Wednesday, March 24, 2021

Latest Gadgets News

Slack said it was working to fix an error in the direct-messaging feature it introduced, that could have lead to online harassment.

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Arizona Senate skips vote on controversial app store bill - CNET

Vote on new rules for app stores was scheduled but didn't occur -- without explanation.

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Realme 8 and Realme 8 Pro smartphones, which were launched globally last night, will go on sale in India today afternoon. Both the Realme 8 series devices will go on sale via Flipkart starting at 12 noon today. 

With the Realme 8 series, the Realme 8 and Realme 8 Pro will not only take on the likes of the Redmi 10 series, Samsung. It is even taking on its own Realme Narzo 30 Pro. With the Realme 8 series, Realme eyes to an additional piece of cake in the sub Rs 20,000 segment

Realme 8 series price in India and availability 

Realme 8 Realme 8 Pro
4+128GB Rs 14,999 -
6+128GB Rs 15,999 Rs 17,999
8+128GB Rs 16,999 Rs 19,999

Check out the Realme 8 Pro on Flipkart

6GB: Rs 17,999| 8GB: Rs 19,999

10% off with ICICI Bank offer

Check out the Realme 8 on Flipkart

4GB: Rs 14,999 | 6GB: Rs 15,999 | 8GB: Rs 16,999

10% off with ICICI Bank offer


Realme 8 is priced at Rs 14,999 for the 4GB RAM variant, the 6GB variant is priced at Rs 15,999 and the Rs 16,999 for the 8GB variant - all three variants come with 128GB internal storage. The Realme 8 is available in Cyber Silver and Cyber Black colour options. 

The Realme 8 Pro comes in two configurations: 6+128GB and 8+128GB, priced Rs 17,999 and Rs 19,999 respectively. The device is available in Infinite Blue, Infinite Black colour option for now. The Illuminating Yellow variant will be sold later. 

You can avail 10% instant discount on ICICI Credit Cards and Credit card EMI Transactions on Flipkart. 

Let's take a look at the specs of both the devices briefly. 

Realme 8

Realme 8

(Image credit: Future)

The Realme 8 comes with a 6.4-inch Full HD+ display with a 60Hz refresh rate. The device is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio G95 SoC. The Realme 8 is the slimmest phone with a 5,000mAh battery with a 7.9mm profile and 177-gram weight. The phone is backed by a 30W fast charging. 

In terms of camera, the device comes with a 64MP main camera, 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 2MP macro and a 2MP depth sensor. For selfies, there’s a 16MP camera on the front. The Realme 8 is also the first phone in the segment to feature an in-display fingerprint scanner. 

Realme 8 Pro 

Image 1 of 5

Realme 8 Pro

(Image credit: Future)
Image 2 of 5

Realme 8 Pro

(Image credit: Realme 8 Pro)
Image 3 of 5

Realme 8 Pro

(Image credit: Future)
Image 4 of 5

Realme 8 Pro

(Image credit: Future)
Image 5 of 5

Realme 8 Pro

(Image credit: Future)

The Realme 8 Pro is the cheapest phone with a 108MP camera in India undercutting the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max. The 8 Pro uses Samsung’s ISOCELL HM2 image sensor. This is followed by an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 2MP macro lens and a 2MP monochrome lens. Selfies are handled by a 16MP shooter. 

The device is powered by Snapdragon 720G SoC and flaunts a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED with a 60Hz refresh rate. It also has a sleek profile with 8.1mm thickness and 176-gram weight. The Realme 8 Pro also packs in an in-display fingerprint scanner. 

Check out the Realme 8 Pro on Flipkart

6GB: Rs 17,999| 8GB: Rs 19,999

10% off with ICICI Bank offer

Check out the Realme 8 on Flipkart

4GB: Rs 14,999 | 6GB: Rs 15,999 | 8GB: Rs 16,999

10% off with ICICI Bank offer


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Follow TechRadar India on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!



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Latest Gadgets News

Competition Commission of India (CCI) ordered a probe into a WhatsApp privacy policy update, saying the Facebook-owned messaging service had breached antitrust laws.

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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg laid out steps to reform a key Internet law saying that companies should have immunity from liability only if they follow best practices for removing damaging material from their platforms.

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Chrissy Teigen: 'It's time to say goodbye to Twitter' - CNET

Model and TV personality blames negativity on the social media for the breakup.

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Is your third stimulus check the right amount? Make sure the IRS sent your full payment - CNET

Even if you already received your third stimulus check, you should calculate how much you were owed just in case the IRS made a mistake.

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Update(March 25): The Redmi Note 10 Pro Max will go on sale today at 12 noon via Amazon. Again, the base variant won't be available for today's sale.

The Redmi Note 10 Pro Max is Xiaomi’s best budget smartphone yet, bringing quite a few premium features to the mid-range. If you were in the market for one, you can buy it starting today.

Launched on March 4 in India, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max is amongst the best smartphones under Rs 20,000 in India. It will go on sale for the first time on March 18 at 12 noon on Amazon.

Redmi Note 10 Pro Max price in India starts at Rs 18,999 for the base variant with 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, but it will not be available for today's sale. However, the 6GB + 128GB variant priced at Rs 19,999 and the 8GB + 128GB variant priced at Rs 21,999 will be available. Colour options include Vintage Bronze, Glacial Blue and Dark Night. ICICI Bank credit and debit cardholders will be eligible for a Rs 1,500 discount on the phone. 

Sale at 12 noon on March 18

Check out the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max

6GB + 64GB: Rs 18,999 (available later)

6GB + 128GB: Rs 19,999

8GB + 128GB: Rs 21,999

Redmi Note 10 Pro Max specs and features

(Image credit: Amazon)

The Redmi Note 10 Pro Max is currently the cheapest smartphone to offer a 108MP camera stack, consisting of a Samsung HM2 primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 5MP tele-macro shooter and a 2MP depth sensor. On the front is a 16MP selfie camera in a punch-hole notch.

The Super AMOLED display spans 6.67-inches and has a refresh rate of 120Hz and a peak brightness of 1,200 nits. It is protected by Gorilla Glass 5 against scratches and cracks. The fingerprint scanner is embedded in the power button on the side, and also supports gestures.

On the inside, the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max is powered by the Snapdragon 732G chipset and the Adreno 618 GPU, along with UFS 2.2 storage and LPDDR4X RAM. There’s a large 5,020mAh battery inside, which supports 33W fast charging via the included USB Type-C charger. Other features include IP52 water-resistance, dual stereo speakers, Hi-Res audio certification, a 3.5mm headphone jack, an IR blaster, a side-mounted fingerprint scanner with support for gestures and more.

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Instant messaging platform WhatsApp, which has run into some heavy weather in India of late, has been trying to retain its core functionality  --- end to end encryption for all messages.  

But India is also trying to usher in some new stringent norms for various social media platforms including WhatsApp to help trace "originator of objectionable content". This can't be done without tampering with the encryption protocol.

WhatsApp earlier contentious Privacy Policy tweak had also run afoul of Indian authorities.

Now, India's fair trade regulator, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has ordered a detailed probe into WhatsApp's new privacy policy and terms of services, saying the firm contravened the provisions of competition laws through its "exploitative and exclusionary conduct" in the garb of policy update.

The CCI has asked its investigation arm, the Director General (DG), to carry out a through probe into the matter. It also asked the DG to submit its probe report within 60 days.

CCI cracks the whip

The order against WhatsApp and its parent company Facebook came after the CCI took suo moto cognisance of the issue following media reports on potential impact of the new privacy policy and terms for WhatsApp users.

That CCI passed this order on its own volition, going by just media reports, can in itself send a strong message to WhatsApp. 

The CCI said that as per WhatsApp's previous privacy policies, existing users had an option to choose whether they wanted to share their WhatsApp data with Facebook. However, the new policy suggests that users have no choice and will have to accept all terms including with respect to sharing of their data across all the information categories with other Facebook companies.

"The Commission is of prima facie opinion that the 'take-it-or-leave-it' nature of privacy policy and terms of service of WhatsApp and the information sharing stipulations mentioned therein, merit a detailed investigation in view of the market position and market power enjoyed by WhatsApp," the CCI said.

The Commission also said that many of the information categories described in the new Privacy Policy as well as Terms of Service (including the FAQs published by WhatsApp) were too broad, vague and unintelligible. 

"Such opacity, vagueness, open-endedness and incomplete disclosures hide the actual data cost that a user incurs for availing WhatsApp services," the CCI added.

In a pertinent observation, the CCI said "there appears to be no justifiable reason as to why users should not have any control or say over cross-product processing of their data by way of voluntary consent, and not as a precondition for availing WhatsApp's services."

India unrelenting against WhatsApp

The tone and tenor of the CCI's order clearly conveys the mood in the government corridors. And not just with the CCI, the Indian government is also coming up with a push-back against WhatsApp new privacy policy in the courts too.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology recently told the Delhi High Court that WhatsApp’s privacy policy violates the Information Technology Rules of 2011 (IT Rules, 2011) and that it should be restrained from implementing the policy until the court decides on its validity under Indian law. 

 WhatsApp, for its part, has been trying to address the concerns of the Indian government. But admittedly, it has been less than successful.

Last heard, its CEO Will Cathcart said that his company had explained its concerns around traceability to the Indian government and will continue doing so in the hope of finding solutions "that don’t touch encryption."

But such a stinging rebuke from the CCI, and an ongoing probe into its privacy policy, WhatsApp is clearly caught in a cleft-stick.

It has very little room for maneuverability. Indian government, it appears, is in no mood to relent.

WhatsApp hoisted on its own petard

But WhatsApp can ill afford to stick to its guns and run the risk of losing out in its biggest market, India --- it has an user base of over 400 million  --- where its competitors like Telegram and Signal, and some desi alternatives have made much headway ever since the privacy policy fiasco.

Responding to the CCI's order, a WhatsApp spokesperson said, "We look forward to engaging with the CCI. WhatsApp remains committed to protecting people's personal communications with end-to-end encryption and providing transparency about how these new optional business features work."

This is classical corporate gobbledygook that is doesn't convey much beyond the known banalities. It is clear now that it cannot have it both the ways.

WhatsApp's moment of reckoning is now. The option in front of it is, ironically, the same as what it presented its users: take it or leave it.

Source: CCI order



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Want to step into the wonderful world of virtual reality? Getting your own VR headset can be a rather expensive endeavour, but one of our favourites has just seen a big price drop on Amazon if you’re game to try it out.

While it may feel a little intimidating to slip on a VR headset, the excellent Oculus Quest 2 is an all-in-one virtual reality system, which means it doesn’t need to be connected to a PC with cords and cables to use.

We rate it as one of the best VR headsets available, and Amazon’s US store has discounted both models, with the Oculus Quest 2 available for AU$438.95 with 64GB, or AU$583.30 for the 256GB model, which includes free shipping for Amazon Prime members.

In Australia, the headset retails for AU$479 for the 64GB version, or AU$639 for 256GB of storage, so if you buy it from the 'official' Aussie pages, you'll be paying a fair whack more than you need to.

Being the cheapest, we’d say the 64GB version of the headset is your best bet if you’re a first-time user looking to save some money. If you want to have a lot of Quest games installed, however, that can take up a lot of room, so we’d suggest the 256GB model could be the better option for keen VR users who’d like to store a larger gaming library (say, 10 or more games) at once.

Even when used as a standalone device, the Oculus Quest 2 is a powerful VR headset that can provide detailed experiences to get lost in. And if you have a well-specced gaming PC, you still have the option of hooking up the Quest 2 with a USB 3.0 cable to get PC VR experiences too.

Either way, this VR headset is designed to be lightweight, comfortable and easy to use, so head to Amazon’s US store if you’d like to grab it for a neat discount.



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How to watch President Biden's first press conference - CNET

The president has faced scrutiny over the unusually long delay in holding a first solo press conference.

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The Falcon and the Winter Soldier release dates: When does episode 2 hit Disney Plus? - CNET

WandaVision might be over, but Disney Plus's next big Marvel show is here.

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SSI, SSDI: Still no stimulus checks? Why the delay, everything else to know - CNET

Those who receive Social Security benefits, veterans and retired railroad workers are the last major group in line to receive the $1,400 stimulus payment. Why?

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Jake Paul vs. Ben Askren: Start date, how to watch online - CNET

YouTuber Jake Paul is facing off against former UFC star Ben Askren. Here's everything you need to know...

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Best credit cards for March 2021 - CNET

The best credit cards for cash back, travel and balance transfers -- plus our top picks for students, Amazon and Whole Foods shoppers and Apple Pay enthusiasts.

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Despite Tesla trademark application, the Megapod ...