tech
Eid: Samsung offers discounts on Galaxy A03, Galaxy Z flip 3 5G
Samsung has come up with different offers on Eid-ul-fitr 2022 on Smartphone purchases.
Samsung Galaxy A03, a device usually priced at Tk11,999, can now be purchased with a cashback of Tk1,000.
Galaxy Z Flip 3 5G, usually available for Tk111,999, is now up for sale with a cashback of Tk10,000.
Read: Realme narzo 50, C31 available across Bangladesh
The campaign will continue until the day before Eid-ul-Fitr.
Galaxy A03 comes with a power-efficient RAM and powerful processor, a dual-camera setup consisting of a 48MP main camera and a 2MP depth camera, all accompanied by a 5MP front camera.
Galaxy Z Flip 3, Samsung's newest addition to its premium family of Flip phones, signifies utility and style.
Read Walton Primo GH11 Review: The Ultra Budget Device Made in Bangladesh
Samsung Mobile Bangladesh recently launched a special campaign, offering chances to win a trip to Dubai, a new Suzuki Gixxer SF motorbike, discounts of up to Tk10,000 and more prizes on the purchase of any smartphone of the brand.
Samsung Mobile Bangladesh's Eid campaign 2022 will continue till May 1.
Chattogram: Samsung Eid campaign winners get prizes
Samsung Mobile Bangladesh recently launched a special campaign, offering chances to win a trip to Dubai, a new Suzuki Gixxer SF motorbike, discounts of up to Tk10,000 and more prizes on the purchase of any smartphone of the brand.
Celebrating the conclusion of the campaign ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, Zohad Reza Chowdhury, musician and brand ambassador of Samsung Mobile, handed over prizes to the winners at port city Chattogram's Sanmar Ocean City.
Read: Realme narzo 50, C31 available across Bangladesh
In addition to the campaign, Samsung offered zero percent equated monthly instalment (EMI) facilities to the consumers.
Realme narzo 50, C31 available across Bangladesh
Youth-centric brand realme's recently launched smartphones relame narzo 50 and realme C31. Both phones are now available across Bangladesh.
realme narzo 50
Narzo 50 4GB/64GB is available at Tk16,499 and C31 at Tk12990.
Narzo 50 is the latest phone from realme's narzo series for the gaming aficionados. It is the only phone in the market with a Helio G96 processor and 120Hz refresh rate at this price.
Read: Vivo Y33s available in new colour
The phone also features a 5000mAh battery for hours of uninterrupted usage and gaming.
If the device runs out of power, with the help of its 33W Dart Charge, the users can charge this phone from 0 percent to 100 percent in just 70 minutes.
Also, narzo 50 comes with a 50MP AI triple camera setup, ensuring that the users can capture crisp photos.
Read: Samsung Galaxy A23 4G: Can it uphold the reputation of ancestors?
realme C31
Combining a visual experience with a comfortable feel, C31 comes with a new dynamic texture design as thin as 8.4mm.
Alongside a large 6.5-inch HD+ display, the smartphone is facilitated with Unisoc T612.
Unisoc T612 is an octa-core 12nm processor that clocks up to 1.82 GHz and adopts Cortex A75 structure, delivering a powerful and stable performance.
Read Vivo Y33s available in new colour
Also, C31 comes with a 5000mAh battery.
Musk sells $4B in Tesla shares, presumably for Twitter deal
Elon Musk has sold 4.4 million shares of Tesla stock worth roughly $4 billion, most likely to help fund his purchase of Twitter.
Musk reported the sale in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday. The shares were sold over the past few days, at prices ranging from $872.02 to $999.13.
The world’s richest man, who is the CEO of Tesla, tweeted that he doesn’t plan any further sales of the company’s shares.
Also read: Twitter abuse victims fear Musk’s plans, but may not quit
Most of the sales took place on Tuesday, a day when Tesla shares closed down 12%, a huge single-day drop.
Analysts said Tesla investors are fearful that Musk will be distracted by Twitter and less engaged in running the electric car company. Twitter agreed to be acquired by Musk on Monday for $44 billion.
Also read:What Musk’s past tweets reveal about Twitter’s next owner
Vivo Y33s available in new colour
Global technology brand vivo has introduced three new colour schemes of Y33s in Bangladesh.
After Mirror Black and Starry Gold variants of Y33s, vivo unveiled the new Midday Dream variant.
Launched earlier this month, vivo Y33s is equipped with a 50MP rear camera.
Read: Samsung Galaxy A23 4G: Can it uphold the reputation of ancestors?
The smartphone is equipped with a 5000mAh battery powered by Vivo Energy Guardian technology. This feature enables Y33s to automatically stop charging after a full charge.
Y33s also features 18W Fast Charge for a seamless smartphone experience.
Priced at Tk20,990, the device has been crafted to match the lifestyles of the youths, who are always "on the go" and demand power-packed devices with cutting-edge features under the budget.
Read Walton Primo GH11 Review: The Ultra Budget Device Made in Bangladesh
Telecom Minister unveils data packs sans validity in Bangladesh
Bangladesh Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar on Thursday unveiled mobile data packs without validity as well as unlimited monthly internet plan at BTRC head office.
Grameenphone users can now buy 15GB internet at Tk 1,099 and 5GB data at Tk 449. Robi users will have to pay Tk 319 for 10GB data, Banglalink customers Tk 306 for 5GB and state-owned Teletalk users Tk 449 for 5GB internet. These packs, however, come with a yearly recharge rider.
Also read: Each union to get high speed broadband internet by 2023: Mustafa Jabbar
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) chairman Shyam Sunder Sikder and representatives of the telecom service providers were present at the programme.
Samsung Galaxy A23 4G: Can it uphold the reputation of ancestors?
Samsung's Galaxy A series are some of the most popular in the world. They come with a variety of features and apps to make your life easier. Whether you are looking for a phone to take pictures with or one that can keep up with your busy lifestyle, a Galaxy phone is sure to fit the bill. The company has released the newest iteration of their A series line, the Galaxy A23. Officially launched on April 21 in Bangladesh, A23 4G phone is available in all Samsung stores across the country. Let's see the Samsung Galaxy A23 review and know if the features can meet users' demands.
Key Features of Samsung Galaxy A23 4G
Design
With simple but refined curves, the Galaxy A23's Ambient Edge design easily connects the rare camera with the body seamlessly. The rear part of the phone offers 4 cameras and one flash on the top left corner. The right side of the phone contains a power button and volume rocker. The power button is also used for unlocking the phone.
The left edge of the phone contains a sim tray combined with an external memory card slot. The bottom part of the phone offers a charging port. The symmetric and slim Galaxy A23 comes in 3 colors, black, peach, and blue.
Read Bluetooth Headphones Buyer Guide and Price Ranges in Bangladesh
Display
The A23 comes with a 6.6-inch TFT V-Cut Display which can give you the opportunity to see more and do more. Furthermore, the FHD+ technology combined with a 90Hz refresh rate makes everything sharper and smoother. The main display is 167.2mm (6.6" full rectangle) with 1080 x 2408 FHD+ resolution.
The color depth of the phone is 16M. The PLS TFT LCD display can provide better image quality with higher resolutions. However, TFT displays tend to consume more energy. And that is why Samsung provides a massive battery with the phone.
Camera
This device has a quad rear camera. The 50-megapixel main camera has AF OIS, so you can take much clearer and brighter pictures. Also, while moving, you can make videos without any shaking. With the latest trend 5-megapixel ultra-wide camera, you will get the experience of taking natural pictures. It provides you with a wider field of view than a standard camera, making it easier to capture photos of large groups or landscapes. With the ultra-wide camera, you can capture 123 degrees angle of view.
Read OnePlus NORD N20 5G: Leaks, Rumors, Probable Release Date
It comes with a 2-megapixel depth camera that will help you focus on the subject while taking pictures by controlling the depth. You can adjust your photo's depth while also blurring the background for high-definition quality portraits.
There's also a 2-megapixel macro camera, which gives you the ability to take stunning photos in low light conditions. This is because the camera sensor is able to gather lighter than a standard camera sensor. The macro camera also allows you to take close-up pictures with great detail and clarity. This is perfect for capturing images of small objects, flowers, and other delicate subjects.
You can zoom up to 10x with the rear camera. In addition, there is an 8-megapixel camera on the front with a selfie focus facility. The good thing about the A23 camera is OIS. With OIS, the phone can record smooth videos while also capturing finer details even in low light.
Read Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus Review: Is it worth it?
Battery and Charging
Samsung Galaxy A23 comes with a 5000mAh battery that can give you backup for two days. As it has a much higher capacity than most other phones on the market, meaning that it will last much longer before needing to be recharged. The battery is very efficient, meaning that it may not overheat or over-discharge, making it safer to use. Further, the phone comes with a 25W fast charging capability.
So, what can you do with 5000mAh juice on A23? You can use up to 27 hours of the internet in 4G and 28 hours in Wi-Fi. However, if you want to see normal videos, you can watch up to 26 hours. For the audio playback, listen up to 174 hours. And finally, the talk time is up to 56 hours in 4G.
Performance and Memory
Galaxy A23 comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB ROM, while you can also add an external micro-SD card up to 1TB. The phone runs on a Snapdragon 680 octa-core 2.4GHz processor. As the Snapdragon 680 is designed for mid-range smartphones, it offers significant improvements over the previous generation Snapdragon 625.
Read Walton Primo S8 Mini: A Budget Friendly Gaming Phone
It has a faster CPU and GPU, as well as support for newer features such as USB 3.1 and Quick Charge 3.0. Moreover, you will also get better power efficiency thanks to its smaller size and 6nm process. This results in longer battery life and also makes the phone fast.
Software
Samsung A23 runs on Android 12 and features Samsung UI 4.1. Android 12 brings a number of new features and improvements over previous versions, including a revamped user interface, better performance, and support for newer devices. With the Samsung A23, you can enhance privacy using the Android 12.
Besides, it will also enhance your gaming experience. Overall the Android 12 with Samsung UI 4.1 will give you a smooth camera and mic experience, enhanced privacy, effortless gaming, dynamic color, and more.
Read Vivo X Fold Review: Can it outsmart the other foldable phones?
Customize your own Galaxy with One UI 4 and give your phone a rugged style to match your ethos. Create a tool that supplies you with the improved operation and lets you have your favorite functionalities in your account.
Security
A23 offers Samsung Knox for security. Built directly into the phone's hardware and software from the very beginning, Samsung Knox defends your phone as soon as it is turned on. Containing multilayered security, it shields your most sensitive information from malware and threats.
Price of Samsung Galaxy A23 in Bangladesh
Now, Samsung Galaxy A23 4G 6/128 GB is officially available in Bangladesh. With all of its tremendous features, you can buy the 6/128GB variant of Samsung A23 4G for Tk. 25,599. However, the price is subject to change depending on company policy.
Read Symphony Z42 Review: Affordable Phone from Local Market
Final Words
Samsung’s latest A series device A23 is a great mid-range phone that offers a lot of features for the price. Samsung Galaxy A23 4G comes with some definitive features such as 6.6" FHD+, 90Hz, Infinity V display, 50MP main camera with three other supporting cameras, 5000mAh battery with 25W fast charging, and more. On the whole, it has a good camera, a good display, a massive battery and is easy to use.
If you are looking for a phone that has high-end features, the Galaxy A23 might be one of the best options for you. If you run an online business or you need to be on the phone most of the time, A23 will be the great pick.
Read Samsung Galaxy A13 4G Review: Does it live up to the hype?
Twitter abuse victims fear Musk’s plans, but may not quit
Perhaps no group of people is more alarmed about Elon Musk’s apparent plan to make Twitter a free speech free-for-all than those most likely to be targeted for harassment: women, racial minorities and other marginalized groups.
They fear that a more hands-off approach to policing the platform will embolden purveyors of hate speech, bullying and disinformation to ratchet up their bad behavior — a possibility Musk has done little to dispel.
Yet even those who have faced extreme harassment on Twitter say they are unlikely to quit the platform. Despite the negative psychological toll, they value Twitter as a diverse forum to express their views and engage with others.
That could help explain why Musk shows little concern for the underbelly of unfettered free speech, although advertisers - who account for about 90% of Twitter’s revenue - may not feel the same way.
Renee Bracey Sherman, a biracial abortion rights advocate, endures a steady stream of predictable criticism on Twitter and, occasionally, an eruption of vile tweets: messages calling for her death, photos of aborted fetuses and, recently, her likeness photo-shopped as a Nazi.
“It is a montage of hate and gore and violence,” Bracey Sherman said.
But while some famous people threaten to quit Twitter because of Musk, more typical users like Bracey Sherman say it’s not that simple. They cannot cannot leave Twitter and expect their followers to join them.
To mitigate the hate, Bracey Sherman blocks thousands of people and uses filters to hide the most extreme messages. She also reports the most egregious messages to Twitter, although she says the platform rarely takes action.
Twitter did not immediately respond for comment. The company says on its site that it does not permit targeted harassment or intimidation that could make people afraid to speak up. And it says it does not tolerate violent threats.
Also Read: What Musk’s past tweets reveal about Twitter’s next owner
Musk has called himself a “free-speech absolutist.” In tweets to his 85 million followers since Twitter accepted his $44 billion offer on Monday, Musk has made clear that he intends to regulate content with a much lighter touch, and that he isn’t too concerned by the groundswell of criticism that it is likely to fuel harmful content.
“The extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech says it all,” Musk tweeted Tuesday.
Playful, aggressive and often juvenile, Musk’s tweets show how he has used social media to craft his public image as a brash billionaire unafraid to offend. They may also reveal clues as to how Musk will govern the platform he hopes to own.
On Tuesday, Musk aimed criticism at one of Twitter’s top lawyers involved in content-moderation decisions. That led some of his followers to direct racist and misogynistic comments at the lawyer, Vijaya Gadde, who was born in India and immigrated to the U.S. as a child.
The uproar engulfing Twitter echoes what other social media companies have experienced in the recent past. When Facebook was slow to act to remove then-President Donald Trump from the platform for his role in the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, users called for a boycott, but there was no mass exodus.
Even when fed-up users do leave a social media platform, there’s typically a stream of new users that come in right behind them. It’s not the angriest users who leave, experts say, but those who simply find no use for the platform.
While polls show all types of people are susceptible to online harassment, extensive research has shown that women and people of color are far more likely to be targeted, something Twitter itself acknowledges. That targeting is also true for people with disabilities, people who belong to religious minorities and members of the LGBTQ community.
Michael Kleinman, who has studied online harassment for Amnesty International, said if Twitter allows more hateful and abusive speech, marginalized people who get attacked are likely to express themselves less.
“No one feels safe in a public square where as soon as you speak, a hostile mob screaming obscenities descends upon you. That’s no longer a public square. That’s an arena,” Kleinman said.
Brianna Wu understands that arena as well as anybody.
She has received sexual-assault and death threats on Twitter since 2014, when she created a video game, Revolution 60, that featured women as protagonists. The harassment was part of a larger online campaign targeting female game developers that became known as GamerGate.
Wu has since worked closely with Twitter’s trust and safety team to improve the platform. She said “it terrifies me” to hear Musk talk about rolling back - if not completely wiping away - these efforts.
“We fought very, very hard to improve the platform for women, for LGBTQ people and people of color,” said Wu, who is white and identifies as bisexual.
Also Read: Twitter bans ads that contradict science on climate change
But Wu has no plans to leave Twitter, which she - a former candidate for Congress in Massachusetts - relies on for personal and professional relationships. “I’ve developed life-long friends on Twitter. I think it’s really sad that to get that human connection I’m going to have to deal with harassment again that damages and deadens your humanity.”
Not everyone is dead set on staying. Comic book writer Kelly Sue DeConnick, who has faced harassment as an advocate for gender equity in the entertainment industry, said she’ll wait to see what changes Musk makes before deciding.
“If this just becomes a place where people scream at each other and call each other names and wish one another ill, I’m out,” DeConnick said.
Bridget Todd, a spokeswoman for UltraViolet, an organization that advocates against discrimination in all forms, said that even though Twitter has managed to reduce harassment on its platform in recent years, she doesn’t use it as much as she once did.
Todd said she is deeply worried about Musk guiding the company to eliminate the protections it does have - which she considers inadequate. But she doesn’t intend to leave the platform.
“Our voices are so powerful on platforms like Twitter,” she said. “I don’t necessarily think that this signals the end of that, because I know our voices can really endure.”
Evan Feeney, campaign director for Color of Change, an online racial justice organization that works to improve the lives of Black people in the United States, called Musk’s push to relax content standards on Twitter “an alarming development.” He predicted more coordinated attacks on Black people, particularly Black women.
“It is never good when a single billionaire who purposely conflates freedom to harm with freedom of speech controls one of the (largest) social media platforms in the world,” Feeney said. “We’ve spent years pushing Twitter to implement polices we think have made the platform better. It’s alarming that with a flip of a switch those could be rolled back.”
Harassment on Twitter also spills over into the real world, and it highlights just how much victims sometimes are forced to put up with.
Bracey Sherman says people have placed stickers of racist symbols, including swastikas and monkeys, on her potted plants and the front door of her home. It is why she bristles at those who extol limitless free speech, and who suggest she should just toughen up and ignore it.
“What am I supposed to be able to handle?” she asked. “The fact that you are sending me photos of Nazis and telling me I should be raped over and over and over again?”
SpaceX launches 4 astronauts for NASA after private flight
SpaceX launched four astronauts to the International Space Station for NASA on Wednesday, less than two days after completing a flight chartered by millionaires.
It’s the first NASA crew comprised equally of men and women, including the first Black woman making a long-term spaceflight, Jessica Watkins.
“This is one of the most diversified, I think, crews that we’ve had in a really, really long time,” NASA’s space operations mission chief Kathy Lueders said on the eve of launch.
The astronauts were due to arrive at the space station Wednesday night, 16 hours after their predawn liftoff from Kennedy Space Center. They will spend five months at the orbiting lab.
SpaceX has now launched five crews for NASA and two private trips in just under two years. Elon Musk’s company is having an especially busy few weeks: It just finished taking three businessmen to and from the space station as NASA’s first private guests.
Also read: SpaceX’s Elon Musk: 1st orbital Starship flight maybe March
A week after the new crew arrives, the three Americans and German they’re replacing will return to Earth in their own SpaceX capsule. Three Russians also live at the space station.
Both SpaceX and NASA officials stressed they’re taking it one step at a time to ensure safety. The private mission that concluded Monday encountered no major problems, they said, although high wind delayed the splashdown for a week.
SpaceX Launch Control wished the astronauts good luck and Godspeed moments before the Falcon rocket blasted off with the capsule, named Freedom by its crew.
“Our heartfelt thank you to every one of you that made this possible. Now let Falcon roar and Freedom ring,” radioed NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren, the commander. Minutes later, their recycled booster had landed on an ocean platform and their capsule was safely orbiting Earth. “It was a great ride,” he said.
The SpaceX capsules are fully automated — which opens the space gates to a broader clientele — and they’re designed to accommodate a wider range of body sizes. At the same time, NASA and the European Space Agency have been pushing for more female astronauts.
While two Black women visited the space station during the shuttle era, neither moved in for a lengthy stay. Watkins, a geologist who is on NASA’s short list for a moon-landing mission in the years ahead, sees her mission as “an important milestone, I think, both for the agency and for the country.”
She credits supportive family and mentors — including Mae Jemison, the first Black woman in space in 1992 — for “ultimately being able to live my dream.”
Also cheering Watkins on was another geologist: Apollo 17′s Harrison Schmitt, who walked on the moon in 1972. She invited the retired astronaut to the launch, along with his wife. “We sort of consider ourselves the Jessica team,” he said, chuckling
“Those of us who rode the Saturn V into space are a little bit jaded about the smaller rockets,” Schmitt said after the SpaceX liftoff. “But still, it really was something and on board was a geologist ... I hope it will stand her in good stead for being part of one of the Artemis crews that go to the moon.”
Also read: SpaceX’s Musk: 1st Starship test flight to orbit in January
Like Watkins, NASA astronaut and test pilot Bob Hines is making his first spaceflight. It’s the second visit for the European Space Agency’s lone female astronaut, Samantha Cristoforetti, a former Italian Air Force fighter pilot, and Lindgren, a physician.
The just-completed private flight was NASA’s first dip into space tourism after years of opposition. The space agency said the three people who paid $55 million each to visit the space station blended in while doing experiments and educational outreach. They were accompanied by a former NASA astronaut employed by Houston-based Axiom Space, which arranged the flight.
“The International Space Station is not a vacation spot. It’s not an amusement park. It is an international laboratory, and they absolutely understood and respected that purpose,” said NASA flight director Zeb Scoville.
NASA also hired Boeing to ferry astronauts after retiring the shuttles. The company will take another shot next month at getting an empty crew capsule to the space station, after software and other problems fouled a 2019 test flight and prevented a redo last summer.
DJI halts Russia, Ukraine business to prevent drone misuse
Drone company DJI Technology Co has temporarily suspended business activities in Russia and Ukraine to prevent use of its drones in combat, in a rare case of a Chinese company pulling out of Russia because of the war.
“DJI is internally reassessing compliance requirements in various jurisdictions. Pending the current review, DJI will temporarily suspend all business activities in Russia and Ukraine,” the company said in a statement released Tuesday.
Many Western brands and companies have withdrawn from the Russian market due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, but Chinese firms have kept operating there. Beijing has refrained from publicly criticizing Russia over the war.
Read: US urges more arms for Ukraine amid fears of expanding war
Both Ukraine and Russia are thought to be using DJI drones in combat, even though the company maintains that its products are intended for civilian use.
Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykhailo Federov wrote an open letter last month appealing to DJI to block sales of its drones in Russia, contending that Russian troops were using “DJI products in Ukraine in order to navigate their missiles to kill civilians.”
The AeroScope system installed in DJI drones allows the detection and monitoring of other drones and their operators in the vicinity via special receivers. The worry is that Russians might be using the AeroScope system to attack Ukraine drone pilots.
DJI has rejected claims that it leaked data on Ukraine’s military positions to Russia, after German retailer Mediamarkt cited Russia’s use of DJI drones in the war as a reason it removed the company’s products from its shelves.
Last week, DJI said in a statement that its drones are not marketed or sold for military use. It said it “unequivocally opposed attempts to attach weapons” to its products.
Read: Poland, Bulgaria say Russia suspending natural gas supplies
“We will never accept any use of our products to cause harm, and we will continue striving to improve the world with our work,” the company said.
Another Chinese business, ride hailing company Didi Global, reversed a decision to withdraw from Russia after it was blasted by members of the Chinese public for bowing to pressure from the West.