Tech-News
'October Fest': Xiaomi offers up to Tk20,000 discount
Xiaomi has announced up to Tk20,000 discount on the purchase of certain smartphones during its "October Fest" campaign in October 2022.Xiaomi 12 Pro, which is equipped with 12GB RAM and 256GB ROM, can be bought at a discounted price of Tk89,999, down from the existing market price of Tk109,999. The current market price of the smartphone with 8GB RAM and 256GB ROM of the same model is Tk99,999, but it is now available at Tk79,999 with a discount of Tk20,000.
Read Xiaomi 12T Pro Review: Is the hype real?The 4GB RAM and 64GB ROM variants of the Redmi Note 11 series are being offered at Tk19,599 after a discount of Tk1,000. The 4GB RAM and 128GB ROM variants of the same model are also being sold at Tk20,499 with a discount of Tk1,000. Redmi Note 11 has powerful hardware with an AMOLED display and a long-lasting 5000mAh battery.
The 4GB RAM and 64 GB ROM variant of Redmi 10 (2022) is now priced at Tk17,499 after a discount of Tk1,000. The 6GB RAM and 128GB ROM variant of the same model is being sold at a discounted price of Tk20,499. The smartphone has a 50-megapixel high-resolution camera and an FHD+ resolution display with a 90 Hz refresh rate.
Read Tecno Pova 4 Review: Gaming on a BudgetMeanwhile, in the "October Fest" campaign of Xiaomi in 2022, the entry-level phone Redmi 10A with 2GB and 32GB is available at Tk11,499 after a discount of Tk1,000, according to a media statement.
JUST teams up with Huawei to set up ICT academy
The Jashore University of Science and Technology (JUST) has partnered with global ICT infrastructure provider Huawei to set up an ICT academy.
A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between JUST and Huawei in Jashore Wednesday.
This ICT academy is designed to equip students with advanced ICT knowledge and necessary skills for the future.
Huawei will provide its enriched online learning platform with diversified courses to the students of JUST. Teachers of JUST will get the opportunity to become Huawei-certified trainers at this academy. The trained JUST teachers will provide training to the students afterwards.
Professor Md Anwar Hossain, vice-chancellor of JUST, said: "With the help of the ICT academy in partnership with Huawei, we want to equip our students with all the necessary ICT skills and prepare them for the future."
Karl Yu Ying, head of the Public Affairs and Communications Department of Huawei Bangladesh, said, "Huawei ICT academy is moving forward to develop today's youth in the field of ICT, where they can learn from distinguished academicians and industry experts. Huawei ICT academy has witnessed impressive outcomes from BUET, KUET, and RUET. Right now, we expect the same from JUST."
In April 2022, Huawei inaugurated the ICT academy in BUET (Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology). In August 2022, it signed an MoU to establish an ICT academy in KUET (Khulna University of Engineering and Technology).
In September 2022, an MoU was signed to establish an ICT academy in RUET (Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology).
Can Meta's $1,500 VR headset draw humanity into the metaverse?
Facebook parent Meta unveiled a high-end virtual reality headset Tuesday with the hope that people will soon be using it to work and play in the still-elusive place called the “metaverse.”
The $1,500 Meta Quest Pro headset sports high-resolution sensors that let people see mixed virtual and augmented reality in full color, as well as eye tracking and so-called “natural facial expressions” that mimic the wearer’s facial movements so their avatars appear natural when interacting with other avatars in virtual-reality environments.
Formerly known as Facebook, Meta is in the midst of a corporate transformation that it says will take years to complete. It wants to evolve from a provider of social platforms to a dominant power in a nascent virtual-reality construct called the metaverse — sort of like the internet brought to life, or at least rendered in 3D.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg has described the metaverse as an immersive virtual environment, a place people can virtually “enter” rather than just staring at it on a screen. The company is investing billions in its metaverse plans that will likely take years to pay off.
VR headsets are already popular with some gamers, but Meta knows that won’t be enough to make the metaverse mainstream. As such, it’s setting office — and home office — workers in its sights. “Meta is positioning the new Meta Quest Pro headset as an alternative to using a laptop,” said to Rolf Illenberger, founder and managing director of VRdirect, which builds VR environments for businesses. But he added that for businesses, operating in the virtual worlds of the metaverse is still “quite a stretch.”
Meta also announced that its metaverse avatars will soon have legs — an important detail that’s been missing since the avatars made their debut last year.
Walton brings four new models of refrigerators
Walton has launched four new models of its premium series refrigerators with aesthetic designs and advanced technologies.
The features and technologies of the refrigerators include Syntho-Fresh and UV-C technology, intelligent germ terminator (IGT), smart control, ceramic-coated premium glass, and elegant door handle.
Syntho-Fresh technology is used to keep fruits and vegetables fresh by mimicking the natural lights at specific wavelengths.
Read Samsung launches new SpaceMax refrigerator line-up
Also, the UV-C technology used in these new models protects refrigerated food from airborne viruses and bacteria. Intelligent germ terminator technology destroys airborne germs and eliminates unwanted odours.
The 244 to 268-litre refrigerators will be available in the domestic market from October for Tk40,590 to Tk46,990, according to a media statement.
Golam Murshed, managing director of Walton Hi-Tech Industries, unveiled the new models of Walton refrigerators in Dhaka on Sunday (October 11, 2022).
Read Walton brings first Orbit series smartphone
BTRC blocks 331 gambling, betting websites
Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) in its latest crackdown on online gambling and betting has blocked 331 websites.
On September 24, Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar said the government had permanently blocked 6,000 gambling sites.
In a notice issued Monday, the telecom regulator BTRC said it also reported gambling and betting apps and links to Google, Facebook, and YouTube for blocking.
Read BTRC: Compensation for call drops from Oct 1
"Google blocked 14 gambling-related apps in Bangladesh after receiving more than 150 complaints. The multinational technology company is taking steps to review the other complaints," the telecom watchdog said.
The BTRC reported 27 links to Facebook and 69 to YouTube for gambling and betting lessons. The two social media giants blocked 17 links each and are reviewing the rest.
Credit or debit cards are required to buy game chips. As it has become easier to get credit or debit cards in Bangladesh, many have turned to online gambling or betting. Taking advantage of this, criminal groups are siphoning off crores of taka from Bangladesh, the BTRC said.
Read BTRC launches new unlimited data packages
The country's laws do not allow gambling and betting in Bangladesh. However, completing registration through credit or debit cards or mobile financial services, many are getting involved in online gambling or betting through diverse apps or websites during domestic or international football, cricket, tennis, and other matches after.
Shutting down the gambling and betting websites in Bangladesh, BTRC aims to continue Bangladesh government's sucess in removing harmful contents from the virtual world.
Twitter vs. Musk: Explainer
News that Elon Musk has agreed after all to proceed with his $44 billion deal to buy Twitter may have felt like a stunning surprise from the brash billionaire who loves to shock. It sent shares of the social media platform soaring and stoked alarm among some media watchdogs and civil rights groups worried about what kind of free speech would flourish on Twitter under Musk’s vision.
But it wasn’t surprising to observers of the monthslong rollercoaster of the Twitter vs. Musk legal battle, as Twitter tried to compel the world’s richest man to consummate the buyout he had tried to back out of. In the months since his initial offer to buy Twitter in April, Musk faced a huge legal challenge.
A combination of gambles or missteps by Musk and potential advantages that didn’t pan out made his hand appear weak in the trial looming in less than two weeks in Chancery Court in Delaware. He is setting as a condition for completing the deal that the trial being put on hold.
More immediately, Musk faced a deposition in the case by Twitter’s attorneys starting Thursday.
What gambits, challenges and missed advantages came along the way?
WHAT WAS MUSK’S MAIN ARGUMENT FOR BACKING OUT OF BUYING TWITTER?
Musk grounded his argument largely on the allegation that Twitter vastly misrepresented how it measures the magnitude of “spam bot” accounts that are useless to advertisers.
But Chancellor Kathaleen St. Jude McCormick, the court’s head judge, apparently wasn’t buying it. As the two sides presented evidence prior to the trial, the judge appeared to focus narrowly in line with the court’s mandate: on the merger agreement between Musk and Twitter, and whether anything had changed since it was signed in April that would justify terminating the deal.
A former Twitter head of security, fired early this year and turned whistleblower, appeared to bolster Musk’s argument. Peiter “Mudge” Zatko, a respected cybersecurity expert, filed complaints in July with federal regulators and the Justice Department alleging that Twitter misled regulators about its efforts to control millions of spam accounts as well as its cyber defenses.
But help to Musk from Zatko’s disclosures was a “longshot,” said Brian Quinn, a professor at Boston College Law School, and in the end, “it didn’t really change the (legal) landscape in any significant way.”
DID MUSK’S APPROACH TO BUYING TWITTER HURT OR HELP HIS CASE?
“He was fairly cavalier,” Quinn said. Recently released text messages between Musk and others show jubilation over Musk taking a large stake in Twitter and joining its board. It wasn’t until after he signed the merger agreement in late April that he undertook what’s called due diligence, close inspection, regarding the company and starting lodging complaints about bots, Quinn noted. That may not have impressed the judge as the right approach for someone buying a major company.
WHY DID MUSK CHANGE HIS MIND NOW?
In addition to the trial looming and his deposition scheduled for Thursday, Musk faced a ticking meter of potential rising interest costs. If he lost the trial, the judge could not only force him to close the deal but also could impose interest payments that would have increased its cost. Experts say the interest likely started piling up mid-September.
But of course the deal isn’t done yet, and there are legal hoops yet to be jumped through. Given Musk’s track record and volatility, it would be a mistake to assume that it’s tied up in a bow.
Musk unveils Tesla robot “Optimus”, some tech experts unimpressed
The newest humanoid robot prototype – created by tech tycoon Elon Musk’s Tesla electric car firm – has been unveiled.
At a Silicon Valley event, “Optimus”, the robot, made an appearance on stage and raised its knees while waving to the crowd, BBC reports.
Musk stated that although the robot was still under development, it might be available for purchase in a few years.
According to company experts, mass-market robots from Tesla will be evaluated by performing tasks in the auto factories.
During the annual Tesla AI Day presentation, the prototype was brought onto the stage.
A video showing Optimus doing straightforward duties, like watering plants, carrying boxes, and lifting metal bars, was displayed to the audience, the BBC report says.
According to Musk, the robots would be mass produced in three to five years at less than $20,000.
The head of Tesla predicted “a future of abundance.”
He went on to say, “It really is a fundamental transformation of civilization as we know it.”
AI researcher Filip Piekniewski, however, was not impressed by the demo and tweeted it was “next level cringeworthy” and a “complete and utter scam,” Associated press reported.
Robotics expert Cynthia Yeung tweeted: “None of this is cutting edge.” “Hire some PhDs and go to some robotics conferences @Tesla.”
BTRC: Compensation for call drops from Oct 1
Mobile phone users will have to be compensated for call drops from October 1.
That's the curt message from Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) to telecom companies in this country.
According to new BTRC guidelines issued on Monday, mobile phone operators will have to compensate their customers by refunding talk time for call drops with effect from October.
Read: Govt has permanently blocked 22,000 porn sites and 6,000 gambling sites: Mustafa Jabbar
The new guidelines were unveiled at a press briefing at the regulator's headquarters by BTRC chairman Shyam Sunder Sikder and Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar who was there as the chief guest.
BTRC's New Guidelines:
A customer can get information about the previous day/week/month's net call drop amount through common USSD code (*121*765#) -- applicable for all mobile phone operators -- from October 1.
Mobile operators will compensate their subscribers with talk time of three pulses (30 seconds) for each call drop in case of 1st and 2nd call drops daily and four pulses (40 seconds) for each call drop in case of subsequent 3rd to 7th call drops as "financial and emotional loss."
Read No more than 15 SIM cards under 1 NID: BTRC to deactivate extras
Talk time refunded as compensation for call drops will be usable from the first call (00:00 hours) of the next day, which means no amount can be deducted from the customer's account for the call before the refunded talk time is fully utilised.
The customer should be informed within the next 24 hours through SMSes about the talk time refunded as a result of call drops.
An operator can refund the call minutes from that day of the occurrence of call drop if it wishes. A maximum period of 15 days will be applicable for the usage of the refunded talk time of the call drop.
Read BTRC launches new unlimited data packages
"If a customer receives a service by paying money, the operator should ensure proper service," Mustafa Jabbar said.
“If telecom companies invest in telecommunications infrastructure rather than compensating customers, call drop rates will decrease,” he added.
TikTok may face $29m fine for failing to protect children's privacy in UK
TikTok could face a 27 million-pound ($29 million) fine in the U.K. over a possible breach of U.K. data protection law by failing to protect children’s privacy when they are using the video-sharing platform.
The U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office said Monday that it has issued the social media company a legal document that precedes a potential fine. It said TikTok may have processed the data of children under 13 without appropriate parental consent, and processed “special category data” without legal grounds to do so.
The commissioner said “special category data” included ethnic and racial origin, political opinions, religious beliefs and sexual orientation.
It also said TikTok may have failed to provide transparent, easily understood information to its users. The legal document covered the period from May 2018 to July 2020.
Information Commissioner John Edwards said the body’s provisional view was that TikTok “fell short” of providing proper data privacy protections. The body said its findings are not final and that it will consider any representations from TikTok before making a final decision.
“While we respect the ICO’s role in safeguarding privacy in the U.K., we disagree with the preliminary views expressed and intend to formally respond to the ICO,” said a statement released by TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance.
Britain’s government is pushing through its online safety bill, which requires technology companies to protect children from harmful content.
The Information Commissioner’s Office said it has six other ongoing investigations into companies that do not appear to have taken their responsibilities around child safety seriously enough.
Apple’s iPhone 14 now being assembled in India
US technology giant Apple has said it started assembling its iPhone 14 in India, world's second-largest smartphone market, to shift some production away from China.
Apple partner Foxconn, which makes the majority of the world's iPhones, is producing the device at its Sriperumbudur factory near Chennai, marking the first time the company has shifted production from China to India this quickly after the launch of a new iPhone.
The Cupertino-based giant began locally assembling smartphones in India in 2017, but those were older models.
The marquee device will go on sale in India later this year, according to TechCrunch.
JPMorgan said this month that Apple will move 5 percent of its global iPhone 14 production to India by late 2022, and could move 25 percent of its entire iPhone production line to the country by 2025.
As part of their "China-plus one" or "China-plus two" strategy, major companies are now looking at India.
Apple, which still relies heavily on China for the majority of iPhone production, is seeking alternatives as Xi Jinping's administration clashes with the US government and imposes lockdowns, hurting economic activities.
Read: Price Drop: Is it the right time to buy an iPhone 13?
The presence of the foreign production giants, coupled with ample labour resources and competitive labour costs, make India a desirable location, JP Morgan said.
Also, the country has attracted investments from Apple manufacturing partners Foxconn and Wistron in recent years by offering lucrative subsidies.
Many hope Apple will make its handsets affordable in India as the company expands its manufacturing capacity in the country.
The base iPhone 14 model, which is priced at $799 in the US, costs 79,900 Indian rupees ($980); the entry iPhone Pro Max model costs $1,717 in India, compared to its $1,099 sticker price in the US, according to TechCrunch.