Google to drop support for Android and iOS AdSense mobile apps

Google said that its Android and iOS AdSense mobile apps will be discontinued at the end of this year. The search giant confirmed in a blog post on Monday, July 15 that its new decision will allow AdSense audiences to get the most out of the mobile web interface instead of accessing AdSense statistics via Android and iOS mobile apps.

For those who not aware of AdSense, it is a program launched in 2003 by Google that allows publishers to monetize their contents by offering Google ads to the site visitors. However, as part of responsive web design, the US multinational technology company is terminating the Adsense mobile apps, allowing publishers to check account statistics via the mobile web interface, the Inside AdSense report reads.

As stated in the report, Google has confirmed that 70% of AdSense audiences experience the web on mobile devices. To make the interface much better and mobile compatible, the company has decided to focus on "mobile web interface" rather than keeping its apps there for the Adsense associated audiences.

AdSense currently operates a desktop version of the site for audiences to perform daily activities such as creating ad units and viewing reports. But by implementing a new interface, Adsense users will be redirected to the mobile version URL of the AdSense site, PhoneSpeck has learned.

Future web interfaces will have new features than apps. Both Android and iOS apps will become unavailable for download by the end of 2019, says AdSense product manager Andrew Gildfind.

Source | Via

Huawei submits an application to trademark Harmony operating system

Despite the announcements made at G20, the Chinese equipment company Huawei is still not able deploying Android operating system on its devices as the company is yet to be removed from the entity list. To get rid of this trouble, Huawei is trademarking its new operating system Harmony for smartphones and computers.

In previous attempts, Chinese telecom giant filed trademark applications to register HongMeng OS and Oak, and now Harmony OS. It had also been reported that the company is considering the Linux-based operating system Sailfish. The Russian-made operating system was not a rumor to the US companies. The reports led President Donald Trump revising his decision to stay competitive.

The recent application submitted to European Union Intellectual Property Office, a government agency responsible for the trademarking the Intellectual properties in Europe, is dated July 12, 2019. As seen during past trademark applications, no official announcement has been made by the Huawei.

The new operating system is said to be used for Huawei's devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and computers, however, it has not been confirmed whether this OS will provide features like HongMengOS that is claimed to be used for routers and data centers. Earlier this month, Huawei's CEO Ren Zhengfei confirmed that HongMengOS is more powerful than Android and macOS.

Via

Asus Max Pro M2 receiving FOTA update with June 2019 Android security patch

Asus Max Pro M2 aka Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 is continually receiving new firmware updates to accelerate phone performance and improvements. Asus, Taiwanese company released this phone in India in December, but the device was not enrolled for new firmware updates as of now.

Earlier, the phone received Android pie update back in April as reported by XDA. A few days ago, the reports suggested that Asus Max Pro M2 has started receiving FOTA update. The Indian unit of Asus has confirmed that Max Pro M2 has been enrolled for firmware-over-the-air (FOTA) update with the June 2019 Android security patch, reports Gadgets 360.

Now the smartphone is said to be receiving the said update that reportedly improved the call quality and brings optimized dark mode and phone vibration. Apart from this, Max pro-M2 witnesses Digital Wellbeing (a set of tools developed by Google) with the latest update that is currently being rolled out in India.

As mentioned, the FOTA update has been released with the June 2019 Android security update that patches known vulnerabilities residing insides the handset's software.

Source1, 2

Google rolling out redesigned News tab for quality search results

Google, the search giant not only powers the web, but silently introducing new features to its products. The search giant has also closed its some products due to business failure. One of its discontinued services is Google+ that was closed in April 2019. This time, the multinational technology company Google is redesigning News tab on desktop search.

Tech giants are constantly working on their platform to create new designs for several reasons. Recently, we saw Google silently introducing related search under the image tab. But this time the things are been redesigned for the reader's convenience. Yes, you heard it right. Google is refreshing News tab for the desktop search that will transform the old News tab into a carousel design for rich results.

According to an announcement made by the Google News Initiative on July 11, the refreshed News tab on the desktop search is intended to highlight the recent stories more prominently. The feature is aimed at to show the news articles inside a carousel that allows Google to organize articles more clearly, the tweet reads.

When you search for a specific news article on Google, the articles appear as "Top stories", but clicking the News tab displays the same articles as regular search results. Once the redesigned news tab is rolled out, regular search results will be displayed along with the image, video (if available) and the publishers' name.

Source

COMSATS University teams up with 6 other universities to launch AI development project

The University of Islamabad COMSATS (CUI) launched an artificial intelligence development project aimed at modernizing the existing education system through advanced technologies in the country.

The project is said to be launched next year and will be completed for the estimated project cost of Rs. 1 billion. COMSATS University will team up with six other Pakistan-based universities to complete this project.

Punjab University (PU), University of Engineering and Technology Karachi (NED), Lahore-based University of Engineering Technology (UET), National University of Science and Technology (NUST) are among the other universities that will jointly run the AI development project.

According to reports, the authorities will establish 9 state-of-the-art laboratories in four major cities of Pakistan, including Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Lahore. The four labs will be established to carry out big data analytics, cybersecurity, e-gaming, and of-course artificial intelligence. The universities authorities have started importing the required equipment for developing AI-aimed project.

Source1, Source2

Vivo S1 with Helio P65 SoC, 32MP pop-up selfie cam expected to arrive soon in India

Vivo, the Chinese smartphone maker recently launched one of the Z-series phones Vivo Z1 Pro in India, and now the BBK-owned brand is reportedly preparing to bring Vivo S1, a new series of Vivo smartphone.

The company has already launched Vivo S1 in China this March. Three months after the launch of this mobile phone in China, the technology giant announced the Pro model of S1 phone in its home country. Vivo S1 pro, on the other hand, has not been announced outside China yet.

The reports surfaced online suggests the Vivo S1 phone is making its way to enter the Indian market in mid-July, however, there is no official confirmation regarding the launch date of the teased handset S1.

On the camera front, Vivo S1 smartphone comes with a selfie camera with a 32MP image sensor, while the triple rear camera consists of 16MP main, 8MP ultrawide and 2MP depth sensor.

As long as multiple teasers are concerned, it is clear that the MediaTek Helio P65 SoC could be powering the S1 smartphone instead of the Qualcomm's Snapdragon 675 processor that is powering the S1 Pro device.

The phone features 6.38-inches Full HD+ Super AMOLED display with a screen resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels or above. It packs a Li-ion battery with 4000mAh or 4,500mAh power capacity. The phone runs on the Android pie operating system and is likely to be based on Funtouch OS.

Since there is no confirmation of storage, but it is believed the Vivo S1 could be paired with 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage for the base variant. As a time served, the top-end version should come with 8GB RAM configuration.

Source | Via

Bitpoint exchange lost $32 million in a latest cryptocurrency cyber attack

WorldSpectrum / Pixabay

Bitpoint, a Tokyo-based cryptocurrency exchange, and also Remixpoint's subsidiary confirmed this Friday that the company has lost hard-earned virtual money amounting $32 million in the latest Cryptocurrency cyberattack, reports CoinDesk Japan.

According to a statement released by Remixpoint, cybercriminals hacked the company's hot wallet fraudulently that caused the Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Bitpoint to lose 3.5 billion yen (approx. $32 million) of worth virtual money. Bitpoint, however, has temporarily disabled all transactions on its platform.

Remixpoint runs a variety of cryptocurrencies on the platform, including Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, XRP, and Litecoin. However, the company has not confirmed what types of assets were lost in cyberattacks, even though the attack resulted in the loss of hard-earned money.

The company further stated in a statement that the attack was confirmed on Thursday and apologized for any inconvenience caused to its customers.

As time served, attackers use different techniques and malicious programs to enter the machines, but this time, it was not confirmed how hackers gained access to the company's wallet.

Source1, 2 (in Japanese) | Via

What happens to Apple's AR/VR project: Everything you need to know

A source familiar with the matter quoted report published by a Taiwan-based daily newspaper DigiTimes has confirmed that Apple has temporarily discontinued working on "Virtual reality" (VR) and "Augmented reality" (AR) handsets.

Meanwhile, Steve Troughton-Smith, an app developer has said that Apple has not stopped working on the AR/VR project, but calling the move of termination of AR glass “unlikely” he said his “impression was that they were coming even sooner.” reports Times of India.

According to the original report of the DigiTimes published today, Apple has only disbanded the team of AR/VR handset in May and the engineers were transferred to other product developments.

Some reports claim that Microsoft HoloLens co-creator Avi Bar-Zeev, the backbone of the project — is said to be the person behind the Apple AR department. With Avi's resignation, the company might have temporarily suspended the AR division.

What is AR/VR to you — According to Apple, the virtual reality glasses to come with full Eye protection that will be supported by compatible Smartphones. Apple augmented reality, on the other hand, is to be a new way to use technology that transforms daily life such as how people learn, work, play and connect with the world.

We would love to see this technology that is claimed to be integrated with AI-led tasks. Apple says that this technology will be useful for solving the problems.

Source1, Source2

Nokia 5, Nokia 6 get latest update with July 2019 Android security patch

HMG global-owned brand Nokia starts rolling out new firmware updates with the July 2019 Android security patch for Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 phones in an attempt to bring the unspecified improvements to the two handsets, confirms Nokiamob.

The July 2019 Android security patch is aimed at to fix a critical security vulnerability in Media framework. The Nokia 5 update weighs 396.1MB and the Nokia 6 weighs 335.9MB. Despite the heavyweight in size, there is no confirmation of what kind of improvements are going to be brought to Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 smartphones.

As far as the July 2019 Android Security Patch is concerned, security vulnerabilities on both devices will go away smoothly after successfully receiving the update. However, it should be noted that updates in the talk are being rolled out to a limited number of users and a broader rollout will begin in the next few days.

Source

Google resumes Android Q Beta 5 rollout after fixing the installation-related issues

Yesterday, Google rolled out Android Q Beta 5 for Pixel device via OTA, but due to some technical issues found in Android Q beta 5, the rollout was paused to investigate the bug which was putting a very small percentage of devices back on Beta 4 after multiple reboots, reports Google.

The OTA-based Android Q Beta 5 has been resumed for testing purposes on all Pixel devices, including Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, and Pixel 3a XL. The beta 5 only reaches to enrolled devices via OTA and may start a broader or stable rollout in a few days once testing is complete.

Android Q Beta 5 rollout includes a wide range of new features such as corner-in swipe gesture to activate Google Assistant and a new 'peek' behavior specifically for the back gesture. More importantly, the rollout is aimed at to bring the final Android Q developer APIs (API level 29).

It also includes never-seen-before features like dynamic depth format for photos, WPA3 Wi-Fi security protocol, integrated screen recorder and more. Since the update is for testing purpose, it is not confirmed whether the rollout will accompany these features.

Via

Apple temporarily removes the audio chat feature by disabling the Watch Walkie Talkie app

Apple has temporarily disabled the Walkie Talkie app from its Smartwatch in an effort to honor users privacy. The said app allows a user to listen to another user’s iPhone without consent, reported TechCrunch.

The app in the talk gives users the ability to chat via audio conversation using a 'push to talk' interface. However, due to security vulnerability found in walkie talkie app, the apple has disabled the app. After discovering the bug, the company apologized for the inconvenience caused to users, the report reads.

According to the report, the company is working to fix security vulnerabilities. However, it has not yet been confirmed whether the app deactivation is permanent or temporary. As far as the audio conversation/feature is concerned, the company could reactivate the app once the bug is fixed.

In a conversation with TechCrunch, Apple said that the exact bug has not yet been confirmed, but the Walkie Talkie app on the Apple Watch could be used to exploit the privacy of the users if the bug resides inside the said app.

Source

Android Q beta 5 OTA update temporarily paused, the OS experienced installation issues

In the past, we have seen that when Google rolled out its Android Q Beta 4 operating system, it had been paused because of installations issues, however, later, the tech giant successfully managed to fix the noted issues.

Today, once again, after a few hours of rolling out, Google paused the Android Q beta 5 ATA update because this 17th version of the Android operating system encountered installations related issues. Google has not confirmed the restart date of the update, but it expected once the bugs are fixed, the Android Q beta will be rolled out via over-the-air (OTA) update.

Android Q beta 5 OTA includes many advanced features, therefore it could take a little longer resolving the issues with the OS. It is said the update was paused when Google noted that Pixel devices are getting frozen or prompts for a factory reset while installing the said update.

Source | Via

Oppo K3 India launch date confirmed, date set for July 19 via Amazon

Oppo K3 was originally launched in China in May, but the device was on its way to the Indian market. Since May till now, we heard a lot of rumors about Oppo’s K-series, but today, the Amazon India has finally unveiled the launch date of Oppo K3 - 19th of this month.

There is no confirmation of the price, but it is said that the standard variant will be selling via Amazon for INR16,190 or INR16,200. In China, the 6GB/64GB variant is priced at CNY1599, 8GB/128GB storage model is priced at CNY1899 and 8GB/256GB storage version will be selling for CNY2299.

According to the current stock exchanges, CNY 1599 translates to Rs. 15,900 and 1,899 yuan translates to Rs. 18,900 and CNY 2299 is equivalent to Rs. 22,900. Since stock exchanges are dynamic, they can be increased or decreased depending on share market stability of the country.

The second smartphone from the K-series, the Oppo K3, runs the Android operating system based on ColorOS custom UI. It has Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 chipset and Adreno 616 graphics processor.

The handset features a 6.5-inches AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display which is protected by an anti-scratch chemical Corning Gorilla Glass v5. Oppo K3 is not the only device protected by Corning Gorilla Glass, but most modern mobile phones have the same screen protection material.

The phone battery is quite good for keeping the device running with 3765mAh battery power. The smartphone features 16 MP + 2 MP dual primary cameras that come with phase detection autofocus abilities. The pop-up selfie shooter houses the same image sensor (16MP) as the main one with intelligent camera protection.

Source | Via

Vivo Z1 Pro to go on sale in India today at 12PM, price starts at Rs. 14,990

Vivo Z1 Pro smartphone with 32MP in-display selfie shooter will be available for purchase in India today at 12PM. The device will go online via Flipkart and Vivo’s own e-store, where consumers can make a purchase for the selected color options and storage variants.

The Z1 pro handset will be available in three variants 4GBG/64GB, 6GB/64GB, 6GB/128GB. The 4GB RAM version is priced at Rs. 14,990, while the 4GB/64GB model will be available for Rs. 16,990 and 6GB/128GB version is priced at Rs. 17,990. Vivo to offer this phone in three color options such as Sonic Blue, Mirror Black, and Sonic Black.

The smartphone packs a 5,000mAh battery with 18W quick charge capability. Z1 Pro runs Funtouch OS-based Android 9.0 operating system and is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 processor.

It features a rear camera setup 16MP, 8MP, and 2MP with an aperture size of f1.78, f2.2, and f2.4 respectively. The phone has a good selfie camera of 32MP with an aperture of f2.0. The main camera comes with portrait light effects, slow motion, time-lapse photography features, while the selfie camera has AI filters, live photo, AI beauty scene modes and more.

Weights 201g, the handset comes with a plastic body and features an FHD+ display with a screen size of 6.53-inches (16.59 cm), and its resolution is 2340 x 1080 pixels. Vivo Z1 Pro display has a specialized capacitive touch screen that makes it easy to use the fingers while playing the games or liking a series of Facebook posts.

Source

Huawei MediaPad T5 with Kirin 659 SoC now available in India, price starts at Rs. 14,990

Huawei has introduced a new tablet MediaPad T5 in the Indian market via e-commerce giant Amazon. The tab has a symmetrical metal body and features 10.1-inches Full HD display with a screen resolution of 1920x1200 pixels and 16:10 aspect ratio.

The base variant i.e. 2GB/16GB is priced at Rs. 14,990, while the 3GB/32GB storage version is priced at Rs. 16,990. The tab comes with a dedicated card slot used to expand the memory up to 256GB via a microSD card.

This tab runs Android 8.0-based custom mobile operating system EMUI 8.0 and is powered by HiSilicon's SoC Kirin 659. Apart from this, it packs a massive battery with a power capacity of 5,100mAh. The battery is equipped with Smart Power-Saving technology allowing it to remain running up to 10 hours.

The device houses Huawei's Histen audio-based speakers, allowing a listener to feel like 3D surround sound when enjoying a remixed soundtrack or a thriller movie with good sound quality. The back of the Huawei MediaPad T5 tablet houses a rear camera consisting of a 5MP image sensor, while the front camera consists of a 2MP image sensor.

When it comes to unsurpassed device performance, the MediaPad T5 is equipped with an octa-core processor with a main frequency of up to 2.36 GHz.

Source

HUAWEI MediaPad T5 Tablet (10.1 inch, 16GB, Wi-Fi + 4G LTE) BlackAmazon Store

US government to grant temporary licenses to resume trade with Huawei

The US Department of Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said on Wednesday that the government will issue licenses to US companies to resume trade with Chinese tech firm Huawei. However, the banned company Huawei will remain on the Entity List, Cabinet department confirmed.

The US president Donald Trump confirmed at G20 summit last month that companies would be allowed to supply US-components to Huawei. However, later, the National Economic Council director Larry Kudlow said that the country will sell the goods to Huawei that are widely available from other countries.

The move was announced during the Annual Security Conference on Export Controls and Security. The recent development on Huawei's ban will let it use the US-manufactured components that were barred in May over the National Security issues. The Commerce Department will issue licenses where there is no threat to U.S. national security, the press release reads.

Going back to Larry Kudlow's announcement - If only widely available goods will be supplied to Huawei, will Android OS remain banned for Chinese equipment company? Whatever the case may be, the future of Huawei is still vague for using the Android operating system.

Source | Via

'Agent Smith' malware infected 25 million Android devices worldwide, 15 million in India

Pasi Mämmelä / Pixabay

Agent Smith, not a Fictional character of Matrix franchise, but a newly discovered Android malware that has infected about 25 million Android devices worldwide and most of the infected users (15 million) are from India and other neighboring countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh, reports Check Point Researchers.

Disguised as a Google-related Android app, Check Point Research confirms that the malware manages to exploit known Android vulnerabilities and has targeted the Arabic, Indonesian, Hindi, and Russian speakers by automatically replacing installed apps on the devices with malicious versions.

In order to trick the users, the malicious software installed via a popular third-party app store 9Apps is intentionally designed to look similar to the original one. App Installation occurs without the users' consent or interaction, the report added.

According to the research report, once the app is installed on the victim's smartphone, it starts showing fraudulent ads related to financial gain that allow it to behave like previous campaigns such as Gooligan, HummingBad, and CopyCat.

The Agent Smith malware consists of Loader, Core, Boot, Patch, AdSDK and Update modules used for various malicious purposes staying under the radar. Cyber threat intelligence Check Point has worked closely with Google and at the time of publishing, no malicious apps remain on the Play Store, the report reads.

Source

Huawei Nova 5i Pro spotted on TENAA, listing leaks device specs

Nova 5i Pro, an unconfirmed smartphone belonging to the Nova 5 series, earlier announced by the Chinese smartphone maker Huawei, has been added to a Chinese certification agency TENAA that confirms the Nova 5i Pro's specs in an effort to certify the handset.

The said website has mentioned this phone under the two models bearing numbers SPN-AL00/TL00. The recent listing is reportedly to be the Huawei Nova 5i Pro, however, there is no confirmation that AL00 and TL00 are the model numbers of Nova 5i pro.

According to the multiple sources and TENAA listing, Nova 5i pro will run Android 9 Pie operating system and, a Chinese semiconductor company HiSilicon will be powering this phone with Kirin 710 chipset. The phone sports 6.26-inch IPS LCD display and non-removable lithium-polymer battery with a power capacity of 3,900mAh.

The SPN-AL00/TL00 model number, on the other hand, will be featuring a quad-camera setup consisting of 48MP/8MP/two 2MP image sensors at the back and a 32MP selfie shooter housing under the punch hole at the front.

The smartphone will be debuted with 6GB and 8GB system memory options. The base variant will have 6GB/128GB storage, while the second variant could come with 8GB/256GB storage. It could also be sporting memory expansion up to 256GB via a dedicated microSD card slot.

Source | Via

Samsung Galaxy A90 5G phone appears on Geekbench with Snapdragon 855 SoC

Samsung Galaxy A90 5G, a 5G connected handset that is believed to be marketed with 4G and 5G network options, has been spotted on Geekbench which confirms that it will have 6GB of RAM and Qualcomm's latest mobile platform Snapdragon 855 that is technically supported by the 5G network.

The new device spotted on the benchmark website has not revealed the tech specs of the said phone, but when it comes to device model number, the website reads as SM-A908N. Looking at the past listings, it will not be wrong saying that the Galaxy A90 could arrive soon with 4G and 5G network connectivity options.

The said smartphone is rumored to be launched in two variants 6GB and 8GB, but we believe that it will have 6GB/64GB for the standard variants while another variant will be launched with 8GB RAM option.

Apart from this, the Galaxy A90 5G or SM-A908N will be running on Android pie operating system like Galaxy A80 that is expected to be released in mid-July in India.

Source | Via

OnePlus 7 Pro gets new OxygenOS, improves Visual effects, auto-focus & more

In early June, Shenzhen-based smartphone maker OnePlus rolled out OxygenOS 9.5.7 update for its OnePlus 7 pro handset, but the update was aimed at improving the camera's features like autofocus and white balance.

This month the phone gets a new OxygenOS update with build number 9.5.9. This time, the new firmware has been rolled out to optimize system performance and camera features. This OTA will have a staged rollout, means the OTA will initially be received by a limited number of users and will have a broader rollout in the next few days, OnePlus community added.

New OxygenOS 9.5.9 update has been released to optimize the touch sensitivity, photo quality, automatic brightness, accuracy of GPS, and more. The said firmware comes with the latest June Android security patch to fix general bugs.

The complete changelog can be read from the source link added at the end of this article.

Users can go to the system settings and manually check for new updates. However, if your device does not show a new update, it will be able to receive it in the next few days when a broad rollout is released.

Source