#WeeklyRecap: New affordable ventilator, iPhone text-bomb, Messenger Rooms, and more
This week, some major developments were noted in the world of technology. Facebook launched a new video conference service, Google released the final developer preview of Android 11, while Apple and OnePlus dealt with some annoying bugs. An Indian company also made headlines by announcing the development of the most affordable ventilator. Let's take a quick look at all major updates.
IIT-Delhi's COVID-19 test; Bengaluru company's affordable ventilator
In a bid to fight the spread of COVID-19 more effectively, researchers at IIT-Delhi developed an affordable new probe-free test for the novel coronavirus and received the ICMR's approval to use it. Secondly, Dynamatic Technologies, a Bengaluru-based engineering company that works with leading aerospace and automotive giants, announced the development of a ventilator that just costs Rs. 2,500 and works without electricity.
Facebook's Zoom competitor, enhanced WhatsApp group call limit
Given the growing demand for virtual meeting platforms, Facebook announced Messenger Rooms, a video-conferencing service that works like Zoom and is completely free to use, even by users who do not have a Facebook account. The company has also announced an enhanced group call limit for WhatsApp as well as a feature to show account/page location information with posts on Instagram and Facebook.
Apple Mail bug, iPhone text bomb
Apple had to deal with two major issues this week, one with iOS and the other with its Mail app. The Mail app issue was a security flaw that went unpatched for years and was said to be actively exploited. Meanwhile, the iOS issue crashed the platform when it received a text message with a string of Sindhi characters and the Italian flag emoji.
New product updates from Google
Google, on its part, released the third and final developer preview of Android 11 with minor but interesting features. The company also updated Duo and Meet with some much-needed capabilities, like a tiled layout to see 16 participants and improved call quality on weak internet. It is also pushing the ability to adjust Google Assistant's "Hey Google" detection sensitivity.
Finally, there were smartphone launches
In the hardware segment, a number of devices were unveiled, including OPPO A92s, A12, and A72, iQoo Neo 3, Huawei Nova 7 series and MatePad tablet, Realme X50m 5G, and Motorola Edge and Edge+. Notably, OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro also went on sale in some markets, but some of the "Pro" units were found to be affected by a weird display issue.
