News
realme India’s official Twitter was compromised, ran a crypto scam
Elon Musk is the new Nigerian Prince
realme India’s official Twitter account was compromised for a short period on May 6, 2021. Scammers were able to control the verified brand account and change its name to Tesla, trying to mislead gullible users via a crypto scam.
After the Twitter account was taken over, the scammers replied to Elon Musk’s tweets and said they’re organizing an “airdrop” of 5000 bitcoins. The tweets pretended to be an official Tesla undertaking and suggested users sign up on obscure websites.
The account’s handle remained unchanged, but the Tesla name manipulated users to believe it’s true. The vulnerability was short-lived as realme India’s team soon took back control of the account, but they haven’t issued any clarifications or apology.
realme’s official India Twitter Support account has been hacked and is being used to do crypt0 scam under Elon Musk’s tweets pic.twitter.com/WFy4iz7iDi
— Ishan Agarwal (@ishanagarwal24) May 6, 2021
The modus operandi of these scams is quite simple — take over a verified account and rename it, share malicious or misleading links that claim to be a cryptocurrency giveaway, ask users to enter a raffle, or contribute a small token sum, and vanish with the monies.
Unsurprisingly, one of the mention domains contains a message from the Nigerian Prince-like Elon Musk, saying, “Our marketing department here at Tesla HQ came up with an idea: to hold a special giveaway event for all crypto fans out there.”
The scam asks users to contribute 1 BTC (bitcoin) to win back 10 BTC. It’s not supposed to make logical sense because it’s an outright scam. Twitter is filled to the brim with verified accounts that are compromised and used to cheat unsuspecting users. It isn’t known yet whether anyone fell for the crypto scam.
The boom in cryptocurrency as a decentralized and unregulated system is controversial. Lack of regulation and law enforcement makes it impossible to trace transactions, creating a haven for scam artists and the black market. While the growth of cryptocurrency is consistent, many experts still question its reliability and redressal mechanism in the real-world scenario.
Read Also: Basics of cryptocurrency: Risks and benefits
When they unveiled the Vision Pro in 2023, Apple touted the wearable as the next big thing after the iPhone. Now, almost three years removed from the launch, the Vision Pro hasn’t really taken over the coveted spot occupied by the iPhone. Apple, according to a report, is allegedly canning the short-lived wearable.
According to MacRumors, Apple has reportedly given up on making the Vision Pro a thing. The team handling the wearable has supposedly been subsumed by other teams within Apple.
If true, the wearable’s end is unfortunate but not surprising. Despite being out for years, the Vision Pro has sold only a little more than half a million units with numerous returns from customers. Most recently, Apple updated the wearable with the M5 chip, but the move hasn’t revitalized the device’s status in Apple’s lineup.
Most of the complaints about the device stem from its exorbitant price or its cumbersome battery pack. Besides costing a whopping US$ 3,499, the Vision Pro is also difficult to move around with, especially because of its total weight and a battery pack that can get in the way.
To be clear, Apple has not officially discontinued the Vision Pro yet. The company continues to sell the version with the M5 chip. Apple can also restart development in the future.
However, the meantime retirement on future development does coincide with the recent restructuring inside the company. Tim Cook recently decided to step down as CEO with John Ternus as his replacement. Canning the Vision Pro might be Ternus’ first step in redefining Apple according to his plans.
SEE ALSO: Apple Vision Pro gets M5 chip upgrade
Apps
YouTube makes picture-in-picture mode free for everyone globally
The update is rolling out globally now.
Picture-in-picture (or PiP) mode is a godsend for multitaskers. The feature lets users watch videos in a tiny floating window while doing other tasks. However, the feature isn’t readily available for all users. Or wasn’t, at least. YouTube is now rolling out PiP mode for free globally.
Previously, PiP mode was exclusive to YouTube users who pay for Premium or Premium Lite. It was also exclusive to the United States.
Now, YouTube is making the feature completely free for users all over the globe. It will be available for both iOS and Android versions of the app.
There’s still a catch, though. The free version is available only for “longform, non-music content.” The same goes for Premium Lite subscribers. Music is still an exclusive feature for those who pay for the regular version of Premium. Basically, there is no change for paying users or users in the United States.
Using PiP mode is simple. All you need to do is load up a video you want to watch in the background. Then, just exit the YouTube app and go about your other tasks. The video will be inside a floating, resizable window while you look at other things.
There’s no timeline on when the update will reach your device. However, YouTube has promised that it will roll out globally within the coming months.
SEE ALSO: YouTube remains top PH video platform; advertisers urged to continue investing
Enterprise
OnePlus has reportedly merged with realme
Both brands were previously rumored for restructuring early this year.
OnePlus has a problem. For a while now, rumors have swirled about the company’s dissolution. For their part, the company has continued to deny the reports, citing business as usual. Likely to their dismay, the reports just keep coming. Today, sources have hinted that OnePlus has merged with realme.
Back in January, it was rumored that OnePlus would be closing up shop this year. Since the company very quickly denied the rumors, the report hardly made waves. However, a suspected merger with realme is more difficult to debunk.
For one, realme is itself in a very interesting position. Also back in January, realme was reportedly moving back into being a sub-brand of OPPO. Coupled together with the OnePlus debacle, all this internal restructuring seems par for the course.
According to Digital Chat Station on Weibo, OnePlus and realme have already concluded the merger. The two brands have reportedly united their Chinese and international operations under one roof. Likewise, their marketing will be the same. Pete Lau will still be the main head for this new division.
As with anything of this nature, take this with a grain of salt. OPPO, OnePlus, and realme have not issued any official statements concerning a merger or a shutdown for any brand.
SEE ALSO: realme is reportedly going back to being an OPPO sub-brand
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