Facebook Express Wi-Fi app for locally operated hotspots released

Facebook has released the Express Wi-Fi app for locally operated hotspots for Android. The app lets users buy data packs and find nearby hotspots as part of Facebook’s distributed Wi-Fi network. Facebook's Express Wi-Fi program is live in five developing countries where users can buy and access high-speed data connectivity via local telecoms. Prior to the launch of Facebook's Express Wi-Fi, users had to go through the process on a mobile website, or directly download an app from a telecom requiring you to set up phone’s settings. Also, there wasn't any way to see where the hotspots were exactly present. The new Express Wi-Fi is available for Android and is live in Indonesia with bandwidth from telecom partner D-Net, and in Kenya through Surf. The app will tell if the Wi-Fi is turned on or not and it also lets you file reports to Facebook about connectivity or retailer issues. Express Wi-Fi offers an unrestricted version of the web for a price and bandwidth services approved by Facebook. This really gives Facebook a chance to bring people without internet connectivity to online without having to worry about net neutrality. You can download the Facebook Express Wi-Fi app directly from Play Store. Facebook in a statement has said: Facebook is releasing the Express Wi-Fi ...

Google Lens coming to more Android and iOS devices [Update: Now rolling out to iOS devices in Google Photos]

Update 2: As promised, Google has started rolling out the Lens feature through Google Photos for iOS devices as well. You just need to update the app to version 3.15.0 via the App Store. It is rolling out in batches from today and will reach everyone by next week. [HTML2] Update: Google today announced that Google Lens is now available through Google Photos app for Android for everyone (rolling out in batches) and will soon be available for iOS. [HTML1] Google Lens was first announced at the I/O 2017 event last year and since then it was only available in Google Photos and in Assistant for Pixel phones. However, Google today announced that Google Lens will roll out to more Android and iOS devices running on latest Google Photos app in the coming weeks. Lens will be available to all English-language users using the latest Google Photos app. Google also mentioned that English-language users on compatible flagship devices will get the camera-based Lens experience within the Google Assistant in the coming weeks. The company says it will add support for more devices gradually. Google Lens allows you to scan your photos for landmarks and objects and fetch more details, all within the same screen. Moving past the compatibility cycle, Google says ...

Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ get first update in India as global roll out of the smartphones begin

Samsung launched the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ smartphones in India last week. Now both the smartphones have received a new update that brings March 2018 Android security patch. It also brings improved stability to Face Unlock and camera for the Galaxy S9+ along with usual set of stability improvements and bug fixes for the phone. For me, the fingerprint sensor issue that doesn't respond after sometime has been fixed with this update. Samsung has also started rolling out the smartphone globally in about 70 countries, including Korea, the U.S., Canada, China and all of Europe, and the company said that it will roll out to over 110 markets by the end of the month. The update has build number G960FXXU1ARC5 for the S9 and G965FXXU1ARC5 for the S9+ and is about 243MB in size. Users who get these smartphones today should get the update once they boot.

Intel’s upcoming Xeon Scalable processors to include hardware protection against Spectre and Meltdown

Spectre and Meltdown are two most security vulnerabilities that shook up the tech world and these mostly affected every single Intel processor that released in the past decade. These vulnerabilities gave away access to sensitive data like usernames and passwords despite being stored in protected memory. Though Intel rolled out security patches, it later announced users and OEMs not to install it since it introduces higher than expected reboots and other unpredictable system behavior. Intel today announced that the upcoming Xeon and 8th-gen Intel Core processors that are scheduled to release later this year would include design changes and fixes for variants of the Spectre and Meltdown vulnerabilities. https://youtu.be/pi2ftnlfImo Not just fixes, these new chipsets will deliver the performance improvements. As for the current models, Intel's chief executive officer Krzanich says that it has rolled out microcode updates for “100% of Intel products launched in the past five years that require protection against the side-channel method vulnerabilities discovered by Google. Krzanich says that he appreciates industry partners who worked closely with Intel to develop and test these updates and make sure they were ready for production. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said: We have redesigned parts of the processor to introduce new levels of protection through partitioning that will protect against both Variants ...

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro launched in China with f/1.9 aperture camera, Dual 4G VoLTE, Android Oreo, USB Type-C, Quick Charge 3.0

Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 5 Pro smartphone in India last month. The company launched the phone in China today as Redmi Note 5 AI Dual Camera. Even though the phone has the same 5.99-inch Full HD+ 2.5D curved glass screen, Snapdragon 636 SoC with up to 6GB RAM, Hybrid Dual SIM slot, 4000mAh battery and comes with 12-megapixel rear camera with 1.25μm pixel size sensor, but this has a f/1.9 aperture camera compared to f/2.2 in the Indian version. It also has Dual PD dual-core speed focus for fast and accurate focus. The secondary rear camera is the same 5-megapixel unit . However it has a 13-megapixel front camera compared to the 20-megapixel unit in the Indian version. The Chinese version also runs Android 8.1 (Oreo) with Treble support, comes with USB Type-C and also has Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 compared to micro USB with Quick Charge 2.0 in the Indian version. It also has Dual 4G VoLTE support for both the SIM cards, which the Indian version lacks. Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 (AI Dual Camera) specifications 5.99-inch (2160 × 1080 pixels) Full HD+ 18:9 2.5D curved glass display with 450 nits Brightness, 84% NTSC Color Gamut, 1500: 1 Contrast Ratio, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 Protection ...

Spotify said to be testing native voice search, possibly suggesting smart speaker

Spotify is currently said to be testing native voice search in the iOS app that is possibly suggesting integration with a Spotify-built smart speaker. A spokesperson has confirmed the same to TechCrunch saying the testing is 'just for now.' Currently, the testing is only done on iOS and you will be seeing a white bubble with a microphone icon on the bottom right of your screen when you're in the 'Search' tab. Since it is testing, only a small set of users have access currently. A Spotify user who has found the voice search feature has also posted a video. Going by the video, the feature seems to be in good shape and has the ability to access music several different ways. https://youtu.be/0jIfEvv-M8M This feature is definitely handy as it eliminates the need for typing while you are on the go wearing microphone headphones. Though Snapchat tested the Driving mode over a year ago, it never rolled out anything related to it, but an Android user who dug up the APK has found the files separately for the driving and voice search modes, indicating that the new voice interface isn’t just an iteration on driving mode. This could mean that Spotify might be working on its own interface for ...

OPPO F7 with 6.2-inch FHD+ full-screen display, 25MP front camera launching in India on March 26

Update: OPPO has sent out invites for the launch of OPPO F7 smartphone on March 26th. It says that it will have "the best artificial intelligence". It also said that it will be launched by 3 cricket starts - Hardik Pandya, Rohit Sharma and Ravichandran Ashwin.  It has also confirmed AI selfie, Cover Shot and AR (Augmented Reality) stickers for the phone.. OPPO launched F5, a selfie-focused smartphone in the 'F series' India back in November last year. Today the company has confirmed that it will launch its successor - OPPO F7 in the country on March 26th, skipping the F6. It has also teased the phone with an image that shows full-screen display with a notch and minimal bezels, similar to the OPPO R15 that will launch in China later this month. OPPO is also teasing its brand ambassador for the phone and asks its fans to guess the cricketer who is likely to be Hardik Pandya. The company has not revealed any specifications of the phone officially, but a report from ET recently said that the phone will feature a 6.2-inch Full HD+ 19:9 display with 89.09% screen-to- body-ratio. It is also said to come with a 25-megapixel front-facing camera with improved Artificial Intelligence features ...