Highlights: An 11-year old kid has reportedly appealed to the Maharashtra Govt to ban PUBG. The letter stems from the kid’s belief that the game promotes “violence, murder, aggression, looting, gaming addiction and cyber bullying.” PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is becoming synonymous with battle royale genre of games, at least in India. The mobile version of the game is also doing well with over 30 million daily active players, however, there are instances where the title is considered addictive and a distraction for students. It was recently banned from primary schools in Gujarat and now, India Today reports that an 11-year old kid named Ahad has requested the Maharashtra Government to ban the famous online multiplayer game as it promotes barbarousness and cyber bullying. The letter sent by him is said to be an "appeal to forthwith ban online game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds [PUBG] as it promotes immoral conduct such as violence, murder, aggression, looting, gaming addiction and cyber bullying". Ahad’s appeal further states that if the game is not banned, "I will be compelled to seek appropriate legal [civil and criminal] proceeding as per law; naturally at your cost and consequences." As per the report, the letter was marked to seven prominent personalities in the government including Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, MEITY minister Ravi Shankar Prasad, Maharashtra education minister Vinod Tawde, among others. Apparently, Ahad is considering filing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Bombay High Court since he has not received any reply for his appeal yet. Ahad’s concerns of PUBG being addictive might have some weight since we have come across reports that some people were severely affected as they played the game for several hours continuously. However, as the saying goes, too much of anything is bad for you and this goes not only for PUBG but for almost everything. Additionally, we would like to know if Ahad is 11 years old, why did his parents allow him to play a game that is rated for a 16+ audience? Many of you might not know but PUBG Mobile is rated playable for anyone who is of age 16 and above and this is clearly mentioned on the title’s Google Play store page. The game does contain violence but most action-adventure shooter games are the same. PUBG Mobile age rating on the Google Play Store The battle royale game is so well known that the Prime Minister of India recently referred to it in the context of being addictive. In an event called “Pariksha pe Charcha 2.0” (Discussions on Exams 2.0), the mother of a class-IX student said that her son is so inclined towards online gaming that it is affecting his studies. She asked the PM for a solution for this to which Modi replied, “Ye PUBG wala hai kya?” (Is he one of the PUBG players?). As soon as he said the words, the crowd at the event burst out into applause. As we mentioned earlier, PUBG is banned in primary schools in Gujarat as the state government’s primary education department issued a circular asking district authorities to implement a ban on the game. The circular is said to have been issued after Gujarat State Commission for Protection of Child Rights made a recommendation to do so as children were supposedly getting addicted to the game and it was “adversely affecting their studies”. Earlier, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association asked the state’s governor to ban PUBG Mobile for the same reason and because it was said to be highly addictive and the reason for poor performance of students in Class X and XII exams. We would like to point out that PUBG, on mobile devices, is rated for players of age 16 and above. On PC, Xbox One, and PS4 has ESRB rating of Teen, which is generally suitable for ages 13 and up. Related Reads: “PUBG Wala hai kya?” asks PM Modi addressing online gaming during Pariksha Pe Charcha event PUBG Mobile ban sought in J&K as Students Association deems it more addictive than drugs PUBG Mobile 0.11.0 Beta update goes live, introduces RE2: Sunset zombie mode, new weather for Vikendi and more
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Highlights: PUBG players on Xbox can take part in an exclusive scavenger hunt on the new snow map to win prizes. The challenge requires players to take screenshots of obscure locations and submit to win prizes. The challenge is divided in two parts and ends Feb 2 and Feb 3 respectively. The Vikendi map was added to PLAYERUNKOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS live servers for Xbox last week. To promote the snow-laden map, PUBG is now organising a scavenger-hunt, exclusive to Xbox players. Known as the Vikendi Scavenger Hunt, Xbox players can complete a set of 10 challenges to win both physical and in-game prizes. The first round with the first five challenges started January 26 and players have time till February 1, 2:00PM PST to complete it. The second set with challenge 6-10 began on January 27 and will go on till Feb 3, 8:00 AM PST. To participate in the scavenger hunt, players must find obscure locations in the Vikendi maps and post screenshots of the same proving they were indeed there. The obscure locations will be teased by PUBG in the challenge posts in their website. The player must upload the full screenshot of challenge location including the map and the compass, along with their Xbox Gamertag and email address in this Google Docs link. To take a screenshot, the player must press the Xbox button and press Y. The screenshot then can be uploaded to Xbox Live. The screenshots can be accessed from your Xbox account. The first player to submit a correct screenshot for the challenges will be eligible to win special PUBG goodies along with in-game items. However, in case a player is the first to submit screenshots of two or more challenges, he will be eligible for only one prize, which will be of their choosing. The unchosen prize will then be given to the second fastest player. However, all players who submit a correct screenshot will win in-game items. The prizes will vary on difficulty of the challenges and will be revealed along with the challenges. So far, there are two in-game prizes to win, one for each set of five challenges. The winners of challenge #1~5 will get the Snow Beanie (Pink) while the winners of challenge #6~10 will receive Snow Sunglasses. Players can only submit one screenshot at a time using the submission form. Hence, in case you have two screenshots, you have to fill the submission form twice. PUBG for both Xbox and PS4 was undergoing server maintenance and was taken offline. The new update can now be downloaded as the maintenance is now over. The new update brings hotfixes for several bugs and resolve remaining issues in the platform. The update patch note reveals the game has fixed characters not appearing in the lobby and main weapons not equipping. Here are the list of all the bugfixes issued in the new update: Fixed an issue where sometimes “PLAY”/”READY” button would not function correctly (XBOX ONLY) Fixed an issue where a party member’s character would intermittently not appear in the lobby Fixed an issue where you were unable able to move to “CAREERS” tab in the “SEASON” menu Fixed an issue where you were unable to pick up the wanted quantity of an item from a loot box Fixed bugs related to Survivor Pass: Vikendi Fixed an issue where the mission list language would not update after changing the language in SETTINGS Fixed an issue where a UI button would be placed incorrectly Fixed an issue where main weapons were not equipped if selected immediately after throwing a molotov Fixed an issue where sometimes main weapons were not equipped in certain situations Fixed an issue where “Now you see me now you don’t” achievement could not be achieved on Vikendi Fixed mistyped information on the “SEASON – Survivor Point” page Related Reads: How to Play PUBG Mobile on PC "PUBG Wala hai kya?" asks PM Modi addressing online gaming during Pariksha Pe Charcha event PUBG players in India prefer using smartphones to play the battle royale game: Study
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Huawei’s sub-brand Honor has unveiled its View 20 in India long back. After a long wait, the Honor View 20 is finally gone on sale via Amazon today. The phone has a 48MP camera on the back, which is accompanied by a TOF 3D camera. The company launched the device in India with a price tag of Rs 37,999. On the other hand, Huawei’s flagship phone P20 Pro is one of the powerful devices, which is powered by a Kirin 970 processor. Let’s do a quick specs comparison of the two to know which device is more powerful in terms of hardware at least on paper. Let’s begin with comparing the display of these two smartphones in detail. The Honor View 20 sports a 6.39-inch display that offers a resolution of 1080 x 2310 pixels, while the Huawei P20 Pro features a 6.10-inch display that comes with a resolution of 1080 x 2240 pixels. When it comes to the processor, the Honor View 20 is powered by the latest Kirin 980 processor, which is paired with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal memory. On the other hand, the Huawei P20 Pro is backed by a Kirin 970 processor, which is coupled with the same 6GB RAM and 128GB internal memory. One of the main highlights of both smartphones is their rear cameras. The Honor View 20 is the world’s first smartphone that features a dual 48MP + TOF 3D camera setup on the back, while the Huawei P20 has a triple 40MP + 20MP+ 8MP camera setup at the back. On the front, the Honor View 20 has a 25MP unit, while Huawei P20 Pro has a 24MP sensor on the front. The Honor View 20 is available in India for Rs 37,999, while you can get the Huawei P20 Pro via Amazon at a discounted price of Rs 59,999.
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Highlights: WhatsApp may soon launch simplified Media menu for Android. The beta build version 2.19.18 shows the updated options in the menu. WhatsApp has been bringing a lot of updates to the app's Android version and now it may soon launch a simplified media menu and a feature that will allow users to track where the media has been shared in a chat. WABetaInfo, a popular website that tests new WhatsApp features before they are rolled out to the general public, said that these were spotted in the beta build version 2.19.18 of WhatsApp for Android. The ‘revamped’ Media section will have new options for both group chats and individual chats. In the Media section, users will now be able to see new options when they tap on the three-dot menu button. The new options are aimed at simplifying the Media section, where the overflow menu shows three new options for (a) seeing a media in a chat, (b) setting the media as a profile photo, group icon or wallpaper, and (c) a new single “rotate” option. WABetaInfo also notes that the “Show in chat” feature is officially available in this version and will roll out to the users in the next Google Play Stable release. With this feature, you can pin-point to the exact point in the chat where the media, both pictures and videos, were shared. The ‘Set as’ option has been refined and users will be able to use this menu to set an image as a group icon or wallpaper. The ‘Rotate’ option will allow users to rotate the picture multiple times instead of the older options of just left and right. Recently, WhatsApp enabled the group call shortcut button in the Android app. The feature was already available on iOS. Apart from the Group Call shortcut button, the update also brought a fix for a GIF bug. Android users can now see a dedicated button at the top right corner in group chats. When you tap on that button, a tray slides up from the bottom giving an option to users for choosing participants of a group call. Related Read: WhatsApp reportedly testing fingerprint authentication feature, revamped Audio Picker option WhatsApp tests limiting mass forwards to five chats at once and removal ofquick forward button to curb fake news
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Highlights: Asus has launched a new generation of ZenBook laptops in India. It consists of the ZenBook 13, ZenBook 14, and ZenBook 15. The starting price for these laptops is Rs 71,990. Asus has launched a new generation of ZenBook laptops in India, which consists of the ZenBook 13, ZenBook 14, and ZenBook 15. The three new models go on sale on both online and offline platforms starting today. Online platforms include Flipkart, Amazon, and Paytm Mall. Prices start at Rs 71,990 (for the base variant of the ZenBook 13) and go all the way up to Rs 1,39,990 (for the ZenBook 15). As there’s no space on the keyboard to include a regular numpad, the ZenBook 13 and ZenBook 14 come with Asus’ innovative NumberPad, which is essentially a haptic numpad built into the touchpad. The ZenBook 15, on the other hand, is big enough and gets a physical numpad like on most 15.6-inch laptops. According to Asus, the ZenBook 13, with its 13.3-inch Full HD display, is more compact than an A4 sheet of paper and weighs 1.19 kilogrammes. The ZenBook 14, which features a 14-inch Full HD display, is also about the same size as an A4 sheet and weighs the same 1.19 kilogrammes. All three models come with Intel’s 8th Gen Core series of CPUs and PCIe-based solid-state drives for storage. For rendering graphics, the ZenBook 13 and ZenBook 14 get an optional NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics card, while the larger ZenBook 15 gets an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 with Max-Q Design as standard. RAM options include 8GB and 16GB. Solid-state storage comes in 512GB and 1TB capacities. Ports on the new ZenBooks include USB 3.1 Gen 2 (both Type-A and Type-C), full-size HDMI, and a 3.5mm audio jack. According to Asus, the 50Wh lithium-polymer battery on the ZenBook 13 and ZenBook 14 is good for up to 14 hours of runtime on a single charge, while the 73Wh lithium-polymer battery on the ZenBook 15 is good for up to 16 hours of runtime on a single charge. All models in the new ZenBook series come with Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Home pre-installed. The three new ZenBook laptops are currently available in Royal Blue and Icicle Silver colours. Related Read: Asus ZenBook 13 Review
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Highlights The new update to Firefox brings with it advanced content blocking. This stops third party trackers from following you from site to site. This feature when enabled, may break some sites. The new update to the Firefox browser gives user more control over their privacy. Under content blocking, there is a new option called strict. This essentially stops third-party trackers from following you from one site to the next. The content blocking under the privacy tab of the website will come with three options - Standard, Strict and Custom. The Standard option blocks sites when you browse in private mode. This is similar to what we have seen in Incognito mode in the Chrome browser. The next option is the one that is very interesting. It is the Strict option. Checking the Strict option will shut down all web tracking and internet cookies. These are of course the ones which the browser can detect. Turning Strict mode on will prevent the tracking of your browser and hence you will not see ads based on your browsing. For example, when you search for shoes online and then you log onto facebook, you will see the ads of those particular shows in your feed. If you are browsing in Strict mode on the Firefox browser, then you will not see the ad for the shoes on your social network or any other site you visit. There is one downside to the Strict mode and that is that sometimes it can cause a site to break or not load properly, so as a user, you will have to be mindful of that. If this affects the sites you visit, then worry not, it can be easily disabled by clicking on the small "i" in the address bar. The custom mode gives you access to tinker with settings based on your preferences. By default the browser will have the Standard mode active, so if you want to implement the Strict mode or Custom mode, you will have to do so by getting into the settings. On its official blog, Mozilla says, “One of the features we outlined in our approach to anti-tracking was Enhanced Tracking Protection, otherwise known as “removing cross-site tracking”. We initially announced in October that we would roll out Enhanced Tracking Protection off-by-default. This was just one of the many steps we took to help prepare users when we turn this on by default this year. We continue to experiment and share our journey to ensure we balance these new preferences with the experiences our users want and expect. Before we roll this feature out by default, we plan to run a few more experiments and users can expect to hear more from us about it.” Also Read: Facebook is paying teens and adults to sell their personal data by installing a VPN app 90 percent of auto sales in India were digitally influenced in 2018: Report Google Duo might soon get a web-app version
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Highlights: Google brings voice assistant support on Google.com for Android The search field now has a grey microphone icon. Google has been working a lot to provide a hands-free experience on its services by integrating its AI-powered virtual assistant with them. The company has now expanded the Google Assistant voice support to Google.com on Android. The development was first spotted by 9to5mac and now users can tap on the microphone on the Google.com search field to initiate voice searches. Previously, users could do a voice search on mobile with the Android keyboard microphone. The microphone icon is generic and grey instead of the one on desktop web, which has the symbolic four Google Assistant colours. The search works like it does on any other service. Once you tap on the microphone to carry out a voice search on mobile, you are greeted with a full screen interface with “Speak now” followed by “Listening…” once an audio is detected with live transcription on the screen. Before asking for a query, Google will ask for certain permissions to input queries. Once you have input your search query, it is processed like it usually does on other services. If you ask direct questions, “What’s the temperature,” it will give you focused answers. If you ask generic questions like, “Redmi Note 7”, it will return with the results from various sources. Users can also exit the page by tapping the ‘x’ located on the top right corner of the full-page white screen. At CES 2019, Google introduced new features of the Google Assistant. This includes integration with Google Maps, Interpreter Mode, Flight check-in and Google Assistant Connect platform. With this new platform, the device manufacturers can now integrate the Assistant into their products. The platform uses Google’s existing smart home platform to expand to new device types. Related Read: Google Photos is the latest app to get Material Design Google Maps added to list of apps with new Material Design
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Highlights: Facebook has reportedly been paying teens and adults to sell their data by installing an app called Facebook Research. It's a VPN app that accesses root-level information to monitor web activity, instant messages, etc. Facebook paid $20 per month to users. After a series of mishaps and misdemeanours, Facebook’s popularity certainly took a dip in 2018. The social-networking giant has been at the receiving end of much criticism after news surfaced that Facebook enabled third parties to harvest personal user data for targeted ads. Now, in a bid to acquire more info on its competitors, Facebook has been reportedly paying people aged 13-35 to install a “Facebook Research” VPN, which is used to monitor the user’s phone and web activity. The VPN app is similar to Facebook’s Onavo Protect app, another VPN that the company had launched earlier which was found to be collecting user data as well. The Onavo app was banned by Apple in June and was removed by Facebook in August 2018. The latest Facebook Research app sidesteps the app store and monetarily rewards teens and adults who downloaded the app. Users received $20 per month along with referral fees, like a payment for selling your data to the social networking company. The app installs root certificates in iOS and Android that gives it root access to the network traffic. This could be a violation of Apple policy as Facebook is analyzing phone activity by decoding network activity. Facebook told TechCrunch that the company has indeed been running the program to “gather data on usage habits” and that it doesn’t plan to stop anytime soon. The social network has been paying users since 2016 to sell their data by installing the app on iOS and Android. The TechCrunch report claims Facebook even asked users to take screenshots of their Amazon order history page. Facebook, however, is shy of associating itself with the app. It is being serviced through beta testing services Applause, BetaBound and uTest, to hide Facebook’s involvement. The Facebook Research app reportedly can parse through user’s private messages in social media apps, web searches, emails, browsing history, location information and more. It’s unclear exactly what data Facebook is harvesting in the name of “tracking usage habits”, but it does get scarily deep-level access to user data. The app proves just how desperate the social network company is right now to maintain its dominance. The data-sniffing VPN app Onavo gave Facebook inputs about WhatsApp’ meteoric rise before the Mark Zuckerberg-owned company swooped in and acquired them. The Onavo app also gave Facebook clues as to what features to copy from other apps. Since the app was banned and removed by Apple, the Facebook Research app, might just be another attempt to resume harvesting user data to stay ahead of the game. Related Reads: Why #DeleteFacebook? Top Tech Stories That Made Headlines in 2018
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Highlights: The Redmi Note 7 Pro will likely ditch the 3GB RAM 32GB storage variant. The phone is expected to come with a 6GB RAM, 128GB storage. It is expected to sport a 48MP camera with a Sony IMX586 sensor. Xiaomi recently launched the Redmi Note 7 in China and the device is expected to make its way to India soon. However, the point of conversation today is about the upcoming Redmi Note 7 Pro. Redmi CEO Lu Weibing, asked fans on Chinese social networking website, Weibo, what they’d like to see in the Redmi Note 7 Pro. One of the comments on the question was “Omit the 3/32 GB version, go straight for 6/64 GB or 6/128 GB”. Of all the comments received, this one was responded to by Xiaomi CEO, Lei Jun. He suggested that a 6GB RAM, 128GB storage option would be available on the Redmi note 7 Pro. The company is yet to officially announce the smartphone, so information about the specifications of the device are still up in the air. However, if information circulating the internet is to be believed, then the Redmi Note 7 Pro will be powered by the Snapdragon 675 platform. This is a good shift from the Snapdragon 660 powering the recently announced Redmi Note 7. When it comes to the optics, the Redmi Note 7 has a 48MP camera and the same is expected on the Redmi Note 7 Pro, however the sensor is expected to be different. The Redmi Note 7 uses a Samsung ISOCELL sensor whereas the Redmi Note 7 Pro is expected to launch with the Sony IMX586 sensor. How the performance of these two sensors varies is something we will tell you when we get our hands on the phones. Coming back to the Redmi Note 7, the company has confirmed that the phone will launch in India soon. Redmi India Twitter handle and Xiaomi India’s Instagram account have teased the launch of the Redmi Note 7. The teaser is however quite interesting. It is an inverted image and inverted text. The text on the tweet reads, “48MP. Head turner is arriving soon. Disruption guaranteed.” The 48MP in the text undoubtedly hints at the Redmi Note 7. The image accompanying the tweet also has an inverted image of Xiaomi VP Manu Jain and Managing Director, CEO Lei Jun. Lei Jun is holding a smartphone in the image. You can read more about the tweet here. Speaking of the specifications of the Redmi Note 7, as we mentioned above the smartphone has a 48MP camera and under the hood, and is powered by the Snapdragon 660 SoC. The front of the device has a waterdrop notch which houses a 13MP AI enabled selfie camera. Below the waterdrop notch you have the 6.3-inch LCD display with a resolution of 2340x1080 pixels. The phone also sports 2.5D curved glass. For security, you have fingerprint sensor at the back. Speaking of the back, the smartphone has a dual-camera setup which is vertically aligned. There is a flash as well. Apart from the primary 48MP camera, there is also a secondary 5MP camera for portrait photos. In China, the Redmi Note 7 is available in three RAM and two storage variants - 3GB, 4GB and 6GB RAM and 32GB or 64GB storage. It is possible we may see the same configurations launch in India. The entire package is powered by a 4000mAh battery. The Redmi 7 supports Quick Charge 4 for fast charging. Coming to the price of the Redmi Note 7, there is no official India price yet, but in China the smartphone is priced at 999 Yuan for the 3GB+32GB variant, 1199 Yuan for the 4GB+64GB variant and 1399 Yuan 6GB+64GB which translates to Rs 10,000, Rs 12,500 and Rs 14,500 for the three variants respectively. Also Read: Redmi Note 7 India launch teased once again, possibly taking a jab at Samsung's Galaxy M series Redmi X might be company's first phone with an in-display fingerprint sensor
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Highlights: Asus Zenfone 5Z update version 90.10.138.175 is being seeded globally. The update brings Android 9 Pie update for the phone. Android Security patch will also be updated with the new build. Back in November 2018, Asus announced that it will seed the latest Android 9 Pie update for its Zenfone 5Z smartphone in early 2019. Making good on its promise, the company has now started rolling the update for the handset globally. Asus India tweeted that Zenfone 5Z users will now be receiving the new update soon and a post on the company’s forums states that it can take some days for the new update to hit devices since the server pushes the update notification to different serial numbers by batches. The Over-The-Air update has version number 90.10.138.175 and it also updates the Android Security patch on the device. As per one of the Zenfone 5Z users, the update around 1.08GB in size. The notification for upgrading to Android 9 Pie should pop-up soon for Zenfone 5Z users. However, one can force check if it is available to download by heading over to Setting->System->System update. The new update brings a number of Android Pie-based features to the device like app actions, improved security features, Adaptive Battery, slices, Digital Wellbeing and more. Asus previously said that the device will reboot twice during the update and it’s important that one does not use the phone while it's updating as there’s a chance it can end up getting bricked. The Asus Zenfone 5Z was launched in India back in July this year. Its 6GB RAM and 64GB storage model is priced at Rs 29,999, while the 6GB RAM model with 128GB of internal storage is priced at Rs 32,999. The 8GB RAM version with 256GB is priced at Rs 36,999. The phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 and sports a 6.2-inch full-HD+ LCD screen with a 19:9 display aspect ratio. The phone was launched running on Android 8.0, features Face Unlock and comes with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor as well. It is backed by a 3300mAh battery that supports Qualcomm’s QuickCharge 3.0. In terms of optics, the smartphone is equipped with a 12MP + 8MP dual-rear cameras with an f/1.8 and an f/2.2 aperture lens respectively. The company says that the AI-based features on the device come into play while capturing an image. The camera is said to be capable of detecting between 16 different scenes and subjects. The device also comes with an ‘AI Gallery’ feature, which is said to display an image with different filters and it also group photos automatically. On the front, it sports an 8MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture lens and 84-degree field of view. Both the front and rear cameras support EIS as well. Related Reads: Asus ZenFone 5Z Review 
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