Month: December 2020

Categories
Mobile News Smartphone Technology

The Special Things about Jio’s Latest Android Smartphone

Indians can use the latest Android phone known as Jio in 2021. Google’s contribution makes this gadget special. Jio and Google are about to offer an affordable 4G Android smartphone in India. The launch of the Android smartphone by Jio and Google gives Indians other options besides gadgets by Realme and Xiaomi. Check the details of this great plan below. 

The Role of Google and Qualcomm Ventures

Google CEO in India Sundar Pichai explains that the collaboration will give a greater impact on the development of the Indian mobile phone. Because of that, Google dares to invest up to Rs. 33,737 for this project. It means Google has a 7.7% stake in this project. It is not only a collaboration between Google and Jio but also Qualcomm Ventures. It boosts the project since Qualcomm Ventures can bring 5G connectivity to India. The latest information explains that Qualcomm will install 5G connectivity in October 2021. There is no complete information yet about this plan. Like Google, Qualcomm Ventures see a big prospect in this project. As a result, this company invests up to $97 million and supports the smartphone with Qualcomm’s chipset.  

About the Latest Android Smartphone by Jio 

Jio has a plan to release its latest Android smartphone in December 2020, but it is postponed until the first quarter of 2021. There are no clear specifications and name of this new Android smartphone. The representation of Jio only describes that the gadget will be a representation of an affordable 4G Android smartphone in India. This company even has a greater plan by developing the internet connectivity into 5G due to its collaboration with Qualcomm Ventures. Nowadays, the phone is still in testing. The company launches the testing version to make sure that Indians are familiar with the development. It is a significant development in India since people can only enjoy 2G connectivity. One thing for sure, it has become one of the smartphones in India with the Google Play Store due to the collaboration between Jio and Google.

The Cost of Jio’s Latest Android Smartphone 

Indians may get curious about the price of Jio’s latest Android smartphone. The representation of the company explains that the cost of this gadget is around Rs 4.000. The cost is cheaper than a 2G feature phone in India. On the other hand, this latest Android smartphone is still expensive compared to Jio Phone 1 and Jio Phone 2. Despite the price, Jio claims that this latest smartphone will be one of the cheapest 4G smartphones in India.      

The Jio’s Plans for Its Latest Android Smartphone 

As one of the cheapest 4G mobile phones in India, Jio expects that people will be attracted to use it. Jio also has to win the competition with RealMe and Xiaomi. These two big smartphone providers have launched affordable Android smartphones in India. Because of that, Jio leverages its product one step higher than its competitor. One of the strategies is by introducing and updating the 4G connectivity into 5G connectivity. 

The company expects that Indians can enjoy a smartphone with 5G connectivity in October 2021. Jio has a plan not only to use the 5G connectivity for its latest smartphone but also over 20 startup partners. The company expects that the use of 5G connectivity can develop technology in India in the area of education, healthcare, agriculture, infrastructure, financial services, and e-commerce. Due to the tight competition, Jio plans to launch the 5G connectivity by Qualcomm Ventures in early 2021. There is a possibility that Jio will provide its 5G services free for several months during the launch period like what the company did with the 4G rollout. But, people only can wait whether this company does it or not. 

Another strategy is by producing the smartphone massively. Jio states that there will be over 200 million smartphone units in India over the next two years. The company uses this strategy to compete with Xiaomi that always produces its smartphone massively in India. Indeed, the collaboration with Google and Qualcomm Ventures becomes one of the most powerful strategies to attract Indians to use Jio Phone. 

The Progress 5G Connectivity 

The use of Jio’s 5G connectivity in its latest Android smartphone seems to be realized soon. This plan involves sophisticated activities. Jio has to upgrade almost all of its 4G towers spread across India. The upgrade process takes a few months or even years. We can’t only wait for the launch of 5G connectivity in 2021, along with the release of Jio’s latest Android smartphone. 

Categories
Devices Technology

HBO Max’s Optimism in Still Having a Good Partnership with Roku after the App Deletion from the Device

WarnerMedia launched HBO Max at the end of May. Around 6 weeks later, there are still shows from HBO Max on the Roku device. But then, the problem starts to show. Only a few weeks after that, the app disappeared from the gadget. Then, it is known that the problem is not only in your streaming service but also the managerial of both companies. Well, it is although the executive producer of HBO Max tries to make the customers sure that both parties will find a solution to bring back HBO Max to Roku. 

In an interview, the vice executive president of HBO Max, Andy Forsell, said directly to the customers of WarnerMedia that they will solve it. Forsell added that he cannot predict as well as cannot fasten the agreement. Something which is very important to believe is that Roku is a good partner for HBO. He stated that his side will always conduct good business with them. Additionally, Forsell also mentions the importance of making a way to still have a good partnership with Roku for the sake of customers’ satisfaction.

The effort to solve the problem has a reason. Streaming is demanded a lot by customers and their interests in this kind of entertainment are increased rapidly during the pandemic. It makes TV and companies related to it must think more deeply to attract the customers’ attention more. Sure, there are people who still watch TV and prefer doing it. However, it cannot change the fact that streaming services are currently more popular and likable. 

HBO that is previously known as one of the TV stations starts to develop its influence on the streaming service. Well, it is successful although its name may not still be as big as Netflix and others. Many shows with high-quality are made and presented to get more profits from customers in this way. Sure, HBO cannot work by itself. It needs partners to make their services are watched and streamed more and more by customers. One of the most strategic partners is Roku, for sure.

Unfortunately, there is a fact that may make the effort of HBO seem useless. The newest app by HBO cannot be supported well by Roku. And here is the problem starting. Both parties negotiate to solve this problem. But even HBO looks really sure that there will be a solution, it has not been known yet, what kind of solution it is.

Big Movies in HBO Max

Despite the problem they must face related to the cooperation with Roku, HBO Max has announced that most of the new films of Warner Bros will debut in HBO Max. They include Wonder Women 1984, Matrix, and Dune. Interestingly, there is no additional cost to enjoy those movies if you are watching them on the same day those movies are launched in theatres. 

Is the launch of some popular movie also an attempt to keep HBO Max surviving? Although it is not likely the problem is getting worse for HBO Max without Roku, it can be said that the launch of movies is some effort to attract customers. Maybe, it is also a way made by HBO Max to let Roku conduct better business cooperation with it in the future.

Roku Rejects to Comment

While HBO Max seems to be spiritual to comment regarding its relationship with the streaming device, on the other hand, the representative of Roku refuses to comment. Sure, it causes many assumptions that the partnership between both may not be as good as how it looks like. Well, although the perception must be denied by HBO Max.

Furthermore, some new streaming services from HBO Max and NBC Universal, Peacock were launched without any app from Roku as well as Amazon’s Fire TV. This way, the device development combines support from patchworks. Indeed, HBO Max still has a deal with devices from Amazon’s Fire. However, it doesn’t change the fact that the app is still missing from Roku. This is what makes customers seem to worry and disappoint.

For customers of both platforms; HBO Max and Roku, they may wait for the newer deal to be made by them although it has not been known yet when it will be. At least, there is another new deal from Peacock and Roku in September to support the Peacock app on the device. So, it can be a good alternative for customers who want to enjoy the streaming service from HBO in Roku although it is indeed not HBO Max.

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Apps and Software News Technology

5 Reasons Why Quiby Fail

Technology, especially smartphones nowadays already are daily food which is “edible” for any kind of group from children, teenagers, to adults. You can access any kind of information and entertainment just by touching the 2 inches monitor anywhere and anytime. Because of this fact, many kinds of entertainment industries including those who already have a channel on television begin to develop their platform for smartphone application. For example, Netflix, youtube, BBC, and even Disney which are classified as the giant industry in the entertainment field already do it. So does the newcomer company called Quiby to want, follow their way of success. This company already spent $2.000.000.000 to develop this platform for providing short-timed streaming content and features where we can watch their contents from landscape or portrait position in full-screen mode. However, as we know expectation does not often get along with reality. After struggling for 6-8 months, this company falls to bankruptcy. Why did this failure happen? Here are the reasons :

  1. Bad Timing to Start

Quiby began to make their contents 1 week before New York shut down because of Covid-19. Of course, it would limit their own space and movement to content making based on government rule for preventing more transmission of that virus. Besides that, this pandemic also disturbed their plan to build a bigger studio. As a newcomer who begins from zero, starting a company in a pandemic was very risky. They can’t produce profit yet and run the company purely with investors’ money

  1. Too much Intervention in Management System

A company called professional if the command system runs where the upper management makes a general plan and floor it to mid-management. The mid-management will convert a general plan to more specific steps and concepts. Then, they delegate the steps and concept to lower management for testing whether the concept can be run in real condition or not. Ethically, if there are any kind of plan changes from upper management, they must discuss it first with the mid-management. In some conditions, the upper management is able to direct command to lower management. However, based on the “in some condition” statement, this can’t be good if done frequently. It will confuse the lower-management if any sudden plan changes often occur. Unfortunately, this “cut compass” was done by the CEO of Quiby himself, Jeffrey Katzenberg. As stated by an ex-worker of that company where he often got different commands between Jeffrey and other executives. With this kind of unsynchronized management, how can be expected good quality content from it?

  1. Unfocused concept of the Content

In the entertainment sector, before we make some content, we must think first about to whom our content will be delivered. Of course, we must make different concepts when creating content for teenagers and content for 40-50 years old adults because each group has its interest. It is very important to determine this audience specialization because we can create the concept easier and more focused to develop the content quality. After that, we can also calculate the budget to make the contents more careful to take care of the consistency of the contents. However, the management of Quiby didn’t realize their mistakes in making content. They make any kind of concept, widened everywhere without considering what the audience wants. A blurred concept like that will make no interest and impression for people compared to other platforms. Misfocus leads to waste the money they already invest to invite public figures. This unfocus concept was proven by the statement from an ex-worker who expected Quiby would provide news show content but in reality, was a mainstream pop culture entertainment show. 

  1. Bad Marketing

Even if we have good products but we can’t sell them properly, it will be useless. In covid-19 where people must stay at home, they will look for entertainment from their gadget. This can be promised to Quiby for promoting their platform. However, the mistake is they set their platform for pay to watch whereas they only provide short-timed content. Worse, the customer must pay more to remove the advertisement. Compared to other platforms, you can access that kind of content freely. As the audience absolutely will choose free cost if they just want to watch short content. Besides that, they make their platform exclusive so they did not provide a feature to share video clips on other social media. Therefore they already close one of the doors to promote their content.   

Categories
Business News

Uber and Other Platform Companies to Push Over the Status of Gig Workers

The status of gig workers in the US has been quite controversial so far. Platforms like Uber, Lyft, Instacart, and others are basically new things in the world. Therefore, the rights of the workers may not be completely stated in US law. Meanwhile, the November’s election leads to some of the gig companies to fight for the rights of their workers. Uber is one of them.

There is a story shared by Jason Schaal, one of the Uber drivers living in Minneapolis. Last month, when he was just sitting at home and checking his phone, there was a message from Uber, the platform where he works. The subject line of the message said, “Make your voice heard.” The rest of the message said that the US Department of Labor was evaluating some rules. One of them is regarding the determination of the independent status of gig workers. Schaal and other workers in Uber were asked to comment on the plan of employees monitoring software. 

Schaal has many reasons to choose to be a gig worker as his job. As information, he doesn’t only work in Uber but also in other platforms; they are Lyft, Instacart, and Shipt. He said that the main reason why he prefers the job is because of the flexibility. He is able to balance other jobs. And even if they just want to have a holiday, it is also easier to do. Sure, money is also an important point here. Schaal and his fellow workers can gain extra money from this job. That’s why; many people are currently interested in being a gig worker whether full-time or part-time.

The message from Uber came around 12 days before the ride-hailing company’s victory in California. Aside from the national election in the country, a similar election will also be conducted independently by the company. The independent election is mainly with a purpose to change the workers’ status to be independent contractors, not employees. This way, they can get some other benefits including health insurance. However, the realization seems to still be difficult based on some factors; internally and externally. If most of the workers agree with the new status to give, Uber will push it nationally along with other gig platforms.

A Possibility to Win

The most important question is, is there a big possibility to win? By seeing the tendency in the California vote, it shows that there is a possibility to win. It is possible that the demands from the gig companies to win over the current law and other regulations.

Some factors are behind this for sure. First of all, the demand to change the workers’ status is a good and fair thing. At least, it is not only for the benefits of the company but also the welfare of the workers. Support from people, in general, are mostly in their hands. Second, Uber and other similar companies are currently not small companies. They have money to influence the economic development of the nation. 

Interestingly, Uber is not the only company that conducts a vote to get support from its workers. Previously, some other companies including and Lyft have done the same thing although with different actions. The main purpose is to approach the labor union as well as some relevant parties like the state regulators, governors, and state officials. When California functions well in this matter, it can be a good sample of how the gig workers must be treated nationally. 

Further Actions

On Wednesday, some platform companies; Uber, Lyft, Instacart, Doordash, and Postmates launched a coalition from Washington DC, namely the Alliance of Apps-Based Workers. The purpose of the alliance is to keep the independence of the workers. It refers to a part of Proposition 22 about how to educate the officials about how the independent workers should be as well as to promote state policies that support on-demands economy development. The alliance is also established to prompt the congress to think more ambitiously in modernizing the law mainly related to labor.

Additionally, Lyft has launched a political action committee to work on the law of the independent contractors in Illinois and New York. Even the company has established an Illinois PAC in June and donated around USD 1.2 million to achieve the purpose. Based on the gig workers in the state, the company has sent a letter, bought digital advertisements, and donated to 50 official candidates for the campaigns to support them in the November election. Even to make it look more dramatic, most of the PAC webs are empty. There is only a sentence, “We’re fighting for Illinois workers and their right to independence.”

Categories
Apps and Software Technology

Best Online Video Converter Applications for Android

Do you want to convert videos to an MP3 file? You can do it by using video converter apps. By converting videos to other file formats, you can also reduce the size of the video as well. So that you can save more memory in your smartphone. Among so many video converter apps available out there, here are the best ones that you can use.

Snappea

You can access the Snappea online YouTube to MP3 320kbps tool on any platform. You can also access it on any famous browser, browse for any YouTube videos you want, and download them as an MP3 file. Since this app is a web-based solution, users do not need to download and install the app to their computers or smartphones to be able to use it. Once you have found the video you want to convert, you can opt for downloading it as an MP3 file or MP4 file.

You also have options for different bit rates, such as 320 kbps, 160 kbps, or 128 kbps. This is why this app is one of the best video converter apps.

MP3 Video Converter

MP3 Video Converter is a video converter app that will make it easy for its users who want to convert videos. This app has a number of features that will definitely be needed for converting videos. MP3 Video Converter is equipped with an MP3 file converter feature and ACC with 2 options, which are bitrate and metadata. It also supports several other file formats, including 3GP, MP4, and FLV. This app is developed by Springwalk and has been downloaded by more than 1 million Android users.

Video to MP3 Converter

If previous video converter apps can convert videos to some other file formats, Video to MP3 Converter focuses on converting videos to only MP3 audio files. This app is developed by accountlab and it guarantees the MP3 audio files converted will surely be high quality. Not only the quality, but the developer also guarantees that this app will quickly convert videos. Are you interested to try this app?

Video Converter Android

The next recommended converter app for Android is Video Converter Android. This app has been downloaded by more than 56,000 Android users. Video Converter Android is not really different from other previous apps mentioned. The feature of this app offers help to convert videos to MP4 files or h.264 files. You can also use this app to convert videos to audio files. It supports almost all file formats, including WEBM, OGG, AVI, ASF, WMV, M4V, M2V, MKV, MPG, and many others.

VidCompact

Not only provides a simple interface that is easy to understand, but VidCompact also offers useful features. With this app, you can convert your videos to MP4 files without any troubles. You will also be able to compress videos or change the size of videos to the size you prefer. You can also copy and cut videos with this app. As you can see, VidCompact is practical and quite equipped.

Video Converter

Video Converter is developed by aKingi. This app has useful features to convert and compress videos you have. It also does not miss easiness and speed. With this app, you will be able to easily and quickly convert or compress your videos. You just need to upload the video you want to convert or compress. Choose the file format and let the app do the rest. There are so many various file formats supported by Video Converter, such as AVI, MP3, MP4, 3GP, WAV, OGG, MPG, WMV, and many others.

The best thing about this Video Converter is it is ads-free. So, you will not get annoyed by ads that surprisingly appear when you are converting your videos.

Audio/Video Converter Android

Last but not least is Audio / Video Converter Android. Just like the name of the application, this application relies on more complete features. You can convert both video files and audio files by using this Audio/Video Converter Android app. Users can enjoy the features to convert files to other file formats, such as AVI, MPG, MP4, FLV, ASF, MKV, and many more. You can also use this app to compress the size of videos.

Those are the recommended video converter apps that you can use to convert video to other files. Most of them might have the same functions and features, but they still have their pros and cons. You can download those apps on Google Play Store. So, which app do you want to use?

Categories
Apps and Software Technology

Top YouTube Downloader Apps for PC

It cannot be denied that YouTube is today’s one of the most accessed platforms. Here, you can find a lot of various videos with many various topics. Such as music, tutorials, beauty, gadgets, reviews, sports, cooking, games, and many more. Some people prefer to download YouTube videos due to poor internet connection. So, they can watch the videos offline. In order to watch YouTube videos offline, you need to download them first. And you will need YouTube downloader applications to be able to do so. Below are some recommended YouTube downloader apps for PC.

Snappea

The first best YouTube downloader app is Snappea. This app is an online, free YouTube downloader that allows you to quickly download all file formats and resolutions. For example, MP4, HD, 480P, 360P, and 240P. It also allows you to download all audio formats, such as MP3 and M4A. You do not have to download the app to your computer because it is an instant downloader. Snappea is user-friendly. Newcomers can also use it to download their favorite videos from some websites.

Jihosoft 4K Video Downloader

Jihosoft 4K Video Downloader is also one of the top YouTube downloader apps out there. With this sophisticated app, you will be able to quickly download videos from YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Naver TV, Reddit, Vimeo, Dailymotion, TED, and other popular websites. You can save the downloaded videos in different resolutions, which are 720P, 1080P, 2K, 4K, and 8K. Besides downloading videos, this app also makes it possible for you to download all YouTube playlists and channels.

What makes this free YouTube downloader app stands out is that you can download subtitles, original audio, and cover videos. This app also has a free video converter feature so that you can convert YouTube videos to MP3 audio.

Gihosoft TubeGet

Gihosoft TubeGet is a portable app that you can use to download videos from YouTube and other video streaming websites. This app is easy and simple. It also has almost all necessary features required by a video downloader. For example, it supports HD and UHD, which are 720P, 1080P, 2K, 4K, and 8K. Gihosoft TubeGet is compatible with Windows and iOS and also integrated into many practical functions.

Gihosoft TubeGet allows you to download all YouTube playlists. Both free and pro versions are available. For the free version, users can download 5 videos per day. YouTube’s algorithm changes regularly. So, the app will update the code accordingly, along with fixing bugs and adding new features.

Free YouTube Download

The next is Free YouTube Download. This app is specifically designed to download videos from YouTube. But it does not mean it cannot download videos from other websites. Similar to other apps, you just need to paste the video link to the app and you can immediately download the video. Free YouTube Download has an auto-download feature that allows users to automatically download videos. Users can download several videos all at once.

This app also has a converter function where you can use it to convert videos to other file formats, such as AVI, MP4, WMV, MKV, MP3, and many others. Free YouTube Download is compatible with both Windows and iOS.

Winx YouTube Downloader

Winx YouTube Downloader has a simple display so that users can easily use it. This app allows you to download videos from more than 40 popular websites. For example, YouTube, Facebook, Vimeo, Dailymotion, and many more. This app also allows users to download any video quality provided by the video owner. This means that users can download Full HD 4K videos if provided by the uploader. There is also a video converter that can convert video to other formats and audio.

Airy YouTube Downloader

You can download YouTube videos with just one click by using Airy YouTube Downloader. You can even access it when you are luring or offline. This app can help you to download YouTube videos in various file formats, such as MP4, 4GP, and FLV. It is also compatible with both HD videos and Ultra HD videos and maintains the quality.

In order to download videos, users just need to copy and paste the link to the address bar, choose the video location and resolution, and they will have the video in their device. However, the free version of Airy YouTube Downloader only allows users to download 2 videos for trial. After that, users need to pay to be able to download more videos.

Those are the top YouTube downloader apps that you can try to download YouTube videos.

Categories
Mobile News Technology

Apple Continues to Develop Devices with Augmented Reality Technology

Apple always creates innovations and produces cool devices. One of the latest examples is the use of AR or Augmented Reality on the iPhone. Augmented Reality is not a new technology for this company. Apple started to use AR technology in 2017 for virtual IKEA furniture and Pokemon Go Battles. This company even has an iPhone 12 Pro that can be used to scan fire hydrants, map house interiors, and navigate lava rivers on the floors. Learn the way Apple uses AR to improve the capability of their gadgets. 

The Use of A Sophisticated Sensor 

Apple uses a sophisticated sensor known as the lidar sensor. They install this sensor on the latest iPhones and iPads to improve the capability of these two gadgets in which both of them have an advanced 3D-scanning feature. For example, the iPhone uses this technology, and this gadget can recognize floors by using the motion sensors and camera on the phone. The sensor works by using invisible infrared lasers on the rear cameras. This laser can map a dimension in 3D, including 3D objects, rooms, and even people. 

The Use of The Scanner Feature on the Device

Mike Rockwell, the head of Apple’s AR and Allessandra McGinnis, the senior manager for Augmented Reality explain that Apple uses the scanner feature on their devices to make everything work better. The company has to follow the latest ecosystem to win the competition. Let say this technology works in the COVID-19 pandemic where people are not allowed to go outside. Imagine that people use AR tools from their gadgets and do home shopping. Users can buy anything they need by feeling the sensation of seeing the products in 3D and not only the images. This technology even works for the blind and partially sighted on the people-detection side. A specific business, such as an art business feels the benefits of AR. The company creates an exhibition in real-world locations without revealing the art. All people have to do is enjoy the art show and exhibition by using AR technology. Apple also has Location Anchors that can be the next level of GPS technology. This feature helps its users to get a specific location in a more realistic image with a good accuracy level. 

The Things that Apple Has Done 

Apple has done several things related to the use of AR technology. Let say Apple cooperates with Adobe to develop a tool known as AR creative appl Aero for Apple iOS. This company also has its products such as iPhone 12 Pro that uses AR technology to scan objects in 3D. Photographers can also use this feature to improve focus when they have to take pictures in low-light areas. Before that, Apple also developed iPhone 8 that uses motion sensors and built-in cameras to recognize specific objects such as floors, walls, and people. Another product that uses AR technology by Apple is iOS 14.2 in which it uses a lidar sensor to recognize distances from people and for vision assistance. Apple also successfully developed App Clips in iOS 14. It is a small micro-app in an iPhone without downloading anything. Users can use App Clips in the real world. All you have to do is scan or tap it on the screen and the AR feature directs you to go to the place you have scanned. It is an impressive feature for a virtual menu, art exhibitions, or museum exhibitions. Imagine that you see nothing in a specific location, but once you use the AR feature, you will see something spectacular that you may never imagine before.    

The Goals of Developing Devices with Augmented Reality

Indeed, Apple doesn’t want to stop the innovations only on the 3D scanning feature. It seems that this company wants to improve the feature from a 3D scanning feature only into a 3D scanning feature with sound. They want to share a scanning device that helps its users maximally. The most important thing is that users can bring it anywhere and use it anywhere they want. The company even has a dream that people will use AR technology in mobile devices like when they use the internet in a few years from now. In that year, people will get used to it and feel that they can’t live without mobile devices with AR features. The idea is that Apple seems to have a mobile device that gives benefits more than just a smartphone device. This device can scan something and bring users to a virtual world that they want to explore or know before doing further actions.

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Uncategorized

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