Meta Verified for WhatsApp Business now available in India

 

Meta recently announced it is rolling out the Meta Verified program for WhatsApp Business users in India, Brazil, Indonesia and Colombia. Launched in September last year for WhatsApp Business, the verification was limited to Instagram and Facebook users until now.

Similar to Instagram and Facebook, merchants who subscribe to the Meta Verified subscription service will get the verified badge along with impersonation protection if they share their business details with the company. Moreover, verified businesses can also get a dedicated WhatsApp channel for marketing purposes.

WhatsApp Business users who purchase the subscription can also log in to their account from multiple devices and even create a custom web page with their business details which can be shared with customers and vendors. The company is also working on a new feature that allows people to call WhatsApp Business users using APIs.

The functionality works as a customer support number and eliminates the need to share or use a personal phone number. It looks like the company is also working on new tools which will let AI respond to the most common questions users ask business owners. Meta said they plan to charge companies for the feature but did not disclose details on how much it will cost.

The company is also working on a personalised messaging service for business owners enabling merchants to send things like coupon codes, birthday wishes to customers, and keep them updated on new products. The Meta Verified subscription service costs $14 per month and will be available in more countries in the coming days.

Realme 2 Pro launched with Snapdragon 660, 8GB RAM starting at Rs 13,990

Realme 2 Pro has been launched in India in three memory configurations, the highest one being 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Along with the mid-range smartphone, the company also launched a budget offering dubbed Realme C1. Both devices will be available from October 11.

The Realme 2 Pro comes equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 AIE chipset and Adreno 512 GPU. The device comes in three memory configurations - 4GB RAM and 64GB internal memory, 6GB RAM and 64GB internal and 8GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The device runs Android 8.1 Oreo with ColorOS 5.2 on top.

The screen on the Realme 2 Pro is a 6.3-inch FullHD+ display with a resolution of 2340x1080 pixels. A dewdrop notch has been placed at the top of the display which houses the front camera. A similar implementation for maximum screen real estate has been seen in devices coming from higher price brackets. Realme claims that the screen-to-body ratio on its latest device is 90.8 per cent.

In the camera department, the Realme 2 Pro sports a dual camera setup at the back. The primary 16MP shooter is a Sony IMX398 sensor with f/1.7 aperture, EIS and dual pixel fast focussing. It also comes equipped with AI scene recognition. The secondary camera is a 2MP sensor for capturing depth information. Up front, the selfie camera is a 16MP unit with f/2.0 aperture and Beautify 2.0.

Realme C1, the budget smartphone launched alongside the Realme 2 Pro comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 SoC coupled with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. The display is a 6.2-inch display with a notch on top. At the back is a dual camera setup with 13MP and 2MP sensors, whereas at the front is a 5MP selfie camera. The Realme C1 comes with a massive 4,230mAh battery.

For the Realme 2 Pro, the base 4GB/64GB variant has been priced at 13,990, the 6GB/64GB variant at Rs 15,990 and the 8GB/128GB variant at Rs 17,990. On the other hand, the Realme C1 has been priced at 6,999. This, however, is only the introductory price for Diwali. Both Realme 2 Pro and Realme C1 will go on sale from October 11 via Flipkart.

Mi Air Purifier 2S launched for Rs 8,999

Expanding its product offering in the Indian market, Xiaomi has announced the launch of a slew of products including a new air purifier. The Mi Air Purifier 2S has been priced at Rs 8,999 and will go on sale from September 28, on Mi.com, Flipkart and Amazon India.

The poor air quality across many cities in the country has surged the demand for air purifiers in the Indian market. Two years ago, Xiaomi has introduced the Mi Air Purifier 2 with smart connectivity. Using the Mi Home app, users were able to control the air purifier from almost anywhere in the world.

The Mi Air Purifier 2S continues to have the same design philosophy as the previous model but with many new features. It has an OLED screen at the front that displays the air quality along with the temperature and humidity level. Xiaomi claims that the air purifier can quickly and precisely determine the PM2.5 levels and 0.3m particles in its surroundings. Along with a 360 degree cylindrical filter structure, Mi Air Purifier 2S can suck in air from every direction and delivers a high Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) of up to 310 cubic meter per hour - it can circulate clean air entirely for a 21m2 room in just 10 minutes. Although, this air purifier isn't accompanied by a remote control, it can be operated using the Mi Home app, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

The OLED display brightness adjusts automatically depending upon the environmental light change. Xiaomi claims it to be a low noise, low power consumption offering energy-saving and features modes such as favourite mode, sleeping mode, automatic mode. According to the recently published TechSci Research report, "India Air Purifiers Market Forecast and Opportunities, 2020", air purifiers market in India is projected to grow at a CAGR of over 40 per cent during 2015-20. Growth in the market is anticipated on account of continuously degrading air quality, increasing awareness about air purifiers, rising inclination towards lifestyle oriented products, along with rising health consciousness among consumers. Further, various technological advancements such as development of PhotoCatalytic air purifiers and nanoeG air purification systems, are also propelling growth in India air purifiers market.