Apple Inc. removed Parler from its App Store after the social media service was among those used to organize Wednesday’s riots at the Capitol.

The removal came a day after the Cupertino, California-based technology giant threatened to remove the app, telling the developers Friday they had 24 hours to provide Apple with a plan for moderating and filtering the service.

A letter provided by Apple to Parler indicates that the social media company did offer to make changes to its app in order to remain on the App Store. Parler told Apple that it “has been taking this content very seriously for weeks,” that it would implement a moderation plan “for the time being” and that it would implement a temporary task force, according to the letter.

Apple rejected those efforts as a solution in its explanation for removing the app. “We have continued to find direct threats of violence and calls to incite lawless action,” Apple wrote to Parler on Saturday, adding that the measures were “inadequate to address the proliferation of dangerous and objectionable content on your app.”

Parler will stay off the App Store on the iPhone, iPad and other devices until it’s able to show its “ability to effectively moderate and filter the dangerous and harmful content on your service,” Apple added.

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While the app was removed Saturday, the move currently has no bearing on the many users who already have the app installed on their Apple devices. Removing an app doesn’t stop the program from operating, and Apple has apparently never taken the step to stop a major app from operating across all active iPhones.

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Concerned at private group chat links being available on Google Search, WhatsApp on Monday said that they have asked Google not to index such chats and advised users not to share group chat links on publicly accessible websites.

Google had indexed invite links to private WhatsApp group chats, meaning anyone can join various private chat groups with a simple search.

The indexed WhatsApp group chat links have now been removed from Google.

Independent cybersecurity researcher Rajshekhar Rajaharia on Sunday shared screenshots with IANS showing indexing of WhatsApp group chat invites on Google.

“Since March 2020, WhatsApp has included the “noindex” tag on all deep link pages which, according to Google, will exclude them from indexing. We have given our feedback to Google to not index these chats,” a WhatsApp spokesperson told IANS.

“Links that users wish to share privately with people they know and trust should not be posted on a publicly accessible website,” the company spokesperson added..

The issue was first cropped up in February last year when app reverse-engineer Jane Wong found that Google has around 470,000 results for a simple search of “chat.whatsapp.com”, part of the URL that makes up invites to WhatsApp groups.

Journalist Jordan Wildon also discovered that WhatsApp’s “Invite to Group Link” feature lets Google index groups, making them available across the internet since the links are being shared outside of WhatsApp’s secure private messaging service.Read Complete Article

The Consumer Electronics Show 2021 (CES 2021) is set to start from January 11. Unlike its earlier iterations, this year’s event is a virtual affair where technology majors, start-ups and technology enthusiasts would coming together to unveil, announce and showcase innovations that would dominate the technology space for the rest of the year. Business Standard lists the day one schedule of the CES 2021. Take a look:CES 2021: Schedule (Day-1)
HiSense Visual Technology

HiSense Visual Technology will release its technology roadmap for 2021. Additionally, the company will unveil its new laser TV line-up.

Time: 5:30 pm – 6:00 pm (IST)LG

The South Korean electronics maker is hosting a virtual preview of its new home appliance, home entertainment and IT innovations. The theme of the LG’s virtual preview event is “Life is On… Make Yourself at Home with LG!”

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South Korean electronics maker Samsung is now taking pre-orders for its upcoming flagship smartphone in India. It is likely that the pre-orders are open for the Galaxy S21 series, which will debut on January 14. According to Samsung, customers in India can pre-reserve the upcoming Galaxy flagship by paying a token amount of Rs 2,000 on Samsung India e-Store or Samsung Shop App. On pre-reservation, customers get the ‘Next Galaxy VIP Pass’, which can be redeemed at the time of pre-ordering the upcoming Galaxy smartphone at the time of India launch. When the customer pre-books the device, the token amount of Rs 2,000 will be deducted from the device price. Moreover, customers who pre-reserve the Galaxy flagship will get a cover worth Rs 3849 for free. The option to pre-reserve Samsung’s upcoming flagship is available until till January 14, 2021.

ALSO READ: Samsung announces its ‘Galaxy Unpacked’ event for 2021: Details here

On January 14, Samsung is likely to unveil the Galaxy S21 series in a global virtual event. The event will livestream on company’s web portal, newsroom, and social media handles starting 8 pm on Jan 14 in India. Besides, the event’s footage will also livestream on Samsung’s YouTube channel.

Though the event will mostly focus on the Galaxy S21 lineup, Samsung is usually known to keep surprises up their sleeves. Alongside the smartphones, the company might also launch the Galaxy Buds Pro true wireless earbuds.

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Chinese electronics maker Lenovo on Friday launched in India the 11th Gen Intel Core processor powered Yoga 7i, Yoga 9i, and IdeaPad Slim 5i laptops. Priced Rs 63,990 onwards, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i is now available on Lenovo web portal, Amazon India, and Lenovo exclusive offline stores. The Yoga 7i and Yoga 9i at Rs 99,000 and Rs 1,69,990, respectively. The Yoga 7i and 9i are available for pre-order on Lenovo web portal. The Yoga 7i will go on sale from January 15, whereas, the Yoga 9i sales will begin from January 12.Lenovo Yoga 7i: Details

Powered by the 11th Generation Intel Core processors with Intel Iris Xe graphics, the Yoga 7i features rounded edges, four-side narrow bezel design, a 360-degree hinge, Rapid Charge Express, and intelligent Cooling for optimising the performance with up to 16 hours of battery life. The Yoga 7i also features Dolby Atmos speaker system, and Lenovo Smart Assist combined with a fingerprint reader for biometric authentication and TrueBlock privacy shutter. It is available in Slate Grey colour.Lenovo Yoga 9i: Details

It is a 2-in-1 laptop made from aerospace-grade aluminium. According to the company, the laptop has been tested to withstand everyday wear and tear under several conditions, including UV light exposure and tension. The Yoga 9i comes with an ultrasonic fingerprint reader, smart sensor touchpad with up to 50 per cent more surface area that vibrates when clicked, and a redesigned TrueStrike keyboard. The laptop also features a webcam privacy shutter, a garaged pen with elastometer nib, AI-powered attention-sensing software – Glance by Mirametrix, Lenovo’s Connected Home Security, Lenovo Intelligent Thermal System 4.0, and Lenovo Q-Control. The laptop has a 4K touchscreen IPS VESA DisplayHDR, an improved rotating sound bar, and super resolution 2.0 that automatically upscales videos to higher resolution.

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Amkette on Thursday launched EvoFox Game Box, a console that lets any TV be used for gaming, for Rs 9,999 in India.

Powered by a Quad Core A55 ARM processor (running on Android 9pie), the gamebox supports a 4K video output, and 5.1 channel surround sound. In addition, it supports all types of video formats including H.265.

It comes bundled with a high precision Gamepad that offers 8 hours of battery life and Dual Vibration Rumble effect.

Additionally, it comes with a voice-enabled Air Remote with Google Assistant.

Amkette’s EVOFOX comes with 4 GB RAM , 32GB eMMc storage, expandable to 128GB with Mircro SD card. Additionally, the GameBox has a dedicated Mali G31 Graphics Processor for graphics.

The Game Box comes with over 100’s of preloaded Games, in addition, one can download more games from Google Play Store.

The EvoFox Game Box has additional features, including support for webcam for video calls on Google Duo, Zoom or Meet etc,. It comes with 2 USB Ports, and supports 4K video output and 5.1 channel surround sound making it a perfect Hard Disk Media Player.

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South Korean electronics maker Samsung on Thursday launched in India the Galaxy M02s smartphone. It is the first Samsung smartphone in sub-Rs 10,000 price segment powered by a 5,000 mAh battery, supported by 15W fast charging. The Samsung Galaxy M02s comes in 3GB+32GB and 4GB+64GB RAM and storage variants, priced at Rs 8,999 and Rs 9,999, respectively. It will be available in Black, Blue and Red colours on Amazon India, Samsung online store and retail stores from January 7.

“As part of our commitment to Digital India, Samsung is creating pioneering and affordable technology to cater to new and evolving consumer behaviours. Whether it is online education, gaming, entertainment on demand or virtual connectivity, the Galaxy M02s is designed to Max Up every experience. The device offers a bigger 6.5-inch screen, a non-stop 5000mAh battery, and a powerful Qualcomm processor with 4GB RAM, all under INR 10000 for the first time,” said Aditya Babbar, Director, Mobiles Business, Samsung India.Samsung Galaxy M02s: Specifications

The Galaxy M02s is a budget smartphone.

It sports a 6.5-inch screen of HD+ resolution, stretched in tall 20:9 aspect ratio. Powering the smartphone is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 system-on-chip, paired with up to 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. The phone supports microSD card of up to 1TB for storage expansion. Imaging is covered by a triple camera array on the back – a 13-megapixel primary sensor, a 2MP depth sensor and a 2MP macro sensor. On the front, the phone has a 5MP camera sensor for face unlock mechanism, selfies and videos. The phone is ships with 5,000 mAh battery, supported by 15W fast charger.

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Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2021 is set to kick start from January 11. Unlike its previous iterations, the annual consumer electronics trade show will be an ‘all digital experience’ this year owing to Covid-19 pandemic. The event sees participation from both technology makers and technology users, and is often touted as the mecca for technology enthusiasts. While the preparations are on, some of the major technology companies like Samsung, Sony, LG, TCL, etc. have already confirmed their presence. Here is what to expect from CES 2021:

CES 2021: Dates

The CES 2021 will start from Monday, January 11, and the four-day event will continue until Thursday, January 14, 2021.

CES 2021: What to expect

LG

LG is planning to showcase a bendable OLED display of 48-inch in size. The display will feature a paper-thin screen that can straighten or bend as per need. Because of its curved interface, the screen seems to be designed for gaming purpose. The company claims that its latest OLED technology allows the display to remain flat, but it allows users to bend and unfold the display. LG would also be showcasing transparent OLED TVs and a range of MiniLED TVs (or ‘QNED’ TVs) at CES.

Samsung

Samsung is holding a ‘First Look 2021’ event on January 6, where the South Korean electronics giant is expected to show its upcoming TVs, smart refrigerators, and home appliances. The company has already announced its new 110-inch screen MicroLED TV, and it is rumoured to launch new TVs with the quantum dot/OLED hybrid technology, known as QD-OLED. Besides, it may also refresh its QLED TV range and upgraded its 8K TV line-up. The company also announced that it will reveal a new Exynos chipset on January 12 that will probably power the upcoming Galaxy S21 series.

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Apple is reportedly working on a relatively cheaper version of AirPods Max headphones with a few changes.

The next AirPods Max would be lighter than its sibling that weighs roughly 384 grams, with a plastic build instead of machine-textured anodized aluminium ear cups and stainless steel headband, reports GizmoChina.

The upcoming cheaper model of the Apple AirPods Max headphones could be priced around $350, the report said on Thursday.

To recall, AirPods Max was launched the last month with high-fidelity sound, Adaptive EQ, Active Noise Cancellation and spatial audio for Rs 59,900.

AirPods Max uses Adaptive EQ to adjust the sound to the fit and seal of the ear cushions by measuring the sound signal delivered to a user and adjusting the low and mid-frequencies in real-time – bringing rich audio that captures every detail.

Switching between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode can be done with a single press using the noise control button.

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Lava Mobiles is set to launch a range of Made in India smartphones on Thursday. The home-grown mobile phone maker is hosting a virtual event at 12 noon on January 7. The event will livestream on the company’s YouTube channel and Facebook page. Today’s launch will mark the return of Lava Mobiles to smartphone business, which is currently dominated by Chinese players such as Xiaomi, OPPO, Realme, Vivo, etc.

Recently, Lava Mobiles released a video on its Twitter handle where the company’s president and business head Sunil Raina had invited people to the virtual launch event, promising things that never happened in the smartphone industry before.

“Never before has smartphone engineering been so evolved and dynamic, thanks to our talented engineers. Tune in to Lava’s YouTube page for the live telecast of history in the making.

I promise what follows is sure to make you feel proudly Indian,” said Raina in the video posted on Lava Mobiles official Twitter handle.

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