News / Author / Vishal Mathur

Vishal Mathur

Vishal Mathur is Technology Editor for Hindustan Times. When not making sense of technology, he often searches for an elusive analog space in a digital world.

Articles by Vishal Mathur

Toolkit: How to get the most out of your smartwatch

Abandonment rates are so high, about 30% of smartwatch owners don’t even know where their device is. Part of the reason is they never discovered all that it can do. Here goes...

Many smartwatches can be used to start a car. Even lower-cost ones use infrared light to take blood-oxygen readings. The Apple Watch (above) can also take an ECG.

lifestyle

Updated on Oct 22, 2021 07:16 PM IST

ByVishal Mathur

Google Pixel 6 ushers in a direction for Pixel phones that’s all about power

Google isn’t approaching the new Pixel phones with just cutting edge hardware. There are upgrades for security and privacy which are integrated within the new Android 12 operating system, upgrades to continue Google’s mission to make smartphone cameras more inclusive by deciphering more skin tones as well as updates to speech recognition which make it understand conversations and context.

The Google Pixel 6 is priced at $599 with preorder now live in US at this time. The flagship Pixel 6 Pro gets a $899 price tag, and is now available for preorder in the US. (Image: Google.)

business

Published on Oct 20, 2021 12:09 AM IST

ByVishal Mathur

Powerful tech creating VFX in movies dabbles with VR experiences too

Framestore remains bullish about its plans for India despite the delay caused by the pandemic. The focus is on expansion of processes and doubling the workforce in India.

Framestore’s Akhauri P Sinha talks about the first of its kind project called Field Trip to Mars (Photo Courtesy- Framestore)

business

Updated on Oct 19, 2021 08:15 PM IST

ByVishal Mathur

Apple will give PC makers sleepless nights with MacBooks’ next direction

For the first time, the MacBook line-up has two options that offer exactly the same series of features and specs. Both will get the M1 Pro and the M1 Max chips.

The Touch Bar, something that the MacBooks have experimented with for the past few generations, has finally made way for the return of the conventional functional key row at the top of the keyboard (Image: Apple)

business

Published on Oct 19, 2021 01:41 AM IST

ByVishal Mathur

Apple unveils new AirPods; HomePod Mini gets more colour and appeal

Apple has updated the HomePod Mini with new colours, come up with a new Apple Music voice plan that makes Siri control your Apple Music subscription and launched the third generation update for the AirPods wireless earbuds.

The third generation Apple AirPods come with Spatial Audio, Dolby Atmos and wholesale changes to the design as well as the audio hardware inside each wireless earbud. Apple has also updated the HomePod Mini with new colours and announced a new Apple Music voice plan. (Image courtesy/Apple)

business

Updated on Oct 19, 2021 07:53 AM IST

ByVishal Mathur

For those who simply must have one, Apple iPad 10.2 is more than enough iPad

The headline improvements, compared with last year’s iPad, include a new 12-megapixel ultrawide FaceTime camera with the ability to follow you around a bit

The Apple iPad 10.2 is still a great iPad for anyone who does not want to spend more on the Air or the Pro lines, for someone buying an iPad for the first time. (Photo Courtesy- apple)

business

Published on Oct 18, 2021 04:01 PM IST

ByVishal Mathur

As gaming grows in India, Facebook focuses on diversity and monetisation

The gaming sector in India attracted an investment of $544 million during the August 2020-January 2021 period, according to Girish Menon, partner and the head of media and entertainment at KPMG in India

Gaming in India is expected to grow at a faster than usual pace in the next 12-18 months, with the momentum of 2020 and early 2021 providing the push. (Image courtesy-Facebook)

business

Updated on Oct 18, 2021 05:00 PM IST

ByVishal Mathur

Audible’s unlimited listening plan comes as Indians tune into audiobooks

The changes to the Audible subscriptions in India possibly come as a reaction to the engagement metrics

business

Updated on Oct 15, 2021 02:51 PM IST

ByVishal Mathur

WhatsApp has finally fixed its biggest privacy loophole

Facebook-owned WhatsApp is now letting users encrypt chat backups before they get stored in Google Drive or Apple iCloud

business

Updated on Oct 15, 2021 10:08 AM IST

ByVishal Mathur

Sonos Move is a smarter smart speaker, but is that enough to make you splurge?

The Sonos Move will connect with your home Wi-Fi, and that enables not just music streaming but also the multi-speaker setup that you may want to put in place at some stage

The blending of premium audio with a smart speaker is what Sonos Move is attempting to achieve. (Sonos)

business

Published on Oct 14, 2021 04:08 PM IST

ByVishal Mathur

Acer India servers breached? Hackers claim over 60GB data accessed

In what could be a second data breach at technology company Acer this year, a hacker group has claimed it has accessed over 60GB of data from its India servers

In March, a ransomware attack by the REvil group led to a data breach at Acer. (Shutterstock)

india news

Updated on Oct 15, 2021 12:26 PM IST

ByVishal Mathur

Nothing confirms Qualcomm collab; will this be the trump card for new products?

There is also confirmation of $50 million in fresh funding for Nothing, the start-up which launched the ear (1) wireless earbuds this summer

The company confirmed plans for launches in new product categories over the next few months and the Qualcomm partnership (REUTERS)

business

Updated on Oct 13, 2021 04:02 PM IST

ByVishal Mathur

$25 for credit card, $80 for Gmail: How much your stolen data costs

You may have often wondered how data stolen by hackers is sold online, and how much it eventually costs

Data privacy and cybersecurity research firm Privacy Affairs has released the latest Dark Web Price Index 2021. (Representative Photo)

india news

Published on Oct 13, 2021 11:32 AM IST

ByVishal Mathur

New Apple iPad Mini is most exciting iPad of 2021, so far

Apple didn’t really hold back with the new iPad Mini, with the A15 Bionic chip as the beating heart. This is the same chip that powers the Apple iPhone 13 series in slightly different states of tune

iPad Mini 2021 is availabel in Wi-Fi only and Wi-Fi + Cellular specifications and it comes in 4 colours. (Image countesy-Apple)

business

Published on Oct 11, 2021 05:22 PM IST

ByVishal Mathur

Premium phones, more sellers and spike in online spending in smaller towns

A Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India report indicated that consumers in India are showing a positive intent towards spending with the decreasing Covid cases and the pace of the vaccination drive boosting confidence

Twice the number of premium smartphones were sold by Flipkart in the sale this year in comparison with The Big Billion Days Sale in 2020 (Shutterstock)

business

Published on Oct 11, 2021 11:23 AM IST

ByVishal Mathur

Realme TechLife Robot Vacuum Cleaner Review: A clean home is a smart home

Our experience with the new Realme TechLife Robot Vacuum Cleaner does indicate that there is a solid foundation to build on

Should you splurge on the Realme TechLife Robot Vacuum Cleaner? (Realme TechLife)

business

Updated on Oct 09, 2021 05:40 PM IST

ByVishal Mathur

Adobe Premiere Pro finally adds Auto Tone for video edits, but in beta just yet

The new Adobe Premiere Pro (beta) application is available for all Creative Cloud subscribers on desktop computing devices — Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs as well as the Mac computing devices.

Adobe says that the big change with how the new Auto Tone works is that it uses all the basic corrections settings that are also available as manual sliders in the interface (Image credit: Adobe)

business

Published on Oct 07, 2021 11:30 PM IST

ByVishal Mathur

What to do if your data is breached?

If the data breach has hit your bank or financial institution then you must generate a new password for your online banking identity

The first step you need to take if you hear about a data breach at any of the services you have used is to get official confirmation. (REUTERS Photo)

business

Updated on Oct 07, 2021 02:15 PM IST

ByVishal Mathur

Why do data breaches happen?

The latest Twitch data breach brings the focus back on how companies are really safeguarding information, often sensitive, including account access credentials

The average cost to a company that suffers a data breach is $3.86 million, according to a study by the Ponemon Institute. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

business

Published on Oct 07, 2021 12:47 PM IST

ByVishal Mathur

Interactive livestreaming service Twitch is hacked, exposing source code

There was no confirmation about any usernames and passwords being included in the data that has been breached. That the Twitch app source code has been leaked is a matter of concern

It may just be prudent to change your Twitch account password while enabling the two-factor authentication (File Photo/REUTERS)

business

Updated on Oct 07, 2021 09:41 AM IST

ByVishal Mathur

Whistle-blower fallout: Facebook spotlights tools that detect hate speech

Facebook says it prohibits hate speech and content that incites violence and has invested significantly in technology that proactively detects hate speech.

Former Facebook employee Frances Haugen charged that the social media giant ignored internal research findings that Facebook and Instagram were harmful for children and public safety (REUTERS/File Photo)

world news

Updated on Oct 06, 2021 10:20 PM IST

ByVishal Mathur

Google sign in options are about to become a lot safer

Password Manager functionality is not limited to the Google Chrome web browser. Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox are two popular web browsers that also integrate this functionality

Password Manager functionality is now being integrated within the Google app on your phone. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

business

Published on Oct 06, 2021 04:59 PM IST

ByVishal Mathur

Facebook knows it is in trouble as Mark Zuckerberg picks his battles

Zuckerberg stayed away from the hearing but attempted to set the record straight. In a Facebook post, he insisted the company ‘deeply cares’ about issues such as safety, well-being, and mental health

Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook is defending allegations that the company has long ignored teenage safety on its platforms, particularly Instagram, resolving conflicts in favour of profits. (Photo Courtesy-NYT)

india news

Updated on Oct 06, 2021 02:21 PM IST

ByVishal Mathur

Simplifying what broke Facebook: BGP, DNS and the unified bucket idea

Facebook doesn’t have any official data on the number of businesses impacted across Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, or the magnitude of losses for small and medium businesses in that outage window

business

Updated on Oct 06, 2021 09:57 AM IST

ByVishal Mathur

Facebook costliest outage caused $160 million loss: NetBlocks

Facebook insists that a configuration change, most likely done by an engineer, broke the connection on the backbone routers which connect the data centers to the internet

Data suggests that Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook, lost as much as $7 billion and Facebook saw $40 billion in market capitalisation wiped out due to the outage. (AP Photo/File)

business

Updated on Oct 05, 2021 12:50 PM IST

ByVishal Mathur

Windows 11: Microsoft’s new direction for PCs doesn’t forget the past

Microsoft says Windows has now clocked more than 1.3 billion monthly active users globally. Of this, a large demographic is already using Windows 10, and ready to upgrade to Windows 11

business

Published on Oct 05, 2021 11:55 AM IST

ByVishal Mathur

Fitbit Sense Review: Most expensive Fitbit is familiar—takes two steps forward

The highlight features for which you’d likely be considering the Fitbit Sense include stress management, skin temperature logs, blood oxygen or SpO2 monitoring, the electrocardiogram (ECG) readings, menstrual health tracking, very accurate heart rate logs and the Alexa assistant

The Fitbit Sense stands out because there is no physical button or dial on any of the side spines (HT Photo)

business

Updated on Oct 04, 2021 04:59 PM IST

ByVishal Mathur

Apple iPhone 13 Series: Big Improvements Are Hidden Under The Hood

Apple has kept the specs on the iPhone 13 Mini and the larger iPhone 13 consistent, which means anyone looking to buy the smallest iPhone, won’t be in for a compromise.

The iPhone 13 Pro phones now get the 1TB storage option. Power users may appreciate this, particularly if the intention is to fully use the camera for space consuming ProRAW photos, ProRes or Dolby Vision HDR videos as well as Cinematic Mode. (HT PHOTO.)

business

Published on Sep 30, 2021 07:27 PM IST

ByVishal Mathur

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Vishal Mathur

Vishal Mathur is Technology Editor for Hindustan Times. When not making sense of technology, he often searches for an elusive analog space in a digital world.

Abandonment rates are so high, about 30% of smartwatch owners don’t even know where their device is. Part of the reason is they never discovered all that it can do. Here goes...

Framestore remains bullish about its plans for India despite the delay caused by the pandemic. The focus is on expansion of processes and doubling the workforce in India.

For the first time, the MacBook line-up has two options that offer exactly the same series of features and specs. Both will get the M1 Pro and the M1 Max chips.

Apple has updated the HomePod Mini with new colours, come up with a new Apple Music voice plan that makes Siri control your Apple Music subscription and launched the third generation update for the AirPods wireless earbuds.

The headline improvements, compared with last year’s iPad, include a new 12-megapixel ultrawide FaceTime camera with the ability to follow you around a bit

The gaming sector in India attracted an investment of $544 million during the August 2020-January 2021 period, according to Girish Menon, partner and the head of media and entertainment at KPMG in India

The changes to the Audible subscriptions in India possibly come as a reaction to the engagement metrics

Facebook-owned WhatsApp is now letting users encrypt chat backups before they get stored in Google Drive or Apple iCloud

The Sonos Move will connect with your home Wi-Fi, and that enables not just music streaming but also the multi-speaker setup that you may want to put in place at some stage

In what could be a second data breach at technology company Acer this year, a hacker group has claimed it has accessed over 60GB of data from its India servers

There is also confirmation of $50 million in fresh funding for Nothing, the start-up which launched the ear (1) wireless earbuds this summer

You may have often wondered how data stolen by hackers is sold online, and how much it eventually costs

Apple didn’t really hold back with the new iPad Mini, with the A15 Bionic chip as the beating heart. This is the same chip that powers the Apple iPhone 13 series in slightly different states of tune

A Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India report indicated that consumers in India are showing a positive intent towards spending with the decreasing Covid cases and the pace of the vaccination drive boosting confidence

Our experience with the new Realme TechLife Robot Vacuum Cleaner does indicate that there is a solid foundation to build on

The new Adobe Premiere Pro (beta) application is available for all Creative Cloud subscribers on desktop computing devices — Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs as well as the Mac computing devices.

If the data breach has hit your bank or financial institution then you must generate a new password for your online banking identity

The latest Twitch data breach brings the focus back on how companies are really safeguarding information, often sensitive, including account access credentials

There was no confirmation about any usernames and passwords being included in the data that has been breached. That the Twitch app source code has been leaked is a matter of concern

Facebook says it prohibits hate speech and content that incites violence and has invested significantly in technology that proactively detects hate speech.

Password Manager functionality is not limited to the Google Chrome web browser. Microsoft Edge and Mozilla Firefox are two popular web browsers that also integrate this functionality

Zuckerberg stayed away from the hearing but attempted to set the record straight. In a Facebook post, he insisted the company ‘deeply cares’ about issues such as safety, well-being, and mental health

Facebook doesn’t have any official data on the number of businesses impacted across Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram, or the magnitude of losses for small and medium businesses in that outage window

Facebook insists that a configuration change, most likely done by an engineer, broke the connection on the backbone routers which connect the data centers to the internet

Microsoft says Windows has now clocked more than 1.3 billion monthly active users globally. Of this, a large demographic is already using Windows 10, and ready to upgrade to Windows 11

The highlight features for which you’d likely be considering the Fitbit Sense include stress management, skin temperature logs, blood oxygen or SpO2 monitoring, the electrocardiogram (ECG) readings, menstrual health tracking, very accurate heart rate logs and the Alexa assistant

Apple has kept the specs on the iPhone 13 Mini and the larger iPhone 13 consistent, which means anyone looking to buy the smallest iPhone, won’t be in for a compromise.

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