Last month, a class-action suit was filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California against Apple and Samsung owing to their smartphones emitting harmful radiations. The suit claimed that "the RF (Radio Frequency) radiation emitted from smartphone devices designed and manufactured by Apple and Samsung exceed legal limits set forth by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)".
However, now, countering that claim, a study published in the New Zealand Medical Journal notes that any potentially harmful biological effects are more commonly seen in low-quality scientific studies, CNet reports.
The researchers argue that many of the studies indicating the effect of radiofrequency (RF) radiation going beyond heating of human tissue are of low quality but get published because they are interesting.
Representational image.
They further argue that these studies lack the consistency in terms of their result and anti-5G sentiment without scientific evidence would do more harm than good.
Earlier this week, Chicago Tribune did a study and found that iPhone 7, iPhone 8, iPhone X, and Samsung's Galaxy S8, Galaxy S9, and Galaxy J3 emit radiation that exceeded the set limits mentioned by FCC.
Talking about the harmful effects of these radiations, the lawsuit claimed that it can cause increased cancer risk, cellular stress, increase in harmful Free Radicals, genetic damages, structural and functional changes of the reproductive system, learning and memory deficits, neurological disorders, and negative impacts on general well-being in humans.
As Apple and Samsung had said in response, the new study by researchers in New Zealand Journal also suggests inaccuracy in testing.
With inputs from ANI.
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Chandrayaan 2, India's second moon mission, is expected to complete its final orbit-lowering manoeuvre around the moon this evening. The lunar-bound manoeuvre is planned for 6-7 pm on 1 September by firing the spacecraft's onboard propulsion system. This fourth and final manoeuvre will move Chandrayaan 2 from its current 126 x 168 km (nearest x farthest distance) elliptical orbit to an almost-circular orbit of 114 x 128 km.
Chandrayaan 2 composite orbiting the moon before the lander's separation. Image: ISRO
The 100 x 100 km circular orbit will be close enough for the Vikram lander, currently bound to the orbiter in a 'composite', to separate. The separation and landing sequences are planned for 2 September and 7 September at 1.40 am, respectively. Between these two key milestones, the first maps of the landing site will be created (planned for 3 and 4 September) by the Vikram lander to ensure the landing site is safe, as previously thought, to make a soft-landing.
This is a crucial step in the mission since ISRO's mission engineers won't be operating the spacecraft remotely from the control centre. The orbiter will also be surveilling its year-long home for the first time, ensuring that no damage was caused to its instruments on the journey so far and conducting a thorough examination of the Vikram lander's landing site at the moon's South Polar region.
In compliance with the advisory issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), national carrier Air India on Saturday requested passengers not to carry "15-inch Apple Mac Book Pro (purchased between September 2015 - February 2017) as checked-in or hand baggage."
Issuing a public note on Twitter, Air India said, "In view of the advisory by DGCA regarding the transportation of affected lithium batteries by Air, we request our Passengers not to carry 15-inch Apple Mac Book Pro (purchased between September 2015 - February 2017) as checked-in or hand baggage."
#FlyAI : In view of the advisory by DGCA regarding transportation of affected lithium batteries by Air, we request our Passengers not to carry 15-inch Apple Mac Book Pro (purchased between Sep 2015 – Feb 2017) as checked-in or hand baggage. pic.twitter.com/K0hCxlR43h
"Consequent upon the recall of a limited number of older generation 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops by Apple Inc. (sold primarily between September 2015 and February 2017) due to fears that their batteries may overheat and pose a safety risk," the advisory stated.
Earlier on 20 June, Apple had announced a voluntary recall of the older generation 15-inch MacBook Pro units which contained a battery that may overheat and pose a fire safety risk.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) which has the power to regulate all civil aviation matters in the United States of America had banned all passengers from carrying the model on flights.
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There have been leaks flying about the OnePlus 7T and 7T Pro smartphones and rumour has it that the devices are going to be unveiled in India before the global markets. The most recent leaks are about the OnePlus 7T Pro and what the device is expected to come with.
OnePlus 7 Pro.
Reputed tipster Ishan Agarwal, who has earlier been right about OnePlus leaks, has said that the 7T Pro will look exactly like the 7 Pro in terms of design and screen. However, the device will be packing in a Snapdragon 855 Plus chipset instead of the Snapdragon 855. The device is also said to come with Android 10 out-of-the-box.
The phone is also said to come with the Warp Charge 30T which could charge the device from 0-50 percent in about 20 minutes while a full charge from zero percent will take 65 minutes. Apart from that, the 7T Pro is said to have the same camera layout as the OnePlus 7 Pro however the device is going to come with Macro Mode, HEVC, and Hybrid Image Stabilisation.
Ishan Agarwal has previously tweeted out that OnePlus 7T (not the 7T Pro, mind you) will be coming with a 90 Hz refresh rate display with QHD+ resolution. We'll have to see how the leaks pan out when the devices are launched which is rumoured to be on 26 September.
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US Citizenship and Immigration Services officers can now create fictitious social media accounts to monitor social media information on foreigners seeking visas, green cards and citizenship.
A Facebook panel is seen during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, in Cannes, France. Reuters
An updated Homeland Security Department review of potential privacy issues dated July 2019 that was posted online on Friday essentially reversed a prior ban on officers creating fake profiles.
A USCIS statement explaining the change says fake accounts and identities will make it easier for investigators to search for potential evidence of fraud or security concerns as they decide whether to allow someone entry into the US.
The change in policy was preceded by other steps taken by the State Department, which began requiring applicants for US visas to submit their social media usernames this past June, a vast expansion of the Trump administration's enhanced screening of potential immigrants and visitors.
It's unclear exactly how the creation of fake social media accounts would work given policies of platforms like Facebook and Twitter, which both specifically state that impersonation — pretending to be someone other than yourself — violates their terms of use.
Twitter and Facebook recently shut down numerous accounts believed to be operated by the Chinese government using their platforms under false identities for information operations.
"It is against our policies to use fake personae and to use Twitter data for persistent surveillance of individuals. We look forward to understanding USCIS's proposed practices to determine whether they are consistent with our terms of service," according to a Twitter statement. Facebook did not immediately provide comment.
Such a review of social media would be conducted by officers in the agency's Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate on cases flagged as requiring more investigation. The privacy assessment notes that officers can only review publicly available social media available to all users on the platform — they cannot "friend" or "follow" an individual — and must undergo annual training.
The officers are also not allowed to interact with users on the social media sites and can only passively review information, according to the DHS document.
While lots of social media activity can be viewed without an account, many platforms limit access without one.
Dave Maass, senior investigative researcher for the civil liberties advocacy group Electronic Frontier Foundation, said such use of fake accounts "undermines our trust in social media companies and our ability to communicate and organize and stay in touch with people."
He added: "It can't be this double standard where police can do it, but members of the general public can't."
Mike German, a retired FBI agent and a fellow in the Brennan Center for Justice's Liberty and National Security program said it's important for strong guidelines to be in place and for lawmakers to ask lots of questions to ensure there are no abuses.
"It's easy to conjure up a use where the use is appropriate and entirely necessary, but also where it could be abused," German said. "It should only be used in cases where absolutely necessary."
In January 2017, former Homeland Security Department Secretary Jeh Johnson issued a privacy impact update giving authority to USCIS to "conduct law enforcement activities including but not limited to accessing internet and publicly available social media content using a fictitious account or identity."
But a privacy impact assessment was required to be completed first.
Reached by phone on Friday, Johnson declined to comment.
Bipartisan support for additional background checks involving social media was initially spurred by the fallout of the 2015 San Bernardino attack, which resulted in 14 people's deaths.
In that case, the shooter Syed Rizwan Farook's wife Tashfeen Malik gained entry to the US on a fiancée visa — a process that did not involve a social media check.
The day after the attack, Facebook found a post on a page maintained by Malik pledging her and Farook's allegiance to the leader of the Islamic State group. The page was under an alias. Authorities have said Malik and Farook exchanged messages about jihad and martyrdom online before they were married and while she was living in Pakistan.
The two ultimately died in a gun battle with police.
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Apple has announced an extended replacement program for Apple Watch Series 2 and Series 3 models with an aluminium casing.
According to Apple's support page on the issue, "in very rare instances", aluminium models of the above Watches can develop cracks around on the curved edges of the glass, which can extend to all around the screen.
The program extends to three years from date of purchase or one year from the start of the program.
Affected devices can be brought into an Apple Store, to a certified professional, or you can contact Apple Support online.
If the device is eligible, Apple will replace the screen or Watch for free as needed.
The program is valid for three years since the date of first retail purchase or one year from the start of the replacement program, whichever is longer.
Apple has also provided guidelines on how to prepare the Watch before sending it in for repair or replacement.
This is not an extension of the warranty and only covers the screen if damaged in the manner described by Apple.
Cracks can apparently form on the curved edges of some Apple Watch Series 3 models.
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Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey is a prolific tweeter, but just an hour ago, his account was seeing a lot of activity. Most of the tweets were single line tweets with some of the tweets having blatantly racist language. It seemed far from drunk tweeting.
Yes, Twitter CEO's Twitter account was hacked for a while. Dorsey has around 4.2 million followers.
A group going by the name Chuckle Squad was tweeting anti-Semitic and racist tweets, retweeting accounts and even asking for some handles to be unsuspended. The tweets were live for a good 20 mins (even more) before the Twitter security team got into action.
The tweetstorm from the hacker began with a tweet which had a link to a Discord chat group. According to Buzzfeed, Discord took down the server which was hosting these chats.
The Tweets are coming from a source called Cloudhopper. Cloudhopper was the name of the company Twitter acquired a long time ago to help bolster their SMS service.
According to The Verge, the attackers seem to be the same group that recently attacked many YouTubers and influencers on Twitter. Some influencers who were attacked, claimed that their accounts were breached after a SIM swap that was done by AT&T.
Twitter keeps talking about the measures it is taking to contain abuse and hate on the platform. But it was rather ironic to see the platform's CEO's handle itself tweeting racist and anti-Semitic tweets. While things are under control now, it is certainly a huge embarrassment for Twitter. I mean, if the Twitter CEO himself can be hacked, that puts a big question mark on the company's security practices. The matter is still under investigation, and Twitter should put out an official statement of what exactly went down, as tomorrow it could be anyone's account.
Update 1: As expected, it appears that Dorsey was a victim of SIM swap fraud. Twitter has confirmed that a phone number associated with the account was compromised "due to a security oversight by a mobile provider." Twitter itself wasn't hacked and no data was stolen. The hacker sent tweets via SMS.
The phone number associated with the account was compromised due to a security oversight by the mobile provider. This allowed an unauthorized person to compose and send tweets via text message from the phone number. That issue is now resolved.
Two asteroids are expected to approach and zip past Earth without raining doom on humanity this Friday, 30 August, according to the US space agency NASA. The pair of space rocks belong to the larger Apollo family of asteroids whose orbit intersects with that of Earth's.
The first of the two asteroids, 2019 QR3, is currently moving at a speed of 41,100 kilometres per hour, according to NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies (CNEOS). 2019 QR3 is roughly 75 feet wide, as wide as two telephone poles stacked end-to-end. CNEOS predicted that the asteroid will enter Earth’s neighbourhood on 30 August at 1.47 pm IST (3.47 am EDT), remaining roughly 2.09 million kilometres away from the Earth's centre.
2019 QR3 was first observed on 27 August and isn't expected to return to Earth’s vicinity till 14 January 2060, according to CNEOS, when the asteroid is expected to zip past Earth from 60 million kilometres away.
The second asteroid in the pair, called 2019 QU4, is also an Apollo asteroid. Currently flying at speeds of 30,200 kilometres per hour, the asteroid is 210 feet wide, which is thrice the length of a cricket pitch. 2019 QU4 is on its way towards Earth and due to make its close encounter on Saturday, 31 August at 4.17 am (Friday, 30 August at 6.47 pm EDT).
Unlike 2019 QR3, 2019 QU4 will be twice as close, just 1.7 million kilometres away from Earth's centre at its closest. First observed on 28 August, the next near-Earth approach it is expected to make will be more than a decade from now, on 28 July 2031.
Much like other Apollo asteroids, 2019 QR3 and 2019 QU4, too, have very wide orbits around the Sun and Earth. Their paths intersect with Earth's own orbit around the Sun from time-to-time, leading to these close encounters.
Apple's traditional bright and white colour scheme will be updated in iOS 13 and iPadOS to support Dark Mode. A darker – but hopefully not angsty – colour palette that introduces a "dramatic new look" to iOS, while also ensuring that the UI is easy on the eyes.
Apple has spoken extensively about Dark Mode in the past, notably at its WWDC (Worldwide Developer Conference) earlier this year. Making a Dark Mode for an app or UI isn't just a matter of darkening bright elements, UI design also involves depth (shadows) and gradients. A properly designed UI requires some serious thought and effort.
Dark Mode is coming to iOS 13 and iPadOS. The release is slated for September. Image: Apple
When Dark Mode support is added, apps will automatically switch between normal and Dark modes when a user switches the same in the UI.
Dark Mode introduces a dramatic new look for iPhone and iPad that is seamlessly integrated throughout the system and simple to turn on from Control Center or Siri. With a dark appearance for all user interface elements, your app’s content becomes the focus.
When a user has Dark Mode turned on, all apps built with the iOS 13 SDK will run in Dark Mode. Learn how to optimize for Dark Mode, then test your apps on a device running the latest beta version of iOS 13 or iPadOS. If you need more time to make your apps look fantastic in Dark Mode, or if Dark Mode is not suited for your app, you can learn how to opt out.
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In a chance spotting, researchers came across a rare, endangered bright blue spider in Tamil Nadu.
This spider resides in the Eastern Ghats, in the deciduous forests near Nandyal in Andhra Pradesh. It is from the genus Poecilotheria and is commonly known as the Peacock Parachute spider or Gooty Tarantula.
The spider was spotted by a team of researchers from the Indigenous Biodiversity Foundation (IBF) in the Pakkamalai Reserve Forests. They were conducting fieldwork in the forests and spotted this spider in a cave. They later identified the type of spider by looking at photographs from the Zoo Outreach Organizations and Wildlife Information Liaison Development Society.
The blue peacock spider. image credit: IUCN
The spider has an intricate fractal pattern on its underbelly.
The spider has been declared as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). That is because they are only found in a small, 100-sq kmregion, an extremely specific area, in a reserve forest. However, due to deforestation and logging, their habitat is threatened. S. Vimalraj, a wildlife researcher, said that this spider has not been spotted in another part of India expect in its known habitat in Andhra Pradesh.
The female spiders usually live up to 12 years of age and sometimes even till 15 years. Males, however, live only for three to four years. In captivity, these spiders can live up to 10 years.
In an interview with The Hindu, Zeeshan A. Mirza, Researcher at National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), Bengaluru said, “This is an interesting find as this area has never been surveyed before. Species of this genus can be identified based on the banding patterns on the underside of the legs. Tarantulas are biological pest controllers and there is a huge demand for them by collectors in the pet trade. There is an urgent need to protect them.”
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Realme is all set to launch its Q series in the next few days in China. It was expected that the Realme Q series is the same as the Realme 5, and the latest leaks appear to confirm that.
As per a post shared by Realme on Weibo, the Realme Q will have a quad-camera setup at the back with a 48 MP camera as the primary sensor. The image teased also confirms that the smartphone will be powered by Snapdragon 712 processor. This image also hints that the smartphone might have a three-digit price tag.
Realme Q will also feature a quad-camera setup at the back, the same as Realme 5 Pro. Image: Tech2.
In an attempt to be the first smartphone company to introduce a 64 MP quad-camera phone, @realmemobiles unveiled the #RealmeXT today. We do not know the launch date or the price yet, but we did get a chance to explore the phone's 64 MP quad-camera setup. Cheggit! @sneha_s96pic.twitter.com/KSuQfqNno4
Several leaked hands-on images have also come up on Weibo and they confirm that Realme Q is the same phone as Realme 5 Pro. The images leaked show the same waterdrop notch display, quad-camera setup and a fingerprint sensor at the back.
Realme Q will be unveiled on 5 September in China. Image: Weibo
Leaked hands-on images of Realme Q hint that the smartphone will come with a quad rear camera setup at the back. Image: Weibo
The camera setup at the back is expected to come with a 48 MP primary sensor. Image: Weibo.
Realme Q is expected to come with a waterdrop notch. Image: Weibo
Realme 5 Pro specs
The Realme 5 Pro has a quad-camera setup which is a first for its price segment. The phone's primary lens is a 48 MP Sony IMX586 sensor with f/1.8 aperture and a 1.25-micron pixel size. The wide-angle lens in the quad-camera setup has a 119-degree field of view and an 8 MP resolution. Apart from a regular and wide-angle lens, the other two lenses are super macro and portrait sensors both of which have 2 MP resolutions.
The device does not have an AMOLED display but instead settles for a 6.3-inch IPS LCD display with FHD+ resolution. Powering the Realme 5 Pro is a Snapdragon 712 chipset and the phone has a maximum RAM of 8 GB paired with up to 128 GB of internal storage which can be expanded to 256 GB using a microSD card.
In addition to that, the phone runs on Android 9 Pie with Oppo's proprietary ColorOS 6.0 and comes with a 4,035 mAh battery which supports VOOC 3.0 fast charging.
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In India’s IT capital Bengaluru, sprinkled within its concrete jungle, are shady peepal trees adorned with serpent stones, bells and sacred threads, standing majestically atop gated raised platforms.
Often a pit-stop for tired travellers or an informal gathering place, these culturally-important open-air tree shrines or ‘kattes’ and temples, with their assemblage of native tree species, offer immense scope to enhance the green infrastructure within rapidly growing megacities, suggests a study.
Offering a glimpse into the city’s native trees, the study documents 121 such species thriving in 69 sacred sites in Bengaluru, spreading across 36 temples and 33 kattes, a sizeable amount for small green spaces that are no strangers to the march of urbanisation.
The study covered that covered 69 sacred sites in Bengaluru, spreading across 36 temples and 33 kattes, suggests that such spaces could enhance the green infrastructure in megacities. Image credit; Steevez Rodriguez/PEP Collective.
Overall, 69 percent of the species documented are native, indicating how cultural traditions have helped communities cling on to these heritage trees and plants.
Among the 121 species, the peepal (Ficus religiosa) and neem (Azadirachta indica) trees occurred frequently in the sacred sites followed by doob grass (Cynodon dactylon).
Native species dominate
“The prevalence of native species at our study sites can be explained by their cultural significance as sacred species,” said study author Divya Gopal of the Department of Ecology, Technische Universitat Berlin, Germany. For example, neem and peepal have deep socio-cultural connections and are entrenched in local folklore.
As recorded in the study, culturally significant species such as those with religious associations, medicinal uses and ornamental value (often with overlaps), collectively account for 89 percent of all species documented in the sacred sites.
121 species of plants were documented from 69 sacred sites including temples and kattes, contributing to the city’s biodiversity. Image credit: Steevez Rodriguez/PEP Collective.
The dominance of species with religious, medicinal and ornamental values in these unconventional green spaces is linked to the cultural ecosystem services provided by these sites. Associated spiritual and religious values could prompt community support and the willingness to participate as seen in non-urban sacred sites, researchers said.
Urban ecologist Harini Nagendra, who was not associated with the study, stressed how critical it is to protect these green patches.
“In Indian cities, trees are fast disappearing from public spaces. Sacred sites and the keystone Ficus trees they contain are very important in providing shelter and breeding and feeding habitat for a variety of urban wildlife, and in providing stepping stones that help connect the few remaining large urban green spaces, so that species can move between them,” Nagendra said.
69 percent of these species observed at the sacred sites were native. Peepal (Ficus religiosa) and neem (Azadirachta indica) trees occurred frequently in the sacred sites followed by doob grass (Cynodon dactylon). Image credit: Steevez Rodriguez/PEP Collective.
Nagendra said they are also sites of long-lived species and maintain continuity over time because of sacred practices of conservation – when one tree falls, it is replaced by planting of the same species. This makes them especially critical in Indian cities where trees are often felled and “compensatory” planting takes place in distant locations, leaving the wildlife that depended on these trees in specific locations especially vulnerable.
The green mix in kattes, temples and parks
Trees dominate the species mix in these often over-looked sacred sites, making up about 38 percent of all species, followed by shrubs (28 percent), perennial herbs, (22 percent), annual herbs (nine percent) and perennial graminoids (two percent).
When compared to parks, sacred sites had a higher tree density and tree species richness that could be due to design and cultural preferences.
“Parks are designed to include both wooded areas as well as lawns. While lawns are often not a part of the landscape element of sacred sites. This could be one of the reasons for the higher tree density. Also, there is a general preference to grow certain sacred trees (such as neem, peepal, banyan, paarijata, tamarind, coconut) within sacred sites,” explained Gopal.
And most of these species are native to the Indian sub-continent, she added. While in parks, the focus is on ornamental species and shade-giving species. Most ornamental species are non-natives originating from Africa and South America, pointed out Gopal.
Though the plant biodiversity at sacred sites have been safeguarded by cultural practices, they and increasingly vulnerable to infrastructure projects in the megacity. Image credit: Steevez Rodriguez/PEP Collective.
Further, temple spaces harbour a greater diversity of non-native species than kattes. “This is because temples are more intensely managed than kattes. Temples are more formal establishments often with a gardener or a caretaker. Kattes are informal. Gardening practices such as growing ornamental plants were noticed in temples as opposed to kattes,” explained Gopal.
Spontaneous and cultivated species had a nearly equal presence in sacred sites. Underscoring the potential of urban sacred sites for spontaneous regeneration of plant species, Gopal said, the process is important for ecological restoration and recovery of urban ecosystems that go through a lot of stress from urbanisation and development. It helps in developing the natural vegetation and biodiversity of the region.
Despite the constant transformation of green spaces such as parks, open areas, avenue trees and lakes into different landforms in Bengaluru there is a core element of continuity in sacred sites in terms of their appearance and usage.
This structural constancy across the city (either as temples or as kattes), along with the cultural and religious significance of these sites, could explain the lack of influence of housing density and age of urban development on the diversity of trees in urban sacred sites.
121 species of plants were documented from 69 sacred sites including temples and kattes, contributing to the city’s biodiversity. Image credit: Steevez Rodriguez/PEP Collective.
As many as 23 sacred sites are located in old neighbourhoods, 24 in intermediate and 22 in new ones, the study reports.
“There is an assortment of species in sites in the new areas of Bengaluru compared to other parts of the city. Sacred sites located within low-density housing areas had more individuals (higher abundance) of cultivated species than sites embedded in more dense quarters of the city,” said Gopal.
Nagendra batted for heritage mapping of the sacred spaces in the city, followed by according them specific protected status as heritage trees.
In the absence of mapping, Nagendra said, they may slip through the cracks. They are “especially vulnerable” to city developmental activities, such as road widening, construction of transformers among others.
“I have seen a number of these trees disappear – not because residents cut them down (they protect them) but because civic authorities do. They need to be mapped and protected by the city as part of its cultural and biodiversity heritage,” Nagendra said.
Conservationists advocate heritage mapping of the sacred spaces in the city in order to protect the urban biodiversity. Image credit: Steevez Rodriguez/PEP Collective.
In one such effort-a collective endeavour of about 50 students, volunteers and research associates- 80 ashwath (peepal) kattes have been documented by the Everyday City Lab, a Bengaluru-based urban design and research collaborative.
“Our long-term objective is to explore how this understanding could influence public policy and if we could alter the thinking about how our cities might be planned, not so much as a geometric exercise anymore but more through a people-centric approach,” Kiran Keswani, architect and urban designer and co-founder of the lab, told Mongabay-India.
This mapping activity is an offshoot of a detailed study where Keswani and colleagues would like to show that the history of interactions between people who come to the katte helps them strengthen their social capital over time and that collective memory arises out of social capital accruing over generations.
“Therefore, the more the collective memory a katte holds, the more difficult it is for the government to deterritorialise it or even for a private developer to dislodge the tree-based community space from the urban fabric,” added Keswani.
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The inaugural flight of India's Gaganyaan mission is unlikely to have any woman astronaut because ISRO is looking at test pilots from the armed forces and none of them have any women in that post, a senior official from the space agency said on Wednesday. Though women appear to be ruled out for the moment, civilians, including women, will be part of future manned missions, the official added.
The Indian Space Research Organisation has begun the process of short-listing probable candidates for its first manned mission and it should be completed by next month, he said.
Short-listed candidates will be sent to Russia for training after November. The first Gaganyaan flight scheduled for 2022 will carry three astronauts, who will be picked from among the test pilots in the armed forces.
"Most maiden missions undertaken by different countries in the past had test pilots. So we are sticking to that for our maiden mission. We are also looking at test pilots from the armed forces which don''t have woman as test pilots," the official said. "The civilians will be part of the project in future missions," he added.
Kailasavadivoo Sivan, Chairperson of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), arrives to attend a news conference at its headquarters in Bengaluru, India. Image: Reuters.
India has signed agreements with Russia and France for cooperation on the Gaganyaan mission. Last month, the Cabinet approved setting up a ISRO Technical Liaison Unit in Moscow for smoother cooperation, mainly for the Gaganyaan project. India's first man in space Rakesh Sharma, who flew aboard the Soyuz T-11, launched on 2 April 1984, was an Indian Air Force pilot. The ambitious Gaganyaan mission was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech in 2018.
"We have resolved that by 2022, when India celebrates 75 years of Independence or maybe even before that, certainly some of our young boys and girls will unfurl the tricolour in space. I feel proud to announce that very soon as part of our 'Manned Space' mission, we shall be sending an Indian into space. This will be done through the pursuit of our scientists, and we will proudly find ourselves as the fourth such nation to have launched a successful Manned Space Mission," PM Modi had said from the Red Fort.
The total fund requirement for the Gaganyaan Programme is nearly Rs. 10,000 crore and includes cost of technology development, flight hardware realisation and essential infrastructure elements.
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At least 17 children developed so-called “werewolf syndrome” after a major medicine mix-up, Spain’s health ministry has said.
The children – some of them babies – began growing hair all over their body after being given what was thought to be omeprazole, a drug that helps with gastric reflux.
After investigating, authorities discovered the treatment actually contained minoxidil, a medication used for the treatment of hair loss.
The health minister, Maria Luisa Carcedo, said on Wednesday they found that the bad batches came from a laboratory that had “put this medication (minoxidil) in a container that was marked omeprazole” and distributed it to pharmacies as such.
Spanish children develop werewolf syndrome and start growing hair all over their bodies due to a mix-up in medicines,
The children are now suffering from the rare condition known as hypertrichosis, which causes abnormal hair growth.
It is unclear how the laboratory FarmaQuimica Sur, a supplier of active ingredients and pharmaceuticals based in the southern city of Malaga, made the mistake, which emerged in June.
A health ministry spokesman said the 17 children affected so far were in the northern region of Cantabria, Andalusia in the south and Valencia in the east.
In a statement, the ministry said the condition was expected to reverse after the children stopped taking the drug, which has been withdrawn from the market.
Carcedo said the laboratory had been closed as a precaution.
A spokeswoman for Andalusia’s health department said the four affected children in the southern region – three babies and a seven-year-old – were doing well.
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Vivo Z1 Pro (Review) was the first smartphone of the Z series that the company launched in India. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer has now announced that the next smartphone of the lineup Vivo Z1X is set to be unveiled on 6 September.
As per the company website, Vivo Z1X will be making its debut in India on 6 September at 12.00 pm. The smartphone is also expected to sell exclusively on Flipkart. The company also stated that the "Z1X is designed for consumers that are performance-oriented and love playing heavy density games on their handset."
According to a tweet by the company, the Vivo Z1X will come with an in-display fingerprint sensor and a triple rear camera setup at the back.
The successor of Vivo Z1 Pro, Vivo Z1X is expected to come with a triple rear camera setup. Representational image: Tech2.
In terms of colour, the image teased on the company website shows off two variants that have a purple and blue colour.
.@Vivo_India is planning to launch another smartphone in its new Z-series — the #VivoZ1X. We are yet to know the price and availability of the smartphone, but we briefly tested out its camera and here are some of the image samples: pic.twitter.com/ZbgppME5RL
As always, several leaks have already popped up on the internet and we have some hints about the specs of the smartphone.
As per a report by GSMArena, Vivo Z1X will feature a 6.38 inch AMOLED display that might have a Full HD+ resolution. As for the processor, it is likely to be powered by the Snapdragon 712 SoC. It is expected to come in two storage variants — 64 GB and 128 GB and up to 6 GB of RAM. The smartphone might run on Android Pie.
On the camera front, the report reveals that the smartphone will sport a front camera of 32 MP and on the back, it might feature a 48 MP primary sensor based on the Sony IMX582. The other two sensors at the back are expected to be ultra-wide and depth sensors. Vivo Z1X is expected to house a 4,500 mAh battery that supports 22.5 W FlashCharge.
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Google had initially launched the Google Play Security Rewards Program (GPSRP) as a way for hackers and security researchers to report vulnerabilities in eight top apps on the Play Store. The expanded scope now makes the program more useful for hunting out security vulnerabilities in apps.
As per the rules, researchers must first disclose the vulnerabilities to the app developer. They can then report it to Google, which will then evaluate and offer the additional bounty as it sees fit.
The program will provide security researchers with an incentive (worth up to $50,000) for hunting down “data abuse issues” in Android apps, Chrome extensions, etc.
Google will pay researchers up to $20,000 for finding bugs in the top Play Store apps.
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Scientists reported Thursday they had picked up human-like electrical activity in lab-grown brains for the first time, paving the way to model neurological conditions and answer fundamental questions on how our gray matter develops.
It's not clear whether the pea-sized brains are conscious: the team behind the breakthrough suspect they're not because the activity resembles that of preterm babies, but they cannot say for certain, opening up a new ethical dimension to this area of research.
So-called "cerebral organoids" derived from adult stem cells have been around for a decade or so but have never previously developed functional neural networks.
"If you had asked me five years ago 'Would you think that a brain organoid would ever have a sophisticated network able to generate a brain oscillation?' I would say no," Alysson Muotri, a biologist at the University of California San Diego, told AFP.
A paper published by Muotri and his colleagues in the journal Cell Press said that two factors were responsible for the breakthrough. The first was a better procedure to grow stem cells, including optimizing the culture medium formula.
The second was initially surprising, but also intuitive when the researchers thought about it: simply allowing the neurons adequate time to develop, just as babies' brains develop in the womb.
Many processes in the human brain remain a mystery to neuroscientists.
"The very early stages of human neurodevelopment are encoded in our genome," explained Muotri.
The team began to detect bursts of brain waves from organoids from about two months.
The signals were sparse at first and all at the same frequency, a pattern seen in very immature human brains. But as they grew, they produced waves at different frequencies, and the signals appeared more regularly, suggesting further development of their neural networks.
Researchers then compared the brain wave patterns with those of human brains in early development, by training a machine learning algorithm with the activity recorded from 39 prematurely born babies.
The program was successful in predicting how many weeks the organoids had been developing in their dishes, suggesting they shared a similar growth trajectory to brains in their natural setting.
The point at which newborn babies attain consciousness, and the definition of consciousness itself, are both contested among scientists.
A French study in 2013 that looked at the brain activity of babies found they began to think about images of faces they were shown from the age of five months, appearing to store the visuals in their temporary "working memory" — a faculty they linked to perceptual consciousness.
Representational image. Image courtesy: NCL UK
Applications and ethics
Earlier, less sophisticated organoids were used to model what happens when the brain is exposed to diseases like the Zika virus which causes physical malformations.
But there are also a host of neurological conditions such as autism, epilepsy, and even psychiatric conditions where problems arise from how the brain network is wired, not from malformations.
By creating brain organoids from the stem cells of individuals with these conditions, scientists could better model them and perhaps one day find cures.
They also hope to answer more fundamental questions. Muotri said the organoids development plateaued around nine to 10 months, for reasons that aren't yet clear.
"I'm curious about that. I wonder if it's because we don't have a vascularization system to allow the nutrients to get inside, or it could be that we are just lacking stimulation" in the form of sensory input.
He hopes to test both hypotheses.
About whether the brain organoids are conscious, Muotri said he suspects not because of its early stage of development.
"But if you ask me, 'How do you know?' I would say I have no evidence either way, because we don't even know how to detect consciousness in other systems," he said.
"As we get closer to the human brain, all of these ethical questions will appear," he admitted, proposing that the field be subject to agreed-upon limits and regulation.
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Expected to come with 5G connectivity, Vivo Nex 3 is reported to be launched sometime in September. The company has confirmed that the smartphone will have a Waterfall display and also a 3.5 mm headphone jack. We should know more about the device soon.
A promo video of Vivo Nex 3 was also shared online a few days back.
Confirming a few key specs of the smartphone, a new unboxing video has popped online. As per this video, Nex 3 will come with a waterfall display with really thin bezels.
Vivo Nex 3 is expected to come with 5G connectivity and 64 MP camera. Image: Weibo
The video shows off a phone with a heavily curved display (at the edges), and buttonless design. A headphone jack is at the top. Since there was no notch on the front, it was being speculated that it might come with a pop-up selfie camera or an under-display camera, now that companies like Oppo are working on such tech. The video confirms that the phone comes with a pop-up selfie camera.
Instead of buttons, the sides feature a ribbed surface that gives haptic feedback when pressure is applied. Apparently, the feedback is so good it feels like a real button.
Looking at the back of the device, Nex 3 will feature a glass back with a circular camera module. As per previous leaks, the smartphone might come with a 64 MP camera at the back.
Vivo has also launched a 4,000 mAh battery that supports 120 W charging (Yes, as much as a laptop) and charges in barely 13 minutes. It is being speculated that Nex 3 might house this battery.
Such rapid charging must have a detrimental effect on battery life and it remains to be seen how Vivo has implemented the tech in the Nex 3.
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India's second moon mission Chandrayaan 2 is expected to carry out its final orbit-lowering manoeuvre around the moon this evening. The lunar-bound manoeuvre is planned between 6-7 am on 30 August using the spacecraft's onboard propulsion system. This fourth and final manoeuvre will move Chandrayaan 2 from its current 179 x 1411 km (nearest x farthest distance) elliptical orbit to a near-circular orbit of 126 x 168 km.
Chandrayaan 2 composite orbiting the moon before the lander's separation. Image: ISRO
The approximately 100 x 100 km circular orbit is close enough for the Vikram lander, which is currently bound to the orbiter in a 'composite', to separate. The separation and landing sequences are planned for 2 September and 7 September at 1.40 am, respectively. Between these two important days, the first maps of the landing site will be created (planned for 3 and 4 September) to ensure the landing site is as safe as previously thought to make a soft-landing. This is a crucial step in the mission since ISRO's mission engineers won't be operating the spacecraft remotely. The orbiter will also be surveilling its year-long home for the first time, ensuring that no damage was caused to its instruments on the journey thus far, and conducting a thorough examination of the Vikram lander's landing site at the moon's South Polar region.
A rare genetic mutation that causes a form of muscular dystrophy affecting the limbs also protects against HIV infection, Spanish scientists reported Thursday.
The breakthrough comes a decade after American Timothy Brown, known as the "Berlin Patient," became the first person cured of HIV after a bone marrow transplant from a donor with a mutation of the CCR5 gene.
The newly-discovered mutation concerns the Transportin 3 gene (TNPO3) and is far more rare. It was identified several years ago among members of a family in Spain who were suffering from type 1F limb-girdle muscular dystrophy.
Doctors studying the family learned that HIV researchers were interested in the same gene because it plays a role in transporting the virus inside cells.
Representational image
They then got in touch with geneticists in Madrid, who took blood samples from those family members and infected the blood with HIV — revealing a welcome surprise.
The lymphocytes — white blood cells that are an important part of the immune system — of people with the rare muscular illness were naturally resistant to HIV, it emerged.
"This helps us to understand much better the transport of the virus in the cell," Jose Alcami, a virologist at the Carlos III Health Institute and co-author of a paper published in US journal PLOS Pathogens on the subject, told AFP.
HIV is among the most studied viruses, he said, adding however that much remained to be learned, such as why five percent of patients who are infected do not develop AIDS. "There are mechanisms of resistance to infection that are very poorly understood," he said.
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The WHO announced Thursday it will create a global registry to track research into human genetic manipulation, after a call to halt all work on germline genome editing — used in China last year to genetically modify twin baby girls.
"New genome editing technologies hold great promise and hope for those who suffer from diseases we once thought untreatable," the World Health Organization's Director-General for told the body's genome editing oversight committee meeting in Geneva. "But some uses of these technologies also pose unique and unprecedented challenges — ethical, social, regulatory and technical,” he added.
Chinese scientist He Jiankui's announcement last November that he had altered the DNA of twins girls in southern China by using molecular scissors -- ostensibly to prevent them from contracting HIV.
Representational image.
He was then fired from his university, put under police investigation and ordered to halt his work.
But his announcement provoked a global backlash from scientists saying the untested procedure was unethical and potentially dangerous and in December the WHO set up an expert committee to look into the matter.
About 30 nations currently have legislation directly or indirectly barring all clinical use of germline editing.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus emphasised that countries should not allow any further work on human germline genome editing "until the technical and ethical implications have been properly considered", the WHO said in a statement.
Accepting the recommendation of its 18-member expert committee, WHO announced plans for an initial phase of the registry to include both germline and somatic clinical trials
Somatic mutations occur in a single body cell and cannot be inherited while germline mutations can be passed onto offspring.
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The largest study of its kind found new evidence that genes contribute to same-sex sexual behavior, but it echoes research that says there are no specific genes that make people gay.
The genome-wide research on DNA from nearly half a million US and UK adults identified five genetic variants not previously linked with gay or lesbian sexuality. The variants were more common in people who reported ever having had a same-sex sexual partner. That includes people whose partners were exclusively of the same sex and those who mostly reported heterosexual behavior.
The researchers said thousands more genetic variants likely are involved and interact with factors that aren’t inherited, but that none of them cause the behavior nor can predict whether someone will be gay.
The research “provides the clearest glimpse yet into the genetic underpinnings of same-sex sexual behavior,” said co-author Benjamin Neale, a psychiatric geneticist at the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
There could be not a single factor, multiple genes linked to same-sex sexuality, suggests genetics.
“We also found that it’s effectively impossible to predict an individual’s sexual behavior from their genome. Genetics is less than half of this story for sexual behavior but it’s still a very important contributing factor,” Neale said.
The study was released Thursday by the journal Science. Results are based on genetic testing and survey responses.
Some of the genetic variants found were present in both men and women. Two in men were located near genes involved in male-pattern baldness and sense of smell, raising intriguing questions about how regulation of sex hormones and smell may influence same-sex behavior.
Importantly, most participants were asked about the frequency of same-sex sexual behavior but not if they self-identified as gay or lesbian. Fewer than 5 percent of UK participants and about 19 percent of US participants reported ever having a same-sex sexual experience.
The researchers acknowledged that limitation and emphasized that the study’s focus was on behavior, not sexual identity or orientation. They also note that the study only involved people of European ancestry and can’t answer whether similar results would be found in other groups.
Origins of same-sex behavior are uncertain. Some of the strongest evidence of a genetic link comes from studies in identical twins. Many scientists believe that social, cultural, family and other biological factors are also involved, while some religious groups and skeptics consider it a choice or behavior that can be changed.
A Science commentary notes that the five identified variants had such a weak effect on behavior that using the results “for prediction, intervention or a supposed ‘cure’ is wholly and unreservedly impossible.”
“Future work should investigate how genetic predispositions are altered by environmental factors,” University of Oxford sociologist Melinda Mills said in the commentary.
Other experts not involved in the study had varied reactions.
Dr Kenneth Kendler a specialist in psychiatric genetics at Virginia Commonwealth University, called it “a very important paper that advances the study of the genetics of human sexual preference substantially. The results are broadly consistent with those obtained from the earlier technologies of twin and family studies suggesting that sexual orientation runs in families and is moderately heritable.”
Former National Institutes of Health geneticist Dean Hamer said the study confirms “that sexuality is complex and there are a lot of genes involved,” but it isn’t really about gay people. “Having just a single same-sex experience is completely different than actually being gay or lesbian,” Hamer said. His research in the 1990s linked a marker on the X chromosome with male homosexuality. Some subsequent studies had similar results but the new one found no such link.
Doug Vanderlaan, a University of Toronto psychologist who studies sexual orientation, said the absence of information on sexual orientation is a drawback and makes it unclear what the identified genetic links might signify. They “might be links to other traits, like openness to experience,” Vanderlaan said.
The study was a collaboration among scientists including psychologists, sociologists and statisticians from the United States, United Kingdom, Europe and Australia. They did entire human genome scanning, using blood samples from the UK Biobank and saliva samples from customers of the US-based ancestry and biotech company 23andMe who had agreed to participate in research.
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The Motorola One Action, which had been announced in India on 24 August, will be going on its first sale today. The smartphone has been launched for a price of Rs 13,999 for the single 4 GB RAM + 128 GB storage variant. The smartphone will be available for purchase in the country through Flipkart starting from 12.00 pm onwards.
Moto One Action.
Moto One Action Specs
The device has a 6.3-inch full-HD+ screen with a 21:9 aspect ratio as seen on the Moto One Vision smartphone. There is also a punch-hole cutout in the display for the camera. The phone is powered by an Exynos 9609 SoC along with 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage. The Moto One Action is an Android One smartphone and runs on Android 9.0 Pie.
As far as optics go, the Moto One Action has a triple rear camera setup with a 16 MP action sensor which uses pixel binning to produce 4-in-1 4 MP shots. It is supported by a 12 MP primary sensor and a 5 MP depth sensor. On the front, the device has a 12 MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture.
Connectivity options for the device include dual-SIM 4G VoLTE support, Wi-Fi 802.11, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS, NFC, USB Type-C, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The entire setup is powered by a 3,500 mAh battery which has 10 W charging. The phone measures1 60.1x71.2x9.15 mm and weighs 160 grams.
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OnePlus has already made an announcement regarding its upcoming OnePlus TV and stated that the device will be first launched in India in the month of September. There were rumours circulating that this new TV will be using Google's Android TV platform and now those rumours have been confirmed by OnePlus CEO Pete Lau.
OnePlus revealed the official logo of its smart TV. Image: OnePlus.
In an interview withIndia Today, OnePlus stated that while OnePlus TV will run on the Android TV platform, there will be some differences to the overall UI. He says that OnePlus will look to make the experience 'fast and smooth' and will add additional features to the TV.
"We have been able to work with Google on Android TV OS for the OnePlus TV, and we have made improvements and optimizations that we believe are going to be part of the core of the software", said Lau in the interview.
OnePlus has been steadily revealing the features and specifications of the upcoming OnePlus TV. While the company revealed the official name of the TV and details about the display, a few more specs have reportedly leaked out.
As reported by Gizmochina, a Twitter user by the name @androidtv_rumour posted a spec sheet list of the OnePlus TV.
Based on the leaked list, the OnePlus TV is powered by a MediaTek MT5670 chipset that packs a Mali G51 GPU. There’s 3 GB of RAM and it will be running on Android TV 9. It also mentions a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. However, the tweet clarified that Android TV allows 1080p for the TV menu and the OnePlus TV will have a 4K resolution display, as officially revealed by the company.
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Earlier this month, Samsung launched its Note lineup of smartphones in India and other international markets. Now as per the new leaks, the South Korean tech company will be launching a new smartphone lineup, the Samsung Galaxy S11 series, in the first quarter of 2020. This lineup is reportedly going to include at least three smartphones with 5G connectivity.
As per MySmartPrice, the three smartphones of Samsung Galaxy S11 series with model number SM-G981, SM-G986, and SM-G988 will come with 5G connectivity. A smartphone of this series is codenamed as "Picasso".
Samsung might also launch a foldable smartphone in its upcoming Galaxy S series upgrade. Representational image of Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus. Image: Tech2/ Omkar Patne
Another major leak that MySmartPrice reveals that even though the Galaxy Fold is not available in markets, the company is already working on another foldable smartphone. As per the report, a smartphone with model number SM-F700F will be Samsung's other foldable. This smartphone might be a toned-down version of Galaxy Fold.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold is likely to land in markets next month.
Since Oppo is working on under-display camera technology, it is being speculated that Samsung might also bring this technology to its smartphones soon but we're not sure if this series will get it or not. It is also expected that Samsung's new series might come with newer Exynos and Snapdragon processors and bigger batteries.
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The Kodak 43FHDXPRO smart TV made all the right noises to grab my attention.
It boasted of a 43-inch full HD IPS panel, Android 7.1 platform, good connectivity options, compatibility with all major streaming platforms like Netflix, Prime Video, Hotstar and more for a price as low as 20K. So I thought of taking it for a spin. Let’s see how it performed.
Kodak 43FHDXPRO
Kodak 43FHDXPRO Smart TV — Build and Design: 7/10
The Kodak TV sports a sleek design with fairly narrow bezels along the edges of the screen. The material is glossy plastic but doesn’t look bad. As is the case with most TVs, it can be wall-mounted or placed on a desk using the bundled stands. A pair of plastic stands with rubber feet do a good job of holding the TV in place.
Two USB ports and coaxial AV inputs can be found on the side of the TV, while HDMI ports and other input-output ports are located along its lower edge. The ports aren’t hard to reach but I would have preferred to see the HDMI ports on the side panel. That way they would have been a lot more accessible if one chose to wall-mount the TV.
Kodak 43FHDXPRO Smart TV — Features and specifications: 7/10
The Kodak 43FHDXPRO has a 43-inch screen with a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and direct LED backlighting. The company claims to have used an IPS panel here with 500 nits brightness and 60 Hz refresh rate. A pair of bottom-firing stereo speakers rated at 20 Watts RMS take care of the audio output. This isn’t a certified Android TV but its UI is built on top of Android 7.1. Conclusive information about the processing hardware wasn’t available but it does have 1 GB RAM and 8 GB of internal storage which is pretty standard for budget TVs.
Kodak 43FHDXPRO Remote.
There was no noticeable lag in navigation during my testing. The UI is fairly easy to use and is exactly the same as found on Thomson B9 Pro (Review) models. No surprises there give that SPPL manufactures both, Kodak and Thomson TVs in India. Since this isn’t a certified Android TV, you miss out on certain perks like stock UI and built-in Chromecast.
On the bright side, you get apps for even Amazon Prime Video and Netflix for this TV among others. More on that later. The bundled IR remote is fairly basic and has the necessary keys but is nowhere near as fluid as the Bluetooth remotes you get these days. There are no motion sensors or voice inputs here either.
Kodak 43FHDXPRO Smart TV — Connectivity options: 8.5/10
You get a good spread of connectivity options here with most of the key bases covered. You get 3x HDMI ports, 2x USB ports, one RJ45 LAN port, 2x A/V inputs, one coaxial audio out, optical out and a headphone out. One of the HDMI ports supports ARC. Like all smart TVs, the 43FHDXPRO has built-in Wi-Fi b/g/n and connects at 2.4 GHz. Setting up and connecting to a Wi-Fi network was a simple and straightforward process.
Kodak 43FHDXPRO Side Ports.
Kodak 43FHDXPRO Smart TV — Picture quality: 6/10
The picture quality on the Kodak 43FHDXPRO is average at best. I expected better given that this TV has an IPS panel. The panel is bright and viewing angles are very good but colour reproduction isn't accurate, and colours feel slightly blown out at times. The contrast, though not great, is acceptable for TVs in this budget. More than the overall colour reproduction, it’s the skin tones that bothered me more. They look flat on this screen even when viewing full HD content.
Kodak 43FHDXPRO Bottom Ports.
To compound the problem, this TV lets you adjust the picture settings only in HDMI mode and not when streaming videos through apps. You get options to tweak brightness, contrast, colour, sharpness and backlight among other things in addition to picture presets. That does help when watching TV through your set-top box plugged into the HDMI port, but you only get picture presets when you watch something through apps like Netflix, YouTube or Hotstar. If you have the patience, you can switch to HDMI mode, tweak the User preset and switch back to the streaming service and use that picture preset.
Full HD and 4K videos (scaled to 1080p) look good on this screen. 720p content is just about acceptable, but anything lower looks heavily pixelated. HD channels on DTH look fine on this TV if you can look past the flat skin tones. But non-HD channels look too washed out unless you choose to sit at least 12 feet away from this screen. The optimal viewing distance for a 43-inch TV is about 9 to 10 feet.
Kodak 43FHDXPRO Smart TV — Audio Quality: 5.5/10
The TV has a pair of stereo speakers that claim to deliver a total output of 20 Watts RMS. The audio quality and loudness aren’t uniform across inputs. It is fairly loud and clear at 50 percent volume level when watching stuff on YouTube and other streaming services, and there is just a hint of bass. But when watching TV (even HD channels), the sound feels flat and completely lacks bass. You also need to drive the volume upward of 75 percent for dialogues to be clearly heard.
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to plug in a soundbar or some other external speaker system if you prefer good quality sound. Can’t expect that from the built-in speakers here. Given the presence of several audio-out ports on this TV, that won’t be a tough ask.
The TV takes about 35 seconds to boot up which is standard for smart TVs these days. Unfortunately, it doesn’t have the quick resume from standby feature found on several Thomson models, wherein the TV starts in under 5 seconds from standby mode. As I had mentioned earlier, the UI is fairly clean and easy to use. One can get used to it within minutes
Video file format support through USB is excellent. It played every file with various popular codecs I threw at it smoothly through its default player, including 4K videos. However, the picture looked pixelated for anything with less than 1080p resolution. You can control the playback using the bundled remote.
Kodak 43FHDXPRO Controls.
This Kodak TV comes with Google Play store as well as a third-party app store that provide you with a wide variety of apps, including those for all major streaming services like Netflix, Hotstar, Amazon Prime Videos, Sony LIV, Voot etc. YouTube app was preinstalled on the TV along with Netflix. While most services worked fine here, the video quality wasn’t great. The resolution seemed to be capped at 480p at best. Most of the apps were mobile versions after all and weren’t perfectly adapted for TV. The YouTube app, however, had no such issues and could even play 4K videos smoothly. In order to watch other streaming content in full HD, you will need to invest in an Amazon Fire TV Stick. I tried playing content from the Fire TV Stick and needless to say, there was a world of difference in the quality that also did better justice to this 1080p screen.
Kodak 43FHDXPRO Smart TV — Price and verdict
The Kodak 43FHDXPRO can be purchased for Rs 19,999 on Flipkart with a one year warranty. The pricing is competitive for a 43-inch screen and the variety of connectivity options that it offers, making it a decent buy on a tight budget. But the competition is too close for comfort.
For just a couple of thousand Rupees extra, you can get Xiaomi’s similar-sized Mi TV 4A Pro, which is a certified Android TV that comes packed with all the perks like clean UI, voice commands, more recent version of Android and Chromecast built-in. Not just that, the picture quality is significantly better and audio output is a lot clearer too. Only things you will miss there are Netflix compatibility and believe it or not, a mute button.
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These Under Armour shoes pair with an app on your smartphone and log running data without having to wear another wearable, for instance.
If you are on a tight budget, then these are the best smartphones to invest under a price range of Rs 10,000.
WhatsApp plans to bring a host of new features in order to stay relevant and popular as competition is heating up.
What you get for your money is a massive display, great design, loads of power under the hood and the robust S-pen stylus functionality.
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Flipkart claims that as of August 1, 2019, it had reduced its use of single-use plastic by up to 25 percent.
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Results from its India website included sleeping pills, pesticides and a book entitled 'How To Commit Suicide.'
The next iPhones, new software across all product line-ups as well as the Apple TV service are expected.
