Top Tech News Today: Pixel 7a In India, National Technology Day, Encrypted DMs Coming To Twitter And More

The Google Pixel 7a phone has been officially unveiled in India at a price of Rs 43,999. The Pixel 7a smartphone brings significant camera upgrades over predecessor Pixel 6a.

The Pixel 7a has got almost flagship-like upgrade, but comes at a relatively lower price. ( Image Source :ABP Live )

Google Pixel 7a Launched In India

The Google Pixel 7a phone has been officially unveiled in India at a price of Rs 43,999. The Pixel 7a smartphone brings significant camera upgrades. It is powered by the company's proprietary Tensor G2 chip as well as the Titan M2 security chip, which also powers the premium Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel 7 models. This means that the Pixel 7a has got almost flagship-like upgrade, but comes at a relatively lower price. The Google Pixel 7a has been made available in an 8GB RAM and 128GB storage model in India. The Pixel 7a is available in the US in four colours, including the recently leaked Coral shade. However, India gets the Pixel 7a in only three colour options: Sea, Snow and Charcoal. Priced at Rs 43,999, the Pixel 7a will retail on e-commerce site Flipkart starting May 11 (today).

Elon Musk Rolls Out Encrypted DMs On Twitter

Twitter CEO Elon Musk on May 10 tweeted that the first version of end-to-end encrypted direct messages (DMs) will be rolled out on Thursday. Staying true to his words, Musk today confirmed that an early version of the much-awaited privacy feature has indeed been rolled out. However, in his now-signature eccentric style, he followed the announcement up with advice to users, “Try it, but don’t trust it yet.” It appears that the encrypted DM feature is being rolled out in phases. ABP Live was unable to spot any new pop-up messages that suggested the addition of this feature in DM chats. So, it could be possible you will be able to start seeing such a message later on. 

National Technology Day: PM Modi Lays Foundation Stone Of LIGO-India Project

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday laid the foundation stone of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory – India (LIGO-India), placing the nation among a handful of countries that have a Gravitational-Wave observatory. The Prime Minister also announced multiple projects related to scientific and technological advancement in the country, worth more than Rs 5,800 crore on the occasion of 25th National Technology Day. PM Modi, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh, inaugurated the programme marking National Technology Day 2023 at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. The projects for which the foundation stone was laid include Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory-India (LIGO-India), Hingoli; Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Jatni, Odisha; and Platinum Jubilee Block of Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai.

WhatsApp Coming To Wear OS Later This Year, Zuckerberg Teases Top Features

The collaboration between Google and Samsung in developing Wear OS 3 has resulted in a significant resurgence of the platform. This renewed interest has been further fueled by the introduction of Wear OS 3-powered Android smartwatches such as the Galaxy Watch 5 and Google Pixel Watch, leading to increased adoption by consumers. As a result, developers have started taking Wear OS more seriously, resulting in a larger number of apps available for the best Android smartwatches compared to before. Joining this trend is WhatsApp, which is owned by Mark Zuckerberg's Meta. The company has recently released a beta version of its Wear OS 3 app for testing purposes. Zuckerberg on Wednesday said that WhatsApp on Wear OS will allow users to receive calls, start new conversations, and reply to texts.

Can Smartwatches Detect Higher Risk Of Heart Failure Or Arrhythmia?

Smartwatches are capable of detecting higher risk of heart failure and irregular heart rhythms, a new study published in the European Heart Journal -- Digital Health has said. Smartwatches from the likes of Apple, Samsung and Fitbit are known to help keep track of heart health. Apple Watch checks for unusually high or low heart rates in the background, which could be signs of a serious underlying condition while Fitbit Sense 2 has an ECG app that can detect heart rhythm irregularities and automatically share them with your doctor. Now, with the new study, researchers have claimed that they have identified ECG recordings containing extra heartbeats which are usually benign but, if they occur frequently, are linked to conditions such as heart failure and irregular heartbeats, which is also known as arrhythmia.

Google Maps Getting Immersive View

Almost a year after its launch, Google Maps is finally bringing Immersive View format for users, the tech giant announced at the 2023 edition of Google I/O annual developer conference on Wednesday. Adding Immersive View To Google Maps' travel routes is likely to make it easier to understand where users want to go. The company intends to roll out Immersive View for Routes in 15 cities globally by the end of the year. In the coming months, Immersive View in Google Maps will be rolled out in Amsterdam, Berlin, Dublin, Florence, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Paris, Seattle, San Francisco, San Jose, Tokyo and Venice.