NEW DELHI (Reuters) – China’s ByteDance has decided to reduce the size of its India team and is unsure when the company will make a comeback in India, it said in an internal memo to employees on Wednesday.
India has decided to retain its ban on video app TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps after reviewing responses from the companies on issues such as compliance and privacy, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters on Tuesday.
The apps were banned amid rising tensions between India and China following a border clash between the two nations last year.
“We initially hoped that this situation would be short-lived … we find that has not been the case,” ByteDance wrote in an internal memo to staff, seen by Reuters.
“We simply cannot responsibly stay fully staffed while our apps remain un-operational … we don’t know when we will make a comeback in India”
Sony is reportedly planning to launch a member of the premium ‘Compact’ line of phones in 2021 with a 5.5-inch Xperia model to compete with the iPhone 12 mini.
The new device is expected to feature dimensions of 140 x 68.9 x 8.9 mm (5.5 x 2.71 x 0.35 inches), making it just a bit bigger than the iPhone 12 mini (which measures 131.5 x 64.2 x 7.4 mm or 5.18 x 2.53 x 0.29 inches), reports The Verge.
The new Xperia Compact is also said to offer an 8MP selfie camera in a teardrop notch, a dual-camera setup with a 13MP main camera on the back.
A fingerprint sensor is embedded in the power button – similar to Touch ID on the latest iPad Air – and a 3.5mm mini-jack sits in the top of the phone for those who prefer wired headphones.
It may not be a flagship, but rather an entry-level device powered by Snapdragon 480 chipset.
The new device is expected to succeed the Xperia XZ2 Compact that was launched during MWC 2018. Back then, the Xperia Z Compact series was probably the only strong Android contender to pack flagship specs in a small size.
Amazon has rolled out a new feature called “hunches” that allows Alexa to proactively complete tasks around the house, such as turning off lights, based on your habits and frequent requests.
If the new proactive hunches are enabled, though, Alexa will skip asking for permission for a task and just do it, The Verge reported on Monday evening.
Alexa has been able to sense these habits and ask about them since 2018 — the company calls them acehunches” — but before this update, Alexa would ask permission before acting on something.
While proactive hunches seem like they could make Alexa a lot more useful, having granular controls over what Alexa can automatically act on will be important, the report said.
Along with new Alexa abilities, Amazon is also rolling out its Guard Plus security subscription service.
The service can alert you if Alexa picks up on certain types of sounds in your home and offers access to human agents who can call emergency services on your behalf.
Users can sign up for Guard Plus in the Alexa app, and it will cost $4.99 per month.
On the occasion of Republic Day, Akshay Kumar launched the mobile action game ‘Fearless and United Guards (FAU-G).
Kumar took to Twitter and shared a short trailer of the game to announce its launch.
“Face the enemy. Fight for your country. Protect Our Flag. India’s most anticipated action game, Fearless and United Guards: FAU-G takes you to the frontlines and beyond! Start your mission today,” he tweeted along with the trailer.
The initial episode of the game is based in the Galwan Valley in Ladakh and the rest of the episodes will be set in other Indian battlegrounds.
The game is free to download and play while the users will have to pay for several premium features like skins of their avatars.
‘FAU-G’ was announced earlier in September last year when the Government of India banned the game ‘PUBG.
The next killer smartphone app has arrived — and it offers the potential to transform how we communicate, share knowledge and even make new friends.
I am talking about voice-and-audio-based social networking startup Clubhouse. Its platform enables users to drop in and out of ephemeral chat rooms and take part in a range of gatherings, from small “water-cooler” type conversations to larger discussions featuring expert panels, often attended by thousands of listeners. Since its launch last March, Clubhouse has increasingly become a cultural phenomenon, attracting politicians, celebrities and experts from all walks of life. With its success and prominent backing, it may now be poised to upend the entire social media space.
Clubhouse’s latest figures reveal how quickly it is growing. During a weekly town hall event on Sunday, co-founder Paul Davison said the app’s weekly active user base had doubled to 2 million over the last couple of weeks. He also announced the startup had raised another investment round led by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, adding it now has more than 180 investors. While he didn’t offer any specifics, The Information reported on Friday that Clubhouse was getting interest at a $1 billion valuation. If true, that means the company’s value has risen by a factor of 10 since its earlier Series A round last May, also led by Andreessen Horowitz.
Something special is happening inside the Clubhouse community. Call it the power of the voice — and it’s what separates Clubhouse from other platforms. A short back-and-forth live conversation, with its nuance and tone, can build closer relationships more quickly than dozens of written posts and text messages sent through more established social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. Since I joined Clubhouse last summer, I met and became friends with professors, filmmakers, artists, engineers and more from places all over the world. It has been intoxicating listening to people’s life stories and absorbing their knowledge and experience, from learning how a streaming video executive greenlights projects to getting expert political analysis on the latest breaking news. It has easily become one of my favorite pastimes.
OnePlus on Monday launched a limited edition of its Buds Z in collaboration with Los Angeles-based artist and designer Steven Harrington, for Rs 3,699 in India.
“For our users who are looking for the right combination of great sound quality and aesthetic design, the OnePlus Buds Z Steven Harrington Edition will prove to be a valuable addition,” said Pete Lau, Founder, and CEO, OnePlus in a statement.
According to the company, the new OnePlus Buds Z Steven Harrington Edition features the artist’s signature stylized graffiti along with artistic caricatures and designs.
The limited-edition earphones have a two-tone purple and mint colour combo with a matching charging case.
Equipped with a dynamic 3D stereo powered by Dolby Atmos, these earphones construct a thoroughly immersive soundstage.
On a full charge, these limited-edition earphones provide an impressive 20 hours of playback time, while a quick 10-minute top-up provides three hours of vibrant audio.
It comes with three sizes of silicone ear tips to ensure a snug, stable and comfortable fit.
Apple is adding a new ‘Time to Walk’ feature for its Fitness+ subscribers, which is an audio experience in the Workout app where guests will share inspiring stories while walking.
According to MacRumors, Apple Fitness+ subscribers will be able to open the Workout app on an Apple Watch, select ‘Time to Walk’ and choose from one of the audio stories to listen to during their walk.
The feature is likely to be extended to wheelchair users too.
According to the report, the settings for ‘Time to Walk’ started showing up weeks ago in earlier betas of watchOS 7.3 and iOS 14.4, the stories are not yet accessible.
Fitness+ is designed to work with the Apple Watch, providing workouts that can be done on an iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV, with the Apple Watch tracking fitness progress.
To use Fitness+, one must have an iPhone 6s or later updated to iOS 14.3 and an Apple Watch Series 3 or later updated to watchOS 7.2. It also works with an Apple TV HD or Apple TV 4K updated to tvOS 14.3 or an iPad Air 2 or later that is running iPadOS 14.3 and has the Fitness+ app installed.
Serial entrepreneur Kunal Shah is backing the new venture of Carl Pei, the Swedish tech entrepreneur and co-founder of smartphone company OnePlus. Pei has received seed investment from Shah, who has added the London based venture into his portfolio. Pei is working on a stealth project that he plans to unveil this month.
“Kunal (Shah) is one of the sharpest people I know. I am proud and glad to have him as a friend, advisor and now also an investor,” said Carl Pei. “We are in advanced stages of our vision and are excited to introduce it to the world soon.”
Pei had already raised $7 million in a seed financing round for his new venture from friends and private investors including Tony Fadell (Principal at Future Shape and inventor of the iPod), Casey Neistat (YouTuber), Kevin Lin (co-founder of Twitch). The other investors include Steve Huffman (CEO of Reddit), Liam Casey (founder and CEO, PCH), Paddy Cosgrave (founder of Web Summit) and Josh Buckley (CEO of Product Hunt).
“Carl (Pei) is working on a new consumer electronics company that I am sure will be a disruptor in the tech-industry,” said Shah, who is also the founder of fintech firm CRED. “I am excited to be part of this journey.”
Shah has invested in multiple sectors through his career and this investment is in his personal capacity.
The global refurbished smartphone market fell 9 per cent (on-year) in 2020 owing to Covid-19 lockdowns and related economic deterrents, according to a new report.
The market saw a dramatic 16 per cent decline in the first half of 2020 compared to the first half of 2019, said the latest Counterpoint Research’s ‘Refurbished Smartphone Market Update’.
“It rebounded slightly in the second half of 2020 due to increases in new device sales and a very strong Apple iPhone launch cycle which helped the supply of devices in the secondary market,” said the report.
All major countries and regions showed a decline for the full year of 2020, mainly due to Covid-19.
“The pandemic caused a significant number of smartphone owners to avoid or delay new purchases. Key secondary markets India and Latin America saw 20per cent and 24 per cent declines, respectively, during the first half of 2020 due to strict and extended lockdowns,” said senior Research Analyst Glen Cardoza.
China, the most important country in the refurbished market ecosystem, saw significant declines during 2020.
Google has signed a deal with a group of French publishers paving the way for the internet giant to make digital copyright payments for online news content.
After months of talks, Google France and the Alliance de la Presse d’Information Generale said Thursday that they agreed to set up a framework under which the U.S. company will negotiate individual licensing deals with publishers.
Google has already negotiated a few individual payment deals with some French news publishers such as national daily paper Le Monde and weekly magazine l’Obs.
The company was forced to negotiate with publishers and news agencies for reusing their material online under a neighboring rights” law that took effect after France became the first country to adopt new European Union copyright rules.
Google had initially balked at paying for news, saying new companies benefited from the millions of readers it sends to their websites. But last year an appeals court ordered the company to open talks with publishers.
News Time 