Sony has announced to shut down its PlayStation Store for the PS3 on July 2 and for hand-held video game console Vita on August 27.

It means that the users will not be able to buy digital copies of games for the PS3 and Vita.

“We are closing PlayStation Store on PlayStation3 consoles on 2nd July 2021 and on PlayStation Vita devices on 27th August 2021. Additionally, the remaining purchase functionality for PSP (PlayStation®Portable) will also retire on 2nd July 2021,” the company said in an update.

Sony launched PS3 in November 2006, and more than 80 million units of the console have ben sold to date. Vita has sold over 10 million units.

The company said that the users will still be able to re-download and play previously purchased game titles.

“You will still be able to access previously purchased video/media content. You will still be able to redeem game and PlayStation Plus vouchers. You will still be able to re-download and play claimed game titles through PlayStation Plus as long as you remain a member of the service,” the company informed.

However, the users will no longer be able to make in-game purchases through games on PS3, PS Vita and PSP.

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India’s local language microblogging platform Koo has stronger networks compared to Twitter, a new study has found. Currently available in seven languages, Koo hit headlines last month when ministers and political leaders said they were going to move to the country’s homegrown microblogging platform.

“The Koo network has a noticeably high local clustering coefficient of 0.561, that represents how well connected the neighbourhood of a vertex is. This indicates a strong modular structure in the network, presumably due to Koo only catering to audiences from a single country. In contrast, Twitter, which caters to worldwide audiences, only had an average local clustering coefficient of 0.072 during its early years in 2009, indicating much weaker communities,” said the study, titled “Koo: The new king? Characterising India’s emerging social network”.

According to network scientist Jérôme Kunegis, clustering is an important property of social networks, as people tend to have friends who are also friends with each other, resulting in sets of people among which many common people existHe further explains that the clustering coefficient is a real number between zero and one that is zero when there is no clustering, and one for maximum clustering.

The current study was undertaken by students Asmit Kumar Singh, Chirag Jain, Rishi Raj Jain, and professor Ponnurangam Kumaraguru from Indraprastha Institute of Information Technology, Delhi and Jivitesh Jain and Shradha Sehgal from the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad, examined 4 million users on Koo.

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Many internet companies posted record performance during the pandemic as consumers turned to apps and other cloud software to work, study, socialize and shop from home. But as vaccines roll out and restrictions relax, some of this unprecedented digital demand is fading.

Data from research firm Apptopia reveal how the superstar apps of the Covid-19 era are faring now in the U.S. Plus, stats from New Zealand, a country that reopened earlier, show what the future might hold for these services.

Here’s the main takeaway: Many well-known apps are losing ground, or usage has stabilized. Some behaviors are sticking, though, suggesting the pandemic will provide a more-permanent boost for a few internet companies.

Zoom Video Communications Inc.’s app has been so ubiquitous during the pandemic that it’s now a verb. Lately, though, workers complain of “Zoom fatigue,” and data from New Zealand are ominous. Usage has dropped in that country as employees and students return to offices and schools. Even in the US, where most offices remain virtual, Zoom use peaked in September. The company said recently it’s well positioned for strong growth.

Microsoft’s Teams communication software was another work-from-home hit last year. That service has seen mobile app usage decline, too, especially in New Zealand.

Other staples of the virtual workplace are here to stay, according to Apptopia data. DocuSign’s app, which lets you sign contracts and other documents digitally, has seen consistently high usage lately. The app has become a popular way to close real-estate transactions, so it is likely getting an extra boost from the housing boom.

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The PlayStation 5 isn’t simply the latest iteration of Japanese company Sony’s highly successful series of gaming consoles, but a genuine leap in terms of possibilities in gaming. There are several changes, inside and out, that set up PS5 for a markedly different gaming experience from its predecessors. Let’s dive into the details.

The PlayStation 5 comes in two variants: with Ultra-HD Blu-Ray Disc, and the Digital Edition — which is also Rs 10,000 cheaper. Our review unit came with the disc drive.DualSense Wireless Controller

PS5 Controller

The most highlighted (and rightly so!) aspect of the PS5 is the DualSense Wireless Controller. With its haptic feedback and trigger resistance, DualSense is more than just an accessory to the PS5, and in fact becomes an integral part of the immersive and realistic gaming experience that lets you ‘feel’ the game.

The haptic feedback’s effects are most palpable in Astro’s Playroom, in which you can feel everything from the gliding sensation while skating on ice to the overpowering gush of wind, and the trigger resistance that comes with it. The game even manages to make use of the DualSense’s touchpad and motion controls for certain activities. On the other hand, the trigger resistance made sure that I tired my hands out rather quickly due to overexertion and while that does add to the realism, it may not be suited for marathon gamers.

Even in terms of design, there are a few changes in DualSense. While the basic layout remains the same as the DualShock 4, DualSense is bulkier and more ergonomically designed. Besides, the space between the R1 and R2 buttons is done away with. In other significant changes, the controller now comes with a built-in microphone and charges via USB-C. In terms of compatibility, the DualShock 4 does work on the PS5, but only with PS4 games.

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A back-of-the-envelope calculation shows there’s about $9.6 billion worth of daily marine traffic halted by the massive container vessel that lodged in the Suez Canal earlier this week, blocking transit in both directions.

The figure is based off an assessment by Lloyd’s List that suggests westbound traffic is worth around $5.1 billion a day and eastbound traffic approximately $4.5 billion. The venerable journal concedes that these are “rough calculations,” however. There are about 185 vessels waiting to transit the waterway, data compiled by Bloomberg show, while Lloyd’s estimated 165.

So far efforts by tugs and diggers to dislodge the Ever Given — the 400-meter long vessel that became wedged in the canal on Tuesday — have failed and work to re-float the ship has been suspended until Thursday morning in Egypt, shipping agent Inchcape said, citing the Suez Canal Authority.

The queue on Wednesday included 40 bulk carriers hauling commodities ranging from crops to dry goods like cement as well as vessels carrying oil, fuel and chemicals, Bloomberg data show. There were also eight ships carrying livestock, more than 30 general cargo vessels and a water tanker.

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Indian cricket team would look to an unassailable lead in the three-match One Day International (ODI) series, when the Virat Kohli-led side locks horns with England in the 2nd ODI at Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune on March 26. India won the first ODI by 66 runs and took 1-0 lead in 3-match series. Both the sides have to make some forced changes in their playing 11s for second ODI as some key players got injured during the series opener.

Check IND vs ENG latest news updates here

India vs England playing 11 prediction

Indian batsman Shreyas Iyer has been ruled out of the remaining two ODIs after dislocating his left shoulder while fielding in the first match. Surayakumar Yadav is likely to replace Iyer in the Indian playing 11.

India tentative playing 11 for 2nd ODI: Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul, Hardik Pandya, Krunal Pandya, Shardul Thakur, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Kuldeep Yadav/Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna.

England’s tour of India 2021

Meanwhile, England might have to make two changes in its playing 11 as captain Eoin Morgan and Sam Billings got injured during fielding. However, both came out to bat while chasing 318-run target in first ODI. There is no update on their injuries as of now.

If Morgan fails to get fit ahead of second ODI, then Jos Buttler would lead the English side, and Liam Livingstone may be drafted into the playing 11.

England tentative playing for 2nd ODI: Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Liam Livingstone/Eoin Morgan, Sam Billings/Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Moeen Ali, Tom Curran, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood.

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Mike Hesson, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) Director of Cricket has said that AB de Villiers will once again be a wicketkeeping option for the franchise in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL).

RCB is set to play the IPL 2021 opener against Mumbai Indians on April 9 in Chennai. For a few matches last year, AB de Villiers donned the wicketkeeping gloves and he is expected to do the same this year if it fixes the balance of the playing XI.

“We were delighted with the fact that Ab de Villiers loved wicketkeeping and he embraced it. He wanted to continue doing it, he is a real option, we now have a couple of other wicketkeeping options which is great. Mohammed Azharuddeen is a natural athlete with the gloves and in the field. We also have KS Bharat, he is a natural keeper, gives us different options as well,” said Hesson in a video posted on the official Twitter handle of RCB.

“We are not going to make the commitment now to you guys as to who will do what. We are really pleased with the options we have got and AB is certainly one of those,” he added.

RCB’s training camp will begin on March 29 for the upcoming edition of the IPL. Hesson earlier had said that AB de Villiers will arrive on March 28 for the upcoming IPL.

“We have got players arriving all the way through till April 1. Finn Allen will be playing in T20I in New Zealand on April 1 and then he will come the day after… ABD arrives on 28,” he said.

Hesson also said: “It is very different than the last year where we had everybody together for a long period of time on the back of a period where the guys had not trained or played. So, this time it is different, we got players playing international cricket over here and overseas and domestic cricket up until a hand full of days ago. So, we had to prepare in slightly different ways.”

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Though electric vehicles are clearly the flavour of these climate-change challenged times, Covid-19 infected sales, just as it did with conventional automobiles. This pandemic-induced slowdown, when business growth was virtually zero, presented challenges not just for e-vehicle makers but also the many start-ups that had developed within the ecosystem to provide a range of services — from funding and research facilities to taxi fleet operations and battery-charging services. How are they doing with the recovery?

“The past 12 months have posed the toughest challenges for the entire urban mobility sector. It challenged the viability and health of urban mobility across the sector irrespective of the segment, whether B2C or the scooter segment or ride-sharing. In spite of that, all of us have risen both individually and collectively,” said Sanjay Krishnan, founder of Lithium Urban Technologies.

His company provides EV fleet management service. The Bengaluru-based company, which was set up in 2015, saw absolutely no business during the lockdown months of April and May but a small uptick with the gradual unlocking, launched new products in the market. The company also looked beyond city transport and went into new cities and services such as inter-city and airport services. The company has clocked 150 million ekms with 10 million ekms during the crucial Covid-19 period.

Though Krishnan said his company was well-capitalised and could weather the challenge, “at one stage, volumes for an extended period of time were almost zero but you had costs and bills”. This called for structural changes, he said. “We continued to invest, create and innovate during the period,” he added.

There’s some distance to comfort yet, however. Even today, Krishnan said, demand is of the “start-stop-start-stop” variety as different places open up but then governments clamp down. “But overall, the path is upwards. In the next six months, demand should be back somewhat to pre-Covid levels. The first quarter of the next calendar year, it should be fine though it will be at a different pace,” he added.

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Smartphone maker Realme on Wednesday said it expects to get 10-15 per cent share in the 4G handsets segment priced in the range of Rs 10,000-Rs 20,000 a unit with the launch of new 8 series devices.

The company will have all devices above Rs 20,000 price range enabled with 5G technology.

“With the launch of realme 8 series, we are aiming to penetrate deeper into the Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 mid-range 4G market, and capture the young users across the country.

“We plan to increase our market share in this segment to 10-15 per cent with the launch of the 8 series,” Realme Vice-President and Chief Executive Officer (India and Europe) Madhav Seth said on sidelines of launching the new series.

The company unveiled two new models, Realme 8 Pro, first smartphone with 108 megapixel ultra quad camera and Realme 8 with 64 MP AI quad camera.

Realme has launched two variants of Realme 8 Pro priced at Rs 17,999 and Rs 19,999 which will start selling on March 25 at the company’s website, e-commerce portal Flipkart and mainline channels.

Three variants of Realme 8, which comes with Mediatek Helio gaming processor, priced in the range of 14,999 and Rs 16,999 will also start selling the same day.

According to market research firm IDC, Realme recorded the highest year-on-year growth of 19 per cent in the smartphone category in 2020 with shipment of 19.2 million phones amounting to 13 per cent market share in India.

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JBL has launched JBL PartyBox On-The-Go and PartyBox 310 speakers in India with rechargeable batteries and JBL Pro Sound which also comes with a light show that syncs to the music.

The speakers also come with JBL wireless mic, up to 18-hour battery life, and IPX4 splashproof protection.

JBL PartyBox On-The-Go

The JBL PartyBox On-The-Go features a100 watt output and is synced to a pulsing light show. It can also be wirelessly paired with another On-The-Go speaker for more output.

It also offers Bluetooth, USB and AUX connectivity.

It also includes JBL wireless mic for Karaoke.

The JBL PartyBox On-The-Go offers six-hour on-battery time and comes with IPX4 splashproof protection.

Features

Powerful JBL Pro Sound with 100W output

Padded shoulder strap and 6 hours battery life for ultimate portability

Wireless mic included with bass, treble and echo tuning

Light show synced to the beat of the music

Physical mic and guitar inputs

IPX4 splashproof

Bluetooth or USB input

True Wireless Stereo: Wirelessly link two together for an even bigger, stereo sound

Price and availability

JBL PartyBox On-The-Go is now available at JBL India’s official website in.jbl.com, across retails stores, leading online portals and authorized retailers at Rs 24,999.

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