#WeeklyRecap: OnePlus 8, iPhone SE launched, Cognizant hacked, and more
This week, despite the evolving COVID-19 crisis, notable developments were made in the world of tech. First, Apple, OnePlus, Huawei, and other giants launched new devices, including an affordable iPhone. Then, Google continued its efforts to make things easier for people impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, while IT giant Cognizant dealt with a major ransomware attack. Let's take a quick look at everything.
New OnePlus 8 devices and iPhone SE
In the smartphone category, OnePlus and Apple drew widespread attention. The former launched the all-new OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro smartphones with a new punch-hole design, latest Snapdragon 865 chipset, 5G support, and improved cameras. Meanwhile, Apple showcased its long-awaited iPhone SE with an iPhone 8-like design, A13 Bionic chipset, and the best single-camera system ever used in an iPhone.
Reliance and Facebook's super app?
A report from the Economic Times also suggested that Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries and Facebook are mulling a partnership. The companies, according to the report, are in early talks, which, if taken forward, could lead to the creation of a WeChat-like super app that may offer capabilities of JioMovies, Ajio, JioMart, and several Facebook products in one place.
Zoom declared 'not safe' for private use
Video conferencing is on the rise due to the COVID-19 outbreak, but Zoom, the service leading in this arena, has been declared not safe by the Indian Government. The notice came in the wake of India's analysis of the Zoom app and several privacy-related debacles the service has been involved in - starting from accounts being sold to sending user data to Facebook.
Aptoide leak, Cognizant ransomware attack
On Saturday, IT giant Cognizant reported a major ransomware attack, carried out by the Maze group, affecting many of its clients. Meanwhile, in another case, a hacker leaked the personal details of more than 20 million users of Aptoide - a third-party Android app store - on a hacking forum. The data was reportedly stolen earlier this month.
Google's efforts to help during the coronavirus crisis
Google, on its part, focused its efforts to help people affected by the COVID-19 crisis. It upgraded its Google Assistant helpline to help find night/food shelters on call, started showing stores selling essential goods on Google Pay, and launched a "YouTube Video Builder" to help businesses create video-ads quickly. It also revealed that Gmail is blocking over 18 million malicious COVID-19 emails every day.
New privacy screen for Google Drive and more
Google has also announced a feature to lock Drive files on iOS devices with Face ID and confirmed that its new contact-tracing system with Apple will roll out via Google Play Services.
Other big hardware launches
Apart from the new OnePlus 8 series and iPhone SE, Huawei's Honor 9X Lite, Honor 30, Honor 30 Pro, and Honor 30 Pro+, Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite, Nubia Red Magic 5G, Lenovo A7, Motorola Moto G Stylus, and OPPO Ace 2 also debuted this week. There were some interesting leaks related to Mi Note 10 Lite, Nokia 9.3 PureView, and Nokia 7.3.
