ZTE Nubia is Working on a Flip Foldable to Rival Samsung:
ZTE’s Nubia sub-brand is expected to announce its first-ever foldable dubbed the Z60 Fold sometime in 2024. This will be a horizontal folding device similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold, but there is also a flip-style foldable in the works according to a new report from Media
Google Owes Customers $700 Million in Play Store Settlements:
Last week’s significant news included Epic Games’ triumph over Google in the District Court of Northern California. The lengthy legal conflict, spanning three years, concluded with a jury verdict recognizing Google’s monopoly in the realms of Android app distribution and in-app payment services. This case was one of several legal challenges Google faced, including an antitrust lawsuit brought by attorney generals from all 50 US states. In a notable development, Google has agreed to a $700 million settlement in the Play Store lawsuit in the United States. This agreement was initially reached with US legal authorities in September, and now the full details of the settlement are available, including a $700 million contribution to a settlement fund and several changes to the Play Store’s operations in the US.
Xiaomi’s HyperOS is Rolling Out Globally, Here are the Phones Getting it First:
In October, Xiaomi announced a rebrand for its long-standing MIUI Android skin called HyperOS. The new HyperOS became official in the Chinese market alongside Xiaomi 14 and now it is ready to launch globally. The company has now outlined plans for the international distribution of HyperOS. The initial phase, starting in the first quarter of 2024, will cover nine devices: Xiaomi 13 Ultra, 13 Pro, 13, 13T Pro, 13T, Redmi Note 12, Redmi Note 12S, Xiaomi Pad 6, and Poco F5.
Migrating to the Cloud: Strategies for a Smooth Transition:
Cloud Computing is one of the most in-demand technologies today, providing on-demand virtualized resources and allowing organizations to leverage the many benefits that come with cloud adoption. Migrating to the cloud is not merely about transferring data and applications to a new environment; it’s a strategic move offering various benefits, including scalability, flexibility, and cost-efficiency. However, this journey is complex and requires detailed planning and execution.
You Can Now PTA Approve iPhone 14 Plus on Interest-Free Installments:
The Plus-sized iPhone 14 from last year with extra battery life can be PTA approved on interest-free installments via Bank Alfalah’s Alfa Mall online shopping platform. This service is only available to Bank Alfalah credit card holders, however. The total cost of PTA approving an iPhone 14 Plus at Alfa Mall is Rs. 139,999, meaning it can be broken down to only Rs. 23,333 per month through the 6-month installment plan. There is also a 3-month installment plan which does not include the 5% extra processing fee. Both options have 0% markup involved.
TikTok Officially Declared Haram Under New Fatwa
On Tuesday, the Jamia Uloom-ul-Islamia Banoori Town issued a religious ruling (fatwa), classifying the widely-used social media app TikTok as “haram,” or forbidden under Sharia law. The decree, identified as fatwa number 144211200409, explicitly declares TikTok usage as impermissible, pointing out various ethical and religious issues associated with it. The ruling emphasizes the app’s potential to be a “dangerous temptation” amidst the burgeoning landscape of social media, noting that participation in the app involves activities that are considered illegitimate and sinful.
Advisory Committee Directs Frequency Allocation Board to Allocate Spectrum for 5G Auction:
The Auction Advisory Committee, chaired by Caretaker Finance Minister Dr. Shamshad Akhter, has directed the Frequency Allocation Board (FAB) to allocate spectrum for the upcoming 5G auction. The committee meeting, attended by key government officials, including Caretaker Federal Minister for IT and Telecom Dr. Umar Saif, focused on the necessary steps to initiate the 5G auction process. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) provided a comprehensive briefing during the meeting, covering aspects such as 5G spectrum details, the auction process timeline, and the expected revenue generation.
Google’s Gemini AI Beats ChatGPT in Nearly Every Test:
Google recently unveiled its latest AI model Gemini which comes in three tiers: Nano, Pro, and Ultra. Gemini Ultra, the most powerful among the three, outperforms OpenAI’s GPT in almost all industry-standard benchmarks, as per the company’s internal sources. The company insiders report that Gemini Ultra beats ChatGPT in 30 out of the 32 widely used academic benchmarks for testing Large Language Models (LLM). This may allow Google to turn things around as the search engine giant has been accused of lagging behind its AI competitor OpenAI, whose GPT model is known as the most powerful and popular in the industry. According to a report from Media, Gemini Ultra scored 90% in the MMLU (massive multitask language understanding) benchmark, becoming the first model to outperform human experts. MMLU comprises 57 subjects such as math, physics, history, law, medicine, and ethics for testing both world knowledge and problem-solving abilities.
Realme C67 4G Launched Starting At $168:
Realme introduced the C67 5G in India last week, and now, adding to its lineup, the company has unveiled a 4G variant in Indonesia. The Realme C67 4G boasts a redesigned appearance, featuring a powerful 108MP primary camera and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 685 chipset. The device sports a 6.72-inch IPS LCD offering 1080p resolution and a smooth 90Hz refresh rate. Nestled within a punch-hole cutout is an 8MP front-facing camera, accompanied by the Mini Capsule 2.0 overlay, which conveniently displays notifications and system status information around the selfie camera like iPhone’s Dynamic Island.
Nubia Z60 Ultra Launched With Stand Out Design and Under Display Camera:
ZTE’s sub-brand Nubia has unveiled its latest flagship phone in the Z60 series, which looks more like a flashy gaming phone than a regular handset. Aside from its stand-out main camera design, it also has a color variant inspired by Vincent van Goh’s popular ‘Starry Night’ painting. The Nubia Z60 Ultra sports a sleek 6.8-inch AMOLED screen that can hit 1500 nits of peak brightness, a smooth 120Hz refresh rate, and 2,160Hz PWM dimming. The touch sampling rate goes up to a whopping 1200Hz to minimize input delay to the max, making it ideal for gaming.
Greater Manchester Police ordered to clear FOI backlog:
Greater Manchester Police has been ordered to take urgent action to clear a huge backlog of overdue Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has issued the force with an enforcement notice for “repeated failures” in responding to requests. It said it had 850 requests awaiting a response, some dating back to 2021. GMP has 35 days to publish an action plan and clear the backlog by July or it could be held in contempt of court. The force said it had a “robust” action plan in place to improve its response time. The ICO is the UK’s independent regulator for data protection and information rights law.
Guernsey schools to have extra inset day in 2024:
All Guernsey States schools will have an extra inset day in 2024 so staff can be trained in “two key areas”. Some of the day would be about the new Code of Practice for Learners with Additional Needs that was due to be introduced next year, officials said. Staff will also be trained on new IT systems as part of the Digital Roadmap improvement project in schools. The inset day on 4 September means the autumn term will start a day later on Thursday 5 September 2024. The Committee for Education, Sport and Culture said it had agreed the additional inset day because “the training is essential”. Committee President Andrea Dudley-Owen said: “The new code of practice is a very positive step for education in Guernsey and Alderney.”
Elizabeth line: Four stations get mobile coverage:
High-speed mobile coverage has become available at four of the busiest Elizabeth line stations, Transport for London (TfL) has said. TfL said the platforms, escalators and ticket halls at Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Farringdon and Liverpool Street have mobile coverage. It is part of a rollout that has already delivered 4G on sections of the Jubilee, Northern and Central lines. TfL said it would be expanding the coverage to further stations in 2024. Tunnelled sections between stations would also start to get 4G and 5G in the new year.
Google to pay $700m to settle antitrust lawsuit:
Google will allow developers on its Play app store to offer direct payment options to users to settle an antitrust case in the latest regulatory row over the tech giant’s practices. It will also pay $700m as part of the lawsuit, which was brought by a group of US states. They accused Google of quashing competition to its Play Store on Android devices. The settlement was announced in September, but the terms were not. Google also said it would make it easier to download apps on Android devices from sources other than its Play Store. The tech giant was also accused of overcharging customers through unnecessary fees for in-app transactions. The settlement proposed that Google should pay $630m into a fund for consumers and $70m into a fund that will be used by states.
IT failures causing patient deaths, says NHS safety body:
Urgent action is needed to address NHS computer failings which are causing harm to patients, the patient safety watchdog has told the Media. The watchdog has evidence of patient deaths due to IT system errors. The government called the reports “concerning” and said it would work with NHS England to take necessary action to protect patients. A recent Media investigation found thousands of hospital letters were unsent due to computer issues. The Health Services Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB) says IT failures are among the most serious issues facing hospitals in England. “We have seen evidence of patient deaths as a result of IT systems not working,” said interim head, Dr Rosie Benneyworth. Dr Benneyworth cited the example of a patient who was found unresponsive and then wrongly identified by healthcare staff as not wishing to be resuscitated.
Insomniac: Spider-Man 2 PlayStation studio victim of huge hack:
The videogame studio behind Spider-Man 2 has been the victim of a huge hack in a ransomware attack. Last week, hackers demanded $2m from Sony-owned Insomniac, which developed the PlayStation 5 superhero hit, to keep stolen information private. Since then, details of future releases and work-in-progress footage showing the company’s upcoming Wolverine game have appeared online. Media has approached Sony for comment. A listing for the leak, seen by the Media, suggests it includes private employee data and internal company emails. Fellow games developers, journalists and fans were quick to condemn the attack, urging others not to share or republish any of the content.
Nasa beams cat video from deep space with laser:
Nasa has streamed an ultra high-definition video of a cat back to Earth from the depths of space. The 15-second clip of Taters the cat was sent via laser – and fittingly shows it chasing a laser beam. Footage of the orange tabby travelled 19 million miles – some 80 times the distance from Earth to the Moon. Nasa hopes the laser tech it was testing will eventually improve communications with more remote parts of the solar system. Taters, whose paws remained firmly on Earth, is owned by an employee of Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California. The video was uploaded to a spacecraft launched with SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on 13 October, and was streamed on 11 December.
Italian influencer Chiara Ferragni sorry for hospital pandoro claim:
Italy’s top influencer Chiara Ferragni has apologised for misleading consumers over purchases of a Christmas cake. Ms Ferragni, who has almost 30 million followers on Instagram, was fined €1.075m (£927,000) for claiming sales of a “designer” pink pandoro would help fund a children’s hospital in Turin. The cake’s producer had given money to the hospital months before launching it, the competition watchdog found. Ms Ferragni, 36, has promised to donate €1m to the Regina Margherita hospital. In a statement posted to her followers, she said she had made a “mistake in good faith… to link a commercial activity with a charitable one”. Appearing on the verge of tears, she said she would appeal against the AGCM antitrust authority’s ruling and “disproportionate and unjust” fine.
Bollywood: How AI may affect India’s vast film industry:
Where does artificial intelligence (AI) fit into the world of Indian cinema? While AI has already disrupted Hollywood with writers going on a strike, the debate around the contentious issue is not widespread in the Indian film industry which employs tens of thousands of people. Some Indian film industry creators are underplaying the threat of AI for now, while others feel it needs to be taken very seriously. Director Shekhar Kapur’s debut Indian film, Masoom (1983), followed a woman’s journey towards accepting a child born out of her husband’s extramarital affair. For the sequel to this emotional film, which had delicately handled the complexities around infidelity and social diktats, Kapur decided to experiment with AI tool ChatGPT. The award-winning director was amazed at “how intuitively AI understood the moral conflict in the plot” and gave him a script in seconds. The AI-generated script depicted the child growing up to resent his father, shifting the gears of their relationship from the first film. The future with AI will be “chaotic”, Kapur says, as machine learning can do in seconds what will take a bunch of scriptwriters “weeks to do”.
Ruby Franke: Parenting advice YouTuber pleads guilty to child abuse:
A Utah woman who ran a popular parenting advice YouTube channel has pleaded guilty to four counts of aggravated child abuse. Ruby Franke, 41, who came to a plea deal with prosecutors faced accusations of starving and abusing her children after her son escaped a Utah home. Franke said she pleaded guilty “with my deepest regret and sorrow for my family and my children”. She will testify against a former business partner and collaborator. The former YouTube star – who once boasted more than two million subscribers for her parenting blog – wore a white and grey-striped jail jumpsuit as she entered her guilty plea on Monday. Franke is scheduled to be sentenced on 20 February 2024. She was arrested in August at the home of her former business partner, Jodi Hildebrandt, after her malnourished son’s escape from the house in Ivins, Utah and asked a neighbour for food and water.
Imran Khan: Pakistan ex-PM used artificial intelligence to campaign from jail:
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party has used an artificial intelligence voice clone of him to campaign from prison. Mr Khan had his three-year sentence for corruption suspended in August, but remains in jail. His Pakistan Tehreek-e Insaf (PTI) party used AI to make an audio clip to address an internet “virtual rally”. Mr Khan’s speech was generated from text he had written from prison and had approved by his lawyers, PTI said. The four-minute audio message, marred by internet disruptions, was played over an AI-generated image which appeared to be speaking. Global network monitor NetBlocks said the streaming disruptions were consistent with previous attempts to censor Mr Khan. The voice clone of Mr Khan said: “My fellow Pakistanis, I would first like to praise the social media team for this historic attempt.
Digital landline switch paused for vulnerable people:
UK phone companies have paused making vulnerable customers switch to digital landlines following “serious incidents” where telecare devices stopped working. Nearly two million people are thought to use such equipment, which can be used to summon help in an emergency. Digital landlines can fail in some circumstances, such as a power cut. Phone providers have signed up to a charter under which people can only be moved from an analogue to a digital line if there is no impact on telecare. The UK is in the process of switching to digital landlines – a process which mostly involves equipment at exchanges, rather than in people’s homes, being changed.