Sandhya Gupta

Apple Restricts iPhone AirDrop With Everyone to Just 10 Minutes in China

Version 16.1.1 of Apple’s iOS has an unusual update in China that hasn’t been implemented in other countries. Apple has restricted AirDrop sharing for users in China to 10 minutes in the latest iOS update. In essence, this implies that Apple users in China cannot use AirDrop for an infinite period of time.

Users can still share files without being constrained by the update, but the 10-minute time limit may put some people off using AirDrop services.

After demonstrators in China used the tool to distribute photographs critical of the Chinese government, Apple has imposed time limits on AirDrop sharing across iPhones.

For users in China, the “Everyone” button in Airdrop is currently restricted to a ten-minute duration. AirDrop’s device-to-device sharing will revert to “Contacts Only” once the ten minutes have elapsed, making it more difficult to systematically send content to random strangers. Just a few weeks after it was utilized to disseminate posters critical of President Xi Jinping, Apple has implemented these additional time limitations to AirDrop.

AirDrop is one of the few unrestricted communication channels in China. Although Apple hasn’t explicitly said this is the motive for the move, the corporation has previously customized its products specifically for the Chinese market.

According to Bloomberg, AirDrop has frequently been utilized as a fix to circumvent China’s stringent online censorship. That doesn’t mean, though, that AirDrop is a haven for free speech since the tool has also been abused to ground aircraft with fictitious terrorist threats, send nude photos to random people, and, send nude pictures to ground aircraft.

Apple has already come under fire for making adjustments intended to please the Chinese government, including banning VPN apps and concealing the Taiwan flag emoji for customers in Hong Kong and Macau.

Users of Apple devices, like iPhones and iPads, can wirelessly transfer files to other device owners using AirDrop. Peer-to-peer Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy are both used for transfers. Users must explicitly modify AirDrop’s default option of “Contacts Only” in order to get files from “Everyone.”

It’s common for Apple to implement regional limits in order to follow local laws. For instance, the company has not enabled satellite connectivity on the iPhone 14 in India. Due to requirements for hearing protection, users cannot surpass the EU Volume Level in EU member states, for instance.

Apple has a history of enforcing stricter regulations in China for content-related services, like games and podcasts, an area that the national government heavily regulates.

According to Techcrunch, some Weibo users in China believe Apple should impose a 10-minute time limit on all devices worldwide because many people forget to switch off AirDrop. Users who keep it enabled to run the risk of receiving unwanted media files. It is still unknown whether Chinese Android rivals Xiaomi, Huawei, and Oppo would likewise restrict their own sharing services akin to AirDrop in response to government pressure.

Apple has maintained its supremacy in China despite the growth of regional rivals like Oppo and Huawei, especially among more wealthy groups. According to Counterpoint’s analysis, iPhones made up 13% of smartphone shipments in China in the second quarter, falling from 18% and 22% in the first and fourth quarters, respectively.

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

Kevin O’Leary: Success Story of Dyslexic Kid becoming Billionaire

Kevin O’Leary, also known as “Mr. Wonderful,” is a Canadian entrepreneur, businessman, and television personality. O’Leary was a co-founder of SoftKey Software Products, a tech business that offered software for family entertainment and education.

Early Life

In 1954, Kevin O’Leary was born into a middle-class household. His mother was a skilled investor. Most of Kevin’s business insight comes from his mother. She gave him important financial and economic lessons at a young age. These ideas were Kevin’s guiding principles and the cornerstones on which he eventually construct his empire.

Kevin O’Leary experienced additional difficulties in school when he was growing up due to dyslexia. When O’Leary was a student at St. George’s School, his dyslexia started to hinder his academic performance. He had trouble reading and doing simple addition and multiplication problems.

He had to use supplemental tools to keep up with the learning content because his teachers did not assist him as they were unaware of his dyslexia. While pursuing MBA, O’Leary interned for Nabisco. O’Leary started a short-lived stint as a TV producer after leaving Nabisco. He co-founded Special Event Television(SET) with two of his fellow MBA classmates.

SET produced original sports programs as a freelance television production firm. With small television programs, soccer movies, sports documentaries, and quick intermission ads for nearby professional hockey games, the company had only little success. Later, for $25,000, one of the partners bought out Kevin’s portion of the business.

Success Story

In 1986, O’Leary established Softkey in a Toronto basement with partners Gary Babcock and John Freeman.SoftKey made hostile takeover approaches to buy competing businesses in the late 1980s and early 1990s, including Compton’s New Media, The Learning Company, and Broderbund. Later, SoftKey changed its name to The Learning Company.

Softkey’s well-known position in the software sector finally aided “Mr. Wonderful” in becoming a millionaire. In 1999, Mattel recognized the software company’s absolute supremacy in the market and decided to acquire Softkey for an astounding $4.2 billion.

In 2003 he joined “StorageNow Holdings,” a company that builds climate-controlled storage facilities, as a Director and co-investor. In 2007, the company was acquired by InStorage REIT for a staggering $110 million. O’Leary sold his shares in the company, which had a starting value of $500,000, for close to $4.5 million.

After experiencing incredible success at his software firm, Kevin began appearing on television. He soon established himself as a popular host and personality on a variety of programs, including CBC’s Dragons’ Den and Shark Tank.

Later he took control of his capital from his unreliable money managers and established his own mutual fund business, O’Leary Funds. Since then, Kevin has established O’Leary Fine Wines and a best-selling financial literacy book series.

In 2014, Kevin established the O’Leary Financial Group, a collection of companies and products that adhere to his core values of transparency, simplicity, convenience, and, excellent value.

Kevin O’Leary is a passionate supporter of environmental rights and makes an effort to invest in companies that share his views. He even co-hosts Project Earth on the Discovery Channel, a program dedicated to combating global warming. O’Leary also ran for the position of Canadian Conservative Party leader in 2017. Despite being in the lead, he withdrew one month prior to the election in April.

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

Tesla Electric Vehicles To Soon Bring Zoom Video Conferencing Feature

Leave a Comment / News, Tech News / By Sandhya Gupta

On Tuesday, Zoom revealed a partnership with the world’s largest manufacturer of electric vehicles, Tesla, to enable video conferencing in cars. The news was revealed during Zoom’s yearly Zoomtopia conference, where the company routinely reveals upcoming features to assist remote calls.

Zoom is collaborating with the Elon Musk-run Tesla to integrate video conferencing features into electric automobiles. Natasha Walia, group product manager for Zoom, made the revelation at the Zoomtopia 2022 Event on Tuesday and showed a quick video of it in action in a Tesla Model Y.

Zoomtopia is a conference where Zoom routinely reveals upcoming features to assist remote calls. The Zoom application is likely to utilize Tesla’s in-cabin camera, which is placed above the rear-view mirror. The camera would be as a live feed in the Zoom app and the driver can also what the camera is monitoring.

Nitasha Walia, group product manager at Zoom noted at the event, “You’ve been zooming from your home, your office, your phone and even your TV. We’re going to make it even easier for you to zoom from anywhere.”

Although the feature has earlier sparked worries over driver privacy, the cabin camera’s primary purpose is to monitor driver alertness while Autopilot is activated and allows the vehicle to offer aural alerts or warnings. Additional questions about the access privileges given to third-party apps may be raised if Zoom uses the in-car camera.

There is no set timeframe for the arrival of Zoom integration, but it will come to “all new Tesla models soon.” Other information, such as whether Zoom will only function on WiFi or whether Tesla customers who right now pay for the Premium Connectivity add-on will be allowed to make calls using the car’s data plan, is still unknown.

As per Verge, Zoom calls will probably be disabled unless the car is parked because the feature’s demonstration video doesn’t show the vehicle moving during a call.

Tesla has been considering the feature itself for years. Zoom calls in Tesla automobiles are “definitely a future feature,” Elon Musk stated in a tweet in May 2020. Drivers claimed it would provide them another private capacity to take calls and take advantage of the available in-camera, present in certain Teslas, and large display, In the initial days of the Covid-19 outbreak, Musk received a plethora of tweets asking for Zoom integration.

At the event, Zoom also unveiled several new features. Users can now access their calendars and emails without leaving the Zoom platform with the help of Calendar Clients and Zoom Mail. Prominent calendar and e-mail services will be directly integrated into Zoom, allowing users to access their conversations and appointments more quickly and collaborate more effectively.

The company stated that only users in Canada and USA would have access to the beta versions of the Calendar Clients and Zoom Mail. Zoom Spots, a persistent video-enabled place incorporated within the Zoom service, will launch in early 2023 to promote inclusive conversations and keep coworkers engaged.

When it launches in early 2023, Zoom Virtual Agent will be able to be used both as an independent chatbot and as a fully integrated part of Zoom Contact Center.

The Zoom news arrives as traditional automakers like General Motors, Ford, and Volkswagen, together with Tesla, confront increasing competition in the market for electric vehicles. Investors are worried that Musk’s acquisition of Twitter may cause him to become too preoccupied to properly solve Tesla’s issues.

Zoom and Musk’s businesses haven’t always had a cordial working relationship. For instance, in April 2020, SpaceX forbade its staff from using Zoom due to serious security and privacy concerns.

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

Signal launches Stories feature to compete with Instagram

Leave a Comment / News, Tech News / By Sandhya Gupta

A new Stories feature is now available to all Android and iOS users on the end-to-end encrypted messaging platform Signal.

Users will soon be able to share stories on Signal with their friends via a new feature being rolled out by the privacy-focused messaging platform. Stories created on Signal will be immediately erased after 24 hours, much like Snapchat and Instagram, with users given the option to remove them earlier if they like.

Singal noted, “Today, stories have created a major shift in communication in the social media domain, and introducing such cool features is another dynamic to amplify content engagement in a hassle-free mode. There has been conjecture on maintaining privacy, and with the new feature introduced at Signal, it enables the user to have intimate conversations with the people who matter.”

Users have the choice to manually hide their Stories from particular individuals. One can make a custom Story if a user wishes to choose to share Stories with a more selective group of users. Users also have the choice to share Stories with already-existing group chats.

The app provides a feature that enables users to share stories with all the contacts on the app, even those with whom a user has had a one-on-one chat but whose numbers are not in the contact list. This is useful for individuals who wish to reach a bigger audience. The messaging app has also enabled users to share stories with a small group of people and track who has viewed them.

Anyone in the group can view and respond to a story that is shared in a group chat. Additionally, users can see if someone outside the group has viewed their story. Similar to read receipts for chats, users can turn off the seen receipts for their stories from the Settings menu. Users may also opt-out of the Story feature by turning them off in the Stories settings.

The company will eventually make the feature available on desktops as well. The most recent Signal (v6.0) releases for iOS and Android include the new Stories features.

Signal’s dedication to end-to-end encryption is further demonstrated by the platform’s claim that the feature uses the same security measures to protect users’ privacy. The company stated, “Like everything we build in Signal, stories are end-to-end encrypted. The only people who will be able to see your stories are the people you’ve selected–not Signal, not anyone else.”

Although the launch of Stories may appear to be a “big shift” for the platform, the company claims that it is only an additional way for users to privately engage with others. When it pertains to Stories, which originally gained popularity through Snapchat, Signal is a touch behind the trend.

Nearly all well-known platforms, like Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, WhatsApp, Twitter, and LinkedIn, have incorporated the ephemeral function over time. Twitter discontinued its story feature called “Fleets” after admitting that its users never found the feature appealing.

Signal is a cross-platform centralized encrypted instant messenger service. It was developed by a non-profit organization called Signal Foundation and Signal Messenger LLC. The platform allows users to send individual and group messages including voice notes, files, and pictures.

The app can also be used to make individual and group audio/video calls. Standard cellular phone numbers are used by Signal as IDs, and end-to-end encryption is used to protect all communications with other Signal users. The client software has tools that allow users to independently confirm the legitimacy of the data channel and the identities of their connections.

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

After Elon Musk’s takeover, hate speech spiked on Twitter

Leave a Comment / News, Tech News / By Sandhya Gupta

According to a new study, there has been an increase in hate speech on Twitter ever since Elon Musk officially acquired the social media platform last week.

A study done by Montclair State University found that after Elon Musk acquired Twitter on October 27, hate speech tweets swamped the social media platform.

According to CBS News, the study indicated that “vulgar and hostile” speech immediately increased after Musk took control of Twitter. Prior to Musk’s ownership, the social media platform never reported more than 84 tweets containing hateful terms in a single hour, according to the study.

The Montclair State University study monitored the frequency of homophobic, antisemitic, and racial hate-related phrases used shortly following Musk’s takeover. Research revealed that, compared to the 84 tweets per hour in the week preceding Musk’s takeover, 398 hate tweets were sent out every hour in the first 12 hours following the acquisition’s conclusion. During that time, the average number of hateful tweets increased from 1,000 to 4,778.

The research also claimed that over 67% of the tweets after Musk’s acquisition had a negative tone to them, indicating a rise in negative sentiment. It noted, “In sum, the content and tone of Twitter posts became measurably more oriented towards hate speech on the day Elon Musk became CEO of the company with significant reach attained for this hate content.”

According to Forbes, research by the Network Contagion Research Institute reported that during the first 12 hours of Musk’s ownership, use of the N-word soared by 500%. The number of tweets using derogatory language toward LGBTQ people as well as anti-Semitic and racial derogatory terms also soared.

Although the research makes it clear that the Musk takeover resulted in an instant rise in hostile tone on the network, the precise cause of this is still unknown. Researchers said that it’s “speculative” to determine whether Musk’s possible changes in policy would have triggered the surge.

However, it’s possible that users turned to hostile language because they believed they would no more be suspended or barred from the network based on Musk’s previous statements on free speech. The Washington Post claims that his ownership appears to have led some accounts to believe that the previous rules against bigotry are no longer in effect.

As per Fortune, despite calling for greater speech freedom on Twitter, Musk told users in a Twitter post that he couldn’t allow the network to become a “free-for-all,” Another possibility, according to experts, is that having an “unmoderated platform was possibly a source of excitement.”

On October 27, billionaire tycoon Elon Musk, who also serves as the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, assumed control of the social media network and pledged to relax its content regulations. In a statement last week, Musk stated that “free speech is the bedrock of a functioning democracy, and twitter is the digital town square where matters vital to the future of humanity are debated.”

The creation of a “content moderation council” to update and improve company standards under Musk was also announced by Twitter last week. Musk intends to create a moderation council with a range of viewpoints to oversee rules over content and accounts.

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

Netflix Announces “Stranger Things” VR Game for 2023

Leave a Comment / News, Tech News / By Sandhya Gupta

The fourth season of Stranger Things will be the basis for a virtual reality (VR) game being developed by Netflix and Tender Claws. As per Netflix, the VR game will launch on all leading VR platforms by the winter of 2023.

Stranger Things is without a doubt the most watched TV program on Netflix ever because of its mind-blowing plot, nostalgic 1980s atmosphere, and breathtaking cinematography. Despite the TV show’s overwhelming praise, its IP has not yet been diversified into other platforms, till Netflix recently revealed that a Stranger Things VR game is currently being developed by Tender Claws Studio and will be accessible on all mainstream VR platforms in 2023.

The new Stranger Things VR was unveiled during the Stranger Things Day 2022 celebrations with a brief teaser that included the grandfather clock ticking, demogorgons, and even a cameo by Eleven. Netflix ended the Stranger Things Day 2022 by tweeting the name of the first episode i.e THE CRAWL of Season 5 of “Stranger Things.”

In order to wreak vengeance on Eleven and Hawkins, the gamers will be able to enter their brains and inflict nightmares. In the game, the players will play as Vecna, the villain in Stranger Things Season 4 and the upcoming Season 5. Netflix noted, “Play as Vecna in this new Stranger Things adventure in VR. Become an explorer of unknown realities as you form the hive mind and tame the void. Invade minds and conjure nightmares in your quest to enact revenge on Eleven and Hawkins.”

A preview of the game that Netflix has posted on YouTube suggests that it is a psychological action/horror game. The brief video teaser also demonstrates gameplay and the visual design of the game. Studio Tender Claws has earlier worked on games like The Under Presents: Tempest, George in the Tub, and Tender: Creature Comforts.

The Netflix original series “Stranger Things” is set in the fictional Indiana town of Hawkins. The story revolves around Hawkins’ US Department of Energy research facility conducting paranormal and otherworldly studies. During the same time that the institute abducts people to use in its experiments, a test subject named “Eleven” escapes the lab.

According to marketing company Nielsen, Stranger Things’ fourth season, which debuted on May 27, 2022, received 7.2 billion views between May and June. Variety reported that no other show has received more than 6 billion views in a single week. The prior front-runners Ozark and Tiger King only reached 5 billion in 2020. The fourth season of the show premiered with seven episodes in May, followed by two extended episodes in July.

Netflix has recently established its very own internal development studio, the fourth to join the Netflix family, marking a significant expansion in the video game industry. It will have its main office in Finland, and be in charge of developing unique new experiences for subscribers. As a publisher, Netflix’s Stranger Things VR will be the first title to not be released exclusively on smartphones, signaling the arrival on new platforms.

Sandhya Gupta

I am a law graduate from NLU Lucknow. I have a flair for creative writing and hence in my free time work as a freelance content writer.

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