Daily Tech Talk

[Vikesh]

xCloud

xCloud is the working title of Microsoft's Xbox cloud gaming streaming service.
Microsoft teased the service at E3 2018 and formally announced Project xCloud several months later, in October 2018. They demonstrated the service in March 2019 with the racing game Forza Horizon 4 playing on an Android smartphone with Xbox One controller. Xbox head Phil Spencer field used a private server during this time to test games on a remote connection. The service entered its home testing phase in May 2019, when it could be used outside the lab environment. It is slated for public testing later in the year and an unveiling at E3 2019. xCloud runs via Microsoft's 54 Azure cloud computing centers, hosted in 140 countries. The service is designed to work with phones, either with touchscreen controls or Xbox controller over Bluetooth. Microsoft said that its Xbox content library will make its service more appealing than competitors such as Google Stadia.

Trials of the service began in October 2019, and as of November 2019 the service hosts 50 games, with support in testing for Apple Inc.'s iOS mobile devices, and for Sony Interactive Entertainment's DualShock controllers.

[Nitin Kumar]

Jio Hints It Will Increase Prices Soon, Follows Airtel And Vodafone Decision

Jio has announced that it will be looking at increasing prices of its services. The Jio price increase announcement comes a day after Airtel and Vodafone announced something similar. While Vodafone said that it would be increasing prices of its service from December 1, Airtel didn't give any specific date. Instead, Airtel said that it would be increasing its prices from December.

"As per media reports, we understand that TRAI is likely to initiate a consultation process for revision of telecom tariffs. Like other operators, we will also work with the Government and comply with the regulatory regime to strengthen the industry to benefit Indian consumers and take measures including appropriate increase in tariffs in next few weeks in a manner that does not adversely impact data consumption or growth in digital adoption and sustains investments," Jio said in a statement.

None of the telecom operators has specified which services will see a price increase, but it is safe to assume that prices of all postpaid, prepaid telecom plans, including calls and data plans, will go up. In the case of Airtel and Jio, prices of the broadband services may also go up. The telecom companies have also not announced any details regarding the amount of price increase but relatively it not likely to be very steep. Currently, the call and data charges in India are among the lowest in the world and even after the price increase they are likely to remain the lowest.

When Jio increases the prices of its postpaid and prepaid plans, this will be the second time in recent months that Jio consumers will be paying increased rates. Recently, the company started charging 10 paise per minute for cellular calls as it is paying that money towards the "interconnection charges". There are deliberations by TRAI to do away with interconnection charges but for now, they need to be paid.
The Indian telecom industry is going through big changes. After Jio entered the market, the price of data and calls has fallen significantly. The intense competition has put pressure on all telecom companies. recently, Vodafone and Airtel have been hit by AGR dues -- around Rs 80,000 crore for the two companies -- that they have to pay to the government. Vodafone has argued that due to AGR dues its business in India has become nonviable, a sentiment shared by Airtel that too may find it incredibly hard to raise money to pay AGR dues. Both companies have reportedly sought concessions from the government.

[Lalitsharma]

Google Stadia

Stadia is a cloud gaming service operated by Google. It is said to be capable of streaming video games up to 4K resolution at 60 frames per second with support for high-dynamic-range, to players via the company's numerous data centers across the globe, provided they are using a sufficiently high-speed Internet connection. It is accessible through the Google Chrome web browser on desktop computers, or through smartphones, tablets, smart televisions, digital media players, and Chromecast.

The service is integrated with YouTube, and its "state share" feature allows viewers of a Stadia stream to launch a game on the service on the same save state as the streamer. This has been used as a selling point for the service. It is compatible with HID class USB controllers, though a proprietary controller manufactured by Google with a direct Wi-Fi link to data centers will be available alongside the service. Stadia is not similar to Netflix, in that it requires users to purchase games to stream via Stadia rather than pay for access to a library of games. While the base service will be free, a Pro tier monthly subscription allows users to stream at higher rates for larger resolutions, and the offer to add free games to their library.

Known in development as Project Stream, the service was debuted through a closed beta running Assassin's Creed Odyssey in October 2018. Stadia was publicly released on November 19, 2019, in selected countries and received a mixed reception from reviewers. The service competes with Sony's PlayStation Now service, Nvidia's GeForce Now, and Microsoft's Project xCloud.

[Vikesh]

Google Stadia

Stadia is a cloud gaming service operated by Google. It is said to be capable of streaming video games up to 4K resolution at 60 frames per second with support for high-dynamic-range, to players via the company's numerous data centers across the globe, provided they are using a sufficiently high-speed Internet connection. It is accessible through the Google Chrome web browser on desktop computers, or through smartphones, tablets, smart televisions, digital media players, and Chromecast.

The service is integrated with YouTube, and its "state share" feature allows viewers of a Stadia stream to launch a game on the service on the same save state as the streamer. This has been used as a selling point for the service. It is compatible with HID class USB controllers, though a proprietary controller manufactured by Google with a direct Wi-Fi link to data centers will be available alongside the service. Stadia is not similar to Netflix, in that it requires users to purchase games to stream via Stadia rather than pay for access to a library of games. While the base service will be free, a Pro tier monthly subscription allows users to stream at higher rates for larger resolutions, and the offer to add free games to their library.

Known in development as Project Stream, the service was debuted through a closed beta running Assassin's Creed Odyssey in October 2018. Stadia was publicly released on November 19, 2019, in selected countries and received a mixed reception from reviewers. The service competes with Sony's PlayStation Now service, Nvidia's GeForce Now, and Microsoft's Project xCloud.

For great gaming experience must use the GoogleStadia.

[Nitin Kumar]

Amazon Could Launch Its Cloud-Based Gaming Service In 2020

Amazon could launch its cloud-based gaming service in 2020. This would make it a direct competitor to Google Stadia that launched earlier this week.
Gaming is the next big obsession of the tech industry. Apple, Google, and Microsoft have already introduced their game streaming services for gaming fans. Now, it looks like another major tech giant might be gearing to enter the arena. New reports indicate that Amazon is working on a cloud-based game streaming service and that it could launch the service as soon as next year.

Sources close to the matter told CNET that Amazon is planning to launch its Amazon Web Services (AWS) based game streaming service in 2020. The Seattle-based tech giant has started recruiting people from big gaming companies such as Microsoft to help it with its new initiative that will be a part of its AWS team.

One of the job listings first discovered by The Verge is for the post of Principal Product Leader for a "new AWS Gaming Initiative". "We are an Amazon Web Services (AWS) team obsessed with helping game developers revolutionize the way they build and run their games, helping them bring their ideas to market faster and at a lower cost. We aim to address game development challenges for customers at any scale. Our solutions are used by Indie developers working on mobile games, as well as some of the largest studios building triple-A titles for consoles and PCs," job description for the post states.

If this report is indeed true, Amazon's gaming service could lock heels with Google Stadia, the Pro or paid version which made a debut earlier this week for a monthly subscription fee of $9.99 (Rs 718 approx). The company is scheduled to launch the free, ad-supported Stadia Base next year.

The report also states that Amazon is planning to integrate its new gaming initiative with Twitch, which is a live-streaming video platform that enables gamers to stream their games for others to watch as they play. This integration is likely to give Amazon a competitive advantage over other game streaming services and help it sway more customers towards its side.

Amazon so far hasn't explicitly stated its plans for its gaming service yet. This means that it could either offer a Stadia-like service, wherein users have to purchase individual games along with a monthly subscription fee for a 4K and 60fps streaming quality or it could charge a monthly subscription fee and let gamers play as many games as they want. In any case, we will have to wait for an official confirmation from the company to know more about its plans.

[Lalitsharma]

Li-Fi Wireless Communications



Li-Fi (Light-Fidelity) is high-speed wireless communications through light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Li-Fi has first been coined by Prof. Haas. We investigate Li-Fi in the context of novel 5G technologies to solve the looming spectrum crisis in wireless communications. Transmission speeds of up to 10 Gbps have been demonstrated in our lab and it has also been shown that Li-Fi does not require line-of-sight. Therefore, we are now studying wireless system concepts based on Li-Fi technology. We refer to a cellular Li-Fi network as an attocell network as the cell sizes are smaller than in a typical radio frequency (RF) femtocell network potentially unlocking very high area spectral efficiencies.

[Nitin Kumar]

BSNL Extends Validity Period Of Rs 1,188 Plan To 365 Days

BSNL under the Marutham plan also offers other benefits in addition to a long validity period.
BSNL is leaving no stone unturned to cope with the current financial crisis in the telecom sector. The company recently announced that it would increase the tariffs from December. While this move may not please many subscribers, the company has found another way to make its customers happy. It is extending the validity of one of its prepaid plans for a year.

The Marutham plan was launched as a promotional offer until October 23 in the month of July. This plan is available in Chennai and Tamil Nadu circles only, similar to the Rs 1,149 plan which is available only in circles like Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The pack was initially launched for a limited time. The company later extended the availability of this plan until January.

Initially, the plan offered validity of 345 days but now BSNL has increased the validity of this plan for 20 days to 365 days. This means that the subscribers will now get the pack benefit for an additional validity of 20 days. This change has been announced on the BSNL's Tamil Nadu website. The plan will be available till January 16, 2020.

BSNL under the Marutham plan also offers other benefits in addition to a long validity period. The subscribers get unlimited voice calling with a capping of 250 minutes of free calling per day. Callers can make these free calls to Delhi and Mumbai circles only. The plan also offers 1200 free SMS and 5GB data throughout the validity period.
BSNL credits money for each SMS and calls: BSNL has also announced a 6 paise cashback offer under which the company will credit 6 paise in your account for each SMS that you send or a call that you make. This money will be credited in the form of your phone balance.
To activate the BSNL cashback offer for SMS, type "ACT 6 paisa" and send it to 9478053334. You will start getting a cashback of six paise with each SMS. This offer is available for landline, broadband, and fiber till 31 December 2019.

[Lalitsharma]

LIDAR

LIDAR data is often collected by air, such as with this NOAA survey aircraft (right) over Bixby Bridge in Big Sur, Calif. Here, LIDAR data reveals a top-down (top left) and a profile view of Bixby Bridge. NOAA scientists use LIDAR-generated products to examine both natural and manmade environments. LIDAR data support activities such as inundation and storm surge modeling, hydrodynamic modeling, shoreline mapping, emergency response, hydrographic surveying, and coastal vulnerability analysis.

LIDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, is a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure ranges (variable distances) to the Earth. These light pulses—combined with other data recorded by the airborne system— generate precise, three-dimensional information about the shape of the Earth and its surface characteristics.

A LIDAR instrument principally consists of a laser, a scanner, and a specialized GPS receiver. Airplanes and helicopters are the most commonly used platforms for acquiring LIDAR data over broad areas. Two types of LIDAR are topographic and bathymetric. Topographic LIDAR typically uses a near-infrared laser to map the land, while bathymetric lidar uses water-penetrating green light to also measure seafloor and riverbed elevations.

LIDAR systems allow scientists and mapping professionals to examine both natural and manmade environments with accuracy, precision, and flexibility. NOAA scientists are using LIDAR to produce more accurate shoreline maps, make digital elevation models for use in geographic information systems, to assist in emergency response operations, and in many other applications. LIDAR data sets for many coastal areas can be downloaded from the Office for Coastal Management Digital Coast web portal.

[Nitin Kumar]

Whatsapp Grouped Stickers Now Available On Whatsapp Web

Here's how to activate it

Stickers on WhatsApp is a big deal for a majority of WhatsApp users these days and WhatsApp continues to refine the feature further to make it pleasant. If you may have noticed, WhatsApp on Android and iOS usually stacks the stickers together if you send two of them in succession. And this is done to save space in the chat window. On small-screen devices, it helps and WhatsApp was also known to work on bringing it to WhatsApp Web as well. The feature is now available.

According to WABetaInfo, WhatsApp has now enabled grouped stickers on WhatsApp Web. If you use WhatsApp Web on your PC, you will now be able to see two stickers stacked together if they have been sent in succession. This feature will help in saving space in the chat window and hence, accommodate more content in the same space. For those who text a lot, they could now see more text while sending stickers.

Do note that the feature only works when you send two stickers in succession. If you send more than two, WhatsApp Web will group two stickers together and then put the third one in succession in a separate line. WABetaInfo says that users need to reload WhatsApp Web on their browsers to see the feature working.

The grouped stickers feature has been available in the WhatsApp on smartphones for a long time.

WhatsApp recently introduced a major new feature to enhance privacy for users on Android phones. WhatsApp users on Android phones can now secure their chats with fingerprint unlock on their devices. Once enabled, users will have to input their fingerprint every time they log into the app. This is useful for those who have to give access via password to someone else on the device but want to keep the chats away from prying eyes. The feature works with both capacitive as well as in-display fingerprint sensors.
WhatsApp has rolled out the grouped stickers feature for WhatsApp Web. The feature will stack two stickers together to save space in the chat window.
On iPhones, users can use the FaceID system to lock their WhatsApp chats for enhanced privacy.
WhatsApp is currently working on a feature that will allow access to WhatsApp account from multiple devices. It is said to work similarly to Notifications Registration on the iOS app where WhatsApp will let a user access the account and chats from any device but lock the account on other devices at the same time.

[Lalitsharma]

Titan M

At its most basic level, Google’s Titan M is a standalone security-focused chip that sits alongside the main processor. In Pixel 3’s case, it’s paired up with the Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845. The chip’s primary function is to verify the boot conditions for starting up Android, ensuring that it hasn’t been tampered with at a low level. The Titan M verifies the signature of its flash-based firmware using a public key built into the chip’s silicon.

In other words, there’s now a separate hardware component to Android Verified Boot in the Pixel 3, which is an updated Project Treble compliant version of Verified Boot that has been around since Android 4.4. Or as Google puts it, the chip is designed to “make sure that you’re running the right version of Android.” Another way the Titan M does this is by preventing code from unlocking the bootloader, meaning that malware can’t gain access to the lower software-levels of your device. It also won’t allow malicious attacks to rollback Android to an older, less secure version.


On top of this, the Titan M handles the Pixel 3’s lock-screen passcode verification, stores private keys for Android 9’s StrongBox KeyStore API, and prevents firmware updates without the correct user passcode. The chip also supports the Android Strongbox Keymaster module, including Trusted User Presence and Protected Confirmation, which can be exposed for verification to third-party apps through FIDO U2F Authentication and other means. In other words, the chip can be used as a safe storage space for payment and app transactions too.

Google states that the Titan M features a low power ARM Cortex-M3 microprocessor. The SoC has been specially hardened against side-channel attacks and can detect and respond to tampering. My guess is that this is actually Arm’s SecurCore SC300. There are 64 Kbytes of RAM onboard for local tempory storage. The chip also contains AES and SHA hardware accelerators, and a programmable big number coprocessor for public key algorithms, so some encryption can be handled entirely on the Titan M chip.


The key point is that the Titan M CPU and storage are separate from the phone’s main system, securing it from software and CPU exploits like Spectre and Meltdown. The anti-tampering hardware prevents physical exploits too. The Titan M even has direct electrical connections to the Pixel’s side buttons, so a remote attacker can’t fake button presses either. Titan M is a tough nut to crack.

[Nitin Kumar]

Vodafone RedX Postpaid Plan Comes With An Exit Fee Of Rs 3000

Vodafone says that RedX plan comes with benefits worth Rs 20,000 but it comes with a twist.
Vodafone has a new announcement for its users. The company has introduced one major change to its Vodafone RedX postpaid plan which was launched recently by the company.

Vodafone Red X postpaid plan benefits: Similar to the Airtel Rs 999 postpaid plan, the new Vodafone RedX plan also costs Rs 999 and offers a host of benefits under the plan. The company offers 50 percent faster data speeds along with calling benefits, travel privileges, entertainment privileges, and more. There's also unlimited data and calling benefit under the plan. The travel benefits include free international roaming for both data and calls for a week, free access to airport lounge across the world. Subscribers also get a 10 percent discount on hotel bookings around the world and on tickets to museums and attractions on overseas trips. The entertainment privileges include free access to video streaming apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Zee5 and Vodafone Play for a month. Subscribers also get special deals on Samsung devices and ISD calls to USA and Canada at just 50 paise per min.

Vodafone says that RedX plan comes with benefits worth Rs 20,000 but here's a twist. The company will charge the subscriber Rs 3,000 if he or she decides to migrate to another plan in the first six months.

REDX offers you benefits worth over Rs 20,000 with a Superior and Truly Unlimited data experience. All these benefits are available to you right from day one. No waiting period. No hidden conditions. Which is why this plan comes with an exit fee of Rs 3,000 for the first six months," says Vodafone.

[Lalitsharma]

IoS

iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that presently powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone, and iPod Touch; it also powered the iPad prior to the introduction of iPadOS in 2019. It is the second most popular mobile operating system globally after Android.

Originally unveiled in 2007 for the iPhone, iOS has been extended to support other Apple devices such as the iPod Touch (September 2007) and the iPad (January 2010). As of March 2018, Apple's App Store contains more than 2.1 million iOS applications, 1 million of which are native for iPads. These mobile apps have collectively been downloaded more than 130 billion times.

The iOS user interface is based upon direct manipulation, using multi-touch gestures. Interface control elements consist of sliders, switches, and buttons. Interaction with the OS includes gestures such as swipe, tap, pinch, and reverse pinch, all of which have specific definitions within the context of the iOS operating system and its multi-touch interface. Internal accelerometers are used by some applications to respond to shaking the device (one common result is the undo command) or rotating it in three dimensions (one common result is switching between portrait and landscape mode). Apple has been significantly praised for incorporating thorough accessibility functions into iOS, enabling users with vision and hearing disabilities to properly use its products.

Major versions of iOS are released annually. On all recent iOS devices, iOS regularly checks on the availability of an update, and if one is available, it will prompt the user to permit its automatic installation. The current version, iOS 13 was released to the public on 19 September 2019, introducing user interface tweaks and a dark mode, along with features such as a redesigned Reminders app, a swipe keyboard, and an enhanced Photos app. iOS 13 does not support devices with less than 2 GB of RAM, including the iPhone 5s, iPod Touch (6th generation), and the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which still make up over 10% of all iOS devices.iOS 13 is exclusively for the iPhone and iPod touch as the iPad variant is now called iPadOS.

[Lalitsharma]

KaiOS

KaiOS is a mobile operating system based on Linux, owned by KaiOS Technologies, a US-based company. It is forked from B2G OS (Boot to Gecko OS), an open-source community-driven fork of Firefox OS, which was discontinued by Mozilla in 2016.

The primary features of KaiOS bring support for 4G LTE E, VoLTE, GPS and Wi-Fi with HTML5-based apps and longer battery life to non-touch devices with the optimized user interface, less memory, and energy consumption. It also features over-the-air updates.[citation needed] A dedicated app marketplace called KaiStore enables users to download applications. Some services are preloaded as HTML5 applications, including Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. The operating system is comparatively lightweight on hardware resource usage and is able to run on devices with just 256 MB of memory.

The operating system first appeared in 2017 and is developed by KaiOS Technologies Inc., a San Diego, California-based company headed by CEO Sebastien Codeville with offices in other countries. In June 2018, Google invested US$22 million in the operating system. India-based telecom operator Reliance Jio also invested $7 million in cash to pick up a 16% stake in the company.

In market share study results announced in May 2018, KaiOS beat Apple's iOS for second place in India, while Android dominates with 71%, albeit down by 9%. KaiOS growth is being largely attributed to the popularity of the competitively-priced Jio Phone.

[Nitin Kumar]

Now You Can Talk To Google Assistant On Your Android TV In Hindi

Google has rolled out support for Hindi on to Google Assistant on Android TVs. The company has also rolled out the support for Vietnamese on the Assistant on Android TVs.
Earlier this year Google rolled out support for Hindi on to Google Assistant. However, at the time the rollout was limited to smartphones powered by the company's Andriod mobile operating system. Now, the tech giant has started rolling out the support for Hindi to Google Assistant on Android TVs.

The news comes as a courtesy of the Google Support page which revealed that the Mountain View, California-based company has rolled out the support for Hindi and Vietnamese on to Android TVs. "On Android TVs, the Google Assistant is available in English, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazilian), Spanish, and Vietnamese. More languages are coming soon," Google's support page for TV states.

The tech giant also gave out information about the smart TVs that don't run on Google's smart TV operating system. Google on its support page wrote that "on LG TVs, the Google Assistant is available in English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish," adding that "on all other TVs, the Google Assistant is only available in English."

It is worth noting that while Google may have rolled out the support for Hindi on to Google Assistant on Android TVs, the update may take some time to arrive on your Andriod TV-powered smart TV owing to the timeline as to when your device manufacturer releases the update. And so if you haven't received the update yet don't panic.

Separately, Google back in September this year released an update on Android smartphones making it easier for users to switch the language of the Google Assistant on smartphones. Users can interact with Google Assistant in Hindi simply by saying -- "Okay Google, Hindi Mein bolo." This feature is available on Android, Android Go and KaiOs powered devices.

In addition to interacting with the Google Assistant in Hindi, users can also interact with the Assistant in eight Indic languages. The list includes -- Gujarati, Kannada, Urdu, Bengali, Marathi, Urdu, Tamil, and Telugu.

[harpreetkaur]

Few Things you should not do when your computer stopped working

• Do not restart the computer
• Hitting the computer
• Delete system files
• Open many pages at once
• Do not perform updates
• Do not uninstall old programs
• Browse without a daily antivirus