LG Gram 14 14Z90Q Review: This Gram packs a mighty punch

All the professionals on the move, who need to carry their laptop with them, pray for one thing – for the laptop to be lighter, much lighter. And while at it, wouldn’t it be great if one didn’t have to sacrifice the sturdiness, the processing power or even the battery backup? Now I am pushing it, or am I? LG seems to have created their Gram series of laptops precisely to fulfil those wishes. We got our hands on the latest 14-inch variant from the series and would like to share our experience with you.

Design and connectivity
The LG Gram 14 laptop weighs just 999 grams. Yes, you read that right – 1 gram shy of a kilogram. Maybe that’s why it’s called Gram. Jokes apart, it has a simple yet elegant design and feels great to hold. At the same time, it does not feel delicate despite being fairly slim at 16.8 mm in thickness. To my surprise it also has a US MIL-STD 810H military-grade standard certification, having passed seven durability assessment tests. You wanted sturdiness? You got sturdiness, and some more. 

The keyboard layout is standard for a 14-inch laptop and there’s a sizable touchpad too. The backlit keys have just the right keypress; no complaints there. In terms of connectivity, you have most of the bases covered. You get a 3.5 mm jack for connecting wired headphones or a headset, along with an HDMI port and a card reader. 

There are two USB 3.2 Type-A ports on one side and two Type-C Thunderbolt 4 ports on the other side with multiple interface support including charging and display. Wireless connectivity options include dual-band Wi-Fi with support for up to 6E standard and Bluetooth 5.1. That should take care of your classic and modern connectivity needs.

Display
As the model number suggests, the LG Gram 14 has a 14-inch screen with an IPS panel and a WUXGA resolution of 1920 x 1200 pixels (16:10 aspect ratio). It supports a peak brightness of 350 nits, 1200:1 contrast ratio and 99% DCI-P3 coverage. The colour reproduction is impressive and so is the contrast. The anti-glare coating does help in keeping reflection and glare at bay. However, the viewing angles aren’t the best I have come across on IPS screens. Having said that, it shouldn’t matter much for a laptop.

Incidentally, it has some very interesting screen-related privacy features. It can be set to automatically lock or turn off the screen when you move away from the laptop, or simply blur the screen when you look away. But the best of the lot is it pops a warning or blurs the screen when someone else stares at it from over your shoulder. Don’t you hate it when people do that without your consent? 

Hardware, storage and performance
The LG Gram 14 is powered by a 12th generation Intel Evo Core i7-1260P processor and accompanied by 16 GB of LPDDR5 dual-channel RAM clocked at 5200 MHz. Storage is handled by a 512 GB M.2 NVMe SSD that is sufficiently fast. The entire setup is quite powerful for most of the tasks you would want to use this laptop for barring gaming. 

The Intel Iris Xe graphics chip is just not powerful enough for any meaningful gaming. Yes, it can handle some casual games or certain decade-old games reasonably well, but not the new ones. When it comes to productivity apps or media consumption, it sails through without a hiccup. Be it opening 50 tabs in a browser or editing images or streaming content, the LG Gram 14 could handle all of it with ease. 

It is quite handy for entertainment too with a pair of 1.5 Watts speakers placed underneath providing a clean stereo sound, and DTS:X Ultra compliance lends some more depth to the audio. Ironically, they sound better when you place this laptop on a table or a desk rather than on your lap. The Full HD video camera is pretty good and offers some cool tricks.

Software and battery backup
This laptop runs Microsoft Windows 11 Home and you get a 30 days trial version of Office 365. LG also bundles a handful of its in-house tools to accomplish various tasks. The LG Gram 14 is fitted with a 72 Wh Lithium Ion battery and a 65 Watts USB-C PD power adapter is bundled along, which incidentally feels on the heavier side. But if your workload is not too heavy, you may not even need to carry it around.

LG claims a very ambitious battery life figure of 23.5 hours on a full charge. Of course, that is under ‘test conditions’ which include brightness lower than half, no wireless connectivity and when not using the laptop speakers for sound. Realistically under normal load and without gaming, the laptop battery does last you for a full working day (8 to 10 hours) comfortably, which is quite impressive. But your mileage may vary depending on what you use this laptop for. The standby time is pretty good too with not too much battery drain after I left it in sleep mode for a full day.

Price and final thoughts
The LG Gram 14 (14Z90Q-G.AH75A2) laptop is priced at Rs 1,05,999 with a 3 years onsite warranty, and can often be spotted for Rs 6,000 less. Weighs a gram under a KG and sells for a Rupee under a lakh – something poetic about it, no? Yes, it is expensive but does offer a bunch of unique elements, and it’s hard to spot something similar for much lower. This laptop is a perfect blend of portability, sturdiness, power and battery backup if you are looking for all of that in one device. But if gaming is high on your wishlist, look elsewhere.

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Fear your personal contact details have been leaked online? Google’s new tool will help to get them removed

Back in May this year, Google, at their annual I/O developer’s conference announced that they will be releasing a new tool to help users with the process of removing search results that showed their contact details and other Personal Identifiable Information or PII. Google has now launched the service and has made it live for its users.

Starting today, users can find a new Results About You menu in the Google app on Android, under the My Profile section. This takes users to a page that explains how they can request Google remove Search results that contain phone numbers, home addresses, emails, or other PII.

If a user finds something while browsing, they can click on the three-dot overflow menu that appears in the top-right corner of each result. The existing ‘About this result’ panel opens with a new “Remove result” option appearing at the bottom of the user’s screen.

After following that process, users have the option to monitor the progress of removal requests. In addition to an “All requests” feed, users will also have filters like “In progress” and “Approved.” This page also lets you make a new request with a walkthrough that involves a “Why would you like to remove this result?” step.

Users will be able to select from a variety of options. This includes flagging information that shows personal contact info, showing personal contact info with an intent to harm, showing illegal info, or, for showing outdated and incorrect info.

An upcoming update to the feature will let users “opt into alerts if new results with your contact information appear so you can quickly request their removal.” These notifications are reportedly coming early next year. When available, users will be able to receive notifications about new Google Search results that contain their contact information so they can quickly act to request its removal, if they choose.

Google says the “Results About You” tool will become accessible to all English language users in the US in the next few weeks. The tool will be available to users in other countries soon, by the end of the year.

This new tool arrives at a time when there’s been much discussion about the threats associated with doing, which is a way to threaten or harass someone by revealing their personal information to the public without their permission. 

This is often done to silence someone because of their beliefs or opinions and is considered a form of cyberbullying. But unlike traditional online trolling, where bad actors can simply be blocked and reported, doxing can invite real-world harm as people’s home addresses and contact information is exposed.

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Explained: Why a mission to send humans to Venus is not easy

Venus, often called Earth’s “evil twin” planet, formed closer to the Sun and has since evolved quite differently from our own planet. It has a “runaway” greenhouse effect (meaning heat is completely trapped), a thick carbon-dioxide-rich atmosphere, no magnetic field and a surface hot enough to melt lead.

Several uncrewed scientific missions will study how and why that happened in the next decade. But now some scientists want to send a crewed mission there as well for a flyby. Is that a good idea?

With a slightly smaller diameter than Earth, Venus orbits closer to the Sun. This means that any water on the surface would have evaporated shortly after its formation, starting its greenhouse effect. Early and sustained volcanic eruptions created lava plains and increased the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere — starting the runaway greenhouse effect, which increased the temperature from just a little higher than Earth’s to its current high value of 475 degrees Celsius.

While the Venus year is shorter than ours (225 days), its rotation is very slow (243 days) and “retrograde” — the other way round to Earth. The slow rotation is related to a lack of magnetic field, resulting in a continuing loss of atmosphere.

Venus’ atmosphere “super-rotates” faster than the planet itself. Images from many missions show V-shaped patterns of clouds, composed of sulphuric acid droplets.

Despite the harsh conditions, some scientists have speculated that Venus’ clouds might at some altitudes harbour habitable conditions. Recent measurements apparently showing phosphine — a potential sign of life as it is continuously produced by microbes on Earth — in Venus’ clouds have been strongly debated. Clearly, we need more measurements and exploration to work out where it comes from.

Future missions

What we know about Venus so far has been gathered from several past probes. In 1970-82, for example, the Soviet Venera 7-14 probes were able to land on Venus’ harsh surface, survive for up to two hours and send back images and data. But there are remaining questions about how Venus evolved so differently from Earth, which is also relevant for understanding which planets orbiting other stars may harbour life.

The next decade promises to be a bonanza for Venus scientists. In 2021, NASA selected two missions, Veritas and DaVinci+, due for launch in 2028-30. The European Space Agency selected EnVision for launch in the early 2030s. These are complementary, uncrewed missions which will give us a deeper understanding of Venus’ environment and evolution.

Craters on Venus seen by Venus Nasa’s Magellan probe.
NASA/JPL

Veritas will map Venus’ surface to determine the geological history, rock composition and the importance of early water. DaVinci+ includes an orbiter and a small probe that will descend through the atmosphere and measure its composition, study the planet’s formation and evolution and determine whether it ever had an ocean. EnVision will study the planet’s surface, subsurface and atmospheric trace gases. It will use radar to map the surface with better resolution than ever before.

India also plans an uncrewed mission, Shukrayaan-1, and Russia has proposed Venera-D.

Do we need crewed flybys?

The idea of a crewed flyby of Venus was suggested in the late 1960s, and involved using an Apollo capsule to fly people around the planet. But this idea ended when Apollo finished. Now, the Artemis project to fly around the Moon, and other ideas of crewed missions, have led to the idea being floated again, most recently in journal papers and at a recent meeting of the International Astronautical Federation, an advocacy organisation, in September 2022.

The idea would be to fly a crewed spacecraft around Venus and return to Earth. This would allow scientists to test deep-space techniques such as how to operate a crewed mission with significant time delays when communicating with Earth. It could therefore prepare us for a more complex, crewed mission to Mars. However, the crew wouldn’t do any landing or actual atmosphere investigation at Venus — the conditions are way too harsh.

The researchers who back this idea argue that you could also use Venus’ gravity to alter the spacecraft’s course for Mars, which could save time and energy compared with going directly from Earth to Mars. That’s because the latter option would require the orbits of the two planets to be aligned, meaning you’d have to wait for the right moment both on the way there and back. However, as a crewed mission to Mars would be highly complex, going directly from Earth to Mars would keep designs simpler.

Sending humans to a planet that may harbour living organisms also won’t make it easier to find them. It is risky — we may end up contaminating the atmosphere before we discover any life. The best way to look for biochemical signs of life is with uncrewed probes. There would also be significant thermal challenges and higher radiation from solar flares due to closer proximity to the Sun.

And, unfortunately, with a flyby mission like this, only a few hours of data would be possible on the inbound and outbound trajectories. It would be a highly expensive venture, which would no doubt produce some amazing imagery and useful additional data. However, this would add little to the detailed and much longer bespoke studies currently planned. I, therefore, believe the likelihood of a crewed mission to Venus is very unlikely.

There have also been conceptual, more far-fetched studies — including sending crewed airships to hover in Venus’ atmosphere, rather than just flying by. This is a nice idea, which may achieve more science than a flyby, but it remains a distant and unrealistic concept for now.

For the moment, we only carry out crewed exploration in low-Earth orbit. The Artemis project, however, aims to fly people around the Moon and build a station, called Gateway, in lunar orbit. This is being designed to do science, enable crewed landings on the Moon and crucially to test deep space techniques such as refuelling and operating in a remote environment that could in the long run help get us to Mars without doing training at Venus.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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NASA is planning to partner with SpaceX to reboost the Hubble Telescope and extend its life

The Hubble Space Telescope is one of the most important scientific achievements of the human species that has helped us understand space. It has been in orbit for over 30 years and has been feeding some of the most vital streams of information that has not only helped us steer our space exploration efforts, but also solve some of the more deep mysteries of the universe.

NASA would love to extend its usable life for as long as possible. Unfortunately, for some years now, Hubble Space Telescope has been slipping out of its orbit. That is why, NASA is planning to team up with Elon Musk’s SpaceX and place it into a higher much more stable orbit.

NASA, SpaceX and Jared Isaacman, a private astronaut with the Polaris Program, hosted a media teleconference on Thursday to announce a feasibility study that will look into sending a commercial Dragon spacecraft to reboost the Hubble Space Telescope. This will, in effect place the telescope into a higher and more stable orbit than it’s currently in. 

Hubble’s orbit has been slowly decaying over time. According to Hubble project manager Patrick Crouse, the observatory has dropped about 19 miles or about 30 kilometres since its last servicing mission in 2009 and has an estimated 50% probability of reentering Earth’s atmosphere in 2037 if nothing is done. NASA already hopes Hubble will remain operational through the end of this decade, but boosting it could add years to its life. 

NASA representatives emphasized that Hubble is healthy and continuing its science operations. The telescope has weathered plenty of technical glitches over the years and was the subject of five different servicing missions using NASA’s now-retired space shuttle fleet.

The study is expected to take up to six months and will focus on whether it would be technically possible for a Crew Dragon to “safely rendezvous, dock, and move the telescope into a more stable orbit.” None of the teleconference participants were ready to lay out detailed plans on what a Hubble reboost mission might look like and whether it would even require a crew to be on board. Isaacman’s participation suggests a Polaris Dawn SpaceX mission could be in the mix if a plan moves toward fruition.

NASA has been working to build partnerships with commercial space providers. SpaceX Crew Dragon capsules already shuttle astronauts to the International Space Station. This study hints at wider possibilities. “While Hubble and Dragon will serve as test models for this study,” NASA said, “portions of the mission concept may be applicable to other spacecraft, particularly those in near-Earth orbit like Hubble.”

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OpenAI's image generator DALL-E is now open to the public, users can generate ‘quality art’ using keywords

Although the terms ‘Artificial Intelligence and ‘Machine Learning’ have been around for years now, for most people who do not have a vested interest in these technologies, these are just bizz words. Now though people will have the ability to see for themselves just how powerful these tech tools can be, all thanks to DALL-E, OpenAI’s image generator.

Up until now, access to OpenAI’s image synthesis tool, DALL-E was restricted by an invitation system only. Today, the platform has opened up the tool for everyone. That means anyone can sign up and use it.

DALL-E is a deep learning image synthesis model that has been trained on hundreds of millions of images pulled from the Internet. It uses a technique called latent diffusion to learn associations between words and images. As a result, DALL-E users can type in a text description or a textual prompt, and see it rendered visually as a 1024×1024 pixel image in almost any artistic style that the user chooses.

Apart from generating images from textual cues, DALL-E also includes a feature called “Outpainting” which allows you to upload an image and extend its borders using image synthesis. You can also merge several photos into one by generating a visual bridge between them.

In April this year, OpenAI premiered DALLE-2, which impressed a test audience of 200 researchers with its ability to generate near-photorealistic images and imitate the styles of various artists across epochs and generations. After gradually opening up to more users and placing a pricing model in July, more than 1.5 million users worldwide are now using DALL-E 2 to create more than 2 million images a day, according to OpenAI.

DALL-E is a commercial service, and it comes with some significant limitations. New users get 50 free credits, and you can purchase credits in groups of 115 for $15 apiece. Signing up requires providing a phone number in addition to other information. Images generated with DALL-E are owned by OpenAI, but the company grants users exclusive rights to “reproduce and display” their generations as long as they comply with the content policy.

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Twitter’s edit button is finally here: Platform’s Twitter Blue handle sends out the first edited tweet

After years of users requesting and at times demanding an option to edit their posts, Twitter has finally launched the edit button. Twitter Blue sent out a test tweet, writing, “this is a test to make sure the edit button works, we’ll let you know how it goes.”

Twitter started testing the feature out with select Twitter Blue users across the globe. It had also shown what an edited tweet would look like. The first edited tweet has a pencil icon appearing below it, showing the time stamp when the tweet was last edited. Most importantly, when you click on the “last edited” label, it shows you a version history wherein you can see the original tweet.

hello

this is a test to make sure the edit button works, we’ll let you know how it goes

— Twitter Blue (@TwitterBlue) September 29, 2022

The feature will be rolling out for Twitter’s premium users, under the Twitter Blue programme. Twitter Blue subscribers are those who pay for the microblogging platform’s services. These mainly include businesses, influencers and other hardcore users who rely on Twitter for their businesses and income.

Beautifully done. Now lemme try

— Marques Brownlee (@MKBHD) September 29, 2022

While the development has excited the platform’s users, people hope that this feature trickles down to non-paying users of the platform after some time. There is wild speculation saying that the feature will be provided to users who aren’t a part of Twitter Blue in a few months or years. However, given how slow Twitter is at times with new feature sets, some people fear that the option to edit Tweets, will be limited to Twitter Blue users only.

interesting
looks like it’ll be a paid feature for a while at least but at least they’re implementing it alright https://t.co/AsZp416mO4 pic.twitter.com/Z2zvyZtkGo

— codfish 🧶 (@codfish246) September 30, 2022

Twitter Blue is available in countries like the US, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia for a monthly fee of $4.99 or roughly Rs 400.

The way the edit option works is that users will have 30 minutes to edit a tweet, once they first post it. Within these 30 minutes, the user will have the option to edit the tweet as many times as they want. The edited tweet will give users the option to see the edit history, that is what all changes were made and when. 

The reason why Twitter is putting up a 30-minute window instead of letting users to edit their tweets whenever they feel like, is to ensure that a tweet’s context is not changed regularly.

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IRCTC customers can now check PNR status and live train updates via WhatsApp; here’s how

Passengers on Indian Railways can now view the real-time train schedule information and their PNR status via WhatsApp. Railofy, a Mumbai-based startup, has developed the new feature. IRCTC customers can easily trace their travel on WhatsApp thanks to this feature. They can track train status and other travel-related information using this tool without having to download any extra applications.

Passengers of Indian railways can get the PNR status, live train status, details on previous and upcoming stations, and other train journey information using the WhatsApp chatbot.

Simply entering the 10-digit PNR number into the WhatsApp chatbot will provide all the information. For real-time train status, IRCTC customers can also call the 139-number railway helpdesk.

Here are the steps to check PNR status and live Train updates via Railofy on WhatsApp:

• Save Railofy’s WhatsApp chatbot’s number in your contacts: +91-9881193322.
• Search for Railofy in WhatsApp to launch the chat window.
• In the chat box, enter your 10-digit PNR number.
• You will receive all the information, including notifications and real-time updates regarding the train journey, from the Railofy chatbot.

IRCTC passengers can also place food orders while riding the train. Passengers can purchase meals online and have them delivered right to their seats using the IRCTC app Zoop.

Steps to order food by using the IRCTC Zoop app:

• Save the WhatsApp chatbot’s phone number (+91 7042062070) first. You can also visit [https://ift.tt/2JyAFdZ] as an alternative.
• Open the WhatsApp chatbot for Zoop.
• Key in your 10-digit PNR number.
• Next, pick the station that will soon be available for meal delivery.
• You can choose from a list of options provided by the restaurants using the Zoop chatbot.
• You can track your meal from the chatbot itself after placing your online food order and paying for it.
• Upon arrival at the chosen stop by the train, Zoop will deliver your food.

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Samsung launches ‘The Frame’ range of smart TVs in India starting at Rs 61,990

Samsung India has announced the launch of The Frame smart TVs in India. The latest smart TVs come with customisable bezels, a matte display, art mode, and Samsung’s proprietary QLED technology to offer an immersive entertainment experience.

Samsung says The Frame TV is designed for art connoisseurs and lets users frame it in their own way by offering a variety of customizable, magnetic bezels which users can choose from and even change to their favourite colour to best suit a room’s decor.

The Frame TV has a built-in Art Store that allows users to curate their personal art collection from a growing library of over 1,600 pieces of world-famous art including popular Indian folk art such as Madhubani from Bihar, Gond from Madhya Pradesh and Pattachitra from Odisha and Bengal. 

Furthermore, users can upload and display their family or travel photographs and even customize their own pictures with five different mat layout options and a palette of 16 different colours to make them more realistic. The simpler and more intuitive Home Screen feature of The Frame TV provides an easier and more convenient art experience on the Art Store.

The Frame smart TV comes with a QLED display with a resolution of up to 3,840 x 2,160 pixels, a screen refresh rate of 100Hz and matte display anti-reflection coating. It is powered by Samsung’s Quantum Processor 4K with a Picture Quality Index of 3,500 and HDR10+ Adaptive and HDR10+ gaming certification, and Supreme UHD Dimming and Motion Xcelerator Turbo+ technologies.

For audio, The TVs comes with a 40W 2.0.2 channel speaker with support for Dolby Atmos, Adaptive Sound+ and Dolby Digital Plus MS12 5.1ch. It runs Samsung’s Tizen OS with built-in Google Assistant, and support for Bixby and Alexa.

In addition to this, it has a Motion Sensor that automatically turns on to display users’ select artwork when they are in the room and switches off when they leave the room to save energy. There is a brightness sensor that detects ambient light and automatically adjusts the screen’s brightness and colour tone to retain the artwork’s original look regardless of the lighting in the room.

The Frame also has an EyeComfort Mode. It also has an object-tracking sound feature that tracks sound from all corners of a user’s TV and comes with multi-channel speakers all around the screen to track motion that draws the user in close to the action.

The new edition of The Frame TV 43-inch variant is priced at Rs 61,990, a 50-inch variant costs Rs 73,990, a 55-inch variant is available at Rs 91,990, a 65-inch variant costs Rs 1,27,990, and a 75-inch variant costs Rs 2,99,990 on Samsung site, Amazon, Flipkart and across leading retail stores. Consumers buying The Frame TV will get free bezel worth up to Rs 7,690 with new The Frame TV models, Samsung Galaxy A32 worth Rs 21,490 with 75-inch model and Samsung Galaxy A03 worth Rs 9,499 with the 65-inch model.

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Got potatoes or soap from an e-commerce website instead of your phone? Here’s how to deal with them

As convenient as online shopping can be, especially during the festive sale season, getting cheated is a risk that people, unfortunately, have to assume. Recently, a man ordered a laptop from Flipkart but received several bars of soap in the package.

In another incident, a businessman in Bihar had ordered a drone from the e-commerce platform Meesho, but instead, received some potatoes.

It is natural for us to get a little desolate whenever something like this happens. We also fear that we have been cheated out of a lot of money, which, at the time at least seems impossible to recover. You may also feel like calling up the platform’s customer service helpline and giving them an earful. Realistically, that wouldn’t be helpful. But there are other things that you can do.

Believe it or not, it is actually possible to make your case properly and get your money back, or the actual product that you had paid for. The important thing to note, however, it to let cooler heads prevail, take a deep breath and approach this in a step-by-step manner. 

Before we discuss that, here are a few practices that you should follow when taking delivery of any package that you may receive from an e-commerce platform:

Document everything
First and foremost, start recording a video of the package, as you’re receiving it. Platforms like Flipkart claim that they have processes such as Open Box Delivery, wherein the delivery person will open the box in front of you while delivering it. The reality is, this is a practice that exists only on paper. Rarely will you see a delivery person waiting for you to unbox it in front of them.

Wait before sharing your delivery OTP
Most e-commerce platforms now require the user to share a delivery OTP with the delivery person. The purpose of this OTP is usually to ascertain that the package is being delivered to the right person, and moreover, that the package received was in proper shape, and hadn’t been tampered with. Open the package in front of the delivery person, and ensure that the unboxing or opening of the package is being recorded. Only then provide the delivery OTP.

Now, no matter how hard you try, there will be times when you won’t get the chance to open up and inspect your package in front of the delivery person.

Here’s what you should do if you receive a package from an e-commerce platform like Flipkart, Meesho or even Amazon, which does not contain your prodcut, but some other stuff.

Make an unboxing video and take pictures
First and foremost, make an unboxing video while you’re opening the package. You should especially do this in case you suspect that your package was tampered with, or if you have purchased a high-value item, like a phone, or a laptop etc. In case you haven’t taken a video, do take a ton of pictures, especially of the box and the content that you received. Take photos of any damages that the box might have had.

Gather all the information and evidence that you might need
Gather every tiny bit of information and keep them handy. Starting from the date you placed your order, to the day and time you received your order. It would also be great if you have the name of the delivery person who delivered your package. Also ensure that you have the transaction ID readily available, in case you have already paid for your order.

Approach the customer service centre
Once you have all your videos, photos and other evidence ready, simply call the customer service centre. They might ask you to share a few videos and photos, and a few other information, so share whatever you are asked to, barring your banking details. Also this would be a good time to ask the customer service representative for your complaint number, or the ticket number. This way, you will be able to refer to to this call if things need to be taken forward. Now, if your customer service representative is able to resolve your issue on the spot, then well and good. If they ask you for a couple of day’s time, ask them to put it in writing and to send you an email regarding the same. 

Send the company an email
In case your customer service representative was not able to resolve the issue, or, if they said that they would email you about the issue you raised, but haven’t, send an email to the customer service department, with all your photos, videos and mention the complaint number, or the ticket number that you had received. You should be getting a response within one or two working days, tops.

Flag them on social media, especially on Twitter
In case you don’t get a response even after sending an email, get on social media. We have seen that Twitter works better compared to Instagram or Facebook. First, just tweet out to the company, stating your issue, and sharing the photo and the video and ensure you use the correct hashtags, especially if the e-commerce platform is running a campaign. There’s a good chance that you might get a response, but in case you don’t Tweet out to a few influencers that the e-commerce platform has worked with previously. You can also try reply tweeting on a few posts of the influencer. This increases your chance of getting a response from the e-commerce platform. This is also the chance for your story to get viral on social media, in which case, you will definitely get a response.

File a complaint with your local consumer forum
Now, even after doing all of this and trying everything, if you’re still not getting a satisfactory and reasonable response, don’t be afraid to approach your local consumer forum and register a complaint with the Consumer Courts. People assume that this will be an expensive affair, but more often than not it is not. Moreover, if you have a lot of money hanging in the balance you shouldn’t hesitate to approach your local consumer forum. People think that approaching the consumer forum is a long and tedious process, and most platforms actually rely on customers simply giving up and not approaching consumer forums when things go south.

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Viral video: Bihar man orders drone camera from Meesho, receives potatoes instead

There have been several instances in the past few days of wrong products being delivered to e-commerce consumers. Recently, a student of IIM Ahmedabad ordered a laptop during Flipkart’s Big Billion Days Sales for his father, but received “Ghadi” detergent bars instead. Now, a similar incident has occurred in Bihar in which a man ordered a drone camera from Meesho, but received potatoes.

Yes, you read that right. When his order arrived, the man made an unboxing video of the parcel, as he felt suspicious. He asked the delivery agent to open the package, after which it is revealed that the parcel contains potatoes. In the video, the distressed buyer accuses the company of cheating him.

As per India Today, the buyer is Chetan Kumar, a businessman from Nalanda’s Parwalpur. According to reports, Meesho has said that it has initiated a refund and is further investigating the matter.

The clip has been shared on Twitter. Have a look at this video here:

ऑनलाइन शॉपिंग करना पड़ा महँगा, युवक ने मंगाया ड्रोन, निकला आलू | Unseen India

पूरा वीडियो- https://t.co/KxZ0RsZwUl pic.twitter.com/s81XVfE5Vb

— UnSeen India (@USIndia_) September 26, 2022

A viewer claimed in the comment section that he had also been cheated by Meesho, who sent him a polyester shirt instead of the one he had ordered.

Mesho se koi bhi order karne par product change karke bhej deta hai
Mere saath bhi hua tha…
Kuchh din pahle.
Maine suti Shirt order kiya tha.
Mujhe polister shirt pack karke bhej diya wo bhi bina sila hua.
Mesho sabse ghatiya online platform hai .Sabse ghatiya service deta Hai.

— Sàddàm Shèîkh (@saddam_sheikh_) September 27, 2022

Some questioned the man on how he first grew suspicious.

How did he know that box contains potato and not drone he ordered without opening it??

— Bausaheb! (@shubhank_singh) September 27, 2022

Others shared similar instances of incorrect deliveries by Flipkart and Amazon

I faced similar issue on @amazon. ordered three items Chocolat, Gym equipment, and harddisk. Choco was delivered first and i was told that other products will come seperately too. Gym equipment came then, i thought harddisk will come later. But it was in it , i hav not got it yet

— Ravi Ranjan (@raviranjanksinh) September 27, 2022

Sir mere sath flipkart wala aisa kiya hain or return krne pe id block kr diya hain

— Kirshu Kittu (@kirshu_kittu) September 27, 2022

Many cases of such fraud have been reported before. A man from Mumbai named Ashok Bhambhani recently ordered a OnePlus 10T smartphone for Rs. 54,999 from Amazon, but he ended up receiving an Exo dish-washing bar instead. He had made this purchase during the “Amazon Great Indian Sale”. Similarly, a customer named Arpit Mehrotra ordered an Apple watch but received a Noise watch instead.

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India takes cyber security seriously, leads in usage of multi-factor authentication: Report

With the past two years resulting in a permanently altered working environment across the world, changes in security were both necessary and notable. And, it seems that India and Indian firms are taking cyber security very seriously. 

A new study by the Thales Group, a French multinational company that designs, develops and manufactures systems and equipment for the aerospace, defence, transportation and security sectors has found that while the global MFA or Multi-Factor Authentication in 2022 was recorded at 56 per cent, in India, the adoption rate had gone up to 66 per cent.

“India obtained both the highest percentage increase of MFA adoption and highest overall percentage of MFA usage, up 19 percentage points to 66 per cent this year. India is followed by Singapore with a 17 percentage point increase in adoption to 64 per cent, and UAE with a 10-percentage-point increase, to 65 per cent,” 2022 Thales Access Management Index showed. 

For those who are unaware, MFA or multi-factor authentication is a security technology that requires multiple methods of authentication of credentials for logging into an account or enabling an online transaction. The easiest example to recognise this, would be Google’s 2-factor authentication, which is used whenever a user tries to log in from a new or unknown device, or the one that Facebook uses.

The global MFA usage was highest at 68 per cent in remote workers. It was followed by 52 per cent of the privileged users.

The report further showed that MFA adoption is on the rise for internal and non-IT staff with MFA adoption increasing to 40 per cent in 2022 as compared to 34 per cent in 2021.

Corresponding to a rise in MFA adoption, the number of professionals globally with very high concerns about the security risks of remote work decreased to 31 per cent in 2022 from 39 per cent in 2021.

Also, 84 per cent of IT professionals globally showed confidence in their user access security systems to enable remote work securely and easily. This was 56 per cent in 2021.

The survey further revealed that the pandemic has also impacted plans to deploy cloud-based access management. In 2022, it was selected by 45 per cent of the respondents compared to 41 per cent in 2021.

In 2021, Zero Trust Network Access/Software-Defined Perimeter (ZTNA)/(SDP) was the top choice, selected by 44 per cent of respondents globally. In 2022, ZTNA was the second choice at 42 per cent.

Under ZTNA, all the users, whether in or outside the organization’s network, are required to be authenticated, authorized, and continuously validated for security configuration before being granted or keeping access to applications and data.

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LG wants to replace Metro and other subway train windows with transparent OLED displays

LG Display showcased a rather bizarre new piece of tech that they hope will get adopted all over the world pretty soon. They are showcasing the “Transparent OLED for Subway Trains” at InnoTrans 2022, the world’s largest trade fair for transport technology. LG hopes the new OLED panel replaces traditional windows in Metro trains and subways all over the world.

Evidently, as a part of LG’s pilot programme, two cities in China have already replaced the windows in some routes of the subway.

The Beijing (Line 6) and Shenzhen (Line 10) subway trains have been upgraded to replace some of the windows with 55-inch transparent OLED displays.

The technology uses specialized tempered glass that gives its transparent OLED displays increased strength and durability to withstand vibrations and strong impacts, according to LG Display, allowing it to replace standard train windows. The company suggests some useful applications for the tech, such as displaying maps, news, and weather forecasts on screen while transparent, thereby retaining its use as an actual window.

The main draw, however, will be for advertising, as rail corporations will definitely try to recoup the cost of installing these panels, but also eke out a nice profit.

LG is using the train upgrades as a way of demonstrating how important the company believes transparent displays are set to be. “The application of transparent displays will become more diverse,” said Dr. Chang-ho Oh, Senior Vice President & Head of the TV Business Unit at LG Display. “LG Display aims to supply products to a wide range of industries in line with its vision as the leading display solution provider.”

The two lines in Beijing and Shenzhen are just the start, with LG planning to expand the use of its transparent displays to more subways and will work closely with train glass manufacturers to speed up deployment. LG also sees the technology being used in self-driving cars, airplanes, and smart homes/buildings in future.

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Want to revoke access to your personal data after using 'Sign in with' Apple, Google, Facebook? Details here

All three of the major tech giants—Facebook, Google, and Apple—offer a quick and simple method for registering and logging onto websites. These features let websites and apps access specific data from your Google and Facebook accounts while still being simple and convenient to use.

Your username, email address, legal name, phone number, and friend lists are just a few examples of personal data. Regardless of the platform, there are situations when you might not want to permit access to certain websites and apps. A website you once signed into merely to read an article, or an app you haven’t used in a very long time, are some examples of this scenario. Even if you alter it, they still have access to your data on each service.

Thankfully, you can quickly determine which websites have access to your information and easily withdraw those permissions at any time. Here, we will discuss the methods of revoking such permissions for different platforms.

For Apple:

The Sign in with Apple button is a little bit different from other login options. Thus, you have more control over your data. Apple only lets other people see your name and email, but you can use any pseudonym. Apple likewise asserts that it does not monitor your usage.

Steps to follow:

Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, or Apple Watch, then tap your name.
Go to “Apps using Apple ID” under “Password & security” on the following screen.
You will then be sent to the list of approved applications.
Select “Stop using Apple ID” by selecting the disputed website.

For Google:

Your account settings control the rights for Google authentication.

Steps to follow:

Visit Google’s home page.
To sign in to the account you want to edit, click “Sign In” in the top-right corner.
When you do this, the homepage will display your profile photo in place of the sign-in button.
Choose “Manage your Google Account” by clicking on the profile image.
On the following page, click “Security” in the left sidebar, then scroll down to the “Sign in to other sites” area.
Click “Signing in with Google” under that.
You may get a list of all applications and websites that authenticate with your Google Profile.
The list’s entries can be clicked on to reveal the data that each site has access to.
However, you cannot delete certain permissions. Permissions can only be totally revoked using the “Remove Access” button.
For Facebook:

Click on your profile picture at the top of the left sidebar after logging into your account.
Under “Settings & Privacy,” go to “Settings.”
Scroll down a bit and click on “Apps and Websites.”
Now, you can learn about how your data is shared and which apps and websites can access it in this section.
You can select “Remove” for each item on the list to prevent it from accessing any of your Facebook information going forward.

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Why has the government made registering mobile phones’ IMEI numbers compulsory?

Black marketing, phone thefts and tampering are rampant in India and this has brought the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number into focus. Now mobile phone manufacturers must register the 15-digit number, which is unique to each handset, with the government. Even IMEI numbers of imported phones have to be registered.

What is the IMEI number?

The IMEI number is used to identify a mobile device on the network – every phone has a different number. This can be done when a user makes a phone call or uses the internet on it.

This number reveals where the handset is made and its model number. It also indicates the location of the cell phone.

The number helps in identifying the manufacturer of the phone and finding out if it was ever stolen. A stolen or lost device can be tracked using this number even if the SIM card has been removed. These numbers can also help in blacklisting devices, which will stop them from functioning.

Cell phones with dual SIM cards have two IMEI numbers, one for each SIM.

What do the new rules say?

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has made it mandatory for all mobile manufacturers to register the IMEI number of the devices made in India. Every handset must be registered with the Indian Counterfeited Device Restriction (ICDR) portal starting 1 January 2023.

“The manufacturer shall register the international mobile equipment identity number of every mobile phone manufactured in India with the Indian Counterfeited Device Restriction portal of the Government of India in the Department of Telecommunications prior to the first sale of the mobile phone,” the government notification read. The notification has been issued under the Prevention of Tampering of the Mobile Device Equipment Identification Number (Amendment) Rules, 2022.

Similar rules apply for mobile phones imported to India for sale, testing, or any other purpose. The registration needs to be done before the phone is imported into the country. This applies to all imported phones including Samsung and Apple smartphones.

The ICDR system has been operational since 28 January 2020 and can be accessed through a web portal for registration and generation of IMEI certificates without any charges.

Why does the Centre want a record of IMEI numbers?

The new rules are to curb the rising cases of cloning and theft of mobile phones. India has a Central Equipment Identity Register, which categorises devices based on the IMEI status in three lists – white, grey and black, according to a report in The Indian Express.

The white list comprises mobile phones which are permitted to use while the black one has IMEI numbers of devices which are stolen, lost or barred from allowing access to the network. The grey list has operational numbers that are under supervision.

What happens in case of IMEI tampering?

In 2017, the Union government made tampering with IMEI numbers a punishable office in India which can attract a jail term of up to three years. “It shall be unlawful, if a person, except the manufacturer, intentionally removes, obliterates, changes, or alters unique Mobile Device Equipment Identification Number,” the DoT said in a notification back then.

“The theft and cloning of mobile phones have become a serious problem. The theft of mobile phones is not just a financial loss but also a threat to personal life of the citizens as well as national security. Counterfeit mobile phones in the market are another issue for DoT. A substantial number of counterfeit mobile phones are active in our mobile networks with fake IMEI numbers,” a DoT office memorandum had said then.

Have there been instances of IMEI-related crimes?

In June 2020, the Meerut Police found more than 13,000 Vivo phones with the same IMEI number. There has been a rampant rise in IMEI-related fraud with phones being sold with fake or duplicate numbers.

A phone that does not have an IMEI number is fake. Hence it is important to check this before purchasing a new device.

How to check the IMEI number?

To check the IMEI number, dial *#06# from your phone and it appears on your screen. The box in which your phone arrives also carries the number.

The ‘About Phone’ tab on the Android phone has his information. On the iPhone, you will find it in Settings, under About.

With inputs from agencies

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WhatsApp to roll out new Call Link feature; here’s how to access it

Calls on WhatsApp are a convenient method to communicate with your loved ones, but you can not join a call unless someone adds you. The Meta-owned company has begun to roll out a brand-new calling feature called Call Links. Users can use this function to join any WhatsApp call by just clicking the link (URL).

Users can execute this by creating a link and sending it to their friends, family, and other call participants. The video calling features of WhatsApp Call Links are comparable to those offered by Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet.

The best thing about using Call Links for call invitations is that participants who are not in your contact list can join the call without the admin having to save their phone number. But unlike apps that are more likely to enable video call conferencing, WhatsApp would need to be downloaded in order for you to use Call Links to make the call. The Call Link can be generated from the Calls tab.

Planning a call with long-distance friends? Need to chat live last minute?

Now you can create and send a call link to anyone on WhatsApp, even if they’re not in your contacts 🔗

Add the link to an invite or send in a chat, now planning and joining calls is easier than ever.

— WhatsApp (@WhatsApp) September 26, 2022

The Call Links option is presently being rolled out for some users and may take a few days or a week to finish, according to Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta. Additionally, he disclosed that WhatsApp’s development team is testing safely encrypted video calling for up to 32 individuals and that more information on this will be released soon.

Steps to create Call Links on WhatsApp:

• Update your WhatsApp app by browsing the Apple Store or Google Play Store.
• Go to the “Calls” tab in your WhatsApp application after opening it.
• The “Create Call Link” option will only be available if you have access to this feature.
• By selecting “Create Call Link,” WhatsApp will generate a call link for you to share with other users.
• You should copy the link and put it into the chat window of the desired contacts.

The new Call Links function is not particularly significant, although it may be useful if you want to avoid manually adding callers. You can simply send the link, and others who get it can join the call.

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Reliance JioPhone Next 5G’s specifications and price of leaked, likely to be priced between Rs 8,000-12,000

According to analysts at Counterpoint, Reliance Jio is all set to launch their upcoming 5G smartphone, called the JioPhone Next 5G. The device is likely to be launched in the first week of October after 5G is officially launched at the Indian Mobile Congress. 

Alternatively, Reliance might launch the JioNext 5G smartphone once coverage expands sufficiently, and enough areas in the country start having Jio’s 5G network.

Last year Reliance Jio, in partnership with Google unveiled the JioPhone Next, a super affordable 4G smartphone, which could be had for as little as Rs 2,000 with a monthly plan starting at Rs 300 and a Rs 501 processing fee. Or, they could outright buy the phone for Rs 6,500.

Specification-wise, the JioPhone Next 5G will have an upgraded Snapdragon 480 chipset with 4GB of RAM and 32GB storage. For the display, the device will have a 6.5-inch HD+ LCD panel, and a 5,000mAh battery.

It is also likely to get a dual camera setup at the rear, with a 13MP primary camera, and a 2MP macro camera. On the front, the phone is said to include an 8MP selfie shooter. The Jio 5G phone is said to be running on Pragati OS, a custom operating system that Jio has developed in partnership with Google. The JioPhone Next, the 4G version, also runs on Pragati OS.

Counterpoint claims that the device is likely to be priced between Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,000. The new device, like the previous JioPhone Next, is likely being manufactured in Reliance Jio’s Neolync facilities in southern India by using a mix of components from Chinese, Korean and American suppliers.

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Only in Saudi Arabia: Video of a man flying using a jetpack to deliver food goes viral

Last mile logistics is seeing some pretty nifty innovations and leaps these days, especially in the Gulf and in India. A video of a man flying using a jetpack to deliver what appears to be food has been going viral the last couple days. 

The question is, is the video real, or a cleverly edited one?

Social media users have shared a video clip of a man in jetpack delivering item at a highrise in Saudi Arabia. The video shows a man using an engine or a jetpack to fly and move rom one tower to another to deliver an order.

First flying man delivering food in Saudi Arabia‼️😳 pic.twitter.com/sQuBz0MHQZ

— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) September 26, 2022

The global food delivery industry is growing by 10 per cent annually, and the size of this market is expected to reach $365 billion by 2030.

Coming back to the video, while some people believe the video to be true, it actually is a very cleverly and cheekily composited video of a food delivery business, using a drone to deliver their orders.

While deliverymen using jetpacks to deliver stuff like groceries and food seem farfetched for now, even for some of the richest countries in the world, drone-based deliveries are an ever-growing reality.

Drones being used to deliver goods solves a major chunk of the issues that logistics companies face in last-mile logistics.

As cool as it looks, using deliverymen in jetpacks to deliver menial goods isn’t exactly economical. There’s the cost of the manpower required to setup the jetpack, the fuel, and the wages of the delivery man, not to mention the lengthy regulatory clearances and the required insurances.

بالأيام اللي فاتت سبقناكم للمستقبل وشفنا وش بيكون 🤖
لأن في المملكة ما نقول لأي شيء مستحيل 🇸🇦

ريتويت عشان تشوف كيف سبقناك 🔁
لآيك عشان تشوف ردود فعل الناس 💛#اليوم_الوطني_السعودي_92 pic.twitter.com/DmwGOucssS

— هنقرستيشن | #قبل_الكل (@HungerStation) September 22, 2022

The video and the CGI, are believed to be a part of an upcoming advertising campaign of a local food delivery business.

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Insects & Bionics: Japanese researchers develop cyborg cockroaches for 'search and rescue operations'

When people see a cockroach, in all likelihood, they get creeped out. Rarely would anyone think of turning them into cyborgs and using them in extremely hazardous environments where it would be dangerous for humans to go into.

Well, a group of Japanese engineers have done just that – they have developed a bunch of cyborg cockroaches, which, they claim can be used in search and rescue operations and in extremely dangerous environments, where humans can’t function.

Researchers at the RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research in Japan have designed a remote-controlled, rechargeable cyborg cockroach. What they have done, is strap a specially designed “backpack” onto a few cockroaches, which then, can be controlled using a remote.

Cyborg cockroaches are equipped with a tiny wireless control module powered by a rechargeable battery attached to a solar cell. Despite the mechanical devices, flexible and ultrathin electronics allow cockroaches to move freely.

The cyborg cockroaches, which are part insect and part machine, are intended to enter hazardous areas, monitor the environment or undertake search and rescue missions without needing to be recharged.

The team used Madagascar cockroaches which are approximately 6cm (2.4- inches) long. They attached the wireless leg-control module and lithium polymer battery to the top of the cockroach by using a specially designed backpack. This was modelled after creating a 3D body model of a cockroach, which researchers to create a stable and thin module.

During the experiment, scientists attached wires to the sensory organs of cockroaches on the end of their abdomens. They send electrical impulses that cause the insect to move left or right. A unit of the battery was necessary for sending and receiving these electrical signals. Therefore the RIKEN team built a solar-powered module so that they did not need to return to a docking station or its handler when it ran out of power.

The solar-powered module was attached to the top of the insect’s thorax, perfectly fitting the Madagascar cockroach’s curved surface. Further, the system was stable on the insect for over a month.

The idea behind the experiment was that cyborg cockroaches enter the crumpled buildings hit by earthquakes or any other natural disaster and help in finding survivors.

Despite being developed specifically on cockroaches, Kenjiro Fukuda, a senior research scientist at RIKEN and the lead of the research team, thinks their strategy can be adapted to other insects like beetles and cicadas in the future.

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Intel launches 13th Gen Intel Core Raptor Lake Processors, claims i9-13900K CPU to be the fastest in the world

Intel has launched the highly anticipated 13th Gen Intel Core processors, at the 2022 Intel Innovation Keynote. The 13th Gen Processors is led by the i9-13900K, which, Intel claims is the world’s fastest desktop processor. 

The new 13th Gen Intel Core family also includes six new unlocked desktop processors with up to 24 cores and 32 threads and blazing clock speeds up to 5.8 GHz, which would be amazing for all sorts of consumer and enthusiast-grade use cases, especially gaming and streaming.

The Intel Core “K” processors will continue to be the flagship processors in the 13th Gen Intel processors. The 13th Gen family of processors constitute a total of 22 different processors, across different budgets.

Enthusiasts can take advantage of 13th Gen Intel Core processors’ performance improvements with existing Intel 600 or the new Intel 700 series chipset motherboards. Combined with both the latest DDR5 memory support and continued DDR4 memory support, users can enjoy the benefits of 13th Gen Intel Core while customizing their setup based on their own feature and budget preferences.

With this generation, Intel’s performance hybrid architecture brings together the fastest Performance or P-cores, ever built along with up to double the number of Efficiency or E-cores, delivering improved single-threaded and multi-threaded performance.

The 13th Gen Intel processors come with up to 24 cores (8 P-cores, 16 E-cores) and 32 threads and provide an unparalleled experience for gaming, streaming and recording. The top tier i9-13900K CPU runs at 5.8 GHz at stock and offers 15 per cent better single-thread performance, it can push high frame rates and allow for unleashed gaming experiences across top titles.

The 13th Gen Intel Core desktop processor lineup adds more E-cores and up to 41% better multi-threaded performance to handle multiple, compute-intensive workloads to keep people in the creative flow.

The 13th Gen Intel Core processors also offer an unmatched overclocking experience for everyone, from experts to beginners. Users can see higher average overclocking speeds across P-cores, E-cores and DDR5 memory. 

Intel has also updated its easy one-click overclocking feature, Intel Speed Optimizer, to support 13th Gen processors so users can overclock with minimal effort. And the robust Intel Extreme Memory Profile (XMP) 3.0 ecosystem provides a wide selection of overclocking modules. When coupled with Intel Dynamic Memory Boost, this feature provides a hassle-free memory overclocking experience with both DDR4 and DDR5.

Intel has also launched the new Intel 700 Series chipset with advanced features for increased reliability and performance. Eight additional PCIe Gen 4.0 lanes combined with PCIe Gen 3.0 provide 28 total lanes off the chipset, increased USB 3.2 Gen 2×2 (20Gbps) ports provide improved USB connectivity speed, and DMI Gen 4.0 increases the chipset-to-CPU throughput for fast access to peripheral devices and networking. 

Additionally, Intel is bringing forward and backward compatibility, meaning users can take advantage of the 13th Gen Intel Core processor’s performance improvements with existing Intel 600 chipset-based motherboards.

The 13th Gen Intel Core desktop “K” processors and the Intel Z790 chipset will be available starting October 20, including boxed processors, motherboards and desktop system sales. Other processors in the lineup will be launched in a phased manner starting at a later date.

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Forgot Android pin, pattern, or password? Here's how to unlock your phone with quick easy steps

With advancements in technology, using Android phones has become easier today. Several features and updates are being provided by mobile phone companies, keeping in view the users’ interests and requirements. As a part of these features and updates in mobile phones, another important factor considered by companies is keeping user information secure.

Every android mobile phone or tablet presently provides at least a basic level of security which helps the users to keep their devices safe from unwanted breach of data or interference by others, in case the phone is lost.

For safety reasons, users usually secure their devices by putting up a pin, a pattern, or a full password which gives them the choice to allow selective access to their mobile phones. However, this technology comes with its own set of drawbacks. In case of a security pin, pattern, or password, users need to remember them every time they access their phones. In case someone forgets the details, it can land you in trouble.

Thereafter, if you are also someone who can potentially forget the required credentials to access your mobile or are facing the same issue, there is no need to panic as there is always a way to bypass technology and further crack it.

Here are a few tips for unlocking an Android phone:
Use your Google account to reset your password/pin/pattern

Every Android user has to login into their devices with their Google account credentials. This comes as a benefit at such difficult times when you forget your pin, password, or pattern.

After you enter a wrong password or pin multiple times on the phone, there is an option to try after some time, besides the ‘Forgot Pattern/Password’ option.

Click on the second one and you will be asked to login into your registered Google account. Enter proper credentials and login.

Following this, the phone should unlock itself and you can now be able to set a new password or pattern.

However, this option might not be available for all phones. Usually, older models support the process.

Smart Lock feature

For situations like this, Android’s Smart Lock feature can come to your rescue. This feature usually logs into your Android phone with the help of your home Wi-Fi. Therefore, next time, you forget your unlocking code, take your phone near the home network and it will automatically unlock it for you.

Find My Mobile

For people using Samsung smartphones, relying on its ‘Find My Mobile’ feature can help in case one forgets the unlock code. For this, one needs to log into their Samsung account beforehand. Later, when the situation calls, you can simply go to the Samsung Find My Mobile website on a computer or laptop, enter your Samsung account details and use the ‘Unlock my screen’ option to remove the password, pin, or pattern.

Factory reset

In case nothing works, all you can do is reset your entire device using this option. While it will erase all of your data and information at once, the phone will reopen on its own and will be back to a usable state.

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Forgot Android pin, pattern, or password? Here's how to unlock your phone with quick easy steps

With advancements in technology, using Android phones has become easier today. Several features and updates are being provided by mobile phone companies, keeping in view the users’ interests and requirements. As a part of these features and updates in mobile phones, another important factor considered by companies is keeping user information secure. Every android mobile phone or tablet presently provides at least a basic level of security which helps the users to keep their devices safe from unwanted breach of data or interference by others, in case the phone is lost.

For safety reasons, users usually secure their devices by putting up a pin, a pattern, or a full password which gives them the choice to allow selective access to their mobile phones. However, this technology comes with its own set of drawbacks. In case of a security pin, pattern, or password, users need to remember them every time they access their phones. In case someone forgets the details, it can land you in trouble.

Thereafter, if you are also someone who can potentially forget the required credentials to access your mobile or are facing the same issue, there is no need to panic as there is always a way to bypass technology and further crack it.

Here are a few tips for unlocking an Android phone:
Use your Google account to reset your password/pin/pattern

Every Android user has to login into their devices with their Google account credentials. This comes as a benefit at such difficult times when you forget your pin, password, or pattern.

After you enter a wrong password or pin multiple times on the phone, there is an option to try after some time, besides the ‘Forgot Pattern/Password’ option.

Click on the second one and you will be asked to login into your registered Google account. Enter proper credentials and login.

Following this, the phone should unlock itself and you can now be able to set a new password or pattern.

However, this option might not be available for all phones. Usually, older models support the process.

Smart Lock feature

For situations like this, Android’s Smart Lock feature can come to your rescue. This feature usually logs into your Android phone with the help of your home Wi-Fi. Therefore, next time, you forget your unlocking code, take your phone near the home network and it will automatically unlock it for you.

Find My Mobile

For people using Samsung smartphones, relying on its ‘Find My Mobile’ feature can help in case one forgets the unlock code. For this, one needs to log into their Samsung account beforehand. Later, when the situation calls, you can simply go to the Samsung Find My Mobile website on a computer or laptop, enter your Samsung account details and use the ‘Unlock my screen’ option to remove the password, pin, or pattern.

Factory reset

In case nothing works, all you can do is reset your entire device using this option. While it will erase all of your data and information at once, the phone will reopen on its own and will be back to a usable state.

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Russia to carry out massive cyberattacks on critical infrastructure in Ukraine and ally countries: Advisory

The government of Ukraine has issued an advisory stating that Putin’s Moscow plans to carry out a series of massive cyberattacks that would cripple some critical infrastructure, both in Ukraine and its allies. 

“By the cyberattacks, the enemy will try to increase the effect of missile strikes on electricity supply facilities, primarily in the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine,” an advisory warned. “The occupying command is convinced that this will slow down the offensive operations of the Ukrainian Defence Forces,” the advisory stated.

The advisory cited two cyberattacks the Russian government carried out allegedly. The first one took place in 2015 and the secondly, almost exactly one year later. These attacks overloaded and tripped the Ukranian power grid, leaving Ukrainians without power during one of the coldest months of the year. The advisory claims that these attacks were seen as a proof-of-concept and test ground of sorts for disrupting Ukraine’s power supply.

Both of these hacks were carried out by Kremlin-backed hackers. The attackers used a repurposed version of malware called BlackEnergy3 to break into the corporate networks of Ukrainian power companies and then further encroach into the supervisory control and data acquisition systems the companies used to generate and transmit electricity.

In 2016, the attacks were more sophisticated, as it used a completely new piece of Malware, developed from scratch. The malware, which was given the names Industroyer and Crash Override, was specifically designed for hacking electric grid systems. 

Ukraine’s advisory comes two weeks after their forces recaptured vast territories in Kharkiv and other cities that had been under Russian control for months. Russian President Vladimir Putin last week called for the mobilization of 3,00,000 Russian citizens to bolster the country’s military invasion of Ukraine.

Most European countries depend on Russia for oil and other forms of energy. With winter approaching and Russia seemingly on the back foot, Ukrainian officials believe that Russian hackers backed by the state will be increasing the number of attacks on power grids and internet-based communication services, by increasing the number of DDoS or distributed denial-of-service attacks.

Besides an attack on electrical grids, Ukraine’s advisory also warned of other forms of disruptions the country expected Russia to ramp up.

“The Kremlin also intends to increase the intensity of DDoS attacks on the critical infrastructure of Ukraine’s closest allies, primarily Poland and the Baltic states,” the advisory stated.

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