TecQ is our weekly roundup of stories from the world of technology and gadgets.
We Tried WhatsApp Group Video Calling But Couldn’t Get It to Work
WhatsApp has rolled out a beta version of its Group Video Calling feature that was announced at Facebook's developer conference F8 earlier this year. The feature is available only to beta users (the program is currently full).
WhatsApp Group Video Calling allows a user to make a simultaneous video call to three other people, enabling a four-way group video call. This feature is already available with services like Skype. It will become available to all users only a couple of months from now.
If you have WhatsApp version 2.18.189 installed on your phone and have signed up as a beta tester (too late for that now), you will be able to try this feature out.
See the video here.
Here’s How to Use IGTV – Instagram’s Answer to YouTube
On 20 June, Instagram introduced IGTV, a standalone app for watching long-form vertical videos. It will support videos of up to 10 minutes playback, which will go up to an hour’s playback for creators with a large number of followers. Instagram also announced that it now has 1 billion users.
As soon as you open the app, it starts playing a video selected according to your preferences. Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom said that the app is designed to give people a better experience while watching videos on their mobile phones, saying that most video apps make you search for the kind of content you want to watch unlike television, that starts playing as soon as you turn it on.
Read the full story here.
Robots Ready to Take Over the Planet? No, Just the Airport
It’s almost everyday that we read headlines about advancements in robotics and AI (artificial intelligence) as everyone is trying to slip it into their products — be it smartphones or something even as simple as household appliances such as wash machines or microwaves.
And now, here’s Vistara Airlines, which is looking to deploy its very own robot assistant (dubbed RADA) at its airport lounge in Delhi to assist passengers with flight details and other information.
The Quint took a look at RADA before it hits the ground. Check out the video here.
I Played PUBG on Mobile and Now I Can Afford a Pair of Pants!
It doesn’t take much to convert an average smartphone user into a mobile gaming addict. All you need is an affordable mobile data pack, a smartphone with decent specs and a big screen (at least 5.8-inches) and also the latest sensation in the mobile gaming world – PUBG (PlayerUnknown’sBattlegrounds).
Ever since its launch, PUBG has become a rage among smartphone users across the globe.
For a hardcore console gamer like me who prefers a physical controller and a big screen to play a multiplayer shooter game, it was quite befuddling as to why people were going gaga over this game.
So to find out, I downloaded the mobile version of the game and had a crack at it.
Read the full story here.
From Trunk to Touch: The Evolution of Telephones in India
Did you know that on 7 March 1876, Alexander Graham Bell was granted a patent for an invention, called the ‘telephone’?
Today, it is the era of mobile phones – where it has become a gaming and social media centre, a music player, and an Internet packed device which brings the world at your fingertips. But back then, a telephone was just that – a device to make and receive calls!
And though the days of humble phones seem like from a millennium back, the evolution from trunk to touch in India happened only over a period of 20 years. Don’t believe us? Read the full story here.
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