Samsung AX5500 air purifier with aerodynamic airflow technology, real time air quality detection launched in India

Samsung India today has launched the new Air Purifier; the AX5500 that can rapidly purify your living spaces with aerodynamic airflow technology. The Samsung AX5500 comes with the capability of drawing air inside from the front side, covering a wider area that removes ultrafine dust, harmful viruses, and gases with its 4-step purification system. Samsung AX5500 has Dual Smart Sensor that detects the air quality in real time and the Air Digital Display numerically shows PM2.5/ PM10/ Gas Pollution Level to the consumers. The first-of-its-kind Filter Life Indicator lets you track the life of the filter so that you can stay aware. It comes equipped with 360° wheels making it easily movable at any time and anywhere based on the requirement. The Samsung AX5500 is designed to quickly purify a wider area and the Front Air Inflow easily draws in air from the front allowing and the power fan spreads clean air out in 3 directions – top, left and right side, enabling it to reach a much wider area of upto 60 sq. meters and purifiers faster achieving a CADR (Clean Air Delivery Rate) of 455 cu. meters per hour. The Pre Filter extracts larger dust particles, such as pollen. The Deodorization ...

WhatsApp, Jio collaborate to educate users on how to use WhatsApp on JioPhone

WhatsApp and Jio today have announced that they started an educational campaign across India with an aim to show people how to use WhatsApp on JioPhone to connect with friends and family in a simple, secure, and reliable way. Both the companies, starting from October 9th will travel across India together and visit 10 cities in the states of UP, Rajasthan, and more. As a part of the campaign, there will be events at each city to show people how to use WhatsApp safely and responsibly. The collaboration also includes street plays, the popular art form of outreach, to engage people and guide them. The companies have also developed video tutorials and informative leaflets, available online and in Jio Stores in 11 Indian languages including Hindi, Bengali, and Marathi. Commenting on the educational campaign, a WhatsApp spokesperson said:  Jio has an important role in driving India’s digital revolution by empowering millions of Indians. We are excited to be a part of this journey and help organize a campaign that educates people on how to communicate in a simple and safe way with WhatsApp.

Twitter for Android and iOS gets new ‘Data-Saver’ mode

Twitter has rolled out an update to its Twitter mobile app which brings Dava-Saving feature to let users have more control over their data usage. Instead of saving data using the Lite app, users can instead turn on the toggle to save data using the main app. Users will be able to turn on a new ‘Data Saver’ option available in Twitter’s Settings. Prior to this update, Data Saver option was available in Twitter for Windows, Twitter Lite, and its mobile website. Twitter was testing the options for Android and iOS and it is now finally rolling out. To turn on the data saver, you’ll have to head over to Data Usage settings in the iOS or Android mobile app and toggle the option on or off. When enabled, images will load in lower quality and videos won’t autoplay. However, if you wish to see high-quality images, you can tap on the three-top menu and pick “Load High Quality” to change the setting of that particular content. The update also brings other features which include changes to make it easier to manage who’s in your group chats, VoiceOver improvements in polls, and better labels for some types of Twitter ads. You can download the updated Twitter app ...

Instagram rolls out Snapchat-like Nametag QR codes; testing new school communities

Instagram today is rolling out 'nametag' which is an easy way to add friends on Instagram. The company also said that it is testing a new Instagram school communities feature in the US to help students connect with others from their university right in the app. Both the nametag and School communities features were rumored to be in works a while ago.  The nametag is a customizable identification card that allows people to find your Instagram profile when it’s scanned. Your nametag is uniquely yours and makes it quick and fun to add people and accounts you discover in person. To try out the nametag, head over to your profile, tap the menu button at the top right, and select “Nametag.” It lets you personalize your nametag by touching anywhere on the screen or by tapping the button at the top to try other designs, such as colors, emojis, and selfies with different stickers. To scan someone’s nametag, you can either swipe right into the camera, hover over the nametag and hold down on your screen, or enter the camera by tapping “Scan a nametag.” You can also share your nametag with friends through text messages and over other platforms like Facebook and ...

Apple and Amazon deny their servers were compromised by Chinese chips

Apple and Amazon explicitly deny that their servers were compromised by Chinese chips. The report from Bloomberg claims that China spies were able to infiltrate the USA's biggest tech companies by inserting microchips which is the size of “a grain of rice” into the Chinese-manufactured servers that are a part of the tech giants’ infrastructure. This probably happens to be the boldest and surprising hardware hacking by a nation that is ever publicly reported. Furthermore, the chip is said to be infiltrated in nearly around 30 US companies, and all the companies said to have discovered the chips on their own and notified US authorities, but both Apple and Amazon are refusing the claim and saying that there is no truth in the story. Furthermore, the chip is said to be siphoning off data and letting in new code like a Trojan Horse. Bloomberg also reports that Amazon and Apple discovered the hack through internal investigations and reported it to US authorities. However, the report doesn't state any direct evidence that the data of users was stolen or tampered with, but both Amazon and Apple silently worked on removing the compromised servers from their infrastructure. The attack was reportedly carried out via the US-based company Super Micro Computer Inc. The ...

Instagram said to be testing on feature that would share your location history with Facebook

Instagram is said to be prototyping a new privacy setting that would allow it to share your location history with Facebook. Meaning, your exact GPS coordinates can be collected by Instagram, even when you’re not using the app, which would helo Facebook to push targetted ads and recommend you relevant content. This geo-tagged data of yours would appear in Facebook's profile's activity log which also includes daily maps of the places you been. This would definitely upset the users who are concerned about their privacy. With Adam Mosseri as head of Instagram, who also happens to be a close associate of Mark Zuckerberg, questions about how Facebook would attempt to squeeze more value out of Instagram including referral traffic to the main app, inserting additional ads, or pulling in more data. Regarding the location settings, a Facebook spokesperson said: “To confirm, we haven’t introduced updates to our location settings. As you know, we often work on ideas that may evolve over time or ultimately not be tested or released. Instagram does not currently store Location History; we’ll keep people updated with any changes to our location settings in the future.” This confirms the prototyping of the feature but hasn't launched it yet. The screenshots of ...

Google Assistant can now book a ride from Uber, Lyft, Ola, Grab, GO-JEK and many more

Google today announced that it is rolling out a new way to easily book ride services with your Google Assistant. With your Android phone, iPhone, Google Home, or any smart speaker with the Assistant you can book a cab by saying “Hey Google, book a ride" or “Hey Google, get me a taxi." You will be given a list of popular ride services to select from, including Uber, Lyft, Ola, Grab, GO-JEK and many more, along with more information on estimated pricing and wait times from each service. You then need to tap your preferred ride service on your phone, and the app will open to let you confirm the booking. The feature will be available in English and is functional in any country where one of the supported ride service partners operate. However, Google plans to expand to more languages in the coming months. Source

Hathway Android TV-based OTT set-top box and cable hybrid box launched in India at Rs. 2,999

Hathway has unveiled a new OTT set-top box and a cable hybrid box and the newly introduced boxes will be available to the local cable operators from 15 October and consumer registrations will start by November 1st. The OTT set-top box is based on Google’s Android TV and the remote carries a dedicated YouTube, Netflix and Google Play button. It also features voice-enabled Google assistant and inbuilt Chromecast. The hybrid cable box named- Hathway Ultra Smart HUB combines linear TV with Play services in HDR quality along with easy navigation. It will enable users to download apps from the Google Play store.  The cable hybrid boxes will be available in areas where Hathway cable is functional. However, the OTT box can reach areas where there’s no cable but Hathway’s broadband service is offered. Both the new OTT set-top box and a cable hybrid box are priced at Rs.2,999 and as mentioned, it will be available to the local cable operators from 15th October and consumer registrations will start by November 1st. Pranab MookkenAndroid, Chrome & Play Business Development head India said:  We are pleased to be working with Hathway and look forward to leveraging their extensive broadband and cable network to enable more exciting and useful ...

Samsung Galaxy A9 Star Pro with four rear cameras, 6.28-inches AMOLED display, Snapdragon 660 surfaces

It is already known that Samsung is expected to launch a smartphone with four-rear cameras on October 11h. The device is rumored to be Galaxy A9 Star Pro which is said to sport a 6.28-inches Super AMOLED display and is powered by the Snapdragon 660 SoC. Now, we know most of the specifications of the device.  The Galaxy A9 Star Pro will have quadruple cameras on the back and a fingerprint sensor. It sports a 6.28-inch sAMOLED display with FHD + (2220 × 1080) resolution with in-display buttons for navigation. As for the optics, among the four cameras; it will have a 24MP main sensor with optical image stabilization and an aperture of F1.7. A 5MP depth-sensor for live focus with F2.2 aperture, an 8MP 120 ° wide-angle lens with F2.4 aperture, and a 10MP optical zoom camera with F2.4 aperture. It will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 So, 6GB RAM, 128GB internal storage that is further expandable up to 512GB via a microSD card. It will have a 3720mAh battery with USB Type-C port.  At the moment, unfortunately, nothing is known about the price or the sale date, all we know is the October 11th launch date, so we will have to wait for some more time to know more details. Source

Nokia True Wireless Earbuds and Pro Wireless Earphones announced

HMD Global, along with the Nokia 7.1 also introduced the Nokia True Wireless Earbuds and the Nokia Pro Wireless Earphones. The True Wireless Earbuds weighs just 5 grams per earbud and promises 3.5 hours play time, and the charging case can hold three charges giving a total of up to 16 hours of talk time. The Nokia Pro Wireless Earphones has a neckband design, offers up to 10 hours of playback time from a single charge, has a built-in vibration function alerts user of incoming calls, and the smart magnetic earbuds lets you just separate them from each other to answer calls or play music. Both are sweat and splash proof. Nokia Pro Wireless Earphones features and specifications  Bluetooth 4.2 with multipoint connection for up to 2 devices HD audio experience delivered by Qualcomm aptX technology Magnetic functions Clip earbuds together to end calls or pause music; unclip to answer calls or resume music Power on/off, answer/end call, reject call, volume control, track control buttons Sweat and splash protection 3 pairs of ear buds (S, M, L) and 3 pairs of ergonomic ear tips (S, M, L) Earbud height 2.56cm, Neckband (resting) 17.8cm x 13.1cm, Neckband (full length) 45cm, Earphone cord 27.5cm; Weight 45g Audio playback of up to 10 hours on a ...