Weekly Tech Wrap: Google To Make Pixels In India, OnePlus Launches Maiden Foldable, More Top Technology News

From the US looking to bring back Net Neutrality to Laptop imports’ licensing norms getting tweaked, here are the biggest tech news stories from the week that was.

OnePlus Open price is set at Rs 1,39,999.

Google pulls an Apple and announces to manufacture Pixel smartphones in India. Net Neutrality rules, restricted during the Donald Trump presidential era, may make a comeback. OnePlus Open, the company’s first foldable, is now official. The world of technology news was dominated by these headlines, and more, over the past week. Here’s a deeper look. 

After Apple, Google Eyes Made-In-India Phones

In a noteworthy development that aligns with India's push for domestic manufacturing, Google has joined the ranks of tech giants such as Apple and Samsung. The company disclosed its plans to manufacture its latest smartphones in India during the 9th edition of the annual Google for India event. The event was graced by the Minister of Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnaw.

At this event, Google announced its intention to initiate the assembly of Pixel smartphones in India, with the recently launched Pixel 8 set to be the first device bearing the prestigious "Made in India" label. This strategic move by Google mirrors Apple's previous initiatives in India and reflects the company's acknowledgement of India's significance as a pivotal market where it intends to focus its manufacturing efforts in the foreseeable future.

OnePlus Introduces Maiden Foldable

OnePlus has joined the foldable smartphone trend, introducing its inaugural OnePlus Open foldable smartphone in India on Thursday in two colour options. The global unveiling of the foldable phone took place at a Mumbai event. Priced at Rs 1,39,999 for the 16GB RAM and 512GB onboard storage variant, the OnePlus Open will be available for purchase on October 27.

Distinguished by its slimmer profile compared to other foldable devices, the OnePlus Open boasts a larger screen, a substantial battery, and impressive camera capabilities.

The phone's construction incorporates titanium alloy and carbon fiber, offering an aerospace-grade build. Furthermore, the OnePlus Open holds TÜV Rheinland certification, guaranteeing durability for up to 1,000,000 folds.

Net Neutrality Rules May Return

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) took a significant step on Thursday, voting 3-2 to advance a proposal that seeks to reinstate the landmark net neutrality rules and reaffirm regulatory oversight over broadband internet services. 

This action aims to restore the open internet regulations originally adopted in 2015 and to reestablish the FCC's authority over broadband internet. Notably, this move reverses a 2017 decision that had prohibited internet service providers from engaging in practices like blocking or throttling traffic and offering paid fast lanes, also referred to as paid prioritisation. 

The FCC plans to solicit public input before finalising the proposal, with a vote scheduled for the next year.

Licensing Norms For Laptops Tweaked

Amid concerns raised by several countries, including the US, Taiwan, China, and Korea, during a recent WTO meeting about India's restrictions on laptop imports, government officials announced a forthcoming "authorisation" system for imports of laptops, tablets, and personal computers (PCs). According to Reuters, the new "import management system" introduced by the Indian government is scheduled to take effect on November 1.

This development is expected to provide significant relief to global laptop and PC manufacturers, such as HP, Apple, Samsung, Lenovo, and Dell, who were caught off guard by the sudden announcement of a licensing regime a few weeks ago.

Meta Resolves Bug Affecting Pro-Palestine Posts

In response to concerns raised by Instagram users who shared pro-Palestine content, Meta addressed and resolved a platform bug. This bug affected accounts globally, regardless of their content's subject matter, including those unrelated to Israel and Gaza. Meta, which designates Hamas as a "dangerous organization," made these changes following accusations of suppressing pro-Palestinian content. On October 10, Mondoweiss, a news website focused on Palestinian human rights, reported that Instagram had suspended its video correspondent's profile twice, and other users claimed their Palestine-related posts and stories weren't receiving views.

According to Meta, the issue was not content-related but rather a technical bug. Furthermore, Meta Platforms, Facebook's parent company, introduced temporary measures to limit "potentially unwelcome or unwanted comments" on posts discussing the Israel-Hamas conflict. They altered default comment settings on new and public Facebook posts to limit them to friends and followers in the region, although the specific definition of the region wasn't provided. Users can change this setting at any time.

That’s it from the world of tech headlines this week. Stay tuned to this space for more top stories next week.

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