Airtel Payments Bank today introduced two new features in the banking section under the Airtel Thanks app, thereby enhancing the security of consumers’ accounts. The two new features are Fraud Alarm and Transparent Banking.
Airtel said in a statement that the new features are designed to “elevate user experience by offering enhanced security and greater transparency in banking operations.” The Bank showcased these solutions at the Global Fintech Fest 2024.
The Fraud Alarm, prominently positioned in the Safe Bank Section on the app, provides users with immediate assistance if they suspect fraudulent activity. With a single swipe, users can quickly report suspicious transactions, initiate service requests for them, and secure their accounts to prevent further transactions. This streamlined approach ensures rapid response and effective resolution, empowering users and the Bank to take swift action against potential fraud.
Complementing the security feature, the Transparent Banking section on the App is designed to redefine the banking experience by centralizing all essential information – including charges, terms & conditions, and customer data storage guidelines – in simplified language in one easily accessible and user-friendly section.
It also details why various device permissions are necessary for the app, providing transparency regarding user privacy protection and ensuring that customers are informed about the data the app accesses. The Transparent Banking feature underscores the Bank’s commitment to offering simple, easy, honest banking with clarity in every transaction. With this clarity, users can manage their finances with greater confidence and control.
Realme debuted the 13 Pro series 5G in India in July and a month later, the brand has now debuted the Realme 13 series 5G consisting of the Realme 13+ 5G and the Realme 13 5G. The new smartphones will go on sale in September and come with features like a MediaTek Dimensity Processor under the hood.
Realme 13 5G: Specs, Price, Availability
The Realme 13 5G costs Rs 17,999 for the 8GB + 128GB model and Rs 19,999 for the 8GB + 256GB variant. It comes in Speed Green and Dark Purple colour options and will go on sale from September 6 via Realme’s own website, Flipkart, and leading retail stores near you. You can pre-book the device beginning today at 6 PM IST till September 5 to avail limited time offers with benefits of over Rs 3,000, where you get an additional free screen damage protection 6-months available when pre-booking via Mainline channels & realme.com along with Buds Wireless 3 neo worth Rs 1,299 if you pre-book via Mainline channels.
Once the device goes on sale, buyers can avail a cachback benefit of Rs 1,000.
The Realme 13 5G sports a 6.72-inch LCD Display with an FHD+ Resolution and offers 83% NTSC coverage, 120Hz refresh rate, 580 nits typical brightness, and up to 240Hz touch sampling rate. The device is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 6300 processor under the hood, paired with 8GB RAM and up to 256GB of storage which is also expandable.
There’s a dual rear camera setup at the back, including a 50MP f/1.8 Samsung ISOCELL S5KJNS primary sensor with OIS, along with a 2MP f/2.4 portrait sensor. There’s a 16MP f/2.45 selfie sensor on the front. There’s handset is backed by a 5000mAh battery which supports 45W fast wired charging.
Connectivity options on the device include Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth v5.3, GPS, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a USB-C port for charging. Realme 13 5G is also IP64 rated and gets a stereo speaker setup. The phone sports a side-mounted fingerprint reader.
Realme 13+ 5G: Specs, Price, Availability
The Realme 13+ 5G costs Rs 22,999 for the 8GB + 128GB model, Rs 24,999 for the 8GB + 256GB variant and Rs 26,999 for the 12GB + 256GB trim. It comes in Speed Green, Victory Gold, and Dark Purple colour options and will go on sale from September 6 via Realme’s own website, Flipkart, and leading retail stores near you. You can pre-book the device beginning today at 6 PM IST till September 5 to avail limited time offers with benefits of over Rs 3,000 which remain the same as that of Realme 13 5G. Once the device goes on sale, buyers can avail a cachback benefit of Rs 1,500.
The Realme 13+ 5G sports a 6.67-inch AMOLED Display with an FHD+ Resolution and offers 10-bit colour depth, 120Hz refresh rate, 2000 nits peak brightness, and up to 180Hz touch sampling rate. The device is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Energy processor under the hood, paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR4x RAM and up to 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage which is also expandable.
There’s a dual rear camera setup at the back, including a 50MP f/1.8 Sony LYT-600 primary sensor with OIS, along with a 2MP f/2.4 portrait sensor. Further, there’s a 16MP f/2.45 selfie sensor on the front. There’s handset is backed by a 5000mAh battery which supports 80W fast wired charging.
Connectivity options on the device include Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth v5.4, GPS, a 3.5mm audio jack, and a USB-C port for charging. Realme 13+ 5G is also IP65 rated and gets a stereo speaker setup. It gets an in-display fingerprint sensor for biometrics.
Google announced Gems for Gemini earlier in May this year and it is now rolling out for Gemini Advanced users. Gems can be considered as subject matter experts on various topics the user wants them to be experts on. In addition, Google also rolled out Imagen 3, its latest image generation model with enhanced creative image generation capabilities.
What are Gems in Gemini?
Over the coming days, Gemini Advanced, Business and Enterprise subscribers can start creating and chatting with Gems, the custom versions of Gemini first previewed at I/O. You can customise Gems in Google Gemini to act as an expert on topics or refine them toward your specific goals. One can simply write instructions for their Gem, give it a name, and then chat with it whenever they want.
For instance, you can create a team of experts to help you think through a challenging project, brainstorm ideas for an upcoming event, or write the perfect caption for a social media post. Google notes that your Gem can also remember a detailed set of instructions you give it to help you save time on tedious, repetitive, or difficult tasks.
Google is also releasing a set of premade Gems for different scenarios, which are as follows:
Learning coach helps you break down complex topics, making them easier to understand.
Brainstormer gives you easy inspiration — from fresh ideas for a themed party to the perfect gift for an upcoming birthday.
Career guide unlocks your career potential with detailed plans to refine your skills and achieve your career goals.
Writing editor can elevate your writing through clear, constructive feedback on everything from grammar to structure.
Coding partner levels up your coding skills and can help you build projects and learn as you go.
Gems are now rolling out on desktop and mobile devices to Gemini Advanced, Gemini Business and Gemini Enterprise users in more than 150 countries in most languages, the company said in a blog post.
What is Imagen 3?
Imagen 3 is the latest version of Google’s image generation model which is utilised by Gemini for creating photos through prompts the user gives. Imagen 3 is coming to all Gemini Apps and its availability will be expanded to users in all languages in the coming days.
With Imagen 3, Gemini can generate images with just a few words. You can even ask Gemini to create images in various styles — like photorealistic landscapes, textured oil paintings or whimsical claymation scenes. Considering the examples shared by Google showcasing the difference between Imagen 2 and Imagen 3, the images created by the latter appear more detailed with a higher Resolution and vibrant colours.
Google clarifies that Imagen 3 brings advanced image generation capabilities that come with built-in safeguards and adhere to its product design principles. According to Google, across a wide range of benchmarks, Imagen 3 performs favourably compared to other image generation models available. And as with Imagen 2, Google uses SynthID, its own tool for watermarking AI-generated images.
Vivo is all set to debut a new smartphone in India under its T-series devices, shortly after it launched the Vivo T3 Pro 5G in the country. While there’s no word on its specifications, the India price of all the variants of Vivo T3 Ultra have been leaked, suggesting it will be competing with a tough competitor in the segment — OnePlus Nord 4 5G.
As leaked by tipster Abhishek Yadav on X, the 8GB + 128GB model of the device will cost Rs 30,999, while the 8GB + 256GB and 12GB + 256GB trims will cost Rs 32,999 and Rs 34,999, respectively. In addition, he also stated the colour options the device will be available in, including Lunar Gray and Frost Green. This is all leaked information so one should take it with a pinch of salt.
If true, the Vivo T3 Ultra will be competing with the likes of OnePlus Nord 4 5G, Realme GT 6T, iQOO Neo 9 Pro, and more such options in the segment. When we reviewed the Nord 4 recently, we concluded that it’s a smartphone you should definitely consider over its competitors due to the value it provides for the price.
Some leaks suggest it will come with a MediaTek Dimensity 9200+ SoC under the hood. It will be intriguing to see how the Vivo T3 Ultra competes with the Nord 4, especially if it launches at the rumored price point.
The Vivo T3 Ultra has been recently spotted on the Bluetooth SIG website with model number V2426. Additionally, as reported by TheTechOutLook, the Vivo T3 Ultra has also appeared on the BIS certification website with the same V2426 model number, suggesting the India launch of the device is imminent.
There have been no official announcements regarding the device. It is expected that the device will launch sometime during September in India.
Google’s Circle to Search is gaining a handy new feature that’ll allow users to quickly crop and share what they have circled to search for. This enables a quick experience of sharing what a user has circled instead of clicking screenshots and then cropping them to show only what the user intends to in the whole image.
After you activate circle to search by tapping and holding on the navigation bar at the bottom, you can circle what you want to search for and after doing so, a new “Share” button now appears on top of what you have selected. Once you tap on share, the Android system sharesheet opens up, showing you various apps where you can share the circled image.
This is a relatively quicker method to share with anyone a part of what is appearing on your screen when compared to clicking a screenshot and then cropping it. However, note that the Resolution of the image isn’t exactly the highest when comparing to what you’d get if you crop and share from a screenshot. Aside from the apps, you can also upload the circled image to Google Photos or save it to Google Keep from the sharesheet itself.
The Share feature in Circle to Search was announced earlier this month in a blog post when Google also announced Gemini Live, where it wrote, “These updates and more AI-powered capabilities, like Circle to Search’s new share feature that allows you to circle a selection and instantly share with others, will be available in the next month on your supported Android devices.” However, it seems like the feature has been released earlier than its scheduled arrival.
In addition, Google has also announced Gems in Gemini. Users can customize Gems to act as an expert on topics or refine them toward their specific goals. They simply have to write instructions for their Gem, give it a name, and then chat with it whenever they want.
Google has rolled out a feature multiple times in the past where it allows users to update mutliple apps at once in the Google Play Store but the feature has never stayed. Now once again, Google is rolling out the same feature more widely, allowing concurrent updating of Multiple Apps on Play Store.
The feature is live on multiple of our devices including Pixel 9, Galaxy S23 Ultra, and the Nothing Phone (2a). Once you tap on the ‘Update all’ button, Google Play Store can now download updates for up to 3 apps at once and even install them simultaneously. Apps that are in the list to download beyond the three that are being updated show the ‘pending’ status which is the usual status we have been seeing for years.
This new ability matches that of the Apple’s App store, which can also download updates for 3 apps simultaneously. Aside from that, back in April this year, Google allowed for downloading and installing up to 2 new apps simultaneously, whose download limit has now also been changed to 3. In other words, 3 new app installs can now take place at once via the Play Store.
These new minor but useful updates come in handy when you have a long list of apps that have impending updates. The feature now enables quick updation of apps and also saves time.
Meanwhile, in related news to Google, the company is also seemingly working on new extensions for Gemini. The description for the new WhatsApp extension in Gemini which leaked, reads, “Send messages or make calls through the WhatsApp app on Android.” While the extension’s description is self-explanatory, it could be a significant feature for Gemini. Billions of people use WhatsApp, and integrating it into its own AI chatbot via extensions could prove advantageous for Google, resulting in more people using Gemini.
Reliance Jio has reportedly increased the prices of a couple of its prepaid plans that come with a bundled Netflix subscription. This price hike comes nearly two months after Jio raised prices for all its prepaid plans, shortly after which Airtel did the same. Here are the revised prices of the Jio prepaid plans that come with a Netflix subscription.
Reliance Jio Prepaid Plans with Netflix: New Prices
As reported by The Hindu, the Jio prepaid plans that were initially listed at Rs 1,099 and Rs 1,499, now cost Rs 1,299 and Rs 1,799, respectively. The cheaper Prepaid plan includes the Netflix Mobile plan while the more expensive one comes with the Netflix Basic plan. Those who opt for the cheaper one will be able to access Netflix on a smartphone or a tablet and only through one device at a time. The highest Resolution users get for video streaming is 480p.
As for the more expensive Rs 1,799 plan, it allows users to access Netflix on any device they might have, including a phone, smart TV, tablet, laptop, etc. This plan supports up to 720p quality videos.
With a validity of 84 days, aside from the bundled Netflix subscription, these Jio prepaid plans also offer users unlimited Talk time as well as unlimited 5G connectivity along with 100 SMS per day. The Rs 1,299 and Rs 1,799 Jio prepaid plans have 2GB and 3GB of daily high-speed 4G data, on the exhaustion of which, unlimited data is accessible at just 64Kbps speeds.
The new plans are now visible on the Reliance jio website and the MyJio App so users interested in the plan can recharge their number via these two sources.
Samsung has reportedly been working on a new foldable that it is expected to debut soon, and while it was expected to be called Galaxy Z Fold 6 Ultra (or Slim), a new leak scraps those rumours and reveals what the device may actually be called. The upcoming foldable from Samsung could be marketed as Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition.
As per Evan Blass, a reputable source of leaks in the smartphone industry, suggests that the next foldable coming from Samsung will be called Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition, and not Z Fold 6 Ultra or Z Fold 6 Slim. It’s unclear whether it will actually be sold with that name or could be called Galaxy Z Fold SE.
Whatever the case is, we know that the handset’s USP is going to be its slimness as the leaks suggest. Another recent report by The Chosun Daily suggests that the upcoming Galaxy Z Fold will be available in South Korea starting September 25. The report adds that the handset will be the thinnest foldable phone from Samsung to date, having a thickness of just over 10mm, which is considerably thinner over the Z Fold 6’s 12.1mm thickness.
In addition, the foldable is expected to sport a larger 6.5-inch external display and an 8-inch internal display, exceeding the 6.3-inch and 7.6-inch displays the Galaxy Z Fold 6 features. A separate report sheds light on what the foldable may get in terms of optics, including the same 10-megapixel front-facing camera and the 12-megapixel ultrawide camera used in the Z Fold 6. The under-display camera might see a minor upgrade to a 5MP sensor from the 4MP sensor used in Z Fold 3, Z Fold 4, Z Fold 5, and the Z Fold 6.
To achieve the slim form factor, it is rumoured that Samsung has removed the digitiser layer from the screen that is required for the S-Pen to work. In other words, unlike the Z Fold 6, the Z Fold Special Edition would lack S-Pen support. The device may be offered in a single black colour and could carry a price tag of $2,100 (approx Rs 1,76,200). It may only launch in South Korea and China initially, with details remaining scarce regarding availability in rest of the world.
Google Gemini has been receiving updates on a regular basis. One major update it received was the Extension support so it could interact with other Google services. Soon, Google might add support for third-party extensions apart from Google’s own, and it could include WhatsApp, allowing Gemini to make calls and send messages via the Messaging platform.
As reported by Android Authority, extension support for WhatsApp in Gemini was discovered through an APK teardown of the Google app version 15.34.32.29.arm64 beta. The description for the WhatsApp extension in Gemini read, “Send messages or make calls through the WhatsApp app on Android.”
While the extension’s description is self-explanatory, it could be a significant feature for Gemini. Billions of people use WhatsApp, and integrating it into its own AI chatbot via extensions could prove advantageous for Google, resulting in more people using Gemini.
Some more new extensions that can be seen in the screenshots shared by the publication include the Phone extension that allows you to make phone calls through the Google Phone app, the Google Messages extension, allowing you to send messages and read them, and the most interesting notifications extension.
The notifications extension will allow Gemini to send or read Android system notifications. This could allow the chatbot to summarise all the notifications you received while you were away from your phone, dismiss certain notifications, control music playback, and do more. While this was just an example, we’ll have to wait and see how Google will implement the feature.
Adding support for newer extensions to increase Gemini’s utility factor has become essential for Google as AI LLMs from various brands become increasingly competitive. Apple has also confirmed that it will bring a revamped Siri later this year, allowing it to interact with third-party apps on supported iPhones and iPads.
Back in May, Vivo announced the Android 15 Beta developer program for the iQOO 12 and the Vivo X100. Now, the brand has announced the Android 15-based FunTouch OS 15 Preview program for the Vivo X100 Pro in India. iQOO has also confirmed the beginning of the same program for its iQOO 12 flagship smartphone.
The announcement of the beginning of the program was announced by FunTouch OS’ and Vivo India’s official X accounts, where it states “Vivo presents an exclusive #FuntouchOS15 based on #Android15Preview Program for X100 Pro users.” The update will release on 4th September for those who register for the closed beta program. Registrations for the program have begun today, August 28, and will end on September 3.
Moreover, only 500 users can try this exclusive update. To enroll, head over to Settings, then System Update, tap on the Settings icon (in the top-right corner) and then click on Trial version. Once the registration screen appears, tap on “Sign up now” and enter the required details.
Aside from the Vivo X100 Pro, the iQOO 12 will also receive the update on September 4 while registrations for the preview program have begun, according to a post shared by iQOO on its community.
The FunTouch OS 15 update based on Android 15 is expected to bring a bunch of new features along with UI updates and optimisations. We’ll get to know more about it once the update officially launches.
As for the Android 15 update by Google, the brand has confirmed that it will be rolling out the stable update for its Pixel devices sometime in October. A report suggests that the release of stable Android 15 update is seemingly being delayed to improve its stability. Google also didn’t launch Pixel 9 series with Android 15, likely due to the same reason.
