United News of Bangladesh

Meta said Wednesday that it will allow some Facebook users to view eBay listings on its Marketplace service, as it tries out a possible way to resolve European Union charges of anticompetitive behavior that the bloc leveled last year. The social media company said it's launching a test that will let Facebook users in Germany, France and the U.S. browse eBay listings directly on its Marketplace online classifieds service but complete the transaction on eBay. Meta is carrying out the trial after Brussels slapped the company in November with a penalty of nearly 800 million euros ($824 million) for what it called “abusive practices” involving Marketplace. European Union antitrust enforcers accused Meta of illegally shutting out competition by tying Marketplace to its social network and automatically exposing Facebook users to Marketplace whether or not they wanted it. They also accused Meta of gaining an unfair advantage through ad-related data. Meta ditches independent fact-checkers in favor of user-led "community notes" system “While we disagree with and continue to appeal the European Commission’s decision on Facebook Marketplace, we are working quickly and constructively to build a solution which addresses the points raised,” Meta said in a blog post, adding that its solution could benefit people on both platforms. The European Commission, the 27-nation bloc's top antitrust enforcer, said it had “no specific comment," saying only that Meta must comply with the decision issued in mid-November within 90 days. Shares of eBay jumped on the news. The company said that starting Wednesday a “select number of eBay listings” in the three countries “will be seamlessly integrated and viewable on Facebook Marketplace.” The listings will be from a “variety of categories,” based on factors including shopping trends and listing quality, it said, without being more specific. Buyers will complete their transactions following the same process as they would when buying directly through the eBay website and will be covered by the platform's money-back guarantee and other protections, it said.

Dhaka, Bangladesh’s bustling capital, consistently ranks among the world’s most polluted cities, with an alarmingly high Air Quality Index (AQI) that classifies it as "very unhealthy." While improving the city’s air pollution is a long-term challenge, we can take immediate steps to enhance indoor air quality. Investing in a reliable air purifier is an effective way to breathe cleaner air at home or in the office. This guide covers popular air purifier models, price ranges, and tips to help you make the right choice. What is an Air Purifier? Air purifiers are home appliances that circulate and purify the air in an enclosed area, such as a room or a theatre. Air purifier devices use two oppositely directed channels to pull in polluted air and push it out after filtering. They use filtration technologies like HEPA filters and depolluting agents like active oxygen to clean the air. Benefits of Air Purifier Breathing into clear air has tremendous health benefits, as most chronic diseases occur from inhaling polluted, dusty air. Installing an Air Purifier in your room will: Remove Allergens: Allergens in the air trigger symptoms like sneezing, congestion, watery or itchy eyes, a runny nose, phlegm in the throat, rashes, and a sore throat. Air Purifiers reduce the allergen load of a room’s air to a harmless level. Reduce Asthma Triggers: HEPA filters are tested and certified for removing about 99.97% of pollen, dust, and different airborne particles that trigger asthma-related difficulties. Read more: Is There Any Alternative to Brick Kilns? Reduce Airborne Pathogens: Purifiers with HEPA filters can catch bacterial and viral pathogens on a large scale and free the indoor air from epidemical contamination like COVID and HMPV. Filter Odours and Harmful Gases: Human living spaces can be odorous for many reasons and generate deleterious gases. A purifier can be a lifesaver, removing those odors and gases from the air. Tips for Choosing an Air Purifier for Your Home or Office Buying an air purifier may not give you the expected protection if not chosen carefully. There are key choices and considerations that a buyer must make before making the buying decision: Frequency and Cost of Replacing a Filter Filters require replacement after 6 or 12 months of regular use; for activated carbon filters, the duration is 3 months. Most purifiers provide indicator lights to show the condition of a filter and warn about an imminent replacement. However, you must learn about different filters, costs, and the average replacement frequency to find the one suitable to your budget. Clear Air Delivery Rate (CADR) This measure indicates the amount of air a purifier cleanses at its highest capacity. For example, a purifier with a CADR 250 for gases will reduce the amount of harmful gas to a level that is only possible by replacing 250 cubic feet of contaminated air with the same volume of fresh air. The higher the CADR number, the more powerful and faster the purifier is. Read more: Best Projectors to Create Home Theaters in Bangladesh in 2025 Room Size  Measuring your room’s size beforehand will help you pick the right purifier to cover that room’s space. However, manufacturers often claim more than the actual capacity of their purifiers. As a buyer, you should research well, talk to existing users, check reviews on different platforms, and make sure that your chosen purifiers do what they say. Noise A noisy Air Purifier is difficult to live with as it can disrupt the peaceful environment of your room. Check the decibel level of a device on its packaging before buying it. Types of Filters There is no single Air Purifier to filter all sorts of pollutants; some are designed to catch biological pollutants like dust and pet dander, and some filter chemical pollutants like carbon monoxide. Air Purifiers can be of different types based on their filtering technologies. Mechanical Filters: These purifiers use fans to force air through a dense web of fine fibers that catch particles. HEPA filters are an example of a quality fiber web with the finest mesh, as they can catch both microscopic and large particles. Mechanical filters can’t filter gases or odors. Read more: Best Air Purifying Plants to Reduce Indoor Air Pollution of Home/Office Carbon Filters: Purifiers using activated carbon filters are effective against certain types of gases except ammonia, formaldehyde, or nitrogen oxide. They can also remove odorous particles from the air. Many air filters come with both mechanical and activated carbon filters to provide increased protection. However, carbon fibers get saturated easily and need frequent cleaning or replacement. Ozone Generators: These devices use ozone to alter the chemical composition of certain pollutants. They may show results in some cases but are not recommended for indoor use as they can make the air quality more dangerous. Electrostatic Ionizers: Some purifiers use electrostatic models to charge aerial particles and create a magnetic effect to stick those particles on nearby surfaces or plates attached to the purifiers. These purifiers are also not recommended as they often produce ozone.  Ultraviolet Germicidal Irradiation (UVGI): Many purifiers nowadays come with UV lamps to kill airborne pathogens. This feature may increase a purifier's protective measure, but it is often not necessary. Read more: Effects of Air Pollution on Unborn Children, Neonates, Infants Photocatalytic Oxidation PCO: Photocatalytic oxidation is also about reacting with harmful pollutants to make them ineffective. But the process may also create harmful byproducts so are not recommended. Best Air Purifiers Available in Bangladesh in 2025 Most electronic home appliance manufacturers make air purifiers and market them at different prices based on their designs, capacities, and filtration technologies. Here are a few notable air purifiers available in Bangladesh: Low Range BEKO Air Purifier P6 BEKO Air Purifier P6 is a simple-looking air-purifying device made by Singer. It features a CADR of 204 m³/hour and a 3-stage filtration system combining a HEPA 13 filter, an activated carbon filter, and a simple pre-filter. The purifier can clean a 323-sf area in 27 minutes and is available for BDT 9,038. Xiaomi Smart Air Purifier 4 Lite with Google Assistant Xiaomi Smart Air Purifier 4 Lite cleans the air in a 120-square-meter room in only an hour. It comes with a CADR of 360m³/h and captures air particles as small as 0.3 microns. It produces low sound, measured at only 33.4dB, which feels more like a whisper. A PM2.5 sensor monitors the inhouse air condition and lets users know when it needs a purification. The purifier is available in Bangladesh at approximately BDT 17,200. Read more: 9 Best Indoor Water Plants That Require Minimal Care Mid Range Philips AC0650 44m² Air Purifier The Philips AC0650 offers air purification for rooms up to 44 m². It features a CADR of 170 m³/h, ultra-quiet operation (19 dB), Wi-Fi connectivity via the Air+ app, and a compact design. It uses a dual filtration system combining HEPA and pre-filter filters. The purifier is available at BDT 24,790.

Meta has announced it will abandon its long-standing reliance on independent fact-checkers for Facebook and Instagram, opting instead for a user-driven "community notes" system. The change, unveiled by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Tuesday, marks a significant shift in the company’s approach to content moderation, as it moves toward a more hands-off model. In a video accompanying a blog post, Zuckerberg explained that the decision to phase out third-party moderators was motivated by concerns over perceived political bias and a desire to return to Meta’s foundational principles of free expression. "We believe it’s time to get back to our roots," Zuckerberg said. "Third-party fact-checkers have become too politically biased, and we need to let people decide for themselves." The move follows mounting criticism from political figures, particularly from U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and his Republican allies, who have accused Meta of censoring right-wing viewpoints under the guise of fact-checking. Trump praised Zuckerberg’s decision, calling it a step in the right direction. "Meta has come a long way," he remarked during a news conference. When asked if the decision was a response to past threats he had made to Zuckerberg, Trump replied, "Probably." Meta's current fact-checking program, in place since 2016, involved sending flagged posts to independent organizations for assessment. Posts deemed inaccurate were often labeled or demoted in users' feeds. This policy will now be replaced by community notes, a mechanism reminiscent of the one introduced by social media platform X (formerly Twitter), which allows users to collaborate on adding context to controversial posts. The shift is expected to roll out first in the U.S., with no immediate changes planned for the U.K. or the EU. Meta has assured users that there will be no change in how harmful content related to self-harm, suicide, or eating disorders is treated. Joel Kaplan, Meta’s new global affairs head and a prominent Republican, defended the move, stating that the previous reliance on fact-checkers had often led to censorship rather than clarity. "Too much harmless content gets censored, and too many innocent people end up in 'Facebook jail'," he wrote in the blog post. However, Meta acknowledged the risks associated with the change, with Zuckerberg noting that it would likely result in fewer harmful posts being caught, but also fewer innocent accounts being mistakenly banned. Campaigners against hate speech expressed concern over the policy change, warning that it could open the floodgates to disinformation. Ava Lee, from Global Witness, criticized the move as a political maneuver to align with the incoming Trump administration, which has long criticized Meta’s content moderation practices. "This decision has harmful implications for the platform’s responsibility in combating hate speech and disinformation," Lee stated. Meta’s shift comes amid broader trends in the tech industry, where content moderation has become increasingly politicized. Critics of the new direction argue that Meta’s decision could set a dangerous precedent for other platforms. Kate Klonick, an expert on internet law, described the move as a "radical swing" in content governance, signaling a shift towards prioritizing free speech over safety mechanisms. As Zuckerberg prepares to meet with Trump and other key figures before the president-elect’s inauguration, Meta’s policy changes seem to be a part of a broader effort to rebuild relationships with the incoming administration. With Meta also planning to add Dana White, a close Trump ally, to its board of directors, the company is clearly signaling a shift in its political priorities. The change has sparked debate about the future of online speech, with critics warning that it could lead to a rise in hate speech and misinformation, while supporters argue it’s a necessary step toward protecting free expression. As Meta implements this new approach, it remains to be seen how it will impact the platform’s content moderation policies and its relationship with users worldwide.

The video game industry is more than just a source of entertainment—it’s a booming multibillion-dollar market with projected global revenues soaring to $312.40 billion by 2025. For gamers who are passionate about immersing themselves in virtual worlds and have a knack for tech-savviness, this industry offers lucrative opportunities to turn their hobby into a thriving income stream. Here’s how you can tap into the goldmine of gaming and start earning. Ways to Earn Money While Playing Virtual Games Turning a passion into a money-making skill is not easy; it takes a lot of hard work, patience, and consistency to see any results. Confident players can choose any strategies below to leverage the most out of the gaming industry. Livestreaming Streaming is one of the most trusted ways for players to generate income. Several popular streaming platforms let gamers build and join communities and share their gaming sessions. Established players earn millions of dollars by showing off their gameplay strategies and techniques to their followers. Read more: Top 8 Free High Graphics Winter Games for Android and iOS in 2025 Here is a list of platforms where you can live-stream your games: - Twitch- Kick- YouTube Gaming- Facebook Gaming- DLive Apart from gaming expertise, streaming requires gamers to have a few non-gaming skill sets, like giving voice-overs, narrating live gameplay to engage viewers, marketing their content on social media, and making connections. According to Statista, around 1.8 billion people will be on game live-streaming platforms by 2029. Starting a YouTube Channel Making guides on popular video games, reviewing the latest releases, talking about leaks and rumours, game developers, and famous players, and posting them on your channel can be lucrative skills. Read more: 10 Best-Selling Video Games of 2024 Around 200 million people watch gaming content on YouTube every day, and 2 of the 5 most subscribed YouTube channels are gaming-related. With this sheer number of active viewers and the incredible popularity of gaming content, players can earn money in multiple ways on YouTube. They can promote products and brands, earn stickers from streaming, charge a small fee for exclusive content, and generate ad revenue. Game Testing Playtesters test out newly developed games before their launch and check for anomalies in the gameplay. Game manufacturers hire playtesters to get feedback on the overall experience of their games and look for issues to fix. Playtesters are gaming professionals who possess an intuitive understanding of every aspect of a game. They are mostly seasoned gamers keen to detect bugs and abnormalities in characters, items, controls, and overall gameplay. Aspiring players should join public beta game testing opportunities and build their portfolios before finding paid opportunities. Read more: 7 Most Hyped Virtual Action Games Releasing in 2025 Joining Gaming Competitions Gaming competitions offer a large amount of money as cash prizes to the players. Skilled gamers can opt for various onsite or online gaming tournaments and win to earn money. Tournaments open opportunities for streamers and content creators to meet famous players and create their presence in the gaming world. Players with a great network can host tournaments and earn money by recruiting sponsors and charging entry fees for participation. Investing in tournaments is also profitable, but you must check the credibility of the organizers first. Creating a Gaming Podcast Hosting gaming podcasts is another money-making option for gamers. Podcasting involves commenting on live gameplay, reviewing new games, sharing personal takes on industry updates, interviewing industry representatives, answering audiences’ questions on live sessions, and entertaining audiences with humour and puns. Read more: Top 7 Gaming Earphones of 2024: Must-Have Picks for Gamers Gaming podcasters monetize their channels by asking for donations, selling gaming-related items, earning ad revenues, and promoting brands. They are often called to host events like game inaugurations and tournaments. Blogging on Gaming Blogging is still a great revenue generator for gamers as it offers several ways to monetize written and video content. Blogging is more like podcasting but in a written format. Game bloggers write reviews on games and related products, the latest industry news, how-to guides, and interviews and regularly post them on their blogs. Blogs are great for running affiliate campaigns, promoting brands and their products, and earning ad revenues. Players who want to start a blog should know how to create, host and maintain a website and reach the target audience's attention through search engine optimization and online marketing. Read more: Top 10 Best Gaming Monitors Released in 2024 Conclusion Making money by playing video games is possible, but it requires dedication and adaptability. You must keep learning new skills and adapt to industry trends to be relatable to audiences and offer them what they want.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg unveiled significant changes to the company’s moderation policies on Tuesday, citing a shifting political and social climate and the need to restore free expression across its platforms. The updates will impact Facebook, Instagram, and Threads, which together serve billions of users globally. Meta will discontinue its existing fact-checking program, which relied on partnerships with third-party organizations, and implement a community-driven system similar to X’s Community Notes, according to a report by NBC News. “We’re going to get back to our roots and focus on reducing mistakes, simplifying our policies, and restoring free expression on our platforms,” Zuckerberg said in a video message. “First, we’re going to get rid of fact-checkers and replace them with community notes similar to X, starting in the U.S.” Meta set to introduce Ray-Ban smart glasses in 2025 In addition, Meta will modify its content moderation policies, particularly around political topics. Changes that previously reduced political content in user feeds will be undone. Zuckerberg highlighted the U.S. election as a pivotal factor influencing these decisions, criticizing what he described as pressure from “governments and legacy media” to increase censorship. “The recent elections also feel like a cultural tipping point towards, once again, prioritizing speech,” he said. Zuckerberg acknowledged that the complex systems Meta had developed to moderate content were prone to errors, impacting millions of users. “We built a lot of complex systems to moderate content, but the problem with complex systems is they make mistakes,” he said. “Even if they accidentally censor just 1% of posts, that’s millions of people, and we’ve reached a point where it’s just too many mistakes and too much censorship.” While Meta will continue to strictly moderate content related to drugs, terrorism, and child exploitation, the company plans to ease some policies surrounding sensitive topics like immigration and gender. Automated moderation systems will now focus on "high severity violations," relying more on user reports for less severe issues. “We’re also going to tune our content filters to require much higher confidence before taking down content,” Zuckerberg explained. “The reality is that this is a trade-off. It means we’re going to catch less bad stuff, but we’ll also reduce the number of innocent people’s posts and accounts that we accidentally take down.” Meta donates $1m to Trump's inauguration fund The decision to end the fact-checking program marks a departure from Meta’s earlier efforts, launched in 2016, which involved third-party fact-checkers certified by organizations like the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN). Over 90 organizations participated, fact-checking content in more than 60 languages. Meta’s shift mirrors broader trends in the social media industry, where companies have increasingly scaled back on moderation efforts amid criticism of bias and politicization. Conservatives, in particular, have long accused Meta’s fact-checking system of favoring liberal viewpoints—a claim that has been disputed. X’s Community Notes, the model for Meta’s new system, has gained popularity among conservative users for its mix of fact-checking and community-driven contributions. Zuckerberg’s announcement comes as social media companies navigate a politically charged environment. The NBC News report notes that Meta, like other tech giants, has sought to align with incoming political leadership. The company donated $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund, and Zuckerberg praised Trump in an interview before the election, though he stopped short of an endorsement.

Apple has announced that it will update, rather than suspend, its new artificial intelligence (AI) feature that generated inaccurate news alerts on its latest iPhones. In its first response to concerns, the company confirmed on Monday that it is working on a software update to "further clarify" when notifications are summaries generated by Apple’s AI system, the BBC reports. What to know about Apple's $95 million settlement of the snooping Siri case The BBC raised concerns last month after an AI-generated summary of its headline mistakenly informed readers that Luigi Mangione, the man accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, had shot himself. Recently, Apple’s AI inaccurately summarised BBC app notifications, claiming that Luke Littler had won the PDC World Darts Championship hours before it started, and that Spanish tennis player Rafael Nadal had come out as gay. This is the first time Apple has formally acknowledged the issues raised by the BBC, who pointed out that these errors appeared as though they originated from the BBC’s own app. The BBC said that these AI summaries by Apple do not reflect – and in some cases completely contradict – the original BBC content. Apple to pay $95 million to settle lawsuit accusing Siri of eavesdropping "It is critical that Apple urgently addresses these issues as the accuracy of our news is vital for maintaining trust." Apple said that the update would be available "in the coming weeks." The company had previously explained that its notification summaries aim to allow users to "scan for key details" by combining and rewriting multiple recent app notifications into a single alert on the lock screen. "Apple Intelligence features are in beta and we are continuously making improvements with the help of user feedback," the company said in a statement on Monday. It also emphasised that receiving the summaries is optional. The feature, along with other AI tools, is only available on iPhone 16 models, iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max handsets running iOS 18.1 and above, and some iPads and Macs. RSF urges Apple to scrap AI feature after misleading headline incident Reporters Without Borders, an organisation representing journalists, urged Apple to disable the feature in December, saying that the false headline about Mangione showed that "generative AI services are still too immature to produce reliable information for the public." Apple is not the only company that has launched generative AI tools capable of creating text, images, and more. Google’s AI summary feature, which provides written summaries of search results, also faced criticism last year for delivering some erratic responses. A Google spokesperson said these were "isolated examples" and that the feature was generally working well.

Released on December 17, 2024, the Honor GT is a feature-packed smartphone designed to compete in the mid-range market. Let's dive into the specs, pros, cons, and pricing of the Honor GT in Bangladesh. Key Features of Honor GT . Design and Build Quality The Honor GT features a sleek, lightweight design with 161 mm by 74.2 mm by 7.7 mm dimensions and a weight of 196g, making it comfortable to hold. Its IP65 rating ensures dust and water resistance, a welcome addition for a mid-range smartphone. The curved glass back with matte finishes in Black, White, and Green gives it a premium look. Comparatively, the Honor X9c offers similar IP65 protection. Meanwhile, with its rugged build, the rival Ulefone Armor 27T Pro targets durability over aesthetics. However, it is significantly heavier (441g) and bulkier, making the Honor GT more appealing for everyday use. Another competitor, Xiaomi Poco C75 lacks any form of water resistance, placing the Honor GT ahead in durability. Read more: Top Smartphones Launching in January 2025: What to Expect Display Quality The Honor GT’s 6.7-inch AMOLED display offers a 120Hz refresh rate, 1B colors, and HDR support. With 1200 nits (HBM) and 4000 nits (peak) brightness, it excels in visibility, even under direct sunlight. The 1200 by 2664 pixel resolution ensures sharp visuals, perfect for streaming and gaming. In comparison, the Honor X9c offers a slightly larger AMOLED 6.7” display with similar brightness levels but lacks HDR support. The Ulefone Armor 27T Pro features an IPS LCD screen, falling behind in color vibrancy. The Xiaomi Poco C75 also features a 6.88’’ IPS LCD but with significantly lower brightness (600 nits HBM) and resolution (720 by 1640 pixels), making the Honor GT the clear winner in display quality. Camera Performance The Honor GT has a 50MP (f/2.0) primary camera with OIS, a 12MP (f/2.2) ultrawide lens, and advanced features like HDR and panorama. It captures sharp, detailed images, especially in low-light conditions, where the OIS truly shines. The 16MP (f/2.5) front camera performs well for selfies and video calls. Read more: ZTE Nubia Z70 Ultra Review: Is It Really a Flagship Killer? The nearly priced competitor Honor X9c offers a 108MP (f/1.8) primary sensor, which, while impressive, struggles with color accuracy in challenging lighting. The Xiaomi Poco C75 lacks versatility with just a 50MP single camera, while the Ulefone Armor 27T Pro stands out with its thermal camera but offers limited usability for everyday photography. Overall, the Honor GT strikes a balance between quality and practicality. Processor Performance Under the hood, the Honor GT runs on the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset with an 8-core CPU and Adreno 750 GPU. Built on a 4nm process, it delivers blazing-fast performance for multitasking, gaming, and demanding applications. The Honor X9c, powered by the older Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, can not match the Honor GT in speed or efficiency. Similarly, the Xiaomi Poco C75’s Helio G81 Ultra and the Ulefone Armor 27T Pro’s Dimensity 6300 lag behind in raw processing power. This makes the Honor GT one of the most powerful devices in its price range. Read more: Vivo X200 Pro Mini Review: A Compact Flagship Smartphone with Powerful Features Gaming Performance Gaming enthusiasts will appreciate the Honor GT’s ability to handle graphics-intensive titles like Genshin Impact and Call of Duty: Mobile effortlessly, thanks to its Adreno 750 GPU and 120Hz refresh rate. Extended gaming sessions remain smooth, with effective thermal management keeping the device cool. In comparison, the Honor X9c and Ulefone Armor 27T Pro struggle to deliver consistent frame rates, especially in demanding games. The Xiaomi Poco C75, with its weaker GPU, is better suited for casual gaming rather than high-performance titles. Battery Life With a 5300mAh battery, the Honor GT provides almost day-long service for moderate users. Its 100W wired charging can juice up the battery to 60% in just 15 minutes, a significant advantage for those on the go. What’s more, 5W reverse charging makes this device quite handy. The Honor X9c’s larger 6600mAh battery outlasts the Honor GT but charges slower at 66W. The Ulefone Armor 27T Pro, with its massive 10600mAh battery, offers unparalleled longevity but at the cost of bulk and weight. The Xiaomi Poco C75, with a 5160mAh battery and 18W charging, feels underwhelming by comparison. Read more: realme C75 Review: What Does This Budget Smartphone Offer? Software and User Interface The Honor GT runs Android 15 with the latest MagicOS 9, offering a clean and intuitive user experience. It features advanced multitasking capabilities, customizable themes, and smooth animations. The Honor X9c, with Android 14 and MagicOS 8, misses out on some of the latest software enhancements. The Xiaomi Poco C75’s HyperOS feels cluttered with unnecessary apps, while the Ulefone Armor 27T Pro’s stock Android 14 provides a basic but reliable interface. Storage Options The Honor GT offers versatile configurations, including 256GB to 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage, paired with 12GB or 16GB of RAM. This ensures quick data access and ample space for apps, games, and media. The Honor X9c maxes out at 512GB storage and 12GB RAM, while the Xiaomi Poco C75 is limited to 256GB and 8GB RAM, using the slower eMMC 5.1 storage. The Ulefone Armor 27T Pro, with 256GB UFS 2.2 storage, lags significantly in speed and capacity, making the Honor GT the most future-proof option. Read more: Infinix Hot 50 Pro Plus Review: A Feature-Packed Budget-friendly Contender Pros and Cons of  Honor GT . Pros - 5G and NFC-enabled smartphone for seamless connectivity.- Supports 100W fast charging and 5W reverse charging.- 5300mAh battery ensures excellent longevity.- 4K video recording with gyro-EIS for smooth and stable footage.- Stereo speakers and infrared ports enhance functionality.- Runs on Android 15 OS with the latest MagicOS 9 UI.- AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate delivers a vibrant viewing experience.- Outstanding gaming performance with powerful hardware.- Offers high RAM and storage variants, up to 1TB.- IP65-rated for dust and water resistance. Read more: Xiaomi Redmi K80 Pro Review: The Ultimate Flagship Killer of 2024? Cons - No 3.5mm audio jack, limiting wired headphone compatibility.- Lacks microSD card support for expandable storage.- Gorilla Glass protection is absent, making the display less durable.- An optical zoom camera is missing, limiting zoom photography.- The selfie camera can only record videos in 1080p resolution.- No support for wireless charging, which is common in this range. Price of Honor GT in Bangladesh The Honor GT is available in Bangladesh at an approximate price of BDT 40,000, making it a strong contender in its price segment. However, the price is subject to change. Summing Up The Honor GT is ideal for gamers, multitaskers, and photography enthusiasts seeking high-end features at a mid-range price. However, it is not suitable for users who prioritize expandable storage, wireless charging, or advanced durability features like Gorilla Glass. With its balanced specs and performance, it is a great choice for most tech-savvy users. Read more: Samsung Galaxy A16 5G Review: Value-for-Money or Just Another Upgrade?

Playing snow games can be an exciting way to overcome boredom this season. With many winter games designed for mobile phones, you can immerse yourself in their enticing narratives and actions. From open-world adventures to entangling strategies, diverse genres of winter games for Android and iOS smartphones offer a great way to have a good time. 8 Best Winter Snow Games to Play on Smartphones Free of Cost in 2025 . Wildfrost Wildfrost is an immersive card-fighting game that combines strategy with action employing a few powerful winter heroes. The story is about a time when the sun has frosted, and an eternal Wildfrost has devoured the world. The inhabitants of Snowdell, a small town filled with brave characters, are the only force to fight the rule of the Wildfrost. Chucklefish Limited released the game on mobile platforms on Mar 13, 2024. Wildfrost requires 463MB of storage and Android 6.0 or later versions on Android devices and 759.9 MB of storage on Apple 12.0 or later versions on iOS devices. It has a 4.0 rating on the App Store. Read more: Top 7 Gaming Earphones of 2024: Must-Have Picks for Gamers Frostpunk: Beyond the Ice Frostpunk: Beyond the Ice is a survival city-building game set in a snow-clad world hit by an unexpected second ice age. With the planet frozen solid and its surface buried beneath layers of thick ice, people wander around in packs to find salvation. The hope of life twinkles when a pack discovers a large coal generator and starts rebuilding civilization around it. Later, more people join them. The gameplay follows the classic city or town-building approach while standing apart with its high-graphic visuals. Frostpunk: Beyond the Ice, developed by Com2uS Corp, was released on October 24, 2024. Available on both Android and iOS platforms, the game requires 1GB of storage on Android 7.0 or later devices and 1.9GB of storage on Apple 12.0 or later devices. It has a 4.6 rating on Google PlayStore and a 4.5 rating on App Store. Age of Empires Mobile Age of Empires Mobile represents all the elements of its classic version and offers a platform-based, unique gaming experience. Players can choose an ancient civilization and build an empire by gathering resources, building and upgrading houses and towers, attacking enemy civilizations, and protecting their own. The game features several extreme seasons, including a foggy, intense winter, to test gamers’ strategic approach toward survival. Read more: 7 Most Hyped Virtual Action Games Releasing in 2025 Age of Empires Mobile, developed by Level Infinite, was released on October 15, 2024. The game requires 967MB of storage and Android 5.0 or later versions on Android devices and 1.2GB of storage on Apple 13.0 or later versions on iOS devices. It has a 4.6 rating on Google PlayStore and a 4.5 rating on App Store. Winter Lord Winter Lord is a simple strategy game where players rule an ancient, snow-covered kingdom filled with dangerous creatures. Players have to forge weapons and equip the heroes of the kingdom with them. The more powerful weapon you will make, the more efficient your heroes will become at killing those creatures. Game Lab Limited released the game on October 18, 2024. The game requires 664MB of storage and Android 5.0 or later versions on Android devices. It has a 4.4 rating on Google PlayStore. Read more: 10 Best-Selling Video Games of 2024

Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit that accused the company of turning its virtual assistant Siri into a snoop that eavesdropped on the users of iPhones and other trendy devices in a betrayal to its long-standing commitment to personal privacy. The proposed settlement filed in federal court earlier this week still needs to be approved by a judge, but here are a few things to know about the case and the privacy issues that it raised. WHAT WAS THE LAWSUIT ABOUT? The Wood Law Firm, which specializes in class-action lawsuits, filed the complaint against Apple in August 2019, shortly after The Guardian newspaper published an article alleging that Siri's microphone had been surreptitiously turned on to record conversations occurring without the users' knowledge. Apple issued a September 2014 software update that was supposed to activate the virtual assistant only with the triggering words “Hey, Siri,” but The Guardian story alleged Siri was listening and recording conversations at other times to help improve the company’s technology. The story led to the lawsuit, which later raised allegations that Apple shared some of the conversations that Siri secretly recorded with advertisers looking to connect with consumers who were more likely to buy their products and services. HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE COVERED BY THE SETTLEMENT? Tens of millions of U.S consumers who owned or purchased iPhones and other devices equipped with Siri from September 17, 2014, through the end of last year will be eligible to file claims. HOW MUCH MONEY WILL EACH ELIGIBLE CONSUMER RECEIVE? It's far too early to tell for certain, but the settlement currently envisions paying out up to $20 per Siri-enabled device, with each consumer limited to a maximum. The final amount could be affected by two factors: the number of claims and how much of the settlement fund is reduced to cover legal fees and costs. A claims administrator estimates only 3% to 5% of eligible consumers will file claims. The lawyers in the case currently are seeking nearly $30 million in fees and expenses, but that figure could still be lowered by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White, who is overseeing the case in Oakland, California. A proposed Feb. 14 court hearing has been proposed to review the settlement terms. DID APPLE BREAK ANY LAWS? If the allegations were true, Apple may have violated federal wiretapping laws and other statutes designed to protect people's privacy. But Apple adamantly denied any wrongdoing and maintained that it would have been cleared of any misconduct had the case gone to trial. Lawyers representing the consumers asserted that Apple's misbehavior was so egregious that the company could have been liable for $1.5 billion in damages if it lost the case. Although Apple hasn't explained the reasons for making the settlement, major companies often decide it makes more sense to resolve class-action cases rather than to continue to run up legal costs and risk the chance of potentially bad publicity. The lawsuit also targeted one of Apple's core values framing privacy as a “fundamental human right.” Although $95 million sounds like a lot of money, it's a pittance for Apple. Since September 2014, the company's total profits have exceeded $700 billion — a streak of prosperity that has helped propel the company's market value to about $3.7 trillion. DO I NEED TO BE WORRIED ABOUT THE MICROPHONES ON OTHER DEVICES SPYING ON ME? Perhaps. A case similar to the one filed against Siri is still active in a San Jose, California, federal court against Google and the virtual assistant in its Android software, which has been widely used in smartphones for years. JUST IN CASE, HOW DO I DISABLE SIRI? You can turn Apple’s virtual assistant off by following these simple steps: 1. Navigate to Settings Siri & Search. 2. Toggle off Listen for ‘Hey Siri’ and press the Side button for Siri. 3. Tap Turn Off Siri when a pop-up window appears. You can also disable individual apps' access to your iPhone's mic by doing the following: Navigate to Settings (select the app) then toggle off Microphone.  

US Senator Bernie Sanders has sharply criticised Elon Musk, accusing the tech magnate of exploiting the H-1B visa system to hire lower-wage foreign workers, particularly from India, instead of employing highly skilled American labour. Sanders, known for his staunch advocacy for workers' rights, has called for significant reforms to the visa programme to protect local jobs. Speaking on Thursday, Sanders argued that Musk’s reliance on the H-1B programme is motivated more by cost-cutting than by filling a skills gap. "Elon Musk is wrong," Sanders posted on social media platform X. "The H-1B visa programme’s primary purpose is not to bring in the best and the brightest, but to replace good-paying American jobs with low-wage labour from abroad." Apple to pay $95 million to settle lawsuit accusing Siri of eavesdropping The Senator highlighted that companies like Tesla have used the programme to hire workers for roles such as associate accountants and mechanical engineers, positions he believes should first be offered to qualified Americans. Sanders also noted Tesla's decision to lay off over 7,500 American workers earlier this year while continuing to employ H-1B visa holders. The debate over the H-1B visa programme has long been contentious, with critics alleging that it undermines American workers by allowing corporations to prioritise cheaper foreign labour. Sanders joins a growing chorus of political voices, including Laura Loomer and Steve Bannon, who have called for a reassessment of the programme. However, Musk has consistently defended the H-1B visa system, claiming it addresses a critical shortage of highly skilled tech talent in the United States. Musk has pointed out that many engineers who have contributed to the success of his companies, Tesla and SpaceX, entered the US through the programme. In response to Sanders’ accusations, Musk reiterated his position, stating that the US education system struggles to produce enough top-tier engineering talent. Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, a close ally of Musk, echoed these sentiments, calling for an overhaul of the US education system to better prepare the domestic workforce. Former President Donald Trump also weighed in, expressing support for the H-1B programme. He argued that the US must continue to attract skilled individuals to maintain its economic competitiveness. Elon Musk sparks speculation with name change on X; this is the name he chose The controversy over the H-1B programme reflects broader tensions between safeguarding American jobs and ensuring access to global talent in a competitive tech landscape. As the debate intensifies, policymakers face mounting pressure to strike a balance that addresses both concerns. Source: With inputs from Indian media