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Saturday, January 28, 2023

Reliance Jio, Airtel Mobile Users Tally Increased in November, While Vodafone Idea Faces Loss: TRAI

Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel cumulatively gained nearly 25 lakh mobile subscribers in November even as troubled Vodafone Idea lost nearly 18.3 lakh customers, according to data by sector regulator TRAI. India's largest telco Reliance Jio cemented its lead in the market adding 14.26 lakh net subscribers in November, whereas Airtel added 10.56 lakh users.

At the end of November 2022, Jio's mobile subscriber tally stood at 42.28 crore, the levels rising from 42.13 crore during the previous month.

Bharti Airtel's subscriber gains pushed up the mobile user count of the Sunil Mittal-led company to 36.60 crore in November.

In sharp contrast, cash-strapped Vodafone Idea lost 18.27 lakh subscribers during the month in reference, tempering its subscriber base to 24.37 crore in November.

As per TRAI data, the total broadband subscribers increased to 82.53 crore at the end of November 2022 with a monthly growth rate of 0.47 percent.

The top five service providers constituted over 98 percent market share at the end of November 2022.

The list included Reliance Jio (43 crore), Bharti Airtel (23 crore), Vodafone Idea (12.3 crore), and BSNL (2.6 crore), amongst others.

As on November 2022, the top five wired broadband service providers were Reliance Jio (73.8 lakh), Bharti Airtel (55.6 lakh), BSNL (40.2 lakh), Atria Convergence Technologies (21.4 lakh) and Hathway Cable & Datacom (11.3 lakh).

The top five wireless broadband service providers were Reliance Jio (42.28 crore), Bharti Airtel (22.5 crore), Vodafone Idea (12.34 crore), BSNL (2.18 crore), and Intech Online (2.3 lakh), according to TRAI's latest subscription data.

Total wireless subscribers decreased to 1,143.04 million at the end of November 2022, from 1,143.63 million at the end of October 2022, sliding 0.05 percent.

"Monthly growth rates of urban and rural wireless subscription were 0.24 percent and -0.39 per cent respectively," it said.

The Infinix Zero Ultra has a decent set of specifications on paper, but does the phone justify its high asking price? We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Oppo Reno 8T Price, Specifications Leaked via Retail Listing Ahead of February 8 Launch

Oppo Reno 8T has been a part of the rumour mill for quite a while now. The company has confirmed that this handset will launch in the Philippines on February 8. However, the remaining details are yet to be officially revealed. However, it appears that a retailer has revealed the pricing of the Oppo Reno 8T. An alleged listing for this upcoming smartphone has surfaced on Facebook that also mentions some of the key specifications of the Oppo Reno 8T. It also includes supposed live images of the handset and its box packaging.

Oppo Reno 8T price (expected)

According to a report by Revü, the Oppo Reno 8T might be priced at PHP 18,999 (roughly Rs. 28,500) for the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage variant. The lack of 5G branding on the leaked retail box image could mean that this is the 4G variant. Oppo is believed to be also working on the Oppo Reno 8T 5G.

Oppo recently posted a teaser video on Facebook confirming the launch of the Oppo Reno 8T in the Philippines. This upcoming smartphone is set to launch on February 8.

Oppo Reno 8T specifications (rumoured)

The leaked Oppo Reno 8T listing suggests that this smartphone might feature a 6.43-inch AMOLED display. Moreover, recent reports have hinted that the Oppo Reno 8T could be powered by a MediaTek Helio G99 SoC. It could pack 8GB of physical RAM with the option of extending it with up to 8GB of virtual memory. This smartphone is expected to run on Android 13-based ColorOS 13.

For optics, this Oppo smartphone may get a triple rear camera setup headlined by a 100-megapixel main camera. There could also be a 40x zoom 'Microlens' camera on the back as well. The alleged listing mentions that the Oppo Reno 8T might pack a 5,000mAh battery with support for 33W SuperVOOC fast charging.

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Friday, January 27, 2023

US Panel to Vote on TikTok Ban Over National Security Concerns in February

The House Foreign Affairs Committee plans to hold a vote next month on a bill aimed at blocking the use of China's popular social media app TikTok in the United States, the committee confirmed on Friday.

The measure, planned by the panel's chair Representative Michael McCaul, a Republican, would aim to give the White House the legal tools to ban TikTok over US national security concerns.

"The concern is that this app gives the Chinese government a back door into our phones," McCaul told Bloomberg News, which reported the vote timing earlier.

In 2020, then-President Donald Trump attempted to block new users from downloading TikTok and ban other transactions that would have effectively blocked the app's use in the United States, but lost a series of court battles over the measure.

The Biden administration in June 2021 formally abandoned that effort. Then in December, Republican Senator Marco Rubio unveiled bipartisan legislation to ban TikTok, which would also block all transactions from any social media company in or under the influence of China and Russia.

But a ban of the short video app, which is owned by ByteDance and is popular among teens, would face significant hurdles in Congress to pass, and would need 60 votes in the Senate.

For three years, TikTok - which has more than 100 million US users - has been seeking to assure Washington that the personal data of US citizens cannot be accessed and its content cannot be manipulated by China's Communist Party or anyone else under Beijing's influence.

TikTok said Friday "calls for total bans of TikTok take a piecemeal approach to national security and a piecemeal approach to broad industry issues like data security, privacy, and online harms."

The US government's Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), a powerful national security body, in 2020 ordered ByteDance to divest TikTok because of fears that US user data could be passed on to China's government.

CFIUS and TikTok have been in talks since 2021, aiming to reach a national security agreement to protect the data of US TikTok users.

TikTok said it had a "comprehensive package of measures with layers of government and independent oversight to ensure that there are no backdoors into TikTok that could be used to manipulate the platform" and invested roughly $1.5 billion (roughly Rs. 12,300 crore) to date on those efforts.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre declined to comment on the bill on Friday. "It's under review by (CFIUS) so I am just not going to get into details on that," Jean-Pierre said.

Last month, Biden signed legislation that included a ban on federal employees using or downloading TikTok on government-owned devices. More than 25 US states have also banned the use of TikTok on state-owned devices.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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Twitter to Let Users Appeal Account Suspension Starting February 1

Twitter users will be able to appeal account suspensions and be evaluated under the social media platform's new criteria for reinstatement, starting Feb. 1, the company said on Friday.

Under the new criteria, which follow billionaire Elon Musk's purchase of the company in October, Twitter accounts will only be suspended for severe or ongoing and repeat violations of the platform's policies.

Severe policy violations include engaging in illegal content or activity, inciting or threatening violence or harm, and engaging in targeted harassment of other users, among others.

Twitter said that going forward, it will take less severe action, in comparison to account suspension, such as limiting the reach of tweets that violate its policies or asking users to remove tweets before continuing to use the account.

In December, Musk came under fire for suspending accounts of several journalists over a controversy on publishing public data about the billionaire's plane. He later reinstated the accounts.

A few days back, Twitter owner Elon Musk also tweeted about a higher-priced subscription to the social media platform which will not carry any advertisements. Calling ads to be "too frequent on Twitter and too big," the billionaire assured that steps will be taken to address those issues in the coming weeks. It is important to note here that Twitter earns nearly 90 percent of its revenue from selling digital ads. Recently, Musk blamed rights organisations for the "massive drop in revenue" due to the pressure on brands to pause their Twitter ads.

In January, the microblogging site also announced the price for a Twitter Blue subscription for Android to be at $11 (roughly Rs. 900) per month, similar to the fee for iOS subscribers. However, the company offered a cheaper annual plan for web users when compared to monthly charges. The higher pricing for Android users is likely to offset fees charged by Android's Google Play Store, like Apple's App Store.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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Apple Led Smartphone Market in Holiday Quarter Amid Largest-Ever Decline in Smartphone Demand: IDC

Global smartphone shipments reportedly declined by 18.3 percent, year-over-year (YoY) in Q4 2022. Falling consumer demand, high inventory, and market uncertainties are said to be the main reasons for the drop in shipments, according to a survey conducted by International Data Corporation's (IDC) Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. While Apple topped the global smartphone shipments in Q4 with a 24.1 percent market share, Samsung and Xiaomi were in second and third spots with 19.4 percent and 11 percent of market share respectively.

According to a report published by IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker, global smartphone shipments have fallen by 18.3 percent YoY to 300.3 million units in the fourth quarter of 2022 (4Q22). The quarterly drop between October and December 2022 is said to be the largest-ever decline in a single quarter. It has also resulted in an overall decline of 11.3 percent for the year 2022. The research director at the firm has cited the fallen consumer demand and the high inventory as the two main reasons for this decline.

The report has also given details of the smartphone manufacturing ecosystem with Apple leading smartphone shipments with 24.1 percent of the market share. Samsung and Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi have 19.4 percent and 11 percent of the market share, as per the report. Oppo and Vivo is said to hold the fourth and fifth spots in terms of smartphone shipments.

The report further says that smartphone shipments for 2022 closed at 1.21 billion units, which is the lowest annual shipment total since 2013. It adds that these companies need to push for a 2.8 percent recovery this year, while cautioning about downward risks to the prediction. "However, on a positive note, consumers may find even more generous trade-in offers and promotions continuing well into 2023 as the market will think of new methods to drive upgrades and sell more devices, specifically high-end models," the report states.

Last month, a survey published) by market research firm Counterpoint Research stated that Made in India smartphone shipments have fallen by 8 percent year-on-year (YoY) between July and September 2022. According to the report, Oppo has the highest market share of 24 percent in Made in India smartphone shipments in Q3, followed by Samsung and Vivo.

The iQoo 11 is currently the most powerful Android phone you can buy in India. Should you buy it right away? We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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iPhone 15 Series Could Feature Wi-Fi 6E Like the Latest MacBook Pro, iPad Pro: Report

iPhone 15 series will reportedly offer Wi-Fi 6E wireless connectivity. The 2023 flagship smartphones from Apple are expected to include four models. There are believed to be the vanilla iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus models, along with the iPhone 15 Pro and the iPhone 15 Pro Max/ iPhone 15 Ultra. It is unclear whether Wi-Fi 6E will be available on all iPhone 15 models or limited only to the Pro models. Apple currently offers this connectivity feature on MacBook Pro and iPad Pro models.

According to a MacRumors report, Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Tom O'Malley suggest that the iPhone 15 series will finally come with Wi-Fi 6E technology. Apple has included Wi-Fi 6E support only to a select few of its devices, including MacBook Pro and iPad Pro models. Wi-Fi 6E utilises 6GHz bands, along with the 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands supported by Wi-Fi 6 technology. Its extended wireless band support enables it to deliver fast transfer speeds, low latency, and reduced signal interference.

There were reportedly rumours suggesting that the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 lineups might launch with Wi-Fi 6E connectivity. However, these rumours failed to materialise. As Apple has now started offering this technology on its other products, it is likely that we might see it in the iPhone 15 lineup.

The iPhone 15 series is expected to arrive later this year in September. A recent report suggests that the Pro models will have noticeably thinner bezels than previous models. In addition, the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max might sport curved edges. However, the report suggests that the curved edges will only be applied to the cover glass as the display itself will be flat.

It is also believed that the Pro models will sport solid-state volume buttons. There could also be additional Taptic Engines to simulate the feel of pressing physical buttons.

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Naughty Dog Has Moved on From Uncharted, Co-President Neil Druckmann Confirms

Developer Naughty Dog seems to be done with Uncharted. That's according to its co-President Neil Druckmann, who confirmed in a Buzzfeed interview, that having put their “final brushstroke” on the story with the insanely popular Uncharted 4, the team is ready to move on. That fate could also befall The Last of Us franchise if the company decides not to proceed with a third mainline entry. Druckmann praises his publisher Sony for not forcing them to churn out a sequel and is okay with finishing the story with the “very strong ending,” as seen in The Last of Us Part II.

“[Sony] have supported us every step of the way to follow our passions — meaning that just because something is successful, people think there's all this pressure and we have to make a sequel. That's not the case,” Druckmann explained in the interview. “For us, Uncharted was insanely successful — Uncharted 4 was one of our best-selling games — and we're able to put our final brushstroke on that story and say that we're done. We're moving on.” That said, he wasn't fully clear on whether he was referring to solely the series stalwart Nathan Drake's story, or the franchise as a whole. Naughty Dog last ported Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection to PC, which included the aforementioned mainline Uncharted 4 and the spin-off title focused on Chloe Frazer, Uncharted: The Lost Legacy. The former sold over 15 million copies on the PS4, making it the highest-selling Uncharted title in the franchise.

Druckmann also weighed in on a potential The Last of Us Part 3, claiming that for now, the studio is mainly focusing on their sights on the untitled The Last of Us standalone multiplayer experience, revealed at Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest, last year. “We've been pretty open that the next Last of Us game is going to be this multiplayer experience, where you'll be able to enter the world of The Last of Us with your friend and get to experience the tension and the brutality of that world — and a brand new story and cast of characters that live in another city that we haven't seen yet in the world of The Last of Us,” he said. The Last of Us Part 3, however, isn't on the priority list, and the studio has zero pressure on deciding what to do with the story.

Earlier this month, Druckmann claimed that he was intrigued by the minimalist storytelling in FromSoftware's award-winning magnum opus, Elden Ring. Going forward, he plans on experimenting with this style — a far cry from PlayStation's first-party entries, which mainly rely on cinematics for storytelling. “To me, right now, that's some of the best joy I get out of games that trust their audience to figure things out,” he told The Washington Post. “[Games] that don't hold your hand, that's the stuff I'm really intrigued by going forward.”

The Last of Us is currently in the spotlight, thanks to the successful launch of its live-action adaptation for HBO, starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in the lead roles. Even Uncharted received a Tom Holland-led live-action film earlier this year, which despite failing on a critical level, managed a good box office collection. The film grossed a worldwide total of $401.7 million (about Rs. 3,277 crore).

From Elden Ring to BGMI's ban, 2022 gave us a lot in the gaming space. We discuss it all on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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