Apple in talks with Intel to buy its smartphone 5G modem business for 1 billion: Report

Apple and Qualcomm were at loggerheads until a surprise settlement in April saw both companies coming to an agreement on working together to bring in-display fingerprint sensors and 5G phones. After this, Intel confirmed that it is dropping out of the 5G smartphone modem business. After over two months, a media report has now claimed that Apple is in “advanced talks” to buy Intel’s smartphone modem chip business for “$1 billion or more”. The report in The Wall Street Journal also claims that an agreement “could be reached in the next week”. Digit has reached out to Apple for comment on the development.

It could be possible that the deal brings hundreds of engineers and key patents from Intel to Apple. These engineers and patents will reportedly help the iPhone-maker develop some of the technologies that it are currently licenced from Qualcomm. Further, the report notes that this Apple-Intel deal won’t affect the Apple-Qualcomm relationship. Reportedly, Apple and Qualcomm are in a six-year licensing agreement for components used in cell network-connected mobile devices (though the full details of the agreement were not made public). 

This development is in line with last month’s report in which The Information (via MacRumors) revealed that Intel is considering selling off its modem business that is currently not doing very well and Apple wants to scoop up the company’s strongest modem manufacturing branch, which was set up in Germany after Intel acquired chipmaker Infineon. The report also mentioned “hundreds” of Intel’s modem engineers moving to Apple if the companies do reach an accord.

For those who don’t know, after Apple and Qualcomm were in legal contestation, the Cupertino-based tech company roped-in Intel to design modems for iPhones to apparently avoid falling behind in the upcoming 5G phones era. Even if Intel might have ceased production of 5G smartphone modems, it is still active in the development of networking and infrastructure products and modems for non-smartphone products.

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WhatsApp will now work on basic phones running KaiOS

With 1.5 billion active users and presence in over 180 countries across the globe, WhatsApp has the largest share among all messaging and social networks. However, its availability has still been limited on basic phones but that is changing now. The Facebook-owned messaging app is now available on millions of low-cost KaiOS phones. It can be downloaded from the KaiStore for KaiOS on devices with at least 256MB RAM. Whatsapp will come pre-installed on select basic phones running KaiOS starting the third quarter this year.

The KaiOS version of WhatsApp comes with almost no compromises as it supports both calling and messaging, and includes end-to-end encryption as well. KaiOS was first made available on Reliance’s JioPhone in September 2018. Since then, the app has been gradually released for select KaiOS devices. The toned-down version of WhatsApp was also released for the Nokia 8110 in India in April 2019. However, today is only the first time that the app has been made available to millions of more feature phones by a broader worldwide release. 

To recall, KaiOS is a lightweight operating system that is currently available on a limited number of feature phones. WhatApp for KaiOS in currently available for a total of seven basic phones around the globe - JioPhone, JioPhone 2, Nokia 8110, the Cat B35, Doro 7060, MTN Smart, and Orange Sanza.

The wider roll-out of WhatsApp on KaiOS can fill an important gap, as it will be made available to those who cannot afford smartphones. 

According to Engadget, “the new WhatsApp client could help them connect not just to friends and family who are already on the platform, but stores, services and job opportunities. Although this won't be reassuring to people worried that Facebook has too much power, it could help level the playing field for people who can't justify a more expensive handset.”

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Asus 6z update improves flip camera movement, super night mode and more

One of the unique features that the Asus 6z offers is free-angle shooting using the Flip Camera. The 48MP+13MP dual camera module rises up from the back to become the front camera and, in between, you can stop the module at any angle to shoot photos or videos. With a new update, Asus is making the experience of using the Flip Camera even better.

The 16.1220.1906.167 version update’s changelog lists the changes Asus has made. Most of them are camera-related. After the update, the camera movement is made much smoother. It should now move at a constant speed to rotate a full 180 degrees while the retract button is now more easily accessible. Asus also tuned the EIS to work better while recording videos and the Super Night Mode should produce better texture and lesser noise.

Asus also tuned the call quality and made the phone more power efficient along with the usual bug fixes and system stability fixes. There are also India-centric improvements, like a system-level translation where system notifications are translated to available Indian languages.

The update will be pushed out in batches, according to the release Asus shared. You can check for the update by going to System Updates in the Settings app.

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Facebooks Messenger Kids app flaw bypassed parental control to let kids join group chats with unauthorised users

Back in December 2017, Facebook announced Messenger Kids, which is a dedicated Messenger app for kids. The app comes equipped with parental controls so that parents can authorise whom their kids can talk to on the platform. However, it seems like the app failed in its primary task of keeping kids from talking to unauthorised users as The Verge was able to obtain an alert that Facebook is sending out to parents. Kids can be given the authorisation to talk to someone and, if that person creates a group, kids can join it. The alert blames a technical error that enabled kids to interact with other unauthorised users in such a group. 

The alert being sent by Facebook apparently reads, “Hi [PARENT], We found a technical error that allowed [CHILD]’s friend [FRIEND] to create a group chat with [CHILD] and one or more of [FRIEND]’s parent-approved friends. We want you to know that we’ve turned off this group chat and are making sure that group chats like this won’t be allowed in the future. If you have questions about Messenger Kids and online safety, please visit our Help Center and Messenger Kids parental controls. We’d also appreciate your feedback.” It is not known since when the flaw has been affecting the group chat option in the app. 

As per the report, this flaw is also legally sensitive in the US since the Messenger Kids app is meant for kids under the age of 13. This new issue doesn’t spell good news for the company since it has landed itself in hot water numerous times since the Cambridge Analytica data privacy scandal. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has reportedly fined Facebook $5 billion for privacy violations, which is said to be the biggest settlement amount ever given to a technology company. You can read more about it here.

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Elon Musk promises new Hyperloop tube after team breaks speed record

A Hyperloop Pod built by the Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Germany has set a new speed record at the annual SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition. According to the team's tweet, the Hyperloop Pod hit a top speed of 463 kilometres per hour during the run, thereby beating last year's record of 457 kilometres per hour set by the same team. After the win, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced in a tweet that next year's competition would take place in a 10-kilometre vacuum tunnel with a curve.

Sponsored primarily by Airbus, the team from TUM won the competition despite losing some parts along the way. “You could say the pod is the result of four years of evolution,” said Team Manager Toni Jukic of the winning team in a news release. “Each year we learned something new and put the knowledge into practice. The system is to gradually develop to full scale.” The research team consists of 15 members.

When the team won the competition last year, it was called WARR Hyperloop. This year, the team has renamed itself to TUM Hyperloop because the members no longer belong to the WARR student group. The team is now part of the newly founded association “NEXT Prototypes”. The pod built by the team is the fourth of its kind and is based on the concept used last year. It is approximately 1.70 meters long, 50 cm wide, and weighs approximately 70 kilogrammes, which is lighter than last year's concept by 8 kilogrammes.

Participants in the annual SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition are required to develop a self-propelled pod that passes through the 1.2-kilometre-long Hyperloop tube built by SpaceX. The Hyperloop tube is Elon Musk's far-reaching vision for high-speed transportation. Last year's win for WARR Hyperloop (now TUM Hyperloop) marked a hat-trick, making this year's win the fourth in a row. Considering Musk's announcement after this year's win, next year's competition is expected to be more challenging because of the added distance and curve.

 

We are happy to announce that we have reached a top speed of 463 km/h today. Although we lost some parts on the way, we were able to successful finish our run and are proud to be the winners of the 2019 SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition. Break a pod :wink: @SpaceX @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/GNrH5Ct2qu

— TUM Hyperloop (@TUM_Hyperloop) July 22, 2019

 

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Redmi 7A to go on sale via Micom at 12pm today: Specs, price and all you need to know

After holding its first two sales in a week’s time, Redmi is again putting its entry-level smartphone, the Redmi 7A, on sale today. Unlike the two previous sales, this time, the phone will be up for grabs on Mi.com today at 12pm. Those who miss this sale can purchase the phone from Flipkart on July 25. Marketed as ‘Desh ka Smartphone’, the Redmi 7A was launched in the first week of July and is priced starting at Rs 5,799 on the company’s e-store. The phone competes with other entry-level handsets like the Realme C2. The 2GB RAM + 16GB storage version of the Redmi 7A is priced at Rs 5,799. The 2GB RAM + 32GB storage version can be purchased for Rs 5,999.

Redmi 7A specifications:

As mentioned, the Redmi 7A is an entry-level smartphone and it comes equipped with a 5.45-inch HD+ Full HD display. It features a unibody matte finish design and comes in Matte Blue, Matte Gold and Matte Black colours. Under the hood, the phone sports the Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 mobile platform, which is paired with up to 3GB RAM and 32GB of storage. There’s also a dedicated microSD card slot to expand its storage up to 256GB.

In terms of optics on the back, it comes equipped with a 12MP Sony IMX 486 sensor paired with an f/2.2 aperture lens. On the front is a 5MP camera that supports AI face unlock, AI Background blurring, AI Beautify and some additional features. Backed by a 4000mAh battery that is claimed to deliver 17 hours of HD video playback, the handset also features a splash-resistant design and is said to sport reinforced corners. The device gets a two-year warranty and also comes equipped with wireless FM radio feature.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 10, Note 10+ display specs, battery capacity highlighted in new leak

New information circulating the internet has shed light on the display resolution and battery capacity of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+. The information comes from a Greek tech website and, since it is one we haven't seen leak a lot of information, we suggest you take the leak with a hint of salt. The new information suggests that the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 will sport a 6.3-inch display with a Full HD+ resolution whereas the Galaxy Note 10+ will have a 6.75-inch display with a QHD+ resolution. When it comes to the battery capacity, the Note 10 will house a 3500mAh battery with support for 25W fast charging. The phablet will weigh 168 grams. Moving to the Note 10+, the smartphone is expected to house a 4300mAh battery with support for 45W fast charging. Although it should be noted that the device will not come with the fast charger in the box. 

The leaked information also sheds some light on the S-Pen that comes with the Note devices. It is reported that the S-Pen will let users do more with the S-Pen without it actually touching the device. Users can scroll through webpages by hovering the S Pen over the device, so on and so forth and it is possible that more gestures and functions are added to the S-Pen. The S-Pen is also speculated to make a marker-like sound when taking notes.

Whether these rumours are true or not is something we will know when Samsung unveils the device at an event in New York on August 7. 

Source 

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