Technology

New Delhi, Oct 19 (IANS) India dipped 1 spot each in its global ranking in both median mobile speeds and fixed broadband speeds from 117 to 118 and from 78 to 79, respectively, in September, a report said on Wednesday.

However, median mobile download speeds in India slightly increased from 13.52 Mbps in August to 13.87 Mbps in September, according to the report by network intelligence and connectivity insights provider Ookla.

"Overall, fixed median download speeds in India saw a slight increase from 48.29 in August to 48.59 Mbps in September," the platform said in a statement.

According to the September Speedtest Global Index, Kosovo registered the highest increase in rank, gaining 42 spots globally, with Norway sustaining its rank as #1 for overall global median mobile speeds.

For overall global fixed median speeds, Madagascar registered the highest increase in rank, gaining 14 spots, with Chile at rank #1 in overall global fixed median speeds.

Ookla's Speedtest Global Index ranks mobile and fixed broadband speeds from around the world on a monthly basis. Data for the Global Index comes from the hundreds of millions of tests taken by real people using Speedtest every month to test their Internet performance.

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San Francisco, Oct 17 (IANS) Tech Giant Google has said that it is updating its Chromecast with Google TV (4K) with the latest Android 12, media reports say.

According to 9To5Google, the update includes Android TV OS from 10 to 12, Chromecast with Google TV (4K) to the July 2022 security patch level from May 2022, increased security and privacy, and other bug fixes and performance improvements.

The new update allows users to cut off camera and microphone access for Apps, i.e., the new update offers more control over when Apps can see and hear the user, especially during video calling.

However, there are "additional user settings that let the user control HDR format and surround sound," while the ability to "match content frame rate" is specifically highlighted.

To download the Android 12 update on the 2020 edition of Chromecast with Google TV (4K), users can click the profile avatar in the top-right corner, then hit Settings, System, About, and select System Update.

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San Francisco, Oct 17 (IANS) Samsung is reportedly developing "MicroLED on Silicon" (LEDoS) for augmented reality (AR) headsets.

The OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays have been used in VR headsets for years, but now the company is developing next generation technology for AR displays that will be based on MicroLED. Currently, glass is used as the base for displays rather than silicon, reports GSMArena.

The South Korean tech giant's long-term objective is to create LEDoS screens with 6,600 pixel-per-inch (ppi) resolution, the report said.

According to Kim Min-woo, the leader of the Samsung Display group, 5,000 ppi is the minimum need for AR displays, and the space between pixels must be five micrometres or less. The subpixels for red, green, and blue should not be larger than three micrometres.

Samsung Display is creating OLED on Silicon (OLEDoS) panels in addition to LEDoS. However, MicroLED is brighter and hence more suited for AR applications, the report said

The difference between augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) is that AR integrates virtual items into the actual environment and needs to match the brightness of the light around the user.

On the other hand, VR only uses virtual reality because the VR screen isolates the user from the outside world, and lesser brightness can be effective.

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San Francisco, Oct 16 (IANS) Tech giant Google has announced that Meet calls can now be transcribed into text, and users can further save them in a Google Doc format.

According to Android Central, the saved file can be accessed from Google Drive.

Google Meet is one of the most popular apps, especially after replacing the Google Duo app for iOS and Android devices. However, Google has stated the new feature that can be accessed in Google Meet for desktop or laptop clients and is available only for the English language.

Google said the transcribed file can be stored in the same "Meeting Recordings" folder of the Google Meet app from the accompanying Google Drive storage.

Before joining the Google Meet call, attendees will be notified that the call is transcribed.

These transcripts are intended to capture the meeting's discussion, serves as a record, and is helpful as a follow-up to attendees or host if they want to recall a particular segment or point in the whole discussion.

Another nifty feature is that the "transcript will automatically be attached to the associated calendar invite for the meeting".

And for meetings involving more than 200 attendees, the transcribed file will be shared with meeting organisers, hosts, co-hosts, and individual users who initiated a transcription.

The new feature is expected to roll out starting October 24. It will be available to Google Workspace Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Starter, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, and the Teaching and Learning Upgrade customers.

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San Francisco, Oct 16 (IANS) Consumer electronics company Razor has unveiled a Nintendo Switch-style Android handheld device for $399.99 that is touted as the world's first 5G gaming device.

Called the Razer Edge and a Verizon exclusive, the premium Android gaming handheld comes with exclusive Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 chip, the 144Hz AMOLED display offers and a detachable controller called Kishi V2 Pro for Android and Xbox games.

The Snapdragon G3x Gen 1 chip is capable of "2-3x speeds" for consistent performance and a high frame rate.

The users can use the Razer Kishi V2 Pro with microswitch buttons, analog triggers, programmable macros, and Razer HyperSense haptics for competitive AAA gaming, said the company during its annual RazerCon event.

Like Nintendo's Switch, the Edge comes in two parts: a main unit with a display and internal hardware, and a set of modular, detachable controls.

The main unit includes a 6.8-inch AMOLED touchscreen display running at a 2,400x1080 resolution, with a refresh rate of 144Hz.

Razer said this results in "87 per cent more pixels than competitive offerings."

It also features a 5,000-mAh battery, which Razer says should keep you gaming for "hours."

The Razer Edge will be available in the market in January 2023.

Razer has been preparing a dedicated Android gaming device for months, complete with Verizon's 5G connectivity to enable cloud gaming on the go.

According to the company, the handheld is perfect both for cloud gaming services and for high-end mobile games like Apex Legends.

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New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) Apple is reportedly working on to turn its iPad into a smart display and speaker, that can work like Facebook Portal or Amazon Echo Show smart home devices.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the tech giant can introduce these smart capabilities into its iPads as soon as next year.

An iPad docking station could allow users to make calls via FaceTime and gain hands-free control of smart home devices.

It will be similar to Amazon Fire tablet that allows users to put the devices into a charging dock to become a smart display.

Google last week announced a docking accessory for its upcoming Pixel Tablet, that will work as Nest Hub Max to control smart home devices via the Home app.

Apple is scheduled to unveil iPad Pro soon, which is likely to come with 11-inch and 12.9-inch models and M2 Silicon chip.

Apple is also working on an updated version of HomePod, according to the the report.

The next-generation of HomePod can have an updated display, an S8 chip and multi-touch functionality.

The company is also planning a combined Apple TV and smart speaker device equipped with a camera.

Apple recently signed up with Taiwan Surface Mounting Technology (SMT), which could lead to the tech giant using hybrid OLED displays in the iPad Pro by 2024.

The iPad and iPad Pro's display is a key component of the user experience.

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San Francisco, Oct 15 (IANS) Graphics chip giant Nvidia has paused the launch of its RTX 4080 12GB graphics card after facing backlash because of confusion over its name.

The RTX 4080 12GB model launch has now been postponed by the company, although, the 16GB variant will still launch on November 16.

"The RTX 4080 12GB is a better graphics card, but it's not named right", the company said in a blog post.

"Having two GPUs with the 4080 designation is confusing", it added.

Last month, the company had unveiled the GeForce RTX 40 Series of GPUs designed to deliver revolutionary performance for gamers and creators.

"The age of RTX ray tracing and neural rendering is in full steam, and our new Ada Lovelace architecture takes it to the next level," Jensen Huang, Nvidia's founder and CEO, said in a statement.

"Ada provides a quantum leap for gamers and paves the way for creators of fully simulated worlds. With up to 4x the performance of the previous generation, Ada is setting a new standard for the industry," he added.

The company had announced the RTX 4080 in two configurations.

The RTX 4080 16GB has 9,728 CUDA cores and 16GB of high-speed Micron GDDR6X memory. The RTX 4080 12GB has 7,680 CUDA cores and 12GB of Micron GDDR6X memory.

The company also claimed that the 12GB model will start at $899 and includes a 2.31GHz base clock that boosts up to 2.61GHz, 639 Tensor-TFLOPs, 92 RT-TFLOPs, and 40 Shader-TFLOPs.

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San Francisco, Oct 15 (IANS) Tech giant Apple's upcoming AR (augmented reality) headsets may use iris scan instead of Face ID or Touch ID to identify people.

In the company's forthcoming AR gadgets, iris scanning is likely to be used to recognise a user when they put on the headset, reports AppleInsider.

"The capability will make it easier for multiple people to use the same device and allow them to quickly make payments inside the headset," quoted in the report.

"Just like iPhones, it allows people to confirm payments using scans of their fingerprints or faces", it added.

It is expected that iris scanning will enable Apple Pay use, if it is used as a new biometric method for user authentication.

The design of the upcoming AR device is expected to feature mesh fabrics, aluminium, and glass. It is likely to be thinner and lighter than Meta's new Quest Pro.

The screen of the headset will be able to function at low refresh rates, much like the iPhone and Apple Watch, which have always-on screens. It would be specifically for battery conservation in the case of the headset.

It is rumoured that the company is working on three different AR headsets.

The one of the headgear is likely to launch in 2023. It might cost up to $3,000 and include a pair of 4K OLED panels as well as 15 side-facing camera modules.

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San Francisco, Oct 14 (IANS) In a bid to make a major change to its Microsoft Office branding, the tech giant will soon rename it as "Microsoft 365", after more than 30 years.

According to The Verge, Excel, Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint are still available, but Microsoft will now frequently refer to them as being a part of Microsoft 365 rather than Microsoft Office.

"In the coming months, Office.com, the Office mobile app, and the Office app for Windows will become the Microsoft 365 app, with a new icon, a new look, and even more features," Microsoft was quoted as saying.

The Office app for Windows, iOS, and Android will all get a facelift in January, with the initial logo and design changes appearing at Office.com in November.

Microsoft 365 will now be home to Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Loop, Clipchamp, Stream, and Microsoft's new Designer app.

A central Microsoft 365 app for both mobile and desktop will include a feed of relevant colleagues and meetings, a hub for all your files and documents, and custom tagging to group and organise content, the report said.

The Microsoft Office brand won't disappear instantly, though. Microsoft will continue to offer one-time purchases of its Office bundle of apps to consumers and businesses through Office 2021 and Office LTSC plans, it added.

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San Francisco, Oct 14 (IANS) Tech giant Google has announced to add new features to the Play Store for better listing of apps next year.

The company showcased the upcoming changes at its annual developer conference I/O earlier this year.

"Your Play Store listing is the best way to help prospective users understand the functionality and value of your app", the company said in a blog post.

There will be new changes on large screens like tablets, foldables, and Chromebooks. The improvements will help users to find the best apps for their devices.

The company is also redesigning the Play Store for large screens using the screenshots, videos and descriptions directly in Apps and Games Home.

The target of the content-forward approach is to better represent the apps in the store and help users to make install decisions, the company said.

On Chromebooks, users can browse the Play Store and examine screenshots of the app on a tablet or a phone. Now the company introduced the option to post Chromebook-specific screenshots in Play Console.

It allows up to 8 screenshots and will mostly be visible on the Play Store for Chromebooks. Both the listing page for the app and the Play homepages will display these screenshots.

The screenshots in 16:9 ratio for landscape with dimensions of 1080-7690px are recommended, the company said.

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