Truecaller Integrates Google Duo, Rolls Out New SMS and Flash Messaging Services to Users

Google Duo integration into Truecaller set to bring all-in-one communications app to millions, as Truecaller app adds new messaging and SMS blocking features.

Truecaller announced a strategic agreement to integrate  Google Duo, a high quality video calling service, within the Truecaller app. This will add a crucial communications layer that strengthens the value of Truecaller’s wildly popular dialer, caller ID, and spam blocking app already used by more than 250 million users globally.

Along with news of this integration, Truecaller announced a completely new redesign of the Android app, and now with a broader array of useful features including:

• SMS: Instantly see who’s SMS’ing you and filter out all spam messages. Spam SMS account for 15% of all SMS messages sent globally, and represents 1.2 trillion spam messages each year.
• Flash Messaging: which allows you to send quick pre-defined messages to any Truecaller user to let them know if you’re in distress, you’re on your way, your location, or that you’ve reached home.

“From the very beginning we have worked relentlessly to build a product that helps simplify communications for consumers across the globe, and help them address important needs such knowing the identity of those calling, and blocking unwanted numbers. With valuable partners like Google, we are excited to take the next step in our journey, bringing all your mobile communications under one roof and giving you the safest, most efficient, and most convenient experience possible without having to switch back and forth” said Nami Zarringhalam, Co-founder and CSO of Truecaller.

“Video calling should work for everybody, regardless of what platform they are on. Our aim is to make video calling simple, fast, and available to everyone,” said Amit Fulay, Head of Duo at Google. “With this Truecaller integration, we’re able to bring a better video calling experience to millions of new users.”

true caller app

The new look and feel of Truecaller is consistent with its ongoing commitment to provide a safe and efficient experience for millions of mobile users who’ve become increasingly frustrated by the growing problem of spam calls and texts from unknown users.

Now as one of the fastest growing mobile apps in the world, Truecaller sits at the center of your mobile phone experience helping you connect with the people who matter, in the way you want to communicate, while avoiding calls and texts from those you don’t.


Google Duo is a simple video calling app that takes the complexity out of video calling. The service has been built to be fast and reliable, with a single button push for connecting with other users.

Truecaller integration with Google Duo will be available in the coming months for Android and iOS as a permission-based service, where users will be able to opt-in and out at any time.

For more information about Truecaller please visit, www.truecaller.com or you may download the free Truecaller app on popular platforms including Android or iOS.

source

ALSO SEE:-

Meet Google Duo, New Video Calling App for Android and iOS

7 Steps To Using Google Allo App

 Google Duo Pushes Out Hangouts In Android OS Pre-Installed Apps

Google Launches Allo Instant Messaging App

Gtbank Add more security to 737 Shortcode Service

If you are a client of Guaranty Trust Bank, the code * 737 # will not be new to you. We all know how easy it is to operate the GTBank 737 shortcode service. You can buy Airtime, check your balance, make a transfer etc using this short code of service. Only required for the last 4 digits of your ATM card before processing any transaction. 4-digit PIN is only for processing your transactions.

But now, GTBank has made the service even more secured. Using just the last 4 digits on your ATM card isn't secured at all; because anyone who steals your phone and wallet (where your bank card is likely to be) can use the service

Well, GTBank has looked into this and now made it more secured. The service now requires a 4-digit PIN to be able to complete transactions on the service. That is certainly a more secure approach to the service than the previous use of your card’s last 4 digits. It is a surprise that it took 11 months, but better late than never.

HOW TO CREATE A PIN ON GTBANK'S 737 SERVICE

According to the instructions on GTBank’s website, here is how to create a PIN for use on the 737 platform:

1. Dial *737*5# on the phone number that is linked to your account.

2. Input the last 6 digits of your ATM debit card

3. Create your 4-digit PIN

4. You will be asked for your 4-digit PIN to complete any transactions on the service, so do not forget it.

Trump Immigration Ban: Now 127 Companies Have Joined the Crusade With Google, Microsoft and Others

Tech companies like Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Netflix, etc. are protesting against Donald Trump’s immigration ban. An amicus brief filed against the ban included 97 signatures from tech companies. It has now received support from 30 more names, extending the list to 127, including Adobe, Slack, Coursera, Evernote, etc.

President Donald Trump’s recent executive order included an immigrations ban on seven countries. It has become a heated topic in the United States, especially in the Silicon Valley which is the technology heart of the nation.

The opposition against the immigration ban started as verbal criticism but it has now turned into a full-fledged protest. Earlier, it was known that 97 tech companies – including Google, Apple, Microsoft, Facebook, Netflix, etc – joined their hands against Trump’s immigration ban. An amicus brief was filed on February 5, 2017.

But according to the latest reports, that number has now jumped to 127 companies including big names from the non-tech sector. One such name is Levi Strauss & Co. The list now includes SpaceX, Tesla, Slack, Adobe, HP, Coursera, etc.

A block on the order was instated by a US district court judge James Robart. In return, Tump didn’t miss the chance to respond from his Twitter mouth.

The purpose of the amicus brief is to prevent the order from being implemented again in future. It acknowledges the contribution of immigrants in building America and propelling various businesses. We can very well see the leaders of many of the prime companies in the US are non-Americans. And they are investing the same efforts as a normal citizen would do.

“The Order makes it more difficult and expensive for U.S. companies to recruit, hire, and retain some of the world’s best employees,” reads the amicus brief.

According to the brief, the executive order distinguishes the immigrants according to the basis of their nationality, and it’s “unlawful.”

“IF THE ORDER STANDS, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESSES TO ANTICIPATE WHICH COUNTRIES MAY BE AFFECTED NEXT.”

The e-commerce giant Amazon didn’t sign the brief as the company filed their declaration against the ban. Washington’s attorney general prevented them from joining the brief because they’re a witness in an original case themselves.

To know more about the amicus brief by the tech companies, use this link tweeted by Box CEO Aaron Levie.

What are your views on the immigration ban? Drop your thoughts and feedback.

Breaking News:- Facebook Shareholders Want To Remove Mark Zuckerberg As Board Chairman

Facebook’s co-founder is currently the CEO and the board chairman. A proposal filed by shareholders, who also belong to the group SumOfUS, puts emphasis on the appointment of a new ‘independent’ chairman for the Facebook’s board of directors. This is to suit the best interests of the shareholders in the long run.

Facebook might be reaching the paradigms of success, but the company’s shareholders aren’t very much comfortable with all the powers Mark Zuckerberg has. Since 2012, Zuckerberg has been acting as both the CEO and the board chairman at Facebook.

According to a proposal submitted by the shareholders – who are a part of the corporate power damper group SumOfUS – that there is a need for independent Chairman of Facebook’s board. “In our view, shareholder value is enhanced by an independent board chair who can provide a balance of power between the CEO and the board and support strong board leadership.” – reads the proposal.

Another thing that escalates the shareholders’ eagerness for an independent chair is the new capital structure approved by Facebook last year. It introduced new non-voting Class C stocks and aimed at fuelling Zuckerberg’s philanthropy projects for which he would be selling 99% of his shares. However, the new structure compelled a shareholder to file a lawsuit as it increases Zuckerberg’s control over the company.

Shareholders further say that the new independent chairman’s appointment would be “particularly constructive” in the times when Facebook is being accused of behaving as a promotional platform for fake news, hate speech, and other scenarios. Ultimately, it’s the Zuckerberg-led Facebook board to make a decision on this proposal.

If you have something to add, drop your thoughts and feedback.

Report: Pokémon Go has now crossed $1 billion in revenue

Pokémon Go was 2016’s rocket ship — it broke download records and it raced to $500 million in revenue quicker than any app in history. Now it won yet another accolade, the fastest game to reach $1 billion.

That’s according to a new report from app analytics firm Sensor Tower. To give the record some context, a recent App Annie report estimated that iOS and Android developers earned around $35 billion combined last year. Pokémon Go did $1 billion in just over six months, and without a launch in China, the world largest smartphone market. That’s faster than other billion-dollar games Candy Crush Saga and Puzzles & Dragons.

Sensor Tower drilled the point home via a chart comparing Pokémon Go revenue to that of another top mobile game — Clash Royale from SuperCell. Clash Royale did around $550 million in its first seven months. SuperCell is renowned for producing high grossing and addictive games, yet Pokémon Go leaves it trailing in its wake.

ALSO READ:- Pokémon Go: Seven Ways How This Game Has Changed the Internet and the World

Sensor Tower estimates that Pokémon Go is far less lucrative now than at its peak — it is said to be making $1.5 million to $2.5 million per day, down from record highs of $18 million — but the team behind the app has the nous and loyal fanbase to raise that on occasions.

For example, it can add new characters and run special events. A Halloween-period event was estimated to have doubled the game’s revenue, while there’s potential to increase engagement via the newly launch Apple Watch app, too, and generation two Pokémon Go is still to come.

There are also more markets. The app just went live in South Korea, one of the planet’s most lucrative mobile gaming markets, and Niantic can explore the possibilities of a China launch, where it must contend with issues around government concern and a lack of Google services.

So, while there’s little doubt that the hype around the game has died down, there remains much to be upbeat about.

Google Claims That Chrome Browser Now Reloads Web Pages 28% Faster

Short Bytes: When a web browser reloads a web page, around hundreds of network requests are sent to various domains to validate the content of the web page. Google has updated Chrome browser to validate only the main resource while reloading. It will make the page reload process around 28% faster.

Anew update to Google Chrome web browser will make web pages reload 28% faster from now. They have made small changes to the reload feature which has so far remained unchanged since years.

When you click the reload button, the web browser validates all the links and content present on the web page to see if they’re fresh or not. Thus, it has to initiate numerous requests for a single web page.

In earlier times, web page had a tendency to break more often. The reload acted as saviors in such cases. With time, websites on the internet have become more stable, and the use of the reload button is now confined to update stale content on the web page.

An update made to Google Chrome commands it to update the main resource only while reloading a web page and rely more the cached data stored on the users’ computer. Chrome will be able to reload web pages around 28% faster and reduce data usage, power consumption, and latency.

What is your experience with Google Chrome? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

Nokia Just Launched Its Own Voice Assistant “MIKA” For Some Special Purpose

At this year’s Mobile World Congress, Nokia will demonstrate their new digital assistant called MIKA or Multi-purpose Intuitive Knowledge Assistant. Not a regular voice assistant like Siri, Cortana, and Alexa, MIKA is specially crafted for the telecommunication sector where it will be able to help the engineers with voice-activated access to information and save their time.

We recently heard about Nokia with the launch of the Nokia 6 smartphone, but it is a work of HMD Global carrying the Nokia brand name. The original Nokia has been living a low profile since it sold its smartphone business to Microsoft. However, last year, the company made news with some internet speed records and lawsuits against Apple.

In 2017, Nokia has arrived with something new, a voice-activated digital assistant. Although, it is not something we haven’t seen in the past. The digital assistant, known as MIKA (Multi-Purpose Intuitive Knowledge Assistant), is designed with a different utility in mind.

Instead of being a commercial voice assistant for everyday users to make online bookings and play music, MIKA will be used by engineers and operators in the telecom sector. It will help them access information using voice commands reducing their focus on less important things.

Nokia AVA, a cognitive service platform, is the driving force behind MIKA. The digital assistant leverages augmented intelligence and automated learning. It facilitates a plethora of tools, documents, and data sources. MIKA – accessible on web and mobile – can suggest network problem solutions based on what it has observed on other networks.

Nokia notes that their digital assistant can save around an hour of productive time in a day. The company is prepared to demonstrate their ambitious digital assistant tech at the Mobile World Congress 2017.

What do you think about MIKA digital assistant? Drop your thoughts in the comments.

Hugo Barra leaves Xiaomi, joins Facebook’s VR team

I guess everyone agrees that Hugo Barra’s resignation a couple of days ago was a big surprise, especially after spending 3.5 years in Xiaomi. He was the one – after all- who transformed the company from a local Chinese giant, to one of the top tech manufacturers in the world.

That’s why today’s announcement that he joins th Oculus VR team of Facebook was also another surprise! Hugo joins the team of Mark Zuckerberg as vice president of virtual reality at Facebook and will lead the Oculus team.

Mark Zuckerberg already commented on this saying:

Barra is joining forces with Mark Zuckerberg as vice president of virtual reality at Facebook and will lead the Oculus team. Zuckerberg himself first posted the news on his Facebook page:

HUGO SHARES MY BELIEF THAT VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY WILL BE THE NEXT MAJOR PLATFORM.

According to the official announcement, Hugo Barra will work closely with Mark Zuckerberg, Brendan Iribe, founder of Oculus, Mike Schroepfer, CTO of Facebook and “the visionaries in the Oculus team” as put by Barra.

The news announcement was shared in Facebook along with an awesome VR selfie of  Hugo Barra and Mark Zuckerberg next to each other, even though Hugo is still in Beijing!

So we look forward to seeing what Hugo has planned for us in the VR world of Facebook.

via

Beware! This Is The Smartest Gmail Phishing Attack You’ll Ever Encounter

Gmail phishing is one of most common methods used by hackers to compromise the online security of naive users. But, a recent Gmail phishing attack, uncovered by Wordfence, mimics your past conversations and attachments, succeeding in fooling even the tech-savvy netizens. To counter this attack, users should make sure to verify the https:// protocol and hostname in the address bar. 

For many of us, getting our Gmail accounts hacked would mean the endgame. It’s the path that helps the hackers to gain the ultimate access to our digital lives. By doing so, one can access our personal identifying information, take control of our online accounts, and whatnot. That’s why, at Fossbytes, we try to explain such security risks often in a very simple language to reach out to the maximum number of users.

Today, I’m going to tell you about a Gmail phishing technique that’s being used by the cyber criminals with high effectiveness. Uncovered by Wordfence, this technique has gained wide popularity in the past year. And, over the course of past few weeks, we’ve read reports of even the tech-savvy users being hit by this.

How does this scary Gmail phishing attack work?

This phishing attack first compromises a victim’s Gmail account and starts sniffing the contact list. Then, it sends fake emails, which look very much legitimate, to everyone.

Now comes the smart part — the attack scans the user’s Gmail history and finds the file names of the sent attachments. Then, it applies the same name to the new attachments that appear to be PDFs. However, they are images that send the user to phishing web pages. To make the overall scheme more convincing, the attack steals subject lines from previous emails.

On clicking the attachments, a new tab opens up and you are asked to sign in Gmail again on a fully-functional sign-in page.

As you can see in the picture below, the URL even has accounts.google.com. Just in case one enters the credentials here, the account gets compromised.

After this, the attacker has the complete control over your email account, and he/she can use it to compromise a variety of services.

The experienced users often look at the URL of a page to get an idea of its validity. The victims often find accounts.google.com in the URL and become carefree.

But, they needed to look for another thing in the URL. Such phishing techniques often use a data URL to include a file in the address bar of your browser. You might see data:text.html…. in the address bar. It’s a very large text string, actually a file, that creates a fake Gmail login page.

How to defeat Gmail phishing attack?

The first and foremost thing — Look at the browser address bar and verify the protocol and hostname. Make sure that there’s nothing before accounts.google.com other than https://. It should look like this:

To make your accounts extra secure, you are also advised to enable two-factor authentication. The users also need to take security checks to ensure the integrity of their online accounts.

In a response to WordFence, who brought the attack into the limelight, Google has issued an ignorant statement that says — “If the users pay no attention to the address bar, phishing and spoofing attack are – obviously – trivial.”

As this attack vector has managed to fool even the experienced users, please share it your friends and family to keep them safe.

source:- FAXTECH

World’s Most Insane Laptop With 3 Screens — “Razer’s Project Valerie”

It’s been a busy year for Razer. The PC gaming peripheral brand has rolled out new keyboards, mice, and headphones, all while keeping its increasingly popular line of Blade gaming laptops up to date with the latest hardware.

I guess that means it’s time to have a little fun. Of the two major product announcements Razer has brought to CES 2017, Project Valerie is certainly the most eye-catching. The already-impressive Blade Pro is outfitted with three 4K IGZO panels, which automatically slide out from the system when you open it.

Whether Project Valerie will ever become real is up for debate, but it’s clear that Razer is interested in testing the waters to see if anyone out there would buy such a beastly system.

Wow, that’s a crazy-looking laptop

In case it wasn’t clear, here’s Valerie’s most important trait: three displays. When the system flips open, the two side screens slide out from each side, overlapping bezels at the interlocking edges. The resulting footprint is wide enough to prevent your seat neighbors on a plane from using their tray tables, which is either a blessing or a curse, depending on how often you need to work remotely.

For a laptop with such ambitious goals, Project Valerie is surprisingly svelte. It comes in at just around an inch and a half thick, although we didn’t actually see it closed – it is a concept product and not officially ready for shelves, after all. It also weighs just about 12 pounds. It’s not small, but it’s only somewhat larger than most 17-inch gaming laptops.

It helps that it’s built with Razer’s classic matte black styling, a unibody enclosure that feels as sturdy as it looks. When we first heard about Razer’s interest in a three-screen laptop, our mind went straight to images of lopsided, massive machines like the Acer Predator 21 X. We didn’t think that would make it to production, but Acer announced its availability at CES 2017. Perhaps Valerie is more possible than we thought.

Okay, but does it work?

With the Razer Blade Pro as the base model, Project Valerie is supported by an Intel Core i7-7700HQ and an Nvidia GTX 1080, which is essentially the most powerful hardware you’ll find in a laptop anywhere. Still, three 4K panels is a lot to handle, even for desktop-grade hardware. We played Battlefield 1 for a few minutes, and were impressed with the clarity and decent framerate — partially thanks to Nvidia’s G-Sync — but without any idea as to quality settings or actual benchmarking data, we’ll reserve judgement.

From a more practical standpoint, Project Valerie is overkill, but for some users, it might make a lot of sense. If your work mostly has you in one place, with the occasional work trip or conference room meeting, three screens is a boon not just to productivity, but to potential presentation and organization power.

But gaming is its real goal, and it’s one field where Project Valerie excels. Nvidia’s 3D Surround tool lets you stretch a number of games across all three panels, for a 12K gaming experience that’s unparalleled in the laptop world. Even a three-screen gaming desktop would be a require work, some wires, and other hardware, but Project Valerie rolls it all up into a neat package.

Performance

Razer’s Project Valerie is an impressive, albeit unwieldy laptop. There’s no room for compromise, because three 4K panels and the GTX 1080 take up too much space. That said, the potential for multi-screen laptop use cases can’t be understated, and we’re left feeling like there might be a market for this sort of over-the-top mobile powerhouse.

Alternatively, if you’re a gamer always spending your hard-earned dollars on the most extravagant and eye-catching hardware around, your ears should perk up when Project Valerie’s name is mentioned. It’s a stunning and impressive piece of technology.

Highs

Impressive hardware
Eye-catching design
Three freaking displays
Surprisingly slim, all considered


Lows

Likely to be very expensive
Still only a concept

WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:-

via     DIGITAL TREND

Jumia 2016 Black Friday – From 14th to 25th of Nov.

Black Friday 2016 is here! Everyone loves Black Friday, everyone wants to be a part of this great and wonderful day, but luck is only associated with those who are ready and who also has the finger faster!

In this age of technology and time, you do not need someone to start giving you all the details and explanation of Black Friday, but in a nutshell "Black Friday is a day where sellers would lower their prices by half a percent to Previous price, only for customers to buy a cheaper rate "


"And this happens every once in a year. And guess what, Jumia has always been part of this great events. They never lack the innovating ideas, just to make that day look amazing and more beautiful with their slashed down price."

Brief History of Black Friday

Since the 2000s, it was considered the beginning of the Christmas shopping season in the US. And most major retailers open very early (and, more recently, during the night) and offer promotional sales.

Black Friday is not a holiday, but California and other states are seeing "The Day After Thanksgiving" as a holiday for state government employees.

Many employees and non-market schools have both Thanksgiving and the following Friday, which, with the next regular weekend, in fact, a four-day weekend, which increases the number of potential customers.


What and What can you BUY?


Piratically everything would be sold. Starting from Laptops, Phones, Tablets, Televisions, Desktop, Games, Consoles,
Phones Accessories, Washing Machine, Drumming Equipment, Singing Equipment, Instrumentals.

And down to Fashions; Cloths for Men, Women, Boys, Girls, Little boys, little girls and down to many other unthinkable item would be sold on that faithful week of Jumia Black Friday!

Whatspp Video Calling Now Launched

Finally, after the long anticipated whatsapp feature, tho so many months has passed but it has arrived! Well, it is the Whatsapp Video Calling Feature. It has arrived on Whatsapp!

You might find it hard to believe it arrived so late but trust me, the CEO of Facebook gave a simple reason why it came late. He said “… We’ve been working on it for a while to make sure it works even in places without a strong network …” Read Below;

"today we're bringing video calling to WhatsApp. Voice calling has grown quickly, and video calling has been one of our community's top requests. We've been working on it for a while to make sure it works even in places without a strong network. Enjoy!"

How to Start Video Calling

You don’t need to visit any other center or site or verify anything to have full access to the feature. All you have to do is to update your WhatsApp to the latest version available on Google Play Store.

And always remember that the latest WhatsApp version available on play store is version 2.16.352, Just go to your Playstore and update your Whatsapp

Wahtsapp video calling

From Whatsapp Blog;

Today we’re excited to announce the next step in our efforts to connect people – WhatsApp video calling. In the coming days, WhatsApp’s more than one billion users can make video calls across Android, iPhone, and Windows Phone devices.

The WhatsApp camera feature now supports the front-facing flash so you can take the perfect selfie. In low light and at night, this will brighten up your screen and improve the quality of your photo. We’ve also added a convenient zooming feature for recording videos – just slide your finger up and down to zoom in and out. And to quickly switch between front and rear facing cameras, double tap on the screen.

Now to start Video Chatting, just hit the call button in your WhatsApp application, and you’ll notice two additional options, which is either Voice Call or Video call. So choose the one you want to use, I know some of you love skype alots, since this doesn'tarequire strong network but the rate at which it sucks data i dont know yet. 

Please if you have tried the Whatsapp Video calling kindly share your experienced with us via the comments box.

This is all we can get for now, but stay updated! As we will continue to update you on every other amazing stuffs about whatsapp. Do well by sharing this post on your Facebook and Twitter page!