Latest Tech News Archives

Samsung TV Plus Streaming Service Now Available On Web For Free!

Samsung’s free and linear video streaming service that was previously available exclusively on Samsung’s TV and devices is now widely accessible on the web to just about anyone.

The South Korean tech giant did not make any formal announcements about its web version. However, it might be a little too late to move into the video streaming coliseum, considering its other streaming rivals have already made a giant leap in the market.

How To Access Samsung TV Plus Web Service?

To access Samsung’s free streaming service, you can visit samsungtvplus.com using any browser via desktop, laptop, mobile, tablet, or any other smart display. The interface lists several channels divided into different genres such as comedy, crime, entertainment, food, game shows, international, kids, movies, news, sports, travel, and more. You can also choose the resolution up to 4K and opt for subtitles depending upon your region and language preferences.

You don’t need to set up any payment option as the streaming service is free of any cost. Samsung launched TV Plus in 2016, and over 50 million smart TVs worldwide now have access to its services. It is available in 23 countries, including Australia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, and India.

Competition

Samsung had a soft launch of its streaming service’s web expansion and started with zero fanfare. Sang Kim, Vice President of Samsung Electronics, confirmed to Protocol that the company broadcasts billions of minutes every month. Though its reach has been limited to Samsung users, it remains to be seen whether the latest web expansion can add any substantial numbers to its services.

The company is now in direct competition with other free video streaming services such as Pluto TV and Tubi. Samsung has also added casting support for Chromecast devices, but whether the company plans to make it available as an app on other innovative TV platforms is, again, a mystery!

Mozilla: YouTube’s Algorithm Pushes Harmful Content

A new study conducted by the non-profit Mozilla Foundation suggests that YouTube continues to recommend harmful videos to users that violate its own content policies.

The crowd-funded study found that around 71% of the videos that viewers considered ‘regrettable’ were recommended by the video platform’s own algorithm.

What Exactly is YouTube Regrettables?

Let’s understand it this way, any content that a user finds disturbing or harmful is deemed as regrettable. For example, some volunteers were often recommended videos titled, ‘Man humiliates feminist’.

Such misogynistic videos would fall under YouTube regrets. Other examples would include Covid misinformations, extreme political inclinations, or hate speeches.

Further Investigation

The finding was made using crowdsourced data from RegretsReporter, a browser extension that lets users report information on harmful videos and what actually led them there. More than 30,000 YouTube users used the platform to report the harmful content that was recommended to them.

The investigation further suggests that non-English speakers were more prone to disturbing content and that ‘YouTube regrets’ was 60% higher in countries that don’t have English as their first language. Mozilla says that there were a total of 3362 regrettable videos from 91 countries, between July 2020 and May 2021. Most of these were either misinformation, violent or graphic content, hate/polarization speeches, and scams.

The study also suggests that recommended videos were 40% more likely to be reported by users than videos for which they searched.

Brandy Geurkink, Mozilla’s Senior Manager of Advocacy says that YouTube’s algorithm is designed to misinform and harm people:

“Our research confirms that YouTube not only hosts, but actively recommends videos that violate its very own policies. We also now know that people in non-English speaking countries are the most likely to bear the brunt of YouTube’s out-of-control recommendation algorithm. Mozilla hopes that these findings — which are just the tip of the iceberg — will convince the public and lawmakers of the urgent need for better transparency into YouTube’s AI.”

User Attention

The YouTube algorithm is essentially a black box. The video-streaming platform relies on its algorithm to show users what they like or might like to keep them hooked on for as long as possible.

The study by Mozilla backs up the notion that YouTube’s AI continues to feed users ‘low-grade, divisive, misinformations’. This makes it easier for the video streaming platform to easily grab eyeballs by triggering people’s sense of outrage. This only implies that the problem of regrettable or triggering recommendations is indeed systematic. The more you outrage people, the more you expand your appetite for ad revenues!

As a method to fix YouTube’s algorithm, Mozilla is calling for ‘common sense transparency laws, better oversight, and consumer pressure’. It also called for the protection of independent researchers to empower them to interrogate algorithmic impacts, as an exercise to repair the worst excesses of the YouTube algorithm.

Superficial Claims

YouTube has a history of being accused of fuelling societal ills by feeding hate speech, political extremism, and conspiracy junk. The parent company and tech giant Google has always responded to negative criticism flaring up around algorithms, by announcing few policy tweaks.

The dangerous behavior of YouTube algorithms, only suggests that Google has been making superficial claims of reform.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2 5G I Unboxing & First Impressions | Borrowed From Future?

We experienced the future of smartphones with Samsung’s latest innovative product. Open up to the future and immerse yourselves in the latest technology with our unboxing & first impressions. Stay tuned for the detailed review, till then let us know which feature attracted you the most about this uber-luxurious smartphone.

Tanzeel Khan | Top 100 | Influncex’20

Ex: Tell us about a change you’ve seen in the digital blogging space since you started out your journey? How has this space evolved?

Tanzeel: I’ve started being really active and religiously following the digital blogging scene since 2016 now. Honestly, this very space has evolved a lot… as we have a lot of beautiful and hardworking creators all over social media platforms. Which were not really active a year or two before. Availability of Internet everywhere is one of the reasons I’m guessing

Ex: Can you give us an insight into social media platforms that only an Influencer can know?
Tanzeel: There’s no special formula or spell that actually works. I personally feel consistency is the key, and anlaysing what your audience loves and giving them exactly they want from you

Ex: If you were stranded on an island, what are the 3 gadgets you’d take along?
Tanzeel: My mobile phone, my laptop and my microphone.

Ex: A technology you wish you had invented?
Tanzeel: I wish I would’ve invented aircrafts

Ex: What’s been your favorite encounter with a fan so far? (DMs included!)
Tanzeel: Every fan encounter has been very special… I won’t segregate any into the favourite , but there’s one when I was in the canteen of my college and a junior walked up to me and said “Tanzeel Bhai I’m a big fan of you and specially your hairstyle, and I try and manage to keep my hair like you” That really motivated me, since It made me realise how I am at a point who can actually influence people without actually knowing them

Ex: What does success mean to you?
Tanzeel: Success for me is Serenity

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Tech This Week: A Recap of Global Tech News for the Week

Tech fans from around the world are always looking for the latest updates and features that technology has to offer. Be it the launch of a new product or the update of an existing one, the excitement is the same either way. To quench your thirst for tech news and events here is a gist of all the major happenings from around the world:

Segment 1: Global Launches

LG Velvet for the USA

LG’s Velvet just got launched in the US on 22nd July following its launch in South Korea and several European countries. It is now available in the US market for $599, from AT&T.
It has a striking new look for LG, complete with a 6.8-inch OLED screen and IP68-rated waterproofing. The Velvet will be offered in Aurora Gray, Aurora Silver, Aurora Red, and Pink White. There’s just a single configuration of the Velvet that has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage with microSD card support.
It comes with the Snapdragon 765G, which has a built-in 5G modem, much like the new OnePlus Nord.

Oppo Reno 4 Global Launch Date Announced

The Oppo Reno4 & the Pro version has hit China in June and in India has been announced as July 31, 12:30 pm.
Meanwhile, a notable tipster has suggested that the Oppo Watch will likely arrive in India on the same day. However, the company is yet to confirm this development.
Oppo tweeted that the Oppo Reno 4 Pro will come with a 6.5-inch display with a 90Hz refresh rate and “3D borderless sense screen.” The display offers a near bezel-less experience with its 92.01 percent screen-to-body ratio.
The Oppo Reno 4 Pro that was launched in China comes with a triple camera setup at the back with a 48-megapixel primary camera, a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 13-megapixel telephoto camera.
The phone has a 4,000mAh battery include an in-display fingerprint sensor, 5G, 32-megapixel selfie camera, is powered by Snapdragon 765G Chipset paired with up to 12GiG of RAM and up to 256GB of storage.
The Oppo Reno 4 Pro will be available to purchase via Flipkart and Amazon. While you have to wait for the announcement in its pricing and availability details.

Segment 2: India Launches

HP Powerhouse Gaming Portfolio

- HP unveiled its new OMEN Laptops and accessories on Wednesday. It also introduced the first 16” Pavilion Gaming laptop.
- It also made updates to the OMEN Command Center, all designed for today’s gamer to play their best while pushing the limits of what their devices can do. It offers “First of its kind” hardware technologies with unmatched power without any compromise.

OMEN 15 (Intel) is available at a starting price of Rs. 79,999 and OMEN 15 (AMD) is available at a starting price of Rs. 75,999.
Pavilion Gaming 16 (Intel) is available at a starting price of Rs. 70,999, while the pavilion gaming 16 (AMD) is available at a starting price of Rs. 59,999.

One Plus Nord

OnePlus just had a one-of-its-kind Augmented Reality launch for its much talked about – OnePlus Nord which starts at Rs. 24,999
The base model offers 6GB RAM and 64GB storage, while the 8GB RAM 128GB storage option carries a price tag of Rs. 27,999 and the top-end 12GB RAM 256GB storage model is priced at Rs. 29,999.
The Nord houses a quad-camera set-up on the back consisting of a 48MP main lens, along with 119-degree ultra-wide, depth, and macro lenses of 8MP, 5MP, and 2MP, respectively.
It also has a 90 Hz Fluid Display for faster and more reactive touch and swipe and is available in two colour variants – Gray and Blue
The phone will sport a 4100 mAh battery, and Warp Charge. The device also comes with 5G support and runs on the android 10-based OxygenOS.

Redmi Note 9

Redmi Note 9 has been launched in India as the latest affordable smartphone by Xiaomi. The new model is the third in the Redmi Note 9 series — after the Redmi Note 9 Pro and Redmi Note 9 Pro Max.
The new member of Redmi family comes in three storage variants – 4GB + 64GB at Rs 11,999, 4GB + 128GB at Rs 13,499 and 6GB + 128GB at Rs 14,999.
It’s available in three colours – Pebble Grey, Arctic White, and Aqua Green.
The dual-SIM Redmi Note 9 runs on Android 10 with MIUI 11 on top.
It features a 6.53-inch full-HD+ Dot Display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection.
Inside, the phone has an octa-core MediaTek Helio G85 chipset, coupled with up to 6Gig of RAM.
It has a quad rear camera set-up With a 5,020mAh battery with a 22.5W fast charger in the box. The company claims a two-day battery life,
Amid Indo-Sino border tension, the Chinese smartphone maker claims that the all-new Redmi Note 9 is NOW ‘Made In India’.

Jabra Elite 45h

Danish wearable gadget-maker Jabra launched the Elite 45h on-ear headphones on Wednesday. The headphones aim to offer a long battery life of up to 50 hours and claim to offer up to 10 hours of battery life within just 15 minutes. They are priced around Rs 10,000.
The device features Jabra MySound to optimize and personalize sound experiences based on individual hearing profiles.
It has an on-ear form factor and features ear cushions made of PU leather material. There is also the single-fold design that lets the headphones lie flat and fit easily into a bag.
The speakers enable music to be delivered while the dual-mic design removes noise around so one can enjoy crystal clear calls.

Nikon Z5 Camera

The Nikon Z5 entry-level full-frame mirrorless camera has just been launched in India. This is currently Nikon’s most affordable Z-series camera with a full-frame sensor.
The new camera fills an all-important void between the Nikon Z6 and the Nikon Z50. With this lens, the Z5 will be available at a bundled price of Rs. 1,36,995.
The Nikon Z5 has a five-axis stabilizer and all feature a new, 24.3-megapixel full-frame CMOS sensor that is not a backlit unit.

You get a 3.6 million dot resolution electronic viewfinder and a tilting rear 3.2-inch LCD display with touch support.

Samsung to launch 5 new devices on August 5

Samsung is all set to host its Galaxy Unpacked event on August 5 and has now confirmed that it will unveil as many as five products at the event next month.
the company, via a recent teaser, has already confirmed that the Galaxy Fold 2 will launch at the event.
There may be three variants in the Galaxy Note 20 series this time around – the Samsung Galaxy Note 20, Galaxy Note 20+, and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

Vivo S7 price and specs leaked

Vivo S7 price and specifications have been leaked online. While the Chinese company is yet to officially confirm the existence of the device, a tipster has leaked the specifications of the alleged Vivo S7 device on Weibo.
The source claims that the Vivo S7 will launch with a price label of approximately Rs. 32,100. This price will reportedly be for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant. The company is also said to offer the 256GB storage option, which will be available for roughly Rs. 35,300).
As per the leaked details, the new Vivo phone will have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset and dual selfie cameras. It is also likely to feature an in-display fingerprint sensor.
If rumors and leaks are to be believed, the Vivo S7 will launch with a 44-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL GH1 primary selfie sensor. It will be assisted by an 8-megapixel secondary sensor along with a super-wide-angle lens. The upcoming Vivo S7 smartphone might be a successor to the current Vivo S6 phone.

Smartphone Shipments drop, Xiaomi worst affected

Smartphone shipments have seen a drastic fall in the April-June period due to the coronavirus lockdown. Phone shipments fell 48 percent on the year, as mentioned in a report by Canalys.
Around 17.3 million smartphones were shipped in the quarter, as compared to 33 million in the previous year.
market leader Xiaomi saw a dramatic fall as its shipments fell 48 percent