Opening thoughts. WD, formerly Western Digital, has done some interesting work. They have created the industry’s first post-quantum cryptography (PQC) hard drive. These derivatives, called UltraStar UltraSMR, are for AI calculation Concentrated infrastructure. Integrating what WD says are NIST-approved quantum-resistant algorithms, it is aimed at making firmware and device level security features more robust for enterprises. The threat perception maps the quantum-era risks of “harvest now, decrypt later” (HNDL) attacks, which this method aims to thwart.
Contrary to popular opinion (usually from experts on social media) that solid state drives (SSDs) are the future of compute infrastructure storage, it’s actually the return of good old hard drive technology that is coming to prominence – data reliability and longevity as well as cost per GB are one up. HDDs last longer Compared to SSDs. “As AI data blends and becomes more valuable and longer-lived, securing it for the future is no longer optional. Quantum computing represents one of the most significant technology transformations of our time, and it is moving faster than many organizations expected. The need to evolve security architectures that protect enterprise storage has been needed for more than a decade,” says Dr. Xiaodong (Carl) Che, Chief Technology Officer and Senior Vice President, WD. Will happen.”
editor’s corner
spam blocking puzzle
It needs serious reconsideration and should do so because it is still a draft. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) Draft Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference (TCCCPR) Third Amendment, 2026 There are suggestions that India’s telecom regulator wants to prevent call management apps like Truecaller from blocking or filtering calls from two business ranges – the 140 series for promotional messages (mostly, not spam) and the 1600 series which is reserved for service and transactional messages, including from banks and airlines. This simply means that millions of users who rely on apps like TrueCaller to specifically block 140 series numbers (these, in my experience, are often top-notch spam generators) will not be able to do so. Instead, they will have to rely on TRAI’s enforcement mechanism in conjunction with telecom operators.
“Regulation 34A prohibits any call management app, including phone dialers, from tagging, blocking, filtering or restricting incoming calls or messages originating from specified number series specified for commercial communications, such as the 140 series and 1600 series, as well as for government-sent communications. However, the primary objective of mandating registered senders and telemarketers to use particular series numbers for making calls is to prevent fraudulent calls to customers. calls and enable them to be easily identified as being commercial communications, the TRAI proposal states that they will selectively allow or block promotional communications based on their preferences.
While the mandate of the 1600 series makes sense, as banking institutions regulated by RBI, SEBI and PFRDA must use this numbering series to communicate with customers, the 140 series is strictly allocated for promotional and telemarketing voice communications. The ones where they want you to buy a property or be told about exciting shopping offers by a robot-like voice (from experience, Paytm also does this often).
Truecaller shared data with HT to suggest that these numbering series may not be entirely welcoming to many users. “Our data clearly proves that whitelisting specified number ranges to increase consumer engagement and reduce unwanted communications is having the opposite effect: less engagement from consumers and an increase in unwanted calls. We have observed that 4 lakh 140-series and 1.25 lakh 1600-series calls are being blocked every day. Nearly 7.4 crore calls on this series recorded since October 2025 Individual blocking actions have taken place, which shows that a large group of consumers do not want to receive these calls,” Rishit Truecaller CEO Jhunjhunwala told HT in a note.
Contrast that reality with the whitelisting that TRAI’s draft proposal suggests, which prevents any user, including TrueCaller users, from adding or correcting caller name information for other users, or reporting any of these calls as spam or scam attempts – this is an important protection that is potentially being removed, at a time when unsuspecting users (especially senior citizens) are being harassed through phone calls and messages. Being targeted by sophisticated scam attempts.
At this point, I would just like to point to TRAI’s CNAP, or Caller Name Presentation initiative. Launched in early pilots in October last year and with widespread compatibility on 4G and 5G networks in the months that followed, I still see no network generated CNAP for 6 out of every 10 calls (rough estimate here). The miss rate is very high for a service that has passed mandated deadlines this March. Perhaps, a better option would be to opt for the consumer, and collaborate with apps and platforms that can do the job of call filtering better than any telecom service provider has so far.
Tech Spotlight
Emcette XS Flow Plus and XS Natural Plus
Mice as accessories aren’t always that exciting, unless you’re paying a lot of money for a gaming mouse. Indian tech company MCAT argues to change that reality. I’ve been following their fortunes for nearly 20 years, from the era of EVO TV media players to more recently. evofox game box And evofox deck. Constant is an undeniable intention to try something different. This time, Amkette’s XS Flow Plus and XS Natural Plus wireless mice caught my attention. Even more so because of the price tag- ₹2,299 more ₹2,199 respectively. The overall offering, with more than a dozen on sale on online shopping websites with HP or Dell branding, includes similarly priced basic mouse options, inconsistent with the likes of Zebronics, and much more affordable than most of Logitech’s options.
Let’s first talk about the Amkette XS Natural Plus, all the more so because of its unique outline. You’ll get used to it, and honestly, the learning curve is an interesting one at times – Emkett’s reasoning is that it more closely matches the natural form of the human hand. You decide! It’s a reasonably smart mouse, with navigation buttons for forward and back depending on the app you’re in at the time – I’d prefer these to the back button for scrolling in the Chrome interface, for example. Scrolling is almost as cool as the more expensive Logi MX Master 3S, as are the right and left click keys. Just below the scroll wheel is the DPI, or dots per inch, button for setting cursive accuracy.
On the top view of the Amcat XS Natural Plus there is an OLED display, which will display the battery level, DPI settings (between 400 and 6400 levels) and active connection mode (this is relevant because it can connect to up to three devices with easy switching. I quite like the horizontal scroll wheel that falls easily on the thumb holding the mouse – on Mac, it can also be configured to scroll between desktop windows. There is a web-based software utility (Bookmark this linkFor your convenience) which can be accessed on Windows PC as well as Mac computing devices to configure finer settings including button behavior. I would have preferred a slicker app.
The Mkate XS Flow Plus is a mouse with a more traditional design, but is fantastic in its own right, especially considering the price. At first, you may feel overwhelmed by the number of visible buttons on the XS Flow Plus, but the key is to take it in stride. As you hold the mouse as you would when using it, the quality of response from the right and left click keys feels very premium. As does the vertical scroll wheel, which produces a reassuring click-click sound when you move it. This is where things start to get serious, as Amcat makes it clear that the XS Flow Plus has far more expensive mice.
Right where your thumb would be is the horizontal scroll. As with XS Natural Plus, it can be configured for in-app behavior. To its left, in the expanded base area, there is a key that is pre-configured to minimize all open windows on the screen with one click and return to a clean desktop. That said, the DPI keys, as well as the device switch button could have done with a more recessed design otherwise it would have blended better into the overall color and shape. Also, key device connection indicators need to micro-er (also because fewer people will be actively switching between computing devices).
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