Monday, 2 January 2023

UPI Reaches Record High of Payments Worth Rs. 12.82 Lakh Crore in December 2022

Payments through the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) touched a record high of Rs. 12.82 lakh crore in December. During the month, 782 crore transactions in volume terms were done on the platform, which was launched in 2016.

"UPI has made major contribution in ushering digital payment revolution in the country. In December 2022, UPI has crossed 7.82 billion transactions worth Rs. 12.82 trillion (Rs. 12.82 lakh crore)," the Department of Financial Services said in a tweet on Monday.

Payments through UPI had crossed the Rs. 12 lakh crore mark in October this year.

In November, as many as 730.9 crore transactions worth Rs. 11.90 lakh crore had taken place via UPI.

UPI is an instant real-time payment system which facilitates inter-bank peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions. The transaction is done through mobile in easy steps. Besides, there are no charges applicable for UPI transactions.

The inexpensive medium for cashless transactions has been gaining traction month-on-month and 381 banks are live on it.

UPI transactions have increased dramatically in both volume and value terms over the last year, Spice Money founder Dilip Modi said.

"The main advantage of UPI is the convenience it brings with it. UPI allows money to be transferred between multiple accounts without needing separate profiles for each transaction, making it easy for the user to transact. Another reason is that UPI is a simple, fast and secure way of transaction. UPI has been a major tool in driving financial inclusion," he said.

A few days back, Paytm also released its Recap report for 2022, calling Delhi-National Capital Region emerged as India's digital payments capital. Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu's Katpadi was claimed to be the fastest-growing city for digital payments with 7X growth in 2022. It was also noted that the maximum number of payments have been done at 7.23 pm with Wednesday emerging as the busiest day in the week for digital transactions.

 

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Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G Confirmed to Launch in India With 50-Megapixel Sony IMX766 Sensor

Redmi Note 12 5G series has been confirmed to launch in India on January 5. The latest Note series from Redmi is expected to include the vanilla Redmi Note 12 5G, Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G, and Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G models as part of its lineup in India. The top-end Redmi Note 12 Pro+ 5G model is expected to be headlined by a 200-megapixel primary camera sensor. Meanwhile, the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G model smartphone has been confirmed to feature a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 primary camera sensor. A company executive also shared camera sample shots taken on the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G smartphone on Twitter.

Xiaomi India General Manager, Alvin Tse took to Twitter to share sample camera shots taken on the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G, which has been dubbed by the company as the 'Super Note'. According to the tweet, the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G smartphone that debuted in China in October with a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 primary camera sensor and support for optical image stabilisation (OIS), will make its way to India with similar camera specifications. Alvin Tse claims that the Redmi Note 12 5G Pro model smartphone features the perfect blend of software and hardware tools that help in capturing dynamic and engaging image

Another company executive, Sumit Sonal, who is General Manager, Marketing, Xiaomi India also took to Twitter to dive deep into the camera capabilities on the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G smartphone that is making its way to India in just a few days time.

Sumit Sonal also shared sample screenshots that back up claims made by the company regarding the image-capturing capabilities on the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G smartphone. According to the tweet, the 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 primary camera sensor on the smartphone helps capture more light, which results in a more detailed and better-quality photo. The company executive demonstrated the capabilities through images of buildings in different colours taken in outdoor daylight conditions, which is claimed to justify the company's stance that the Redmi Note 12 Pro 5G features one of the best colour reproduction in its' segment.

In October, the Chinese company launched the Redmi Note 12, Redmi Note 12 Pro, and Redmi Note 12 Pro+ in China. All three smartphones from the lineup have been confirmed to make their way to India on January 5. The India launch is expected to feature smartphones with identical specifications and features to the variants launched in China.

The China launch also saw a fourth Redmi Note 12 Discovery Edition lined up in the series with superior charging capabilities. However, there has been no confirmation on whether this would launch in India as well.

Redmi Note 12 Pro (India) expected specifications

Redmi Note 12 Pro is expected to launch in India as a dual SIM (Nano) 5G smartphone that runs on Android-12-based MIUI 13 while being powered by an octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 1080 SoC, coupled with up to 12GB LPDDR4x RAM and Mali-G68 GPU, under the hood.

The smartphone is expected to feature a 6,67-inch full-HD+ (1,080x2,400 pixels) OLED display with up to 120Hz refresh rate, a 240Hz touch sampling rate, and HDR10+ support. In terms of image capturing capabilities, the Redmi Note 12 Pro will house a triple rear camera setup lead by a 50-megapixel Sony IMX766 sensor with support for optical image stabilization, an 8-megapixel ultra wide-angle sensor, and a 2-megapixel macro sensor. For selfies, the smartphone will feature a 16-megapixel selfie sensor. The handset is backed by a 5,000mAh battery with support for 67W fast charging.

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Samsung Galaxy A54 5G Leaked Renders Show Design, Triple Rear Camera Setup; Hint at Four Colour Variants

Samsung is rumoured to be working on the next smartphones in the popular Galaxy A series to succeed the Samsung Galaxy A33 5G and the Galaxy A53 5G. Recent leaks have already hinted at the design features and specifications for the upcoming handsets. Newly leaked renders of the Galaxy A54 5G show off the handset's design and expected colour variants. Alleged renders of the purported Galaxy A54 5G hint at least four different colourways. The leak also tips the upcoming Samsung phone to be equipped with a 6.4-inch full-HD+ OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate.

Images of the purported Samsung Galaxy A54 5G were leaked by Android Headlines. The handset is tipped to be available in black, purple, white and green/yellow colour variants. The leak includes renders of the upcoming smartphone, which show a triple rear camera setup, LED flash, and a centre-aligned hole-punch cutout for the selfie camera.

The leak also mentions that Samsung's upcoming A series handset will sport a 6.4-inch full-HD+ OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate. These details correspond with previous leaks about the phone's specifications. Additionally, the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G's triple rear camera module is said to include a 50-megapixel primary lens and a 12-megapixel ultrawide sensor.

Recently, purported renders of phone cases for the Galaxy A54 5G surfaced online, showing the phone with a flat body design. The handset also reportedly popped up on Geekbench along with the Galaxy A34. According to the listing, the Galaxy A54 5G could be powered by an Exynos 1380 chipset.

The handset was also reportedly spotted on the Bluetooth SIG database, however, no specifications were listed for the phone.

The Samsung Galaxy A54 5G is expected to succeed the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G, but the South Korean manufacturer has not yet announced an official launch date. Samsung is, however, getting ready to hold the Galaxy Unpacked event on February 1, where the tech giant is expected to unveil a host of new devices, including the flagship Galaxy S23 series.

Do the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 offer enough over last year's models? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.


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Sunday, 1 January 2023

Shark Tank India Season 2: How to Watch?

Shark Tank India is returning for a second round, serving as the grand stage for ambitious entrepreneurs to showcase their business ideas and fuel their dreams. The American reality series — which in itself is a regional adaptation of the original Dragons' Den show — helped break the notion that startups were primarily reserved for students, bringing in presenters across all age groups, whose concepts were judged by a team of potential investors, termed “Sharks.” India got its own, first iteration in December last year — and while not all presenters received the hefty cheque, they certainly left with better pitching ideas and guidance for their company.

With the second chapter in close proximity, here's everything you need to know about Shark Tank India season 2:

When does Shark Tank India season 2 begin?

Shark Tank India's sophomore run starts tonight, January 2, at 10pm IST, with new episodes dropping on weekdays — i.e., across Monday to Friday. Currently, there's no word on the episode count, but going by season 1's length — 35 episodes — we can expect a runtime somewhere in the ballpark.

It goes live right after MasterChef India season 7, which also premieres tonight, an hour prior, at 9pm. The 10pm slot previously belonged to the Amitabh Bachchan-led Kaun Banega Crorepati season 14.

How to watch Shark Tank India season 2?

Shark Tank India season 2 will continue to air across Sony TV's services, in both online streaming and standard television format. On the OTT side, you can catch up on all the drama via the SonyLIV app or website, which doesn't mention a premium subscription as a requirement. So, all you need to do is sign in.

On TV, Shark Tank India season 2 will be broadcast at the aforementioned time over on the Sony Entertainment Television channel.

Shark Tank India season 2 host and judges

Rannvijay Singha, who hosted the first season of Shark Tank India has been replaced by stand-up comedian Rahul Dua. Additionally, two of last year's judges — the heavily memed Ashneer Grover (Founder, BharatPe) and Ghazal Alagh (Co-Founder, Mamaearth) are not returning either.

The reality series was renewed for a second season last month, introducing a new Shark into the mix — Amit Jain, who co-founded the car search venture, CarDekho, in 2008.

The remaining cast features similar faces as last time: Aman Gupta (Co-Founder and CMO, boAT, Anupam Mittal (founder and CEO, Shaadi.com), Namita Thapar (Executive Director, Emcure Pharmaceuticals), Peyush Bansal (Founder and CEO, Lenskart, and Vineeta Singh (Co-Founder and CEO, Sugar Cosmetics).

Why are they still making more Harry Potter? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.


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Meta Preparing to Announce Decision on Donald Trump's Return to Facebook, Instagram: Report

Facebook owner Meta is preparing to announce whether it will allow former US President Donald Trump back on to Facebook and Instagram, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. The social media giant had previously said it will decide by January 7 whether to allow the former president to return. However, that decision is now expected to be announced later in the month, the newspaper said, citing a person familiar with the matter.

Meta has set up a working group to focus on the matter, according to people with knowledge of its operations, the report said, adding that the group includes staffers from the public policy and communications teams, as well as from the content policy team.

Meta did not immediately respond to a request by Reuters for comment.

The development comes after Elon Musk, Twitter's new owner, revoked a permanent ban on Trump in November last year on the social media platform after polling users.

Trump maintained that he had no interest in returning to Twitter.

"I don't see any reason for it," the former president had said via video when asked whether he planned to return to Twitter by a panel at the Republican Jewish Coalition's annual leadership meeting.

Trump has mounted relentless attacks on the integrity of US voting since his 2020 election defeat and launched a bid in November to regain the presidency in 2024, aiming to pre-empt potential Republican rivals.

Last month, Meta agreed to pay $725 million (roughly Rs. 6,000 crore) to resolve a class-action lawsuit accusing the social media giant of allowing third parties, including Cambridge Analytica, to access users' personal information.

The proposed settlement, which was disclosed in a court filing in December, would resolve a long-running lawsuit prompted by revelations in 2018 that Facebook had allowed the British political consulting firm Cambridge Analytica to access data of as many as 87 million users.

Lawyers for the plaintiffs called the proposed settlement the largest to ever be achieved in a US data privacy class action and the most that Meta has ever paid to resolve a class action lawsuit.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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Toyota India Warns of Possible Data Breach Exposing Customers' Personal Information

A data breach at Toyota Motor's Indian business might have exposed some customers' personal information, it said on Sunday. Toyota India said it has notified the relevant Indian authorities of the data breach at Toyota Kirloskar Motor, a joint venture with Indian conglomerate Kirloskar Group.

"Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has been notified by one of its service providers of an incident that might have exposed personal information of some of TKM's customers on the Internet", TKM said in an emailed statement without disclosing the size of the data breach or number of customers affected.

An unrelated issue at Toyota Motor's T-Connect service potentially leaked about 296,000 pieces of customer information, it said last October.

At the time, Toyota Group had stated it had found that about 296,000 pieces of customer information from its T-Connect service might have been leaked.

Back in October, the firm said 296,019 email addresses and customer numbers of those using T-Connect, a telematics service that connects vehicles via a network, were potentially leaked. The affected customers are individuals who signed up to the service's website using their email addresses since July 2017.

A third-party access could not be confirmed from the access history of the data server where the information was stored based on security experts' investigation, Toyota said in a statement at the time.

At the same time, it added that third-party access "could not be completely ruled out." There was no possibility, though, that users' sensitive personal information, such as names, phone numbers or credit card information, were leaked, Toyota had stated.

The Japanese automaker had not confirmed cases of the information being misused but cautioned that there was a possibility of spamming, phishing scams and unsolicited email messages being sent to the users' email addresses.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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India's Robust Tech Ecosystem to See Spring, Not Winter; Digital Economy Ready for Strong 2023, MoS IT Says

India's digital prowess will grow in 2023 and over the next five years, driven by technology, start-ups, semiconductors, electronics and computing, Minister of State for Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar has said allaying any concerns over tech winter, and predicting spring for the country's booming innovation ecosystem.

The comments by the IT minister are significant given the backdrop of slowdown headwinds in the West, recent spate of layoffs by US tech giants, global market turmoil, and talks of tech winter.

Chandrasekhar, who is the Minister of State for Electronics and IT, told PTI that global and domestic opportunities for digitisation continue to be "very strong".

He exuded confidence that India's trillion dollar digital economy vision is "well within our grasp" and "an absolutely incontrovertible fact".

The momentum of digital economy will continue in 2023, backed by enabling rules and laws that offer catalysing framework for technological growth and innovation, he promised.

It is pertinent to mention here that while India has tightened IT rules for the safety of digital and social media users, and work has started on new law for data protection, the norms for online gaming and contours of the draft Digital India Act are expected to be out soon.

"We see no winter...if anything, it is summer and spring for the next five years," Chandrasekhar asserted, citing the tech potential.

Demand for Indian talent, as well as products and technology that are designed in India and Made in India, continues to be robust, he pointed out.

"India as a market for consuming digital products and digital services is one of the biggest markets for the next 5-10 years. So all these (factors) point to India continuing its digital economy expansion to reach one trillion dollars in the next 4-5 years," Chandrasekhar said.

According to the minister, innovation and the start-up momentum will continue despite certain corrections now and then.

At the same time, companies cannot merely sit and relax, but will have to upskill and brace new business models to be relevant amid market disruptions, the minister noted.

Companies that do not innovate with agility, or adjust to changes will face challenges "created not by the market, but related to their own preparedness for this digital opportunity," he cautioned.

"...that trillion dollar digital economy is well within our grasp, and that we have a very reasonably high opportunity to reach the trillion dollar digital economy, firing on all cylinders, is an absolutely incontrovertible fact," Chandrasekhar said.

Since 2014 when India's digital might meant only IT and IT-enabled services, the country had taken rapid strides, diversifying and expanding into new areas.

Now while IT and ITES sector continue to grow at 15-20 percent per annum, there is also world-class startup and innovation ecosystem. While India has made a mark in electronics manufacturing, emerging as a production powerhouse, the year 2023 will also see rapid strides in deep tech innovation, semiconductor design, electronics design, blockchain, supercomputing, open compute initiatives, automotive, 5G and other emerging areas.

"In the coming five years, all these will continue to chug along at high rates of growth," Chandrasekhar said adding these new and emerging areas will attract investments, create digitalisation products, and services opportunity for the country.

"In those five years, will there be some corrections? Yes, this is the nature of tech...because tech is so disruptive and changes are so rapid, a company that was doing, say, something in the classic `Web2' area, will find itself totally irrelevant in the `Web3' space 1-2 years from now," he said underlining the need for companies to keep pace with technological changes.

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