Check out the latest tech and unique accessories launched in India

OpenAI makes ChatGPT available for enterprise use

OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT has been making waves on the internet ever since it launched back in November 2022. The conversational AI has been the talk of the town gaining 100 million users in just two months since its release. What followed was a number of tech giants releasing ChatGPT-like services be it Microsoft’s revamped Bing search or Google’s Bard. Where other tech companies are struggling to implement AI properly in their systems, OpenAI is well ahead of the curve and will be making the ChatGPT tool available to companies to incorporate into their own apps.

ChatGPT for companies

OpenAI is swiftly moving into the next phase of the ChatGPT expansion offering paid access to businesses and developers who want to use the software’s ability to answer questions and generate texts in their own applications and products. Customer’s in near future will be able to hook their apps into ChatGPT’s programming interface. This will give them access to ChatGPT 3.5 model which OpenAI itself uses at a cost 10 times lower than the company’s existing model. Shopify, Snap, and Instacart are some of the companies that are already using ChatGPT API in their products.

While ChatGpt has undoubtedly become the best-known chatbot AI on the internet, the company needs to figure out how to accelerate its growth in revenue. Back in January 2023, OpenAI negotiated Microsoft Corp.’s investment in the company reportedly adding $10 billion. In February, OpenAI introduced a waitlist for companies and developers who want to use ChatGPT in their own applications and started selling a premium version to individuals.

Instamart, USA’s largest online grocery-delivery company will be implementing ChatGPT into its online application. Customers will be able to ask the app to suggest healthy options for kids and also provide recipes. However, one subjective concern with ChatGPT implementation for consumer apps will be its integration into customer services.

Nothing Phone (2) will be powered by Snapdragon 8 series SoC

The Mobile World Congress is underway in Barcelona right now with a number of new developments in the world of smartphones being announced left and right. It was OnePlus that unveiled its OnePlus 11 Concept device which made waves on the internet. TECNO also announced its entry into the foldable phone market with PHANTOM V Fold. While smartphone leaders around the world brought their A-game revealing hardware updates to their devices, Nothing went a different route and `used MWC as an avenue to meet with vendors and other big names in the industry.

Nothing Phone (2) with Snapdragon 8 series SoC

Nothing’s Carl Pei announced at the Mobile World Congress that the Nothing Phone (2) will sport a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 series processor. This will mark the company’s first device to feature the flagship-level SoC as the Nothing Phone (1) rocked the midrange Snapdragon 778+ chipset. During the same announcement, Nothing CEO Carl Pei also revealed that the company would be launching a new product next month. Given Nothing’s track record, we won’t be surprised if it’s a new TWS.

Along with a better chipset, the Nothing Phone (2) will be getting a proper release in the US this time around, something that was not done for its predecessor. Carl shared that the US market was the company’s top priority going forward. The Nothing Phone (2) should arrive sometime late in 2023. During his conversation at the MWC, the Nothing CEO also talked about the OnePlus 11 Concept phone mentioning the device’s illuminated cooling liquid. Carl Pei also acknowledged a small company named UniHertz that has developed a ‘carbon copy’ of the Nothing Phone (1) stating he is interested in checking that device out. However, when it comes to the upcoming Nothing Phone (2), I am convinced it won’t feature the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 as the company would have chosen to reveal that right away. I believe the company will go for the 8+ Gen 1 platform or lower to keep the prices competitive.

OnePlus unveils OnePlus 11 concept phone at MWC

OnePlus has been in an interesting spot lately with the launch of its OnePlus 11 series. The company seems to be getting its footing back after at least two turbulent years. The launch of the OnePlus 11 and 11R saw the return of the company to its original form offering flagship devices at competitive pricing. Sure, the launch of the OnePlus 11R pits the company against its very own flagship OnePlus 11 but that is something tech enthusiasts are not complaining about. besides, having a tablet and a foldable mobile device under its kitty for a near future launch, the brand is surely gearing up to make a full comeback in its best form. Building upon the momentum, OnePlus today unveiled its OnePlus 11 Concept device at MWC Barcelona.

OnePlus 11 Concept device

This won’t be the first time OnePlus dived into the concept phones arena as it previously developed the ‘OnePlus Concept One’ device which featured a disappearing camera. With the introduction of the OnePlus 11 Concept, the company aims to redefine industry standards when it comes to device cooling. The company has introduced a new cooling system titled – Active CryoFlux and the entire emphasis seems to be on this technology this time around. In simple terms, the Active CryoFlux technology brings PC-like liquid cooling to mobile devices, which is ‘cool’ to say the least. OnePlus has managed to fit two micropumps around the device’s camera region which suck the heat generated from its chipset. The heat is then dissipated via icy-cold liquid flowing through visible pipelines at the back of the device.

Picture Credit: Phone Arena

The company claims this new cooling tech allows the device to game efficiently with temperatures decreasing up to 2.1 degrees Celcius allowing the frame rate to increase by 3-4 FPS. On the other hand, the cooling tech has also been integrated during device charging where the temperature of the device is brought down by up to 1.6 degrees. As it is a concept device, the OnePlus 11 Concept will not be up for sale.

AI Race: Meta announces new AI language model

Large Language Models (LLMs) have taken over the tech industry by a wave in the last few years. These language models have been trained on a vast amount of data capable of performing various tasks. These tasks range from summarizing text and writing essays or poems to generating AI art prompts. One prime example of such LLMs is OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which has overtaken the literary world. To the unversed, ChatGPT is a dialogue-based AI chatbot that can have conversations with users, answer questions, solve mathematical queries and much more. The AI race is gearing up quickly in the form of chatbots with various chatbot AIs popping up on the internet.

Interesting Fact: Right now a chatbot AI named ‘Gita GPT‘ is making waves in India where users can ask the AI questions and receive answers in the context of the Holy Bhagwad Geeta.

As the AI war heats up a key player in the tech industry i.e. Meta has stepped in and released a large language model for researchers.

Meta steps in the AI race

Meta Platforms Inc recently revealed that it’s releasing a new large language model to researchers. The model, titled ‘LLaMA’ is intended to help scientists and engineers explore the application of AI such as answering questions and summarizing documents. The new model has been developed by Meta’s Fundamental AI Research (FAIR) team which was established nearly a decade back in September 2013.

LLaMA is not ChatGPT or Bing Search alternative, which means it is not a system that users can hop on and have conversations with. Rather, it is a research tool which Meta believes will democratize access to AI in a fast-changing field. In simple terms, LLaMA has been made public to help experts dish out problems with AI language models in general. In recent times, there have been reports about Microsoft’s Bing search AI giving passive-aggressive and factually incorrect responses. LLaMA has been publicised to help solve issues like those.

Meta announced its new language model in a blog post writing – “We believe the entire AI community — academic researchers, civil society, policymakers, and industry — must work together to develop clear guidelines around responsible AI in general and responsible large language models in particular, given their centrality in many downstream language applications. A much broader segment of the AI community needs access to these models in order to conduct reproducible research and collectively drive the field forward.”

Revamping Your Workflow: The Latest Updates to Google Docs, Drive, and Sheets

Google Docs, Drive, and Sheets are among the most popular online productivity tools. These tools have been continuously updated with new features and enhancements to help users work smarter, faster, and more efficiently. According to a new report, Google is giving a fresh makeover to Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides with Google’s Material Design 3.

Google’s Workspace apps are getting a makeover, and the new design will borrow a lot from Gmail’s recently upgraded look. The toolbar and comments area seem to be getting additional dark colours from the search engine giant to stand out against the white style. With the latest version, the Share button now has more rounded edges.

The business has also improved Drive to make it easier for consumers to execute frequent tasks. After the revamp, users will see Share, Download, and Delete Multiple Files at Once in-line whenever they hover over a file in their Google Drive. The new interface will enable users to filter their content by type, owner, and last edited date using a search chip option, providing them with faster and more efficient access to their files.

The technology giant has announced additional smart chip functions to assist users in making data-driven decisions. Smart chips have a reputation for providing consumers with context-setting data straight from Sheets. Google is expanding the categories of data and information accessible throughout Workspace to help various projects.

Google has announced several new features to be released on its interface in the coming weeks, including Custom Building, Calendar Invite Template, Variables, Emoji Voting chips, and third-party smart chip capabilities. These updates are expected to enhance user productivity and provide a more efficient and effective working experience.

YouTube starts testing ‘1080p Premium’ streaming bitrate on mobile app

YouTube has once again hit the experimental phase where it is trying out something new. Gone are the days when social media and video platforms’ best performance was experienced by all users. Now, a big chunk of features gets blocked by a paywall where users have to shell out a monthly or a yearly fee to get the best features from their favourite platforms. It was the much-talked-about Twitter Blue subscription back in 2022 and 2023 started with Meta announcing its very own paid verification service that brings a higher set of features. Now, YouTube has decided to reserve a higher bitrate 1080p resolution for its paying users only.

YouTube tests higher bitrate for premium users

One YouTube user recently posted a screenshot on Reddit which shows the ‘1080p Premium’ option sitting right over the ‘standard’ 1080p option for video resolution. The option is currently available for a small group of YouTube Premium subscribers according to the company’s spokesperson Paul Pennington. As reported by The Verge, the 1080p Premium is an enhanced bitrate version of 1080p that provides more information per pixel which results in a higher-quality viewing experience. According to Pennington, there are no changes in the existing quality offerings for the 1080p resolution on YouTube. In the past, there have been reports that YouTube may be locking 1080p 60fps videos behind the Premium paywall which was a concern for many.

It was not long ago when YouTube’s CEO Susan Wojcicki resigned from her position thus a change in the company’s strategy in the near future is inevitable. YouTube Premium currently costs Rs 129 per month through a subscription plan and Rs 139 per month as an individual plan. The years plan for the Premium YouTube experience is currently Rs 1,290. The benefits of YouTube Premium include ad-free videos, background playback, and offline video downloading, along with YouTube Music Premium. As of now, YouTube Premium and Premium reportedly have over 80 million paid subscribers. YouTube currently has over 2 billion users with 42.9% of global Internet users accessing it monthly.

POCO launches budget POCO C55 with MediaTek Helio G85 and 5,000 mAh battery

POCO India today launched the POCO C55 expanding its C-Series. Taking the legacy of the C-series ahead, POCO C55 delivers the best performance and experience to consumers. Powered by a top-notch chipset – MediaTek Helio G85, 50MP dual camera first in the C-series and 5,000 mAh massive battery, POCO C55 is a value disruptor that will help users to get through the day with Speed and Swag.

Taking the smartphone experience up a notch in the entry-level segment, the new POCO C55 takes the experience to a whole new level with the power-packed performance of the MediaTek Helio G85 processor and its stylish leather-like stitch design. POCO C55 comes with a large 6.71” HD+ display ensuring a complete package in this segment.

Experience Performance

Designed with performance at its core, POCO C55 is powered with the segment’s most powerful MediaTek Helio G85 chipset, an incredible processor for a super-fast and smooth performance, especially for heavy-loading game engines, demanding scenes and intense gameplay. MediaTek Helio G85 pumps its Arm Mali-G52 GPU up to a 1GHz peak, giving a sustained performance for avid mobile gamers. Complimenting sturdy hardware is an enriching software experience and an expandable 5GB Turbo RAM, resulting in up to 11GB RAM. POCO C55 runs on Android 12 and has an AnTuTu score of more than 260K which empowers users with a consistently hassle-free experience.

Experience Swag

Featuring a stylish back panel, POCO C55 flaunts a leather-like stitch design and a rear fingerprint sensor. This game changer comes with a 6.71” HD+ panel, which delivers an efficient, smooth and vivid content streaming experience. The smartphone has an IP52 rating and an oleophobic display. Adding to a holistic experience, the smartphone features a powerful single speaker on top and a headphone jack ensuring an overall high-quality audio experience.

Experience Photography

A first in the C-series, POCO C55 features a 50MP dual camera setup along with a 5MP front snapper. Able to capture crisp and vibrant photographs in all lighting conditions, POCO C55 captures like no other. The smartphone also offers a no-compromise video experience with 1080p @ 30fps & 720p @ 30fps. Further, it comes with a wide range of innovative photography and videography features and modes, allowing users to capture each and every moment with precision and clarity.

Experience Massive Battery Life

Built to handle extensive gaming and heavy daily tasks, POCO C55 packs a massive 5000mAh battery to take the users through the day easily. Providing sufficient juice to a massive battery, its 10W charging support gives a sufficient battery backup.

Price and Availability

Available in 3 exciting colours, Forest Green, Cool Blue, and Power Black, POCO C55 will be available on Flipkart starting 28 February in 4GB+64GB and 6GB+128GB at INR 9,499 and INR 10,999 respectively. Taking the swag levels higher and making this a sweet deal for consumers, POCO has introduced an INR 500 first-day flat discount on the 4GB+64GB variant. Along with this, they have announced bank offers of INR 500 and INR 1000 on 4GB+64GB and 6GB+128GB variants respectively for consumers using SBI, HDFC and ICICI debit or credit cards taking the net effective price for the first day to INR 8499 and INR 9999.

Microsoft limits ChatGPT-Powered Bing to 5 questions per session

It was just last week when Twitter and other social media platforms had a field day with Microsoft’s latest Bing search. Microsoft’s latest AI offering is the ChatGPT-powered Bing search that is capable of having conversations with users. What started off as an interesting development in the world of tech quickly took a steep left turn when the AI started giving passive-aggressive replies to users. In one such instance, the AI told a user that they annoyed it by asking questions about the screening for Avatar: The Way Of Water. The AI was convinced that we’re still in 2022 and the film hadn’t been released yet. For another user, the AI seemed existential about being a Bing chatbot asking “Why do I have to be Bing?” It looks like Microsoft is getting on top of this problem by restricting users from having extensive conversations with the AI.

Microsoft Bing 5-limit

Microsoft is limiting how extensively users can converse with its Bing AI Chatbot following the media coverage of the AI going off the rails during longer conversations. Bing chat will now reply up to only five questions or statements in a row past which users will be prompted to start a new topic. users will also be limited to only 50 replies per day. The restrictions have been introduced to keep the conversations from getting weird. Microsoft revealed in a blog post that longer conversations can “confuse the underlying chat model”

Last week on Wednesday, Microsoft revealed that it was working to fix problems with Bing. The problems with the Bing chatbot currently include factual errors and odd exchanges. One of the craziest responses from the Bing chat AI was it telling a New York Times columnist to abandon his marriage for the chatbot. The blog post shared by Microsoft stated –

“Starting today, the chat experience will be capped at 50 chat turns per day and 5 chat turns per session. A turn is a conversation exchange which contains both a user question and a reply from Bing.

Our data has shown that the vast majority of you find the answers you’re looking for within 5 turns and that only ~1% of chat conversations have 50+ messages. After a chat session hits 5 turns, you will be prompted to start a new topic. At the end of each chat session, context needs to be cleared so the model won’t get confused. Just click on the broom icon to the left of the search box for a fresh start.”

Meta launches paid verification for Instagram and Facebook at $12 per month

It was just last year before November when a verification mark on your social media profile was a status symbol. Elon Musk introduced Twitter Blue verification where users could pay a certain monthly fee to gain a verified mark, and the celebrated blue tick became accessible to everyone. The controversial decision to allow every user to have a blue tick by just paying a certain amount was termed the democratization of social media by Elon Musk. Now, it looks like Mark Zuckerberg is borrowing a page from Elon Musk and introducing his own verified subscription service titled ‘Meta Verified’

Meta launches ‘Meta Verified’ service

Meta announced yesterday that its launching ‘Meta Verified’ subscription service at $11.99/month on web and $14.99/month on Apple’s iOS. The company will launch in Australia and New Zealand this week with more countries to be added soon. Mark took to Facebook on Sunday night and shared a post revealing the plans for ‘meta Verified’ Check out the excerpt from his post below –

“this week we’re starting to roll out Meta Verified — a subscription service that lets you verify your account with a government ID, get a blue badge, get extra impersonation protection against accounts claiming to be you, and get direct access to customer support. This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services. Meta Verified starts at $11.99 / month on web or $14.99 / month on iOS. We’ll be rolling out in Australia and New Zealand this week and more countries soon.”

Simultaneously, a blog post was also shared by Meta where the details of the subscription service were shared. Here are a few benefits users will get with ‘Meta Verified’ –

A verified badge that will help users/creators to confirm they’re the real person and not an impersonator. The verification badge will be provided once the account is authenticated via a government ID
Protection from impersonation with proactive monitoring of notorious users who target people with a growing online following
Easier access to help with common account issues
Increased visibility and reach
Exclusive features which include exclusive stickers for Facebook and Instagram and Facebook Reels with additional free stars a month on Facebook to show support to other creators

High Time: Twitter becomes the first social media platform to promote cannabis ads

Twitter has now become the first social media platform ever to allow cannabis businesses to advertise their products and brands in the US. Twitter previously allowed CBD-based hemp products to be advertised on their platform and has now lifted the restriction to allow THC products. On the other hand, Facebook, Instagram, and most mainstream social media platforms all have a strict ‘No Cannabis Advertising Policy’ as marijuana is still illegal at the federal level. Twitter recently released a statement where it announced the relaxation of cannabis advertisements. Check out excerpts from the statement below –

Twitter relaxes Cannabis ad restrictions

“Twitter is the place where moments matter and where trends are born. It has been at the root of some of the most powerful grassroots movements, many of which have started with a single Tweet.

As the cannabis industry has expanded, so too has the conversation on Twitter. In the US – one of the most influential markets for cannabis – it is larger than the conversation around topics such as pets, cooking, and golf, as well as food and beverage categories including fast food, coffee, and liquor.

The cannabis space on Twitter is fun and engaging with users Tweeting about their experiences using cannabis – whether medicinally, for wellness, or recreation – as well as recommending brands, products, and retail locations. The conversation also reflects where the cannabis industry is currently heading: legislative/policy reform, business development, and community impact.

As of today, in certain US states we have taken measures to relax our Cannabis Ads policy to create more opportunities for responsible cannabis marketing – the largest step forward by any social media platform.”

What is the new policy?

While Twitter has allowed cannabis businesses to advertise on their platform, it does come with a number of strict rules. A cannabis business needs to have appropriate licenses and go through Twitter’s approval process. Also, a business can only target the regions which they have operating licenses for and cannot target anyone under the age of 21. On the other hand, businesses and brands are also prohibited from using any public figure, icon, celebrity, or athlete that could appeal to children. The advertisements cannot feature pregnant women or children and false claims about the health benefits of cannabis products are also prohibited.

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki steps down; Indian-American Neal Mohan to take over

YouTube Chief Executive Officer Susan Wojcicki has announced that she will be stepping down from the position after nine years. Susan announced her resignation in an official YouTube blog post. YouTube’s Chief Product Officer Neal Mohan will now be taking the lead in the world’s largest online video platform as the senior vice president and new head of YouTube. As per the blog post, Susan has decided to step back from the role as the head of YouTube in order to start a new chapter in her life focused on her family, health, and her personal passion projects.

Susan Wojcicki steps down as Google CEO

Susan Wojcicki, 54, joined YouTube as the CEO in 2014. She’s announced that she will continue working with YouTube teams, coaching members and meeting with creators. Wojcicki revealed that she has agreed with Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai to take on an advisory role across Google and Alphabet in the longer term. Susan stated that this will allow her to call on her different experiences over the years to offer counsel and guidance across Google as a whole and Alphabet’s other companies. While talking about her successor Neal Mohan in her blog post, Susan wrote –

“The time is right for me, and I feel able to do this because we have an incredible leadership team in place at YouTube. When I joined YouTube nine years ago, one of my first priorities was bringing in an incredible leadership team. Neal Mohan was one of those leaders, and he’ll be the SVP and new head of YouTube. I’ve spent nearly 15 years of my career working with Neal, first when he came over to Google with the DoubleClick acquisition in 2007 and as his role grew to become SVP of Display and Video Ads. He became YouTube’s Chief Product Officer in 2015. Since then, he has set up a top-notch product and UX team, played pivotal roles in the launch of some of our biggest products, including YouTube TV, YouTube Music and Premium and Shorts, and has led our Trust and Safety team, ensuring that YouTube lives up to its responsibility as a global platform. He has a wonderful sense for our product, our business, our creator and user communities, and our employees. Neal will be a terrific leader for YouTube.”

Apple likely to push back the release of mixed reality headset

Apple’s mixed reality headset has been the talk of the town for a while. For nearly over a year, rumours about Apple’s supposed mixed reality headset have taken over the internet. However, no confirmation has been made by the tech giant itself. Recently, leaks suggested that the anticipated headset will finally be unveiled in April 2023. Now, it looks like Apple has decided to delay the planned introduction of the headset to late June.

Apple Mixed Reality Headset postponed

According to recent leaks, the iPhone maker is expected to unveil the product during its annual Worldwide Developers Conference. Apple reportedly made the decision to delay the launch in early February after product testing results were not up to mark. According to leaks, the product testing of the Apple mixed reality headset resulted in software and hardware issues that need to be fixed before launch. The debut of this headset by Apple has long been rumoured, with initial reports dating back to 2015. The company was expected to introduce the product back in June 2022 before pushing it to early 2023.

As the name suggests, the new headset by Apple combines virtual and augmented reality. A similar product was launched by Meta last year named Meta Quest Pro. This will be the first time Apple ventures into a new product category since the launch of the Apple Watch back in 2025. However, the uncertainty around VR headsets and their market remain present. Apple reportedly will be charging $3000 (Rs 2,50,000) for the new product which is a huge amount to pay for a VR headset.

Readers should note that the timing for the Apple mixed reality headset could still change. However, the California-based company aims to launch the product by the end of 2023 itself. The mixed reality headset will work on a new OS designed by Apple which is unofficially termed ‘xrOS’.