Tech Wrap: Flipkart eyes alcohol delivery, Nokia to launch feature phone and more

Today' tech wrap includes announcements from companies like Jio, WhatsApp-rival Telegram, game developer and more.

Tech wrap (Pixabay)

As August 15, Independence Day comes to an end, we saw some announcements from companies like Jio, WhatsApp-rival Telegram, game developer and publisher Electronic Arts along side some smartphone listing and leaks. So, without wasting your time, here's a quick look at all the major news of the day.

Flipkart eyes alcohol delivery foray with Indian startup Diageo, letters show

Walmart's e-commerce platform Flipkart has partnered with a startup backed by spirits giant Diageo to deliver alcohol in two Indian states, according to government letters seen by Reuters, months after Amazon planned a similar foray. Flipkart and Amazon's interest in delivering alcohol in India marks a bold move to make inroads into an alcohol market that is worth $27.2 billion, according to estimates by IWSR Drinks Market Analysis.

Chinese firms like Xiaomi, Oppo hit by new import hurdles in India

Chinese firms like Xiaomi are facing delays getting approvals from India's quality control agency for their goods, five industry sources told Reuters, as the business environment deteriorates after a clash on their Himalayan border.

Facebook integrates Messenger chats on Instagram in new update

There's a new update on Instagram that changes the in-app messaging feature and merges it with Messenger. This update has started rolling out to users in India. A pop-up message appears with the new update when you open Instagram. Once you hit update, the change starts reflecting on the app.

Facebook is testing a TikTok-style short video format on its main app in India

After Lasso, a TikTok clone that Facebook has been testing in several markets, and Reels on Instagram, Facebook is no exploring one more option to get a TikTok-like experience. This time, it's on the main Facebook app itself.

Ubisoft fires Assassin's Creed creative director after misconduct claims

Ubisoft Entertainment SA has dismissed the creative director of the newest Assassin's Creed game, the latest result of a MeToo reckoning at the French video game publisher that has been swirling for two months.

Google is going to eventually replace Duo with Meet

According to 9to5Google, this discussion is a result of Google placing its consumer communication services, Duo, Messages and the Android Phone app, all under the leadership of G Suite head Javier Soltero. After this new ‘unified team' was made public in May, Soltero told employees that it did not make sense for Duo and Meet to coexist.

EA has renamed its subscription service to EA Play

Electronic Arts (EA) has announced that it is rebranding and consolidating its subscription service. The subscription service has operated under a few different names in the past but now it is going to be brought under one new banner called EA Play. 

WhatsApp-rival Telegram announces video calls feature on Android, iOS as Google plans to shut Duo

This announcement also comes at the same time when Google is reportedly planning to shelve its Duo platform and replace it with Meet. The ‘alpha' version of video calling feature is available on both Telegram's Android and iOS apps. This can be initiated from the person's profile page and can be switched on/off at any time during voice calls

Nokia preparing to launch a new feature phone, gets FCC approval

A mysterious feature phone with model number TA-1316 has reportedly been certified by US FCC. It has been mentioned that this handset will include 4G connectivity and support LTE 5, 7 and 38 bands. It is also said to be backed by a 1150mAh battery capacity with a rated power of 3.7Vdc.

Microsoft Outlook for Android gets Play My Email feature, limited to US for now

As you may have already guessed, this essentially reads all your emails to you while you work on something else, making you slightly productive while at work. This feature is limited to Outlook for Android right now and has come as a part of an app update.

Spotify is getting a Bedtime feature to set a timer for music that puts you to sleep

From this week onwards, Spotify integration with the Clock app is being expanded with the new ‘Bedtime' feature. Instead of waking you up with lively and feel-good morning music from Spotify, what Bedtime does is it lets you set a timer for those slow, soothing soundtracks that can lull you to sleep.

Samsung Galaxy S21 to ditch one of the camera sensors, has something better in works

As per a report coming from South Korea, Samsung is dropping ToF sensor from the rumoured S21 since there isn't enough use cases of it right now. But this doesn't mean you won't see this tech in any of the Samsung phones ever. It has been mentioned that the company's System LSI Business department is currently working on a sensor that will improve upon the ToF tech.

Reliance JioFibre partners with Bengali entertainment platform hoichoi

Reliance Jio has partnered with hoichoi, one of the popular OTT platforms for Bengali content. It will now be available for JioFiber customers. For those who are on Silver and above plans, JioFibre will give them access to 2000+ hours of Bengali movies, Original Series and other content from hoichoi on their Jio SetTop Box.