Thursday, February 1, 2018

Android One is still alive and kicking: Sharp launches One S3 in Japan

February 01, 2018 0 Comments
Android One is still alive and kicking: Sharp launches One S3 in Japan
Sharp’s new Android One S3 comes with IP68 certification for water and dust resistance.

After launching Mi A1 in India in partnership with Xiaomi, Google has introduced another Android One smartphone. Launched in Japan, the new Android One is Sharp Android One S3, running the latest Android iteration v8.0 Oreo out-of-the-box.

Android One was launched in 2014 with a special focus on entry-level smartphones in emerging markets, similar to Google’s philosophy for its latest Android Go platform. The idea behind the project is to deliver pure and timely latest Android updates and patches to the low-end smartphones, a big pain point for this category.

In fact, India was the launchpad for the ambitious platform wherein OEMs follow certain hardware and software standard set by Google.

While Android One failed to take off in the country, Google has sporadically launched a few Android One phones over the years in different markets. Xiaomi Mi A1 and Moto X4 Android One were a few notable devices to launch in 2017.

Shift in focus

With Xiaomi Mi A1, Google hinted at a big shift in focus with its Android One Platform. The Xiaomi phone came with top-end features such as dual-camera and a premium design. The smartphone is available for Rs 13,999, targeted at the lower tier of the mid-range category.

Sharp Android One S3: Specifications, features

The smartphone features a 5-inch IGZO Full HD display. It is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 430 processor which is quite disappointing considering its price tag of JPY 32,400 which translates to roughly Rs 18,900.

The smartphone packs 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage which is further expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card. For photography, Sharp S3 sports a 13-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front camera.

Fueling the smartphone is a 2,700mAh battery, along with a USB Type-C port for charging. Its connectivity options include 4G LTE, Bluetooth 4.2, and Wi-Fi. Sharp S3 also comes with IP68 certification making it resistant to water and dust.

Sharp S3 comes in four colour options of green, black, white, and a pastel pink. In terms of design, it’s hard to ignore that the smartphone looks eerily similar to Apple’s plastic 5C iPhones.

This isn’t the first Android One smartphone from Sharp. The series consists of Sharp S1, Sharp S2 and Sharp S3.
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Time spent on Facebook reduced by 50 million hours a day: Mark Zuckerberg

February 01, 2018 0 Comments
Time spent on Facebook reduced by 50 million hours a day: Mark Zuckerberg
Here are highlights from Facebook’s latest quarterly earnings report.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that the recent changes to the social media platform reduced the time people spent on Facebook by roughly 50 million hours every day.


“2017 was a strong year for Facebook, but it was also a hard one. In 2018, we’re focused on making sure Facebook isn’t just fun to use, but also good for people’s well-being and for society. We’re doing this by encouraging meaningful connections between people rather than passive consumption of content,” said Zuckerberg while presenting Facebook’s Q4 earnings on Wednesday.

“Already last quarter, we made changes to show fewer viral videos to make sure people’s time is well spent. In total, we made changes that reduced time spent on Facebook by roughly 50 million hours every day. By focusing on meaningful connections, our community and business will be stronger over the long term,” he added.

Zuckerberg’s comments shortly after he announced major changes to News Feed algorithms to bring focus back on content shared by friends and families, rather than the posts from businesses.

Facebook Inc offered reassurances to investors on Wednesday that its digital ad business would remain highly profitable, despite a dip in usage on the social media network and an overhaul of its flagship News Feed.

The company said in an earnings report that quarterly revenue jumped 47% from a year earlier, and executives said on a conference call that they saw more chances to make money even if people spend less time on Facebook.

Analysts had wondered about the resilience of the world’s largest social media network, which is making changes to its products to deter foreign influence campaigns like ones that it says Russia has carried out and to stem the spread of sensationalism.

Facebook added to jitters after the bell on Wednesday when, in its earnings report, it said that at the end of last year time spent by users had fallen by about 50 million hours a day. Shares fell more than 4% in after-hours trading.

Shortly afterward, though, Facebook executives expressed optimism on the call with analysts, saying the changes they were making in response to criticism would be healthy for the business in the long term and might not even hurt much in the short term.

“I want to be clear: The most important driver of our business has never been time spent by itself. It’s the quality of the conversations and connections,” Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on the call.

The upbeat forecast led to a rebound in shares, which in late after-hours trading were up 1.4% at $189.50.

Facebook management “acknowledged things that maybe most investors weren’t thinking about before - the reduction of users and usage - but at the same time they pointed to a lot of positive trends on their other platforms,” Pivotal Research Group analyst Brian Wieser said.

Although Facebook usage is down, he said, “One shouldn’t be reflectively negative on this.”

Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg told analysts that recent changes to reduce disinformation on Facebook could create “more monetization opportunities.”

Sandberg said she was optimistic about potential revenue from ads on “stories” on Facebook and Instagram, while Chief Financial Officer David Wehner said the average price per ad increased 43% in quarter.

“They said average revenue per ad was up a lot, that quality of ads has improved, and that the engagement declines were not meaningful,” Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter said.

“In other words, better quality engagement and better ability to target ads. The street probably likes that,” he said.

Facebook said that time spent was falling at the end of last year by about 50 million hours a day due to changes that it said reduced viral videos, even before the company announced a series of changes to the News Feed that may further reduce user engagement.

Facebook’s 1.40 billion daily active users was up 14% from a year earlier, but below analysts’ estimate of 1.41 billion for the fourth quarter, according to financial data and analytics firm FactSet.

The number of daily users in the United States and Canada fell for the first time in Facebook’s history, dipping in the company’s home market by 700,000 from a quarter earlier to 184 million. Wehner said the number would “fluctuate” in the future.

Total revenue, though, showed little impact, rising 47% to $12.97 billion and beating analysts’ estimate of $12.55 billion, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

Wehner reiterated Facebook’s earlier guidance on expenses, telling analysts on the call that expenses would likely grow 45% to 60% during 2018. The spending spree includes thousands of new workers to review content posted by users.

The overhaul of Facebook’s New Feed was prompted in part by its disclosure last year that Russian agents used Facebook to try to sway American voters from 2015 to 2017, an allegation that Moscow denies. Facebook said 126 million Americans may have seen Russian-backed political ads and posts.

In the fourth quarter, net income attributable to Facebook shareholders rose to $4.27 billion, or $1.44 per share, in the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31 from $3.56 billion, or $1.21 per share, a year earlier.

Excluding a tax provision, the company earned $2.21 per share, topping analysts’ estimates of $1.95, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S. Facebook said it increased its provision for 2017 income taxes by $2.27 billion, citing U.S. tax changes.
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Over 1.2 million mobile users witnessed malware attacks in 2017: Kaspersky Lab

February 01, 2018 0 Comments
Over 1.2 million mobile users witnessed malware attacks in 2017: Kaspersky Lab. Kaspersky Lab discovered 23 families of malware containing porn-related content.

In 2017, 25.4% of smartphone users who encountered malware were attacked by malicious programmes that used adult content to lure them into installing infected apps on their devices, a report said on Wednesday.


According to the findings by Russia-based Kaspersky Lab, over 1.2 million mobile users witnessed a malware attack in 2017.

The security giant said the most active use of porn topics is in the mobile threat landscape. During the course of the research, Kaspersky Lab specialists identified 23 families of malware that use adult content to hide their real functionality.

“Although we cannot say that these mobile applications are technically very different to those that do not use adult content in their activities, there are a few specifics when it comes to attacks with porn-powered malicious applications,” Roman Unuchek, Security Expert at Kaspersky Lab, said in a statement.

“A victim who has been compromised with an adult content-enabled malicious programme might think twice before reporting the incident, simply because they were trying to find porn content. This is one of the reasons why we see so many attacks with this malware,” Unuchek added.

The research showed that when downloading an unknown porn application, users are at greatest risk of being infected with so-called clickers.

Upon infection, this malware starts to click through ad-links or try to subscribe the user to a subscription in order to drain their pre-paid mobile credit.

Porn-themed malware are followed by Banking Trojans disguised as porn video players, and rooting malware that often comes in the form of legitimate applications for known porn websites.
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Colourful new Google Doodle celebrates writer Kamala Das

February 01, 2018 0 Comments
Colourful new Google Doodle celebrates writer Kamala Das
Kamala Das’ life and work has been celebrated in a brand new Google Doodle.

Author and poet Kamala Das got a colourful new Google Doodle in her honour on Thursday. The artwork, made by artist Manjit Thapp, is just as lively as many of her writings.


Das, recently in news for the controversial biopic starring Manju Warrier, was born on March 31, 1934 in Punnayurkulam, Kerala and died on May 31, 2009 in Pune. She wrote several poems, short stories and novels in English and Malayalam and was also a widely read columnist who wrote extensively on politics, women’s issues, child care and more.

She lived under several pseudonyms throughout her life. While born Kamala, she later took pen names Madhavikutty and Kamala Das before finally converting to Islam in 1999 and changing her name to Kamala Surayya.

The Kerala high court on Wednesday issued notices to the Centre, Central Board of Film Certification and director of the her biopic and sought their replies on charges raised in the petition seeking a ban on the Malayalam film for “supporting and justifying love jihad”. KP Ramachandran said in his plea filed on Monday that the film, directed by Kamal and starring Manju Warrier in the lead role, glorifies conversion and related incidents and omits some of the “painful incidents in her real life.”

“Such films are getting released at a time when there is a hot debate on “love jihad” and central agencies are probing it,” he said.

Das’ conversion is said to be at the behest of a 38-year-old Muslim man. The move created a furore in both the communities. Ramachandran also claimed that Das was one of the first victims of the so-called “love jihad”. He added that she wanted to come back to the Hindu fold before her death but some fundamentalist elements foiled this.

“She was allegedly enticed to the religion by a young leader feigning love. In the end, she was forced to lead a solitary life,” he said.
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Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Nokia 3310 with 4G VoLTE, YunOS launched in China

January 30, 2018 travel , 1 Comments
Nokia 3310 with 4G VoLTE, YunOS launched in China
The new Nokia 3310 is the third model of the feature phone offered by HMD Global.

HMD Global on Tuesday launched a new variant of Nokia 3310 in China. The new Nokia 3310 comes with support for 4G connectivity. It also runs on YunOS, which is a Linux based OS developed by Alibaba Cloud. The smartphone has been announced in China, with the product listed on the company’s website. There is no word on the pricing and availability details as yet.


Nokia 3310 4G comes in two color options of ‘Fresh Blue’ and ‘Dark Black’. This is the third variant of Nokia 3310 launched by HMD Global. The first model with 2G connectivity was launched at MWC 2017, with the 3G model released last October. The latest Nokia 3310 comes with 4G VoLTE support and also WLAN hotspot. With this you can use Nokia 33310 as a portable hotspot device.

With MWC 2018 approaching, it is expected that HMD Global will globally launch the device at the event. Pricing and availability details of Nokia 3310 are also expected to be revealed at the event. Another change with Nokia 3310 is the operating system which is YunOS.

Developed in 2011 by Alibaba, YunOS is now the third most popular mobile OS after Android and iOS. YunOS is based on Linux, and focuses on making the device operate on cloud services.

Nokia 3310 4G specifications

Nokia 3310 4G features a 2.4-inch VGA display (240p) display with an alphanumeric keypad. The phone comes with 512MB of internal storage which is further expandable up to 64GB via a microSD card. Nokia 3310 4G is fueled by a 1,200mAh battery which is claimed to offer 15 hours of talktime.

For photography, Nokia 3310 4G offers a 2-megapixel camera with LED flash at the rear end. In addition to 4G support, the phone comes with connectivity options like Bluetooth 4.0, FM Radio, and 3.5mm audio jack. There’s also an in-built MP3 player on the phone.
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OPPO patents design for foldable smartphone, to take on Samsung Galaxy X

January 30, 2018 0 Comments
OPPO patents design for foldable smartphone, to take on Samsung Galaxy X. OPPO has patented a design for a foldable device that could be used as a table

Foldable smartphones are inching closer to reality. While Samsung has already confirmed working on a foldable Galaxy X smartphone, Chinese handset company OPPO is expected to join the bandwagon soon.


OPPO has now patented a design for a foldable device that could be used as a tablet, according to reports. The patent was picked up by China Mobile (via GSMArena) and presents an exciting prospect for those awaiting the first truly foldable handsets.

“The patent indicates that the device would look something like a regular smartphone device -- albeit without a bezel on one side -- when in one configuration, but that it could also open up to resemble a compact tablet,” Android Authority reported on Tuesday.

OPPO is said to be one of the manufacturers currently eyeing a foldable product, along with Samsung, LG and Apple.

Samsung will be testing the waters with its truly foldable OLED smartphone in its “Galaxy” series with a limited run in South Korea. It is one of the very few smartphone manufacturers hedging their bets on foldable flagships.

According to reports, Samsung showcased an “almost finished” version of the foldable phone at the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Samsung’s Galaxy X is expected to come with an edge-to-edge display that can be folded inwards.

In November last year, Apple also filed a patent application for a yet-unnamed foldable device that can be “opened and closed like a book.”
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Sunday, January 28, 2018

Facebook to prioritise ‘local news’ for US users

January 28, 2018 news , 0 Comments
Facebook to prioritise ‘local news’ for US users
Facebook will ask users to rank their news sources in an attempt to lessen spread of misinformation.

Facebook, on Monday said that it has decided to deliver more local news to US users, in its latest effort to manage the flow of information on the enormously-influential social network.

Earlier this month, Facebook announced it will ask its 2 billion users to rank their trust in news sources as part of an effort to combat the spread of misinformation.


The changes come as the online giant seeks to address charges that it has failed -- along with Google and Twitter -- to prevent the spread of false news, especially ahead of the 2016 US presidential election.

“Local news helps build community -- both on and offline,” Facebook co-founder and chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said in a post on the social network.

“It’s an important part of making sure the time we all spend on Facebook is valuable.”

Zuckerberg traveled around the US last year, visiting with Facebook users.

“One theme people kept telling me is how much we all have in common if we can get past some of the most divisive national issues,” Zuckerberg said in the post.

“Many people told me they thought that if we could turn down the temperature on the more divisive issues and instead focus on concrete local issues, then we’d all make more progress together.”

He also cited research suggesting that reading local news prompted people to be more engaged in their communities.

Facebook is showing US members more stories from news sources in their cities or towns, and plans to begin doing the same in more countries later this year.

Lowering the bar

Recent changes at Facebook include a new “trusted sources” ranking intended to “make sure the news you see is high quality” and to foster “a sense of common ground” rather than sow division, Zuckerberg said in a previous post.

Facebook decided to rely on member surveys to rank trust in news sources.

A freshly-introduced update highlights what friends and family share on the network, over advertisements, celebrity and media posts.

The company cast the changes as part of a refocus on “community” -- prioritizing social interactions and relationships, even if it means people spend less time on the platform.

Known for annual personal goals ranging from killing his own food to learning Chinese, Zuckerberg’s stated mission for this year is to “fix” the social network.

He plans to target abuse and hate, as well as interference by nation states.

Facebook is a powerful platform for distributing news stories, and the changes have raised concerns among media organizations that had adapted to the social network’s existing formula for displaying content to users.

The announcement by Zuckerberg also drew criticism that Facebook could be “lowering the bar” for what constitutes news.

Assistant professor Jennifer Grygiel of the S.I. Newhouse School of public communications at Syracuse University in New York said that serving up statements from public agencies as news on Facebook could give government more power when it comes to what the public knows.

“What you are going to see is a rise in state-run media if this applies to every official page in your neighborhood,” Grygiel told AFP.

“We are potentially getting more misinformation because we have lost the gatekeepers and fact-checkers in journalism. Journalists have a role in our society, and I don’t think Mark Zuckerberg has figured out what that is yet.”

The professor noted that an early sampling of what is being presented as local “news” featured posts from state or city entities in an offering more akin to a bulletin board than the work of journalists.

“I think (Facebook) has watered down the idea of news,” Grygiel said.

“They should stop using the word ‘news’ unless they are actually talking about journalistic institutions. They are redefining what is news, and they are lowering the bar.”
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