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Android 8.0 Oreo Update Now Available for Honor 8 Pro and Honor 9

The Android 8.0 Oreo-based operating system update by Google has been in the air for quite a while now. Henceforth, the users of Honor 8 Pro and Honor 9 have started receiving the same along with EMUI 8.0 (custom skin used by Honor phones) as an inclusive package.

TechGyo_ Android 8.0 Oreo
Image Courtesy: AndroidPIT

Android 8.0 Specs

Picture-in-picture mode, autofill, notification dots and reduced boot time are all Oreo specific features. Notably, the update concentrates more on the speed and efficiency of the devices. Honor 8 Pro users will be the first ones to get the system update followed by Honor 9 handsets. Although Honor 9 launch is still pending in India, yet the update will be running soon in the international markets for this handset.

Developers have made a jump from EMUI 5.1 (previous version) to straight 8.0 for avoiding any kind of uncertainties. This will also give a better picture to the user about the Android version that he/ she is using without any confusions (Android 8.0 to be specific). The updated version promises to have features like intelligent context awareness, user behavior, and intelligent resource allocation. Not only these, but the one-handed operation, navigation dock, private space optimization, accessibility to recently deleted documents, dynamic wallpapers, and many more features are a part of this update.

TechGYO_Android 8.0 update for Honor phones
Image Courtesy: soyacincau

The EMUI 8.0 version is supposedly going to assist users with prompt data transfer and make file sharing faster. Huawei reports that the Oreo Android update will be made available to other Honor models which will include Honor 8, Honor 9i and Honor Lite.

Honor 8 Pro is present in the Indian market and made its entry with specifications like 5.7-inch QHD (1440×2560 pixels) LCD display, 6GB of RAM, 128 inbuilt storage and runs on HiSilicon Kirin 960 SoC. Honor 9 is said to have 5.15-inch full-HD (1080×1920 pixels) LTPS display, 6GB of RAM consists up to 128 inbuilt storage and will run on Huawei’s Kirin 960 SoC.

Robotic Delivery Vans Are Coming To the Streets Much Before Self-Driving Cars

Self-driving cars have been grabbing quite a lot of attention as they might be the future of automobiles. Humans are probably expecting autonomous cars to be seen as a reality, however, according to two Ex-Google self-driving car engineers, this might unfortunately not be the truth! Nuro, a silicon valley startup is working on an advanced technology to roll out robotic delivery vans to maneuver ease for e-commerce giants like Amazon, United Parcel Service Inc, and more such retailers. The startup promises to equip e-commerce platforms to expedient anytime and everywhere deliveries. And they are excited to put forward the vehicle in the current year itself.

Nuro was established with a mission of delivering the best daily life robotic advancements by providing self-driving vehicles to ease the transport of local goods rather than people. And this technology might establish itself prior to the self-driving cars that are in the race to replace other taxi fleets.

TechGYO_Robotoc Delivery Vans Are Here To Stay
Image Courtesy: IEEE Spectrum

“We realized we could make it possible to deliver anything, anytime, anywhere,” said co-founder Dave Ferguson. “We like to call it a local teleportation service.” The news of robotic delivery vans was unfolded in the past week and it managed to be a revolutionary idea on its own. Like who was expecting this to happen? Nuro has been utterly discreet about this innovation since the company’s inception and launch.

TechGYO_Nuro's Robotic Delivery Vans over Self Driven Cars
Image Courtesy: Quartz

Robotic Delivery Vans by Nuro – Specifications

This shinny driverless vehicle will have a minimalistic design to fulfill the purpose of carrying goods and not people. All the intricacies are kept in mind and have been well taken care of so the car becomes something unconventional. Each of the robotic delivery van will have a modular and customizable design. Focusing more on small businesses first, this robotic delivery van will be responsible for transporting food orders, groceries, flowers and other such packages in urban and suburban areas. It’s an initiative to benefit the stores like that of dry cleaners and restaurants with fast and automated services. The robotic delivery van will be able to carry 250 pounds (114 Kilograms approx.). It might weigh about 1500 pounds (681 kilograms approx.) and would come in at an affordable cost.

Both small and big businesses can effectively plan to use the robotic delivery van on the go.  A lot of time has been invested and ergonomic experiments have been performed to make this van one of a kind. So, ample space will be provided along with shelves to allow refrigeration. And dry-cleaners can place in hanging racks so clothes remain crease free.

TechGYO_Robotoc deliver vans the future of 2018
Co-founder Dave Ferguson on the left and Jiajun Zhu on the right (Former members of the Google’s Self-Driving Car Project). | Image Courtesy: Forbes

Nuro’s robotic delivery van can be classified as a smart suitcase that follows the passengers. But of course, Nuro isn’t the only one to bring out such a service on wheels. Ford has been working and testing its human-free pizza delivery van in association with Dominos. And Toyota too has successfully placed one such delivery vehicle on the roads of Las Vegas. Renault-Nissan is also on the verge of unfolding their innovation by the month of September.

Passenger self-driving cars are actually a threat to such companies so they anyhow have to get the technology right! Whereas, on the other side, teleportation industry comes with a limited risk. There are a few things to worry about. The robotic delivery van will come in a smaller size as they do not have to carry people. They will take less material for construction – no airbags or other occupant-oriented safety features. All these differences account for making the Nuro robotic delivery van affordable and potentially reliable.

4G Smartphones by Vodafone Now Made Affordable for Feature Phone Users

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Telecom Giant Vodafone India announces its partnership with Flipkart as an initiative to allow people purchase 4G smartphones from the starting range of Rs. 999 only. This is a major step towards making entry-level 4G smartphones much affordable for the customers. The alliance is unveiled months after Telco partnered with Micromax and Itel Mobile, a Chinese Manufacturer based out of Hong Kong to bring down the costs of entry-level phones and make them available for the increasing demand.  A cashback offer is also available under a selected price range of #MyFirst4GSmartphone on Flipkart.

TechGYO_#MyFirst4GSmartphone Partnership With Flipkart
Image Courtesy: GizBot

The existing pre-paid Vodafone users purchasing the smartphone from the E-commerce site are eligible for this offer. Buyers who are thinking to purchase a new Vodafone sim-card (new members) are also welcomed to reap the benefit! Currently, iVoomi Me4, Yu Yunique 2, iVoomi i1, Yu Yunique 2 Plus, and iVoomi i1S smartphones are qualified for this offer. Smartphones from brands like Intex, Xolo,  Micromax, Yu Televentures, Swipe and Alcatel are also eligible under the same. Validity of this offer is from January 24th to March 31st.

How To Apply For The Vodafone #MyFirst4GSmartphone Offer?

All the Vodafone pre-paid customers will have to recharge their accounts with a minimum of Rs.150 per month for the next 36 months. The recharge can be any Vodafone plan which totals up to Rs.150. Vodafone assures a cashback worth Rs.900 to the subscribers after 18 months of usage. Another cashback of Rs.1, 100 will be provided to the users after 18 months. So, all of these amount to Rs. 2000 in a 36 month period! Surely a wow-offer!

Avneesh Kholsa, Associate Director – Consumer Business, Vodafone India said in a joint press statement,

“We are delighted to partner with Flipkart and extend this offer to our existing and new pre-paid customers.  This is an initiative to make 4G smartphones available at a never before price points and thus, democratize access to Vodafone SuperNet 4G. We hope that this will help fulfill the aspirations of several million phone users across the country who desire a smartphone but couldn’t afford one. It will also encourage current non-users of 4G to upgrade and enjoy a richer user experience with Vodafone SuperNet 4G.”

Vodafone had earlier collaborated with Micromax to compete against Jio phones. Bharat-2 Ultra 4G-capable feature phone was on offer. Hereafter, the telecom giant continued its expansion with the company further offering a cashback of Rs. 2,200 on Micromax Bharat 2 PlusMicromax Bharat 3, Micromax Bharat 4, and the Micromax Canvas 1. The company is also known to have collaborated with Itel Mobile.

Bharti Airtel and BSNL had also partnered in the past for bringing up the budget-based price of smartphone versions. In December 2017, Airtel collaborated with Intex phones as well to launch Intex Aqua Lions N1 for an affordable price of Rs. 1,649. This was brought under the “Mera Pehela Smartphone” scheme. Moreover, BSNL was known to have launched Micromax Bharat 1 as a competitor against Jio Phone in October ’17.

Security Benefits of Using Softether VPN

The open source VPN software for the server was developed by the University of Tsukuba. This cross-platform VPN software has got multi-protocol and is known for its security and the safe encryption that it provides. This Softether VPN uses the 256 bit AES certificate that is for proper security. This VPN has got the features of the other VPN protocols that are named as Open VPN, L2TP, PPTP and SSTP but is devoid of the negative features of these older VPNs. This network protocol is fast and safe like the PPTP and the Open VPN. This one is also stable and will give you P2P access and downloading options.

Bridging and Routing with Sufficient Security

Softether VPN is open source software that’s free for all and can be used by many. This has got a remote access and it is also good as site-to-site networking. This has got its own resistance to firewalls that even are restricted for all. This network has got Ethernet bridging features and IP-routing features too and these are good for any virtual private network. There are different encryptions that are ready for work with this software and there are sufficient security walls that work to give strength to the user group. The logging and firewall features offer inner VPN tunnel.

Working with SoftEther

When you are working with this SoftEther, you will find there are 3 modules and they are the server, the clients and bridge for working with the server. The server of SoftEther works so that it can accept connections from various other clients who are using VPN protocols. The Softether VPN uses virtual hubs and different switches that work like real life switches. A Client is a specialized software that is designed to work as hardware or adapter that works through the Ethernet port. This SoftEther software works with various other VPN protocols. The SoftEther Bridges work with the site-to-site connections.

Free and Open Source

This SoftEther works with all the desktop computers and its operating system. This one is also good when you use it through the mobile operating systems like Mac OS, FreeBSD, Windows, Linux and Solaris. The SoftEther is comparatively new and therefore has not got a whole lot of support and availability. This is good for all as it is open source and available without any charges. This SoftEther can work around the firewalls and will give the users a superb performance with the connectivity and it will also take care of the security of the connection.

Recommendations and Requirements

When you set up the Softether VPN for your computer, you must know about the requirements and some recommendations. You will need a VPN account and there are many who would allow you their service for free to connect to the network. Choose a package and you will find the details of username, totally secret password and server address in the package that is sent to your profile.

Use the App for Windows for setting up the SoftEther network or you can check out the manual step by step guide for such setup in many websites. Soon you will have the client manager on your desktop so that you can add the connections and a Virtual Network Adaptor. When you have set up the connection, you will have to start working with the network. This supports many other protocols of VPN and you will be happy with the performance and the complete security measures that come with the connection.

5 Important Reasons for the Growth of Solar Industry

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Today, there are more people employed in the solar industry as compared to the gas fields and oil rigs. In fact, with a 20% annual increase, the solar industry added more than 35,000 jobs this year – which increases the employees working in the solar energy industry in the United States to 209,000. The industry employs solar panel installers, engineers, sales personnel, designers, and a host of other categories. The industry is almost three times the size of the coal mining workforce and significantly outsizes the gas and oil industries.

Experts wonder what factors might have contributed to the steady five-year growth period of the solar industry. In fact, things like environmental sustainability and improved consumer awareness have played a significant role in the growth process. But, there are many other factors that have contributed to this growth. Here are five important reasons for the solar industry’s recent growth.

  1. Tax Credits

The U.S. government implemented a solar investment tax credit (ITC) program to promote the growth of the industry in the country. Anyone who invests or develops solar energy could apply for this tax credit. In fact, the residential and commercial ITC program was initiated in 2006 with the goal of implementing it for a few years. But the U.S. Congress voted to extend the program until 2023 in December 2015.

The ITC has a compound annual growth rate of almost 76%. In fact, the program helped annual solar installation grow by over 1,600% during the last ten years. With the extension of the program, solar energy prices are expected to further decline in the coming years. The solar installation is expected to quadruple by the year of 2020. The workforce is also expected to double during the same period.

In fact, the ITC program is considered one of the most important contributors to the growing success of the solar industry. The long-term and stable federal tax incentive will help spur economic growth while reducing the energy prices and creating thousands of jobs in the country.

  1. Climate Change Agreement In Paris

The Paris Climate Change Agreement has designed a global plan to decrease harmful global warming. This is another important contributor to the popularity of the solar industry. The Paris agreement initiated in December 2015 – which was agreed upon by negotiators from more than 195 countries around the world. It is aimed at limiting global warming by reducing carbon emissions worldwide.

This agreement will address issues such as food security, deforestation, poverty, and more. The agreement issued guidelines for developed countries to follow to reduce carbon emissions. These guidelines state that developed countries should help developing countries worldwide with scaled-up, long-term technology and capacity building. The U.S. federal government has been promoting residential and commercial customers to use solar power as a result of the Paris Agreement.

  1. Low-Cost Equipment

The cost of solar energy equipment has reached an all-time low right now. The prices have dropped almost 70% since 2010. This is perhaps the leading reason for the growth of the solar industry. The average home consumes electricity at a rate of 1 kW per hour. The average home uses 730 hours in each month. Hence, the average price of a kWh of solar electricity is around $0.10, and the average monthly bill is around $73.

The installation costs have also dropped significantly during this period. Prices that cost between $7-9 per watt have dropped to $3 per watt. Hence, the average system costs around $25,000-35,000. Even though the upfront costs of installing solar panels may seem high on paper, many utility services offer incentives. On the other hand, many companies subsidize as much as 50% of the solar system costs. In fact, every system has four equipment components such as the controller, solar panels, inverter, and batteries. With the latest technological advances, these components are developed in a more efficient and affordable way today. In fact, the declining cost is another reason for more and more homes and businesses to switch to solar power.

  1. Cultural and Marketing Demand

The rising popularity has helped the growth of the solar industry. Solar companies are conducting an extensive advertising campaign to popularize their products among the people. Many people see solar energy as a status symbol – which attracts more people to the industry. As many businesses realize the significance of reducing the carbon footprint, solar has come forward as the most efficient and affordable option.

  1. Battery Storage

Battery storage has made a significant difference in the popularity of solar energy systems. The modern battery uses saltwater as the only electrolyte. On the other hand, the old lead-plate batteries were loaded with sulphuric acid that is harmful to the environment. They are also more expensive to manufacture. The modern lithium-ion battery eliminates the risk of fire hazards and thermal issues.

In fact, the cheap gas and oil prices are making it difficult to convince the consumer to shift to solar energy. But solar energy is here to stay and will continue to grow in popularity in the coming years.

 

(Featured Image Courtesy: trade zero)

A Guide to What Cloud PBX Can Do For Your Business

Cloud PBX is the latest and digital version of the private branch exchange located in the cloud surpassing traditional forms of private branch exchange or PBX. For effective functioning, a service provider will own, operate, and maintain the PBX using a secure data centre.  The service can be accessed using the internet with a high-speed broadband router.  This article will provide information on how the Cloud PBX is beneficial and what it can do for your business.

  1.  Protecting the Company’s Capital

Cloud PBX solutions are useful in protecting the company’s capital because there are no upfront costs for new private branch exchange or business infrastructure.  Instead of paying these costs, you will pay a monthly service provider charge covering management, maintenance, and upgrade services.

  1.  Reducing Calling Costs

Cloud PBX allows for connection of the internet to your company’s phone system allowing access to call charges lower than the equivalent costs on the public switched telephone network.  This is beneficial to company savings, particularly if the company requires one to make several regular international or long-distance calls.

  1.  Choosing Your Telephones

Using a cloud PBX, you will have a larger choice of telephones.  Not only will you have a larger choice of phones, but it is also possible to retain the current analogue telephones while adapting them for digital use with a low-cost converter.  To enjoy the advantages of this service, it is possible to buy or rent the latest IP telephones.

If your staff members spent a lot of time out of the office at client companies or working from home, the cloud PBX offers mobile solutions.  This means that the staff can make and take calls using mobile phones with internet abilities; as well as laptops, tablets, or personal computers with a software application known as ‘softphone’.

  1.  Elimination Of Maintenance And Upgrade Costs

When operating an office-based PBX, it is possible to incur maintenance charges or experience downtime if the company’s facilities break down.  The impact of downtime on a company is important because it can result in a loss of productivity, the loss of revenue, the cost of service recovery, and the loss of client confidence in the company.

While cloud-based PBX solutions could break down, it is not possible to notice any difference in the provider service.  This is because the providers will invest in carrier-grade equipment setting up duplicate systems.  If one of these duplicate systems fails, the cloud PBX will automatically switch to the alternate working system.

Traditional software upgrades are regular, and this means that there are additional licence charges and deployment of latest versions of the software to all users.  With the cloud-based PBX solution, however, the service provider deploys all of the latest versions to the users without any disruptions to deployment and no additional licence charges.

  1.  Improvement In Call Handling

If the company staff takes calls using various individual desk telephones or mobile phones with different numbers, it is easy to miss telephone calls.  This can result in poor levels of customer service, frustration among customers, and the chance of lost business.

Using a cloud PBX phone solution, callers can dial a single telephone number, and the PBX routes will send them to the dedicated staff extensions at the company office or the staff mobile phones.  Callers will receive a professional greeting when calling the company and will be able to choose the service from some alternatives including technical support, customer services, and sales.  The calls will be sent to extensions outside of the company that handle specialist support functions, such as remote call centres or specialist contractors.

  1.  Supporting Flexible And Mobile Working

One of the benefits of cloud PBX is its ability to reach contacts throughout the world when an individual has an online connection.  This means that the staff members do not need to be located at a central office to receive or make telephone calls.

The cloud-based PBX solution can transfer incoming calls to a staff member’s home phone or mobile telephone if the employee is away from the central office.  It is also possible to forward the telephone call to numerous phones ensuring that the caller will receive a response.  If the first telephone is not answered, the digital PBX system is forwarded to some differently designated telephones.  Taking this into account, you can be certain that all staff will remain in contact regardless of their location.  This provides the opportunity to incorporate flexible working options providing callers with a high standard of service.

  1.  Improving The Company’s Efficiency And Service

Cloud PBX solutions can increase the company’s level of efficiency by providing employees with access to advanced communication services such as VoIP, also known as voice over internet protocol.  Companies of all sizes can benefit from different calling features such as call forwarding, conferencing, presence status, and unified messaging.  In previous years these services were only available to large businesses and not smaller start-ups.

  1.  Increasing The Capacity On Demand

If your company begins to grow and you need to handle a large volume of traffic, it may be necessary to increase the capacity on demand.  This means that the business may experience seasonal peaks or a need to deal with a growth in call volume following a marketing campaign.  By improving the communication system, you can ensure that the company will be able to handle changing volumes and maintain call waiting times for clients.

  1.  Connecting Branches Using The Cloud

If your company operates using multiple websites, the cloud-based PBX improves communication making it simpler and reducing expenses.  Calls made between the connected websites are free and you will be able to reduce the operating costs by removing any duplicate equipment on each site by running a central system.  The company requires only a single VoIP router with a high-speed online connection to access this service without any need for further infrastructure.

When the solution is put in place, all companies can enjoy identical communication facilities as the primary office or access the shared facilities.  The sites can use a shared call centre, such as agents operating in a central location or remotely.  Regardless of where the staff member is working, they will be able to respond to clients using the same call handling services; thereby, improving the level of company call consistency and customer service quality.

All branches will be able to exchange information and collaborate when connected using a cloud-based PBX.  This means that the main office is able to gain essential business reports easily with branches exchanging information easily.  This simple and efficient exchange of data can improve the effectiveness of functioning and improve the level of decision-making.

  1.  Making The Company More Mobile

Using the cloud-based PBX solution, all mobile staff members and workers operating from home or other areas will be able to access identical phone services.  All they require to access these facilities is a smartphone or an internet connection on a desk.  This makes it easy for the company to offer flexible work policies attracting and retaining modern employee services.

  1.  Supporting A Virtual Company

If you own a “virtual company” with staff members or freelancers working from home or from various locations, it is possible to link all individuals using a cloud-based PBX.  There is no longer any need for clients to remember numerous numbers for different agents, they can call a single number and the digital system will direct them to the correct staff member.

Could You Be at Risk from Your Smart Home?

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The consumer market is being overtaken by the Internet of Things which covers every consumer category from fitness trackers to coffee makers.  While the idea of smart automation will make life more convenient, when it comes to the security system, you could be making your home more vulnerable by connecting to the internet.  If you are thinking of having a smart home, you should look at the most common elements of a security system, the dangers they create and what you can do to mitigate this.

Smart Home Risk_TechGYO
(Featured Image Courtesy: good work labs)

Smart Security Cameras

A lot of homeowners are integrating high-tech smart cameras into their home security system.  Smart cameras can alert you to suspicious movements and activities around and inside your home.  You will be able to control the camera angles, as well as view, live feeds from a remote location on a smartphone or a tablet.

Researchers from the Context Information Security say that such cameras can easily be tampered with. Infiltrators can intercept the Wi-Fi network passwords and then change the camera angles or stop warning messages from reaching the homeowner.

One of the most common cameras is the Motorola FOCUS73, and the manufacturer’s security partner has since patched the vulnerabilities.  Updates to the device are now automated which ensures that any new patches are installed automatically.  This has strengthened the software immensely.

One of the best ways to mitigate issues with smart cameras is to buy a reliable one. You may have to pay more, but it’ll be worthwhile. A decent camera keeps the hackers from accessing your home.

Smart Door Locks

Smart door locks such as the Schlage BE369 makes it easier for people to enter their home by using a digital keypad.  When you integrate the smart lock into a smart home system such as the Samsung SmartThings hub, you will be able to remotely monitor and control the locks.

Researchers from the University of Michigan performed a platform-wide study of the Samsung hub security.  The researchers found that the Schlage locks could easily be digitally picked when they are controlled through this hub.  The researchers were able to use a malware app disguised as a battery tracker to remotely watch the owners make new PIN codes and then copy the code to access the lock.  There were also able to create new PINs which allowed them to unlock the door disregarding the owner’s original entry.

Samsung was alerted to these issues, and they have started work on long-term repairs and fixes.  The company blog has stated that the company is aware of the issue and that firmware updates are ongoing.

If you want to mitigate this problem, you should be wary of any apps that work with your smart devices that do not come from the manufacturer.  The more access you allow these third-party apps, the greater the potential for exploited entry into your home.

Smart Doorbells for a Smart Home

One of the newest parts of the smart home security system is the Ring smart doorbell which is easy to install and will double as an intercom and camera.  With this doorbell’s mobile app, you will be able to see and talk to visitors before you open the door.  When this is used with smart locks, you will be able to monitor who is entering and exiting your home.

Pen Test Partners performed a security test which found that hackers could use the doorbell to access Wi-Fi networks and passwords.  They can then open connected devices which will lead to more breaches.  When the research was completed, all intruders would need to do is simply unscrew Ring from the doorframe. And then press the rather large reset button which allows them to access the secure wireless network.

The company response was very quick when they were alerted to the problem, and a firmware release has been completed.  The update was done automatically which ensured that all of the users of the doorbell would have this without any downloads needed.

If you want to mitigate this risk, ensure that smart doorbells run on the most recent and updated software versions. Also, keep checking the manufacturer’s website regularly to ensure that you have all the latest updates.

Smart Garage Doors

There are a lot of people who forget to close the garage door when they leave for work, and these people should consider investing in a smart garage door opener such as the Chamberlain MyQ Garage.  The device and corresponding app will make it possible for people to control their garage door functions remotely.  This allows you to track when your door is open and ensure that you do not leave the garage open.

In 2015, a Veracode report looked at the overall security of 6 smart products which included the Chamberlain MyQ Garage. It was found that there were some issues. A majority of the devices didn’t require a strong password during the initial setup. And they even lacked protection against command interceptions.

After the publication of the report, the company confirmed that they’d fixed all of the software vulnerabilities.It just required a complex password. The company has also added that they’re looking for ways to increase password security requirements in future updates.

The best way to mitigate the risks with smart garage doors is to always have complex passwords. Make sure to also update the passwords regularly. Each password for each device should be unique, strong and hard for people to guess.

The Internet of Things market is increasing and changing the way that security systems work.  However, there are several vulnerabilities you need to know about. Fortunately, there are ways to mitigate these risks and ensure that your security system protects you as it should.

(Featured Image Courtesy: wicked smart homes)