Redmi Note 10 Lite With Quad Rear Cameras, 5,020mAh Battery Launched in India: Price, Specifications

Redmi Note 10 Lite has launched in the Indian market. The phone is priced at Rs. 13,999 for the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage option, Rs. 15,999 for the 4GB RAM + 128GB storage option, and Rs. 16,999 for the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage model. It will go on sale on October 2.

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Popular Smart Lights to Check Out

Smart lights allow users to choose from millions of colours to set the mood, and some of them even support voice assistants. Here are some smart lights if you are looking to set the tone right in your room.

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Popular Budget Fitness Trackers to Check Out

Fitness trackers, or smart bands, may not be as flashy as smartwatches but they fulfill the basic activity tracking. Here are some budget options for you.

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Popular Multi-Function Ink Tank and Inkjet Printers to Check Out

Multi-function printers enable users to print, scan, and copy their documents. If you are looking for one, here are a few popular multi-function ink tank and inkjet printers.

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Instagram Content of Kim Kardashian, Other Celebrities Linked to Negative Feelings, Shows Facebook Research

Instagram of celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber, and Charli D'Amelio may cause their followers to experience more negative feelings about their self-image, according to internal Facebook research reported by the Wall Street Journal.

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Facebook Research Shows Company Knew of Instagram Harm to Teens, Say US Senators

Facebook at a US senate hearing on Thursday was accused of concealing the negative findings about Instagram and demanded a commitment from the company to make changes.

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Zoom, Five9 to Terminate Nearly $15 Billion Deal After Shareholder Vote

Zoom’s acquisition of Five9 in a $14.7 billion deal was called off after Five9 shareholders voted it down in a major blow to Zoom's plan to expand its offerings following its pandemic boom.

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FIFA 22 Review: More Arcade Than Ever

FIFA 22 review: the PC, PS4 and Xbox One version of EA Sports’ new football game is all over the place, somehow both more arcade-ish and more lifelike than before. FIFA 22 released October 1 on PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series S/X.

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Netflix India October 2021 Releases: The Office, Little Things Season 4, and More

The Office (US), Little Things season 4, Sivaji, Army of Thieves, Locke & Key season 2, Call My Agent: Bollywood, Seinfeld, The Guilty, Maya and the Three, The Conjuring, Fight Club, Forrest Gump, Mr. & Mrs. Smith, The Twilight Saga — the biggest movie and TV show releases on Netflix India in October 2021.

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Motorola Edge 20 Pro to Launch in India Today: Expected Price, Specifications

Motorola Edge 20 Pro will launch in India today at 12pm IST (noon). The flagship smartphone from Motorola will sport a 144Hz refresh rate 10-bit AMOLED display with HDR10+ support. It will be powered by a Snapdragon 870 SoC paired with 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB of UFS 3.1 storage. Its triple rear camera setup will be headlined by a 108-megapixel primary sensor.

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Nintendo denies rumours of Switch Pro

Nintendo recently unveiled a new version of its popular Switch console called the Switch OLED. The new version offered an OLED display with thinner bezels, larger internal storage and more. However, there were initial reports that the Japanese company was planning to launch an even more powerful version of its console with support for 4K gaming. With the launch of the Switch OLED, it looks like those rumours were nothing more than that. Or was it?

A report by Bloomberg seems to suggest that the ‘Switch Pro’ may have existed, at least for a time. The publication claims that 11 game companies were in possession of Nintendo’s 4K development kit for the Switch. It further adds that these companies were from all around the globe and ranged from large publishers to small studios. The report calls out Zynga Inc. as being one of the companies.

Nintendo refutes rumours

However, since the story has been published, both Zynga and Nintendo have tried to squash the rumours. Zynga spokesperson, Sarah Ross, stated, “to clarify, Zynga does not have a 4K developer kit from Nintendo.”

Bloomberg also claims to have reached out to Nintendo with a list of questions. The Japanese company responded by stating that Bloomberg’s reporting is “inaccurate,” but declined to specify which parts of the information it was referring to.

Nintendo has also posted a tweet refuting the rumours. The company notes that the “report is not true”. It further added that it has “no plans” to launch a new model other than the Nintendo Switch OLED.

 

A news report on Sept. 30, 2021(JST) falsely claims that Nintendo is supplying tools to drive game development for a Nintendo Switch with 4K support. To ensure correct understanding among our investors and customers, we want to clarify that this report is not true. (1/2)

— 任天堂株式会社（企業広報・IR） (@NintendoCoLtd) September 30, 2021

 

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Samsung Galaxy A33 to Launch in 2022 Along With Galaxy A13, Galaxy A53, Galaxy A73: Report

Samsung Galaxy A33 is reportedly in the process of development. It is said to launch sometime in 2022 along with Galaxy A13, Galaxy A53, and Galaxy A73 smartphones. Not much information is available about the Galaxy A33.

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‘Not Possible to Destroy Cryptocurrencies’: Elon Musk Says Governments Can Only Crunch Crypto Growth Rate

Elon Musk believes that governments that have reservations against regulating cryptocurrencies can simply “do nothing” and perhaps, slow down crypto expansion.

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Realme Techlife Handheld Vacuum Cleaner, Robot Vacuum-Mop, Air Purifier Launched in India: Price, Specifications, Features

Realme has launched three new products under its Techlife banner — Handheld Vacuum Cleaner, Robot Vacuum Cleaner, and Air Purifier. The new products bring Realme into the rapidly growing IoT and home technology space.

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Lenovo IdeaPad 3i, IdeaPad Flex 3i Chromebooks With Up to 10 Hours Battery Life Launched in India

Lenovo has launched two new Chromebooks in its IdeaPad series — IdeaPad 3i and IdeaPad Flex 3i. The former comes in two display sizes — 11.6-inch and 14-inch —while the latter sports an 11.6-inch display. The IdeaPad 3i Chromebooks are powered by an Intel Celeron N4020 processor and the IdeaPad Flex 3i Chromebook packs an Intel Celeron N4500 processor. Both lapt...

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Elon Musk Advises Jeff Bezos to Spend Energy on Reaching Orbit Than Filing Lawsuits as Space Rivalry Heats Up

Elon Musk in a recent interview took a fresh dig at Jeff Bezos saying that he should focus on reaching the orbit rather than filing lawsuits. Musk's comments were about Bezos' Blue Origin filing a case to block SpaceX's NASA moon lander contract.

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iOS 15 Bugs Deleting Photos, Freezing Mail App, More; Siri Removes Voice Commands That Help Visually Challenged Users

iOS 15 is found to have introduced a series of bugs for some users. Several users have found that after updating to iOS 15, the photos they download from the Messages app delete once they remove the thread carrying them. There are also bugs that are making the Camera app non-functional, freezing apps including the Mail, and impacting touch responsiveness for some user...

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Poco C31 With MediaTek Helio G35 SoC, 5,000mAh Battery Launched in India: Price, Specifications

Poco C31 smartphone has launched in the Indian market. The phone is powered by the MediaTek Helio G35 SoC and the budgeted handset will go on sale during the 2021 edition of the Big Billion Days sale that starts on October 3.

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Samsung Galaxy S22+ Renders and Specifications Leaked, Galaxy S22 Battery Capacity Tipped

Samsung Galaxy S22+ renders have leaked online. It is tipped to feature a triple rear camera setup and a hole-punch display. The phone is expected to measure 157.4x75.8x7.6mm.

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Sony WH-XB910N Wireless Headphones With ANC, Sony WF-C500 Earbuds Launched: Price, Features

Sony WH-XB910N wireless headphones and WF-C500 true wireless stereo (TWS) earphones have been launched in the UK. Sony WH-XB910N are the company’s new mid-tier headphones with active noise cancellation and extra bass, carrying a price tag of EUR 180 (roughly Rs. 15,500). Both products support the Swift Pair and Android Fast Pair features.

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Amazon Great Indian Festival 2021 Sale: How to Find Best Deals, What to Expect

Amazon Great Indian Festival 2021 sale begins on October 2 for Prime members and on October 3 for everyone else. We've put together a simple guide to help you prepare for Amazon's biggest sale of the year.

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Bitcoin, Ether Prices Surge as Popular Cryptocurrencies Record Gains After Two Days of Slump

Bitcoin, Ether, other cryptocurrencies have registered growth after two days of dips. As per industry experts, most of the top 30 cryptocurrencies registered growth on Thursday, September 30.

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Google Meet Live Translation Feature Goes Live in Beta for Select Paid Tiers

Google Live Translation feature that converts live speech into captions has rolled out in beta for select Google Workspace paid plans.

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Lenovo Yoga 13s 2021 Ryzen Edition Windows 11 Laptop With Dolby Atmos Speakers Launched

Lenovo Yoga 13s 2021 Ryzen Edition was launched in China on September 28. The laptop runs Windows 11 and is powered by an AMD Ryzen 5 5600U chipset paired with 16GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 512GB of NVMe SSD. It packs a 50Whr battery with 65W USB Power Delivery (PD) fast charging support.

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iPhone 13 Pro Max May Offer Up to 27W Charging Speeds, Fully Charges in Under 90 Minutes: New Tests Indicate

YouTuber ChargerLAB has carried out tests on the iPhone 13 Pro Max to ascertain the charging speeds. The phone is able to charge at up to 27W speeds and is said to fully charge from 0 to 100 percent in less than 90 minutes.

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Ethereum Researcher and Cryptocurrency Promoter Pleads Guilty to Advising North Korea Evade Sanctions

Cryptocurrency promotor Virgil Griffith, who also worked with Ethereum, has pleaded guilty to advising North Korea on using virtual money to avoid international controls, a New York court has said.

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Facebook to Highlight Its Positive Research on Instagram and Teens Following Criticism

Facebook plans to highlight during a US Senate hearing what it argues were more positive impacts of Instagram after criticism over internal data showed the app affected mental health of teenagers.

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The Book of Boba Fett Release Date Set for December 29 on Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar

The Book of Boba Fett — the next Star Wars live-action series — will premiere December 29 on Disney+ and Disney+ Hotstar in English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. The Book of Boba Fett reportedly has eight episodes, and acts as The Mandalorian season 2.5.

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BMW-Owned Rolls-Royce Says Will Switch to All-Electric Range by 2030

Rolls-Royce announced Wednesday that it will produce only electric cars by 2030, joining other premium brands making the switch such as Volkswagen's Bentley and Jaguar's Land Rover.

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YouTube Goes Beyond COVID-19 Misinformation to Block All Anti-Vaccine Content

YouTube said on Wednesday that it will block all anti-vaccine content moving beyond just removing misinformation related to COVID-19.

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Dune, Shiddat, Rashmi Rocket, and More: October Guide to Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, and Prime Video

Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Shiddat, Dune, Little Things 4, Rashmi Rocket, Sardar Udham, Army of Thieves, Dybbuk, The Guilty, Succession season 3, Invasion TV series, Maya and the Three, Insecure season 5 — the biggest movies and TV shows in October 2021 on Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Zee5, HBO Max, Voot Select, and the cinemas.

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FIFA 22, Far Cry 6, Guardians of the Galaxy, and More: October Games on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X

FIFA 22, Far Cry 6, Age of Empires IV, Guardians of the Galaxy, Back 4 Blood, and more games are set to hit the shelves in October 2021. Here are some of the most exciting games set to release on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC, and Nintendo Switch.

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Poco C31 to Launch in India Today: Livestream Details, Expected Specifications

Poco C31 will be launching in India today at 12pm IST (noon), as per the microsite on Poco's website. The smartphone will be powered by a MediaTek Helio G35 SoC that is paired with 4GB of RAM. Additionally, it will get a fingerprint scanner and a face unlock feature. Apart from this, no information is available on the specifications of the smartphone.

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Netflix acquires Night School Studio, creators of Oxenfree

Netflix is arguably the dominant force when it comes to online video streaming, but it looks like the company wants to do so much more. While the service already produces movies under its own banner, it looks like video games will be the next step for the company. Netflix has now purchased the video game studio, Night School Studio,  in a bid to push into the video game market.

Netflix buys Night School Studio

Night School Studio is best known for Oxenfree, a supernatural mystery graphic adventure game launched in 2016. The developer is currently working on Oxenfree II and notes that the acquisition has not yet changed those plans. 

In a post on it’s official blog, Sean Krankel, Founder of Night School Studio noted, “Of course, it’s a surreal honor to be the first games studio to join Netflix! Not only do we get to keep doing what we do, how we like to do it, but we get a front-row seat on the biggest entertainment platform in the world. The Netflix team has shown the utmost care for protecting our studio culture and creative vision. We’ll keep making OXENFREE II. We’ll keep cooking up new game worlds.”

It’s not yet known which games one can expect from Netflix in the future, but it could be titles based on it’s own shows and movies. Games based on Stranger Things has already been and there is no dearth of content when it comes to choosing a Netflix title to turn into a game. 

“Night School wants to stretch our narrative and design aspirations across distinctive, original games with heart. Netflix gives film, TV, and now game makers an unprecedented canvas to create and deliver excellent entertainment to millions of people. Our explorations in narrative gameplay and Netflix’s track record of supporting diverse storytellers was such a natural pairing. It felt like both teams came to this conclusion instinctively,” Krankel writes.

In a post on Netflix’s own website, Mike Verdu, VP, Game Development notes that the games will be a part of the user’s Netflix membership. Further, these games will feature no advertisements, nor in-app purchases.

Also read: Best sci-fi shows on Netflix right now!

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Xiaomi Beard Trimmer 2 With USB Type-C Port Launched, Mi Power Bank Hypersonic Open Sale Announced

Xiaomi Beard Trimmer 2 has been launched in India and the Mi Power Bank Hypersonic is now available in open sale. The Xiaomi Beard Trimmer 2 has an IPX7 rating for water resistance, LED battery display, 40 length settings with 0.5mm precision, travel lock, and more. The Mi Power Bank Hypersonic comes with a 20,000mAh capacity and 50W fast charging support. It can also...

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Samsung Galaxy S21 Series October Update Brings Digital Car Key Support to Phones in South Korea: Report

Samsung Galaxy S21 series devices are receiving an update in Germany, India, the Philippines, and South Korea. The update reportedly brings digital key support for Galaxy S21+ and Galaxy S21 Ultra devices in South Korea and general bug fixes and improvements for other regions.

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NASA's Hubble Space Telescope Data Suggests Increased Wind Speed in Jupiter's Great Red Spot

Data gathered by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope suggests an increase in the wind speed in Jupiter's Great Red Spot.

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Flipkart Curtain Raiser Deals Sale Goes Live Ahead of Big Billion Days: Price Cut on iPhone SE (2020), More

Google Pixel 4a, iPhone SE (2020) and the Poco X3 Pro phones are listed on Flipkart with discounted rates. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S7+ Wi-Fi only model is up for grabs for just Rs. 54,999. Flipkart has listed deals ahead of the Big Billion Days sale.

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Amazon Echo Show 15 With Wall-Mounted Design Launched, Amazon Glow Arrives for Kids

Amazon Echo Show 15 and Amazon Glow were launched at Amazon’s Devices and Services event on Tuesday. While the Echo Show 15 is the biggest model in the Echo Show series and is designed to offer a digital frame-like experience along with advanced features coming from Alexa, the Amazon Glow is a new device that is designed specifically for kids.

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Leading Bitcoin Machine Manufacturer to Halt Sales in China Operations Following Crypto Crackdown: Report

Other players in the cryptocurrency arena are also pulling away from China following its blanket ban on crypto trading.

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US Sports Commentator Joe Rogan Says He Doesn't Understand the Concept of NFTs

US sports commentator and social media personality Joe Rogan says that he doesn't understand the concept of NFTs and was not interested in investing, calling it a 'weird hustle'.

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Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE With 33W Fast Charging, Snapdragon 778G SoC Launched in India: Price, Specifications

Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE has launched in the Indian market after debuting globally in mid-September. The phone comes with specifications like a Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G SoC and a triple rear camera setup.

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OnePlus Buds Z2 TWS Earphones Specifications Surface Online, Tipped to Get Active Noise Cancellation, Dolby Atmos

OnePlus Buds Z2 TWS earphones launch seems imminent as some of its key specifications have surfaced online. As per a tipster, the OnePlus TWS earphones will come with active noise cancellation (ANC), Dolby Atmos, Bluetooth v5.2, and IP55 rating. The OnePlus Buds Z2 TWS earphones are said to come in Black and White colour options and have a total playback time of up to...

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CNN Quits Facebook in Australia Citing Defamation Risk from Public Comments on Posts

CNN has announced that it has stopped posting articles on Australian Facebook pages, citing a court ruling that says publishers are liable for defamation in public comments. The news organisation said Facebook refused to help it disable comments in posts.

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Samsung Galaxy F42 5G With Triple Rear Cameras, 90Hz Display Launched in India: Price, Specifications

Samsung Galaxy F42 5G with a triple rear camera setup and a 90Hz display was launched in India on Wednesday. The new Samsung phone is also powered by an octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC. It will be available through Flipkart and other retail channels starting Sunday, October 3.

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Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt Says AI 'Watershed' Moment for Technology But Not Necessarily Good

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt said in an Interview that AI could be misused to spread misinformation at a much faster rate in the near future. His book The Age of AI is coming out in November.

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YouTube Deletes Russian State-Backed RT's German Language Channels Over COVID-19 Misinformation

YouTube has deleted Russian state-backed broadcaster RT's German language channels, saying it had breached its COVID-19 misinformation policy.

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Amazon Halo View Fitness Tracker With AMOLED Colour Display, 7-Day Battery Life Launched to Rival Fitbit

Amazon Halo View fitness band has been launched in the US. It comes with an AMOLED display, Bluetooth connectivity, an optical heart rate sensor, and a swim-proof design. The wearable is available in Active Black, Lavender Dream, and Sage Green colour options.

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Xiaomi Civi Limited to China and Won't Launch in Global Markets, Company Reveals

Xiaomi Civi was launched in China and the company has confirmed that it ‘remains a Mainland China-only device.’ This means that the phone may not be introduced in global market. It could be possible that the phone may arrive in other markets as a rebranded model.

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Microsoft to Allow Epic Games, Amazon Storefronts on Its App Store

Microsoft has announced that it will allow Epic Games, Amazon, and other third-party developers to integrate their app stores into the technology giant's marketplace.

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Bitcoin, Ether, Other Cryptocurrencies Fall as China’s Crypto Ban Shakes Market

Dogecoin, Cardano among other cryptocurrencies dip. Only a few cryptocurrencies rose in value.

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Google Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro Price, Colour Options Surface Online; Launch Date Tipped Again

Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro's launch seems to be around the corner as its price, colour options, and launch date have surfaced online. As per Youtuber M. Brandon Lee's sources, the Pixel 6 will be priced at EUR 649 (roughly Rs. 56,200) and the Pixel 6 Pro will retail for EUR 899 (roughly Rs. 77,900). The source has also told Lee that the vanilla Pixel 6 will be off...

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Netflix Acquires Night School Studio That Created Oxenfree, Rolls Out New Mobile Games

Netflix has acquired Night School Studio behind creating the game Oxenfree. The streaming giant has also rolled out new mobile games in select European markets.

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Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE to Launch in India Today: How to Watch Livestream, Expected Price and Specifications

Xiaomi 11 Lite 5G NE will launch in India today at 12pm (noon). The company is livestreaming the event and Xiaomi will reveal the price and availability details. Alongside the smartphone, the Xiaomi Beard Trimmer 2 is also going to be launched.

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Amazon Astro Robot With Rotating Screen Mounted on Wheels, Alexa Support Launched

Amazon has launched Astro, an Alexa-powered robot that comes with a rotating screen mounted on wheels. The robot is designed to take up tasks such as home monitoring, setting up routines and reminders, and can play music and TV shows while rolling around the house.

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Garena Free Fire Max now available for download, but you still cant play it

Garena's new game, Free Fire Max is now finally available to download. To recall, the game was announced a little while back and promised to bring a bunch of new additions to the game, The game was up for pre-registration for a while and now players can finally download it. The game’s file size on Android is 0.96GB.

Unfortunately, it seems like players will still have to wait a bit before they can play. When we tried to play the game, we were greeted with a message that says, “Limited test has ended. See you in the next test.” So most likely only a few lucky players were able to experience the game during that time. 

It is not yet known when Garena will hold the next test for Free Fire Max, or even when the game will be available to play for all. Those who managed to pre-register for the game will receive in-game items such as the Cyber Max Loot Box which will include some unique in-game items like the Cyber Max Skyboard, Max Raychaser Bundle, and the Cybermax Loot Box.

Garena Free Fire Max: Details

According to the game’s listing on the Google Play Store, the gameplay of Garena Free Fire Max will be pretty much the same as the standard version of Free Fire. As such, it will still offer 50-player battle royale matches. It is also expected to give players the chance to create their own maps via the Craftland feature

Garena will also be implementing its Firelink technology in Free Fire Max. This will allow Garena Free Fire players to transfer their progress and items across to Free Fire Max and these are maintained across both games. Players will be able to play all game modes with both Free Fire and Fire Fire Max together. 

Also Read: Beginner's Guide to Garena Free Fire

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Jio Introduces Cashback on Prepaid Plans Starting Rs. 249: All You Need to Know

Jio has introduced new 20 percent cashback on three prepaid plans. This includes the Rs. 249, Rs. 555, and Rs. 599 prepaid plans. The 20 percent cashback will be credited to the user’s account and this cashback can be used in future recharges.

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Google TV Remote With Better Interface Launched to Replace Android TV Remote App: Reports

Google is reportedly removing the Android TV remote app from the Google Play store following the arrival of the Google TV app remote. The Android TV remote app is visible in the Google Play store only for those users who had previously downloaded it. The Google TV remote app was announced on September 23.

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Bitcoin, Ether Among Other Cryptocurrencies Witness Price Dips, Analysts Hopeful for Positive Week

Most major cryptocurrencies – Bitcoin, Ether, Ripple, Cardano, and Litecoin dipped in exchange values. Tether and Moreno recorded minor growth.

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Ford, SK to Invest $11.4 Billion to Add Electric F-150 Plant, Three Battery Factories

Ford and its South Korean battery partner SK Innovation will invest $11.4 billion (roughly Rs. 84,090 crores) to build an electric F-150 assembly plant and three battery plants in the US, accelerating the automaker's push into electric vehicles.

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Cryptocurrencies Register Sixth Straight Week of Inflows, Led by Bitcoin: Data

Cryptocurrency investment products and funds posted inflows for a sixth consecutive week, as investors viewed recent regulatory challenges in the sector as buying opportunities, data from digital asset manager CoinShares showed.

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Nokia T20 Tablet Teased by Company, Launch Set for October 6

Nokia brand licensee HMD Global will launch a new tablet on October 6. Ahead of the launch, the company teased an image of the tablet, offering a glimpse at its design. Based on past leaks, the tablet is expected to be called Nokia T20 and will pack a 10.36-inch display alongside 4GB RAM and 64GB storage.

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Chile's Central Bank to Decide on Rollout of Digital Currency in 2022

Chile's central bank will decide in early 2022 on a strategy for the potential rollout of its own digital currency, the bank's president said on Monday, as policymakers worldwide seek to keep pace with fast-spreading cryptocurrencies.

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Next James Bond Actor? Search Will Begin in 2022 for Daniel Craig Replacement, Say Producers

Who will be the next James Bond actor? Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson will only start the search in 2022. Daniel Craig’s fifth and final film, No Time to Die, releases September 30 in India and the UK.

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Australia Takes on Google's Online Advertising Dominance, Calls for Data Shakeout

Australia's antitrust watchdog said it wants the power to curb Google's use of Internet data to sell targeted ads, saying the Big Tech firm dominated the market to the point of harming publishers, advertisers, and consumers.

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TikTok Hits 1 Billion Monthly Active Users Globally, Company Says Brazil, Europe, US Biggest Markets

TikTok hit 1 billion monthly active users globally this summer, the company said, marking a 45 percent jump since July 2020.

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Samsung Galaxy F42 5G Price in India Tipped Ahead of Launch

Samsung Galaxy F42 5G is tipped to be priced in India starting at Rs. 20,999 for the base 6GB RAM + 128GB storage option and Rs. 22,999 for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage model. Samsung Galaxy F42 5G will be available via Flipkart and Samsung.com.

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Facebook to Invest $50 Million to Build the 'Metaverse' in Responsible Manner

Facebook will invest $50 million (roughly Rs. 370 crores) to partner with organisations to responsibly build the so-called metaverse — a digital world where people can use different devices to move and communicate in a virtual environment.

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Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella Says Failed TikTok Deal 'Strangest Thing I've Worked On'

Microsoft's near-acquisition of TikTok last year was the "strangest thing I've ever worked on," Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella said.

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Activision Blizzard, US Employment Watchdog Reach Agreement in Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Case

Activision Blizzard and the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said they had reached an agreement to settle claims over sexual harassment and discrimination in the company's workplace.

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Google's Confidentiality Request Accepted by CCI, Regulator Denies Allegations of Leaking Report to Media

Google's request to keep confidential some information the company provided during an investigation into its business has been accepted by CCI, though the regulator denied allegations it leaked a report on the probe to the media, a judge said.

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Apple Thinking Different about the iPhone 14: Complete redesign on the cards

While we just saw the release of the iPhone 13, Apple has already begun revealing a few tidbits about its next-generation model, the Apple iPhone 14. Reportedly, the brand is going to completely redesign the product and introduce major changes to the way it thinks of its lineup.

Apple iPhone 14 rumoured variants

According to Bloomberg, Apple will release an entry level and pro model next year as a part of the Iphone 14 series. Additionally, there will not be a mini model launched mid-year. While many users were disappointed with the iPhone 13, believing it to be an upgrade of the S series, Bloomberg’s reporters believe that the modest upgrade will prove to be justified as the brand’s engineers are working on something bigger behind the scenes. Also, instead of launching a mini model, Apple will stick with an entry-level model, two pros and one ‘Max’ model, with the last being a new model variant that will come into play with the iPhone 14 series. 

Now, whether this is just clever marketing to make sure consumers don’t bemoan the iPhone 13, or there’s something truly revolutionary on the way is something only time will tell. 

Other reports regarding the Iphone 14

Reliable Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has also hinted that there may be a major redesign as far as the Apple iPhone 14 goes. For starters, he believes that Apple will do away with the notch camera, and introduce a hole-punch camera on the front. This won’t be the first time Apple has picked up an Android feature and called it ‘new’. 

Kuo’s reports also state that we might see a foldable iPhone by 2024 (by which time Samsung would have tried and tested a few foldable phone variants enough times for Apple to *borrow* the idea), along with a smartphone with an under-display touch ID screen in 2023. 

Also Read: EU proposes new mandatory Type-C port law on electronic device, Apple likely most affected

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Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission: Health ID feature and more have just been launched

The Prime Minister’s office launched the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission via videoconferencing, stating that this is a “new and extraordinary phase that the country is entering today.” As the largest health initiative in India, the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is aimed at benefiting the low-income and middle class sections of society primarily, along with all other citizens in India. 

What is the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission?

The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is a healthcare initiative that was announced last year on Independence day, and deployed in six union territories as a pilot run. The mission includes ensuring the availability of a health identity card for every citizen, a healthcare professionals registry, and healthcare facilities registries. The idea is to dispel challenges within the healthcare system to enable all citizens to access the medical facilities they need. 

How will Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission change India

PM Modi praised the scheme, saying that it enabled the country to hit the 900 million vaccination mark, a feat that most developed nations have not yet achieved. He also said that the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission will revolutionise the field of medicine and healthcare in INdia. It will bring all stakeholders in the field of health on a single platform and also help a patient connect with a doctor who speaks the same language,” he said. 

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission to help with tourism?

He also talked about how better health and tourism are connected. “Today is World Tourism Day as well. You must be wondering what is the connection between health and tourism. But there is. Tell me, will tourists like to visit a place which does not have emergency health services?” he asked. This indicated that he sees this not just as a health initiative, but also as an economic one that should help boost the economy. 

Also Read: Intel Accelerated - 10nm to 18A, RibbonFET, PowerVia and more

 

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Netflix looks to gain a stronger foothold in the Indian market with these shows

Netflix, though often credited with being one of the OG OTT platforms, has struggled to find its footing in India since its launch. This isn’t surprising - the platform’s cheapest monthly subscription fee equals almost half the entire fee charged by other OTT platforms like Amazon Prime and Disney+ Hotstar. In a market filled with cost-conscious consumers, this approach just doesn’t work. 

Now, one may argue that Netflix is a more premium product when compared to its more affordable counterparts, however, this isn’t true either. As far as its content repository goes, Netflix has only managed to produce a single web series that became a pop cultural phenomenon (Sacred Games, season 1). Compare this with a formidable list produced by other OTTs including stellar shows like Pataal Lok, Asur, Special Ops, Family Man, Panchayat, and others, and Netflix certainly falls short in terms of both, the volume of its regional content offerings, and the quality. 

Hopefully, this won’t be the case for long as Netflix has, through TUDUM, announced a spate of new shows that will hit its digital screen over the coming months. Here’s a quick look at 5 of its Indian offerings that certainly merit a watch:

Kota Factory Season 2

Acquiring TVF’s Kota Factory Season 2 is probably the smartest thing Netflix India has done this year, considering that TVF’s content offers both quality and reach. Kota Factory season 1 episode 1, Inventory, currently stands at 45,437,004 views on Youtube and the show was single handedly responsible for giving rise to the whole Jeetu Bhaiya phenomenon (Jitendra, a TVF familiar, had already amassed a significant fan following prior to the show, however, it is this show that really elevated the way audiences see him and, by extension, the character Jeetu).

Aranyak

Netflix India recently released a teaser (and it was refreshing to see a teaser that didn’t give away the entire story of the show/movie its highlighting) for Aranyak. Seeing the likes of Ashutosh Rana and Raveena Tandon, industry veterans who have been seemingly discarded by Bollywood for younger, less talented actors, definitely inspired intrigue. One hopes that this show will be able to hold its own and emerge in the same category as other brilliant shows like Pataal Lok.

Masaba Masaba Season 2

Masaba Masaba season 1 was a lighthearted and fun watch that didn’t try to glorify the designer. Instead, it showed her as a flawed woman with a bunch of issues that needed resolving, and even cast a light on Masaba Gupta’s acting abilities - again, definitely at a level higher than most Bollywood actresses of today. With that in mind, season 2 of Masaba Masaba should be a wonderful addition to Netflix India’s roster, as long as they don’t get carried away trying to strike that relatable vibe the first season had. 

Finding Anamika

Finding Anamika sees Madhuri Dixit Nene return to the screen after years as she plays an actress who has disappeared suddenly. The show peels away the carefully crafted identity of the actress to take a look at what lies beneath. This is a Dharmatic Entertainment project and, if nothing else, we can definitely expect great visuals from this one.

Jamtara Season 2

Video Source: Netflix India

One heard great things about Jamtara season 1, however, due to Netflix’s high pricing and comparatively fewer audience numbers, the show never truly got the recognition it should have. With Jamtara Season 2, we hope that it will manage to reach a large audience.

Also Read: Netflix finally rolls out its Spatial Audio feature for the iPad and iPhone

 

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Bitcoin Wallet wakes up after 9 Years to show how its value went from Rs 6 Lakhs to Rs 216 Crores

It was the year of 2012, when bitcoin was still growing, that a bitcoin wallet saw its rise. It received 616 bitcoins on December 10, 2012. At that time, each bitcoin was valued at around $ 13.30 that is roughly Rs 980 thus taking the value of the 616 bitcoins in that account to $ 8,195, roughly Rs 6 Lakhs, back then.

Since then, the account is almost dormant and has made negligible transactions for almost 9 years, until now. But, this wallet moved the bitcoins to another account on September 19 this year. With the current value of bitcoin, the transaction was valued at USD 29.40 million, around Rs 216 Crores. The account made a whopping profit of 358,655 percent!

This phenomenal growth in the value of bitcoin, made this account a Whale. According to a report by blockchain.com, after this transaction the account has a value of $ 25 only. 

In 2012, Bitcoin was a very new idea and not many knew about it nor trusted it. Gradually, with time, people figured out how it all worked and thus its value increased. Early investors who took the risk by accumulating bitcoins, are now sitting on the top of a goldmine and have questionable control over the market. It also shows us that long term investments pay for those who remain patient in this industry, despite its highly volatile nature. 

Whopping Profit by Bitcoin Whales, not for the first time !

This incident is not one of its kind. There are many other incidents in which such whale accounts have made such a huge profit. A twitter account named Whale Alert, tracks such transactions by whale accounts and reports it out on twitter. 

In July this year, another account woke up after 9 years with 791 bitcoins worth Rs 250 Crore. 

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Samsung Galaxy M52 5G With Snapdragon 778G SoC to Launch in India Today: Here's What to Expect

Samsung Galaxy M52 5G will be launching in India today at 12pm IST (noon), as per microsites available on Samsung's website and Amazon. The smartphone is confirmed to come with a Snapdragon 778G SoC, a 120Hz refresh rate full-HD+ Super AMOLED plus display, 7.44mm thickness, and 11 5G bands. The smartphone was silently launched in Poland on September 25, revealing many...

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Samsung Galaxy M52 5G launched in Poland, will launch India on Sept 28

Samsung has quietly launched a new smartphone in Poland. Called the Samsung Galaxy M52 5G, the new phone is the third 5G smartphone in the Galaxy M Series after the Galaxy M32 5G and the Galaxy M42 5G. Samsung is scheduled to launch the smartphone in India on September 28.

Samsung Galaxy M52 5G: India launch

 The Samsung Galaxy M52 5G is scheduled to launch in India on September 28, at 12:00pm. The microsite for the phone went live on Amazon, which also notes that the phone will go on sale from October 2 onwards. The official price of the phone in India is not yet known. The phone will be available on Amazon, Samsung’s own website and select retail outlets. 

Samsung Galaxy M52 5G: Specifications

According to the listing on Samsung’s Polish website, the Galaxy M52 5G should offer a large 6.7-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The listing suggests that the phone is powered by an unspecified octa-core processor with 6GB RAM. It is also tipped to offer 128GB of onboard storage and packs a 5000mAh battery.

The Samsung Galaxy M52 5G’s listing also notes that the phone features a triple rear camera setup with a 64MP+12MP+5MP configuration. At the front is a single 32MP unit that is housed inside a punch-hole. 

The Samsung Galaxy M52 5G supports 11 5G bands, which should ensure that the phone works when 5G services are finally available commercially in India. It also comes with Samsung’s Knox for added security as well as Alt Z allowing users to switch between public and private profiles.  

Also read: Exclusive: Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra renders with S Pen and quad camera break cover

 

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Oppo Watch Free marks the companys step forward in the wearables market

The smartwatch market is a huge one that’s poised to grow further, so it’s no surprise that more brands want to enter it. Oppo has launched its latest wearable the Oppo Watch Free, which made its debut in China this Saturday and will be available for purchase in India on September 30. It is rumoured to be priced at around Rs. 6,200. 

What are the Oppo Watch Free Specifications?

The Oppo Watch Free has a 1.64-inch AMOLED touchscreen with 280x456 pixels resolution and 2.5D curved glass. This smartwatch comes with a 230mAh battery claimed to offer 14 days of battery life in the light battery life mode. It is also claimed to take only 75 minutes to charge fully. 

The Oppo Watch Free has more than 100 sports modes including cricket, kayaking, volleyball, rowing, swimming, badminton, skiing, and more. Additionally, it automatically tracks your performance across four sports: walking, running, using the rowing machine, and using the elliptical machine. It also has an  e-sports mode that ensures your smartphone’s notifications reach your wearable while you’re gaming (currently, the feature is only available on the Oppo Find X series and Oppo Reno 6 series smartphones).The Oppo Watch Free has a myriad of health features like heart rate monitoring, monitoring your oxygen levels, sleep monitoring, daily activity, and sedentary reminders, and snoring monitoring. The smartwatch is also equipped with a Xiaobu voice assistant.

You can choose from over a 100 watch faces, and even create customised ones that go with your outfit by uploading an image of what you’re wearing. The straps of this smartwatch are made of silicone .It comes with Bluetooth BLE v5 and is compatible with any smartphone that runs at least Android 6.0 or iOS 10.0.

Also Read: Oppo ColorOS 12 based on Android 12 unveiled; list of supported Oppo, OnePlus devices revealed

 

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Poco C Series could launch in India on September 30, Poco C4 reveal speculated [Updated]

Update: Poco has announced the launch of the Poco C31 on Twitter. You can check out the official tweet below

It's strong. It's secure. It's fast. It's the #POCOC31! Get ready for a #LifeTested experience, on September 30! pic.twitter.com/vRnwNr346h

— POCO India (@IndiaPOCO) September 26, 2021

Poco recently teased the launch of its newest offering in the Poco C series, with the model expected to launch on the 30th of September, at noon. It is believed that this will be the Poco C4 which is the successor to the Poco C3, which was launched last year. The smartphone was Poco’s most affordable model and was also believed to be a spin-off of the Redmi 9C thanks to its triple rear camera and a water drop notch display.

Poco shared an image on its official Twitter account, along with the caption “C U Soon”, which is what led to the speculations of the Poco C4 being launched. 

What are the Poco C3 specifications?

The Poco C3 was received well by Indian audiences as it offered decent specifications at an affordable price point. It sold over a million units in January, with the number touching 2 million in February this year. 

The Poco C3 has a 6.53-inch HD+ (720x1,600 pixels) display with a 20:9 aspect ratio. The phone has a  triple rear camera setup with a 13-megapixel primary sensor at the helm, and a 5-megapixel selfie camera sensor. It runs on an octa-core MediaTek Helio G35 SoC processor, coupled with up to 4GB of RAM. It packs a 5,000mAh battery with 10W charging and carries a Micro-USB port. You can expand the 32GB/ 64GB storage up to 512GB using an SD card. 

Poco C3 Price

The Poco C3 is priced at Rs. 7,349 for the 3GB + 32GB model, and Rs. 8,349 for the 4GB + 64Gb model. These prices may go down during the upcoming Flipkart Big Billion Days coming up in October.

Will the new Poco C4 be worth a purchase? Stay tuned for our official review on the same. 

Also Read: Interview: Anuj Sharma from POCO India reveals the secret behind the brand’s incredible growth story

 

 

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MarQ M3 Smart With 5,000mAh Battery, Dual Rear Cameras Launched in India: Price, Specifications

MarQ by Flipkart has launched its first smartphone in the Indian market – the MarQ M3 Smart. The smartphone has a dual rear camera setup with a 13-megapixel main sensor. It features a waterdrop-style notch display and will go on sale during Flipkart’s Big Billion Days sale.

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Xiaomi Civi With 120Hz OLED Display, Snapdragon 778G SoC Launched: Price, Specifications

Xiaomi Civi has just been launched in China. The latest smartphone from Xiaomi features a 6.55-inch full-HD+ OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a 240Hz touch sampling rate, and a peak brightness of 950 nits. It is powered by a Snapdragon 778G SoC, paired with up to 12GB of RAM and up to 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage.

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Zoom Update Adds Option to Stop Incoming Video in Meetings: How to Use

Zoom is bringing a new ‘stop incoming video’ feature that allows a user to block other people's video feeds in a meeting or webinar. Apart from that, Zoom has introduced rich text formatting in chat along with many security enhancements.

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Over 2 Million Salvadorans Using Government’s Crypto Wallet Chivo, Says President Nayib Bukele

El Salvador’s government-backed crypto wallet Chivo was launched in June this year. President Nayib Bukele believes its rapid success indicates the growth of crypto-space in his country of over 6.5 million citizens.

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Intel Accelerated - 10nm to 18A, RibbonFET, PowerVia and more

Intel’s plans to regain process leadership got a shot in the arm when their new CEO, Pat Gelsinger stepped in and laid down several measures to be implemented. A good chunk of these was unveiled at the Intel Accelerated Event held in July this year. We got to see the roadmap that Intel has laid down for itself to achieve the smallest process node in 2025. The roadmap outlines a very aggressive strategy with rapid jumps from one node to the next one while leveraging some of their existing technologies while also incorporating newer ones. And not only will Intel reap the benefits of the improvements to their process technologies but under their IDM 2.0 strategy, external customers will also get to build their silicon at Intel’s foundries. Let’s take a closer look at Intel’s plans.

Intel Roadmap - Five process nodes in four years

Intel like most of the other silicon manufacturers, such as TSMC and Samsung, has its own naming system. Transistors nodes were named as per the length of the transistor gates in the past but since the transistors have grown smaller, each manufacturer went ahead with their own naming systems. And since there is no industry standard as such, we’re left to simply draw parallels between the process nodes of one manufacturer with that of the other. Intel’s 14nm process was more in line with Samsung and TSMC’s 10nm processes and their newer 10nm Super Fin is close to Samsung and TSMC’s 7nm. At the Intel Accelerated event, Intel went ahead and renamed its existing and upcoming nodes. This includes naming their future nodes using Angstroms instead of Nanometers.

The current node, i.e. 10nm Super Fin (previously considered 10+) will remain as is. However, its successor, the 10nm Enhanced Super Fin (10ESF) will now be referred to as Intel 7. And its 7nm node will be called Intel 4. Similarly, 7+ becomes Intel 3, 5 becomes Intel 20A (A stands for Angstrom). And after 20A comes 18A which is still under development.

From a marketing perspective, this renaming is a huge bonus. Intel’s nodes previously seemed to be catching up even when they had process superiority back in the era of the 22nm and 14nm. This was because the competition process nodes had smaller numbers despite have similar transistor densities. With this new renaming, Intel flips that around and makes it seem like they have process superiority even if the transistor densities would be similar. Here’s a little table to summarise the naming scheme changes.

Old Node Name

New Node Name

Year

Type

10

10

2019

FinFET

10+

10 Super Fin

2020

FinFET

10 Enhanced Super Fin

7

2021

FinFET

7

4

2022

FinFET

7+

3

2023

FinFET

5

20A

2024

Horizontal Nanosheets

5+

18A

2025

Horizontal Nanosheets

 

We can see that there is a new process node being put into production. Some of the products are already known to us. Alder Lake i.e. Intel 12th Gen Core processors will be the first to be built on the new ‘Intel 7’ node and the same will be used in the Sapphire Rapids products coming to the data centre in 2022. ‘Intel 4’ will be used in Meteor Lake and Granite Rapids, and so on. Each new node will bring with it a lot of improvements and it’s easier to summarise them in a point-wise fashion.

Intel 10 SuperFin (10SF)

Currently used for Tiger Lake, Xe-LP (SG1, DG1), Xe-HPC Ponte Vecchio

Intel 7 (Previously 10 Enhanced SuperFin)

10-15% more performance-per-watt over 10SF

Will be seen in 12th Gen Core Alder Lake (2021) and Sapphire Rapids (2022)

Intel 4 

20% more performance-per-watt over ‘Intel 7’

Will see EUV lithography being used

WIll be seen in 13th Gen Core Meteor Lake (2023) and Granite Rapids (2023)

Intel 3

18% more performance-per-watt over ‘Intel 4’

Denser higher-performance library over ‘Intel 4’

Increased use of EUV lithography

Increased intrinsic driver current

Optimised interconnect metal stack

Ready in the latter half of 2023 and used in products in 2024

Intel 20A

Will switch from FinFET to Horizontally Stacked Gate-All-Around Nanosheets (Intel calls these RibbotFETs)

Will introduce a Backside Power Delivery mechanism called PowerVia

Ready in the first half of 2024

Intel 18A

Ready in the first half of 2025

Up until 20A, everything is progressing normally with improvements being made to the way FinFETs are being used in building smaller and denser process nodes. FinFET’s limitations will be realised at that point and the industry as a whole will move towards using Horizontally Stacked Gate-All-Around Nanosheets. 

Intel RibbonFET

Every manufacturer likes to call Horizontally Stacked Gate-All-Around Nanosheets using a different term. The industry knows them as GAAFET or Gate-All-Around-FET but Samsung uses the term Multi-Bridge Channel FET or MBCFET whereas TSMC will continue to stick to FinFETs well into their 3nm process so they haven’t revealed what they would be calling it. Intel will use the term RibbonFET. The technology isn’t new. In fact, the first-ever GAA-FET was demonstrated back in 1986. But making GAA-FET small enough and packing them in a dense structure took more than three decades.

RibbonFET uses Ribbon-shaped channels which are surrounded by the gate on all sides, hence, gate-all-around. This enables much better control and helps archive a higher drive current at all voltages. So transistors can switch faster and that inevitably means that performance gets a bump. The following images might help you better understand where the benefits lie.

On the left, we have a typical FinFET design and on the right, you’ve got GAA-FET. In FinFET, you’ve got the gate interfacing with the channels on three sides whereas, with GAA-FET, even the fourth side makes contact with the gate. This results in the higher level of control that we previously mentioned. 

The benefits of RibbonFET become more apparent as you scale the designs. With FinFETs, you can scale by increasing the number of fins which inadvertently increases the area used by the transistor. Whereas with RibbonFET, you can add stack another ribbon in the same space and get a higher drive current. Essentially, you can get more done in the same space.

So if processors need to grow smaller and silicon manufacturer’s need to keep Moore’s Law alive, then GAA-FET is the way to go.

Intel PowerVia

Another interesting technology being introduced in the Intel 20A process is Intel PowerVia or what the industry calls Backside Power Delivery. Traditional silicon chip manufacturing consists of layers upon layers of metal and other substances. The communication interface and power supply for these chips are given from the same surface. We’ve seen how a delidded processor looks like, it’s just a package slapped onto a substrate. On the inside of these chips, you’ve got all the different layers. When the power supply comes in from the topmost layer, then by the time it reaches some of the lower layers, it loses out a lot of power because of wire resistances and other parasitic capacitances. The power delivery network has to content for space alongside the signal wires.

This problem is solved by supplying power from the bottom layer and then channelling power to the higher layers using thicker wires or (Through Silicon Via) TSVs. Now chips will have wiring on both sides with signal wires on one end and power wires on the other. The transistors will get sandwiched between these two layers.

With PowerVia, you no longer have the Power Delivery Network (PDN) contending with the signal wires for space. Nor is it that big a source for interference anymore. This leaves room for the signal wires to be better optimised.

To get more information on RibbonFET, PowerVIA and Intel’s aggressive growth plans, we reached out to Intel with a few queries. Deemanth Nagaraj, Intel Fellow was more than accommodating while answering our queries. Here’s what Intel had to say.

Digit - What are the challenges that PowerVia is meant to resolve? Is it explicitly linked to RibbonFET or are the two independent of each other?

Intel - PowerVia will be an industry-first deployment of a backside power delivery network technology when it is introduced with Intel20A. It significantly reduces the need for power routing on the front side of the wafer by bringing power in from the backside, making more resources available for optimizing signal routing and as a result, reducing signal delays. The overall result is a performance boost at the IP block level and a reduction in power leakage.

PowerVia is independent of RibbonFET, which is Intel’s implementation of the Gate All Around transistor. We expect to test PowerVia on earlier nodes to ensure this groundbreaking technology is fully ready before it ramps in volume with Intel 20A in 2024. We also expect first product for PowerVia to be a leadership client solution.  

Digit - ASML announced a delay of 3 years (https://ift.tt/3ijkZ0o) for their High-NA machines to hit production. Will that affect Intel's 20A or 18A plans?

Intel - We can’t comment on speculative reports. We can say that Intel is positioned to receive the first High NA EUV tool in the industry, and we are driving to enable its introduction in 2025. We have a very strong partnership with EUV equipment leader ASML, and our plans to stay on the leading edge of EUV usage are well underway.

Digit - The plans to return to process leadership seems to be quite aggressive. On top of that, you're also reducing the cadence cycle and going back to tick-tock. Isn't it an extremely risky move if you wish to release client products on newer nodes every year? Or would we see fewer client launches to allow for more time to iron out each node?

Intel - Intel continues to compete and win in our core PC market with a steady drumbeat of highly competitive CPU and platform innovation. We are laser focused on delivering a predictable yearly cadence of innovation and are well on the path to get back to our “tick tock” momentum.

The roadmap we’ve shown at Intel Accelerated is one of the most detailed roadmaps we’ve ever provided for process and packaging technologies and it shows a better than yearly cadence: 5 process nodes in 4 years! We have funded the R&D and capital for the teams and are taking all the right steps to ensure we execute at this incredible pace.  

Digit - Continuing with the previous question, what kind of risk mitigation strategies (backporting?) are you implementing to ensure that your launch cycles are on schedule?

Intel - We are embracing the industry as never before in areas like equipment, EDA and research:

•    We’re collaborating across our equipment suppliers to make sure we are leveraging the best from the industry. This includes a deep partnership with ASML on EUV, both in fully embracing EUV for Intel 4 and staying on the leading edge of EUV with our swift adoption of High-NA, the next major technology change on the EUV roadmap.

•    We’re adopting industry-standard approaches where it makes sense, like industry-standard EDA tools and models.

•    We’re building on our partnerships with leading research organizations, such as IBM, IMEC and Leti. This combined with our own components research gives us confidence that we are on very solid footing.

The ecosystem support we’ve demonstrated shows the confidence our customers and partners have on the predictable cadence that Intel is now on – including deep technical validation from customers, like the announcement with Qualcomm.

Digit - How are thermals being managed on chips using Backside Power Delivery? Is it more of an offset because the node becomes more efficient, or do you have to make changes with the way you package the chip for production?

Intel - Thermal management is a key element in all packaging configurations and is determined based on a number of inputs – die floorplan, interconnect architecture, die thickness, package configuration, to name a few – and PowerVia power delivery is one of those elements that is input into the thermal design point (TDP) calculation. Thermal solutions are ultimately determined by the best combination of thermal interface materials and system cooling solutions that meet the customer’s need. Our assembly technology is designed to be flexible so that our customers can optimize their products to manage TDP, footprint and cost. This is a key element of our IDM 2.0 strategy and one reason why we believe we have an advantage over the competition in packaging.

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iQOO Z5 launched to make power-packed gaming experience affordable

iQOO Z5 has officially launched in India with the Snapdragon 778G in tow. The Z5 is the second phone in the company’s Z-lineup after the iQOO Z3 (review) which debuted back in June. The iQOO Z5 brings a lot of upgrades to the Z3 save for the triple cameras on the back. Here’s a quick look at the pricing, specifications and availability of the iQOO Z5.

We’ve unleashed iQOO Z5, the #FullyLoaded phone made for the GenZ. Starting from INR 23,990 with additional festive offers of extra INR 3,000 off. Festive sale starts from 3rd October. Stay tuned.#iQOOZ5 #iQOO pic.twitter.com/mlPLpDalEY

— iQOO India (@IqooInd) September 27, 2021 iQOO Z5 pricing and availability

The iQOO Z5 is priced starting at Rs 23,990 for the base variant with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. The other variant has 12GB+256GB storage and is priced at Rs 26,990 in India. 

iQOO Z5 goes on its first sale from October 3 on Amazon India and iQOO e-store.

iQOO Z5 specifications

The iQOO Z5 features a 6.67-inch Full HD+ display that offers upto a 120Hz refresh rate with HDR10 certification. The phone has a punch-hole cutout in the top-centre for the selfie camera and the screen is covered in Panda glass.

It measures 8.5mm in thickness and weighs 193 grams. The phone has a plastic frame and is being offered in two colours: Mystic Space and Arctic Dawn.

It is powered by the Snapdragon 778G chip which has an octa-core CPU running at 2.4GHz and is paired with upto 12GB RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1 storage options to choose from.

The camera setup is the same as the iQOO Z3, headlined by a 64MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide camera and a 2MP macro camera. The rear camera can record in 4K UHD at upto 60FPS and there is a 16MP selfie camera as well.

The iQOO Z5 has a 5,000mAh battery that supports 44W fast charging out-of-the-box.

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You can now download YouTube videos from your browser: Heres how

YouTube has added an experimental feature that allows viewers to download YouTube videos right from the browser. The catch here is that this experimental feature is only available for Premium subscribers to try out. This new feature will allow users to download videos from the browser and can be viewed at a later time.

The ability to download videos on YouTube was first spotted by Android Police and the feature is available until October 19. Being an experimental feature, Google is currently testing it out for Premium users and will likely implement it at a later date.

How to download YouTube videos from browser

To try out the experimental feature of downloading videos from the browser, ensure that you are a premium subscriber. Also note that the feature is only supported on the latest version of Chrome, Edge or Opera browsers.

You can try out the experimental features by heading to: youtube.com/new and selecting the feature. You will see a Download button on all videos and you will be able to save them offline to watch at a later time.

The report also states that in the settings menu, you can choose to download videos in upto 1080p resolution. Having said that, there is no word for when the feature may become available for all users permanently.

 

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Tesla Shanghai Plant Said to Make 300,000 Cars in January to September Despite Chip Shortage

Tesla’s Shanghai plant is said to be on track to produce 300,000 cars in the first nine months of the year despite a global chip shortage.

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iQoo Z5 With 44W Flash Charge, Snapdragon 778G SoC, 120Hz Refresh Rate Launched in India: Price, Specifications

iQoo Z5 has launched in the Indian market. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G SoC and has a triple rear camera setup. The camera module has a 64-megapixel main camera. The phone also packs a 5,000mAh battery with 44W flash charge support.

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Flipkart Big Billion Days 2021 Sale Dates Revised to Rival Amazon, Will Go Live From October 3 to October 10

Flipkart Big Billion Days 2021 sale dates have been revised to coincide with Amazon Great Indian Festival sale. The Flipkart sale will now begin on October 3 and remain live until October 10. The dates earlier were October 7 to October 12. The 2021 edition of the Flipkart Big Billion Days sale will offer discounts on mobile phones, home appliances, healthcare devices,...

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Oppo A-Series Phone to Launch October 1, A55 4G Model Expected

Oppo is bringing a new A-series smartphone to India. It is set to launch on October 1, just ahead of the Amazon Great Indian Festival sale, for which it has a dedicated page on the e-commerce site. The phone is teased to have a triple rear camera setup with a 50-megapixel main camera. This phone is likely to be the Oppo A55 4G model.

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Bitcoin, Ethereum Prices Rise Again After Chinese Crypto Crackdown Caused Dip

While Bitcoin and Ethereum opened the fresh week with significant growth, Dogecoin and Cardano prices went down marginally.

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Nearly 4,900 New Cryptocurrencies Entered Market Since September 2020: Report

Cryptocurrencies have not just risen in value but also in volume. According to a new report, over 12,000 crypto tokens are now operating in the market, 4,900 out of which have been added in the last year.

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HUAWEI MateBook 14: Five Reasons Why It's the Perfect Laptop for You

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Oppo Watch Free With an AMOLED Display, More Than 100 Sports Modes Launched

Oppo Watch Free was launched in China on Sunday. The smart wearable features more than 100 sports modes but can only track fours sports automatically. It sports a 1.64-inch AMOLED display and is 5ATM water-resistant. It also gets an E-sports mode that diverts all notifications from the connected smartphone to the Oppo Watch Free while playing a game.

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Poco C31 India Launch Set for September 30, Flipkart Availability Confirmed

Poco C31 smartphone will launch on September 30 and is expected to go on sale during the Flipkart Big Billion Days sale 2021. The new Poco C-series smartphone will feature a waterdrop-style notch display and a slim build. Poco C31 appears to be an updated version of the Poco C3 that launched in October last year.

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Oppo K9 Pro With 64-Megapixel Main Rear Camera, 60W Super Flash Charge Support Launched: Price, Specifications

Oppo K9 Pro has launched in China. The phone is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 SoC and has a triple rear camera setup. The camera setup includes a 64-megapixel main rear sensor. It also supports 60W Flash Charge.

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The Last of Us First Look Stars HBO Series Leads Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey

The first look at HBO’s The Last of Us series shows Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal standing in a grassland, looking at a crashed plane in the distance. The Last of Us season 1 is currently filming and is expected to air in 2022 on HBO and HBO Max.

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Google Said to Slash Amount it Keeps from Sales on its Cloud Marketplace

Google will reportedly take a smaller cut when customers buy software from other vendors on its cloud marketplace.

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CBSE Board Exam Results Being Secured Using Blockchain Technology

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) says that it has adopted blockchain technology to secure board exam results data.

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How Not to Lose Money in Crypto

India is investing in cryptocurrency, but it's easy to lose your money if you aren't doing your own research properly. The volatile cryptocurrency market can be hard to get into, and while many people will tell you what you should do, it's just as important to know what are the common mistakes people are making, and how to avoid them.

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You can now subscribe to Airtel Business and Xstream Fiber for Rs 999

If you thought that Bharti Airtel only catered to consumers, note that it also has a B2B model known as Airtel Business. Airtel Business is geared towards organisations that want their offices to have Wi-FI. Internet plans under Airtel Business and Xstream Fiber are both offered for Rs 999, however, the offerings are vastly different.

What falls under the Airtel Business Rs 999 plan?

Clients can gain unlimited data at 200mbps along with two Airtel Bluejeans licenses and two Device Security by Kaspersky licenses. The plan also offers parallel calling services under which you can answer calls made to the landline via your smartphone. Finally, the brand also offers a landline along with the other services.

What falls under the Xstream Fiber Rs 999 plan?

The Airtel Xstream Fiber Rs 999 plan offers 3.3TB of 3,333GB of fair-usage-policy (FUP) data with the plan along with a free landline connection. The internet speed promised is 200mbps. Consumers can also access extra benefits as per the Airtel Thanks program. As of now, this includes a free subscription to Disney+ Hotstar Super and Amazon Prime Video for one year, along with a subscription to Wynk music. Consumers can also pay an additional Rs 1,500 to get the Airtel Xstream Box. 

Also Read: Airtel launches Rs 119 add-on data plan, offers 15GB data - Benefits, validity and more

Video Source: Airtel India

 

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Heres why Indians will love Apples latest iOS 15

Apple’s iOS 15 has been launched, and it brings with it a host of great features that should enhance your user experience. The tech giant has tweaked the way FaceTime looks and operates, changed the notification bar and even added a new feature called Live Text in the camera. Additionally, it has also rolled out a few features that are geared towards Apple users in India. 

New Apple iOS 15 Features in India

Some of the new Apple iOS 15 features made for India include:

Notifications in Messages

Users can now customise the notification setting for the Apple Messages app. You can disable notifications from unknown numbers, as well as those related to promotional messages and transactional updates. 

UPI app selection when using the camera

If you’re scanning a UPI QR code through your Apple iPhone’s camera, the smartphone will allow you to choose from your 10 most-used UPI apps so that you can instantly make the payment.

Siri to understand mixed language

An update that’s surely going to benefit most Indians using an Apple iPhone is Siri now supporting mixed-language messages. This means that if your English sentence contains a few words from your mother tongue, Siri will still understand what you’re saying. With this update, the app supports Hindi, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi, Tamil, Bengali, Gujarati, Malayalam, and Punjabi.

Smart Replies Support for 10 languages

The Smart Replies feature has been updated to understand 10 different Indian languages. These include Urdu, Bangla, Tamil, Punjabi, Marathi, Gujarati, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada, and Odiya.

Temporary iCloud Storage during data transfers

The iOS 15 offers temporary iCloud storage during data transfers - you can access as much storage as you need while transferring data from your old phone to your new one. Your data will be stored for three weeks. 

Apple Maps

Apple Maps in India will also feature data on the Air Quality - a feature that, unfortunately, is the need of the hour. 

Keep an eye on our website for an official review of the new Apple iOS 15!

Also Read: Apple iPhone 13 series, iPad 2021, iPad mini 2021 India pricing and availability detailed

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Google Meet now finally receives a Low-Light Mode

Tired of attending meetings with inadequate lighting? Google Meet will now feature an automatic low light mode on its web interface. This mode uses artificial intelligence to gauge your ambient lighting and switch itself on when needed. As a result, you should be able to broadcast brighter videos with more clarity while attending business meetings. The feature is expected to roll out within the next 15 days, and will be available to Google Workspace, G Suite Basic, and G Suite Business users. 

The new Google Meet Low Light Mode may hamper your devices’ performance!

Google has acknowledged that using the low light mode takes more processing power than what’s offered by old devices, and thus, using the feature might just hamper performance. Users who find their devices underperforming due to the new feature can simply turn it off by going into their video settings.

Google Meet’s smartphone interface already offers this feature. In fact, it’s available for use on both Google Meet and Google Duo. 

Also Read: Google Search now has dark mode on desktop and here's how to activate it

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Jio revises three of its Disney+Hotstar Prepaid plans to now offer 10 GB of extra data

The telecom giant launched the upgraded prepaid plans in the market on August 31.

These plans came with the latest one year Disney+Hotstar mobile subscription in addition to existing benefits such as access to Jio suite apps, Unlimited calls, 100 SMS per day and more. Now, the company has upgraded three of them by adding an extra 4GB/3GB/6GB and 10 GB respectively. Streaming apps like Disney+Hotstar Netflix and Prime Video and more have been building their user bases during the pandemic and it also helps telecom operators add more customers by offering free subscriptions to these services.

Also read:Jio Phone discontinues two of it's affordable prepaid plans 

Jio upgraded Rs 499 Plan 

This starting prepaid plan of ₹499 comes with a validity of 28 days and offers one year Disney+Hotstar 3GB per day data. With newly added 6GB extra, unlimited voice 100 SMS per day and access to Jio suite apps namely JioTV, Jio Cinema,Jio News, Jio Security and JioCloud, this is the best VFM plan, considering that the Disney+Hotstar subscription by itself costs ₹499.

Rs 888 Prepaid plan 

The company mentioned this plan as a SUPER VALUE plan.This one comes with a validity of 84 days which offers a total of 173 GB high speed 4G data, 2GB per day.

Unlimited calls,100 SMS/Day, one year Disney+Hotstar mobile subscription and access to all Jio apps such as JioTV, Jio Cinema,Jio News, Jio Security and JioCloud are also a part of this plan. 

Also read:Jio, Airtel, BSNL, and Vi 1.5GB daily data prepaid plans under ₹500: Everything you need to know

Rs 2599 prepaid plan

This is a one year validity plan which comes with 2GB/Day and newly added 10 GB extra so it gives you 740GB total data.

Other benefits include access to all jio suite apps namely JioTV, Jio Cinema,Jio News, Jio Security and JioCloud.100 SMS and Unlimited voice calls are part of the package. 

All plans mentioned above are available to customers starting from September 1. We can clearly see that Jio aims to attract  more customers towards its network as Airtel and Vi also offer similar plans. 

Disclaimer: This article has been authored by a member of our Digit Squad community.

 

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WhatsApp will soon let you customise your group icons

The latest Whatsapp Beta version for iOS lets users set emojis and stickers as your Whatsapp group icons. Now, instead of pondering over group images for ages, users just need to select a background colour along with a specific emoji or sticker, as per their preference. 

How to use this new Whatsapp Feature? 

With the new update, WhatsApp’s Menu will feature an added option known as “Emoji and Sticker”. Clicking the option will take users to a separate page with two tabs, Emojis and Stickers, and the desired changes to the group icon can be applied from there. Once the settings are applied, users need to click ‘Done’ to make sure they are visible to others.

These settings are a step towards ensuring privacy and enhancing the user experience at the same time. However, in light of more important features such as end-to-end encryption and more being launched, this particular roll out feels a little frivolous.

Do you think this Whatsapp feature will improve your user experience? Comment below and let us know. 

Also Read: Whatsapp Expands into the Business Directory Market with latest offering

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Microsoft Office 2021 launching with Windows 11 on October 5

Last year at Microsoft Ignite 2020 the company mentioned the release of the latest version of Microsoft Office on Windows and Mac OS through a post on its official blog. Now, this version of Office also has an official release date. It's gonna hit the market on 5th October 2021, alongside the new Windows 11.

What is Microsoft Office's latest perpetual version?

Microsoft Office's perpetual version or the standalone version can be purchased with a one-time payment, as part of a volume licensing deal, instead of paying monthly subscription fees. With the perpetual license, one can run that version of Microsoft Office for as long as they want, even after Microsoft stops releasing security updates for that version. This can be installed on one Windows or Mac PC, so it's bound to that PC, not to the user.

Why use the perpetual version?

There are millions of Microsoft Office 365 users. And, although Microsoft recommends Office 365, loaded with many cloud and collaboration features and AI-based automation tools, there are still many personal users and even companies who prefer the perpetual version over the subscription-based one. Also, Microsoft is increasing their subscription fee for Office 365 from next year, which might give some users a bit of a hard time. 

Microsoft LTSC service

On 17th October this year, Microsoft also launched their LTSC service for both commercial and government users on Windows and Mac. Microsoft's Long Term Services Channel (LTSC) is another non-subscription version of Office packed with only the essential features from Office 365 so it'll be missing all the AI- and cloud-powered features. Although it's meant for some specific uses, such as devices that aren't connected to the Internet or act as process control devices in a factory environment. 

Latest announcements

Some of the latest features that Microsoft has added in Office LTSC might also pop up in Office 2021, namely, Dark Mode, Line Focus for Word documents, dynamic arrays in Excel, XLOOKUP function to make the hectic job of searching through tables much easier. Microsoft promised 5 years of support for both the Office LTSC and perpetual version. And the good news is, they've also promised to release one more final perpetual version of Microsoft Office, after 2021. Microsoft is also making project and Visio available for the people who are interested in their next version of the on-premises Exchange Server, Skype for Business Server, Project Server, and SharePoint Server. The pricing of Microsoft Office 2021 is yet to be known, and we'll keep you updated as soon as more info is released. 

Related Links:

Windows 11 public beta: https://ift.tt/3zSFG90

Disclaimer: This article has been authored by a member of our Digit Squad community.

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Airtel Rs 349 Plan gives 28 days Amazon Prime benefit: Check similar plans from Vi and Jio

Earlier this year, Airtel partnered with Amazon to offer Prime Video Mobile Edition to Airtel subscribers that give streaming benefits to prepaid users on their phones. Airtel XStream has also added OTT content from Mubi for users.

Airtel revises its regular Rs 349 plan 

Airtel, in June, added some benefits to its regular prepaid plan priced at Rs 349. Airtel  Rs 349 prepaid plan previously gave 2GB high-speed data per day with 28 days validity. The plan has now been revised to offer 2.5GB of daily data. This plan also gives unlimited calling and 100 SMS per day. This prepaid plan comes with a free subscription to Amazon Prime. Users must note that the validity of Amazon Prime will last till the validity of the plan, which is 28 days. Additional benefits of this plan include Apollo 24/7 Circle 3 Months, at No Cost, free hello tunes, Wynk music ,free courses from shaw academy and Rs 100 cashback  from FasTag. Airtel also introduced a ₹499 prepaid plan which gives Disney+ Hotstar Mobile benefit. This plan is again very cost-effective as Disney+Hotstar Mobile separately costs Rs 499. Along with getting access to all content on Disney+ Hotstar, users will get 3GB daily data for 28 days, along with unlimited calls and 100 SMS per day. 

What Jio, Vi and BSNL offers with similar plans 

Jio has updated their plans and now offers Disney+Hotstar. These plans now begin with Rs 499 and come with 3GB daily data+6GB extra, 1 year Disney+Hotstar subscription, 100 SMS and Unlimited calls for 28 days .This plan is again cost-effective since Disney+Hotstar separately costs Rs 499.

Vi on the other hand offers double data benefits with Rs 299 and Rs 449 prepaid plans along with access to Zee5 Premium. These plans, thus, give 4GB daily data with unlimited calls and 100 SMS per day and access to streaming benefits. Government telco BSNL also gives some streaming benefits like Eros Now with some of its plans.

Related Articles :

Jio Phone discontinues two of it's affordable prepaid plans

Airtel launches Rs 119 add-on data plan, offers 15GB data - Benefits, validity and more

New Jio Phone Recharge Plan to hustle in a new era of internet literacy in India

Disclaimer: This article has been authored by a member of our Digit Squad community.

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SBI bans its UPI for crypto: Uncertain days for Investors

Crypto trading in India received an unexpected twist as the largest lender in India - State Bank of India (SBI) baned the use of its UPI platform for the transactions related to crypto exchanges. It has also asked the payment processors to disable the option of SBI UPI on their platform as well. 

The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) developed Unified Payment Interface (UPI)  is a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) regulated instant-payment system. It allows instant transfer of money between any two bank accounts.

Snowball Impact of SBI Banning UPI for crypto? 

It is being said that this decision of SBI comes after many banks imposing similar bans on Crypto Trading in the past few months. HDFC Bank, in May, had warned investors against dealing in virtual currencies, including bitcoin.  A media report also stated that ICICI Bank informed a few payment gateways to shut off its net banking services for those users who were trading in cryptocurrencies.

With this ban from SBI, not only SBI account holders, but many other users will not be able to buy or sell crypto including the most famous - Bitcoin, by transferring funds using UPI, as none of the processors which handle funds for exchanges will be unable to receive money sent for crypto purchases on their SBI accounts.

What is surprising is that the move comes months after the Reserve bank of India (RBI) issued a clarification to banks asking them not to block crypto exchanges over an earlier “invalid circular”.

While the crypto traders were enjoying the possibility of cryptocurrency being treated as a commodity through the new  yet to be introduced Crypto Bill, and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharamana saying that, “We are not saying no to cryptocurrency”, this shift in the attitude of India’s largest banks disappoints crypto exchanges and the traders in the unregulated market.

After SBI’s recent decision, one of the few payment avenues left for crypto exchanges has been shut off. When SBI was asked more about the decision, one of the spokesperson just said that, “It is the policy of the bank not to comment upon matters relating to the subject matter.”

Traders are now restricted to use E-Wallet services to continue crypto trading but the increasing wallet charges and the fund transfer limits discourages them to use these services. They thus usually prefer UPI in the absence of other payment modes like credit and debit cards, NEFT (national electronic fund transfers) and net banking.

Uncertain days Ahead for Cryptocurrency Investors!

The Reserve Bank of India Governor, Shaktikanta Das recently said the Central Bank had conveyed to the government its "serious and major" concerns around crypto and its financial stability.  For crypto investors, his comments come at an inopportune time with the Union Cabinet just weeks away from taking up a bill to regulate virtual currencies and their fledgling market in India.

India has nearly 1.5 crore investors who hold crypto worth Rs 15,000 crore — and an increasing number of people are looking to get into the space, especially following the Bitcoin price rally over the last year. Nearly 350 Indian startups are operating in the cryptocurrency field, and its related blockchain space.

The largest domestic crypto trading platform, WazirX, has already been impacted by the decision as the processing agency follows the directive of SBI. Experts also indicate that the payment processors may stop accepting payment for other exchanges as well, unless SBI does a rethink.

When WazirX chief executive Nischal Shetty was contacted he said, “We’re trying to discuss and put forward our points to SBI. WazirX follows KYC (know your customer) norms and AML (anti-money laundering) policies. Being the largest crypto exchange in India, millions of Indians are currently affected due to this move by SBI. We look forward to a positive resolution soon.”

After SBI’s decision, many banks may be reluctant to onboard crypto merchants on their respective UPI platforms.

While there has been no explicit direction from RBI to disallow payments for crypto trades, banks and other several payment gateways have sensed the unstated regulatory stance on cryptos. In the course of meetings, RBI officials have voiced their reservations on cryptos, according to the senior bankers.

Significantly, the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), which developed UPI, has refused to block fund movements for cryptocurrency trades.

Disclaimer: This article has been authored by a member of our Digit Squad community.

 

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