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06/08/2018:

WhatsApp to Bring Picture-in-Picture Mode:

 WhatsApp is reportedly working on a picture-in-picture video feature for Android. The messaging app has had an eventful 2018 as it has been launching and testing new features with high frequency. To recall, WhatsApp for iOS received PiP support earlier this year. The new feature that will arrive on Android devices, will let WhatsApp users play videos from Instagram and YouTube in a small window within the messaging app itself. It essentially means you will not need to go to Instagram or YouTube apps to view a video sent by a contact.

As per a WABetaInfo report, WhatsApp is working on the picture-in-picture mode for videos in the Android app. The messaging app has recently submitted a new update through the Google Play Beta Programme, bringing the version up to 2.18.234. The report claims that the feature is currently not available due to "development reasons" and that it needs to receive several improvements before being officially available for all WhatsApp for Android users. However, the report adds that WhatsApp has been working for the last few months in order to add this feature and it may be available in one of the next few updates.When the picture-in-picture feature is available on WhatsApp for Android, you will be able to see a White-coloured Play icon on any YouTube or Instagram video link shared on the messaging app. You will have to tap on the icon and the video will pop-up in a small box inside the app. This box can be expanded or placed anywhere within the app itself. Meanwhile, you will be able to continue texting with your contacts.The report notes that Instagram Stories will not be made available for the picture-in-picture mode initially. Currently, there is no information on the date of the launch of the new feature. However, since it has already been implemented in the iOS app, so it should be available for Android soon.

Honor Play:

Honor Play has been launched in India, the latest mid-range smartphone from the Huawei brand. The smartphone is an Amazon exclusive, and will go on sale from 4pm IST today itself. The Honor Play was launched in China back in June, and was made available in two variants - 4GB RAM and 6GB RAM, both featuring 64GB of inbuilt storage. Both these Honor Play models have been launched in India. The company at its New Delhi launch event on Monday detailed the Honor Play price in India, its launch offers, and its specifications. The highlights of the smartphone include its 19.5:9 display, and its dual rear camera setup. Another highlight is GPU Turbotechnology, which was launched with the smartphone at its China launch event, said to increase performance by up to 60 percent while reducing battery consumption by up to 30 percent. The company is also touting EMUI 8.2's AI features, which include scene, object, and 3D facial recognition, AI-based Face Unlock, Notification Safety, Party Mode, and more. There is also an AI-based shopping experience called Hi Touch, which lets users take photographs of products to quickly find and buy them via Amazon India.

Honor Play specifications;

The dual-SIM (Nano) Honor Play runs EMUI 8.2, based on Android 8.1 Oreo. The smartphone sports a 6.3-inch full-HD+ (1080x2340 pixels) display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio and a display notch. It is powered by the top-end Huawei HiSilicon Kirin 970 SoC (four Cortex-A73 cores clocked at 2.36GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.8GHz), that's coupled either 4GB or 6GB of RAM, depending on the variant purchased. The Honor Play bears a dual rear camera setup, with the primary 16-megapixel sensor sporting an f/2.2 aperture, and the secondary 2-megapixel sensor sporting an f/2.4 aperture, complete with support for phase detection autofocus (PDAF) and accompanied by a single-LED flash. On the front, the Honor Play features a 16-megapixel sensor with an f/2.0 aperture.Both 4GB RAM and 6GB RAM models of the Honor Play come with 64GB of inbuilt storage, expandable via microSD card (up to 256GB) in a hybrid dual-SIM configuration. Connectivity options include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac (dual-band, 2.4GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth v4.2, USB Type-C (v2.0), GPS/ A-GPS, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Sensors on board include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, digital compass, gyroscope, and a proximity sensor. It bears a fingerprint rear on the rear panel. The Honor Play weighs 176 grams, and measures in at 157.91x74.27x7.48mm. It is powered by a 3750mAh battery.

WhatsApp -Steps to control Fake News:

WhatsApp has informed the government that it is building a local team, including India head, as part of steps to check fake news circulation but has not met the key demand of identifying message originators, according to official sources.The popular messaging app is under fire over abuse of its platform for circulation of fake news that have incited mob fury. The IT Ministry official said that WhatsApp has responded to the government last notice, outlining initiatives being taken to curb fake news circulation including education and advocacy efforts. It is also building an India-based team, the official said but noted that the measures do not meet the government's expectations on 'traceability' and attribution of such messages.WhatsApp, on its part, has maintained that message attributions would "undermine the private nature" of the platform, and leave it vulnerable potentially to "serious misuse", a company official said. When contacted, a WhatsApp spokesperson said, "To support our users in India and continue our investment in the country, it's our top priority to hire a local leader who can help us build a team on the ground."The two senior leadership roles that are currently open for India are - Head of India and Head of Policy. "People rely on WhatsApp for all kinds of sensitive conversations, including with their doctors, banks and families. The police also use WhatsApp to discuss investigations and report crimes... Attributing messages on WhatsApp would undermine the private nature of WhatsApp and create the potential for serious misuse. Our focus is on improving WhatsApp and working closely with others in society to help keep people safe," the spokesperson added.

WhatsApp said it believes the challenge of mob violence requires government, civil society, and technology companies to work together. "It's why we've already made significant product changes to help slow the spread of misinformation and are working to educate people on how to spot fake news," WhatsApp said.Expressing its deep commitment to helping people across India communicate in a safe, secure, and reliable manner, WhatsApp noted that its Chief Operating Officer Matt Idema had recently travelled to India and met with representatives of IT Ministry. Meanwhile, the Ministry official who did not wish to be named said WhatsApp, in its response, has informed the government that it has registered a legal entity in India. But the platform has not committed itself on 'traceability' and attribution of messages, the official said, adding that this had been one of the key demands of the government.

Hence the ministry's concerns have not been addressed, and the potential for misuse still remains, the source said. Last month, the government had expressed dissatisfaction over measures previously listed by WhatsApp for checking fake news that have, in several cases, triggered mob violence. The IT ministry, in its missive, had said that the platform cannot escape its responsibility for such rampant abuse and needed to find originators of provocative messages.The government, in its second notice to the Facebook-owned messaging service, had warned that in the absence of adequate checks, it will treat the messaging platform as 'abettor' of rumour propagation and legal consequences will follow. Rumours on WhatsApp have sparked off a spate of incidents involving mob violence The incidents have raised eyebrows, and the Supreme Court, last month, asked Parliament to consider enacting a new law to effectively deal with incidents of mob lynching, saying "horrendous acts of mobocracy" cannot be allowed to become a new norm.Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has also informed the Rajya Sabha that he will hold a discussion with stakeholders, including political parties, to evolve a policy to deal with the misuse of social media. Over the last few weeks, WhatsApp has introduced a new feature to let its users identify the forwarded messages, restricted number of forwards at a time, and brought out full-page ads giving "easy tips" to spot fake news.But the IT ministry has directed WhatsApp to bring more effective solutions to the table, to ensure greater "accountability and facilitate enforcement of the law" beyond the existing efforts towards labelling forwards and identifying fake news.

Flipkart Big Freedom Sale VS Amazon Sales:

Flipkart's The Big Freedom Sale has been announced. The online retailer has gone ahead and revealed that its next big sale, in anticipation of India's 72nd Independence Day, will be held between August 10-12, 2018. While offers haven't yet been revealed, Flipkart has announced that it will be holding blockbuster deals, price crash offers, rush hour deals, The Freedom Hour, and hourly deals during the 72-hour sale period. Amazon India is also conducting its Freedom Sale that kicks off a day earlier, on August 9. The sale will, however, run until August 12.As part of Flipkart's The Big Freedom Sale, users can avail a cashback of up to 10 percent with Citibank credit cards, however the upper amount limit is not yet known. Flipkart has revealed that blockbuster deals and price crash offers will be held every eight hours during the sale period. Apart from that, a 'rush hour' with 'revolutionary deals' will be held between 12am and 2am on August 10, i.e, at the start of the Flipkart sale.

Other than that, hourly deals will be held during the entirety of the 72-hour period, similar to the Lightning deals that have previously been held during Amazon India's sales. Lastly, a 'Freedom Countdown' will be held on all three days of the Flipkart sale, between 7:47pm and 8:18pm, with 31 minutes of price drops on products across categories.From what little has been revealed about the Flipkart sale till now, there will be offers on smartphones from brands such as Xiaomi, Samsung, Apple, and more. Up to 80 percent discount is also expected on select laptops, audio equipment, and cameras from manufacturers such as Apple, Dell, Google, and more.To stay prepared for the Flipkart sale, the e-commerce site recommends measures like adding your favourite products to the wishlist, saving credit/ debit card details to your account, and updating your delivery address beforehand.Announced last week, Amazon.in is hosting its 'Amazon Freedom Sale' from August 9-12. The sale has previewed deals on smartphones such as OnePlus 6, Realme 1, Moto G6, and others. There will be cashback of 10 percent on purchases made using SBI credit and debit cards.

Apple May Not Launch Dual-SIM iPhone Model in India(according to reports):

 Apple is expected to launch new iPhone models next month, and several rumours and even iOS 12 code have suggested the company is planning to introduce dual-SIM functionality in some of the variants. According to various leaks over the past few months, Apple is expected to launch three standard iPhone models - a 6.1-inch LCD variant as well as 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch OLED models. It is now being reported that the feature allowing two SIM cards could be limited to just one of the variants, and that too in just one market. Separately, Apple's latest iOS 12 beta has hinted at what seems to be an iconographic representation of Apple's widely rumoured 'iPhone X Plus'. Also, in another report, Apple is said to be unlikely to include the lightning-to-headphone jack converter in 2018 iPhone models.Last month, references to "second SIM status" and a "second SIM tray status" were spotted in the list of new features in iOS 12 developer beta 5. The new version was found to have a component called "dual sim device" to suggest the development of a dual-SIM iPhone model. It was previously reported that Apple is considering the launch of a dual-SIM card option for the larger iPhone model this year that could debut with a 6.5-inch display. Now, as per a report in Taiwan's United Daily News, the dual-SIM capabilities will be limited to the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone, which is also expected to be the cheapest variant.

The report adds that the dual-SIM iPhone variant will launch exclusively in China, meaning we should not expect it to launch in India soon. However, since a large number of Android smartphone vendors in markets such as India and China are already offering dual-SIM support on their flagships, we can expect it to launch at a later date. Notably, there has been no official confirmation by Apple on the rumours and they should be taken with a pinch of salt.It is worth noting that the report cites sources with supplier Foxconn, claiming that the iPhone models currently in production have four separate "codes." This fourth code would, presumably, be for the dual SIM 6.1-inch iPhone.Meanwhile, as spotted by iOS developer Guilherme Rambo, glyphs from this year's iOS 12 beta suggest that Apple is planning on launching a model called the 'iPhone X Plus', which appears to be a bigger variant of 2017's iPhone X. He posted glyphs of the iPhone X Plus and a new iPad Pro that he found inside the PassKitUIFoundation framework of the latest iOS 12 beta, on Twitter. The glyph seems to be taller and comes with a wider notch than the iPhone X, reaffirming speculations that Apple will launch a bigger variant of the iPhone X that keeps the Face ID.

ISRO Said to Postpone Launch of Chandrayaan-2:

There will be a further delay in the launch of India's second mission to the moon Chandrayaan-2 and it may be no sooner than January, according to a top official. The postponement of the ambitious mission from October comes in the wake of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) facing two setbacks in less than a year.The launch of the mission was first planned in April. Earlier this year, the ISRO had launched GSAT-6A, a military communication satellite, but lost communication with it. Following this, the ISRO also recalled the launch of GSAT-11 from from Kourou, French Guiana, for additional technical checks.Last September, the PSLV- C39 mission, carrying the IRNSS-1H navigation satellite, failed after the heat shield refused to open and release the satellite. The ISRO is treading a cautious path after these two setbacks as Chandrayaan-2 is one of the crucial launches for the space agency, particularly after Chandrayaan-1 and Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter Mission). It is also ISRO's first mission to land on any celestial body.

"We don't want to take any risk," said the official, requesting anonymity. The official added that there are certain windows during which the mission could be launched. The next launch window is likely to be in January.Repeated attempts to solicit a response from ISRO Chairman K Sivan were not successful. In April, Sivan informed the government about the postponement of the launch to October-November. A national-level committee to review Chandrayaan-2 recommended some additional tests before the mission could take off.Chandrayaan-2 will be ISRO's first time attempt to land a rover on the Moon. The rover of India's second lunar mission, costing nearly Rs. 800 crore, will be made to land near the yet-unexplored south pole.

Google Maps Starts Sharing Phone Battery Life When Users Share Their Location:

Google has announced adding a nifty feature to its Google Maps users that includes the battery level (of the user's phone) in the set of information that they share.

"When you share your location with someone in the Google Maps app, it shows up on your friend's map, which they can use to locate exactly where you are. With the new update of battery inclusion, it has become easy to tell why someone hasn't called to tell you if they're lost or finally made it to their destination," The Verge reported late on Thursday.The feature has a big potential when it comes to the safety of users.

"You'll be able to keep a watchful eye on how much battery life they have left. Now, there won't be as much cause for worry if someone's location drops off because you'll be able to know if it could just be because their phone died," the report added.The feature was first spotted in February by tech website Android Police when it did a teardown of the Google Maps v9.71 beta.

Android P Will Be Launched on August 20(as per reports):

Android P the next iteration of Android, has so far been a part of developer previews. But now, it is rumoured that Google will publicly launch this new version on August 20. The public debut of Android P will be exclusively on Google Pixel handsets, and the search giant back in March confirmed that the next-generation platform won't support Nexus models, including the Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, and Pixel C. Devices currently part of the Android P Beta Program should get their updates soon after, while we can also expect some devices to release with Android P out-of-the-box in the same time frame. For now, the name that the version will be given is still not known, and Google will announce it alongside the launch. Currently, Pistachio Ice Cream is considered as one of the prime candidates.Till date, five developer preview builds of Android P have been released, with the last, released last month, the release candidate with final APIs. Google notably released Android 8.0 Oreo as its new mobile platform on August 21 - matching the reported release date of Android P.

Tipster Evan Blass, aka @evleaks, shared an image on Thursday that highlights August 20 as the release date of Android P. If we believe the usually reliable Blass, the public release of the new Android version is just a matter of few weeks from now. An Android P statue - highlighting its brand, which is also yet to be announced, is likely to be placed on the lawn at Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California ahead of the formal release.Google launched Android P for developers in March to start testing its new mobile platform. This is specifically aimed at meeting the ongoing market trends, including the display notch design, multi-camera presence, thin-bezel displays, and enhanced security. There are also gesture controls to match the experience that originally arrived on the iPhone X last year. Further, Google has used artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning efforts to offer an Adaptive Battery feature that helps improve battery life on smartphones.While the developer previews of Android P were initially exclusive to the Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2, and Pixel 2 XL, Google announced its expansion at I/O 2018 in May and brought the first public beta of the next Android version to devices that have Project Treble integration. These include the Essential PH-1, Nokia 7 Plus, OnePlus 6, Oppo R15 Pro, Sony Xperia XZ2, Vivo X21, Vivo X21 UD, and Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S.Additionally, Google is in the headlines for developing its next-generation Pixel handsets, including the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. These new models aren't likely to debut alongside the Android P release later this month. However, the new Pixel hardware is expected to come with the upcoming Android out-of-the-box sometime in October.

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