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To maintain gender balance, Snapchat's parent company, Snap Inc, has announced that the company will be hiring more women this year.

This announcement has come in specifically for the tech teams. It was observed by company experts that while the company has 32.9 per cent women workers in their team, the tech team only had 16.1 per cent women.

The decision was announced in Snap Inc's first annual diversity report.

Snap Inc is aiming to improve its staggering gender balance within its tech team. The report claimed that the social media giant is aiming to double the number of women employees in tech roles by the year 2023.

"We are determined to do what it takes to improve these numbers, because behind the numbers are real people," the report stated.

In addition to this, Snap Inc will also be hiring more people from the minority groups&nbsp;to give them equal opportunities and to make sure that the company helps everyone grow and not discriminate. Snap aims to increase the number of underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities in the United States by 2025.

This move has been welcomed and has received positive feedback by people of the United States.

To maintain gender balance, Snapchat's parent company, Snap Inc, has announced that the company will be hiring more women this year. This announcement has come in specifically for the tech teams.

To maintain gender balance, Snapchat's parent company, Snap Inc, has announced that the company will be hiring more women this year. This announcement has come in specifically for the tech teams. It was observed by company experts that while the company has 32.9 per cent women workers in their team, the tech team only had 16.1 per cent women. The decision was announced in Snap Inc's first annual diversity report. Snap Inc is aiming to improve its staggering gender balance within its tech team. The report claimed that the social media giant is aiming to double the number of women employees in tech roles by the year 2023. "We are determined to do what it takes to improve these numbers, because behind the numbers are real people," the report stated. In addition to this, Snap Inc will also be hiring more people from the minority groups to give them equal opportunities and to make sure that the company helps everyone grow and not discriminate. Snap aims to increase the number of underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities in the United States by 2025. This move has been welcomed and has received positive feedback by people of the United States.

Snap to hire more women and minorities in tech teams

China's Huawei has overtaken Samsung to become the number-one smartphone seller worldwide in the second quarter, industry tracker Canalys said Thursday.

Huawei shipped 55.8 million devices in the April-June period, trumping Samsung's 53.7 million, according to data from research firm Canalys.

The Chinese company has felt the heat of US sanctions that have disrupted its business overseas, but the latest numbers show its rising dominance in its home market.

The findings marked the first quarter in nine years that a company other than Samsung or Apple has led the market, Canalys said.

More than 70 per cent of Huawei smartphones are now sold in the country, where Samsung has a very small share of the market.

Samsung said on Thursday it expects smartphone demand to pick up in the second half of the year.

Huawei -- the world's top producer of telecoms networking equipment -- has become a pivotal issue in the geopolitical standoff between Beijing and Washington, which claims the firm poses a significant cybersecurity threat.&nbsp;

Washington has essentially barred Huawei from the US market and waged a global campaign to isolate the company.

The British government bowed to growing US pressure and pledged earlier this month to remove Huawei from its 5G network by 2027.

Australia and Japan have also taken steps to block or restrict the Chinese company's participation in their 5G rollouts, and European telecoms operators including Norway's Telenor and Sweden's Telia have passed over Huawei as a supplier.

The US has also requested the extradition of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on fraud charges, further damaging relations between China and Canada, where she is under house arrest.

Meng, the Chinese telecom giant's chief financial officer, was arrested on a US warrant in December 2018 during a stopover in Vancouver and has been fighting extradition ever since.

(with inputs from agencies)

China's Huawei has overtaken Samsung to become the number-one smartphone seller worldwide in the second quarter, industry tracker Canalys said Thursday. Huawei shipped 55.

China's Huawei has overtaken Samsung to become the number-one smartphone seller worldwide in the second quarter, industry tracker Canalys said Thursday. Huawei shipped 55.8 million devices in the April-June period, trumping Samsung's 53.7 million, according to data from research firm Canalys. The Chinese company has felt the heat of US sanctions that have disrupted its business overseas, but the latest numbers show its rising dominance in its home market. The findings marked the first quarter in nine years that a company other than Samsung or Apple has led the market, Canalys said. More than 70 per cent of Huawei smartphones are now sold in the country, where Samsung has a very small share of the market. Samsung said on Thursday it expects smartphone demand to pick up in the second half of the year. Huawei -- the world's top producer of telecoms networking equipment -- has become a pivotal issue in the geopolitical standoff between Beijing and Washington, which claims the firm poses a significant cybersecurity threat. Washington has essentially barred Huawei from the US market and waged a global campaign to isolate the company. The British government bowed to growing US pressure and pledged earlier this month to remove Huawei from its 5G network by 2027. Australia and Japan have also taken steps to block or restrict the Chinese company's participation in their 5G rollouts, and European telecoms operators including Norway's Telenor and Sweden's Telia have passed over Huawei as a supplier. The US has also requested the extradition of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou on fraud charges, further damaging relations between China and Canada, where she is under house arrest. Meng, the Chinese telecom giant's chief financial officer, was arrested on a US warrant in December 2018 during a stopover in Vancouver and has been fighting extradition ever since. (with inputs from agencies)

China's Huawei overtakes Samsung as top smartphone seller

The European Union imposed its first ever sanctions against alleged cyber attackers on Thursday, targeting Russian and Chinese individuals and a specialist unit of Moscow's GRU military intelligence agency.

The member states said measures would be taken against six individuals and three entities involved in various actions, including the attempt to hack into the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.

Thousands of Russian and Chinese-linked social media accounts have launched a coordinated effort to spread alarm about the new coronavirus, disrupting global efforts to fight the epidemic according to&nbsp;Fernando Arias,&nbsp;the head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

The accounts, run by humans, not bots, post at similar times in English, Spanish, Italian, German and French and can be linked back to Russian proxies, or carry similar messages to Chinese-backed outlets like Xinhua and&nbsp;Russian-backed outlets such as RT and Sputnik, he added.

The disinformation campaign was identified by US monitors in mid-January after Chinese officials announced a third death from the new coronavirus in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak.

The European Union imposed its first ever sanctions against alleged cyber attackers on Thursday, targeting Russian and Chinese individuals and a specialist unit of Moscow's GRU military intelligence agency.

The European Union imposed its first ever sanctions against alleged cyber attackers on Thursday, targeting Russian and Chinese individuals and a specialist unit of Moscow's GRU military intelligence agency. The member states said measures would be taken against six individuals and three entities involved in various actions, including the attempt to hack into the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Thousands of Russian and Chinese-linked social media accounts have launched a coordinated effort to spread alarm about the new coronavirus, disrupting global efforts to fight the epidemic according to Fernando Arias, the head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The accounts, run by humans, not bots, post at similar times in English, Spanish, Italian, German and French and can be linked back to Russian proxies, or carry similar messages to Chinese-backed outlets like Xinhua and Russian-backed outlets such as RT and Sputnik, he added. The disinformation campaign was identified by US monitors in mid-January after Chinese officials announced a third death from the new coronavirus in Wuhan, the epicentre of the outbreak.

EU slaps sanctions on Russian and Chinese 'cyber attackers'

True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds are all the rage these days. Almost every audio and smartphone manufacturer has gotten in on the game. They range from under Rs 1,000 all the way to over Rs 25,000. That’s a mighty large price range.

The two most important aspects of a TWS earbud that a company needs to get right is battery life and audio quality.

A giant in the technology world from Japan, Sony, has finally gotten into the game in India with the launch of the WF-XB700 and WF-SP800N. The higher-end WF-1000XM3 is launching on August 6th.

Today we’ll be taking a look at the WF-XB700 that is priced at Rs 9,990.

Fit: Bulky, weird and uncomfortable

Sony’s WF-XB700 earbuds have an unusual design. They may not be sticking out of your ears but compared to a lot of the competitors they surely do stand out. It’s just that I found them uncomfortable while wearing them for long hours. Over the days though it got easier to wear them as I got used to the design.

<img alt="Sony" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="5d3faf45-9878-4a16-923d-b1be082cd6a4" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2831%29_6.jpg" />

Image courtesy: Sahil Bhalla

The build quality though is superb on these earbuds. They’re made of plastic but they hold their own. They’ve got a matte finish and a touch of gloss. As always, extra silicone tips are provided in the box and you can pick the size that suits your ear.

According to Sony, each earbud weighs just 8gm but in reality I found them a touch heavier.

<img alt="Sony" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="211f29a5-351f-49d4-95a9-bfa643f1e374" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2833%29_7.jpg" />

Image courtesy: Sahil Bhalla

The earbuds didn’t fall out of my ear at all, even when running, and that’s something Sony seems to have gotten right. You just need to twist them in place and you’re good to go.

Case: Compact and easy to open

The oval-shaped magnetic charging case comes in an oval-shaped design (like Samsung’s Galaxy Buds) and has a translucent cover.

<img alt="Sony" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="10b7b9fe-b9cc-4320-9b27-f4931dada64c" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2832%29_6.jpg" />

Image courtesy: Sahil Bhalla

There’s a USB Type-C port at the back (a cable is provided in the box). Magnets hold the earphones securely in the case and they won’t fall out even if you tried. There is a red charging LED light that you can see when the case is closed. Flipping the case open one-handed is a pretty easy task.

The earbuds are rated for 9 hours on a single charge while the case is good for an extra 9 hours of battery life.

Features: IPX4 rating!

One feature I feel that shouldn’t be left out of any TWS earbud going forward is an IPX4 rating. TWS earbuds are meant to be used both inside and outside. Whether sunshine or rain, your music/calls shouldn’t have to stop.

IPX4 is the rating for water and dust resistance. This means the Sony WF-XB700 can withstand sweat rain and even a good amount of dust and dirt.

<img alt="Sony" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="1385e220-0b36-4ae1-a456-40b2f4ddb3e4" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2834%29_3.jpg" />

Image courtesy: Sahil Bhalla

Both earbuds also get a physical button. It’s not ideally placed and I’m not certain they are better than touch controls. For the most part it works but sometimes it’s hard to press the physical button without moving the earbud a lot.

A feature that is lacking though is that there is no app for EQ. There’s no way to manually adjust it. One can’t change the bass. Sony does have a Headphone Connect app so it’s strange as to why they just didn’t add support for the WF-XB700 earbuds.

Lastly, one more omission from Sony is the lack of active noise cancellation. It isn’t a given in this price range but it would have made for a nice addition. Nonetheless, the earbuds offer fairly good passive noise isolation even in loud environments.

Audio quality: For the bass lovers out there!

Opening up the earbuds and syncing them to my smartphone was almost instantaneous. You just open the case, find the buds in the Bluetooth devices settings and pair them up. It’s that easy. In fact, the connection is strong for up to 10 meters.

The tiny little physical button can perform a variety of taste. A single press on the left bud will increase the volume. Press and hold it to decrease the volume. The single press on the right bud plays and pauses the music. A double press will take you to the next song and a triple click will take you to the previous track. You can’t adjust these settings and that’s one thing that irked me.

With that out of the way, let’s get to the audio quality now. The Sony WF-XB700’s are loud, bass-first earbuds. Constantly I had to make a note of keeping the earbuds to a volume level of 75 percent. Anything over that and my ears would get instantly overwhelmed.

The lows on the WF-XB700’s are boosted with ample bass and a whole lot of thump. Sometimes the lows are exaggerated but thankfully it doesn’t overpower the balance of sounds. On jazz tracks like Dave Brubeck’s Take Five, you can clearly hear the arrangement of instruments. On a whole different note, pop sounds are exactly as they should be. Popping and thumping in your years while you bob your head to the summer’s biggest hits.

Songs like Kanye West’s Touch The Sky shone through. The vocals were clear and the high-mids shone through. The WF-XB700’s got enough punchiness to keep them going.

Saying all of this, if you’re really a bass-lover then you’re going to love these TWS earbuds.

Podcasts were also crystal clear. I had no issues hearing each individual talk and argue on the various podcasts I listen to.

Call quality: Will suit you fine

One can’t really complain about the call quality here. While wearing a mask and on a socially distant walk, the people on the other side of the call could hear me clearly and I could hear them just as well.

The voice may be hollow at times but it shouldn’t deter you. The only negative is that ambient noise seeps through to the call at times. Maybe a software update can fix this.

Battery life: Amazing!

Sony adversities 9 hours of battery life on a single charge for the WF-XB700. I got just about 9 hours with about 70% volume at all times. This is in the top tier of battery life on TWS earbuds. The case can also charge the buds one whole time. So 18 hours of battery life without having to plug it in.

One thing I’d like to mention is that even though I always used both the earbuds together, the right one lost battery faster than the left one. It fixed itself after a few full charges but just something to note.

Note: It’ll take you almost 3 hours to fully charge the case.

Verdict: One of the best TWS earbuds under Rs 10,000

Kudos to Sony for pricing these TWS earbuds under Rs 10,000. That puts it in the lower range of the TWS earbud field. It’s a crowded field below Rs 10,000 but these match up to the best in the industry.

These certainly aren’t budget TWS earbuds (there are far cheaper options) but these also offer a far superior audio experience. Some features like wear detection, lack of active noise cancellation, and issues with the physical button (and how the consumer can’t customise it) may not sit well with some people. With excellent sound quality and battery life, it’s hard to go wrong with the WF-XB700 TWS earbuds from Sony

True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds are all the rage these days. Almost every audio and smartphone manufacturer has gotten in on the game. They range from under Rs 1,000 all the way to over Rs 25,000.

True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds are all the rage these days. Almost every audio and smartphone manufacturer has gotten in on the game. They range from under Rs 1,000 all the way to over Rs 25,000. That’s a mighty large price range. The two most important aspects of a TWS earbud that a company needs to get right is battery life and audio quality. A giant in the technology world from Japan, Sony, has finally gotten into the game in India with the launch of the WF-XB700 and WF-SP800N. The higher-end WF-1000XM3 is launching on August 6th. Today we’ll be taking a look at the WF-XB700 that is priced at Rs 9,990. Fit: Bulky, weird and uncomfortable Sony’s WF-XB700 earbuds have an unusual design. They may not be sticking out of your ears but compared to a lot of the competitors they surely do stand out. It’s just that I found them uncomfortable while wearing them for long hours. Over the days though it got easier to wear them as I got used to the design. Image courtesy: Sahil Bhalla The build quality though is superb on these earbuds. They’re made of plastic but they hold their own. They’ve got a matte finish and a touch of gloss. As always, extra silicone tips are provided in the box and you can pick the size that suits your ear. According to Sony, each earbud weighs just 8gm but in reality I found them a touch heavier. Image courtesy: Sahil Bhalla The earbuds didn’t fall out of my ear at all, even when running, and that’s something Sony seems to have gotten right. You just need to twist them in place and you’re good to go. Case: Compact and easy to open The oval-shaped magnetic charging case comes in an oval-shaped design (like Samsung’s Galaxy Buds) and has a translucent cover. Image courtesy: Sahil Bhalla There’s a USB Type-C port at the back (a cable is provided in the box). Magnets hold the earphones securely in the case and they won’t fall out even if you tried. There is a red charging LED light that you can see when the case is closed. Flipping the case open one-handed is a pretty easy task. The earbuds are rated for 9 hours on a single charge while the case is good for an extra 9 hours of battery life. Features: IPX4 rating! One feature I feel that shouldn’t be left out of any TWS earbud going forward is an IPX4 rating. TWS earbuds are meant to be used both inside and outside. Whether sunshine or rain, your music/calls shouldn’t have to stop. IPX4 is the rating for water and dust resistance. This means the Sony WF-XB700 can withstand sweat rain and even a good amount of dust and dirt. Image courtesy: Sahil Bhalla Both earbuds also get a physical button. It’s not ideally placed and I’m not certain they are better than touch controls. For the most part it works but sometimes it’s hard to press the physical button without moving the earbud a lot. A feature that is lacking though is that there is no app for EQ. There’s no way to manually adjust it. One can’t change the bass. Sony does have a Headphone Connect app so it’s strange as to why they just didn’t add support for the WF-XB700 earbuds. Lastly, one more omission from Sony is the lack of active noise cancellation. It isn’t a given in this price range but it would have made for a nice addition. Nonetheless, the earbuds offer fairly good passive noise isolation even in loud environments. Audio quality: For the bass lovers out there! Opening up the earbuds and syncing them to my smartphone was almost instantaneous. You just open the case, find the buds in the Bluetooth devices settings and pair them up. It’s that easy. In fact, the connection is strong for up to 10 meters. The tiny little physical button can perform a variety of taste. A single press on the left bud will increase the volume. Press and hold it to decrease the volume. The single press on the right bud plays and pauses the music. A double press will take you to the next song and a triple click will take you to the previous track. You can’t adjust these settings and that’s one thing that irked me. With that out of the way, let’s get to the audio quality now. The Sony WF-XB700’s are loud, bass-first earbuds. Constantly I had to make a note of keeping the earbuds to a volume level of 75 percent. Anything over that and my ears would get instantly overwhelmed. The lows on the WF-XB700’s are boosted with ample bass and a whole lot of thump. Sometimes the lows are exaggerated but thankfully it doesn’t overpower the balance of sounds. On jazz tracks like Dave Brubeck’s Take Five, you can clearly hear the arrangement of instruments. On a whole different note, pop sounds are exactly as they should be. Popping and thumping in your years while you bob your head to the summer’s biggest hits. Songs like Kanye West’s Touch The Sky shone through. The vocals were clear and the high-mids shone through. The WF-XB700’s got enough punchiness to keep them going. Saying all of this, if you’re really a bass-lover then you’re going to love these TWS earbuds. Podcasts were also crystal clear. I had no issues hearing each individual talk and argue on the various podcasts I listen to. Call quality: Will suit you fine One can’t really complain about the call quality here. While wearing a mask and on a socially distant walk, the people on the other side of the call could hear me clearly and I could hear them just as well. The voice may be hollow at times but it shouldn’t deter you. The only negative is that ambient noise seeps through to the call at times. Maybe a software update can fix this. Battery life: Amazing! Sony adversities 9 hours of battery life on a single charge for the WF-XB700. I got just about 9 hours with about 70% volume at all times. This is in the top tier of battery life on TWS earbuds. The case can also charge the buds one whole time. So 18 hours of battery life without having to plug it in. One thing I’d like to mention is that even though I always used both the earbuds together, the right one lost battery faster than the left one. It fixed itself after a few full charges but just something to note. Note: It’ll take you almost 3 hours to fully charge the case. Verdict: One of the best TWS earbuds under Rs 10,000 Kudos to Sony for pricing these TWS earbuds under Rs 10,000. That puts it in the lower range of the TWS earbud field. It’s a crowded field below Rs 10,000 but these match up to the best in the industry. These certainly aren’t budget TWS earbuds (there are far cheaper options) but these also offer a far superior audio experience. Some features like wear detection, lack of active noise cancellation, and issues with the physical button (and how the consumer can’t customise it) may not sit well with some people. With excellent sound quality and battery life, it’s hard to go wrong with the WF-XB700 TWS earbuds from Sony

Sony WF-XB700 review: Water-resistant, bass-first, TWS earbuds for under Rs 10,000

A US government national security review of the social media app TikTok is nearly complete and will deliver a recommendation to the White House this week, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Wednesday.

The comments marked the first time the US&nbsp;government has acknowledged that TikTok was under review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which scrutinises deals by foreign acquirers for potential national security risks and is led by Treasury.

"TikTok is under CFIUS review and we'll be making a recommendation to the president on it this week," Mnuchin said. "We have lots of alternatives."

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-republicans-worry-china-might-use-tiktok-to-meddle-in-election-316729" hreflang="en">US Republicans worry China might use TikTok to meddle in election</a>

The news comes amid increasing concerns voiced by US officials and lawmakers about TikTok's links to China and its potential use for espionage, an allegation consistently dismissed by the company.

In November last year, the app's Chinese parent company, Beijing ByteDance Technology Co was being probed by CFIUS over its $1 billion purchase of social media app Musical.ly, after lawmakers raised concerns over how it stores personal data as well as allegations of censorship.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japan-lawmakers-to-urge-government-to-put-curbs-on-tiktok-use-316682" hreflang="en">Japan lawmakers to urge government to put curbs on TikTok use</a>

A TikTok representative said the company could not comment on CFIUS matters, but added that TikTok was working to "develop a best-in-class security infrastructure" and promote a safe app experience.

The committee can force ByteDance to unwind the deal, or take other measures to mitigate the national security threat. Reuters reported earlier on Wednesday that ByteDance has received a proposal from some of its investors, including Sequoia and General Atlantic, to transfer majority ownership of TikTok to them. Some ByteDance investors are valuing the popular app at about $50 billion.

Flanked by Mnuchin, President Donald Trump said before leaving the White House on a trip to Texas that "we are looking at TikTok."

The company is under fire in Washington, as relations between the Trump administration and Beijing have grown chilly over the coronavirus and China's moves against Hong Kong. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the administration was considering banning the app, and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said earlier this month that action was coming in weeks.

A US government national security review of the social media app TikTok is nearly complete and will deliver a recommendation to the White House this week, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Wednesday.

A US government national security review of the social media app TikTok is nearly complete and will deliver a recommendation to the White House this week, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Wednesday. The comments marked the first time the US government has acknowledged that TikTok was under review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), which scrutinises deals by foreign acquirers for potential national security risks and is led by Treasury. "TikTok is under CFIUS review and we'll be making a recommendation to the president on it this week," Mnuchin said. "We have lots of alternatives." Also read: US Republicans worry China might use TikTok to meddle in election The news comes amid increasing concerns voiced by US officials and lawmakers about TikTok's links to China and its potential use for espionage, an allegation consistently dismissed by the company. In November last year, the app's Chinese parent company, Beijing ByteDance Technology Co was being probed by CFIUS over its $1 billion purchase of social media app Musical.ly, after lawmakers raised concerns over how it stores personal data as well as allegations of censorship. Also read: Japan lawmakers to urge government to put curbs on TikTok use A TikTok representative said the company could not comment on CFIUS matters, but added that TikTok was working to "develop a best-in-class security infrastructure" and promote a safe app experience. The committee can force ByteDance to unwind the deal, or take other measures to mitigate the national security threat. Reuters reported earlier on Wednesday that ByteDance has received a proposal from some of its investors, including Sequoia and General Atlantic, to transfer majority ownership of TikTok to them. Some ByteDance investors are valuing the popular app at about $50 billion. Flanked by Mnuchin, President Donald Trump said before leaving the White House on a trip to Texas that "we are looking at TikTok." The company is under fire in Washington, as relations between the Trump administration and Beijing have grown chilly over the coronavirus and China's moves against Hong Kong. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the administration was considering banning the app, and White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows said earlier this month that action was coming in weeks.

National security recommendation on TikTok due this week: US Treasury

With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing us to mostly stay indoors and practice social distancing, a majority of people have started spending more time on their laptops - whether it is just doom-scrolling or gaming - than before.

Personally, I’ve spent more hours gaming during the lockdown than I did in all of 2019. If you’re into gaming or just looking to get started, then listen carefully because I’m here to tell you about one of the best budget-friendly gaming laptops in the Indian market today. It’s none other than the Asus TUF A15. The TUF A15 from Asus starts from Rs 60.990 (nearly 815 USD) and comes in two colours - Bonfire Black and Fortress Grey.

The gaming world was given a jolt when Asus announced it was going with AMD instead of Intel. Asus felt it was an inspired decision. Now that the laptops have rolled out to the public, we have evidence of just why they made that choice.

The laptops under the TUF series - there is also a TUF A17 model - are powered by AMD’s Ryzen 7 Mobile series processors.

I have been using the Fortress Grey version for over two weeks and here’s how it fared.

Design &amp; Build Quality

The TUF line up of gaming notebooks from Asus is not as premium looking as their ROG counterparts. Saying that, they still look nice on the outside and for a mid-ranger, it is quite a solid looker. The design is basic with the TUF logo on the top and a textured finished surrounding it.

<img alt="Asus TUF A15" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="27c1895e-40a7-4f15-8e6e-658a04fb00c1" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2819%29_8.jpg" />

Image courtesy: Sahil Bhalla

The laptop is made out of plastic and is prone to easy damage if you drop it or keep brushing it against the walls. The hinge also didn’t feel as solid as I’d have liked.

There’s no bezel-less display - though the bezels are pretty slim - and the overall built is quite thick and chunky coming in at 2.3 kgs. It’s not as portable as some of the other gaming laptops these days but with a relatively cheaper price tag one can hardly complain. Furthermore, it’s not like we’re going away from our desks for long periods these days.

From the moment you open the lid you can see that Asus has made choices clearly targeted at the gamers. The keyboard has RGB lighting while the WASD (very popular keys for gamers) are highlighted with a translucent colouring to help them stand out.&nbsp;

The deck of the TUF A15 has a brushed metal finish. At the back of the laptop, the display hinges sandwich the pair of vents that are meant to keep the laptop cool.&nbsp;

Last but not least, the laptop is MIL-STD-810H tested. This means it can withstand extreme conditions. I wouldn’t recommend drop testing it as the plastic frame can give way but it seems like it’ll handle the occasional bumps and bruises.

The chassis can be opened easily with a screwdriver and allows the consumers to upgrade the machine - RAM and SSD - as per their requirements.

Display

The TUF A15 comes with a 15.6-inch FHD IPS panel. There are two options when buying this laptop. You can opt for a 60Hz panel or a 144Hz panel. The latter is the one to go for if you’re serious about gaming. A high-refresh-rate panel is a must for gamers as it makes the experience that much better.

<img alt="Asus TUF A15" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="bfa1a9a5-74e7-4908-a4c6-78240fd92bdc" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2820%29_11.jpg" />

Image courtesy: Sahil Bhalla

With all that being said, the display is quite dim. This is strictly meant as an indoors laptop. The laptop isn’t meant for photographers or video editors. The colour accuracy is sub-par and just not something I was expecting.&nbsp;

Gamers may not care too much about this but the competition will surely have something to say.

Keyboard, trackpack and ports

What’s good though is the ample choice of ports on the TUF A15. You get a HDMI port, an ethernet port, two standard USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A ports and one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port with support for DisplayPort 1.4. There’s also the power supply port.&nbsp;

The trackpad itself is nothing special and the keys aren’t great for travel. This is decidedly mid-level and Asus could have done some more work in these areas.

Performance

The laptop has three options - Ryzen 5 4600H, Ryzen 7 4800H and Ryzen 9 4900H - for its processor. All three of them are quite capable in their own respect.&nbsp;

<img alt="Asus TUF A15" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="01d0cf95-0cef-4b0b-a3ef-c57ef44221f2" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2821%29_3.jpg" />

Image courtesy: Sahil Bhalla

The unit I’ve been reviewing TUF A15 (FA566) comes with an AMD Ryzen 7 4800H processor, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti GPU, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, a 512GB NVMe SSD and a 1TB hard drive along with the 144Hz display.&nbsp;

I started out reviewing the laptop by playing a casual game called Age of Empires 2: Definite Edition and ended it with some Battlefield V, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and some Need For Speed.

While high-end games won’t run on high settings they’ll run smooth at medium-settings. Lower end and some of the older games will work without a hitch. The laptop also stays relatively cool while gaming thanks to the vents which will come as a relief to many games out there.

Battery Life

One big disappointment, but something which isn’t surprising, is the below average battery life on the TUF A15. The new Ryzen 4000 series processors promises good battery but Asus only chose to pack a 48Whr battery into the chassis. That’s the problem.

I managed to get around 4 and a half hours of battery life with office work and some light gaming. If you game straight while on the battery it’ll die within 3 and a half hours. No one recommends that one should play games without the laptop plugged in.

The same laptop manages to pack a larger battery in the model released in the USa so we wonder why Asus couldn’t have brought it over to India.

Verdict

Asus has managed to stay ahead in the budget-friendly gaming crowd here in India. At a starting price of just Rs 60,990, this is an incredibly good price for those looking to get started in the world of gaming and even those who just like to play for fun.

You’ve got a good build, a laptop that stays cool while gaming and performs exceptionally well for its price.

I’m glad Asus chose AMD over Intel for their gaming laptops in 2020. AMD has really proven itself and is a major threat to Intel. With an Intel chip inside these laptops, Asus wouldn’t have been able to get the price down Rs 60,990.

It’s a strong gaming laptop with just a few issues that we hope Asus is able to fix when their new models are launched toward the end of the year.

Don’t go for its looks but go for the AMD guts inside of it. It’ll comfortably suit all your gaming needs (unless you’re an esports champion) and will even suffice for day-to-day work.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing us to mostly stay indoors and practice social distancing, a majority of people have started spending more time on their laptops - whether it is just doom-scrolling or gaming - than before.

With the COVID-19 pandemic forcing us to mostly stay indoors and practice social distancing, a majority of people have started spending more time on their laptops - whether it is just doom-scrolling or gaming - than before. Personally, I’ve spent more hours gaming during the lockdown than I did in all of 2019. If you’re into gaming or just looking to get started, then listen carefully because I’m here to tell you about one of the best budget-friendly gaming laptops in the Indian market today. It’s none other than the Asus TUF A15. The TUF A15 from Asus starts from Rs 60.990 (nearly 815 USD) and comes in two colours - Bonfire Black and Fortress Grey. The gaming world was given a jolt when Asus announced it was going with AMD instead of Intel. Asus felt it was an inspired decision. Now that the laptops have rolled out to the public, we have evidence of just why they made that choice. The laptops under the TUF series - there is also a TUF A17 model - are powered by AMD’s Ryzen 7 Mobile series processors. I have been using the Fortress Grey version for over two weeks and here’s how it fared. Design & Build Quality The TUF line up of gaming notebooks from Asus is not as premium looking as their ROG counterparts. Saying that, they still look nice on the outside and for a mid-ranger, it is quite a solid looker. The design is basic with the TUF logo on the top and a textured finished surrounding it. Image courtesy: Sahil Bhalla The laptop is made out of plastic and is prone to easy damage if you drop it or keep brushing it against the walls. The hinge also didn’t feel as solid as I’d have liked. There’s no bezel-less display - though the bezels are pretty slim - and the overall built is quite thick and chunky coming in at 2.3 kgs. It’s not as portable as some of the other gaming laptops these days but with a relatively cheaper price tag one can hardly complain. Furthermore, it’s not like we’re going away from our desks for long periods these days. From the moment you open the lid you can see that Asus has made choices clearly targeted at the gamers. The keyboard has RGB lighting while the WASD (very popular keys for gamers) are highlighted with a translucent colouring to help them stand out. The deck of the TUF A15 has a brushed metal finish. At the back of the laptop, the display hinges sandwich the pair of vents that are meant to keep the laptop cool. Last but not least, the laptop is MIL-STD-810H tested. This means it can withstand extreme conditions. I wouldn’t recommend drop testing it as the plastic frame can give way but it seems like it’ll handle the occasional bumps and bruises. The chassis can be opened easily with a screwdriver and allows the consumers to upgrade the machine - RAM and SSD - as per their requirements. Display The TUF A15 comes with a 15.6-inch FHD IPS panel. There are two options when buying this laptop. You can opt for a 60Hz panel or a 144Hz panel. The latter is the one to go for if you’re serious about gaming. A high-refresh-rate panel is a must for gamers as it makes the experience that much better. Image courtesy: Sahil Bhalla With all that being said, the display is quite dim. This is strictly meant as an indoors laptop. The laptop isn’t meant for photographers or video editors. The colour accuracy is sub-par and just not something I was expecting. Gamers may not care too much about this but the competition will surely have something to say. Keyboard, trackpack and ports What’s good though is the ample choice of ports on the TUF A15. You get a HDMI port, an ethernet port, two standard USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type A ports and one USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C port with support for DisplayPort 1.4. There’s also the power supply port. The trackpad itself is nothing special and the keys aren’t great for travel. This is decidedly mid-level and Asus could have done some more work in these areas. Performance The laptop has three options - Ryzen 5 4600H, Ryzen 7 4800H and Ryzen 9 4900H - for its processor. All three of them are quite capable in their own respect. Image courtesy: Sahil Bhalla The unit I’ve been reviewing TUF A15 (FA566) comes with an AMD Ryzen 7 4800H processor, an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti GPU, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, a 512GB NVMe SSD and a 1TB hard drive along with the 144Hz display. I started out reviewing the laptop by playing a casual game called Age of Empires 2: Definite Edition and ended it with some Battlefield V, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and some Need For Speed. While high-end games won’t run on high settings they’ll run smooth at medium-settings. Lower end and some of the older games will work without a hitch. The laptop also stays relatively cool while gaming thanks to the vents which will come as a relief to many games out there. Battery Life One big disappointment, but something which isn’t surprising, is the below average battery life on the TUF A15. The new Ryzen 4000 series processors promises good battery but Asus only chose to pack a 48Whr battery into the chassis. That’s the problem. I managed to get around 4 and a half hours of battery life with office work and some light gaming. If you game straight while on the battery it’ll die within 3 and a half hours. No one recommends that one should play games without the laptop plugged in. The same laptop manages to pack a larger battery in the model released in the USa so we wonder why Asus couldn’t have brought it over to India. Verdict Asus has managed to stay ahead in the budget-friendly gaming crowd here in India. At a starting price of just Rs 60,990, this is an incredibly good price for those looking to get started in the world of gaming and even those who just like to play for fun. You’ve got a good build, a laptop that stays cool while gaming and performs exceptionally well for its price. I’m glad Asus chose AMD over Intel for their gaming laptops in 2020. AMD has really proven itself and is a major threat to Intel. With an Intel chip inside these laptops, Asus wouldn’t have been able to get the price down Rs 60,990. It’s a strong gaming laptop with just a few issues that we hope Asus is able to fix when their new models are launched toward the end of the year. Don’t go for its looks but go for the AMD guts inside of it. It’ll comfortably suit all your gaming needs (unless you’re an esports champion) and will even suffice for day-to-day work.

Asus TUF A15 review: A mighty capable gaming laptop thanks to the AMD guts inside

After banning 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, the government today in the latest move banned 47 more Chinese apps, taking the total number of mobile applications banned for being prejudicial to sovereignty, integrity and defence of the country, to 106.

After banning 59 Chinese apps including TikTok, the government today in the latest move banned 47 more Chinese apps, taking the total number of mobile applications banned for being prejudicial to sovereignty, integrity and defence of the country, to 106. The 47 additional Chinese apps that have been banned now were clones and variants of the apps which were blocked earlier. It doesn't end here, now reports are suggesting that the Indian government could ban over 200 other apps in the country. As per the report, the government will scrutinize more than 275 apps for National Security violations, users privacy and security breach is found in any of the apps. The apps failing the scrutiny by the government is most likely to be banned shortly. The report came as a shock to many Mobile Game enthusiasts in India as the list includes PUBG Mobile. But, why PUBG? It was the most common listed question on the internet as the news report surfaced. Let us have a close look at the origin of the game and why it stands on the edge of losing one of its biggest user base globally. Origin of PUBG PUBG (video game) was developed and published by PUBG Corporation, a subsidiary of the South Korean video game company Bluehole Studio which is now unified under a gaming brand named Krafton Game Union. Difference between PUBG and PUBG Mobile After the initial success of the game, it was introduced in China and later faced a ban by the Chinese Government. China's Audio-Video and Digital Publishing Association said, PUBG, is "a serious deviation from our socialist core values and the traditional Chinese culture and ethical norms." The agency also said that the game can cause serious harm to the physical and mental health of young consumers. It was then when Tencent Games, the video game publishing division of Tencent Holdings, which is also a Chinese multinational conglomerate secured the rights to distribute PUBG in China after changing the game. By that time the Chinese giant had also planned to develop the Mobile version of the game for the Chinese community, i.e., PUBG Mobile. The mobile version was released in China and became an instant hit and then later on released it worldwide in early 2018. Hence when the game is launched, the players first see the Tencent Logo and then the PUBG Corporation logo. Tencent Games also bought a 10% stake in Bluehole, in mid-2018. It is reported that the Tencent Games earned $1.3 billion from PUBG Mobile in 2019. Does that mean PUBG Mobile is a Chinese App? Yes! PUBG Mobile is backed by Tencent Games which is the video game publishing division of Tencent Holdings, a Chinese Company. While it can be safely said that the "origin" of the game didn't happen in China, PUBG Mobile might face a ban in India because of its China links. There still is no confirmation from the government over the media reports. If banned, India would be joining its neighbour Pakistan in banning the Chinese APP. Pakistani gamers are already up in arms against the government over the continued ban on popular mobile game PUBG despite court's order to suspend the ban. The ban was imposed on July 1 by the Pakistani Telecommunication Authority (PTA) after complaints of parents who said the children were addicted to the game. However, a Pakistani court on Friday suspended the ban and directed the telecom watchdog PTA to restore the game. Despite the orders, the ban remains in place, irking the gamers who have now taken to Twitter urging Prime Minister Imran Khan to restore the game under #ImranKhanPUBGKholo.

After ban on Chinese apps, why Tencent-backed PUBG Mobile may be axed in India

In less than a month, on August 5th, Samsung will be hosting its annual Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event. This time though, it’ll be an online-event as the coronavirus pandemic has halted travel and in-person events across the world. The Unpacked event is one of the two annual events hosted by Samsung but arguably the more important one.

At the upcoming Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event, Samsung is inviting us to explore their latest ecosystem of Galaxy devices that are “designed to empower” our lives.

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While the prized package will be the upcoming Galaxy Note 20/Note 20 Ultra (if that is what they end up calling them), there is also going to be the brand-new Galaxy Tab S7/Tab S7+ (No one is sure if they’ll release two variants or if they’ll just be two sizes of the same tablet), Galaxy Watch 3 and the Galaxy Buds Live (bean-shaped TWS earphones). That’s a hefty lineup for Samsung going into their fall showcase.

<img alt="Samsung Galaxy note 20 " data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8595e73f-1fa0-4d48-b5c9-85bf51f8678b" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/960x0_1.jpg" />

In picture:&nbsp;Galaxy Note 20

Samsung has confirmed 5 devices to be launched at the Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event, Galaxy Note 20 series, Galaxy Buds Live, Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Fold 2 and Galaxy Z Flip 5G, the latter two being foldables which I won’t be talking about in this piece.

<img alt="Samsung Galaxy Watch 3" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="56a2b12b-8366-43f0-8c37-687ee67ce328" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/watch3.jpg" />

In picture:&nbsp;Samsung Galaxy Watch 3

Samsung, for what it's worth, has been on an upward trajectory lately. It’s Android devices - S-Series, Note-Series and Tab-Series - have all got One UI 2.1, a much needed refinement on the Android experience.

<img alt="Samsung Galaxy Tab S7" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="ccf2a32c-f76d-4a16-bca5-e641e891202d" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/csm_iu65_7900ffaa78.jpg" />

In picture:&nbsp;Samsung Galaxy Tab S7

With just about two weeks to go for the event, let’s take a look at how the Galaxy S20 Ultra, Note 10 Plus and Galaxy Tab S6 fare in 2020 and what to expect from the showcase event of the year.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ &amp; Galaxy Note 20/Note 20 Ultra

Samsung’s Note-series of smartphones has been a revolutionary ever since they were first launched in 2011. Over the years they’ve been considered the one of the first successful examples of phablets (A combination of a phone and a tablet). The Note series devices have also brought big-displays to the mainstream.

What really has stood out with the Note-series has been the S-Pen. Other companies have tried and failed but Samsung stuck to its guts and with the Galaxy Note 10 plus, knocked it out of the park.

I’ve been using the Galaxy Note 10 Plus for a year - on-and-off for the past six months) - and I think it’s really held up as a wonderful multitasking device. I think the S-Pen can be further upgraded to do more going forward but let’s rewind a year.&nbsp;

The Galaxy Note 10 Plus was the first modern phone to drop the 3.5mm headphone jack. That was a paradigm shift in the industry with many other players following suit. It was also the first Note to embrace the bezel-less trend we’re all comfortable with. Last but not least, it also went far and away from the distinct bold colours and gave us the Aura Glow.

The only thing I really miss while using Note 10 Plus is a high-refresh rate display. Either 90Hz or 120Hz. The Note 10 Plus’ display is excellent. The colours and sunlight eligibility are superb. Samsung has always aced it with its displays. A high-refresh rate display comes at the expense of battery life and with the criticism toward the S-series a few months ago, there is hope that Samsung would have found a sweet middle spot between high-refresh rate and battery life.

Coming back to the all-important S-Pen. It’s a handy little stylus that comes with the device and can perform a plethora of tasks. Most importantly, one can scroll using the stylus, highlight text more precisely (thanks to the floating cursor) and just take notes with it. Last year though, with the Note 10 Plus, came an S-Pen that had a button on its side. It can be used as a remote shutter. A game changer. One needn’t use a self-timer anymore.

One last thing, Samsung needs to fix the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor in the upcoming Note 20 device. Samsung failed to improve it with the S20-series and all hopes are fixated on the Note 20-series.

If you were to buy the Note 10 Plus in 2020 then you’d only be missing out on 5G (doesn’t really matter here in India until end of 2021), a high-refresh rate display and the best cameras on a smartphone. Saying that, the Note 10 still feels every bit as modern as when I first got my hands on it near the end of 2019.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 &amp; Galaxy Tab S7

Nothing comes close to Apple’s iPad in the tablet industry. Unfortunately though, you’ve got to be deep into the Apple ecosystem to want one of those. On the Android side, Samsung is leading the charge for many a year. Samsung further consolidated their market share with the Galaxy Tab S6 last year. This time around, Samsung is rumoured to be bringing Galaxy Tab S7 in two sizes.&nbsp;

Samsung has been on top of the tablet industry on the Android side for many a year and 11" and 12.4". A press render shows the Tab S7 being eerily similar to the iPad Pro.

The tablets are likely to be powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 865+ chipset with 5G support and an S Pen. Furthermore, the larger tablet is rumoured to come with a 10,090 mAh battery, while the smaller one will have a 7,700-7,900 mAh battery cell. Finally, the display will be AMOLED and the speakers will be “tuned by AKG” (the sound engineering company now owned by Samsung).

Over the past eight months I’ve been using the Galaxy Tab S6 almost exclusively. My Dell XPS is way too old and it’s just easier and lighter to pull out the Galaxy Tab S6 for daily work (which for me, is mostly writing).&nbsp;

The Galaxy Tab S6 is by no means a tablet replacement but if you’re not a graphic designer nor a gamer then for day-to-day activity, this will suit you pretty well. Having the DeX mode also enables you to use the tablet like you would a laptop. It’s limited in what it can do as a laptop but the potential is certainly there.

Lugging the Galaxy Tab S6 around Delhi was pretty much no problem. I could take it to cafes, friends houses, the park and more. I’d have no problem plonking it down, and getting to my writing within seconds. Provided there was a flat surface, of course.

With the Galaxy Tab S7 there is hope that the official Tab Keyboard cover would do a whole lot more. For one, the back cover could be a lot more sturdy. The glue that sticks the cover to the Tab has come off way too many times for me during my typing and that has broken my chain of thought.

With fast charging up to 45W coming to the Tab S7, one needn’t worry about battery life anymore.

One thing Samsung, and all Android tablet players need to scale up significantly is the number of apps optimised for these tablets. It pales in comparison to iPadOS.

Still, one is optimistic that the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 models will be even closer to the iPad Pro from Apple and even surpass it in some areas.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4G &amp; Galaxy Watch 3

This is another category where Apple is head and shoulders above its Android-based competitors. The Apple Watch has done wonders for the company but yet again you’ve got to be tied to the Apple ecosystem.

On the Android side there is a whole lot more competition. Samsung may be leading with the Galaxy Watch 4G and the Galaxy Watch Active 2 but the competition - Huawei GT2e, Fitbit Versa 2 and others - isn’t far behind.

What Samsung has up its sleeve is the rotating bezel on the Galaxy Watch 4G. It was absent on the Galaxy Watch Active and Watch Active 2 but is set to make a comeback with the upcoming Galaxy Watch 3.&nbsp;

The Galaxy Watch 3 will also reportedly be getting a heart rate monitor with 8 pulse-reading photodiodes and support for blood pressure monitoring. Furthermore, it could also be getting an electrocardiogram sensor. That’s something Apple implemented but was missing on the Android side.

I’ve been using Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4G for many months now and it is a fantastic watch. Two things have been bugging me while using this watch though. First, it is more of a smartwatch than a fitness tracker. I get that it isn’t purely a fitness tracker like FitBit or Garmin and it’s trying to be a cross between the two but the activity monitor could be much better at tracking my workouts and my walks. I’m hoping Samsung works on its fitness smarts so that I don’t get told to walk when I’ve already embarked upon one.

Second, the watch face is a little bulky. I’ve gotten used to it and actually kind of like it but a lot of people have been put off by its sheer size. It’s a nice looking watch but could do with a little bit of trimming. Battery life could also get a boost but seeing as I get over two days of battery life as compared to other watch’s even tinier batteries, I’m quite happy. 
&nbsp;

In less than a month, on August 5th, Samsung will be hosting its annual Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event. This time though, it’ll be an online-event as the coronavirus pandemic has halted travel and in-person events across the world.

In less than a month, on August 5th, Samsung will be hosting its annual Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event. This time though, it’ll be an online-event as the coronavirus pandemic has halted travel and in-person events across the world. The Unpacked event is one of the two annual events hosted by Samsung but arguably the more important one. At the upcoming Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event, Samsung is inviting us to explore their latest ecosystem of Galaxy devices that are “designed to empower” our lives. × While the prized package will be the upcoming Galaxy Note 20/Note 20 Ultra (if that is what they end up calling them), there is also going to be the brand-new Galaxy Tab S7/Tab S7+ (No one is sure if they’ll release two variants or if they’ll just be two sizes of the same tablet), Galaxy Watch 3 and the Galaxy Buds Live (bean-shaped TWS earphones). That’s a hefty lineup for Samsung going into their fall showcase. In picture: Galaxy Note 20 Samsung has confirmed 5 devices to be launched at the Galaxy Unpacked 2020 event, Galaxy Note 20 series, Galaxy Buds Live, Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Fold 2 and Galaxy Z Flip 5G, the latter two being foldables which I won’t be talking about in this piece. In picture: Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 Samsung, for what it's worth, has been on an upward trajectory lately. It’s Android devices - S-Series, Note-Series and Tab-Series - have all got One UI 2.1, a much needed refinement on the Android experience. In picture: Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 With just about two weeks to go for the event, let’s take a look at how the Galaxy S20 Ultra, Note 10 Plus and Galaxy Tab S6 fare in 2020 and what to expect from the showcase event of the year. Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ & Galaxy Note 20/Note 20 Ultra Samsung’s Note-series of smartphones has been a revolutionary ever since they were first launched in 2011. Over the years they’ve been considered the one of the first successful examples of phablets (A combination of a phone and a tablet). The Note series devices have also brought big-displays to the mainstream. What really has stood out with the Note-series has been the S-Pen. Other companies have tried and failed but Samsung stuck to its guts and with the Galaxy Note 10 plus, knocked it out of the park. I’ve been using the Galaxy Note 10 Plus for a year - on-and-off for the past six months) - and I think it’s really held up as a wonderful multitasking device. I think the S-Pen can be further upgraded to do more going forward but let’s rewind a year. The Galaxy Note 10 Plus was the first modern phone to drop the 3.5mm headphone jack. That was a paradigm shift in the industry with many other players following suit. It was also the first Note to embrace the bezel-less trend we’re all comfortable with. Last but not least, it also went far and away from the distinct bold colours and gave us the Aura Glow. The only thing I really miss while using Note 10 Plus is a high-refresh rate display. Either 90Hz or 120Hz. The Note 10 Plus’ display is excellent. The colours and sunlight eligibility are superb. Samsung has always aced it with its displays. A high-refresh rate display comes at the expense of battery life and with the criticism toward the S-series a few months ago, there is hope that Samsung would have found a sweet middle spot between high-refresh rate and battery life. Coming back to the all-important S-Pen. It’s a handy little stylus that comes with the device and can perform a plethora of tasks. Most importantly, one can scroll using the stylus, highlight text more precisely (thanks to the floating cursor) and just take notes with it. Last year though, with the Note 10 Plus, came an S-Pen that had a button on its side. It can be used as a remote shutter. A game changer. One needn’t use a self-timer anymore. One last thing, Samsung needs to fix the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor in the upcoming Note 20 device. Samsung failed to improve it with the S20-series and all hopes are fixated on the Note 20-series. If you were to buy the Note 10 Plus in 2020 then you’d only be missing out on 5G (doesn’t really matter here in India until end of 2021), a high-refresh rate display and the best cameras on a smartphone. Saying that, the Note 10 still feels every bit as modern as when I first got my hands on it near the end of 2019. Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 & Galaxy Tab S7 Nothing comes close to Apple’s iPad in the tablet industry. Unfortunately though, you’ve got to be deep into the Apple ecosystem to want one of those. On the Android side, Samsung is leading the charge for many a year. Samsung further consolidated their market share with the Galaxy Tab S6 last year. This time around, Samsung is rumoured to be bringing Galaxy Tab S7 in two sizes. Samsung has been on top of the tablet industry on the Android side for many a year and 11" and 12.4". A press render shows the Tab S7 being eerily similar to the iPad Pro. The tablets are likely to be powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 865+ chipset with 5G support and an S Pen. Furthermore, the larger tablet is rumoured to come with a 10,090 mAh battery, while the smaller one will have a 7,700-7,900 mAh battery cell. Finally, the display will be AMOLED and the speakers will be “tuned by AKG” (the sound engineering company now owned by Samsung). Over the past eight months I’ve been using the Galaxy Tab S6 almost exclusively. My Dell XPS is way too old and it’s just easier and lighter to pull out the Galaxy Tab S6 for daily work (which for me, is mostly writing). The Galaxy Tab S6 is by no means a tablet replacement but if you’re not a graphic designer nor a gamer then for day-to-day activity, this will suit you pretty well. Having the DeX mode also enables you to use the tablet like you would a laptop. It’s limited in what it can do as a laptop but the potential is certainly there. Lugging the Galaxy Tab S6 around Delhi was pretty much no problem. I could take it to cafes, friends houses, the park and more. I’d have no problem plonking it down, and getting to my writing within seconds. Provided there was a flat surface, of course. With the Galaxy Tab S7 there is hope that the official Tab Keyboard cover would do a whole lot more. For one, the back cover could be a lot more sturdy. The glue that sticks the cover to the Tab has come off way too many times for me during my typing and that has broken my chain of thought. With fast charging up to 45W coming to the Tab S7, one needn’t worry about battery life anymore. One thing Samsung, and all Android tablet players need to scale up significantly is the number of apps optimised for these tablets. It pales in comparison to iPadOS. Still, one is optimistic that the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 models will be even closer to the iPad Pro from Apple and even surpass it in some areas. Samsung Galaxy Watch 4G & Galaxy Watch 3 This is another category where Apple is head and shoulders above its Android-based competitors. The Apple Watch has done wonders for the company but yet again you’ve got to be tied to the Apple ecosystem. On the Android side there is a whole lot more competition. Samsung may be leading with the Galaxy Watch 4G and the Galaxy Watch Active 2 but the competition - Huawei GT2e, Fitbit Versa 2 and others - isn’t far behind. What Samsung has up its sleeve is the rotating bezel on the Galaxy Watch 4G. It was absent on the Galaxy Watch Active and Watch Active 2 but is set to make a comeback with the upcoming Galaxy Watch 3. The Galaxy Watch 3 will also reportedly be getting a heart rate monitor with 8 pulse-reading photodiodes and support for blood pressure monitoring. Furthermore, it could also be getting an electrocardiogram sensor. That’s something Apple implemented but was missing on the Android side. I’ve been using Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4G for many months now and it is a fantastic watch. Two things have been bugging me while using this watch though. First, it is more of a smartwatch than a fitness tracker. I get that it isn’t purely a fitness tracker like FitBit or Garmin and it’s trying to be a cross between the two but the activity monitor could be much better at tracking my workouts and my walks. I’m hoping Samsung works on its fitness smarts so that I don’t get told to walk when I’ve already embarked upon one. Second, the watch face is a little bulky. I’ve gotten used to it and actually kind of like it but a lot of people have been put off by its sheer size. It’s a nice looking watch but could do with a little bit of trimming. Battery life could also get a boost but seeing as I get over two days of battery life as compared to other watch’s even tinier batteries, I’m quite happy.

Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked 2020: What impact will the upcoming Note 20, Galaxy Watch 3 and Galaxy Tab S7 have?

Facebook&nbsp;has won the first round of its court battle against what it says are excessive demands from European Union antitrust regulators after Europe's second-top court temporarily halted such requests until it makes a final ruling.

The US&nbsp;social media group is being investigated by the European Commission for its trove of data and online marketplace, which may lead to hefty fines and orders to change its business practices.

On July 15, Facebook&nbsp;sued the EU competition enforcer at the Luxembourg-based General Court, saying that the Commission was seeking information beyond what is necessary, including highly personal details.

It also asked for interim measures to stop a May 4 information request. Failure to comply could expose it to a daily penalty payment of $9.4 million.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/trump-campaign-runs-facebook-advertisements-asking-if-he-should-ban-tiktok-314800">Trump campaign runs Facebook advertisements asking if he should ban TikTok</a>

The Court in a judgment dated July 24 suspended the EU request while waiting for the Commission's comment and its ruling on&nbsp;Facebook's application for interim relief.

It said such a move would "prevent a situation whereby the contested material is disclosed in violation of the fundamental right to privacy of the applicant’s management and employees, depriving of any effect any order for interim measures that may eventually be granted".

EU regulators are trawling documents looking for about 2,500 search phrases which include "big question", "shut down" and "not good for us", and which could be found in employees' health information or even job applications, said a person familiar with the matter.

Facebook has won the first round of its court battle against what it says are excessive demands from European Union antitrust regulators after Europe's second-top court temporarily halted such requests until it makes a final ruling.

Facebook has won the first round of its court battle against what it says are excessive demands from European Union antitrust regulators after Europe's second-top court temporarily halted such requests until it makes a final ruling. The US social media group is being investigated by the European Commission for its trove of data and online marketplace, which may lead to hefty fines and orders to change its business practices. On July 15, Facebook sued the EU competition enforcer at the Luxembourg-based General Court, saying that the Commission was seeking information beyond what is necessary, including highly personal details. It also asked for interim measures to stop a May 4 information request. Failure to comply could expose it to a daily penalty payment of $9.4 million. Also read: Trump campaign runs Facebook advertisements asking if he should ban TikTok The Court in a judgment dated July 24 suspended the EU request while waiting for the Commission's comment and its ruling on Facebook's application for interim relief. It said such a move would "prevent a situation whereby the contested material is disclosed in violation of the fundamental right to privacy of the applicant’s management and employees, depriving of any effect any order for interim measures that may eventually be granted". EU regulators are trawling documents looking for about 2,500 search phrases which include "big question", "shut down" and "not good for us", and which could be found in employees' health information or even job applications, said a person familiar with the matter.

Facebook gains temporary court reprieve on EU antitrust data demand

Google's new transatlantic data cable will connect three countries including the Unites States, United Kingdom and Spain.

The tech giant has announced that it is planning to make an undersea network cable to connect these countries.

Google claims&nbsp;that is incorporating a new&nbsp;technology for the project which it believes will be a significant&nbsp;upgrade of the existing technology. It&nbsp;is expected to be completed by 2022.

According to Google's estimate, underwater data cables are vital to global communications infrastructure as they carry out approximately 98 per cent of the world's data.

The cable used in the project, are named "Grace Hopper", after an American computer scientist and naval rear admiral, will hit the UK at Bude, in Cornwall. It is tech firm's fourth privately owned undersea cable.

<img alt="Google" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="55495455-7cb6-492a-8353-6b3bb3f5a5e7" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/_113662133_uk_usa_spain_cable_640-nc.png" />

The first ever transatlantic telecommunications cable connected Ireland and the US by telegraph was and was built in 1858.

To support the demand for communication and entertainment, around 750,000 miles of cable already run between continents at the moment. It is enough to run around the world almost 17 times.

Internet usage across the globe has skyrocketed around the world since coronavirus&nbsp;restrictions were introduced.&nbsp;

Companies are continuing to look for ways to reach more consumers as demand for high-speed internet increases around the world.

Facebook and Microsoft collectively own&nbsp;telecom&nbsp;company Telxius of the Marea cable, which runs from the US to Spain.

Google's new transatlantic data cable will connect three countries including the Unites States, United Kingdom and Spain. The tech giant has announced that it is planning to make an undersea network cable to connect these countries.

Google's new transatlantic data cable will connect three countries including the Unites States, United Kingdom and Spain. The tech giant has announced that it is planning to make an undersea network cable to connect these countries. Google claims that is incorporating a new technology for the project which it believes will be a significant upgrade of the existing technology. It is expected to be completed by 2022. According to Google's estimate, underwater data cables are vital to global communications infrastructure as they carry out approximately 98 per cent of the world's data. The cable used in the project, are named "Grace Hopper", after an American computer scientist and naval rear admiral, will hit the UK at Bude, in Cornwall. It is tech firm's fourth privately owned undersea cable. The first ever transatlantic telecommunications cable connected Ireland and the US by telegraph was and was built in 1858. To support the demand for communication and entertainment, around 750,000 miles of cable already run between continents at the moment. It is enough to run around the world almost 17 times. Internet usage across the globe has skyrocketed around the world since coronavirus restrictions were introduced. Companies are continuing to look for ways to reach more consumers as demand for high-speed internet increases around the world. Facebook and Microsoft collectively own telecom company Telxius of the Marea cable, which runs from the US to Spain.

Google's new data cable to link US, UK and Spain

The 145-year-old India Meteorological Department &nbsp;(IMD) has launched its first app for the general public. This application will be called 'Mausam' and will provide its users with weather updates.&nbsp;

The application will also include radar-based forecasts updated every 10 minutes. The IMD already has another app called 'Meghdoot', however, it was meant for farmers only.&nbsp;

Mausam offers five services to users– current temperature, humidity, wind speed and wind direction for 200 cities and the information is updated eight times a day. It will also provide information on the sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset, three hourly warnings of local weather phenomena and their intensity issued for about 800 stations and will forecast the weather for 450 cities around the country.&nbsp;

The app will alert users twice a day to warn them of any intense weather phenomena, and station-wise radar forecasts updated every 10 minutes.

The alert will be issued for the next five days in colour code (red, orange and yellow).&nbsp;

The application was developed jointly by ICRISAT’s Digital Agriculture and Youth team, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune, and IMD.

The application will be launched on Monday on the occasion of its foundation day and it will be available on Playstore and Appstore.&nbsp;

“Meghdoot was meant only for farmers. This is for everyone. The now-cast feature of this app will tell you if there will be rain, thunder or any other severe weather in your area based on data from the nearest meteorological station. Otherwise, there will be city-based information and forecasts and even radar products,” said M Rajeevan, secretary in the ministry of earth sciences.

The 145-year-old India Meteorological Department (IMD) has launched its first app for the general public. This application will be called 'Mausam' and will provide its users with weather updates.

The 145-year-old India Meteorological Department (IMD) has launched its first app for the general public. This application will be called 'Mausam' and will provide its users with weather updates. The application will also include radar-based forecasts updated every 10 minutes. The IMD already has another app called 'Meghdoot', however, it was meant for farmers only. Mausam offers five services to users– current temperature, humidity, wind speed and wind direction for 200 cities and the information is updated eight times a day. It will also provide information on the sunrise, sunset, moonrise and moonset, three hourly warnings of local weather phenomena and their intensity issued for about 800 stations and will forecast the weather for 450 cities around the country. The app will alert users twice a day to warn them of any intense weather phenomena, and station-wise radar forecasts updated every 10 minutes. The alert will be issued for the next five days in colour code (red, orange and yellow). The application was developed jointly by ICRISAT’s Digital Agriculture and Youth team, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune, and IMD. The application will be launched on Monday on the occasion of its foundation day and it will be available on Playstore and Appstore. “Meghdoot was meant only for farmers. This is for everyone. The now-cast feature of this app will tell you if there will be rain, thunder or any other severe weather in your area based on data from the nearest meteorological station. Otherwise, there will be city-based information and forecasts and even radar products,” said M Rajeevan, secretary in the ministry of earth sciences.

145-year old India Meteorological Department launches first app for general users

TikTok is indeed China's global soft power.&nbsp;

For some, the app is a harmless video-sharing platform to encouarge hidden talent. However, many people see it as a platform for vulgarity and a national security threat.&nbsp;

Weeks after India officially banned TikTok, the US is thinking on similar lines.&nbsp;

Watch |&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-will-america-be-next-to-ban-tiktok-315822/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

The US fears that the data of their citizens is being used by China.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/tiktok-launches-200-million-fund-for-us-creators-despite-senate-ban-315622">TikTok launches $200 million fund for US creators despite Senate ban</a>

Earlier this week, a US Senate approved a bill, which bars federal employees from downloading and using TikTok. It is titled: 'No TikTok on Government Devices Act'.&nbsp;

This means no member or employee of the US Congress, government corporation will be allowed to download TikTok.&nbsp;

Not just TikTok, they are not allowed to download any app developed by TikTok's parent company ByteDance.&nbsp;

So far, the ban is limited to government employees, but there is a rising demand in US that a similar measure should be adopted for the entire American population.&nbsp;

For TikTok, America is its third largest market and the nation contributed to 8 per cent of the company's overall installations between January and June.&nbsp;

They cannot afford another major ouster and so they are presenting a more friendly face. They are injecting more cash to win hearts to the Americans.&nbsp;

TikTok has introduced a $200 million fund to reward American creators, known as TikTok Creator Fund.&nbsp;

The video-creating app will start accepting applications from August 18.&nbsp;

TikTok owners say under this fund, they will offer payouts to influencers who meet a certain baseline for the number of followers. It is also promising to help them collaborate on paid campaigns with brands.&nbsp;

This move is also meant to send out a message to countries like India that have already banned TikTok.&nbsp;

For weeks, the Chinese state media has been pushing propaganda stories about Indian TikTok stars going out of work with the decision by the government.&nbsp;

One article by Global Times headline said: "Indian app users, influencers baffled, hurt by ban of China's TikTok".&nbsp;

They use words like "hurt" and "baffled", which was felt by all the Indians after the Galwan Valley incident in Ladakh, in which 20 Indian Army personnel were martyred.&nbsp;

The Wuhan virus has "baffled" global economies, "hurt" investors, businesses and made thousands jobless, apart from killing millions.&nbsp;

As many as 213 countries and territories have been "hurt" and "baffled" by this pandemic.&nbsp;

Several of these countries are reimposing lockdowns keeping in mind a surge in new cases.&nbsp;

And only one nation has to be blamed for this, whose media gives sermons to India on how not to "hurt" and "baffle" others.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

TikTok is indeed China's global soft power. For some, the app is a harmless video-sharing platform to encouarge hidden talent. However, many people see it as a platform for vulgarity and a national security threat.

TikTok is indeed China's global soft power. For some, the app is a harmless video-sharing platform to encouarge hidden talent. However, many people see it as a platform for vulgarity and a national security threat. Weeks after India officially banned TikTok, the US is thinking on similar lines. Watch | The US fears that the data of their citizens is being used by China. Also read | TikTok launches $200 million fund for US creators despite Senate ban Earlier this week, a US Senate approved a bill, which bars federal employees from downloading and using TikTok. It is titled: 'No TikTok on Government Devices Act'. This means no member or employee of the US Congress, government corporation will be allowed to download TikTok. Not just TikTok, they are not allowed to download any app developed by TikTok's parent company ByteDance. So far, the ban is limited to government employees, but there is a rising demand in US that a similar measure should be adopted for the entire American population. For TikTok, America is its third largest market and the nation contributed to 8 per cent of the company's overall installations between January and June. They cannot afford another major ouster and so they are presenting a more friendly face. They are injecting more cash to win hearts to the Americans. TikTok has introduced a $200 million fund to reward American creators, known as TikTok Creator Fund. The video-creating app will start accepting applications from August 18. TikTok owners say under this fund, they will offer payouts to influencers who meet a certain baseline for the number of followers. It is also promising to help them collaborate on paid campaigns with brands. This move is also meant to send out a message to countries like India that have already banned TikTok. For weeks, the Chinese state media has been pushing propaganda stories about Indian TikTok stars going out of work with the decision by the government. One article by Global Times headline said: "Indian app users, influencers baffled, hurt by ban of China's TikTok". They use words like "hurt" and "baffled", which was felt by all the Indians after the Galwan Valley incident in Ladakh, in which 20 Indian Army personnel were martyred. The Wuhan virus has "baffled" global economies, "hurt" investors, businesses and made thousands jobless, apart from killing millions. As many as 213 countries and territories have been "hurt" and "baffled" by this pandemic. Several of these countries are reimposing lockdowns keeping in mind a surge in new cases. And only one nation has to be blamed for this, whose media gives sermons to India on how not to "hurt" and "baffle" others.

TikTok tries to lure US, send India a message: But who really got 'hurt', 'baffled'?

HSBC on Saturday denied Chinese media reports that it had "framed" Huawei Technologies and played a role in the arrest of the chief financial officer (CFO) of the world's biggest telecoms equipment maker.

HSBC on Saturday denied Chinese media reports that it had "framed" Huawei Technologies and played a role in the arrest of the chief financial officer (CFO) of the world's biggest telecoms equipment maker. In a statement posted on the bank's Chinese WeChat messaging service account, the London-headquartered lender said it did not participate in the decision of the US Department of Justice to investigate Huawei. The HSBC statement comes a day after China's official People's Daily newspaper published a report accusing HSBC of being an accomplice of the United States and lying about Huawei, resulting in the arrest of its CFO Meng Wanzhou. Also read: France planning to halt renewal of Huawei's licence for operators by 2028 Meng was arrested in December 2018 at Vancouver International Airport on a warrant from the United States. She is accused by U.S. authorities of bank fraud for misleading HSBC about Huawei's relationship with a company operating in Iran, putting HSBC at risk of fines and penalties for breaking U.S. sanctions on Tehran. "The context of the development of the Huawei incident clearly shows that the U.S. investigation of Huawei was not triggered by HSBC," the bank said in its WeChat post, without directly referring to the People's Daily report. Also read: Huawei, Alibaba among 7 Chinese companies with links to Chinese Army could face the music "HSBC has no malice against Huawei, nor has it 'framed' Huawei," it said. "In response to information requests from the U.S. Department of Justice, HSBC only provided factual information. HSBC has not 'fabricated' evidence or 'concealed' facts, nor will it distort facts or harm any customers for our own benefit." The People's Daily report on Friday alleged HSBC was well aware of Huawei's business in Iran, and had been "setting traps" for the company since 2012. Other Chinese media, including the China Global Television Network, have made similar allegations against HSBC. Meng is fighting extradition to the United States and has said she is innocent. She has been in house arrest in Vancouver since her detainment.

HSBC denies Chinese media reports that it 'framed' Huawei

TikTok unveiled plans for a $200 million "creator fund" to add content from emerging social media personalities to the fast-growing video-sharing app.

The new US fund will "help support ambitious creators who are seeking opportunities to foster a livelihood through their innovative content," said Vanessa Pappas, general manager of TikTok US.

The move comes with TikTok seeing strong momentum, especially among young smartphone users, even as US lawmakers and officials step up warnings about its links to China.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-senate-committee-approves-bill-banning-tiktok-for-federal-employees-315221">US Senate Committee approves bill banning TikTok for federal employees</a>

Pappas said that with the fund, "our creators will be able to realize additional earnings that help reward the care and dedication they put into creatively connecting with an audience that's inspired by their ideas."

The fund will be open in August to US applicants 18 years or older who have a platform following, and post original content in line with its community guidelines. 
The move could help ramp up interest in TikTok, which has seen its user base grow to an estimated one billion.

Until now, TikTok has been using the model of Facebook-owned Instagram, which allows creators to post sponsored videos but without direct remuneration from the platform.

TikTok said this week it plans to add some 10,000 US jobs over the next three years, as it battles complaints over its ties to China.

A unit of China-based holding ByteDance, TikTok has been banned in India and US officials have said they were looking at possible actions against the app.

The US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs&nbsp;unanimously voted on Wednesday to approve a bill to ban federal employees from using China's video-sharing app TikTok on government-issued devices.&nbsp;

Amid reports of a possible spinoff or buyout of the app, TikTok has said the company's structure is under review.

TikTok unveiled plans for a $200 million "creator fund" to add content from emerging social media personalities to the fast-growing video-sharing app. The new US fund will "help support ambitious creators who are seeking opportunities to foster a livelihood through their innovative content," said Vanessa Pappas, general manager of TikTok US.

TikTok unveiled plans for a $200 million "creator fund" to add content from emerging social media personalities to the fast-growing video-sharing app. The new US fund will "help support ambitious creators who are seeking opportunities to foster a livelihood through their innovative content," said Vanessa Pappas, general manager of TikTok US. The move comes with TikTok seeing strong momentum, especially among young smartphone users, even as US lawmakers and officials step up warnings about its links to China. Also read: US Senate Committee approves bill banning TikTok for federal employees Pappas said that with the fund, "our creators will be able to realize additional earnings that help reward the care and dedication they put into creatively connecting with an audience that's inspired by their ideas." The fund will be open in August to US applicants 18 years or older who have a platform following, and post original content in line with its community guidelines. The move could help ramp up interest in TikTok, which has seen its user base grow to an estimated one billion. Until now, TikTok has been using the model of Facebook-owned Instagram, which allows creators to post sponsored videos but without direct remuneration from the platform. TikTok said this week it plans to add some 10,000 US jobs over the next three years, as it battles complaints over its ties to China. A unit of China-based holding ByteDance, TikTok has been banned in India and US officials have said they were looking at possible actions against the app. The US Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs unanimously voted on Wednesday to approve a bill to ban federal employees from using China's video-sharing app TikTok on government-issued devices. Amid reports of a possible spinoff or buyout of the app, TikTok has said the company's structure is under review.

TikTok launches $200 million fund for US creators despite Senate ban

The United States Department of Energy&nbsp;on Thursday unveiled what it believes is a "virtually unhackable" internet which was put in motion by the Trump administration in 2018 when it&nbsp;passed&nbsp;the National Quantum Initiative Act.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/uk-us-and-canada-accuse-russia-of-vaccine-research-hacking-314318">Also Read:&nbsp;UK, US and Canada accuse Russia of vaccine research hacking</a>

The National Quantum Initiative Act was passed to establish the "goals and priorities for a 10-year plan to accelerate the development of quantum information science and technology applications."

Watch:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-chinese-hackers-the-next-big-security-threat-315244/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Through the act, the United States intends to "use of the laws of quantum physics for the storage, transmission, manipulation, or measurement of information." The United States hopes to use laws of quantum mechanics to transmit information more securely than the existing unsecured networks.

According to the US Energy Department, "one of the hallmarks of quantum transmissions is that they are exceedingly difficult to eavesdrop on as information passes between locations". "Scientists plan to use that trait to make virtually unhackable networks," it added.

"Eventually, the use of quantum networking technology in mobile phones could have broad impacts on the lives of individuals around the world," the US energy department said. The project with US government funding would pave the way for "quantum internet".

Earlier, DOE and researchers at the University of Chicago had created a "quantum loop" - an 83-kilometre land-based network which allowed&nbsp;a secure network through the transmission of sub-atomic particles.

The quantum transmissions make it virtually impossible for hackers to eavesdrop with early adopters set to be in banking and health services and aircraft communications which require a secure network&nbsp;to operate.

The quantum sensors would reportedly allow engineers to predict earthquakes or search for underground oil and gold which has been a time consuming and at most times an impossible task.

The United States Department of Energy on Thursday unveiled what it believes is a "virtually unhackable" internet which was put in motion by the Trump administration in 2018 when it passed the National Quantum Initiative Act.

The United States Department of Energy on Thursday unveiled what it believes is a "virtually unhackable" internet which was put in motion by the Trump administration in 2018 when it passed the National Quantum Initiative Act. Also Read: UK, US and Canada accuse Russia of vaccine research hacking The National Quantum Initiative Act was passed to establish the "goals and priorities for a 10-year plan to accelerate the development of quantum information science and technology applications." Watch: Through the act, the United States intends to "use of the laws of quantum physics for the storage, transmission, manipulation, or measurement of information." The United States hopes to use laws of quantum mechanics to transmit information more securely than the existing unsecured networks. According to the US Energy Department, "one of the hallmarks of quantum transmissions is that they are exceedingly difficult to eavesdrop on as information passes between locations". "Scientists plan to use that trait to make virtually unhackable networks," it added. "Eventually, the use of quantum networking technology in mobile phones could have broad impacts on the lives of individuals around the world," the US energy department said. The project with US government funding would pave the way for "quantum internet". Earlier, DOE and researchers at the University of Chicago had created a "quantum loop" - an 83-kilometre land-based network which allowed a secure network through the transmission of sub-atomic particles. The quantum transmissions make it virtually impossible for hackers to eavesdrop with early adopters set to be in banking and health services and aircraft communications which require a secure network to operate. The quantum sensors would reportedly allow engineers to predict earthquakes or search for underground oil and gold which has been a time consuming and at most times an impossible task.

'Quantum' leap: United States unveils blueprint for virtually 'unhackable internet'

Apple has started manufacturing of one of its flagship devices, the iPhone 11, at Chennai’s Foxconn plant. This is the first time Apple has taken to manufacture a top-of-the-line model in India.

Apple also has plans to build the iPhone SE 2020 in India at&nbsp;its Wistron plant near Bangalore.

Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal announced on Twitter on Friday: “Significant boost to Make in India! Apple has started manufacturing iPhone 11 in India, bringing a top-of-the-line model for the first time in the country."

The tech giant had, in 2019, started assembling the iPhone XR in India. In 2017, Apple started the domestic manufacturing of the Apple iPhone SE 2016 at the Bangalore plant.

Foxconn is a leading supplier for Apple, and is planning to invest up to $1 billion to expand its India factory.

Apple has started manufacturing of one of its flagship devices, the iPhone 11, at Chennai’s Foxconn plant. This is the first time Apple has taken to manufacture a top-of-the-line model in India.

Apple has started manufacturing of one of its flagship devices, the iPhone 11, at Chennai’s Foxconn plant. This is the first time Apple has taken to manufacture a top-of-the-line model in India. Apple also has plans to build the iPhone SE 2020 in India at its Wistron plant near Bangalore. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal announced on Twitter on Friday: “Significant boost to Make in India! Apple has started manufacturing iPhone 11 in India, bringing a top-of-the-line model for the first time in the country." The tech giant had, in 2019, started assembling the iPhone XR in India. In 2017, Apple started the domestic manufacturing of the Apple iPhone SE 2016 at the Bangalore plant. Foxconn is a leading supplier for Apple, and is planning to invest up to $1 billion to expand its India factory.

Apple starts manufacturing of iPhone 11 in India

Twitter said on Wednesday that the hackers who breached its systems last week likely read the direct messages of 36 accounts, including one belonging to an elected official in the Netherlands.

In tweets from its support account and an updated blog post, Twitter said it had no indication that the private messages of any other elected officials were obtained.

Twitter previously said the attackers tweeted from 45 "verified" accounts, including those belonging to such well-known names as CEOs Elon Musk and Bill Gates and former Vice President Joe Biden.

Asked by Reuters if the 36 accounts where messages might have been read included any verified accounts, Twitter said it would not answer.

In general, someone with the ability to tweet from an account would also be able to read previously sent or received messages that had not been deleted.

That would make it likely that some of the most famous people in the world had private messages read by hackers still at large. The FBI is investigating the case from its San Francisco office.

Twitter previously said that the attackers downloaded mass data from eight accounts, none of them the verified accounts with blue checks that include famous people, officials and some in the media.

The downloading tool does not provide access to Twitter messages, a spokeswoman said.

For accounts they won access to, the company said the hackers would have been able to see phone numbers and email addresses but not previous passwords.

Twitter said on Wednesday that the hackers who breached its systems last week likely read the direct messages of 36 accounts, including one belonging to an elected official in the Netherlands.

Twitter said on Wednesday that the hackers who breached its systems last week likely read the direct messages of 36 accounts, including one belonging to an elected official in the Netherlands. In tweets from its support account and an updated blog post, Twitter said it had no indication that the private messages of any other elected officials were obtained. Twitter previously said the attackers tweeted from 45 "verified" accounts, including those belonging to such well-known names as CEOs Elon Musk and Bill Gates and former Vice President Joe Biden. Asked by Reuters if the 36 accounts where messages might have been read included any verified accounts, Twitter said it would not answer. In general, someone with the ability to tweet from an account would also be able to read previously sent or received messages that had not been deleted. That would make it likely that some of the most famous people in the world had private messages read by hackers still at large. The FBI is investigating the case from its San Francisco office. Twitter previously said that the attackers downloaded mass data from eight accounts, none of them the verified accounts with blue checks that include famous people, officials and some in the media. The downloading tool does not provide access to Twitter messages, a spokeswoman said. For accounts they won access to, the company said the hackers would have been able to see phone numbers and email addresses but not previous passwords.

Twitter says hackers saw messages from 36 accounts, including Netherlands official

French authorities have told telecoms operators planning to buy Huawei 5G equipment that they won’t be able to renew licences for the gear once they expire, effectively phasing the Chinese firm out of mobile networks, three sources close to the matter said.

Like other countries in Europe, France is laying the ground for its next-generation 5G mobile market in the middle of a growing geopolitical storm between two global superpowers.

The United States say the company’s equipment could be used by the Chinese government for espionage, a charge denied by Huawei and Beijing and has pressed its allies to ban it.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ready-to-replace-huawei-in-uk-at-scale-and-speed-nokia-313250">Ready to replace Huawei in UK at scale and speed: Nokia</a>

France’s cybersecurity agency ANSSI said this month it would allow operators to use equipment, including Huawei’s, under licences of three to eight years. But it added it was urging telcos not currently using the Chinese company’s gear to avoid switching to it.

Operators must each apply for dozens of licences for equipment to cover different parts of the country.

The sources said ANSSI had informed operators of most licence decisions for large cities. They said the bulk of authorisations for Huawei gear were for three or five years, while most of those for equipment from European rivals Ericsson or Nokia&nbsp;received eight-year licences.

ANSSI’s decisions have not been made public, either by the agency or by the companies.

The sources added that operators had also been told by French authorities during informal conversations in recent months, not stated formally in documents, that licences granted for Huawei equipment would not be renewed thereafter.

Both ANSSI and Huawei declined to comment.

A spokesman for the prime minister’s office, which oversees the permissions on 5G equipment, said ANSSI was working with operators within the legal framework, adding that any authorisation granted at present did not impinge on whether these would later be renewed or interrupted.

Such restrictions, though, would amount to a de facto phase-out of Huawei within France’s 5G networks by 2028, given the short time-frame of the licenses, according to the sources, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.

French operators might still manage to get an eight-year authorisation for Huawei equipment in some cases, and could yet decide to use its gear for that time period, the sources said. But even this meant eventually dismantling it, they added.

One of the sources said it would be difficult for a telecom operator to take the risk of investing in Huawei gear, given new mobile technology like 5G takes at least eight years to yield a return on investment. “Granting three years amounts to a flat refusal,” the person added.

‘Similar&nbsp;to&nbsp;Britain’

An effective ban would be particularly troublesome for Bouygues Telecom and Altice Europe’s SFR, the two French telecom operators that already use Huawei’s equipment in their current mobile network.

The new authorisations for 5G network equipment are linked to existing 4G gear - meaning that if an operator opts for a different supplier for 5G, it would also have to replace its existing 4G infrastructure.

The companies have already said several times this year that such a scenario, in which they may be compelled to replace part of their grid at great cost, would lead them to asking for compensation from the state.

Bouygues and Altice declined to comment on whether they had applied for Huawei licences or any licence decisions or whether they had held informal conversations with ANSSI. They also declined to comment on whether they would now drop any purchase plans for Huawei equipment.

France’s two other major operators, leader Orange&nbsp;and Iliad,&nbsp;mainly rely on Nokia, Ericsson or both for their mobile networks.

French authorities have told telecoms operators planning to buy Huawei 5G equipment that they won’t be able to renew licences for the gear once they expire, effectively phasing the Chinese firm out of mobile networks, three sources close to the matter said.

French authorities have told telecoms operators planning to buy Huawei 5G equipment that they won’t be able to renew licences for the gear once they expire, effectively phasing the Chinese firm out of mobile networks, three sources close to the matter said. Like other countries in Europe, France is laying the ground for its next-generation 5G mobile market in the middle of a growing geopolitical storm between two global superpowers. The United States say the company’s equipment could be used by the Chinese government for espionage, a charge denied by Huawei and Beijing and has pressed its allies to ban it. Also read: Ready to replace Huawei in UK at scale and speed: Nokia France’s cybersecurity agency ANSSI said this month it would allow operators to use equipment, including Huawei’s, under licences of three to eight years. But it added it was urging telcos not currently using the Chinese company’s gear to avoid switching to it. Operators must each apply for dozens of licences for equipment to cover different parts of the country. The sources said ANSSI had informed operators of most licence decisions for large cities. They said the bulk of authorisations for Huawei gear were for three or five years, while most of those for equipment from European rivals Ericsson or Nokia received eight-year licences. ANSSI’s decisions have not been made public, either by the agency or by the companies. The sources added that operators had also been told by French authorities during informal conversations in recent months, not stated formally in documents, that licences granted for Huawei equipment would not be renewed thereafter. Both ANSSI and Huawei declined to comment. A spokesman for the prime minister’s office, which oversees the permissions on 5G equipment, said ANSSI was working with operators within the legal framework, adding that any authorisation granted at present did not impinge on whether these would later be renewed or interrupted. Such restrictions, though, would amount to a de facto phase-out of Huawei within France’s 5G networks by 2028, given the short time-frame of the licenses, according to the sources, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter. French operators might still manage to get an eight-year authorisation for Huawei equipment in some cases, and could yet decide to use its gear for that time period, the sources said. But even this meant eventually dismantling it, they added. One of the sources said it would be difficult for a telecom operator to take the risk of investing in Huawei gear, given new mobile technology like 5G takes at least eight years to yield a return on investment. “Granting three years amounts to a flat refusal,” the person added. ‘Similar to Britain’ An effective ban would be particularly troublesome for Bouygues Telecom and Altice Europe’s SFR, the two French telecom operators that already use Huawei’s equipment in their current mobile network. The new authorisations for 5G network equipment are linked to existing 4G gear - meaning that if an operator opts for a different supplier for 5G, it would also have to replace its existing 4G infrastructure. The companies have already said several times this year that such a scenario, in which they may be compelled to replace part of their grid at great cost, would lead them to asking for compensation from the state. Bouygues and Altice declined to comment on whether they had applied for Huawei licences or any licence decisions or whether they had held informal conversations with ANSSI. They also declined to comment on whether they would now drop any purchase plans for Huawei equipment. France’s two other major operators, leader Orange and Iliad, mainly rely on Nokia, Ericsson or both for their mobile networks.

France planning to halt renewal of Huawei's licence for operators by 2028: Reports

Turns out, shooting people’s heads off in the virtual amount does not imply you will run off shooting in the streets. This revelation, which runs contrary to all previous research about gaming linking&nbsp;long-term exposure to increased violence and thoughts of violence, is based on a reanalysis of data from over 21,000 young gamers on the planet.

Fronted by Aaron Drummond from Massey University in New Zealand, the research claims playing video games is not a contributing factor to one’s aggression and/or&nbsp;violent tendencies. To reach this conclusion, Drummond reanalysed 28 meta-analytical studies that linked violence to gaming.

"Small effect"

His pursuit revealed that only a very small number of people exhibited aggression after gaming, and this positive correlation was too negligible to be taken as the primary signifier of game induced violence. The researchers claimed that it is such a small number, that it does not qualify to even producing a “small effect”.

Published in the Royal Society Open Science journal on Wednesday. 
 
Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/opinions-blogs/how-coronavirus-outbreak-is-impacting-the-gaming-industry-289481" hreflang="en">How coronavirus outbreak is impacting the gaming industry</a>

The report said that the “current research is unable to support the hypothesis that violent video games have a meaningful long-term predictive impact on youth aggression”.

The studies that were analysed by the study head went as back as 2008 showed a small positive correlation between violence and video-games. Over a quarter of the gamers were said to have been susceptible to real-life aggression. There was no concrete conclusion linking violence to gamers in any of these studies. In fact, a study from 2011 showed a negative correlation between aggression and gaming.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/world-health-organisation-officially-recognises-gaming-addiction-as-mental-disorder-221949" hreflang="en">World Health Organisation officially recognises gaming addiction as 'mental disorder'</a>

Accumulation of micro violence?

The most common argument against violent gaming is that an accumulation of micro-violence is one major negative effect of gaming. Over a long-time, this may change one’s temperament, making one susceptible to aggression. However, the study showed no evidence of such accumulation, but in fact paints a totally opposite picture.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="/world/tambola-online-antakshari-community-gaming-on-the-rise-in-times-of-social-distancing-288528" hreflang="en">Tambola, online antakshari: Community gaming on the rise in times of social distancing</a>

The report mentions that “long-term impacts of violent games on youth aggression are near zero”.

Most scientific scholars and groups have based their violence-linked studies to negligible relationship observed between gamers and aggression.

Many studies have also attempted to map emotional behaviour linked to gaming. A research from 2018 done by the University of New South Wales found that gamers used to violence were able to ignore depictions of violence in other contexts.

Turns out, shooting people’s heads off in the virtual amount does not imply you will run off shooting in the streets. This revelation, which runs contrary to all previous research about gaming linking long-term exposure to increased violence and thoughts of violence, is based on a reanalysis of data from over 21,000 young gamers on the planet.

Turns out, shooting people’s heads off in the virtual amount does not imply you will run off shooting in the streets. This revelation, which runs contrary to all previous research about gaming linking long-term exposure to increased violence and thoughts of violence, is based on a reanalysis of data from over 21,000 young gamers on the planet. Fronted by Aaron Drummond from Massey University in New Zealand, the research claims playing video games is not a contributing factor to one’s aggression and/or violent tendencies. To reach this conclusion, Drummond reanalysed 28 meta-analytical studies that linked violence to gaming. "Small effect" His pursuit revealed that only a very small number of people exhibited aggression after gaming, and this positive correlation was too negligible to be taken as the primary signifier of game induced violence. The researchers claimed that it is such a small number, that it does not qualify to even producing a “small effect”. Published in the Royal Society Open Science journal on Wednesday. Also read: How coronavirus outbreak is impacting the gaming industry The report said that the “current research is unable to support the hypothesis that violent video games have a meaningful long-term predictive impact on youth aggression”. The studies that were analysed by the study head went as back as 2008 showed a small positive correlation between violence and video-games. Over a quarter of the gamers were said to have been susceptible to real-life aggression. There was no concrete conclusion linking violence to gamers in any of these studies. In fact, a study from 2011 showed a negative correlation between aggression and gaming. Also read: World Health Organisation officially recognises gaming addiction as 'mental disorder' Accumulation of micro violence? The most common argument against violent gaming is that an accumulation of micro-violence is one major negative effect of gaming. Over a long-time, this may change one’s temperament, making one susceptible to aggression. However, the study showed no evidence of such accumulation, but in fact paints a totally opposite picture. Also read: Tambola, online antakshari: Community gaming on the rise in times of social distancing The report mentions that “long-term impacts of violent games on youth aggression are near zero”. Most scientific scholars and groups have based their violence-linked studies to negligible relationship observed between gamers and aggression. Many studies have also attempted to map emotional behaviour linked to gaming. A research from 2018 done by the University of New South Wales found that gamers used to violence were able to ignore depictions of violence in other contexts.

Gaming does not make you more aggressive, after all!

Russia has for the first time conducted a successful flight test of a 3D-printed aircraft engine, and its production is scheduled for 2021-2022.&nbsp;

The press service of the Russian Foundation for Advanced Research Projects in the Defense Industry told Sputnik: "Russia has for the first time conducted flight tests of the MGTD-20 gas turbine engine made by 3D-printing."

The flight tests were held at Kazanbash aviation center in Tatarstan.

In December 2019, the foundation reported successful bench tests of small-sized gas turbine aircraft engines made using 3D printing technology.

Russia has for the first time conducted a successful flight test of a 3D-printed aircraft engine, and its production is scheduled for 2021-2022. The press service of the Russian Foundation for Advanced Research Projects in the Defense Industry told Sputnik: "Russia has for the first time conducted flight tests of the MGTD-20 gas turbine engine made by 3D-printing.

Russia has for the first time conducted a successful flight test of a 3D-printed aircraft engine, and its production is scheduled for 2021-2022. The press service of the Russian Foundation for Advanced Research Projects in the Defense Industry told Sputnik: "Russia has for the first time conducted flight tests of the MGTD-20 gas turbine engine made by 3D-printing." The flight tests were held at Kazanbash aviation center in Tatarstan. In December 2019, the foundation reported successful bench tests of small-sized gas turbine aircraft engines made using 3D printing technology.

Russia successfully holds flight test of 3D-printed aircraft engine

Twitter Inc said on Tuesday it would permanently suspend accounts that violate its policies while tweeting about&nbsp;QAnon, a fringe group that claims "deep-state" traitors are plotting against President Donald Trump.

Twitter, which announced the change on its Twitter Safety page, said it would not serve content and accounts associated with&nbsp;QAnon&nbsp;in trends and recommendations, and would block URLs associated with the group from being shared on the platform.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-properties-have-imported-over-8-tonnes-of-goods-from-china-since-sep-report-315020" hreflang="en">Trump properties have imported tonnes of goods from China since Sep: Report</a>

The suspension, which will be rolled out this week, is expected to impact about 150,000 accounts globally, Twitter said. More than 7,000 accounts have been removed in the last several weeks for violating the company's rules against spam, platform manipulation and ban evasion.

The suspensions will be applied to accounts "engaged in violations of our multi-account policy, coordinating abuse around individual victims, or are attempting to evade a previous suspension,&nbsp;something we’ve seen more of in recent weeks," Twitter said.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/trump-campaign-runs-facebook-advertisements-asking-if-he-should-ban-tiktok-314800" hreflang="en">Trump campaign runs Facebook advertisements asking if he should ban TikTok</a>

In online conspiracies, the term "deep-state" is used to refer to a combination of elites from the intelligence, political, business and entertainment fields, with&nbsp;QAnon's theories claiming that the "deep-state" is at a secret war with Trump.

QAnon&nbsp;has also claimed that Democratic Party members are behind international crime rings. The group's content has spread widely on mainstream social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. Earlier this year, Facebook removed a US&nbsp;network of fake accounts linked to&nbsp;QAnon.

Last year, the FBI issued a warning about "conspiracy theory-driven domestic extremists" and designated&nbsp;QAnon&nbsp;as a potential domestic extremist threat.

Earlier,&nbsp;Anti-Defamation League (ADL)&nbsp;chief executive Jonathan Greenblatt had pointed out&nbsp;the social media giant's "haphazard" placement of advertising, pointing to an example in which a Verizon ad appeared next to "a video from the conspiracy group&nbsp;QAnon&nbsp;drawing on hateful and anti-Semitic rhetoric."

Facebook is under increasing pressure for its hands-off approach to misinformation and inflammatory posts, particularly by US President Donald Trump.

The social media company made an estimated $70 billion annually from ads, the coalition -- which includes the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) -- behind #StopHateForProfit claimed in a statement on the ADL website.

Twitter Inc said on Tuesday it would permanently suspend accounts that violate its policies while tweeting about QAnon, a fringe group that claims "deep-state" traitors are plotting against President Donald Trump.

Twitter Inc said on Tuesday it would permanently suspend accounts that violate its policies while tweeting about QAnon, a fringe group that claims "deep-state" traitors are plotting against President Donald Trump. Twitter, which announced the change on its Twitter Safety page, said it would not serve content and accounts associated with QAnon in trends and recommendations, and would block URLs associated with the group from being shared on the platform. Also read: Trump properties have imported tonnes of goods from China since Sep: Report The suspension, which will be rolled out this week, is expected to impact about 150,000 accounts globally, Twitter said. More than 7,000 accounts have been removed in the last several weeks for violating the company's rules against spam, platform manipulation and ban evasion. The suspensions will be applied to accounts "engaged in violations of our multi-account policy, coordinating abuse around individual victims, or are attempting to evade a previous suspension, something we’ve seen more of in recent weeks," Twitter said. Also read: Trump campaign runs Facebook advertisements asking if he should ban TikTok In online conspiracies, the term "deep-state" is used to refer to a combination of elites from the intelligence, political, business and entertainment fields, with QAnon's theories claiming that the "deep-state" is at a secret war with Trump. QAnon has also claimed that Democratic Party members are behind international crime rings. The group's content has spread widely on mainstream social media platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube. Earlier this year, Facebook removed a US network of fake accounts linked to QAnon. Last year, the FBI issued a warning about "conspiracy theory-driven domestic extremists" and designated QAnon as a potential domestic extremist threat. Earlier, Anti-Defamation League (ADL) chief executive Jonathan Greenblatt had pointed out the social media giant's "haphazard" placement of advertising, pointing to an example in which a Verizon ad appeared next to "a video from the conspiracy group QAnon drawing on hateful and anti-Semitic rhetoric." Facebook is under increasing pressure for its hands-off approach to misinformation and inflammatory posts, particularly by US President Donald Trump. The social media company made an estimated $70 billion annually from ads, the coalition -- which includes the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) -- behind #StopHateForProfit claimed in a statement on the ADL website.

Twitter announces broad crackdown on conspiracy theory group QAnon

US&nbsp;President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign is running&nbsp;Facebook ads&nbsp;claiming that the Chinese-owned short video app TikTok is spying on users.

The ads link to a survey asking whether TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based tech giant ByteDance, should be banned in the United States. They also ask for respondents' names and contact details.

"TikTok is spying on you,” claimed one ad. “TikTok has been caught red handed by monitoring what is on your phone’s clipboard,” it said.

TikTok&nbsp;is estimated to have close to a billion users worldwide, and has long battled allegations that it is a spying tool for Beijing, pointing out it has an American CEO and consistently denying allegations that it shares user data.

Earlier this month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the United States was “certainly looking at” banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok. India banned TikTok and other Chinese apps in June.

Trump blames China for the coronavirus pandemic, which continues to ravage the US, threatening the American economy and the president's reelection.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/they-could-have-stopped-the-virus-but-didnt-trump-lashes-out-at-china-again-314740">They could have stopped the virus but didn't: Trump lashes out at China again</a>

But he also fell victim to&nbsp;TikTok&nbsp;users, who along with legions of K-pop fans, claimed to have sabotaged Trump's campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma last month by reserving blocks of tickets for the event they had no intention of attending. Trump's campaign boasted it had receive a million ticket requests, but only 6,200 people attended.

TikTok has said that it has never provided user data to China and that it would not do so if asked, and a spokeswoman told Reuters on Monday the company has "no higher priority than promoting a safe app experience that protects our users' privacy.”

Last month, when Apple released to developers a test version of its iOS operating system with new privacy features, developers showed images of TikTok's app triggering notifications that it was copying data from users' clipboards, where data is temporarily stored while copying and pasting from one app to another.

TikTok said the notifications were caused by an anti-spam feature but it ended the practice June 27.

TikTok also hit out at Facebook for running the ads. "Facebook is taking money for a political ad that attacks a competitor just as it's preparing to launch a TikTok copycat,” the spokeswoman said in an email to Reuters.

Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company’s photo-sharing app Instagram will soon be expanding its test of a short video format called Reels to the United States, according to media reports.

US President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign is running Facebook ads claiming that the Chinese-owned short video app TikTok is spying on users. The ads link to a survey asking whether TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based tech giant ByteDance, should be banned in the United States.

US President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign is running Facebook ads claiming that the Chinese-owned short video app TikTok is spying on users. The ads link to a survey asking whether TikTok, which is owned by Beijing-based tech giant ByteDance, should be banned in the United States. They also ask for respondents' names and contact details. "TikTok is spying on you,” claimed one ad. “TikTok has been caught red handed by monitoring what is on your phone’s clipboard,” it said. TikTok is estimated to have close to a billion users worldwide, and has long battled allegations that it is a spying tool for Beijing, pointing out it has an American CEO and consistently denying allegations that it shares user data. Earlier this month, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the United States was “certainly looking at” banning Chinese social media apps, including TikTok. India banned TikTok and other Chinese apps in June. Trump blames China for the coronavirus pandemic, which continues to ravage the US, threatening the American economy and the president's reelection. Also read: They could have stopped the virus but didn't: Trump lashes out at China again But he also fell victim to TikTok users, who along with legions of K-pop fans, claimed to have sabotaged Trump's campaign rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma last month by reserving blocks of tickets for the event they had no intention of attending. Trump's campaign boasted it had receive a million ticket requests, but only 6,200 people attended. TikTok has said that it has never provided user data to China and that it would not do so if asked, and a spokeswoman told Reuters on Monday the company has "no higher priority than promoting a safe app experience that protects our users' privacy.” Last month, when Apple released to developers a test version of its iOS operating system with new privacy features, developers showed images of TikTok's app triggering notifications that it was copying data from users' clipboards, where data is temporarily stored while copying and pasting from one app to another. TikTok said the notifications were caused by an anti-spam feature but it ended the practice June 27. TikTok also hit out at Facebook for running the ads. "Facebook is taking money for a political ad that attacks a competitor just as it's preparing to launch a TikTok copycat,” the spokeswoman said in an email to Reuters. Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company’s photo-sharing app Instagram will soon be expanding its test of a short video format called Reels to the United States, according to media reports.

Trump campaign runs Facebook advertisements asking if he should ban TikTok

The depiction of Mongols as invaders in a new PlayStation 4 game has stirred furore in China, and has sparked debates around nationalism in the country.

The game titled "Ghost of Tsushima"&nbsp;has received backlash online. Based in 13th century, the game depicts Mongol invasion of Japan, and shows the former as vicious foreign invaders.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/elon-musks-upcoming-neuralink-will-let-you-beam-music-directly-into-the-brain-314879" hreflang="en">Elon Musk's upcoming 'Neuralink' will let you beam music directly into the brain</a>

The Japanese, on the other hand, are shown as heroes defending their own country. The game is set on the island of “Tsushima”.

Game creates ripples in China

The titular character, Jin Sakai, travels through Japan preying on Mongols, and engages in physical altercations with them.

Even though the game is set far off from China, people in the country have expressed disapproval of the game’s depiction.

This is what the game looks like:

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Ghost Of Tsushima's PHOTO MODE is pretty cool, especially with how AMAZING the open world looks like. 
 
Here are my favorite scenic shots that I took. 
 
It also helps me practice my Compositions for IRL, hahaha! 📸<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GhostsofTsushima?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GhostsofTsushima</a> <a href="https://t.co/5cr4XyFVOq">pic.twitter.com/5cr4XyFVOq</a>
— GLOCO🎣🎮 (@GLOCOgaming) <a href="https://twitter.com/GLOCOgaming/status/1285508810409312258?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2020</a></blockquote>
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However, Mongols have played a considerable role in the history of China. They became the first ethnic group besides the Han Chinese to take control over the country and maintaining it for over a century.

The Chinese critics believe that Mongols who occupied China should be now considered&nbsp; Chinese.

Japan is largely perceived as enemy territory for it had invaded China before World War 2.

Users get in!

As reported by the South China Morning Post, a user extended his support to the Mongols on Chinese iteration of YouTube called Bilibili. The user also referred to the Japanese with a slur.

“I stand with the Mongols, [slur for Japanese] can crawl”, it roughly translated into.

Another user on a Chinese content portal called Zhihu observed how this remains a plot where the Japanese are murdering Chinese.

“This is a game where the Japanese are killing Chinese. Mongols are one of the nomadic groups of north China. Very much like the Han Chinese, they are”, this one said.

Many users rang in a nationalist rhetoric and urged Chinese people to not play the game, and leave it to the foreigners. “Chinese shouldn’t join in on the fun”, a user said.

Many don't agree

Some gamers were also quick to mocking such observations, saying they saw nothing problematic with the plot construction of the game.

Read what one user on Twitter had to say

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It seems that some people are really trying to find reasons to hate on Ghost of Tsushima. Probably because you can’t release anything these days without someone trying to create controversy where there isn’t any. It’s a samurai action game. It’s not that deep.
— Oliver Jia (オリバー・ジア) (@OliverJia1014) <a href="https://twitter.com/OliverJia1014/status/1283800730764103681?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The furore has also been mocked on Japanese portals. For instance:

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Ghost of Tsushima "controversy" gets openly mocked by the people of Japan on multiple Japanese websites hahah<a href="https://t.co/jMJx4sWHcV">https://t.co/jMJx4sWHcV</a> <a href="https://t.co/5KoOc7rJ53">pic.twitter.com/5KoOc7rJ53</a>
— HeroHei (@_Hero_Hei_) <a href="https://twitter.com/_Hero_Hei_/status/1284219831470845952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2020</a></blockquote>
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A user on Zhihu wrote, “the war [during that time] was the general form of aggression”, while saying all kinds of invasion is wrong. The right thing to do is to resist, the user further suggested, while referring to them as basic moral concepts.

One attempted to straighten out the scenario by saying that both sides’ invasion of each other was wrong, while adding “we should hate all such war acts” instead of targetting just the Japanese people.

The depiction of Mongols as invaders in a new PlayStation 4 game has stirred furore in China, and has sparked debates around nationalism in the country. The game titled "Ghost of Tsushima" has received backlash online.

The depiction of Mongols as invaders in a new PlayStation 4 game has stirred furore in China, and has sparked debates around nationalism in the country. The game titled "Ghost of Tsushima" has received backlash online. Based in 13th century, the game depicts Mongol invasion of Japan, and shows the former as vicious foreign invaders. Also read: Elon Musk's upcoming 'Neuralink' will let you beam music directly into the brain The Japanese, on the other hand, are shown as heroes defending their own country. The game is set on the island of “Tsushima”. Game creates ripples in China The titular character, Jin Sakai, travels through Japan preying on Mongols, and engages in physical altercations with them. Even though the game is set far off from China, people in the country have expressed disapproval of the game’s depiction. This is what the game looks like: Ghost Of Tsushima's PHOTO MODE is pretty cool, especially with how AMAZING the open world looks like. Here are my favorite scenic shots that I took. It also helps me practice my Compositions for IRL, hahaha! 📸#GhostsofTsushima pic.twitter.com/5cr4XyFVOq — GLOCO🎣🎮 (@GLOCOgaming) July 21, 2020 × However, Mongols have played a considerable role in the history of China. They became the first ethnic group besides the Han Chinese to take control over the country and maintaining it for over a century. The Chinese critics believe that Mongols who occupied China should be now considered Chinese. Japan is largely perceived as enemy territory for it had invaded China before World War 2. Users get in! As reported by the South China Morning Post, a user extended his support to the Mongols on Chinese iteration of YouTube called Bilibili. The user also referred to the Japanese with a slur. “I stand with the Mongols, [slur for Japanese] can crawl”, it roughly translated into. Another user on a Chinese content portal called Zhihu observed how this remains a plot where the Japanese are murdering Chinese. “This is a game where the Japanese are killing Chinese. Mongols are one of the nomadic groups of north China. Very much like the Han Chinese, they are”, this one said. Many users rang in a nationalist rhetoric and urged Chinese people to not play the game, and leave it to the foreigners. “Chinese shouldn’t join in on the fun”, a user said. Many don't agree Some gamers were also quick to mocking such observations, saying they saw nothing problematic with the plot construction of the game. Read what one user on Twitter had to say It seems that some people are really trying to find reasons to hate on Ghost of Tsushima. Probably because you can’t release anything these days without someone trying to create controversy where there isn’t any. It’s a samurai action game. It’s not that deep. — Oliver Jia (オリバー・ジア) (@OliverJia1014) July 16, 2020 × The furore has also been mocked on Japanese portals. For instance: Ghost of Tsushima "controversy" gets openly mocked by the people of Japan on multiple Japanese websites hahahhttps://t.co/jMJx4sWHcV pic.twitter.com/5KoOc7rJ53 — HeroHei (@_Hero_Hei_) July 17, 2020 × A user on Zhihu wrote, “the war [during that time] was the general form of aggression”, while saying all kinds of invasion is wrong. The right thing to do is to resist, the user further suggested, while referring to them as basic moral concepts. One attempted to straighten out the scenario by saying that both sides’ invasion of each other was wrong, while adding “we should hate all such war acts” instead of targetting just the Japanese people.

PS4 game depicting Mongols as invaders stirs furore on Chinese portals

Pakistan's telecommunications regulator on Monday issued a "final warning" to TikTok over "immoral" content posted on the platform. TikTok, owned by China-based ByteDance, is already facing problems with authorities in a number of countries including in Australia, India, and the United States due to security and privacy issues.

Pakistan's telecommunications regulator on Monday issued a "final warning" to TikTok over "immoral" content posted on the platform. TikTok, owned by China-based ByteDance, is already facing problems with authorities in a number of countries including in Australia, India, and the United States due to security and privacy issues. The Indian government recently banned the app. Also read: With India's TikTok ban, Chinese parent company ByteDance could lose up to $6 billion Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said in a statement that it had sent TikTok to moderate content on their platforms after receiving complaints, but their response was unsatisfactory. "PTA has decided to immediately block Bigo and issue final warning to TikTok to put in place a comprehensive mechanism to control obscenity, vulgarity and immorality through its social media application," the statement said. TikTok is one of the world's most popular social media apps, with over 2 billion downloads globally. Also read: TikTok in talks with UK government for new headquarters in London: Sources In Pakistan, it has been downloaded almost 39 million times and is the third-most downloaded app over the past year after WhatsApp and Facebook, according to analytics firm Sensor Tower. Though Pakistan is a socially conservative, mostly Muslim nation, it shares close ties with communist-ruled China. Pakistan counts China as its largest investor and most reliable ally. (With inputs from Reuters)

'Unsatisfactory response' prompts Pak to issue final warning to TikTok over 'immoral' content

A group of Uber drivers in UK has filed a legal suit demanding company to reveal how it uses its algorithm to manage their work.&nbsp;

The UK-based App Drivers and Couriers Union filed the case on Monday in the district court in Amsterdam, where the international headquarters of the cab-booking app is located.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/black-lives-matter-uber-eats-to-feature-black-owned-restaurants-in-us-and-canada-303457#:~:text=To%20help%20in%20this%20cause,owned%20specifically%20by%20Black%20people.&amp;text=The%20feature%20was%20launched%20on,of%20this%20year%2C%20for%20now.">Black lives matter: Uber Eats to feature Black-owned restaurants in US and Canada</a>

The union demanded transparency from Uber to check whether the company was discriminating or unequally treating between drivers.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/after-ola-ride-hailing-firm-uber-lays-off-600-employees-in-india-301070">After Ola, ride-hailing firm Uber lays off 600 employees in India</a>

Anton Ekker, the Amsterdam-based privacy lawyer who is heading the case says it's "about the distribution of power".&nbsp;

"It’s about Uber exerting control through data and automated decision-making and how it is blocking access to that," he said, reported Guardian.&nbsp;

"The app decides millions of times a day who is going to get what ride: who gets the nice rides; who gets the short rides. But this is not just about Uber. The problem is everywhere. Algorithms and data give a lot of control but the people who are subject to it are often no longer aware of it."

The complaint says Uber tags drivers' profiles with words such "inappropriate behaviours", "police tag", "professionalism" and the results of these attributes on which the drivers are judged are not provided to them.&nbsp;

The union argues they have a right to access general data protection regulations (GDPR) which Uber has failed to provide them. They want to know the data of how the drivers' profiling is done, which includes behaviour, location or movements, among others.&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

A group of Uber drivers in UK has filed a legal suit demanding company to reveal how it uses its algorithm to manage their work. The UK-based App Drivers and Couriers Union filed the case on Monday in the district court in Amsterdam, where the international headquarters of the cab-booking app is located.

A group of Uber drivers in UK has filed a legal suit demanding company to reveal how it uses its algorithm to manage their work. The UK-based App Drivers and Couriers Union filed the case on Monday in the district court in Amsterdam, where the international headquarters of the cab-booking app is located. Also read | Black lives matter: Uber Eats to feature Black-owned restaurants in US and Canada The union demanded transparency from Uber to check whether the company was discriminating or unequally treating between drivers. Also read | After Ola, ride-hailing firm Uber lays off 600 employees in India Anton Ekker, the Amsterdam-based privacy lawyer who is heading the case says it's "about the distribution of power". "It’s about Uber exerting control through data and automated decision-making and how it is blocking access to that," he said, reported Guardian. "The app decides millions of times a day who is going to get what ride: who gets the nice rides; who gets the short rides. But this is not just about Uber. The problem is everywhere. Algorithms and data give a lot of control but the people who are subject to it are often no longer aware of it." The complaint says Uber tags drivers' profiles with words such "inappropriate behaviours", "police tag", "professionalism" and the results of these attributes on which the drivers are judged are not provided to them. The union argues they have a right to access general data protection regulations (GDPR) which Uber has failed to provide them. They want to know the data of how the drivers' profiling is done, which includes behaviour, location or movements, among others.

Drivers approach court demanding Uber to disclose algorithm

Used and discarded phones have been a concern for environmentalists since phones became an intrinsic part of human lives.

Many opt for recycling, or simply exchanging their old phone for a new phone which also saves money.

Mail it in!

But France has come up with a solution of its kind. Now, people can send their phones via mail to get it recycled and/or refurbished by a charity group to be later put on sale.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/elon-musks-upcoming-neuralink-will-let-you-beam-music-directly-into-the-brain-314879" hreflang="en">Elon Musk's upcoming 'Neuralink' will let you beam music directly into the brain</a>

According to AFP estimates, over 50 to 110 million phones are simply sitting in the France. Recycling still remains elusive to many, and fears of data theft loom large in today’s time.

The NGO - Ecosystem claims that anybody can ship their phones to them in a paid-for envelope which can be procured from their website. Additionally, they may print out a pre-paid label.

To encourage reuse

Once mailed, the phones are kept in a processing centre, and assessed. The pilot step is erasing its data before it fixed or moved for sale.

The phones are mostly sold at charity shops. However, the majority of the phones (over 83 percent) are first disassembled and then recycled. This is done to rid the device of all polluting articles.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/drivers-approach-court-demanding-uber-to-disclose-algorithm-314772" hreflang="en">Drivers approach court demanding Uber to disclose algorithm</a>

As part of its redistribution scheme, the NGO will give away 100 refurbished phones during each of the 35 stages part of the 2020 Tour de France cycling race, which is set to begin on August 29.

Ecosystem collected over 62,000 tonnes of discarded material after people cleared their homes during the COVID-19 lockdown.&nbsp;

This move may encourage reusing old devices instead of simply discarding them, which produces a lot of waste.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/technology/kfc-will-start-testing-its-environment-friendly-3d-printed-chicken-in-russia-by-end-of-2020-314872" hreflang="en">KFC will start testing its environment friendly 3D-printed chicken in Russia by end of 2020</a>

Used and discarded phones have been a concern for environmentalists since phones became an intrinsic part of human lives. Many opt for recycling, or simply exchanging their old phone for a new phone which also saves money.

Used and discarded phones have been a concern for environmentalists since phones became an intrinsic part of human lives. Many opt for recycling, or simply exchanging their old phone for a new phone which also saves money. Mail it in! But France has come up with a solution of its kind. Now, people can send their phones via mail to get it recycled and/or refurbished by a charity group to be later put on sale. Also read: Elon Musk's upcoming 'Neuralink' will let you beam music directly into the brain According to AFP estimates, over 50 to 110 million phones are simply sitting in the France. Recycling still remains elusive to many, and fears of data theft loom large in today’s time. The NGO - Ecosystem claims that anybody can ship their phones to them in a paid-for envelope which can be procured from their website. Additionally, they may print out a pre-paid label. To encourage reuse Once mailed, the phones are kept in a processing centre, and assessed. The pilot step is erasing its data before it fixed or moved for sale. The phones are mostly sold at charity shops. However, the majority of the phones (over 83 percent) are first disassembled and then recycled. This is done to rid the device of all polluting articles. Also read: Drivers approach court demanding Uber to disclose algorithm As part of its redistribution scheme, the NGO will give away 100 refurbished phones during each of the 35 stages part of the 2020 Tour de France cycling race, which is set to begin on August 29. Ecosystem collected over 62,000 tonnes of discarded material after people cleared their homes during the COVID-19 lockdown. This move may encourage reusing old devices instead of simply discarding them, which produces a lot of waste. Also read: KFC will start testing its environment friendly 3D-printed chicken in Russia by end of 2020

France may have found the perfect way to deal with discarded phones

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