Your Tech Story

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

google pixel

Adieus to Google mid-range phones since the company confirmed the discontinuation of Pixel 3A and 3A XL

Leave a Comment / Tech News / By

Very disappointing news hit the tech market yesterday as Google confirmed that there won’t be any further production of Pixel 3A and 3A XL. Google provided a statement to the Android Police about the discontinuation of these mid-range Google smartphones. The company said that there will be no more stock available for these phones on the Google Store.

Where can you still get Pixel 3A and 3A XL?

Google has completed selling all its Pixel 3A and 3A XL through its inventory. But, some of the units might be still available and one can get them from third party retailers. Google said that though they are completed sold through its inventory some of its partners might still have 3A. So, anyone who is still interested in grabbing one of the last pieces of Pixel 3A, hurry up. If you are lucky enough you can still manage to find a retailer with a few last units of these amazing smartphones.

Before Google confirmed that it won’t produce any more units of 3A or 3A XL, the official Google Store marked the product 3A as “Out of Stock”. But, eventually, after the statement was released yesterday, the company changed the status to “Unavailable”.

And, if you are looking for any third party retailers, go and check up in Amazon as well. In Flipkart, it is still showing out of stock instead of unavailable. People who were eyeing 3A for a long time now must be heartbroken especially when this model became a big hit for its amazing camera at a comparatively lower price.

Pixel 3A was a big hit

When Pixel 3A was released, it went off the “mediocre” level and gave a strong competition to the expensive smartphones as well. The best thing that attracted most of the buyers was the Pixel 3A camera. For $399, Pixel 3A was giving away camera quality that could outrun even some of the most expensive smartphone’s camera. The outlook of Pixel 3A was also similar to the high-ranking Pixel 3 models.

The camera with a 12.2-megapixel sensor with f/1.8 aperture made Pixel 3A’s camera even better than the camera on iPhone XR. What can a user ask for when he or she is already getting a smartphone with a camera than can surpass iPhone’s camera in a lower budget?

The Pixel 3A phone came with an 8-megapixel front camera and many advanced features such as Night Sight, Dancing AR Cartoons, Time Lapse, etc. Apart from the general audience, this might be one of the best choices for any photography enthusiast out there. Because, whenever it’s not possible to carry that heavy big gear and other equipment, the phone can easily capture some great shots.

But, with Pixel 3A and 3A XL disappearing from the market, people will be talking more about Pixel 4. Also, words have been floating on the air about the successor of Pixel 3A, Pixel 4A might come anytime soon.

Is Pixel 4A coming anytime soon?

With Google’s phone becoming a big hit after the release of Pixel 3A and 3A XL, Google was about to launch the new Pixel 4A this year. But, many big plans have been altered after the pandemic has hit our world. And, due to the harsh consequences of COVID-19, many products launched are delayed which also includes the cancellation of Google I/O 2020. So, it has been a long time since Google made any official announcement about Pixel 4A.

Last month when the company Android 11, it didn’t make any statements about the release of Pixel 4A. But, even before a company makes an official announcement, some of the details get leaked over time. So far, the specifications we have come to know about Pixel 4A are a display of 5.81 inches with a Snapdragon 730 processor. Pixel 4A will have 6GB RAM with a questionable internal memory (64GB or 128GB). The video recording capabilities of 4A will be as same as Pixel 4 with the camera specifications of Pixel 3A.

aws

Amazon Honeycode launched by AWS is free up to 20 users

Leave a Comment / Tech News / By

AWS announced the launch of Amazon Honeycode yesterday. This will allow the customers to build quick apps and customize them according to their convenience. Anyone can build an application using Amazon Honeycode without any prior coding knowledge. So, it is time to stop waiting for the developers to make you a customized application and do it on your own. The beta version of the service is available currently to the users.

Demand for Amazon Honeycode

For a long time now, the customers have demanded a viable solution for developing customized web and mobile applications. Because according to them the need for making the average number of such customized applications outruns the number of developers. So, it causes a big inconvenience for the users. But, now with the launch of Honeycode, they can build apps easily with no or minimal coding.

For applications of most common purposes such as surveying, customer tracking, schedule, creating a to-do list, customer relationship management, etc, Amazon Honeycode is providing templates. Using the tools and templates of Honeycode, customers can build simple tracking applications to complex applications using a deep complex network. But, whatever might be the degree of complexity it is claimed to be better than using spreadsheets.

Honeycode
Image Souce: techcrunch.com

Amazon Honeycode over spreadsheets

The company also mentioned that it is better to build applications on your own than using spreadsheets and emailing them back and forth. It is because emailing documents or spreadsheets consumes a lot of extra time and accumulation of inefficiency takes place. Moreover, it also gives rise to data syncing and other forms of error slowing down the entire workflow.

This is the main reason customers would want service so that they can create applications on their own. They just need to get used to the user interface and don’t need to worry much about the AWS database or the infrastructural backbone. This way they can also stop hiring expensive developers to build the applications.

How Amazon Honeycode works?

Every user who wants to develop their applications is used to the way how spreadsheets work. This is the most important reason why Amazon Honeycode is also using spreadsheets as a part of its data interface. They can use the spreadsheet-style formulas to build the application and at the same time not worry about the AWS backend database.

The main reason AWS launched Amazon Honeycode service to keep things easier and simpler for the users or the “builders”. And, to maintain the smooth working of the service AWS is not allowing users to add any external data sources as it can complicate matters. But, the company’s plan for Honeycode is still uncertain. So, maybe if everything goes well, it might change the decision and allow outside data sources afterward.

Currently, Amazon Honeycode is only available in the US West region in Oregon. But eventually, AWS will expand its Honeycode services to other regions as well. You can create your application and it is free for twenty users, and then you have to pay for users as the application becomes larger.

The motivation behind building Amazon Honeycode

In an interview, Larry Augustin, AWS VP, and Meera Vaidyanathan, General Manager at AWS elaborately discussed the reason behind building Amazon Honeycode. They said that the services and products of AWS mainly concerned the developers around the world. But, this time they are shifting the audience base and focusing on non-coders. AWS is expanding its services and extending its helping hand to solve the shortcoming of non-coders as well. They said that they often received feedback from customers that they want the IT teams to better solve a problem by creating applications. But they lacked the number of developers needed to reach every customer and solve their problem. Hence, AWS came up with Amazon Honeycode to help build applications easily that concerns the basic line of business.

The no-code strategy of Amazon Honeycode will attract a lot of new users around the world. AWS is mainly targeting audiences like project managers, data analysts, etc who can easily create an application on their own and solve some of their problems. On top of that, the spreadsheet-like interface is the most common one so the users won’t face problems getting used to it.

IOS

With the onset of WWDC 20 Apple unveils iOS 14

Leave a Comment / Tech News, Tech Tips / By

Yesterday, on WWDC 2020, Apple revealed all-new iOS 14 and its top features. The users around the world will witness the biggest changes and updates to the Home Screen ever. Apple decided to modify a major portion of the display including new messaging styles, using Apple clips, redesigning widgets, etc.

The variation of widgets and customizing it accordingly is one of the best features of iOS 14. Users can go to the “widget gallery” and easily customize widgets from there. Moreover, the users can also create Smart Stack which uses AI to pop up the right widget around the clock.

The number of changes and new features that Apple has incorporated in iOS 14 seems unending. Craig Federighi, Senior VP of software engineering, Apple said that this is the biggest ever update they have ever made to a Home Screen. From automatically organizing apps with the App Library to a new experience with Siri, let’s have a better look at the iOS features.

Save time with App Clips

App Clips is a small but new feature that Apple is launching for the first time. The main function or purpose of the App Clip is to get the user access to a part of an app without installing it. Apple is designing an all-new App Clip code for this purpose that can use both visual code and NFC to get access to these App Clips. For example, if you are buying a coffee, sign in with your Apple account, get access to the app clip, pay, and enjoy.

The New Translate App

Apple is also adding its own translate app in the new iOS 14. This in-built app will work similarly to Google Translate. But, for the time being, it can only receive and process texts or audio to 11 languages. The languages include English, French, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Portuguese, Russian, German, and Mandarin Chinese.

Also Read: Larry Page and Sergey Brin: The Intellectual Friendship Behind Google

More engaged messaging

Become chattier with the new features of messaging. We all love chatting, don’t we? Especially with the global pandemic creating havoc in our social life, we have become more active participants of social media. Apple has taken care of it pretty well and introduced new Memojis to spice up chatting with friends and family. These new Memojis are very diverse with a lot of hairstyle options, face coverings, etc. Not only Apple has introduced this feature but also you can pin important conversations at the top of your message list. So, this saves a lot of your time by quickly getting access to important contacts.

iOS 14
Image Source: Apple.com

Better Map Guides

Apple is getting new features for Map and guides from companies like Zagat and AllTrails. This will take user experience to a whole new level. The new features of Map include proper cycling direction and guide which will take into account the amount of elevation, busy streets, etc. For electric vehicles, Map will show routes that have charging stops based on charger types. The Map will also show if there are any stairs on the route or not and will help the user choose the best option. For the time being, the cycling guide will only launch at NYC, San Francisco’s Bay Area, LA, Shanghai, and Beijing.

The new iOS 14 with the modified and curated Map guide is an information hotspot for any traveler or someone new to the city. This guide will help users explore new restaurants, top tourist places, cafes, etc. Brands like Complex, The Infatuation, Time Out Group, etc will provide guide recommendations to explore new places.

Other features

Apart from all these major upgrades, Apple has also made its security stronger. User permission will be now required for every app before it turns on the track. Apart from this, the user can now share his or her approximate location with the app developers rather than the precise location. This will make users feel safer and assure privacy at the same time.

Siri can now send audio messages and help find answers from the internet as well. The Home app has also been modified to make controls easier and quicker. Since the app has access to the information about a user’s home, everything is end-to-end encrypted in the Home app and HomeKit.

Also Read: Amit Agarwal- Journey to start Labnol of first-ever professional Technical blogger of India

Rocket

Pushing the barriers Rocket Lab plans for its first lunar mission next year

Leave a Comment / start-up, Tech News / By

With SpaceX making efforts for better and easier human spaceflight, more and more privately-funded space companies are dreaming bigger. Yesterday, Rocket Lab declared its first mission to the moon in collaboration with NASA. If everything goes well, the launch will take place in 2021.

Rocket Lab is a company most famous for launching small satellites that orbit the Earth. The company believes that the invention of the satellite has changed the perspective of humankind. Today, communication has become much easier, safer, and reliable with the help of these satellites. From weather forecasts to military purposes, satellites have a wide range of applications.

Big Plans

Peter Beck founded Rocket Lab in 2006 and 2009 it became the first private company in the southern hemisphere to reach space. The company has always been passionate about exploring deeper into space. They keep pushing themselves to the edge and every time hits a bigger goal.

Rocket Lab’s next big plan is to land on a unique lunar orbit in collaboration with NASA. This mission of Rocket Lab in 2021 will become a historic event in space history as it aims to land the first woman on the moon by 2024. By now, the company has launched 53 spacecraft in total which mainly targets the lower Earth orbit.

But, the Mission To The Moon will be something exceptional for the company. In this mission, Rocket Lab will use its Electron rocket and Photon Lunar Spacecraft to launch the CAPSTONE CubeSat of NASA. CAPSTONE stands for Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment.

Aim of the Mission

The company has been eyeing to land on one of the unique lunar orbits for years. The contract with NASA and the spacecraft CAPSTONE will surely reach new heights. The primary goal of the mission is to examine and verify the stability of a near rectilinear halo orbit around the moon. This is the same orbit that is planned for the Lunar Gateway.

Apart from this, the CAPSTONE concerns about testing a navigation system which will measure its relative position to NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. This navigation system will not rely on the ground stations.

More about the CAPSTONE mission

The combination of the Photon spacecraft and the Electron rocket acts as a satellite that is used to transfer various payloads into space. Rocket Lab’s Photon spacecraft has been used for a few years now. Though the company was using it as a customized satellite for orbiting the lower Earth orbits, it is time to test it for advanced missions.

The Photon spacecraft has undergone some major modifications for the CAPSTONE mission. The size of the propellant tanks has been increased to several folds and a new engine called HyperCurie has been installed. This engine will provide more thrust than the existing Curie engine. Apart from these, the installation of solar panels will take place and some changes to the Photon.

Rocket
Image Source: Rocket Lab

The CAPSTONE is planned to launch from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 2, Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. It is located on Wallops Island, Virginia, USA. The mass of the satellite is 25kg and it will pass 1600km closest to 70000km furthest from the lunar surface. Currently, the team is engaged in building the Electron rocket for the mission. Since the mission is targeting a special lunar orbit; several launches might target the same orbit in the future with better planning.

Beyond the lunar orbit

The Mission To The Moon will be the first step of Rocket Lab for its journey towards deeper space. Once they successfully land of Moon, it will unleash its potential to explore Mars and Venus as well. Rocket Lab mentions that they are waiting to make this mission successful so that they can proceed with other plans to explore the space.

The company also says that these small space probes play a big part in these interplanetary missions. And, they are also looking forward to sending such small spacecraft into deeper space. This is just the first step, and once they proceed to the next mission, many new ideas and strategies will come up. It’s a dream for Rocket Lab to make the journey to space easier.

wwdc

One week ahead of WWDC, Apple adds Mac support to its Developer app

Leave a Comment / Tech News / By

Apple launched the Apple developer app in late 2019. The app was available only for the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV users until now. Yesterday, Apple announced the redesigning of the app so that it can provide Mac support. This is for the first time that Mac users will be able to use the Apple Developer app. Last month, Apple announced that its WWDC (Worldwide Developers Conference) will take place online starting from 22nd June. So, did Apple plan to launch the updates just one week before WWDC? Including features to support Mac users is a very good decision especially when WWDC20 will be a virtual experience.

Redesigning and feature updates of the Developer app

Not only Apple added Mac support to the Developer app but also many changes took place for its user interface. Some new features have been added, regular updates of content for the discover section, etc. The changes that have taken place in the Apple Developer app have been mentioned below:

  • New UI for Mac OS: A new user interfaces for the Mac developers since Apple is launching it for them the first time.
  • Redesigning the Discover section: Staying updated around the clock is very important. This made Apple redesign the discover section of the app. So, from today onwards it will be easier for the users to stay informed about the latest stories, news, videos, etc. Apple will update the Discover section with “Actionable” content and Apple notes. And, to inspire the developers and users it will also post stories of successful engineers and designers.
  • A new browse interface: The browse tab has also been updated. It will help the users surf the existing articles, videos, news, sessions, etc.
  • The WWDC corner: Since WWDC20 will start on 22nd June, the company has taken a lot of time to design and update the WWDC tab. Over hundreds of videos can be found in this tab that is especially focused on the design and technical topics. In this tab, you will find everything you need to know about the live event of WWDC.

Apart from all these features, the users can also download or favorite any article they like for later. The same goes for videos as well. Apple has also added new iMessage stickers to make it more appealing and fun to use.

mac
Image source: Appleinsider.com

Importance of Apple Developer App

For a long time now, the developers around the world are working towards making their community stronger. Learning new techniques, reading stories of inspirational designers are always advantageous to the users. At the end of the day, they are creating apps that can serve many purposes for various fields.

Apple said that the Developer app helps the users stay informed, learn a new skill which further helps them to create better apps. When Apple introduced the Developer app in November 2019, it was an updated version of the WWDC app. It was mainly for Apple’s third-party developer’s community. Because Apple thought it is crucial to share key resources of assets with them. It will make them learn, grow, and get better.

The new app, that is, the Apple Developer app wants to target international developers as well. They want to extend the accessibility of the resources to developers in Brazil, India, and Indonesia.

Pandemic shifted WWDC online

The annual conference of Apple, WWDC is very prestigious and valuable in terms of the developer’s community, talking about new products, upcoming technology, etc. Every year the conference goes on for a week in-person. But, the pandemic has altered so many plans and events from our schedule.

Apple says WWDC20 is supposed to be the biggest one till now bringing 23 million developers together. The company has already declared that the conference will take place by online-only means from 22nd June to 26th June. The conference is the perfect tech hub for all the tech lovers to come and meet other developers and speak about the new software. Though the event will take place for five days like every other year, the impact is doubtful.

Android

Best TV Remote Apps for Android and iOS

Leave a Comment / Tech tips / By

Though the trend of watching movies and TV series in online video streaming platforms is reaching the peak, the practice of watching television is not yet dead. And, it is common in every family especially Indian households to lose the remote every other minute and create big chaos out of it. But, did you know that you can easily control your television with remote apps available on your smartphones?

Now, you might think that it is only possible to control modern-day television with a Wi-Fi connection. But, thanks to the features of IR blaster which helps to control any smart appliances with an IR receiver. But, with the advancement in technology, many companies have stopped incorporating the feature of IR blaster such as Apple. Does that mean iOS users can’t control a television or other smart appliances with remote?

No, that is just a misunderstanding. Many apps have been launched over time for both Android and iOS with different criteria. Without further ado, let’s dive into the details.

Best TV Remote Apps for Android

Google Home

The main function of the Google Home app is to control Google Home and Google Chromecast devices. While the app is free, the hardware isn’t pocket-friendly. If you don’t have either of the hardware, then just pick a movie or series to cast on your television. The first two TV brands to design inbuilt Google Home Compatibility are Sony & LG.

Peel

Peel is one of the most popular apps for both Android and iOS. The best feature of Peel is the app works both for your local network or IR-receiver. Many Android devices still have IR blaster and hence the app works best for them. So, if you are an Android user and installing Peel, you don’t need to worry about the configuration of your television.

Roku

Roku is a very versatile app controlling almost every activity that is performed using the television remote. The only feature that Roku cannot perform is changing the volume. The app of Roku is free and also there are no monthly fees for using any Roku devices or watching free channels.

Sure

The full name of Sure is Sure Universal Smart TV Remote. Apart from controlling the televisions, it can also be used for controlling other devices with an IR blaster. Sure also has the feature of DLNA and supports Wi-Fi connection which helps in sharing media like video and images. Sure is one of the best TV remote apps as it also supports Alexa.

Mi Remote

Since MI phones are one of the bestselling mobile phones in the current market, everyone should be aware of this feature. The app is best known for its simple user interface. Once you install the app, it automatically scans for devices it can connect and control. This is a bonus for all the Android users as Mi remote is available for all of them.

Best TV Remote Apps for iOS

Peel

The full name of Peel is Peel Universal Smart TV Remote Control. It can support a wide range of devices including TV, satellite box, DVD player, etc. The app supports Apple TV thus making it one of the best TV remote apps for iOS. Peel can also control many home appliances like air conditioning.

Apple TV Remote

Though there are many apps for controlling TV remote, this is the official app for iOS users. The app supports Siri as well. Apple TV Remote also a gaming mode thus making it more versatile and better than other apps.

Amazon Fire TV Remote

Since Apple devices don’t come with an IR blaster, the choices for iOS are limited but not too less. Amazon Fire TV Remote is available for both Android and iOS. The device can be controlled using the touchpad and voice instructions. If you have more than one Fire TV devices in your home, the app helps to switch instantly between them.

AnyMote

This is one of the most popular apps after Apple TV Remote. AnyMote can connect to all of your smart devices at the same time. The unique feature of AnyMote is that it can send a series of commands to multiple devices at the same time. This is available for Android as well.

Conclusion Most of the apps that are available for TV remote can be installed on both iOS and Android. Although the choices for Android are more as some of them still have an IR blaster. But, versatile apps like Amazon Fire TV Remote app are the best for serving both the OS.