#WeeklyRecap: OnePlus Nord launch, massive VPN leak, Garmin's outage, more
What's the story
This week, a number of developments were noted, especially in the consumer technology category.
OnePlus launched its much-coveted Nord smartphone in India, while several VPN apps leaked private user data, and Microsoft and Google faced complaints regarding their product issues.
Not to mention, two separate missions to Mars also took off during the same period.
Let's take a look at the biggest updates.
News #1
OnePlus Nord launched, prices starting at Rs. 25,000
Smartphone lovers around the world finally got an official glimpse of the highly anticipated "Nord" from OnePlus.
The device packs a premium design with six flagship-grade cameras as well as Qualcomm's Snapdragon 765G chipset and up to 12GB of RAM.
It starts at Rs. 25,000 (but that variant will come in September) and will go on sale starting August 4 on Amazon India.
News #2
VPN apps leaked 1.2TB data, scary fast charger hack surfaced
Earlier this week, seven popular Hong Kong-based VPN apps were found exposing a whopping 1.2TB of data, including emails and passwords, on a shared yet unprotected server,
Then, in other security scares, GPS tech provider Garmin suffered from a massive outage possibly stemming from a ransomware attack, while Chinese researchers demoed how certain fast chargers could be rigged to blow up your smartphone.
News #3
Google drew criticism over tracking of rival apps
A recent report revealed that Google collects data on its rival Android apps in an "Android Lockbox" and then used it to guide its own product decisions.
Then, the internet giant also faced flak over the case of Pixel 4 XL's glass back coming off and the Search issue that failed to show indexed pages from websites on the results page.
Information
Some useful updates also announced by Google
While dealing with the issues, Google also took some notable steps like banning coronavirus conspiracy in ads, bringing Lens-powered translation on KaiOS phones, and developing a Chrome feature that warns about insecure forms.
News #4
Twitter says dozens of DMs accessed by hackers
Twitter shared an update on its massive hack and confirmed that 36 of the affected high-profile accounts had their direct messages opened by the hackers, including that of Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders.
Meanwhile, Microsoft confirmed an issue with Windows 10 May 2020 Update that affects internet connectivity on the platform by showing a bogus "no internet" warning and leaves several applications unusable.
News #5
UAE and China launched Mars missions
The United Arab Emirates and China took advantage of the close distance between Earth and Mars orbits and launched their respective missions to the Red Planet.
UAE's mission just includes an orbiter, while the one sent by China carries a rover, lander, and an orbiter to study the Red Planet and its conditions.
Both probes will reach Mars by early 2021.
News #6
Finally, some tempting hardware launches
In the hardware segment, along with the OnePlus Nord, several other devices were also unveiled, including OPPO A72 5G, Vivo Y51s, Realme 6i, Lenovo Legion Phone Duel, Samsung Galaxy A01 Core, Infinix Smart 4 Plus, and Redmi Note 9 with MediaTek Helio G85 chipset.
Additionally, HP and Dell both launched new gaming laptops in the Indian market.