BSNL is asking its users to change the default passwords on their company-supplied routers, which were attacked by a new malware outbreak earlier this week. Default passwords are easy to guess and are often used to compromise the security of remote networks. Users who buy routers or have routers installed by service providers are rarely aware that they can be accessed and configured, let alone secured. In this case, the default password is “admin”.
Nearly 2,000 subscribers are said to have been affected and changed their passwords remotely. BSNL now uses its call centers to reach the affected customers, although it will be challenging to guide them through resetting and reconfiguring a router over the phone. BSNL chairman Anupam Shrivastava said only customer equipment is at risk, B SNL’sNL’s core infrastructure.
WhatsApp Beta for Android Gets Home Screen Shortcuts A new feature discovered in a beta version of WhatsApp for Android allows users to jump to different parts of the app directly from their home screen. Shortcuts in the beta enable users to jump into WhatsApp’s camera, view their starred conversations, and start a new blank conversation. The app shortcuts appear when you long-press the WhatsApp icon, but users can create special icons that perform the same actions.
Users can’t pin specific conversations to their home screens, which seems a more useful feature, although this capability already exists in the form of home screen widgets. To see this feature, users must be signed up to the WhatsApp beta program through Google Play or manually sideload the APK.
Lenovo K8 Note teased to launch in India Lenovo will unveil a new model in its K series on August 9. A teaser on social media outlets seems to indicate that the device will be called K8 Note, not K7 Note, which would be the expected next issue in the series. It also seems likely that this model will have dual cameras on the back to better compete with other phones in the price segment in India. According to alleged benchmark records in an online database, the Lenovo K8 Note could also have a MediaTek Helio X20 SoC with 4 GB of RAM.
Demand for the 128GB OnePlus 5 in India exceeds expectations OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei said he was surprised by the strong demand for the 128GB version of the OnePlus 5 in India. In an interview with Gadgets 360, Pei confirmed that the OnePlus 5 64GB model is more popular here, but not by as big a margin as he expected. He says he underestimated demand for the more expensive 128GB version based on the company’s history of targeting lower price points and generally low sales volumes from other manufacturers at the Rs. 38,000 price level.
Nokia smartphones may include Lumia Camera UI in the future HMD Global has acquired 500 additional Nokia design patents from Microsoft, including rights to the much-loved Lumia Camera UI. This will allow HMD Global to introduce classic Nokia touches to the phones it sells under the Nokia brand. Microsoft still owns a significant portion of Nokia’s intellectual property, including the PureView, PureMotion, and ClearBlack features used to promote Nokia phones while the company was under Microsoft’s control. HMD has also recently partnered with Zeiss, who has supplied optics for the cameras in several iconic Nokia models.
Apple discontinues legacy iPods and may launch AR headsets soon. After years of neglect, Apple has finished the iPod nano and iPod shuffle, leaving the iPod touch as the last member of its iconic product family. The two products hadn’t been updated for several years and can’t work with Apple Music, the music subscription service the company is now focusing on. To simplify its product lineup, Apple also announced that the iPod touch will now only be available in 32GB and 128GB capacities, at the same prices as the discontinued 16GB and 64GB models.
On the other hand, it seems increasingly likely that the company will launch an AR headset or smart glasses. AR was a big part of the iOS 11 announcement, and Apple is invested in this space. Patents filed by AR software developer Metaio, recently acquired by Apple, describe a system for displaying points of interest on a screen and performing actions based on user input.
Xiaomi Takes $1 Billion Loan As It Looks Towards Global Expansion Xiaomi has taken out a $1 billion loan (approximately Rs. 6,418 crore) to fund its global expansion plans and boost its offline retail space. The money has been raised by 18 banks in Europe, the Middle East, India, China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan and is coordinated by Deutsche Bank and Morgan Stanley. Xiaomi recently announced that it shipped a record 23.16 million smartphones in the second quarter of 2017, up 70 percent from the previous quarter.
Huawei is positioning its Mate 10 against the iPhone 8. Huawei’s Mate 10 flagship will have a borderless display when it launches next year, according to company CEO Richard Yu. The move will help Huawei compete with the upcoming iPhone 8, which is expected to have an all-glass front. Other rivals, Samsung, LG, and Xiaomi, have also launched models with extremely thin or no bezels in the recent past. The Mate 10 will be unveiled around the time of the iPhone 8 launch, which will be holding it around mid-September. You also teased great battery life, fast charging, improved cameras, and many other features. Rumors suggest it could also have AI, AR, facial recognition, and 3D detection capabilities.
Google has been rolling out improvements to Photos every so often, most recently suggesting sharing and sharing libraries. Google now allows more than 2,000 photos per album. Google has lifted the limit of 2,000 images per album in Google Photos, making the service truly unlimited. The change was discovered by users and has not been officially announced. Some users have reported adding up to 3,300 photos to an album, and it’s unknown if there’s a new, higher ceiling. Users get 15GB of storage for their full-resolution files (as well as Gmail and Google Drive content), but there’s no limit if you save only optimized “high-quality” versions of your files.
Sony PlayStation Plus subscription prices are rising. The cost of Sony’s PlayStation Plus subscription service is going up from August 31, possibly because it falls under the umbrella of GST. PlayStation Plus allows online multiplayer, cloud storage, and access to select games every month. Annual membership now costs, RsFour thousand four hundred thirty-nine39 instead of Rs. 3,999, while the three-month option has risen from Rs. 1,599 to Rs. 1,869 and the one-month plan has gone from Rs. 576 to Rs. 5.99. This is the first price hike since a global walk was announced two years ago.
