Gadgets And Technology Daily News | 13 Jun 2023
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DPI Framework Future of Digital Governance for India, World: Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar
The digital economy is a powerful opportunity with digital public infrastructure as a key enabler, Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar said on Monday adding India has demonstrated that DPIs are a "force multiplier" for the population that wants to progress and develop.
Speaking at the Global DPI Summit in Pune, the Minister of State for IT and Electronics said DPI framework is the future of digital governance for India and the world.
"Over $400 billion (nearly Rs. 32,991,000 crore) have been transferred from the government to the citizens of India over the last five years without any leakage and without any intimidation, that is the power of DPI and that is the power that India has demonstrated," Chandrasekhar said.
He added, "The partnership that we are today proposing around the DPI is truly a ‘win-win' for all those nations around the world that in a sense have lagged behind in digitalisation."
The Minister termed the digital economy as a powerful opportunity and DPIs as an enabler of that powerful opportunity.
"The India stack and the global DPI summit and the conversations around it are aligning with India's presidency vision of `Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam' where we work as one family for the betterment of our collective future using technologies and DPIs at its core," Chandrasekhar said.
The move towards a global DPI framework is about addressing the fact that technology must be inclusive and must empower all.
"The momentum generated during India's presidency has significantly garnered visibility for the DPI approach, we have witnessed endorsement at the SCO digital ministers' level as well as during the quad leaders' meet as well in the Indo-EU trade and technology council meetings," the minister said.
The DPI is not a 'one shoe fits all' model, he said, adding it is really about using the power of open source, power of partnership and collaborations in creating innovative DPI platforms that work for that country, and for its people.
The government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has demonstrated repeatedly across the length and breadth of the nation that DPIs are a force multiplier for the population that wants to progress and develop, Chandrasekhar said.
"We have floated a concept of One Future Alliance, a voluntary initiative that aims to bring together all countries, all stakeholders to synergise, to shape, to architect and design the future of DPIs that can be used by all countries and all people," Chandrasekhar said.
Microsoft-Activision Blizzard Acquisition Deal Said to Get Blocked by US FTC
The US Federal Trade Commission will file an injunction blocking Microsoft's acquisition of Activision Blizzard, a source familiar with a planned court filing said on Monday.
Microsoft is seeking to acquire the Call of Duty videogame maker in a $69 billion (nearly Rs. 5,68,800 crore) deal.
The EU approved the Activision deal in May, but British competition authorities blocked the takeover in April.
The FTC, which enforces antitrust law, initially asked a judge to block the transaction in early December, arguing it would give Microsoft's Xbox exclusive access to Activision games, leaving Nintendo consoles and Sony Group's PlayStation out in the cold.
The judge overseeing the case in the Northern District of California would need to approve the order.
"We welcome the opportunity to present our case in federal court," said Microsoft president Brad Smith in a statement.
Microsoft has said the deal would benefit gamers and gaming companies alike, offering to sign a legally binding consent decree with the FTC to provide Call of Duty games to rivals including Sony for a decade.
The case reflects the muscular approach to antitrust enforcement taken by the administration of US President Joe Biden. But antitrust experts say the FTC faces an uphill battle to convince a judge to block the deal, because of the voluntary concessions offered by Microsoft to allay fears it could dominate the gaming market.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
Vivo Y35 Price in India Cut by Rs. 1,500: Here's How Much the Smartphone Costs Now
Vivo Y35 price in India has received a Rs. 1,500 discount on the Vivo's online store. The phone was originally priced at Rs. 18,499 at launch for the lone 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant. The smartphone was launched in August 2022 and is available in Agate Black and Dawn Gold colour options. It sports a 6.58-inch full-HD+ (1,080x2,408 pixels) LCD display with a 90Hz refresh rate. The Vivo Y35 is equipped with an extended RAM feature allowing users to borrow up to 8GB of RAM from storage (effectively 16GB RAM).
Vivo is offering a discount of Rs. 1,500 on the Vivo Y35 on its online store. The phone is currently selling for Rs. 16,999. The phone was launched at a price of Rs. 18,499 for the sole 8GB RAM + 128GB storage option. Additionally, there is also an exchange discount on select phone models, however, the exact exchange value depends on the phone model and its working condition.
Furthermore, customers can also avail of an instant bank discount of Rs. 500 when purchasing the Vivo Y35 using ICICI or HDFC credit card transactions.
The Vivo Y35 sports a 6.58-inch full-HD+ LCD display with a 1,080x2,408 pixels resolution and 90Hz refresh rate. The smartphone comes equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 SoC paired with 8GB of RAM. It also supports an extended RAM feature that lets users borrow up to 8GB of storage and use it as additional RAM (effectively 16GB RAM). It also packs 128GB of onboard storage.
For photos and videos, the Vivo Y35 packs a triple rear camera setup comprising an EIS-supported 50-megapixel main sensor, a 2-megapixel depth sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro sensor. For selfies and video calls, the smartphone houses a 16-megapixel sensor at the front.
The Vivo Y35 also features a fingerprint sensor, as well as Face, unlock for authentication. The handset measures 164.3x76.1x8.28mm and weighs 188g.
Realme GT Neo 5 Pro Specifications Surface Ahead of Debut, Could Feature Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC: Details
Realme GT Neo 5 and Realme GT Neo 5 SE were launched in China earlier this year and the company is reportedly working on a new entry in the smartphone series — the Realme GT Neo 5 Pro. The handset's specifications have recently surfaced online, hinting at details of its display and processor. The purported Realme GT Neo 5 Pro is tipped to sport an OLED display and support 100W wired charging.
According to details shared by tipster Digital Chat Station via Weibo, the purported Realme GT Neo 5 Pro will sport a 6.74-inch OLED display with a 1.5K resolution and a refresh rate of up to 144Hz along with 2160Hz PWM dimming.
The Realme GT Neo 5 Pro is said to be powered by a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset paired with 16 GB of LPDDR4x RAM. It will feature up to 512GB of storage, according to the tipster. The phone is also tipped to offer support for 100W wired charging.
In February, Realme launched the Realme GT Neo 5 in two charging variants — with support for 150W and 240W wired charging support. The smartphone features a 6.74-inch 1.5K 10-bit AMOLED display which offers a refresh rate of 144Hz. Powering the phone is a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC coupled with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.
The Realme GT Neo 5 series packs a triple rear camera sensor comprising a 50-megapixel Sony IMX890 primary sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide angle lens, and a 2-megapixel macro sensor. The phone houses a 16-megapixel Samsung S5K3P9 sensor on the front. The handset is backed by a 5,000mAh battery.
EV Charger Makers Guardedly Look to Adopt Tesla Standard
Electric vehicle charging companies are cautiously embracing Tesla's charging technology as the main US standard, mere days after Ford and GM said they were adopting it, but questions remained about how any interoperability would work.
The rare agreements between Tesla and each of the two US automakers, who among them control more than 60 percent of the country's EV market, is likely to give top billing to Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS).
That puts companies, including ChargePoint, EVgo and Blink Charging, in danger of losing out on customers if they offer only Combined Charging System (CCS), the rival standard that the Biden administration has favoured.
The White House said on Friday that EV charging stations that offer Tesla plugs would be eligible for billions of dollars in federal subsidies as long as they included CCS connectivity. The White House aims to spur deployment of hundreds of thousands of chargers, which it sees as integral to EV adoption.
Charger maker ABB E-mobility North America, a unit of Swiss industrial firm ABB, said it has been working on NACS development since Tesla opened up its technology in November.
"We are seeing tremendous interest in beginning to integrate the NACS connector into our chargers and our units ... customers are saying, 'when can I get one?'", said Asaf Nagler, vice president of external affairs at the unit. The company is still in the design and testing phase, and has been working with Tesla, he said.
"The last thing we want is to rush a solution to the market that is not seamless," said Nagler, adding, "we still don't fully know all the limitations of the (Tesla) charger itself."
Ashley Horvat, a senior executive at Schneider Electric SE's unit in the US that supplies EV charging hardware and software, said interest in NACS adoption had been on the rise since the announcement by Ford Motor and General Motors.
Blink Charging said on Monday it would launch a new fast charger with Tesla's connector, as did ChargePoint Holdings Inc and Tritium DCFC Ltd. EVgo Chief Commercial Officer Jonathan Levy told Reuters the company was working with its suppliers to "serve all EV drivers no matter what fast-charging connector they use".
Some of these companies' stocks fell sharply on Friday, but were paring some of those losses on Monday after they said they would adopt NACS.
Still, concerns remain about how smoothly the two standards would talk to each other and whether having both standards in the market raised costs for vendors and customers.
Neither the automakers nor the US government have explained how any interoperability would work or money would change hands.
"We don't have much visibility on what's the charging experience going to be like," said Aatish Patel, co-founder of charger maker XCharge North America.
'Miles to go'
Charger makers and operators noted several concerns about interoperability: whether Tesla Superchargers can adequately charge higher-voltage vehicles with fast charging and whether the design of its charging cables will suit the ports on some cars.
Tesla's Superchargers are integrated with its cars and payment is tied to accounts of users, who can charge and pay through a Tesla app seamlessly. It offers adapters that can be used to charge its cars at non-Tesla charging stations and is opening up its Superchargers for use by non-Tesla vehicles.
"If you don't have a Tesla and you use a Supercharger, it's not as clean-cut. How much integration do Ford, GM and other automakers really want to give Tesla on their vehicles to allow for this seamless integration? Or are they going to pivot into a less seamless integration to have access to a larger network?" Patel said.
A former Tesla official who worked on Superchargers said NACS chargers would add cost and complexity in the near term, but the government needed to support one standard — NACS — given its higher vehicle population and better user experience.
The person, who now works for a charging company, is not authorized to speak to the media and declined to be named. The company that is developing CCS chargers, is "reviewing" its strategy because of the Tesla-GM deal.
"Tesla's proposal ... is not a standard. It has miles and miles and miles to go before it becomes a standard," said Oleg Logvinov, president of CharIN North America, an industry body that promotes CCS.
Logvinov, who is also chief executive of EV charging parts supplier IoTecha, said CCS was worth backing because it had worked for more than a decade with multiple vendors.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
WhatsApp Testing Channel Notifier Feature for Beta Users in New Version Update
WhatsApp is reportedly working to introduce a new feature with the rolling out of version 2.23.12.20. The new feature is currently available to users subscribed to the Google Play Beta Program, and could reach the messaging app's global users in the coming weeks. This new feature is reportedly called the ‘Channel Notifier'. This feature, which is currently under development, will allow the WhatsApp users to get a notification whenever the app will roll out Channels feature to their region.
Last week, WhatsApp, owned by Meta, rolled out new 'Channels' feature where users can select organisations from which they want to receive broadcast messages when there's a new development or update. The feature has been explained by Meta as, "a simple, reliable, and private way to receive important updates from people and organizations, right within WhatsApp." Currently, Channels is only available for users in Singapore and Colombia.
Now, according to a report by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is rolling out a new feature that will notify users when Channel will be available in their region as well. WhatsApp users in countries other than Singapore and Colombia, who try to access the ‘Channels' feature, will see a pop-up. This pop-up will inform the users that they could choose to be notified when the Channels feature will be available for use in their region.
Previously, Meta had said that a feature like Channels has been part of user requests for years, which explains why it is ensuring that users find out that they would soon be able to use this new broadcast tool on the platform.
At first, the International Rescue Committee, the World Health Organisation, FC Barcelona as well as Manchester City football clubs will become part of WhatsApp's Channel feature. The Silicon Valley-based tech titan has planned to gradually expand availability of Channels in the months ahead.
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