Apple acquires weather app Dark Sky, removes Android and WearOS version

Dark Sky, one of the most popular weather apps on iOS and Android has been acquired by Apple. The app’s website now states that “Dark Sky by Apple,” and with this, marks the beginning of a number of changes.

For those who are iOS users, nothing changes. However, Android users of the app are going to be sorely disappointed. There is no longer a link to the Android version of the app and it is no longer listed in the app store either. The WearOS version of the app has been removed as well. For those Android users who already have the app, or find ways to get it through the APK, the app will cease to function on July 1, 2020. This, is again, only for the Android version of the app. For those who were embedding Dark Sky data on their own websites, that support will also end on July 1, 2020. For those who were signed up for Dark Sky’s APIs, you will be able to continue using them through to the end of 2021. Dark Sky is, however, no longer accepting any more registrations for the use of their APIs.

Apple’s weather app has not been the most feature or information-rich but has always been functional. With the acquisition, the question really becomes if Apple’s weather app is going to be spiritually be replaced by the Dark Sky app. It is also possible that Apple would cherry-pick aspects of Dark Sky to integrate back into its Weather app. Apple’s World Wide Developer Conference is scheduled to take place in June, although it will be in an all-new format due to the recent Coronavirus outbreak. It is possible that Apple may showcase the new features resulting from this acquisition during its reveal of iOS 14. The new version of Apple's mobile operating system is expected to bring a number of very lucrative features, such as being able to define default apps to non-Apple apps, along with being compatible with all devices that currently support iOS13.

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/2URwoaG

Mobile internet usage jumps 10 percent since lockdown

Over the last few weeks, as the Coronavirus puts parts of the world under lockdown, Europe was quickly starting to notice a major strain on its internet infrastructure. Then, India went into a 3-week lockdown and given that everyone is now home, it was assumed that we too would start taxing the ISPs with our incessant binge-watching. Turns out, that just isn’t the case, and that bandwidth consumption has only jumped up a mere 10 percent ever since the country went into lockdown.

Complete lockdown of the country has meant that the entire population is now indoors, sparking off speculation that this would result in a massive spike in internet usage, mostly via due to streaming. Many ignored some obvious facts, facts being that even though most of us are locked indoors, we’re still all working. Additionally, we forgot about all the bandwidth that was now NOT being used up in office premises. For the last few days, there has been a lot of talk about streaming services being asked to reduce the stream quality, with YouTube actually hard-limiting their app to 480p for mobile devices.

According to Economic Times, “Data consumption on mobile networks has increased by about 10-12% and in fact, in places like Delhi, it has inched by 3% while in some areas of the capital, it has actually fallen.” ET attributes the quote to a senior government official who had requested to remain anonymous. In conjunction with this, Rajan S Mathews, DG, COAI said that “Over the past few days, the industry, in concert with actions coordinated with the DoT, has seen a flattening of traffic demand on member’s networks. Some of these actions relate to streaming services reducing their content from HD to SD, local municipalities working with Operators to bring sealed towers back on line, some redistribution of traffic on the network, among other things. As a result, Operators believe there is no present need to request for any additional spectrum. Based on the present condition of Member networks, we believe there is no such present need and Operators remain confident the steps they have taken presently can maintain the relatability and quality of their networks and services.”

Essentially, the steps taken by the DoT, COAI and steaming services put together has prevented the networks from coming under strain, and hence, there is no need for any extra spectrum to be allotted.

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/39BpFqG

Apple hikes iPhone prices due to increase in GST rates, iPhone 11 starting now at Rs 68,300

Apple is now the latest smartphone maker to hike prices in India. Apple has raised the price of iPhones on account of the increased GST rate on mobile phones which has also led to Xiaomi, Realme and Oppo to raise prices. The revised prices are listed on Apple India website and will be applicable from April 1, 2020.

After the hike, the iPhone 11 Pro Max 64GB will start from Rs 1,17,100 up from Rs 1,11,200. Similarly, the iPhone 11 Pro 64GB will be priced at Rs 1,06,000, up from Rs 1,01,200. The iPhone 11 64GB also became more expensive at Rs 68,300, up from Rs 64,900.

Older iPhones including the iPhone XR saw price hiked to Rs 52,500, up from Rs 49,900. Similarly, the iPhone 7 32GB now starts from Rs 31,500, up from Rs 29,900.

The revised prices in on account of the hike in GST rates for mobile phones from 12 per cent to 18 per cent. This also happens to be the second time Apple had to raise prices of the latest iPhones this year. The previous one was due to an increase in basic customs duty that was announced in the union budget 2020, along with the withdrawal of an earlier exemption from customs duty under the Social Welfare Surcharge.

 

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/2X1pGBE

Spotify and Warner Music Group renew partnership Indian users can now listen to Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Bruno Mars and Cardi B

Spotify, the music streaming company has renewed its partnership with Warner Music Group, opening up a much wider catalogue of music artists for Indian consumers on the service. The move comes after Spotify sealed the deal with Warner Chappell Music earlier this year. Warner Chappell Music is a division of Warner Music Group and only had a subset of the overall catalogue that Warner has. With this new partnership, Indian users of the service can enjoy music from Coldplay, Ed Sheeran, Cardi B, Madonna, Led Zeppelin, Katy Perry and Bruno Mars. No, this is not an April Fool’s joke, we confirmed this with Spotify.

In a joint statement, Spotify and Warner Music Group had this to say, “Spotify and Warner Music Group are pleased to announce a renewed global licensing partnership. This expanded deal covers countries where Spotify is available today, as well as additional markets. The two companies look forward to collaborating on impactful global initiatives for Warner artists and songwriters, and working together to grow the music industry over the long term.”

Spotify competes with the likes of JioSaavn, Gaana, YouTube Music, Amazon Music, Hungama and the recently launched Resso, in India. As per their Q4 2019 earnings, Spotify has 271 million active users worldwide of which 124 million were paid subscribers.

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/2Xbm2Ft

After Xiaomi, Realme and Oppo also raised prices due to GST hike

On April 1st, even as the country struggles with a viral pandemic, a bunch of smartphone brands announced they will be hiking prices of their devices. This is not an April Fool's joke. Oppo, Realme, Xiaomi — They all raised the prices of their smartphones, blaiming the government of India for hiking the GST rate for mobile phones even as global supply chains are disrupted due to the coronavirus pandemic raging across the world.

The Indian government hiked the GST on mobile phones from 12 percent to 18 percent from April 1, 2020. This, compounded with the supply chain and logistics disruption caused by the nation-wide lockdown has further led to the increase in prices. Fluctuations and depreciation of currency value are also being blamed for this.

After Xiaomi’s Manu Kumar Jain announced the hike in prices from April 1st, Poco India General Manager C. Manmohan also chimed in with a hike in the prices for the Poco X2. Oppo and Realme also followed suit with announcements explaining why they have to raise prices at a time when the economy is already going to recession.

"Today we are announcing that realme smartphones will have to boost the prices up for the first time since 2018. It’s never easy for realme as a new brand to keep providing the latest technologies across different price segments in India. We sincerely hope you will continue to support not only us but also the whole smartphone industry, for more amazing technologies and surprises in the future,” Realme wrote in a statement.

Oppo too has given in to the hike in GST and according to a Twitter update from a Mumbai-based smartphone retailer, Mahesh Telecom, the company has hiked the market operating price (MOP) of as many as 11 smartphones. Check the list below for the change in prices.

Similarly, the new prices of Realme smartphones are reflecting Realme’s official website. The Realme 6 and Realme 6 Pro both got a price bump of Rs 1,000 and will be sold at Rs 13,999 and Rs 17,999 respectively. The Realme X2 Pro and the Realme X50 Pro saw a price hike of Rs 2,000 and will be sold starting Rs 29,999 and Rs 39,999 respectively. Other models also received a similar Rs 500-Rs 1000 hike in prices.

Xiaomi’s hike in prices have also started reflecting on Flipkart and on Mi.com. The Poco X2 which originally launched at Rs 16,999 is now being listed at Rs 17,999. The Redmi K20 and the K20 Pro has seen a price hike of Rs 2,000 as well. Xiaomi’s official website are yet to show the updated prices. You can check them out on Flipkart.

Going by the looks of it, other smartphone brands are also expected to jack up prices to absorb the higher GST rate and supply chain disruptions in the midst of the coronavirus outbreak.

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/2UTCes4

Nokia 72 starts receiving Android 10 update

If you are rocking a Nokia 7.2 smartphone then there is good news for you. The smartphone has started receiving the Android 10 update. If you haven't received the update on your device, you can go into the settings and manually check for the update. When the Nokia 7.2 launched, customers were promised two years of OS updates and the Android 10 update is the first of the two. As of today, Nokia 8.1, Nokia 7.2, Nokia 7 Plus, Nokia 7.1, Nokia 6.1 Plus, Nokia 6.1 and Nokia 2.2 are all upgraded to Android 10.

The update on the Nokia 7.2 brings with it a bunch of new features as well. Users get access to gesture navigation and smart reply which are a part of Android 10. Users also get access to better privacy controls all in one place along with the ability to control location access to apps – be that always, just while in use, or never. Focus mode is also available in Beta. This lets users block out distracting apps when they need to concentrate on what’s important. Users also get access to Family Link which is now a part of the Digital Wellbeing settings. 

Coming to the specifications of the Nokia 7.2, the smartphone has a 6.3-inch Full HD+ display that comes with HDR10 support and sports a dewdrop notch design. Powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC, the device comes in two variants - 4GB RAM + 64GB storage and 6GB RAM + 64GB storage. It is built out of polymer composite and gets a glass back panel, which is protected by Gorilla Glass. The device features a dedicated Google Assistant button. 

For the camera, the Nokia 7.2 comes with a triple rear camera setup. The rear camera consists of a 48MP main camera that is paired with a half-inch Quad Pixel sensor with an f/1.79 aperture lens. There’s also a 5MP depth sensor and an 8MP ultra-wide camera. On the front, the device has a 20MP selfie shooter. A 3500mAh battery powers the entire package. It also features a 3.5mm headphones jack.

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/3aAgsQz

The Indian government has just launched a dedicated Twitter handle for Coronavirus updates and news

In a move that will surely help, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting set up a dedicated Twitter handle to help share news, updates and announcements about the Coronavirus in India. Called #IndiaFightsCorona, the account goes by the handle @CovidnewsbyMIB. This is a great move to keep people abreast of the situation. With a clever and more transparent approach of keeping the public informed, this handle has also shared the helpline numbers for any sort of information on the pandemic as its first tweet. 

The handle also shares live feeds from Press Briefings regarding the Coronavirus. As of writing this article, the handle already has about 12.k followers and should see more in the coming weeks. You can head on to Twitter to follow the handle. 

#CoronaVirusUpdates: As on 01 April 2020, 09:00 AM, ➡️1466 Active Cases ➡️38 Deaths reported ➡️132 Cured/Discharged#IndiaFightsCorona@MoHFW_INDIA @PIB_India @drharshvardhan

— #IndiaFightsCorona (@COVIDNewsByMIB) April 1, 2020

The situation has grown rather serious in India with companies like Airtel, Reliance and even Facebook, pitching in to help out with the Coronavirus pandemic. You can even recharge your Reliance Jio number at an ATM. As India heads into the second week of lockdown, more and more companies are reaching out and trying to help. 

 

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/2X026Fp