Microsoft is putting in efforts to enhance the user experience of shopping on Bing
The tech world is completely immersed in introducing new updates daily, especially concerning artificial intelligence (AI). Microsoft has announced new AI features. These include new AI-powered shopping tools for its Bing search and the Bing AI chatbot in the Edge sidebar. This new collection of features genuinely looks handy, even though many shopping features Microsoft has incorporated into Edge over the years differ from a user’s favorites.
The new tools help users to harness the power of AI “to make it easier to discover, research, and complete your purchase, all in one place with information you need from expert sources,” the tech giant said in a blog post on Thursday.
The ‘Buying Guide’ tells users what to look for in each category, offers product suggestions, and shows the specifications of multiple, similar items next to each other in a smart compare table so that users can quickly compare options without having to click around to various websites. This tool in Bing is available now in the US and will roll out to other markets over time. The Buying Guide in Edge has started rolling out globally.
“Our Price Match feature continues to work for you, even after your purchase, by monitoring the item’s price and assisting you in requesting a match if it drops,” the tech giant said.
Given that an entire ecosystem of sites focuses on these kinds of buying guides, it will be interesting to see how they will react to this change (and if Microsoft is doing this in Bing, Google and others will surely follow suit). Nobody will grieve the end of the low-quality, SEO-optimized shopping content you often find when you try to compare different products, but this has the potential to hurt legitimate editorial operations, too.
The new buying guides in Bing are now available in the US, and the worldwide rollout for buying guides in Edge is starting today.
Each product we feature has been independently selected and reviewed by our editorial team. If you make a purchase using the links included, we may earn commission.
If you're in the mood to upgrade your tech, mark your calendar — Amazon Prime Day is around the corner, taking place on July 11 and 12. The 48-hour sale event is known for its steep discounts on thousands of top-rated products across a wide range of categories, including fashion, home, beauty, and, of course, tech.
For those who might not be a Prime member yet, now's the time to sign up for a free 30-day trial — it not only gives shoppers access to every Prime Day deal, but it comes with perks like free two-day shipping. And if a new pair of headphones, specifically, is a priority, high-quality options from top brands, including Apple, Beats, Sony, and JBL, are already on sale at Amazon ahead of the main shopping event.
Whether you prefer over-ear headphones or earbuds, we rounded up the best markdowns — and prices start at just $20.
For those in the market for noise-canceling over-ear headphones, check out this Beats Studio3 wireless option, as it's up to 52 percent off right now. The headphones offer up to 22 hours of listening time and when the battery is running low, a quick 10-minute charge gives three hours of play. The headphones are equipped with Active Noise Canceling, blocking out external noises, and they support Spatial Audio for a truly immersive listening experience.
They're racked up more than 30,000 perfect ratings from Amazon shoppers who have shared how "impressed" they are with the headphones. "These are so comfy that you can wear them all day (and I do)," wrote one shopper in their review. They added that "the battery life is awesome" and "auto pairing with Apple devices is a big plus."
Another solid option is the Apple AirPods Max, which aren't only gorgeously designed (and available in five colors, including sky blue and green), but offer standout benefits like Active Noise Cancellation blocks outside noise, transparency mode, which allows users to choose to hear outside noise, and spatial audio that created that surround-sound feel. Plus, the wireless headphones have that easy setup and pairing that Apple products are known for, on-head detection, so whatever you're listening to will start and stop if you put the headphones on and off, and offer 20 hours of listening time on a single charge.
Right now, a pair of the AirPods Max is going for $480, and, according to one shopper, it is "a technological masterpiece." They continued, "Their sleek, elegant design, outstanding sound quality, and unparalleled comfort make them the perfect addition to any music lover's collection."
"The clarity is amazing," one reviewer wrote. "[These are the] best-sounding headphones I've ever had for such an inexpensive price."
Hoping to snag some AirPods? Two different versions of the beloved earbuds are on sale ahead of Prime Day: the Apple AirPods Pro (Second Generation) and the Apple AirPods (Second Generation) model, which is marked down to $99. The top-rated AirPods provide more than 24 hours of listening time thanks to the charging case, quick access to Siri, and in-ear detection, so the song or podcast will pause when the headphones are removed from the ears.
Plus, the earbuds have earned a whopping 506,000 perfect ratings from Amazon shoppers. "The audio quality is exceptional, with [a] clear and crisp sound that makes listening to music or taking calls a pleasure," wrote one reviewer, who also noted that "one of the best features of these AirPods is their comfortable fit."
There is also the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 on sale, a pair of wireless earbuds with a simple and sleek design that has three microphones and noise reduction technology so users have crisp and clear phone conversations. The earbuds also have Active Noise Cancellation that blocks out unwanted external sounds and another mode, low latency ambient sound, that picks up any outside sounds users can choose to hear.
"The sound quality is amazing," wrote one enthused shopper in their review. They shared that the battery does indeed "last a long time" and overall, the earbuds are "easy to use." They added, "You get the quality you've always wanted!"
Then there are these wireless earphones from Powerbeats by Beats going for $180. The adjustable, secure-fit ear hooks fit ultra comfortably and the earphones are sweat- and water-resistant ideal for use during workouts. Plus, they offer up to nine hours of listening time on a single charge.
"These are the only earphones I have ever used that don't fall out of my ear… none of them stayed in or kept battery for as long. These are excellent," one shopper wrote.
You don't have to wait until Prime Day to take advantage of these headphone and earbud deals. Keep scrolling for more on-sale picks.
The latest addition to the HMD lineup is here with the Nokia G42 – a midrange offering with a focus on repairability. HMD is partnering with iFixit to bring repair guides and OEM parts including displays, batteries and charging ports for the G42 for five years going forward. This is also HMD's first user-repairable 5G phone. The back of the G42 is made from recycled plastic and packs a 50MP main camera (f/1.8) alongside a 2MP macro cam and a 2MP depth module.
Nokia G42
Up front, G42 brings a 6.56-inch IPS LCD with HD+ resolution and a 90Hz refresh rate. The display features a waterdrop notch for the 8MP front-facing camera and is protected by Gorilla Glass 3.
Nokia G42
There’s a Snapdragon 480+ chipset at the helm alongside 4/6GB RAM and 128GB storage which is further expandable via the microSD card slot. G42 boots Android 13 and HMD is promising two years of OS updates and three years of monthly security patches.
The phone packs a 5,000 mAh battery with 20W fast charging which HMD believes will last you three days with average use. The battery is rated to retain 80% of its original capacity after 800 charging cycles. Other notable features include an IP52 certification, a headphone jack and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.
Nokia G42 in So Purple
Nokia G42 is available in Purple and Grey colors, starting at €249/£199 for the 6/128GB trim. As for the repair components, a new screen will set you back €50/£45, a replacement battery is €25/£23 while a charging port assembly is €20/£19.
Camera company Insta360 today announced Insta360 GO 3 - a tiny action camera that builds upon its predecessor GO 2's ultra-portability and comes with an Action Pod having a flip touchscreen.
The Insta360 GO 3 weighs 35g and has an aperture of F2.2 and a focal length of 11.24mm. It can capture photos in INSP and DNG formats and record videos in MP4. You can take pictures with the Insta360 GO 3 in 2,560x2,560 (1:1), 1,440x2,560 (9:16), 2,560x1,440 (16:9), and 2,936x1,088-pixel (2.7:1) resolutions. Videos can be recorded in 1080p, 1,440p, and 2.7K resolutions at 24, 25, 30, and 50 FPS (2.7K doesn't support 50 FPS).
Insta360 GO 3
The Insta360 GO 3 has three video recording modes - Pre-Recording, Loop Recording, and Timed Capture. The Timed Capture mode is an interesting one. It allows you to schedule the GO 3 to power on and start recording at a specific time, so you don't have to wake up from your deep slumber early in the morning to capture the sunrise timelapse.
Action Pod
There's also a FreeFrame mode that lets you modify the aspect ratio of your footage after shooting, allowing you to record one video for uploading as an Instagram Reel in a 9:16 aspect ratio or a YouTube video in a 16:9 aspect ratio.
With the Insta360 GO 3, you can also record 120 FPS slow-motion videos in 1080p resolution.
The Insta360 GO 3 has a 6-axis gyroscope and comes equipped with FlowState Stabilization and 360 Horizon Lock to shoot videos without tilting or distortion, even in action-packed scenarios. The camera also features dual microphones to record footage with crisp audio.
The Action Pod, which features a 2.2" flip touchscreen and weighs 96.3g, connects with the Insta360 GO 3 over Bluetooth for real-time remote control and live preview. The GO 3 can also be controlled through voice commands for a hands-free operation.
The Action Pod is IPX4 rated and packs a 1,270 mAh battery that draws power through a USB-C port and charges up to 100% in 65 minutes. The GO 3, on the other hand, is IPX8 rated and comes with a 310 mAh cell that takes 35 minutes for a full charge. The GO 3 is advertised to have a run-time of 45 minutes, which increases to 170 minutes when paired with the Action Pod.
The Insta360 GO 3 is compatible with Android and iOS devices. You can check the complete list of compatible devices on Insta360's website.
The GO 3 is offered in a single white color, and its retail package comes with a Magnet Pendant, Easy Clip, Pivot Stand, and Lens Guard. Optional accessories include a Monkey Tail Mount, Mini 2-in-1 Tripod, and Screen Protector. It has three storage options - 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB, priced at $380/€430/INR36,890, $400/€450/INR38,940, and $430/€480/INR42,630, respectively.
The Insta360 GO 3 will go on sale in the US, Europe, and Japan later today through Insta360's official website and Amazon. You can watch its product video below.
Quordle 518 answer for June 26: The puzzle will take you on an incomprehensible journey through feelings, emotions, and even into the realm of space today. So, buckle up as the trip is going to be tough for most people. The degree of difficulty has been raised high simply by the wide area of the vocabulary used to pick these words. So, while you can do your guessing, here are a few hints and clues to fall back on. If you need further help, you may check the solutions at the end.
Quordle 518 hints for June 26
Almost all words have vowels, so beginning your puzzle with some vowel-enriched words won't be a bad idea. There are no words with repeated letters.
Quordle 518 clues for June 26
Today's words begin with S, R, I, and O.
The words end with E, T, E, T.
Word 1 clue - a feeling of fear.
Word 2 clue - one of the directions.
Word 3 clue - a state of extreme anger.
Word 4 clue - related to the planet's path.
Those were your clues. Now go on and give the game your best attempt. We are sure you'll crack the puzzle. However, if you're stuck at the last four attempts and can't afford a wrong guess, then scroll down for the solution.
Quordle 518 answer for June 26
SPOILER ALERT! Do not read ahead if you do not want the answer to today's Quordle. You have been warned.
The four words in today's Quordle are:
SCARE
RIGHT
IRATE
ORBIT
We hope these hints and clues were enough for you to secure your victory today. Check this space again tomorrow for more clues.
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G hands on Awesome Lime back angled hand covered
There are Android phones and then there are Samsung Galaxy phones. Since the earliest days of Android, Samsung has been doing more to enhance and improve its phones than any other phone maker, all in the unabashed pursuit of being the top seller worldwide. If you own a Samsung Galaxy phone you’re in great company, from the premiere Galaxy S23 Ultra to the affordable Galaxy A54, and you’ve got a phone that can do a ton of things no other phone can do.
Unfortunately, you probably don’t know about a lot of those amazing features, so I’m here to fill you in on some of my favorite Samsung Galaxy shortcuts. These will work across a range of Galaxy devices, not just the most expensive or the best Samsung phones. Best of all, these are just a starting point. Once I’ve pointed you in the right direction, you’ll find more shortcuts and great features if you keep exploring.
1. Open any app with the side key, not just the camera
Samsung Galaxy A54 review Awesome Violet buttons
Open Settings: Advanced features: Side key
Open the camera with a double-press, or choose any app
Hold to talk to Bixby, or open the Power menu
One of my favorite shortcuts on Samsung phones that you won’t find on the best iPhone is the double tap on the power button. On Android phones that usually opens the camera, but on Samsung Galaxy phones you can open any app you’d like by pressing the power button twice.
Open the Settings: Advanced features menu and look for Side key settings. If you choose to open an app, you’ll get a list of all your apps the first time. Next time, just tap the settings cog to choose which app opens.
Here is where you can disable Bixby, if you so choose, but I strongly recommend giving Samsung’s voice interface a chance. If you’d rather have an easy way to Restart or Power off your phone, you can set up the Power button to give you that menu quickly. Otherwise, you need to hold down power and volume down to get the Restart option. Or you can just ask Bixby to restart, which leads me to the next tip.
2. Bixby is the ultimate shortcut, seriously
Galaxy S8 running Bixby
Bixby is not a voice assistant, it’s a voice interface
That means it can do almost anything on your phone
If you don’t know how to do something, tell Bixby
These are shortcuts for Galaxy fans, and if you’re not embracing Bixby then you’re not getting the most from your phone. Bixby isn’t like that numbskull Siri on your friend’s iPhone. Unlike Siri, Bixby is actually useful as a shortcut for everything on your phone.
I use Bixby whenever I don’t feel like opening the Settings menu because Bixby is very good at Settings. Do you know how to turn on your Wi-Fi hotspot? Can you quickly activate wireless power-sharing? Don’t bother. Just ask Bixby.
You don’t even need to say its name. Just hold the side button and say, “Turn on my Wi-Fi hotspot,” or “Activate wireless power sharing.” Bixby will take you to the right place. Sure, you can drill through the settings menu or search from the top of the Settings, but Bixby is always faster.
3. Hidden Quick settings buttons are hidden shortcuts
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G hands on Awesome Lime Quick Settings
Swipe down from the home screen to open the Notification shade
Swipe again to see the full grid of Quick settings buttons
Swipe left, then tap the “+” button to find all the hidden buttons
Quick settings have been a mainstay of Android phones, an easy way to toggle Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other settings. The Quick settings grid is also a great place to hide shortcuts, and every Android phone maker includes exclusive features that you can activate using Quick settings buttons.
On Samsung phones, you can add Quick settings buttons for Kids mode, so you can quickly switch into a kid-friendly screen before you hand over your phone. You can activate the Secure Folder from the Quick settings, and activate Focus Modes like the Theater mode.
Best of all, if you want to dig deeper, just hold your finger on any Quick settings button and your Galaxy phone will take you to the appropriate menu. Hold down on the Wi-Fi button and you’ll get a full list of all the Wi-Fi networks and settings. Hold down on the Flashlight Quick settings and you can change the brightness of the flashlight.
4. Hide apps that you never need to see
Your iPhone could soon get a powerful new feature that Android's had for years
Open Settings: Home screen settings: Hide apps on Home and Apps screens
Hide apps that you need but don’t use, like the Gboard keyboard
Get rid of the Samsung and carrier apps that can’t be deleted
Sometimes just cleaning up is its own shortcut. If you can remove all of the apps you don’t need from your app screen, you can find your favorite apps faster. Some apps need to be loaded on the phone, but don’t need to be visible on the home screen. You can’t delete these apps, but you don’t need their icons hanging around and taking up space.
I’m talking about apps like Gboard, the Google keyboard that comes loaded on most Galaxy phones. You probably don’t need to tap on the app icon after you start using the keyboard, since you can access settings directly from the keyboard itself. You can just hide this app instead.
There are also unfortunately apps from Samsung or your wireless carrier that you don’t want and you can’t remove. Either Samsung or your carrier has made them impossible to delete. I used to make a Junk Drawer folder to hold all these useless apps, but now I just hide them from the settings instead.
5. Use your voice to take sharper photos
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G hands on Awesome White camera UI
Open the Camera, then the camera Settings: Shooting methods
Activate Voice commands (or change what Volume keys do in camera)
Say “Cheese” or “Shoot” to take a photo
The biggest problem with your smartphone photos is a problem you didn’t know you had. Your hand shakes the phone. Just tapping the shutter button to take the photo, you’ve tapped the phone and moved it a little bit. When I need to get the sharpest, steadiest shot possible, I don’t tap the screen. I say “cheese” instead.
Or I say “shoot,” or “smile,” or “capture.” Then my Galaxy phone takes the photo without my touching the screen. I could also set up a timer, but the voice commands are very fast and responsive, and I can get a few shots done in seconds by saying “cheese” over and over.
6. Create your own GIFs using the camera
Samsung Galaxy A54 hands-on A34 green camera closeup
Open the Camera, then the camera Settings: Swipe camera button to…
Choose to create a GIF or take a burst photo
Leave it on GIF, it’s more fun than burst photos
Have you ever searched for the perfect GIF and wondered, “Who makes all of these wonderful things?” The answer is now you. You make GIFs quickly and easily with your Galaxy phone camera. Who knows, if you make the hottest GIF of the season, you might see it everywhere!
To make a GIF, point your camera at something GIF-worthy and drag the shutter button instead of just tapping it. A tap takes a photo, but dragging and holding the button will record a GIF until you let go.
Once you’ve created your GIF, you can even edit your animation on the phone. Open the GIF in the Gallery just like any other photo and tap the Edit button, shaped like a pencil. You can trim the length or even remaster the animation to make it seem smoother. Of course, it’s easy to share GIFs from your phone, just like sharing any photo.
Google Meet, one of the most used video conferencing platforms by professionals is now getting the highly anticipated companion mode check-in feature using which the users would be able to join the meeting in a specific room.
With the new capability, a person can utilise companion mode on their personal device to check in to a specific room if they join a meeting from a conference room. Room check-in makes sure that everyone in the meeting can see their name and is aware of their presence, as opposed to users only being represented by the conference room they are in. By default, room check-in will be allowed, but administrators can disable it for particular Meet hardware or particular users.
“One of the difficulties of entering a virtual meeting from a conference room is that the participants in the room are identifiable by the name of the conference room rather than as individuals,” the company said in its blog post published on Thursday.
The feature for specific Meet hardware devices with an organisational unit can be disabled by administrators in the admin panel by going to the Admin console and then pressing on Devices. The user will then need to navigate to Google Meet hardware, organisational unit, device settings, room check-in, and finally choose to uncheck.
According to the report, Google Meet is rolling out the new update for the developer channel today and will make its debut for public users starting on July 24.
The tech giant was also introducing a new viewer mode earlier this month for the video communication service that lets users choose "Everyone is a viewer" when establishing their Calendar invite. Designating guests as "viewers" while utilising Google Meet for large meetings will help to minimise potential meeting distractions like audio disturbances.
One of the most annoying things to happen with a smartphone is when it slows down and refuses to get back up to speed and keeps pestering you with this notification: “Your storage is full!” This means that you may not be able to download or save important files and even surfing the web can become a problem. If you are also dealing with storage issues, then know there is a way to instantly free up space. However, first you need to do something: just find out what apps are taking up most of the space on your iPhone or Android smartphone and then plan the strategy to free up space.
For example, there are broadly five kinds of apps that take a huge toll on storage. Audio apps, OTT apps, social media apps, gaming apps and photo/video apps. These apps are the most common apps that take up huge amounts of space on your smartphone.
But how to know, which apps are actually causing the most trouble? Here is the way!
Apps that are using too much storage
Your iPhone or Android smartphone's Settings will reveal the apps that are using most of your storage. The simplest way to find out the storage-using apps on your iPhone is:
Go to the Settings app on your iPhone
Tap on the General section
Now, click on the iPhone storage option and then head to the apps list at the end.
This will show you the apps that are using the most storage space.
If you have an Android smartphone, then follow these steps:
Go to the Google Play Store app and tap on the profile icon.
Here, click on Manage Apps & Device.
You will find the apps listed on the basis of the size. Further, you can check the apps that use the most storage.
In effect, the problem-causing apps will be revealed and you will have the option to delete them or keep them based on your needs. Ideally, if you get rid of the worst offenders, you will get your phone to speed up in a meaningful manner.
Technology giant Microsoft has announced that the company will be increasing the pricing of its latest gaming console Xbox Series X as well as its gaming subscription service Xbox Game Pass.
The Xbox Series X will increase its pricing by $50, from $499 to $549, but the Xbox Series S pricing remains the same in all markets. The company has recently introduced a new black model of Xbox Series S with 1TB storage for $349.
Along with the increase in pricing for the new generation of gaming consoles from Microsoft, the Redmond-based tech company is also increasing the price of the Xbox Game Pass from $10 per month to $12 per month for the standard plan while the price of the Ultimate plan will rise from $15 per month to $18 per month.
Commenting about this, the company has said that the price increase is a necessary step to continue investment in the “best gaming experiences.” Further, it adds that the company would be offering several ways for customers to save money on Xbox Game Pass, including a yearly subscription option and a family plan.
The price change will go into effect from 6th July for new customers, but those who are already monthly subscribers won’t be impacted by the change until 13th August. Those who are on the yearly subscription of Xbox Game Pass will continue to use the service without any impact until they renew the subscription.
This development isn’t surprising given that the company was expected to increase pricing for the Xbox lineup as Sony did the same with its PlayStation 5 last year.
Large language models are getting smaller with great examples like LLaMa and Falcon. Now, Microsoft Research has upped the game with an even smaller model. phi-1 is a transformer based model with just 1.3 billion parameters.
The research paper titled, Textbooks Are All You Need, describes that the model was trained for just four days on 8 A100s with ‘textbook quality’ dataset from the internet with 6 billion tokens, along with synthetically generated textbooks from GPT-3.5 with 1 billion tokens.
Despite being small in size, phi-1 attained 50.6% on HumanEval and 55.5% on MBPP. There is another even smaller model with just 350 million parameters called phi-1-small that is trained with the same pipeline as the larger one which still achieves 45% on HumanEval.
For comparison, any other model that achieves greater than 50% on HumanEval is 100 times bigger than this with a large dataset size.
Ronen Eldan, one of the co-authors of the paper said that using the textbook quality training data for coding, the results were better than they had anticipated.
In a discussion on HackerNews, a user explains that this would not have been possible without using high quality synthetic dataset that was produced by GPT-3.5. It is clear that training on data from GPT models improves the accuracy and efficiency of the models.
Instead of increasing the size of the model, by improving the quality of the data models are performing way better. This might result in a shift of paradigm in LLM research with focusing more on the architecture and training of models.
Similarly, an open source alternative to GPT-4, Orca, with just 13 billion parameters was also trained on data by GPT-4 and was able to outperform OpenAI’s offering on several benchmarks.
On the other hand, a recent paper – The Curse of Recursion – says that training on other LLMs data actually reduces the quality of output of the new model as it results in data poisoning. This is also called the false promise of imitating proprietary LLMs, as the model also inherits flaws from GPT based models.
Tim Cook announces "One More Thing" -- the Apple Vision Pro
A new report claims that Apple Vision Pro was meant to be demoed with fitness apps, games, and even running Mac apps directly, but Apple only showed what little is working now.
When Apple unveiled its long-awaited Vision Pro headset, it did so with demonstrations of many apps and tools — but not the ones that were expected. Prior to launch, there were reports of gaming and fitness apps for the headset, and ones to do with health and wellness.
According to The Information, Apple chose not to include these and many more apps because they are simply not working yet. Vision Pro apps and functions said to have been either postponed or dropped completely include:
Tai Chi app
Nike workout
Yoga
Gaming where precision control is needed
Running Mac apps
Augmented or 3D Apple TV+ content
Much of the health or fitness functions are on pause because they rely on full-body tracking. The Information cites two unspecified sources who said the planned tracking isn't working.
The publication reports seeing screenshots of a Slack conversation in which Apple told developers that full-body tracking will be available when the device ships. It's a reason that the Vision Pro has two downward-facing cameras, so that it can, for instance, measure breathing by monitoring a user's chest.
As well as software applications, there have reportedly been hardware issues that have slowed down the development of the headset. Face cushions have been researched, for instance, as they could be better suited in high-intensity workouts, though it's not clear how they would have been used.
Similarly, the Vision Pro lacks what The Information calls "brow cams." It's claimed that the headset had been planned to more accurately depict a user's facial expressions, instead of Vision Pro only showing a CGI version of the user's eyes.
According to people cited as being former team members at Apple, fitness was was also removed from the demo because of other hardware concerns. Reportedly, the external battery pack was considered cumbersome, and the front glass of the headset is too fragile to survive a wearer bumping into walls.
Communication apps
One potentially significant omission from Apple's demo was a feature that is said to have been called "co-presence." This would have made it possible for the headset wearer to talk to someone far away, as if they were in the same room — but it required full-body tracking.
Nonetheless, if correct, this would have been Apple's answer to one of the criticisms of the Apple Vision Pro headset. People including Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg have accused Apple of trying to isolate headset wearers from the world, and people, around them.
The rumors of such features do fit with a previous claim that Apple was launching the Vision Pro sooner than its own engineers recommended.
Samsung's Galaxy F54 5G is now on sale in India. The phone was launched earlier this month and features a Super AMOLED display and triple camera module. Also read | Samsung Galaxy F54 5G Review: Smart package of camera, display and battery with some flaws Pricing and offers As an introductory offer, Samsung will be selling the smartphone for Rs 27,999 but only on purchases made using select debit/credit cards. Post June 20, the price will be revised to Rs 29,999. You can purchase the phone on Flipkart or Samsung's official online store, and authorised offline retailers. No-cost EMI options are also available for interested buyers. The device is sold in a single variant in India with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage and is available in two colour variants - Blue and Silver. Also read | Best small phones 2023: Power-packed and feature-rich, these small smartphones won't weigh you down Specifications The F54 5G has a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display with FHD+ resolution and a refresh rate of 120Hz. It runs on Samsung's in-house Exynos 1380 SoC which is paired with 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage. You can increase storage up to 1TB using an external SD card. The smartphone has Samsung's One UI 5.1, which is based on Android 13. Samsung is promising four years of OS updates and five years of security updates for the smartphone. On the back is a triple-camera module with a primary 108-megapixel sensor, complimented by 8- and 2-megapixel shooters. On the front of the phone is a 32-megapixel camera for selfies. The phone has a 6000mAh battery with support for 25W wired fast charging.
Google Account provides easy synchronisation of data across devices and users can access their data anywhere just by login into their Google Account. iPhone users can also check their emails, contacts, notes, and calendar entries with the default iOS apps using a Google Account.Also Read - Google designers talk about Pixel Fold's design: Here's what they have to share
If you delete your Google account from your device, you can no longer use any Google app, service, or feature with that account unless you have another Google account logged in. Save your messages, contacts, and other important data to another place before you delete a Google account.
Step 1: Go to your Android phone’s Settings and scroll down to Passwords and accounts. Step 2: Choose a Google account you want to remove.
Step 3: Tap Removeaccount.
Step 4: Read the pop-up message and confirm your decision. You need to enter your device PIN or password to remove the main Google account on your device.
How to remove Google Account from iPhone
Apple allows a Google account on iPhone. You can either turn off Gmail, contacts, calendar, and notes sync on your iPhone or remove the email account. For instance, when you disable the calendar sync, the system erases Gmail calendars from the default Calendar app. On the other hand, deleting the Google account wipes out its calendars, notes, and contacts from your iOS device.
Step 1: Open Settings on your iPhone.
Step 2: Scroll to Mail.
Step 3: Select Accounts.
Step 4: Choose your Gmail account.
Step 5: Tap Delete Account.
Step 6: Tap Delete from My iPhone.
How to remove your Google account remotely
You can use these steps if you have lost your phone and want to remove your Google Account from the lost device.
Step 1: Go to your Google account on the web and sign in with your account information.
Step 2: Choose Security from the sidebar.
Step 3: Go to Your devices menu and choose Manage all devices.
Step 4: Google groups your devices by operating system. Pick your phone from the list.
Step 5: Choose Sign out and confirm it from the pop-up menu. Your device no longer has access to your Google account.
JE Technology Desk: As Asus buckles up to launch the Zenfone 10 smartphone on June 29, the rumour mill is working day and night to churn out specifications and features of the upcoming handset. In the latest leak, tipster Evan Blass shared seemingly official renders of the device on Twitter, a micro-blogging platform. And Carl Pei, CEO of Nothing, shared his thoughts on the design of the phone that you should not miss.
As for the leaked images, the smartphone is visible in five colour options. It is visible in green, red, black, blue and white shades. We do not know the exact phrases Asus will assign to these colours. On the front, it has a selfie camera inside the punch hole on the left side.
In the press images, the frame is visible with antenna lines that hint at a metal construction. On the left, it has a power button and a volume rocker. On the back side, two camera cutouts are there with a flash next to it. At the bottom, the phone has a USB Type-C port, a mic and a speaker unit.
Reacting to the design, the Nothing CEO said, "Good: removed the squiggly lines on the back. Bad: asymmetrical bezels triggering my OCD [obsessive-compulsive disorder]."
Asus Zenfone 10 Specifications (Expected)
Speaking of specs, Asus has confirmed that the phone will have a 5.9-inch display that may have a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. The compact Zenfone 10 will have a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chip. Speaking of storage, it may have up to 16GB RAM and 512GB internal storage.
Reports hint that the phone will likely have a 5,000mAh battery with 67W charging support. It may also support wireless charging. As for the optics, the phone will likely have a 200MP primary camera with "six-axis hybrid gimbal stabilizer 2.0" for enhanced photography.
Asus Zenfone 10 Price (Expected)
According to GizChina, Asus accidentally leaked the pricing of the Zenfone 10 in May. Learning from those leaks, the Zenfone 10 could have a starting price tag of $749 (roughly Rs 60,000). The company has shared no information on a possible launch date of the mobile in India.
Indian user data on realme smartphones is being sent to China? That is what is being asked in a tweet by an Indian Twitter user and adding heft to that tweet was the reaction from Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar who said that the government will take a look at it. The reaction followed quickly on the heels of a tweet by Twitter user Rishi Bagree, which said, "Realme's smartphone has a feature (Enhanced Intelligent Services) that captures the user's data (call logs, SMS, and location info) and it is "On" by default."
He added, "You can only see this "on" by default feature when you go to Settings -> Additional Settings -> System Services -> Enhanced Intelligent Services."
Indicating that the Indian user's consent has not been taken before enabling the feature, Bagree said, "Indian users are kept in dark to share their data without their consent."
He concluded by saying, “This is basically forced consent, since it's on by default. Is this data being sent to China?”
Check out the realme description for the Enhanced Intelligent Services feature:
"Enhanced Intelligent Services" is a service that improves device functions and your user experience based on how you use your device, mainly by optimising the charging and providing personalisation features including wallpapers.
To provide the charging optimisation feature, "Enhanced Intelligent Services" needs to collect your location information and app usage statistics and obtain the Location permission. To provide wallpapers and other personalisation features, "Enhanced Intelligent Services" needs to collect statistics about your unread messages and missed calls, calendar events and device usage statistics, and obtain the following permissions: connect to the Internet and read your calendar events, call logs and SMS messages.
You can manage permissions by going to "Settings - Apps - App management (Show system apps) - Intelligent Services - Permissions". To turn "Enhanced Intelligent Services" on or off, you can go to "Settings - Additional settings - System services - Enhanced Intelligent Services". Once "Enhanced Intelligent Services" is turned off, apps and functions that require this service will be unavailable. For details, refer to the Privacy.
Following this observation, Minister of State for Information Technology, Rajeev Chandrasekhar, announced that the government would examine the matter.
Chandrasekhar made this statement in response to a retweet of the original tweet, which included a screenshot and allegations against the Chinese smartphone brand realme.
By Ankita Chakravarti: ChatGPT app is yet to be launched for Android users. And if you find any app that claims to be ChatGPT, you should refrain from using them as those apps could be dangerous malware, designed to steal your personal information.A recent report has shown that there is a growing problem with malware on Android phones. Malware is a harmful software that can cause damage or steal information from your phone. In this case, the malware is pretending to be a popular AI chatbot called ChatGPT, which many people use.
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The researchers from Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 discovered this malware. They found that it started to appear around the same time that OpenAI released GPT-3.5 and GPT-4. These malware variants specifically target people who are interested in using the ChatGPT tool.
There are two types of active malware that the researchers identified. One is called a Meterpreter Trojan, and it disguises itself as an app called "SuperGPT." The other malware pretends to be the actual ChatGPT app, but it secretly sends messages to expensive phone numbers in Thailand.
The researchers also came across a malicious Android Package Kit (APK) sample, which is a type of file used to install applications on Android devices. This malicious APK turned out to be a modified version of an original app. The legitimate app is an AI assistant based on the latest version of ChatGPT. If someone falls for the trick and installs this malicious version, it allows the attacker to take control of the person's Android phone remotely.
Furthermore, the researchers discovered another group of malware samples in APK format. These samples appear innocent on the surface, showing a webpage with information about ChatGPT. However, they hide a malicious purpose beneath the surface, as revealed in the report.
What makes these malware samples even more deceptive is that they use the logo of OpenAI, the organization behind ChatGPT, as their application icon. This adds to the misleading story that these apps are associated with the legitimate ChatGPT AI tool.
These malicious APK samples have the ability to send SMS messages to expensive premium-rate numbers in Thailand. Premium-rate numbers cost more than regular phone numbers and are typically used for services where users pay for information or some kind of service. However, in this case, the malware creators are using these numbers to make money through scams and fraudulent activities.
To protect yourself, it's crucial to be cautious when downloading apps on your Android phone. Stick to trusted sources and be wary of apps that may pretend to be something they're not, especially if they claim to be related to ChatGPT.
Microsoft is focusing on a standalone free Teams app instead of the Chat experience built into Windows 11.
ByTom Warren, a senior editor covering Microsoft, PC gaming, console, and tech. He founded WinRumors, a site dedicated to Microsoft news, before joining The Verge in 2012.
Image: Microsoft
Microsoft is preparing to remove its built-in Microsoft Teams client in Windows 11 nearly two years after the integration was first announced. The Chat functionality will be replaced with the more flexible free version of Microsoft Teams that’s also available as an app for Windows 10. Microsoft announced the changes in a new Windows 11 test build this week.
“Starting with his build, Chat is now Microsoft Teams – Free,” says Brandon LeBlanc, senior program manager at Microsoft, in a blog post. “Microsoft Teams – Free is pinned by default to the taskbar and can be unpinned like other apps on the taskbar.” We asked Microsoft to comment on why Chat is being removed, but the company hasn’t responded in time for publication.
The original Teams integration in Windows 11, named Chat, was deeply woven into the operating system. Enabled by default, the Chat app was pinned to the taskbar and you’d have to dig into Settings to remove it. Chat offers consumers a way to use Microsoft Teams to contact friends and family. It was weirdly limited to just consumers though, making it useless for the vast majority of Microsoft Teams users that use the work version of the app. Windows 11 users could also end up with two confusing versions of Teams installed to handle work calls and personal ones.
The Chat icon on the Windows 11 taskbar
Image: Microsoft
Up until today, Microsoft had been continually adding new features to Chat inside Windows 11, with improved video calling features in October and Discord-like communities and an AI art tool earlier this month. The built-in Chat functionality in Windows 11 was based on the Microsoft Teams 2.0 client, which served as the foundation for the new Microsoft Teams app that’s rolling out to businesses at the moment.
Microsoft’s decision to axe Windows 11’s built-in Teams client comes just days after the company announced plans to end support for Cortana on Windows 11 later this year. It’s nearly a new financial year for Microsoft and the company is clearly focusing its efforts elsewhere on new projects for Windows, including its AI-powered Windows Copilot tool.
Windows chief Panos Panay previously hinted at the importance of AI for Windows, claiming at CES earlier this year that “AI is going to reinvent how you do everything on Windows.” AI will undoubtedly play a big role in the next major version of Windows, too.
The changes to Teams also comes just months after Microsoft reportedly agree to stop bundling Teams with Office. The Financial Times reported in April that Microsoft will stop forcing Office customers to have to install Teams on their devices, in a move designed to appease EU regulators. Microsoft is trying to avoid a formal antitrust probe by the European Commission, after rival Slack filed a complaint in 2020 about Microsoft’s bundling of Teams.
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