DAILY NEWS

The Sony PlayStation 5 has been priced in India at Rs 49,990 for the standard edition with a disk drive, and Rs 39,990 for the digital edition. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/2L8me4j

You can now utilize the contactless payment method for your credit card payments and not have to enter a transaction PIN for purchases up to Rs 5,000 at stores. Cards issued by banks in India offer contactless payments feature, and is applicable for Mastercard, Visa and American Express credit cards. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/350YNAL

The price of Bitcoin topped $29,000 on Thursday for the first time, with the digital currency almost quadrupling in value this year amid heightened interest from investors big and small alike. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/3px04aK

Alphabet Inc's drone delivery unit Wing criticized Trump administration rules issued this week mandating broadcastbased remote identification of drones, saying they should be revised to allow for internetbased tracking. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/2KUjuYr

Editor's Note:  This story is  part of a series   about tech gadgets and devices that helped Team tech2 and some of our friends through the pandemic, lockdown, and the year 2020, in general. If there’s one thing that the lockdown has taught us, it is that we need technology more than we ever thought we would. In 2020, every spare gadget in my house served a purpose, whether it was my raggedy old Motorola Moto G (2012) with a broken camera (that served as a media player for my nephew), or something like a simple Bluetooth speaker that was great for family video calls and Zoom birthday celebrations. However, technology not only helped with entertainment and work, but also served as a tool to help us overcome the bad stuff that took place during the lockdown. My grandmother passed away (in Karnataka) and my entire family (Mumbai and elsewhere) had no choice but to attend her funeral and burial via a private Facebook Live stream. My 4-year old nephew now knows the keyboard shortcu

With the interconnect usage charges (IUC) regime for domestic voice calls coming to an end, Reliance Jio on Thursday said that all calls from its network to other networks anywhere in India will be free from 1 January 2021. As per the telecom regulator's directions, the ''Bill and Keep'' regime is being implemented in the country from 1 January 2021, thereby ending IUC charges for all domestic voice calls, it said in a statement. "Honouring its commitment to revert off-net domestic voice-call charges to zero, as soon as IUC charges are abolished, Jio will once again make all off-net domestic voice calls free, starting 1st January 2021. On-net domestic voice calls have always been free on the Jio network," it added. Put simply, off-net calls refer to calls that terminate in other networks. Over the last one year or so, Reliance Jio was charging customers 6 paise per minute for voice calls made to rival phone networks, but compensated subscribers by giv

Reliance Jio has kept its promise of removing interconnect usage charges from its voice calls, now officially making all calls to any operator completely free. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/381pPtO

It is unclear how the loophole works that allowed users to upload fan-made versions of songs. Regular Spotify users could find remix versions of songs by adding terms like "chopped" and "screwed." from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/34T7hdl

One user said that he faced the same issue after wearing the AirPods Max for about an hour while watching a movie in a 20 degrees Celsius living room. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/38JC0us

Apple initially gave game publishers an end-of-June deadline to submit a government-issued licence number enabling users to make in-app purchases in the world’s biggest games market. Apple later extended the deadline to December 31. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/383FWXY

Xiaomi already offers a slew of devices under the Mi 10 family in India such as the Mi 10, Mi 10T Pro, and Mi 10T. The company says that the Mi 10i would be made in India and customised by the India product team. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/3o3wCsB

The audio on the Asus Adolbook 13 (2021) is handled by a Harman Kardon streo speaker system. There is also an inbuilt microphone as well as an HD webcam. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/3naCtv3

Apple removed 39,000 game apps on its China store Thursday, the biggest removal ever in a single day, as it set yearend as deadline for all game publishers to obtain a licence. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/3hz3lng

Google Photos app for Android and iOS is also getting a "Preview book" button that allows users to create an annual photo book. Earlier this month, Google started rolling out new themes for the Memories carousel. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/2JDl6oU

Garmin India is set out to dazzle its Patrons with the new Vivoactive 3 Element, this festive season. At a special price of Rs 15,990 the Vivoactive 3 is available on Amazon.in, Tata CLiQ and Garmin website. Garmin India, a unit of Garmin Ltd, is launching the Vivoactive 3 Element this festive season to make it a much more unique and captivating one, with this new wrist workout companion. The Vivoactive 3 Element is preloaded with more than 15 sports apps and various other features that will support its users to monitor fitness level with VO2max, keep an eye on stress levels, heart rate monitoring, GPS navigation and so much more. Speaking about its launch, Mr. Ali Rizvi, Director of Garmin India said that keeping in mind the festive season, when people exchange gifts with their near and dear ones ,the smartwatch was launched as, “Garmin Vivoactive 3 Element which can definitely be a healthier festive purchase for the customers.” Making it more convenient for the users, the Garmin V

Amazon says it has signed a deal to acquire the hit podcast production firm Wondery, in a move which boosts the US tech giant's efforts to round out its offerings from its music platform. Wondery, which produces popular podcasts such as Dirty John, Dr Death, and The Shrink Next Door , will be incorporated into Amazon Music , which is ramping up its efforts to compete with rivals like Spotify and began offering podcasts earlier this year. "Together with Wondery, we will continue to bring more customers to streaming as we expand selection and ensure we are a destination for our customers to find, discover, and listen to the creators and artists they enjoy," Amazon's music team said in a blog post . "Wondery is an innovative podcast publisher with a track record of creating and producing top-rated podcasts that entertain and educate listeners." Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but reports this month said Wondery was seeking $300 million (approximately

The Android 11-based One UI 3.0 update for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip is said to be roughly 2GB in size. Earlier this week, Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10 Plus started receiving the latest version of the Samsung custom skin as well. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/3rGt55F

The Geekbench listing of the Xiaomi M200722G is being associated with the Redmi Note 9T as the smartphone was recently spotted with the same model number of Thailand's NBTC certification site and also on Malaysia's SRIM certification site. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/2WZxToI

The sketch of the back panel of the purported Motorola smartphone hints at a quad camera setup that comprises of three cameras placed vertically, with the fourth one placed on the side of the three cameras. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/3n2gJkO

A Japanese startup called Sumitomo Forestry has teamed up with researchers from the Kyoto University, to work on a wooden satellite, reported BBC . While the entire plan is in a nascent stage, the project aims at tackling the increasing threat of space debris. Sumitomo Forestry is currently working on testing the use of wood materials in space and soon they will be experimenting with wood in extreme locations on Earth. Going ahead with their research, the two teams plan to launch the world's first satellite made out of wood in 2023. The report says that wooden satellites were a better alternative to the existing ones as these would burn up after entering the atmosphere without releasing any harmful substances. No waste will be created and the risk of space junk falling back on Earth can be lessened. Takao Doi, a professor at Kyoto University and Japanese astronaut, was quoted by BBC to state that all the satellites that re-enter Earth’s atmosphere at present “burn and create ti

The coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University, which was approved Wednesday in Britain, is unlikely to get a green light in the European Union in the next month, according to the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The regulator, charged with overseeing vaccines' authorisation in the EU before they can be marketed, approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on December 21. It is expected to rule on Moderna's vaccine on January 6. But an EU ruling on the AstraZeneca-Oxford jab will take some time. "Additional scientific information on issues related to quality, safety and efficacy of the vaccine is deemed necessary to support the rigour required for a conditional marketing authorisation (CMA) and this has been requested from the company," the EMA said in a statement. "Further information from the ongoing clinical trials is also expected from January." The Amsterdam-based agency earlier told AFP that it had not yet received any formal market

OnePlus will reportedly release its fitness tracker that may be called the OnePlus Band in Q1 2021. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/2KNPWM0

OnePlus Nord and OnePlus Nord N100 have started receiving the December 2020 security patches through the OxygenOS update 10.5.10 and Oxygen 10.5.5. This comes a week after the OnePlus Nord N10 5G received the update OxygenOS 10.5.8 and along with it, the security patch was taken up to December 2020 . According to a company forum post , the roll-out of OxygenOS 10.5.10 for OnePlus Nord is incremental and hence it will take a few weeks time for every user to receive the update. On the other hand, the OnePlus Nord N100 received an Oxygen 10.5.5 update for Europe and 10.5.4 for North America. The forum post said that the software update will be tagged as 10.5.10.AC01DA for India, 10.5.10.AC01BA for Europe and 10.5.10.AC01AA for the global release. Apart from the updated Android Security Patch, the system of Nord received an updated GMS package and general bug fixes. One enhancement has been introduced only for the Indian market where users will be able to manage their OnePlus accounts,

The joint US-European Solar Orbiter spacecraft reached its closest approach to Venus on 27 December, at 6.09 pm IST (27 December at  7:39 am EST). The spacecraft managed to go as close as 7,500 kilometres from the top of the planet's cloud tops, reported Space.com . Speaking at the press briefing, Daniel Müller, project scientist for the mission at the European Space Agency said that the Solar Orbiter is a mission not designed specifically to take Venus observations, but since they are always looking for bonus opportunities to do science, they will be doing observations when they approach Venus. During the flyby, scientists were able to gather data using the spacecraft's magnetometer, radio and plasma waves instrument and some of the sensors available on the energetic particle detector. Tim Horbury, a physicist at Imperial College London and principal investigator of one of Solar Orbiter's instruments had stated that at the distance the Space Orbiter is able to reach, on

Apple is working on a foldable phone and it is going to be similar to Samsung Galaxy Z Flip and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5G in terms of design, revealed a recent leak. The tip added that the Cupertino-based firm is looking at a 2022-23 timeframe to launch the product, if it actually does. Youtuber Jon Prosser said in a recent YouTube video of Front Page Tech channel that Apple was currently in the early stages of development and was testing the outer shell of the future iPhone at a factory in Shenzhen, China. Testing the hinge mechanism is important as many foldable phones have failed to withstand continuous flips upon use. The product will fold down like a clamshell, revealing a wider screen once unfolded. Like Samsung flip phones, this device will also have a smaller screen on the outer panel. The video clip also shared a concept image of the folding iPhone for making it easier to visualize. He cited his sources to state that Apple was working on two devices and was going to select

The UPI, or unified payments interface, transactions have been consistently growing month on month. Credit card transactions have also seen a spike in the past few months. The credit cards business also saw a renewed push, with banks and digital platforms investing heavily in the co-branded cards space. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/3o3Si7N

Apart from Amazon, Google and Microsoft have also long shown interest in Indian students. Facebook, earlier this year, invested in ed-tech startup Unacademy and tied up with the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) for training students on digital safety and augmented reality. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/381Bcln

The MIUI 12 update for Poco M2 comes as firmware version MIUI 12.0.1.0.QJRINXM and is 504MB in size. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/2Jv3hYS

Smart TVs have been great companions this year during the lockdown. For most people, this meant binge-watching stuff on Netflix, Prime Video etc. For yours truly, in addition to that, it was also about testing and reviewing them, as my home was transformed into a TV showroom for months, courtesy of innumerable test units that took refuge there during that period. And then some more arrived once the lockdown was relaxed. However, there were a select few that impressed me more than others with their performance and feature set, and as a result made their way to our list of top 5 budget 4K Smart TVs of 2020 priced under Rs 60,000. Best budget 4K Smart TVs of 2020 Vu Cinema TV 50CA The Cinema TV 4K range released by Vu at the start of this year was easily one of the best of 2020. The fact that very few got close to even matching its performance in the subsequent quarters speaks volumes about the quality of the product. We reviewed the 50-inch model from the series and were thoroughly

The price cut on the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ and Galaxy Buds Live is being speculated to be because Samsung is about to reportedly unveil the Galaxy Buds Pro in January. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/35cdj9d

iQoo might unveil the vanilla iQoo 7 alongside the iQoo 7 BMW Edition on January 11. The BMW edition will also feature enhanced versions of LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage, as per the company. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/3mTX1rm

This was the year the budget True Wireless (TWS) earphones truly evolved. The TWS revolution started with Apple launching their first Airpods at the end of 2016, and capturing people’s imaginations. As with all Apple products, the price tag was beyond the reach of the majority, and as expected, there was an attack of the clones soon after from various brands. Despite being more affordable, most of those products were too nascent to spend your hard-earned money on. In fact, even at the start of this year, I remember suggesting buying a wireless neckband instead for better sound quality. But not anymore! From limitations on sound quality to latency issues to insufficient battery backup, everything seems to be a thing of the distant past. We now have products under Rs 7,500, and all the way down to less than Rs 2,000 that can go neck-and-neck with their wireless neckband counterparts, and also give the Airpods a run for their money. We happened to test dozens of TWS buds this year, and a

Apple has recently removed an iOS app called Vybe Together from its App Store. The app promoted private parties during the COVID-19 pandemic and allowed users to organise and attend secret private parties under the tagline, "Get your rebel on. Get your party on." According to a report by Business Insider , TikTok has also deleted the account that posted a video of the app promoting the New Year 2021 party that was described as a "secret gathering" in New York City. As per a report by The Verge , it is still unknown if the app worked as a catalyst in organising unsafe events. The app apparently had 25 ratings and 1,000 followers before being pulled down from the App Store . On TikTok, it reportedly had 139 followers before being removed. The report also revealed that organisers used to approve who all can attend the even. The selected ones got the address of the venue two hours prior to the event. Whoever wants to apply for the app needed to submit their Insta

The good folks in the WhatsApp development teams have been super active in terms of rolling out new features, functionality and updates for WhatsApp for Android, WhatsApp for iPhone and WhatsApp Web. The standout features include WhatsApp Payments, Disappearing messages and forever mute WhatsApp groups. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/2L6hADS

Google Search also displays short videos in a dedicated carousel from other platforms such as YouTube and its own short-form video project Tangi. Currently, its in early stages of development. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/3rCJOa3

Paytm said that the growth comes as companies are adopting the offerings by Paytm Payouts for corporate gifting this holiday season. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/3o5YJaI

Google has also added a party popper icon on its Search app and web client to celebrate the end of 2020. The party popper releases confetti every time a user clicks on it. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/2JsuxXY

It is not known as to what extent the app contributed to people hosting unsafe parties. Reports suggest that there was also an upcoming New Year's Eve party, which was also promoted on TikTok. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/34TG1LL

The Vivo Y20 (2021) is currently retailing in Malaysia and the Chinese smartphone maker is yet to share its global availability details. It comes with triple rear cameras. from Top Tech News- News18.com https://ift.tt/34VAqEz