TECH NEWS : REDMI NOTE 5, NOKIA SECURITY UPDATE,WINDOWS 10's (build 17903)

TECH NEWS

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 launching on February 14

A few days back, Xiaomi sent out media invites and put up a teaser for an event to be hosted on February 14 in India. Initially, it was believed that the Redmi 5 will be launched in the country but there came a huge surprise later. The code of the event page on Mi.com revealed that the company might unveil the Redmi Note 5 at the event next week.

While there is not much clarity on the exact device that will be launched by Xiaomi in India on February 14, it looks like the device will be exclusive to the online retailer Flipkart. Today, Flipkart has confirmed that the upcoming Xiaomi device will be exclusive to it via a teaser page on the website.

Given that the Redmi Note 4 of last year is exclusive to Flipkart, there is an increased possibility for its successor to also be exclusive to the portal.

In addition to the teaser page, Flipkart has posted a tweet tagging Gaurav Kapur. In the tweet, it states, 'Looks like everyone is excited about @XiaomiIndia's all-rounder that's a 5/5'. If you don't remember, a similar all-rounder tag was used to tease the Redmi Note 4's. These clues make us believe that it could be the Redmi Note 5 that might be launched in India in the next week.

Even Xiaomi is teasing the launch of its upcoming smartphone with short videos almost everyday. Though there is no clue on which device we can expect, it adds sense to the previous speculation that the Redmi 5 Plus might be launched as the Redmi Note 5 in the global markets.

To refresh on its specs, the Redmi 5 Plus arrives with a 5.99-inch FHD display with an aspect ratio of 18:9. The device features a Snapdragon 625 SoC teamed up with 4000mAh battery and runs Android 7.1.2 Nougat topped with MIUI 9 out of the box. The imaging aspects of the Xiaomi device include a 12MP rear camera, and a 5MP selfie camera with flash. As there is a full-screen design, the device is said to feature a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor.

Nokia 8 and Nokia 3 new security updates released

HMD Global has now started rolling out the monthly software update for two of its smartphones. As such Nokia 3 and Nokia 8 are receiving the February 2018 security update reportedly brings a fix for a critical security vulnerability in Media framework that could allow attackers using a specially crafted file to execute arbitrary code within the context of a privileged process.

While the update is said to offer an improved level of security, along with the latest security patch, the update also brings improved system stability along with a few enhancements. The OTA update for Nokia 3 is about 79.3MB while the Nokia 8 update is about 86.9MB in size.

The Nokia 8 update is currently rolling out to units running Android 8.0 Oreo stable in India and Jordan whereas the Nokia 3 update is only hitting units in India at the moment.

So users should keep a close eye on their notification panel. They should get a notification for the update. However, they can also check for the update manually by going to the settings and checking for updates.

Before installing the software always remember to check the battery level in the smartphones. The device should have at least 50 percent battery. Users should download the update over Wii-Fi as downloading the update via cellular network may result in additional charges including roaming if users are in that environment.

It is worth mentioning that HMD has been doing a good job as it has not only been consistent but quick to release monthly security updates and OS updates for Nokia smartphones available in the market. Besides, HMD has also earlier announced that all Nokia Android Phones will receive minimum two years of OS update support.

Google is combining with the Nest's hardware team

Google acquired Nest back in January 2014 for $3.2 billion and till now Nest was running independently. Now as per some reports from Beebom it is being reported that Nest's hardware team is being combined with Google. The report of the integration of both the company's was announced on a blog post on the company's website.

The further reports suggest that Google wrote in a blog post that' the goal is to supercharge Nest's mission: to create a more thoughtful home one that takes care of the people inside it and the world around it.'

It is clear that Google wants to take advantage of Nest's hardware eco system and combine it with the software process including the Assistant and artificial intelligence to provide consumers with some good overall smart home solutions.

Recently Google had also started rolling out new update for the Pixel 2 devices in India.

The new update which started rolling out from the beginning of February allows a user to toggle the camera shutter sound from the camera app's setting menu. This new update for the stock camera is much appreciated by the users.

Google had also rolled out new features for YouTube Go, the company has also made slight changes in the Google Now Launcher. As per the reports from Android Police, a new Google Feed button has been added to the search bar on the home screen.

By tapping on the new Google Feed button a user can directly move to their Google Feed without swapping left to right on the homepage. Even as Google favors Pixel's launcher it doesn't want its older launcher to be left behind, hence the new Google Feed button is being added the Google now launcher.

New Windows 10 Insider Preview

It seems like every other company nowadays have started rolling out updates for their devices on a regular basis. Microsoft recently joined the same bandwagon of rolling out updates for its devices. Recently Microsoft has started rolling out Windows 10 insider preview (build 17903).

The latest Microsoft Windows 10 insider features bug fixes and also brings some improvements to the windows However the insider preview (build 17903) is limited to the users enrolled in the Windows Insider program. The stable release is expected to come out by the end of this year and Windows users will be able to enjoy the same benefits as the users of the Insider view program.

Following are some of the major highlights which are included in the latest Windows Insider preview

1. Diagnostic data improvement.

2. Graphics improvement along with HDR video support for more devices.

3. Gaming bar improvement

4. Improvements in the eye control

5. Improvements in Windows security

6. Some changes in the Microsoft Edge browser

7. Password- less access on windows 10 S devices

8. Connectivity and Bluetooth improvements

Recently Microsoft was extensively working on the Intel chip flaw and had been rolling updates for Windows OS users. With the recent security flaws like the Meltdown and Spectre Microsoft had been more focus on making the user experience more subtle on its platform and the services it provides.

In the recent events Microsoft had also stated that it will block and no longer allow misleading applications like system optimization tools, malware cleaners, or registry cleaners to device users. It was also reported that the application reportedly asked the users to pay for a license to complete the cleaning process.

Microsoft had also recently laid out guidelines for the developers so that they can refer to it in the Windows Defender Security Intelligence portal. The new protection further was automatically upgradable in Windows 10 with updates for Windows Defender and Other security products.