#NewsBytesWeeklyRecap: Auto Expo EVs, POCO X2 launch, Facebook hacked, more
This week, some major developments were noted in the world of tech, thanks to Auto Expo 2020 and the beautiful display of electric cars put up there. Apart from EVs, POCO's much-coveted second smartphone also launched in India, while some serious security issues were flagged in Google and Facebook-owned apps. Here's a quick rundown of the biggest stuff from this week.
New electric vehicles at Auto Expo 2020
At the ongoing motor show in Greater Noida, leading automakers unveiled their market-ready, pre-production, and concept electric vehicles. This included cars like Volkswagen ID Crozz, Tata Altroz EV, Renault Twizy, Haima E1, Mahindra eKUV100, apart from some fancy e-scooters from Hero, Vespa, Bird, and others. Notably, Reliance Jio also graced the event and debuted its connected car technology for enabling the "smart" car ecosystem.
Facebook's social handles hacked, bug detected in WhatsApp desktop
After staying out of the news for most of the week, Facebook fell hard when a group of hackers broke into its official accounts on Instagram and Twitter (now recovered). In another case, a security research firm reported a major security flaw in the desktop version of WhatsApp, a bug that allowed a hacker to send a simple message to read data from PCs.
Google updated Maps but it was hijacked too
On the one hand, Google celebrated the 15th anniversary of Maps by updating the service with a new logo and interface, but on the other hand, a person showed how it can be hijacked to show fake traffic jams. Meanwhile, Google also trademarked a new Pigweed OS, but its Voice Typing feature punctuated sentences aggressively, and Clock-Spotify integration went haywire, resulting in alarms being re-played.
Google also promised 'something big' for Galaxy Unpacked
Additionally, Google promised "something big" for the upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event and also introduced the ability to recharge phone numbers directly from Search.
Updates from Apple, Netflix, and Microsoft
Apple patched a long-existing email-leaking flaw in macOS and faced a $27 million-worth fine for slowing down old iPhones with firmware updates. Also, Microsoft struggled with the case of bugs, with many users reporting that a recent cumulative update designed to patch search issues is triggering the blue screen of death on the OS. Netflix, meanwhile, introduced an option to stop auto-playing movie/show previews.
Finally, there were some smartphones launches, leaks, rumors
In the smartphone category, POCO grabbed most of the attention with the launch of X2, its second smartphone in India. Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Lite also went on sale. Also, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, iPhone SE 2, Galaxy M31, Nokia 5.2, and Motorola's stylus-equipped smartphone surfaced in new leaks. There was also a scary report detailing a Redmi Note 6 Pro explosion in Gujarat.
