Today was a pretty big day in the world of technology news as Reliance Jio announced the Happy New Year Offer that makes services free for all users till March 31, and the return of Nokia smartphones in first half of 2017 was confirmed. The 360 Daily round-up of the most happening tech news of the day starts right now.
Reliance Jio Happy New Year Offer makes all services free till March 31
Reliance Jio has announced the Happy New Year Offer that extends free voice, data, and other services as part of its introductory Welcome Offer by three more months. The Reliance Jio Happy New Year offer will start on January 1 2017, while the Welcome Offer ends on December 31 2017. Those who buy Jio SIM cards after December 4 will be part of the Happy New Year Offer, while existing users who signed up for Reliance Jio Welcome Offer will automatically be moved to the new offer.
(Also see: Reliance Jio Happy New Year Offer 10 Point Cheat-Sheet)
Nokia smartphones coming in first half of 2017
Finnish company HMD Global – which has the exclusive licence to use the Nokia brand on mobile phones and tablets – has announced that Nokia smartphones will arrive in the first half of 2017. Nokia will receive royalty payment for each smartphone with its branding that HMD global will sell. At least three Nokia Android phones are rumoured to be under development at present, and the company is expected to launch the flagship at the Mobile World Congress 2017 in late February. Nokia D1C is, in fact, said to come in two variants, featuring different display, RAM, and camera combinations.
Android malware allegedly steals data from millions of Google accounts
An Android malware called Gooligan reportedly breached the accounts of over a million Google users; it can steal email IDs as well as authentication data stored on the devices. The Gooligan malware can also access sensitive data from Gmail, Google Photos, Google Docs and other services, say security researchers at CheckPoint. Approximately 57 percent of affected devices are in Asia, while nine percent are in Europe.
Apple AirPods may be shipped in ‘next few weeks’
While the wait for Apple’s wireless AirPods continues, an email allegedly written by CEO Tim Cook says the earphones will be shipped in the “next few weeks.” In the email, Cook’s response to a query asking about the delay in AirPods shipments was: “Sorry for the delay—we are finalising them and I anticipate we will begin to ship over the next few weeks.” AirPods were launched alongside iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus in September and were supposed to have shipped in October, but have been delayed so far. A rumour suggests that Apple will not ship the wireless earphones till as late as January 2017.
Amazon Kindle digital books now available in 5 Indian languages
Amazon will now provide “thousands of Kindle books” in five regional languages – Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Malayalam, and Tamil. Kindle books in regional languages will include hundreds of exclusive titles, best sellers, and free classics, said the company. Kindle users can access these books on Kindle eReaders, as well as Kindle apps for Android and iOS.
GoPro Hero5 cameras, accessories launched in India
GoPro has launched Hero5 Black and Hero5 Session cameras in the Indian market at Rs. 38,000 and Rs. 29,500, respectively. Both the Hero5 Black and Hero5 Sessions cameras boast of 4K video recording at 30fps, support voice control in seven languages, and are compatible with existing GoPro mounts. Users will also be able to upload the photos and videos to cloud while the camera is charging. The cameras offer a simple one-button control and are waterproof (without housing) at up to 33 feet.