TecQ is our weekly round-up of tech stories.
PUBG Gets a New Snow Map ‘Vikendi’: Here Are The Key Features
Winter is here! And, Tencent Games seems to be making most of this seasonal transition. The company’s gaming division PUBG Corp. has added a fourth map dubbed Vikendi to the popular battlefield game PUBG and it seems to have attracted a lot of fans already.
The new map is a 6km x 6Km snow covered area with patches of dry land, buildings and it also introduces a snow mobile and a new weapon, the G36C Assault Rifle (which is in place of the SCAR). It is an isolated Northern resort island smaller than Erangel and Miramar, but just a tad larger than tropical Sanhok which is 4km x 4km.
Here is the full story.
WhatsApp Working On Cryptocurrency For Users to Transfer Money
Facebook is keen for WhatsApp to have its own cryptocurrency that will enable users to transfer money on the messaging platform. According to a Bloombergreport on Friday, the platform is said to be working on a stablecoin version, that is first likely to be launched in the Indian market.
The concept of stablecoin kicked into action this year, with many believing this cryptocurrency to be less volatile for daily online purchases, especially than what we have seen with bitcoin over the past year or so. Stablecoins are pegged to regular currencies and hence likely have fewer fluctuations in value.
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Facebook Shares Tank After Report on Data Access to Tech Giants
After a New York Times expose suggested that Facebook shared users’ personal information with other tech giants, the company’s shares on Wednesday, 19 December, fell 7.25 percent, its biggest intra-day drop since July. This takes the losses for this year to about 24 percent.
More revelations about Facebook’s data protection regulations said that companies like Apple, Microsoft and Amazon were given access to user information, according to The New York Times.
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Why India Will Have to Wait Beyond 2019 To Use 5G Phones
Processors for smartphones have been announced with support for 5G connectivity. OnePlus confirmed that it will launch a 5G smartphone for select markets in 2019. But people in India need a reality check about the availability of 5G, which honestly should be the least of our concerns right now, with basic network issues plaguing the country.
We got a glimpse of what 5G can bring to the table at the recent India Mobile Congress in the capital city, where telecom giants like Huawei and device makers like Samsung showcased their ready-to-use equipment.
Read the full story here.
India’s Call Drop Malaise is Passé, Now Calls Don’t Even Connect
India is a growing mobile market, with one of the lowest data rates and voice calling is free, whichever network you use. Most people are not convinced enough of the service. Many users loyal to a certain network, have been forced to rely on call-forwarding to another network or another phone to get clear connectivity, without needing to port to another network.
Even with affordable mobile plans, most of India has been facing increasing call drops. But it turns out 2018 has been the year when people have found it hard to get a call connected to the other side, let alone the calls dropping.
Read the full story here.
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