Tech Wrap: Qualcomm's new 5G modem, WhatsApp works on multi-device support

Today’s tech news was all about fast speeds and online security and safety. From Qualcomm introducing the worlds fastest 5G modem with speeds of up to 10 Gbps, to the government releasing 7 apps to keep your online browsing safer. Meanwhile, a barcode scanner with 10 million users turned into malware with a single update, while Facebook announced they would take down posts claiming vaccines cause autism and WhatsApp inched closer to a multi-device future.

Here’s the gist of today’s important tech stories:

Qualcomm unveils X65 5G modem with speeds of up to 10 Gbps

Qualcomm already had the fastest 5G modem around, with the Qualcomm X60 5G modem, but Mediatek came around touting speeds of 7.67Gbps last week on their new M80 modem. Today, Qualcomm unveiled their latest X65 5G modem that supports blistering fast speeds of up to 10 Gbps. You can read more about the new modem here.

7 free govt-approved tools that can protect your Android phones, PC from virus

The government of India wants to keep your Android devices and computers safe from exploits and dangerous viruses, so it has developed a set of security applications to scan and keep your devices safe. All of these devices are being operated by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) in collaboration with partners like Quick Heal, eScan etc.

Simply updating this barcode scanner app may have infected 10 million users with malware

In what can clearly be labelled a shady and malicious move pulled on unwitting users, a simple app update to a QR and barcode scanner app on the Google Play Store has potentially infected over 10 million users who had previously downloaded the app, according to device security provider Malwarebytes. You can read more about it here.

Facebook expands efforts to tackle false claims about Covid-19, vaccines

Stepping up its efforts to take down false claims related to Covid-19 that are being spread on the social networking platform, Facebook on Tuesday expanded the list of fake and incorrect claims to cover Covid-19 vaccines and vaccines in general during the pandemic. Facebook already bars these claims being pushed as advertisements.

WhatsApp multi-device support inches closer to launch

It looks like WhatsApp is working towards the release of true multi-device support for Android and iOS devices, with the ability to log in to a desktop app as well without requiring your phone to be connected via WhatsApp Web. The appearance of a new ‘Log Out’ option in the latest iOS beta indicates that the feature may be nearing completion.