Sony India Diwali Sale Starting October 5, Will Offer Discounts on God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, More: Report

Sony Diwali sale is said to start from October 5 and bring discounts on several major titles for the PlayStation 4. A report states that Sony has told retailers that the Sony India Diwali sale will begin from October 5 and the sale is expected to last for three weeks.

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Xiaomi Redmi 9A gets a new variant: Price and specifications

The Xiaomi Redmi 9A has launched with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage in China as a new model of the Redmi 9A. Xiaomi launched the Redmi 9A on September 2, earlier this month starting at Rs 6,799. The phone is available in two variants-- 2GB+32GB and 3GB+32GB but there’s no word whether the company is planning to launch the new 6GB RAM variant in India anytime soon.

The Redmi 9A with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage is priced at CNY 999 in China which roughly translates to around Rs 10,000 by direct conversion. The Redmi 9A launched in China is also available in 4GB+128GB storage variant but that model didn’t make it to the Indian market. Currently, Xiaomi has the Redmi 9 Prime, Redmi 9i, Redmi 9 and Redmi 9A in its arsenal as the budget offerings and so it is unlikely that we will see the company introduce a new variant of the Redmi 9A in India anytime soon.

Xiaomi Redmi 9A starts at Rs 6,799 in India for the base variant with 2GB RAM and 32GB storage and Rs 7,499 for the 3GB RAM and 32GB storage model. It is available to purchase from Amazon India, Mi India website, Mi Home stores and with offline retailers.

Xiaomi Redmi 9A specifications

Xiaomi Redmi 9A features a 6.53-inch HD+ (1600 x 720 pixels) resolution display with a waterdrop notch cutout on top for the selfie camera. This gives the screen a 20:9 aspect ratio with 400 nits maximum brightness. It measures 9 millimetres in thickness and weighs 196 grams. The Redmi 9A comes in three colours-- Midnight Black, Sea Blue and Nature Green.

The Redmi 9A is powered by MediaTek Helio G25 processor with an octa-core CPU and is paired with upto 3GB RAM and 32GB storage options to choose from. It also supports memory expansion by upto 512GB via microSD card. It runs on MIUI 12 out-of-the-box. 

Redmi 9A comes with a 13MP camera with an f/2.2 aperture and a 5MP selfie camera housed within the notch cutout. It comes with the basic set of sensors and connectivity features like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 5.0. 

Xiaomi Redmi 9A is equipped with 5,000mAh battery with 10W regular charging speeds.

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Google removes 17 apps infected with the Joker Bread malware

Google has removed 17 apps from the Google Play Store for being infected by the Joker (Bread) malware. This is one of the most persistent malware we have seen on Google’s mobile OS and the company has been dealing with it since 2017. In that time, Google has removed more than 1700 apps that have been plagued by the Joker malware. These 17 apps were downloaded 120,000 times before being detected. The list of 17 apps is as follows. 

All Good PDF Scanner Mint Leaf Message-Your Private Message Unique Keyboard - Fancy Fonts & Free Emoticons Tangram App Lock Direct Messenger Private SMS One Sentence Translator - Multifunctional Translator Style Photo Collage Meticulous Scanner Desire Translate Talent Photo Editor - Blur focus Care Message Part Message Paper Doc Scanner Blue Scanner Hummingbird PDF Converter - Photo to PDF All Good PDF Scanner

According to Zscaler security, “This spyware is designed to steal SMS messages, contact lists, and device information along with silently signing up the victim for premium wireless application protocol (WAP) services”. In July 2020 and in September 2019, we saw the Joker malware make headlines. 

So why can’t Google’s Play Protect detect the Joker Malware?

The malware uses a method called “Droppers” to infect the device. The process has multiple stages. According to Bleeping Computer, “Malware authors have realized in the past years that Google has a very hard time picking up "droppers" hidden in legitimate apps. For the past years, more and more malware operations have adopted this trick of splitting their code in two —a dropper and the actual malware. The reason is that droppers require a smaller number of permissions and exhibit limited behaviour that could be classified as malicious. Furthermore, adding timers that delay the execution of any malicious code with a few hours also helps the malware remain undetected during Google's scans. These simple tricks allow tiny pieces of malicious code to slip inside the Play Store hidden in all sorts of apps, of many categories. Once users run the apps, which in most cases do what they advertise, the malicious code executes, the droppers asks for various permissions, and if it gets them, then it downloads a far more potent malware”.

Put simply, the delay in the malware acting on the user’s system hides it from the security eyes of Google. When the app asks for permissions, and the user gives it, is when the malware start to infect the device. This is why you must be very careful when giving certain apps permissions they don't need. For example, there is no need for a torch app to ask for permission to see the contacts or the dialer or the messages and hence such permissions must be denied.

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Reliance Jio Postpaid Plus service decoded: Single screen Netflix, annual Amazon Prime subscription and more

Reliance Jio announced the Jio Postpaid Plus plans that comes with bundled with benefits that includes subscriptions to popular OTT services — Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ Hotstar, along with access to the Jio suite of apps. The postpaid plans start from Rs 399 and bundles 4G data and unlimited calling, along with in-flight connectivity for passengers flying to foreign destinations.

The most basic plan under the Postpaid Plus service is priced at Rs 399 and comes with 75GB 4G data, unlimited voice and SMS, and subscription to Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ Hotstar, along with data rollover option up to 200GB. There’s also a Rs 599 plan that includes 100GB data, and an additional connection under a family plan. For Rs 799, users can option of adding two SIM cards, and 150GB data, while the Rs 999 plan offers 200GB data, 500GB rollover and three additional SIM cards.  The highest plan is worth Rs 1,499 and offers 300GB data and unlimited voice and data services when roaming in the USA and UAE.

While all this certainly sounds quite the bargain, we wonder how Jio is able to cram so many benefits for plans that are priced just Rs 399. Subscription to Amazon Prime itself costs Rs 999 for a year, while Disney+ Hotstar VIP subscription is Rs 399 per year. Netflix plans starts from Rs 199 for a single mobile screen, going all the way up to Rs 799 for 4K HDR quality. So we delved deep into the terms and conditions of the offer to see what the fine print has to say. Let’s break down the offer for each benefit to examine whether it is indeed a good deal —

Netflix

The Reliance Jio Postpaid Plus service terms and conditions state that the offer "gives Customer using Android and iOS, the entitlement to access the Netflix service application on their mobile device at no additional cost.” This means that Netflix can only be accessed from iOS and Android devices (basically, smartphones) without interruption. Going by the limitations, it’s likely that the basic Rs 199 plan for Netflix is being offered here. The basic Rs 199 plan supports a single screen and only streams in 480p quality. For most smartphone users, that’s just decent.

Amazon Prime

The terms and conditions for Amazon Prime state that there’s no change here. Jio is indeed offering an annual subscription to Amazon Prime worth Rs 999 that covers all benefits under the Prime subscription, including free one-day deliveries, Prime Music and Prime Video. Having said that, the same benefit is also offered by Airtel as part of Airtel Thanks benefits.

"The Offer includes Amazon Prime membership for 12 months at no additional cost when they are subscribers or subscribe to an eligible JioFiber plan. With Amazon Prime membership, Customer gets access to all the benefits available under Amazon Prime membership such as content on Amazon Prime Video application, free fast delivery, and access to Amazon Music. Customer can watch the content on all the means which are compatible with Amazon Prime Video app as per Amazon Terms and Conditions,” reads the T&C.

Disney+ Hotstar

The Disney+ Hotstar subscription is also billed annually. Getting a Jio Postpaid Plus plan will activate 12 months of VIP access and will not require the plan to be kept active to continue enjoying the service. The same holds true for Amazon Prime, but not for Netflix. To keep the Netflix subscription alive, the user needs to continue to recharge with the plans that include the benefit. However, users will need to activate the offer manually on the respective platforms within 15 days of availing the offer.

The VIP subscription to Disney+ Hotstar covers live sports, 7 multiplex blockbusters, exclusive Hotstar Specials, Star serials and Disney+ shows, movies and kids content.

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Google Meets free unlimited video conferencing is ending on September 30th

In April, Google announced that it would allow anybody with a Google account to be able to create free meetings of up to 100 people on Google Meet for an undefined duration. The company also stated that the promo offering unlimited-length meetings in its video conferencing app Google Meet after September 30th. As the date approaches, Google has reconfirmed that free version of Meet will be limited to meetings no longer than 60 minutes.

As per Google's response to The Verge, Google's spokesperson said that “We don’t have anything to communicate regarding changes to the promo and advanced features expiring." This means that as of now, the search giant has no plan to extend the free benefits on conferencing and other features. 

What will change after September 30?

Currently, all Google account users can create free meetings with up to 100 people for an unlimited time. After September 30, users who haven't paid for the Google Meet plan won't be able to continue their conference calls over 60 minutes. 

To recall, Google in April, announced that all G Suite and G Suite for Education customers will be able to host meetings via Meet with up to 250 participants, live-stream to up to 100,000 people within a single domain, and save meeting recordings to Google Drive. These features are typically only available to people on the “enterprise” tier of G Suite, which costs the highest among all plans. Now since the promos are ending, users will also lose access to other advanced features for G Suite and G Suite for Education, including all the benefits mentioned above.

Google took these steps in the wake of the pandemic and to take on its rival video conferencing app Zoom, which exploded due to the sudden shift to remote work and schooling. Biggies like Microsoft, Google, and Facebook made some significant updates to their respective video conferencing services as millions turned to Zoom to hold virtual get-togethers, casual and office work and much more.

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Amazon Great Indian Festival and Flipkart Big Billion Days sale 2020 teased to start soon in India

Amazon Great Indian Festival and Flipkart Big Billion Days sale 2020 have officially been teased ahead of the Indian festival season that starts from October. The two e-commerce platforms are bringing exciting offers and discounts on many products across their catalogue, with the consumer spoilt for choice.

The shopping festival will witness big discounts and offers on mobiles, electronics, home and kitchen, TVs and appliances, fashion and more. Both Amazon and Flipkart want to cash in on the festivities of an otherwise dull shopping year due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Amazon did host its annual Prime Day 2020, a 48-hour shopping extravaganza in India between August 6-7 that saw over 1 lakh sellers receiving orders from 97% of India’s pin codes.

Amazon Great Indian Festival sale 2020

Both Amazon and Flipkart have teased the start of their respective shopping fiesta but haven’t revealed the dates. The Amazon Great Indian Festival sale is slated to start soon and Prime Members will get dibs on some exclusive offers and deals on various products across Amazon India. Moreover, Amazon has also revealed that as part of its collaboration with HDFC Bank, all Credit and Debit cardholders will receive a 10% instant discount. Moreover, it is offering No Cost EMI to Bajaj Finserv Credit and Debit cardholders and upto Rs 13,500 on exchange.

As for the offers, while Amazon has not exactly revealed the exact deals yet, it has teased that there are going to be offered in “India’s bestselling phones” with No Cost EMI, exchange offers, damage protection offers and more such deals on accessories as well. Amazon will also be the centre of various festive launches with many new products being launched during the sale days.

Similarly, the online shopping giant is expected to offer discounts on home appliances, Amazon’s range of smart home products and more. Recently, Amazon took wraps off their updated smart home lineup with new Echo devices and more. Apart from that, there is going to be discounts and deals on over 20,000 Amazon-branded products, extended warranty offers, to name a few.

Flipkart Big Billion Days sale 2020

Flipkart has also teased its upcoming Big Billion Days sale 2020 where it is offering 10% instant discount to SBI debit and credit cardholders along with assured cashback on paying from Paytm Wallet or bank account. The online shopping marketplace will provide early access to Flipkart Plus members where they will be entitled to receive exciting discounts and offers on various products. Similarly, Flipkart is offering No Cost EMI for SBI, ICICI, HDFC bank, Bajaj Finserv and more. Users will also be able to buy products on Debit Card EMI and can even make use of the Flipkart Pay Later service.

Flipkart has revealed that it is offering No Cost EMI on mobiles and tablets along with exchange offers. Additionally, it is providing mobile protection at Rs 1 during the sale period. There’s upto 80% off on TVs, Appliances and Electronics as well. Apart from this, like Amazon, Flipkart is going to release new deals and discounts to users every 8 hours during the sale.

 

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FarmVille, one of Facebooks most popular games, is shutting down after being active for 11 years

After 11 years, one of Facebook's most popular games, FarmVille, is shutting down. The game which launched back in 2009 will be playable till December 31, 2020, after which the game will no longer be playable. This is because the game needs Adobe Flash Player to run and Adobe will stop distributing and updating Flash Player for all web browsers, and Facebook will stop supporting Flash games on the platform completely. 

Zynga’s support page reads, “Following an incredible 11 years since its initial launch back in 2009, we are officially announcing the closure of the original FarmVille game on Facebook. As previously stated, Adobe will stop distributing and updating Flash Player for all web browsers, and Facebook will stop supporting Flash games on the platform completely after December 31st, 2020. FarmVille will therefore be directly affected as a result of this.”

If you are someone that has invested in the game financially, then you should know that in-app purchases for FarmVille “will be available up until November 17, at which point the game’s payment system will be completely turned off. Thereafter, the game will not be accepting any in-app payments and any refunds will not be processed during this time. FarmVille will, however, continue to be playable until December 31st, 2020, at which point it will be shut down completely”.

Once upon a time, FarmVille was one of the most popular games online. At its peak, in March 2010, FarmVille had 83.76 million monthly active users. At its peak, the game had 34.5 million daily active users. This was in 2010. After 2011 however, the game started to see a considerable decline in popularity. On June 26, 2012, FarmVille 2 was unveiled followed by a September 2012 release. 

During the early 2010s, there were a lot of Flash-based games available on Facebook and it looks like with Adobe pulling the plug on the Flash player, a lot of online games could suffer. If you are looking to enjoy some new games on your console, you can check out the game releasing for Xbox One, PS4 and PC in October here. 

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