New Delhi: Elon Musk-run X social media platform has started to launch an update that will allow people you’ve blocked to continue to see your posts and your followers’ lists.  According to the company, If your posts are set to public, accounts you have blocked can see your posts. “We’re starting to launch the block function update,” said X Engineering in a post. “However, they cannot engage (like, reply, repost, etc.) with your posts,” according to X guidelines. Block is a feature that helps you control how you interact with other accounts on X. This feature helps people in restricting specific accounts from following, Direct Messaging, and engaging with them. The tech billionaire had earlier claimed that stopping people from seeing your public posts “makes no sense.” Now, X is rolling out its controversial update to the block feature, allowing people to view your public posts even if you have blocked them. “Accounts you have blocked cannot follow you, and you cannot follow an account you have blocked. Blocking an account you are currently following will cause you to unfollow that account (and them to unfollow you). If you decide to unblock that account, you will have to follow that account again,” according to X. Blocked users still can’t follow the person who has blocked them, engage with their posts, or send direct messages to them. Meanwhile, software engineer Tracy Chou has built an app that lets users automate blocking, saying that even though users can get around the block by creating other accounts, friction matters. “Making it easy for the creeper to creep is not a good thing,” she said in a post on X. The social network has argued that the block feature can be used to share and hide harmful or private information about someone. However, people have protested this change.

New Delhi: BSNL has completed the Direct-to-Device (D2D) technology testing, following which consumers can make audio and video calls without a SIM card or conventional network when this technology is implemented. Additionally, it seeks to provide uninterrupted access, even in isolated locations or during network failures. What is D2D service? In collaboration with international satellite communication company Viasat, BSNL has finished testing its Direct-to-Device (D2D) technology. According to Viasat, direct-to-device connection, which allows smartphones, smartwatches, and even cars to connect directly to a satellite network, is a ground-breaking technology. Regardless of location, the technology provides reliable connectivity for devices and personal communications. As a result of this advancement, wider coverage and reliable communication for users are anticipated, particularly in underserved and distant areas. Due to the Direct-to-Device service’s satellite communication foundation, devices can connect directly without the use of cable connections or mobile towers. Like satellite phones, this new technology works with cell phones running iOS and Android. Thanks to it, smartwatches, smartphones, and other smart devices may communicate more easily. Successful trial of D2D technology BSNL tested its technologies during the India Mobile Congress. Using Non-Terrestrial Network connectivity, BSNL, and Viasat were able to successfully test SOS and two-way texting on a commercial Android smartphone during the trial. A crucial first step toward continuous communication was the trial’s phone conversation made from a satellite 36,000 kilometers away. Now that D2D technology has been successfully tested, BSNL is in a position to compete for satellite connectivity services against other telecom behemoths like Airtel, Jio, and Vodafone-Idea. D2D service to let users make calls without a SIM card With direct-to-device service, consumers can make video and audio calls without a regular network or SIM card. The service will make it possible for smartphones, smartwatches, and even cars to establish a direct connection with a satellite network.  For people to access resources, communicate, and prosper in the digital age, direct-to-device service will provide consumers with greater coverage and reliable communication, particularly in rural and underserved areas. In the future, D2D services carry a future promise of being a lifesaver in dire situations like catastrophes or natural disasters. By enabling support and enhancing aid in rescuing people in dangerous situations, the service seeks to provide a crucial lifeline.

Apple New Chipsets: Apple’s M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chipsets set new standards for professional performance, combining power efficiency with advanced AI capabilities. It is built on cutting-edge 3-nanometer technology, these chips provide unmatched speed and multitasking, catering to the demands of entrepreneurs, data scientists, 3D artists, composers and developers, making complex workflows faster and more efficient than ever. According to Apple, the CPUs across the M4 family feature the world’s fastest CPU core, delivering the industry’s best single-threaded performance, and dramatically faster multithreaded performance. The GPUs build on the breakthrough graphics architecture introduced in the previous generation, with faster cores and a 2x faster ray-tracing engine. M4 Pro and M4 Max enable Thunderbolt 5 for the Mac for the first time, and unified memory bandwidth is greatly increased — up to 75 per cent. Adding further, the M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max chipsets are designed with Apple Intelligence at their core, marking a new era for Mac. Apple Intelligence integrates powerful generative models with pioneering privacy features, leveraging Apple silicon and the Neural Engine to enable users to work, communicate, and create in entirely new ways. “Combined with a Neural Engine that’s up to 2x faster than the previous generation and enhanced machine learning (ML) accelerators in the CPUs, the M4 family of chips brings incredible performance for pro and AI workloads,” said the company. M4 features an up to 10-core CPU, with four performance cores and up to six efficiency cores. It’s up to 1.8x faster than M1, so multitasking across apps like Safari and Excel is lightning fast. A 10-core GPU provides incredible graphics performance, up to 2x faster than M1, making everything from editing photos to AAA gameplay exceptionally fast and smooth. M4 supports up to 32GB of unified memory and has a higher memory bandwidth of 120GB/s. M4 Pro takes the advanced technologies debuted in M4 and scales them up for researchers, developers, engineers, creative pros, and other users with more demanding workflows. It features an up to 14-core CPU consisting of up to 10 performance cores and four efficiency cores. It’s up to 1.9x faster than the CPU of M1 Pro, and up to 2.1x faster than the latest AI PC chip. M4 Pro supports up to 64GB of fast unified memory and 273GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is a massive 75 per cent increase over M3 Pro and 2x the bandwidth of any AI PC chip. M4 Max is the ultimate choice for data scientists, 3D artists, and composers who push pro workflows to the limit. It has an up to 16-core CPU, with up to 12 performance cores and four efficiency cores. It’s up to 2.2x faster than the CPU in M1 Max and up to 2.5x faster than the latest AI PC chip. M4 Max supports up to 128GB of fast unified memory and up to 546GB/s of memory bandwidth, which is 4x the bandwidth of the latest AI PC chip. This allows developers to easily interact with large language models that have nearly 200 billion parameters. M4, M4 Pro, and M4 Max are built for Apple Intelligence, according to the company. (With IANS Inputs)

OnePlus Pad 2 India Price: The OnePlus Pad 2, launched as a premium tablet in India back in July, is now available at a substantial discount on Amazon. The premium tablet is offered in an 8GB+128GB model and a 12GB+256GB storage variant. The premium tablet arrives as the successor to the original OnePlus Pad. The tablet launched at Rs 39,999 for the 8GB+128GB variant, while the 12GB+256GB model was priced at Rs 42,999. OnePlus Pad 2 Tablet Discount Price In India And Availability Now, OnePlus is now selling the tablet at a discounted price of Rs 37,999 and Rs 40,999 for the different storage variants. Consumers can purchase the tablet via Amazon and the OnePlus website. Notably, this is a straight-up Rs 2,000 discount on the selling price. OnePlus Pad 2 Tablet Bank Discount In India To further reduce the price, there is an instant Rs 3,000 bank discount available for ICICI, Kotak, and RBL cardholders. This discount lowers the cost to Rs 34,999 for the base model and Rs 37,999 for the top-end variant.  OnePlus Pad 2 Specifications The premium tablet features a 12.1-inch 3K IPS LCD panel with support for Dolby Vision, a 144Hz refresh rate with a 3000×2120 resolution. The display offers a high 303 PPI resolution and a versatile refresh rate that can adjust between 144Hz, 120Hz, 90Hz, 60Hz, 50Hz, 48Hz, and 30Hz.  With a peak brightness of 600 nits (reaching 900 nits in High Brightness Mode), the screen is well-suited for various lighting conditions. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, which should offer top-end performance for gaming and regular use.   The tablet is equipped with a 9150mAh battery with 67W fast charging support. On the optics front, there is a 13MP shooter on the rear and an 8MP snapper on the front for video chats. The tablet also features an Open Canvas and an AI Toolbox for enhanced functionality. It runs on OxygenOS 14.1. For connectivity, the tablet supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Type-C ports, with a Type-C audio device port for seamless connectivity.   

New Delhi: More than half of smartphones shipped in 2028 are projected to be GenAI capable, as broader use cases continue to emerge and availability expands across price segments, according to a new report.  The global smartphone market has reached maturity, and shipments are expected to remain stable in the coming years. Growth will likely be driven by emerging markets like India, MEA and Southeast Asia. “We expect smartphone revenues to continue to grow through 2028 as the premiumisation trend continues across markets. New technologies like GenAI and foldables are also likely to drive average selling price (ASP) growth as adoption rates rise,” said Counterpoint Research Director Tarun Pathak. While the smartphone market has enjoyed strong YoY growth over the last few quarters, it is mainly due to a recovery in macroeconomic conditions and consumer demand. While shipment growth may have slowed in recent quarters, global smartphone revenue growth accelerated in Q3 2024, recording 10 per cent YoY growth to reach the highest-ever levels for a third quarter. Apple led the market in smartphone revenues capturing a 43 per cent share and recording its highest-ever Q3 revenues, shipments, and ASPs. A slightly earlier launch of the iPhone 16 series, a product mix increasingly favouring Pro versions and continued expansion in non-core markets drove Apple’s success in Q3, said Research Director Jeff Fieldhack. With most major brands recording strong revenue growth, the $400 and above segment gained a net 2% per cent share YoY in Q3 2024. The ongoing premiumisation wave, observed across regions, has incentivised OEMs to rethink their premium portfolio and device financing strategies. The report expects the premiumisation trend to continue in the coming years and project global smartphone ASPs to rise at a CAGR of 3 per cent from 2023 through 2028.

Whatsapp Bans Indian Accounts: In a significant move, Meta-owned WhatsApp has imposed bans on numerous accounts in India, aiming to enhance user safety and combat the misuse of its platform. This action comes amidst rising concerns over privacy and security, prompting the messaging giant to take a firm stand against abusive practices. To avoid such malicious actions, the instant messaging platform banned more than 8.5 million “bad” accounts in India in September for violating its policies. Between September 1 and September 30, the company banned 8,584,000 accounts, of which 1,658,000 were proactively banned before any reports from users, according to the social media platform’s monthly compliance report under the new IT Rules 2021. The popular mobile messaging platform, which has more than 600 million users in India, received 8,161 grievances from the country, and the records “actioned” were 97. The term “actioned” refers to complaints where WhatsApp took remedial action. WhatsApp also received two orders from the Grievance Appellate Committee in the country and complied with both, according to its monthly compliance report. “We will continue with transparency to our work and include information about our efforts in future reports,” said the company. It employs a team of engineers, data scientists, analysts, researchers, and experts in law enforcement, online safety, and technology developments to oversee these efforts. “We enable users to block contacts and to report problematic content and contacts to us from inside the app. We pay close attention to user feedback and engage with specialists in stemming misinformation, promoting cybersecurity, and preserving election integrity,” said WhatsApp. The abuse detection operates at three stages of an account’s lifestyle: at registration, during messaging, and in response to negative feedback, which we receive in the form of user reports and blocks. A team of analysts them augments these systems to evaluate edge cases and help improve our effectiveness over time. Between August 1, 2024 and August 31, 2024, 8,458,000 WhatsApp accounts were banned, 1,661,000 of these accounts were proactively banned, before any reports from users. It also received 10,707 grievances from the country in August, and the records “actioned” were 93. (With IANS Inputs)

NSE Mobile App: The National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) introduced its official mobile app, NSEIndia, and expanded its corporate website, www.nseindia.com, to support 12 regional languages. This launch celebrates NSE’s 30th anniversary, a remarkable milestone in its history. The NSE has made this advancement with an aim to empower investors with user-friendly tools, near real-time insights, and the ability to access market information in their preferred language. Adding further, NSE recently celebrated another achievement in October, as the total number of client accounts on the exchange crossed 20 crore, showcasing impressive growth over just eight months. The NSEIndia App is here! It’s fast, efficient and accessible! Get all updates, real-time data and insights on the market with just a swipe. Download the App now.#NSE #NSEIndia #AppLaunch #DownloadNow @ashishchauhan pic.twitter.com/eAdw9UaLgi — NSE India (@NSEIndia) November 1, 2024 According to NSE, this dual launch reflects NSE’s dedication to democratising financial information, making it easier for investors across the nation to engage with India’s capital markets.  With this latest initiative, NSE’s website now offers content in a total of twelve languages, adding Assamese, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, and Telugu to the previously available English, Hindi, Marathi, and Gujarati. NSE Mobile App Availability:  This linguistic expansion will reach investors across linguistic and regional barriers, fostering increased engagement and inclusivity. The newly launched NSEIndia mobile app, now available on both the Apple App Store and Android Play Store, promises an intuitive and secure experience for investors on the go. NSE Mobile App Features:  The app’s initial release offers easy-to-use features, including an overview of key market indices, snapshots, trends, and turnover. Users can quickly check the top gainers, losers, and most active stocks on Nifty 50, search for any stock and create a personalised watchlist.  There is also a dedicated section for options trading data, showing active calls, puts, and open interest, helping investors make more informed decisions. (With ANI Inputs)