Android 11 announcement delayed amidst blacklivesmatter protests

Google was supposed to announce the features upcoming on Android 11 on June 3 but has postponed the online event in light of protests and unrest in the United States.

Google had announced it will be hosting an online event to release the beta version of Android 11 and outline the features of the upcoming update to the popular mobile operating system, after the company’s annual developer conference I/O was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We are excited to tell you more about Android 11, but now is not the time to celebrate. We are postponing the June 3rd event and beta release. We’ll be back with more on Android 11, soon,” Google said in a message on the Android Developers blog.

The Android Developers twitter handle also announced the same, without specifying a new date for the unveil.

We are excited to tell you more about Android 11, but now is not the time to celebrate. We are postponing the June 3rd event and beta release. We'll be back with more on Android 11, soon.

— Android Developers (@AndroidDev) May 30, 2020

The protests across the United States have sprung up after the killing on George Floyd, an African-American Minneapolis citizen who died after his neck was pinned down by a white police officer’s knee.

Google announced the first developer preview of Android 11 in February which was made available on select Pixel phones including the Pixel 2, Pixel 2XL, Pixel 3A and Pixel 4. Subsequently, Google has released two more such previews with the third developer preview hitting Pixel phones in April.

If you have any of these devices, you can still get a taste of Android 11 by downloading the preview. Note that this isn’t the final version and will be ridden with bugs. It’s recommended to backup your data before installing the preview.

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OnePlus 6 and 6T To Get Work Life Balance Feature in the New OxygenOS 1034

The OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T are receiving a new update which brings the May 2020 security patch along with adding some new features, stability updates and bug fixes. The official changelog of the update reveals the OnePlus 6 (review) and OnePlus 6T (review) is receiving an update to OxygenOS 10.3.4 through an OTA release. The rollout is staged in phases, with a limited number of users receiving it initially, followed by a broader rollout in the next few days provided there are no critical bugs plaguing users.

Among the bug fixes includes an issue with the SIM 2 slot on the smartphones that reportedly caused issues when in roaming mode. There’s a new notification feature to help users achieve ‘work-life balance’. This, according to the changelog, is only for Indian users and helps them “prioritise notifications and assign time and allocate time wisely” to achieve work-life balance while working from home during the Covid-19 pandemic. The update also updates the OxygenOS launcher app to version 4.1.6.

Furthermore, Indian users will also see “Epic Games” in Game Space, which is likely due to a new partnership with the game studio. In the newer OnePlus 7T and onwards, Epic Games’ Fortnite will be running at 90FPS. Sadly, with the screen refresh rate limited to 60Hz in the OnePlus 6 and OnePlus 6T, as the feature will likely not be coming to these smartphones.

OnePlus has also cautioned the update will be pushed out to your smartphone if you use a VPN as this is based on regions and is randomly pushed out to a limited number of users at first, followed by a broader rollout. The limited set of users will start receiving the update from May 27 onwards. You can head to Settings → System → System Updates to check for new updates.

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Xiaomi could launch Mi laptops on June 11 in India

Xiaomi is all set to launch its range of Mi laptops for the very first time in India and the launch event could be scheduled for June 11, if the latest rumour is to be believed. Xiaomi has officially started teasing about the Mi laptops for the past week and even gave a shout-out to other laptop brands in India including Dell, HP, Lenovo, Asus and Acer.

According to an exclusive report by 91Mobiles that cites popular leakster Ishan Agarwal, Xiaomi could launch the RedmiBook 13 laptop in India under the Mi banner. As it is the company’s first laptop launch in India, it seems like Xiaomi wants to kick off its run in the laptop market by rebranding a RedmiBook laptop. While it hasn’t been confirmed yet, the report states that the 2019 version of RedmiBook 13 is likely to be announced in India. 

Xiaomi has also started teasing some of the key features of the upcoming laptop and there could be more than one notebook that the company brings to India. This has been hinted by Aggarwal, who in a separate tweet, indicated that two notebooks going by the model number XMA1901 and XMA1904 has been certified by the Bluetooth SIG. Interestingly, XMA1904 model hasn’t been announced in China yet and the XMA1901 coincides with the RedmiBook 14 from China.

While the specific details on the laptops are currently awaited, the upcoming laptops by Xiaomi are expected to support 1C fast charging solution that can recharge the laptop from 0-50 per cent in 35 minutes. Let’s take a brief look at the RedmiBook 13 which is rumoured to be rebranded as a Mi laptop for India.

Xiaomi RedmiBook 13 specifications and pricing

Xiaomi RedmiBook 13 features a 13.3-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) resolution anti-glare display with narrow 4.65mm bezels on three sides. The display offers 178-degree wide-viewing angle with 250 nits maximum brightness. It is 16.3 mm thin and weighs around 1.23 kilogrammes.

The laptop comes in two sets of configuration options-- with 10th gen Intel Core i5-10510U processor and 10th gen Intel Core i7-10510U chipset. This is paired with 2GB NVIDIA GeForce MX250 graphics along with 8GB DDR4 RAM and 512GB SSD storage.

The RedmiBook 13 comes fitted with a chiclet keyboard with a 1.3 mm keystroke travel along with Microsoft PTP supported trackpad. It comes with two USB 3.1 ports, an HDMI port and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

It is fitted with a 40 watt-hour battery cell and supports 1C fast charging technology that is capable of charging the laptop from 0-50% in 35 minutes. The laptop comes bundled with a 65W power adapter.

RedmiBook 13 starts at CNY 4,499 (Rs 47,490) for the base variant with Core i5 processor and CNY 5199 (Rs 54,800) for the Core i7 variant. The new RedmiBooks will also come with Ryzen 4000 CPUs. 

 

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WeTransfer has now been banned by the Indian Government

Well, it looks like the Indian government is at it again. This time file-sharing website, WeTransfer has now been banned in India. Why? Well, it’s because of ‘national security’ and ‘public interest’. Authorized by the Department of Telecommunications, the order was passed on May 18, 2020. The order was sent to Internet Service Providers and stated that WeTransfer and two other links were to be banned under grounds of ‘national security’ and public interest’. 

Currently, it still available on FusionNet, ACT and Airtel networks but it has been cut off from Reliance Jio networks. We could see other ISPs banning the website shortly. WeTransfer is a website that allows users to share large files of up to 2GB for free with their contacts and such. Higher data caps are available when you purchase the paid version of the website. But, alas, Indians will not be able to use the service any longer. Even though the government has given a reason for the ban, it’s still rather vague and not very clear why this happened. 

Banning websites in India isn’t a new development as the government has already instituted a ban on adult-oriented websites in the past and many more instances of banning have implemented on the country. In fact, VPN downloads have seen a rise of 405% since the government decided to ban adult websites. You can read more about that story here. The government has also banned games like PUBG Mobile for CRPF troops. You can read more about that here. 

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Googles SODAR tool aims to help Android users maintain social distancing

Google has released a new tool that is aimed at helping people maintain social distancing. The tool is currently only available on Android and uses the phone’s camera to visualise a white circle around the user via Augmented reality (AR). This circle has a radius of 2m around the user. “This experiment uses WebXR to visualise 2-metre social-distancing guidelines in your environment,” the website states.

How to use SODAR

In order to use the tool, users must head to https://ift.tt/2XAsO64 from their Android phones while using the Google Chrome browser. Then they need to allow the required permissions and then point the camera at the ground in order for the tool to get its bearings straight. Once done, the tool will project a 2m circle around the user, which can be used to ensure social distancing. 

Google is also working with Apple to create a system for contact tracing. The API is now available and Switzerland became the first country to use it to create own contact tracing app called SwissCovid. he app is presently in pilot testing and will be used by the EPFL employees, ETH Zurich, the Army and some hospitals and government agencies. Due to privacy features added to the API by Google and Apple, the SwissCovid app cannot track user location.

Of course, it already has developed its own contact tracing app called Aarogya Setu. To know the fundamental difference in how Aarogya Setu and SwissCovid work, click here. 

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Call of Duty: Mobile shows off new Battle Royale map expansion, teases addition of tanks, new boss and more

Call of Duty: Mobile has started teasing its next major update, specifically the expansion to its battle royale map. While the developers had hinted at the expansion earlier, this time they have pretty much showcased the new version of the Isolated map as well as hinted at a couple of new things that players might expect.

The new map will be an expansion of the current map along the North and North-Eastern borders, It will add new locations like Harbor, Sanatarium, Black Market, Ski Town, Heat Overgrown and Downtown. The new map seems to offer a snowy theme North and North-East, with more urban locations towards the West.

Over on Reddit, the developers said that the new map will feature “new areas to explore, loot, and fight over in the next update, but there are also interactive areas to utilize, new enemies, to find, and new vehicles to master.” They also posted an image that teased new additions to the map along with a bunch more stuff that players can expect.

Most notable of the new additions seem to be a tank. It should e noted that while PUBG Mobile to has a tank-like vehicle in the form of the BRDM-2, that vehicle does not have a turret and isn’t weaponised. The tank being added to Call of Duty: Mobile does seem to have a turret, which should make it a formidable opponent for players.    There are also some subtler references in the image. There is a sketch of a giant zombie-like creature with a butcher’s knife. This may allude to a new boss in the upcoming map. There is a note that reads, “NOVA-6 shipment stolen.” This may be hinting that the lethal gas grenade may be making its way to multiplayer. A couple of weeks back, the developers did release a teaser that showed the new Rust map being covered in green gas.

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Indian Government now offering Rs 4 lakh to users who can find flaws and vulnerabilities in Aarogya Setu app

If you’re a hacker or someone who knows coding in regards to apps can now help find bugs in India’s own contact-tracing app Aarogya Setu. In a tweet that was published bu the government, researchers and experts who have the technical knowledge regarding apps are being offered Rs 4 lakhs to help find bugs and issues with Arryoga Setu. This bug bounty is open to all comers including people on Aarogya Setu. The government says, “Everyone, including researchers and users of Aarogya Setu, are encouraged to report any vulnerability impacting the privacy and information security posture of Aarogya Setu application.”

Here's an opportunity for all to join #TeamSetu! Find a bug in the app or suggest improvements and win exclusive cash prizes. #IndiaFightsCorona pic.twitter.com/hTRFCbXjNJ

— MyGovIndia (@mygovindia) May 28, 2020

A few weeks ago, French security researcher Robert Baptiste who goes by the pseudonym Elliot Alderson (a character from the TV show Mr Robot) posted a tweet saying that Aarogya Setu has a few flaws that may lead to a leak in the information collected. After that kerfluffle, the government has now decided to make Aarogya Setu open source. This essentially means that anyone can now inspect and check the source code for the app and make necessary changes where they see fit. This was a necessary move for the government as the public backlash getting worse. 

Researchers who do find bugs in the app will be asked to responsibly disclose those vulnerabilities and even get paid for it. The government has also laid down a few guidelines for people to follow. Basically, the reported vulnerability should only be present in the Aarogya Setu app or its source code or back-end server. They further added that the bug or vulnerability should be able to be exploited by “an unrooted phone running a version of Android supported by Aarogya Setu, with ADB Disabled and with all default Android security features in place.”

In other Aaryoga Setu news, the app is now mandatory for people who are flying. You can read more about that here. There has been a new contact-tracing app called SwissCovid which is based on Google and Apple’s UPI as well, you can check out how it compares to our own Aarogya Setu app here. 

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