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Category: Tech

  • PUBG earns $307.1 million in Q1 2022 despite going free-to-play

    PUBG earns $307.1 million in Q1 2022 despite going free-to-play

    The South Korean company behind PUBG, Krafton revealed that the PC and console version of the battle royale shooter franchise is making a lot of money despite going free-to-play in January 2022.

    According to Krafton, the game earned $307.1 million in revenue in the first quarter of 2022, up 5 per cent year over year (YoY), after being downloaded more than one billion times as of March 2021.

    Sales on PC were boosted 61 per cent YoY to $82.3 million. The surge in console sales was even higher, up 124 per cent from the previous quarter and 274 per cent on a YoY basis, though Krafton did not disclose a cash amount for the period.

    From Q4 2021 to Q4 2022, PUBG’s average monthly active users nearly tripled.

    When PUBG: Battlegrounds first arrived in early access on Steam in 2017, it was a premium title, but free-to-play battle royale games like Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Apex Legends established that the free model can be highly profitable.

    In fact, converting PUBG: Battlegrounds to free-to-play turned out highly beneficial for Krafton. The widely played PUBG: Mobile is already free to download on iOS and Android devices.

    Electronic Arts (EA) also announced that Apex Legends, which has been out for a little over three years, crossed $2 billion in lifetime net bookings in just two weeks, While Epic raised $144 million for Ukraine aid.

  • Musk postpones Twitter acquisition after discovering number of fake accounts

    Musk postpones Twitter acquisition after discovering number of fake accounts

    Elon Musk has put his $44 billion (£35 billion) proposal to buy Twitter on hold, citing concerns over the number of bogus or spam accounts on the platform.

    He stated that he was awaiting facts “to support [the] calculation that spam/fake accounts do indeed comprise less than 5 per cent of users”.

    Mr Musk has been super vocal about the need to eliminate spam accounts. Analysts believed that he may be attempting to reduce the price or perhaps run away from the acquisition.

    In pre-market trade, Twitter’s stock dropped as much as 25 per cent in response to Mr Musk’s remark. Later, he stated that he remains “dedicated to acquisition”.

    If either Twitter or Mr Musk decides to leave, they must pay the other party a $1 billion termination fee.

    Fake accounts accounted for less than 5 per cent of Twitter’s daily active users in the first three months of this year, according to a report released more than two weeks ago.

    However, the corporation admitted that it used significant judgment in calculating the number of spam accounts, thus “our estimation of fraudulent or scam accounts may not precisely represent the real number of such accounts”.

    Read more: Elon Musk may takeover Twitter for $46.5 billion within this week

    “The actual number of false or spam accounts could be higher than we have estimated. We are continually seeking to improve our ability to estimate the total number of spam accounts,” it said.

  • Redmi unveils new Note 11T models with 144Hz Display, 120W charging

    Redmi unveils new Note 11T models with 144Hz Display, 120W charging

    Redmi’s President and General Manager Lu Weibing recently teased yet another future Redmi Note 11 variant. Presently, the Note 11 series offers a number of variants, still the tech giant is not done with it yet.

    The teaser graphic does not provide any features or design details, although the firm has previously hinted that the 11T phones will have a top-notch, turbo level performance. It is expected to include a number of performance-enhancing features.

    Redmi Note 11T Pro will include a 144Hz refresh rate LCD display, based on previous rumours. In China, it will be powered by MediaTek’s high-end Dimensity 8000 SoC, however, it is unclear what chipset would be used in the international or Pakistani variant. Also, the global variant will most likely have a different name.

    The Note 11T will have a 4,980 mAh battery with 67W fast charging support, while the Note 11 Pro will have a slightly smaller 4,300 mAh battery with 120W super fast charging.

    Read more: Apple may replace iPhone 14 mini with a Max model

    Redmi 11T phones will arrive in China before the worldwide market as the teasers are from China. A few months later, the Pakistani market and other countries will most certainly see an official release from the company.

  • Microsoft to add a built-in VPN in Edge browser to improve privacy

    Microsoft to add a built-in VPN in Edge browser to improve privacy

    Microsoft is adding a free built-in virtual private network (VPN) option to its Edge browser in order to boost security and privacy.

    The tech giant is presently testing the Cloudflare-powered VPN service, dubbed ‘Edge Secure Network,’ and says it will roll it out to the public as part of a security upgrade.

    When enabled, Edge Secure Network should encrypt users’ online traffic so that internet service providers are unable to acquire browsing data that you’d prefer to keep secret, such as health-related searches or merely weird questions.

    Users will be able to mask their location by browsing the web using a fake IP address, according to the new capability. Users will be able to access content that is restricted in their country, such as Netflix or Hulu shows.

    Read more: Instagram is testing ‘pin’ feature for posts

    While the functionality is still under development and not yet accessible for early testing, Microsoft has provided instructions on how people can get a sneak peek.

    This means that it will first be available through one of the Microsoft Edge Insider channels, which users may download and join here.

  • Samsung rolls out Android 12 based latest One UI 4.1

    Samsung rolls out Android 12 based latest One UI 4.1

    The Galaxy A32 5G received Android 12-based One UI 4.1 update in April, and now the LTE variants are getting Samsung’s latest custom Android interface.

    It also raises the Android security patch level for the smartphone to April 1, 2022, however, given that a few Samsung handsets have already received it, we expect the May patch to arrive soon.

    The smartphone gets a new update with firmware version A325FXXU2BVD6 that delivers a revamped UI and additional functionality.

    Read more: Samsung shipped 73.7 million cellphones in Q1 2022

    The One UI 4.1 update is already launched in several countries, and if you have not received it yet, you can manually check for it by going to Settings > Software update on your handset or wait for a few more days as Samsung takes a while to send updates to Pakistan.

  • Musk, Twitter sued by Florida pension fund to prevent acquisition

    Musk, Twitter sued by Florida pension fund to prevent acquisition

    Elon Musk and Twitter are back in the spotlight after a Florida pension fund filed a lawsuit on Friday to restrict the Tesla CEO’s $44 billion takeover of the microblogging site.

    The Orlando Police Pension Fund filed a complaint in Delaware Chancery Court, claiming that under Delaware law, Musk cannot entirely take over the company until at least 2025 unless two-thirds of the company’s shares are owned by Musk.

    Musk became an “interesting investor” when he acquired over 9 per cent of the Twitter share, according to the complaint, forcing the delay.

    According to CNN, the whole Twitter board of directors is a defendant in the case, including CEO Parag Agrawal. The current application aims to push the merger’s completion date back to at least 2025.

    The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating SpaceX’s creator for antitrust violations, which might postpone the deal’s completion.

    Musk’s initial purchase of the 9 per cent interest is being investigated by the FTC, which is questioning whether he fulfilled an antitrust filing obligation when the stocks were first purchased in April.

    Read more: Elon Musk plans to fire Twitter employees to save money

    The Republican Party strongly supports the Twitter agreement, hoping that conservatives banned from the site, such as former President Donald J Trump, will be allowed to return. Neither Twitter nor Musk has responded to the recent news.

  • Elon Musk plans to fire Twitter employees to save money

    Elon Musk plans to fire Twitter employees to save money

    Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is putting his plans into action after acquiring Twitter for $44 billion. In an attempt to obtain money for the takeover, he told banks that he wanted to cut the salaries of board members and executives and also pitched ideas for monetizing tweets.

    Musk presented the pitch to the financiers just days after making his bid on Twitter on April 14. He previously stated that if the offer was accepted, board members’ wages will be cut to zero, saving Twitter $3 million per year. It seems clear that Musk plans to lay off people to save money.

    The tech mogul also remarked that Twitter has a considerably smaller gross margin than similar sites like Facebook and Pinterest. He claimed that this freed up a lot of room for the corporation to run more cost-effectively.

    Musk detailed his ambitions to create features that will help his company generate more money from tweets that contain essential information or become viral.

    Read more: Instagram is testing ‘pin’ feature for posts

    In the near future, a fee could be charged if a third-party website quotes or incorporates a tweet from verified individuals or organisations.

  • Samsung shipped 73.7 million cellphones in Q1 2022

    Samsung shipped 73.7 million cellphones in Q1 2022

    Samsung does not like surrendering its position as the world’s leading smartphone manufacturer. Even though Apple temporarily dethroned it, the firm has fought back and reclaimed what it considers to be its rightful position.

    1st quarter of 2022 According to data from market research organisations Canalys and Counterpoint, Samsung is the global leader in smartphone shipments. Apple did well as well, but it was only able to finish second to the Korean behemoth.

    Samsung’s Galaxy S22 series has contributed to the company’s strong performance in the first quarter of this year. Many Galaxy Note fans were enticed back to Samsung with the Galaxy S22 Ultra in particular.

    According to Canalys, worldwide smartphone shipments hit 311.2 million units in the first quarter of 2022, down 11 per cent year on year. While Samsung regained the lead, delivering 73.7 million units, the company saw a 43 per cent drop in sales.

    Read more: HP to launch its first 17-inch foldable OLED notebook

    Xiaomi came in third place in the ‘top 5 shipping’ list, with 39.2 million units shipped, a 20 per cent decrease. Oppo shipped 29 million units, a decrease of 27 per cent, and Vivo’s growth slowed by 30 per cent.

  • Instagram is testing ‘pin’ feature for posts

    Instagram is testing ‘pin’ feature for posts

    Instagram is currently testing a new feature that allows users to pin photos to the top of their photo grid. According to tipsters, developers and insiders with access to the feature can already pin posts from the side menu.

    Instagram appears to have been working on the pin option for at least a few months. The upcoming feature will be a welcome addition to the Meta-owned platform, especially for those who want to highlight a photo or video they fancy, which may be buried way down in the grid.

    Instagram users currently have the option to pin stories to their accounts, but the addition of a pin feature would further enhance the user experience.

    The pinned posts test comes around a week after Instagram said that, as part of a modest test, it would remove the ‘Recent’ button from hashtag pages for some users. When you click on a hashtag, you’ll be led to a page where you can sort through the content that’s been shared with that hashtag into three categories: top, recent, and reels.

    Read more: Twitter officially declares adding an edit button

    Some users will only see the ‘Top’ and ‘Reels’ tabs on hashtag pages as a result of this change. The adjustment might be viewed as a method for Instagram to promote Reels, its TikTok competitor, while simultaneously focusing on uncovering the most popular postings on the platform.

  • Pakistan to broaden ties with US for the bright future of IT sector

    Pakistan to broaden ties with US for the bright future of IT sector

    Pakistan is taking steps to establish a welcoming environment for the digital industry, and now is the right time to elevate tech relations with the United States (US) according to Ambassador Masood Khan.

    The United States is willing to assist, and we are ready to join the IT revolution by integrating and adopting breakthroughs in US technologies, Khan said at the Pakistan Tech Summit 2022 in Silicon Valley, California.

    According to the Pakistani ambassador, the Forum provides a venue for Pakistani business leaders, tech startups, and technology professionals to come together and establish affinities, expand contacts between Silicon Valley and the Pakistani startup ecosystem, and team up for Pakistan’s better future.

    He said that more than 64 per cent of Pakistan’s population is under the age of 30, and the country’s burgeoning middle class is likely to surpass the 100 million mark in the near future. This youth bulge, paired with a rising middle class, envisioned a bright future for the country’s IT sector.

    He claimed that tech entrepreneurs in Pakistan have made half a billion dollars in the last 18 months, largely due to US funding, and that the sector is poised to create tens of billions of dollars in the next decade.

    Ambassador Khan stated that the Pakistani government will continue to take initiatives to make the tech industry more welcoming. He stated that laws are being made more business-friendly, that ease of doing business is a focus, and that venture capitalists are being offered incentives.

    The Envoy mentioned many incentives being offered to boost the tech sector, including the ability for investors to return their funds, data protection legislation in the works, and intellectual property challenges being handled.

    Read more: US launches $23 million project to enhance Pakistan’s power sector

    “We want to open a consulate general in the Bay Area to connect Silicon Valley with Pakistan in order to promote and assist the growth of entrepreneurs in Pakistan,” the Ambassador continued.

    During the conference, he invited participants to share the results of their discussions and to identify areas where the government and embassy could assist.