How did this Convergence start? It all started with content related acquisitions that two of the largest telecom operators in the US have been making. It’s important to note that there is quite some difference in the intensity of acquisitions of these two telecom operators which are Verizon and AT&T. Verizon started by acquiring AOL and Yahoo. AOL was acquired for its ad tech and Verizon is now in the process of acquiring Yahoo which still gets hundreds of millions of page views every month....

And that’s the case with WhatsApp Business as well. But we think, for now, you don’t need to worry about your WhatsApp account being swamped with promotional messages. Here’s why. The thing to know about the Business app WhatsApp launched last night is that it’s not the full-fledged enterprise platform a few companies (like BookMyShow, MakeMyTrip etc) have been testing for awhile. Whenever that becomes widely available, you can probably expect a flurry of spam since the Facebook-owned company will reportedly allow businesses to send out “high-volume” messages through that....

To give you a primer, Wi-Fi Alliance — an organization that promotes and certifies Wi-Fi technologies — announced Wi-Fi 6, early last year. While the announcement was big news in itself [taking into consideration the advantages that the new standard holds over its predecessors], what came as a welcome surprise was the change in nomenclature. As, until Wi-Fi 6, the naming convention involved the use of alphanumeric characters, like 802....

When I signed up to write for TechPP, you folks told me that my job was to cover gossip in the tech world. To come out with information that was not available through official channels – the leaks (I still do not like the term…it is so…urinary), the rumors (which are actually different from leaks), the job movements and so on. And well, for a few months I have been trying to do that....

Firesheep is a Firefox extension by developer Eric Butler which exposes the soft underbelly of the web by letting you eavesdrop on any open Wi-Fi network and capture users’ cookies. This is how it works. If a site is not secure, it keeps track of you through a cookie (more formally referenced as a session) which contains identifying information for that website. The tool effectively grabs these cookies and lets you pose as the user....

While it would be foolish to accept or write off any of these notions (knowing Apple), the one thing everyone seems relatively sure of is the launch of an affordable iPad with support for Apple Pencil (something which has so been exclusive to the iPad Pro). Tempting? Well, it might be, but we think there is actually something else Apple needs to work on for its (allegedly) new iPad lineup to appeal to students....

For the uninitiated, sandboxing is a way of cutting off suspected apps and files from the rest of the computer so if they are malicious they won’t be able to affect other apps within the computer. Unlike Returnil, which places a virtual layer over your whole PC, sandboxing all changes made; then it dumps all the changes upon reboot, BufferZone only sandboxes different parts of your computer from where a threat can emerge, such as your Internet browser or P2P program....

While there aren’t too many customization options available on Gboard other than the ability to change the background image of the keyboard or to add/remove key borders, there are some neat features that it packs like the ability to directly search a term that you’ve typed on Google, or look up nearby places of interest right from your keyboard. A new addition to this is highlighting of misspelled words which is a welcome move....

The Pixel sports a 5.0-inch FHD display while the larger Pixel XL opts for the bigger 5.5-inch QHD display. Design wise both are pretty much similar just like the Apple iPhone 7 and the 7s. Both the devices come with Gorilla Glass 4 protection. The Pixel and the Pixel XL will rely on the Snapdragon 821 clocked at 2.15GHz and will come mated with 4GB of RAM as opposed to 2GB RAM in its predecessor....

The new pop-out key joins the bottom-right row of quick actions and resides between the resolution and cinema mode options. The icon is similar to the picture-in-picture available in beta on Google Chrome. The new dedicated window it leads to, however, is unlike other third-party implementations we’ve seen in the past. It’s essentially a shrunken down mini YouTube player since hovering at the top reveals the search bar if you’d like to play another clip without returning to the source tab on your browser....

The new ‘lite’ versions of Google Pixel 3 follows the same design cues as their elder siblings and similar camera setup which stand out in the Pixel lineup. Google Pixel 3a In terms of design, the Pixel 3a features a polycarbonate unibody design with a 5.6-inch FHD+ OLED display that has an 18.5:9 aspect ratio with 2220 x 1080 pixels screen resolution at 441ppi. It is an always-on display that shows the time, date, and battery status, and has Dragontail protection on top to protect it against scratches....

It is an underrated device in the Android smartphone market. The smartphone market received some much-needed boosts in 2022 with offerings like the Nothing Phone (1) and the Samsung Galaxy Fold 4. The Pixel 6a does not particularly stand out in terms of design or features, but the experience it offers the end user is something other brands have yet to achieve. Let me tell you why the Pixel 6a is my favorite smartphone of 2022....

With the ‘Shopping Tab’ available on Google Search, users can search for any product across any category, and the results will get displayed on a separate tab, next to Images, News, Videos. On tapping the ‘Shopping’ tab, users can get personalized shopping offers, pricing, and recommendations from various retailers. Additionally, users can post any queries that they happen to come across in both, English and Hindi. If you do not wish to go that route and want an isolated shopping experience without any distractions, you can check out the ‘Shopping Home Page‘ from Google....

The new monthly storage plans and their previous prices are as follows: $1.99 for 100GB (previously $4.99), $9.99 for 1TB (previously $49.99), and $99.99 for 10TB. Google says that one terabyte is enough for you to “take a selfie twice a day for the next 200 years and still have room left over for”. But I’m sure that you have many other important pictures that you will want securely saved on the cloud....

With its latest product, Google Web Designer that helps users to create motion graphics with a lot of ease, Google has a great say in this battle too. Maybe many of you already heard about it and they are using it, but how many really know how to master this new program? In order to aid you, we decided to write the most important things about this animated HTML 5 creator, including a couple of tips and tricks and a small range of guidelines....

For a couple of months, I tried doing a manual calculation by using a normal water bottle and logging it on apps like Fitbit, MyFitnessPal, HydroCoach and so on. I finally fixed myself to HydroCoach which is really good at reminding with funny, and informative messages. But then came inaccurate logging, and I only realized it after I started using a Smart Water Bottle. What is a Smart Water Bottle?...

But a phone is a different beast. It is not just something that you use to make calls (its original purpose, remember) but a multi-purpose organ, an ecosystem for those who need to stay connected, a utilitarian’s ultimate dream. You can use it to keep in touch with friends, foes, and acquaintances; you can calm your nerves by listening to lilting music; you can play games on it; you can watch films on it; you can record your thoughts on it; you can even draw on some phones; you can stalk people on it (we are all voyeurs); and depending on the app and accessory used, it also checks your blood pressure....

What do you do when you come across music you like on Instagram Reels? Just as it is possible to save Instagram Reels videos, it is also possible to download Instagram Reel audio. However, users cannot download Reel audio directly on Instagram because there is no video download feature to avoid talking about audio on the platform; unless you want to save the audio to your Instagram account for later use....

4K Video Downloader is a powerful tool that offers to download full YouTube playlists hassle-free. Not only the videos you want to download from YouTube, but it can also download subtitles and embed the same in the video. What’s more, you ask? 4K Video Downloader allows you to set download speeds, use a proxy, and also sync your YouTube subscriptions safely within the app. It can be used across all operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux....

In case you are new to Google Wave, you might also be interested in these articles: What is Google Wave? How to Install a Google Wave Gadget Extension? Share, View and Edit Google Docs in Google Wave Ultimate List of Google Wave Gadgets and Tools 10 More Google Wave Gadgets to Play With How to Embed Google Wave on Your Wordpress Blog? Mark Essel has written a nice article on how to embed Google Wave on a Wordpress blog....