Since the early 2000s, when it burst into the entertainment industry, augmented reality has been on the lips of all technology lovers as the “new trend” or the tool of the future that everyone would use, but as the years have passed, it appears that it has lost pace.

If you are unfamiliar with augmented reality, we will briefly define it, explain how it works, and then show why it may be the greatest option for industrial and technological initiatives in 2024.

What exactly is augmented reality?

Augmented reality (AR) is a technology that superimposes digital content like photographs, videos, or animations on top of real-world environments. Create an interactive and immersive experience in which virtual things blend perfectly with the actual environment when viewed through a device such as a smartphone or an augmented reality headset.

AR improves the user’s perspective of reality by providing a new and exciting method to interact with their surroundings. It can be used for entertainment, education, and training, among other things. AR may be used to create highly realistic and immersive experiences that anybody with a smart device and an internet connection can access using sensors, cameras, and other technologies.

Augmented reality’s presence in the technology market

According to Statista, a study on the arrival of augmented reality in mobile versions worldwide was conducted, resulting in “in 2021, it was estimated that the mobile augmented reality (AR) market was worth 12.45 billion dollars.” It is expected to reach around US$17 billion in 2022, rising to more than US$36 billion by 2026. Digital goods, such as augmented reality in-app purchases, as well as ad placement and display software, are all part of the industry.”

In another analysis, they uncovered augmented reality’s increase in the general market, forecasting a value of 20.9 billion dollars by 2027, proving that this technology is still extremely prevalent.

Augmented reality applications in industry

Because augmented reality is so comprehensive and multipurpose, it has any use you can think of, including uses in the industrial sector, inside various enterprises, and trades.

A short glance at the most popular ones reveals the following:

• Repair and maintenance: This technique can superimpose digital information on real-world equipment, such as schematics and maintenance instructions. This assists technicians in identifying issues and performing repairs more effectively.
• Training and onboarding: While you might not believe it, augmented reality can help with training by providing engaging and immersive experiences for new employees. Before working with physical equipment, they can learn and perform activities in a virtual environment.
• Remote Assistance: Field service professionals can utilize augmented reality glasses or augmented reality apps on mobile devices to receive real-time help from specialists in other locations. This aids in the more efficient resolution of complex problems.
• Quality control is one of the most crucial tasks for any business, and it is one where this technology can help. AR can help with quality control processes by superimposing digital models or specifications on physical goods, making it easier for inspectors to see flaws or departures from norms.
• Warehouse and logistics: Using smart glasses or mobile devices, you may optimize warehouse operations by providing workers with real-time information on inventory locations, order-picking instructions, and navigation guidance.
• Engineers and designers can use augmented reality (AR) to perceive and modify 3D models of products, making it easier to collaborate, iterate, and test designs before manufacturing actual prototypes.
• Safety training: Because it is a technology that, in some ways, mirrors reality, it can be used to replicate dangerous scenarios and instruct workers in safe procedures. It helps children to practice emergency reactions without putting themselves in danger.
• Asset Tracking: By overlaying essential data in the user’s field of view, it can assist in tracking the location and status of industrial equipment and assets.
• Assembly and manufacturing: AR-guided assembly procedures can enhance accuracy and reduce errors by offering assembly line employees step-by-step instructions and visual cues.
• Data visualization: It may not be your first thought, but AR can display real-time data analysis and critical performance indicators on the factory floor, allowing for better decision-making and tracking of production processes.
• Maintenance of Machines: Allows maintenance crews to monitor machine health by superimposing equipment health data, maintenance schedules, and alarms on their devices.
• Supply chain management: By offering a real-time view into shipments, inventory levels, and order processing, AR can assist in optimizing the supply chain.

Can augmented reality aid in sales growth?

Every business, whether it sells actual goods or services, wants to make money, sell, complete agreements, and participate in successful negotiations. Augmented reality can help with all of this.

Augmented reality is clearly a technological tool used to persuade the viewer, from showcasing all a product can accomplish in real time to a tour of a paradisiacal countryside advertising a travel agency.

The visualization of products in 3D stands out as particularly useful in allowing customers to see the entire object before purchasing it. This is especially useful when selling things like furniture, jewelry, apparel, or electronics, which clients prefer to observe from several perspectives before selecting. 3D visualization boosts customer trust and can lower return rates.

Customers can also virtually try out things before purchasing them via augmented reality. For example, customers in the fashion industry can use AR apps to examine how clothing or accessories fit before buying, boosting purchasing confidence and reducing returns.

Aside from the focus on products or services, there are other advantages to improving sales, such as having real-time information. AR tags can provide real-time product information such as product reviews, pricing comparisons, and extra features. This assists clients in making informed judgments and has the potential to impact their purchasing decisions.

Customers might be offered interactive experiences in physical stores or online. AR can be used to create interesting and engaging games or shopping experiences, for example, to engage customers and increase purchases.

Additionally, specific augmented reality capabilities can tailor the shopping experience by showing specific products and offers depending on the customer’s tastes and purchasing history. This raises the likelihood of cross-selling and up-selling.

E-commerce with Augmented Reality

Mobile apps and websites in e-commerce can incorporate AR to allow buyers to examine products in their real environment by using the camera on their mobile devices. This allows clients to see how things will look in their home before purchase.

AR-enhanced advertising campaigns can be more engaging and effective, leading to increased brand awareness and sales conversions. AR can also be used to provide more efficient customer service. Companies, for example, can provide technical support via AR glasses to handle customer problems remotely.

This technology aims to improve the customer experience, increase purchasing confidence, and offer useful information, all of which can lead to greater sales for businesses across a wide range of industries. However, in order to fully capitalize on its potential for generating sales, it must be implemented in an efficient and customer-focused manner.

How does augmented reality work?

Augmented Reality (AR) creates an enhanced and frequently interactive experience by merging real-world aspects with computer-generated virtual features. Here’s a more in-depth explanation of how it works:

1. Detecting the user’s environment is the initial step in the AR process. This is accomplished by using sensors and cameras that gather real-world data. Video cameras, depth sensors, gyroscopes, and accelerometers are examples of sensors.
2. Data processing: After capturing information about the environment, the data is delivered to a processing system, which interprets the information and builds a real-time digital environment model. Identifying real-world objects, surfaces, and characteristics is part of this.
3. Track and trace: Track and trace is used to overlay virtual components in the real world properly. This entails tracking the user’s or device’s position and orientation in reference to the sensed surroundings. This is accomplished through the use of visual indicators, motion sensors, and tracking technology.
4. Once the world has been analyzed and tracked, virtual features are layered in real-time. Images, movies, 3D graphics, data, or any other digital material you want to present the viewer are examples of these elements.
5. Interaction: AR frequently allows users to interact with virtual items. Tapping the screen on mobile devices, utilizing hand gestures, voice instructions, or even specific input devices such as augmented reality glasses or motion controllers are examples of this.
6. The resulting scene, which blends real-world and virtual elements, is displayed to the viewer via a device such as a smartphone, tablet, augmented reality glasses, or even an AR headset. For an engaging experience, the display must be consistent with the user’s location and orientation.
7. Interaction in real time: AR is interactive and real-time. Virtual objects can react to user actions and adapt to an ever-changing environment.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, Augmented Reality blends real-world data with digital elements to create an experience that enhances user perception. The ability of the technology to interpret and map the natural environment and then overlay virtual information precisely and coherently in real-time, is critical to its successful operation. This technology is employed in a wide range of applications, including gaming and entertainment, as well as industrial, educational, and corporate applications.

Featured Image Credit: Sebastian Voortma; Pexels; Thank you!

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As the digital landscape evolves, so do the tools and strategies needed to make businesses succeed online. Search Engine Optimization itself, as a business marketing strategy, has had its ‘death’ declared so many times because it felt like it was no longer relevant. Yet, it’s still here, more strongly than before.

More so, consider the AI revolution that’s currently taking place. Does that mean you should throw away all your old tools and start using AI for everything? It would have been cool if it were that easy.

However, managing a business is not. And search engine optimization is not easy either. That’s why we have reviewed five different categories of tools that your business must invest in to hit your SEO goals and enhance your presence online. Beginner or expert, these tools will make your life easier and your results better.

Keyword Research

Paying for Google Search ads is the fastest way to appear on top of the search engine’s results for relevant queries (if you have enough money). However, the most valuable way to get to the top and remain there is by organically matching the content on your website to the most common terms searched by users.

Data from keyword research tools are organized into lists of the most common keywords relevant to your website. Hence, they are great resources for finding new content ideas, connecting with your audience, and improving traffic.

When choosing a tool for keyword research, you should be okay with free tools such as Google Trends or Google Keyword Planner. However, they each have their limitations. Google Trends is geared toward general knowledge and shows you nothing besides trendiness. Google Keyword Planner, on the other hand, lies within the Google Ads system and is geared towards paid ads, rather than organic search.

As far as free tools go, you can’t do much more than data coming from Google itself. But paid tools take you steps further with improved results, clear insights, and seamless automation. Popular paid tools such as Ahrefs and Moz sit on the high end, costing upwards of $100 for subscriptions. More affordable ones include the Eye10 Keyword Planner, which starts at $39 and includes everything you should expect from a keyword tool: ideas and suggestions, monthly search volume, difficulty level, and the ability to export results.

Analytics

Search engines have an incentive to ensure that their top search results are relevant to the user. But this is not a static process and several (hundreds of) factors come into play.

When your business relies heavily on traffic coming from search engines, you can’t help the occasional jolting feeling when the search engine updates its algorithm such that your efforts seem obsolete. At other times, your efforts are indeed obsolete and you must have been doing something wrong once you notice that your ranking and traffic have taken a hit.

The point here is that, as far as SEO goes, there is always something to improve upon. Always. And how would you know that if you don’t have the right tool to analyze what’s happening? Sometimes, the website itself is the problem; at other times, user behavior may be shifting towards what your website is not yet optimized for. Still, search algorithms may just be doing their thing and it’s affecting you negatively.

Google is, by far, the most popular search engine. So, its Search Console tool is, without a doubt, the best free tool for monitoring your site’s presence in search results. It helps you troubleshoot any issues you might have and ultimately make informed decisions to enhance your website presence.

Content Creation

Everywhere you turn, there is a proliferation of blogs, podcasts, newsletters, videos, webinars, etc. Basically, it’s the content creation revolution and there is an emerging work field of ‘creators’, professionals who apply their creativity in crafting digital content that resonates with their audience.

The most popular creators are individuals, such as MrBeast and Khaby Lame but many businesses have found themselves increasingly locked into content creation because it is a great way to market their brands. Whether it’s a blog or a newsletter, ebooks, or whitepapers, creating content is the order of the day. What you should be thinking about is how to make it better. And there is a solid toolkit for that.

For creating written content, Grammarly is the defacto spelling and grammar checker although others such as the Hemingway Editor and ProWritingAid are excellent alternatives. Canva leads in the graphic design aspect as a highly user-friendly tool for creating social media posts, videos, infographics, presentations, and much more.

Capcut, Descript, Audacity, Buzzsprout, YouTube Studio, etc. are useful for editing, preparing, and distributing your video and audio content for your audience. And any collaborative task manager or workspace tool will help you easily manage your content calendar.

Link Building

Link building is a top-three tactic for getting ahead in SEO. Over the years, Google has developed an immense capacity at detecting and penalizing websites determined to manipulate its algorithm via unethical practices such as link farming and link spamming. The best way to build links today is to earn the backlinks as well as the authority that comes with them.

Ethical link-building opportunities abound but going at it manually can be daunting and frustrating, given the tough competition in the industry. Even something as ‘simple’ as requesting a guest blogging opportunity requires that several moving parts are working without friction. First, you have to publish linkable content, then conduct outreaches, optimize your links and anchors, find broken links and unlinked brand mentions, and monitor competitors. The whole time, you still have to track the effectiveness of your link-building efforts.

As far as link building is concerned, there is no all-in-one tool. It is more likely that you’d be using a combination of various tools to achieve different purposes. For finding link opportunities, SEMrush and Ahrefs offer very useful features. Pitchbox, Buzzstream, and JustReachOut help you to reach out to and collaborate with influencers. Eye10 Backlink Monitor is great for analyzing your backlinks to determine their impact and find issues.

Social Media Management

For many customers today, especially those of the younger generation, a business that lacks a social media presence is as good as not existing. Businesses have responded likewise, by not just establishing their presence on social media but assigning whole teams to control the narrative about their business online.

But social media is not just a PR or a communications tool; it boosts your SEO too when managed strategically. For instance, sharing links to your website increases brand exposure and provides extensive content distribution. Social media might not be an element of SEO ranking, but its benefit such as enhancing your brand recognition and reputation online can contribute immensely to your website traffic.

The entire cycle of creating, publishing, and monitoring content on social media requires strategic workflows, and there are tools that would help you save time and make it less overwhelming, particularly through automation. Buffer, Hootsuite, and Sprout Social help you manage several social media accounts in one platform, including scheduling your posts and accessing comprehensive analytics data. And for building simple landing pages, Linktree is hands-down the most popular tool.

Conclusion

Staying ahead of the competition in a field like SEO takes a lot of hard work. Plus, sustainability is hardly guaranteed; one wrong turn and your website and business are sinking. But these tools can help you to stay afloat when used properly. These are the aspects of SEO you should focus the most of your attention upon.

The post 5 Must-Have Group of Tools for Every Business and SEO Specialist in 2023 appeared first on ReadWrite.

Don’t be fooled — there’s nothing new about virtual spaces, which are essentially spaces online where any number of users and devices can interact.

The notion of “virtual spaces” actually dates back to the origins of the Internet (in 1962) when a series of memos by J.C.R. Licklider at MIT introduced a “Galactic Network” concept, in which a network of computers allows users to gather data and access programs anywhere in the world.

Those memos led to over 60 years of groundbreaking virtual space innovation, spanning the world’s first virtual spaces for information exchange (ARPANET, CBBS, Usenet) to the world’s first virtual space for 2D gaming (Pong).

Then there was the rapid evolution of personal computers, web and mobile browsers, and vast improvements to Internet accessibility and speed. All enabled the rise of online businesses that rely heavily on virtual space technology.

Virtual Space Technology: A Brief History

Without going too deep into the history of the Internet, let’s just say that virtual space technology has evolved on a common trajectory to the Internet — which (from a historical perspective) is fairly new.

In fact, the pace of virtual space innovation has accelerated in recent years thanks to the pandemic, which forced everyone to figure out how to work, play, learn, and stay healthy remotely by using virtual space-based applications. And just think about what would have happened if COVID had occurred a decade prior. (But we’ll save that for another article.)

The Lens of Virtual Space Innovation

Looking back through the lens of “virtual space” innovation: In the 1980s and 1990s, we saw state-controlled “information-sharing” projects blossom into startup-led initiatives that use virtual spaces to change how we discovered things and ideas (Lycos, Infoseek, and Google). The information-sharing projects changed how we shop (Amazon.com, Craigslist, eBay, CDnow) and how we communicate (ICQ, AOL Instant Messenger, MSN Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger).

Certainly, listening to music will never be the same after (Winamp, Musicmatch, Napster, and the MP3) games on the phone (Snake on Nokia phones). Even dating had an uptick (Match, eHarmony, JDate) and learning (Jones International University, OpenCourseWare).

We even saw the first virtual space for food delivery (World Wide Waiter) and had the sci-fi writer Neal Stephenson coin the term “Metaverse” to describe a 3D virtual space.

Enter the 2000s and 2010s

Then in the 2000s and 2010s, we witnessed the rise of numerous startup-led initiatives that advanced the use of virtual spaces to address other needs, from how we connect with others (MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) to how we share videos (Vimeo, YouTube). Could you have imagined how people began to get around (Uber, Lyft, Didi, Gojek)? And now, we could stream our favorite entertainment (Pandora, Spotify, Netflix, Hulu).

We even saw the release of the iPhone, which, in addition to providing easy access to the Internet plus a GPS system and camera in your pocket, gave businesses the ability to extend virtual space-type experiences to mobile browsers.

And on the software side, we saw Apple and Google introduce their own app stores, which revolutionized software distribution (with no need for consumers to go to brick-and-mortar stores) and energized the global developer community to release millions of third-party smartphone apps; many of which rely heavily on virtual space technology.

Virtual Space Technology: Now and in the Future

Ultimately, it’s clear that virtual space technology is not new but has indeed changed our lives in ways that are not limited to the more literal alignment with AR, VR, and the Metaverse. Without virtual space technology, there would be no such thing as online gaming, social networks, the on-demand economy (rideshare, food delivery, etc.), streaming services, e-learning, telemedicine, connected fitness, smart home, smart city, and much more.

The big question is how will the use of this technology evolve now?

I asked Philip Rosedale (Inventor & Founder, High Fidelity, and Second Life) and Avi Bar-Zeev (HoloLens Co-Inventor and Co-Founder of Keyhole, (which later became Google Earth) for their thoughts on how virtual space technology will change the world by the year 2030. While their predictions and supporting opinions varied, key themes emerged:

• Virtual space technology will continue improving how humans interact with information and other people.
• The primary downside to the increasing use of virtual spaces globally is that tangible/real-world interactions like touch will be diminished.
• Due to the accelerating use of AI in virtual spaces, there’s a real danger that our trust and attention will be exploited in ways that are worse than what we’ve seen in social media.
• Knowing how easily we can be monitored and manipulated in virtual spaces, our right to privacy will require legislation (particularly for virtual worlds).
• As virtual space technology becomes invisible and our ‘technical prosthetics’ blend into how we live our lives, the ‘super-human’ impact will be real, and we need to ensure everyone has equal access (particularly in the Metaverse).

Overall, these themes can be grouped into five theories about the future of virtual spaces; one of which we characterize as hopeful, three as concerned, and one as neutral. All point to an incredible future ahead — but one will require bold public and private action (globally) to ensure that our trust and attention are not exploited while using virtual spaces.

Virtual space technology will continue to improve the way humans interact with information and other people.

Avi Bar-Zeev

“The key improvements come in how we interact with information and other people, specifically human-to-human communication and human-to-AI. Co-presence in embodied 3D spaces lets us be ourselves (or play as whomever else we want to be) in the most natural ways but adding in the folding of time and real-world space.

That means we can instantly be in a shared or overlapping 3D space with others whenever we wish, or interact asynchronously in 3D as well to optimize everyone’s time. Thus far, we’ve been limited to video and text.”

Philip Rosedale

“They will be better but ONLY if/when they better connect us with other people, not with AI’s or brands or products. And right now we aren’t there yet because most people aren’t comfortable with the non-verbal cues offered by avatars.”

The primary downside to the increasing use of virtual spaces globally is that tangible, real-world interactions (like touch) will be diminished.

Avi Bar-Zeev

The main downside with spending more time in virtual spaces is in the loss of tangible/real interactions, like touch (for now). But with AR, I think we get the best of both worlds: real world locations and interactions with virtual instances of the people we want to communicate with. Ideally, AR also filters out more of the noise of the real world and lets us focus on what matters.

Philip Rosedale

“…this permits us to communicate more effectively, by increasing the bandwidth and understanding between people. But it reduces the need for travel and synchronization as well. We should hopefully have more time to spend as a result, by focusing the necessary communications and opening up more voluntary explorations.”

Due to the accelerating use of AI in virtual spaces, there’s a real danger that our trust and attention will be exploited in ways that are worse than what we’ve seen in social media.

Avi Bar-Zeev

“The danger comes with increased exploitation of our trust and attention, beyond what we’ve seen with social networks. The more the computer adapts to us, the better it can manipulate us without us being aware. And XR (Extended Reality) provides the most intimate technological access to our minds we’ve yet made real (direct neural connection is probably the only thing that can top it).”

Knowing how easily we can be monitored and manipulated in virtual spaces, our right to privacy will require legislation (particularly for virtual worlds).

Avi Bar-Zeev

“We need to make the ad-tech business model illegal, where there is a strict firewall between future advertising and systems that collect and use personal information. Companies built on this model must divide along these lines, as we did with banks and investments. We should legally certify that people own their own personal information, like money, and may only loan it to companies with proper security guarantees.”

Philip Rosedale

“The thing that keeps me up at night is the risk of applying the surveillance ad model to virtual worlds. That has to be legislated against because otherwise, big companies will do it and cause further irreparable harm to people (beyond what has already been done with social media). Another thing that keeps me up is the risk that these sorts of advanced technology will contribute to wealth inequality and therefore bring us close to violent revolution.”

As virtual space technology becomes invisible and our ‘technical prosthetics’ blend into how we live our lives, the ‘super-human’ impact will be real, and we need to make sure that everyone has equal access — particularly in the Metaverse.

Avi Bar-Zeev

“Technology becomes invisible. So our perception will change to expect it to stay in the background. This makes us feel super-human, but it hides the complexity. When we’re without our technological prosthetics, we will feel uncomfortable, but perhaps eventually more relaxed in becoming merely human again.”

“Whatever the Metaverse becomes, it must be open to everyone with equal access and no long-term barriers. We have a longer set of principles at https://www.xrguild.org/#Principles.”

Conclusion

The history of virtual space technology indeed goes back to 1962, and our world has been forever changed by the many pioneers who’ve used this technology to transform the way we live, work, play, and interact (including human-to-human, human-to-AI, and device-to-device scenarios).

But it is essential that we keep an eye on how this technology is used going forward, given how critical it will be to the future well-being of our global society.

The vast majority of use cases are constructive. Still, there remains a host of concerns, not the least of which are privacy and avoiding exploitation (including AI-based) while ensuring equal access.

What comes next? Stay tuned for part two of this article.

Featured Image Credit: Photo by Pixabay; Pexels; Thank you!

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The Internet of Things (IoT) is revolutionizing how we live and work, connecting everyday devices to the internet and allowing for unprecedented levels of automation and convenience.

However, with this increased connectivity comes increased security risks. As IoT devices collect, process, and transmit sensitive data, they become a prime target for cybercriminals.

One of the critical challenges facing startups in the IoT space is balancing the need for security with the need to bring products to market quickly.

This can be difficult, as many startups focus on developing new and innovative products and may need more resources or expertise to devote to security.

The Importance of Device Security

Device security is essential for ensuring the integrity of the device and the data it holds, as well as maintaining the trust and loyalty of customers. It is especially important for startups, who often have limited resources and may not have the same level of security expertise as larger companies.

One of the critical components of device security is encryption. Encryption is the process of converting plain text into code that authorized users can only decipher. 67% of organizations report using encryption to protect their IoT devices.

This is important for protecting sensitive data stored on or transmitted by IoT devices, such as personal information, login credentials, and financial information.

This is particularly important for startups as they may handle the sensitive data of their customers, and a data breach can lead to not only financial losses but also a loss of customer trust.

Another critical aspect of device security is the use of secure boot processes. A secure boot process ensures that the device only runs software that has been verified and approved by the manufacturer.

This helps to prevent malicious software or firmware from being loaded onto the device, which could compromise its security and integrity. In addition, this can prevent hackers from breaking into the device and stealing or manipulating the data.

A report by SonicWall states that there were 2.8 billion recorded malware attacks, an 11% increase in the first half of 2022, marking the first increase in global malware volume in over three years.

By implementing encryption and secure boot processes, startups can ensure the security and integrity of their devices, as well as the trust and loyalty of their customers.

Network Security Best Practices

A firewall is one of the best ways to protect your network. It acts as a security barrier regulating traffic flow in and out of a network according to established security protocols.

It acts as a barrier between your internal network and the outside world, blocking unauthorized access and ensuring that only legitimate traffic is allowed through. Therefore, a firewall is a critical component of network security and should be implemented as soon as possible.

Antivirus software is another crucial network security tool.

It is important to keep your antivirus software up to date and run regular scans to ensure your network is protected against the latest threats.

User education and awareness are crucial in network security, as human error is often the cause of successful cyber attacks. For example, employees can inadvertently click on a link in a phishing email or download malware from a website.

Educating employees about the risks of cyber attacks and how to avoid them can reduce the likelihood of a successful attack. In addition, regular training and reminders about best practices for network security can go a long way in protecting your startup from cyber threats.

The Importance of Updating and Patching Devices

As technology becomes more advanced and startups become more dependent on it, the importance of keeping devices updated and patched becomes increasingly critical.

One of the main reasons for updating and patching devices for startups is to address security vulnerabilities. As technology becomes more sophisticated, so do the methods used by hackers and cybercriminals to exploit vulnerabilities in software and hardware.

According to a study by the Harvard Business Review, patching is a vital process that is essential for businesses to adapt to changing market opportunities.

These vulnerabilities can be used to gain unauthorized access to sensitive information, steal personal data, or even take control of devices. For startups, this can be especially damaging as they may not have the resources to recover from a cyber attack.

By regularly updating and patching devices, startups can ensure that these vulnerabilities are fixed and that their devices are better protected against cyber attacks.

With each update, manufacturers often release new features, bug fixes, and performance improvements to make devices faster, more reliable, and more user-friendly.

This can be especially important for startups who rely on devices to stay connected, access important information, and complete their work. By keeping their devices updated and patched, startups can ensure that they can work efficiently and effectively.

In addition to the security and performance benefits, updating and patching devices can also help to ensure that they are compatible with the latest software and hardware. As technology evolves, older devices may become obsolete and unable to run the latest applications or connect to new devices.

Despite the many benefits of updating and patching devices for startups, many small business owners are still reluctant to do so. Some may be concerned about the time and effort required to update and patch their devices, while others may be worried about potential problems or compatibility issues.

However, with the growing number of cyber threats and the increasing importance of technology in the business world, the risks of not updating and patching devices far outweigh the benefits.

Conclusion

IoT security is a complex and constantly evolving field that requires a multi-faceted approach.

Startups should be aware of the key concepts of device security, network security, data security, and user education and awareness and implement them to protect their devices, data, and customers from cyber threats.

By understanding and implementing these fundamental IoT security concepts, startups can ensure the safety and security of their products and services and the trust and loyalty of their customers.

Featured Image Credit: Provided by the Author; Pexels; Thank you!

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Today, Apple broadcasted their event to the world. This event was focused on the thing’s Apple didn’t release in the September 2021 event. The September event focused on smartphones, and also finally released a new pair of AirPods. On October 18, Apple has just released a load of devices, such as a new HomePod mini with 5 colours, and even the all-new Macbook Pro M1 Pro, and M1 Pro Max.

Macbook Pro M1 Pro Specs

There’s a lot of big things such as the 8TB of storage, and memory that goes up to 32GB (64GB for the M1 Max Chip). Apple’s event wasn’t just about Macbook’s though, there is also the all-new Airpods 3.

The Airpods 3

The new Airpods have just been announced, and have a lot of new features, such as Apple’s spatial audio, that works with Dolby Atmos tech. What is the fancy pair of earbuds all about?

Well to start, the new Airpods 3 get Adaptive EQ, which means that the earbuds will tune the sound in real-time, by figuring out how good the earbud is in the person’s ear. Auto-pause has just been brought to the party and has yet to be improved even more by Apple. Spacial audio, which uses Dolby Atmos tech, was first found in the AirPods Max and Pro, has been brought over to the pair of earbuds. All this feature does, is that it makes it so that when the user moves their head, the music will stay in one position, making the music feel 3D. Advanced audio is promised by Apple, due to its low distortion driver. They are rated IPX4, and do support wireless charging. They cost about £169.

Apple’s small version of Alexa, the Homepod Mini, was also announced at the event, and it comes in 5 amazing colours.

Homepod Mini

The device comes in 5 colours – yellow, orange, blue, white, and black. Apple claims that the device will have 360 degrees audio, and will have a great speaker. It runs off of Siri and can connect to the Apple Ecosystem. When you talk to it, you can set it up to talk back to you in a male voice (Many a lot of languages) or a female voice (Also a lot of languages). A handy feature is that you can pair 2 HomePods together to create a stereo system. Inside of the device is a built-in UI ultra-wideband chip that allows you to play music from your iPhone onto the speaker.

People asked for features they wanted, and Apple gave. What next could they make?

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Windows is a good platform in general, but Windows users take note, over multiple versions of your OS an exploit was just found. This could lead to hackers taking remote control on your computer and modifying data.

This ransomware attack, named PrintNightmare, can be made with the help of the Windows Print Spooler service. This helps your PC manage the flow of print jobs being sent to a printer or print server. Though Microsoft did not intend for this to happen, it can be a serious issue as hackers could create new user accounts with full admin access, and they could even modify files.
Though Microsoft has not patched this exploit, they still recommend users to install the June security update, for security reasons.

Microsoft is aware of this exploit, as it says on their exploit page, and is currently creating a new security update for this.

Microsoft’s print spooler has messed up before. In 2010, the Stuxnet worm was discovered and the source? Windows Print Spooler service.

Source

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Those who have a HarmonyOS compatible device will soon get HarmonyOS 2, an OS designed by Huawei and was unveiled on June 2. HarmonyOS 2 is based on micro-kernel technology and is powered by Huawei’s distribution capability software.

According to various sources, HarmonyOS 2 will get a huge update this month, providing more animation capabilities and new features, and it could even be released with the Huawei P50, giving features such as:

1. Distributed camera
2. Distributed document management
3. Distributed tasks
4. Distributed sharing

More features are said to come out in the official rollout.

The OS is only a couple months old and is now getting major updates and improving the user experience in general all together.

Which devices could get HarmonyOS?

The following devices may get the OS update,

• Huawei Mate 40
• Huawei Mate 40 Pro
• Huawei Mate 40 Pro +
• Huawei Mate 40 RS Porsche Design
• Huawei P40
• Huawei P40 Lite
• Huawei P40 Pro
• Huawei P40 Pro +
• Huawei P30
• Huawei P30 Pro
• Huawei P Smart S
• Huawei P Smart 2021
• Huawei Mate 20
• Huawei Mate 20 Pro
• Huawei Mate 20X 4G
• Huawei Mate 20X 5G
• Huawei Mate 20 RS
• Huawei Mate 30
• Huawei Mate 30 Pro
• Huawei Mate 30 5G
• Huawei Mate 30 Pro 5G
• Huawei Mate 30 Pro RS Porsche Design
• Huawei Mate X
• Huawei Mate Xs
• Huawei Nova 6 5G
• Huawei Nova 6 SE
• Huawei Nova 7 5G
• Huawei Nova 7 SE
• Huawei Nova 7 Pro 5G
• Huawei Nova 8
• Huawei Nova 8 Pro

HarmonyOS 2.0 Honor Phones

• Honor V40
• Honor 30 Pro
• Honor 30 Pro +
• Honor V30
• Honor V30 Pro
• Honor Play 4 Pro
• Honor X10 5G
• Honor 30
• Honor 30S
• Honor X10 5G
• Honor 20 Pro
• Honor 20
• Honor 9X
• Honor 9X Pro

Smart Watches

• Watch GT 2 Pro
• Watch GT 2
• Watch GT2e
• Watch Fit

Tablets

• MatePad Pro
• MatePad Pro 5G
• Honor Tablet V6

Source

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Huawei, the Chinese tech company, is now planning to update over 100 smartphones and tablets to the HarmonyOS. This is to replace Huawei EMUI – an Android-derived mobile operating system developed by Huawei. All of the devices should receive HarmonyOS by mid-2022 by the latest.

HarmonyOS 2.0?

These 100+ smartphones are as old as the Mate 9 and P10 – they were released in 2016 and 2017 respectively. Huawei’s Watch 3, Watch 3 Pro and MatePad Pro all have the HarmonyOS 2.0. Smartphones receiving the 2.0 version of the OS is also the Mate 30, P40 series and the Mate Xs. The HarmonyOS 2.0 is described as a new OS. However, many outlets are referring to it as an Android fork.

It is uncertain whether Huawei will be rolling out its HarmonyOS out globally. However, as Huawei’s global social media accounts are quiet on their update plans, we could expect the update to remain in China – for now at least.

Source

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AMD has made a huge leap in its CPU sales with its Ryzen 9 5900X, while it’s also topping Amazon’s CPU sales charts, with that comes bad news for Intel.
Though the company is a very good CPU company, AMD’s Ryzen 9 5900X delivers better performance. But above all, the price is £575, and that shows the amount of demand that has been created just for this CPU, judging by its price and the number of people who have bought this product.

Intel Needs A Huge Step Up

The is even more bad news for the company, somehow. Amazon’s best-selling CPU’s are made by none other than AMD, and the entire top six are all processors from Team Red, and only three of the top 10 are Intel processors, the leading one from the company is the Core i7 10700K, the 10th generation 8-core CPU, which is £230.
Many company’s produce many CPUs, so we may see AMD’s lead be broken in some time, but Intel needs to up their game.

Source

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Rumors speculate that Samsung may be coming out with a new Samsung Galaxy Tab Z Fold next year, a tablet that could fold 3 times, coming from a report by Gizmochina.

The company also says that it may come out in the first quarter of 2022, and a picture originating from China shows what the device may look like. There’s no way of proving that it’s real, however, the image looked fairly similar to TCL’s zigzag folding concept, as shown in the picture below.
The latest report states that Samsung may tease the device while launching the galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Z Flip 3, and rumours say that the company is currently deciding whether or not they should do this idea.

Putting aside the special folding display, the triple folding device is confident to release a new S-Pen designed for the device and a new and improved ultra-thin glass, which will appear in the Galaxy Fold 3 when released.

Some exciting news is that Samsung will also leak teasers in the middle of production, similar to the Galaxy S21 series, with its Twitter channel and teasers being released on it.

The Tab Z Fold’s Folding Capabilities

The device is said to be able to fold inwards and outwards. Patent experts at LetsGoDigital have created renders based on the diagrams in Samsung’s 52-page document. Judging by these pictures, the company seems to be planning to make a device that has 3 screens and 2 hinges. When fully opened, the device has a giant display with a dual cut out for the front camera, and the screen is nearly as big as a tablet, and it is said to even a feature such as the S-Pen.

When both sides of the device are folded inwards, the two other displays form together to make on small screen. The S-Pen is like the Galaxy Tab S7+, as it can be attached magnetically to the side of the phone, including wireless charging or you could put it in the recess slot that forms due to the two smaller displays, and also allows faster charging.
When opened to its capacity, the device has a dual camera setup, including a LED flash

It could be a year to a couple of years until Samsung releases this device, but judging by what happened to previous fold models, they’ll know how to get rid of mistakes.

Source

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There are many digital payment methods that you can use online, including Google Pay. Just in case your not sure how to use it for sending money, requesting money, or splitting a payment then here is the full Information.

Google Pay is a digital wallet and online payment system developed by Google. You can use it to make online purchases, including in-app, as well as contactless purchases on mobile devices – meaning you can make the desired payment using your Android phones, tablets, or watch.

How to send money

Say if you lost a bet with your good friend Alex, now you need to pay them. To do this with Google Pay,

1. Open the Google Pay App
2. Under the people on the main screen, tap the contact/friend you wish to send money to
3. Next, you will see all history of the sending money, near there, select Pay to start the paying process
4. Enter the amount you wish to send your contact. From here, you can choose to add a note to your payment, as well.
5. Tap the checkmark button in the bottom right corner of the screen.
6. Select a payment method, then tap Pay $
7. You’ll receive a confirmation once the money has been successfully sent.

How to request money

Lets set the scene. You’re a teenager and you need money to get groceries. Here’s how to ask for money to do it.

1. Open the Google Pay app.
2. Under People on the main screen, tap the contact you want to send money to, or tap Pay friend or group to find them in your contacts list.
3. In your payment history view, tap Request near the bottom of the screen.
4. Enter the amount you wish to request from your contact, and add a note for context.
5. Tap the checkmark button in the bottom right corner of the screen.
6. Tap Request $.
7. You’ll receive a confirmation once your request has been sent, as well as a notification once you’ve received payment.

How to split a payment

Say if you and your mate just went to go get some bags, and you both get one for each other, the other friend can afford all his bags but you can’t afford any because you left your wallet in your car, here’s how to split the payment.

1. Open the Google Pay app.
2. Tap Pay friend or group.
3. On the following screen, select the people from your contacts list with whom you’d like to split a bill. If a contact isn’t already on Google Pay, you can tap the Invite button to get them started. Once you’ve selected your contacts, name the group to help everyone keep track of things, then tap Next.
4. Enter the bill total to be split evenly within the group.
5. Name the expense and tap Send request.
6. Like with individual payments, you can converse with the group page and keep track of who’s already made their payment.
7. That’s it!

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Wear OS is a Google‘s Smartwatch OS, based around Android. People have complained about its limited updates and short battery life, but that is potentially not stopping Samsung from releasing it in its upcoming smartwatch. There are quite a few smartwatches that now will run Wear OS, but some hardware manufacturers are not going to be taking it on board.

The CEO of OnePlus, Pete Lau, has confirmed on the OnePlus forums the OnePlus Watch won’t run Wear OS. There is no news as to exactly what OS it will be running so this could be something exciting to look forward to in the smartwatch arena.

The OnePlus 9 and OnePlus Watch launch event is said to take place on March the 23rd, confirmed by the company themselves. That’s the same day as the Black Shark 4 launch, and rumours are that an Apple event is also taking place, so it is going to be a busy day.

The watch is said to have an affordable price point with a fashionable design and a best in class user experience, those are the words spoken by OnePlus themselves, however, it all seems a bit exaggerated.

We are still waiting to see if there are any more updates.

Source

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Oppo has released their official, Find X3 Pro, after many leaks and teases. The Oppo Find X3 Pro is a sleek phone with an abnormal design and some interesting features compared to others.

The smartphone is said to be very important to Oppo, as the company recently overtook Huawei in the Chinese market.
The phone’s most unusual is the camera bump, as it looks as though it rises from the device. It looks as though it’s very shiny, and the way it is placed makes it so that you don’t touch your camera lenses where it is portrait.

Oppo Find X3 Camera

The camera system is something to talk about.

There are 1 primary camera and 1 ultra-wide, both of them use a 50 MP 1/1.56 inch Sony IMX766 sensor, so theoretically the camera quality should be more or less the same as their other devices. There’s also a Macro camera, which is really more like a microscope. Oppo claims that the phone has a 60x zoom, and The Verge claims that when taking a picture of a monitor, you could see all the sub-pixel layouts. There’s also a telephoto lens, however, it’s just a 13-megapixel sensor with 2x more optical zoom than the main camera. This is a downgrade as the device will no longer have even any zoom close to its predecessor

The Oppo Find X3 Pro has a 3216 x 1440 LTPO OLED panel with a maximum brightness of 1,300 nits, followed by a 120Hz refresh rate capability. Oppo has been bragging about the fact that it is a 10-bit panel and that it has built-in full-path colour management into ColorOS. This means photos and videos captured with the cameras can be displayed with more than a billion colours, as opposed to the 16.7 million colours on conventional smartphone screens.

The Find X3 Pro has the usual flagship specs. It has a Snapdragon 888 processor, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage. The 4,500mAh battery can be fast-charged up to a massive 65W, and also Oppo has released a wireless charging system that can charge at 30W, and is said to fully charge the device in 80 minutes, or 1 hour and 20 minutes. The big thing here is that the previous model, the Oppo Find X2 Pro, lacked support for wireless charging.

Buy your phone at Oppo’s website.

The post Oppo Find X3 Pro Comes With a Microscope-Like Camera appeared first on ReadWrite.

SmartThings Find is a feature that lets people find your Samsung device that’s compatible with the SmartThings Find network. Now the feature has been released to the Galaxy Watch 3 smartwatch via a firmware update.

Where has the Galaxy Watch 3 Update Gone So Far?

Samsung has so far released the update in India, South Korea, and the US. The update is only a small 74.02MB large, so if the watch users don’t have much storage available, they can easily update without a problem. The update also brings Samsung Health enhancements, SmartThings find Hand Wash and improved stability.

The smartwatch can now detect when you do a workout faster than usual, but it will drain the battery. The Hand Watch app reminds you to wash your hands every now and automatically detects when you are washing your hands and suggests a proper hand washes when detected.

Source

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With WhatsApp changing their privacy policy, more users have moved to other platforms in order for their data to not be shamelessly collected. Telegram gained 25 million new users in the last 72 hours as it smashed past the 500 million active monthly user mark. Before, the app averaged around 1.5 million new users per day in 2020, which was already impressive enough. Durvov, the owner of Telegram, says that this is down to his company’s simple privacy and security promise, above all else.

Users Are Not Staying with WhatsApp

These users are coming from multiple places around the world. People mainly from Asia (38%), Europe (27%), Latin America (21%). The other 8% are the people from the Middle East and North Africa.

Telegram has risen higher in the app ranks with the WhatsApp policy change. However, there is another Private Messenger, Signal. This messenger has managed to rise through the ranks in the Play Store all the way to number one. It holds number one in the US, UK, Germany, Lebanon and France. In India, Brazil and Singapore, the app has made its way to spot number three.

Signal was advocated by Elon Musk, the current richest person on Earth. Funnily enough, his attempt to move people across ended up with Signals stock increasing by 1100% and the delivery of verification codes to be delayed.

Facebook Has Been Caught Red-Handed Too Many Times

There’s a reason all of these people are running from WhatsApp. If you think about it, your data collected by Facebook added to WhatsApp’s bank of data, it’s almost like a complete personal report on you. We all already know the issue that Facebook has had with people’s personal data time and again. The CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerburg, has gotten into hearings where he has given unsatisfactory answers. One of the biggest being Cambridge Analytica.

This data that WhatsApp wants from you is your account registration information such as your phone number, transaction data, service-related information, information on how you interact with others, including businesses when using the service, and mobile device information.

Is this something that a platform really needs to know?

At the start of the testimonial, one of the senators had asked Zuckerburg to share the name of the hotel he had stayed in. He had looked shocked at the question. But this is what Facebook is doing even more-so with our data by using WhatsApp. What right do they have to save our chats and images?

With Cambridge Analytica, it is said as many as 87 million users were affected. WhatsApp had about 2 million users before they introduced the policy change. That would be 2 million people’s data harvested and inspected. Sold off and/or used otherwise.

Even apart from Cambridge Analytica, Facebook had been caught hiring contractors to transcribe audio messages sent by users back in 2019. In the very same year, Facebook had been caught with privacy leaks that had cost them $5 billion.

If we can’t tell already, Facebook doesn’t have our best interests at heart. It’s always about making money and harvesting personal data from it’s users. Why would the company even need information about your phone?

Source

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For more than a decade, the Fitbit has helped people all over the world live healthier and create more active lives. It helped more than 29 million active users! That’s incredible! Last year, 2020, Google claimed they would make their own version of the Fitbit through a collaboration. This year, 2021, they have announced their completion of the device and claims it to be game-changing.

Fitbit and Google Fitness Wearable Collaboration

Fitbit’s most advanced health and fitness smartwatch, named “Fitbit Sense” feature stress management and new software, having an ECG app to access heart rhythms for signs of heart problems (Google claims it will help detect signs of atrial fibrillation.) With the latest (and supposedly the greatest) Tracker, Inspire two. Fitbit gave you enhanced design and features, for example, Active Zone Minutes, to its most accessible device. Google added a new Health Metrics Dashboard inside the Fitbit app, which can receive info from the watch to look at your health after your run, to see how many steps you did, your heart rate O2 etc.

This new software helps you manage your health and wellness, also when combined with Fitbit premium personalised options, content and guidance. Fitbit has most of the thing’s you need to reach your goals. Google says that all of us together (mainly them and Fitbit) can change the health industry completely. Fitbit merging with Google with their AI may be good or bad, we just have to wait and see what happens.

Source

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The PinePhone is a very popular smartphone with the Linux community. One of the main reasons is that it is open source hardware and already you can run several different flavours of Linux on it. Linux phones by “definition” do not have Google or Apple tracking baked into the Operating System. Do not expect to be unknowlingly tracked and traced by this thing.

We have a long-standing friendship with the KDE Community, going all the way back to the original Pinebook which shipped with KDE Neon as it’s default operating system

Now, it is time for the KDE Community to recevie some love with the Pinephone KDE Community Edition. Previous devices have already already shipped with Manjaro and the PostmarketOS.

KDE Community Edition Specs

Below are the full specifications for this particular model:

• Allwinner A64 Quad Core SoC with Mali 400 MP2 GPU
• 2GB/3GB of LPDDR3 RAM
• 5.95″ LCD 1440×720, 18:9 aspect ratio (hardened glass)
• Bootable micro SD
• 16GB/32GB eMMC
• HD Digital Video Out
• USB Type C (Power, Data and Video Out)
• Quectel EG-25G with worldwide bands
• WiFi: 802.11 b/g/n, single-band, hotspot capable
• Bluetooth: 4.0, A2DP
• GNSS: GPS, GPS-A, GLONASS
• Vibrator
• RGB status LED
• Selfie and Main camera (2/5Mpx respectively)
• Main Camera: Single OV6540, 5MP, 1/4″, LED Flash
• Selfie Camera: Single GC2035, 2MP, f/2.8, 1/5″
• Sensors: accelerator, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, ambient light
• 3 External Switches: up, down and power
• HW switches: LTE/GNSS, WiFi, Microphone, Speaker, Cameras
• Samsung J7 form-factor 3000mAh battery
• The case is matte black finished plastic
• Headphone Jack

This PinePhone CE will be available in two hardware configurations:

$149 — 2GB RAM; 16GB eMMC
$199 — 3GB RAM; 32GB eMMC (includes a bundled USB-C dock)

Both configurations of the KDE CE PinePhones feature rev. 1.2b PCBA. The $199 hardware variant, called convergence package, also features a USB-C dock equipped with 10/100 Ethernet, 2x USB type A ports, HDMI digital video output and power-in via USB-C.

You can order directly off the Pinephone website.

Follow us on Mobile Linux News Twitter and Facebook channels for more Linux news.

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The Galaxy Watch Active2 has heart rate monitoring and ECG (only in South Korea as of now) but has now got blood pressure monitoring. About two months ago, Samsung had announced that the blood pressure monitoring feature and that the feature had been cleared by the South Korean drug safety agency. Now, the feature is being released in South Korea. As well as this, the Health Monitor app has also launched after being cleared by South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS).

How to calibrate the Galaxy Watch Active2 to take your blood pressure

In order for South Korean users to monitor their blood pressure, they need to calibrate their watch. They do this by using a traditional cuff blood pressure machine. The user can then use the Galaxy Watch Active2’s blood pressure monitor whenever they deem fit. The Samsung Health Monitor app can only be installed on Galaxy smartphones that have Android 7.0 or newer.

The Samsung Health Monitor app needs to be installed on the smartwatch AND the smartphone it is paired to. Then, whenever you take your blood pressure, it is synced to the Samsung Health app. After tracking your blood pressure, you can track it by days, weeks, and months. If you see that your blood pressure isn’t healthy/what it should be, then you can share the data with your doctor or a medical professional.

To make sure that the smartwatch stays as accurate as possible, the user should calibrate their smartwatch. You do this by just using a traditional blood pressure cuff every four weeks.

The software update that brings the Health Monitor app to the Galaxy Watch Active2 brings the firmware version R820XXU1BTF3. The update has a file size of 30.74MB – not large at all.

Source

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The Galaxy Watch Active2 was announced quite a few months ago yet the Under Armour edition is still making its way across the markets (a bit of a slow traveller apparently). The Galaxy Watch Active2 Under Armour Edition has just been made official in South Africa with a price tag of 8,499 rand ($488).

The Bluetooth-only Galaxy Watch Active2 Under Armour Edition comes in two sizes. The 40mm model and the 44mm – costing 8,499 rand and 8,999 rand respectively. The smaller model comes in the colour ‘Mystic Blue’ which looks more grey, and the larger model comes in the colour ‘Under Armour Black’.

What Makes The Galaxy Watch Active2 Under Armour Edition Different?

In this UA edition, there are some minor details that have been changed to make it special. One of the major changes is the design of the smartwatch and the fact that the smartwatch comes pre-loaded with MapMyRun with 6 months free membership to MapMyRun premium. Additionally, the smartwatch offers the end-user training plans and coaching as well as exclusive compatibility with the UA HOVR running shoes.

Source

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Before we had the leaks of the Xiaomi Redmi Band but now we have the Xiaomi Mi Band 4C. This fitness band was spotted by the Xiaomi watcher Xiaomishka who saw that a future model number matched the one that the Xiaomi Redmi band had. The Redmi band had launched in the Chinese market in April 2020.

The fitness band will have a 1.08-inch colour LCD with a resolution of 128×220. As well as this, the fitness band will feature a heart rate monitor – like many others in the market. The Xiaomi Mi Band 4C will have a water resistance rating of 5ATM. This means that the wearable is water-resistant for up to 50 meters for 10 minutes – it’s good for swimming. Built into the fitness tracker are five profiles for sports tracking, however, there is no GPS.

Alike the Redmi Band, this fitness band also claims to have a battery life that lasts 14 days. As well as this, the band integrates a USB into the wearable so you just have to plug and charge. On reseller sites, the Redmi band sells for $20, so it’s expected for the Mi Band 4C to cost round about the same.

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