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Google Hangouts

Google Hangouts Is Shutting Down After Nearly 9 years.

Google Workspace users were transferred to the more modern “Google Chat” software in February, replacing the outdated “Hangouts” feature. Later this year, the company intends to completely phase out older Hangouts and transition all current users to Google Chat. Google indicated in a recent blog post that users of Hangouts on desktop and mobile devices will be encouraged to move to Google Chat before Hangouts is withdrawn in November 2022. Users will be able to export all of their Hangouts data before the platform is retired, and conversation data from the Hangouts platform will be instantly available on Google Chat. After nine years, Google is ending support for its multi-platform instant messaging service. The internet giant is urging users to transition to Google Chat, which will debut in October 2022. Hangouts Chrome extension users will also be invited to switch to Chat on the web or download the Chat web app. Chat in Gmail will also be available to users of Hangouts on Gmail’s web platform beginning next month.

Hangouts, which debuted in 2013, will be discontinued in November of this year, and Google wants users to download all of their data before that time. Although most users’ discussions will be automatically transferred from Hangouts to Chat, the firm nevertheless urges customers “who prefer to save a copy of their Hangouts data to utilize Google Takeout to retrieve their data when Hangouts is no longer available in November” to use Google Takeout.

Starting today, people using Hangouts on mobile will see an in-app screen asking them to move to Chat in Gmail or the Chat app. Similarly, people who use the Hangouts Chrome extension will be asked to move to Chat on the web or install the Chat web app. In July, people who use Hangouts in Gmail on the web will be upgraded to Chat in Gmail,” according to a blog post by Google.

Source: techzimo.com

Hangouts users will continue to get in-product notifications for at least one month prior to the termination of Hangouts web. Following that, Google Chat web will begin automatically redirecting visitors from the Hangouts web.

Google Hangouts
Image source: cybernews.com

According to Google, users of Hangouts in Gmail on the web will not be prompted to switch to Chat until July. Google said it will tell customers “At least one month” before moving the Hangouts website to Chat. It will remain available on the desktop site until November. If you still use Hangouts, Google should automatically migrate all of your current conversations to Chat. When Hangouts is formally retired in November, the firm had given the chance to download a copy of your data using its Takeout service.

Compared to Hangouts, Google Chat offers a number of new features, including side-by-side editing of Docs, Slides, and Sheets. Additionally, it has a location designated -for cooperation on specific topics called Spaces. Through chats, teams and groups may collaborate on documents, manage projects and files from a single spot, and share ideas.

Additionally, Google is advising users to download their data via Google Takeout, the company’s data exportation service, before Hangouts is discontinued in November. Google is also providing new features like direct calling, establishing in-line threads in Spaces (formerly known as Rooms), viewing and sharing multiple photos, and more to make things interesting and draw users.

As we take this final step to bring remaining Hangouts users to Chat, we hope users will appreciate our continued investment in making Chat a powerful place to create and collaborate,” google mentioned in the blog.

Source: indiatoday.in
Acer Aspire 7

Acer Aspire 7 Refreshed With 12th Gen Intel Core i5 Chip Launched in India: Check Details

In order to boost performance for the Indian market, the Acer Aspire 7 has been updated with the most recent 12th-generation Intel Core i5 processor and Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 GPU. The laptop is designed for gamers and has a 15.6-inch full-HD+ display with minimal side bezels. It has an LED-backlit keyboard and Windows 11 Home already loaded. The 50Wh battery and 8GB of RAM are both standard features of the Acer Aspire 7 laptop. Wi-Fi 6E connectivity is available on the laptop. The Aspire 7 gaming laptops blend realism with lightning-fast performance and cutting-edge new features. One of these is what people who seek a portable notebook with excellent performance for editing, creating content, and gaming will prefer.

The laptop boasts a sleek, 19.9 mm aluminum body with a Charcoal Black elevating hinge for a subdued appearance. Users can do more tasks whenever and wherever they are with a lighted keyboard. With the FHD IPS display’s 81.67 percent screen-to-body ratio and Acer BlueLightShield and ExaColor technologies for visual comfort and color customization, you can enjoy entertainment like never before.

With headphones and external microphones, Acer’s PurifiedVoice with AI noise reduction can reduce background noise for both users. The Acer TNR Solution enhances images by identifying and analyzing noisy pixels, then gradually blending them into other frames. You may enable and search Windows voice recognition from standby using Modern Standby & Wake on Voice. A free Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription with access to more than 100 titles is also included with the laptop.

With Wi-Fi 6 and 6E, which are great for speedy file sharing and seamless 4K streaming, as well as Bluetooth ® 5.2, this gadget offers the most recent connectivity technologies. For immersive entertainment, you may also connect an 8K display to a Thunderbolt 4 connection.

Acer Aspire 7
Image source: i.gadgets360cdn.com

Specifications And Features

• As previously mentioned, the Acer Aspire 7 comes pre-installed with Windows 11 Home and has a 15.6-inch full-HD (1,080 x 1,920 pixels) IPS LED-backlit TFT LCD screen. The display has a screen-to-body ratio of 81.67 percent.

• 12-core Intel Core i5-1240P processor, clocked at 3.30 GHz with a turbo speed of 4.40 GHz, powers the laptop with a gaming-specific design.

• The processor is connected to 512GB of storage and 8GB of DDR4 RAM. The Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 GPU, with up to 4GB of GDDR6 RAM, handles the graphics. Using two soDIMM modules, the RAM may be increased to 32GB. Up to a 2TB dual SSD is available.

• To dissipate the heat produced by the processor, the gadget contains three thermal pipes, two fans, and an air-inlet keyboard.

• A multi-gesture touchpad is included with the Acer Aspire 7 and allows two-finger scrolling, motions to launch Cortana, Action Centre, and fingerprint application commands.

• The device also includes a microphone and a T-type HD webcam with 720p resolution. The Temporal Noise Reduction (TNR) technology from Acer enables video recording at 30 frames per second (fps) or 720 pixels per second (fps).

• Wi-Fi 6, 6E, Bluetooth V5.2, Thunderbolt 4, a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C connection, and an HDMI port are among the Acer Aspire 7’s connectivity choices. Stereo speakers are present.

• The Acer Aspire 7 laptop has a fingerprint reader for authentication and a backlit keyboard.

• There is a three-cell, 50Whr lithium-ion battery within the Acer Aspire 7. With the help of its 135W AC adapter, the laptop may be charged

• The gaming laptop is 362x237x19mm in size and features an aluminum body.

Pricing And Availability

Starting at Rs. 62,990, the Acer Aspire 7 is available from both the Acer Online Store and Flipkart.it is only available in charcoal black

About The Company

Acer is a global corporation from Taiwan that operates in the hardware and electronics industries. Multitech, the company that would later become Acer, was established in 1976. In 1976, Stan Shih, Carolyn Yeh, and a group of five other individuals started Acer. In 1987, the company adopted the name Acer. It is one of the biggest suppliers of personal computers worldwide. In addition to peripherals, the company also manufactures tablets, storage devices, cellphones, servers, and televisions (LCD and LED).

Italian spyware

Apple And Android Phones Hacked By Italian Spyware Confirmed By Google.

Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc., revealed on Thursday that Apple Inc. and Android mobile devices in Italy and Kazakhstan were spied on by Italian Spyware using hacking tools manufactured in Italy. The story claims that tools to eavesdrop on the private messages and contacts of the targeted devices were developed by the Milan-based RCS Lab, whose website identifies European law enforcement agencies as clients.

With more businesses manufacturing intercepting technology for law enforcement, the worldwide spyware market is growing.

Anti-surveillance campaigners accuse them of assisting governments, which in some circumstances employ such instruments to suppress human and civil rights.

Italian spyware
Image source: www.reuters.com

Google’s findings on RCS Lab come as European and American regulators consider additional restrictions on the selling and import of spyware.

These vendors are enabling the proliferation of dangerous hacking tools and arming governments that would not be able to develop these capabilities in-house,” Google mentioned.

Source: indianexpress.com

Apple, as well as the governments of Italy and Kazakhstan, did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

RCS Lab claims that its products and services conform with European regulations and help law enforcement organizations in their investigations.

“RCS Lab workers are not exposed, nor do they participate in any activities conducted by the relevant customers,” the company told Reuters in an email, adding that any misuse of its goods was unacceptable.

Source: gadgets360.com

Google claimed to have taken security measures to safeguard Android users and to have made them aware of the spyware.

The global spyware market for governments is expanding, with more and more companies developing intercepting tools for law enforcement agencies. Anti-surveillance campaigners accuse them of assisting governments that, in some situations, utilize such tools to repress human and civil rights.

The Israeli spy agency NSO’s Pegasus malware, which was used by multiple nations to spy on journalists, activists, and dissidents, brought the industry into the public eye in recent years.

Bill Marczak, a security researcher at Citizen Lab, claims that although RCS Lab’s application isn’t as stealthy as Pegasus, it can still read messages and view passwords. He added, “This shows that even though these devices are ubiquitous, there’s still a long way to go in securing them against these powerful attacks,”

Source: indianexpress.com

RCS Lab presents itself as a supplier of “lawful interception” equipment and services, including voice, data collection, and “tracking devices,” on its website. It states that it can find 10,000 targets every day in only Europe.

According to Google researchers, RCS Lab previously collaborated with the contentious, now-defunct Italian Spyware firm Hacking Team, which also created surveillance software for foreign agencies to hack into phones and computers. After being the target of a large hack in 2015 that led to the disclosure of numerous internal documents, Hacking Team filed for bankruptcy.

Billy Leonard, a senior researcher at Google, claims that in some instances, Google implied that it believed hackers using RCS spyware worked along with the target’s ISP, suggesting connections to actors with government backing.

Samsung Galaxy F13

Samsung Galaxy F13 Smartphone Launched In India: Check Price, Features.

Just as predicted, the Samsung Galaxy F13 has been released in India. This comes after the company earlier this year revealed the Samsung Galaxy F23. By introducing the Galaxy F13 in India, Samsung has expanded the roster of its F-series smartphones. It is the first F-series device of the year and is priced in the economy range. The newest low-cost model from the company has decent hardware for the price. There is a 3.5mm audio jack, a fingerprint sensor located on the side for security, a waterdrop notch for the selfie camera, triple cameras, and an LED flash on the back. According to Samsung, it has a segment-first feature called auto-data switching. OneUI 4.0, an Android 12-based custom skin, an 8MP selfie camera, a 50MP primary rear camera, a huge 6000mAh battery, and a 6.6-inch display are some of the key specs.

The Head of Product Marketing and Senior Director at Samsung India mentioned, “Continuing the Samsung legacy of bringing meaningful innovations, we are pleased to launch the all-new Galaxy F13 – the perfect partner for uninterrupted entertainment. This stylish device has been designed to cater to the evolving needs of Gen MZ. Galaxy F13 features a Full HD+ display for an immersive viewing experience, a massive 6000mAh battery, and segment-first Auto Data Switching for uninterrupted connectivity,”

Source: business-standard.com

Specifications And Features

The Samsung Galaxy F13 has a 6.6-inch Full-HD+ LCD screen with slim bezels and a waterdrop notch for the front camera. The Exynos 850 CPU with Mali G52, 4GB RAM, and up to 128GB of storage that is further extendable through a microSD card will power the device. Additionally, RAM expansion is supported. It comes with a sizable 6000mAh battery and 15W fast charging capabilities, and it boots Android 12-based OneUI 4.0 out of the box.

4G, dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, and a USB Type-C connection for charging and data transfer are among the connectivity choices. A 3.5mm audio jack and a side-mounted fingerprint sensor are there for security. A 50MP primary sensor, a 5MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2MP macro camera are all included in the Samsung Galaxy F13’s triple camera arrangement on the back. For selfies and video calls, it includes an 8MP front-facing camera.

Samsung Galaxy F13
Image source: www.firstpost.com

Samsung Galaxy F13 Specs:

  • 6.6-inch FHD+ display
  • Exynos 850 processor
  • 4GB RAM, 128GB storage
  • Triple rear camera
  • Android 12-based OneUI 4.1
  • 6,000mAh battery, 15W charging

Price And Availability

The 4GB + 64GB model of the new Galaxy F13 from Samsung is priced at INR 14,999, while the 4GB + 128GB model costs INR 16,999. There are three color choices: Waterfall Blue, Sunrise Copper, and Nightsky Green. On June 29, the Samsung online shop and Flipkart will begin selling the Galaxy F13. It will be offered by the corporation with bank offers at an introductory price of INR 10,999 and higher.

About The Company

Samsung is a South Korean conglomerate that was formed in March 1938 as a supermarket trading firm by Lee Byung-Chull. In 1969, the business entered the electronics sector with a black-and-white television as its debut product. Soon after, the company began exporting its products and grew to become a significant electronic maker in its own country. It is one of Korea’s major businesses, accounting for roughly one-fifth of total exports, with a primary focus on electronics, heavy industries, construction, and defense. Insurance, advertising, and entertainment are some of Samsung’s other key divisions. Samsung is the world’s largest electronics manufacturer by a variety of parameters. In fact, it is the largest chaebol, or “business conglomerate,” in its home country of South Korea, accounting for a stunning 13% of the country’s total GDP. Simply told, Samsung is a massive brand with great clout in its different businesses.

Dell G15 5525

Dell G15 5525 Gaming Laptop With AMD Ryzen 6000H Series SoC Launched In India.

On Tuesday, Dell unveiled the Dell G15 5525 laptop for gamers in India, which is powered by an AMD SoC. The laptop is equipped with a GeForce RTX 3060 series GPU from Nvidia and a Ryzen 6000H series SoC from AMD. Five alternative configurations of the laptop have been released, each with different pricing. Additionally, it includes the Game Shift feature, which enables players to start a dynamic performance mode. Depending on the configuration clients choose to purchase, the RAM on the laptops can range from 8GB to 16GB.

Specifications And Features

A 15.6-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 250 nits of brightness, and full-HD resolution is available on the new G15 5525 laptop. All variants, with the exception of one, share the same display characteristics. The laptop’s default configuration includes a 512GB CL35 M.2 Gen 4 SSD, an AMD Rembrandt R5 SoC with 8GB of RAM, and an Nvidia RTX 3050 4GB GDDR6 GPU. It includes an orange backlit keyboard and runs Windows 11. The RAM of the first and second variants is the only distinction.

Similar specifications are provided for the third type as well, however the AMD Rembrandt R7 is an improvement over the first two. Over the third variety, the fourth Dell G15 5525 model features the Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU. Finally, compared to the fourth edition, the laptop’s fifth version has an even superior SoC, the Nvidia RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6 GPU, and a panel with a 165Hz refresh rate.

Dell G15 5525
Image source: basic-tutorials.com

The keyboard of the Dell G15 sports an orange backlight and slightly noticeable WASD keys. It also has a stereo speaker system with Dolby Audio compatibility. The Dell G15 5525 contains an RJ45 ethernet connector, a 3.5mm headphone jack, three USB 3.1 ports, three HDMI 2.1 ports, a USB Type-C port with Display output, and three USB 3.1 ports.

With a dual air intake, ultra-thin fan blades, copper pipes, and four vents, the new G15 5255 Dell gaming laptop has an Alienware-inspired thermal design for the best cooling. By pressing the function and Game Shift (F9) keys simultaneously, users can activate dynamic performance mode thanks to the Game Shift function that is included. Additionally, it has Alienware Command Center, which increases fan speed.

Price And Availability

The Dell G15 5525 laptops have been released by the technology business, with prices starting at Rs. 83,990 for the entry-level model, which includes an AMD Rembrandt R5 SoC and 8GB of RAM. Customers must spend Rs. 89,990 for the 16GB RAM version. Customers will pay Rs. 1,02,990 for the model with an AMD Rembrandt R7 SoC, and Rs. 1,07,990 for the model with an Nvidia RTX 3050 Ti GPU. Last but not least, the Nvidia RTX 3060 6GB GDDR6 model costs Rs. 1,27,990. On the corporate website, Dell Exclusive Stores, big format stores, and multi-brand outlets, the laptops are offered in Dark Shadow Grey and Phantom Grey with speckles color variants.

About The Company

With more than 165,000 people worldwide, Dell Technologies is one of the biggest technology businesses. Michael Dell founded the business in 1984, and it now specializes in selling personal computers, network servers, data storage solutions, and software. In terms of unit sales, Dell was the third-biggest PC seller globally as of January 2021 and the top shipper of PC monitors. When Dell Technologies acquired EMC for $67 billion in 2015, VMware, a cloud computing and virtualization software provider, joined the company. In April 2021, the company announced plans to spin off its 81 percent ownership position in VMware.

UPI

UPI, RuPay Cards To Soon Be Accepted In France As Payments.

After revolutionizing digital payments in India, the Unified Payment Interface (UPI) is about to go live in France. NPCI Overseas, the international arm of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Lyra Network of France for the adoption of UPI and RuPay Cards in the country.

Unified Payments Interface and RuPay cards will soon be accepted in France, according to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) on Thursday with French payment services business Lyra Network. The announcement comes months after NPCI collaborated with firms such as Discover Financial Services (DFS) of the United States, Bhutan’s Royal Monetary Authority (RMA), Japan Credit Bureau (JCB) of Japan, and Network for Electronic Transfers (NETS) of Singapore to spread UPI and RuPay beyond India. The payments division’s parent business, NPCI International, announced on Twitter that it has collaborated with Lyra Network to launch UPI and RuPay cards in France.

Considering India doing 5.5 billion UPI transactions per month, this strategic partnership will definitely prove to be a game-changer in the digital payments ecosystem,” IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a statement.

Source: gadgets360.com

The minister also stated that the collaboration will be a step toward making Unified Payment Interface available to the rest of the world.

In April 2020, the NPCI Board of Directors and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) created NIPL as a subsidiary of NPCI to increase the deployment of UPI and RuPay solutions outside of India. Since then, the worldwide body has collaborated with many organizations, payment networks, and banks in several countries to expand NPCI’s digital payment offerings.

UPI
Image source: thequint.com

NIPL collaborated with Bhutan’s central bank RMA in July of last year to enable QR-based Unified Payment Interface transactions in the country. It was an increase in NIPL’s presence in the Bhutanese market, as it had previously accepted and issued RuPay cards. This launch was expected to assist over 200,000 Indian tourists who visit Bhutan each year.

In February of this year, NIPL also collaborated with payments gateway Gateway Payments Service and fintech firm Manam Infotech to facilitate UPI-based payments in Nepal.

In May 2022, UPI recorded 6 billion transactions totaling $134.3 billion.. (INR 10.4 Lakh Cr). Transaction volume on the payments platform increased by 6.6 percent month on month (MoM) beginning in April 2022. It has surpassed about 80% of the transaction volume of 2021 in the first five months of 2022.

NPCI International joined the UAE market in April after forming a partnership with Mashreq Bank’s payment arm, NeoPay. With the collaboration, NPCI enabled Indian visitors in the UAE to make seamless payments using UPI at NeoPay-enabled shops and merchant stores. Along with expanding RuPay and UPI in global markets via NIPL, the Central government is taking steps to expand the reach of NPCI’s payments offerings within India.

The NPCI granted WhatsApp’s request to expand its UPI-based payments capability to 100 million users in April. It also introduced UPI Lite as a solution to allow small-value transactions to take place offline. Similarly, it launched the ‘123Pay’ UPI service in order to offer UPI to feature phone customers.

While NPCI was established in 2018, NPCI International was established as a wholly-owned subsidiary of NPCI in 2020. The international arm works on RuPay and UPI deployment outside of India.

The RBI recently declared that credit cards would be able to be linked to the UPI. The central bank stated that the service would initially be available solely on RuPay cards. Till now, only debit cards were authorized to be associated with the payment system. The change is likely to increase credit card transactions as well as boost the use of UPI.