PAKISTAN NEWS:
Senate committee just tried to ban online games that aren’t even online:
A parliamentary panel was informed on Thursday that a blanket ban was not recommended on certain online games; since that would prove detrimental to the technology industry, and deprive the youth of modern indoor sporting activity. The panel had sought a blanket ban on “online games such as CyberPunk.” Cyberpunk was initially announced back in 2013, and since then has been one of the most anticipated games of all time.
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Big tech companies ask Pakistan to rework its content blocking laws for social media:
In October 2020, the Pakistani government passed new internet regulations that broaden censorship and authorize widespread surveillance of content published online. These regulations called the Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Content (Procedure, Oversight, and Safeguards) Rules 2020, put in place rules for blocking of online content. As soon as the regulation was passed Asian lobby group, The Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), wrote a letter to the Prime Minister Imran Khan expressing its alarm over the scope of the new law targeting internet companies. AIC also mentioned that it was not satisfied with the opaque process by which these rules were finalized and sought critical changes to the new rules.
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Apple is reportedly making a vr headsets with dual 8k resolution displays:
Apple has been reportedly working on an AR/VR headset since 2017 and the project has allegedly been carried out in secrecy ever since. A new report from The Information now claims that the headset might see the light of the day soon, but it will not be something for the average consumer. Apple’s VR headset will reportedly cost $3000 and will feature the most advanced hardware on a VR headset seen yet. Apple is working on its own silicon for the headsets and will have LiDAR sensors similar to the latest iPhones and iPads. The chipset will be similar to the M1 SoC but will have more processing power. Some reports say that it could be the M2. The headset will also have two 8K displays.
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Moto G10, G30, and E7 power appear in detailed leak:
Motorola has a handful of new budget handsets coming up soon, some of which have been leaked already. Today, we have a more detailed leak for two new phones codenamed Capri, which will be officially known as the Moto G10 and G30. We also have renders and specs for the Moto E7 Power.The Moto G10 will be the most affordable one of the three, costing $180. The phone has a waterdrop notch for the selfie camera on top of an HD+ screen with a 60Hz refresh rate. There is no information on the screen size as of yet, and it will most likely be an LCD panel.
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Google is working on ‘anti tracking’ features for android:
Apple recently announced a new App Tracking Transparency tool that lets you control your privacy better. According to a new report, Google is working on something similar that will let you stop cross-app tracking on Android, but the feature is still in the early stages. However, some of anonymous sources revealed that the company wants to find a balance between privacy-conscious users and the financial needs of advertisers and developers.
Google is one of the wealthiest companies in the world that makes a big chunk of its revenue through digital ads, raking in more than $100 billion annually. A lot of this money comes from targeting Android, an OS that is used by millions of people around the globe. If a user was looking for a product on Google Chrome, an ad for the same item would also appear on other applications, even if it is a simple game.
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Smartphone sales to grow 11pc this year, 5g to hit 35pc market share:
The smartphone market is expected to recover in 2021 with an increase of 11.4% in sales over 2020. This would mean that a total of 1.5 billion smartphones will be shipped this year, as per a new report from research firm Gartner.The smartphone market suffered a decline of 10.5% in 2020 due to the pandemic with a total of 1.3 billion smartphones shipped throughout the year, down from 2019’s 1.5 billion shipments. According to the new report from Gartner, the market will make a recovery this year with Asia Pacific, Western Europe, and Latin American markets showing the biggest growth.
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Xiaomi’s shows off smartphone with a display that curves on all sides:
We have seen waterfall displays with extreme curves at the edges of the display plenty of times, but this is the first time a company has unveiled a display that curves on all 4 sides. Such is the new concept device from Xiaomi that has an 88-degree hyper quad-curved screen with the most extreme curves we have seen so far. The concept device has no physical buttons or ports whatsoever, but there are four rounded cutouts in the corners to minimize accidental touches, which tends to be a problem with curved screens. The position of the status bar is also interesting as it is placed on the top right corner along the side of the display. It appears that you have to slide up and down on the left edge of the screen to adjust the volume.
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Samsung Galaxy Z flip 3 and fold 3 to launch in July:
Quite like the Galaxy S21 lineup, Samsung’s foldables are also expected to arrive earlier this year. This is a rumor from tipster Ice Universe is to be believed who claims that the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Fold 3 will launch in July this year.This would be months earlier than the last Galaxy Fold arrived, which was in September last year. The move makes sense since Samsung also released the Galaxy S lineup earlier than usual this year and the company may be looking to create a new timeline. However, there is currently no way of knowing if it is the truth or just a rumor. The foldables may arrive in July but Samsung could run into some manufacturing delays.
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Beware of this fake whatsapp targeting iphone users:
Canadian cybersecurity experts have identified a fake version of WhatsApp circulating on the internet allegedly developed by an Italian surveillance company, Cy4Gate, specifically to target iPhone users.The Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, in collaboration with Motherboard, found the fake version of WhatsApp after ZecOps, a US-based network security firm, reported attacks against iPhone users last week.According to details, the malicious software dupes iPhone users into installing certain configuration files on their Mobiles which transfers all of their data to the hackers.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
Chinese users flock to clubhouse amid soaring popularity:
Audio-only social network iPhone app Clubhouse has seen an explosion of new users in the last week, including Chinese people discussing politics.According to mobile analytics firm Sensor Tower, the app was downloaded 2.3 million times by 31 January. The chat app is free, but currently invite-only. However, Chinese users are paying up to $77 (£56) for invitations from e-commerce sites, according to the FT.Clubhouse was launched in May and valued at almost $100m. The app allows users to join and participate in pop-up public or private audio chatrooms.
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Artificial heart to go on sale in Europe this year:
Artificial hearts that could provide a lifeline for people suffering from heart problems are about to go on sale in Europe after receiving regulatory approval from relevant authorities. Developed by a French company named Carmat, the technology known as Aeson will be available for purchase in the second quarter of 2021.The device is smartly designed to mimic the biological characteristics and movements of a normal heart. Weighing 900g and powered by batteries, the artificial heart perfectly mirrors a mechanical pump for blood circulation.
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Facebook approves businessman’s jab advert:
Facebook has apologised for rejecting a businessman’s advert designed to encourage black and Asian people to have the Covid-19 vaccine. Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones wanted to raise awareness about the importance of being vaccinated and shared a picture of him receiving the jab. But when he tried to promote the post on Facebook, it was rejected because it said the content was “shocking”. Facebook said it had made a mistake and the advert had since been approved. “Our team processes millions of posts and images daily and occasionally we make a mistake. We have restored the ad and apologise to Mr Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones for any inconvenience caused,” said a spokesman.
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Amazon criticised in paying lower rates than shops:
Amazon has been criticised for paying less in business rates than British bricks and mortar retailers. The online retail giant’s financial results revealed that UK sales for 2020 totalled $26.5bn (£19.3bn) — a 51% jump from $17.5bn in 2019. Amazon’s overall business rates bill for 2020-2021 is estimated by researchers to be £71.5m — just 0.37% of its retail sales. They say this is far lower than what the retail sector typically pays.
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Scrapped goldeneye 007 game ‘remaster’ leaks online:
A highly sought-after remaster of the hit James Bond video game GoldenEye 007 has been leaked online more than a decade after it was cancelled. Developer Rare produced the original game in 1997, and was working on an updated version for the Xbox in 2007. But the project was scrapped because the various parties involved could not reach an agreement over rights. The leak came a week after YouTube gamer Graslu00 posted a two-hour video showcasing the remastered software.
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How will ‘chipageddon’ affect you?:
For the most part they go unseen but computer chips are at the heart of all the digital products that surround us — and when supplies run short, it can halt manufacturing. There was a hint of the problem last year when gamers struggled to buy new graphics cards, Apple had to stagger the release of its iPhones, and the latest Xbox and PlayStation consoles came nowhere close to meeting demand. Then, just before Christmas, it emerged the resurgent car industry was facing what one insider called “chipageddon”. New cars often include more than 100 microprocessors — and manufacturers were quite simply unable to source them all.
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Spy planes grounded in US following privacy battle:
Lawmakers in Baltimore have voted to end a controversial aerial surveillance program, which had seen spy planes constantly monitoring the city. The program, set up by private firm Persistent Surveillance Systems, used camera-equipped planes to capture what was happening across a vast urban area. The decision to abandon the scheme followed a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). It said the system disproportionately targeted people of colour.
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Online bullying: ‘I’ve blocked nearly 10,000 abusive accounts’:
“I’d say at worst I was receiving 100 death threats a day online,” Phoebe Jameson tells Radio 1 Newsbeat. “I have nearly 10,000 accounts blocked.”We’ve all struggled over the past year, going in and out of lockdown, but for 19-year-old Phoebe there’s been no escape online.
She was first trolled after posting body positive photos and messages on social media. And she reckons the pandemic made things worse. A photo Phoebe posted to mark International Women’s Day in March last year sparked a torrent of abuse and attracted “hundreds of comments” about how she looked.
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The computers rejecting your job application:
Frankly, it was a little stressful to know that my application was being judged by a computer and not by a human being. A professional journalist, I had recently applied for a new job, and for the first part of the recruitment process the publisher made me play a number of simple online games from the comfort of my own home. These included having to quickly count the number of dots in two boxes, inflating a balloon before it burst to win money, and matching emotions to facial expressions. Then an artificial intelligence (AI) software system assessed my personality, and either passed or failed me. No human had a look-in.
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IMLONELY: how a youtube music channel became a mental health hub:
Among the thousands of music channels on YouTube there is one like no other. Imlonely started as a musical diary for one person but became a mental health community providing support to thousands of young people going through their toughest times. “What I’d name them actually is family,” says Hunter, of the people who follow his Imlonely YouTube channel. “They feel like they’re part of something.” Hunter, 23, from Wales, has anxiety and started to remix popular tracks and upload them to his channel depending on how he felt at the time. “I just started it as a mood board for myself,” he says. “My taste in music has always been based on feeling rather than genre.”