its portfolio. At the time of launch, the handset was available via flash sales, but it seems that the company has changed the rule for Redmi Note 10 Pro starting today. According to the company, the Redmi Note 10 Pro is now available for open sale in the country, and buyers need not have to wait for the sale. Alongside, the company has also announced a price drop of Rs 2,000 on the smartphone. The smartphone was launched with highlighted features like a 64MP camera, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a lot more. Let's have a look at the new pricing of the Redmi Note 10 Pro. Redmi Note 10 Pro Open Sale and Price Drop in IndiaThe Redmi Note 10 Pro is available for grabs in India via open sale, and the company has officially announced a price drop of Rs 2,000 on all three variants. The Redmi Note 10 Pro is now up for sale at Rs 15,999 for the 6GB + 64GB variant. While the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage and 8GB + 128GB model is up for grabs for Rs 16,999 and Rs 18,999 respectively. With this new pricing, the company has almost beat any expectations of the success of the Redmi Note 10S in India. Redmi Note 10 Pro SpecificationsThe Redmi Note 10 Pro flaunts a 6.67-inch Super AMOLED Full HD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate support. It has a punch-hole camera cutout design that accommodates the selfie camera setup; the display packs a peak brightness of 1200 nits and HDR10+ certification. Under the hood, the smartphone is powered by the Snapdragon 732G, clubbed with 8GB RAM and 128GB UFS 2.2 storage. It also offers a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. As far as cameras are concerned, the smartphone offers a quad-camera setup with the combination of a 64MP primary camera + 8MP ultra-wide-angle with 118-degree FoV + 5MP Super Macro lens + 2MP depth sensor along with an LED flash. Upfront, it houses a 16MP camera sensor for selfies and video calls. It runs on Android 11-based MIUI 12 out of the box. |
| WhatsApp’s Move Is Understandable, But Unfair Posted: 14 May 2021 09:30 PM PDT
WhatsApp has been the talk of the town since 2021 started. The social media giant has a huge customer base in India, and the app is used for multiple purposes by the users, including informal and formal communication. What's strange is the untimely decision of WhatsApp to introduce the new privacy policies. Users wouldn't have cared a lot if WhatsApp was a new application asking for their data. However, it is not a new app, and because of that, people are already attached to its UI and the utility to the extent that they don't want to stop using the app but also hesitate to share their personal data with Facebook. Untimed Decision a Problem for WhatsAppSince WhatsApp never collected a plethora of important personal information of the users, people used it without any worries. Year after year, the app added millions of new users in India. But then, out of nowhere, in early January 2021, Facebook said that it will collect the data of the users and if the users don't want to share their data, they can stop using the app. At the time of signing up for the app, no one would have thought that WhatsApp would do such a thing, and that is why it feels like a very untimely decision from the company. Facebook is a Greedy DogFacebook, worth billions of dollars, apparently wants to make more money, but this time, by selling the data of WhatsApp's users. According to the terms and conditions of the new privacy policies, WhatsApp will be sharing very crucial data of the users with its parent company Facebook. Facebook will then use this data and sell it to advertisers in exchange for money. However, Facebook should not be blamed for making money out of data since almost every tech corporate is doing that today. What's criticisable is the fact that Facebook isn't giving the Indian users the same option of rejecting the privacy terms and conditions like it did to the European users. What's even more criticisable is the fact that Facebook is introducing this privacy policy change out of nowhere. WhatsApp wasn't supposed to be an app that shared data with other companies. But due to the recent changes by Facebook, from today, WhatsApp will only allow the Indian users to get the full functionalities of the app if they accept the new terms and conditions of the company. The sudden change has not only left users surprised, but it also makes them feel cheated. While it is understandable that Facebook wants to make money, what's not fair is that users are basically bullied by the company to accept the terms and conditions. Facebook knows that the users who are attached to the app won't be able to switch to other applications. Further, the media data and everything else that WhatsApp has is very valuable to some users, which they can't risk losing. Whatever Facebook might say now, people already feel cheated. Millions of users are going to accept the policy even though they don't want to, but very soon, it will all be forgotten, and Facebook will have made more billions. |
| ACT Fibernet Rs 999 Plan Can’t Beat Airtel’s Offering Posted: 14 May 2021 06:30 PM PDT
ACT Fibernet has become one of the major Internet Service Providers (ISPs) of the country in the last few years. The company has expanded its business in multiple cities of India, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Chennai, and more cities. One thing that's feels aloof looking at the offerings from ACT Fibernet is that the company doesn't offer standard broadband plans. People like stability in offerings, and more than that, they don't want to feel cheated. The company offers one plan for a lesser rate in some cities while charges more to the users for the same plan in other cities. But this is not the case with Airtel Xstream Fiber, the fibre broadband arm of Bharti Airtel. Both the companies offer a 200 Mbps broadband plan. In fact, users can get it for the same price from both companies. So which operator should you choose and why? Let's find out below. ACT Fibernet Rs 999 PlanThe Rs 999 plan from ACT Fibernet offers users 200 Mbps speed and is called 'Lightning'. Note that this plan is available in the Ahmedabad circle and might not be available in other cities of India. The company offers users 3.3TB or 3,300GB of fair-usage-policy (FUP) data with the plan. Post exhaustion of the FUP data, the internet speed for the user will drop to 2 Mbps. This plan is also available for longer validities of 6 months and 12 months. With the 6 months plan, the monthly price of the plan drops to Rs 856 per month, and with the 12 months plan, the monthly price of the plan drops to Rs 832 per month. There are over-the-top (OTT) benefits of ZEE5 Premium, SonyLIV, Hungama and more included with the plan. Also, the price mentioned above isn't inclusive of taxes. Airtel Xstream Fiber Rs 999 PlanApparently, the Airtel Xstream Fiber's Rs 999 plan also offers users 200 Mbps speeds. The FUP data is the same 3.3TB (3,333GB) with Airtel's plan, and there is also a free voice calling connection included. Users get a ton of OTT benefits, including Disney+ Hotstar VIP, Amazon Prime Video, and more from the company. Further, users are also eligible to claim Airtel Thanks benefits which will include a free subscription of Airtel Xstream Premium, Shaw Academy for 1-year, Wynk Music, and more. Which Plan is Better?To understand which plan is better, users need to look at the finer details of the offerings. Like the cost of the installation, security deposit for the routers that the companies charge, and more. Airtel Xstream Fiber doesn't charge anything for installation and doesn't take router charges as well if the user is going for the 3 months plan at least. Further, there are more OTT benefits with Airtel's plan. This is why Airtel Xstream Fiber's 200 Mbps plan is better than ACT Fibernet's 200 Mbps plan. |
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