New Delhi: Almost 750 million additional people were covered by 5G in 2023 and more than half of that was due to rollouts by operators in India alone, a new GSMA report said on Wednesday. The consumer experience on mobile networks continued to see significant improvement in 2023, with global average download speeds increasing from 34 to 48 Mbps. “This represents the largest proportional and absolute increase seen to date. The biggest increase was in South Asia, where India’s launch of 5G drove a 70 per cent increase in average download speeds in the region,” according to the GSMA ‘State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2024’ report. Unlike many surveyed countries, smartphone ownership increased from 2022 to 2023 among rural populations in India. Across all seven survey countries with sufficient sample size for analysis, literate mobile internet users were more likely to perform a wider variety of tasks on a weekly basis than those with low literacy levels. “Interestingly, mobile internet users with low literacy levels in India are, on average, using mobile internet for at least eight different activities on a weekly basis, which is higher than both low-literacy and literate groups for all other countries analysed,” the GSMA report mentioned. The report stated that mobile internet connectivity continues to grow globally but barriers for 3.45 billion unconnected people remain. Connecting those with access to existing mobile internet services would deliver an estimated additional $3.5 trillion in total GDP during 2023-2030, the findings showed. John Giusti, Chief Regulatory Officer at the GSMA, said that despite continued progress in expanding the reach of network infrastructure and in increasing mobile internet adoption, significant digital divides remain. “Although most users access mobile internet daily, their activities are often limited to just one or two activities, even though many express a desire to do more. This highlights persistent barriers to enabling meaningful connectivity, preventing users from getting online and getting the full benefits of the mobile internet,” Giusti mentioned. The report said that 4.6 billion people (57 per cent of the global population) are now using mobile internet on their own devices and 350 million people (4 per cent of the global population) live in largely remote areas without mobile internet networks (the coverage gap). About 3.1 billion people (39 per cent of the global population) live within mobile internet coverage but do not use it (the usage gap).

OnePlus 13 Launch: Chinese electronic manufacturer OnePlus has officially confirmed the launch date of the OnePlus 13 smartphone in China. The company will launch the smartphone in China at 4 PM on October 31. However, the company hasn’t cleared the official India launch date of the smartphone.  The OnePlus 13 will be available in three different colours: White Dawn, Obsidian Black and Blue Moment. However, the new flagship entry has a design similar to its predecessor, OnePlus 12.  The phone is expected to feature the first smartphone to be powered by Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. Hence, the processor is likely to outperform the iPhone 16 Pro’s A18 Pro processor in some benchmarks.  OnePlus 13 Price (Expected) OnePlus 13 is tipped to be launching at a price of CNY 5,299 (Roughly around Rs 62,627) for the 16GB RAM+512GB storage variant, which would amount to a CNY 500 (Roughly around Rs 5,911) or a 10.4% hike from the OnePlus 12 which was launched at CNY 4,799 (Rs 56,733) for the same variant.  OnePlus 13 Specifications (Expected) It is expected to boast a 6.8-inch BOE X2 LTPO AMOLED display, offering a peak brightness of 6,000 nits, and 1,600 nits in high brightness mode (HBM), ensuring excellent visibility in all lighting conditions. The handset could be powered by a 6,000mAh battery, combined with an IP68/69 rating for superior water and dust resistance.  The phone is likely to integrate the latest Hasselblad imaging system alongside the second-generation BOE X2 display, with the addition of an ultrasonic fingerprint sensor for enhanced security. The camera setup is equally impressive, featuring a 50-megapixel primary sensor, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide lens, and a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. These lenses, along with an LED flash unit, are arranged symmetrically in a square formation, which is ideal for photography enthusiasts.  The may run on ColorOS 15-based Android 15, the OnePlus 13 is also expected to include a 0916T vibration motor, further enhancing the user experience.

Cheapest Flight Tickets Online India: If you are planning to go home this Diwali 2024 or want to make a trip during long weekends, then you can book cheap flight tickets with the help of Google’s tool. The tech giant has introduced its Flights tool as an extensive travel planner for users.  This Google Flight offers a range of features including the option to find the cheapest possible flight tickets, hotels and car/bike rentals. Moreover, the tool sports a feature that can help flyers find tickets and hotels at affordable prices.  However, the company has announced that it will be rolling out the feature over the next 2 weeks worldwide.  Notably, the tool offers a range of features designed to help you find the “best flight fares.” Let’s have a quick look at the features- Price Tracking: For travellers looking to wait for better deals, price tracking is a useful tool. By enabling it, you’ll receive notifications about significant price drops. Price Graph: The Price Graph feature offers insights into flight price trends, showing whether current prices are low, typical, or high compared to past averages for the same route. Data Grid: The Data Grid displays prices by specific dates, helping you choose the best time to book. You can also refine your search using filters like stops, airlines, baggage limits, time of day, connecting airports, and flight duration.  How To Find Cheap Flight Tickets Online Via Google Flight Tool  Step 1: Enter your trip details on Google Flights, such as departure, destination, and travel dates. Step 2: Google Flights will show the best options at the top, balancing price and convenience. Step 3: Tap on the new “Cheapest” tab to filter results for the lowest-priced flights. Step 4: The “Cheapest” tab displays affordable options for those willing to trade convenience for cost. Cheaper flights may include longer layovers, self-transfers, or multiple airline bookings. Step 5: Prices highlighted in green indicate the most affordable flight choices.

Acer Nitro V 16 Gaming Laptop India Launch: Taiwanese multinational Acer has launched the Nitro V 16 gaming laptop in India, equipped with Intel’s 14th-gen processors. This latest offering is designed to serve both gamers and content creators, delivering a balance between productivity and gaming performance. The Acer Nitro V 16 comes in two configurations: the Nitro V 16 i5 and the Nitro V 16 i7. It is powered by NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 4050 graphics card with 6GB GDDR6 VRAM, ensuring a smooth gaming experience. Acer Nitro V 16 Laptop Price In India And Availability  The Nitro V 16 i5 is priced at Rs 99,999, while the Nitro V 16 i7 is available for Rs 1,09,999. The laptop can be purchased from Flipkart, Amazon, the Acer Online Store, Acer Exclusive stores, and offline retail outlets across India. Acer Nitro V 16 Specifications The laptop features a 16-inch WUXGA IPS display with a 165Hz refresh rate. It also includes a 512GB PCIe Gen 4 SSD and runs on Windows 11 Home. The gaming laptop is compatible with Windows Copilot and equipped with Acer TrueHarmony for enhanced audio. The Nitro V 16 is available with Intel’s 14th Gen Core i7-14650HX and i5-14450HX processors, alongside the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050, making it ideal for both gaming and creative tasks. Additional features include Acer Purified Voice technology, which offers AI-powered noise reduction through a 3-microphone array for superior voice clarity. For connectivity, the laptop supports USB 3.2 Gen 2, HDMI 2.1, Thunderbolt 4, Ethernet ports, and Wi-Fi 6, providing seamless internet access and peripheral compatibility for a versatile user experience.

New Delhi: WhatsApp is always working on new features to improve user experience and security. The latest update brings filters and background support to video calls which gives users more control over their video chats. These additions allow you to customise your video calls, making them more engaging and enjoyable. However, that’s not all—WhatsApp has also added a feature many will love: Beauty mode. This new addition is designed to improve your appearance during video calls. In this guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about Beauty mode, including how to enable it and more. What is WhatsApp’s Beauty mode for video calls? WhatsApp has introduced a new feature that smooths out your facial features. It is similar to the beauty filters you find on smartphone cameras. This mode improves your appearance during video calls by reducing dark circles, blemishes, and other imperfections, helping you look your best. How to Activate WhatsApp Beauty Mode The Beauty mode is available on both Android and iOS. To use it, follow these simple steps: – Update the App: Make sure you have the latest version of WhatsApp from the Play Store (Android) or the Apple App Store (iOS). – Start a Video Call: Open WhatsApp and begin a video call (individual or group). – Find the Icon: Look for a face mask-like icon on your video feed, next to the ‘low light mode’ option. – Enable Beauty Mode: Tap on the icon to activate the Beauty mode. – Enjoy the Smoothness: Once enabled, your face will appear smoother, with enhanced clarity. For an even better experience, you can combine this feature with the Blur background option.

New Delhi: The growing threat of deepfakes and AI misuse has taken a troubling turn, with a recent investigation revealing that AI-powered chatbots on Telegram are being used to generate explicit images of real people. Millions of users are reportedly engaging with these tools, raising serious concerns about privacy, consent, and the potential harm caused by this technology. Authorities and individuals worldwide are now grappling with the implications of this alarming trend. Several celebrities, including Taylor Swift, Jenna Ortega, Alia Bhatt, and Rashmika Mandanna have fallen victim to these deepfakes. What’s even more alarming is that teenage girls are now being targeted, with deepfakes increasingly being used for sextortion schemes. These AI-powered bots allow users to alter photos with just a few clicks. This creates deepfakes that remove clothing or depict fabricated sexual activity. According to a recent report by Wired, around 4 million people use these chatbots monthly to produce such deepfakes. This causes significant risks to privacy and safety, particularly for young girls and women. Four years ago, deepfake expert Henry Ajder uncovered a Telegram bot designed to “undress” photos of women using AI. Today, the issue has grown rapidly with a new study revealing that at least 50 similar bots are now active on the platform, attracting over 4 million monthly users. These tools allow users to easily generate nude images of real people by editing photos with just a few clicks and some even creating fake images of individuals performing sexual acts. WIRED’s analysis of Telegram groups involved in explicit content reveals that at least two bots have over 400,000 monthly users, with another 14 bots attracting more than 100,000 subscribers. Deepfake expert Henry Ajder has called this situation “nightmarish,” emphasising the serious harm these tools pose, particularly to young girls. As per WIRED report, At least 25 Telegram channels support the identified bots, attracting over 3 million members combined. These channels provide updates on new bot features, offer special deals on “tokens” needed to use the bots and often direct users to alternative bots if the original ones are removed by Telegram. Further, the demand for “nudify” websites has become so high that Russian cybercriminals, as 404Media reports, have begun creating fake sites to infect users with malware.

New Delhi: Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has issued the Consultation Paper on ‘Regulatory framework for Ground-based Broadcasters’. The Guidelines issued by MIB from time to time for Uplinking and Down linking of Satellite Television channels in India, containing the terms and conditions for TV broadcasting services, make it mandatory for the broadcasters to use satellite medium i.e. uplinking and down linking of television channels through satellite, for providing their channels to the Distribution Platform Operators (DPOs). “The advancement of technology has made it feasible for the broadcasters to provide their television channels to DPOs terrestrially also i.e. using ground-based technologies. Like traditional TV channels, which are uplinked and downlinked through satellite, the terrestrially transmitted channels may also be carried on multiple DPO networks simultaneously and the DPOs can retransmit them on commercial terms to the subscribers. Therefore, there is a need to have a regulatory framework enabling use of ground-based technologies,” said Ministry of Communications. TRAI had forwarded its recommendations on Regulatory Framework for Platform Services to MIB on 19.11.2014, which included certain recommendations related to ‘Regulatory framework for Ground-based broadcasters’. Accordingly, the Consultation Paper on ‘Regulatory framework for Ground-based Broadcasters ‘is being released for seeking comments from stakeholders. The consultation paper may be accessed on TRAI’s website, www.trai.gov. Written comments on the consultation paper are invited from the stakeholders by 15.11.2024. Counter comments, if any, may be submitted by 29.11.2024. The stakeholders are requested to submit their comments and counter-comments, preferably in electronic form, on the email- IDadvbcs-2@trai.gov.in and jtadv-bcs@trai.gov.in, said Ministry of Communications.

New Delhi: Google has unveiled a series of new AI-powered partnerships aimed at advancing healthcare, sustainability, and agriculture in India. The tech giant is collaborating with both local and international organisations to implement AI-driven solutions in diabetic retinopathy screening, urban waste management, and agricultural development. According to Google, these announcements were made during a roundtable in Bengaluru, marking the fifth anniversary of Google’s Research Lab in the city. This follows the 10th edition of the Google for India event, which showcased the potential of AI to benefit individuals, businesses, and society at large. Dr Manish Gupta, Research Director of Google DeepMind, stated, “Collaborating with key Indian organisations, our focused research in India across language understanding, healthcare, agriculture, and sustainability is helping tackle many of the country’s unique challenges and creating AI-led solutions that will improve billions of lives.” Google is working with Forus Health and AuroLab in India and Perceptra in Thailand to provide 6 million AI-assisted screenings for diabetic retinopathy over the next decade. These screenings aim to detect and prevent blindness in diabetic patients, particularly in resource-limited communities. The AI model has already supported over 600,000 screenings worldwide, with initial research and deployment carried out in India. Sunny Virmani, Group Product Manager, Health AI Research at Google, remarked, “From our initial research to the first patient screening in Madurai, India, we’ve been committed to translating AI’s potential into meaningful change for people globally. And now the partnerships with Forus Health, AuroLab, and Perceptra are helping us expand on this commitment, as a global network of innovators comes together to eradicate preventable blindness due to diabetic retinopathy.” Google’s CircularNet, an AI-driven computer vision model for waste management, is being deployed in partnership with Bengaluru-based Saahas Zero Waste. CircularNet helps identify and sort plastic waste, facilitating recycling and reducing the strain on landfills. Powered by Google’s TensorFlow, the model has shown approximately 85% accuracy in detecting plastic waste during a pilot programme, potentially boosting revenue for material recovery facilities by 10-12%. To support data-driven decision-making in agriculture, Google is also opening its Agricultural Landscape Understanding (ALU) Research API to developers. The API leverages satellite imagery and machine learning to provide farm-level insights, such as field boundaries, water bodies, and vegetation. The technology aims to optimise resource allocation and guide sustainable farming practices in India.