Apps
Netflix to reduce streaming quality amidst Coronavirus isolation
Too many people are Netflixing and chilling
Amid the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, everyone is practicing social distancing and isolating themselves at home. This has led to higher usage of Netflix and even though that’s good for business, it isn’t exactly working out that well for them.
Demand for streaming has increased, forcing the video-streaming provider to lower the picture quality and reduce data consumption by 25 percent. But it said viewers would still find the picture quality good.
That’s practically true if you’re streaming on a Full HD+ phone. The difference in quality won’t be considerable. This applies only to European countries and the step-down has been limited to 30 days for now.
The announcement came after appeals from EU officials for Netflix and individual users to ditch high definition video to prevent the internet from “breaking”. An hour of standard definition video uses about 1GB of data, while HD can use up to 3GB an hour.
What do you do when you’re home and just want to chill for some time? For our generation, the answer is Netflix. The video streaming service is popular for its huge collection of movies, shows, and even documentaries. There are a plethora of other streaming services out there who’ll also be consuming precious bandwidth.
“Work from home” is being widely encouraged and that’s adding further pressure on the internet’s physical infrastructure. If too much data starts flowing, outages or slower connection speeds will become a norm. This is similar to apps like WhatsApp crashing during New Year’s eve because there’s just too much data flowing at a given point of time.
Netflix has not yet said whether the streaming quality reduction will be applied to other areas such as North America and Asia.
SEE ALSO: How to disinfect your tech from the coronavirus
As general rules, the CDC or The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention listed these to help with preventing the spread of COVID-19:
- Stay home when sick
- Cover coughs and sneezes
- Frequently wash hands with soap and water
- Clean frequently touched surfaces
Apps
Turn conversations into completed work: Zoom launches ZoomMate
Agentic AI work surface to help people move from conversation to execution
Zoom has officially announced ZoomMate, an agentic AI work surface to help people move from workplace conversations to execution without losing context along the way.
It will be offered in ZoomMate Basic (free) and ZoomMate which is priced starting at US$ 16.67 per month.
Unlike AI tools that solely rely on prompts or manual context, ZoomMate understands what was discussed to generate grounded, relevant outputs directly from meeting context.
The feature connects live conversational context to agentic search, workflow execution, custom agents, and AI content creation. It helps users overcome the friction introduced by fragmented tools and incomplete workflow by surfacing information across Zoom and connected business systems.
This creates deliverables from meeting and enterprise context, like presentations, documents, and spreadsheets. It also coordinates follow-though across workflows without switching tools.
ZoomMate capabilities
ZoomMate introduces advanced agentic AI capabilities that help teams move from insight to completion.
Agentic Search
With agentic search, it brings enterprise knowledge to every conversation. ZoomMate can search across Zoom, the web, and third-party systems to find the most relevant information for a project, account, ticket, policy, or business question.
Connecting to data sources such as ServiceNow, Salesforce, and Workday, and indexing across users’ integrated enterprise systems allows for surfacing information from enterprise files.
This includes customer records, open issues, service tickets, knowledge articles, project updates, files, and other business content.
Moreover, relevant context from Zoom Meetings, Phone, Chat, and other connected platforms, including Google and Microsoft, can be directly integrated into the flow of work.
Orchestrate
The next step is ZoomMate’s agentic layer enables proactive coordination and execution across systems, combining AI workflows with intelligent agents that can act, learn, and adapt within enterprise environments.
Agents can monitor ongoing projects, identify steps from meeting context, and automatically initiate follow-up actions for continuity.
Aside from that, ZoomMate can coordinate real-time task execution and can schedule events across Google Calendar or Microsoft Outlook.
Moreover, it updates records, creates follow-up tasks, drafts customer communications, and triggers onboarding or support workflows.
Complete
Lastly, ZoomMate turns meetings into finished work. It automatically creates presentations, documents, spreadsheets, reports, and project plans from meeting conversations and enterprise context so teams can move from discussion to execution faster.
It leverages Zoom’s AI Productivity Suite to update deliverables as decisions evolve, keeping plans, documents, and other outputs current in real time without manual syncing.
Apps
GCash rolls out in-app OTPs via push notifications to fight scams
SMS-based codes will be phased out by June 22
GCash is completely changing how users secure their accounts by rolling out in-app OTPs by June 22.
This fully replaces traditional SMS-based authentication as part of heightened cybersecurity measures against phishing scams and financial fraud.
With this security upgrade, users will no longer receive their OTPs via text messages. Instead, the codes will be sent through secure push notifications directly inside the GCash app.
This provides a much safer verification experiences. The migration to internal authentication is a direct response to a directive from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to phase out SMS-based OTPs by June 2026.
Furthermore, the shift aligns with the country’s Anti-Financial Account Scamming Act (AFASA), which mandates stricter safeguards to curb digital fraud.
For years, cybercriminals have targeted SMS-based verification codes through various spoofing and phishing tactics to gain unauthorized access to accounts.
By routing OTP requests directly through the user’s authenticated GCash app, the platform ensures that only the rightful account owner can receive and use the unique codes.
Beyond security, the switch brings some much-needed convenience. The instant, one-tap authentication removes the annoying hurdle of switching between apps, copying codes, or waiting for delayed text messages to arrive in areas with poor cellular signal.
To get in-app OTPs on the GCash app, simply turn on Push Notifications on your iOS or Android device.
Apps
The No-Nonsense guide to mid-year shopping
Let AI do the heavy lifting for you this Lazada 6.6 Super WOW Sale
The mid-year sale season is here, but the days of mindless impulse buying are over.
Shoppers are shifting toward intentional, value-driven decisions, focusing on quality, authenticity, and actual utility over flashy, low-quality gimmicks.
From 8:00 PM on June 5 until 11:59 PM on June 8, 2026, the Lazada 6.6 Super WOW Sale is dropping major discounts. But the real win is using the platform’s tools to maximize your budget.
Lock in the baseline discounts
Before diving into specific items, map out how to stack the core offers.
You can stretch your money by hunting down LazFlash Deals for up to 90% off, collecting up to PhP 3,000 in stackable vouchers, and ensuring every order qualifies for the free shipping offers available throughout the event.
True value comes from combining these three layers of savings on things you already need.
Filter for authentic value
Shopping smart means avoiding the trap of “too good to be true” counterfeits that end up in the trash.
Data shows a massive consumer shift toward trusted quality, with LazMall growth vastly outperforming standard listings during major sales.
To ensure your money goes toward genuine products with real warranties, restrict your browsing to official, brand-certified stores.
If you are upgrading your tech, parenting gear, or wardrobe, look to trusted names anchoring the sale like UGREEN, JisuLife, ANTA, Maserati Watches, Momcozy, and O.TWO.O.
Outsmart the noise with built-in tech
Don’t waste hours scrolling through endless listings or guessing which product is better.
The smartest way to navigate a massive mid-year event is to let the platform’s built-in features cut through choice paralysis.
Tools like AI Lazzie and AI Picks allow you to instantly compare similar items, analyze prices, and get personalized recommendations based on actual data rather than generic marketing hype.
Smart Shopper Tip: True value is a mix of the right price, verified authenticity, and a seamless return policy. Use this sale period to stock up on everyday essentials and high-quality upgrades rather than panic-buying items you’ll regret later.
-
India1 week agoTECNO’s POVA 8 5G is both futuristic and future-ready
-
News2 weeks agorealme launches P4 Series 5G, including Power with 10,001mAh battery
-
Buyer's Guide1 week agoBuyer’s Guide: Xiaomi Pad 8 Series
-
Reviews1 week agoHONOR Magic V6 review: The best version of a book-style foldable?
-
Gaming1 week agoKingdom Hearts IV gets new trailer, confirms Switch 2 release
-
Gaming2 weeks agoFinal Fantasy VII Revelation arrives in Spring 2027
-
Gaming1 week agoFinal Fantasy fans have two big reasons to look forward to 2026
-
Smartphones1 week agoUpcoming realme C100 series to feature 8,000mAh battery





