New Delhi: ChatGPT, one of OpenAI’s most popular Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools on Thursday faced a global outage as millions of users were unable to access the service.  Many frustrated users took to social media platforms like X on Thursday to report that ChatGPT was not working for them. The complaints indicate that the issue is widespread, with reports coming in from different countries. According to Downdetector, a platform that tracks online outages, thousands of users have been affected by the outage. The website’s data showed a sudden spike in ChatGPT outage reports early this morning, and the numbers continue to rise as more people face issues. Some users are struggling to log in, while others say the AI is not responding to commands at all. The heat map (a technique that uses colour to represent data values) on Downdetector confirms that the outage is based on user-submitted complaints. So far, nearly 90 per cent of users have reported problems with the ChatGPT app, while others are facing issues on the website as well. OpenAI has not yet shared any official statement on the cause or extent of the outage. Meanwhile, frustrated users are flooding X with posts and memes about the situation. One user humorously wrote, “Today, I lost access to ChatGPT for 20 minutes, and it felt like it was 2015 and Google Search had gone offline for a couple of hours.” Another user added “Everyone coming to X to confirm chatgpt down” with a meme. “ChatGPT down again ??! surprised not surprised !!!,” a user said. Another X user also chimed in, “Chatgpt is always down in the middle of doing my assignment.” “Watching everyone freak out when Chatgpt is down and they have to use their brains we truly r doomed,” another user added. ChatGPT was still down till the time of the filing of this report. Meanwhile, today’s outage is not the first time ChatGPT has faced technical issues. Recently, on January 23, the AI chatbot experienced a similar global disruption, preventing users from accessing it on both the web and the app. During that outage, Downdetector recorded over a thousand user complaints, with many frustrated users taking to X to share their concerns about the malfunction.

New Delhi: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has issued a warning regarding multiple security vulnerabilities affecting Android devices, particularly those running on Android 12 and later. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), in collaboration with MeitY, has highlighted that these vulnerabilities could expose users to serious cyberattacks. The flaws are primarily in the Android framework, though there may also be issues with the chipset components. What Could Happen if These Vulnerabilities are Exploited? It mentions, “Multiple vulnerabilities have been reported in Android which could be exploited by an attacker to obtain sensitive information, gain elevated privileges, execute arbitrary code or cause denial of service (DoS) conditions on the targeted system.” In simpler terms, these vulnerabilities could allow hackers to steal personal data, gain unauthorized access, run harmful programs, or cause the device to stop working.  What You Can Do This warning is one of the most serious security concerns. The agency explains that the level of severity is determined by how much damage exploiting the vulnerability could cause to a device. As a result, CERT recommends that users of Android 12, 13, 14, and 15 update their devices to avoid any potential attacks. How to Protect Yourself from These Threats Update Your Device: Make sure to install the latest security updates to fix vulnerabilities. Download Apps Safely: Only download apps from the Google Play Store and avoid installing from unknown sources. Enable Google Play Protect: Turn on this feature to scan and block harmful apps. Check App Permissions: Review and remove unnecessary access to your personal data. Avoid Suspicious Links: Don’t click on unknown or suspicious links in messages or emails. Regularly Back Up Your Data: Store your data securely in the cloud or on external storage to avoid losing important information.//

New Delhi: India-manufactured flagship Galaxy S25 series of smartphones saw a record over 430,000 pre-orders in the country – 20 per cent higher as compared to Galaxy S24 series last year, the company said on Friday. Samsung is manufacturing Galaxy S25 series at its Noida factory for the consumers in the country. “Galaxy S25 Ultra, Galaxy S25+ and Galaxy S25 smartphones set a new standard as true AI companions with Samsung’s most natural and context-aware mobile experiences ever created,” said Raju Pullan, Senior Vice President, MX Division, Samsung India. “We have seen strong demand for the Galaxy S25 series among young tech-savvy consumers, who are at the forefront of Galaxy AI usage,” he informed. For Galaxy S25 consumers in India, Google’s Gemini Live will be available in Hindi since the start, underscoring the importance of India for Samsung. On the Galaxy S25 series, AI agents with multimodal capabilities are integrated within the One UI 7 platform to perform complex tasks seamlessly across apps and enable natural user interactions through speech, text, videos and images. Now, ‘Brief’ tool provides tailored suggestions to guide through the day and Now Bar offers a new hub for ongoing activities, said the company. From enhanced productivity with Writing Assist to limitless creativity unleashed by Drawing Assist, the expanded capabilities of Galaxy AI continue to empower users in every aspect of their daily lives. Additionally, Google’s enhanced Circle to Search now gives users more helpful information with AI Overviews and one-tap actions. Powering the Galaxy S25 series globally, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform for Galaxy fuels on-device processing for more responsive AI experiences. Starting February 7, the Galaxy S25 series will be available across retail stores and online platforms, said the company. “This year, we widened our flagship distribution network to 17,000 outlets, which has helped us tap demand in smaller cities,” said Pullan.

New Delhi: As the race to build new and better artificial intelligence (AI) models heats up, Google has announced to make the updated Gemini 2.0 AI generally available to all.  Developers can now build production applications with Gemini 2.0 Flash. The company is also releasing an experimental version of Gemini 2.0 Pro, its best model yet for coding performance and complex prompts. It is available in Google AI Studio and Vertex AI, and in the Gemini app for Gemini Advanced users. “We’re releasing a new model, Gemini 2.0 Flash-Lite, our most cost-efficient model yet, in public preview in Google AI Studio and Vertex AI. Finally, 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental will be available to Gemini app users in the model dropdown on desktop and mobile,” informed Koray Kavukcuoglu, CTO, Google DeepMind, on behalf of the Gemini team. Google said that as the Gemini model family becomes more capable, it will continue to invest in robust measures that enable safe and secure use. “We’re also leveraging automated red teaming to assess safety and security risks, including those posed by risks from indirect prompt injection, a type of cybersecurity attack which involves attackers hiding malicious instructions in data that is likely to be retrieved by an AI system,” said the company, In December, the company kicked off the agentic era by releasing an experimental version of Gemini 2.0 Flash. All of these models will feature multimodal input with text output on release, with more modalities ready for general availability in the coming months. The experimental version of Gemini 2.0 Pro has the strongest coding performance and ability to handle complex prompts, with better understanding and reasoning of world knowledge. “It comes with our largest context window at 2 million tokens, which enables it to comprehensively analyze and understand vast amounts of information, as well as the ability to call tools like Google Search and code execution,” said the company.

New Delhi: Amazon is set to introduce a major upgrade to its voice assistant, Alexa, by incorporating cutting-edge generative AI technology, according to a report by Reuters. This new update is the most significant change to Alexa since its launch over 10 years ago with plans to improve the capabilities beyond simple taska like setting timers or checking the weather. The tech giant will reveal the exciting update during an event in New York City on February 26, hosted by Panos Panay, the head of Amazon’s devices and services division. Alexa to Become a More Advanced The upgraded version of Alexa is set to go beyond its traditional role as a voice assistant. It aims to become a more advanced, multifunctional agent. This new Alexa will be able to handle multiple requests in a row and take actions on behalf of users without needing continuous input. With the power of generative AI, Alexa will also become more conversational, remembering your preferences and offering personalized suggestions for things like music and dining choices. Limited Access and Future Subscription Fees for New Alexa The new version of Alexa will initially be available to a select group of users and, for now, will be free. However, there are talks about eventually charging a subscription fee of 5 dollars to 10 dollars per month. The classic, free version of Alexa will still be available even though Amazon won’t be adding new features to it. The generative AI-powered Alexa, codenamed “Banyan,” will be launched more widely once it meets specific quality standards, after facing multiple development delays. Technical and Competitive Challenges  As Amazon works to improve Alexa’s AI capabilities, it faces both technical and competitive challenges. Generative AI models are known to sometimes provide inaccurate or misleading information, so ensuring Alexa provides reliable and accurate responses—especially in environments like cars, homes, and workplaces—is crucial. Amazon Partners with Anthropic  Amazon is also teaming up with AI startup Anthropic, in which it has invested 8 billion dollars, to boost Alexa’s AI capabilities. At the same time, competitors like Google, Apple, and OpenAI are rapidly advancing their own AI-powered assistants. Google’s Gemini and Apple’s Intelligence are expected to deliver more natural AI interactions, while OpenAI’s ChatGPT has already become a favorite AI assistant for many users. Updated Alexa to Work with Existing Devices If Amazon goes ahead with its February 26 announcement, the updated Alexa will work with current Alexa-enabled devices. While the company will still offer the free “Classic Alexa,” it’s no longer adding new features to that version.

New Delhi: WhatsApp has recently revealed that nearly 90 people across two dozen countries were targeted by hackers using spyware, The victims included journalists and members of civil society. They were attacked through a hacking tool developed by Paragon Solutions, an Israeli company which specialises in spyware. Paragon’s software, often sold to government clients for purposes like combating crime and ensuring national security, was used to compromise the devices of these individuals, the WhatsApp official told Reuters. What makes this attack particularly concerning is that Paragon’s spyware uses a “zero-click” hack. This means the victims didn’t need to click on any harmful links to get infected. The spyware can infiltrate a device without any action from the user which silently breaches the security. Once installed, it gives hackers complete access to the phone. It also allows them to read encrypted messages on apps like WhatsApp and Signal. The victims were sent malicious documents that didn’t require any interaction to compromise their devices, making this type of attack especially stealthy, The WhatsApp official told Reuters. WhatsApp officials, speaking to Reuters, didn’t reveal the exact identities of those targeted but mentioned that the victims were located in over two dozen countries, including several in Europe. However, The Guardian reported that the main targets of the hackers were journalists and members of civil society. The WhatsApp official confirmed that the company had disrupted the hacking attempt and was directing the affected users to Citizen Lab, a Canadian internet watchdog group. However, they did not reveal how WhatsApp determined that Paragon was behind the attack. The official also mentioned that law enforcement and industry partners had been notified but didn’t provide further details. The FBI has not yet responded to a request for comment. Citizen Lab researcher John Scott-Railton commented that the discovery of Paragon spyware targeting WhatsApp users “is a reminder that mercenary spyware continues to proliferate, and as it does, we continue to see familiar patterns of problematic use.”

Nothing Phone (3a) India Launch: London-based smartphone maker Nothing announced the launch of its latest device on 4 March this year. However, the company hasn’t disclosed the name of the upcoming device, it’s anticipated that they will unveil either the Nothing Phone 3 or 3a during the event.   In the X (formerly Twitter) post, the company shared a glimpse of its traditional LED lights and the rest is left for speculation. It is important to note that the Nothing Phone (2) was launched back in July 2023, the obvious choice for the launch of the new smartphone was its successor, the Phone (3). However, it appears that Nothing will launch the more budget-friendly Phone (3a) first.  Power in Perspective. 4 March 10:00 GMT. pic.twitter.com/D10WiYwov0 — Nothing (@nothing) January 27, 2025 Nothing Phone (3a) India Launch Event (Expected) The event, “Power in Perspective,” is scheduled for 10:00 AM GMT (3:30 PM IST). A teaser video hints at the back camera of the upcoming phone, showcasing the signature Glyph interface. However, the more details of the smartphones are expected to be unveiled at the Mobile World Congress. Meanwhile, Flipkart has created a special page on its website to build excitement for this new Nothing product. Nothing Phone 3a Specifications (Expected)   The upcoming phone, codenamed ‘asteroids’ and spotted on the Nothing OS 3.0 build by Android Authority, is expected to feature the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 processor, the same SoC found in devices like the Realme 14 Pro+ and Redmi Note 14 Pro+. The much anticipated smartphone is likely to retain the 6.7-inch 120Hz AMOLED display seen in its predecessor, delivering smooth visuals and vibrant colours.  The phone might showcase a distinctive see-through design, in line with the brand’s signature style, and will run the latest version of Android customized with Nothing’s proprietary software. Adding further, it is expected to support e-SIM functionality, allowing users the flexibility to use two physical nano-SIMs or an eSIM in combination with a nano-SIM. 

Apple iPhone SE 4 India Launch: The Apple iPhone SE 4 is rumoured to be announced in the coming months as the successor to the iPhone SE (2022), which remains the most affordable smartphone in Apple’s current lineup. Even before the official announcement, several leaks have already surfaced, revealing key details about what could be Apple’s most budget-friendly iPhone of 2025. The latest leak by Majin Bu on X has provided a glimpse of the iPhone SE 4’s design. According to Ross Young, the device will feature a notch similar to the one on the iPhone 14, rather than the Dynamic Island, which has become a signature design element in Apple’s more premium models. It’s worth noting that the popular Dynamic Island, which debuted with the iPhone 15, offers a more interactive and sleek user experience. However, the decision to use the older notch design for the iPhone SE 4 is primarily driven by cost considerations.  Here’s what the iPhone SE 4 looks like pic.twitter.com/pEyIAJ34VR — Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) January 25, 2025 iPhone SE 4 Price In India And Launch (Expected) According to the report, the iPhone SE 4 may be priced under $500 globally and could cost between Rs 43,000 and Rs 49,000 in India. The device is expected to launch by April 2025.  iPhone SE 4 Specifications (Expected) The premium smartphone is expected to feature a 6.1-inch display, making it the largest in the SE lineup. It may also be the first SE model to include Face ID and Apple’s 5G modem, bringing it closer to the brand’s flagship offerings.  The device is rumored to come with a larger battery and USB Type-C charging, ensuring better power efficiency and faster charging speeds. Under the hood, it could be powered by either the A17 Pro or A18 Bionic chip, paired with at least 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage for improved performance. iPhone SE 4 and iPhone 16 in comparison pic.twitter.com/tw3LiuFopG — Majin Bu (@MajinBuOfficial) January 27, 2025 Adding further, this could be the first SE model to feature Apple Intelligence, integrating AI-powered Siri, image generation, and smart writing tools. On the photography front, the phone is expected to house a single 48-megapixel primary sensor with Smart HDR and Night Mode, promising enhanced photography, especially in low-light conditions. 

DeepSeek Vs ChatGPT Price: The emergence of DeepSeek R1, a Chinese competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT, has generated significant buzz in the AI community and is currently disrupting the tech landscape in the US. This marks the beginning of a new rivalry among AI chatbots, as the Chinese AI startup DeepSeek unveils its latest innovation, DeepSeek R1. Both DeepSeek R1 and ChatGPT are AI systems powered by Large Language Models (LLMs), designed to understand and generate human-like text. These models assist with various tasks, including writing, research, coding, and brainstorming ideas. Adding further, this article will guide you through the pricing structure of these models. The Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has become the most downloaded free app in the country. The app is available for free on Apple’s App Store and its official website. However, additional features and localized setups may require high-end hardware or subscription-based services for extended functionality. What Is DeepSeek, And Who Founded This AI App? DeepSeek was founded in Hangzhou, a city in southeastern China, and officially launched in July 2023. It is powered by the open-source DeepSeek-V3 model. The company is partially funded by Liang Wenfeng, who used capital from a hedge fund he also established, according to a report by the BBC. The 40-year-old information and electronic engineering graduate reportedly amassed a stockpile of Nvidia A100 chips, which are now banned from export to China. DeepSeek R1 vs. ChatGPT: Price And Training Cost While OpenAI’s training costs for each model reportedly run into tens of millions of dollars, DeepSeek claims to have trained its model for just over $5.5 million. API access for DeepSeek R1 starts at $0.14 for one million tokens, equivalent to approximately 750,000 words. Meanwhile, the OpenAI’s o1 model is priced at $7.50 for the same token volume. For users seeking more advanced features, both platforms offer paid subscriptions. ChatGPT starts at $20 per month, while DeepSeek offers a much more affordable option, starting at just $0.50 per month.  In addition to being budget-friendly for users, DeepSeek R1 is also cost-efficient to operate. It is reported to be approximately 27 times cheaper per token compared to OpenAI’s o1 model, making it an economical choice for businesses and developers. Meanwhile, the other AI systems, such as OpenAI’s o1 and Claude Sonnet, require paid subscriptions. Google Gemini is available for free but is limited to older models in its free versions and comes with usage restrictions.  DeepSeek Vs ChatGPT: Features DeepSeek excels in its ability to generate code, particularly in programming languages like Python and Java, making it a preferred tool for developers. It also demonstrates proficiency in solving complex equations, positioning it as a valuable resource for technical tasks. On the other hand, ChatGPT shines in creative domains, including storytelling, humor, and marketing copy. It is known for producing engaging and imaginative content, with a knack for crafting jokes and narratives effortlessly. How To Use DeepSeek R1 on Mobile Devices Step 1: Search for the DeepSeek R1 app on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Step 2: Log in using your email, Gmail, or other supported credentials. How To Use DeepSeek R1 On Your Computer Step 1: Visit the DeepSeek R1 official website and log in with your email, Gmail, or phone number. If your phone number starts with +86, complete any additional verification steps required. Step 2: Once logged in, you’ll find an interface similar to ChatGPT’s, providing a smooth and intuitive user experience. Step 3: Start exploring the AI’s capabilities, including writing, research, coding, and brainstorming.

WhatsApp Call Recording: WhatsApp is an essential part of daily communication, with over 3.5 billion users worldwide. From casual chats to professional discussions, it has changed the way people connect. The instant messaging platform continues to introduce new features to improve user engagement. However, one feature many users request—call recording—is still missing. Despite WhatsApp’s strong security and privacy measures, some people want to record important conversations for future reference. Since the app supports voice and video calls across many countries, if you need to record a WhatsApp call on Android for safety or reference, you could do it easily without using any third-party app and access them anytime.  How To Record WhatsApp Call Via Screen Recording Feature  Step 1: Open WhatsApp and begin a voice or video call.  Step 2: Swipe down (Android) or swipe up (iPhone) to access Quick Settings or Control Center, then tap the Screen Recording button.  Step 3: The recording stops automatically when the call ends. If it doesn’t, manually stop it from the recording notification or control panel.   Step 4: The saved recording will be available in your phone’s Gallery or Photos app.  How To Find Your WhatsApp Call Recording On Android  Step 1: Unlock your phone and go to the Gallery or File Manager app.  Step 2: Look for a folder named Screen Recordings or Recorded Videos.  Step 3: Your WhatsApp call recording will be saved as a video file in this folder.