Archives February 2023

A new Microsoft Teams update could let you pull the ultimate power move whilst on your next call – but could also cause you to severely annoy everyone in your team.

The video conferencing service has officially launched a new feature that will allow call participants to mention everyone in a group all at once.

The number of dangerous Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS (opens in new tab)) attacks saw a significant rise in 2022, a new report is saying.

Analysis from Qrator Labs said that the number of attacks, as well as their duration, all spiked in 2022 compared to previous years – with the minimum figures for the last ten months “significantly higher” than peak values seen in the past. 

If you have been planning to purchase a new budget smartphone, then this may be the right time for you to purchase one. Amazon is giving a minimum 20% discount on smartphones from Oppo, Vivo, Samsung and others. Here’s a curated list of products along with the discounts that buyers can avail:
Oppo A31: Available at Rs 12,490 after 22% discount
Oppo A31 features a triple rear camera setup comprising a 12MP main camera, 2MP macro lens and a 2MP depth camera. The camera sensor also comes equipped with Portrait bokeh, macro lens, dazzle color mode, AI beautification. On the front, there’s an 8MP sensor for selfies and video calls.

Vivo Y16: Available at Rs 9,999 after 29% discount
Vivo Y16 sports a 6.51-inch HD+ LCD panel. The smartphone houses a dual rear camera setup that consists of a 13MP primary sensor and a 2MP secondary sensor. The front is home to a 5MP selfie camera. The device is powered by the MediaTek chipset and runs FunTouch OS 12 based on Android 12.
Nokia G21: Available at Rs 13,499 after 21% discount
Nokia G21 sports a 6.5-inch display with 90Hz refresh rate. The smartphone comes with 6GB RAM and packs 128GB internal storage. The device is backed by a 5050mAh battery and the company claims to offer up to 3 days of battery life. It has a triple rear camera sensor comprising a 50MP AI camera.

Redmi Note 11: Available at Rs 14,499 after 28% discount
Redmi Note 11 sports a 6.43-inch FHD+ panel with a 1080 x 2400 pixels resolution. The smartphone has a quad-camera setup comprising a 50MP primary sensor and, 8MP ultra-wide sensor, and a 2MP macro and portrait lens. The front houses a 13 MP sensor for selfies and video calls.
Samsung Galaxy M13: Available at Rs 11,999 after 20% discount
Samsung Galaxy M13 sports a triple rear camera setup that consists of a 50MP main sensor, 5MP secondary sensor and a 2MP depth sensor. The front is home to an 8MP sensor for selfies and video chats. The smartphone is powered by an octa-core processor and runs OneUI Core 4 based on Android 12.

Hisense has launched its latest range of air conditioners in India. The company has launched two AC series — IntelliPro and CoolingXpert. The new ACs offer a wide range of features, such as a WIFI Voice Control, 5-in-1 Convertible Pro and many others and also provide a 10-year warranty on the compressor.
Price and availability
The Hisense IntelliPro and CoolingXpert offer capacities ranging from 1 ton to 2 ton, with prices starting from Rs. 31,000, and are available at leading electronics stores across India.
Hisense IntelliPro and CoolingXpert features
The new Hisense IntelliPro comes with WiFi and voice control features which enable users to easily control the temperature and modes. The air conditioners come equipped with a 4-way swing which ensures uniform and consistent cool air throughout the room.

The ACs come with a sleep mode which automatically changes the temperature, and the 5-in-1 convertible mode paired with an inverter compressor that adjusts energy usage save up to 36% on energy usage. Additionally, both ACs have 100% inner-grooved copper tubes that provide long-term use and excellent cooling efficiency for much-needed seasonal changes.
Both IntelliPRO and CoolingXpert come with a PM2.5 health filter that protects your health by filtering out harmful PM2.5 pollutants in the room, as well as an auto-clean mode that prevents mold, moisture, and dust from accumulating in the indoor unit, giving a strong and odour-free cooling home. The ACs are also designed to offer stabilizer free performance which enables the ACs to operate smoothly at voltage circumstances ranging from 140V to 290V. This saves the expense of purchasing a separate stabilizer.
Both the ACs also come with smart diagnosis mode which will show an error code for easy problem diagnosis and quick resolution. Offering a comfortable feel at home.
Commenting on the launch, Steven Li, MD of Hisense India, said, “Hisense India is focused on bringing innovative and high-quality products in various categories to offer the best quality products and services to attract Indian customers. The launch of the IntelliPRO and CoolingXpert air conditioners is a continuation of this commitment and a step towards providing customers with unparalleled comfort and convenience at home. The AC’s features not only provide customers with a delightful experience but also help save energy and maintain a healthy home environment. We are excited and looking forward to bringing more world-class products in various categories.”

Netflix offers several subscription plans that vary in price, features, and number of devices that can stream at the same time. The streaming platform is reducing its subscription costs in select countries in the Middle East. This could be a strategic move by Netflix to attract more customers in the region by making its services more affordable.
New price
In countries like Yemen, Iraq, Tunisia, Jordan, Palestine, Libya, Algeria, Lebanon, Iran, and Sudan, Netflix subscription basic plan will now cost $3.00 which was earlier priced at $7.99. The standard plan has been brought down to $7.99 from $9.99, and the premium plan has been dropped from $11.99 to $9.99.
In Egypt, the basic plan will cost 50 Egyptian pounds from 100 Egyptian pounds, the standard plan has been slashed from 165 pounds to 100 pounds. Similarly, the premium subscription plan has been brought down from 200 pounds to 150 pounds.

In Morocco, the price of the basic plan has been slashed from 65 Moroccan dirhams to 35 dirhams whereas the standard plan has been brought down from 95 to 65 dirhams and the premium plan has been cut down to 95 dirhams instead of 155 dirhams.
However, there has been no change in the subscription plans in Gulf countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The new subscription plans will reflect for new subscribers after signing up whereas for existing subscribers they will be rolled out in the upcoming weeks and come into effect from the next billing cycle.
However, as per Netflix’s website, the plans and prices may change as it “continues to add more TV shows and movies and introduce new product features.”

Google is reportedly working on a new shortcut for its Chrome web browser. Once the shortcut is integrated within the browser, users will be able to close the active tabs in a faster way.
According to a report by Android Police, the upcoming shortcut is likely to be a mouse input, which allows users to close the active tab with a double click of the mouse.
Presently, Windows users practice the Ctrl+W keys to close the active in Chrome. However, the standard way to close the active tabs on Chrome is clicking on the cross button located beside the active tabs.

The report further adds that the new shortcut will enable users to close tabs with a double-click action of the mouse.
Google Chrome gets new Material You design
Meanwhile, the search engine giant has also revamped its Chrome search browser with a new Material You makeover to give users a more personalised experience. Here’s what has changed.
The browser will no longer appear as a small, pill-shaped container when a user taps on the address bar. The newly added makeover is slightly larger in size and has a more rectangular shape, which adheres to the Material You theme. Additionally, the search results, websites, and suggestions no longer appear as texts on a light/dark background. Instead, each web result or suggestion is placed inside an individual card of its own in the Google Chrome browser.

The card has a little lighter background as compared to the rest of the screen which makes the search result stand out. The Dynamic Colour scheme gives an appealing look to the page making it less cluttered without having much impact on how the text appears.
According to previous reports, Google Chrome Material You address bar resembles the unified Pixel Launcher search. However, this time, the design will be visible on Samsung and other Android devices, too.

Ptron has announced its latest smartwatch under its Force smartwatch series, expanding its wearable lineup. Dubbed X12N, the smartwatch has pre-installed watch faces, built-in games, full-touch 12.5D curved glass and a functional crown. Apart from that, it also comes with health and fitness features including SpO2, heart rate monitor, sleep tracking, daily activity tracker and more.
Ptron Force X12N: Price and availability
Ptron Force X12N is priced at Rs 1,199 and it will be available for purchase starting February 21 via the Amazon India website.

Ptron Force X12N: Features
The smartwatch features a 1.85-inch HD display, and it comes with 130+ pre-installed watch faces. It also comes with multiple sports modes and claims to offer up to 5 days of battery life. The watch comes equipped with Bluetooth 5.0 as the connectivity option and supports additional functions like incoming call alerts, text message alerts, social media alerts, music control, camera control and more.

Oppo recently launched its foldable smartphone — Oppo Find N2 Flip globally. The smartphone maker is now expected to launch the smartphone in India soon. Now ahead of the India launch, Oppo has explained the design elements of its much-talked flip smartphone.
Oppo Find N2 Flip design explained
The Oppo Find N2 Flip comes with a polished aluminium frame and matte glass back. Its freshly designed hinge mechanism sports a micro-engraved waveform pattern to give it visual flair.
The foldable smartphone sports a 3.26-inch vertical cover display which accounts for 48.5% of the top half of the phone with a 17:9 vertical layout, and is a natural extension of the aspect ratio of the primary screen. The largest ever cover display on a flip phone allows for engaging new user experiences, from previews of photos and videos to quick access to tools like timers and important system settings.

The cover display also includes Smart Widgets for Wi-Fi, mobile data, flight mode, Bluetooth, notification alerts, do not disturb, power saving modes, and the torch that can all be turned on and off with a swipe down and a tap. Along with this, the smartphone also allows users to completely customise the cover display.
Oppo Find N2 Flip comes in two colour options — Moonlit Purple and Astral Black.
Oppo Find N2 Flip specifications
Oppo Find N2 Flip is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset paired with up to 16GB of RAM. The smartphone runs Android 13 operating system topped with the company’s own layer of ColorOS 13.
Oppo Find N2 Flip sports a Hasselblad powered triple rear camera. The smartphone houses a 50MP main sensor with f/1.8 aperture, 48MP ultra-wide angle lens with f/2.2 aperture and 32MP telephoto lens with f/2.0 aperture. Front is home to a 32MP selfie camera.
The flip phone from Oppo is backed by a 4,520 mAh battery with 67W fast charging support. The company claims that the smartphone can charge from 0 to 100% in 42 minutes.

Microsoft launched AI-powered Bing with ChatGPT integration earlier this month. Soon after its debut, the company opened the preview to some users in the waiting list. Multiple reports suggested that the chatbot in Microsoft’s web browser went off the rails as it insulted, threatened and even mocked users. The company then implemented limits of 5 chat turns per session and a total of 50 per day. Microsoft is now increasing the chat sessions and total number of chats.
“Since placing the chat limits, we have received feedback from many of you wanting a return of longer chats, so that you can both search more effectively and interact with the chat feature better,” Microsoft said in a blog post.

Microsoft increase chat conversations with Bing
The company announced that it is bringing back longer chats but they are still limited to 6 chat turns per session and expanded to 60 total chats per day. Our data shows that for the vast majority of you this will enable your natural daily use of Bing, Microsoft added.
The company also announced its intention to go further with plans to increase the daily cap to 100 total chats ‘soon’. Furthermore, normal searches will no longer count against your chat totals once the increased limit is rolled out.
Changes coming to Bing chat
Microsoft says it is going to begin testing an additional option that lets users choose the tone of the Chat. There will be three tones: Precise that will focus on shorter, more search focused answers, Balanced, and Creative that gives users longer and more chatty answers.
“The goal is to give you more control on the type of chat behaviour to best meet your needs,” the company said.

Why Microsoft imposed restrictions on Bing
Last week, Microsoft implemented limits of 5 chat turns per session and a total of 50 per day “in response to a handful of cases in which long chat sessions confused the underlying model.”
“These long and intricate chat sessions are not something we would typically find with internal testing. In fact, the very reason we are testing the new Bing in the open with a limited set of preview testers is precisely to find these atypical use cases from which we can learn and improve the product,” the company said.

Bharti Airtel recently hiked the price of its entry-level prepaid plan in several cities across the country. Now, the telecom service provider has hiked the tariff of the plan in two more cities. TelecomTalk has reported that Airtel has now increased the plan price in Maharashtra and Kerala regions as well.
Bharti Airtel prepaid plan price hike
Earlier, Airtel users across the country had a Rs 99 prepaid recharge plan with validity as its cheapest plan for its prepaid customers. The plan used to offer 200MB data with no calling minutes. Users were charged 2.5 paise per call for both local and STD.

Now, the company has scrapped the plan and the cheapest prepaid recharge plan on offer is priced at Rs 155 per month. The added price also brings added benefits to users. The Rs 155 prepaid plan offers unlimited calling both local and STD and includes 1GB data and 300SMS. The plan comes with a 24 days validity.
Apart from these, the prepaid plan also includes benefits like Wynk subscription, free hello tunes and more.
After the allocated data is over, users will be charged 50 paise per MB and for SMS, the local SMS will cost Re 1 and STD SMSes will be charged at Rs 1.50 per SMS.

Other Airtel Prepaid plans with unlimited calling
Airtel Rs 299 prepaid plan: Offers 2GB per day data
This the cheapest Airtel prepaid plan to offer 2GB daily data. Apart from that, it also comes with unlimited calling, 100SMS per day and Airtel Thanks benefits. It comes with 28 days validity.
Airtel Rs 319 prepaid plan: Comes with 2GB per day data
This plan offers 1 month validity, unlimited calling, 100 SMS per day and 2GB daily data. The plan also includes Airtel Thanks benefits.