Google slammed over ad-cookie replacement flip-flop:
Google’s “indecision” over what system it wants to replace cookies has been criticised by some in the ad industry. It comes as the technology giant said an interest-based user-tracking system, Topics, would now replace its earlier proposal, Floc. One marketing executive said: “This constant indecision does not inspire confidence.” Third-party cookies use people’s browsing history to target ads that then follow them from site to site.
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WhatsApp is Getting a Useful Voice Messages Feature:
WhatsApp is rolling out a brand new update for voice messages, notifications, and profile pictures. The update will roll out to iPhone users on iOS 15 first and then it will make its way to Android as well. WhatsApp version 22.2.75 for iOS will improve voice messages for everyone. The update will add the ability to pause a voice message while recording it and there will also be a play/resume toggle, instead of the lone “stop recording” square button. This feature has been in the testing phase since October last year and it is finally rolling out to iPhones around the globe.
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All You Need to Know About Samsung Galaxy S22 Series:
After all the leaks and rumors of the upcoming Galaxy S22 series surfacing online, we’ve got a pretty good idea of what Samsung has planned. Among these, the rumor that has kept everyone hooked is that the S22 Ultra will be a successor to the ill-fated Galaxy Note series, for which the company had halted production last year. This means we could see an integrated S Pen along with a wider display and squared-off design for the S22 Ultra. However, the latest leak is the biggest of them all, delivering not only detailed specs and images but also the likely release date.
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Dukan.pk and MOVEX Join Hands to Enable Home-Based Sellers and MSMEs:
Dukan.pk and MOVEX have recently joined hands together to enable last-mile logistics for home-based sellers and MSMEs. This collaboration integrates MOVEX with Dukan’s state of the art technology stack. Sellers using the Dukan App will be able to have parcels picked up from their doorstep at over thirty (30) locations countrywide and delivered to buyer’s doorstep in three hundred (300) plus locations countrywide.
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Google Playstore Games Will Now Run on Windows:
Google has officially started the beta testing period for Google Playstore games running on Windows 11. For now, only select users from select regions can try out cross-play. Google has not officially announced how it plans to add cross-play support, except that the feature would require an app from the Playstore to be installed on PC. For users who have been able to try the feature out, a ‘Download on Windows’ button appeared on the desktop version of Google Play for some, and clicking on it downloads an executable file for Windows 11.
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OnePlus Nord 2 CE 5G With 90Hz AMOLED Display, 65W Fast Charging to be Revealed in February:
OnePlus recently introduced the OnePlus 9RT smartphone and Buds Z2 TWS in India. A new leak now claims that the company will soon be launching the OnePlus Nord 2 CE 5G in the country. Last week, tipster Yogesh Brar revealed that the company is expected to hold a launch event in February. The company will reveal the OnePlus Nord 2 CE 5G in India and the OnePlus Nord N20 in European markets, next month.
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Xiaomi Mix 5 Pro Renders Show a Gigantic Rear Camera Unit With Notchless Display:
Ever since the Xiaomi 12 lineup was launched in China, people have been waiting for the Ultra variant. However, it appears that the smartphone will be released as Xiaomi Mix 5 Pro instead. Technizo Concept, also known as Parvez Khan, a graphic designer, recently collaborated with LetsGoDigital to create a series of product renders of the upcoming flagship model. Here’s what it will look like based on previous leaks.
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Trusted Friends Feature Will Soon be Available on Twitter:
The microblogging platform Twitter is working on a feature that will allow tweets that can only be seen by a user’s selected friends. In July last year, Twitter revealed that it will let users designate ‘trusted friends’ such that some tweets would only be visible to those added to the category. Alessandro Paluzzi, developer, and reverse engineer stated that the feature is currently in the works and that Twitter has assigned the placeholder ‘Flock’ to the feature.
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GSM Association Urges Pakistan to Withdraw Increase in WHT on Telecom Services:
The Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) has requested the Government of Pakistan to withdraw, as soon as possible, the increase made to the withholding tax (WHT) on the telecommunication services under the Finance (Supplementary) Bill 2021. In a letter addressed to Finance Minister, Shaukat Tarin, Miniter for IT and Telecom, Syed Amin Ul Haque, and Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Dr. Muhammad Ashfaq Ahmed, the GSM Association lamented that the increase in tax on mobile services was damaging the economy.
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Blockchain Can Turn Real Estate into the Next Cryptocurrency for the Public:
For the masses to become active participants in the real estate sector and the system to be truly inclusive, a push towards fractionalized asset ownership is visible across the globe. The concept of a combination between real estate and blockchain is the next big talk of the decade, and there’s a lot of room for improvement. The financial crisis of 2007–2008 resulted in a meltdown of the global economy. The housing market crashed, stocks plunged, people lost their life savings, and billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money were spent to bail out the global financial system. This was a final blow to the trust in centralized financial institutions.
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Redmi Note 11 Pro 4G is Coming to Pakistan for Rs. 53,000:
The Redmi Note 11 series has finally arrived at the global market. The series includes the Redmi Note 11, Note 11S, and Note 11 Pro with separate 5G models. As expected, the only differences between the global model and the Chinese variants are the colors and the chipset. The Pakistani Redmi Note 11 will get the usual black and white colors options as well as a unique Aquatic Blue that resembles waves on the sea. The Redmi Note 11 Pro 4G swaps out the Dimensity 920 with the Helio G96 SoC while the 5G version gets the Snapdragon 695. Both of these chips are equal to the Snapdragon 750G in terms of performance. The memory configurations will be 6GB/64GB, 6GB/128GB, and 8GB/128GB.
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LG Energy Solution: Battery giant jumps in market debut:
South Korean battery maker LG Energy Solution has jumped in its stock market debut after becoming the country’s biggest ever share offering. The shares briefly doubled from their initial public offering (IPO) price before ending the day 65.8% higher. The company raised 12.8tn won (£7.9bn; $10.6bn) in the IPO earlier this month. Thursday’s strong performance made LG Energy Solution the second most valuable firm on Seoul’s benchmark Kospi index, after Samsung Electronics.
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Spotify removes Neil Young after he calls for Joe Rogan to go:
Spotify has begun removing music by Neil Young after the rock star called for the streaming platform to choose between him and podcaster Joe Rogan. Accusing him of Covid misinformation, Young told Spotify this week: “They can have Rogan or Young. Not both.” Rogan has been criticised for interviewing an infectious disease specialist who opposes Covid-19 vaccines for children.
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What is the quantum apocalypse and should we be scared?:
Imagine a world where encrypted, secret files are suddenly cracked open – something known as “the quantum apocalypse”. Put very simply, quantum computers work completely differently from the computers developed over the past century. In theory, they could eventually become many, many times faster than today’s machines. That means that faced with an incredibly complex and time-consuming problem – like trying to decrypt data – where there are multiple permutations running into the billions, a normal computer would take many years to break those encryptions, if ever.
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Tesla expects 50% growth despite supply chain woes:
Tesla sales will grow by more than 50% in 2022 compared with last year despite supply chain problems, chief executive Elon Musk has said. The electric carmaker reported a record $5.5bn (£4bn) profit last year. Sales at the firm rocketed 71% to $53.8bn in 2021, as it delivered more than 936,000 vehicles to customers. But the firm warned growth would slow, as supply chain issues affecting carmakers continue to limit its manufacturing capacity.
Elon Musk SpaceX rocket on collision course with moon:
A rocket launched by Elon Musk’s space exploration company is on course to crash into the Moon and explode. The Falcon 9 booster was launched in 2015 but after completing its mission, it did not have enough fuel to return towards Earth and instead remained in space. Astronomer Jonathan McDowell told The News it will be the first known uncontrolled rocket collision with the Moon.
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Crypto money laundering rises 30%, report finds:
Criminals laundered $8.6bn (£6.4bn) of cryptocurrency in 2021, up by 30% from the previous year, a report by blockchain data company Chainalysis says. It says police could strike a “huge blow” by targeting key services used to launder cryptocurrency by criminals. The company previously estimated criminals received a record $14bn in cryptocurrencies in 2021.
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Shang-Chi: How we brought realism to the film’s dragons:
Marvel’s superhero origin story, Shang-Chi and the Legend of The Ten Rings was one of 2021’s box offices successes. Starring Simu Liu in the title role, the story sees a former martial arts assassin forced to confront his warlord father Wenwu – owner of the Ten Rings and its army. BBC Click’s Al Moloney spoke to WetaFX’s VFX supervisor Sean Walker and animation supervisor Karl Rapley to find out how they made the visual effects.
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Ubisoft pays in-game tribute to fallen player:
Game publisher Ubisoft has paid tribute to former player Michael “KiXSTAr” Stockley, who died in October. The in-game plaque marking the spot he won a round of Rainbow Six Siege single-handed, killing five players in eight seconds, has won fan approval. The 24-year-old commentated on many of the game’s pro tournaments, winning Esports Colour Caster of the Year 2020. Rainbow Six Siege is one of the top esports titles, with more than 70 million registered players worldwide.
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The Future X: Can Simon Fuller’s TikTok band recreate the Spice Girls’ magic?:
The man behind the Spice Girls and S Club 7 has launched his latest pop group with the help of TikTok. Simon Fuller, who also created Pop Idol and American Idol, held auditions on the app over the last year to create a seven-piece band called The Future X. Despite the global search, all of the members hail from America and Canada, led by singers Angie Green, Luke Brown, and Maci Wood.
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Romance fraud: Man loses £150k in Bitcoin scam:
A man who lost approximately £150,000 in a romance fraud scam says the experience has “ruined” him and he now receives support from a counsellor. Tom, which is not his real name, was the victim of a cryptocurrency scam that started through a dating app. He said: “Trust was built but in the blink of an eye, everything was gone. I was sick to my stomach.” Tom, who is in his 30s, was struggling with a break-up, when he found himself looking for companionship online.