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RBI

RBI Extends Tokenization Demand For Credit And Debit Cards By 6 Months, Providing Relief To Online Shoppers.

According to new Reserve Bank of India guidelines, e-commerce companies like Amazon and Flipkart, as well as online delivery aggregators like Zomato, will not be able to save card information on their platforms starting July 1, 2022. (RBI). Beginning next year, customers conducting online transactions on any e-commerce platform will be required to enter their debit or credit card information each time. Customers can, however, avoid the hassle by giving platforms permission to tokenize their cards.
To improve security, the RBI issued guidelines in March 2020 that prohibited merchants from saving customers’ card details. The regulatory body updated its guidelines on card tokenization services in September of this year to improve safety and security. The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Thursday extended the deadline for card tokenization until June 30, 2022, in response to repeated requests from industry stakeholders. Tokenization is the process of replacing credit and debit card information with an alternate code known as a “token.”

Because the card details are not shared with the merchant during transaction processing, tokenized cards are considered safe for online transactions. “The deadline for storing card on file (CoF) data has been extended by six months, to June 30, 2022,” the central bank said in a notice to all payment system operators, adding that all such data will be purged after the extended deadline expires.
The RBI had previously set a deadline of December 31, 2021, as the end date. Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had previously been requested by the Indian Banks Association (IBA) to extend the deadline for tokenizing. The main reason for the request for a delay in the tokenization deadline was that many small and medium-sized businesses lack the infrastructure to transition to the new system, even though banks are more or less prepared.

RBI
Image source: indianexpress.com

Tokenisation is the process of replacing credit and debit card information with an alternate code known as a “token.” Each card, token requestor, and device has its own token. The entity that accepts a customer’s request for tokenization of a card and forwards it to the card network for issuance of a corresponding token is known as the token requestor.

The cardholder can have his or her card tokenized by submitting a request through the token requestor’s app. Token requestors send their requests to the card networks, which issue tokens with the approval of the card issuer that correspond to the particular card, token requestor, and device.

So, what does this imply for a loyal customer? The following are ten key points to remember:

  1. Customers will be unable to save their debit or credit card information on any e-commerce platform beginning July 1, 2022.
  2. Every time a customer conducts an online transaction, they will be required to re-enter their card details.
  3. Customers can give e-commerce companies permission to “tokenize” their cards in order to avoid the hassle. E-commerce platforms will ask the card network to encrypt details with additional factor authentication if necessary after receiving a customer’s consent.
  4. Customers can save their cards for future transactions once the e-commerce platform receives the encrypted details.
  5. Most major e-commerce platforms can only tokenize Mastercard and Visa-issued cards for the time being. Other financial services cards are expected to be tokenized in the near future.
  6. For both credit and debit cards, the new RBI guidelines must be followed.
  7. International transactions are exempt from the new guidelines. The new RBI guidelines are only applicable to domestic cards and transactions.
  8. Customers will not be charged an additional fee for card tokenization.
  9. On e-commerce platforms, tokenized cards will be identified by the last four digits as well as the issuing bank and network name.
  10. Finally, card tokenization is not required. Customers can choose to tokenize their cards for faster transactions or enter their card information manually.

European Commission

The European Commission Approves Microsoft’s $19.7 Billion Acquisition Of Nuance.

Microsoft’s purchase of Nuance, an artificial intelligence company, received unconditional approval from the European Commission on Tuesday. In April, Microsoft paid $19.7 billion for the AI speech technology company Nuance. After LinkedIn, Nuance was the company’s second-largest acquisition under Nadella’s leadership. Microsoft hopes to expand its presence in the healthcare market with this new acquisition. This month, Reuters reported that the company was on its way to receiving approval in the European Union, in addition to approval in the United States and Australia.

According to the European Commission, the deal between Microsoft and Nuance will not cause any competition concerns in the European Economic Area (EEA). “According to the commission, Microsoft and Nuance provide very different products. While Nuance focuses on pre-built solutions for end-users, Microsoft’s Azure Cognitive Services includes application programming interfaces (API). This has no direct benefit for end-users, but it allows programmers to incorporate speech recognition into their respective programs,” according to the EU press release.

European Commission
Image source: www.onmsft.com

Nuance is best known for its Dragon software, which uses deep learning to help with speech transcription. It has also been praised for its accuracy over time, owing to its ability to adapt to the user’s voice. This technology has been licensed by the company for a variety of services and applications, including Apple’s Siri. Microsoft may integrate Nuance’s technology into its existing software, such as Teams, or offer it as part of its Azure cloud service.

Microsoft said in a blog post that “by augmenting the Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare with Nuance’s solutions, as well as the benefit of Nuance’s expertise and relationships with EHR system providers, Microsoft will be better able to empower healthcare providers through the power of ambient clinical intelligence and other Microsoft cloud services.”

The Commission concluded after conducting an investigation that the deal will not adversely affect competition in the markets for transcription software, cloud services, enterprise communications services, PC operating systems, and other products.
“On any of the markets examined in the European Economic Area, the proposed transaction would raise no competition concerns,” the Commission stated. Nuance, based in the United States, serves 77 percent of US hospitals and was instrumental in the launch of Apple’s Siri virtual assistant.
Apart from healthcare, Nuance provides AI expertise and customer engagement solutions to companies all over the world, including Interactive Voice Response (IVR), virtual assistants, and digital and biometric solutions. Nuance’s special features will be integrated into Microsoft’s existing applications, such as Azure, Teams, and Dynamics 365.
The Commission stated that it had looked into issues such as the overlap between Microsoft and Nuance’s transcription software activities and discovered that they offered “very different products” that, when combined, would face strong competition from other players.
As more companies integrate AI into their products and services, tech companies have increased their acquisitions of AI-focused firms. The 19.7 billion deal between Microsoft and Nuance was unanimously approved by both Nuance and Microsoft’s boards of directors, according to the blog post.

LG UltraGear

LG Released UltraGear Gaming Laptop With 11th Gen Intel Processor: Check Specs and Features

A new LG UltraGear gaming laptop has been introduced. LG UltraGear 17G90Q is powered by 11th Gen Intel Core CPUs, also known as Intel Tiger Lake H processors, with Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 Max-Q GPU. A vapor chamber cooling system is used in the LG UltraGear 17G90Q gaming laptop. Details regarding the laptop will be announced at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in 2022. It is planned that the South Korean company will begin shipping gaming laptops in January 2022, with its own country as the first to get it.

Specifications and Features

An 11th Gen Intel Tiger Lake H processor, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Max-Q graphics card, two-channel RAM, and an ultra-fast twin SSD arrangement power the LG UltraGear gaming laptop. The LG UltraGear gaming laptop features a 17-inch IPS panel with a 1 millisecond response time and a 300 Hz refresh rate, as well as the newest top-of-the-line hardware, ensuring immersive, seamless gameplay for even the most graphically demanding PC games. Depending on the game, the LG UltraGear Studio allows users to manipulate the CPU and GPU.
The storage of the LG UltraGear 17G90Q is an unnamed SSD, however, it supports both channels, according to LG. A vapor chamber cooling system and DTS: X Ultra 3D sound are included. A full-size keyboard with a number pad comes included on the gaming laptop.
In terms of thermals, it has a vapor chamber that, according to the manufacturer, keeps the laptop cool even when pushed to its maximum.
Aside from that, it weighs 2.64kg and includes a per-key RGB illuminated keyboard, USB 4 Gen 32 Type-C, USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C, HDMI, RJ45, DC-in, and microSD/UFS connections. A 93Wh battery, an FHD webcam with dual microphones, Wi-Fi 6E, and Intel Killer Wireless complete the package. Two-way speakers with DTS X Ultra round out the package.

LG UltraGear
Image source: www.techspot.com

UltraGear laptops, along with lightweight brand Gram and high-performance Ultra PC, have been one of LG Electronics’ flagship brands since its inception in 2018. LG Electronics also released premium gaming speakers and monitors under the UltraGear brand earlier this year, including the LG GP9 speaker, which is compatible with both personal computers and gaming consoles.
LG has stated that the new LG Ultra Gear gaming laptops will be released in stages around the world, beginning in Korea in January 2022.

Price and Availability

The LG UltraGear 17G90Q’s price has yet to be determined. The gaming laptop will be released by LG in early 2022 in South Korea and the United States. The gaming laptop will be offered in only one color: Purple Gray.

About the Company

LG is a South Korean electronics company headquartered in Seoul that was founded in 1958 by Koo In-hwoi as GoldStar. After the Korean War, the company was founded to produce consumer electronics and household appliances for the local market. The company was the first to manufacture radios, televisions, refrigerators, washing machines, and air conditioners in South Korea. While the company was formerly known as GoldStar, in 1995 it was combined with Lucky Chemical and LS Cable, two other LG group enterprises.
LG Electronics is now a multinational company that makes and distributes consumer electronics, mobile phones, and home appliances. In addition, it manufactures commercial devices and products such as G-, V-, and F-series mobile communication products, in-car infotainment, HVAC and motor, and vehicle engineering components. Aside from compressors and motors, the company offers commercial display solutions, solar solutions, energy storage systems and energy management systems, membranes, stylers, and lighting systems.

Honor Play 30 Plus

Honor Play 30 Plus 5G With MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC, Dual Rear Cameras Released: Check Price And Specifications

The Honor Play 30 Plus 5G smartphone was unveiled in China on Thursday as the company’s newest entry-level 5G product. The new phone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 700 CPU and has 128GB of internal storage. The Honor Play 30 Plus 5G features a 90Hz refresh rate display and a dual back camera system with a 13-megapixel primary sensor. The new Honor phone is also available in four distinct colors. A 5,000mAh battery powers the Honor Play 30 Plus 5G.

Specifications and Features

The dual-SIM (Nano) Honor Play 30 Plus 5G runs on Magic UI 5.0, which is based on Android 11. The new Honor phone has a 6.74-inch TFT LCD display with a resolution of 1,600×720 pixels, a 20:9 screen aspect ratio, and a refresh rate of 90Hz. TUV Rheinland has also approved the screen for minimal blue light.
An octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 700 SoC, up to 8GB of RAM, and 128GB of inbuilt storage power the Honor Play 30 Plu 5G. A microSD card can be used to extend capacity, although the handset does not have a specific slot for it.
The Honor Play 30 Plus 5G has a dual-camera configuration with a 13-megapixel primary sensor with f/1.8 aperture and a 2-megapixel depth sensor with f/2.4 aperture on the back. Honor has included a 5-megapixel selfie camera with an f/2.2 aperture for selfies.
Portrait mode, as well as other features like skin beautification, panorama, HDR, photography with voice control, timed photography, and AI photography, are available on the Honor Play 30 Plus 5G’s rear camera.
Bluetooth v5.1, GPS, AGPS, OTG, USB Type-C, 3.5mm headphone port, and Wi-Fi 802.11 a / b / g / n / ac are among the Honor Play 30 Plus 5G’s connection choices. An ambient light sensor, gravity sensor, compass, and proximity sensor are among the sensors onboard. A fingerprint scanner is also connected to the side for added security. The phone’s battery is 5,000 mAh and enables 22.5W rapid charging.

Honor Play 30 Plus
Image source: i.gadgets360cdn.com

Price ad Availability

For the base 4GB + 128GB storage option, the Honor Play 30 Plus 5G costs $172.49 (approximately Rs. 13,100). The phone also comes in 6GB + 128GB and 8GB + 128GB storage configurations, which cost $203.88 (approximately Rs. 15,500) and $235.27 (about Rs. 17,900), respectively.
In addition to the Charm Sea Blue, Dawn Gold, and Titanium Empty Silver colors, the Honor Play 30 Plus 5G features a Magic Night Black color (translated). Pre-orders for the next Honor device begin today, December 16. It will be available for purchase on December 31.

About the Company

There’s a strong chance you’ve heard of Honor, the tech company that has released a variety of goods. And you’re probably familiar with it as a Huawei sub-brand. As we’ll explain in our ‘History’ section below, the latter is no longer the case.
Honor is most known for its smartphones, but it also makes laptops, earbuds, and a wide range of wearables. The corporation primarily serves its home country of China, but many of its goods are launched globally, albeit in limited markets at times.
Honor began as a sub-brand of Huawei in 2013, with the goal of developing low-cost goods aimed mostly at a younger demographic. The brand expanded globally the following year, opening its own online storefronts in Europe in 2015.
In 2016, Honor began selling fitness trackers, followed by laptops and smartwatches in 2018, and finally earphones and televisions in 2019. The bulk of these items is available in most locations, while some, such as televisions, are only available in certain areas.
Honor continued to produce laptops, wearables, and audio devices for the next year and a half, but paused its worldwide smartphone release, releasing just its best models in China, where Google apps aren’t used.
Honor smartphones are available in nearly every country on the planet, however, some are exclusive to China or a few European nations. Few Honor phones make it to Australia; similarly, Honor used to sell smartphones in the United States but hasn’t done so in several years.

iOS 15.2

iOS 15.2 Update Now Allows Users to Reset and Erase Locked iPhones and iPads Without Using a Computer or Mac.

All eligible iPhone models can now get Apple‘s new iOS 15.2 update, which adds a never-before-seen feature. If your iPhone is running iOS 15.2, you won’t need to connect it to a Mac or PC to reset it if it gets locked. An upgraded Security Lockout mode is included in any iPhone that has been updated to the most recent iOS version.

When an iPhone is unlocked, resetting it is simple. All you have to do now is go to the Reset settings and select how you want the reset to take place. You can pick between a full reset, which erases all data and settings, and a partial reset, which merely resets the settings. You can simply unlock an iPhone and then reset it.

When an iPhone is locked, however, it must be reset using either a Mac or a PC. Even then, the procedure is not simple. If you forget your passcode, you can put your iPhone into DFU mode and connect it to a Mac or PC using iTunes. And, while fruitful, the entire process is laborious at best and perplexing at worst.

iOS 15.2
Image source: wccftech.com

The new feature, according to Apple’s support website, is designed to enable customers to quickly reset their iPhone or iPad if they forget their passcode. Since users must provide their Apple ID credentials to reset a locked iPhone or iPad, it will not be possible for strangers to unlock it.
If you frequently enter the wrong passcode on your device, the Security Lockout mode will appear on the lock screen. It will feature a Remove iPhone or Erase iPad button to permanently erase your data and reset your device, depending on which device you have. After that, you’ll be requested to sign out of your Apple ID on the device by entering your Apple ID password.
It’s vital to remember that if you utilize the Security Lockout option, your data will be fully destroyed from your iPhone or iPad. As a result, it’s a good idea to double-check that you’ve recently backed up your data and settings before starting. Users of iOS 15.2 and iPadOS 15.2 can also take advantage of this feature. You’ll still see the disabled warning with a shortcut to your emergency contact if you’re using an older version.
App Privacy Report and support for Apple Music Voice Plan are also included in the iOS 15.2 and iPadOS 15.2 releases. Besides the two new software releases, Apple also released watchOS 8.3, tvOS 15.2, and macOS Monterey 12.1. Additionally, HomePod customers also received Version 15.2, which supports Apple Music Voice Plan and Siri’s voice recognition for up to six users in French (Canada, France), Spanish (Mexico, Spain), and German (Austria, Germany).

About Company

In April 1976, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne formed Apple, an American technology corporation. The company, which was founded in 1977, was one of the first to provide personal computers with a graphical user interface. In addition to mobile communication devices, digital music players, notebooks, and wearables, the business has forayed into additional consumer electronics areas over the years. In addition, the company creates and sells a variety of related software, services, peripherals, and networking solutions. CEO Tim Cook is a renowned name in the industry. He became the company’s first chief executive officer in 1999.
Apple has a reputation for being a leader in the field of innovation. They were among the first to develop a smartphone app ecosystem. With touchID (a fingerprint scanner) and 64-bit processors, Apple was the first smartphone company to use them, both later adopted by the majority of other companies.

Android 12 (Go Edition)

Android 12 (Go Edition) Now Available For Low-Cost Phones, Google Says It Is Faster And More Privacy-Friendly.

In addition to Android 12, Google released a sneak peek of Android 12L, an upcoming feature update that will support foldable tablets and Chrome OS devices. In anticipation of its official release next year, the Android 12L Beta 1 update has been released for Pixel devices. The latest Android version for low-cost devices, Android 12 (Go edition), has been officially announced by Google.
Google released Android (Go edition) for the first time in 2017. The Android experience on low-cost devices has been improved with several updates since then. Each update offers a new set of features. In a blog post published by Google, Android 12 (Go edition) promises to go one step further by providing upcoming devices with a faster, smarter, and more privacy-friendly experience. On the next-generation Android 12 (Go edition) devices, which will be available sometime next year, the following new features will be available.

Features

Google claims that Android 12 (Go edition) will reduce app launch times by up to 30% compared to the previous version, resulting in a significantly improved user experience on low-end phones. App developers can offer users an impressively smooth start to their apps thanks to Google’s SplashScreen API.
New battery-saving features in Android 12 (Go edition) include the ability to hibernate apps that haven’t been used in a long time. Hibernating apps also frees up storage space, which is particularly useful on devices with limited storage. A new Files Go app will be included in the software, allowing users to recover deleted files within 30 days. If you have any doubts about a photo or a file, you can bring it back to your regular library and delete the rest to save space on your phone using the Files Go apps within 30 days of deleting it.

Android 12 (Go Edition)
Image source: googleapis.com

Google is also making some smarter changes to Android 12 (Go edition). New options to listen to the news and translate any on-screen content into a different language will be available on the recent apps screen, for example.
Nearby Share and Google Play (Go edition) will allow users to share apps with nearby devices in Android 12. Users will be able to avoid the extra data charges that would be incurred if the app were downloaded from the Play Store.
Among the features of Google’s new Go edition software is a privacy dashboard, which shows which apps accessed sensitive data, such as location, microphone sound, and camera pictures, among other things. When an app accesses the phone’s microphone or camera, it will display an indicator on the top, just like regular Android versions. Users will also be able to turn on or off their approximate location when an app requests it. Android 12 (Go edition) simplifies the guest user experience, so you can share your device with friends and family without worrying about privacy. The lock screen will have access to profiles, allowing you to quickly switch to a guest profile before sharing your device.

Availability

Google has stated that Android 12 (Go edition) phones will be available in 2022, but no specific dates have been provided. Because the new software will be used by smartphone manufacturers in their entry-level phones, this is the case. These phones also draw a sizable number of customers. According to Google, there are more than 200 million Android Go edition phones in use around the world. Streaming video