Facebook’s 'Free Basics' violates net neutrality: AIB’s new video

 

Indian comedy group AIB has released yet another video under the popular #savetheinternet series, which pointed out that Facebook’s ‘free basics’ is nothing but a refurbished version of Internet.org that received large-scale criticism from internet activists in India.  

In the video, the group explained how Facebook has just renamed Internet.org to Free Basics, but uses the same principle, which violated net neutrality regulations. Earlier in September, the social networking giant changed Internet.org’s name to “Free basics” to attract wider audiences in India.

However, as pointed out by several Internet activists and groups, the free basics (Internet.org) platform breaches every aspect of net neutrality by allowing select partners to join. Additionally, services such as VoIP, high-resolution content and third party apps that interfere with telecom rules will also not be allowed.

In its defense, Facebook said that Free Basics will help in connecting rural India and in achieving “Digital equality” but AIB members further pointed out that Facebook’s free basics does not approve certain services which are absolutely necessary in uplifting India’s digital count.

Even the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has recommended more video penetration in rural areas in comparison to textual content, as it has the ability to cut across literacy barriers. Interestingly, the exclusion of video services blurs Facebook’s motives of “connecting Rural India”.  

The video also discussed various other problems and witty facts about Free basics. For instance, Facebook accidentally activated the “Free basics” campaign for US citizens. Another interesting fact is how Facebook has been asking people using data packs and apps to shift to their platform for using similar apps, which is weird.   

However, on the brighter side of the spectrum, TRAI has asked Reliance Communications to put Facebook’s free basics on hold and asked users to email their views regarding the platform before December 30.

The group has urged users to send in their responses after carefully researching about the issue rather than “accidentally sending an email just because of a Facebook notification”.

Net Neutrality had been a heated topic of discussion in India since early 2015 and several online activists and groups have stepped forward to support an all-inclusive Internet service in India.

HOW TO: Three steps to speed up your iPhone

 

As Apple is aggressively seeking to expand its market share in India and China, people are eagerly waiting for the upcoming iPhone 7. But people using the iOS, often find it running slower than expected.

Here are some of the steps that will ensure that your iPhone runs faster as it will refresh your phone's RAM.

• Unlock your iPhone so you're viewing the home screen.
• Hold down the power button to activate the 'Slide to Power Off' message.
• Release the power button, then press the Home button for five seconds.

The same works for the iPad as well.

Samsung Electronics to start making new chips for AMD in 2016

Tech giant Samsung Electronics Co Ltd will start making new chips for Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Inc next year, South Korea's Electronic Times reported on Tuesday citing unnamed sources.

The paper said Samsung's foundry business and Globalfoundries will jointly start producing a central processing chip as well as a graphics processing chip for AMD next year using their 14-nanometre technology.

Samsung has been trying to increase its external client base in recent quarters for its components businesses as it seeks to offset the earnings decline for its smartphone division. The firm already makes chips for companies such as Apple Inc and Nvidia Corp.

Samsung did not immediately comment, while AMD could not be immediately reached for comment.

Leaked! Moto X 2016: Here's what we know

 

The images of Moto X 2016 has leaked online.

The latest leaked images of Moto X 2016 shows an internal heating pipe linked inside the inner body of the smartphone.The heat pipe, generally used in Desktops or PCs, allows safe heat transmission from power supplies (especially processors).

 

 

The feature is very rare in smartphone devices but it's quite surprising and a good move by Motorola manufacturers to overcome thermal heating problems with such solution.

The reasons behind the introduction of a heating pipe might be: the upcoming model Moto X 2016 will be using a Snapdragon 810 processor which already had heating issues earlier and the company wants to be a step ahead so that the chipset inside the device will be cool boycotting all sort of heating evils in the new smartphone.

Few more leaked images show Moto X 2016 edition will be of glass construction along with a metal frame.

According to rumours, the upcoming model of Moto X may get equipped with fingerprint sensor feature too. The smartphone is expected to release during mid months of the year 2016.

NASA cancels launch of next Mars probe due to instrument leak

 

A US science satellite slated to launch to Mars in March has been grounded due to a leak in a key research instrument, NASA said on Tuesday, creating uncertainty about the future of a widely anticipated effort to study the interior of the planet.

The spacecraft, known as InSight, was designed to help scientists learn more about the formation of rocky planets, including Earth.

The cancellation raises questions about the future of the research effort, as it will be another 26 months before Earth and Mars are favorably aligned for a launch.

Over the next couple of months, NASA will assess options for repairing the faulty instrument, a sensitive seismometer that was provided by the French space agency, CNES.

Budgetary limits may factor into a pending decision on whether NASA will proceed with the programme.

After landing on Mars, InSight was designed to detect quakes and other seismic activities, as well as measure how much heat is being released from the planet’s subsurface and monitor Mars’ wobble - or variations in its orbit - as it circles the sun.

The troubled seismometer, which detects minute vibrations, features sensors encased in a nine-inch (23-cm) wide vacuum sphere, which has been plagued by a series of leaks since August.

Engineers believed they had fixed the problems, but another leak surfaced on Monday during testing.

“We just don’t have enough time to find the leak, fix it and still make it to the launch pad in March,” John Grunsfeld, NASA associate administrator for science, said during a phone call with reporters.

InSight arrived last week at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California to begin preparations ahead of a launch targeted for March 18.

The costs for the InSight mission, including launch and data analysis, are capped at $675 million, up from an initial $425 million, NASA Planetary Sciences Division Director Jim Green told reporters.

So far, the US space agency has spent $525 million on the programme, including buying an Atlas 5 rocket from United Launch Alliance, a partnership of Lockheed Martin and Boeing.

OnePlus 2.2.0 OS update fixes Google camera, dual-SIM issues

 

 From the time OnePlus introduced its first smartphone in the market, the company has constantly rolled out updates to improve the functionality offered by their devices.

The Chinese smartphone manufacturing company on Monday rolled out yet another update for the OnePlus 2, offering numerous minor fixes along with two major ones—Google camera and dual-SIM fix.

The OxygenOS 2.2.0 update has finally dealt with the prolonged dual-SIM preference selection issues in settings, which has been a bothering all OnePlus 2 users since day one.

According to the company, the update has also added NTFS and exFAT support for OTG. Moreover, issues related to the Google Camera photosphere and panorama bugs, which affected the OnePlus 2 since the last update, has also been fixed.

Other minor updates include screen temperature adjustment from the phone’s quick settings, security patches, a set of Christmas-themed holiday wallpapers, and other general bug fixes.

However, the company has also mentioned that the update will be rolled out on an incremental basis and some users might receive update later than other users.

Facebook to enable viewing of Apple's animated photos

 

The latest iPhones come with the ability to turn still images into video — just like magic — but sharing options had been limited to other Apple apps. That's changing as Facebook, one of the leading forums for photo sharing, adds Apple's Live Photos feature to Facebook's iPhone and iPad app. Facebook will start offering it Monday to a limited number of users initially, with a broader rollout planned in the coming weeks. Facebook's support follows a similar move by Yahoo's Tumblr service.

With Live Photos on the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, every still shot is accompanied by a three-second video, with sound. For instance, you can snap a shot of your kid blowing out birthday candles — and get video showing the flame going out as everyone sings "Happy Birthday." The phone automatically records video in the background when the camera app is open. The recording is immediately discarded if you do nothing. When you snap a shot, the phone saves a second and a half of video leading to that shot and continues recording until you get three seconds in all.

Why not just take video? You might not know ahead of time when you'll encounter a scene lending itself to video. With Live Photos, you always get the video option — unless you turn the feature off. But sharing had been limited to certain Apple apps — such as the texting app Messages, but not Mail.

With tools Apple is making available to third parties, sharing can now be done through Facebook and Tumblr, too. Your friend merely needs to tap and hold the photo to watch the image animate. The iPhone 6s models are required for creating Live Photos, but viewing can also be done on older iPhones and iPads with the latest operating system. On Android and Web browsers, you get only the still images. Besides Facebook and Tumblr, Getty Images is also offering a selection of Live Photos through its app. It's a curated selection, though, rather than a mechanism for sharing photos with friends.

Apple criticises UK's proposed new spying law: reports

 

Technology company Apple has criticised draft British legislation designed to stiffen surveillance powers, saying the proposed bill could "spark serious international conflicts", British media reported. Home Secretary Theresa May said November's Investigatory Powers Bill would make existing surveillance laws more transparent and update them to take into account the growth of online communications.

Rights groups have condemned the draft legislation as an attack on civil liberties, while technology firms have said the plans are ambiguous, compromise customer security and would create a legal minefield. "It would also likely be the catalyst for other countries to enact similar laws," Apple yesterday said in a document sent to a parliamentary committee scrutinising the new legislation, British media reported. The legislation could paralyse "multinational corporations under the weight of what could be dozens or hundreds of contradictory country-specific laws" Apple's submission continued. The parliamentary committee, which fields opinions from experts on proposed legislation, said it had received a submission from Apple, but it had not yet passed through formal protocols for publication on its website.

Apple's British and US media offices were not immediately available for comment. Technology companies fear they may be forced to hand over data held in other countries, which Apple said could "immobilise substantial portions of the tech sector and spark serious international conflicts". The proposed legislation would give British intelligence agencies partial access to Internet browsing records and outlines powers for the bulk collection of data. Worryingly for technology firms, the bill spells out how agencies can "interfere" with electronic equipment such as computers and smartphones to obtain data, which may require the "assistance" of communications service providers. "The bill as it stands seems to threaten to extend responsibility for hacking from government to the private sector," Apple said.

Also of concern for technology companies is an obligation in the bill for communications service providers to be able to retain and intercept certain types of communications and "remove any encryption", the draft law says.

Panasonic announces two new models of multi-channel speaker systems

 

 Panasonic India has launched two new models of multi-channel speaker system in India. These Speaker Systems SC-HT40GW-K and SC-HT20GW-K offer good sound experience, a powerful compact subwoofer, and easy connections for all media devices.

The powerful 80WRMS 4.1 SC-HT40GW and 60WRMS 2.1 SC-HT20GW speakers produce rich bass effect with perfect combination of vocal clarity.

 

The handcrafted wooden cabinet enhances the bass effect. The 4.1Ch has modern sleek design with compact wall-mountable speakers while the 2.1Ch boasts of the famous Tall Boy speaker design, which is perfectly compatible with your 32” TV set.

These along with large size magnets for impactful sound pressure make it an inevitable choice for the powerful music enthusiasts. The 4.1Ch speakers are Bluetooth enabled which provides enhanced audio experience in any ambience.

Wi-fi to be provided in all central universities: Government

 

Wi-fi connectivity will be provided in all central universities under the National Mission on Education through Information and Communication Technology (NMEICT), the government on Monday said.

In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani said that two central universities—Allahabad University and North Eastern Hill University—are already covered under Department of Electronics and Information Technology (Deity) Programme.

For the remaining 38 central universities, Project Approval Board of NMEICT in its 31st meeting has approved the proposal for providing Wi-fi at the cost of Rs 335.85crore, the minister said.

Wickedleak announces Wammy Note 5 with 4GB RAM

 

Wickedleak is announcing its next flagship Smartphone ‘Wammy Note 5’, the latest in the Note series from the company.

The company claims that the device will be one of the most powerful smartphones to be launched in India and it will be priced at Rs 16,990 only.

Wammy Note 5 is powered by a MediaTek’s Helio P10 (MT6755) processor clocked at 2.0GHz and coupled with 4 GB of RAM.

It comes with Mali T860 GPU to support intense 3D Games and smooth graphic rendering. The Wammy Note 5 smart phone features a 5.5-inch Full HD resolution display with a 2.5D curved glass.

The device will carry 13MP camera with Sony Exmor RS sensor at the rear and 8MP front camera with omni-vision sensor.

The Smartphone will have support for Indian 4G operator bands across FDD-LTE and TDD-LTE.

Priced at Rs. 16,990, the smartphone will be exclusively available on online Wickedleak’s official website.

The Registrations for the Smartphone will begin from December 22, 2015 and will be able for ordering starting 15th January 2015.

BlackBerry may launch another Android smartphone in 2016

 

BlackBerry plans to roll out its new smartphone Priv to 31 more regions soon

 BlackBerry launched its first-ever Android smartphone, the BlackBerry Priv, in November 2015. Presently, the smartphone has only been launched in four countries, but BlackBerry plans to roll it out to 31 more regions soon. 

 

In an interview with another news website, the company’s CEO John Chen said that the BlackBerry Priv has been very well received till now, and if the streak continues similarly in other markets too, the company may launch its second high-end Android smartphone in 2016.

 

Facebook, Google, Twitter agrees to delete hate speech: Germany

 

Facebook, Google and Twitter have agreed to delete hate speech from their websites within 24 hours to prevent raising online racism.  

Berlin: Germany said on Tuesday that Facebook, Google and Twitter have agreed to delete hate speech from their websites within 24 hours, a new step in the fight against rising online racism following the refugee crisis.

The government has been trying to get social platforms to crack down on the rise in anti-foreigner comments in German on the web as the country struggles to cope with an influx of more than 1 million refugees this year.

The new agreement makes it easier for users and anti-racism groups to report hate speech to specialist teams at the three companies, German Justice Minister Heiko Maas said.

"When the limits of free speech are trespassed, when it is about criminal expressions, sedition, incitement to carry out criminal offences that threaten people, such content has to be deleted from the net," Maas said. "And we agree that as a rule this should be possible within 24 hours."

Germany last month launched an investigation into the European head of Facebook over its alleged failure to remove racist hate speech.

Martin Ott, Facebook's managing director for northern, central and eastern Europe based in Hamburg, may be held responsible for the social platform's failure to remove hate speech, a spokeswoman for the prosecution said last month.

Oukitel launches world’s first smartphone with 10,000 mAh battery

 

 Smartphones are evolving at an indomitable pace with new features being incorporated on a regular basis. From fancy fingerprint ID scanners to amazing UHD cameras, smartphones have it all these days.

However, having so many high-end features, apps and other software drains your handset faster than you can realise.

Of late, smartphone manufacturers are increasingly focusing on providing larger capacity to support a diverse range of applications.

That said, Chinese smartphone manufacturing company Oukitel has taken battery capacity to a new level and launched the K10000 with a staggering 10,000mAh battery, which also makes it the world’s first handset with a 15-day battery life.

Apart from the K10000’s massive battery capacity, the device employs a 5.5-inch HD IPS display with a 720x1280 pixel resolution. Also, the ‘hexa-faceted’ edge design looks quite impressive.  

Powered by a 1GHz quad-core processor along with 2GB RAM, the device fails to make an impact, but is still decent enough to pull off daily tasks with ease.

It also comes with 16GB internal storage capacity, which can be expanded to 32Gb via external microSD card.

Besides, the handset runs on an Android Lollipop 5.1 OS and comes with a range of smart gestures and applications. The 8MP primary camera and the 2MP front camera are decent considering the low price of the device.

According to the company, the 10,000mAh battery also comes with flash charging, which fully charges the device in 3.5 hours.

The device can also act as a powerbank utilising an OTG cable. The company claims that the handset will be left with 10 per cent charge even after fully powering up three iPhones.  

Although no announcements regarding an India launch has been made, you can pre-order the device at a price of $239.99, which will be shipped via Gearbeast starting January 2.

New Android Marshmallow update makes it easier to take screenshots

 

In the latest Android 6.0 upgrade, Google has added a new feature for the Marshmallow users. Post the update, Android users will be able to take screenshots just at a tap, instead of struggling with the power button and the volume rocker.

This new feature is available via the Google Now on Tap feature, which can be turned on by long pressing the Home button of the device, and simply following the instructions to turn on Now on Top. To the feature, Google has added a new share button, which lets you take screenshots, and also share it if you so wish.

The screenshots will not include any notifications in the status bar on top of the screen. Currently, this new feature is only available on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, but it soon may be rolled out for other non-Nexus devices too.

Apple slashes iPhone 5s price by half; now available in India for Rs 21,938

 

 In a rather unusual move, Apple has slashed the price of its best selling iPhone 5s, which is now available at a starting price of Rs 21,938 on Flipkart.

Accroding to media reports, the iPhone 5s, which was available at Rs 44,500 in September has been reduced to almost half in the last three months.

The reduction also means that the device’s price in India is one of the lowest world-wide, despite of several underlining factors like the depreciating value of rupee, and high import taxes. Also, the device was already Apple’s most popular device in India.

Considering all these factors, the price cut comes as an unexpected move to many retailers and market experts across the country. If you opt to buy the device from a physical store, it wil cost only Rs 24,999. 

However, this is not the first time Apple has reduced the handset’s price. Earlier, the Cupertino-based company had slashed the device’s price twice during the Indian festive season.

The substantial decrease in price can be deemed as the company’s strategy to capture the mid-ranged smartphone market in India, which is currently conquered by the likes of Samsung, Xiaomi, Motorola and OnePlus.

Apart from these devices, the price drop also aims at attracting customers who are seeking a first-class device between Rs 25,000 to 30,000.

In any case, the reduced price is definitely going to disrupt the premium budget smartphone market in the country.

For users who haven’t used the device before, the iPhone 5s competes with most modern day devices effortlessly, despite of being two decades old.

The iPhone 5s, which was launched in 2013, started an ‘evolution’ in the global smartphone market: it featured some amazing utilities like the fingerprint identity sensor, Retina display, and a solid 8MP iSight camera. 

Buyers can avail the iPhone 5S 16GB ‘space grey’ variant for as low as 21,938 from Flipkart’s website. Amazon India is offering the same variant at Rs 21,499. However, if you choose a different colour or a higher storage capacity, prices can shoot up accordingly.

ASUS launches ZenPad C 7.0 for Rs 7,999

 

After receiving a phenomenal response for the ZenPad series, ASUS announced the launch of a new variant of ZenPad C 7.0 that comes equipped with a MediaTek MT8382V/W quad-core processor. With a display size of 17.7 centimetres, the ZenPad C 7.0 has an internal memory of 8GB with MicroSD card support up to 64GB. The device has a 5 MP main camera with PixelMaster to capture brighter photos as well as videos.

Powered by Android OS Lollipop, the ZenPad includes the ASUS ZenUI 2.0 with over 1000 software enhancements, 10 finger multi-touch and Zen Motion support touch gesture. All these features and more make the ZenPad C 7.0 the perfect gift for your loved ones this festive season.

The ZenPad will be available exclusively on Snapdeal from December 14 and will retail at Rs 7,999. The device comes in two variants - Obsidian Black and Pearl White.

Some key features:

Display: 17.7 cm (7) Super Bright IPS panel WSVGA(1024 x 600), 170 Pixel per inch, 71 per cent Screen to Body Ratio , AGC Glass with 20nm Anti-Finger Coating, 10 finger multi-touch, IPS Display upto 170 degree viewing angle, Zen Motion support Touch Gesture

Processor: MTK MT8382V/W Quad-core ARM Cortex-A7 MPCore operating at 1.3Ghz, support 3D graphics

Camera: 5MP, VCM Auto-Focus, Large Aperture f/2.0, 720p@30fps, low light mode, Zero shuttle lag, Beautification, Panorama, HDR, PixelMaster Camera for brighter photos and videos

Battery: 3450mAh Li-polymer Battery, 8.5 hours battery life

Storage: 8GB, 5GB ASUS Web Storage space for life with an additional 11GB for the 1st year, 100GB of Google Drive space for 2 years, MicroSD card support up to 64GB

Twitter warns some users of possible state-sponsored cyber attack

 

 Twitter Inc issued an alert to some users warning them that state-sponsored hackers may have tried to obtain sensitive data from their accounts, the company said, the first such warning by the micro blogging site.

The notice said there was no indication the hackers obtained sensitive information from what it said were a "small group of accounts" targeted.

It did not provide additional information about the attack or possible suspects in its investigation.

Twitter's notice is the latest amid concern about cyber attacks by state-sponsored organizations. Government agencies, businesses and media have all been hacked.

Motherboard, a tech news site, and the Financial Times earlier reported on Twitter's warning.

One organization that said it received the notice, a Winnipeg-based nonprofit called Coldhak, said the warning from Twitter came on Friday. The notice said the attackers may have been trying to obtain information such as "email addresses, IP addresses, and/or phone numbers".

Coldhak's Twitter account, @coldhakca, retweeted reports from a number of other users who said they received the notice. Coldhak and the other users did not indicate why they may have been singled out.

Colin Childs, one of the founding directors of Coldhak, told Reuters his organization has seen "no noticeable impact of this attack".

Google and Facebook have also started issuing warnings to users possibly targeted by state-sponsored attacks.