Technology

New Delhi, Sep 7 (IANS) Apple on Tuesday was set to showcase a new line-up of iPhones, Watch, AirPods Pro earbuds and updates at its annual hardware event.

The users can expect three key features in the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max, the top-end phones from Apple.

These are a customisable always-on display, a 48MP rear camera with a large and better sensor.

The top-end iPhones may get an upgraded A16 processing chip and two new colours: blue and deep purple, reports The Verge.

The base iPhone 14 will likely use the same A15 processor and there will be no mini iPhone this year.

It's also rumoured to support a faster 30W charger and start from 256GB of storage, a significant jump from 128GB internal storage.

"The biggest update to the non-Pro model is expected to be the introduction of a larger 6.7-inch display in the iPhone 14 Max," the report noted.

According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, iPhone 14 lineup may also have a better selfie camera that uses autofocus feature.

iPhone 14 may also house satellite connectivity for emergency situations where there is no cellular connection.

Apple will also showcase Watch Series 8, a refreshed SE, and a new rugged "Pro" model for athletes, according to the report.

The Series 8 watch is likely to come with a new S8 chip and may also feature a temperature sensor.

The Apple Watch SE is likely to replace the affordable Watch Series 3, and house with the same S8 chip.

Apple Watch Pro could come with a larger "nearly 2-inch display" that's "more shatter-resistant" and sport a "strong metal" case.

Mark Gurman of Bloomberg expects the Watch Pro to cost anywhere from $900 to $999.

The AirPods Pro haven't received an update since their initial launch in 2019 and now, Apple will showcase AirPods Pro 2 at the ‘Far Out' event.

The new AirPods Pro may resemble the Beats Fit Pro with a focus on fitness tracking and support lossless audio.

The AirPods Pro 2 charging case may also get an upgrade with a small speaker that makes a sound when you try to locate it via the Find My app.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 7 (IANS) Google has issued a first security patch to fix bugs in Pixel phones running Android 13 to address issues like increased battery drain and disabled wireless charging.

The monthly software update for September 2022 will reach all supported Pixel devices running Android 13, starting from Tuesday.

"The rollout will continue over the next week in phases depending on carrier and device. Pixel 6a devices will receive the update later this month," the company said in an update.

Users will receive a notification once the over-the-air (OTA) update becomes available for their device.

The security update includes bug fixes for issue occasionally causing increased battery drain from certain launcher background activities and the issue preventing wireless charging mode to activate in certain conditions.

The update also offers additional improvements for fingerprint recognition and response in certain conditions and fixes the issue occasionally preventing certain Bluetooth devices or accessories from connecting.

The monthly security update also has a fix for issue occasionally causing notifications to appear truncated on the lock screen.

The fixes are available for Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 5, Pixel 6, Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 6a (later this month).

Earlier, some Pixel 6a users had noticed that any fingerprint is able to unlock their new phones in a rather worrying security lapse.

Google Pixel users were also left in a lurch after downloading Android 13 as several of them were not able to use wireless charging after installing the latest operating system (OS).

--IANS
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San Francisco, Sep 5 (IANS) Cyber-security researchers on Monday discovered a potential data breach in Chinese short-form video app TikTok, allegedly involving up to 2 billion user database records.

Several cyber-security analysts tweeted about the discovery of what was "a breach of an insecure server that allowed access to TikTok's storage, which they believe contained personal user data".

"This is your forewarning. #TikTok has reportedly suffered a #data #breach, and if true there may be fallout from it in the coming days. We recommend you change your TikTok #password and enable Two-Factor Authentication, if you have not done so already," tweeted BeeHive CyberSecurity.

"We've reviewed a sample of the extracted data. To our email subscribers and private clients, we've already sent out warning communications," it added.

Troy Hunt, creator of data breach information site haveibeenpwned, posted a thread on Twitter to verify if the sample data is genuine or not. For him, the evidence is "so far pretty inconclusive".

BlueHornet|AgaisntTheWest posted all the details on breached forums.

"Who would have thought that @TikTok would decide to store all their internal backend source code on one Alibaba Cloud instance using a trashy password?" they tweeted, posting about how easily they could download the data.

A TikTok spokesperson was quoted as saying in news reports that their security team "investigated this statement and determined that the code in question is completely unrelated to TikTok's backend source code".

Microsoft 365 Defender Research Team just discovered a vulnerability in the TikTok app for Android that can let hackers take over private, short-form videos of millions of users once they clicked on a malicious link.

Microsoft discovered a high-severity vulnerability in the TikTok Android application, which could have allowed attackers to compromise users' accounts with a single click.

The vulnerability, which would have required several issues to be chained together to exploit, has now been fixed by the Chinese company.

"Attackers could have leveraged the vulnerability to hijack an account without users' awareness if a targeted user simply clicked a specially crafted link," the tech giant said in a statement last week.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 4 (IANS) Fintech major Paytm on Sunday said that the search operations by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) at six different locations in Bengaluru were carried out on merchants which were independent entities, and none of them were Paytm's group entities.

In a statement, One 97 Communications Ltd, which is the parent company of Paytm, clarified that none of the funds which have been instructed to be frozen belong to Paytm or any of its group companies.

The ED said on Saturday that it carried out search operations at six different locations in Bengaluru in connection with its probe into the Chinese loan apps fraud case.

The financial probe agency said it raided the premises associated with Paytm, Razorpay and Cashfree, all payment gateways which allegedly facilitated transactions on loan apps unauthorisedly run by Chinese-owned firms.

The company said that as a part of ongoing investigations on a specific set of merchants, "the ED has sought information regarding such merchants to whom we provide payment processing solutions".

"It is hereby clarified that these merchants are independent entities, and none of them are our group entities. We are, and will continue to, fully cooperate with the authorities, and all the directive actions are being duly complied with," said the company.

Paytm further said that that the "ED has instructed us to freeze certain amounts from the Merchant IDs (MIDs) of a specific set of merchant entities".

According to the ED, during the search operation, it was noticed that the said entities were generating proceeds of crime through various merchant IDs/accounts held with payment gateways/banks.

"They were also not operating from the addresses given on the MCA website/registered address. An amount of Rs 17 crore has been seized in merchant IDs and bank accounts of these Chinese-owned entities," said the agency.

A Cashfree spokesperson said that the company extended diligent co-operation to the ED operations, providing them the required and necessary information on the same day of enquiry.

"Our operations and on-boarding processes adhere to the PMLA and KYC directions, and we will continue to do so," said the spokesperson.

A Razorpay spokesperson said that some of its merchants were being investigated by the law enforcement about a year and a half back.

"As part of the ongoing investigation, the authorities requested additional information to help with the investigation. We have fully cooperated and shared KYC and other details. The authorities were satisfied by our due diligence process," said the company.

--IANS
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San Francisco, Sep 4 (IANS) After rolling out several new features, Meta-owned WhatsApp is likely working on a new feature for businesses to let them manage chats from their linked devices in an upcoming subscription service from WhatsApp for businesses.

According to WABetaInfo, under a new optional subscription plan called WhatsApp Premium, users will be able to use additional features such as the ability to create a custom business link and link up to 10 devices to their accounts in the future.

About the last feature, it would also be helpful for large businesses to manage certain chats from a specific device -- for this reason, WhatsApp is developing the ability to assign chats to linked devices, the report said.

In a screenshot, a tooltip showed up to inform the user about the new feature when it is enabled for the business account.

"When you want to assign a certain chat to a specific linked device, the list of your linked devices will show up so you can select the desired device," the report said.

"Assigned chats will be highlighted within the selected device, so the user that's using that specific device knows they have to manage those conversations," it added.

Since this is a business tool, it will not be available for standard WhatsApp accounts. This feature is under development and will be released in a future update of the app.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 3 (IANS) Samsung, which has cemented its leadership in the world of foldables, is soaking in the stupendous response it has received in India for its new foldable smartphones. Both Galaxy Z Fold4 and Galaxy Z Flip4 have received over 1 lakh pre-bookings, and the love is only growing among the rich and the powerful.

One thing is certain: Aspirational Indians have well adjusted with the new form factor that Samsung brought with its Fold series, that is constantly pushing the boundaries of smartphone possibilities with a larger, more immersive display that unfolds optimised mobile experiences and PC-like multitasking.

With the pre-booking phase now over, consumers in India can now buy the Galaxy Z Flip4 and Galaxy Z Fold4 across Samsung.com and all leading online and offline retails stores.

Let us take a deep dive in how this iconic device is proving to be a game changer in the smartphone industry.

Touted as a device for multi-taskers, the new Taskbar on Z Fold4 provides a layout similar to your PC, offering access to favourite and recent apps.

Multitasking is also more intuitive this time, owing to new swipe gestures, as you can instantly switch full-screen apps to pop-up windows or split your screen in half for more ways to achieve more.

The device offers a large 7.6-inch Dynamic AMOLED display for multi-taskers, with apps optimized for the large-screen experience in order to help you unleash increased functionality anywhere you go.

Content is even more immersive and distinctive on the 7.6-inch main screen with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and a less visible Under Display Camera (UDC) featuring a new scatter-type sub-pixel arrangement.

If you wish to stream new TV shows and films on various OTT platforms, Z Fold4's vivid, edge-to-edge screen with minimised bezels and a camera hidden under the display will provide a distraction-free viewing experience - bright enough for outdoor use even on sunny days.

The device houses Android 12L, a special version of Android created by Google for large-screen experiences.

On the productivity front, Google apps, including Chrome and Gmail now support drag-and-drop, allowing users to quickly copy and paste links, photos and more from one app to another.

With Google Meet, users can now connect with more people while enjoying virtual co-activities, including co-watching videos on YouTube or playing games together on a video call.

Microsoft's full Office suite and Outlook also take advantage of the foldable display, providing more information on the screen and faster ways to interact with the content.

The multitasking experience is nearly complete with S Pen functionality, enabling on-the-go drawing and note-taking.

Galaxy Z Fold4 offers an upgraded 50MP wide lens and 30X Space Zoom17 lens.

A variety of camera modes, including the larger Zoom map activated on Capture View Mode, Dual Preview and Rear Cam Selfie are custom-built to take advantage of the unique form factor for increased capturing flexibility.

With the larger pixel size, a 23 per cent brighter sensor, and enhanced processing power, you can capture clear images even at night.

For non-optimised apps, you can even control the device without disrupting the content with the new Flex Mode Touchpad, which offers accuracy while pausing, rewinding and playing videos or zooming in and out of content while the device is in Flex mode.

The device houses Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 Mobile Platform and hyper-fast 5G for better gaming experience.
With a slimmer hinge, lighter weight and even narrower bezels, the wider screen enables easier one-handed interactions while using the Cover Screen.

The device has Armor Aluminum frames and hinge cover along with exclusive Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the Cover Screen and rear glass, making it the toughest foldable ever.

Z Fold4 is also equipped with IPX825 water resistance, so you can worry less if you get caught in the rain.

Available in Graygreen, Beige and Phantom Black colours, Galaxy Z Fold4 is priced at Rs 154,999 for 12GB+256GB variant and Rs 164,999 for 12GB+512GB variant.

Consumers can purchase the 12GB+1TB variant exclusively on Samsung Live and Samsung exclusive stores for Rs 184,999.

Those who purchase Galaxy Z Fold4 will get Galaxy Watch4 Classic 46mm BT worth Rs 34,999 at just Rs 2,999. There are other lucrative offers too.

Conclusion: Those who are using older Fold devices, an upgrade is advisable and Galaxy Z Fold4 comes with some very unique software and hardware. Those who want to experience Fold for the first time, the experience will make you believe anything is possible in the world of technology.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 3 (IANS) Aiming to build capacities of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and frontline IT officials, across all government departments, the Ministry of Information Technology organised a cyber training programme, 'Cyber Surakshit Bharat'.

The initiative has been conceptualised with the mission to spread awareness about cyber-crime and build capacities of Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) and frontline IT officials, across all government departments, for ensuring adequate safety measures to combat the growing menace, and for organisations to defend their digital infrastructures and become future-ready in tackling cyber-attacks.

Operating on the principles of awareness, education and enablement, the National e-Governance Division (NeGD), under its capacity building scheme, organised the 30th CISO Deep-Dive Training programme from August 22-26.

Held at the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), New Delhi, the intensive 5-day training programme was designed for designated CISOs from Central and State/UT Governments, subordinate agencies/PSUs, including public sector banks and insurance companies, technical wings of police and security forces, CTOs and members of technical/PMU teams; as well as officers responsible to observe security of IT systems in their respective organisations.

The Deep-Dive Training specifically aimed at educating and enabling CISOs to understand cyber-attacks comprehensively and thoroughly, get necessary exposure in latest technologies of safeguard, and translate the benefits of a resilient e-infrastructure to individual organisations and citizens at large.

The training also focussed on providing a holistic view of legal provisions, enabling CISOs to formulate policies in the domain of cyber security and build concrete cyber crisis management plans.

Launched in 2018, the CISO training is the first-of-its-kind of partnership between the government and industry consortium under Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. Since June 2018, these programmes have capacitated 1,224 senior officials to secure digital infrastructure and systems of their respective organisations.

--IANS
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London, Sep 3 (IANS) Apple Watch's ECG heart sensor has once again saved a man's life by sending him alerts for a low resting heart rate on almost 3,000 occasions.

David Last, 54, from the UK credited Apple Watch for saving his life after his heart stopped an astonishing 138 times in a 48-hour testing period at the hospital, reports the Independent.

His heart resting rate was found to have dropped as low as 30 beats per minute (it is normally between 60-100bpm).

After tests like a 48-hour ECG and MRI, his cardiologist told him that he had a massive heart blockage.

His heart stopped 138 times in 10-second intervals over a 48-hour ECG period.

Last was operated this month, and a pacemaker was installed to detect abnormal heart rhythms.

His wife gave him Apple Watch as a gift on his birthday in April this year.

"If she hadn't bought me my Apple watch for my birthday, I wouldn't be here. I will always be eternally grateful to her for it. Apart from charging it, it's always staying on me now," he was quoted as saying.

The Apple Watch has saved several lives in the past across the world.

With iOS 16 and watchOS 9 this fall, Apple Watch and iPhone will offer features that focus on 17 areas of health and fitness, from heart health to sleep, women's health, mobility and more, according to the tech giant.

Apple recently collaborated with Stanford University in the US to build the Apple Heart Study, which was a first of its kind in the medical community and the largest virtual cardiac clinical study during its time.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 3 (IANS) Google has removed a record 137,657 pieces of bad content based on user complaints in July this year in compliance with the new India IT Rules, 2021.

Most of the content it removed were related to copyright violations (135,341), while other categories included trademark, court order, graphic sexual content, circumvention, and others.

The tech giant received 37,173 complaints from individual users via designated mechanisms in the country in the same period, related to third-party content that is believed to violate local laws or personal rights on various Google platforms.

In June, Google had removed 1,11,493 pieces of bad content based on user complaints.

"The complaints consist of various categories. Some requests may allege infringement of intellectual property rights, while others claim violation of local laws prohibiting types of content on grounds such as defamation," Google said in a statement.

"In addition to reports from our users, we invest heavily in fighting harmful content online and use technology to detect and remove it from our platforms," it said in its monthly compliance report.

The company said that as part of its automated detection processes, it removed 551,800 accounts in the country.

"We invest heavily in fighting harmful content online and use technology to detect and remove it from our platforms. This includes using automated detection processes for some of our products to prevent the dissemination of harmful content such as child sexual abuse material and violent extremist content," said Google.

In accordance with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules), Google, along with other social media platforms, is mandated to publish monthly transparency reports with details of complaints received from users in India and the actions taken, as well as removal actions taken as a result of automated detection.

Under the new IT rules 2021, big digital and social media platforms -- with more than 5 million users -- have to publish monthly compliance reports.

--IANS
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New Delhi, Sep 3 (IANS) Twitter's ambitious plan to tackle extremism on its platform went for a toss when Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced to buy it, and in months after that, the health research team has disappeared, from 15 employees to just two, the media reported.

Twitter had partnered with Moonshot, a company that analyses violent extremists, to begin a project called 'Redirect' to curb the spread of harmful content on its platform.

According to The Verge, "the goal was to move the company from simply reacting to bad accounts and posts to proactively guiding users toward better behaviour".

However, before the project could see the light of the day, Musk in April announced to buy the company for $44 billion, and all hell broke loose.

"Shortly afterward, employees who'd been leading the Moonshot partnership left. And in the months since Musk signed the deal, the health research team has all but evaporated, going from 15 staffers to just two," the report said late on Friday.

The project sought to understand and address user behaviours.

"Instead of focusing on designating bad accounts or content, we seek to understand how users find harmful group content in accounts and then to redirect those efforts," read an internal document.

Multiple former researchers told The Verge that the turmoil associated with Musk's bid to purchase the company "was a breaking point and led them to decide to pursue other work".

Some employees who remained were allegedly told to "deprioritise Redirect in favour of projects related to bots and spam", as Musk wanted to know the exact number of spam accounts on the platform.

Twitter was yet to react to the report.

Another The Verge report claimed this week that Twitter planned to monetise adult content on its platform this year, by allowing adult creators to sell subscriptions on the micro-blogging platform, and become profitable in a jiffy.

--IANS
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