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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

Paytm

Paytm launches its own Mini App Store

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Last week, Indians witnessed chaos between Paytm and Google when the latter took down the Paytm app from Google Play Store. With the Indian Premier League starting a few weeks back, many companies and their respective apps have unlocked new features and cricket-themed prizes. Paytm also launched such cricket-themed cashback for its customers which led Google to accuse it of sports betting. After the Paytm app was back again in the Play Store, the current CEO and co-founder of Paytm, Vijay Shekhar Sharma accused Google of being biased and it was just a move put resistance to Paytm’s new user growth.

Paytm has given Google a very bold comeback yesterday by launching its own Mini App Store. The company decided to open its app store to help and grow Indian developers giving them a lot of scopes to establish their business and grow. Vijay further said that they are proud to create such an amazing opportunity for every Indian developer. It will be a good experience for both the developers and Paytm users.

Paytm big move

Before last week, Google has accused Paytm a few times of sports betting and not going by the guidelines. But, after what happened the last time, Vijay has not taken the accusation lightly. Currently, the two companies are on a battlefield and yesterday Paytm played its big move. Paytm launched its Android mini app store for the Indian developers. In this time of such an economic crisis, every person should try and make the best of the time and try to stabilize the economy. Given that the new start-ups and small businesses are significant contributors to GDP, this is a well-played move indeed.

Paytm
Image Source: thequint.com

Advantages for the Indian developers 

According to the company, these mini-apps can be made using HTML and JavaScript and run within two weeks only. Two developers can complete the integration of the web within a small period. The company also says that these apps will act more like websites for the time being and not full-fledged apps. The mini-apps will also help users save their memory and data as well. For the Paytm users, they don’t need to download an additional app to access these new mini-apps.  

Regarding the payment options, the Paytm Wallet, Paytm Payments Bank, and UPI are already incorporated in the system. To use these payment systems, zero percent fees are charged which is a huge advantage for the developers. There is also an option for payment with a credit card, debit card, and net banking but a 2% along with GST will be added. Using this platform of Paytm’s the young developers can reach out to more people and also take the advantage of leveraging Paytm’s payment system.

Disappointed in Google’s action

It is clearly understood that even if Paytm wasn’t planning to launch its mini play store or maybe not anytime soon, Google triggered the decision. But, with the gambling policies enforced on the apps present in Google Play Store, many other companies are also disappointed with Google’s action. The new guidelines from Google have also resulted in withdrawing sport-based cashback offers from Zomato and Swiggy. India is a land of cricket lovers and this new offer brought in many fresh customers especially due to IPL. But, unfortunately, the offer has now been taken off the websites leading to a decrease in new users.

High potential success 

It is time to focus on what the future awaits. The company expects the rolling out of the Paytm mini app store to be a big hit. Indian developers should see this as a humungous opportunity as it also falls under the Atmanirbhar Bharat mission drive. It would be a huge benefit for both the local business and the Indian economy if every small start-up goes digital. Moreover, Indians are also showing interesting in buying from local retailers thus supporting small businesses. Paytm already has around 300 mini-apps in the Paytm and soon the numbers will increase. Some of the apps include Ola, Rapido, Domino’s, NetMeds, etc.

Since this is a new feature rolled out by Paytm, it will hold a conference on 8th October 2020 to help understand the developers how this works. Now, let us just wait and watch how far it can give a tough competition to Google.

Google

Google partners with Zoho, Instamojo, and many others to help SMBs go digital.

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The current economic situation caused due to the outburst of COVID-19 has brought heavy losses for many new and small businesses. Though the global economy is suffering, the SMBs are facing the hardest of challenges. They can neither repair the damage eventually like big companies nor then can shut it down. So, Google has decided to help support these SMBs to build their business, have a strong digital presence, and combat the economic sinister.

Yesterday, Google announced that it has partnered with Zoho, Instamojo, and many other companies to provide a better and a digital presence for the SMBs. Since the lockdown, every operation as far as possible has been conducted virtually. So, this might be the right time to take your business online as a part of “the new normal”. This new initiative will help consumers discover such small businesses in Google Maps and Search. These new features will be available on Grow with Google Small Business hub in India.

Google partnered with a few companies 

Apart from collaborating with Zoho and Instamojo, Google has also partnered with Dunzo and Swiggy. These companies will provide their platforms to the businesses which will help the business operate in many ways. Zoho is providing its inventory to these businesses that will be able to create a website for their service and also sell their product online through Zoho Commerce. Also, Zoho is providing these services for free till 31st March 2021. Though we are amidst a pandemic and tough financial mayhem, the SMBs are getting much support through this initiative.

Instamojo is also offering a six-month free subscription to its ‘Premium Online Store Solution’ for the SMBs. To ensure a fast and efficient onboarding process and hassle-free online orders, Google partnered with Dunzo and Swiggy. Dunzo will provide 24X7 merchant supports to these businesses for free. Moreover, Dunzo is also not charging anything for singing up and instant registration. The SMBs can also use Swiggy’s seven days ‘Fast track Onboarding’.

SMBs go digital with Google
Image Source: legal.economictimes.indiatimes.com

Apart from partnering with these companies, Google will soon launch a new show in partnership with Doordarshan called Namaste Digital. This will be a learning show for SMBs on how to grow their business in a digital world.

Google-Kantar small business tracker research

In July, Google has conducted Google-Kantar small business tracker research. And, this new initiative is solely taken based on the feedback from the SMBs and the challenges they are facing. The report showed that 92% of small businesses face customer-related challenges which are the biggest problem of such businesses. Apart from this, revenue loss due to low demand also caused the downfall or dormancy of such businesses. They eventually understood that it will be profitable for their businesses to go digital and hence the numbers are increasing eventually. This is a very strong contribution towards digital India as the unprivileged needs more attention than those who have resources.

What are experts saying?

Shalini Girish, Customer Solutions Director at Google India, in response to this new initiative said that there are millions of small businesses established in a diversified field in India. And, in this time of economic crisis, we need to do everything in our power to support and transform these businesses digitally. Google has also launched a nationwide campaign called ‘Make Small Strong’ to help grow consumer demand for local small businesses. Customers can buy from a local vendor, leave ratings, and thus help the local businesses grow.

Anand Nergunam Sr, VP of Revenue Management, and Growth at Zoho said that the company owes its very existence to SMBs. From the very beginning, Zoho has always focused on supporting and helping small businesses grow and with this collaboration with Google, they will ensure that the small local business community comes out of this economic crisis stronger. Each local business needs to have a digital presence and due to the pandemic, the customer preference towards e-commerce has increased rapidly.

Akash Gehani, the co-founder of Instamojo, said that the SMBs are the backbone of the Indian company and a big contributor to India’s GDP. Currently, Instamojo helps around 1.3 million MSMEs to start and establish their business online. Moreover, in this current situation, it is necessary to unleash the full potential of businesses from startups to SMBs in terms of digital growth.

Google Meet

Google Meet to Limit Meeting to 60 Minutes on Free Plans after September 30

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With the global pandemic striking earlier this year, videoconferencing apps faced a larger crowd and growth in terms of new users. Due to the lockdown, from classes to business meetings, from chatting with friends to giving exams everything started taking place virtually. So, many videoconferencing platforms made their app free for everyone. One such company is Google that made Google Meet free for everyone which means video conferencing for an unlimited time.

When the pandemic started taking monstrous shape, people understood that this is not going to end anytime soon. So, Google Meet made the platform free for all users in April. The company also mentioned that this free plan would be until 30th September 2020. And, yesterday the company made it clear that it is sticking to its words.

Google Meet Free till 30th September of this year

In the last week of April, Google announced making Google Meet free for everyone. The company said the privilege of enjoying unlimited video conferencing time will not just be limited to enterprise and education customers. So, anybody with a Google account easily created a meeting in Google Meet with 100 participants maximum and no time limit. But, the company gave a hint at the beginning that the time slot will be reduced to 60 minutes after 30th September. But, the users might have thought with time the deadline might have extended.

Google used the free for all strategy to also outrun Zoom in terms of the user base. When the lockdown started, the first videoconferencing platform that escalated to unlimited height was Zoom. But, very soon due to the compromised security system of Zoom or callous safety measures, Zoombombing took place. Google Meet saw it as a golden opportunity to take control of the market by both free meetings and ensuring safety. When Google made the platform free it made clear that Google will focus more on the safety measures. Thus, whenever a person will try to join a meeting using a link, first he will wait in the green room until and unless the host lets him in. This made Meet better and safer than Zoom.

Google Meet
Image Source: arstechnica.com

Advanced features for G Suite

With the unlimited video conferencing time, Google also made the advanced free features free for everyone. At first, the features were made free till 1st July which was then extended to 30th September. But, along with the time limit reducing to 60 minutes, free users cannot enjoy the advanced features of G Suite anymore. When the G Suite features were also made available it allowed the G Suite for education customers to host meetings with up to 250 participants. The platform also allowed live-stream to up to 100,000 users within a single domain. And, these meetings recording could be saved in Google Drive as well. Unfortunately, all these privileges will go away after a couple of days with only the “Enterprise” tier of G Suite using it for $25 per user per month.

After the pandemic started, Javier Soltero, VP and General Manager of G Suite, said that in the time of needs the company wants to give everyone access to features that they enjoy. G Suite is one of the best products to win by choice and they are trying nothing but to help people around the globe. The company also noticed that the daily user base of Google Meet increased 25 folds as it was in January. So, free access even though for a limited time was immensely profitable for the company.

Other video conferencing platforms 

In April, Google Meet witnessed a daily participant count of 100 million or more. After Zoombombing, every video conferencing company including Google Meet wanted to take its position in the market, thus ruling it. Among all these apps, it was Zoom to achieve great success within a very small period. The other companies eventually started chasing the meteoric rise of Zoom. But, with the virtual mode becoming the new normal for every purpose, it is time for Google Meet to get back to its normal plans.

So, the decision of ending free plans for all is fixed. Free users can still enjoy videoconferencing but with a time constraint of 60 minutes.

Qualcomm

Qualcomm announced Snapdragon 750G SoC, Enabling Truly Global 5G, and HDR Gaming

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Qualcomm Technologies are always on top when it comes to global connectivity and leading wireless technology. Many multinational companies are working tirelessly to bring more advancement incorporated in the 5G network, but currently, Qualcomm is playing its ace. On 22nd September 2020, Qualcomm Technologies announced a new mobile platform, Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G 5G Mobile Platform. This is a true 5G mobile platform offered by the company and will be added to the Snapdragon 7-Series.

The 750G 5G will offer a truly impeccable 5G mobile platform for the users that will ensure excellent global connectivity, high-quality gaming, and on-device AI. The Snapdragon 7-Series has witnessed a lot of new design launches and every time it has turned out to be a bit hit. And, with the 5G global connectivity, the excitement among users will increase by several folds.

Kedar Kondap, VP of product management, Qualcomm Technologies, said that the company is looking for more ways to support the needs of OEM customers as they are growing every day. The new Snapdragon 750G Mobile Platform will provide a handful of premium features to a wider user base. Now, let’s have a more detailed look at its features.

Features of the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G

The Snapdragon 750G 5G Mobile Platform runs in an X52 5G Modern-RF System. The system supports mmWave and sub-6GHz, both standalone (SA) and non-standalone (NSA) nodes, TDD, FDD, and Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) as well. The platform provides both global roaming and global multi-SIM. With these highlighted features any device that runs in Snapdragon 750G will support multi-gigabit connections. This means the users can download and upload files within the blink of an eye. Gone are those when we use to have 2G speed internet connectivity even to download big files. Both the speed and the limit of data have expanded just in a couple of years.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G SoC
Image Source: firstpost.com

As I mentioned earlier, the platform has been made compatible with high-quality gaming as well, the new Snapdragon 750G offers Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Gaming. This new feature allows low-latency gameplay thus making the platform smoother and better in terms of quality. The platform has also incorporated Qualcomm Adreno 619 GPU that will provide better graphics quality making the scenes look more real. The users can also stream games from 5G cloud gaming platforms.

5th Generation Qualcomm AI Engine

AI has already taken over most of the industries in a diversified field. The capability of a machine to understand human intelligence has unlocked many new opportunities and paved a way for a better understanding of the customers. After all, the main goal is to give a better experience to the users. The Qualcomm AI Engine creates a better interaction with the smart camera and video, voice recognition and translation, advanced imaging based on AI, etc. The new Qualcomm AI Engine powering the Snapdragon 750G provides a 20% sharp improvement in functioning (smart detections and functions that are based on AI) than 730G. In 750G Mobile Platform, the AI engine provides 4.0 Trillion Operations Per Second (TOPS).

The platform also has Qualcomm Kryo 570 CPU that enhances the overall performance consequently user experience as well. The 750G mobile platform also has Qualcomm Sensing Hub that combines multiple data streams to work in a better way. For example, the Snapdragon 750G 5G Mobile Platform has Qualcomm’s AI-based audio and voice communication suite. This helps in canceling the noise or background voices as the system enables AI-based echo cancellation automatically. Thus it provides a better experience while voice calling or voice assistant tasks.

What experts have to say?

Andreas Bussmann, Program Manager 5G devices, Deutsche Telekom, said that Deutsche and Qualcomm have a very strategic collaboration. They hope this new Snapdragon 750G 5G will scale the 5G network and improve user experience. Chris Emmons, Executive Director Device and Product Marketing, Verizon said that with Qualcomm coming up with superior solutions, it will help run the 5G devices their customer relies on. Xiaomi works in collaboration with Qualcomm and they will launch the first commercial smartphone that will have Snapdragon 750G 5G connectivity. The commercial devices having Snapdragon 750G are expected to roll out by the end of this year.

Paytm

Google takes down Paytm from Play Store

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Earlier on 18th September 2020, Google took down Paytm, India’s most reliable and valuable digital payment app from Play Store. Google accused Paytm of violating the Play Store gambling policies and thus the app disappeared from the Play Store all of a sudden. Paytm has a monthly active user base of 50 million thus becoming Google Pay the biggest competitor in the country. Paytm accused Google of restricting the financial service app from adding new users. Let’s have a more detailed look into this.

Why Paytm has been taken down by Google?

Sports betting is banned in India. But, escaping the strong vigilance, many online sites arrange sports betting illegally. According to Google, Play Store doesn’t allow online casinos in its list and other gambling apps that promote and welcome users for sports betting in India. TechCrunch was informed by two unnamed people that Paytm has introduced a fantasy sports service (Paytm First Games) in its marquee app that violated many times the policies of the Play Store. 

The Android-maker also maintains similar guidelines around gambling. There are many apps made by Indian companies that lead the users to an external website where one can participate in paid tournaments and betting related to sports in India. And, all such apps violet the policies of Google Play Store thus bringing doom on themselves. Suzanne Frey, VP, Product, Android Security, and Privacy, wrote in a blog post that the rules are made to protect users from potential harm that can be caused by these misleading apps. She also further mentioned that even after warning the developer if the app is not brought into compliance it might also result in permanently terminating the Google Play Developers account.

After Paytm was taken down by Google, Paytm tweeted addressing all its users that the app is temporarily unavailable and it will be back soon. The company also assured that all the money is safe and they don’t need to worry.

Paytm
Image Source: blog.paytm.com

Sports betting in India

Google taking down Paytm accused of illegal sports betting might be a loud and clear message to all developers across the country. Since India is a country with a huge base of cricket lovers and IPL that started on 19th September, it might be a gentle warning. Google wanted to warn everyone that the betting policies of the Play Store should be taken seriously. The previous seasons of IPL have witnessed the interest of millions of Indians in such apps where they can participate in sports betting.

Apart from Paytm, Google has also asked Disney+ Hotstar to display a warning before showing ads of fantasy sports app.  

Paytm accused Google

Vijay Shekhar Sharma, co-founder and CEO of Paytm in response to this accusation by Google said that Google is not allowing Paytm to acquire new users. Google took down the app of Paytm hours after it rolled out cricket-themed scratch cards for cashback. He said that though Google has previously raised concern about Paytm First Games, this time it was about “nothing but” provided cashback to the users. He further said if cashback is the issue, the same rule should apply for Google Pay and PhonePe as well. The company has pulled the new feature and revised the app’s current version.

In response to Google taking down Paytm, FIFS (Federation of Indian Fantasy Sports) said that it has launched a complaint to Google about allowing some big companies like Paytm to launch and promote cash contest. The FIFS said that the guidelines of Google regarding Fantasy Sports should be imposed on everyone equally.

Is it back on the Play Store again?

The app was taken down from Play Store on Friday morning. It was back again in the evening after the company submitted its regulated version of the app to Play Store. The app was banned as the company rolled out a new feature called “Paytm Cricket League”, a day before IPL. The CEO of the company said the feature was cricket-themed cashback for users but Google said it violated policies against “simulated gambling content”. Though Google says Paytm violated policies, some industry experts are looking at it as a potential conflict of interest as Paytm is Google Pay’s biggest rival in the country.

GoPro Hero 9

GoPro launches Hero 9 Black action camera with 5K video recording, dual screens, and more

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After GoPro Hero 8 Black, the company has launched GoPro Hero 9 Black with added features and modification. If you are a photographer or a videographer, this is a must-have and you should add it to your list. GoPro Hero 9 Black is mainly designed for shooting adventurous video clips but you can shoot other clips as well. Though the GoPro Hero Series camera is famous among vloggers, the Hero 9 Black will be the biggest hit of this year. 

The GoPro Hero 9 Black is the flagship action camera of the company for this year. Some of the highlighted features of this new gadget are a high-resolution sensor, removable lens cover, front-facing color LCD, etc. The Hero 9 Black model will be compatible with GoPro Mods which will include a new max lens mod. Let’s have a descriptive look at this new action camera. 

GoPro Hero 9 Price and Availability 

The high resolution 23.6 megapixel Hero 9 Black will be available in the market from late October. The price of this model is Rs 49,500 in India. GoPro will also launch a Media Mod, especially for the Hero 9 Black in the upcoming months. The company claims that it will offer a much better microphone which will come with a foam cover. The foam cover will help in suppressing the noise thus being an excellent noise absorber and also a weather-resistant product.

After Hero 9 Black is made available on the market, Hero 7 Black will become the entry-level model while Hero 8 will continue to sell but maybe at a dropped price. GoPro also has a GoPro Max, that is, the only 360-degree camera offering of the company. But, it won’t be updated this year.

Specifications and Features

The most important feature of this action camera is the 23.6-megapixel image sensor. This is the biggest upgrade of the model as the previous one had a 12-megapixel sensor. The video shooting capability of the Hero 9 Black is up to 5k video at 30fps. For the still images, the quality will be 20 megapixels. The company has also upgraded the rear touchscreen by making it a bit broader. The rear screen measures 2.27 inches to be precise diagonally. The company has also added a new front-facing color display to the model.

GoPro Hero 9
Image Source: techradar.com

There is also a 1.4 inch LCD that works at its best when pointed at yourself. One can also use the front display for framing the shot using it as a monitor. This product will boost the feed of the recent Instagrammers and YouTubers once it hits the market. For people who love traveling, this model is a pure blessing.

Hero 9 Black has a battery of 1,720mAh which makes it slightly bigger and heavier than the previous models. The removable lens cover of the Hero 9 Black is of great advantage as you can swap it with a new one if it is damaged. You can replace it with a new Max lens mod as well which has a wider field of view and you can use Max HyperSmooth stabilization. One can also with horizontal lock software settings with this new accessory.

Apart from the new main software HyperSmooth 3.0, TimeWarp 3.0 has also been installed. TimeWarp 3.0 always instantly to switch the video speed of the hyper-lapse to either real-time or half-speed. The new model can also perform horizontal leveling with the camera instead of relying on the GoPro app. It has a Type C charging with a single microSD card.

Scheduled capture is one of the best features of the Hero 9 Black model. You can fix the timing of the shoot and along with that schedule the duration for the time it will shoot ranging from 15 seconds to 3 hours. And, after capturing the video, the camera will turn itself off immediately.

Hero 8 Black vs. Hero 9 Black

Hero 8 Black weighs 126g and Hero 9 Black weighs 158gm. The new Hero 9 Black is waterproof up to 10m and the rugged body is similar to that of Hero 8 Black. Hero 8 Black is compatible with the Media Mod whereas for Hero 9 GoPro will launch a new Media Mod. The battery of the new GoPro Hero 9 Black is also better (1720mAh) as compared to Hero 8 Black (1220mAh).