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Annasha

Annasha Dey is an NIT student, who apart from studying engineering is also a content writer. She has a great interest in photography, writing, reading novels, and travelling as well. She is a foodie who loves socializing and hanging out with her friends. She is also a trained Kathak dancer and a big fashion enthusiast. Dey also loves watching TV series, which includes F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and Big Bang Theory. To be a better writer she prefers to read more

Inito

Indian made Inito Fertility Monitor receives approval from FDA prepares for US launch

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On 9th November 2020, Inito, a Bengaluru-based medical start-up received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for launching its Fertility Monitor in the U.S. The co-founder of the company, Aayush Rai has informed The Indian Express that it is a very proud moment for the people of the company. Aayush also mentioned that they are very glad that their invention can be implemented on a global level and not just in the U.S. or India. The company has made a breakthrough that Aayush mentions as a development for the rest of the world from India. The Fertility Monitor has passed all the rules of the FDA and all set for launch in the international market.

Inito received Class One approval

Fertility Monitor is a home-based user testing product and thus has to go through various scrutinies to prove that it is safe to use. The Fertility Monitor received class one approval and it means that according to FDA it is a device with the lowest degree of risks. This is a very impressive invention for a start-up to receive a class one approval given that the use of medical instruments is very sensitive. The company is still required to show the clinical trial data, pass all the levels of scrutiny for manufacturing requirements, and other rules of the U.S. regulator. The main goal of the Fertility Monitor is to see if it works both safely and accurately.

Work environment

As the U.S. has grant approval for the Inito Fertility Monitor, they are preparing for setting up an operation in the U.S. Inito should strictly abide by the U.S. regulatory standards apart from creating a huge user base and run smooth production operation. Many factors especially the physical environment should be maintained at an optimum condition for proper production. For example, temperature is one of the major factors that play a role in using medical devices. So, a lot of pre-processing is required before production starts in the U.S.

Inito Fertility Monitor
Image Source: indianexpress.com

How the device will work?

The Inito smart Fertility Monitor can be connected to a user’s smartphone by installing the app for Android or iOS. This will help couples give a clearer view of the most fertile days when they are trying to conceive. Many couples struggle to conceive and hence it is a huge advantage to get access to such a device at home. Inito doesn’t work like the regular ovulation strips rather it combines testing for both estrogen and Luteinizing Hormone (LH). Many ovulation testing kits are available on the market but they only test the LH level. But, the presence of high LH is not the only indication of high chances of fertility.

So, Inito’s Fertility Monitor measures both the estrogen and LH level and connects it to the phone’s app, and shows a certain period of six days as the fertility window. The smart monitor not only displays the level of estrogen and LH but also shows the probability of fertility from low to high in the six-days window. Moreover, through the level of these hormones, other health issues can be predicted as well. If you observe an abnormal level of estrogen and LH you can then consult the doctor to figure out if there is any other complexity in your body. The company through this invention is trying to help figure out couples the best time to conceive as according to the Indian Society of Assisted Reproduction (ISAR), 10-14% of couples in India face fertility issues.

More about Inito

In India, Inito sells its Fertility Monitor along with strips via Amazon. Currently, Bangalore is their biggest market but their market is also growing in tier-2 and tier-3 cities. Aayush said that the product they have developed requires a very educational background to adopt it quickly. Since sexual education is still a subject of taboo in our country, maybe the product is taking time to expand in small cities.

Inito’s developments are very forward-thinking and show an accurate result. This company is the first-ever medical device start-up from India to secure funding from Y-Combinator. The company plans to add more hormones to the test both in the field of fertility and beyond. The company will further focus on testing for thyroid, vitamin D, testosterone, and HBa1c.

Arm

Arm promises better gaming experience and productivity with the launch of the new Cortex-A78C CPU

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Mankind can never meet the absolute best when looking for excellence. In this tech-driven world, everything we are developing becomes backdated too soon. The development in the sphere of science is taking place rapidly aiming to optimize the working condition of every single thing surrounding us. With that being said, computers and smartphones are two mostly used gadgets that undergo modification most often. Enhancing the performance of a machine and increasing its ability to do more work is the prime concern of the modern world.

So, here’s good news for the smartphone users that yesterday Arm has announced a new CPU variant that will fuel the next-generation flagship smartphones. This new CPU variant is Cortex-A78C that can be seen in laptop SOCs and it is responsible for making the system highly efficient.

Arm Powering more than the next generation smartphones

Earlier this year, the company has launched Cortex-A78 and along with that Cortex-A which has claimed that it increased the efficiency of the system by 20%. The processor broke its record as compared to Cortex-A77 it was successful in increasing the energy savings by 50%. The company claims that as Cortex-A78 is exclusively for smartphones, the new Cortex-A78C will always power on-the-go devices like always-on laptops.

In May 2020, the company’s new products were focused mainly on mobile solutions. The company launched ARM Cortex-A78 CPU, ARM Mali-G78 GPU, and ARM Ethos-N78 NPU. Apart from this, the company also launched the Cortex-X Custom Program that allowed customization of products that go beyond the conventional line of Arm products. With ARM Cortex-A78 CPU as the foundation, the company launched Cortex-A78C to build a secure computing solution as well. This new product will be a combination of Arm’s high-efficiency Cortex-A78 as well as the advanced safety features of the Cortex-A78AE CPU. We are looking forward to a CPU with enhanced performance along with scalability and security.

Arm
Image Source: cdn.ndtv.com

Features of the new Cortex-A78C CPU

The new Cortex-A78C will provide support for up to 8 big CPU clusters leading to more homogenous multi big core computing. As compared to the Cortex-A78, this new octa-core configuration will improve multi-threaded performance. This will meet the demand for digital immersion workload such as increasing the all-day gaming productivity. The new CPU has focused on making the gaming experience better and the capability of the system higher. So, when this CPU will combine with Mali GPUs, the all-day gaming will become much better as Mali-G78 provided much better graphic performance and battery life.

For having a better experience while working with datasheets, Arm has increased the L3 cache memory to 8MB. This will help in enhancing the performance of the professional applications as well as bring AAA gaming to the next-generation devices. Apart from the improvement in gaming life, the CPU will also provide updates for data and device security. To ensure security, a new feature called Pointer Authentication (PAC) has been introduced to minimize the attack surface by preventing the attackers from controlling the software control flow. This key feature also ensures data safety when installing a third-party app.

The Arm has committed completely to respond to the needs of all users. It understands the need for a different market and thus trying to deliver CPU designed for individual needs. So, it has taken a big leap from Cortex-A78 to Cortex-A-78C by not thinking only about smartphones but also on-the-go devices. The company still hasn’t made clear that exactly which are the devices that can be powered by the new Cortex-A78C CPU.

More about Arm 

The Arm is a semiconductor and software design company whose primary interest lies in designing ARM processors. It has an important role to play in the market of smartphones, computers, and other devices. It licenses the right to many companies to build systems using Arm cores and eventually coming up with the most efficient device. Recently, Arm has come into a partnership with the US Defence Department’s DARPA Agency. This gives the agency access to Arm’s technology for research purposes. This year, NVIDIA announced plans on acquiring Arm which would mark the biggest acquisition in the semiconductor industry to date. Many multinational tech companies use Arm’s processor. Some of them are Apple, Samsung, Nokia, Sony, HTC, Qualcomm, etc.

Airtel

Airtel Broadband, Postpaid Users Get Free Disney+ Hotstar VIP Subscription for a Year

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On 2nd November 2020, Airtel announced that Airtel Broadband is going to offer a VIP subscription of Disney + Hotstar to its broadband and postpaid users. The users have to install the Airtel Thanks App and it can be applied by using the same. The VIP subscription of Disney + Hotstar was previously provided by the company to the prepaid users only through different recharge plans. So, now the postpaid, as well as the prepaid users, can enjoy the VIP subscription.

This new subscription plan is applicable only for Airtel users. For broadband users, the newly launched offer is applicable for Rs 999 plans and above, and for postpaid plans, it is available for Rs 499 plans and above. You can find more plan related details on the operator’s page.

How to activate Airtel offer?

  • If you already have an eligible plan, first go to the Airtel Thanks app.
  • Then go to the #airtelThanks section from the Discover.
  • You will find the Disney + Hotstar option and tap on it.
  • From here you will be enabled to activate the VIP subscription and you can switch on Whatsapp update as well.
  • Also, this subscription will be automatically enabled if you recharge with a suitable pack, for example, Rs 401, Rs 612, etc.
  • After recharging you will receive a link in your SMS. Click the link and login to the Disney + Hotstar app.
  • Remember you have to log in using the same number you used for recharge.

The validity of the newly launched offer

The one year VIP subscription will become unavailable if you downgrade your pack or port your Airtel connectivity to any other telecom network. On the other hand, your telecom services and the VIP subscription are independent of each other. It means that once your telecom services are expired you can recharge with any desired pack except the four Hotstar packs to reestablish your telecom services. This will not harm the 1 year VIP subscription which will be interrupted for the next 365 days.

Airtel
Image Source: gadgets.ndtv.com

Some users might also have the confusion if they need to subscribe to this offer separately if they already have Disney + Hotstar VIP subscription. The new offer launched via Airtel will work independently with your existing subscription.

Benefits from the Disney + Hotstar VIP subscription 

  • You will enjoy all the free and live sports like cricket, football, premier leagues, formula 1, etc.
  • All Disney movies (dubbed) especially kids movies (dubbed), any Indian movies, Hotstar specials, Star serials will be made available. You will also be able to watch the serials ahead of time they are broadcasted on TV.
  • But, one disadvantage of this one-year subscription is that you will not get any access to Hollywood movies, American TV shows, and Disney + Originals. So, choose your plan wisely.

The prepaid plans of Airtel

In August of this year, Airtel launched several prepaid plans which include the VIP subscription of Disney + Hotstar. So, if some people are not interested in the postpaid options or Airtel broadband, you can have a look at these offers. They are as follows:

  • Rs 401 pack will provide a 1 yr VIP subscription and 30GB data for 28 days.
  • Rs 448 pack will provide a 1 yr VIP subscription and 3GB/day for 28 days.
  • Rs 599 pack will provide a 1 yr VIP subscription and 2GB/day for 56 days.
  • Rs 2698 pack will provide a 1 yr VIP subscription and 2GB/day data for 365 days.

Apart from the VIP subscription and data pack, Airtel also offers 100 SMS per day, unlimited roaming, STD, and local phone calls. But, you should remember that these four packs are once in a year deal which means you will be able to recharge with any of these above only once in 365 days. Apart from this plethora of choices, Airtel from last month also started offering an “Add to bill” offer so that the broadband and postpaid users can add the Disney + Hotstar subscription to the monthly bill.

With all these new choices coming up, Airtel and Jio have become very strong competitors as they are providing very lucrative offers to the customer. Let’s see what is next for us in terms of enjoying more entertainment at a cheaper price.

apple

Apple reportedly ‘Setting Up’ efforts to build a Google Search alternative

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With the recent launch of iOS14 and iPadOS14, users have noticed that the queries show search results without Google Search. This is an indication that Apple is trying to build its search engine and has no further plan to use Google Search as the default search engine. Since the user queries can be answered without the support of Google, it can be said that Apple is making a pretty fast and impressive development on the way to its own search engine. This Cupertino Company with efficient search capabilities in iOS14 and iPadOS14 has proved that it will be soon ready to challenge Google’s search engine and replace it for once and all.

If we go a little backward in time we can connect the dots as Apple earlier this year posted job openings for search engineers. So, Tim Cook was determined for a long time to create the company’s default search engine followed by incorporating it in the latest version of iOS, that is, iOS14. Now, when users type a query on the home screen it displays a direct link to the websites without opening in Google Search.

Why is Apple creating a new search engine?

Recently, the relationship between Apple and Google has gone sore thus bringing the two under antitrust scrutiny. The US antitrust authorities have threatened the payment made to Apple by Google for securing the position of default search engine on iPhones and iPads. The web search capability of Apple’s smartphones always plays a major role in deciding the overall in-house development of the company. So, if they can successfully make an alternative search engine, it will increase the value of the company and make it independent of Google Search. According to some industry experts, Apple is creating its search engine mainly to attack Google. The former has not made any major official announcement regarding the search engine but where there is smoke there is fire.

Strategies and plot twists

In 2018, Apple hired John Giannandrea, Google’s head of search to improve the existing AI capabilities of the company and to boost the performance of Siri, the virtual assistant. John came with eight years of experience in working with the Google search engine. John’s hiring along with the recent opening for search engineers will create a very strong team for the development of an alternative search engine. So, if the relationship between Google and Apple comes to an end in terms of the Google search engine, Apple will not face any adverse situation.

Apple

After the case launched by the US Department of Justice last week, Bill Coughran, Google’s former engineering chief, said that Apple already has a credible team if they want to go for developing a more general search engine. Many search marketing experts also noticed that the activity of Applebot has increased ridiculously in recent weeks. Applebot is iPhone’s web crawler and the increased rate of crawling means that it is trying to gather more information from the internet. In the new iOS14, Apple’s home screen shows a list of search suggestions generated by Apple’s search engine and not Google. The search result is based on AI thus showing results according to the common queries.

Will apple become a strong competition? 

Standing up to Google as a strong rival could take years, but currently, Apple has shown excellent developments with the alternative search engine. Apple has both a good team of engineers and capital to sign up for a long-term investment. Since the beginning, Apple has focused more on developing every bit of its product in-house starting from the smartphones to the watches. It wants to create a very strong integration between the hardware and the software components. But, for a long time, Apple was stuck with Google’s search engine. Though Apple still has the option to choose between keeping Google Search as the default search engine or become its rival, the stakes are high for the latter option.

Sridhar Ramaswamy, Google’s former head of advertising, said that to build a search engine it should have 20bn-50bn pages in its active index. Along with this, the system has to rank the pages within milliseconds when the user runs a query. It will be extremely difficult for Apple to create a search engine as big as Google but it is not impossible.

Free Fire

Reliance Jio to Host JioMart Gameathon Free Fire Esports Tournament from October 30

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Reliance is a multinational company mostly famous in the field of the oil industry. As one of the biggest conglomerates in Asia, Reliance is gradually expanding in the area of technology as well. To build digital India, Reliance is playing a big role by strengthening connectivity, collaborating with big tech giants like Qualcomm to bring a huge wave of technical revolution, investing in e-commerce, and the latest launching an online gaming event JioMart Gameathon starting this month. Online gaming events can bring huge publicity especially when the entire world is wrapping itself with the virtual mode of entertainment and communication.

This is the perfect timing for Reliance Jio to host an esports event while simultaneously working to launch a 5G-enabled smartphone. The first tournament of this Gameathon is called the Free Fire tournament and many more events will eventually follow this into the JioGames platform. The tournament will start from 30th October till 1st November.

The Free Fire tournament

The company will hold the Free Fire tournament and the following events on the JioGames platform which the company announced last year at the company’s 42nd Annual General Meeting. The JioGames platform was announced along with JioFiber set-top box. The app is still in its beta version available in Google Play Store. The three-day event of the Free Fire tournament will be live broadcasted on YouTube and JioTV. The news and updates related to the events are posted on a support page created especially for this tournament. This event also comes with lucrative cash prizes to lure as many audiences as possible. The first prize is worth Rs 16,000 which is followed by the runner-up prize money, that is, Rs 12,000 and Rs 1,000 for the most valuable player. The prize money will be credited in the JioMart’s wallet of the winners. This is also a very clever step as the prize money won will be spent on the company’s service itself. The first-ever gaming esports launched by JioMart is going to be a mobile-only tournament. So, buckle up and prepare for the game.

Free Fire
Image Source: assets.mspimages.in

Registration for JioMart Gameathon

JioMart is reaching out to more people with the #GetSetGame for the first-ever Gameathon. The registration for the tournament has started from 26th October and it will open till the 29th of this month. You can register for the event through the JioGames portal. The Free Fire tournament is a four-stage competition where the qualifying stage will be held on 30th and 31st October at sharp 11 am. The qualifying round will be followed by quarter-finals scheduled for these two days from 11 am to 3 pm. The semi-finals will take place from 1 pm to 4 pm. The grand finale of the tournament will take place on 31st October, that is, Sunday from 5 pm to 8 pm.

Details about the tournament 

You should hurry up for registration if you haven’t as a total number of 576 teams will enter the first stage (qualifying stage) of the tournament. The total number of teams will be divided between 48 lobbies. In the quarter-finals, the top two teams from each lobby will participate, which means 96 teams will compete to reach the semi-finals. In this stage, teams will be divided into 8 lobbies and the top three from each lobby will make it to the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, 24 teams will be competing with each other in two lobbies. Six participants from each lobby will make it to the grand finale. In the grand finale, there will be one single lobby and three maps will be played to declare the winners. The registration page of the tournament has every necessary detail from the scoring system to the general rules of the game.

Reliance Jio and Gaming

Mukesh Ambani has bigger plans for online gaming pushing the company deeper into the tech world. Apart from the oil industry, Reliance will emerge out as one of the successful tech giants of our country very soon. At the beginning of this year, Mukesh Ambani, in an interview with Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, gaming has the potential to be bigger than any other aspects of entertainment put together. And, it seems like Reliance Jio has been marching in the direction to make it come true.

Twitter

Government issues warning to Twitter; conveys strong disapproval over map misrepresentation

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Geotagging manipulation is a very serious threat and disrespect towards the sovereignty of a country. A very important matter regarding the map representation in Twitter which involves Leh, headquarters of the Union Territory of Ladakh has come up this week. Twitter has caused map misrepresentation of Leh showing its location in China. India has warned Twitter with very strong disapproval as it insults the integrity of a nation. Twitter has received heavy criticism from Indian people which it might have seen coming. Social media users have raised a very strong voice against this map manipulation. The question of this act whether it was a genuine mistake of the location setting or done purposely is secondary. Since the relationship between India and China has already got on the wrong foot; this is the worst time to commit a blunder like this by a major-micro blogging platform.

India’s response to this map misrepresentation 

India has sent a letter to Twitter where Ajay Sawhney, Secretary in the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has asked the CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey to respect the sensitivities. A small yet such an intense mistake can cost both the nation and its people. This act of Twitter can be seen as triggering a sleeping volcano. The geotagging feature of Twitter displayed “Jammu & Kashmir, People’s Republic of China” in a live broadcast. It was taking part in Leh’s Hall of Fame, a war memorial to respect the soldiers of Union Territory of Ladakh those who sacrificed their life. A war memorial is a very sensitive and respectful place of a nation where people pay homage to the fallen soldiers. Showing that this part of India belongs to the People’s Republic of China is disrespecting the entire foundation of the country.

Twitter
Twitter CEO: Jack Dorsey
Image Source: cbsnews.com

The angry netizens have heavily insulted Twitter and they demand strict action in response to such an audacious act. On the other hand, Twitter has accepted that it was a technical issue from their side and that it has been resolved. But, the degree of damage it has already caused by wrong geotagging in a live broadcast is immeasurable. The entire world has witnessed a map misrepresentation which is enough to build theories and wage a war on social media and outside.

A warning to Twitter

The letter that was sent to Twitter by Mr. Sawhney on behalf of India clearly mentioned that any sign or attempt to disrespect the sovereignty and integrity of India will not only result in dispute but also questioning the neutrality and fairness of this micro-blogging platform. Even if it was a technical glitch from Twitter’s side, they should be extra cautious and take proper measures to prevent such “mistakes”. The damage it has caused to the reputation of Twitter will also take days to mend. Apart from the gentle warning, India has also reminded Twitter that Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir are integral and inalienable parts of India, governed by the Indian Constitution. In response to this mail, Twitter has immediately mailed back saying “Twitter is committed to working with the Government of India. We respect the sensitivities involved and have dully acknowledged the letter.”

Was it just a glitch?

Nitin Gokhale, National Security Analyst has pointed out the anomaly in the first place which was followed by sending out a warning to Twitter. Moreover, this is not the first time a nation is facing difficulties due to the technical glitches of Twitter. So, it is high time that the platform fixes all the platform before any other nation is hurt. Gokhale said that he went live on Twitter to share his journey to Ladakh from Himachal Pradesh and after the broadcast was ended, he saw the location of Leh showing as a part of China. First, he thought if it was an isolated incident or a glitch so he conducted another experimental live broadcast and the same thing happened yet again. So, has it been a technical glitch, why was a part of India was constantly showing as a part of another nation? Twitter in response to this issue said that investigation teams are trying to resolve the matter as it seems to be a geotagging issue.