Category: Electronics

A botched software update from cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike Holdings Inc. crashed countless Microsoft Windows computer systems around the world on Friday.

Microsoft Corp. and CrowdStrike have rolled out fixes, and systems are gradually being restored. But for several hours, bankers in Hong Kong, doctors in the UK and emergency responders in New Hampshire found themselves locked out of programs critical to keeping their operations afloat. Some businesses are facing the prospect of continued disruptions as the restoration process is, in some cases, requiring tech workers to manually reboot systems and remove faulty files.

“This is unprecedented,” said Alan Woodward, professor of cybersecurity at Surrey University. “The economic impact is going to be huge.”

Airtel has introduced new data booster packs in India. These packs will allow unlimited 5G access to users. They will allow users without existing 5G plans to access unlimited 5G connectivity. These data packs will also allow users access to additional 4G data over and above the unlimited 5G data provided by the carrier. Airtel, like rival network providers in the country, recently increased prices for postpaid and prepaid recharge plans. With these hikes, unlimited 5G access was limited to only plans with a minimum of 2GB of daily data.

Airtel confirmed in a press note that users on plans with 1GB or 1.5GB daily data allowance, who do not have access to 5G connectivity, will now be able to access the same with the help of the new unlimited 5G booster packs. with prices starting at Rs. 51.

According to Airtel, customers who are on plans that do not support unlimited 5G connectivity will be able to access 5G services with these booster packs. They are available in the country at prices of Rs. 51, Rs. 101 and Rs. 151.

Poco C61 Airtel Exclusive Edition was launched in India on Monday. With this launch, Poco has partnered with Indian telecom operator Airtel to bundle a prepaid subscription and special offers with the smartphone. Consequently, buyers will be able to take advantage of free data and additional discounts on the handset. Notably, Poco C61 made its debut in India on March 26 and this recent addition is a new variant added to the lineup, without any noticeable change to its specifications.

Poco C61 is priced in India at Rs. 8,999. However, buyers can avail of a Rs. 3,000 discount and buy the smartphone for Rs. 5,999. The regular Poco C61 variant retails for Rs. 6,499. The smartphone has been launched in three colorways: Diamond Dust Black, Ethereal Blue, and Mystical Green. It is available in a single 4GB + 64GB configuration and can be purchased on Flipkart starting July 17 at 12pm IST.

Bitcoin saw a strong recovery on Monday, after the currency hit a slump in market momentum last week owing to macro-economic conditions that imposed selling pressure on investors. At present, Bitcoin is trading at $62,796 (roughly Rs. 52.4 lakh) after seeing a price rise of 4.82 percent over the last 24 hours. The asset is trading at $66,037 (roughly Rs. 55 lakh) on national exchanges like WazirX, with an increase of four percent since Sunday. Ether joined BTC on the route to recovery. Ether, at the time of writing, is trading at $3,331 (roughly Rs. 2.78 lakh) on international exchanges after seeing a gain of 4.11 percent in the last 24 hours.

Bengaluru-based startup Indkal Technologies announced on Thursday that it has signed a licensing agreement to launch Acer-branded smartphones in India. The Taiwanese consumer electronics company is said to be entering the Indian smartphone market again, years after its smartphone business shut shop. This development comes after Indkal raised $36 million (roughly Rs. 300 crore) in a Series A funding round last month, led by Mauritius-based Aries Opportunities Fund.

Indkal will design, manufacture and distribute Acer-branded smartphones across the country. As per the companies, they will launch “a wide range of smartphones” between Rs. 15,000-Rs. 50,000. However, it will not take on the players in the budget smartphone market, instead choosing to introduce options in the mid-range segment which is already flooded with options by various Indian and international manufacturers.

Honor Magic Vs 3 was unveiled in China on Friday as the latest book-style foldable smartphone from Honor. It is equipped with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC and is offered in three colour options. The Honor Magic Vs 3 comes with a slim profile; depending on the colour variant, the phone measures 9.7mm in thickness when folded and up to 4.65mm when opened. The Honor Magic Vs 3 has triple rear cameras, including a periscope sensor, and is backed by a 5,000mAh battery with support for 66W charging and 50W wireless charging.

Honor Magic Vs 3 price starts at CNY 6,999 (roughly Rs. 80,000) for the 12GB + 256GB variant. The 12GB + 512GB and 16GB + 1TB configurations are priced at CNY 7,699 (roughly Rs. 88,000) and CNY 8,699 (roughly Rs. 1,00,000) respectively. It is currently up for purchase in China in Qilian Snow, Tundra Green and Velvet Black (translated from Chinese).

Samsung Galaxy Ring finally went official at the company’s second Galaxy Unpacked of the year held in Paris. The ring was announced alongside the latest Galaxy Z foldable smartphones. The South Korean brand’s first-ever smart ring comes loaded with various health tracking and sleep monitoring features and is available in three finishes with sizes up to 13. The Galaxy Ring has a lightweight design weighing from 2.3 grams to 3.0 grams with a water-resistant build. It is touted to deliver up to seven days of battery life on a single charge. It runs on the Samsung Health platform.

Samsung Galaxy Ring is priced at $399 (roughly Rs. 34,000) and will be available for pre-order in select markets starting July 10 with general availability starting July 24. It is offered in Titanium Black, Titanium Silver, and Titanium Gold colors.