Take a look at the top five stories of the day.
Today kicked off with Google Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL going up for pre-orders via Flipkart. The sale of the devices will commence on November 1 and November 15, respectively. However, today’s list of tech news was dominated by Xiaomi.
Xiaomi Mi Note 3, first MIUI partnership day
Xiaomi today announced that it will be launching a new series in India. While details about the same are still under wraps, we know two things about the upcoming smartphone. One, the new phone will launch on November 2. Two, this Xiaomi phone will be selfie-centric. Rumors have it that Xiaomi might launch the Mi Note 3 smartphone in India, considering Mi Note is the only series that was not launched in India. The Mi Note-series was originally launched in 2015.
Xiaomi is also celebrating November 7 as the first MIUI partnership day. The company intends to work with developers in India to further localize the user experience of its mobile operating system. Xiaomi says the MIUI Partnership Day will cover topics about Xiaomi’s Internet services strategy, from products and services, monetisation, to the entire MIUI ecosystem and investments.
READ: Xiaomi to launch ‘best selfie smartphone’ in India; could be the Mi Note 3
ALSO READ: Xiaomi to host its first MIUI partnership day in India on November 7
Uber Credit Card launched
Uber today announced its foray into the credit card business. Uber announced a rewards earning, no-fees credit card in partnership with Barclays bank. The credit card has no annual fee, and instead, you’ll earn reward points for all your online and offline purchases. Starting November 2, Uber will give users the option to get the card right in its app. A user can also apply for the card online. Uber Visa Card users get four percent rewards on restaurants, takeout, bars and UberEATS, three percent on hotel and airfare including vacation home rentals, two percent on online shopping, video, and music streaming services.
READ: Uber launches credit card in partnership with Visa, Barclays
Android Oreo 8.1 developer preview
A new version of Android Oreo is on its way. Today Google has announced that it is rolling out Android Oreo 8.1 developers preview to Nexus 5X, Nexus 6P, Pixel C, Pixel, Pixel XL and of course to Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL users. Google has pegged the final release for December. Changes can be noted in the notification behaviour that limits apps to one notification alert sound per second. The update will also contain an Easter egg: the Android Oreo logo now looks like an actual cookie. There are improvements to fingerprint scanning as well.
READ: Android 8.1 Developer Preview rolling out for Pixel, Nexus devices: What’s new
Apple iPhone app with camera permission can spy on you
A Google engineer has demonstrated it is possible for a malicious iOS app to record a user, with a proof of concept app capable of recording from both iPhone cameras without the user’s knowledge. The researcher notes that granting camera permission will enable apps to access both the front and the back camera of your device, photograph and record you at any time the app is in the foreground, upload this content immediately, and run real-time face detection to read your facial expressions.
READ: Google engineer reveals how any iPhone app with camera permission can record you
India is the second largest smartphone market
Smartphone shipments in India hit 40 million units for the first time, making it the number two smartphone market globally. Year-on-year smartphone shipments in India grew by 23 percent in the third quarter of 2017, exceeding 40 million units according to research firm Canalys. Samsung saw its year-on-year shipments increase substantially, hitting 9.4 million in Q3. At the same time last year, Xiaomi saw the most dramatic growth with a huge leap of 290 percent increase in shipments from 3 million last year to 9.2 million this year.
READ: India overtakes US as second largest smartphone market; Samsung, Xiaomi top brands