Archives 2023

Infinix Smart 8 has been teased to launch in India soon. The handset was recently unveiled in Nigeria.  Infinix has revealed some key features and colour options of the Indian variant of the Smart 8. The Indian variant is expected to be similar to its global counterpart in terms of specifications. Notably, the company has also introduced another model from the Infinix Smart 8 lineup in India, the Infinix Smart 8 HD, which debuted in the country earlier this month.

In a press note, Infinix confirmed that the Infinix Smart 8 will soon launch in India, although an exact launch date wasn’t revealed. The company shared the design and colour options of the handset as well. In the images shared, the phone is seen with a wooden textured back panel and in black, gold, and white colourways. 

The Indian variant of the Infinix Smart 8 is confirmed to have a 50-megapixel primary sensor and an unspecified secondary AI-assisted sensor alongside a ring LED light unit at the back. The front camera, also accompanied by an LED flash will have an 8-megapixel sensor. The phone will also come with the Magic Ring feature, which is similar to Apple’s Dynamic Island that shows notifications and other relevant alerts.

Since the Indian variant of the Infinix Smart 8 is likely to be similar to the global version, it is likely that it will share its specifications. The global variant of the handset carries a 6.6-inch HD+ (1,612 x 720 pixels) display with a refresh rate of 90Hz and a peak brightness level of 500 nits. 

The global variant of the Infinix Smart 8 is powered by an octa-core Unisoc T606 SoC paired with 4GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard memory. The RAM is expandable by an additional 4GB and the storage is extendable via a microSD card. The phone ships with Android 13-based XOS 13.

Backed by a 5,000mAh battery, the Inifnix Smart 8 supports 10W wired charging via a USB Type-C port. In Nigeria, the handset is offered in Crystal Green, Galaxy White, Timber Black, and Shiny Gold colour options.

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Recently, the finance and banking sectors have been exploring the benefits of artificial intelligence to improve their services, however, the same technology is hovering over them like a dark cloud. The threat of deepfakes is not only limited to cloning people’s faces and creating fake photos and videos, but now it is being used to steal people’s identity. With the help of deepfakes, tricksters are cloning people’s voices to manipulate their friends and family members into emptying their bank accounts or revealing vulnerable information. The Indian government has now warned banks and fintech companies about the rising deepfakes threat in the coming months and wants them to strengthen security against cybercrime.

To understand the deepfakes threat, one must know what it is. These are artificial intelligence-generated videos, images, and audio that are edited or manipulated to clone a person’s identity, including voice.

Government concerns over deepfake risks on banks and fintech companies

According to a TOI report, the Finance Ministry has urged banks and fintech companies to prepare themselves for the rising deepfakes threat while conducting a stress test. Financial Service Secretary Vivek Joshi emphasised the emerging risks of cloning voices and personalities over deepfakes. Joshi said, “The government has taken critical steps to ensure that robust cybersecurity systems are put in place. Banks need to move a notch up and include stress testing of cyber risk assessment to gauge the impact if any cyberattack happens.”

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Additionally, Joshi added that banks and financial institutions must work on building advanced cybersecurity tools and technology to safeguard critical and vulnerable information about organizations as well as their customers to avoid any mishappening. Such crucial measures have already been taken place in places like Europe and Singapore. Additionally, he also talked about the growing economy of India and how it should remain stagnant in the year 2024.

Deepfakes have been a constant threat to safeguard individuals from becoming victims of cyber crime due to advanced technology and smart tricks used by criminals to manipulate people. Cybersecurity systems should be able to analyze and detect potential risks before they take place through any unusual activity in the account.

PlayStation Plus’ monthly free games for January 2024 — the new year — have been revealed. The month’s offerings include narrative-focused period adventure title A Plague Tale: Requiem, top-down dungeon-crawling action RPG Nobody Saves the World, and third-person vampire-hunting shooterEvil West. The three titles will be available to members of PS Plus Essential, Extra, and Deluxe/ Premium plans, starting January 2. These games can be added to your PS4 and PS5 games library until February 5, after which you’ll have to hold on to your PS Plus membership for continued access. If you enjoy any of these titles, you could purchase them for permanent access and continue from where you left off.

Sony confirmed the additions on the PlayStation Blog late Wednesday, adding that Warframe players will be treated to the Syrinx Collection, bringing themed chest and shoulder plates, new weapons, and credits for use in the sci-fi shooter. Indeed, titles that were added to the service last month will be leaving on New Year’s Day — so feel free to add Lego 2K Drive, Powerwash Simulator, and Sable to your collection.

PS Plus January 2024 – A Plague Tale: Requiem

Six months after escaping the French Inquisition, struggling siblings Hugo and Amicia travel far south, full of vibrant regions and cities, in the hopes of curing the former’s blood disease. But when Hugo’s powers reawaken, it shatters all hopes for a peaceful new chapter, bringing back a monstrous rat infestation and a trail of destruction, forcing them to flee once more and end the curse once and for all. Just like the 2019 prequel, Amicia is armed with a slingshot and crossbow to shoot bolts at enemies from the shadows, but the darkness is also where the bloodthirsty plague-ridden rats are hyper-active — urging you to find a good balance in your journey.

A Plague Tale: Requiem was nominated for Game of the Year in 2022, and will be available for free on the PS5.

Nobody Saves the World

When the ancient Calamity re-awakens, the pressure falls onto Nobody, a shape-shifting mass equipped with a magic wand, to save the enchanted world. Master the art of transformation to morph into over 15 varied forms, ranging from magicians, ghosts, dragons, a mobile egg, and even a turtle to solve puzzles enclosed within water bodies. Survey procedurally generated hostile areas and dungeons to uncover new mysteries and combine the skills of different forms to pull off some devastating combos. Nobody Saves the World also comes with co-op play, so you can invite a friend along for your bombastic adventures across this cutesy world.

Nobody Saves the World will be available to play on the PS4 and PS5.

Evil West

Step into the boots of Jesse Rentier, one of the last agents of a vampire-hunting organisation, and save the American frontier from destruction by supernatural entities emerging from the shadows. Switch between an arsenal of firearms, lightning-field gauntlets, and peculiar gadgets to slay down hordes of bloodthirsty monsters in style, before taking a break to hunt down lore items and other collectibles. The structuring is largely based around jumping from one mission to the other — each of which concludes with a cinematic boss battle — so if you’re looking for a gory good time to mindlessly slay vampires and monsters, Evil West might be perfect for you.

Evil West can also be played in online co-op and will be available on the PS4 and PS5.

Earlier this month, PlayStation also announced the set of games coming to its December Game Catalog, available to PS Plus Extra and Deluxe/ Premium tier subscribers. Standouts are Grand Theft Auto V, Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, Metal: Hellsinger, and more.

PlayStation Plus subscription in India starts at Rs. 499 per month for Essential, Rs. 749 per month for the Extra plan, and Rs. 849 per month for the top-tier Deluxe. The monthly free games are included with all three tiers.

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Reliance Jio is collaborating with IIT-Bombay on a new generative AI model called BharatGPT. There, the Department of Computer Science and Engineering is currently carrying out research on the Large Language Model (LLM), artificial intelligence, and GPT solutions to develop India’s own BharatGPT tool for all sectors. Know all about Reliance Jio’s upcoming plans and what is this artificial intelligence project dubbed BharatGPT.

10 things to know about BharatGPT

1. BharatGPT is a programme in which Reliance Jio and IIT-Bombay will explore the possible solutions that could be derived from the Large Language Model (LLM) and artificial intelligence for various industries.
2. While working on the artificial intelligence project, BharatGPT, the goal of the programme is to develop solutions for business sectors, but mainly telecom and retail. Notably, Reliance dominates both these market segments.
3. Professor Ganesh Ramakrishnan from IIT’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering revealed that to carry out the BharatGPT programme effectively, they have created a consortium that consists of top academic institutions – the Bharat GPT consortium
4. The Bharat GPT consortium’s vision is to use generative AI, integrate Bharatiya culture into it and foster economic growth and state-of-the-art innovation.  We are now on WhatsApp. Click to join.
5. While developing Generative AI capabilities, the consortium will focus on developing an Indian AI ecosystem by introducing “cutting edge technologies with Bharat’s rich heritage.”
6. The Bharat GPT programme will work on introducing a multi-lingual and multi-modal foundational model with application for Indian focused solutions.
7. In effect, BharatGPT will be developed in a way that will adhere to complexities in language and context specific to India.
8. BharatGPT will also focus on bringing solutions to all sectors of Reliance Jio including media, commerce, communication, and devices.
9. Jio is currently working on developing its own operating system for TVs. It has been revealed that the company is looking at its launch.
10. BharatGPT programme will explore the more advanced side of technological innovations and it will benefit the Indian economy.

The New York Times (NYT) is suing OpenAI and Microsoft, alleging that the company’s AI text generators ChatGPT and Copilot infringe on the newspaper’s copyrights. NYT claims that both ChatGPT and Copilot were trained on a massive dataset that included copyrighted New York Times articles. This, the Times argues, constitutes a clear violation of its intellectual property rights.
The lawsuit specifically points to instances where ChatGPT directly quotes or heavily paraphrases Times articles, blurring the lines between original reporting and AI-generated content.

News vs AI

The Times’ lawsuit raises critical questions about how AI is being used in the news industry. While AI holds immense potential for tasks like data analysis and personalisation, its reliance on copyrighted content without proper attribution poses serious ethical and legal challenges. The Times contends that Microsoft and OpenAI have essentially “free-ridden” on their journalistic work, profiting from their content while undermining their value proposition.
“Defendants seek to free-ride on The Times’s massive investment in its journalism,” NYT complained and added that “using The Times’s content without payment to create products that substitute for The Times and steal audiences away from it.”
In the complaint,NYT noted that “If The Times and other news organisations cannot produce and protect their independent journalism, there will be a vacuum that no computer or artificial intelligence can fill. Less journalism will be produced, and the cost to society will be enormous.”
An OpenAI spokesperson said: “We respect the rights of content creators and owners and are committed to working with them to ensure they benefit from AI technology and new revenue models. Our ongoing conversations with The New York Times have been productive and moving forward constructively, so we are surprised and disappointed with this development. We’re hopeful that we will find a mutually beneficial way to work together, as we are doing with many other publishers.”
In April, NYT said that it made attempts to strike a licensing agreement with OpenAI and Microsoft. However, the talks broke down and no resolution was reached.
The Times says that it attempted to reach a licensing arrangement with Microsoft and OpenAI in April but that talks weren’t ultimately fruitful.

Beyond the ‘Times’

The Times’ lawsuit is one of the many that have been filed against content generated by AI. A growing number of writers are raising concerns about the use of AI in generating content. John Grisham, George R R Martin had sued OpenAI earlier this year. Getty Images had also sued an AI company for illegally.
The outcome of the lawsuit could have repercussions for both the media and tech industries. If the court rules in favour of the Times, it could set a precedent that forces tech companies to pay for the use of copyrighted news content in training their AI models. This could lead to increased costs for AI developers and potentially change how generative AI works.
However, a ruling in favour of Microsoft and OpenAI could open the door for even wider use of AI in news production, potentially leading to a proliferation of AI-generated content without proper attribution or quality control. This could further erode trust in journalism and contribute to the spread of misinformation.

The road ahead

The New York Times vs Microsoft and OpenAI lawsuit is just the beginning of a larger conversation about the role of AI in the future of news. This legal battle could end up having a deep impact on how news is produced, consumed, and monetised in the years to come.
The outcome of this lawsuit will be closely watched by news outlets, tech companies, and policymakers around the world. One thing is possible that the implications of the lawsuit will likely extend far beyond the pages of The New York Times.

Vivo X Fold 2 with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC was launched in the company’s home country back in April. Now, Vivo seems to be gearing up to make waves with its new foldable smartphone with the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro moniker. Ahead of any official announcement, a Chinese tipster has suggested the key specifications of the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro. The foldable screen of the handset is said to offer a 2K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate and could run on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. The Vivo X Fold 3 Pro is tipped to launch alongside Vivo Pad 3.

Tipster Digital Chat Station (translated from Chinese) has leaked the key specifications of the rumoured Vivo X Fold 3 Pro on Weibo. As per the tipster, the upcoming foldable will run on Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. It is said to pack an LTPO inner foldable screen on the device with a 2K resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It is said to include an ultrasonic fingerprint scanner on both screens.

Vivo X Fold 3 Pro is expected to have a slimmer profile and weight compared to the Vivo X Fold 2. It is said to weigh below 250 grams. The Vivo X Fold 2, on the other hand, weighs 279 grams. It is tipped to come with 100W wired charging and 50W wireless charging support as well.

For optics, the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro is said to have a triple rear camera unit, led by a 50-megapixel main camera with OIS (optical image stabilisation). The camera unit is anticipated to comprise a 100mm periscope telephoto camera with 4x optical zoom and an ultra-wide snapper. Vivo is speculated to pack a Sony LYT-900 camera sensor as the primary camera.

The tipster also replied to his post and opined that the Vivo X Fold 3 Pro will launch alongside the Vivo Pad 3 in the first quarter of next year. The tablet could be powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 9300 SoC. 

As mentioned, the Vivo X Fold 2 was launched earlier this year with a starting price tag of CNY 8,999 (roughly Rs. 1,07,500). The China-exclusive handset has an 8.03-inch E6 AMOLED LTPO inner display and a 6.53-inch AMOLED outer screen. It has a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC under the hood and features triple rear cameras led by a 50-megapixel Sony IMCX866 primary shooter. It is backed by a 4,800mAh battery unit with 120W fast charging, 50W wireless charging, and reverse charging support. 

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India’s government has recently targeted high-profile journalists with Pegasus spyware, Amnesty International and The Washington Post said in a joint investigation published Thursday.

Created by Israeli firm NSO Group and sold to governments around the world, Pegasus software can be used to access a phone’s messages and emails, peruse photos, eavesdrop on calls, track locations, and even film the owner with the camera.

Amnesty said journalists Siddharth Varadarajan of The Wire and Anand Mangnale of The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project had been targeted with the spyware on their iPhones, with the latest identified case occurring in October.

“Our latest findings show that increasingly, journalists in India face the threat of unlawful surveillance simply for doing their jobs, alongside other tools of repression including imprisonment under draconian laws, smear campaigns, harassment, and intimidation,” said Donncha O Cearbhaill, Head of Amnesty International’s Security Lab.

India’s government did not immediately respond, but it denied similar accusations in 2021 that it used Pegasus spyware to surveil political opponents, activists and journalists.

Indian media reported last month that the country’s cyber security unit was investigating allegations by opposition politicians of attempted phone tapping after they reported receiving Apple iPhone warnings of “state-sponsored attackers”.

In that case, Ashwini Vaishnaw, the information and technology minister, said the government was “concerned” by the complaints.

If you have been planning to purchase a mid-range smartphone from Samsung, then this may be the right time to do so. The smartphone maker has slashed the price of its Galaxy A-series smartphone — Galaxy A34. Launched in March this year, the smartphone comes in two variants and both of them witnessed a price drop of Rs 2,000.
New price and offers
Samsung Galaxy A34 comes in two variants — 8GB+128GB and 8GB+256GB priced at Rs 30,999 and Rs 32,999 respectively.After the price cut of Rs 2,000, the customers can purchase the 128GB variant at Rs 28,999 and the 256GB version at Rs 30,999. The smartphone comes in light green, black, silver and light violet colour options. Samsung is also offering instant bank discount of Rs 1,500 on Axis Bank card. The new price is reflecting on the official e-store of the company.
Samsung Galaxy A34 specifications
The Samsung Galaxy A34 is equipped with an octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 1080 processor and can be paired with up to 8GB of RAM. Similar to the Galaxy A54, it is available in two storage variants—128GB and 256GB.
Featuring a 6.6-inch FHD+ display with a resolution of 1080×2400 pixels and a 120Hz refresh rate, the Samsung Galaxy A34 boasts a water-resistant design and houses a 5000mAh battery that supports 25W fast charging.
Running on the Android 13 operating system, the smartphone is equipped with a triple rear camera setup, including a 48MP main camera with an f/1.8 aperture, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens camera with an f/2.2 aperture, and a 5MP macro camera with an f/2.4 aperture. On the front, there is a 13MP selfie camera with an f/2.2 aperture.

The Income Tax Department of India is issuing alerts around high-value crypto transactions. The matter came to light earlier this week when Punit Agarwal observed a rise in income tax-related queries tied to crypto transactions from the income tax department. Agarwal is the founder of KoinX, a firm that provides crypto tax management solutions in India. Essentially, Agarwal has conveyed to the Indian crypto investors that the government is maintaining a strict oversight on all tax-work related to crypto transactions in India.

Agarwal says that the Indian government is automating the process of validating and verifying the returns on crypto incomes to avoid any flaws in calculations.

For people to avoid attracting penalties on high-value transactions, Agarwal has strongly advised taxpayers to file their taxes accurately and verify data in the ITR filing against the Annual Information Statement (AIS) to catch any prevailing discrepancies.

“Income Tax portal matches the transactions appearing in AIS and the data filed by users. In-case the authorities find any discrepancies, then they issue a notification to the user to re-check if they have missed anything or if everything is in-line. For people, if they find any discrepancies in their income reported vs income generated, then they have to file a revised return. Also, they need to give an explanation to the notification. In case everything is in-line and as expected, people can just submit the feedback mentioning they confirm everything is fine,” Agarwal told Gadgets360.

In the absence of a set rulebook for crypto, India levied taxes on crypto profits last April hoping to be able to maintain some track record of crypto transactions, most of which are largely anonymous.

The country levies a 30 percent tax on crypto incomes and also cuts one percent TDS on each crypto transaction – aiming to identify potential defaulters and suspicious crypto holders, who could be engaging in unlawful activities like money laundering or terror financing.

From what Agarwal shared on X, however, does show the strict oversight that the Indian income tax department is indeed maintaining over the crypto sector.

Given the confusion around filing crypto taxes, only 0.07 percent crypto holders in India reportedly paid their taxes last year.

Players like KoinX are trying to extend all the support required for people to file their crypto taxes because industry analysts believe that adhering to this tax regime can instil faith of the Indian government on the Web3 sector which will eventually result in its overall growth.

Taxnodes, another crypto tax solutions provider, has decided to offer complimentary NFTs as incentives to taxpayers using its platform to file their taxes.

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