In our fast-paced lives, it’s hard to keep up with all the important news that happens throughout the week. But fear not, we have you covered with our weekly Tech Recap, where we look at the top events that made waves in the world of technology. In this week’s Tech Recap, Apple finally gave a glimpse of its iOS 18 AI features with a new developer beta, Google announced some new AI features for Chrome, Nothing launched the Phone 2a Plus in India, and more.
Top tech news of the week:
1) Apple introduces AI features with iOS 18.1 developer beta:
Apple rolled out its latest developer beta update earlier this week, bringing a host of new AI-powered features to iPhones, iPads, and Macs. Users running iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS 15.1 Developer Beta can now experience enhanced features like Siri contextual awareness, automatic movie creation in the Photos app, and advanced writing tools, while Safari has been updated with the AI-powered Summarize feature, which provides concise summaries of web pages and articles.
2) DMRC enables topping up a metro card via WhatsApp:
Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has upgraded its ticketing system on WhatsApp, allowing users to recharge their metro smartcard directly from the Meta app. Users can make the payment by choosing their preferred methods such as UPI, debit cards and credit cards.
The new service will be operated by PeLocal and will be available on all lines in the Delhi NCR region, including the Gurugram Rapid Metro.
3) Reddit CEO Steve Huffman Shuts Down Free Data Scraping, Demands Payment From Microsoft, Other Tech Giants
Reddit CEO Steve Huffman has announced that he is ending free data scraping on the platform, and is now demanding that Microsoft and other tech companies pay to access Reddit’s data.
According to The Verge, Huffman stressed the importance of these deals to maintain control over Reddit’s data and ensure its responsible use. Without such agreements, Reddit can’t control how its data is presented or used, which creates the risk of abuse.
“Without these agreements, we have no control or knowledge over how our data is displayed and what it’s used for, and so we’re now in a position where we’re blocking people who aren’t willing to agree to the way we want our data to be used or not used,” Huffman said in an interview with The Verge.
4) Nothing Phone 2a Plus launched in India:
London-based smartphone maker, Nothing, launched its mid-range smartphone, Nothing Phone 2a Plus in India this week. The smartphone is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7350 Pro 5G SoC, which features an octa-core 4nm chipset, paired with a Mali-G610 MC4 GPU. Users can choose between 8GB and 12GB of RAM configurations, with storage options limited to 256GB.
One of the standout features of this handset is its dual 50MP cameras on the back. The primary camera uses a Samsung GN9 sensor with optical and electronic image stabilization, which is capable of 10x digital zoom. The secondary camera, equipped with a Samsung JN1 sensor, offers a wide 114-degree field of view. Selfie lovers will appreciate the 50MP front-facing camera, a significant upgrade over the 32MP camera on the Nothing Phone (2a).
5) Google unveils new AI features for Chrome:
Google has unveiled three advanced AI features that will improve the Chrome browser. These features use the latest developments in Google AI and Gemini models.
First, Google Lens is now integrated into the Chrome desktop browser, giving users the ability to search for visual content directly from their screen with a simple drag-and-drop gesture. Chrome users can highlight any part of a web page, whether it’s text or images, to find visually similar results.
These searches can be refined based on color, brand, and several other specific attributes, with the option to ask follow-up questions for a more in-depth exploration of a topic. A new feature called Tab Compare allows users to view AI-generated summaries of products across multiple tabs in one consolidated view. This is particularly useful for comparing reviews, prices, and other product details when making purchasing decisions.
Additionally, Google is rolling out a natural language search feature for Chrome’s browsing history, the publication adds. The feature will allow users to find previously visited websites using conversational phrases like, “What was that ice cream shop I was looking at last week?” This optional feature, which can be toggled on or off in Chrome’s settings, will not include data from incognito mode.
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Published: Aug 4, 2024, 2:54 PM IST
