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  In a concrete step towards integrating its family of apps,  Facebook  has introduced a consumer-centric portal called Accounts Center that allows users to post content across Facebook, Instagram and Messenger as well as manage payment options at one place. Found in the Settings section of Facebook, Instagram and Messenger, the 'Accounts Center' aims to give users the ability to manage their connected experiences across Facebook-owned apps, like 'Single Sign On' and  Facebook  Pay (to arrive later this year). The 'Single Sign On' feature lets users log in and recover their accounts more easily in case they forget the passwords and cross-posting which lets them share the same story or post on both Instagram and  Facebook. Facebook said the portal centralises payment, contact and login information across its family of apps and still lets billions of users keep separate profile identities. The users will also be able to maintain separate identities ac...

  China  is preparing to launch an antitrust probe into Alphabet Inc's Google, looking into allegations it has leveraged the dominance of its  Android  mobile operating system to stifle competition, two people familiar with the matter said. The case was proposed by telecommunications equipment giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd last year and has been submitted by the country's top market regulator to the State Council's antitrust committee for review, they added. A decision on whether to proceed with a formal investigation may come as soon as October and could be affected by the state of China's relationship with the United States, one of the people said. The potential investigation follows a raft of actions by US President Donald Trump's administration to hobble Chinese tech companies, citing national security risks. This has included putting Huawei on its trade blacklist, threatening similar action for Semiconductor Manufacturing  International  Cor...

  Perhaps it’s a sign of our times that a potentially landmark battle with antitrust implications is shaping up over digital pickaxes. The court case involving  Apple  and Epic Games, the maker of the video game Fortnite, is the result of the gamemaker’s rebellion against rules and fees set by  Apple  in its role of gatekeeper for  apps  on its iPhones and iPads. What’s the case about? In August, Epic’s billionaire founder, Tim Sweeney, announced that he would no longer abide by Apple’s rule that all purchases of  apps  and items within  apps  designed for its iOS-based devices go through Apple’s payment system. After he activated Epic’s own payment system,  Apple  kicked Fortnite out of its app store. It also threatened to make it hard for developers using Epic’s tools to build games. In response, Epic sued in federal court; it also sued  Google  over the same issue Apple soon counter-sued. What was Epic u...

  Computer systems across a major hospital chain with facilities across the nation were down on Monday due to what the company termed an unspecified technology security issue". Doctors and nurses had to rely on paper. Universal Health Services Inc, which operates more than 250  hospitals  and other clinical facilities in the US, said in a short statement posted to its website on Monday that its network was offline and doctors and nurses were resorting to back-up processes including paper records. The Fortune 500 company, with 90,000 employees, said patient care continues to be delivered safely and effectively and no patient or employee data appeared to have been accessed, copied or misused". The company also has  hospitals  in the United Kingdom, but its operations in that country were not affected, a spokeswoman said on Monday night. UHS provided no details about the incident, but people posting to an online Reddit forum who identified themselves as e...

  (Reuters) -  Microsoft  Corp said late Monday a recent change it introduced likely caused a major outage, affecting users' access to multiple  Microsoft  365 services, including Outlook.com and  Microsoft  Teams. The developer of Windows and Office software said it did not "observe an increase in successful connections" even after it rolled back the change to mitigate the impact. "A moment ago nothing was working, then I went into files in Teams and it was working, now nothing is working. Well I guess now I have an excuse to not do work and watch TV," one Twitter user tweeted. "We're pursuing mitigation steps for this issue. In parallel, we're rerouting traffic to alternate systems to provide further relief to the affected users," Microsoft said on its status page, without specifying how many users were affected. Several other Twitter users complained that the outage meant they could miss their job interviews and deadline for college ...

  Xiaomi  is hosting its annual ‘Smarter Living’ event on Tuesday where the Chinese electronics maker is expected to unveil its ecosystem products and internet of things (IoT) devices. The virtual event will begin at 12 noon and it will live stream on company’s YouTube channel. As for the products, the company is expected to announce a fitness band, smart speaker and a smartwatch. Xiaomi  has been teasing the upcoming products through its social media channels. The product portfolio is likely to include the Mi Band 5, Mi Watch, and a smart speaker. The Mi Band 5 was launched in China earlier this year. It seems to be coming to India now. The health and fitness band sports a 1.1-inch AMOLED touchscreen. It supports 11 sport modes supported by company’s Personal Activity Intelligence (PAI) activity index. The band comes with improved magnetic charging mechanism. Read Complete Article

  Are you looking for a reliable way to track a cell phone with its phone number? This is technology only the government, the police, and network carriers can typically access. What are you to do then? You could use a reverse phone lookup service to track the cell phone’s location by its number for free. But this isn’t real-time tracking. You won’t be able to follow the phone user on your screen as they move around on a map. If you wish to track them on a map in real-time, your only option is to use a specialized phone number tracker. For example  Spyine . We explain everything you need to know about this subject in this mini-guide. Why Using a Phone Number Tracker Like Spyine is Your Best Bet Mobile number trackers are built for tracking. They use a mix of GPS, WiFi, and the cellular signal to pinpoint a device’s location on a map. With the right tracker, such as Spyine, you will be able to follow the device’s movement remotely in real-time. Read Complete Article

  Apple  has temporarily waived its customary 30 per cent App Store fee on in-app purchases for paid online events by small businesses on  Facebook. The social networking giant said on Friday that online event fees will be processed through  Facebook  Pay without  Apple  collecting its 30 per cent cut, reports TechCrunch. It means that small businesses will receive all of the earnings from their online events. This  Apple  waiver will last until December 31 and will not apply to gaming creators. Facebook  last month launched a new ability for businesses, creators, educators and media publishers to earn money from online events on its platform. Facebook Page owners can now create an online event, set a price, promote the event, collect payment and host the event, all in one place. Read Complete Article

  Realme  Narzo 20’s first sale starts on Monday at 12 noon at Flipkart and  Realme  online store. Launched on September 21, the Narzo 20 is a successor to the  Narzo 10 (review) . It features a HD+ resolution screen, quad rear camera, MediaTek’s gaming-centric processor, and big capacity battery with fast charge support. As for the specifications, the Narzo 20 sports a 6.5-inch LCD screen of HD+ resolution. It is powered by MediaTek Helio G85 system-on-chip, paired with 4GB RAM and up to 128GB onboard storage. The dualSIM phone has a dedicated microSD card slot for storage expansion. It has a triple-camera set-up on the back, featuring a 48MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide sensor, and a 2MP macro sensor. On the front, the phone has an 8MP sensor for selfies, videos and phone unlock mechanism. Read Complete Article

  To ensure productivity along with enough self-care in between, Google has introduced a new Workday routine that makes  Google Assistant  help you stretch, walk and drink water as you  work from home. Available in English, the new workday routine automatically reminds you of all the small and big things to do throughout your work day - from staying on top of your calendar to taking a break away from the desk. After you enable the routine in the Assistant settings on your Android or iOS device, you can start with a pre-set routine. For example, at 2 p.m.,  Google Assistant  might suggest going for a walk, and then to grab a glass of water at 3 p.m. "At 4:45 p.m., you'll be reminded to start wrapping things up. Assistant will also regularly share the time with you throughout the day, so that you don't lose track of upcoming meetings," said Alice Liang, Product Manager at Google. Read Complete Article

  Instagram  Reels is getting new features, including extended recording time limit of up to 30 seconds, ability to extend the timer to 10 seconds while recording, and an option to trim and delete clip from the timeline. Launched in India in July this year, Reels is a short-video service from  Instagram  that lets user create and share short-videos with their followers on their  Instagram  Feed. How to create Instagram Reels Tap on Reels icon available at the bottom of the Instagram app to get into camera recording and editing mode. There is a variety of creative editing tools available to process the recorded video before publishing. Here are some of the features and tools available: Audio:  Search for a song from the Instagram music library for your reel. You can also use your own original audio by simply recording a reel with it. AR Effects:  Select one of the many effects in our AR library, created by both Instagram, and creators all o...

For months, complaints from tech companies against Apple’s and Google’s power have grown louder. Spotify, the music streaming app, criticised  Apple  for the rules it imposed in the App Store. A founder of the software company Basecamp attacked Apple’s “highway robbery rates” on  apps.  And last month, Epic Games, maker of the popular game Fortnite, sued  Apple  and Google, claiming they violated antitrust rules. Now these app makers are uniting in an unusual show of opposition against  Apple  and  Google  and the power they have over their app stores. On Thursday, the smaller companies said they had formed the Coalition for App Fairness, a nonprofit group that plans to push for changes in the app stores and “protect the app economy”. The 13 initial members include Spotify, Basecamp, Epic and Match Group, which has  apps  like  Tinder  and Hinge. “They’ve collectively decided, ‘We’re not alone in this, and maybe w...

  Earlier this year, a Netflix drama ‘Jamtara’ became a big hit. The story was about a group of small-town young men running a lucrative phishing operation until a corrupt politician wanted to be in on the scheme and a cop wanted to fight it. This web series highlights some real instances of ‘Jamtara’ — a sleepy little district in northeastern Jharkhand — that had emerged as a Phish pond in India. It also explains how a common man can be deceived and looted online by the exchange of some digits. Online scams and  money laundering  are not a recent phenomenon. But it is back in the news again. There are several instances of even common people becoming unwitting participants in money-laundering operations. Read Complete Article

  Millions of employees now commute from their bed to a desk at home. After the initial euphoria of skipping traffic jams and cramped train compartments, a new reality has dawned in which the work day blends into the rest of life, like a never-ending video call.  Microsoft  has a solution for this. The company’s Teams collaboration software is adding the ability to schedule a “virtual commute”. It won’t start your car, but it will remind users about the end of the work day, suggest tasks to help workers wind down and create a little mental space before kids’ homework, dinner, laundry and other obligations come crashing in. For example, Teams will prompt users to list tasks as completed or add them to tomorrow’s to-do list, while asking workers to rate how their day went and suggesting guided meditation, through an integration with the Headspace app. Read Complete Article

  Chinese electronics maker Lenovo-owned smartphone brand  Motorola  on Wednesday launched in India the Moto E7 Plus. Touted to be made in India, the smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 460 system-on-chip and a 5,000 mAh battery. It has a 6.5-inch screen of HD+ resolution and boots stock Android 10 operating system. The Moto E7 Plus will be available exclusively on Flipkart at Rs 9,499, starting September 30. The Moto E7 Plus sports dual-camera set-up on the back, featuring a 48-megapixel primary sensor of an f/1.7 aperture, and a depth sensor. The camera is supported by night vision feature for low-light photography. Besides, there is high-res zoom and hyperlapse plus slow-motion video (120fps) features. The camera also features several AI modes, including auto smile capture, smart composition, shot optimisation, portrait mode, spot color, and more. Read Complete Article

  Apple Store  Online is now live in India. The digital store is a one-stop portal where you can purchase Apple products and avail of services. Said to deliver the same experience that is available at  Apple Store  locations around the world, the online store offers the shopping assistance feature through Apple Online Specialists, trade-in for iPhone, custom-built Mac, AppleCare+ and free no-contact delivery. Moreover, the online store offers multiple financing options on products — equated monthly instalments through credit cards. Let’s take a look at the offers currently available on  Apple Store  Online: Cashback offer from HDFC Bank The Apple Store Online is running a limited time cashback offer in partnership with HDFC Bank wherein customers can avail a six per cent cashback on the purchase price of select Apple products. The cashback amount is capped at Rs 10,000 and it would be credited in bank account in five to seven days. To avail the cashback...

As the pandemic takes its toll on the well-being of workers globally,  Microsoft  has announced a unique feature in its video meet app Teams which will take you to office as you used to before the work-from-home scenario, virtually though. Called 'Virtual Commute', the upcoming feature in Teams will let you create mental bookends for your remote workday and make it easier to productively start and mindfully end the workday. "We're also excited to share that we are partnering with Headspace to bring a curated set of mindfulness experiences and science-backed meditations into the flow of your work in Teams," the company announced during its ' Microsoft  Ignite 2020' conference on Tuesday. "Think about what we were going into in the day and think about clearing up what we are coming out of in a day. And so this virtual commute experience allows you to take a step back, again going into and coming out of your day to just organise your thoughts and t...

  Xiaomi  spin-off smartphone brand POCO on Tuesday launched in India the POCO X3. The smartphone is the first smartphone powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 732G system-on-chip, which was announced in August. Moreover, the phone features a punch-hole screen of 120Hz refresh rate, 64-megapixel based quad rear camera, 6,000 mAh battery with fast charge support, and stereo speakers. The phone will be in 6GB + 64GB, 6GB + 128GB and 8GB + 128GB configurations, priced at Rs 16,999, at Rs 18,499 and Rs 19,999, respectively. The Flipkart-exclusive smartphone will be available in shadow gray and cobalt blue colours from September 29. As for the specifications, the POCO X3 sports a 6.67-inch fullHD+ screen of 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate. The phone boasts dynamic refresh rate switch function, which allows the screen to automatically manage its frame rate from the available 50Hz, 60Hz, 90Hz and 120Hz depending on the on-screen content requirements. The phone has stereo ...

  Microsoft  has announced several updates for its digital collaboration service  Microsoft  Teams at its annual developer meeting Ignite. The updates include additional scene in Together Mode that let you get into your office’s conference room for meeting but in virtual environment. Apart from that, the update brings custom layouts, breakout rooms and automated recaps. Besides, the  Microsoft  Teams will soon allow up to 1,000 participants to connect through a group video meeting. From October, the Microsoft Teams will support breakout rooms in a group video meeting that will allow participants to form a smaller group without leaving the meeting. Moreover, the group meeting presenters will have the option to make announcements to all sub-meeting rooms, check the breakout rooms, and close them to bring back all the participants into the main meeting. Read Complete Article

  In a bid to help creators and publishers manage their  intellectual property  related to images,  Facebook  has introduced Rights Manager for images. The new version uses image matching technology to help creators and publishers protect and manage their image content at scale. To access Rights Manager, Page admins can submit an application for content they've created and want to protect. "Rights Manager will find matching content on  Facebook  and Instagram. Settings can be adjusted to match things like ownership that should apply worldwide or only in certain locations,"  Facebook  said in a blog post on Monday. In addition to the free content management tools to help combat infringement, Facebook said it also has a fast and effective IP reporting system, a repeat infringer policy and other measures. "We want to ensure Facebook is a safe and valuable place for creators to share their content. Read Complete Article

Intel  on Tuesday made it official to bring its 11th Gen Core processors codenamed Tiger Lake to Chromebooks. The 11th Gen Intel Core processors come with Iris Xe graphics and the Intel Evo platform for thin and light laptops. "10th Gen Intel Core-based Chromebooks continue to deliver leadership performance and experiences, and our internal benchmarking shows that we will extend this leadership with 11th Gen Intel Core processors with Intel Iris Xe graphics," the company said in a statement. In the last five years, Intel's processors have powered more than 57 million Chrome OS devices shipped, accounting for more than 90 per cent of all Chrome OS devices. Compared to 10th Gen Intel processors, the current top performing CPUs for Chrome OS, Intel 11th Gen Core processors will enable people to load web pages up to 28 per cent faster and experience a new class of gaming performance with 2.7 times faster graphics. Read Complete Article  

  Made-in-India short-video sharing platform, Chingari, has announced that it has crossed more than 30 million downloads. The social app said in a statement it achieved the feat in a matter of three months, with content creators making a beeline to join it. Chingari said it has also added AR (augmented reality) filters on its platform to give content creators more advanced front and rear camera tools to work with. The “highest percentage” of Chingari users are in the 18-35 years category, it said. In addition to English and Spanish, the Chingari content is available in Hindi, Bangla, Gujarati, Marathi, Kannada, Punjabi, Malayalam, Tamil, Odia, and Telugu, the statement said. Apart from India, the Chingari app is steadily increasing its user base in the UAE, the United States, Kuwait, Singapore, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam, it added. Read Complete Article

  Google  Pay on Monday announced the rollout of tokenisation across its platform, enabling users with debit and credit cards to transact at NFC-enabled point-of-sale (POS) terminals and online merchants through its tap-to-pay feature. The feature is currently available for Axis and SBI card users on Visa payments network, and more banks, including Kotak are expected to follow soon. Through tokenisation, Android smartphone users with  Google  Pay can use their debit or credit card to make payments through a secure digital token attached to their phone without having to physically share their credit or debit card details. The feature also works with online merchants through one-time password (OTP), without any redirects to 3D Secure sites. To enable the tap and pay feature using the smartphone phone (Android), users will have to do a one-time set up by entering their card details and follow it by entering the OTP they get from the bank to add their card to the...

Chinese smartphone brand  Realme  is set to launch in India the Narzo 20 series  smartphones.  Last week, the company confirmed that the Narzo 20 series will feature three  smartphones  – Narzo 20, Narzo 20A and Narzo 20 Pro. The  smartphones  will launch through an online event, which the company will live stream on its social media accounts and YouTube channel at 12:30 pm. Alongside the  Realme  Narzo 20 series, the company will introduce its  Realme  UI 2.0 custom interface based on Android 11 operating system. The Realme Narzo series is expected to cater to budget and midrange smartphones segment. The Narzo 20 Pro is expected to be the top-tier model, and the Narzo 20A would be a budget model. The Narzo 20 is expected to be a top-notch budget smartphone. Basis the naming schema, the Narzo 20 and Narzo 20A are expected to be the successor to the Narzo 10 and Narzo 10A, respectively. As for the specifications, the Narzo 2...

  Asus  is set to debut its range of commercial notebooks and desktops in India on September 21. The Taiwanese electronics maker is hosting a virtual event at 2 pm (IST) that will live stream on company’s social media accounts and YouTube channel where it will unveil the product line-up. Currently, the Taiwanese company has a rich product portfolio in the consumer PC segment. It has Zenbook and Vivobook notebook series in premium and mid-tier consumer notebook segment, respectively. Moreover, the company has a dedicated gaming notebook series named ROG and TUF series. The company also make desktops and all-in-one PCs but it has long been missing from commercial PC segment. With today’s launch, the company will finally have product lines ranging from entre-level consumer PCs to commercial notebooks. ALSO READ:  Intel announces 11th Gen Core mobile processor for thin and light notebooks "India is the key focus country for  Asus.  In the consumer PC segment, we hav...

  A midrange smartphone from the stable of South Korean electronics maker Samsung, the Galaxy M51 is a completely ‘fresh’ device. Unlike other recently launched M series smartphones, which bring incremental upgrades over predecessors, the Galaxy M51 introduces several new features to the series, including the industry-first 7,000 mAh battery. From super AMOLED screen of a fullHD+ resolution to a 64-megapixel quad-camera set-up on the back, and the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G system-on-chip, the smartphone covers a wide spectrum of features and specifications that you look for in a midrange smartphone. But is it the one  Samsung  device that can match the likes of Chinese  smartphones  like the OnePlus Nord and Realme 7 Pro in the midrange segment? Let’s find out: Design Like other Galaxy M series smartphones, the Galaxy M51 has a plastic body with a reflective glass-like cover on the back. The phone’s glossy back cover is susceptible to fingerprints and gets ...