Archives January 2024

Samsung’s foldable phones are among its most expensive handsets, with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 costing even more than the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, but with this year’s models we could see the prices drop.

This is according to a report in The Elec (via Phandroid), which claims that Samsung Display is considering using inkjet printing to make the bezels on this year’s foldable phones – presumably meaning the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6.

In this latest edition of ‘games you could’ve swore were on Steam that actually aren’t on Steam,’ Dragon Quest Builders is finally coming to Steam.

The RPG series’ Minecraft-like spin-off was initially released in 2016 for PS4, PS3, and PS Vita. A Nintendo Switch port followed a couple of years later. Now, as announced by the official Dragon Quest Twitter account, Dragon Quest Builders is arriving on Steam on February 13, 2024. Better late than never, eh?

Instagram head Adam Mosseri has reportedly confirmed that the photo-sharing platform is testing a feature called Flipside. This experimental feature will turn users’ separate, private and more personal accounts or “finstas” into a new product feature.
The company was first spotted developing the Flipside feature in 2023. However, at that time, Instagram said it was only an internal prototype.
According to a report by TechCrunch, Mosseri said that the company will now begin testing the feature with users to see how they respond.
He also noted that a test doesn’t mean the feature will launch publicly. Meta has also confirmed that the feature is in testing.

What are finstas?

Instagram’s younger demographic has used finstas for a long time but it entered the broader public conversation in 2021. During a congressional hearing, US Senator Richard Blumenthal asked a Meta executive about whether the company would “commit to ending finsta.”
This feature created confusion as people who are in the position of regulating technology didn’t fully understand how it works.
Meta’s head of safety Antigone Davis tried to explain that finstas are not an Instagram feature. Instead, they’re a private account that’s intended for Close Friends only. These accounts are also used as a way to avoid parental oversight on social media platforms.

Blumenthal asked about more specifics and wanted to know about how easy it is for kids to set up separate accounts outside of the reach of Instagram’s built-in parental controls.
By turning the “finsta” into a feature associated with a user’s main account Instagram may allow them to swipe down on a profile to be “flipped” to the other, more private “side”.
Instagram is expected to have a better knowledge on the age of the user creating the separate account. The company is likely to connect the existing profile to the new, more private one.
This suggests that Instagram may even leverage its age-verification tools to classify users via their main account. The platform may then have those settings translated to their associated Flipside or finsta.

What the company has to say about the Flipside feature

Replying to a user who asked for a version of Flipside for Instagram’s Threads app instead, Mosseri took to the company’s micro-blogging site and wrote: “We’re not even sure we’ll launch it on Instagram.”
Mosseri added: “On one hand it feels good to create a clear space that feels more private. On the other hand, it’s yet another way to reach a smaller audience on top of secondary accounts and Close Friends. We’ll see how people respond in the test, and iterate forward,”
Another Instagram spokesperson said: “We’re always working on new ways to help people connect with friends on Instagram. We heard people want more options for sharing in private spaces, so are excited to start testing a new feature where you can create a custom profile, including a custom name, bio and photo and share exclusive content with a smaller group of followers.”
The Times of India Gadgets Now awards: Cast your vote now and pick the best phones, laptops and other gadgets of 2023

Destiny 2 developers commented on the state of the game as well as plans to switch up the at-times bland first-person shooter during a developer roundtable. 

Destiny 2 developer Bungie recently held a roundtable in which team members discussed the future of the multiplayer shooter, with it ending on the promise to make it more episodic and less seasonal (via PC Gamer). 

Artificial intelligence (AI) apps have taken over huge swathes of online work. ChatGPT, Google Bard and Midjourney are just some of the top AI tool examples. The technology is not only being used to create new apps but it is also being integrated into legacy platforms like Adobe, Meta, Alphabet and Microsoft – all in an attempt to make things easier for users to boost productivity and reduce manually intensive tasks. One such app aimed at increasing productivity and efficiency is called Shortwave, and it was launched last year by former Google employees with the aim of supercharging email productivity. Now, the AI assistant for emails is getting a bunch of new AI features. Check the full details below.

Shortwave: New features

1. Instant summaries – One of the features arriving on Shortwave is instant summarization. Until now, Shortwave allowed users to generate summaries with the press of a button. But with the new feature, it will automatically generate one-line summaries of an email or a thread. To get a longer version, you simply need to tap on the previously generated one. Users can even ask questions related to the email.

While the longer version is being generated with the help of GPT-4 Turbo, the short version uses open-source models as well as Shortwave’s own GPU. This might help them to keep costs down.

2. Expansion of AI assistant – Moreover, Shortwave is also extending its AI assistant to its Android and iOS apps. Launched in September last year, the AI Assitant can find, read, analyze, and report on emails in seconds. It comes in handy when finding information that’s not easily discoverable through traditional keyword searches. You can also use the AI Assistant to help research general knowledge questions without leaving your email.

3. AI Autocomplete – With the update, an AI Autocomplete feature has also been rolled out. Users will now see suggestions presented to them automatically as they draft emails. You can just press ‘tab’ to complete. Shortwave says these AI suggestions are intelligent and based on previous emails users have written, thus, making it sound just like the user. It is powered by Shortwave’s Ghostwriter AI personalization technology.

Also read other top stories today:

AI on Apple devices? Apple is working on making AI models that can work on devices alone by making them smaller. But we may have to wait a few years for these to work to circumnavigate the “memory wall”. Know where things stand here.

AI leaders on the rise! Businesses are scrambling to appoint AI leaders with the recent boom in technology, leaving metaverse leaders in the lurch. Instead, AI is taking their place. Find out more about this shift here.

Saviour against AI! Taylor Swift’s deepfake photos went viral on X during the weekend but they’ve since been taken down. Can the Time’s Person of the Year save humanity from the dark side of AI? Know all the details here.

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It seems like passkeys are on their to WhatsApp on iPhones. WhatsApp beta for iPhone hints at the long-awaited arrival of passkey support. Passkeys will allow users to ditch cumbersome passwords, replacing them with the ease of biometrics and secure PINs.
The discovery comes from the ever-reliable WABetaInfo, a website dedicated to tracking WhatsApp’s beta features.While currently hidden within the app’s code, a dedicated menu for setting up a passkey was spotted, teasing its imminent arrival. “Thanks to the latest WhatsApp beta for iOS 24.2.10.73 update, which is available on the TestFlight app, we discovered that WhatsApp is finally working on bringing this feature to a future update of the iOS app,” noted WABetaInfo in its report.
This aligns with WhatsApp’s announcement last year of bringing passkeys to Android, highlighting their commitment to enhanced security for all users.
Passkeys, championed by the FIDO Alliance and backed by tech giants like Apple, Google, and Microsoft, represent a revolution in online security. These digital credentials, tucked away in your device’s secure enclave and synced across your cloud keychain, eliminate the vulnerabilities of traditional passwords.
How will passkeys work?
For iPhone users, the shift will be seamless. Instead of struggling with passwords or one-time PINs, simply use your trusted Face ID, Touch ID, or device passcode. This not only adds a layer of security but also streamlines the login process, making it convenient and secure.
WhatsApp’s embrace of passkeys isn’t an isolated move. It complements Apple’s push towards passwordless authentication, evident in iOS 17. Major players like Amazon and Microsoft are also onboard, showcasing the growing momentum behind this secure and user-friendly technology. Google has also introduced support for passkeys in Gmail.
While the official rollout date remains under wraps, beta testers can likely expect an early taste in the coming weeks.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has initiated the “One Vehicle, One FASTag” program, streamlining toll collection to prevent misuse of FASTags across multiple vehicles or vice versa. NHAI has mandated that FASTags lacking complete KYC will be blocked post-January 31, aligning with RBI guidelines.
To confirm your FASTag’s KYC status, follow these steps:

For pending KYC, proceed as follows:

Documents accepted for KYC process
Required KYC documents include the vehicle’s Registration Certificate (RC), a passport-size photo of the owner, and specific KYC documents based on the vehicle owner’s category.

Note: This process applies only for FASTags issued by NHAI only.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League‘s early access launch was cut short due to a bug that automatically completed players’ games. Rocksteady Studios had to pull the servers offline within an hour of release.
Those who paid $30 extra for the Deluxe Edition were provided early access to the game, and players in Australia and New Zealand were able to download and play Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League on January 30, 72 hours before the official launch.However, they noticed a bug immediately after logging into the servers required for the game to function. The bug marked all save files as fully completed, even though players had just started playing the game. This led Rocksteady Studios to shut down the game servers within an hour of the launch and continued to remain offline for several hours ahead.
“We’re aware that a number of players are currently experiencing an issue whereby upon logging into the game for the first time, they have full story completion,” Rocksteady Studios, the developer of Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League, wrote on X (formerly Twitter) after players flooded forums and social media with complaints. “To resolve this issue, we will be performing maintenance on the game servers.”
The studio says that it has identified the problem that made them take down the game, as it affected player profiles. They are testing the fix, and it could take several hours. “We hope to implement it and have the game back online as soon as possible,” added the developers.
The lack of an offline mode in Suicide Squad has sparked further frustration among players. An offline mode will be added after the launch, but the release date is unclear.
The Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League is set to release on February 2 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam.

The best PS Vita games will offer you a world of gaming on one of Sony‘s most iconic consoles. While it may seem a little out of date in today’s digital world – you won’t see the best PS5 games on there, of course – it still boasts an incredible array of titles worth playing. 

And what with Sony’s own PlayStation Portal and the Nintendo Switch ensuring that handheld gaming has a place in 2024, there’s never been a better time to pick up the iconic handheld and dive into the game library even though the production of the PS Vita console ended in 2019. 

Interim Budget 2024-25: In recent years, technology has played a crucial role in uplifting India’s economy, so much so that it has become a major focus point in the Union Budget. As digitalization and the concept of Digital India are on a rapid rise and artificial intelligence-enabled tools have increasingly grabbed the spotlight for both good and bad reasons, new and significant as well as lasting changes are expected. This year, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will be presenting the Interim Budget 2024-25 on February 1, while the full budget will be presented only after the general elections in the presence of the new government. Last year, technology was a key point in the Union Budget, with various announcements taking place. The announcements included setting up new Centers of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence (AI), Labs for 5G services, a national digital library for children and adolescents, and more.

While we are in as much darkness as you when it comes to knowing exactly what lies in store ahead of Interim Budget 2024-25, tech czars have certain expectations from the Budget for the technology sector.

Interim Budget 2024-25: What tech czars expect

1. “As India charges ahead on its digital transformation journey, the upcoming budget offers a timely window to cultivate a world-class data center ecosystem that steers this advancement. We are hopeful of incentives to spur domestic manufacturing and infrastructure builds specially tailored for data centers’ massive scale and seamless connectivity needs. Attractive capital subsidies for setting up future-ready facilities and easy financing options to offset development costs will unleash growth. We also envision provisions that encourage the adoption of renewable energy to meet data centers’ clean power appetites. Additionally, preferential procurement directives favoring home-grown data centers will provide an upside. With an emphasis on nurturing a cutting-edge domestic data center industry, India can swiftly go up the technology value chain and cement dominance in delivering digital services globally. Having granted an infrastructure tag has remarkably expedited logistics,” says Bimal Khandelwal, Chief Financial Officer, ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (India).

2. “A greater alignment between fintech companies and public institutions is crucial for the evolution of India’s fintech ecosystem. Financial products built on top of India Stack have borne strong results in the world of digital payments. We expect the budget to provide incentives that encourage fintechs to drive further innovations for other aspects of banking like credit, investments, savings and advisory. We also expect digital lending, especially small ticket size loans, to grow significantly with the proper checks and balances in place to protect borrowers. We expect the budget to further scale centres of excellence for AI innovation as well as increase investments in supercomputing to drive the growth of home-grown AI solutions,” says Bipin Preet Singh, Co-founder and CEO, MobiKwik.

3. “As we anticipate the Interim Union Budget 2024, HMD Global holds optimistic expectations for the Indian smartphone market. Foreseeing an extension or enhancement to the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) policy, we aim to fortify local production and encourage an indigenous components supply chain. The budget’s positive impact on operations, particularly in local manufacturing, is anticipated, though precise planning hinges on final announcements. Our wish-list emphasizes more incentives for local production, encouragement for components manufacturing within India, and support for exports. In the face of potential changes, we stand ready to make necessary adjustments, anticipating a budget that builds upon existing policies for stability and growth. HMD Global remains committed to contributing to India’s self-reliance and the global success of its smartphone industry”, says Ravi Kunwar, Vice President- India & APAC, HMD Global.

4. “Amidst global anxieties, India shines as a potent growth engine. However, achieving our ambitious $30 trillion target by 2047 requires more than relying solely on domestic consumption. Throughout history, thriving economies have built their castles on a positive balance of payments and export prowess, with each key sector acting as a brick in the wall. Today, one such sector with undeniable potential is gaming. Consider the world’s top four economies – their gaming industries stand tall, exporting innovation and creativity. As we approach the upcoming budget, there is a crucial need to prioritize and support this burgeoning sector. Duty Credit Scrips for export-oriented gaming companies will not merely be a handout; it will signify a strategic investment in high-skilled jobs, GDP growth, and building global influence”, says Gaurav Agarwal, Co-Founder, Gamezop.

5. “Our proposals, including reduced fees, levies, and GST exemption, aim to ignite rapid growth in Fixed Broadband, contributing significantly to India’s digital infrastructure. We also advocate for the expansion of PM-WANI based Public Wi-Fi hotspots, urging duty and levy waivers. Budgetary assistance for the Satcom industry and incentives for local mobile handset components align with our vision for a digitally empowered India. We are hopeful that these measures, if incorporated, will accelerate the sector’s growth, fully aligning with Government priorities and recent collaborations between India and the US in cutting-edge technologies”, says TV Ramachandran, President, Broadband India Forum (BIF).

Also read other top stories today:

AI on Apple devices? Apple is working on making AI models that can work on devices alone by making them smaller. But we may have to wait a few years for these to work to circumnavigate the “memory wall”. Know where things stand here.

AI leaders on the rise! Businesses are scrambling to appoint AI leaders with the recent boom in technology, leaving metaverse leaders in the lurch. Instead, AI is taking their place. Find out more about this shift here.

Saviour against AI! Taylor Swift’s deepfake photos went viral on X during the weekend but they’ve since been taken down. Can the Time’s Person of the Year save humanity from the dark side of AI? Know all the details here.

One more thing! We are now on WhatsApp Channels! Follow us there so you never miss any updates from the world of technology. ‎To follow the HT Tech channel on WhatsApp, click here to join now!