Yahoo Messenger will shut down on July 17 after 20 years

Oath Inc today announced that it is shutting down Yahoo Messenger on July 17th and until then you continue to use the service normally. Yahoo Messenger is one of the first instant messaging apps on the market. The company says your Yahoo ID remains intact for other services like Mail and fantasy sports. While the company isn't specific about the shutdown but given the dominance of the WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and other chat applications it is understandable. Oath had also shut down AIM's AOL Instant messenger back in December last year. The company says that as communications landscape continues to change, it is focusing on building and introducing new communications tools that better fit consumer needs. Squirrel is a group messaging app that Yahoo started testing last month, so this new app will be replacing Yahoo messenger. The company mentioned that users can download the chat history on Messenger for the next six months from here. But the files can be saved locally but can't be imported to other platforms. Yahoo regarding the shutdown has said: There currently isn’t a replacement product available for Yahoo Messenger. We’re constantly experimenting with new services and apps, one of which is an invite-only group messaging app called Yahoo Squirrel (currently in beta). Source | Via

Huawei P20 Lite Review

Huawei introduced the Nova 3e back in March, which was launched in India as P20 Lite  along with the P20 Pro last month. Even though this might not have top-end specifications as the P20 or the P20 Pro, this has a similar notch design, glass-like finish on the back and a 24-megapixel front camera. Is the smartphone worth the price of Rs. 19,999? Let us dive into the review to find out. Box Contents Huawei P20 Lite smartphone in Klein Blue color 2-pin charger (5V-2A) USB Type-C Cable Headset SIM Ejector tool Clear protective case User manual and warranty information Display, Design, and Hardware The Huawei P20 Lite comes with a 5.84-inch Full HD+ LCD 2.5D curved glass display with a resolution of 1080 x 2280 pixels, pixel density of 432 PPI, 19:9 aspect ratio with a notch and a screen-to-body ratio of about 80%. The display is bright, offers good color reproduction, thanks to 96% NTSC super high-colour gamut, has good viewing angles and the sunlight legibility is good as well. It also has toughened glass for protection says the company with revealing which one it is. [gallery link="file" size="large" ids="255308,255309,255307"] Similar to the P20 and the P20 pro, this has an option to hide the notch at the top of the display that ...

Sony Xperia Ear Duo wireless headphones with Google Assistant and Siri integration starts rolling out globally

Sony at the MWC 2018 introduced the Xperia Ear Duo wireless headphones with noise-cancelling and Google Assistant and Siri integration. It went on pre-order in the U.S. back in February and went on sale lat month. Today the company has announced that the headphones have started rolling out through Xperia Store Online in select markets including UK, Ireland, France, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Spain, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Czech Republic, Portugal, Greece, Hungary, Bulgaria and Belgium. The dual listening experience combines music that you are listening to environmental sounds for the richer sound experience. It can send audio notifications about your calendar, news headlines, and other topics to the headset. The intelligent “Daily Assist” feature recognizes the time, location and activities to offer relevant information throughout the day. The Sony’s in-house developed Spatial Acoustic Conductor, allows the sound generated behind the ear by the unit´s driver to be transmitted directly to the ear. It is powered by the Sony’s ultra-low power consuming CXD5602 chip and a sophisticated multi-sensor platform. Highlights of Sony Xperia Ear Duo Truly wireless freedom to keep you in tune with the world Smart assistance with contextual alerts - personalized information is delivered based on your whereabouts or your current activity ...

Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge Android 8.0 Oreo update starts rolling out in India

Samsung rolled out the Android Oreo update to Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge back in May and immediately after the roll out, it has halted the update citing various bugs and it resumed it again after few days . It took its sweet amount of time to roll out the update to other markets and now the company is pushing out the update in India finally. Apart from India, the update is also rolling out in the United Arab Emirates. The Android Oreo update to Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge brings firmware version number G930FXXU2EREM and G935FXXU2EREM and weighs 1.4GB size which is expected from a major software upgrade. It also brings all the Oreo features including the Experience U.I 9.0 on top. The update also brings the April 2018 security patch and it is about time Samsung rolls out the update in other markets as well. The Experience U.I 9.0 brings theme store, wallpapers collection, a new interface and more. Since the update has started rolling out, it might be a week's time before the update finishes rolling out to every device. The Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge users can alternatively keep an eye out for the about phone, update section. Via

Samsung Galaxy J3 2018 and Galaxy J7 2018 announced

Samsung has introduced 2018 editions of Galaxy J3 and Galaxy J7 smartphones in the U.S. The phones come with 5-inch and 5.5-inch HD displays, respectively. The J3 comes with an 8-megapixel rear camera with f/1.9 aperture and a 5-megapixel front camera. The company did not reveal any other specifications of the smartphone, but a recent Geekbench listing reveals that the phone will be powered by Quad-Core Exynos 7570 14nm SoC with 2GB RAM, but the battery capacity is still a mystery. The new Galaxy J7 will feature a 13-megapixel rear camera with f/1.7 aperture and the front camera also has a 13-megapixel sensor with f/1.9 aperture. Other specifications are not available yet. Samsung Galaxy J3 (2018) specifications 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD display 1.4GHz Quad-Core Exynos 7570 14nm processor with Mali-T720 MP1 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD Android 8.0 (Oreo) Dual SIM 8MP rear camera with LED flash, f/1.9 aperture 5MP front-facing camera, f/2.2 aperture 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2 LE, GPS The Galaxy J3 (2018) and Galaxy J7 (2018) will be available in the U.S. starting early June, says Samsung. Back in March @evleaks said that the Galaxy J3 (SM-J337A) and Galaxy J7 (SM-J337V) will head to Verizon as the Samsung Galaxy J7 ...

Google details Ethical standards for AI and its use cases

Google recently rebranded ‘Google Research’ to Google A.I to convey how serious the company is about the artificial intelligence. Today Google's CEO Sundar Pichai has laid down the company's new AI manifesto, and it is Google's answer to the concerning rise of AI fear. Google has seven "principles" that will guide as it progresses and these are the real guidelines the company believes it can use for both engineering and business decisions. The seven principles include; be socially beneficial, avoid creating or reinforcing unfair bias, be built and tested for safety, be accountable to people, incorporate privacy design principles, uphold high standards of scientific excellence, be made available for uses that accord with these principles, based on primary purpose and use, is it unique?, will it have a significant impact?, What will Google's involvement be?. Google in a blog post has acknowledged the rise of AI and said that the area is dynamic and evolving, and it will approach with humility, a commitment to internal and external engagement, and a willingness to adapt its approach in the days to come. The company has also detailed that it will not accept AI application if it falls in areas that include; technologies that cause or are likely to cause overall ...

Google Chromebooks could get eSIM and Project Fi support soon

Always connected Chromebooks are slowly making their way back again and it looks like Project Fi and eSIM chips support will be a feature for future Chrome OS devices, according to a recent code-review on the Chromium Gerrit. Since there are no current pending announcements with eSIM support, so this technology will likely have to wait for a new for some more time. In case you didn't know, unlike the regular SIM card support, eSIM is a permanent component of a device that is configured digitally. Instead of swapping SIM between networks, you can just register your eSIM with a network. It also brings various benefits like network-agnostic, meaning that you can seamlessly change networks. You won’t have the hassle of dealing with PAC codes or cutting down SIMs to size. Despite the benefits, eSIM development is delayed and the adoption is largely dependent on network carrier support. Recently Google has expanded the Project Fi support with three phones. Chromebooks used to come with a SIM slot and now in 2018, always-connected PCs are slowly on the rise and perhaps we can see Chromebooks with eSIM and Project Fi support to drop sooner than later. Source | Via

Essential Phone introduces magnetic 3.5mm headphone jack module, partners with MQA and TIDAL for masterclass audio

Essential today has announced that it has partnered with MQA and TIDAL to elevate everyday music listening. The update fine-tuned and calibrated to support MQA for studio master quality sound. The company has also launched its first magnetic 3.5mm headphone jack dongle. The Tidal’s Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) brings support for lossless tracks and with the new partnership, users will also have access to the music service and will be able to listen to MQA tracks. Tidal is offering Essential Phone owners a three-month subscription of its Hi-Fi tier for free so users can try out higher-resolution audio. Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) is a new way of giving a lossless audio experience in a smaller size. On the other hand, the magnetic 3.5mm headphone jack dongle is the first module to launch after the phone got official. While the company didn't mention how much it will cost but said that it will be available around August. The company has also announced that it is now bundling Essential Phone with earphones bundled for $499. The magnetic 3.5mm headphone jack dongle features ESS Sabre DAC with hardware MQA rendering and an audiophile-grade amp that can drive demanding high-impedance headphones. It connects to the phone just by clicking on it. Users ...

Instagram update brings mention Sharing to Photos, Videos in Stories

Instagram today has announced the rollout of @mention Sharing, with this feature when someone mentions you in their story, you’ll be able to share that photo or video into your own story.  When someone mentions you in their story, you receive a notification in your Direct message thread with that person, and now you’ll see an option to add that content to your own story. You can tap it to see that story as a sticker and all the other editing options like scale, rotate and position it are available and add creative tools like text or stickers on to it as well. When your followers see your story, the original poster’s username will appear, and they can tap to head over to their profile. Only public accounts can have their stories shared. The update is available on iOS and Android as part of Instagram version 48. Source

Facebook alerts 14 million users about privacy bug that changed status of composer to public

Facebook today has announced that it recently had found a bug that automatically suggested posting publicly when some people were creating their Facebook posts. The company also mentioned that it is letting the 14 million people affected know about the bug and is asking them to review any posts they made during that time. The company clarified that the bug did not have any impact on anything people had posted before, and they could still choose their audience just as they always have. Facebook usually shows you a sector of the audience so you can decide who gets to see the post. Facebook says that the bug occurred as it is building a new way to share featured items on the profile. However, the problem has now been fixed for everyone who is affected, and it has changed back the audience the way they have been using before. It is also letting users know about the bug and is asking them to review Facebook posts they made during that time. In case, if you have posted publicly, you’ll see a notification when you log in that leads to a page with more information including a review of posts during this period. Source