Tech Tok: Smartphone makers dread price hike

Smartphone makers including Samsung, Xiaomi and Apple fear elevated costs and disruptions as the move requires hardware changes

Hyderabad: A recent media report that the Indian government has asked smartphone makers including Apple, Samsung, Xiaomi, and others to soon make their phones compatible with the Indian-made NavIC (Navigation with Indian Constellation) system had opened up a debate on the issue, including questions about whether smartphones will get costlier after this move.

Smartphone makers including Samsung, Xiaomi and Apple fear elevated costs and disruptions as the move requires hardware changes, a Reuters report said, adding that the demand from India came because the government wanted to reduce dependence on foreign systems, including the US Global Positioning System (GPS). The government also feels NavIC provides more accurate domestic navigation and that its use would benefit the economy.

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Several other countries including China, the European Union, Japan, and Russia have their own global or regional navigation systems to rival GPS. NavIC is currently mandated in public vehicle location trackers, with the government now said to be pushing smartphone giants to make hardware changes to support NavIC, in addition to GPS, in phones they will sell from January 2023.

The report says Apple, Xiaomi, Samsung, and others have cited concerns that making phones NavIC-compliant could require higher research and increase production costs. The Centre, meanwhile, responded to the report and said no timeline was fixed yet. With smartphones regularly hiking prices already, it remains to be seen whether this move will make foreign brands even costlier.

NEW FEATURES/LAUNCHES
Easy switch between FB and Instagram

Meta has announced it is testing new ways for people to easily switch between and create new accounts and profiles on Facebook and Instagram globally for iOS, Android, and web users.

The company said that users could get notifications for both platforms in one place if they choose to add them to the same Accounts Center. Users will also be able to create an account with their existing Facebook or Instagram login and use it to sign up for additional accounts and profiles. The company said it was also introducing a new account registration and login flow. People new to their products can create a Facebook or Instagram account, and then use that account to sign up for additional ones.

Netflix making its in-house game studio in Finland

Popular video streaming platform Netflix, which has also forayed into the gaming business, is building an in-house game studio in Helsinki, Finland. With its game studio, the platform aims to create ‘world-class’ original games without ads or in-app purchases, reports Engadget, adding that Zynga and EA alumnus Marko Lastikka will serve as director.
According to Netflix, Helsinki is a good fit as the home to some of the ‘best game talent’ on the planet. This includes The Walking Dead mobile developer Next Games, which Netflix bought in March.

Netflix has purchased multiple developers, including Boss Fight and Oxenfree creator Night School Studio, but has not built a developer from scratch until now, the report said.

Meanwhile, Netflix recently made the Oxenfree game freely available to its users with a subscription, more than six years after the game made its PC debut and five years after it debuted for iOS and Android users.

– Dennis Marcus Mathew with agency inputs