Tag: tech news

  • Snapchat is offering users $1 million a day to use a new feature

    Snapchat is offering users $1 million a day to use a new feature

    Snapchat is rolling out a new tool for its application to feature popular videos, called Spotlight and is offering $1 million a day to creators of top-performing posts. To earn the money, video submitters to Spotlight don’t have to have large followers or even have public profiles. Instead, an algorithm will determine what to show Snapchat users based on how often others view their content.

    The new feature will help Snapchat in a competitive market for posting entertaining videos online, dominated by Facebook, Instagram and Google’s YouTube, with China-based ByteDance Ltd.’s TikTok rising fast among younger audiences. Snap Chief Executive Officer Evan Spiegel has eschewed public metrics, such as likes and follows, that drive the market for influencers, the most-followed users on photo-sharing apps.

    Social media platforms are striving to attract the makers of quality content. TikTok plans to spend more than $1 billion in the US in the next three years on video-makers. Instagram has been paying some of TikTok’s top stars to test out its TikTok copycat feature, ‘Reels’. Instagram also recently started for the first time sharing revenue on video ads with creators, as YouTube does.

    Snap shares have almost tripled this year to a record $45.38 earlier this month as young people turn to Snapchat to message friends videos during the coronavirus. The app also features television shows and magazines designed for a young audience on mobile. ‘Spotlight’ will initially launch in the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, and France.

  • WhatsApp to charge business customers for ‘some services’

    WhatsApp has decided to charge its business account users for some of the services it provides to help it “build a business of its own”.

    According to a statement issued by the WhatsApp, it will charge “business customers for some of the services we offer, which will help WhatsApp continue building a business of our own while we provide and expand free end-to-end encrypted text, video and voice calling for more than two billion people”.

    “The global pandemic has made clear that businesses need fast and efficient ways to service their customers and make sales,” the messaging platform said in a press release. “Our research shows people prefer to message a business to get help and they’re more likely to make a purchase when they can do so.”

    “We’ve provided the WhatsApp Business app and WhatsApp Business API to help businesses of all sizes manage their chats. We’ve listened to feedback on what’s worked and believe WhatsApp can help make messaging the best way for consumers and businesses to connect,” read the statement.

    “The global pandemic has made clear that businesses need fast and efficient ways to service their customers and make sales. WhatsApp has become a simple and convenient resource in this time. More than 175 million people every day message a WhatsApp Business account. Our research shows people prefer to message a business to get help and they’re more likely to make a purchase when they can do so.”

  • Apple devices secretly wiretap sounds in surrounding, whistleblower claims

    Apple devices secretly wiretap sounds in surrounding, whistleblower claims

    A former Apple contractor, Thomas le Bonniec, has sent a letter to all European data protection regulators, stating that “it is worrying that the tech giant and iPhone manufacturer keeps ignoring and violating fundamental rights and continues its massive collection of data”.

    “I am extremely concerned that big tech companies are wiretapping entire populations despite European citizens being told that the European Union (EU) has one of the strongest data protection laws in the world. Passing a law is not good enough: it needs to be enforced upon privacy offenders.”

    “The recordings are not limited to the users of Apple devices, but also involve relatives, children, friends, colleagues and whoever could be recorded by the device. The system recorded everything: names, addresses, messages, searches, arguments, background noises, films, and conversations. I heard people talking about their cancer, referring to dead relatives, religion, sexuality, pornography, politics, school, relationships, or drugs with no intention to activate Siri whatsoever,” he said.

    “These practices are clearly at odds with the company’s ‘privacy-driven’ policies and should be urgently investigated by data protection authorities and privacy watchdogs. With the current statement, I want to bring this issue to your attention, and also offer my cooperation to provide any element substantiating these facts. Although this case has already gone public, Apple has not been subjected to any kind of investigation to the best of my knowledge,” Bonniec maintained.

    Le Bonniec, 25, worked with Apple as a subcontractor and used to transcribe users’ requests in English and French. He quit the job in the summer of 2019 because he didn’t want to be part of the unethical practices. He argues that the “company operates on a moral and legal grey area and they have been doing this for years”.

  • The new Motorola Razr is going to make you flip

    The new Motorola Razr is going to make you flip

    Leading mobile phone manufacturing company Motorola released the first look of their upgraded and revamped iconic Motorola Razr and let’s just say, it flipped us.

    The new Razr is an Android smartphone with a large touch screen that folds in half. It keeps the same general form factor but replaces the T9 keypad and a small LCD with a foldable plastic OLED panel. The screen measures 6.2 inches on the diagonal – about the same size as an iPhone 11 – and shuts to be about half as tall. Though it’s wider than the original, The Washington Post reports that the new Razr is, “impressively, just as thin.”

    Image Courtesy Bloomberg

    However, on the other hand, the Razr has a small battery at 2,510mAh and runs the older Android 9 Pie operating system on Qualcomm’s sub-flagship Snapdragon 710 chip. It lacks the 5G option and expansive memory of its rivals.

    Nonetheless, the Razr will be the first device of its kind on the market. Samsung had previously introduced a flip phone, the Galaxy Fold but that had issues with air bubbles popping up beneath the display and tiny particles getting trapped under the screen. The device’s design chief Ruben Castano said that the Razr will have none of these issues.

    Image Courtesy Bloomberg

    The price of the phone will possibly make you do a double flip considering it is priced at $1,499.

    The popular Motorola Razr smartphone, launched in 2004, went on to become an iconic device, even popularized by Hollywood, until the iPhone was launched in 2007.

    Original vs New
    Paris Hilton posing with her Motorola Razr

    The new Motorola Razr will be available for pre-orders in the United States in December this year before retailing worldwide in January 2020.

  • WhatsApp introduces new privacy controls for users

    WhatsApp introduces new privacy controls for users

    WhatsApp has introduced a new privacy setting and invite system that will help users to decide who can add them to groups, Dawn reported.

    According to the details, the tech giant Facebook in a statement said, “WhatsApp groups continue to connect family, friends, coworkers, classmates and more. As people turn to groups for important conversations, users have asked for more control over their experience. Today, we’re introducing a new privacy setting and invite system to help you decide who can add you to groups”.

    With the new control features, users will have more control over the group messages they receive. The press release also said that these new privacy settings will begin rolling out to some users starting today and will be available worldwide in the coming days to those using the latest version of WhatsApp”.

    How to enable new settings:

    To enable them,

    • Go to settings in the app.
    • Tap account > privacy > groups
    • Select one of three options: ‘everyone’, ‘my contacts’, or ‘my contacts except’.

    “The users will have three days to accept the invite before it expires,” the statement said.

    Media Matters for Democracy Director Sadaf Khan welcomed the decision, saying: “Developing new ways to increase consumers’ control is a positive step.”

    She also expressed the hope that WhatsApp will continue to empower consumers with tools that help them define their own information experience in “an active and informed manner”.

  • How to get your stolen phone blocked

    How to get your stolen phone blocked

    If your mobile phone has been stolen or misplaced, you can immediately lodge a complaint and get it blocked within 16 hours.

    This service has been introduced by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to prevent the possible misuse of the stolen mobile phones.

    According to a statement issued by the authority on Monday, a complaint can be lodged through call or email or the complainant can also “contact the Citizens Police Liaison Committee helpline for filing a complaint”.

    To file a complaint regarding a stolen phone visit PTA’s website to get the official contact details.

    Through this service, mobile phone users don’t have to go all the way to PTA’s offices to lodge a complaint about stolen phones, which are located in a few cities only.

    How to check the status of your phone?

    You can check the status of your stolen phone 16 hours after reporting. It can be checked through SMS, PTA’s official website or an Android application (DVS). The IMEI search for your phone will show that it has been blocked.

    The IMEI of your mobile phone can be found by dialing *#06#. It can also be checked from your phone settings.

    The advisory has further said that PTA is only responsible for the reporting of the stolen phone, If someone wants to trace or locate his/her device then they must contact the police.

  • PIA launches a mobile app for booking flights

    PIA launches a mobile app for booking flights

    Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has introduced a mobile application to facilitate passengers in online bookings and confirmation of seats.

    The PIA app features a user-friendly interface. It allows the user to perform several functions, including booking their flight directly from their mobile phones, checking their booking status, and monitoring the status of their flight.

    “The application has recently been launched and now the air passengers will enjoy improved services. The airline’s overall seat factor has improved and reached nearly 84 percent while on some sectors, the seat factor is at 90 percent,” a PIA spokesman told state-run wire service.

    As per reports, significant improvement was obvious in different pointers like seat occupancy ratio, aircraft utilization, cargo load factor and customer service.

    The mobile app even generates a digital boarding pass for an easier check-in experience.

  • Realme XT #64MPQuadCameraXpert stands out at star-studded launch

    Realme XT #64MPQuadCameraXpert stands out at star-studded launch

    The megapixel camera race has truly made a comeback for smartphones. But this time, it’s nice to see mid-range phones leading the pack rather than the high-end ones while putting better cameras in the hands of the masses.

    On October 26, 2019, Realme fans and media gathered at the
    Royal Palm Golf and Country Club in Lahore for the launch party of Realme XT
    #64MPQuadCameraXpert. Celebrities in attendance included Rawalpindi Express Shoaib
    Akhtar, superstars Ahsan Khan and Nimra Khan among others.

    Realme has decided to be first-past-the-post this time
    around, bringing a whopping 64 MP lens to its quad-camera set on the new Realme
    XT. The quad-camera set was just seen on the Realme 5 and 5 Pro. That’s quite a
    slew of devices and lenses from the Chinese brand that has stepped out from
    under the Oppo umbrella.

    While XT’s nomenclature is like Realme’s ‘flagship’ X, it is much closer in look, feel, specs and operation to the Realme 5 Pro, with the big difference being a 64 MP lens instead of a 48 MP. The drop notch, quad-camera strip on the back, lovely patterns and gradients, are very similar to the 5 Pro.

    The Pearl White review unit was a thing of beauty, with
    light bouncing off and also giving shape to gorgeous patterns on the phone’s
    back. The way it looks belies its price point and to the uninitiated, this
    could well look like a phone that is at flagship-level prices. The camera
    assembly juts out, but there’s a case in the box to do away with that
    awkwardness. However, the case robs the back of some of its sheen, which is a
    pity. If you are not butter-fingers, try doing without one if you want to
    flaunt it.

    A remarkable feat in a place where new smartphones are launched nearly every other day and every player wants a slice of the pie, the Realme XT is yet another smartphone from the brand and it comes with a whole new shtick.

    A whopping 64MP camera makes it a great buy. The Realme XT
    is an easy recommendation. Between competent internals, fetching design and the
    all-new camera, it is one of the best high-end mid-rangers in the market right
    now. Realme has been pretty good with pushing out quality-of-life updates to
    hardware, and if the company sticks to it, you can expect image quality and
    design to improve further.

    The smartphone has a quad-camera setup featuring an 8MP
    ultra-wide-angle lens, 2MP depth sensor and 2MP macro lens. For selfies, it
    offers a 16MP Sony IMX 471 sensor up front.

    Under the hood runs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 712 processor. The phone is powered by a 4,000mAh battery with support for 20W VOOC 3.0 flash charge. Its storage stands at 128GB with an 8GB RAM.

    On the software front, it will ship with ColorOS 6 based on Android Pie. Realme has added system-wide dark mode, new fonts, and Android Pie’s ‘Digital Wellbeing’ on the XT.

    As it stands, the Realme XT is definitely one to consider if
    you’re in the market for one of the best high-end smartphones under Rs55,000.

  • World’s top firms to set up solar panel plants in Pakistan: Fawad Ch

    World’s top firms to set up solar panel plants in Pakistan: Fawad Ch

    Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has announced that the world’s two major solar panel companies will establish their plants in Pakistan.

    The minister tweeted saying, “good news gets lost in political plays, yet I am very happy that the world’s two major companies are setting up solar panel’s plants in Pakistan.”

    The minister said that China’s second-largest Lithium battery producer will also set up its workshop in Pakistan, adding that the Lithium battery-powered buses will also be manufactured in Pakistan.

    The federal minister earlier visited Beijing, where he met various Chinese officials and the country’s business leaders.

  • VIDEO: Whatsapp fight leads to violent brawl

    VIDEO: Whatsapp fight leads to violent brawl

    A fight in a Whatsapp group led to an intense physical and violent fight in Jatoi Tehsil. 

    According to a television channel, members of a Whatsapp group were have a discussion when it led to a heated debate and eventually a fight between two people. This online fight then led to offline violence.

    A video of the fight shared on television and social media, shows people beating each other up with sticks. People can be seen kicking, punching and slapping each other. Several people were even injured in the process.

    Elders of the area later intervened and broke up the fight and put some sense in the youngsters who were behaving like hooligans. 

    Ironically, the Whatsapp group was called ‘Yaaraana‘, which is Urdu for ‘friendship’.