PAKISTAN:
Gmail messages ‘read by human third parties’:
Google has confirmed that private emails sent and received by Gmail users can sometimes be read by third-party app developers, not just machines. People who have connected third-party apps to their accounts may have unwittingly given human staff permission to read their messages. One company told the Wall Street Journal that the practice was “common” and a “dirty secret”.
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Daraz’s Mobile Week Offers Big Discounts on Major Brands:
It’s called Pakistan’s biggest mobile phone sale of the year for a reason. Daraz Mobile Week is offering up to 70% off, flash sales and exclusive phone launches from the hottest brands like Mi, Infinix, One Plus, Honor, Oppo, Samsung, Apple and more. Each brand will enjoy its own day with dedicated flash sales from 4 pm – 10 pm on its most desirable handsets.
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“Harf Kaar” App Lets You Correct Grammatical Mistakes in Urdu Language:
The first-ever Urdu software titled “Harf Kaar” that helps in detecting and correcting grammatical errors and anomalies in Urdu diction and proof will be launched in the first week of August. This software is the result of joint efforts by a noted poet and writer, Akhtar Raza Saleemi and eminent software programmer Saeed Raza Khan.
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Android P is Almost Ready with Public Beta 3:
Android P is nearing its final stable build and is expected to get an official launch for most devices – other than beta users – in the coming days. It just received a new update – the Beta 3 – which is one step closer to a consumer-ready stable release. Google has been polishing it up for quite some time now, and the new version comes with internal patchwork to improve its stability.
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Social media apps are ‘deliberately’ addictive to users:
Social media companies are deliberately addicting users to their products for financial gain, Silicon Valley insiders have told the BBC’s Panorama programme. “It’s as if they’re taking behavioural cocaine and just sprinkling it all over your interface and that’s the thing that keeps you like coming back and back and back”, said former Mozilla and Jawbone employee Aza Raskin.
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PlayStation’s Huge Summer Sale Features Up to 50% Off on Hit Games:
Sony has kicked off PlayStation Store summer sale of 2018. The PS store summer sale includes mostly the older titles, with a few notable newer ones worth checking out. The sale is going to last till 17th of July. It will include deals for PS4, PS3, PS Vita, PSP, and PSVR.
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Thousands of Apps Take Screenshots and Record What Users Do on their Smartphones:
After hearing justifications from Facebook and other major app developers as to why they require microphone access on your phone, you can probably prepare yourself for another privacy storm, even if the parties involved aren’t of the same stature.
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Netflix is Testing an Expensive ‘Ultra’ Tier of Membership:
Netflix might be bringing a higher-tier service, better than its Premium subscription with some new features. According to an Italian blog Tutto Android, the new subscription plan is going to be called “Ultra” and would allow four screens to view Ultra HD (4K) videos simultaneously with high-quality audio streaming.
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Honor 10 GT is The Ultimate Budget Flagship:
Honor, not a party completely new to the numbers game with three rear-cameras and all, is back, this time to assert its dominance in the memory game. The new Honor 10 GT is the company’s first phone to come with 8 GB RAM. The original Honor 10 came with only 4 and 6 GB options.
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Uber and Careem are in Talks to Merge:
Uber is backing off from the competition in the Asian region as reports emerge that Uber and Careem are combining their services in the Middle East. Just a few months ago, the world’s biggest ride-hailing service, sold its Southeast Asian business to the Singapore-based rival Grab.
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INTERNATIONAL:
Aspen, Colorado swaps 4 July fireworks for drone light show:
The US town of Aspen is swapping its annual Fourth of July fireworks display for a drone show – because of a wildfire risk in the drought-hit area. Officials say 50 drones will light up the night sky in patriotic colours to mark Independence Day. The 15-minute show will start at 21:15 local time (03:15 GMT Thursday). This comes after Colorado’s fire authorities introduced strict fire restrictions across huge swathes of the western state.
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Jawbone fitness trackers removed from online shops:
Jawbone fitness trackers are no longer for sale at Amazon, Selfridges and GroupOn after a Which? investigation. The consumer group found that the trackers were no longer supported, so anyone buying the gadget would be unable to measure their progress. The consumer group investigated after seeing hundreds of customers complain about the gadgets.
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Italy Wikipedia shuts down in protest at EU copyright law:
Italian Wikipedia blocked readers from its pages on Tuesday in protest over the future of EU online copyright law. Critics say the rules, due to be voted on this week, could put an end to memes and remixes, and require platforms to pay for linking to news. Instead of an encyclopaedia entry, visitors to any page on the Italian language Wikipedia were greeted with a statement about the upcoming vote.
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Facebook bug unblocked unwanted users:
Facebook has admitted a glitch in its network meant people who had been blocked were temporarily unblocked. The bug, revealed by the company on Monday, affected at least 800,000 people. It was active between 29 May and 5 June and applied to both core Facebook and its Messenger app.
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Spotify users demand refunds over Drake promotion:
Drake’s new album Scorpion has only been out since Friday, but it’s already made history. The album broke streaming records on both Apple Music and Spotify, with more than 302m plays in a single day. But some users complained that Spotify put his photo on hundreds of playlists – including ones that didn’t feature his music, such as “Best of British”.
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NHS data breach affects 150,000 patients in England:
The NHS is blaming a coding error for 150,000 patients in England being involved in a data breach. Those affected had requested that their confidential health information only be used to help provide them with care. But it appears that there was a problem with the software used by GPs to record objections to the same data being used for research and auditing purposes.
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Dashcam footage submission website goes live:
Road users are now able to submit footage of dangerous driving to police in England and Wales, using a platform set up by a dashcam manufacturer. The website allows visitors to upload videos before sending footage to the right police force. It also redirects visitors to those forces with their own submission websites.
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This Cooling Device for Your Bike Helmet Helps to Beat the Summer Heat:
An Indian company based in Bengaluru has designed a wearable helmet cooling device called BluSnap to provide much-needed relief for two-wheel riders in the scorching summers. The wearable cooling device for your full-face helmets takes less than 30 seconds to install and can reduce temperature by 6-15 degrees by creating a microclimate around you.