Saturday, March 31, 2018
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Vivo Y71 mid-ranger pops up on TENAA
A new member of Vivo’s mid-range family is apparently on its way. A pair of listing for an Y71 and Y71A on TENAA offer up quite a few details, with other industry sources filling in pretty much all the rest of the gaps, with more specs, product images, launch date and a price.
Unlike the recently spotted Y85, the Y71 sports a classic notch-less design on its 5.99-inch, 1440 x 720pixel panel. It is housed within what, based on the antenna lines, is probably a metal unibody, measuring 155.87 x 75.74 x 7.8 mm and weighing in at 150 grams. Interestingly enough, there appears to be no fingerprint reader or the back, nor the front of the unit. Since it’s a budget device, an in-display one seems pretty unlikely, meaning Vivo apparently decided to skip on the biometric sensor altogether. What it luckily didn’t skip on, however, is a 3.5mm audio jack, positioned on the bottom frame, right next to the single speaker and the microUSB port.
Other leaked specs include a Snapdragon 425 chipset, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of on-board storage and a camera setup, consisting of a 13MP main snapper and a 5MP selfie. Nothing too spectacular. A 3,285 mAh battery will likely be powering the Vivo Y71 and it will probably run an Android 8.0 OS.
Vivo Y71 TENAA photos
The speculated launch date for the handset is April 5, with a pretty particular price tag of CNY 1098 (about $175). Given the provided specifics and the budget nature of the device, most info should check out.
Kangana Ranaut will share the stage with Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey
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Controversy’s favourite child Kangana Ranaut speaks her mind and never afraid of anyone in this film industry. She spoke boldly about the issues like Nepotism, casting couch and many other.
Now, in New Jersey Kangana is going to witness an event in the US to promote Gandhian thought (a two-year initiative to spread Gandhian philosophy through interactive activities, educational programmes, motivational talks and cultural events which culminates on August 18 and 19 2018).
While Kangana will be representing India, Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey will also share the stage with “Queen” Kangana.
Earlier, Kangana Ranaut had been chilling at her Manali bungalow. At an event, Kangana said, “For me, it’s always been about the impact you make on society and how you contribute to it. Sharing the stage with Michelle and Oprah will be inspiring. I’ve never been anybody’s fan but I admire and idolize women like Oprah. Once I get back to Mumbai, I will know exactly what I will be talking on and for how long, depending on which I will prepare my speech”.
Kangana who read too many books about Mahatma Gandhi in her childhood said that “He was a sensible, intelligent man which is not very common”.
Recently, Kangana talk about being nationalist or fundamentalist, she said both the words are being conceptualized wrong in India. She added, “I am a cool youngster of the 21st century… I am a nationalist but not a fundamentalist”.
See the video here:
‘I am a cool youngster of the 21st century… I am a nationalist but not a fundamentalist,’ says #KanganaRanaut #News18RisingIndia #ICYMI pic.twitter.com/OSpQMoZJvi
— CNBC-TV18 News (@CNBCTV18News) March 24, 2018
As always, she wins our hearts. She is always on point whatever she says. “If she said it she meant it”.
On the work front, Kangana’s movie Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi will release soon and her upcoming movie “Mental Hai Kya” is also being awaited opposite to Rajkummar Rao.
Kangana is making her country proud while representing India.
Published by Soniya Kaur on 31 Mar 2018
Alleged Samsung Galaxy J7 (2018) stops by at FCC and GeekBench
Earlier today, we dug up some info on an alleged Galaxy A6 and A6+ pair, currently in the works. Some extra snooping around also led us to interesting finds on a few other Samsung devices, all bearing the SM-J720 model number, in a few typical variants – M, D/DS, F and F/DS. Examining current and old J-series model numbers leads us to believe this is likely the Galaxy J7 (2018).
On to particulars, then. FCC documentation is rarely very descriptive in terms of internals, but it does cite exact dimensions for the device – 153mm x 76mm. With diagonal measurement set at 162mm for the entire phone and 140mm for the display. That translates to a 5.5-inch panel.
Bluetooth certificate • Wi-Fi certificate • Letter to FCC
It was also brought to our attention that a few SM-F720 devices recently received their Bluetooth SIG and Wi-Fi Alliance certifications. This only further cements the likelihood of a US release, but doesn’t really provide much extra info. Luckily, GeekBench seems to have more than a few listings for the SM-J720F. All of them with nicely converging scores and reporting 3GB of RAM, an Android 8.0 environment and an Exynos 7885 chipset, clocked at 1.6GHz.
Some specs on the latter chip were leaked a few months ago. These include two Cortex-A73 cores, plus six small A53 cores and a Mali-G71 GPU, all built on an efficient 14nm development process. The Exynos 7885 is yet to be officially announced, but has also been spotted powering what appeared to be a Samsung Galaxy A5 (2018).
A few other bits and pieces of information are also worth noting, although we can’t exactly say if they fit anywhere in the bigger puzzle. For instance, one of the FCC letters states that the only difference between the SM-J720M/DS and SM-J720M is the SIM tray. That could explain why some Bluetooth certification documents refer to the test subject as “J7 Duo”. Alternatively, “Duo” could also be an actual model name on some markets. If that is the case, we also know that Samsung has procured the “Galaxy J7 Crown” and “Galaxy J7 Orbit” trademarks in the past. But, if and how that all fits in is anybody’s guess.
Source 1 | Source 2 | Source 3 | Source 4 | Source 5 | Source 6
Arbtr wants to create an anti-feed where users can only share one thing at a time
At a time when the models of traditional social networks are being questioned, it’s more important than ever to experiment with alternatives. Arbtr is a proposed social network that limits users to sharing a single thing at any given time, encouraging “ruthless self-editing” and avoiding “nasty things” like endless feeds filled with trivial garbage.
It’s seeking funds on Kickstarter and could use a buck or two. I plan to.
Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Why would I give money to maybe join a social network eventually that might not have any of my friends on it on it? That is, if it ever even exists?” Great question.
The answer is: how else do you think we’re going to replace Facebook? Someone with a smart, different idea has to come along and we have to support them. If we won’t spare the cost of a cup of coffee for a purpose like that, then we deserve the social networks we’ve got. (And if I’m honest, I’ve had very similar ideas over the last few years and I’m eager to see how they might play out in reality.)
The fundamental feature is, of course, the single-sharing thing. You can only show off one item at a time, and when you post a new one, the old one (and any discussion, likes, etc) will be deleted. There will be options to keep logs of these things, and maybe premium features to access them (or perhaps metrics), but the basic proposal is, I think, quite sound — at the very least, worth trying.
Some design ideas for the app. I like the text one but it does need thumbnails.
If you’re sharing less, as Arbtr insists you will, then presumably you’ll put more love behind those things you do share. Wouldn’t that be nice?
We’re in this mess because we bought wholesale the idea that the more you share, the more connected you are. Now that we’ve found that isn’t the case – and in fact we were in effect being fattened for a perpetual slaughter — I don’t see why we shouldn’t try something else.
Will it be Arbtr? I don’t know. Probably not, but we’ve got a lot to gain by giving ideas like this a shot.
Knitting machines power up with computer-generated patterns for 3D shapes
At last, a use for that industrial knitting machine you bought at a yard sale! Carnegie Mellon researchers have created a method that generates knitting patterns for arbitrary 3D shapes, opening the possibility of “on-demand knitting.” Think 3D printing, but softer.
The idea is actually quite compelling for those of us who are picky about their knitwear. How often have we picked up a knit cap, glove, or scarf only to find it too long, too short, too tight, too loose, etc?
If you fed your sartorial requirements (a 3D mesh) into this system from James McCann and students at CMU’s Textiles Lab, it could quickly spit out a pattern that a knitting machine could follow easily yet is perfectly suited for your purposes.
This has to be done carefully — the machines aren’t the same as human knitters, obviously, and a poorly configured pattern might lead to yarn breaking or jamming the machine. But it’s a lot better than having to build that pattern purl by purl.
With a little more work, “Knitting machines could become as easy to use as 3D printers,” McCann said in a CMU news release.
Of course, it’s unlikely you’ll have one of your own. But maker spaces and designer ateliers (I believe that’s the term) will be more likely to if it’s this easy to create new and perfectly sized garments with them.
McCann and his team will be presenting their research at SIGGRAPH this summer.
SpiceJet Flight Attendants Accuse Airline Of ‘Strip Search’, Latter Says “It’s A Company Policy”
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We talk of crimes like rapes and molestations being committed at generally secluded areas but what about the harassments and molestations which are also taking place in the workplace and such big companies like SpiceJet? The flight attendants of the airline are asking the same question as they are forced to appear for a ‘strip search’ after deboarding from their flights for past few days.
On Saturday morning, female flight attendants working with the SpiceJet were allegedly strip-searched at the Chennai airport by the airline’s security personnel.
The news came to light after a video of the airline’s flight attendants complaining about being strip searched came out. One of them was even heard saying that a woman who was on her periods, was asked to remove sanitary napkin from her handbag by the security personnel. As per the reports, in the video, one of the flight attendants said, “Someone touched me inappropriately, made me feel very uncomfortable. I was naked.”
Reportedly, the search was carried out because the airline suspected that the flight attendants duped cash collected on board through the sale of items during the flight journey. During the strip search, they were not only manhandled but also not allowed to the washroom after deboarding.
One of them told a media agency, “We air hostesses are stripped naked over the last three days and women personnel touch us inappropriately. A colleague in her period was asked to remove her sanitary napkin.”
“Is this the policy to remove your sanitary pad, touch private parts? We cabin crew are hired majorly for safety reasons of the fellow passengers but what about our respect and safety? We talk about rape and molestation, is this any less?” one woman said.
Another woman added, “On informing the base official that I wasn’t comfortable and I’m on my menses she still checked my panty; they pressed my breasts. I’ve lost my self-respect… Cabin crew is the brand ambassador. We are humiliated as if we have done some robbery.”
SpiceJet’s senior vice president, Kamal Hingorani, who heads in-flight services said that the strict search was performed on the suspicion that cabin crew was taking cash and company material.
He clarified, in a company email, “We have therefore been compelled to carry out spot checks, which in any case is a company policy. It is in all our interests that the ‘black sheep’ amongst us is identified and removed so that honest employees are not blamed.”
In a statement, the airlines said, “The search essentially is the same as what any passenger goes through at any of the Indian airports while going through security check.”
They also confirmed that after having received a tip-off, airline’s security team did carry out searches at some of its stations on March 28 and 29.
A senior Spicejet official from Chennai told that it’s a ‘baseless allegation’.
Published by Shruti Kumari on 31 Mar 2018
Would you buy a phone with a notch if you could hide the notch?
The controversial display notch is set to become mainstream this year. The Essential Phone was the first to pack in a small display notch (cutout), but Apple popularized it with a much bigger notch in the iPhone X. 2017 heralded the advent of taller 18:9 displays, and this year, device makers are interested in increasing the screen-to-body ratios of their phones even more.
Screen-to-body ratios of flagship smartphones reached more than 80 percent in 2017. This year, device makers are using the display cutout (that is now officially supported in Android P) to get screen-to-body ratios of around 90 percent. Device vendors can choose from either having symmetrical bezels at the top and bottom (such as on the Samsung Galaxy S9), or have a notch at the top of the display with a bottom chin. It seems that the bottom chin will continue to exist on new Android phones for the near future.
Other solutions include asymmetrical bezels and the front camera being placed on the bottom, as seen on the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 and the Mi Mix 2S. Vivo is developing something different by choosing to have an elevating front camera in the upcoming Vivo Apex.
This year, we have already seen the ASUS ZenFone 5 and ZenFone 5Z, new Oppo and Vivo phones, and the Huawei P20/P20 Pro/P20 Lite adopt the display notch. The upcoming OnePlus 6 is now confirmed to have a notch, and it is very likely that the Xiaomi Mi 7 and the LG G7 will opt for it as well. OnePlus has explained their rationale for adopting the notch in their upcoming flagship, as the company states that having a notch increases display screen real estate.
The case of the Huawei P20 series is different. We have known for a long time that the phones will have the notch, but the surprising thing turned out to be the fact that Huawei allows users to hide it. Users of the devices can enable the “hide notch” option, which will introduce a black background for the notch’s “ears”. This can also improve the media playback experience as the video content will no longer get cut off in the video crop mode.
OnePlus has also stated that the OnePlus 6’s notch will not interfere with video playback. When a video is being played, the notch will be hidden with a black bar, which ensures that video content will not get cut off by the notch.
Do you think the “hide notch” option in the Huawei P20 will improve its user experience? Also, would you prefer having an option to disable the notch in new and upcoming phones that have the notch? To how much extent will the option affect your purchase decision? Ultimately, would you buy a phone with a notch if you could hide it? Let us know in the comments below.
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Google Home and Home Mini are coming to India in April
Google is gearing up to officially launch its Home and Home Mini devices in India next month. The news was originally picked up as part of a communication by Redington India with its retail partners. This move has been widely anticipated, since the Google Assistant rolled out support for Hindi last month. Plus, Amazon’s competing Alexa and its Echo Plus, Echo and Echo Dot devices have recently begun selling in the subcontinent as well. Officially expanding the ongoing, cut-throat voice assistant battle to a vast new battleground. Alexa has the benefit of a substantial library of local skills at launch, but it still can’t understand or speak Hindi.
This might just be Google’s secret weapon in the fight. As per reports by local users of imported Google Home devices, the process of localization for the Home smart services is already under way and a lot of it has to do with language recognition. Apparently, right around the time Home devices located in India received the recent Bluetooth speaker pairing update, some other interesting options started popping up in the Google Home app. For example, the Media Accounts menu now offers support for some major India music streaming services, like Saavn and Gaana. However, the server-side roll-out appears to still be under way, since voice interaction with these services is currently unavailable.
New Google Home app options
All the while, a new English (India) language option has also been spotted on local units. Choosing it enables the Voice Match feature, unavailable with English (US). Apparently, this is anew language recognition model, Google has tailored specifically to better come with the local English dialects and be able to tell apart different family members and tailor its responses and actions accordingly. As per early user reports, the recognition is still not as good as the one in Google Assistant, but is a big improvement over the default English (US), which sometimes failed to even pick up trigger words. Hopefully, come next month, once the roll out is finalized and Google Home units are officially selling across India, performance will improve even more.
There is still no specific release time frame available, nor any pricing for Google Home hardware. Even with the company’s breakthroughs in local language support, pricing might actually pose a big issue in the competition against Amazon. Most of the web giant’s devices have seen substantial mark-ups when entering the country in the past. Alexa’s devices are currently selling in three versions – the Echo Dot (INR 4,499), the Echo (INR 9,999) and the Echo Plus (INR 14,999).
Still, it’s anybody’s guess how things will play out and which system will take the lead in India. Google already opened up its Actions development platform for Indian developers back in November last year, meaning that Amazon’s third-party ecosystem lead might not be guaranteed for long. Also expected to make a local debut in April are Google’s Wi-Fi mesh routers.
Shahrukh Khan had his FANBOY moment with Filmmaker Christopher Nolan
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Yesterday, Hollywood director Christopher Nolan came to Mumbai and thus the industry folks are making the most of it. He has already begun his three-day event. And Bollywood King Shah Rukh Khan has managed to capture his fanboy moment.
He posted a picture on Instagram and wrote, “My Fanboy moment. Inspiring to hear Mr.Nolan & Ms.Tacita Dean talk of the virtues of celluloid as an artist’s medium. Thanks, @shividungarpur for having me over.” SRK is looking quite the stud while Nolan seemed amused by the cameras. We wonder what these two spoke about.”
While Kamal Haasan has apologized for not watching Dunkirk (Hollywood movie directed by Nolan) at the theatres. He took to Twitter and posted an apology to Nolan and said, “Met Mr.Christopher Nolan. Apologized for seeing Dunkirk in the digital format and in return am sending Hey Ram in digital format for him to see. Was surprised to know he had seen Paapanaasam.”
Met Mr.Christopher Nolan. Apologized for seeing Dunkirk in the digital format and in return am sending Hey Ram in digital format for him to see. Was surprised to know he had seen Paapanaasam.
pic.twitter.com/iTPgQOZCMH
— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) March 30, 2018
Nolan is in India to attend a film event called, “Reframing the Future of Film”. He is here for 3 days to attend the fest. The event was held at Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Museum and it is a talk by visual artist Tacita Dean Dean, called Process And The Non-Deliberate Act: Why The Medium Of Film Is Important To Artists. The director is here with his family.
Filmmaker-archivist Shivendra Singh Dungarpur has invited Christopher Nolan to India. He wants this trip of the director to help him spread awareness about preservation and restoration.
Everyone who watches Hollywood movies surely is a fan of Christopher Nolan including Shahrukh Khan and other celebs. He directed the films like The Dark Knight, Inception, Interstellar and many more.
Published by Soniya Kaur on 31 Mar 2018
Huawei says it’s still committed to the U.S., in spite of, well, everything
A funny thing happened the last couple of times I was briefed on a Huawei flagship product: news was breaking about some major roadblock for the company’s U.S. distribution plans. First it was AT&T backing out in the midst of CES and then it was Best Buy’s decision to drop the company just ahead of the big P20 launch (though a rep for the company told me the States were never part of its plans for that handset).
It’s been one thing after another as the Chinese hardware maker has worked to establish a meaningful presence here in the States. In spite of all of this fallout from government pushback, however, the company insists that it’s not going anywhere.
In an email to CNET, the company’s consumer CEO reaffirmed that commitment. “We are committed to the U.S. market and to earning the trust of U.S. consumers by staying focused on delivering world-class products and innovation,” Yu writes. “We would never compromise that trust.”
The sentiment echoes statements Yu made on-stage at CES in the wake of the AT&T deal implosion — albeit much more measured this time around. Most of Yu’s followup reinforced his earlier assertions that, in spite of multiple warning from various US security departments, this whole thing is blow entirely out of proportion.
“The security risk concerns are based on groundless suspicions and are quite frankly unfair,” Yu adds. ”We welcome an open and transparent discussion if it is based on facts.”
Even if the company’s intentions are as stated, Huawei’s got an epic uphill climb if it’s going to make any sort of dent in the world’s third-largest mobile market. The company’s carrier play is non-existent in a country where most phones are purchased through telecoms. And abandonment by the biggest big box store in the States was insult to injury.
And if the company does manage to reverse those trends, it will still be a hard sell for U.S. consumers after several warnings from the country’s defense departments.
Samsung Galaxy A6 and A6+ receive FCC certification
The Galaxy A6 moniker has been floating around in the rumor mill for a good three years now. But only recently has there been actual development on the matter, with Galaxy A6 and A6+ handsets, already Wi-Fi certified and spotted on GeekBench. As per an earlier industry insider tip, the SM-A600FN and SM-A605G were apparently only intended for a trio of markets – Europe, Russia, and Middle East.
Samsung Galaxy A6+ FCC documents
However, both devices have been recently spotted in FCC filings, meaning Samsung is already going through the process of certifying the pair for the US market. The FCC IDs in question are A3LSMA605FN and A3LSMA600FN, for the A6+ and A6, respectively, leaving pretty much no doubt that the devices are closely related. The obligatory FCC e-label placement screenshot for the SM-A600FN even shows the about screen of the phone, complete with a clearly visible “Galaxy A6” moniker.
As per current rumors, the basic Galaxy A6 is expected to pack an Exynos 7870 chipset, seen in the Galaxy A3 (2017) and some phones from the more affordable J series. Along with it – 3GB of RAM and an Android 8 Oreo-based, Samsung Experience UI 9.0 ROM on top.
The Galaxy A6+ will, apparently, go for a Snapdragon 625, plus 4GB of RAM – a rather uncommon choice for the Korean giant, which rarely offers Qualcomm handsets outside the US. There is still no word on pricing, but going by the older chipsets of choice, we can only assume the pair will be positioned in the lower range of the midranger segment.
Thanks for the tip Akshay Kumar.
What’s cooking? Sanjay Leela Bhansali meets Janhvi and Khushi Kapoor
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Yesterday, Late actress Sridevi’s daughters Janhvi and Khushi Kapoor met Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who is currently enjoying the success of Padmaavat. And everyone is guessing why they met, whether it’s for a new film for Janhvi or maybe Khushi.
Reports said that they were spotted outside the Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s office. Photographer Manav Manglani shared a picture on Instagram and wrote, “Janhvi and Khushi Kapoor snapped post meeting at Sanjay Leela Bhansali office last night #friday #janhvikapoor #meeting #photooftheday #manavmanglani @manav.manglani”.
Currently, Janhvi is busy shooting for her debut movie “Dhadak” opposite to Shahid Kapoor’s younger brother Ishaan Khattar. This movie will be the remake of “Sairat”. This movie is produced by Karan Johar and directed by Shashank Khaitan.
However, Janhvi hasn’t signed any movie after “Dhadak”. But if Janhvi is going to work with Sanjay Leela Bhansali next project then it’ll be a very good news for everyone. But Khushi is also there when during the met, there are chances that maybe Khushi is going to make a debut. Who knows?
Well, it will be a happy news whether Khushi or Janhvi will get cast in SLB’s movie.
After the demise of Sridevi, the Kapoor family is staying strong and Arjun Kapoor and Anshula are with his father Boney Kapoor and her sisters.
Published by Soniya Kaur on 31 Mar 2018
Friday, March 30, 2018
The real threat to Facebook is the Kool-Aid turning sour
These kinds of leaks didn’t happen when I started reporting on Facebook eight years ago. It was a tight-knit cult convinced of its mission to connect everyone, but with the discipline of a military unit where everyone knew loose lips sink ships. Motivational posters with bold corporate slogans dotted its offices, rallying the troops. Employees were happy to be evangelists.
But then came the fake news, News Feed addiction, violence on Facebook Live, cyberbullying, abusive ad targeting, election interference and, most recently, the Cambridge Analytica app data privacy scandals. All the while, Facebook either willfully believed the worst case scenarios could never come true, was naive to their existence or calculated the benefits and growth outweighed the risks. And when finally confronted, Facebook often dragged its feet before admitting the extent of the issues.
Inside the social network’s offices, the bonds began to fray. An ethics problem metastisized into a morale problem. Slogans took on sinister second meanings. The Kool-Aid tasted different.
Some hoped they could right the ship but couldn’t. Some craved the influence and intellectual thrill of running one of humanity’s most popular inventions, but now question if that influence and their work is positive. Others surely just wanted to collect salaries, stock and resumé highlights, but lost the stomach for it.
Now the convergence of scandals has come to a head in the form of constant leaks.
The trouble tipping point
The more benign leaks merely cost Facebook a bit of competitive advantage. We’ve learned it’s building a smart speaker, a standalone VR headset and a Houseparty split-screen video chat clone.
Yet policy-focused leaks have exacerbated the backlash against Facebook, putting more pressure on the conscience of employees. As blame fell to Facebook for Trump’s election, word of Facebook prototyping a censorship tool for operating in China escaped, triggering questions about its respect for human rights and free speech. Facebook’s content rulebook got out alongside disturbing tales of the filth the company’s contracted moderators have to sift through. Its ad targeting was revealed to be able to pinpoint emotionally vulnerable teens.
In recent weeks, the leaks have accelerated to a maddening pace in the wake of Facebook’s soggy apologies regarding the Cambridge Analytica debacle. Its weak policy enforcement left the door open to exploitation of data users gave third-party apps, deepening the perception that Facebook doesn’t care about privacy.
And it all culminated with BuzzFeed publishing a leaked “growth at all costs” internal post from Facebook VP Andrew “Boz” Bosworth that substantiated people’s worst fears about the company’s disregard for user safety in pursuit of world domination. Even the ensuing internal discussion about the damage caused by leaks and how to prevent them…leaked.
But the leaks are not the disease, just the symptom. Sunken morale is the cause, and it’s dragging down the company. Former Facebook employee and Wired writer Antonio Garcia Martinez sums it up, saying this kind of vindictive, intentionally destructive leak fills Facebook’s leadership with “horror”:
And that sentiment was confirmed by Facebook’s VP of News Feed Adam Mosseri, who tweeted that leaks “create strong incentives to be less transparent internally and they certainly slow us down,” and will make it tougher to deal with the big problems.
Those thoughts weigh heavy on Facebook’s team. A source close to several Facebook executives tells us they feel “embarrassed to work there” and are increasingly open to other job opportunities. One current employee told us to assume anything certain execs tell the media is “100% false.”
If Facebook can’t internally discuss the problems it faces without being exposed, how can it solve them?
Implosion
The consequences of Facebook’s failures are typically pegged as external hazards.
You might assume the government will finally step in and regulate Facebook. But the Honest Ads Act and other rules about ads transparency and data privacy could end up protecting Facebook by being simply a paperwork speed bump for it while making it tough for competitors to build a rival database of personal info. In our corporation-loving society, it seems unlikely that the administration would go so far as to split up Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp — one of the few feasible ways to limit the company’s power.
Users have watched Facebook make misstep after misstep over the years, but can’t help but stay glued to its feed. Even those who don’t scroll rely on it as a fundamental utility for messaging and login on other sites. Privacy and transparency are too abstract for most people to care about. Hence, first-time Facebook downloads held steady and its App Store rank actually rose in the week after the Cambridge Analytica fiasco broke. In regards to the #DeleteFacebook movement, Mark Zuckerberg himself said “I don’t think we’ve seen a meaningful number of people act on that.” And as long as they’re browsing, advertisers will keep paying Facebook to reach them.
That’s why the greatest threat of the scandal convergence comes from inside. The leaks are the canary in the noxious blue coal mine.
Can Facebook survive slowing down?
If employees wake up each day unsure whether Facebook’s mission is actually harming the world, they won’t stay. Facebook doesn’t have the same internal work culture problems as some giants like Uber. But there are plenty of other tech companies with less questionable impacts. Some are still private and offer the chance to win big on an IPO or acquisition. At the very least, those in the Bay could find somewhere to work without a spending hours a day on the traffic-snarled 101 freeway.
If they do stay, they won’t work as hard. It’s tough to build if you think you’re building a weapon. Especially if you thought you were going to be making helpful tools. The melancholy and malaise set in. People go into rest-and-vest mode, living out their days at Facebook as a sentence not an opportunity. The next killer product Facebook needs a year or two from now might never coalesce.
And if they do work hard, a culture of anxiety and paralysis will work against them. No one wants to code with their hands tied, and some would prefer a less scrutinized environment. Every decision will require endless philosophizing and risk-reduction. Product changes will be reduced to the lowest common denominator, designed not to offend or appear too tyrannical.
Source: Volkan Furuncu/Anadolu Agency + David Ramos/Getty Images
In fact, that’s partly how Facebook got into this whole mess. A leak by an anonymous former contractor led Gizmodo to report Facebook was suppressing conservative news in its Trending section. Terrified of appearing liberally biased, Facebook reportedly hesitated to take decisive action against fake news. That hands-off approach led to the post-election criticism that degraded morale and pushed the growing snowball of leaks down the mountain.
It’s still rolling.
How to stop morale’s downward momentum will be one of Facebook’s greatest tests of leadership. This isn’t a bug to be squashed. It can’t just roll back a feature update. And an apology won’t suffice. It will have to expel or reeducate the leakers and those disloyal without instilling a witch hunt’s sense of dread. Compensation may have to jump upwards to keep talent aboard like Twitter did when it was floundering. Its top brass will need to show candor and accountability without fueling more indiscretion. And it may need to make a shocking, landmark act of contrition to convince employees its capable of change.
When asked how Facebook could address the morale problem, Mosseri told me “it starts with owning our mistakes and being very clear about what we’re doing now” and noted that “it took a while to get into this place and I think it’ll take a while to work our way out.”
This isn’t about whether Facebook will disappear tomorrow, but whether it will remain unconquerable for the forseeable future.
Growth has been the driving mantra for Facebook since its inception. No matter how employees are evaluated, it’s still the underlying ethos. Facebook has poised itself as a mission-driven company. The implication was always that connecting people is good so connecting more people is better. The only question was how to grow faster.
Now Zuckerberg will have to figure out how to get Facebook to cautiously foresee the consequences of what it says and does while remaining an appealing place to work. “Move slow and think things through” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
Video: Rakhi Sawant And Arshi Khan Are The New BFFs, Dances On ‘Mere Rashke Qamar’ Like No One
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Seems Rakhi Swant has found her new BFF in town. The actress is quite well gelling with Bigg Boss 11 contestant Arshi khan. They are currently playing cricket in the Box Cricket League. While Rakhi is part of the Goa Sharma team, Arshi is a part of the Kolkata Babu Moshaay team. The beauties are doing something different apart from acting and definitely enjoying.
These controversial queens of the small screens are having fun in the latest video where they are showing their sexy moves. The hotties are dancing on Mere Rashke Qamar and as usual, Rakhi completely nailed it, leaving Arshi behind!
Arshi has been constantly making news when she was in the Bigg Boss house and even after she was eliminated. Talking about Rakhi, she has always managed to make headlines for her antics and grab all the attention.
BCL has surely become more entertaining because of Rakhi and Arshi.
What do you think about Rakhi and Arshi’s dance moves? Did you like them? Tell us in comments.
Published by Harmisha Chauhan on 30 Mar 2018
Huawei CEO says the company is still committed to the US market despite “groundless suspicions”
Huawei has recently come under fire in the US, where government agencies left and right are advising people and companies not to purchase its products. The CIA, FBI, and NSA are concerned that Huawei devices are used to spy on Americans.
As you’d expect, Huawei’s consumer products CEO doesn’t think too highly of such assessments. Richard Yu told CNET that “the security risk concerns are based on groundless suspicions and are quite frankly unfair”. “We welcome an open and transparent discussion if it is based on facts”, he continued.
Huawei P20
Despite the fact that the government has succeeded in blocking Huawei smartphones from being offered by US carriers, Yu also said this: “We are committed to the US market and to earning the trust of US consumers by staying focused on delivering world-class products and innovation. We would never compromise that trust”.
Even Best Buy has stopped selling Huawei devices recently, so the situation is clearly not great for the company in the US, a market it’s almost entirely been pushed out of. The result of all this is that US consumers will not have access to the P20, P20 Pro, or Mate RS, and since the Mate 10 Pro is only offered unlocked not many people will get to experience that phone in the country either.
Yu aims for Huawei to become the world’s No.1 smartphone maker even without the US market, although a presence there would obviously help it achieve that goal faster.
App Marketers Turn AI and Machine Learning To Drive Growth
Did you know that 80 percent of users churn within three months of downloading an app? That’s because most apps are marketed to the masses and not necessarily to the right customers.
Oftentimes, the goal of app marketing is to reach as many consumers as possible with the hopes of recruiting en masse and converting at better-than-average ratios. But part of the challenge for marketers is that many of today’s strategies are driven by metrics that don’t link to advanced user targeting and growth.
More specifically, app marketers aren’t using available data strategically to deliver productive user experiences that ultimately drive greater business profitability.
Now more than ever, marketers must shift from tracking traditional vanity metrics to measuring the very things that contribute to retention and growth. More and more, successful companies are investing in customer-centric metrics such as CLV (customer lifetime value) to gain intelligent, consumer-centered insights that not only identify the most valuable customers but also key behaviors and preferences to continually improve consumers’ experiences and journey.
Next-generation marketing and CX are about identifying and engaging valuable consumers
CLV is more important than apps in isolation. It helps apps and other touch points work together to deliver value-added, cohesive experiences.
CLV measures the value a consumer represents to the business across all interactions over their lifetime, not just a single transaction or touch point. That is ultimately the definition of customer experience. It is the sum of all moments a customer has with your brand throughout their life cycle. Marketing and customer engagement is now a cross-functional mandate.
Not all app users are the right users. If you use the Pareto Principle, you can assume that 80 percent of business value is attributed to 20 percent of your active consumers. While these percentages aren’t by any means a standard, they do emphasize the need to identify and cultivate the important customers who drive your business.
Instead of casting a wide net and attracting as many users as possible in the hopes of retaining a reasonably active base, CLV tied to artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning focuses marketers and also developers on targeted engagement and growth. The idea is to drive profit by investing in more value-added user experiences and personalized offers. Doing so intentionally cultivates meaningful relationships with key customers.
Next-generation customer engagement is about cross-functional collaboration and data sharing
Unfortunately, customer experience today is largely siloed. Marketing, mobile, in-store, e-commerce, digital and so on are not collaborating nor operating against the same customer and market data. But that’s all about to change with the proliferation of AI and machine learning tied to smart CLV initiatives.
When the goal is to deliver targeted and integrated experiences, not just in-app, but across each touch point and the life cycle overall, companies create a truly customer-centric approach. AI then helps brands get a more complete, shared view and understanding of customer behaviors and expectations.
Additionally, AI-driven customer-centricity fosters cross-functional collaboration and data sharing that, by design, boosts customer experiences, along with CLV and business growth.
Identify highest-value customers and deliver targeted experiences
AI/machine learning platforms offer intelligent insights when pointed in the right direction. Successful brands study how much revenue highest-value customers drive over their lifetime and how much it costs to manage those relationships. And they examine CLV across all channels to get a holistic view of high-value behavior in all interactions. When the system can analyze important traits of high-value users, it can learn how to optimize CLV.
For example, to reach potential high-value customers, AI/machine learning uses data from existing high-value customers to optimize campaigns and touch points. In a study by Bain aimed at retail banking, it was found that it costs banks $4 every time a customer calls or visits. However, if consumers can complete the transaction via an app, it costs only 10 cents.
The key is to deliver capabilities in ways that consumers prefer and appreciate. Imagine how much AI and machine learning could additionally uncover when tasked with identifying friction points and new opportunities.
AI and CLV call for a new customer-centric playbook
You’ve probably heard time and time again that it costs more to acquire a new customer than to retain one. Brands that are winning prioritize CLV and AI and are drafting the playbook as they go. They:
- develop a customer-centric mindset.
- open doors between silos around in-store, digital and mobile so teams can focus on one clear business goal, rather than individual metrics (such as engagement or clicks).
- align customer-facing groups to a business outcome such as CLV and promote cross-functional collaboration and data sharing to assemble a holistic view of the customer across all touch points.
- understand who their highest-value customers are, how much revenue they drive over their lifetime and how much it costs to manage the relationship — across all channels.
- focus on measuring and communicating clear business goals rather than individual or vanity metrics.
AI and machine learning improve both by using existing data without cognitive bias. The more the system learns, the more it optimizes.
In the end, not all customers are created equal. By identifying those who drive value, how and why, you can learn how to design and deliver personalized value to them and enhance customer engagement and experiences to grow your business now and over time.
The SteelSeries Arctis Pro lineup is a new high-water mark in comfort and quality
SteelSeries has two new Arctis Pro gaming headsets out, and they pack a lot of tech and versatility into a comfortable, visually attractive package. The SteelSeries Arctis Pro Wireless and Arctis Pro + GameDAC are both incredibly capable headsets that deliver terrific sound, and depending on your system needs, should probably be your first choice when looking for new gaming audio gear.
The Arctis Pro Wireless is, true to its name, wire-free, but also promises lossless 2.4GHz transmission to ensure lag-free audio, too – a must for competitive gaming. The combination of the wireless functionality, the long-wearing comfort of the suspension system headband and the included transmitter base that can hold and charge a swappable battery as well as display all key information on an OLED readout makes this a standout choice.
There are some limitations, however – compatibility is limited to either PS4 or PC for this one, for instance. The wired Arctis Pro (without GameDAC) is compatible with the Xbox One, but both the wireless version and the version that connected to the wired DAC will only work with either Sony’s latest consoles or with a Windows or Mac-based gaming PC.
I’m a bit saddened by that since I’m a big fan of PUBG on Xbox, and also lately of Sea of Thieves, but I also do regularly play PS4 and PC games, and the Arctis Pro Wireless is my weapon of choice now when using either, either for multiplayer or single player games. The wearability and sound quality (which includes DTS X 7.1 surround on PC) is so good that I’ll often opt to use them in place of my actual 5.1 physical surround system, even when I don’t need to chat with anyone.
Other options, like the Turtle Beach Elite Pro Tournament Headset, offer different advantages including more easily accessible fine-tune control over soundscape, balance of chat and game audio and other features, but the SteelSeries offers a less complicated out-of-box experience, and better all-day wearability thanks to taking cues from athletic wear for its materials and design.
The GameDAC option additionally has Hi-Res Audio certificate, which is good if you’re looking to stream FLAC files or high-res audio from services like Tidal. The DAC itself also makes all audio sound better overall, and gives you more equalization options from the physical controller.
The main thing to consider with the Arctis Pro + DAC ($249.99) and the Arctis Pro Wireless ($329.99) is the cost. They’re both quite expensive relative to the overall SteelSeries lineup and those of competitors, too. But in this case, cost really is reflective of quality – channel separation and surround virtualization is excellent on these headsets, and the mic sounds great to other players I talked to as well. Plus, the Pro Wireless can connect to both Bluetooth and the 2.4GHz transmitter simultaneously, so you can use it with your phone as well as your console, and the retractable mic keeps things looking fairly stylish, too.
Approx. 1 Lakh Students in Kerala Leave Caste and Religion Column Blank In School Admission Form
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Parents of 1.2 lakh students did not fill the religion and caste columns while admitting their children to school. Kerala’s education minister C Raveendranath stated this and he also said that the statistics during the question hour of the state assembly on Wednesday.
The minister said, “This year at the time of admission a record of 1.24 lakh students have left religion and caste columns blank while seeking admission. This shows secular credentials of our society.”
Kerala has again proved itself to be the one who changes the society for good. This is an incredible step towards abolishing the deep-rooted discrimination which is based on caste and religion in our society.
Aiming to build a casteless society, over 1.2 lakh students in Kerala taking admission in class 1 left their caste and religion columns blank
Kerala’s footballer CK Vineeth has also gained praises for marking his son’s religion as ‘nil’ on the birth certificate.
According to the figures which were collected from approx. 9000 schools, out of 3.16 lakh students who took admission in class 1, over 1.24 chose to leave their caste and religion column blank.
A report given to a media person said that this is a growing trend amongst parents and children. Once the caste and religion column is left blank, the officials have no role in it. Speaking in the state legislative assembly, State education minister Prof C Ravindranath said, “This year at the time of admission a record number of 1.24 lakh students have left religion and caste columns blank while seeking admission. This shows secular credentials of our society.”
This is indeed an incredible change in the society. Can we expect such a change in other parts of our country as well?
Published by Minal Gupta on 30 Mar 2018
Samsung Galaxy Note8 phones on Verizon and Sprint are receiving Oreo
Following AT&T, two more US carriers are now sending Oreo updates to Samsung Galaxy Note8 phones on their networks – Verizon and Sprint.
It’s a hefty update, over a gigabyte, but it’s worth it. It adds features like picture-in-picture, autofill, device maintenance, improved biometrics, better background app management and so on. Besides Android 8.0 Oreo, the update also brings the Samsung Experience version to 9.0.
Galaxy Note8 phones on Verizon and Sprint are receiving Oreo
We took at peek at posts discussing the T-Mobile version, but there’s nothing yet. Well, besides people flashing their phones manually.
MacOS finally gains external GPU support
The latest update to macOS provides support for external graphics card. Apple announced this would hit the OS last June at WWDC and now it’s finally here. The update allows Mac users to increase the graphical processing power through an external graphics card connected through Thunderbolt 3.
Perviously users had to buy an eGPU dev kit from Apple or employ unofficial means to enable external graphics cards, which meant Apple wouldn’t bail them out if something happened. The additional horsepower isn’t needed for general use, but the added graphics cards supercharge Macs for VR, rendering and gaming. Only a handful of eGPUs are compatible with macOS so choose carefully before adding one to your rig.
The feature comes from the High Sierra 10.13.4 Combo Update which also adds Business Chat in Messages, a new iTunes and a super handy feature to Safari in which users can jump to the right-most open tab by using Command+9.
A girl loses camera 2 years ago, found on a beach in Taiwan, returned back to her by a group of students
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When you will read this story, you will realize what luck and is…It’s an extraordinary tale.
A girl lost his camera at sea for over two years which turned up on a beach in Taiwan this week on Tuesday and in barnacles and barely recognizable but thanks to a waterproof case, remained in perfect working condition.
The camera was discovered by a group of school children who were on a day out to clean up the beach and their teacher who decided to track down the owner by sharing it on Facebook.
And just in one day, they found the owner and her name is Serina Tsubakihara. She said, “I couldn’t believe it. I was super surprised when my friends told me about this and sent me the post with those pictures”.
Serina said, “I was scuba diving and I lost the camera when one of my friends ran out of the air and needed my help.” The last photo on the camera was taken on 7 September 2015 on Ishigaki Island in Okinawa. The island is about 250 km away from northern Taiwan. However, the owner was identified on Wednesday.
Teacher Park Lee said an 11-year old boy found the camera. The camera had its own journey. Not even a drop of water went inside the camera as it was protected in a case and the student tried to start the camera, surprisingly it started. It was charged from 2015 and still, it’s on.
Serina Tsubakihara now plans to go to Taiwan in June to thank the teacher and the school children and pick up her long-lost camera.
Well, If it is meant to be, it will come in your way and thanks to the case cover of the camera that is so good. After this everyone will buy that case. Haha!