750 0


Google unleashes Chrome 100 with new logo, other improvements

Nearly 14 years after releasing the beta version of its cross-platform web browser Chrome, Google has now released Chrome 100, which is offered with a new logo, security improvements, enhanced features, etc. Google says that Chrome version 100 will roll out on ‘stable channels’ over the coming days/weeks’ on Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. Furthermore, Google has also revealed that Chrome 100 fixes 28 security vulnerabilities, with nine being marked as ‘High’ severity and the rest being ‘Moderate’. Stable channels are fully tested by Google’s Chrome Operating system teams and come with the least number of crashes.  Among the most prominent feature is the new logo, which sports brighter colours and a larger blue circle at the centre. Furthermore, the new icon has no shadows like the previous one. Also, users will be able to trace out a ‘new mute button’ on tabs in the latest version of Chrome, which also comes with Multi-Screen Window Placement API I order to detect o detect multiple displays automatically.  

YouTube launches features for health-related searches & videos in India

As one of the platforms to access quality and helpful health-related information, YouTube has the potential to impact decisions people make about their health and with the new features launched, the platform intends to help people find credible information easily. YouTube is partnering with health organizations globally to create video content and feature health professionals in reliable content. Previously only available in the US, the product features will now enable visibility of health information in Brazil, India, and Japan, and the expansion would continue further for other countries. Health source information panels on videos intend to help viewers identify videos from authoritative sources and health content shelves that highlight videos from these sources when specific health topics are searched. The context cues are designed to aid users to explore and evaluate credible health information, apart from the relevant videos from other channels in search results.

Meta plans to expand WhatsApp Chatbot to help Indian SMBs scale online

Meta launched the Meta Business Coach tool on WhatsApp a few months ago across India and now it plans to expand the tool within the region. Meta shared that based on the feedback, the company plans to expand the reach of the chatbot in India in the coming months. The tool is available in English and Hindi, and there are plans to launch it in additional languages in the coming months. Built on the WhatsApp Business Platform, the Meta Business Coach is a free-to-use, low-data-cost educational tool that users can interact in a conversational way. SMBs have access to automated, self-paced lessons that skill them on how to establish a presence in today’s ever-evolving digital economy. SMB owners can access resources that can help them learn how to reach and engage with customers on Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. India is among the first countries where the tool has been launched.

Students flock to learn coding as digital literacy becomes critical

Edtech startups are leaving no stone unturned in a bid to cater to the demand for coding in schools that is fast gaining popularity, spurred by the belief that it boosts computational thinking and equips students for the digital era.  Edtech startup Stemrobo Technologies, for instance, has seen a 200% increase in the demand for coding in schools in last 3-4 months. The startup had launched Tinker Coders — a platform to provide affordable online coding classes to K-12 students —during the peak of the pandemic. Tinker Coders has enrolled over 300,000 users and 600 instructors on its learning platform since its launch.  Rajeev Tiwari, founder, Stemrobo Technologies, believes the primary reason for this growth “has been new policies like the National Education Policy 2020 which promotes coding and AI in schools, and increased awareness and structural transformation going on in society that is making innovation, STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics), coding, and AI (artificial intelligence) very pervasive”. The demand for coding in schools has increased dramatically in the last 5-10 years, corroborated a spokesperson from WhiteHat Jr — an online coding platform startup that was acquired by India’s largest edtech Byju’s in a $300-million deal in August 2020. WhiteHat Jr claims to have signed up over 500 schools across the country, representing more than 1.25 lakh students who will learn coding through a blended curriculum. The company aims to train one million students via the ‘physical-digital blended model’ this academic year.

Digital economy to see exponential growth to $800 bn by 2030: FM

India’s digital economy is expected to witness exponential growth to $ 800 billion by 2030 on the back of rising internet penetration and increasing income, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said. She said that  India has over 6,300 fintechs, of which 28 per cent are into investment technology, 27 per cent into payments, 16 per cent into lending and 9 per cent into banking infrastructure, while over 20 per cent are into other fields. So they are spread across different activities and not concentrated, she noted. “At the same time, the digital economy in India is being pegged at $85-90 billion in the calendar year of 2020 and that will see an exponential rise to $800 billion by 2030. They should be reaching $800 billion in the backdrop of increased internet penetration, rising incomes and also the young Indian population,” she said. The government has made it easier in terms of smooth and easy access to the stock markets, with technology such as e-KYC and e-Aadhaar helping the retail investors come into the market, she said.

Visa enters the world of NFTs to help digital-first creators

Digital payments leader Visa launched a new programme to help creators such as digital-first artists, musicians, fashion designers, and filmmakers accelerate their small businesses through non-fungible tokens (NFTs). Called the ‘Visa Creator Programme’, the initiative will help next-generation entrepreneurs understand and use NFTs. “NFTs have the potential to become a powerful accelerator for the creator economy,” said Cuy Sheffield, Head of Crypto, Visa. “Through the Visa Creator Program, we want to help this new breed of small and micro businesses tap into new mediums for digital commerce,” Sheffield added. Currently, close to 50 million artists, musicians, and creators across the world publish content as a full- or part-time source of income.

Data sharing by social media companies a concern: Delhi high court

While hearing a plea in the case pertaining to WhatsApp’s privacy policy, the Delhi High Court expressed concerns over the alleged sharing of user data by Facebook with other companies. The Delhi High Court was hearing Facebook’s and WhatsApp’s appeals against the Competition Commission of India’s probe into the WhatsApp privacy policy. Facebook is the parent company of WhatsApp. The bench of justices Rajiv Shakdher and Poonam Bhamba noted that “every citizen has a concern” about data sharing. “Cambridge Analytica weighs very heavily on us,” said Justice Shakdher. The Delhi High Court judge said this while referring to the Cambridge Analytica scandal that allegedly involved a massive data breach. According to Facebook, the private data of over five lakh Indians was accessed by Cambridge Analytica before 2018. The court also said that it was “concerned” about the ability of Facebook to predict user behaviour. Meanwhile, senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing on behalf of Facebook, argued that since the personal data protection bill 2019 is pending, this issue can be considered after the law is passed.

Undelivered push notifications reduce brand loyalty and product stickiness: Study

In India’s Android market 40 percent to 70 percent of push notifications go undelivered. Consumer brands fail to reach 63.27 percent of customers in shopping, 70.39 percent in M&E and 61 percent in travel & hospitality.  According to Push Notification Delivery Benchmarks India, 2022 study conducted by MoEngage, 61 percent of Indian brands fail to engage with more than 50 percent of  mobile consumers because of undelivered push notifications. With the largest market share of 27 percent in India, Xiaomi phones only have a push notification delivery rate of 53.41 percent. Huawei has 54 percent delivery rates, while OnePlus has a delivery rate of 73 percent. In terms of push notification delivery rates for different verticals, edtech has 55 percent, e-commerce (37), Media and Entertainment (30) and Gaming (20). One of the main reasons for undelivered push notifications are As users’ activity on the app reduces and the app is visited less frequently, push notification deliverability reduces.


In this article

Join the Conversation

13 − eight =