tech-news
a2i’s NISE and Muktopaath win WITSA Award
‘National Intelligence Employment and Entrepreneurship (NISE)’ and ‘Muktopaath’ – two innovative initiatives of Aspire to Innovate (a2i) have won the ‘WITSA 2023 Global Innovation and Technology Excellence Awards’.
The World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) conferred the awards in recognition of remarkable contribution to the skills development and education of millions of people in the country through online platforms.
The award was presented on the third day of the three-day WCIT 2023 International Conference held in Kuching, Malaysia on October 5.
Read: Huawei, ASEAN Foundation, and SEAMEO host 'Seeds for the Future Summit 2023'
Program Associate or a2i, Alavi Zaman Disha, and E-Learning Coordinator, Jinia Jerin, received the award from WITSA Chairman Dr Sean Seah on behalf of NISE and Muktopaath respectively.
About 130 innovative projects from different countries vied for the prestigious award. From Bangladesh, a2i’s project NISE won the 1st place in the Public Sector Digital Opportunity/Inclusion category and Muktopaath won the 1st place in the e-Education and Learning category.
Awards were given this year in a total of 14 categories for the government and private/NGO sectors. In recognition of its significant contribution to upskilling millions of unemployed youths through online platforms, the NISE project bagged the award.
Read: Google brings its AI chatbot Bard into its inner circle, opening door to Gmail, Maps, YouTube
Muktopaath won the accolade for providing online education to millions through e-learning platform.
WITSA 2023 Global Innovation and Technology Excellence Awards is considered a prestigious award in the global IT sector. More than 10,000 delegates from member countries participated in the conference, titled World Congress on Innovation and Technology (WCIT-2023).
Google packs more artificial intelligence into new Pixel phones
Google on Wednesday unveiled a next-generation Pixel smartphones lineup that will be infused with more artificial intelligence tools capable of writing captions about photos that can also be altered by the technology.
The injection of more artificial intelligence, or AI, into Google’s products marks another step toward bringing more of the technology into the mainstream – a push company executives signaled they were embarking upon during their annual developer’s conference five months ago.
Read: Google brings its AI chatbot Bard into its inner circle, opening door to Gmail, Maps, YouTube
“Our focus is on making AI more helpful for everyone in a way that is bold and responsible,” Rick Osterloh, Google’s senior vice president of devices and services, said during Wednesday's event held in New York. As if to leave no doubt about Google’s current priorities, Osterloh described the new Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro phones as a conduit for having “AI in your hand.”
The next moves will include allowing the 7-year-old Google Assistant to tap into the company’s recently hatched AI chatbot, Bard, to perform tasks. The expanded access to Bard comes just two weeks after Google began connecting the AI chatbot to the company's other popular service such as Gmail, Maps and YouTube.
Google is leaving it up to each user to decide whether to allow Bard to interact with its other services, an effort to address worries about AI sifting through potentially sensitive information as it seeks to learn more about language and people.
Read: It's Google versus the US in the biggest antitrust trial in decades
One of the new tricks that the Bard-backed assistant is supposed to be able to do is scan a photo taken on a phone powered by Google’s Android software and generate a pithy caption suitable for posting on social media. As Google has been doing with most of its AI gambits, the Bard-backed Google Assistant initially will only be available to a test audience before it is gradually offered on an opt-in basis to more owners of the latest Pixels.
As has become common across the industry, most of the other technology in the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro phones unveiled Wednesday will be similar to what has already been available in last year’s models.
One of the main selling points of the new phones will be improved cameras, including more AI-empowered editing tools that will mostly be available on the Pixel 8 Pro. The AI features will be able to spruce up photos, zoom into certain parts of images, substitute faces taken from other pictures in group shots and erase objects and people from images.
Read: Fair Technology launches ‘Hyundai Exchange Program’
Google is counting on the new AI twists added to this year’s lineup to be enough to justify a price increase — with the starting prices for both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro increasing by $100 over last year’s comparable models.
That will result in the Pixel 8 selling for $700 and the Pixel 8 Pro for $1,000 when they go on sale in stores next week. Apple also raised the starting price of its top-end iPhone by $100 when its latest models came out last month, signaling inflationary pressures are starting to drive up the costs of devices that have become essential pieces of modern life.
The Pixel 8 Pro will also be able to take people's temperatures — an addition that could be a drawing card in a post-pandemic era as various strains of COVID evolve. But Google is still trying to get regulatory approval to enable that capability in the U.S. A 2020 phone, the Honor Play 4 Pro made my Huawei, also was able to screen for fevers, so Google isn’t breaking totally new ground.
Despite generally getting positive reviews, the Pixel phones have barely made a dent in a market dominated by Samsung and Apple since Google began making the devices seven years ago. But they have been gaining slightly more traction in recent years, with Pixel’s share of the high-end smartphone market now hovering around 4% from less than 1% three years ago, according to the research firm International Data Corp.
Read: Digital Quality of Life Index 2023: Bangladesh ranks 82nd, internet quality 5% lower than global average
Google can afford to make a phone that doesn’t generate huge sales because it brings in more than $200 billion annually from a digital ad network that’s anchored by its dominant search engine. A big chunk of the ad revenue flows from the billions of dollars that Google pays annually to lock in its search engine as the main gateway to the internet on the iPhone and Samsung’s Galaxy lineup.
The agreements that have given Google’s search engine a lucrative position on phones and computers are the focal point of an ongoing antitrust trial in Washington, where the U.S. Justice Department is trying to prove its allegations that Google has been abusing its power to stifle competition and innovation.
Can Earthquakes Really be Predicted?
The history of earthquakes is nothing less than terrifying. Whether it’s the 1556 Shaanxi earthquake or something as recent as the 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquake, every major earthquake in the world involves destruction and death. For centuries, scientists, geologists, saints, and seers alike have searched for answers to one inevitable question: Can earthquakes be predicted? Let’s try to find out.
Myths about Earthquakes and Predicting Them
The phenomenon of earthquakes has long been attributed to mythical and otherworldly happenings. Thousands of years ago, the occurrence of an earthquake not only brought destruction but also paved the way for the fear of the unknown and faith in supernatural power.
The concept of an earthquake is often attributed to Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. It is said that Poseidon uses his trident to shake the earth which causes earthquakes. Similar stories are found in Japanese mythology where the giant catfish Namazu causes earthquakes. According to Mongolian mythology, the earth is placed on the back of a giant frog. When the frog stumbles, it causes earthquakes.
Read more: 10 Most Earthquake-prone Countries around the World
But beyond the myths, there are also some common misconceptions about earthquake predictions. Unlike the myths, these aren’t quite outlandish and are often passed on as hard facts. Some of the common misconceptions regarding earthquake prediction include:
- Animals can predict earthquake - There are always advanced signs of earthquakes - Earthquake is preceded by sudden weather change - Planetary alignment influences earthquake - Increased seismic activity is a precursor for a large earthquake - A series of small earthquakes deters the chance of a large earthquake in a region.
Unfortunately, none of these concepts are true. There is no set pattern to earthquakes and neither does it have any identifiable precursors. And that brings us to the all-important question.
Read more: Earthquake Safety Tips for Parents to Keep Children Safe
Digital Quality of Life Index 2023: Bangladesh ranks 82nd, internet quality 5% lower than global average
Bangladesh has dropped six places on Surfshark’s annual Digital Quality of Life (DQL) Index since last year.
The country ranked 82nd among 121 countries, according to Surfshark’s 5th annual DQL index.
The Digital Quality of Life Index is an annual study that ranks 121 countries by their digital wellbeing based on 5 core pillars.
Also read: Bangladesh climbs 5 spots in latest passport ranking, still behind Sri Lanka and Libya
The study is based on the United Nations’ open-source information, the World Bank, and other sources.
Out of the index’s 5 pillars, Bangladesh performed best in internet quality, claiming 65th place.
Google brings its AI chatbot Bard into its inner circle, opening door to Gmail, Maps, YouTube
Google is introducing Bard, its artificially intelligent chatbot, to other members of its digital family — including Gmail, Maps and YouTube — as it seeks ward off competitive threats posed by similar technology run by Open AI and Microsoft.
Bard’s expanded capabilities announced Tuesday will be provided through an English-only extension that will enable users to allow the chatbot to mine information embedded in their Gmail accounts as well as pull directions from Google Maps and find helpful videos on YouTube. The extension will also open a door for Bard to fetch travel information from Google Flights and extract information from documents stored on Google Drive.
Also read: Google's AI Chatbot Bard: All You Need to Know
Google is promising to protect users’ privacy by prohibiting human reviewers from seeing the potentially sensitive information that Bard gets from Gmail or Drive, while also promising that the data won’t used as part of the main way the Mountain View, California, company makes money — selling ads tailored to people’s interests.
The expansion is the latest development in an escalating AI battle triggered by the popularity of OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot and Microsoft’s push to infuse similar technology in its Bing search engine and its Microsoft 365 suite that includes its Word, Excel and Outlook applications.ChatGPT prompted Google to release Bard broadly in March and then start testing the use of more conversational AI within its own search results in May.
Also read: ChatGPT by Open AI: All you need to know
The decision to feed Bard more digital juice i n the midst of a high-profile trial that could eventually hobble the ubiquitous Google search engine that propels the $1.7 trillion empire of its corporate parent, Alphabet Inc.
In the biggest U.S. antitrust case in a quarter century, the U.S Justice Department is alleging Google has created its lucrative search monopoly by abusing its power to stifle competition and innovation. Google contends it dominates search because its algorithms produce the best results. It also argues it faces a wide variety of competition that is becoming more intense with the rise of AI.
Giving Bard access to a trove of personal information and other popular services such as Gmail, Google Maps and YouTube, in theory, will make them even more helpful and prod more people to rely in them.
Also read: Top 5 AI Chatbot Platforms and Trends in 2023
Google, for instance, posits that Bard could help a user planning a group trip to the Grand Canyon by getting dates that would work for everyone, spell out different flight and hotel options, provide directions from Maps and present an array of informative videos from YouTube.
The iPhone 12 emits too much radiation and Apple must take it off the market, a French agency says
A government watchdog agency in France has ordered Apple to withdraw the iPhone 12 from the French market, saying it emits levels of electromagnetic radiation that are too high.
The National Frequency Agency, which oversees radio-electric frequencies as well as public exposure to electromagnetic radiation, called on Apple in a statement Tuesday to "implement all available means to rapidly fix this malfunction" for phones already being used.
Corrective updates to the iPhone 12 will be monitored by the agency, and if they don't work, "Apple will have to recall" phones that have already been sold, according to the French regulator's statement.
Update your iPhone: Apple just pushed out a significant security update
Apple disputed the findings and said the device complies with all regulations governing radiation.
The agency, which is known by the French acronym ANFR, said it recently checked 141 cellphones, including the iPhone 12, for electromagnetic waves capable of being absorbed by the body.
It said it found a level of electromagnetic energy absorption of 5.74 watts per kilogram during tests of a phone in a hand or a pocket, higher than the European Union standard of 4 watts per kilogram.
The agency said the iPhone 12 met the threshold when radiation levels were assessed for a phone kept in a jacket or in a bag.
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Apple said the iPhone 12, which was released in late 2020, has been certified by multiple international bodies and complies with all applicable regulations and standards for radiation around the world.
The U.S. tech company said it has provided the French agency with multiple lab results carried out both by the company and third-party labs proving the phone's compliance.
Jean-Noël Barrot, France's minister in charge of digital issues, told France Info radio that the National Frequency Agency "is in charge of controlling our phones which, as there are software updates, may emit a little more or a little less electromagnetic waves."
He said that the iPhone 12 radiation levels are "slightly higher" than the standards but "significantly lower than levels where scientific studies consider there may be consequences for users. But the rule is the rule."
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Cellphones have been labeled as "possible" carcinogens by the World Health Organization's cancer research arm, putting them in the same category as coffee, diesel fumes and the pesticide DDT. The radiation produced by cellphones cannot directly damage DNA and is different from stronger types of radiation like X-rays or ultraviolet light.
In 2018, two U.S. government studies that bombarded mice and rats with cellphone radiation found a weak link to some heart tumors, but federal regulators and scientists said it was still safe to use the devices. Scientists said those findings didn't reflect how most people use their cellphones and that the animal findings didn't translate into a similar concern for humans.
Among the largest studies on potential dangers of cellphone use, a 2010 analysis in 13 countries found little or no risk of brain tumors.
People's mobile phone habits also have changed substantially since the first studies began and it's unclear if the results of previous research would still apply today.
Since many tumors take years to develop, experts say it's difficult to conclude that cellphones have no long-term health risks. Experts have recommended that people concerned about their cellphone radiation exposure use earphones or switch to texting.
It's Google versus the US in the biggest antitrust trial in decades
Google will confront a threat to its dominant search engine beginning Tuesday when federal regulators launch an attempt to dismantle its internet empire in the biggest U.S. antitrust trial in a quarter century.
Over the next 10 weeks, federal lawyers and state attorneys general will try to prove Google rigged the market in its favor by locking its search engine in as the default choice in a plethora of places and devices. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta likely won't issue a ruling until early next year. If he decides Google broke the law, another trial will decide what steps should be taken to rein in the Mountain View, California-based company.
Top executives at Google and its corporate parent Alphabet Inc., as well as those from other powerful technology companies are expected to testify. Among them is likely to be Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, who succeeded Google co-founder Larry Page four years ago. Court documents also suggest that Eddy Cue, a high ranking Apple executive, might be called to the stand.
Read: Elon Musk says he may need surgery before proposed 'cage match' with Mark Zuckerberg
The Justice Department filed its antitrust lawsuit against Google nearly three years ago during the Trump administration, charging that the company has used its internet search dominance to gain an unfair advantage against competitors. Government lawyers allege that Google protects its franchise through a form of payola, shelling out billions of dollars annually to be the default search engine on the iPhone and on web browsers such as Apple’s Safari and Mozilla’s Firefox.
Regulators also charge that Google has illegally rigged the market in its favor by requiring its search engine to be bundled with its Android software for smartphones if the device manufacturers want full access to the Android app store.
Google counters that it faces a wide range of competition despite commanding about 90% of the internet search market. Its rivals, Google argues, range from search engines such as Microsoft's Bing to websites like Amazon and Yelp, where consumers can post questions about what to buy or where to go.
Read: Reluctant Twitter users, influencers and others are flocking to Meta's new Threads app
From Google’s perspective, perpetual improvements to its search engine explain why people almost reflexively keep coming back to it, a habit that long ago made “Googling” synonymous with looking things up on the internet.
The trial begins just a couple weeks after the 25th anniversary of the first investment in the company — a $100,000 check written by Sun Microsystems co-founder Andy Bechtolsheim that enabled Page and Sergey Brin to set up shop in a Silicon Valley garage.
Today, Google’s corporate parent, Alphabet, is worth $1.7 trillion and employs 182,000 people, with most of the money coming from $224 billion in annual ad sales flowing through a network of digital services anchored by a search engine that fields billions of queries a day.
Read: Microsoft will pay $20M to settle U.S. charges of illegally collecting children's data
The Justice Department's antitrust case echoes the one it filed against Microsoft in 1998. Regulators then accused Microsoft of forcing computer makers that relied on its dominant Windows operating system to also feature Microsoft’s Internet Explorer — just as the internet was starting to go mainstream. That bundling practice crushed competition from the once-popular browser Netscape.
Several members of the Justice Department's team in the Google case — including lead Justice Department litigator Kenneth Dintzer — also worked on the Microsoft investigation.
Google could be hobbled if the trial ends in concessions that undercut its power. One possibility is that the company could be forced to stop paying Apple and other companies to make Google the default search engine on smartphones and computers.
Or the legal battle could cause Google to lose focus. That’s what happened to Microsoft after its antitrust showdown with the Justice Department. Distracted, the software giant struggled to adapt to the impact of internet search and smartphones. Google capitalized on that distraction to leap from its startup roots into an imposing powerhouse.
Update your iPhone: Apple just pushed out a significant security update
Apple released a significant security update for iPhones and iPads Thursday to patch newly discovered security vulnerabilities in the devices' system software.
The issue was discovered by researchers at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, who said the software flaw was being "actively exploited" to deliver commercial spyware called Pegasus developed and sold by the Israeli company NSO Group.
Pegasus is an expensive tool typically used to target dissidents, journalists and political opponents, so ordinary users likely have little to fear. Still, Citizen Lab recommends that all users should "immediately" update their devices.
To install the update, open Settings on your iPhone, then select "General" followed by "Software Update." You should see the iOS 16.6.1 software update there; tap to begin the installation.
If you don't see the update, go back to the General page, then tap "About" to check your iOS version number. If it's 16.6.1, you already have the update installed. If your phone is still using 16.6 or an earlier version, repeat the above steps. If you still don't see an update, try restarting your phone. If that doesn't make the update appear, double-check your internet connection and then wait a bit before trying again.
Fair Technology launches ‘Hyundai Exchange Program’
Fair Technology Limited has launched “Hyundai Exchange Program” where customers can exchange their old cars for new ones.
“This program has brought great opportunity to upgrade your car and your standard of life as well. We believe, car enthusiast Bangladeshi people would love to embrace latest innovations and uniqueness of Hyundai brand new cars by exchanging their used old cars of any brand,” said Fair Technology CEO Mutassim Daiaan after declaring commencement of the program at a press meet in Dhaka’s Tejgaon on Thursday.
Read: OPPO A78 Review: Is it worth buying?
Fair Group Head of Communications Hasnain Khurshed deliverd gave the welcome speech at the event. Fair Group Head of Marketing JM Taslim Kabir presided over the press meet.
“Fair Technology will organize Hyundai Exchange Fair at the Banani Bidya Niketan School and College Ground on September 15 and 16 to take exchange facilities closer to the buyers. Two more Hyundai Exchange Fairs will be organized in different areas of Dhaka by the end of November,” said Mutassim.
“Hyundai Exchange Program will make buying a brand new Hyundai cars more affordable which are much friendly to the climate and environment. We all know, used cars are causing air-pollution and harming public health in our densely populated capital city. To reduce carbon emission level, it has become obvious to send used cars out of Dhaka gradually,” he added.
Read: September 2023 New Smartphone Release: Top 10 Most Anticipated Phones in Bangladesh
Fair Technology has brought together all stakeholders under one platform as joint promotion Hyundai Exchange Program for the first time, said the release.
Air Astra, Secret recipe and Rtv are as partner of the Hyundai Exchange Program.
Hyundai enlisted auto-finance partners MTB, EBL, Brac Bank Limited, UCBL, Dhaka Bank Limited, IPDC, Strategic Finance and Investments Limited will provide loan facilities to the customers within three working days, the release also said.
Hyundai car buyers registered with this program will get the best price for their used / pre-owned vehicles along with offers on the brand-new Hyundai cars. The entire process will be through Hyundai Exchange app. Customers in Dhaka, Chattogram and Bogura. Customers from any part of Bangladesh can participate in this exchange program through this app.
Read: Walton Xanon X20 Review: Is it a value-for-money gaming phone?
Hyundai | Fair Technology along with partners of the program will give various offers. Following the terms and conditions, Customers will get the offer from Tk 60,000 to Tk 200,000 offers on September 15 and 16 and on November 30.
OPPO A78 Review: Is it worth buying?
OPPO is one of the significant leaders when it comes to stylish smartphones. Though the brand started its journey as “camera phones” with a core focus on photography, recently OPPO smartphones offer a bunch of latest features. The ‘A’ series of OPPO brings entry-level to mid-range smartphones. OPPO’s latest device A78 is now officially available in the country. Let’s take a look at the Key specs, pros, cons and price of OPPO A78 in Bangladesh.
Key Specifications of OPPO A78
Design and Build Quality
The A78 brings a generic tried and tested design without many bells or whistles. The design is an overhaul from the last gen A77 but it is nothing completely new. It’s an all-plastic device with a glass front and refractive back finish. The dual camera system is neatly tucked into a vertical alignment on the back. It might give the impression that the device boasts very large sensors, but it's just clever positioning, nothing else.
The device comes in at 160 by 73.2 by 7.9 mm with 180 gm weight. The low weight and even component distribution provide good comfort while holding the device for a long time. There is a large chin at the bottom of the display. The sizable bezel in the front brings the device to an 85.2% screen-to-body ratio. However, one positive design choice is that the water drop notch has been replaced with a corner punch-hole display.
Read more: Honor 90 Review: A New Standard in Midrange Aesthetics
Moving to ports and buttons, users would be happy to note that the 3.5 mm headphone jack is still present on the device. There’s a dual nano sim slot along with dedicated micro SDXC support. Another thing that stood out was the dual stereo speaker on the device. Typically devices in this price range usually go for the mono stereo so seeing dual stereo support was certainly a pleasant surprise. OPPO has also included an in-display fingerprint scanner for an added layer of security.
Overall, the A78 brings a bit of everything to create a perfect day-to-day utility phone. There’s even an IP54 rating which will bring certain peace of mind for the users.
The Display
The display on the OPPO A78 is an AMOLED panel with a 90 Hz refresh rate. The display is a point of contention with many budget-friendly smartphones as they often cut prices by going with an IPS LCD panel. But that’s not the case with the A78.
Read more: Benco S1 Pro Review: Elegance within Budget
The 6.43-inches display packs in an FHD+ resolution with 1080 x 2400 pixels. That brings the total pixel count to 409 ppi in a 20:9 aspect ratio. The higher density combined with crisp sharpness makes it one of the top displays in its price category.
Outdoor visibility might be an issue for most users as the HBM maxes out at 430 nits. It's one of the only cut corners that catches the attention. Other than that, the smooth animations and better touch sampling make it an excellent panel to interact with. And not to mention the Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection which does a great job of deterring minor scratches.
The camera
There’s a dual camera setup on the A78 with the primary sensor being a 50 MP wide-angle shooter and the secondary one being a 2 MP depth sensor. The main camera with HDR, LED flash and the PDAF does what it can in its limited capability.
Read more: Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra Review: Is it really the ‘iPad killer’?