Tag Archives: Apps

Telegram’s new update brings infinite reactions, emoji statuses

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Sep 18 (IANS) Encrypted messaging app Telegram has announced that it is rolling out a new update that gives users more ways to use new emojis to express how they are feeling — with infinite reactions and emoji statuses.

The company said that premium users can pick reactions from an infinite selection of custom emojis. To make choosing from thousands of emojis easier, they can now attach up to three reactions per message.

“All users now have access to dozens of reactions – including those that were previously only available with Telegram Premium,” the company said in a blogpost.

“To accommodate all the new emojis, we have redesigned the reaction panel, making it expandable. The reactions you use frequently will show up at the top,” it added.

Telegram

Telegram/Ians

These changes to reactions are currently available in groups and 1-on-1 chats.

With the new update, group admins can control whether custom reactions may be used in their groups.

Now, the premium users can add an animated emoji status displayed next to their name — to quickly let everyone know how they are feeling or what they are doing.

“This custom status takes the place of your Premium Premium Badge in the chat list, in your profile and in groups,” the company said.

Users can set one of seven standard statuses that change their colour to match different Telegram themes — or choose from an infinite number of custom emoji. Popular suggestions for working, sleeping, traveling and more will be shown at the top.

“Tap the premium badge at the top of your chat list or go to settings to change your status. Press and hold an emoji to set a status for a specific duration,” as per Telegram.

“Anyone can use Telegram’s open emoji platform to upload custom packs with unique art styles and characters for Telegram Premium users,” it added.

Users, who log out and log back in frequently, can now receive login codes through their email address or using Sign in with Apple or Sign in with Google.

Apple launches new 9.7″ iPad, available in India from April @ Rs.28K

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Apple has finally updated its iPad with support for Apple Pencil plus, besides giving it a facelift on performance, priced at $329 onwards. The new 9.7-inch iPad and Apple Pencil provides users to be more creative and productive, from sketching ideas to jotting down handwritten notes to marking up screenshots, said the company.

The new iPad features a large Retina display, the A10 Fusion chip and advanced sensors to deliver immersive augmented reality, and provides unmatched portability, ease of use and all-day battery life, claims the company. “iPad is our vision for the future of computing and hundreds of millions of people around the world use it every day at work, in school and for play,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s vice president of Product Marketing.

The new addition, Apple Pencil, helps users with more creative tools. The new iPad has the A10 Fusion chip, combined with a big Retina display, advanced cameras and sensors that provide AR experience.

The 9.7-inch Retina display features a higher-resolution touch sensor that enables Apple Pencil support. First introduced for iPad Pro, Apple Pencil has become a popular and versatile tool among students, professionals and creatives and is now available to other customers.

Apple Pencil not only gives fluid and natural drawing experience but also its advanced sensors measure both pressure and tilt, and provide pixel-perfect accuracy and low latency for activities from note taking to illustration in apps like Notability, Pages, Numbers, Keynote and Microsoft Office, said the company in a statement.

iPad is also coming with palm rejection technology making it possible to rest your hand on the screen while you use Apple Pencil.

The new iPad features the Apple-designed A10 Fusion chip with 64‑bit desktop-class architecture, delivering 40 percent faster CPU and 50 percent faster graphics performance for seamless multitasking and graphics-intensive apps.

The front- and rear-facing cameras offer exceptional low-light performance and HD video recording for document scanning, moviemaking and FaceTime calls.

iPad is designed for powerful AR apps with its large Retina display, powerful chip, enhanced cameras and advanced sensors.
The new iPad is a stunning, large viewfinder for immersive AR experiences.

Its Retina display, powerful chip, enhanced cameras and advanced sensors, including a gyroscope and accelerometer for accurate motion tracking, are designed to support the next generation of AR apps.

Built for durability and mobility, the new 9.7-inch iPad features an aluminum unibody construction and ultrafast wireless that can deliver two times faster cellular data connections, so it is even easier to stay connected anywhere.

With Apple SIM, customers can connect to wireless data plans right from their device when traveling in more than 180 countries and regions.

iOS 11 makes iPad more capable than ever with features like enhanced multitasking.

iOS 11 introduces powerful new features for iPad. The Dock provides quick access to frequently used apps and documents from any screen, and makes it easier to multitask with Split View and Slide Over.

Drag and Drop makes moving images, text and files between apps easier than ever. Apple Pencil is more deeply integrated into iPad with support for inline drawing.

The Files app provides a central place to access and organize files no matter where they are located — on iPad or in the cloud with built-in support for iCloud Drive and providers like Box, Dropbox and others.

Pricing and Availability

iPad comes in silver, space gray and a new gold finish and starts at an Apple retail price of $329 (US) for the 32GB with Wi-Fi model and $459 (US) for the 32GB Wi-Fi + Cellular model at apple.com and Apple Stores.

It is also available through Apple Authorized Resellers and select carriers (prices may vary).

Apple Pencil is available for purchase separately for $99 (US).

Schools can purchase iPad starting at $299 (US) and Apple Pencil for $89 (US).

iPad is available to order today and starts delivering to customers and arriving in stores later this week in more than 25 countries and regions:

Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, the UK and the US.

India, Russia, Thailand, Turkey and other countries and regions will follow in April, with South Korea and other countries and regions following in May.

Smart Covers for iPad are available for $39 (US) in charcoal gray, midnight blue, (RED), white and pink sand at apple.com and Apple Stores.

Every customer who buys iPad from Apple will be offered free Personal Setup, in-store or online, to help them set up email and iMessage, and download apps from the App Store.

Smartphone apps reduce depression

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New Australian-led research has confirmed that smartphone apps are an effective treatment option for depression, paving the way for safe and accessible interventions for the millions of people around the world diagnosed with this condition.

Depression is the most prevalent mental disorder and a leading cause of global disability, with mental health services worldwide struggling to meet the demand for treatment.

In an effort to tackle this rising challenge, researchers from Australia’s National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM), Harvard Medical School, The University of Manchester, and the Black Dog Institute in Australia examined the efficacy of smartphone-based treatments for depression.

The researchers systematically reviewed 18 randomised controlled trials which examined a total of 22 different smartphone-delivered mental health interventions.

The studies involved more than 3400 male and female participants between the ages of 18-59 with a range of mental health symptoms and conditions including major depression, mild to moderate depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety and insomnia.

The first of its kind research, published today in World Psychiatry found that overall smartphone apps significantly reduced people’s depressive symptoms, suggesting these new digital therapies can be useful for managing the condition.

Lead author of the paper, NICM postdoctoral research fellow Joseph Firth says this was an important finding which presented a new opportunity for providing accessible and affordable care for patients who might not otherwise have access to treatment.

“The majority of people in developed countries own smartphones, including younger people who are increasingly affected by depression,” said Mr Firth.

“Combined with the rapid technological advances in this area, these devices may ultimately be capable of providing instantly accessible and highly effective treatments for depression, reducing the societal and economic burden of this condition worldwide.”

Co-author, NICM deputy director, Professor Jerome Sarris highlighted the importance of the findings for opening up non-stigmatising and self-managing avenues of care.

“The data shows us that smartphones can help people monitor, understand and manage their own mental health. Using apps as part of an ‘integrative medicine’ approach for depression has been demonstrated to be particularly useful for improving mood and tackling symptoms in these patients,” said Professor Sarris.

When it comes to the question of “Which app is best?” and “For who?”, the results suggested these interventions so far may be most applicable to those with mild to moderate depression, as the benefits in major depression have not been widely studied as of yet.

The researchers found no difference in apps which apply principles of mindfulness compared to cognitive behavioural therapy or mood monitoring programs.

However, interventions that used entirely ‘self-contained’ apps – meaning the app did not reply on other aspects such as clinician and computer feedback – were found to be significantly more effective than ‘non-self-contained’ apps.

The authors suggested this might be due to the comprehensiveness of these particular stand-alone apps rather than the combination of therapies.

Despite the promising early results, there is currently no evidence to suggest that using apps alone can outperform standard psychological therapies, or reduce the need for antidepressant medications.

According to co-author and co-director of the digital psychiatry program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and a clinical fellow in the department of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, Dr John Torous, the research is a timely and promising step forward in the use of smartphones in mental health.

“Patients and doctors are faced with a vast array of mental health apps these days, and knowing which ones are actually helpful is imperative,” said Dr Torous.

“This research provides much needed information on the effectiveness of apps for depression, and offers important clues into the types of apps which can help patients manage their condition.”

Jennifer Nicholas, a PhD Candidate at Black Dog Institute and co-author of the paper says with the knowledge that apps can be effective for managing depression, future research must now investigate which features produce these beneficial effects.

“Given the multitude of apps available – many of them unregulated – it’s critical that we now unlock which specific app attributes reap the greatest benefits, to help ensure that all apps available to people with depression are effective.”

Godless Virus May Have Affected 4 Lakh Android Phones in India: Trend Micro

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The new mobile malware "Godless" has affected nearly 4 lakh devices in India and about a million devices worldwide, said a report from cyber-security firm Trend Micro.

In the report titled "Mobile App Reputation Service", it said the "Godless" malicious software, found in all app stores including Google Play, hides inside an app and operates on the root of the operating system (OS), opening up the admin access to outside devices. "It contains various exploits to ensure it can root a device and it can even install spyware," said the report. It has been designed to exploit the Android devices in endless ways and those devices running on Android 5.1 (Lollipop) or earlier versions are vulnerable.

Once the "Godless" malware finishes its rooting, it cannot be uninstalled easily. "When downloading apps, users should always review the developer. Unknown developers with very little or no background information may be the source of these malicious apps.Users should also have secure mobile security that can mitigate mobile malware," said Nilesh Jain, Country Manager for India, Trend Micro.

According to Strategy Analytics, Google-owned Android dominated the global smartphone market since 2014 with 1 billion units shipped worldwide. It accounts for 81 percent of all smartphones shipped in 2014, followed by Apple with 15 percent market share and Microsoft with 3 percent at third.

“Many users choose Android over other OS-based devices because first, the devices can be relatively cheap; second, it’s known for fast and efficient data storage and third, it’s available across different form factors, brands, and price points," says Paul Oliveria, researcher of Trend Micro. Android is also popular among mobile developers and manufacturers for its capacity to house innovative app development without licensing fees, and sporting a simple and powerful Software Development Kit (SDK).

Here are some tips to keep Android Phones Safe and Secure:

Lock the screen – Enabling a screen unlock code will prevent a device thief from accessing your mobile data.

Protect your data – Android virtually comes with pre-installed security measures that can be easily accessed and enabled from the security submenu. The Android security screen also includes an option to encrypt the device. Enabling this option will help protect sensitive information stored in the device.

Strengthen passwords and app permissions – Google does a fine job at synching their updates with Android devices. However, some manufacturers take a little more time to update. Remember to check the features that you allow the app to access, and don’t forget to use strong and unique passwords. If you re-use your passwords, hackers can effortlessly guess the passwords on your other accounts.

Install a security app – It’s always a good idea to make use of security apps. An app that offers anti-theft features like remote wipe-out, tracking, and locking, as well as malware scanning and detection can help mitigate potential threats. For example, Trend Micro Mobile Security is a security app for Android phone and Android tablet, which blocks malicious apps from Google Play before they are installed; guards against identity theft and viruses; blocks dangerous and fraudulent websites; protects your privacy on Facebook; protects kids online; and even extends battery life and optimizes device performance and memory.

Connect to secure networks – Whenever you go online using a network you don’t know, such as public Wi-Fi, you should be more careful because unsecured Wi-Fi networks can be used to stage man-in-the-middle attacks where data can be intercepted by a third party. Avoid online banking, financials, and purchasing over public networks. If you use Wi-Fi at home, please make sure you use a password to secure your router.

Avoid rooting your device – Before rooting your Android device, consider the pros and cons first. While it allows you more control over your device, it could also allow unsigned apps, including malicious ones, access to your data. This also makes it difficult to patch and update your OS and apps, which could leave your device vulnerable.

Download from official app stores – Downloading from third-party sites or app stores is one of the easiest ways for any mobile device to get infected with malware. Limiting your apps to those from official or trusted app stores (like the Google Play app store) can lower the risks.