Paytm Mini App Store launched to take on Google Play Store in India

Paytm has launched its Mini App Store to take on the Google Play Store in India after the popular payments app was temporarily delisted from the Play Store in September. At the time, Paytm had called out Google for its arm-twisting methods saying that the removal from the Play Store was “unjustified”. With the Mini App Store, Paytm now wants to boost the Indian app developer ecosystem by offering a dedicated app store inside its payments app.

This development comes after Google announced that all apps selling digital goods are required to use the Google Play billing system which takes a 30% cut on all payments made within an app. Following this announcement, more than 150 startups including Paytm, MakeMyTrip, PolicyBazaar, RazorPay, ShareChat were reportedly working together to form an alliance to launch an Indian app store. The Mini App Store introduced by Paytm lists over 300 app-based services from companies like Decathalon, Ola, Rapido, Netmeds, Domino’s Pizza, Ovenstory Pizza, McDonald’s and more. 

Launching the Mini App Store, Paytm CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma said, “Paytm Mini App Store empowers our young Indian developers to leverage our reach and payments to build new innovative services. For Paytm users, it will be a seamless experience that doesn’t require any separate download and enables them to use their preferred payment option.”

Paytm Mini App Store: What is it and how to use?

The Paytm Mini App Store lists over 300 app-based services presented as custom-built mobile websites that offer an “app-like” experience without the need for users to download any apps. Paytm has stated that it is providing the listing and distribution of these services on its app without any fee. Moreover, app developers have been given a variety of payments options including Paytm Wallet, UPI, net-banking and debit/credit cards.

Additionally, Paytm provides a dashboard for developers to keep a track of the analytics, performance, payments and other such tools that lets them engage directly with the user. The company also revealed that this Mini App Store was being tested with select users in the Beta stage and has already garnered over 12 million visitors in September alone.

Paytm’s Mini App Store lists app-based services that use HTML and Javascript to create a mobile website that offers an app-like experience to the users. The mini-app store lists apps in different categories including shopping, healthcare, food ordering, travel, news, utilities and services, financial services, education, lifestyle, astrology, music, mini-games and live TV. 

To check out the Paytm mini app store, Android users just need to open the Paytm app on their phones and scroll down to the new Discover tab. There is a Mini App Store button that will take users to the listing page within the app. Users don’t need to download separately as the mini-app store exists within the payments app.

 

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Sony 8K LED TV Z8H launched in India, priced at Rs 13,99,990 only

Sony has launched its 8K TV, the Z8H in India. The TV is priced at Rs 13,99,990. In India, the TV is available in 85-inches only and the official model number of the TV is KD-85Z8H. Considering this is Sony’s flagship TV it packs in every piece of technology Sony has to offer under its TV umbrella. Let’s take a look at the features of the TV in detail. 

Sony 85Z8H specifications and features

As we’ve mentioned above, the Sony Z8H is an 8K TV giving the display a resolution of 7680 x 4320. To put things into perspective, a 4K TV has a resolution of 3840 x 2160. So, the 8K TV brings with it 4 times the resolution of a 4K TV. It also packs Sony’s TRILUMINOS Display. Powering the TV under the hood is the Sony X1 Ultimate chip. We had a chance to see this chip in action at CES 2020. According to Sony, “The X1 Ultimate, picture processor, precisely analyses and processes data to power 8K pictures with four times the resolution of 4K for scenes rich in depth, texture and detail. Even images filmed in 4K and 2K are upscaled close to 8K by 8K X-Reality PRO using a unique 8K database. Resolution of each subject is then optimised by Object-based Super Resolution to reproduce greater depth, textures, and more realistic pictures textures.” This means that if you watch 2K or 4K content on the TV, then the processing power of the TV will upscale that content to 8K. How this works is something we will only know when we get our hands on the TV. 

The Sony Z8H also has full-array backlighting with local dimming.  The TV is also ready for PS5. The PS5 boasts of support for up to 8K which we think will mostly be for video output to support streaming services as and when they start streaming content in 8K. However, the Sony Z8H is ready for the PS5 in other ways and that is all thanks to HDMI 2.1. With HDMI 2.1 support on the TV and the PS5, users will be able to take advantage of features like Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), support for up to 120fps, and more. 

The Sony 8K TV runs on the Android TV platform and comes with access to the Google Play Store. You also have access to all popular streaming services built-in including Disney+ Hotstar, Netflix, Prime Video, Voot, ZEE5 and more. The TV also supports AirPlay so you can consume content from Apple TV+, provided you have an iOS or macOS device to AirPlay from. Just like the Sony A9G (review), you can talk to the Sony Z8H as it features built-in far-field mics. So, you can control the functions of the TV without resorting to the remote control. 

Sony’s X-Wide Angle is another feature making an appearance on the TV. We saw this feature last year on the Sony X9500G (review). Put simply, this is a layer on the display to help with wide viewing angles. When it comes to audio, the Z8H has Sony’s Acoustic Multi-Audio. This makes it feel as though the sound is coming directly from the screen. The TV can also be used as the centre speaker in a home theatre setup. 

In addition to 8K, the TV also supports HDR 10, Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. The TV also comes with a new backlit remote control. 

Sony Z8H Price and Availability  

The Sony Z8H will be available across Sony retail stores (Sony Center and Sony Exclusive), www.ShopatSC.com portal, major electronic stores and e-commerce websites in India from 5th October 2020. The TV is priced at Rs 13,99,990 only.

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Call of Duty: Mobile roadmap for 1st week of October

Another month, another slew of updates and events planned for Call of Duty: Mobile. However, this month is set to be something special for the game as it marks the 1st anniversary of Call of Duty: Mobile. However, the developers are still tight-lipped about its plans for the game and say that the information about the anniversary season will trickle in via the game’s social media pages and plan to go all out by next week. 

However, one clue that we got is that the in-game Credit Store will see a new weapon being available. But the developers have hand-picked a bunch of Epic Weapon Blueprints and it will be up to the players to vote for the one they want to see available on the store. The winning entry will then be available for half the Credit Cost of Epic Weapon Blueprints (10,000 Credits). To recall, unlike CP, Credits in Call of Duty: Mobile are freely earned by completing missions or by ranking up the Battle Pass Tiers. Players can vote for their favourite weapon here. 

Beyond this, it doesn’t look like the 1st week of October will see too much in terms of updates or anything else. However, there are still a few things players can look forward to.  

October 2 to October 14: Technogeek Event 

The Technogeek event gives players the chance to earn the new Hacker class in Battle Royale. The new class is aimed at disrupting enemies' special abilities and gadgets, making it very potentially, the most annoying class to be up against. However, the class’ ability takes a little time to deploy and the range is limited. Besides the new class, the event also gives players the chance to unlock a few weapon skins as well as the Special Ops 3 - Iridescent character. 

Ending on October 8: King of the Hill Playlist, Rapid Fire Mode, Hardcore Mode Collection Playlist, Attack of the Undead Mode, Pine 24/7, Battle Royale Warfare mode

October 8 will see the end of a bunch of game modes. So players are advised to make hay while the sun shines and play their favourite game modes as much as they want till that date. After that, one can assume that the developers will start preparing for the launch of the next Seasonal update. For a change, the developers did not release a test server for this update as they wanted to keep things a surprise for players. However, there are a few things that might make an appearance in Season 11. You can find out more about that here. 

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Nokia might launch a 32-inch and a 50-inch TV in India on October 6

Nokia has officially confirmed the launch of new smart TVs in India. The company's Indian website is teasing a new range of Smart TVs slated to be launched on October 6. To recall, Flipkart launched the first Nokia TV in India last year, followed by a 43-inch and 65-inch models and an Android TV box. 

NokiaPowerUser recently reported that the new TVs will be a 32-inch and a 50-inch model. The BSI certification reports of these TVs were spotted in early August, which makes it more likely to be the same range of TVs.

As per the previous leak, the 50-inch TV and the 32-inch TV have the model number 50TAUHDN and 32TAHDN. The UHD in the model number of the 50-inch TV signifies that it could be a 4K TV just like the other TVs in Nokia’s portfolio. However, it looks like the 32-inch variant could be an HD or FHD TV as the model number has “HD” only in its name. To put things into perspective, the Nokia 43-inch TV has the model number 43CAUHDN, while the 55-inch variant has the model number 55CAUHDN and the 65-inch variant carries the model number 65CAUHDN. 

The report also claims that the new TVs will not feature JBL speakers like the previous model, but have Onkyo speakers instead. Onkyo is a Japanese acoustic engineering company that makes audio devices. 

The upcoming TVs are said to come with Android 9.0 out of the box and preloaded set of apps like Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+Hotstar. The 32-inch model is said to come with Full HD resolution and is expected to be priced under Rs 25,000. The 50-inch TV, on the other hand, could be priced between Rs 35,000 to Rs 40,000. 

The TVs are likely to bring some features from the existing series like Intelligent Dimming, DTS TruSurround, and Dolby Audio alongside Android TVs basic set of features.

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PUBG Mobile hit by multiple DDoS attacks and hacking issues as players complain of sudden disconnection

PUBG Mobile is hit by a swarm of DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks that have caused active players to disconnect from the game globally. The developers are aware of this and are working on resolving this issue and some new hacking issues that freeze the players in the game. Many players have taken it to the different social media platforms and are posting pictures and videos of the issues caused due to these new attacks on PUBG Mobile servers.

PUBG Mobile posted a tweet highlighting that the developers are working on the resolution to DDoS attacks. It has posted a detailed statement on Facebook revealing that the PUBG Mobile team is working closely with local service providers to bring back the smooth gaming experience that players enjoy.

Dear players, The PUBG MOBILE team are currently actively working to resolve the DDoS attacks against our systems and the new hacking issues. For information, please check out here: https://t.co/DMYsxWTlCc

— PUBG MOBILE (@PUBGMOBILE) October 3, 2020

Additionally, PUBG Mobile has announced that it is preparing to roll-out a new anti-cheat patch and that it has deployed more members to stop hackers and cheaters from spoiling the game for other players. 

These attacks on the popular battle royale game PUBG Mobile seem to be a coordinated effort as seen by some video tweets that reveal the attack mechanism. This new hacking issue is being termed as “server freeze” wherein several players freeze at their respective in-game positions and are unable to interact with the game properly. 

pic.twitter.com/OoQ8li9N6p

— MusTangGD (@Heygirl520) October 3, 2020

Many users have posted pictures and videos of this “server freeze” attack on Twitter while many players have expressed their disappointment with PUBG Mobile on other social channels. 

It's not a bug, it's a freeze server hack

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Flipkart to host Big Billion Days Sale 2020 from October 16 to 21: Everything you need to know

Flipkart Big Billion Days sale 2020 is confirmed to start from October 16 in India, the company has officially announced. The Big Billion Days sale 2020 is the company’s annual shopping fiesta that is held during the Indian festival season in the months of October and November. Rival Amazon India has also teased the Amazon Great Indian Festival sale that is expected to be hosted around the same time as the Big Billion Days sale.

Flipkart Big Billion Days sale 2020 is slated to witness some exciting deals and offers across millions of products across Flipkart’s catalogue. This shopping festival is also expected to create over 70,000 direct jobs as sellers and artisans prepare to meet consumer demand. Moreover, Flipkart has onboarded 50,000 Kirana stores that will help make last-mile delivery to customers in over 850 cities. 

Get ready for the ride  through the biggest offers of 2020 with #TheBigBillionDays 

— Flipkart (@Flipkart) October 3, 2020

“The Big Billion Days stands for a celebration of brands, an assortment of collections never seen before, a spirit of festivity and joy, and a feeling of immense excitement as everyone embarks on their festive season preparations. This festive event continues to focus on Flipkart’s commitment to providing value for consumers, opportunities for growth for MSMEs and sellers, and employment generation through e-commerce,” said Kalyan Krishnamurthy, CEO at Flipkart Group.

Flipkart Big Billion Days sale 2020 starts from October 16

Flipkart Big Billion Days sale 2020 is scheduled to start from October 16 in India will go on until October 21. Flipkart Plus members are entitled to early access of the Big Billion Days sale and for them, the sale starts a day early on October 15. The six-day shopping extravaganza brings lots of exciting offers and discounts across different categories such as mobile phones, laptops, mobile accessories, Televisions, Home appliances, electronics and more. 

Flipkart is offering a 10% instant discount to SBI debit and credit cardholders along with assured cashback on paying from Paytm Wallet or bank account during the sale. The company has entered a partnership with Paytm where it will offer cashback to users paying from their Paytm Wallet or Paytm UPI during the Big Billion Days. 

Similarly, it is offering No Cost EMI for SBI, ICICI, HDFC bank, Bajaj Finserv and more for buyer’s convenience. 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 also 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.

Flipkart Big Billion Days sale 2020: Best deals and offers 

Flipkart has teased some deals and offers across various categories that will be offered during the Big Billion Days sale 2020. Flipkart will offer the Poco M2 Pro from Rs 12,999 which is Rs 1,000 discount on its original launch price of Rs 13,999 for the base model. Then there’s the Infinix Hot 9 Pro which will be available to purchase for Rs 9,499 down from Rs 12,999 and the Realme C12 with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage is priced at Rs 7,999 during the sale. Moreover, Flipkart will also have an exciting deal for the LG G8X bringing down its price to Rs 19,990 from Rs 54,990.

During the Big Billion Days Sale 2020, the company is offering upto 60% off on bestselling laptops and upto 80% discount on headphones and speakers. If you were waiting for some enticing deals and offers on Televisions and Appliances, Flipkart will be offering some deals on 32-inch TVs from as low as Rs 10,999 and Convertible refrigerators starting from Rs 17,490. There will be upto 60% discount on the top home appliances products during the sale. 

Flipkart is also hosting three events during the sale, Maha Price Drop, Crazy Deals and Rush Hours. The Maha Price Drop will bring new deals every 8 hours and offers an extra 20% discount on categories like home and appliances, clothing and more. Crazy Deals brings extra discounts on top mobile phones, TVs and more at 12 AM, 8 AM and 4 PM during the six-day sale. Rush Hours will see products on the lowest prices of the sale and will conclude at 2 AM every day.

Flipkart will reveal more details about the discounts and deals on different products and we will keep an eye out for the best deals and offers for you.

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PUBG Mobile Hit by DDoS Attack; Developer Working to Resolve Issue

PUBG Mobile team has shared through its social media accounts that it is encountering several waves of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. This is causing some players to be disconnected from their game. Acknowledging the issue, the team shared that it is working on resolving the issue as soon as possible.

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