WhatsApp Beta for Android Gets Verified Accounts: Here's How It Will Work

WhatsApp Certified Profiles - Businesses

Certified profiles of WhatsApp for the purpose of businesses are apparently being tested on the Windows Phone beta app. Presently the company has come up and made an announcement on how the feature tends to function on the Android beta version.

For Android beta the company has added launcher App Shortcuts which will enable users to open directly a New Chat, Starred messages or in-app Camera. The feature is said to be live for Android beta users but it is not known on the availability of the same.

WhatsApp App Shortcuts had initially been spotted by Android Police and the site had displayed screenshots of the updated features. WhatsApp also enables these shortcuts to be dragged on the home screen as separate shortcuts and the messaging app also has the potential of creating shortcuts for self-regulating chats as well as camera on home screen.

 Though the new App Shortcuts tends to be useful, it probably will find lesser use owing to the choice of shortcuts. For instance, a new Status shortcut rather than New Chat shortcut would make more sense since the Facebook-owned company had reported that it had over 250 million users on the Status feature. It is rare that WhatsApp user open new chat window instead they tend to chat with those who exist on their friends’ list.

 

Increasing List of WhatsApp Features

 
WhatsApp starred messages shortcuts tends to take the users directly to three pinned chats towards the top of the chat list and though the choice seem to be useful of most of the users, there could be others who tend to end up in not utilising the shortcut at all.

WhatsApp has now added another feature to its increasing list of features introduced in 2017 with this announcement. Another most important feature likely to come up to the app will be the UPI integration for easy money transfers.

 Together with this, WhatsApp has joined in with Facebook, Instagram as well as Twitter in partaking in certified profiles and has taken initiative in increasing the convenience wherein users could interconnect with businesses on the platform.

With regards to the latest update in an FAQ post, Facebook-owned social media app had mentioned that some business account had been certified already by WhatsApp and if one tends to see a green badge with white tick mark near the name of a contact, you are assured that it has been certified by the company as a business profile. The company had stated in its post that `WhatsApp would enable the user to know when one begins talking to a business through yellow messages within a chat.
 

WhatsApp Business Verification Restricted

 
There is no manner in which one could delete these messages from the chat. If one tends to have a phone number of any business saved in the address book, the name seen will be the name one has saved in the address book.

If one does not have a business phone number saved in the address book, then they will see the name that the business seemed to have chosen for their own self, within the app. Moreover if the user does not desire any business to trouble you on WhatsApp, you could have the choice of blocking them in the same manner as in contact.

The company has explained that WhatsApp business verification is presently restricted to small number of businesses partaking in a pilot program. WABetaInfo who had initially spotted the feature had pointed out that with the announcement of 2.17.285 form of the Android beta app, the manner in which users tend to view business account and the information which is made available has been disclosed.

WhatsApp, as per report, has reorganized its servers to enhance the management of contact numbers and in case there tends to be a business contact in your address book, it will apparently not download that contact again.

 

New `Business Info’

 
Moreover, the report had also stated that the new `Business Info’ fragment has the information such as the address of the business, the real name of the business together with the mail address of the business as well as its website.

 If the business seems to have an account on Instagram, one would be presented with the link of that profile also. WhatsApp is said to have more than 1 billion active users on the app used in more than 60 languages and the platform had lately added a multitude of updated features to make it more convenient as well as exciting.

For Android it had made it simpler for users in formatting text to Italic, Bold, Strikethrough or Monospace by selecting the part which they desire to format. GIF support tends to make easy call forwarding, the capability of sharing 30 photos as well as video on one go with more addition to it. In India, where the app has reached to almost 200 million users, it is said to be looking forward in adding UPI enabled in-app wallet too.

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How to Roll Your Own VPN

Free Wi-Fi access offered by restaurants, bars or public places are not safe. These networks are not encrypted. Anyone who is connected to it can intercept the data, name of users or passwords that you are sending by identifying yourself in your email account or social networks.

1: What are VPNs?

VPN (Virtual Private Network) is a type of network in which you create an extension of a private network, such as the local network you have at home, over a public network. That is, you use the open network as a vehicle to connect to your private VPN network and thus, to be able to navigate with the same level of security as if you did it from your home, since your laptop, smartphone or tablet, connects directly to your Private network, isolating itself from the rest of the public network traffic.

2: Free VPN Networks

There are companies that offer, among other services, the free connection to VPN servers to protect your connections from public networks. These servers act as protective filters for your privacy on the Internet. The greatest virtue of this type of services is that they do not require any registration. Simply enter the server address, a username and password and start browsing.

Before connecting to the VPNBook servers, you need to know your connection details. Go to your website and click on the PPTP tab.

Record the address of the server you want to connect to. Just below the servers, you also specify the login user name and password. Write them down as well.

3: Connect to a VPN network from your iPad

If you're connecting to a VPN network from an iPad or any other iOS device, go to your Settings menu. Touch General on the side panel, and in the central box, look for the VPN entry.

Now touch Add VPN configuration .... In the box that appears, click on PPTP. Then write the connection data you wrote down on the VPNBook page.

In Description,  type an identifying name for this VPN network. For example VPNBook. In Server, type the address of the server you want to connect to. In Account, enter the username you copied from the
VPNBook page and do the same in Password.

Then turn on the Send All Traffic switch to direct all browsing data over this VPN. Finally, touch Save.
When you're done, activate the VPN switch to connect to the VPNBook server and thus protect your privacy.

4: VPN connection from an Android app

Another easy way to connect to VPN networks and maintain your privacy is to do so from apps installed on your smartphone or tablet.

This app will connect to the VPN server, allowing private browsing in just a couple of touches on the screen.
To do this you must install Spotflux free VPN on your device. This time we will use an Android device, although it is also available for Apple devices.

After you search for and install the SpotFlux free VPN app on Google Play, start the app. Scroll to the left and press Proceed. As you need to create a new network connection, you will be asked if the app is authorized to do so. Check the I trust this app option and click OK.

It will automatically connect to Spotflux servers and encrypt your connection. An icon in the notification bar will tell you the VPN connection is active.

During the initial trial period, you will be able to test all the services offered by the app. After this period, the Premium functions will be blocked, but you can continue to use all other functions with normality. When you want to disconnect from the Spotflux VPN server, click on the Disable button. This is all you need to use public Wi-Fi networks safely!

5: Fix your IP with No-ip

Another option to keep in mind is to create your own private VPN network. For this you will need a computer on and connected to the Internet, which serves as VPN server.

Doing so is not as easy as connecting to the VPN networks in the previous sections, but you will have the absolute certainty of the security of your navigation.

But first you must fix your IP address. If your IP is already static you can skip this step.

Before starting to configure your computer, you need to know if your IP is static or dynamic. If your IP is dynamic, which happens in most cases, you can use the No-ip service to "fix" it.

This free service synchronizes the dynamic IP of your router with a domain name. That way, you will not have to worry if your IP changes. Entering the name of the domain that will be assigned to you, other devices will be able to connect with your computer.

To create a domain for your dynamic IP, go to the No-ip website. Then click Sign up and create a No-ip account. In it you must specify the user name with which to identify you and a secure password.

Then, establish a name for your domain, make it simple to remember. You can also choose which domain to belong to. The only free domain is .noip .biz, the rest are paid. Select it and click on Free sign up.
Then, you will be sent an email to the address you have provided to confirm your registration in No-ip. You can start using No-ip !

6: Install the No-ip client on your computer

Now is the time to install the No-ip client on the computer that will act as a VPN server.

This program will synchronize the IP of your computer and the domain name that you have created in No-ip. That way you can connect to it even if your IP changes. Which will do every time you turn the router off and on.

Go back to your account on the No-ip website and, in your control panel, click on the Dynamic Update Client option, which you will find in the side panel. Then click on the Download Now button to download the No-ip client installer. Install it on your computer and start it.

Then enter the email address and password you used in the No-ip log.

In the No-ip client window, you may notice that you have not yet recognized any domain and therefore can not synchronize your IP. Click Edit Hosts. Check the box for the domain you created in the previous section and click Save.

Now it recognizes the domain and assigns it the correct IP. If you turn off and turn on your router you will see how the IP changes, but the No-ip client reassigns it to your domain. Even if you close the No-ip client window, it will continue to work in the background.

7: Configure your VPN server in Windows

The first step in creating a VPN in Windows is to access the Network and Sharing Center on the computer that will act as a VPN server. You can access it from the Control Panel.

Then choose Network and Internet, and then choose Network and Sharing Center. You can also access from the Network icon in the system tray, next to the clock.

Now, click Change adapter settings in the side panel.

In the Network Connections window, go to the File menu and choose New Incoming Connection. If you do not have the menu bar visible, press the ALT key and they will be displayed.

Then click on the Add someone ... button to create a new user for the VPN network. In the box that appears, type a user name and set a password. These will be the identification data that your device will ask you when you want to connect to the VPN network.

When finished, tap OK. Continue with Next. Then check the box over the Internet and continue with Next. Finally, click the Allow access button.

After this, it will be necessary to restart the computer so that the new network is created. If, after the reboot, you return to the Change Adapter Settings window, you will notice that a new network has been created, which will tell you if there are any users using the VPN network.

8: Open the ports on your router

In order for your router not to block the connection of external devices to your VPN network, it will be necessary to open a specific port, through which this connection will be directed. The port to be opened will be the TCP 1723.

Each router has a different configuration interface and its own way of opening the ports. If you do not know how to do it, consult the manual of your router or contact the support service of your Internet provider, they will show you how to open the ports of your router.

9: Connects to your private VPN network from another computer

Once you have configured the VPN network, you have created the user account and you have opened the ports of your router, you just need to establish the connection from another computer.

On this occasion, we will use a laptop with Windows 7 - which we bought at a great price thanks to our Amazon discount coupons - and connected to the Internet from an open network. Access the Network and Sharing Center, as shown in the previous section.

Then click on the Configure a new network connection option. Then choose the option Connect to a workspace and click Next. Now choose Use My Internet Connection (VPN) and configure the connection settings.

In Internet Address, write the static IP of your router or the domain that you created in No-ip. In Destination Name, type the name of the network. For example, My VPN. When you're done, click Next. Then enter the username and password you created during VPN

Host Your Own RSS Feed Reader

How to create an RSS feed from scratch

Today most of the systems we implement (such as WordPress) already come with a feed created and implemented, ready to validate, it is always possible to create a zero, or want to further customize what already exists.

Through a simple tutorial we will teach you to create an RSS feed from scratch, whether with static or dynamic content.

As always, first things first:

Reqirements for RSS feed:

A website with content, whether static or dynamic.

A Web editor.

Process of creating RSS feed:

To create an RSS feed, it is necessary to encode a file in XML format, which contains the necessary tags to interpret and display the content in the specified format, to which users will access. This file we can leave it native in XML, or embed it inside PHP, as we will see in both cases below.

For this we will perform 2 processes. In the first instance we will create a static feed, from content that we have available on our site.

After that we will repeat the task, but this time we will retrieve contents from a database to put them into the feed, ideal if they are publishing through a CMS or if they obtain content directly from a database.

So without further ado, let's get down to business:

1.- Creating a static RSS feed

This option is valid only if we have static content on our site, which although not very justified, can be a useful functionality to deliver to visitors.

For this, we need to create an XML file in our Web editor, and start coding:

The first 2 lines that we added correspond to the definition of the version and coding of xml (in order for it to validate correctly we must add the version, as far as the coding is optional but it never is) and the version of RSS that will use The file we are creating. Currently most sites offer subscriptions for both RSS 1.1 and 2.0, but with the latter is more than enough. At the end we close the rss tag to finish the document.

Following the above, it is necessary that everything related to the feed (both information and content), be included within the </ channel> tags, which we will add just after the previous code.

And now, inside the channel tags we will be adding the feed information.

And finally, after the information, we add the related content that will be displayed in the feed, we will do this by repeating the same tags we used previously, but closed between < item>and </ item>:

The above we save it with any name and with extension xml, we upload it and when opening it in the navigator we will be able to see that our static feed is completely ready:

2.- Creating a dynamic RSS feed

We created our static feed, its just onnly a few minutes, we realized that it was very simple and we are ready to conquer the world ... right ?. Well, not yet. As we indicated in the previous point, a static feed is not very funny, since we must add each new content manually and ends up being a lot of work, or it may be that on more than one occasion we forget to update. Due to this, if we have a site where the content is obtained dynamically from a database, it is possible to adapt that to our feed and that the new information will be added as it is generated. For this, we will work with both XML and PHP, in a bombastic that will spark and make us the most popular kids in high school.

For this, we will consider that we have a database, which has a news table with a title field, a link field, a detail field and a date field of the news, as we see below:

[Table id = 1 /]

So, the first thing to do is create a PHP file in our Web editor.

As you can see, in the previous code we left a blank section, between the <? Php and?> Tags. This part of the code is where we will connect to the database, rescue the news and deploy it dynamically.

For this, we will first connect to the database. As a good practice we will use DEFINE to define redundancy, define the connection data, but if you want, you can skip this part and execute the function directly:

And now we make the connection. We run the query.

Now that we have retrieved all the news from the database in an orderly way by date, obtaining the newest ones first, we will pass them to an array to write them in the specified XML format, as follows:

With the above, we execute a cycle that will pass to an array in an associative way (thanks to the parameter MYSQL_ASSOC, which will allow us to access the records in the array with the same name that they have in the table of the database). That they are finished and will create a new item with the respective values to include in the feed.

With that we are almost ready, the last detail is to add a small header at the beginning of the document, indicating that we are executing XML content for better recognition at the time of executing the complete script, we do this by adding at the beginning.

And ready!.

We have our dynamic RSS feed, which will add the results obtained from the database and each time we publish new content will be updated automatically.

And now, to conquer the world ?. Not yet. Before finishing:

3.- Useful tips for launching RSS feed

Some tips that are never over:

Validate feed

Before launching our feed to the public, it's good to make sure that it works properly and that we have not made coding errors. For this we can validate through several services, such as:

W3C Validator

Feed Validator

Just add the URL of our feed and validate.

Publish the feed

There are services that allow us to publish our feed and offer a series of interesting features, such as adding advertising or statistics about our subscribers. The best known and undoubtedly used is Feedburner, which in only moments we can publish our feed without problems.

Show users that a RSS feed exists on the site

If at this moment they look at the address bar of your browser, you will see that there is an orange icon.
This icon indicates that the site has an RSS feed to which they can subscribe. How to add it? Very simple, we should only add the following lines between the <head> and </ head> tags of each page we want it to appear in, such as a favicon. Simple, right?

and </ head> tags of each page we want it to appear in, such as a favicon. Simple, right?

Customize your RSS feed

The details certainly make the difference in the minds of the users. So, now that we've learned how to make a feed from scratch, why not play it a bit and make it more personalized? Only by modifying small parts of the code can we display certain types of information in our feed (for example comments if they exist), or limit the number of articles to be displayed, or make a separate feed for each person that writes in the site and thus each Reader follow his favorite author.

The possibilities are many, you just have to experiment.

And with this we have finished this tutorial in which we have covered the process of creating an RSS feed from scratch. As you can see, it only takes a few minutes and the difficulty is low, so we encourage you to try and tell us your experience.

Before ending, we remind you that as always, this tutorial has been:

Any questions or comments you may have, we invite you to leave us a few lines in the area enabled below.
We hope this tutorial has been useful for you.

Microsoft Patent Reveals That The Company is Working on Augmented Reality Wand

Microsoft’s Patent – Wand-Like Controller

From Microsoft’s patent filing, it has now come to light that the company has been functioning on a wand-like controller for augmented reality (AR) and `HoloLens’. Microsoft had made an announcement of a new patent on August 22 of the design for an augmented reality input device wherein the wand-like controller appears like a cross between a motion controller and a pen, according to the report on The Verge.

The software giant company had originally filed the patent in June 2016 on the same day it had published its Windows Mixed Reality vision video. In the video one would see what seems to be a wand-like device in action being utilised to articulate hand tracking with a HTC Vive VR headset.

 There is a possibility that this tends to be simply a reference device which had been testing with partners by Microsoft though it could also hind that the company intends accessories which would operate across several VR headsets.

The software major had intended to introduce a range of Mixed Reality headsets from partners like Asus, Acer, Dell, HP and Lenovo, later in the year. The headsets would be available at a price below the prevailing VR devices, with the unit of Acer beginning at $299.

Aiming - Six Degrees of Freedom

Microsoft has been aiming on six degrees of freedom tracking with the need of traditional external sensors positioned all through a room.

 The lowest specs for Mixed Reality platform of Microsoft also specify most PCs would have the potential of running the most basic apps together with games. Augmented reality has been gaining power quickly in the US, powered by Snapchat Lenses and Facebook Stories.

 Facebook has also been operating on emerging augmented reality glasses which could balance digital object with that of the physical world. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of the company had earlier shown photos of comparable glasses stating that they would be the future of augmented reality though had not disclosed that it would be developing this kind of product.

CEO of Facebook is of the view that augmented reality would be the subsequent big user tech platform after the smartphones. This information had been reported after the announcement of Microsoft on its Build developer conference in May that the company plans to utilise AI for the purpose of safety in workplaces.

Purpose – Match with Promotional Video

It had also showcased how AI can make for example a construction site to be safer and also efficient. Spotted by WalkingCat, the patent revealed an accessory which seemed to appear like want, having buttons, a trigger and a finger guard.

It is unknown at the moment as to what the accessory would be capable of doing though it seems like it could be utilised as a pointing device for the purpose of presentations, a prop for augmented reality games or could be also a painting tool.

The purpose of the device tends to match with promotional video wherein Microsoft portrays too small want controllers which tend to interact with an augmented reality setting. It appears similar to Google’s Draw accessory for Google Glass and increases on the controls that are available with the HoloLens clicker.

Android Oreo:12 Best Features of New Android Operating System

Google has finally launched Android Oreo successor of the Nougat after months of name guessing. This version brings a wide range of upgrades which helps in enhancing the overall experience, security and intelligence of the Android platform. Here is a quirky list of things which Oreo users will be proudly showing off to the Nougat counterparts in the days to come.

1.  Turn on notification badges Oreo brings the app based notification badges right on the home screens. Enable this feature by going to the Settings followed by ‘Apps & Notification’. Notification and then turn it on. 
2.  Better protection for everyone One of the best features to debut with Android Oreo is the Google Play Protect and this feature will be making its way on older devices as well with the Google Play Services. This service is designed to make Android device more secure from before by providing the much needed basic scanning of the installed as well as incoming apps for malware and it sends out alerts if it detects anything suspicious or malicious. 
3.  Unique picture-in-picture display This feature is applicable with Google’s YouTube app wherein users are able to shrink videos into little window for some time and another app can run right in the background with no issues. This feature is unique as it offers the benefits of two apps on a single screen and it also works with Chrome app but for more apps we will have to wait for app developers to start supporting it. 
4.  Its simpler to install unknown apps Installing apps from the unknown sources have always been troublesome. Android Oreo is addressing this issue wherein users will get a chance to whitelist unknown app installation whether doing it from the Gmail, Chrome or Google Drive. It also does away with the need of enabling ‘unknown sources’ in the Settings. From now on users will be able to install app from the downloaded APk files without any issues at all. 
5.  Snooze gets more power This snooze upgrade is vital for those who love to keep dismissing the alarm. Users will get the ability to deal with the snooze notification at a later stage rather than dismissing them once and never seeing them. In order to enable it simply swipe on the right on any alert in lock screen or present in the notification or simply tap on the clock icon and edit the time delay as per your requirement. 
6.  Text selection made easier Text selection has become bit more intelligent in the Android Oreo. Simply tapping and holding on any kind of text like a phone number will ensure that now Android automatically highlights the complete number for the user. Secondly upon performing any kind of text selection the Oreo will give out context sensitive shortcuts right above the bar like if a user has selected an address then Google Maps shortcut will be shown. 
7.  Sync all your data across the different devices Android Oreo makes use of a new Autofill feature which allows the system to sync everything across the range of devices used by the users. Upon getting requisite permission form the user Oreo will help in syncing the app logins, credit card information, address details along with a wide range of information shared between the devices and apps. 
8.  Take photos in style with new shortcuts Google has made some aggressive feature enhancement in the camera app bundled with the Android Oreo. The upgrades or tweaks can be said to be minor but it has potential to go a long way in enhancing the photo and video capturing abilities of the users. Users get a chance to zoom in by 50 percent through giving a double tap on the screen. 
9.  Set and manage notification property Android Oreo enhances the way we manage notification to a whole next extent. Users will be able to make use of notification channels to categorize the one which they want to see and the one which they don’t. There are few more minor tweaks wherein swiping right on any notification then tapping on the cog icon will help getting options. Even checking out the setting of any specific app will allow users to see the options to control notification minutely. An example will help in illustrating its usefulness; users can set the group messages in the messaging app to use notification light differently. In certain situations users can get permission for group chats to buzz and light up while in other cases it will remain silent. 
10.  Fun filled new emojis Every Android version brings in new emojis for the Android users but rather than bringing just a bunch of emojis Oreo has gone ahead and brought a whole new set of emoji set. Google has spent a huge time in redesigning the emojis to give a whole new feeling to the aging Android emojis. There are few special characters in the new emoji set in the form of a dinosaur, an exploding head and a wizard showcasing the magic of Oreo. 
11.  Now get more juice for your phone’s battery Android is known for its great battery life and each year Google is enhancing the battery saving potential of the OS for better. This time around Android with a whole new set of rules which defines what varied apps can do and cannot do running in the background. It is widely known that apps running in the background are the primary reason behind loss of battery in quick succession and Oreo is aiming towards ensuring battery lasts for longer period of time at a stretch. 
12.  Easter egg for future Google is known for carefully hiding Easter eggs in its software. Similarly the Android Oreo has a unique Easter egg which can is revealed when user taps on the Android version repeatedly. To everyone’s surprise rather showing an ‘Oreo’ biscuit which ideally should be the case there comes an octopus on the screen.