Apple awarded patent for taking group selfies while practicing social distancing

Social isolation continues to be the need of the hour, given that we still don’t have a vaccine or a cure for COVID-19.  That means no more going out and partying, and hence, no selfies with your friends. However, it turns out, Apple may have a solution for the latter. The company has apparently been awarded a patent for synthetic selfies.

The patent discusses a method of taking group selfies, without the people actually being present in the same frame. The patent details various methods of creating these group selfies with the people being in their own remote locations. The idea is to essentially composite the people together in one frame, but also give each of the group selfie members an opportunity to reposition the people in the shot. The photos could include recorded or live-streamed video as well, with the participants being able to put themselves in the centre.

As exciting as this may sound, the company has only earned the patent for the technology but is not yet part of a product plan. Apple has far too many patents under its belt, but not all of them have been implemented in user-centric devices. Additionally, Apple had applied for the patent in 2018, way before the current pandemic even came into existence, so its important to note that this feature isn’t a response to the current situation. However, it is a great way to take selfies with people who aren’t around you, like your friends who live in a different part of the state, country or the world. While this feature may not have been designed for the pandemic, it is something that would definitely be a big plus to have in modern times.

In other Apple news, it looks like the Apple iPhone 11 is reportedly suffering from a green tint issue. You can read more about that here. 

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/2UlWD9Q

OnePlus Z specifications and price leaked in an online survey

Another day, another leak regarding the upcoming OnePlus Z. This time, it looks like the specifications and pricing of the OnePlus Z have been leaked. According to an online forum called DesiDime a survey was sent out to some PayBack customers asking if they’d be willing to purchase a device from OnePlus at a particular price and specifications. Now, it isn’t confirmed that these will be the specifications and price of the smartphone, but it does bring us a step closer to what could be OnePlus’ budget offering in the form of the OnePlus Z. According to the survey, the OnePlus Z will be priced at Rs 24,999. The smartphone will sport a 6.55-inch Super AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and an in-display fingerprint sensor. The smartphone is also expected to house a 64MP + 16MP + 2MP triple camera setup. A 4300mAh battery is expected to power the smartphone. If information circulating the internet is to be believed, then we can expect OnePlus to announce the OnePlus Z alongside the OnePlus TV On July 2. 

OnePlus Z specifications

If the Payback survey is to be believed, then the OnePlus Z will sport a 6.55-inch Super AMOLED 90Hz display, however, the resolution of the display isn’t known. It would be safe to assume that the smartphone has a 1080p display. Under the hood, the smartphone is expected to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 SoC along with support for 5G. The SoC is accompanied by 6GB of RAM and 128GB built-in storage. A 4300 mAh battery with 30W fast charging powers the entire package. For the optics, the smartphone has a triple rear camera setup sporting a 64MP + 16MP + 2MP setup. It is presumed that the 16MP camera is ultra-wide and the 2MP is a depth-sensing or macro camera. The OnePlus Z also has a 16MP selfie camera.

OnePlus Z Pricing and Availability

The OnePlus Z is speculated to be priced at Rs 24,990 and is expected to be unveiled along with the upcoming affordable OnePlus TV on July 2 at 7 PM IST via a Livestream. There is currently no information on launch offers.

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/3f0WlNd

Google faces 5 billion lawsuit after Chrome incognito mode was discovered collecting user data

It appears the incognito mode in Google Chrome isn’t as incognito as you thought. While it does remove traces from your browser history, it appears the Google is still collecting data when you are using the incognito mode. After it was discovered, the internet giant is facing a public backlash with a $5 billion class-action lawsuit filed against the company. Recently, Xiaomi was also alleged to be spying on people's activity on the Mi Browser app.

The class-action lawsuit covers illegal wiretapping and breaching privacy laws in California. Filed in the San Jose federal court on June 2, the case filing claims Google is collecting user data through Google Analytics, Google Ad Manager and website plug-ins in both the desktop and mobile version of Google Chrome’s incognito mode. As a result, Google may have information on everything that you do using the incognito mode.

Google defines who can see what you are browsing quite clearly when you enter incognito mode. That the mode doesn’t save browsing history, cookies and site data and information entered in forms. However, it warns users that the websites you visit, your employer or school or your internet service provider can still know what’s being accessed using the private browsing mode. However, the Chrome app was updated last year to prevent websites from detecting whether you are browsing in incognito mode.

Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda told Mashable, “Incognito mode in Chrome gives you the choice to browse the internet without your activity being saved to your browser or device. As we clearly state each time you open a new incognito tab, websites might be able to collect information about your browsing activity.”

Google plans to defend itself in the lawsuit since the company does state in clear terms in its support page that the private browsing mode does not hide information from the websites that you visit. Recently, Google Maps also got an incognito mode for browsing.

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/3dKtA7d

Phone numbers using WhatsApp Click to Chat feature are popping up as Google Search results

According to former cyber risk consultant,  Athul Jayaram, WhatsApp numbers of those using “WhatsApp's Click to Chat” feature are popping up on Google search. As first reported by Threatpost, “Click to Chat puts users’ mobile phone numbers at risk — by allowing Google Search to index them for anyone to find”. Let’s understand this in a little detail. 

What is Click to Chat on WhatsApp?

According to the WhatsApp blog, WhatsApp's Click to Chat feature “allows you to begin a chat with someone without having their phone number saved in your phone's address book. As long as you know this person’s phone number and they have an active WhatsApp account, you can create a link that will allow you to start a chat with them. By clicking the link, a chat with the person automatically opens. Click to chat works on both your phone and WhatsApp Web”. It is also possible to create a QR code linking to a WhatsApp number to initiate a chat. This is good for all forms of businesses that want to use the convenience of WhatsApp to chat with their customers without having customers save their numbers. 

So what’s the problem? 

Well, according to the source, “Jayaram said that those mobile numbers can also turn up in Google Search results because search engines index Click to Chat metadata. The phone numbers are revealed as part of a URL string (https://wa.me/) and so, this in effect “leaks” the mobile phone numbers of WhatsApp users in plaintext, according to the researcher’s view. The “wa.me” domain is owned and maintained by WhatsApp, according to WHOIS records”. It must, however, be noted that Google Search only results in the revealed the phone numbers and “not the identities of users that they were connected to.” 

So all the users, that do not use the Click to Chat feature, are safe even if they have chatted with a number using the feature. 

Imagine what you could do with a confirmed WhatsApp number? If the number has a person’s profile photo, it is easier to identify who the number belongs to. More importantly, “The researcher maintains that many Click to Chat users are unaware that their phone numbers are being stored in plaintext, indexed by Google Search and discoverable via a relatively simple search query”. 

Users told Threatpost that they were unaware that their number was googlable and surprisingly they had received very few spam calls. 

In any case, it is one thing for a business to knowingly apply for a feature that lets customers reach them easily and it is entirely another thing to have that number easily appear through a Google Search. 

Digit has reached out to WhatsApp and Athul Jayaram for comments on the issue and will update this story as soon as they get back to us.

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

Xiaomi patents a foldable smartphone design that looks identical to the Huawei Mate X

The Chinese intellectual property organisation published a patent by Xiaomi on a new smartphone design that was submitted back in 2019. First obtained by LetsGoDigital, the patent drawings reveal a foldable phone design quite similar to the Huawei Mate X foldable phone.

The patent shows a display that folds outwards and comes with a bar on the side which houses the cameras. The bar is the thickest part of the design and shows four-camera cutouts. The design doesn’t show a cutout for a selfie camera, so we’re guessing the quad-camera setup will be used for selfies. There’s a charging port at the bottom.

When folded, the screen wraps around the front and back with thin bezels and when open, the screen becomes a large tablet, leaving the camera pointed to the back. When folded, the larger part of the display becomes the front fascia.

The design is quite similar to the Huawei Mate X which launched globally at $2700 (roughly Rs 2 lakh) but never saw the light of the day in India. We did get an eyes-on at the foldable phone last year which you can check out in the video embedded in the article.

Now, just because a patent is published, doesn’t mean a smartphone is on its way. What it does mean, however, is that Xiaomi now has the capability to make one. Notably, the company had launched the Mi Mix Alpha last year that came with a wraparound display, much like how this patent shows when the phone is folded, but it couldn’t be unfolded.

Xiaomi has also teased a double-folding foldable smartphone quite a few times last year, and the company co-founder Lin Bin was even spotted using a prototype. But the company is yet to launch a device officially in the market that can fold. Perhaps, 2020 is the year when it is finally ready with a foldable smartphone for the masses.

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/3cDgDe5

Asus ROG Phone III spotted on Geekbench with Snapdragon 865 and Android 10

The fact that there’s a ROG Phone III in the making was revealed by Qualcomm itself when it listed a bunch of OEMs using the Snapdragon 865 SoC. Asus has been quite tight-lipped about what it will offer in its upcoming gaming flagship, but a new report reveals some juicy information about the gaming phone.

First spotted by GSMArena, an Asus device bearing the name codename ASUS_1003D has popped up on Geekbench listing. The listing states the Asus smartphone will be powered by the Snapdragon 865 paired with 12GB RAM and will be running on Android 10.

The listing states the Asus flagship received 910 and 3229 in the Geekbench CPU Single core and Multi-Core tests respectively. To compare, the OnePlus 8 (gaming review) scores 914 and 3558, while the new Xiaomi Mi 10 (review) scored 900 and 3255 on the Geekbench CPU tests.

The report also states the same Asus smartphone with codename ASUS_1003D was spotted on Geekbench a month back, this time with 8GB RAM. The scores were expectedly slightly lower.

Furthermore, a report by GizmoChina claimed the ROG Phone III was apparently spotted in the Wi-Fi alliance database as well, with features like Android 10, Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi Direct and Miracast support.

And while we get that these are features that are hardly surprising on any flagship launching in 2020, it helps us piece the information together. The codename is important since the previous Asus ROG Phone II was codenamed Asus 1001DE.

Speaking of the ROG Phone II (review), it’s still one of the best gaming smartphones you can buy today. Laden with pressure-sensitive Air Triggers on the top edges along with the speed-binned Snapdragon 855+ and a 120Hz LCD display, this one’s a monster that can run any game you throw at it at peak frame rates with high stability. But what really sets the phone apart is the massive 6,000mAh battery inside, support for a variety of gaming accessories and the ability to tweak every core of the CPU and GPU, and even letting you overclock to an extent.

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/2Y4UgJe

Affordable OnePlus TV launching on June 2 in India

It looks like OnePlus is gearing up to launch an affordable OnePlus TV. OnePlus CEO, Pete Lau took to Twitter to announce the reveal date for the upcoming OnePlus TV. His Tweet reads, “It's official. We're making our premium smart TV experience more accessible to our Indian community. #SmarterTV”. The launch event will be hosted at 7 PM IST, 2 July, via a Livestream. There is no information on the screen size, technology or design information about the upcoming OnePlus TV. 

"In 2020, we aim to further enhance the OnePlus connected ecosystem experience. We look forward to offering a wider range of smart TVs that embody our burdenless technology experience, and also provide a truly seamless smart TV experience for our community at an accessible price range,” said Pete Lau, Founder and CEO, OnePlus, “We believe the new range of OnePlus TVs will redefine the premium experience in their respective price segments by providing unparalleled quality, coupled with best-in-class displays and premium design.” 

Since the aim is to bring “accessible” TVs, we think the TV will be more competitively priced. We have seen budget TVs from brands like Xiaomi, Kodak and the recently launched Realme TV dominate the budget space with their popularity. We even have a 55-inch TV from Nokia and the recently announced 43-inch one as well. When OnePlus launched the Q1 and Q1 Pro back in 2019, the TVs were premium priced. The Q1 Pro cost nearly 1 lakh rupees when it launched, making it compete with some offerings from Sony, LG and other premium TV brands. 

It would be interesting to see if OnePlus moves away from the 55-inch screen size to compete with Xiaomi, Realme and Nokia that are working at heating up the 43-inch screen size space. 

When OnePlus launched the Q1 Pro back in 2019, it came with a unique stand and a soundbar that revealed itself when the TV was switched on. It ran on the Android TV platform and even though it did not offer as much customization as PatchWall on Xiaomi TVs, it did have its own set of features, largely governed by the companion smartphone app. A few months after the launch of the Q1 and Q1 Pro, OnePlus also introduced a new remote control to customers which took into account some of the criticism that was shared for the original remote control that launched with the TV. You can check out our review of the OnePlus Q Pro below.

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/30h3eGc