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Apple eyes bigger slice of India's streaming, music market with Airtel deal

Apple eyes bigger slice of India's streaming, music market with Airtel deal

by | Aug 28, 2024 | Technology


Apple and Airtel (representative image)

3 min read Last Updated : Aug 28 2024 | 2:51 PM IST


Apple is tying up with India’s Bharti Airtel to offer the telecom firm’s premium customers its music and video streaming services for free, giving the U.S. giant access to thousands of consumers in the world’s most populous nation.


With mostly English-language content, Apple TV+ is a small player in India’s $28 billion media and entertainment market, where its rivals include Netflix, Amazon Prime Video , Disney+ Hotstar and billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s JioCinema.


The move comes as competition tightens in India and an $8.5-billion merger of the Indian media assets of Reliance and Walt Disney – which have a streaming service each – faces close scrutiny from antitrust regulators.


“Apple TV+ will come bundled with premium Airtel WiFi and Postpaid plans,” Airtel said in a statement on Tuesday, though the companies did not disclose a deal value for the partnership or information on costs.


Apple Music will also be available for current premium users of Airtel’s Wynk music app, which will be shut down. Its employees are being subsumed by the company, Airtel said.


Two sources familiar with the strategy said that for Apple, the deal is aimed at reaching out to a much bigger pool of consumers with its digital services given Airtel is the country’s second biggest telecom operator with 281 million subscribers.


Ambani’s Reliance Jio telecom service has 489 million users.


The Apple TV+ streaming service, known for its original series like Ted Lasso, The Morning Show and Slow Horses, has so far differentiated itself in the streaming landscape with a focus on in-house content.


Most rival platforms in India and overseas offer users older movies and TV shows from other studios, as well as their own originals.


Airtel will within days announce new tariff plans that will include free Apple TV+ offerings, said two other sources with direct knowledge of its plans.


Currently, the Apple TV+ service retails at $9.99 per month in the U.S. and 99 Indian rupees ($1.18) per month in India, compared to Ambani’s JioCinema which offers cricket content for free and has plans as cheap as 29 rupees a month.


Netflix starts with monthly tariff of 149 rupees.


Cricket is seen as a way to attract more customers to streaming platforms in India, and Disney lost millions of Indian users last year when it lost streaming rights to Ambani’s Reliance for streaming the world’s richest cricket tournament, the Indian Premier League.


Apple has 6% of India’s 690 million smartphone users, according to data from research firm Counterpoint. The remaining market is dominated by phones from Samsung and Xiaomi, and are powered by Google’s Android operating system.


Apple Music is currently priced at 99 Indian rupees per month and has a library of 100 million songs.

First Published: Aug 28 2024 | 2:51 PM IST



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Google rolls out quick reply redesign on Gmail for Android: What is new

Google rolls out quick reply redesign on Gmail for Android: What is new

by | Aug 28, 2024 | Technology


Gmail “Quick Reply” feature

2 min read Last Updated : Aug 28 2024 | 2:17 PM IST


Google has officially begun rolling out the redesign of Gmail’s “Quick Reply” feature for Android to personal Google accounts and individual subscribers of Google Workspace. The upgrade is not yet available to users in Workspace Labs, and testers will receive access at a later date. Google has announced that the feature will be available on iOS devices later this year. The Quick reply redesign is expected to be fully available to Workspace customers in the coming weeks.


“Starting today, you can reply to emails directly from the bottom of the conversation, without opening a new screen, making it easier to reference the email you’re replying to. We know this new option is best for quick, lightweight responses, so for longer, more formal responses, you can simply expand the text box to access more formatting options,” Google stated in a blog post about Workspace updates.


The Quick reply redesign introduces a text field at the bottom of the screen, eliminating the need to scroll to select from options like Reply, Reply all, or Forward, although these options remain available. Users can start typing immediately after tapping on the text box without needing to expand or switch screens.


Additionally, users can change recipients, attach files, or expand the text field using the expand icon. The ability to reference the contents of the message being replied to is also included, similar to functionality on messaging platforms.


Google announced the Gmail redesign in May, alongside updates to Google Messages and Google Home.


In related news, Google has also introduced enhancements to Gemini functionality in Gmail, including two new writing tools. The existing “Help me Write” feature, which allows users to formalise, elaborate, and shorten their emails, now includes a new Polish tool that helps users refine drafts created on mobile devices and the web.

First Published: Aug 28 2024 | 2:17 PM IST



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Moto g45 5G budget phone goes on sale with introductory offers: Details

Moto g45 5G budget phone goes on sale with introductory offers: Details

by | Aug 28, 2024 | Technology


2 min read Last Updated : Aug 28 2024 | 1:55 PM IST

Motorola’s budget 5G smartphone, Moto g45 5G, is now available for purchase in India. Launched on August 21, the device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 chip and features a vegan leather finish on the back, available in three Pantone-curated colours: Brilliant Blue, Brilliant Green, and Viva Magenta.


Moto g45 5G: Price and variants


4GB RAM + 128GB storage: Rs 10,999


8GB RAM + 128GB storage: Rs 12,999


Moto g45 5G: Availability and offers


The Moto g45 5G smartphone can be purchased from Motorola official website and the e-commerce platform Flipkart. Introductory offers include a Rs 1,000 discount from Axis Bank and IDFC First Bank customers on credit card and credit card equated monthly instalment (EMI) transactions.


Moto g45 5G: Details


The Moto g45 5G sports a 6.5-inch HD+ display of a 120Hz refresh rate, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The smartphone is equipped with a stereo speaker system that supports Dolby Atmos surround sound for surround sound audio experience.


The smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 chip, with up to 8GB RAM and 128GB of on-board storage. It comes with a 5,000mAh battery that supports 20W wired charging. For photography, the Moto g45 5G sports a 50MP primary camera sensor paired with a 2MP depth sensor, and a 16MP front-facing camera.


Moto g45 5G: Specifications


  • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3


  • RAM: 4GB and 8GB


  • Storage: 128GB


  • Display: 6.5-inch LCD display, HD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, Gorilla Glass 3 protection


  • Audio: Dolby Atmos


  • Rear camera: 50MP primary + 2MP depth sensor


  • Front camera: 16MP


  • OS: Android 14-based HelloUI


  • Battery: 5000mAh

First Published: Aug 28 2024 | 1:55 PM IST



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Sony launches 'Accessories' app on Windows for PS5 controller customisation

Sony launches 'Accessories' app on Windows for PS5 controller customisation

by | Aug 28, 2024 | Technology


PlayStation Accessories app

2 min read Last Updated : Aug 28 2024 | 1:21 PM IST


Sony has launched a new PlayStation Accessories app for Windows, enhancing the compatibility of DualSense PlayStation controllers with PCs, to compete with Microsoft’s Xbox. The new app enables users to customise their DualSense Edge wireless controllers directly from their PCs. However, the option for the base DualSense controller is limited to installing firmware updates.


The previously available “Firmware Updater for DualSense Wireless Controller” app from Sony on Windows PC only allowed users to update the controller’s firmware from a Windows PC. The new Accessories app appears to focus more on the DualSense Edge controller, offering a similar level of customisation as Sony provides on its PlayStation 5 console.


Sony’s initiative to increase compatibility for its gaming accessories across different platforms represents a significant move towards opening up closed console ecosystems. Both Sony and Microsoft have begun porting exclusive gaming titles to other platforms. Sony has made several of its PlayStation-exclusive titles, such as Ghost of Tsushima and The Last of Us Part 1, available on PC. Similarly, Xbox has announced that its upcoming Indiana Jones and the Great Circle will be ported to PlayStation 5 next year.


PlayStation Accessories App: Details


The DualSense Edge wireless controller was originally designed for the PlayStation 5 gaming console. With the new Accessories app, Sony allows users to change controller button assignments, adjust sensitivity and dead zones for the controller sticks, adjust trigger dead zones, and modify vibration intensity from PCs.


Additionally, the Accessories app enables users to connect up to four controllers simultaneously and assign a controller number to each for easier identification.

First Published: Aug 28 2024 | 1:21 PM IST





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X services restored after brief global outage; cause still unclear

X services restored after brief global outage; cause still unclear

by | Aug 28, 2024 | Technology



The outage, which lasted several minutes on Wednesday, resulted in pages failing to load. Many users encountered a “something went wrong, try reloading” message on their screens.

According to the outage tracking website Downdetector.com, 915 reports of outages were recorded in India at 9.15 am IST. In the United States, nearly 36,000 outages were reported at 11.15 pm ET (8:45 am IST). Downdetector also noted that over 70 per cent of users experienced issues with the mobile application, while some reported problems with the web version and server connectivity.

As of now, X has not issued an official statement regarding the outage, and the reason for the disruption remains unknown.

Second such instance in a month

This recent outage follows an interruption during a Spaces conversation between X owner Elon Musk and former US President Donald Trump earlier this month. Musk claimed that the disruption was caused by a “massive” cyberattack.

X has been prone to technical issues and glitches in the past. Elon Musk has previously criticised Twitter’s code, describing it as “brittle”.

Memes flood X following outage

In the wake of the brief outage, X users were quick to share memes mocking the incident. One user wrote, “People are checking Twitter to see whether Twitter is down.”



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Instagram unveils new features: Add text to photos, layer images, and more

Instagram unveils new features: Add text to photos, layer images, and more

by | Aug 28, 2024 | Technology


Instagram text on photos feature

2 min read Last Updated : Aug 28 2024 | 12:24 PM IST

Meta-owned social media platform Instagram has introduced a new feature that allows users to add text to their photos directly from the post editor, removing the need for a separate app to edit photos. Additionally, users can now layer one photo over another as a sticker within the post editor. By tapping the layered photo, users can change its shape to square, circle, star, or rectangle. To add images as stickers, users should tap the gallery button in the top-right corner.


“You can now add text – including our newest fonts – and layer images via stickers to your photos and carousels. This gives you the creative flexibility to make your content stand out and explore new, more entertaining storytelling with photos and carousels,” Instagram said in a blog post.


Instagram has also introduced new text fonts, effects, and animations for Reels and Stories. Upon opening the text tool and tapping the text button, users will see new fonts that can be animated or customised with desired effects.


In its ongoing effort to integrate new features inspired by other social media platforms, Instagram had earlier announced that carousel posts can now include up to 20 photos or videos. “Level up your photo dump game,” Instagram stated on its official channel. “Now you can add up to 20 pics or videos to a carousel,” the company added.


Recently, Instagram revealed a new feature that allows users to post music to their profile. Screenshots shared by Instagram show that the user’s profile bio section will now feature their chosen music. Users will have the option to change or remove the song as desired.

First Published: Aug 28 2024 | 12:24 PM IST



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