Technology

San Francisco, Dec 30 (IANS) Tech giant Apple is reportedly not planning to launch its 14.1-inch iPad Pro model with a mini-LED display in early 2023.

In June, display analyst Ross Young had mentioned that a 14.1-inch iPad Pro with a mini-LED display was set to launch in the first quarter of 2023, reports MacRumors.

However, Young has now said that the tech giant is no longer planning to launch the new 14.1-inch iPad Pro.

He suggests that the device has been cancelled or significantly postponed.

A 14.1-inch iPad Pro would have been the largest iPad to date, as the current model is 12.9-inch.

Meanwhile, it was reported that the iPhone maker is working on 11.1-inch and 13-inch OLED iPad Pro models that will be launched in the first quarter of 2024.

With larger 11.1-inch and 13-inch screen sizes planned for the OLED iPad Pro models, devices might come with slimmed-down bezels.

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San Francisco, Dec 30 (IANS) Samsung is planning to bring major improvements in its next-generation ISOCELL camera sensors, especially in terms of video quality.

Multi-frame and multi-exposure processing improve still images by taking at least two frames, low exposure and high exposure, and merging them for better dynamic range, reports SamMobile.

However, it is difficult to do with videos since the camera needs to take at least 60 frames for a 30fps video.

The tech giant is planning to enhance video quality by improving light sensitivity, luminance range, dynamic range and depth sensing.

It has developed a high-refractive nano-structure for the optical wall between the colour filters of pixels and is calling it Nano-Photonics Color Routing which will come to ISOCELL cameras in 2024.

Moreover, the company is building an in-sensor, single-exposure high dynamic range (HDR) technology which will improve the dynamic range of videos.

Samsung is also planning to enhance the quality of portrait videos by using iToF (Indirect Time of Flight) depth sensors that will have an integrated image signal processor (ISP), the report said.

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New Delhi, Dec 30 (IANS) As 2022 is coming to an end, Microsoft on Friday revealed its best Xbox games of 2022 that gamers will want to get their hands on to wrap up the year.

Starting with the racing game of the year, the latest edition of the "Forza Horizon 5 Hot Wheels" has been specially enhanced for Xbox Series X/S.

With photorealistic graphics, authentic sounds, a life-like environment, and immense detailing, it sets the tone for next-gen gaming.

The next in the line is "Sea of Thieves", which lets gamers sail the open seas as a pirate with fellow shipmates, looting islands, tackling a gigantic Kraken, and sinking other ships.

"Grounded", which tells the story of a shrunken teenager trying to return to normal size while navigating Grounded's reactive world, is one of the best survival games of the year, the company mentioned.

With new creatures, locations, and surprises, it puts gamers' creative skills to the test.

"Gears 5", packed with horror, action, and power gives gamers the satisfaction of a quick reload, also the captivating storytelling, shooting mechanics, and excellent graphics give the game an edge.

The third-person shooter game is the sixth entry in the franchise and direct sequel to Gears of War 4, continuing the story of the Coalition of Ordered Government's (COG) fight against an enemy force -- the Swarm.

Lastly, a murder mystery game, "Pentiment", inspired by medieval art and weaves an unmatched narrative, lets players shape their character into anything from a pious theologian to a rebellious hooligan in 16th-century Italy.

Diving deep into history, this game has charm and appeal from and for the ages, said the company.

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Seoul, Dec 30 (IANS) South Korean tech giant Samsung has unveiled a new laptop, Galaxy Book2 Pro 360, which will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 chipset.

According to GSMArena, the new model was announced in South Korea and will be released on January 16, 2023.

Earlier this year, the 8cx Gen 3 chipset was launched for Windows-on-ARM devices bringing major performance improvements.

In comparison to Gen 2, it offers more than 85 per cent better multi-core CPU performance, and more than 60 per cent better GPU performance, according to the report.

The laptop comes with a 13.3-inch screen, also it is super light and thin at just 1.04kg and 11.5mm.

Moreover, it has an AMOLED display that can flip around 360 degrees, so that it can be used as a tablet to jot down notes with the included S Pen stylus.

The snapdragon-powered laptop can last up to 35 hours of video playback on a single charge, also it offers superior connectivity with built-in 5G and Wi-Fi 6E support, the report added.

Meanwhile, Samsung is reportedly planning to enter a new device segment -- "foldable screen laptop" next year with a 17.3-inch OLED panel.

According to SamMobile, in 2023, Samsung Display plans to produce 8.5 million OLED panels for laptops, a 43 per cent increase over this year.

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New Delhi, Dec 30 (IANS) Elon Musk on Friday said that the new Twitter under him will aim to optimise every minute that a user spends on the micro-blogging platform, and does not regret it.

Currently busy making Twitter faster, Musk has brought back the company from going bankrupt, and is now striving to get profitable.

"New Twitter will strive to optimise unregretted user-minutes," Musk posted.

Lex Fridman, host of Lex Fridman Podcast and research scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US, replied: "That's a good goal for life in general: maximise unregretted minutes."

Although, not everyone understood what Musk meant.

"My IQ is too low for this one," commented one follower.

Another replied: "Optimise productivity while on the app. Time spent wisely. Less mindless scrolling or engagement. That's my best guess".

A user tweeted: He's trying to tell you that you're going to be full blown addicted to Twitter soon".

Musk on Thursday said the company has made significant "backend changes" to make the micro-blogging platform faster, as it suffered an outage globally, including in India.

According to him, the microblogging platform is not going to go bankrupt but is not secure yet.

"Twitter isn't secure yet, just not in the fast lane to bankruptcy. Still much work to do," he tweeted over the last weekend.

Earlier, Musk in his monetisation drive to save Twitter, rolled out Blue tick subscription, which costs $8 per month to purchase on the web or $11 per month via the iOS App Store.

Musk has shown interest in offering people to invest in Twitter at the original $54.20 per share, at which he acquired the company for $44 billion.

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San Francisco, Dec 25 (IANS) Privacy-focused online browser DuckDuckGo has announced a new feature that will block one of the most common pop-ups web users are likely to see -- "Sign in with Google".

The company cites that sites like Reddit often present this Google pop-up, usually upon first loading the web pages, reports TechRadar.

It claims that users will be "saved from these disruptive and misleading pop-ups" with its updated mobile apps or Firefox, Chrome, Brave, and Edge extensions in order to provide a "cleaner experience and more privacy".

It's more than just the removal of annoying pop-ups, though, according to DuckDuckGo.

Moreover, the company explained, allowing Google to link your account to browsing history is "another way for Google to track users without them realising", according to the report.

The update is now available on DuckDuckGo for Android, iOS, and Mac, as well as on Firefox, Chrome, Brave, and Microsoft Edge extensions.

Last year, DuckDuckGo slammed the new ad tracking method by Google, saying it is bad for privacy and puts the users in a group based on their browsing history, and any website can get that group ID to target and fingerprint them.

Google has announced FLoC (Federated Learning of Cohorts) technology to provide a more privacy-focused way to track users and serve ads to them.

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San Francisco, Dec 25 (IANS) Video-streaming platform YouTube is reportedly testing its Queue system feature for iOS and Android apps.

According to The Verge, the feature has been available on the web for several years and appears in YouTube apps under certain conditions.

Upon turning on the feature, users will find a new "Play last in queue" button in the three vertical dots menu on video thumbnails.

By tapping it, users will add the video to the bottom of their queue, or create a new queue if they are not watching one.

Once the video users are watching ends, the app will start playing the next video in the queue, and keep going until they run out, according to the report.

Moreover, the queue will be deleted if users shut down the player, either by quitting the app or by tapping the "x" button.

Users can manually enable the feature by tapping on their profile picture in the top right corner, going to Settings, then Try new features, then scrolling to "Queue" and tapping the "Try it out" button.

The test will be available until January 28, the report added.

Earlier this month, YouTube announced that it will now show an estimated time for how much it will take to process users' uploads so that they can decide the right time to publish it.

--IANS
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By Ayushi Jain
New Delhi, Dec 25 (IANS) Mobile gaming has taken India by storm this year, with the popularity of mobile games surging among the youth, especially millennials and Gen Z.


India's gaming market reached $2.6 billion in revenue this year, which is expected to quadruple to $8.6 billion by 2027, according to a report by Lumikai, a gaming and interactive media venture capital fund.

India is home to 507 million gamers, of which about 120 million are paid gaming users, with at least $20 revenue per user. With 15 billion downloads, India was the world's largest consumer of mobile games in FY22 (fiscal year 2022).

Nearly 48 per cent of gamers spend money on mid-core games, while 65 per cent of paying gamers claimed they had engaged in in-app purchases at least once, the report mentioned.

Indians are spending an average of 8.5 hours per week on mobile games.

Three big trends are changing the mobile gaming industry -- better gameplay, improving graphics and new monetisation models.

As the gaming community is growing in India like a rollercoaster, developers are trying their best to offer new games to satisfy the gamers.

Here are the top 5 mobile games that may make their mark in 2023:

1. Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile from gaming company Activision Publishing is a tactical shooting game with Battle Royale mobile game experience. The game will allow for up to 120 live players in a match on mobile. It is the next era of the Call of Duty franchise.

The game will be available on both iOS and Android devices, and is expected to release next year. However, pre-registrations for the game have started on both the Google Play Store and Apple App Store.

2. Underworld Gang Wars (UGW)

Underworld Gang Wars (UGW) from the Mayhem-Studios is the most promising upcoming battle royale mobile game which will be rooted in India and is built for gangsters. It will be available on both Android and iOS devices, and pre- registrations for the game are open and even crossed over 2 million.

The game features a gang war between two opposing sides. It's up to the gamers "to pick a side and defend it with your might".

3. Rainbow Six: Mobile

Tactical shooter game Rainbow Six: Mobile is a competitive and multiplayer first-person shooter experience game. Gamers can compete in the game's classic 'Attack vs. Defence' game modes. Gamers can play as an Attacker or Defender in fast-paced 5 versus 5 matches and face intense close-quarter combat while making timely tactical decisions.

The Ubisoft-owned game will be available on both iOS and Android devices. The game developer in September had announced that it is rolling out a closed beta version to some gamers who pre-registered the game.

4. Battlefield Mobile

Battlefield Mobile is from the video game company Electronic Arts. It is an action shooter game where gamers can play high intensity player versus player combat in epic large-scale battles. The game allows players to explore massive 3D destructible maps and wartime environments at the scale only Battlefield can bring to mobile.

It will be available on both Android and iOS devices, and is expected to launch in early 2023. However, pre-registrations for the game have started at the application stores.

5. Dragon Siege: Kingdom Conquest

Dragon Siege: Kingdom Conquest' is a massively multiplayer (MMO) casual fantasy game from NDREAM Corporation. In this game, players can start an exciting adventure at the Fantasy World, Dragonia. Gamers can expand their village, farm and harvest resources, and can even battle with other players. They can also build their troops in real-time and can enjoy strategic combat.

This game will only be available on Android devices and pre-registrations for the game have started on the Google Play Store.

(Ayushi Jain can be reached at ayushi.j@ians.in)

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New Delhi, Dec 25 (IANS) Twitter CEO Elon Musk has denied that the micro-blogging platform removed suicide prevention feature for its users, said the reports were "fake".

Media reports earlier claimed that Twitter removed a feature that promoted suicide prevention hotlines and other safety resources.

"False, it is still there," the new Twitter owner said in a tweet.

The reports, quoting Twitter executives, claimed the feature was removed and was being revamped.

Replying to a user, Musk said: "Twitter doesn't prevent suicide".

"The message is actually still up. This is fake news," he added.

The disappearance of the #ThereIsHelp banner, even if it was only momentary, led to criticism of Twitter from some consumer safety advocates, report Engadget.

A Twitter user said: "Mental health support and crisis prevention tools to help integrate with social platforms is incredibly important. Tumblr for example has been doing a great job now".

"Fake News and its publishers should also be blocked on Twitter for a certain period of time," another Musk follower posted.

The #ThereIsHelp banner pointed users to suicide prevention hotlines and other safety resources when searching for certain content on Twitter.

--IANS
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San Francisco, Dec 23 (IANS) More than a week after being suspended from the micro-blogging platform, the account which used to track Twitter CEO Elon Musk's private jet is back on the platform, but will show information with 24 hours delay.

Last week, Twitter had suspended the '@ElonJet' account, created by a college student Jack Sweeney, which provided regular updates of Musk's flights by using publicly available data.

Now, Sweeney has created a new account '@ElonJetNextDay' which tracks the private jet of Musk, but with a 24-hour delay.

In January, Musk had offered Sweeney $5,000 to remove the @ElonJet account.
Meanwhile, last week, Musk claimed that he was taking legal action against the @ElonJet account's owner.

He had tweeted: "Legal action is being taken against Sweeney and organisations who supported harm to my family," arguing it put his son at risk.

"Any account doxxing real-time location info of anyone will be suspended, as it is a physical safety violation. This includes posting links to sites with real-time location info," he added.

Even Sweeney's personal account got suspended from the micro-blogging platform along with the other tracking accounts that he created.

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