Google Pay corners highest share of UPI transactions on Razorpay gateway

Cards accounted for about 57% of digital transactions, UPI for 17% while mobile wallets were at less than 2% from being 6% last financial year http://bit.ly/2Utq2k9 https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

After Netflix, YouTube to show interactive content

After the success of Netflix's original interactive choose-your-own-adventure film ' Bandersnatch', Google-owned YouTube is now working on interactive shows and live specials. http://bit.ly/2G4prvy https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

India goes online to shop, white goods fly off eShelves

Online sales accounted for 20% of flat panel television sales volume in 2018, 30% convection microwave ovens, 10% of washing machines and 9% air-conditioners http://bit.ly/2D6YFSg https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

New electronic system may bring more votes from those in armed services

For long, those in the armed services have not been an integral part of Indian elections as the postal ballot system introduced for their benefit has been facing a host of issues http://bit.ly/2VDbivA https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Why e-commerce marketplaces found no mileage in vehicle selling

Manufacturers now push vehicles on own portals and specialised vertical platforms http://bit.ly/2UvggOK https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

India's trade ministry says no legal basis to ban e-cigarette imports

India's Jubilant group, one of whose units has the franchisee for Domino's Pizza and Dunkin' Donuts outlets in the country, is already exploring importing Juul's vaping device http://bit.ly/2D6eJ6W https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Cinema vs. streaming: the battle over when and where you can see movies

The off-screen skirmish centers around the theatrical "window," the time a movie plays exclusively in theaters before it can be released on DVD or digital http://bit.ly/2KplDua https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Google Cloud CEO outlines plans to take firm even deeper into the enterprise

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Amazon buys warehouse robotics startup Canvas Technology

Amazon has been increasingly automated its fulfilment centres with robots, originally from Kiva Systems which it agreed to buy for $775 million in 2012 http://bit.ly/2G2Z4G3 https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Google Pixel 3, OnePlus 6T users migrated from Samsung smartphones: Report

<p>Over a third of customers who bought the Google Pixel 3 and OnePlus 6T during the final quarter of 2018 were previously owners of a Samsung Galaxy smartphone. How’s that for a theory? Well, that’s exactly what a recent report from Counterpoint Research’s US Smartphone Churn Tracker says. It goes on to say that despite the initial success in sales, the Google Pixel 3, which is one of the iPhone’s most immediate competitors, failed to convert a larger share of iPhone users to Android. In fact, only less than one in five customers of either phone was an iPhone user.</p> <p>Counterpoint Research’s report adds that in the fourth quarter of 2018, the Google Pixel accounted for 7.3 percent of Verizon’s total sales. On the other hand, the OnePlus 6T accounted for 2.4 percent of T-Mobile’s total sales. Despite starting strong in the same quarter of last year, OnePlus 6T sales reportedly weakened in the first quarter of 2019. The Google Pixel, on the other hand, failed to attract iPhone users because over 80 percent of the phone’s buyers reportedly came from Android.</p> <p>“The newest Google Pixel lineup was certainly successful in terms of disrupting the premium market space at Verizon. Google invested a lot of marketing money during Q4 2018 resulting in strong sales of the Google Pixel 3 lineup. Over half of all new Pixel 3 owners came from Samsung. A total of 31% of Pixel 3 sales came from previous Samsung Galaxy S7 owners,” said Jeff Fieldhack, Research Director at Counterpoint Research.</p> <p>“When the 6T was announced for T-Mobile, at a sub-US$600 price point, consumers flocked to the device. Many users upgraded their older Samsung J2 Prime and Galaxy S7 phones. In addition, over 70% of previous Apple users had an iPhone 7, iPhone 6, or older. Consumers who have older devices are looking for alternatives to the flagships that cost more than US$800 currently offered,” commented Research Analyst Maurice Klaehne. The researcher later added that the OnePlus 6T might not see strong sales in the future. “There is little marketing money spent by the OEM and older Apple and Samsung flagships have been discounted to make a similar value offer which most consumers will gravitate towards,” he said.</p> <p> </p> <p>Related Read: OnePlus 6T hits lowest price ever during Amazon Fab Phone Fest, other attractive deals on Apple iPhone XR, Vivo V15 Pro and more</p> http://bit.ly/2WTMoZ4

All Samsung phones vulnerable to network traffic snooping, unwarranted screen recording: Security Researcher Elliot Alderson

<p>The French security researcher Elliot Alderson, aka @fs0c131y, has some new information to share about flaws in Samsung devices. He claims to have found a new vulnerability in all Samsung phones, which enables an attacker to capture the victim’s network traffic without their consent, given the hacker can gain physical access to their victim’s device. Additionally, the exploit enables the hacker to record the victim’s screen for up to an hour. Alderson disclosed the vulnerability to Samsung three weeks ago. The researcher has tweetstormed the exploit with a proof of concept and it all starts by booting up the Calculator app that is pre-installed on all Samsung phones. </p> <p>Typing (+30012012732+ in the calculator app will bring up DRParser Mode app. Typing *#9900# on the DO Parser Mode app boots up the Service Mode app, which has several critical options like logging network packet data and more. Three options on the Service Mode app menu are greyed out and out of them, Elliot used the "tcp dump start"  command-line packet analyzer to capture network traffic. However, tapping the button asks for an OTP, which the researcher bypassed since it is a locally implemented mechanism and doesn’t require an active net connection. Reversing the Service Mode app, the researcher was able to create a proof of concept via the CheckOTP method. This enabled him to enter the OTP key created in the prompt and enable capturing of network traffic. The network traffic capture log is saved on local storage. </p> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">THREAD: If you have a @SamsungMobile phones, whatever your phone model, an attacker with a physical access to your phone can capture your network traffic without your consent. Let me show you pic.twitter.com/2e66MglPxE</p> — Elliot Alderson (@fs0c131y) April 10, 2019 <p>The flaw not only enables one to snoop on network traffic, but also allows an attacker to record their victim’s screen for up to an hour. This is apparently done via the IMS LOGGER option, which is one of the three greyed-out options on the Service Mode app. Enabling the “Record Screen" option from Filter Options when tapping on IMS LOGGER is said to do the trick, and the recording is saved on the local storage. </p> <p>Related Reads:</p> <p>Asus software update utility was hacked to install malware on thousands of computers, company issues fix</p> <p>Twitter aims to combat spammers by limiting daily follows to 400</p> http://bit.ly/2I9kKDZ

Nubia Alpha wearable smartphone, Red Magic 3 gaming smartphone and truly wireless Nubia Pods earphones launching in India next month

<p>Nubia already confirmed that it would launch its Red Magic 3 smartphone in India next month. Now, the company has announced that its wearable device, the Nubia Alpha smartphone with a flexible 4-inch OLED display and the Nubia Pods will also be launched in May. “The company wants to tap the huge Indian smartphone market by bringing latest innovation to India and is expected to launch the flexible smartwatch and ear pods in May’19 to bring a complete ‘new generation’ mobile experience in India,” reads the company’s media release. </p> <p>Here’s a brief look at what the three devices are all about. Starting with the Nubia Alpha smartwatch, the device sports a 4-inch flexible OLED display that features a 960x192p resolution. It snaps around the wearer’s wrist like any other standard smartwatch but has a larger form factor and comes with all the functions you will find on a smartphone like apps, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. It supports calling via an e-SIM and sports a 5MP camera as well. As for the Nubia Pods, they are the company’s first truly wireless earbuds that are designed in partnership with 1More. </p> <p>Coming to the Nubia Red Magic 3 smartphone, the company’s general manager Ni Fei has revealed the device’s key highlights. It is confirmed to come equipped with air- and liquid-cooled systems to dissipate the heat generated while gaming. There are other gaming phones which either employ air cooling or liquid cooling but no device with both techniques. It remains to be seen how effective the cooling system is and you can be assured that we will put the device through its paces when we receive it for review. </p> <p>The Red Magic 3 will run on the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chip, which is paired with 12GB RAM. It might also be launched in other memory capacity variants. The phone is also touted to offer a display with “high refresh rate” but it is not known if it will challenge the 120Hz display equipped on the Razer Phone. The Nubia Red Magic 3 is also touted to feature a battery larger than the 3,800mAh unit found in its predecessor. </p> <p>Related Reads:</p> <p>Nubia Red Magic 3 specs revealed by top company executive, to come with air and liquid cooling systems</p> http://bit.ly/2X0xX5C

Google Pay allegedly operating without authorisation from RBI: Reports

<p>It looks like Google’s payment service, Google Pay, might be in hot water. According to reports, the Delhi High Court has asked the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) how Google Pay has been conducting financial transactions without authorisation. The service is reportedly not in the list of authorised service providers that was released by the Central Bank.</p> <p>As per reports, a division bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani issued notices to the RBI and Google India Digital Services Private Limited based on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Abhijit Mishra. The petitioner notes in his plea that he is concerned with the welfare of Indian economic banking system. Further, he notes that since Google Pay is not in the list of authorised operators, it is in defiance of Section 4, Subsection 1 of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act 2004. The section reads as follows, “No person, other than the Reserve Bank, shall commence or operate a payment system except under and in accordance with an authorisation issued by the Reserve Bank of India.”</p> <p>We will now have to wait and see how Google and RBI respond to the PIL and what steps the Mountain View-based company will take in the coming days with regard to the Google Pay app.</p> <p>Google Pay was launched in India as Google Tez, but was rebranded in August last year, during the Google for India event. During the event it was revealed 750 million transactions are carried out on the platform everyday, with an annual run-rate of $30 billion in transactions. Besides transactions, the platform can also be used to make payments for utilities.</p> <p> </p> <p>Related Read: Google Tez may be renamed as 'Google Pay': Report</p> http://bit.ly/2Ic8UJo

Samsung Galaxy A80 with slide-up rotating cameras launched alongside Galaxy A70

<p>Samsung just launched one of the most exciting phones in a long time and it's not even a flagship. The Samsung Galaxy A80 features a slide-out mechanism and rotating cameras, marking a sharp wedge away from the usual smartphone form factors. Samsung also announced the Galaxy A70 alongside it, and both devices are aimed at Gen-Z, the generation succeeding millennials.  The launch event centered around users who use the front camera not only to take photos but also stream live videos on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and the likes. </p> Samsung Galaxy A80 features and specifications <p>Thanks to the slide-out cameras, Samsung was able to offer an edge-to-edge display with minimal bezels that stretches 6.7-inches diagonally, making it the largest display ever on a Samsung device. Naturally,  you won't be able to use it one-handed. The panel has 1080x2400 pixels resolution with 20:1 aspect ratio. </p> <p>The phone is housed in an aluminium casing with glass on both sides. The rear glass panel curves along the edges to offer a better grip. </p> <p>The Galaxy A80 runs on the newly announced Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G, a chipset tuned specifically for gaming with an overclocked GPU and support for HDR gaming. Considering this isn't an HDR, that might not be possible, but the Snapdragon 730G's ISP comes with a Computer Vision unit that, in tandem with a 3D ToF sensor, offers portrait mode while recording videos. There's 8GB RAM onboard along with 128GB storage with no option to expand it. There's also no 3.5mm headphone jack.</p> <p>The A80 also has the same ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor for authentication that's there on the Galaxy S10 while the display also doubles up as the earpiece by sending sound vibrations through the screen while on a call.</p> <p>Now the cameras. The Galaxy A80 houses a triple camera stack which includes a 48MP camera sensor with f/2.0 aperture along with an 8MP wide-angle sensor offering 123-degree field of view. The third sensor is the 3D ToF sensor that's used for depth measurement. The entire camera stack along with the LED flash and the laser autofocus is housed in a separate unit made of plastic that rises up from the frame. The camera unit then flips over to the other side becoming the front camera. The entire motion takes around 1.2 seconds to complete and looks quite cool. </p> <p style="text-align: center;"></p> Samsung Galaxy A70 features and specifications <p>The Samsung Galaxy A70 is positioned just lower than the A80 and combines features from other A-series phones released so far with a 32MP camera on both the front and the back added as its unique feature.</p> <p>The Galaxy A70 also features a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display but with a U-shaped notch on top. This doesn't get the swivelling cameras, so the screen is not entirely free of distraction. This too has an in-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor.</p> <p>The rear panel is made of glass with a similar scattered light colour treatment as the galaxy A80 with the triple camera unit on this arranged vertically along the edges.  </p> <p style="text-align: center;"></p> <p>The camera stack includes a 32MP season with an f/1.7 aperture along with an 8MP ultra wide-angle lens with 123-degree field of view and a 5MP depth sensor. On the front is another 32MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture. That way, Samsung claims the image quality will be the same from both the front and the back. </p> <p>Under the hood, the Galaxy A70 runs on the Snapdragon 675 paired with either 6GB/8GB RAM and 64/128GB storage. This one does have the option to expand the storage up to 512GB and has a 3.5mm headphone jack to boot. </p> <p>While the Galaxy A70 is not as radically exciting as the A80, it should be the preferred option for those who still prefer a device with no movable parts. </p> Pricing and availability <p>The Galaxy A80 and A70 will be available in select markets from May 29 and April 26 respectively. There's no announcement about India launch yet, but based on the conversation Digit.in had with Samsung representatives, the Galaxy A70 is expected to launch before the A80 in India. Samsung also did not divulge the prices of the devices yet, but based on the features the A80 packs, it's expected to be priced higher than the A70. In fact, the Galaxy A80 will be the top-of-the-line device in the Galaxy A series.</p> http://bit.ly/2I7yqzz

Oppo Reno, Oppo Reno 10x Zoom with pop-up selfie camera launched in China

<p dir="ltr">Oppo has launched the Reno and Reno 10x Zoom with shark fin-type pop-up selfie mechanism in China. While the standard Oppo Reno is powered by the Snapdragon 710 chipset, the Oppo Reno 10x Zoom is a flagship device with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor. As the name suggests, the latter comes with a 48MP primary sensor with 10x hybrid zoom ability. The news about the 10x zoom tech was making rounds on the internet for a while and it was finally shown off at MWC this year.</p> Oppo Reno 10x Zoom specifications <p>The Oppo Reno 10x Zoom sports a Full HD+ 6.65-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels. Becasue of the absence of any type of notch, the phone is claimed to deliver 91.3 percent screen-to-body ratio. The display is said to be HDR 10+ compliant, and the phone comes with a sixth-generation in-screen fingerprint sensor. The display is protected by a Gorilla Glass 6. On the back, the Oppo Reno 10x Zoom has a glass finish and the frame is carved out of a 7000-series aluminum alloy.</p> <p>Under the hood, the phone comes with the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 mobile platform along with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage, which can be expanded via a microSD card. The phone houses a 4,065mAh battery with VOOC 3.0 fast charging support. It runs Android 9 Pie-based ColorOS 6 and has an AI-powered Breeno virtual assistant. For an optimised gaming experienced, Oppo has included Game Boost 2.0 acceleration engine and Dolby Atmos support. The phone features a copper tube liquid cooling tech for heat dissipation.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"></p> <p>The USP of the device is its camera that features three sensors including a 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor with one lens having f/1.7 aperture and OIS, an 8MP secondary sensor with a lens having f/2.2 aperture and a periscope telescopic lens with 13MP sensor. The triple camera setup is coupled with dual-LED flash and laser autofocus. For selfies, the phone comes with a shark fin pop-up module that houses a 16MP sensor with a lens having f/2.0 aperture, and an LED flash.</p> Oppo Reno 10x Zoom price <p>The Oppo Reno 10x Zoom will be available in Fog Sea Green and Extreme Night Black colours in China. The 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant is priced at 3,999 Yuan (approx Rs 41,000), the 6GB RAM + 256GB storage variant will cost users 4,499 Yuan (approx Rs 46,000) and customers can buy 8GB RAM + 256GB storage variant for 4,799 Yuan (approx Rs 49,500).</p> Oppo Reno Standard Edition Specifications <p style="text-align: center;"></p> <p>The standard Oppo Reno sports a smaller 6.4-inch full HD+ display with a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. Just like the flagship, the phone comes with an in-display fingerprint reader and the panel is protected by Gorilla Glass 6. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC, along with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage. The Oppo Reno features a dual camera system with 48MP and a 5MP sensors on the back. The phone features a 16MP pop-up selfie camera with an LED flash. The handset includes a 3,765mAh battery with VOOC 3.0 fast charging. It runs ColorOS 6 based on Android 9 Pie, and features virtual assitant Breeno, Game Boost 2.0, and Dolby Atmos support.</p> Oppo Reno standard edition price <p>The Oppo Reno standard edition is launched in Fog Sea Green, Extreme Night Black, Nebula Purple and Pink Mist colours. The 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant will cost users 2,999 Yuan (approx Rs 31,000), the 6GB RAM + 256GB storage variant can be purchased for 3,299 Yuan (approx Rs 34,000) and customers can buy 8GB RAM + 256GB storage variant for 3,599 Yuan (approx Rs 37,000).</p> Related Read:   Oppo F11 First Impressions   http://bit.ly/2uYn8F7