Microsoft Build 2020: Free registration for all-digital event now open

Microsoft had already announced that all of its event till July would be digital-only. However, it seems like the company is going a step further and making its Build developer conference free for anyone to attend. Those interested in attending the two-day conference can register for the event here. 

Scott Hanselman, Principal Program Manager for Microsoft made the announcement on the company’s official blog. “It’s not the Build we thought it would be, but it’s gonna be special. Today, we’re excited to share that registration for an all-new virtual Build experience is now open. We can’t wait to bring together our community of developers to learn, connect and code together,” he wrote.

Microsoft Build 2020 Date and time

The 2-day event will kick off on May 19, 8:00 am PT, which translates to May 19, 8:30 pm IST. So those interested in attending the event may have to stay up late for the same. 

What to expect from Microsoft Build 2020

The event will start with a welcome note from Microsoft CEO, Satya Nadella, followed by a session with and for developers that is hosted by Scott Hanselman. During the two-day event, participants will get to attend sessions, talks and demos. They will also get a chance to build their network and collaborate with their peers as well as Microsoft Engineers. They will also get to learn how to improve and build upon their code and application architecture.

In addition to this, Hanselman also announced that they will be lowering the pricing for Visual Studio Codespaces. This should help more developers create cloud-hosted dev environments that are accessible from anywhere.

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Redmi Phone With 48-Megapixel Main Camera Spotted on TENAA, Likely to be New Redmi K30 Model

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Xiaomi smartphones are tracking private web and phone usage of millions of users: Report

Xiaomi smartphones aren’t as innocent as they look. While the world (led by the US) waves a stern finger at Huawei, alleging the presence of backdoors for the Chinese government to spy on foreign users, a seasoned cybersecurity researcher has found smartphones manufactured by Xiaomi are “backdoors with phone functionality,”

As reported by Forbes, a security researcher discovered his Redmi Note 8 has been monitoring almost everything he did on the smartphone and sent the data to remote servers owned by Chinese giant, Alibaba. The researcher found disturbing amounts of usage being tracked and data being harvested using a shoddy encrpyption standard, that can be easily decoded to plain text and leave individual identities exposed.

Xiaomi is tracking your every move

Gabi Cirlig, a noted security researcher found his Redmi device was recording all the websites he visited using the default Xiaomi browser, including his search engine queries on Duck Duck Go and Google. All the items viewed in the news feed, as well as activities in the ‘incognito mode’. Furthermore, he found the device was monitoring the folders he opened, the screens he swiped to (even the status bar and Settings page) and all the data was being sent to servers in Singapore and Russia, owned by Alibaba and rented by Xiaomi.

Forbes also reached out to another cybersecurity specialist Andrew Tierney who confirmed the massive data leak happening out of Xiaomi smartphones. He found the same tracking code in Xiaomi browsers available on Google Play Store that have over 15 million downloads.

While only the Redmi Note 8 was caught red-handed harvesting user data, firmware for the new Mi 10, Redmi K20, and the MI Mix 3 also had the same browser code, proving the expensive flagships aren’t quite innocent either.

The harvested data is encrypted but can be easily cracked

Forbes reported that even the way Xiaomi is sharing the data is suspicious. Upon reaching out to Xiaomi, the publication learnt the data was being encrypted when transferring to protect user privacy. However, the researcher was quickly able to decode a chunk of information because the encryption standard followed can be cracked easily. It reportedly took him only a few seconds to see what was behind the encryption. The report claims Xiaomi uses Base64 encryption standard, something that has been known to be intercepted by malicious players and decoded into plain text without much of a hassle. This leaves millions of Xiaomi users at risk of their data being stolen and used for frauds and scams.

“My main concern for privacy is that the data sent to their servers can be very easily correlated with a specific user,” the researcher told Forbes.

Xiaomi confirms harvesting user data

Xiaomi denied the allegation in a statement to Forbes. claiming the research is flawed and added privacy and security are top concerns for the company. A spokesperson did confirm, however, that the devices are collecting browser data but the information was anonymized so that it can’t be tied to an individual. The spokesperson also said users have consented to such tracking.

Xiaomi also cited ‘behavioural analytics’ as a reason for harvesting user data. The company is using the services of a behavioural analytics startup called “Sensors Analytics”, based out of China. The domains where the data is being sent to have references to the company, with an API present in the phone to facilitate the harvesting.

That Xiaomi and Sensor Analytics are working together is confirmed by the Xiaomi spokesperson. The startup even has Xiaomi listed under its client list. However, the spokesperson maintained that the data is only stored on servers owned by Xiaomi and not shared with Sensor Analytics or any other third-party companies.

We have reached out to Xiaomi independently to enquire about the allegations, and as of publishing the article, the company is yet to get back with an official statement.

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Reliance to launch Jio Meet video calling app: Everything you need to know

Reliance Jio has revealed that it’s soon going to announce Jio Meet, it’s nation-wide video calling platform that is set to take on the likes of Zoom and Google Meet amidst the Coronavirus outbreak. The newly minted Jio Platforms that recently saw investment by Facebook to the tune of $5.7 billion is also partnering with WhatsApp that will see Reliance Retail leverage the Facebook-owned instant messaging service for JioMart.

In its Q4 fiscal results, Reliance mentioned that it is launching a video calling platform for India and in a statement to the media, Pankaj Pawar, Senior VP at Reliance Jio Infocomm said, “Jio Meet is a platform which has many unique options- it actually has an ability to work on any device, any operating system, and it has an ability to do a complete collaboration. And effectively, this collaboration does not limit to a typical video conferencing app.” As people are forced to change ways of working due to the COVID-19 crisis, video calling has emerged as a necessary tool for businesses to function.

However, Jio Meet isn’t your regular run-of-the-mill video calling solution as the company also plans to integrate its eHealth platform with it, thereby allowing users to consult with doctors online and much more. Notably, Jio already has an app on Google Play Store listed as JioHH Doctor that allows doctors to offer their services online. According to the listing, the app was released only recently on March 29.

Jio Meet will likely offer similar features when it is officially launched. A report by News18 (owned by Reliance Industries Ltd) states that the Jio Meet app will work across different platforms and will be available on Android, iOS, macOS, Microsoft Windows and also “as a third party plugin for Microsoft's Outlook email service” for enterprise customers.

Moreover, the service will also be available on browsers as it seems to have a dedicated website that will allow users to join a meeting, irrespective of the platform they’re using.

Jio Meet was previously listed on the Google Play Store with over hundreds and thousands of installs but has been taken down, likely in the heads up to the official launch. Nevertheless, here’s your first look at Jio Meet video calling app by Reliance and how to use it when it is available on your phone. 

Jio Meet video calling app features

Reliance Jio has hinted that it’s readying a video conferencing solution called Jio Meet that will be launched in the coming weeks. However, the beta version of the app hit the Play Store a while back, raking in hundreds of installs after being taken down.

The website for Jio Meet is listed on Google Search and you can visit it by going to https://jiomeet.com/, however, it isn’t live yet and you’ll be greeted by the message saying “Thank you for your interest in JioMeet.”

With Jio Meet, users can initiate a video conferencing with their friends, family or even work calls. The service supports group calling of up to 5 members however that could be increased by the time the app goes official. In one of the screenshots on Play Store, the number of users is more than 200 which hints at the possibility of the increase in limit, at least for enterprise customers.

The company has said that it is ensuring that the service is easy to use and doesn’t come with a lot of frills. It is also being said that the final version of the app will have health features along with integration with education services like virtual classrooms and more.

The app also offers host control options and records logs of audio and video calls. Users can share the meeting link and give attendees the pin password to join the call. Jio Meet is also capable of adjusting video call quality according to the network zone and ensures zero lag.

Jio Meet video calling app: How to use

While the Jio Meet app hasn’t been officially announced yet, the beta versions of the apps were listed on Play Store and Apple App Store but have been taken down. Nevertheless, here’s how to use Jio Meet once it goes live.

Download Jio Meet from Google Play Store or Apple App Store

Open the app and you will be greeted with a login page that asks email for access. We believe this is for the enterprise users once the app goes official.

Tap Sign-in with OTP on the bottom right corner, just below the login button.

Enter your mobile number to get a verification code and enter the OTP to log in.

Once logged in, you can make audio and video calls and can even initiate a group video call by adding you Jio Meet contacts to a group.

As we mentioned, this is as far as the beta functionality goes as the final build could come integrated with health and education services. We’ll keep an eye out for you for when the service goes live.

 

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Amazon Says Biggest Impact of Coronavirus on Its Business Globally Has Been in India

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Microsoft Build 2020 Digital Event Begins May 19, Registrations Now Live for Free

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Poco F2 Pro may be launched as a rebranded version of the Redmi K30 Pro that launched in China in March.

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