The Pulse Report, released last week by PhonePe, a leading Indian fintech platform with over 300 million registered users, is a study on the evolution of digital payments in India over the past five years. The following insights about how digital payment adoption across India has evolved since 2016, are taken from the report.

GROWING ACCEPTANCE

• Average transaction value since launch of insurance, investments and gold purchases on the platform has shot up 100-400%
• The average mutual fund investment size in Patiala is Rs 30,000, twice that of Mumbai

INDIA’S PAYMENT HABITS

• More than 300 mn Indian smartphone users now use digital payments
• PhonePe has seen digital transactions from across 19,098 pin codes
• 133 million monthly active users
• 80% of transactions come from tier 2, tier 3 and tier 4 cities and beyond
• PhonePe users paid across 75 petrol pumps in 13 states in a year

FUN FACTS

• The amount of money that travels digitally in India is more than the GDP of 21 countries
• 13,456 digital payments at Victory Bazaar in Kakinada from during lockdown, or 200 transactions a day!
• 14,142 payments at a dairy shop in Delhi NCR during lockdown, or 211 transactions a day!

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For the last couple of years, foldable smartphones have been the most talked-about tech topic in India for the smartphone industry as well as for users. Now, Samsung which initiated the new-age foldable war with Galaxy Fold is back with Galaxy Z Flip 3 that folds into the size of a wallet.

The smartphone has been launched with top-end features in two variants including 8GB RAM + 128GB of storage and 8GB RAM+256GB of internal storage.

The Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G 8GB RAM +128GB storage model comes at a price of Rs 84,999 while the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage model has been launched at a price of Rs 88,999. The smartphone comes in two colour options Phantom Black and Cream.

We used the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage Phantom Black model for around a week and here is what we think about this new device.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 features a 6.7-inch main screen on the inside, which is vertically foldable.

The main Dynamic AMOLED display provides a resolution of 2,640 x 1,080 pixels, a high screen refresh rate of 120Hz, and Gorilla Glass Victus protection.

The smartphone is also equipped with a small 1.9-inch display on the outside, which has a resolution of 260 x 512 pixels on the outer side next to the cameras which shows the time and other important notifications. The smartphone has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and the IPX8 certification for protection against water and dust.

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The global wearable market, as a whole, grew 5.6 per cent year-on-year (YoY) with 40.9 million units shipping in the second quarter of 2021, largely due to sales of smartwatches at the expense of basic bands, says a new report.

According to research firm Canalys, the boost was driven by Apple, which continues to dominate the market with its Watch models, reports Engadget.

The report noted that smartwatch sales took over from basic bands (sports bands, etc.) back in Q4, 2020 and now account for 62 per cent of all wearable band shipments.

Apple now accounts for 31.1 per cent of the smartwatch market and 19.3 per cent of the wearable band market overall, second only to Xiaomi in number of shipments.

Samsung also notably grew by 114 per cent in terms of smartwatch shipments YoY, and could see further success with its latest Galaxy Watch 4 now powered by Wear OS 3, jointly developed with Google, the report said.

Fitbit also saw a 20.6 per cent boost in smartwatches over sales this time last year, powered by its Versa 2 and Sense models, it added.

In the basic band arena, Xiaomi now leads the way in sales with a 19.6 per cent share — just ahead of Apple — led by its Mi Smart Band 5 and 6 models. However, those products are significantly cheaper with retail prices of around $35 and $55, respectively.

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Apple said Friday it’s delaying its plan to scan U.S. iPhones for images of child sexual abuse, saying it needs more time to refine the system before releasing it.

The company had revealed last month that it was working on a tool to detect known images of child sexual abuse, which would work by scanning files before they’re uploaded to iCloud.

Based on feedback from customers, advocacy groups, researchers, and others, we have decided to take additional time over the coming months to collect input and make improvements before releasing these critically important child safety features, Apple said in an update posted at the top of a company webpage detailing the device-scanning plans.

Apple had said in its initial announcement that the latest changes will roll out this year as part of updates to its operating software for iPhones, Macs and Apple Watches.

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Samsung is reportedly planning to start including Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) on the mid-range Galaxy A series from next year.

According to the Korean publication The Elec, the South Korean tech giant is now preparing to expand the availability of OIS on its smartphones to the entire Galaxy A series models from next year. This would add add more value to its cheap Android phones.

OIS is a technology that stabilizes the camera in case of shaky hands while capturing by physically moving the lens or sensor. This helps in removing unwanted movement that may affect the output.

Until last year, OIS was largely limited to Samsung’s flagship phones.

Samsung added OIS to a few Galaxy A series smartphones this year. Namely, the Galaxy A52, Galaxy A72, and the Galaxy A22 4G. Other models in the series such as the Galaxy A32 4G/5G, Galaxy A22 5G, and Galaxy A42 utilize autofocus (AF) with lower performance than OIS.

Samsung earlier this week launched the Galaxy A52s 5G smartphone in India under its A-series.

The smartphone comes with an Infinity-O display, 64MP quad camera with OIS, water and dust-resistant IP67 rating.

The Galaxy A52s 5G sports a 6.5-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-O display with a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels and a 120Hz refresh rate.

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Apple’s child protection features, which the company had announced last month, has now been delayed by the tech giant owing to criticism that the changes could diminish user privacy.

According to The Verge, the outcry was regarding one of the features that would scan users’ photos for child sexual abuse material (CSAM). The changes had earlier been scheduled to roll out later this year.

In a statement to The Verge, Apple said, “Last month we announced plans for features intended to help protect children from predators who use communication tools to recruit and exploit them, and limit the spread of Child Sexual Abuse Material.”

The statement further added, “Based on feedback from customers, advocacy groups, researchers and others, we have decided to take additional time over the coming months to collect input and make improvements before releasing these critically important child safety features.”

Apple’s original press release about the changes, which were intended to reduce the proliferation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), had a similar statement at the top of the page.

That release detailed three major changes in the works. One change to Search and Siri would point to resources to prevent CSAM if a user searched for information related to it.

The other two changes came under more significant scrutiny. The first would alert parents when their kids were receiving or sending sexually explicit photos and would blur those images for kids.

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Amazon.com Inc plans to take a more proactive approach to determine what types of content violate its cloud service policies, such as rules against promoting violence, and enforce its removal, according to two sources, a move likely to renew debate about how much power tech companies should have to restrict free speech.

Over the coming months, Amazon will hire a small group of people in its Amazon Web Services (AWS) division to develop expertise and work with outside researchers to monitor for future threats, one of the sources familiar with the matter said.

It could turn Amazon, the leading cloud service provider worldwide with 40% market share according to research firm Gartner, into one of the world’s most powerful arbiters of content allowed on the internet, experts say.

Amazon made headlines in the Washington Post last week for shutting down a website hosted on AWS that featured propaganda from Islamic State that celebrated the suicide bombing that killed an estimated 170 Afghans and 13 U.S. troops in Kabul last Thursday. They did so after the news organization contacted Amazon, according to the Post.

The proactive approach to content comes after Amazon kicked social media app Parler off its cloud service shortly after the Jan. 6 Capitol riot for permitting content promoting violence.

“AWS Trust & Safety works to protect AWS customers, partners, and internet users from bad actors attempting to use our services for abusive or illegal purposes,” an AWS spokesperson said in a statement. “When AWS Trust & Safety is made aware of abusive or illegal behavior, they act quickly to investigate and engage with customers to take appropriate actions. As AWS continues to expand, this team (like most teams in AWS) will continue to grow.”

Activists and human rights groups are increasingly holding not just websites and apps accountable for harmful content, but also the underlying tech infrastructure that enables those sites to operate, while political conservatives decry the curtailing of free speech.

AWS already prohibits its services from being used in a variety of ways, such as illegal or fraudulent activity, to incite or threaten violence or promote child sexual exploitation and abuse, according to its acceptable use policy.

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The Tokyo Olympics 2020 have just got over and if you followed the games closely, then you must have come across athletes sporting ASICS’ Metaspeed Sky–one of the finest shoes available currently. The Japanese brand recently launched the 28th installment in the Kayano series–the Gel-Kayano 28, a shoe boasting the signature Kayano stability along with new ample new tech to make running a worthy experience.

ALSO READ: Adidas 4DFWD review: Imagination and experimentation on a future-tech shoe

Kayano is a well-known series among runners, and this year, the Gel-Kayano 28 gets even better with the addition of FlyteFoam (FF) Blast cushioning in the midsole, alongside a newly-designed low-profile heel structure to improve the stability system.

This lightweight (308 gm) pair of running shoes features what ASICS calls a newly-designed low-profile External Heel Counter and Dynamic Duomax technology, which “combines to set the runner up for an efficient toe-off, without an excessive inward roll of the foot”.

Basically, as you stride, its FF Blast foam provides enough cushioning for a responsive rebound.

To make it more efficient, ASICS has married the FF Blast foam with a new tech called 3D Space Construction, which consists of flexible geometric shapes distributed in footbeds for better cushioning and more stability.

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Last December, Adidas launched Alphaedge 4D shoes (read review) with a unique 3D printed midsole. Eight months on, Adidas 4DFWD makes its way as another future-tech shoe with a 3D printed midsole, and a lot more.

Just like Alphaedge 4D, the Adidas 4DFWD also has the midsole as its key highlight as the lattice-structure design takes shoemaking to another level.

ALSO READ: Asics Gel-Kayano 28 review: A stable and smooth running experience

Adidas collaborated with Silicon Valley-based Carbon on the 3D-printing technology to print midsole using ‘Carbon Digital Light Synthesis’ technology, which uses digital light projection, oxygen-permeable optics and programmable liquid resins to print polymeric products, and data to customise the sole according to your needs.

That said, the shoe also has some eco-friendly credentials as the lattice construct uses as much as 39 per cent bio-based materials.

The Adidas 4DFWD looks more like a lifestyle shoe but is at par with most high-end running shoes. Despite that, on odd days, you can flaunt it elsewhere as the neon green accented unit, which I had for review, goes well with most of the outfits.

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Facebook Inc.’s WhatsApp was ordered to pay a 225 million-euro ($266 million) penalty for failing to be transparent about how it handled personal information, its first fine under beefed-up European Union data protection law.

The Irish Data Protection Commission — Silicon Valley’s main privacy watchdog in Europe — said it found violations in the way WhatsApp explained how it processed users’ and non-users’ data, as well as how data was shared between WhatsApp and other Facebook companies.

The fine comes weeks after Amazon.com Inc. was hit with a record 746 million-euro penalty in Luxembourg, where it has its European base, for processing personal data in violation of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation.

Under the three-year-old GDPR law, authorities have powers to fine companies as much as 4% of their annual sales. The rules put watchdogs based in a company’s chosen EU hub in charge of supervising them. But the Irish regulator, which has at least 28 privacy probes open targeting tech giants such as Apple Inc. and Alphabet Inc.’s Google, has faced mounting criticism for taking too long to wrap up its cases.

“We disagree with the decision today regarding the transparency we provided to people in 2018 and the penalties are entirely disproportionate,” a WhatsApp spokesperson said. “We will appeal this decision.”

The Irish authority said that it would also order the messaging service to take remedial action to bring its data processing communication into compliance. This includes making it clearer how users can lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority.

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