United News of Bangladesh

Elon Musk plans to lay off most of Twitter’s workforce if and when he becomes owner of the social media company, according to a report Thursday by The Washington Post. Musk has told prospective investors in his Twitter purchase that he plans to cut nearly 75% of Twitter’s employee base of 7,500 workers, leaving the company with a skeleton crew, according to the report. The newspaper cited documents and unnamed sources familiar with the deliberations. San Francisco-based Twitter and a representative for Musk attorney Alex Spiro did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. While job cuts have been expected regardless of the sale, the magnitude of Musk's planned cuts are far more extreme than anything Twitter had planned. Musk himself has alluded to the need to cull some of the company's staff in the past, but he hadn't given a specific number — at least not publicly. "A 75% headcount cut would indicate, at least out of the gates, stronger free cash flow and profitability, which would be attractive to investors looking to get in on the deal," said Wedbush analyst Dan Ives. “That said, you can’t cut your way to growth." Ives added that such a drastic reduction in Twitter's workforce would likely set the company back years. Already, experts, nonprofits and even Twitter's own staff have warned that pulling back investments on content moderation and data security could hurt Twitter and its users. With as drastic a reduction as Musk may be planning, the platform could quickly become overrun with harmful content and spam — the latter of which the Tesla CEO himself has said he'll address if he becomes owner of the company. After his initial $44 billion bid in April to buy Twitter, Musk backed out of the deal, contending Twitter misrepresented the number of fake “spam bot” accounts on its platform. Twitter sued, and a Delaware judge has given both sides until Oct. 28 to work out details. Otherwise, there will be a trial in November.

India's competition regulator has imposed a whopping fine of Rs 1,337 crore on Google, in an anti-trust suit linked to the Android mobile operating system. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) on Thursday night tweeted to say that the fine was imposed on the search engine giant "for abusing its dominant position in multiple markets in the Android mobile device ecosystem". According to the CCI order, the search engine "operates and manages the Android OS and licences its other proprietary applications, and OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) use this OS and Google's apps in their smart mobile devices". "Accordingly, they enter into multiple agreements to govern their rights and obligations, such as Mobile Application Distribution Agreement (MADA). "MADA assured that the most prominent search entry points i.e., search app, widget and Chrome browser are pre-installed on Android devices, which accorded significant competitive edge to Google's search services over its competitors," the CCI said. Google also secured significant competitive edge over its competitors, in relation to its another revenue-earning app i.e. YouTube in Android devices, according to the CCI order. Google is yet to respond to the order. 

Global ICT infrastructure provider Huawei has announced six startups as the winners of its ICT Incubator 2022 programme. The winners will get seed money as the award in addition to the opportunity to meet global startups for knowledge sharing. The announcement was made at a city hotel Wednesday (October 19, 2022). Huawei organised the event with the cooperation of Startup Bangladesh and the Innovation Design and Entrepreneurship Academy (iDEA). Read Huawei's 20-yr presence in Bangladesh witnesses tech transformation The competition has two groups, namely, the Idea Stage and the Early Stage. The winners of the Idea Stage and the Early Stage, respectively, are Insure Cow (Champion), Durjoy DSS (first runners-up), and Relaxy (second runners-up); and Jahaji (champions), Palki (first runners-up), and We Gro Technologies (second runners-up). The champions will get Tk500,000 as prize money and $125,000 Huawei Cloud credit; whereas the first and second runners-up will get Tk300,000 and Tk100,000 as prize money, respectively, in addition to $80,000 Huawei Cloud Credit. Apart from these, a co-founder from each company will visit abroad to meet successful foreign startups. An independent jury panel of the iDEA project, Huawei Bangladesh, Startup Bangladesh and other renowned leaders of the startup ecosystem of Bangladesh, selected the winners. Read Huawei welcomes 10 BD ICT talents in Beijing ICT State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak joined the event as the chief guest. Li Jiming, ambassador of China to Bangladesh, was present as a special guest along with Professor Vincent Chang, vice-chancellor of Brac University, Pan Junfeng, CEO of Huawei Bangladesh, Sami Ahmed, managing director of Startup Bangladesh, Md Altaf Hossain, project director (joint secretary) of iDEA Project. Around 180 participants applied for this year's ICT Incubator programme. Divided into two groups – The idea stage and the Early stage, 68 startups were selected to join the Incubator Bootcamp, where they were mentored and provided technical training. After this, the participants presented their startup ideas before the jury panel. Based on the judgment of the jury members, a total of 20 startups from both stages were selected as finalists for the gala event of Huawei ICT Incubator 2022. Finally, the top 3 from the Idea stage and the top 3 from the Early stage have been announced as winners at the gala event. Read Huawei brings three competitions for Bangladeshi youths

Posts and Telecommunications Minister Mustafa Jabbar on Tuesday directed telecom operator Grameenphone to ensure quality mobile service in order to reduce customer suffering. “As the quality of service increases, the call drop subsidy will decrease,” he said in a meeting with the Grameenphone delegation led by Executive Vice President and Head of Telenor Asia Jorgen C Arentz Rostrup at the secretariat. It will not be easy to survive the competition in the digital age without innovation and technology development, said Jabbar. The government is determined to do everything possible to improve the infrastructure to ensure the quality of mobile services, he said. “We have already allocated spectrum as per the demand.” He hoped that the mobile operators will be able to provide the desired mobile services to the customers by utilising this opportunity. Jabbar also urged Grameenphone to take a role in increasing the rate of smartphone usage to 100% to meet the challenges of the digital age, saying that it would be highly appreciated if Grameenphone took such an initiative so that ordinary customers can buy smartphones in installments. Regarding internet usage, the minister said the bandwidth used in the country was 1000 Gbps before Covid pandemic, but it has increased to 3840 Gbps during pandemic. He appreciated Grameenphone's role in speedily implementing his directive to provide 4G network to the remotest communities of the country during Covid pandemic.

Elon Musk has a penchant for the letter “X.” He calls his son with the singer Grimes, whose actual name is a collection of letters and symbols, “X.” He named the company he created to buy Twitter “X Holdings.” His rocket company is, naturally, SpaceX. Now he also apparently intends to morph Twitter into an “everything app” he calls X. For months, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO has expressed interest in creating his own version of China’s WeChat — a “super app” that does video chats, messaging, streaming and payments — for the rest of the world. At least, that is, once he’s done buying Twitter after months of legal infighting over the $44 billion purchase agreement he signed in April. There are just a few obstacles. First is that a Musk-owned Twitter wouldn’t be the only global company in pursuit of this goal, and in fact would probably be playing catch-up with its rivals. Next is the question of whether anyone really wants a Twitter-based everything app— or any other super app — to begin with. Start with the competition and consumer demand. Facebook parent Meta has spent years trying to make its flagship platform a destination for everything online, adding payments, games, shopping and even dating features to its social network. So far, it’s had little success; nearly all of its revenue still comes from advertising. Google, Snap, TikTok, Uber and others have also tried to jump on the super app bandwagon, expanding their offerings in an effort to become indispensable to people as they go about their day. None have set the world on fire so far, not least because people already have a number of apps at their disposal to handle shopping, communicating and payments. “Old habits are hard to break, and people in the U.S. are used to using different apps for different activities,” said Jasmine Enberg, principal analyst at Insider Intelligence. Enberg also notes that super apps would likely suck up more personal data at a time when trust in social platforms has deteriorated significantly. Musk kicked off the latest round of speculation on Oct. 4, the day he reversed his attempts to get out of the deal and announced that he wanted to acquire Twitter after all. “Buying Twitter is an accelerant to creating X, the everything app,” he tweeted without further explanation. But he’s provided at least a little more detail in the past. During Tesla’s annual shareholder meeting in August, Musk told the crowd at a factory near Austin, Texas, that he thinks he’s “got a good sense of where to point the engineering team with Twitter to make it radically better.” And he’s dropped some strong hints that handling payments for goods and services would be a key part of the app. Musk said he has a “grander vision” for what X.com, an online bank he started early in his career that eventually became part of PayPal, could have been. “Obviously that could be started from scratch, but I think Twitter would help accelerate that by three to five years,” Musk said in August. “So it’s kind of something that I thought would be quite useful for a long time. I know what to do.” But it’s not clear that WeChat’s success in China means the same idea would translate for a U.S. or global audience. WeChat usage in almost universal in China, where most people never had a computer at home and skipped straight to going online by mobile phone. Operated by tech giant Tencent Holding Ltd., the platform has made itself a one-stop shop for payments and other services and is starting to compete in entertainment. It is also a platform for health code apps the public is required to use prevent the spread of the coronavirus. China has 1 billion internet users, and nearly all of them go online by mobile phone, according to the government-sanctioned China Internet Network Information Center. Only 33% use desktop computers at all — and mostly in addition to mobile phones. Tencent says WeChat had 1.3 billion users worldwide as of the end of June. Tencent and its main Chinese competitor, e-commerce giant Alibaba Group, aim to make apps that offer so many services that users can’t easily switch to another app. They’re not the only ones. WeChat has added video calls and other message features as well as shopping, entertainment and other features. Government agencies use it to send out health, traffic and other announcements. WeChat’s payment function, meanwhile, is so widely used that coffee shops, museums and some other businesses refuse cash and will take payment only through WeChat or the rival Ant app. There is no comparable app in the U.S., despite tech companies’ efforts. It’s worth remembering that Musk’s grand visions don’t always work out the way he appears to expect. Humans are nowhere near colonizing Mars and his promised fleet of robotaxis remains about as far from reality as the metaverse. Twitter’s user base is also tiny relative to those at its social-platform competitors. While Facebook, Instagram and TikTok all passed the 1 billion mark long ago, Twitter has about 240 million daily users. “Musk would not only have to overcome the hurdle of convincing consumers to change how they behave online, but also that Twitter is the place to do it,” Enberg said.  

Minister for Posts and Telecommunications Mustafa Jabbar wants inclusion of ‘Cyber Security’ in primary school curriculum of Bangladesh. Jabbar came up with the remarks while addressing, as chief guest, a discussion on ‘Youth workshop for safe internet-2022’ organised to create awareness on cyber security at the Conference Centre of Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) on Thursday (October 13, 2022). BTRC Chairman Shyam Sunder Sikdar presided over the programme where Cyber Crime Awareness Foundation President Kazi Mustafiz delivered welcome speech, Director General of BTRC’s System and Services Division Brigadier General Md Nasim Parvez presented the keynote speech.   Read: Workshop on digital literacy for cyber security held Urging the Home Ministry to underscore digital crimes, Jabbar said every police station should have a cyber or digital crime unit with trained officials. The BTRC chairman said they took an initiative to set up a cyber-observation lab to ensure security. He said the Education Ministry should take steps to initiate class on cyber security, one day a week, to generate awareness among students. Read Specific policy needed to ensure cyber security of power sector: Nasrul Hamid “Though none should refrain from using technology, we should be more careful and protect our families and society from digital crime,” the BTRC chairman observed. He said BTRC has already submitted an outline to bring owners of social media platforms under law to the ministry. Daffodil International University’s Computer Science and Engineering department Head Prof Dr Touhid Bhuiyan, Digital Security Agency Director Tarique M Barkatullah and Additional Commissioner of Cyber Security department of police Nazmul Islam, among others spoke at the discussion on ‘Youth workshop for safe internet-2022’.    Read Cybersecurity Career Guide: How to Become a Cybersecurity Expert?

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.

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).    

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 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