TECHNOLOGY INSPIRATION
Technology-People-Innovation

September 2018
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September 06, 2018
Popular instant messaging app WhatsApp has started rolling out one of the most anticipated features in its app -- group video calling. First announced at the annual developers' conference of Facebook, the company that owns WhatsApp since 2014, this feature has been spotted on WhatsApp V.2.18.189 and GadgetsNow can confirm this.


If you are wondering how to go about calling multiple people on WhatsApp then follow these steps:


Ø Open WhatsApp and head to the chat of your contact that you want to call
Ø Tap on the video calling button, which is placed on the top right corner
Ø Start video call and wait for the user to accept it
Ø Once the contact receives the call, you will find the option to add more participants on the top right corner



Ø Tap on the icon to go to the page showing all your contacts
Ø Tap on the name of the participant you want to add
Ø When the third participant is being called, he/she will be notified about the other two participants in the call


Readers must note that you can add one user at a time in the group call and therefore will have to wait for them to answer the call and then repeat the process to add more participants. Also, you do not have to be a beta user to be able to be a part of the conference call, as of now you can make one only if you are a beta user. We were able to add a maximum of 4 people during the video call. After adding the fourth participant, the button of adding more users becomes disabled. Also, if a non-beta user calls a beta user even then the call can be converted into a group call as the option of adding more participants comes to the Beta user.

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September 06, 2018
The government has recently added new features in its official “mPassportSeva” app. The app now allow citizens to apply for fresh passports from the smartphones itself from anywhere in country. The 'mPassportSeva' app is available for free download on both Android and iOS. Note that the app is released by ‘Consular, Passport and Visa (CPV) Division’ and not by any other government agency. There are several fake versions of the app on Android, so, be sure to download the right app.

What are the new services?

The updated version of the “mPassportSeva” app now allows users to apply for a fresh passport along with PCC form filing, online payment for the application form, appointment scheduling/rescheduling or cancellation functionality. Additionally, citizens can apply for a re-issue of a new passport in lieu of an existing passport for any of the following reasons: change in existing personal particulars, validity expired within 3 years or due to expire, validity expired more than three years ago, exhaustion of pages, damaged passport and lost passport.

Other services include -- issue of Police Clearance Certificate (PCC) along with background verification for Global Entry Program (GEP).

How to use the mPassportSeva app to apply for a passport on your mobile?

Note that there no separate process to apply for a passport via mPassportSeva app exclusively. The process is exactly similar to the existing system that is being followed by ‘Passport Seva’ website. In other words, there is no change in the application, documentation or verification process of getting an Indian passport and it's just that the mPassportSeva app is a new mode for making the task easier. The mobile app has a new interface and here is how to apply for a fresh passport from the app:

*Tap on New User Registration after opening the app.
* Select the Passport Office from the list as per the city in which you are residing.
* Enter personal details like name, date-of-birth, email id.
* Think about a unique login ID and check for its availability and then add a strong password. (This process is similar to opening an email ID). You can also keep your email ID as a login ID for the app.
*Add a security question and answer. This will come handy when you forget your password.
*After the confirmation , add the text written inside the small image (Captcha code) and hit submit.


You will then have to activate the account by checking for the email sent by the passport office and clicking on the verification link. On clicking the verification link, you will be directed to a webpage and you will be asked to enter your Login ID for confirmation.


Close the app and relaunch it again. The go to “Existing User” and enter your Login ID followed by the password and Captcha code. After that you will be greeted with a screen saying Apply for Fresh Passport along with other option. Click on it and fill the form and follow the steps.

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September 04, 2018
While most of us use WhatsApp on our smartphones, there are times when we want to use the instant messaging platform on computer too. WhatsApp Web is aimed to help us do just that. It helps us access WhatsApp via web browser. However, there’s another way to do this.


There is an option to use WhatsApp from your desktop without a browser by downloading the platform via the Apple App Store or the Microsoft Store. Readers must note that WhatsApp can only be installed on Windows computer if the operating system is Windows 8.1 (or higher) or Mac OSX 10.9 (or newer). Here is how you can download the app


To install on Windows 8.1+

1. Open any internet browser -- Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Edge -- on your PC
2. Copy and paste this URL – https://www.whatsapp.com/download
3. From here, click on download for Windows (64-Bit)



4. Once the download is complete, open WhatsApp.exe
5. Wait for WhatsApp to install on your computer.
6. Once the install is complete, you will see a QR code on the screen of your PC.
7. Open WhatsApp on your smartphone and go to WhatsApp Web.
8. Scan the QR code to login


To install on Mac OSX 10.9+

1. Open any internet browser -- Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Edge -- on your PC
2. Copy and paste this URL – https://www.whatsapp.com/download
3. From here, click on Download for Mac OS X 10.9 and higher
4. Once the download is complete, open the zip file to run WhatsApp.app.
5. On your first install, the application will prompt if you would like to add WhatsApp to your Applications folder and your desktop dock.
6. When the install is complete, launch WhatsApp on your computer and scan the QR code to log in.
7. Alternatively, you may download and install it via the Apple App Store.


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September 04, 2018
Till sometime back, checking your 10-digit PNR or live train status was a tedious job. As train passengers were required to call on the Indian Railway’s reservation enquiry number ‘139’ or had to check ICRTC's website for updates (which too was not easy).

To simplify the process, Indian Railways recently announced partnership with online travel website Make My Trip. The tie-up brings information such as PNR status, live train status and more right on passenger's smartphones. Here’s how it works:

Pre-requisites:
1. You must be running the latest version of WhatsApp
2. Working internet connection
3. Keep your train number and PNR number handy


Steps to follow:

1. Open ‘Dialer’ app on your smartphone
2. Type ‘7349389104’ (official MakeMyTrip WhatsApp) number and add it to your contacts
3. After saving the number, open WhatsApp on your phone and refresh the contacts list
4. Search the contact and tap on it to open the chat window
5. Send your train number to check the live train status and to check the PNR status enter your PNR number
6. After this, MakeMyTrip will send you the real-time train status or booking status of your PNR

To refresh your contact list:

1. Open WhatsApp and tap on the ‘New message’ icon from the bottom-right corner
2. Now, tap on three-horizontal dots and tap on ‘Refresh’ option
How to check PNR status using WhatsApp

Things to keep in mind:

1. MakeMyTrip won’t respond until you see the ‘Blue’ tick mark on your sent WhatsApp message.
2. Response time can also depend upon the number of enquiries or on server load.

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September 04, 2018
Internet, since its inception, has come a long long way from being exclusive to university researchers and scholars. Now it’s there in everyone’s pockets with their smartphones and a huge number of homes, offices and public places like cafes have got Wi-Fi accessibility. With the spurt in the number of Wi-Fi routers over the years, it is very much possible for someone else to use your Wi-Fi connection if it is not properly secured. Here we tell you how to detect if someone is piggybacking your Wi-Fi connection i.e. using it without permission and the steps you need to take to secure it.

1. Slow internet connection
Is your Wi-Fi connection slowing down? Has the internet speed been dropping down a lot since the past few days? While there are other reasons for a slow connection, like server issues, network-obstructing walls and objects, or it is also possible that someone has hopped onto your connection and is using it.

2.    Spotting the intruder through the list of connected devices

Each device that is or will be connected to your private network comes with a unique IP and MAC address (they may have a random name like ‘ABC’s PC’ as named by the owner) and can be seen in the list of connected devices (clients) through the router settings. So, if you find some random name on your network that you don’t recognise, that, in most likelihood, is the intruder! Even if you don’t see a name, you can still find out who the intruder is by checking the number of connected devices and finding out the one that you don’t recognise.

Here are some ways to safeguard your Wi-Fi network:

1. Setting up a long and complex WPA2 password
WPA2 is an encryption protocol and stands for Wi-Fi Protected Access. WPA2 is newer and more secure than older protocols like WPA, WEP etc. As a user, you just need to set up WPA2 security on the Wi-Fi router and protect it with a strong password. Needless to say, come up with something long and complex that you can remember and which cannot be guessed.

2. Changing the router's login information
Most of the Wi-Fi routers come with these two IP addresses: 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.2.1 and they can be accessed from any browser. Most router manufacturers use words like ‘root’ and ‘admin’ as login and password and once logged in, you have access to the router’s settings. Since logging in is pretty easy considering the password is so easy, anyone can get into your router settings. To prevent this, change the router’s login information from something other than ‘admin’.

3. Hiding the SSID of the router
A more effective way to secure the network is to hide the SSID of the router. This ensures that it doesn’t show up only as a connectable network. You’ll have to enter the address manually.

4. Using Internet monitoring software
There are some software like AirSnare that you can use which will alert you when an unknown device is detected on your network.

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September 04, 2018


Users often turn off‘ location history’ or ‘location services’ and think that Google is no longer tracking us and it is not collecting any location data from our devices, but that’s not true. A report from Associated Press had recently revealed that Google tracks our location for providing personalised search results based on our location and advertising.

Even after turning off the location toggle, Google still tracks location based on the services people use such as weather, maps, search and also using an IP address. In fact, while pausing the location tracking services, it warns you that “some location data may be saved as part of your activity on other Google services, like Search and Maps.”

To stop this altogether, users need to turn off ‘Web & App Activity’ service of their Google account. This will stop Google from tracking and keeping a log of your location history.
In case you are wondering on how to do this, follow our ready-to-use-guide for you:

For Android devices:
1. Open ‘Settings’ and tap on ‘Google’
2. Head to ‘Google Account’ and look for ‘Data & personalisation’ tab
3. Toggle Web & App Activity off

To turn off location history:
1. Go to the ‘Data & personalisation’ option
2. Tap on ‘location history’ option and toggle off the setting for each and every device linked to that Google Account

For iOS (iPhone/iPad) and Windows devices:
1. Open ‘https://myaccount.google.com/activitycontrols’ on your browser
2. Sign in into the account using your credentials
3. Toggle off the ‘Web & App Activity’ settings
4. Also, turn off the ‘Location history’ toggle located just below the ‘Web & App Activity’ settings


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