Facebook Lasso TikTok like lip-syncing app for Android and iOS released

Facebook has released the Lasso app that lets users create fun short videos that are aimed to compete with TikTok. This move is to bring back teens which Facebook lost in 2018. Lasso lets users record themselves dancing and lip-syncing to music. The app also lets users record short clips like Vines. The app is available for both iOS and Android. The company in a statement said: “Lasso is a new standalone app for short-form, entertaining videos from comedy to beauty to fitness and more. We’re excited about the potential here, and we’ll be gathering feedback from people and creators.” You can sign in to Lasso through Instagram or create an account using Facebook. You’ll have to authorize the app to allow access to your profile page, photos, and videos. You will able to share Lasso videos as Facebook stories, and Instagram stories to come later. You can also make your profile private. You can download the app on App Store and Play Store. If it's not available in your country, you can download the APK and side-load it manually. Source

Amazon Alexa now available on Microsoft Store for Windows 10 PCs

Amazon has released its Alexa app for Windows 10, while it was available for selected Windows laptops, today marks the official launch of the app in the Microsoft Store. You can download and install the app on any Windows 10 PC with no specifications requirements.  It is only compatible with devices that support Alexa wake word functionality. If you don’t have a compatible PC then you can hit the button within the app to speak to Alexa or invoke the assistant using a keyboard shortcut. It includes access to now playing to control music and the ability to control smart home devices. Video, calls, Spotify, and Pandora are all not currently supported within this Alexa for Windows 10 app at the moment. Amazon hasn’t added PC specific controls to ask Alexa to do access Windows features, but Amazon says “PC-specific capabilities will be added in early 2019 in addition to ongoing feature updates.” You can download the Alexa app from Microsoft Store here.

HTC Vive Focus standalone VR headset rolls out globally

At GDC 2018, HTC Vive announced that it will roll out the Vive focus to global markets later this year. Vive Focus is the first 6DOF stand-alone VR headset to be commercially available. The company is also making Vive Focus developer kits available to registered developers in most countries through the developer portal. Built upon Vive Wave, the open VR platform and toolset that is unifying the development experience for standalone and mobile VR devices, along with Viveport as its content platform. In addition, developers who bring content to Viveport in China for either Vive Focus or PC-based Vive will receive 100% rev-share from title sales and Viveport subscription in China between April and September 2018. The Vive Focus is the company’s first Standalone VR Headset for the China market and is the first commercial standalone device to deliver inside-out 6-degree-of-freedom tracking (6DoF). Meaning you don’t need a base station like PC or mobile to connect it nor sensors and you get the freedom of mobility to use it anywhere. The Vive Focus VR packs an AMOLED screen to deliver the best VR experience with low latency, and it is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 VR Platform and utilizes the Vive Wave VR open platform. It has a ...

Chrome 71 to warn users of websites with insufficient mobile subscription information pages

With Chrome 71 that will be released in December 2018, Chrome will show a warning sign about the insufficient mobile subscription information pages, so that users can make informed decisions when signing up to mobile-based subscription services. Users will be offered the choice to proceed to the page or go back if they were unaware that they were entering a billing page. Google says that it wants to make sure Chrome users understand when they are going through a billing flow and trust that they’ll be able to make informed decisions while browsing the web. To adequately inform users, it’s important to provide a sufficient level of details within the billing page as outlined by the new mobile billing charges. If Chrome detects pages that don’t provide sufficient billing information to users, it will display a warning sign to the user on Chrome mobile, Chrome desktop, and Android’s WebView. When Google identifies such pages, it will notify the webmaster through Search Console where there will be an option to let it know about the changes they’ve made to clarify the billing process. Google won't make any changes if websites offer clear information about the billing process. Source

Vine successor ‘Byte’ short-video looping app to launch in 2019

Creators of Vine has now announced the spiritual successor app dubbed 'Byte' which is a new video looping app. Not much is known about the app except for the fact that it is set to launch in the spring of 2019. Dom Hofmann says that it is officially the projects formerly known as v2. our new looping video app is called byte. launching spring 2019 pic.twitter.com/C3FMvkcIwc — dom hofmann (@dhof) November 8, 2018 Twitter purchased Vine in 2012 before the official launch and shut it down nearly four years later. Though the short-life, Vine became immensely popular for video creators, many of whom have since moved on to Instagram, Twitch, and YouTube. Now, it looks like Dom Hofmann, one of the co-creators of Vine, is reviving it as Byte and the company even has a logo and sign up page running. As said, not much else is known about how Byte will work, but Hofmann postponed v2 indefinitely in May of this year, citing funding and logistic issues. It looks like Hofmann has now secured some type of funding to get v2 off the ground as Byte. We hope to learn more about the app in the days to come.

Xiaomi forays into UK with Mi 8 Pro, Mi Band 3, Electric Scooter, Redmi 6A and more

Xiaomi has officially entered U.K with the launch of Mi 8 Pro alongside a range of other products including Mi 8, Redmi 6A smartphone, the Xiaomi Band 3 fitness tracker, and the Mi electric scooter. Apart from U.K, Xiaomi is steadily rolling out its range of products in new regions including Latin America and parts of northern and eastern Europe. A recap of the products (and prices!) that we unveiled today at our first UK Launch event. #ThisIsMi pic.twitter.com/ZxEm6cgVYw — XiaomiUK (@XiaomiUK_) November 8, 2018 Though Xiaomi products were available in the UK through a 3rd party, this marks the official entry and a major push for Xiaomi. They will be available through brick-and-mortar Mi Store in Westfield London which will be opened on November 18. The Chinese smartphone giant first debuted the Mi 8 Pro alongside the Mi 8 Lite in China back in September, following Mi 8 which launched in May. The company’s senior VP, Wang Xiang said: “Today we witness a new chapter in Xiaomi’s global expansion journey, underpinned by our global ambitions.” The Mi 8 Pro comes with a pressure-sensitive in-display fingerprint sensor. This only activates the unlocking process once you place your finger on the screen, which is faster and more power-efficient and is ...

Google rebrands Files Go to ‘Files by Google,’ hits 30 million monthly active users

Google launched Files Go app to free up space on mobile phones, find files faster and share them with others back in December 2017. The app currently has over 30 million monthly users. Google today is finally rebranding the app to just Files by Google, and the company has also redesigned the user experience. Google is ensuring that the content of your mobile phone is the focus when you use the app. When you clear out files you no longer need, we now tell you what you’ve freed up room for. The app lets you free up space more quickly and easily than ever. You can even delete old photos and memes from chat apps, remove duplicate files, delete unused apps, clear your cache and more. You can use Files to see how much free space is left on your phone and SD card. Files by Google can be downloaded directly from Google PlayStore. Source

Jolla Sailfish 3 with fresh new look, data encryption improvements, Mobile Device Management and more released

Jolla has announced the availability of Sailfish 3 which is its 3rd gen independent mobile operating system. The company says that Sailfish 3 offers a packetized solution for various corporate environments. It now supports several new Sony Xperia devices. It comes with security features such as Mobile Device Management (MDM), fully integrated VPN solutions, enterprise WiFi, data encryption, and better and faster performance. Sailfish 3 adds a host of new features and improvements to the user experience: the OS has a new fresh look, a new top menu, new keyboard gestures, new camera functions, data encryption improvements, and USB On-the-Go storage, just to name a few. The third generation also brings a clear improvement to the OS performance and the upcoming major Qt upgrade will further improve the responsiveness & performance resulting to 50% better overall performance. The company is introducing support for several new Sony Xperia devices and a free trial option within the popular fan & community program. Sailfish X is now available for the whole range of Sony Xperia XA2 models. Starting today, users can download the free trial version of Sailfish OS and install it to their Xperia XA2, Xperia XA2 Plus, or Xperia XA2 Ultra. Users can easily purchase and install ...

Fossil Sport Smartwatch with Qualcomm Snapdragon 3100, WearOS 2.1, heart-rate sensor announced

Fossil today has announced the Fossil Sport Smartwatch that is powered by the Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon Wear 3100 platform and runs on WearOS by Google. It boats features like extended battery life, a new battery saving mode, enhanced ambient mode, integrated heart rate, NFC, and GPS capabilities. The Fossil Sport comes in two case sizes; 41 and 43 mm, and packs 350 mAh battery with Rapid Charging support that offers one day's battery life in the full smartwatch experience, and the new battery saving mode adds an additional two days of telling time. it runs on WearOS by Google with options like Quick Swipe, faster access to information, receive proactive help from the Google Assistant and get smarter health coaching from Google Fit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_lgpy5-Af8 It comes with a heart rate sensor, optimized connectivity, GPS, and NFC capabilities on the platform. All watches will come with new applications auto-installed, including Spotify, and Noonlight. It comes with interchangeable straps and bracelets in 18mm and 22mm sizes. The watch is compatible with iOS and Android and can be connected via Bluetooth technology. It supports Wireless syncing and magnetic charging. The Fossil Sport smartwatch is priced at $255 (Rs. 18,440 approx.) and will be available starting November 8 on Fossil Website and in select Fossil retail stores ...

Over 1 million Honor smartphones sold during the Diwali festive sale

Huawei's Honor brand has announced that it has sold over 1 million or 10 lakh smartphones during the Diwali festive season sale on Flipkart, Amazon and Honor store. The Honor smartphones such as the Honor 9N, Honor 9 Lite, Honor 7S, Honor 9i, Honor 10 and Honor 7A were sold on special prices and offers. The company said that its Honor 9N was the star product during the Flipkart Big Billion Days sale and the Honor 8X was the best-seller in the Rs. 12,000 to Rs. 15,000 category during the Amazon Great Indian Festival sale. Honor also announced 300% YoY growth as compared to 2017 during the Diwali season sale. "According to in house research, Honor fans increased by 32% out of which most of them are fashionable youth and tech-savvy," said the company. Due to the overwhelming response and love received by customers, the company has extended its attractive offers on its best-selling smartphones on Flipkart till stocks last. Commenting on the new milestone, P Sanjeev, Vice President, Sales, Huawei Consumer Business Group said: We are glad to have received the enormous love and acceptance by our Indian customers for all our devices launched this year. Our campaign #YehDiwaliHonorWali too received a great response from ...