NewsBytes Briefing
37 new emojis coming in 2022: How are they selected?
Nothing punctuates a text message like the perfect emoji. In the digital world, where face-to-face conversations have declined and most conversations take place through messages, emojis have become the go-to way of adding expressions and emotions.
This is how in-display fingerprint sensors work in smartphones
The Nokia 3310's keypad buttons marked the beginning of our phone unlocking journey, which continued with physical capacitive scanners and now reaches a new level with in-display fingerprint sensors.
#NewsBytesExplainer: How exactly does virtual RAM in smartphones work?
You may often come across terms like Dynamic RAM Expansion, RAM Plus, or Extended RAM in most of the latest smartphones. All these terms essentially mean the same thing: virtual RAM.
#NewsBytesExplainer: Understanding smartphone screen refresh rate and why it matters
With each passing year, tech giants like OnePlus, ASUS, ZTE, and Xiaomi are introducing smartphones with a higher screen refresh rate than ever before.
NewsBytes Briefing: Twitter loses safe harbor in India, and more
Twitter seems to have lost the dangerous game of chicken it has been playing with the Indian government.
NewsBytes Briefing: Biden shows China some love, and more
US President Joe Biden's love hate relationship with China continues with his latest order revoking his predecessor Donald Trump's executive orders against Chinese-owned TikTok and WeChat apps.
NewsBytes Briefing: Apple keeps Android users in check, and more
"Don't call us, we'll call you," best describes the dynamics between Android and Apple users when it comes to the new cross-platform FaceTime update.
NewsBytes Briefing: The internet experienced a brief hiccup, and more
Several major news websites and social media platforms such as Reddit were down for about an hour starting 3 PM Indian Standard Time. The disruption was caused by cloud computing services provider Fastly experiencing technical difficulties with its services.
NewsBytes Briefing: Tinder makes it easier for cheaters, and more
Tinder's very nature makes it unviable for cheaters. While fake profiles don't get you anywhere, using your real identity will get you spotted and ratted out by common friends.
NewsBytes Briefing: Biden goes all Trump on China, and more
Many consider US President Joe Biden as an antidote to his predecessor Donald Trump, hoping for him to undo the latter's policies. However, reality is quite different. After continuing Trump's immigration policies, Biden is also continuing Trump's trade war with China.
NewsBytes Briefing: Reliance weaponizes 3D printing against COVID-19, and more
Reliance might have disrupted the technology space with Jio, but now it has its eyes set on COVID-19. The Indian conglomerate is coming up with a lot of lateral solutions to tackle issues such as combating the virus itself with experimental treatments.
NewsBytes Briefing: Samsung's helping Google fold the Pixel, and more
As more rumors emerge hinting at Google considering a foldable version of its Pixel smartphone, the terrible durability of Samsung's first foldable device is a cautionary tale for anyone trying to replicate it.
NewsBytes Briefing: Tesla gets dearer due to pandemic, and more
The pandemic has made life hard for everyone across the board. Gamers can't buy graphics cards and carmakers can't, well, make cars due to lack of essential chips.
NewsBytes Briefing: Amazon will set your Wi-Fi free, and more
Not long after nipping the workers' union in the bud, Jeff Bezos and company want to share your means of internet connectivity. You have 10 days to opt out of Amazon's Sidewalk program if you own an Alexa, Echo, or other Amazon devices.
NewsBytes Briefing: Apple has its eyes on cryptocurrencies, and more
Apple either bucks the trend and adopts radically new technologies long before competitors, or it takes its own sweet time to embrace new tech used by everyone. The cryptocurrency craze, however, fits between these two scenarios.
NewsBytes Briefing: Wuhan lab-leak hypothesis no longer thought-crime, and more
Mainstream media, so-called fact checkers, and Big Tech censors have a busy weekend of stealth editing incriminating content and revising their algorithmic ban hammers ahead of them.
NewsBytes Briefing: WhatsApp avenges Twitter in India, and more
Not long after Delhi Police raided Twitter's offices, WhatsApp has avenged its social media peer by suing the Indian government. Facebook is playing it smart by refraining from simply refusing to comply to government demands.
NewsBytes Briefing: Delhi Police pays Twitter a visit, and more
Twitter learned the hard way that Narendra Modi shouldn't be confused with Donald Trump, and that its arbitrary policies won't fly in India.
NewsBytes Briefing: Clubhouse hits million downloads on Android, and more
Despite Big Tech doing its best to clone Clubhouse into their existing platforms, evidently nothing beats the original. Android users flocked to the newly launched app of the audio-only social media platform and downloaded it a million times.
NewsBytes Briefing: Clubhouse officially comes to Android, and more
Clubhouse sure has played its exclusivity card to the ragged end. But like all things new and intriguing, the novelty of the audio-only social media platform has worn off, which has manifested in a 10-fold drop in downloads of the iOS app.
NewsBytes Briefing: ByteDance co-founder steps down as CEO, and more
While the Big Tech oligarchy unpersoned a sitting US President, China seemingly took those lessons to heart and began cracking down on the tech oligarchy within its own backyard.
NewsBytes Briefing: Microsoft tries hiding Windows 10X's demise, and more
In the deluge of Google I/O announcements, news of Microsoft killing Windows 10X has slipped through the cracks. But we have taken it upon ourselves to bring this tragic development to light.
NewsBytes Briefing: Germans are making a flying Tesla, and more
What's better than an electric car? An electric aircraft, of course. German aviation start-up Volocopter is about to give a whole new dimension to range anxiety with its electric-powered rotorcraft capable of vertical takeoff and landing.
NewsBytes Briefing: Twitterati feels the subscription blues, and more
Apple has been going after its Big Tech rivals by hurting their ad revenue models, but Twitter is making sure it can weather Apple's impending "adpocalypse".
NewsBytes Briefing: New vulnerability affects every internet-connected device, and more
Security researchers have discovered a new FragAttack vulnerability that isn't restricted to smartphones, but encompasses absolutely every single device bearing Wi-Fi capability. It even compromises the new WPA3 Wi-Fi security protocol.
NewsBytes Briefing: Tesla doesn't like Bitcoin anymore, and more
Not long after allowing Tesla electric vehicles to be bought using Bitcoin, CEO Elon Musk has had a change of heart.
NewsBytes Briefing: YouTube's TikTok clone already doing well, and more
Silicon Valley's foundation is built on compelling ideas. But ideas can be stolen, which happens with clockwork precision in the world of social media platforms. For instance, YouTube's TikTok clone has been gradually phased out from testing to global roll-out now.
NewsBytes Briefing: WhatsApp masters the art of lying, and more
After the public outcry over WhatsApp's ham-handed privacy policy, Facebook was forced to delay the deadline and assure that users won't lose their accounts or functionality.
NewsBytes Briefing: Clubhouse finally launches Android app, and more
Clubhouse just found out the hard way that it is no De Beers, and that boosting app popularity with artificial scarcity doesn't work forever.
NewsBytes Briefing: IBM creates first 2-nanometer chip, and more
Those who thought IBM had stopped making processors are in for a surprise as the company claims to have created the world's first 2nm processor.
NewsBytes Briefing: SpaceX's Starship finally sticks the landing, and more
After numerous flight tests ending up in fiery balls of fire, Elon Musk's SpaceX has finally managed to land a Starship prototype without an incident.
NewsBytes Briefing: Signal weaponizes Facebook ads against it, and more
In a brilliant move of lateral thinking, Signal showcased the real danger of Facebook's invasion of user privacy through, well, Facebook's targeted advertisements.
NewsBytes Briefing: Twitter finally opens up Spaces, and more
After beta testing Spaces on minorities and marginalized netizens for a while, Twitter has finally opened up its Clubhouse clone to common folks, provided you happen to have at least 600 followers.
NewsBytes Briefing: Chip shortage cripples the auto industry, and more
Global chip shortages are getting ridiculous. Ford has projected its earnings will be slashed by an eye watering $2.5 billion as a consequence. That's 1.1 million fewer vehicles from just one auto maker.
NewsBytes Briefing: Facebook commits accidental censorship, and more
Facebook is so used to censorship that it sometimes does so accidentally. That's the reason it cited after being caught hiding posts calling for the resignation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the country's worsening pandemic crisis.
NewsBytes Briefing: Intel should be worried of Apple, and more
Even as Apple's new iOS 14.5 wreaks havoc on Facebook's and Google's advertising business model, its custom-designed processors have not only displaced Intel's offerings, but their performance and efficiency threatens the x86 rivals.
NewsBytes Briefing: Here's how deepfakes could end humanity, and more
Unknown perpetrators, using the power of deepfakes, duped Dutch politicians into believing they were video conferencing with Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny's chief of staff.
NewsBytes Briefing: App makers are terrified for Apple, and more
If you thought the term Big Tech mafia was a hyperbole, think again. App makers told US senators that they are scared of Apple and Google during the ongoing anti-trust dog and pony show.
NewsBytes Briefing: Hackers blackmail Apple with repair schematics, and more
Apple has been fleecing customers with exorbitant repair charges and planned obsolescence, but now a hacker collective called REvil has turned the tables on it.
NewsBytes Briefing: Facebook promotes cybercriminals targeting its userbase, and more
Facebook's recent string of security snafus aren't mere coincidences, but a symptom of what's turning out to be systemic security lapses. Case in point: Facebook Messenger users in 84 countries face serious phishing threats.
NewsBytes Briefing: Facebook announces its Clubhouse clone, and more
You can find everything in Silicon Valley except originality. Sure enough, Facebook joins the mad rush to clone Clubhouse.
NewsBytes Briefing: Domino's leaks all your data, and more
So you thought you'd order pineapple topping on your pizza and no one would find out? Well, think again because Domino's India has somehow managed to leak 180 million order details, which include names, phone numbers, addresses, and even credit card details.
NewsBytes Briefing: Chip shortages will continue until 2023, and more
Want a new graphics card, gaming rig, or a next-generation console? Well, you might as well pay the atrocious scalper prices because the world's largest chipmaker TSMC has painted a rather grim picture.
NewsBytes Briefing: Facebook could enter the dating game, and more
Facebook had already made an abortive attempt at its own dating app back in 2019, but that didn't work out at all. Now, the social media behemoth is trying its hand at video-based speed dating.
NewsBytes Briefing: Germany clamps down on WhatsApp, and more
Even as Indian government scrambles to figure out how to prevent Facebook from taking advantage of its citizenry, Germany has leveraged the European Union's solid privacy laws to take WhatsApp to task.
NewsBytes Briefing: Your WhatsApp account isn't safe anymore, and more
Another day, another colossal security bungle from the good folks at Facebook. If two separate data leaks weren't bad enough, it was revealed that anyone who knows your phone number can nuke your WhatsApp account.
NewsBytes Briefing: Facebook data leak gets much worse, and more
Facebook just can't seem to get a break. After the embarrassing leak where CEO Mark Zuckerberg's phone number was found linked to Signal messenger app, it appears the 533 million user accounts compromised might just have been the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
NewsBytes Briefing: LinkedIn suffers massive data leak, and more
Even before the news cycle on the Facebook data leak had died down, private data belonging to a whopping 500 million LinkedIn users has been leaked.
NewsBytes Briefing: Facebook refuses to inform leak victims, and more
By now everyone knows how a Facebook security breach leaked personal data belonging to its 533 million users. That means one in five active Facebook users has been compromised.
NewsBytes Briefing: PUBG Mobile bans millions for cheating, and more
When your game is predicated upon competitive multiplayer gameplay, it's a terrible prospect to have cheaters run amok. PUBG Mobile's Ban Pan initiative has been banning in excess of a million players every week.
NewsBytes Briefing: Mark Zuckerberg gives off mixed Signals, and more
People are best judged by their actions and not their words, and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is a resplendent example.
NewsBytes Briefing: Facebook springs a massive data leak, and more
Facebook demonstrated how MobiKwik's data leak affecting 100 million users were rookie numbers by leaking the data of 535 million users, 6 million of which were Indians.
NewsBytes Briefing: Twitter, LinkedIn punish MobiKwik whistleblower, and more
Security researcher Rajasekhar Rajaharia recently pointed out how personal data belonging to 10 crore MobiKwik users was being sold on the darknet. The company refused the allegation and then Twitter and LinkedIn mysteriously began censoring Rajaharia.
NewsBytes Briefing: US Army bets big on HoloLens, and more
If you thought augmented reality tech was just a passing fad, the US Department of Defense begs to differ. The agency made a massive $21.88 billion deal with Microsoft to supply the US Army with 120,000 ruggedized HoloLens AR units.
NewsBytes Briefing: India continues to punish TikTok, and more
The best way to deal with bullies is to inflict a significant cost for their belligerence. And India has been doing a fine job hurting the economic interests of China for its border transgressions.
NewsBytes Briefing: Tesla surprises customers with two-for-one offer, and more
Tesla customers were in for a surprise when they received two withdrawals instead of one for vehicles that cost anywhere between $37,000 and $100,000.
NewsBytes Briefing: Google bats for the terrorists, and more
Google faced some internal turmoil over the contentious issue of foiling a nine-month-long counterterrorism operation run by an unnamed US ally.
NewsBytes Briefing: The curious case of disappearing NFTs, and more
Even as everyone gets ready to jump on the NFT bandwagon, here's something you might want to know before putting your life savings into them.
NewsBytes Briefing: Reddit users get transgender employee fired, and more
The last couple of days saw high drama with several high-profile subReddits going private to protest Reddit censoring dissent against an employee. Redditors expressed concerns against a recent Reddit hire and former transgender politician's checkered past.
NewsBytes Briefing: Apple Card isn't sexist after all, and more
Back in 2019, prominent Silicon Valley millionaires accused a credit card of being sexist, because their wives were given lower credit limits compared to them.
NewsBytes Briefing: Twitter gets ready for fifth-generation warfare, and more
You really need to pay attention when Angela Merkel, who was once scouted by Stasi secret police, gets spooked by Big Tech censorship.
NewsBytes Briefing: Apple's online store launching next week, and more
Last night, Apple confirmed the launch of its online store in India.
NewsBytes Briefing: UK bans Huawei, WhatsApp goes down, and more
In the last few hours, a lot has happened in the world of technology.