Google, Apple and WhatsApp criticize GCHQ proposal to pry on encrypted chats

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A proposal by the UK intelligence agency GCHQ, which alleges that a group of 47 companies have been eavesdropping on encrypted messages, has been criticized strongly by Apple, Google, Microsoft and WhatsApp. The four companies were among the 47 which face the allegations made by the proposal. An open letter has been published on Lawfar, in which the companies have clearly stated that this would undermine security, threaten trust in messaging services that have encryption and endanger citizen’s right to privacy and freedom of expression.

It is worth mentioning that the proposal from GCHQ was published in November last year in a series of essays, and at this point in time, it does not reflect any legislative agenda from the agency. The essay has arguments of two British intelligence officials that law enforcement should be present as a ghost participant in every encrypted chat on these platforms.

This basically means that no matter which messaging service you use; intelligence agencies would be CC’d in on encrypted messages. According to the authors of the proposal, the solution that they have offered is just as invasive as the practices that are being followed currently around eavesdropping on unencrypted telephone conversations.

We should point out that the approach that has been suggested would eliminate the need of back doors to be added to encryption protocols.

However, the technology companies that we mentioned earlier do not agree with this and have said that this solution would “seriously undermine user security and trust.” Furthermore, they have added that for doing this, messaging apps would need to change the way they use encryption and they would also have to mislead users by hiding notifications about who all are present in the chat.

The open letter says, “we write to express our shared concerns that this particular proposal poses serious threats to cybersecurity and fundamental human rights including privacy and free expression.”

It further added, “the ghost proposal would create digital security risks by undermining authentication systems, by introducing potential unintentional vulnerabilities, and by creating new risks of abuse or misuse of systems.”

When the open letter was published, the proposal’s original author Ian Levy from Cyber Security Centre said that the proposal was only hypothetical in nature and it was meant to be a ” starting point for discussion.” In a statement to CNBC, he also added, “We will continue to engage with interested parties and look forward to having an open discussion to reach the best solutions possible.”

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Oppo Reno Z with waterdrop notch display and dual-rear camera setup launched: Price and specifications

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Oppo has today launched a new smartphone in its sub-brand Reno – Oppo Reno Z. The smartphone comes with a water-drop notch display instead of the shark-fin camera notch the other Reno devices have. The Oppo Reno Z is the first smartphone of the Reno family to come with a waterdrop-shaped notch as all the other devices come with the same shark fin camera. Other than that, the Oppo Reno Z packs a dual-rear camera setup and is powered by MediaTek Helio P90 CPU. Here are the price details and specifications of the Oppo Reno Z:

Oppo Reno Z price and availability

The Oppo Reno Z with the 6GB RAM/ 256GB and the 8GB RAM/ 128GB storage sells for the same CNY 2,499 (approximately Rs 25,200). The Oppo Reno Z will come in four colour options – Bead White, Coral Orange, Extreme Night Black and Star Purple.

The Oppo Reno Z will go on sale in China from June 6 onwards but the pre-orders are currently open. Other than the Chinese market, the company hasn’t said anything about its availability in the other regions and markets.

Oppo Reno Z specifications and features

Oppo Reno Z sports a 6.4-inch Full-HD+ (1080 x 2340 pixels) AMOLED screen with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. There is also HDR10 support on the Oppo Reno Z similar to the OnePlus 7 Pro, and the device has a screen to body ratio of 92%. As mentioned above, the Oppo Reno Z is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio P90 SoC paired with an IMG PowerVR GM 9446 GPU. The device comes with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The Oppo Reno Z runs Android 9 Pie skinned with ColorOS 6.0 and it also comes with company’s own Breeno digital assistant. The newly launched smartphone packs a 4,035mAh battery with VOOC 3.0 fast charging.

On the camera front, the Oppo Reno Z features a dual-rear camera setup which comprises of a 48MP primary sensor with an f/1.7 aperture paired with a 5MP lens. On the front, there is a 32MP selfie camera for video chats and selfies.

Other features of the Oppo Reno Z includes NFC, Dolby Atmos support, 3.5mm audio hack, and in-display fingerprint sensor.

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Xbox Game Pass subscription is coming to PCs with over 100 titles

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Software giant Microsoft has today announced that it is bringing its popular console game subscription service – Xbox Game Pass – to its Windows platform. It is worth pointing out that this is much bigger than just a formal recognition about some of its Xbox games in Game Pass is available for playing on the PC. For those unaware, currently, any of the PC games that are a part of Game Pass are available to play on Xbox or Windows. This has happened because of Microsoft’s Play Anywhere initiative. However, it is also worth noticing that a majority of these titles have been published by the company only.

But now, the company has said that it will be launching a new version of the subscription for Windows computers. This subscription will come with over 100 games from more than 75 developers, which is a lot more compared to fewer than 20 titles that can be accessed via Xbox Game Pass on PC. This obviously means that Microsoft has signed deals with other new developers too.

In a blog post, Xbox Chief Phil Spencer said, “Two years ago, we launched Xbox Game Pass on Xbox One, and since then we’ve seen how valuable a curated library of high-quality games can be for players and game developers alike. We researched whether a similar opportunity exists for PC players and PC game developers, and we believe that it does. We also considered the importance of bringing something new and additive to the PC gaming ecosystem, and we believe that we can. So, we designed a service specifically for the needs of PC gamers and PC game developers. It’s called Xbox Game Pass, just like the original, but it’s a new experience that we are building together with the PC community.”

As of now, there is no word on which games will be made available and how much the subscription will cost. There is also no news on when exactly the new service will be available. Microsoft has added that it will be announcing more details about the Game Pass for PC at the E3 which is scheduled for next month.

However, Microsoft is not silent about the developers it has signed up with. They include Sega, Deep Silver, Bethesda, Paradox Interactive, and Devolver Digital. Subscribers will get be getting the same benefits via the Microsoft Store that the current Xbox Game Pass members get via Xbox Live. It is worth mentioning that this includes playing any internally developed Microsoft game for free on the day it has been released. They will also get 20% off on the price of games in the library

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Meizu 16Xs with Snapdragon 675 CPU, triple-rear camera setup launched: Price and specifications

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Chinese smartphone maker Meizu has launched its new smartphone with triple-rear camera and a notchless display in China. Dubbed Meizu 16Xs, the smartphone comes with an in-screen fingerprint scanner along with a Snapdragon CPU. It packs good specifications considering the price it sells for. Other than the smartphone, the company has also launched a headset named Meizu EP2C Type C, and as its name suggests, it supports Type-C connections rather than the regular 3.5mm jack. The new Meizu 16Xs’s launch comes a month after the company revealed its flagship device Meizu 16s which is powered by the Snapdragon 855 SoC, has a 48MP main camera sensor, packs a 3,600mAh battery and comes with a 6.2-inch display. Here’s a look at the price details and specifications of the smartphone:

Meizu 16Xs price and availability

The Meizu 16Xs with the 6GB RAM/ 64GB storage variant is priced at CNY 1,698 (approximately Rs 17,100) while its other variant with the 6GB RAM/ 128GB storage sells for CNY 1,998 (approximately Rs 20,100). It comes in three colour options – Midnight Black, Silk White and Coral Orange.

The Meizu 16Xs will go on sale in China from June 10 onwards. But the company hasn’t revealed anything about the global availability of the device till now.

Meizu EP2C Type-C headset was also launched alongside the smartphone and it is priced at CNY 129 (approximately Rs 1,300).

Meizu 16Xs specifications and features

The Meizu 16Xs sports a 6.2-inch Full-HD+ (1080 x 2232 pixels) display with an aspect ratio of 18.6:9. It is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 675 SoC paired with Adreno 612 GPU. There is 6GB of RAM present on the Meizu 16Xs and it comes with up to 128GB. Meizu 16Xs runs Android 9 Pie skinned with Flyme OS 7 and it supports dual-SIM cards. The Meizu 16Xs has a slight bezels on the top and the bottom and the back of the handset has a gradient finish. The device packs a 4,000mAh battery that supports 18W fast charging.

The Meizu 16Xs features a triple -rear camera setup which comprises of a 48MP Samsung ISOCELL main camera with an f/1.7 aperture paired with an 8MP 118-degree ultra-wide camera with an f/2.2 aperture. The third camera on the device is a 5MP sensor with an f/1.9 aperture. On the front, there is a 16MP selfie camera with an f/2.2 aperture.

Other features of the Meizu 16Xs includes USB Type-C port, Dual 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth v5 etc.

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Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding will finally be released on November 8

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Death Stranding is a highly anticipated game from one of the best game creators in the industry – Hideo Kojima. After months of teasers and reveals the game has finally gotten a release date. The Sony exclusive title will be released on November 8, 2019 and it has many star cast as its lead protagonists/antagonists. The official release of the game is still months away, but it is up for pre-orders on the PlayStation Store. Official confirmation reveals that there will be four Death Stranding game editions once it launches for the masses. Each edition will have its own add-ons from in-game items to free goodies like a cargo case to a life-sized BB Pod Statue with a baby inside it, which is similar to the game itself.

Yesterday, the game received an 8-minute trailer which showcased some of the characters, the world, the mechanics, graphics and the combat of the upcoming Death Stranding. As mentioned above, Death Stranding is filled with star cast like Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen and even the Oscar award winner Guillermo Del Toro. All of them will play their part in the game. PlayStation Store has listed the game’s release date to November 8, 2019 and it has been put under the action/ adventure title with a PEGI-18 rating.

Now, talking about the different editions of the game, the Death Stranding Digital Edition is currently priced at $59.99, and the price on PlayStation Store’s India is Rs 3,999. On the other hand, the Death Stranding Digital Deluxe Edition holds a price tag of $79.99 and is up for pre-order. Its India price is listed as Rs 4,799 on PlayStation Store. There is also a Death Stranding Special Edition with a price tag of $69.99 (approximately Rs 4,900) and lastly the Death Stranding Collector’s Edition with $199.99 price tag (approximately Rs 14,000). It is the collector’s edition of the game which will come with goodies like the custom case along with the BB Pod Statue, a Ludens key ring along with a cargo case.

As mentioned above, the game will be a PS4 Exclusive and it is using the Decima Engine. In addition to this, Kojima himself tweeted that the game will come in three versions (in terms of language). There will be one with an English voice version, another with English voice with a Japanese subtitles version and lastly there will be one with fully Japanese voice version. Kojima describes the game as a unique type of action game with something called a Social Strand System.

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15 best websites to keep yourself entertained for hours

Are you bored and have nothing to do? Can’t think of anything to pass the next few hours? We are here to help you. Here’s a list of websites that will keep you entertained for hours or even days. Check them out now:

Ted

Ted websites to pass time

Ted is a website on which you can spend hours. You can choose from thousands of talks on the website that are informative and interesting. Many of these talks are from people who are leaders and experts in their respective fields, so you would not only be spending your idle time in an entertaining way, but you may even find something that you can learn from.

Difference between

Difference between websites to pass time

What’s the difference between innovators and entrepreneurs? Or how are hate speech and free speech different from each other? If you often find yourself pondering on questions like these, Difference Between is the website for you. You’ll find all your answers there.

Whizzpast

whizzpast

If you are someone who is interested in history, Whizzpast is the place for you. It doesn’t matter which era you wish to learn about. Whizzpast has interesting information and pictures of all of them.

Sporcle

sporcle

You wouldn’t even realise the number of hours you end up spending on this website. On Sporcle, you would be able to find quizzes on literally any topic in the world. Furthermore, you will also get the option of creating your own quizzes. If you have free time in hand and don’t know what to do, head to Sporcle.

Lang-8

lang 8

If you are learning a new language, Lang-8 can help you do it better. All you have to do is go and write in that language and native speakers will come and correct you, if required. They would also be able to tell you a better way of saying the same thing. It’s a fun website to learn how to speak a new language.

Strip Generator

strip generator

Browse comic strips made by talented users, or show your own talent by creating strips on the website. You can then share with your friends on social media and garner appreciation for yourself.

Silk

silk websites

You don’t have to be an artist to create the most beautiful and dreamy pieces of art on Silk. All you need is a mouse and some time at hand. Just visit the website and get started with your first drawing to see what magical pieces of art you didn’t know you can create.

The Useless Web

Useless web

As the name suggests, this website is very useful to anyone who is looking for useless websites to kill time on. You’ll find scores of them on The Useless Web and your time will fly without you getting bored.

GeoGuessr

GeoGuessr

GeoGuessr is a very interesting website to be on. It will show you various pictures from Google Streetview and you will have to guess where exactly they are from. You can spend hours on this one.

Calligraphr

calligraphr

If you don’t like any fonts that are available on Word or Powerpoint because they aren’t personalised enough, you can create your own. Just head to Calligraphr and make a new font based on your handwriting.

Akinator

Akinator

This is pure sorcery. We are not exaggerating. Visit the website, think of a character (real fictional) and then hit ‘Play’. With just a few questions about your character, Akinator would accurately guess what you thought. We tried it thrice before putting it in on the list, and trust us, it works.

Kongregate

games online

On Kongregate, you can find thousands of free games online. These include the big, popular ones, as well as the lesser known ones. If you are a gamer, this is the website for you.

Google Feud

google feud

Again, this is a website where you can spend hours. You will be given a query and you will be asked how Google completes it. Take a few guesses and see how close you can get to the real Google autocomplete.

Here is Today

here is today

If you want to see where exactly we are today in terms of the history of all of the recorded time, then this website will help you find that out. It’s something everyone should check out at least once.

Documentary Heaven

documentary heaven

As the name suggests, this website will recommend different documentaries that you can watch. Choose a topic and find various documentaries on it and spend hours watching them.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 10’s battery capacity along with full render revealed

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As we are inching closer to the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10, which will be the next flagship smartphone for 2019, more renders, leaks and reveals are surfacing online. We have already seen that the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 will come in two variants, and according to a new leak, the cheaper variant of the model will be called the Samsung Galaxy Note 10e. The new name makes sense as the Galaxy S10e is also the cheapest of the Galaxy S10-series. There also has been rumours that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 10 will pack a 3,400mAh battery which is lower than last year’s Samsung Galaxy Note 9 which has 4,000mAh battery capacity. In addition to this, a new render has surfaced online revealing the design and the build of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 10. The render reveals that the next in the Galaxy Note will feature a quad-camera arranged in a vertical way (similar to the Huawei P30 Pro). At the front, there is a center-placed hole-punch camera.

The top-end variant of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 will reportedly pack a 4,500mAh battery while the lower variant will have the 3,400mAh battery. The battery pack of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 reveals the build EB-BN970ABU. According to a report by GalaxyClub, N970 in the name is similar to the model number of the lower variant of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 with model number SM-N970. Other reports suggest that the Samsung Galaxy Note 10’s Pro variant has the model number SM-N975. A tipster named Ice Universe revealed that both the variants of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 will have a single front-facing camera placed in a punch-hole camera setup, just like the ones that we saw on Samsung Galaxy S10. However, we should point out that while Samsung Galaxy S10’s selfie camera was placed on the top left, Note 10 would have it in the centre.

Now, talking about the new render of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10, it was brought out by designer Ben Geskin. In the render, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 is shown with a single front camera and the quad-rear camera setup placed in a vertical alignment. Three cameras are placed together similar to the Huawei P30 Pro, while besides it is the strip which reportedly contains the LED flash, ToF camera and a flood illuminator.

Other than the camera, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 render shows a bezel-less full screen curved Infinity-O display design. The screen might be a Super AMOLED as the other premium Samsung smartphones. And lastly the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 might come in a gradient back finish in more than one colours.

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Flipkart’s Flipstart Days sale to is back with discounts on laptops, mobiles, electronics, and more

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After the Flipkart’s Big Shopping Days sale and the Month End Mobiles Fest sale, the online e-commerce platform’s Flipstart Days sale is coming back. The Flipstart Days sale will start from June 1 and will go on till June 3, 2019 and during this time, Flipkart is offering discounts and offers on many products and categories. This is the third Flipstart Days sale brought by Flipkart since the start of 2019. Flipkart has partnered with Axis Bank to offer a 10% instant discount for customers who use Axis Bank Debit or Credit card for making the purchases. The e-commerce platform said that it will be bringing up to 80% discounts on headphones, laptops, mobile accessories etc.

Flipkart has put out a landing page for its upcoming Flipstart Days sale which reveals the details of the sale and the products which will be available on discount. Flipkart is providing up to 80% discount on the purchase of any electronics during the sale and up to 70% discount off on the headphones and speakers from Sony, JBL or other brands. During the sale, you can buy laptops for as low as Rs 12,990.

Flipstart Days sale is also putting discounts on mobile accessories which includes power banks, mobile cases, covers etc. Other than that, the e-commerce platform is also giving the no-cost EMI, extended warranty along with exchange offers to the users who buy these products.

The company is also giving TV and other appliances on up to 75% discount in the Flipstart Days sale. The 32-inch Vu Smart HD TV will sell at Rs 12,499 during the sale. ACs and refrigerators can be bought with up to 50% discount.

Electronics aside, during the Flipstart Days sale, Flipkart is giving discounts on home appliances. So, you can get Juicer mixer grinders at Rs 999 and steam irons at Rs 299. There are also discounts and offers on Home and Furniture category which will be getting from 30% to 75% discount. Fashion products will be getting up to 80% discount as well. Finally, there are discounts on toys, books, sports products as well.

As mentioned above, Flipkart’s Flipstart Days sale will start from June 1, 12:00 am (midnight) and will conclude on June 3, 11:59 pm (midnight).

What would you be buying from Flipkart during the sale? Let us know in the comments section below!

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World Cup Bonanza: Get a TV for as low as Rs 3,699

Just before the Cricket World Cup 2019, Detel has launched a new television in India that is priced at Rs 3,699. Dubbed Detel D1 Star, the new offering by the company is claimed to be the cheapest TV in India and has gone on sale in the country already.

If you are interested in buying the Detel D1 Star TV, you can or head to B2BAdda website for distributors and partners. You can also download Detel’s smartphone app to order the television for yourself.

Coming to the features and specifications, the newly-launched television comes with a 17-inch LED display that has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Detel D1 Star comes with a host of connectivity options including HDMI, USB and VGA ports. The television has two speakers on its each side. Detel D1 Star comes with support for 10W speakers and 5Wx2 speakers.

On the launch of D1 Star, Mr Yogesh Bhatia, MD, Detel said, “Our mission stays intact and we are grateful that Indians around nooks and corners of the country accepted and appreciated our product Detel D1. We will continue to strive hard in order to make a change in the lives of unconnected people. Every product of ours has a different objective to fill in the gaps in the ecosystem. This is indeed a societal initiative which is promoting the idea of – Ab Har Ghar TV Se World Cup dekhega India.”

He further added, “We together embarked on a never-ending journey and presently we are working on a series of special initiatives which are set to bring a real-time change in the lives of unconnected Indians.”

The new offering from Detel comes with a warranty of 1 year and it has been launched under the company’s initiative ‘Ab Har Ghar TV Se Har Ghar World Cup.’ The company has said that the aim of its new initiative is to help “unconnected Indians to connect with their favourite sport – Cricket.”

The company has claimed that the new Detel D1 Star TV is the cheapest TV in India. Other than launching the television, the company has also announced a number of offers on its LED TV ranging from 24-inch to 65-inch TVs. These include:

  1. With Detel’s tie-up with Pine labs, any customer holding a credit card of 13 banks can swipe the card and take home a Detel TV with zero down payments
  2. Give a missed call on “02071171710” to of zest money and avail 6 months interest-free EMI, with a down payment of 35%
  3. Comprehensive warranty for LED TV is 1 year
  4. Additional Warranty for the LED Panel is 2 years

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Samsung Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20 receives Android 9 Pie update days before its scheduled roll out

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Samsung Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20 were to receive the new Android 9 Pie update on June 3 as per the schedule shared by company. But days before its scheduled arrival date, both the smartphones of the Samsung Galaxy M-series have received the new Android 9 Pie skinned with One UI update. Other than a new Android version and UI, the update also brings the May 2019 Android security patch to both the Samsung Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20.

The update file size of the Samsung Galaxy M10 is of 926MB and the one for Galaxy is 1883MB. Both the updates will automatically will reach the devices of the users but if it doesn’t, it can be downloaded manually. To manually download the new updates, the users would need to go to Settings and then head to Software Updates to check the updates. Once there, the smartphone will automatically check for new updates. If there is a new update is available, it will ask permission to download the update file. But it should be noted that the update file is large in size so a good Wi-Fi connection is required to download the new updates. Once downloaded, you can tap on the ‘Update Now’ button to update the device but we recommend to do so only when the battery is at least at 30%.

The biggest change the new update for Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20 brings is the One UI v1.1 which is the latest and the cleanest UI from Samsung. When launched, both these devices came with Android 8 Oreo skinned with Experience UI. The One UI has many changes than the previous Experience UI and the new skin brings some options and features to the bottom part of the screen. The new UI also comes with the Night Mode which eases up the viewing experience on the user’s eyes. There is also the notification control feature like the ability to reply to messages directly from the notification panel itself.

Other than that, the new One UI removes the pre-installed applications which came with the earlier Experience UI like LinkedIn and Mobile Office, and adds support for HEIF (High-Efficiency Image File) image format. There is addition of adaptive themes and new emojis for the Samsung Keyboard and a floating keyboard. The camera app on the Samsung Galaxy M20 has also received a new mode called Scene Optimizer which automatically adjusts the colour settings of the image. The Gallery of the smartphones have also been added with new features in the Editing section.

The new Android Pie updates for the Samsung Galaxy M10 and the Samsung Galaxy M20 comes a week after the South Korean technology giant had brought out Android Pie for the Samsung Galaxy M30.

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WhatsApp for Android gets a feature that enables Continuous Voice Message Playback

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Facebook-owned WhatsApp has rolled out a new update for its Android app with addition of continuous audio clip playback feature. This feature is now available as a part of a stable update for WhatsApp for Android so all the users of the application can download it. The application can be updated through Google Play Store or through the application itself. In addition to this, another feature was spotted being tested on the beta version of the application, which will give the users the ability to share their WhatsApp status as a Facebook status. There is another feature which was being tested on the beta version of the app, which adds a dedicated QR code button in the application’s profile section which can be scanned by other users to share their details.

The new version of WhatsApp for Android holds the version number v2.19.150 and it can be downloaded through the Google Play Store. Although the smartphone will receive the update notification on its own but if it doesn’t it can be downloaded manually.

Talking about the new feature of WhatsApp for Android, it will automatically start playing the next audio clip sent to the user as a message once the previous audio clip has finished playing. And the users won’t have to tap on the play button on separate voice messages again and again to play after one has ended. Other than the new feature, the application update has also patched a vulnerability (CVE-2019-3568) which was in the earlier version of WhatsApp.

Although the new feature is not a major one like the dark mode but it will be helpful for conversations in which the users send and receive multiple voice messages. It should be noted that this feature was first spotted on the platform’s beta version – WhatsApp beta 2.19.86 for Android back in March 2019.

Other than the new feature, this version of the app doesn’t bring the features which we saw earlier being tested on the beta version of WhatsApp. Earlier, we saw that the beta version of WhatsApp comes with a feature which would let the users share their WhatsApp Status with Facebook Stories. Similar to Instagram Stories which gives the option to upload the same Story on their Facebook profile, the WhatsApp Status sharing works the same. And also, there is another feature which puts a dedicated QR code button on WhatsApp. This QR code will allow the users to share their user information with other users.

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Apple TV and Music apps for Mac revealed via screenshots

Cupertino based technology giant Apple will be unveiling its next big update for the macOS and iOS at its WWDC event that is scheduled for Monday. Before Apple’s WWDC 2019 begins, we are getting more and more glimpses of what the company plans to announce next. Some screenshots have surfaced online that show the new designs of the Apple TV and Music apps for the macOS 10.15.

The screenshots have been shared by 9to5Mac, which also shared screenshots of the Dark Mode and updated iOS apps yesterday. The screenshots show colourful icons on the left menu bar with a look and feel that may remind some of iTunes. Much like the Apple Music app on mobile, you can browse songs in the new macOS Music app under various categories. These include ‘For You’ and ‘Radio’. The centre of the Apple Music app has the playback control option.

Coming to the TV app, it offers more at the navigation bar in the centre. You can even browse through various apps like Watch Now, Movies, TV Shows, Kids, and Library. Each tab can be used to sort through more genres of content in the app.

Speaking of the screenshots that showed the new Dark Mode in iOS 13, they depict that it will work across the dock in apps like Music. The company is also said to add a switch in the Control Center or within the main iOS Settings page.

The Reminders app for iOS 13 can also be seen in the screenshots that have been shared. We should mention that they appear to be completely revamped and it will come with separate sections for today, scheduled, flagged, and all. It will also let users search through existing reminders. The report also says that the company is combining its Find my Friends and Find my iPhone apps into a single app called ‘Find My’.

iOS 13 will come with a revamped Health app and upgraded Maps app. It will also have native support to use the iPad as a secondary Mac screen. Among the most prominent features of iOS 13 will be Dark Mode on iPhones and iPads.

Apple had sent out invites for its WWDC 2019 event last week it has been confirmed that the event will take place on June 3 at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California.

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Flipboard database hacked, user credentials downloaded several times over 9 months

Earlier this week, Flipboard, a popular news platform revealed that its database which contained the account information of the users was hacked. The company also revealed that the data was downloaded several times during the last 9 months. The data which was downloaded by the hackers contained the user information and user credentials. The company has also sent emails to all its users revealing the matter. The official Flipboard website has also posted a security incident notice which reveals the details about the data breach. Flipboard has around 150 million users but it remains unknown about the number of users who were affected with the attack. Taking a precautionary measure, the platform reset the passwords of all its users, the reset includes the passwords which were protected cryptographically.

According to the email sent by Flipboard to its users revealing the details, the hackers had gained access to some of its database which contained account information between June 2, 2018 and March 23, 2019 and April 21 to April 22, 2019. The email further reveals that the database contained the user’s name, password and email address. The hacker attack was discovered on April 23, 2019 by the Flipboard engineers.

Flipboard on its website stated, “Our engineering team became aware of the incident after identifying suspicious activity in the environment where the databases reside.”

The company has also assured that not all the users were affected from this attack  but as a precaution it has reset all the passwords of the users. And as mentioned above, the number of users who suffered the attack remain unknown. The company also revealed that the hackers had downloaded a large amount of user’s passwords during the security failure using bcrypt. But for the users who haven’t changed their passwords since March 14, 2012, the company has protected their passwords using the SHA-1 encryption. The company has also informed the law enforcement about the hack and unauthorised access, and involved an external security firm to investigate the flaw and look further into the matter.

Flipboard said, “To help prevent something like this from happening in the future, we implemented enhanced security measures and continue to look for additional ways to strengthen the security of our systems.”

Flipboard rotated all the existing digital tokens which the users who used third party application credentials like Facebook, Google or Twitter to log in. But the users can still use the apps to log in to Flipboard.

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Samsung Galaxy M40 price revealed days before its official launch: Get all the details

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South Korean technology giant Samsung is bringing a new device to its Galaxy M-series line-up in India on June 11 – the Samsung Galaxy M40. As expected, the Samsung Galaxy M40 will sit after the Samsung Galaxy M30 and will offer better specifications and features and before its official launch, the price of the device has been revealed. Some of the highlights of the Samsung Galaxy M40 are that it will be powered by Snapdragon CPU which is unlike the other smartphones in the Galaxy M-series which are powered by the Exynos SoC.

Samsung Galaxy M40 price in India

According to Asim Warsi, Senior Vice President of Mobile Business, Samsung India told Gadgets 360 in an interview that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy M40 will have everything the consumers love about the Galaxy M-series. He said that the Galaxy M10, Galaxy M20 and the Galaxy M30 were priced between Rs 8,000 and Rs 18,000, but the Samsung Galaxy M40 will “come around the give or take Rs 20,000 price point.”

Samsung Galaxy M40 specifications and features (expected)

According to the recent tease by Samsung and Amazon about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy M40, it will feature a Super AMOLED display with a hole punch cut out on top for the camera module. As mentioned above, it will be powered by the Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 675 SoC and will pack a huge 5,000mAh battery similar to the Samsung Galaxy M30’s. The Samsung Galaxy M40 will run Android 9.0 Pie skinned with One UI.

On the camera front, the Samsung Galaxy M40 will pack a triple-rear camera setup which comprises of a 32MP main primary sensor along with two other secondary lens.

The Samsung Galaxy M40 will also have ‘Screen Sound’ feature which means that the screen will produce the sound for calls through vibrations. This is also a new feature coming to the Galaxy M-series and it was originally called the Sound on Display (SoD) which was unveiled last year in May. This technology is also used by LG and Huawei in their latest flagship devices.

At the given price point, the Samsung Galaxy M40 will compete with some of the most popular smartphones in their category like the Redmi Note 7 Pro, Nokia 7.1, Poco F1, etc. Since the Samsung Galaxy M40 is listed on Amazon India, it is safe to assume that the device when launched will be sold through Amazon and Samsung Online Stores. As mentioned above, the Samsung Galaxy M40 will be launched in India on June 11.

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Amazon Echo Show 5 with 5.5-inch display launched in India: Price and features

After it launched the Amazon Echo Show in India, the e-commerce giant has unveiled a new product in the country – Amazon Echo Show 5. The newly launched Amazon Echo Show 5 comes with a 5.5-inch 960×480-pixels display and sports a 1MP camera. The device has a single full-range speaker that is 1.65-inches in size. The smart speaker from Amazon is way more affordable than the Amazon Echo Show, which is priced at Rs 22,999. The new device can be picked up at Rs 8,999 and has a number of features in common with the high-end one. The shipping of Amazon Echo Show 5 will begin on July 18 in India.

Interested customers will be able to choose the Amazon Echo Show 5 in two colour options – White and Black. Just like the high-end Amazon Echo Show, the new smart display-cum-speaker lets users communicate with the company’s popular AI-based digital assistant Alexa. Other than this, users will also be able to get visual cues to Alexa’s verbal responses via the 5.5-inch touchscreen on the device. So, if you are looking for lists, recipes or videos, the screen on Amazon Echo Show 5 will prove to be useful.

We should also mention that just like any other Amazon Echo devices that come with a screen, the Amazon Echo Show 5 can be used to make video calls, watch TV shows, stream music and even control compatible devices. A number of Alexa skills can be activated by the users and the screen of the device proves to be a useful addition in most cases.

Powered by MediaTek MT8163 chipset, the Echo Show 5 can be connected to the internet using a Wi-Fi connection. The smart speaker also has Bluetooth functionality, much like any other wireless speaker. Using the Bluetooth connectivity option, it can be connected to various devices including smartphones, tablets, and even laptops and computers.

Another important feature that we should talk about is the ability of users to delete voice recordings and any Amazon records of they said to the speaker with just a simple command. The speaker also addresses the privacy concern that some people has with a button that can control a physical shutter for the camera and a button that has been used to turn off the microphone.

We should point out that since Amazon Echo Show 5 is available at Rs 8,999 in India, it is the most affordable of the other Echo devices that are available with a screen. While the Echo show is priced at Rs 22,999, the Echo Spot costs Rs 12,999.

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Microsoft Excel for iPhone can now click photos of spreadsheets

Software giant Microsoft is updating Excel for iPhone so that users will be able to import spreadsheets and tables into the app using their handset’s camera. The feature isn’t a new one as it first made its debut on the Android version of the Microsoft Excel app in March this year. Now, it has finally made its way to iPhones. With the new feature, iPhone users will be able to take a picture of a printed data table and convert it into a fully-editable table in the Excel app.

Furthermore, the feature will also enable them to import the data with Excel for iPhone and then resume editing it, even if you use the app via Windows or Mac. The company has deployed artificial intelligence to get this useful feature to Excel for iPhone. It has also made use of optical character recognition (OCR) and machine learning to convert paper-based data into digital tables.

The image recognition in the app will be able to detect financial spreadsheets, work schedules, task lists, timetables, and other kinds of tables. It is one of the most impressive features in Microsoft’s Excel mobile apps yet. The company had to club its work on the PDF Reflow feature for word, the Office Lens app and Seeing AI in order to get this feature to work right.

The new Microsoft Excel feature is available for iPhones in 21 countries starting today. Users will just need to update their apps in order to start using the new feature.

We should also mention that when this feature was rolled out for Android, it was announced that it will be available to Microsoft 365 users too. Other than this, the company also said back then that its Authenticator app will start getting Microsoft Account security alerts. These security alerts can be used to secure personal accounts like Outlook.com. Just like other authenticator apps do, the feature sends users notifications when an account password is changed. They are also notified about other account related activities via the feature. The software giant has added these alerts in the Microsoft Authenticator for both iOS and Android.

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How to live with a smartphone with low internal storage

Smartphones today are able to store data beyond what we could have hoped for a few years ago as 128GB and 256GB internal storage has become a norm. People can use the data available on smartphones to store their apps, data, pictures, etc. But that is possible today, a few years earlier, smartphones didn’t have that amount of internal storage. Earlier, we had to rely on external storage like microSD cards for data storage so that our phones could work properly with some memory remaining.

However, even today, there are a number of entry-level smartphones that come with very limited RAM and internal storage. Users of such handsets often face problems about what they should keep in their smartphone and what they must delete. Having too many files on such devices slows down the performance.

Luckily, there are a number of things that you can do to make the most of the limited storage on your smartphone in a way that it doesn’t affect your day to day life. Read on to find out more about it.

  1. Backup your photos to Google Photos – All the smartphones today come with Google applications and one of the most useful apps by the technology giant is Google Photos. Google Photos does what its name suggests, it stores photographs in its online/cloud storage. You can even set it to the automatic backup mode by going to the Settings so that whenever you click a picture from your camera, it will automatically get saved in your Google Photos account. You can later delete the photo from the internal memory to clear up space.
  2. Clear Cache – Cache is the temporary files that an Android system uses for later references. It saves time and bandwidth when an application is launched. But over a period of time, the app collects too much cache which gets stored in the internal storage of the device. You should clear the cache by going to the Settings of the device, then to the application then to Clear Cache to clear the stored up the cache.
  3. Using Light (Lite) apps – Some of the major applications like Facebook, Messenger uses data which is too much for a device with low storage. First, these apps are heavy in size and secondly, they use lots of memory to work. But using Lite version of the same apps can give you enough space with the same experience. The Lite app versions could be downloaded from Google Play Store.

4. Streaming music or videos – There are users who have a habit of storing music files or videos in the internal storage of their smartphones. Over time, this could be a problem as the apps and the Android system uses more data, that data gets collected and the storage gets low. So to avoid getting the ‘Low Storage’ message on your device, you should stream music and videos online instead of storing them in the internal storage.

5. Use the expandable storage wisely – The use of microSD card would save the trouble of internal memory as the user can store their files on it. But it should be noted that the external storage should be used wisely and extra and additional files from the internal storage should be transferred to the microSD card or the external storage of the smartphone.

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Should the US trade ban on Huawei worry Xiaomi?

If you follow technology news, you would know that Chinese smartphone brand Huawei has been at loggerheads with the US government for quite some time now. The tensions between the two became far more serious this month when the Trump administration imposed a ban on all the companies in the United States from doing any kind of business with Huawei. What followed was after the US trade ban was quite a nightmare for Huawei.

All major technology companies that are based in the United States, including Google, Intel, Qualcomm, Broadcom and Microsoft, halted their business with the Chinese smartphone brand. ARM, which is not based in the US but manufactures some chips there, also followed the suit.

This means that Huawei now does not have access to Android (except the version available as open source), mobile processors and Windows platform for laptops. While it has been reported that the company has stockpiled enough components to last three months to a year, it is far from being a permanent solution. It is nearly impossible for any company to produce smartphones without all these companies. Ironically, this happened right after Huawei took over Apple as the No.2 smartphone brand in the world in terms of shipments.

All of this happened with Huawei because the Chinese government is said to be using the company’s devices for spying on users. Although this is something that Huawei has always denied, the reports about this aren’t new. But then, the United States government seems convinced enough that this is actually the case. The government issued a warning to consumers to avoid using devices from Huawei saying that they are a threat to national security. More recently, it imposed the ban on doing any kind of business with the company too.

While Huawei has a huge battle to fight right now, the real question is that are other Chinese smartphone manufacturers safe? Or should they be equally worried too? We should mention that reports have previously surfaced online that claim that other Chinese smartphone makers like Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo are also being used to spy on people. If this is indeed true, then how safe are these companies right now?

Since Huawei has been embroiled in the controversy with the US government, the sales of all of these companies have gone up. However, that may be just a very temporary thing to have happened. If other Chinese smartphone makers are found to be as guilty as Huawei, then we should mention that companies in the United States may halt their business with them too, which will put all of them in danger. This will not only hurt the companies’ future business, but also the consumers who would stop receiving Android updates. This has already happened with Huawei P30 Pro users, as the premium smartphone has been removed from Android’s official website and other platforms.

Another cause of concern for users of smartphones from these companies is their data. Even if they use their smartphones for a year and then change it, they should remember that the Chinese government may be accessing all of their data. Considering the fact that smartphones are today used to access even banking apps, this makes it a very risky thing to have a smartphone from the likes of Xiaomi with you.

We spoke to Faisal Kawoosa, Founder and Chief Analyst of Analytics Research Consulting firm techARC, about how US trade ban will affect Chinese brands other than Huawei, and he said, “If the issue escalates, then companies other than Huawei will be impacted. This includes Chinese smartphone brands as well as American companies like Google because, at the end of the day, Android is also primarily spread by Chinese smartphones. So businesses in both countries will be affected. But then, as of now, it seems unlikely that the situation will become that bad.”

Kawoosa also spoke about how India will be affected by US trade ban saying, “Indian market will be affected by this, because we depend on the United States as well as China when it comes to smartphones. It is in the best interest for all that Huawei and the US resolve the matter.”

It may be too soon to determine what will happen to Chinese smartphone makers other than Huawei, we can say one thing: If Huawei smartphones are used by the Chinese government to spy on people, chances are that other companies like Xiaomi would not be exempted from this either. So, we can safely say that if using a Huawei smartphone is a threat to security, then using another device from a Chinese company is not safe either. Till the time a conclusion between the US and Huawei is reached, buying any smartphone from any Chinese brand may mean potentially having to use a handset that does not even get Android updates.

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Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, Earbuds 500 unveiled: Here are more details about them

When we think of noise-cancelling headphones, we can’t not think of Bose. Today, the company has announced its new flagship headphones – Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700. The newly launched headphones cost $399.95 and are very different from the company’s current model QC35 IIs. With its newest offerings, Bose has made it clear that its products will now cost more and will also be of better quality.

Along with the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, the company has also unveiled its true wireless Bose Earbuds 500, which will be launched later this year. Following that, Bose Noise Cancelling Earbuds 700 will be made available in 2020. So we have a very clear roadmap about when to expect what from the company.

Coming to the design of the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, it is definitely an upgrade over the QC 35s that we saw previously. The new headphones come with a USB-C charging port and the company has promised 20 hours of full-featured playback. We should mention that the shape of the new headphones is a lot like Sony’s 1000X M3s, which happen to be one among the most comfortable among all the noise-cancelling headphones even today.

However, Bose has made sure that the internals of the headphones are a class apart. It has touted that the new-headphones will have support for all major voice-assistants. The company has said, “you’ll be able to remain seamlessly connected to your phone without looking at it or even touching it.” In other words, you would be able to answer your calls using Google Assistant, Alexa, and Siri.

The company has also claimed that it has the world’s best microphone system built into the headphones. The headphones come with four mics and Bose has touted its noise-cancelling and voice isolation capabilities. Other than this, the new Bose AR platform is also present which is supposed to serve as audio augmented reality tool.

Furthermore, the Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are adjustable and come with 11 different kinds of intensity settings. The headphones also come with touch controls. The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 are now up for pre-orders and will be delivered on June 30.

We should mention that Bose is one among the leading audio equipment makers in the world and it is known for its noise cancelling headphones. As of now, there is no word on the pricing details and availability of the new Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 in India. We will update you as and when we get to know more about them.

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HyperX launches new Gaming Headsets, Mechanical Keyboard and DDR4 Memory at the Computex 2019

American electronic maker Kingston’s sub-brand HyperX has launched its new products at the Computex 2019 to extend its gaming peripherals portfolio. The list of new peripherals launched by HyperX includes HyperX Alloy OriginsTM Mechanical Gaming Keyboard, HyperX Cloud AlphaTM S Gaming Headset, FURY DDR4 and FURY DDR4 RGB memory with NGenuity software control.

HyperX Cloud AlphaTM S Gaming Headset specifications and features

The new HyperX Cloud AlphaTM S Gaming Headset comes with dual chamber technology which delivers accurate and powerful sound. The dual chambers used in the headset allows it to separate the bass from the mids and highs. By doing this, it creates a dynamic and accurate sound which makes listening to music, playing games, and watching movies a more immersive experience. The HyperX Cloud AlphaTM S Gaming Headset comes with an adjustable bass slider and has a custom-tuned audio control box with the HyperX 7.1 surround sound1. There are also controls to balance and differentiate between the game and chat audio while gaming.

On the launch of the new products, Susan Yang, director of APAC marketing, HyperX said, “Our expansive selection of gaming and enthusiast products and styles can make anyone feel like a pro, HyperX products deliver the performance and quality they need. We are committed to creating the best products on the market for everyone – PC, console or mobile – at an attainable price.”

HyperX Cloud Orbit S Gaming Headset specifications and features

The HyperX Cloud Orbit S Gaming Headset is powered by the Audeze’s patented 100mm Planar Magnetic Drivers which ensure that it can deliver accurate and powerful sound. The new headset was developed with the cooperation with AudezeTM and Waves Technology. The Waves Nx 3D audio technology offers an immersive and cinematic audio experience to the listeners/gamers. The headset also comes with head tracking technology by Waves Nx which delivers stable and hyper-realistic 360-degree audio environment. In other words, the HyperX Cloud Orbit S Gaming Headset comes with gesture controls which is a first for the company.

HyperX Alloy OriginsTM Mechanical Gaming Keyboard specifications and features

The company also launched the new HyperX Alloy OriginsTM Mechanical Gaming Keyboard with the HyperX mechanical switches. The new HyperX red switch comes with 45g actuation points, shorter travel time and is rated for up to 80 million lifetime clicks. The HyperX Alloy OriginsTM Mechanical Gaming Keyboard also gives dynamic lighting with exposed LED on the key-switch. Unlike the other keyboards in its category, the HyperX Alloy OriginsTM Mechanical Gaming Keyboard gives a brighter and more vibrant RGB lighting.

HyperX FURY DDR4 and FURY DDR4 RGB Memory

HyperX’s FURY DDR4 and FURY DDR4 RGB Memory comes with Plug-N-Play feature. It comes with automatic memory overclocking at standard DDR4 1.2V settings. The new FURY DDR4 RGB comes with LED light support and it comes with HyperX Infrared Sync. It allows the modules to remain synchronized without the use of cables.

Press Release_HyperX Expands Gaming Peripheral Line Up at Computex 2019_29 May 2019

Other than that, the company also announced the new and updated version of the NGenuity software designed for an intuitive user-friendly experience interface.

All the new products HyperX launched at the Computex 2019 will be made available for purchase from this year onwards but only in selective regions.

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Realme X will be launched in India in the second half of 2019: CEO Madhav Sheth

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Realme X is the newest flagship smartphone from the Chinese smartphone maker Realme. It was launched in China earlier this month, but according to the Realme India’s CEO Madhav Sheath, the Realme X won’t be coming to India till the second half of 2019. The CEO revealed responding to a user’s question about the arrival of Realme X in India. Sheth earlier announced that the Indian version of the Realme X will be different than the Chinese version and will hold different specifications and features. The CEO also confirmed that the company will be bringing the Naoto Fukasawa’s Realme X’s Onion and Garlic finish to the Indian market.

Sheth’s tweet read, “We shall try to bring it [Realme X] earlier, but with all our effort, we think we shall be only able to bring around [the] second half of the year.”

Furthermore, the CEO earlier revealed that Realme X in India will be priced at Rs 18,000. And even though the specifications and features of the Indian Realme X variant might differ from the Chinese variant, the device will come in the same Onion and Garlic back finish. Sheth also said that there will be a special variant of the Realme X for the Indian market.

Realme X price and availability (expected)

The Chinese variants of the Realme X with the 4GB RAM/ 64GB storage costs CNY 1,499 (approximately Rs 15,100) while the 6GB RAM/ 64GB storage costs CNY 1,599 (approximately Rs 16,100). The top end variant of the Realme X holds a price tag of CNY 1,799 (approximately Rs 18,100).

The Indian pricing of the Realme X will most probably be similar to the Chinese variants of the device. And as the CEO of Realme said, it will be coming to the Indian market in the second half of 2019.

Realme X specifications and features

The Realme X sports a 6.53-inch Full-HD+ (1080 x 2340 pixels) AMOLED display with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9 and Gorilla Glass 5 protection on top. The device is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 710 SoC paired with up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. The Realme X runs Android 9 Pie skinned with ColorOS 6 and it packs a 3,765mAh battery with VOOC 3.0 fast charging support.

On the camera front, the Realme X features a dual-rear camera setup which comprises of a 48MP main sensor with an f/1.7 aperture paired with a 5MP sensor with an f/2.4 aperture. While at the front, there is a 16MP pop-up selfie camera with an f/2.0 aperture.

Other features of the upcoming Realme X includes 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, USB Type-C port, and Dolby Atmos audio.

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OnePlus 7 sale in India is scheduled for June 4: Get all the details here

OnePlus 7 was launched by the Chinese smartphone maker this month along with its flagship OnePlus 7 Pro and interestingly, it was priced even lesser than the smartphone it succeeds. Till now, the sale date of OnePlus 7 was not announced. But today, the company has sent a statement to the press that says that the OnePlus 7 sale in India will begin on June 4.

OnePlus 7 will be going on sale on OnePlus’ official website, Amazon India and OnePlus exclusive offline stores. As we mentioned earlier, the sale will begin on June 4 at 12:00 pm (noon). In addition to this, the pre-bookings for the smartphone at partner retail outlets will begin on June 7 and the actual offline sale will start on June 14.

We should mention that both the Mirror Grey and Red colour variants of the OnePlus 7 smartphone are going on sale on June 4. While the former is available in 6GB RAM/128GB storage and 8GB RAM/256GB storage options, the latter can be picked up in 8GB RAM/256GB storage variant. The base model of the OnePlus 7 smartphone costs Rs 32,999, and the high-end model is priced at Rs 37,999.

OnePlus 7 specifications and features

OnePlus 7 comes with a 6.41-inch Full HD+ display that has a waterdrop-shaped notch to house the selfie camera. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC and comes with up to 8GB RAM. It runs Android 9 Pie with OxygenOS baked on top and houses a 3,700mAh battery. The device comes with up to 256GB of  UFS 3.0 storage.

For imaging duties, the OnePlus 7 features a dual-rear camera setup that consists of a 48MP primary camera and a 5MP depth sensor. On the front, there is a 16MP camera that can be used for selfies and video calls.

For connectivity, OnePlus 7 includes Wi-Fi, GPS, USB Type-C, 3G, and 4G.

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Xiaomi teases a new Mi 9-series smartphone with a pop-up selfie camera

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Xiaomi has released its much-awaited Redmi K20 and the Redmi K20 Pro smartphones in China. The Redmi K20 Pro is the flagship device of the Redmi brand while the Mi 9 is the flagship smartphone of Xiaomi with flagship like performance and specifications. The Mi 9 was launched back in February in China but the global and India launch of the device will take place in June. Now, the company is reportedly planning to add another device to the Mi 9 series.

Xiaomi has shared an image of a smartphone with a triple camera setup on its back and a gradient back panel. The company asked the users of what the name of the device was. It revealed the device through a tweet asking, “K, I or T…Which letter would you choose for the newest member of our Mi9 family? why? #PopUpInStyle”. There is also a pop-up selfie camera present on the new smartphone teased by Xiaomi.

Other than the details mentioned above, the company didn’t reveal much about the upcoming smartphone. But a new device named Mi 9T has reportedly received certifications in Thailand and Taiwan. The smartphone’s name which has received the certificate hasn’t been named yet but is alleged that it is the Mi 9T. The smartphone received the NBTC certification in Thailand and NCC certification in Taiwan. Since the unnamed Xiaomi smartphone has received the certification, the launch of the handset is certain.

The new smartphone teased by Xiaomi looks like the Mi 9 from the looks of its camera placement and back panel, as the Mi 9 had the same vertically placed camera module and gradient back panel.

But it should be noted that the Xiaomi’s Mi 9 series smartphones have a full-screen display design meaning that they are to have the pop-up selfie camera. The company even teased and hinted about the pop-up camera placement with the use of its ‘#PopUpInStyle’ hashtag. However, the regular Mi 9 flagship smartphone holds a waterdrop notch display design which holds the front camera sensor. So, it is clear that the smartphone teased by the company is not the regular Mi 9 but a new device in the Mi 9 series, more likely the Mi 9T.

Since the Mi 9 is about to go on its global launch in June, there is a big possibility that the new Xiaomi Mi9 smartphone will also be launched at the same event.

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Microsoft’s modern OS to receive updates invisibly, will support cloud based applications

Microsoft is coming up with a new kind of operating system (OS) which will have many new features. However, we are not talking about Windows Lite here. Microsoft’s corporate vice president, Nick Parker revealed today at Computex 2019 about the new OS as the company’s vision for a modern operating system. Parker didn’t reveal anything about the awaited Windows Lite OS, but he did confirm the ways they were preparing for the new devices. The company also said that the modern OS updates are done invisibly.

The new OS from Microsoft is called the ‘modern OS’ and it will receive ‘enablers’ like seamless updates. According to Microsoft, the modern OS will receive updates which will happen in the background. The updates of modern OS’ will be “deterministic, reliable and instant with no interruptions.” This is a completely different path than the Windows 10 updates and it is more like Chrome OS.

According to Microsoft, the modern OS platform is secure by default, and it means that the state is separated from the OS and the compute is separated from the apps. In addition to this, the company wants the modern OS to work with 5G connectivity and will also work with inputs like pen, voice, touch and gaze.

Parker said, “These enablers and delighters underpin our vision for a Modern OS, they will provide the foundational elements for an evolution of the PC ecosystem and enable partners to deliver the more human-centric experiences of tomorrow.”

Furthermore, the company with the modern OS is focusing more towards the cloud-connected device experience which would use the compute power of the cloud to make the user experience better.

Windows hasn’t announced or launched its new Windows Lite OS yet, and with the announcement of the modern OS we can hope to see some of the functions and features of the modern OS in the Lite OS. The Windows Lite might come with similar update features, security improvements, 5G connectivity, cloud-powered applications and AI support.

Moreover, the rumoured Windows Lite is currently not in the picture as the company hasn’t revealed anything about it. Even the upcoming Windows 10 update – codenamed 19H2 – details are currently not available, but it is expected to be released sometimes in October. The company has also started testing a new version of the Windows 10 but it won’t be coming to the PCs until 2020. Even the details about the next Windows 10 update which is to come in October 2019 are currently not known.

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10 popular electric cars that we want to see in India

Electric cars are becoming more and more popular around the world. However, they are yet to make a mark in India. Here, we have listed down 10 popular electric vehicles from the likes of Tesla, BMW, Jaguar, and Mercedes that we really want to see in India. Take a look:

Tesla Model S

1. Tesla Model S

Tesla Model S is one of the most popular cars from the popular electric car maker’s lineup. The car is considered to be one among the bests around the world because of the kind of capabilities it has. For those who are looking for a car that is fast, comfortable and emissions-free, Tesla Model S is the right pick, even though it has a heavy price tag. Tesla Model S comes with a 100-kWh battery and is claimed to go from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.4 seconds. This makes it one among the quickest electric cars that are available today. The car has a range of 345 miles, thanks to the big batteries that it has.

2019 BMW i8 Roadster

2. 2019 BMW i8 Roadster electric car in India

The 2019 BMW i88 Roadster is great to look at and can handle some very powerful drives. It is a much-needed upgrade over the 2013 model, which, according to various reviews was only a looker, but did not excel in driving. The new model comes with better electrics and has a combined electric motor and turbocharged 1.5-litre gas engine that can take the car from 0 to 60mph in 4.2 seconds.

2018 Jaguar I-Pace

3. 2018 Jaquar I-Pace electric cars in India

This is the first pure electric vehicle from Jaguar and it is an all-wheel-drive cross over. It is often called as an electric vehicle that comes with style as well as stamina. The car comes with a liquid-cooled 90-kW-hr battery pack and has a horsepower of 394. 2018 Jaquar I-Pace can run for 240 miles before it needs to be charged and can go from 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds.

Tesla Model 3

4. Tesla Model 3

There was no question of not including the Tesla Model 3 on the list. It is a very popular electric vehicle from Tesla that comes with a range of 220 miles on a single charge. The car was praised by many for its design and 50-kWh battery. The performance of the car is supposed to be good.

Nissan Leaf Plus

5. Nissan Leaf Plus

Nissan’s Leaf Plus guarantees to run 226 miles on a single charge and promises better acceleration at highway speeds. The electric car has a horsepower of 214 and its SL version comes with navigation, Apple CarPlay/ Android Auto compatibility and it gives warnings for blind spots. The car also comes with a beefed up audio system.

2019 Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid

6. 2019 Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid

Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid is a lot more like a Formula 1 car than it is like a family Sedan. The car can run on pure electric power for around 30 miles and then it can be switched to its twin-turbocharged 2.9-litre V6 engine. It is said that the car is better to be used in electric and gas in combination and it has a horsepower of 462. The car additionally has appointment reminders and suggestions for nearby spots.

2019 Audi e-tron

 

There are perks of buying a car from Audi. And if you buy the Audi e-tron, you will get a dual-motor all-wheel-drive handling, Alexa compatibility and a sound system by Bang & Olufsen. The car comes with 95-kWh battery capacity and is claimed to have a range of 160 miles with a fast charge of 30 minutes. It can also be charged using 150-kw CCS-format DC fast chargers.

Hyundai Ioniq Electric

8. Hyundai Ioniq Electric

The Ioniq electric car from Hyundai is available in three versions – an electric-only car, a hybrid car (battery and gas) and a plug-in hybrid (electric only or gas plus electric). The car has a range of 124 miles when used as a pure electric vehicle; and 59 miles and 29 miles as a hybrid and on gas engine respectively. All the three versions of the car come with a 7-inch touchscreen display and support for Android Auto/Apple CarPlay.

2019 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

9. 2019 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

The electric car from Mitsubishi has two electric motors and a 2-litre gas engine and it is said to come with a range of around 30 miles. The car is said to run in Battery Charge mode, in which the gas engine of the vehicle can turn into a charger for the battery. The Outlander only uses navigation services from a smartphone that is connected to it, so you would not feel that your car’s mapping abilities are out of date.

Mercedes-Benz EQC

10. Mercedes-Benz EQC

This is something for Mercedes fans here! The electric car from Mercedes made its debut at the Paris Motor Show 2018 and comes with a range of 220 miles on a single charge. It has 80 kWh lithium-ion battery.

For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on TwitterFacebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can also stay up to date using the Gadget Bridge Android App.

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