Technology News: Tech News: Security Alerts, Price Cuts, Streaming Updates, and AI Expansions

Microsoft has issued a dire warning that it may face more outages like the CrowdStrike incident if the European Commission's rule granting third-party vendors full kernel access to Windows remains in force. According to CyberScoop, the rule could give companies like CrowdStrike access to Windows on the same level as that of Microsoft engineers themselves. It has become a cybersecurity issue; considering that Apple does not allow such access, Microsoft has a lot to fix. Meanwhile, hackers are milking this situation for all its worth by posing as CrowdStrike to scam affected PC users.

The Indian government will reduce the basic customs duty on mobile phones, PCB units, and chargers from the current level of 20 percent to 15 percent. This decision by the Indian government comes in the backdrop of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's statement that growth in domestic production and exports of mobile phones had been rapid. The move will provide still more impetus to local manufacturing, get global giants like Apple to commence production locally, and bring smartphones closer to consumers' reach. This comes on the back of another reduction in the same duty earlier this year, which already brought down import duties on parts used in mobile manufacturing.

Google has announced that it will still allow third-party cookies on its Chrome browser, reversing its decision to phase them out. Google will add a new feature in the browser that allows users to manage their tracking preferences easily. Earlier, announcements were made to eradicate cookies and replace them with the Privacy Sandbox; however, the shift by the company is intended to balance user control with the needs of the advertisers. This could well be open to scrutiny by regulators and a disappointment to users who were expecting a sea change in how online tracking is conducted.

Amazon Prime Video launches a global redesign for a better user experience. On the new interface, one finds a lean navigation bar with categories such as Home, Movies, TV Shows, Sports, and Live TV, enhancing content discoverability and subscription management. Add-on subscriptions are also more accessible, as one can process it right from the menu bar. Artificial intelligence-driven content recommendations are also available. Among the changes is an updated movie and show synopsis, along with a "hero rotator," which is designed to feature rentable or subscribable content. The updates went worldwide after being introduced July 23.

Apple is well-equipped to finally break into the foldable market with a flip-style iPhone that could arrive as early as 2026. This would be Apple's very first foray into foldables, now dominated by Samsung's Galaxy Z Flip series. Previously, speculations were going around a foldable iPad, but Apple has settled for this flip model instead of a full-fold variant. The working on the flip iPhone has already commenced, and the panels are supposed to be supplied by Samsung Display. Though foldables are yet very expensive, Apple's entry will be significant, most probably in some niche market.

According to the Minister, Jitin Prasada, the 'Citizen Financial Cyber Fraud Reporting and Management System' has collectively saved more than Rs 2,400 crore from fraudsters with the processing of over 7.6 lakh complaints. Apart from this system, a number of other initiatives, such as the toll-free helpline number '1930' and the 'National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal', have also been carried out in the fight against financial cyber fraud. The Government has also enhanced cyber awareness and capacity through CERT-In advisories, social media campaigns, and cybersecurity training. These would further help in improving the mechanism of fraud prevention and response.

Spotify is offering a limited-time deal for new subscribers in India: the Individual Premium plan costs Rs 59 for 3 months instead of their usual price of Rs 119 a month. Naturally, this offer brings ad-free music, offline downloads, personalized queues, and enhanced quality streaming. The offer, open until August 25, applies only to new users. Spotify is also giving discounts on other plans like Family Plan, which costs Rs 179 for two months, while the company is charging Rs 149 for two months in the case of the 'Duo' plan. In the case of the 'Student Plan', it comes for Rs 59 for two months and the 'Mini' for Rs 25 for one week.

Now, Meta's AI on WhatsApp also supports Hindi and six other languages, covering 22 countries such as Argentina, Chile, Mexico, and Cameroon. Its AI chatbot can generate images and edit them to come up with personalized avatars. Features driven by the powerhouse of the advanced Llama 3 model from Meta are now live for Indian users. This would have the user type "Imagine" to create and "Imagine edit" to edit the images that the AI generated images come up with. It is also able to let users imagine themselves in different styles using the prompt "Imagine me." An edit feature is now available for English, and other languages will be added soon.