Meta to introduce Facebook’s bitmoji-style avatars to WhatsApp: Reports

by Hansraj Agrawal | Oct 24, 2022 | Technology

Social media giant Facebook’s Bitmoji-style avatars, which earlier invaded Instagram and Messenger, are now also coming to Whatsapp.

According to The Verge, a report from WABetaInfo suggests that WhatsApp is rolling out support for customizable avatars in the latest 2.22.23.9 beta on Android, but only for some users.

Those with access to the feature will see a new ‘Avatar’ category in their settings menu that they can use to customize the digital version of themselves.

Similar to Meta’s other apps, WhatsApp will then generate a sticker pack with the avatar in various poses, which users can use to express themselves when messaging family and friends.

This feature was first spotted by WABetaInfo last month but now it’s actually rolling out to users. It’s unclear when WhatsApp will roll out the feature to all users on Android, or when it plans on bringing the feature to iOS, reported The Verge.

Meta first introduced avatars on Messenger and the News Feed in 2019 before they became available to use in Facebook comments and stories in 2020.

Earlier this year, the company gave its avatars a new 3D look and started letting users add them to feed posts, Facebook profile pictures, and Instagram Stories.

As per The Verge, at the time, Meta’s general manager for avatars and identity, Aigerim Shorman, touted the update as part of Meta’s efforts toward building out its idea of the metaverse, which not only includes virtual and augmented reality, but also bridges “more familiar platforms like your phone and computer.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Apple’s next Mac Pro chip might be four times faster than M2 Max: Report

by Hansraj Agrawal | Oct 23, 2022 | Technology

Rumours for Apple’s next Mac Pro suggest that the computer might come with chip options “that are at least twice or four times as powerful” as the not-yet-released M2 Max.

The Verge has reported that as per Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple has ramped up testing of the high-end Mac in preparation for its expected launch next year.

Gurman in his Power On newsletter says the machine will feature new and more powerful in-house chips nicknamed the ‘M2 Ultra’ and ‘M2 Extreme’. The two variations pack 24 and 48 CPU cores, respectively, along with 76 and 152 GPU cores, and 256GB of memory.

That’s compared to the base M2, which comes with 8 CPU cores and 10 GPU cores, and the rumoured M2 Max, which will supposedly feature 12 CPU cores and 38 GPU cores, reported The Verge.

He also shared under-test configurations for the Mac Pro which includes 24 CPU cores, 76 GPU cores, and 192GB of memory.

As per The Verge, it runs macOS Ventura 13.3, the first version of which launches on Monday. Apple last released the USD 5,999 Mac Pro in 2019, and it’s due for a refresh with Apple silicon.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Pixel Watch not suffering from screen burn-in, it’s image retention: Google

by Hansraj Agrawal | Oct 23, 2022 | Technology

Tech giant Google said the Pixel Watch does not suffer from screen burn-in and it is just image retention.

According to 9To5Google, the Pixel Watch is a first-generation wearable and some are encountering what they believe to be screen “burn-in”, but Google said this is just image retention.

As per the report, “burn-in” impacted a Pixel Watch (Bluetooth/Wi-Fi) that was in use for five days with the always-on display (AOD) enabled for at least 12 hours per day.

This issue disappears after another 30 minutes if the AOD is turned off. That said, it comes back once the watch face is showing again.

The Pixel Watch has a 320 PPI AMOLED display that offers a “Brightness boost up to 1000 nits, and Adaptive brightness was enabled on the affected watch”.

According to Google, permanent screen burn-in is not occurring on the Pixel Watch, and that image retention, a temporary issue, is happening instead, the report said.

The company is adamant that this is “not a precursor to burn-in” and will disappear over time, though the “longer it is on the screen, the longer it will take to go away,” it added.

–IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Apple starts paying out 0mn fund to affected developers: Report

Apple starts paying out $100mn fund to affected developers: Report

by Hansraj Agrawal | Oct 23, 2022 | Technology

Apple has started paying out $100 million cash reserve created as part of a class-action settlement to its App Store developers.

The tech giant agreed to settle a lawsuit brought by the US developers concerned with App Store policies, in August 2021. The company agreed to create the Apple Smart Developer Assistance Fund as part of the settlement, which would pay out cash to affected developers, reports AppleInsider.

As per the report, several developers claim on Twitter that the company has begun distributing payments from the fund.

Developers had until May 20 to request to become “Settlement Class Members” from a separate administrator. The developers stood to get paid from $250 to $30,000 if they met the requirements.

All US based developers who sold paid apps or in-app purchases and subscriptions through the App Store between June 4, 2015 and April 26, 2021 were eligible for the fund.

Additionally, they had to generate revenue from the US storefront in each of the years between 2015 and 2021 that they held a development account that was equal to or less than $1 million.

Along with the fund, the settlement also brought about several changes to the App Store’s policies, such as new pricing tiers, modifications to developer and consumer communication, and a commitment by the tech giant to maintain its 15 per cent reduced App Store commission for at least three years.

–IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Google purges battery-draining Android apps with 20 million downloads

by Hansraj Agrawal | Oct 23, 2022 | Technology

Google Play has removed apps with more than 20 million downloads because they were using excessive mobile data and draining batteries, says a report.

According to a report by McAfee, it identified new Clicker malware that sneaked into Google Play. In total, 16 applications that were previously on Google Play have been confirmed to have the malicious payload with an assumed 20 million installations.

“Once the application is opened, it downloads its remote configuration by executing an HTTP request. After the configuration is downloaded, it registers the FCM (Firebase Cloud Messaging) listener to receive push messages,” McAfee wrote in a blogpost.

“At first glance, it seems like well-made Android software. However, it is hiding ad fraud features behind, armed with remote configuration and FCM techniques,” it added.

The security researchers notified Google that all the identified apps are no longer available on Google Play. Users are also protected by Google Play Protect, which blocks these apps on Android.

The malicious code was found on useful utility applications like Flashlight (Torch), QR readers, Camera, Unit converters, and Task managers.

The FCM message has various types of information and that includes which function to call and its parameters.

–IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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Global smartphone sensor market logs .4 bn in revenue, Sony leads

Global smartphone sensor market logs $6.4 bn in revenue, Sony leads

by Hansraj Agrawal | Oct 23, 2022 | Technology

Led by Sony, the global smartphone Image sensor market clocked a total revenue of $6.4 billion in the first half of 2022.

According to the Strategy Analytics report, the market for smartphone image sensors experienced a decline of more than 5 per cent year-over-year in the first half.

Sony Semiconductor Solutions captured the top spot with 44 per cent revenue share, followed by Samsung System and Omnivision in the same period.

Sony, Samsung and Omnivision captured nearly 83 per cent revenue share in the global smartphone image sensor market.

In terms of smartphone multi-camera applications, Image sensors for Depth and Macro applications dropped to 26 per cent share while those for Ultrawide application jumped to 20 per cent share.

“The market for smartphone image sensors witnessed a slowdown in multi-camera adoption owing to declining smartphone demand and inventory within the customer supply chain during the period,” said Jeffrey Mathews, senior analyst at Strategy Analytics.

Sony drove its share in the market with partnerships with leading smartphone OEMs for large-sized and high-resolution image sensor products.

“Moreover, Samsung continued to lead high-resolution demand by supplying 200MP CIS products to customers and Omnivision saw share loss due to pandemic-induced customer disruptions in China,” Mathews noted.

According to Stephen Entwistle, Vice President of the Strategic Technologies Practice, as demand momentum continues to struggle, “OEMs are expected to drive opportunities in positioning smartphones with high-end and premium imaging capabilities”.

“The introduction of flagship smartphones featuring high-resolution cameras provides a short-term improvement for the smartphone image sensor market,” he said.

–IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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