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WhatsApp has been served a legal notice by a New Delhi-based lawyer, asking the company to remove the middle finger emoji from its platform. The lawyer, Gurmeet Singh, says in the legal notice the concerned emoji shows a lewd and obscene gesture, which is a crime in India. The notice says WhatsApp has 15 days to remove the emoji, after which a civil or criminal case may be filed against the Facebook-owned app.
Facebook asking new users for ‘name as per Aadhaar’
Facebook has started asking a small number of people joining the platform to use their ‘names as per Aadhaar’ on the site. This is only a prompt and not a mandatory requirement, so if the users choose to, they can enter any name while signing up. Moreover, Facebook has not asked for any Aadhaar-related information yet, such as the UIDAI number. Only a small number of new users signing up for Facebook will see this prompt, and that too only on the mobile site, the company said in a statement to Gadgets 360.
Idea updates Rs. 309 plan to offer 50 percent more data
Less than a month after its launch, the Rs. 309 Idea plan has been updated to offer 1.5GB data per day, up from its original 1GB daily data allocation. This means the plan will now come with 42GB data in the 28-day validity period, instead of 28GB. Other details of the Rs. 309 Idea plan, such as the bundled calls (250 free minutes a day, 1,000 minutes a week) as well as the free roaming calls and 100 SMSes, remain the same as before.
Samsung Galaxy S9 mass production said to start in January
Samsung’s next flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, will go into mass production in January, says a new report. The procurement for components is said to have started, with the company opting for the SLP (Substance Like PCB) circuit boards (previously seen in iPhone X) to accommodate bigger batteries and other parts. According to the report, the Galaxy S9 rear camera has a single sensor, while its front camera integrates the iris scanner. On the other hand, Galaxy S9+ will have dual cameras on the back and a separate iris scanner and front camera.
Hackers can guess smartphone PINs using sensor data
A researcher has said that data from smartphone sensors can reveal the PINs and passwords on handsets, which can potentially be used by hackers. The researchers used information collected by the likes of gyroscope and proximity sensors to unlock Android smartphones with 99.5 percent accuracy within three tries (on handsets locked with one of the 50 most common PINs). The next best success rate was 74 percent for the 50 most common PINs. Since the sensor data requires no permissions from the user and can be used by any apps, hackers can potentially employ machine learning to determine the unlock codes for Android handsets.
Ola Pass subscription service being tested
Ola is conducting tests for a new subscription service named Ola Pass, which offers Micro, Mini, and Prime rides at flat rates. The service is presently being tested in Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur and Mumbai, and will allow users to avoid surge pricing during peak hours. This is different from the already-available Ola Select service, which provides priority booking; it will also be independent of Ola Share Pass, which is meant only for share rides. Uber already has an option similar to Ola Pass in India, called Ride Pass.
Honor View 10 registrations to begin on Thursday
Registrations for the first Honor View 10 sale in India will start on Thursday, December 28; the smartphone is scheduled to go on sale on January 8 via Amazon India. The Honor View 10 price in India has not been revealed so far, though it is expected to compete with the likes of OnePlus 5T and Xiaomi Mi MIX 2. It sports a 5.99-inch full-HD+ bezel-less display with 18:9 aspect ratio, Android 8.0 Oreo software, HiSilicon Kirin 970 processor, 6GB RAM, 16-megapixel plus 20-megapixel dual cameras on the back, 13-megapixel camera in front, 128GB internal storage, microSD card expansion up to 256GB, and 3750mAh battery.
BSNL, Detel join hands to offer phone, prepaid connection at Rs. 499
BSNL and feature phone maker Detel are offering the D1 handset and a prepaid connection at Rs. 499. At this price, buyers will get talk time worth Rs. 103 and personal ring back tone for 28 days; call tariff is 15 paisa per minute to BSNL numbers and 40 paisa per minute to other networks. Key features of the Detel D1 handset include a 1.44-inch monochrome display, single-SIM functionality, 650mAh battery, torch light, FM radio, and vibration mode.
Samsung Level In ANC earphones launched in India at Rs. 3,799
Samsung has launched the Level In ANC earphones with active noise cancellation and ‘Talk in mode’ in India at Rs. 3,799. The canal-type Samsung earphones sport 10mm two-way speaker units, a remote control to answer calls, adjust volume, pause/ play and skip songs. Apart from these, Samsung Level In ANC earphones come with a pack a battery pack that can last for up to 10 hours.