How to create and share 3D Photos on Facebook

Recently, social networking giant Facebook rolled out a new tool for its iOS app called 3D photos. The feature adds interactive 3D effects to photos shot on portrait mode on iPhone using artificial intelligence. You may have come across some photos on your news feed that can be viewed as 3D if you move your smartphone. These are the kind of photos that can be created using the Facebook feature. You’ll be able to see these photos in 3D even if you use a VR headset.

If you want to use this feature, the first thing that you should know is that you can only create and share 3D Photos via an iPhone that has dual rear cameras. The devices that can support this feature include iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. IF you have one of these, you can follow our step by step guide to create Facebook 3D photos:

  1. Open the Facebook app on your iPhone and search for ‘Facebook 360’.
  2. Like the ‘Facebook 360’ page and then close the app and open it again.
  3. Go to the camera app of your iPhone and click some photos in portrait mode. Make sure that the object is in focus and the background is not. You can skip this step if you already have some portrait images in your phone.
  4. Open your Facebook app and click to add a new status on ‘What’s on your mind?’.
  5. Select the ‘3D Photo’ option. This will open your iPhone’s gallery and show you the portrait images that you have in your phone.
  6. Choose the photo you want to upload. Once you do this, the 3D Photos tool will add the third dimension effects to the image you selected.
  7. Click on ‘Post’ to share the image.

On following these steps, you would be able to share a 3D Photo on Facebook via your iPhone. and then, when your friends scroll down their news feed, they will be able to view your image in 3D on moving their smartphones or via VR headsets. It is worth noticing that while the effect can only be created using iPhones with dual rear cameras, they can be viewed even on desktop, mobile or Android smartphones. If you are an Android smartphone user, you will have to wait a little more to create 3D photos on your device. Some reports do suggest that Facebook is working to get this feature on its Android app too.

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Google’s is working towards completely removing gender bias from translations

Earlier in Google, translations were gender biased. Now its not. Google has updated its translate feature in such a way that it has become possible now. Earlier a word could be translated in either masculine or feminine language, but now that is not the case. It has broken the bias of certain words relating to certain connotations pertaining to gender. In certain languages which are patriarchal in nature, Google’s Translate would deconstruct that and form gender neutral translations. Earlier words like “strong” and “doctor” would lead to masculine translations. And “nurse” and “beautiful” led to feminine. Now when a sentence is typed that would lead to both masculine and feminine translations.

Google uses the example of “o bir doctor” which would be translated to “she is a doctor” or “he is a doctor” than just either one. This feature is currently only available in translations from English to French, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish. Plus, this would include translation from Turkish to English.

Before, Google shared that it left gender pronouns out of its Gmail Smart Compose feature so as to ensure that there is no gender bias. It tried hard, but could not find a solution because those pronouns could not be wiped out entirely. The gender pronouns move was done in order to show solidarity to the LGBTQ community and women. The move was made when it was revealed that the AI-guided feature was biased.

This came to light when a group of scientists in a meeting talked about an investor. Gmail, while this mail was being composed, offered the suggestion of “do you want to meet him”. It did not consider the possibility of the investor to be a woman.

However, product manager Paul Lambert said that, in spite of trying loads of solutions it could not completely remove away the gender biased pronouns from google.

Google is saying that it would ensure non-binary gender translations as well. In a blog post, the company explained that it plans to extend its gender-inclusive translations to more languages. This would also encompass iOS and Android apps, but did not share when these plans would be executed.    

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Microsoft is worried on how Facial recognition is being used, brings out guidelines

Microsoft president, Brad Smith listed six key principles that would not only govern work, but also, technology. The backdrop to this is that there have been risks and challenges related to facial recognition technology. The principles which the MS president introduced would help in eliminating this problem. In a new Blog post, he explained these principles in detail which, he said, advocate for legislation and guide technology.

It is going to adopt a means of facial recognition that would aim “to treat all people fairly”. Also, that, it would “document and clearly communicate the capabilities and limitations of facial recognition technology”. Microsoft said that it would make customers incorporate human control in this technology and would affect people “in consequential ways”.

This facial recognition technology based on human rights would prevent unlawful discrimination on the basis of services, obtain consent when in use, encourage users to provide notice. Furthermore, it would ensure that when the law uses it, it would protect people’s democratic rights. These principles would be very valuable considering that many companies have faced a lot of problems with facial recognition technology. Companies who have sold their technology in some cases have received a lot of criticism. For example, Amazon which sold its Recognition software to law enforcement groups has been criticised by employees, investors and civil rights groups.

The facial recognition technology has been planned to be deployed by focusing on issues such as bias, privacy and mass surveillance. Smith writes, “The facial recognition genie, so to speak, is just emerging from the bottle. Unless we act, we risk waking up five years from now to find that facial recognition services have spread in ways at exacerbate societal issues. By that time, these challenges will be much more difficult to bottle back up.” The principles which Smith built would has been planned to receive feedback by the end of March, 2019.

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22 fraudulent apps detected, deleted by Google: Do you have any of them installed on your smartphone?

Google has deleted 22 apps from the Play store that have turned out to be malicious. These viruses are mobile or computer viruses, which have a backdoor built in them. That backdoor helps the apps commit ad-fraud. Also, it has been known that these apps were downloaded over 2 million times before getting deleted.

Sophos a cyber security company that finds security flaws found irregularities with these apps. According to Sophos, these apps are well-organised, persistent malware that can causes harm to end users and the entire Android ecosystem. It said “these apps generate fraudulent requests that cost ad networks significant revenue as a result of fake clicks”.

The way it is going to harm the users is that it will drain a lot of battery from their phone. Since these apps are in constant contact with servers, it can cause data overages. Since these apps run on the basis of C2 servers, they can install any modules by themselves in the mobile based on the instructions coming from the server.

Google removed these apps from Play Store as soon as it was contacted by Sophos about these fraudulent apps. But, the users who have already downloaded these apps on their smartphones from or not from the Play Store would need to manually remove them from their phones.

The name of the 22 apps are as follows:

Sparkle Flashlight

Cliff Diver

Animal Match

Color Tiles

Table Soccer

Space Rocket

Box Stack

Zombie Killer

Join Up

Roulette Mania

Neon Pong

HexaFall

HexaBlocks

PairZap

Take A Trip

Snake Attack

Math Solver

ShapeSorter

Magnifeye

Jelly Slice

AK Blackjack

In fact, even Clean Master has been found to be indulging in fraudulent activities. There are so many fraudulent apps lurking on the Play Store. It is very hard for a user to know if he or she is downloading a safe app. Though, it is not the first-time fraudulent apps are getting caught on the Play Store, we are glad Google has looked into the matter. There hasn’t been any news relating to these apps harming the data of users, as of now. If you have any of the above apps installed on your smartphone, we suggest you quickly remove and block them. Changing your account password would also be a good idea.

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Avengers Endgame trailer is out: Shows the sorrow of the surviving heroes

And finally, it’s out! The long-coveted trailer of Avengers: Endgame, which left all MCU fans shocked when the unstoppable Thanos wipes out half of the universe—has released yesterday. We already knew of Thanos’s success in the prequel, Avengers: Infinity War but the hard-hitting reality probably hit MCU fans yet again when Black Widow aka Natasha Romanova (Scarlett Johansson) says it in the trailer.

In the beginning of the trailer we look at the miserable Tony Stark recording his message for Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) about the devastation, which happens after Thanos snapped his fingers. “We lost, all of us” says Captain America, then. The world’s strongest superheroes are seen mourning about the mishap that has evaporated half of the universe. A lot of YouTubers have analysed the coming movie based on some of the other MCU movies that have released in the past year and half. Some of which does seem to be the plot of the upcoming Avengers movie.

To recall, Captain America lost his friend Bucky aka Winter Soldier, Tony Stark is left devastated when Spiderman dies. People speculate that this emotional baggage is going to bring the original Avengers team back together. And this becomes more obvious after the appearance of Hawkeye who makes a fantastic entry in the trailer. But this time he is in the Ronin costume. He opens the Ronin mask by jumping into the scene in front of Black Widow. He might have lost his own family whom we see in Avengers: Age of Ultron. These subplots might be very crucial to what we are going to see in the coming movie which is releasing on 26th of April, 2019.

But there are certain questions which occur from the trailer. Like how does Scott Lang aka Ant-man appear in the camera in order to give Captain America a message? Isn’t he supposed to be trapped in the quantum realm like we saw at the end of Ant-man and the Wasp? What is Hawkeye’s back story considering that we do not see him after Age of Ultron. When everybody put their lives on the line to protect the universe in Infinity War, he was absent throughout the film. What is his back story until he makes his appearance in the upcoming film?  And what would happen of our heroes who were sacrificed along with half of the population?

This film would also answer the most coveted question—that why did Doctor Strange submit the time stone to Thanos? By accessing multiple realities and finding only one in which they could win—is that somehow related to this? Doctor Strange is one of the most vital characters in the MCU who determines how things would unfold in the war. Let’s see what becomes of him in this film.

This movie would be a proper climax where “The Avengers” and “The Guardians of the Galaxy” would fight together to defeat Thanos. Also, what would be Captain Marvel’s role? With the upcoming movie “Captain Marvel” some of these questions will be answered, however we are waiting for April of 2019, to come really quickly!

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Google Hangouts will so be able to send a smart reply, just choose a suggestion instead of typing

Google is bringing a new feature in Hangouts. It is known as Smart Reply in Hangouts Chat for G Suite. It is a solution where one can choose among three different replies to a conversation in a chat. Smart Reply would currently be available to businesses. Before this the feature was also seen in Gmail.

Google is putting its intelligent assistive writing tools in order to make this happen. This feature is similar to Gmail’s Smart Compose and Smart Reply. Smart Compose suggests phrases while you write your email. In Smart Reply one can click on short phrases, which appears on your email as suggestions for replies. These tools are going to become common in every Google App and Google is pushing AI as an essential part of business.

Smart Reply is particularly useful in order to avoid replies which are inappropriate. Google provides scrutiny during instances when the email consists of any word/phrase, which could be inappropriate. Also, Smart Reply ensures that you reply using crisp sentences and helps you avoid extra words that are irrelevant in your sentence.

This is important considering that your grammar and articulation in very minute instances also determine the impression you provide to others. For instance, the word ‘Thanks’ in caps looks more appropriate than in small letter. In other words, Smart Reply helps you to communicate in a more professional language.

Before, Google was said to end Hangouts in 2020 and since then it has been receiving many updates. Presently, it has been said that it will be available to customers, albeit in a different state. Some sources have asked Google if it is going to launch a feature where it would detect user’s voice and decide the kind of statements to use, accordingly.

Who knows, in future it might gain enough knowledge about a company to decide conversations on its own. People would just have to click buttons in order to converse. Sounds far-fetched? Maybe, but from our past experience, never say never!

Technology is slowly taking over the world and considering the amount of updates which come along, it more and more becomes a representative of ours. Who knows what Google is going to do next in order to govern our corporate and private lives, but till now much of it is for the good.

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What is cloud computing: Everything you need to know

Cloud computing refers to the transfer of computer data such as servers, storage, databases, analytics etc over the internet. This helps in faster innovation, providing flexible resources and greater economies of scale. You just have to pay for the cloud services (in certain cases they are free for example free storage on cloud or Google Documents), which helps reducing your operating costs, running infrastructure in your office. Best of all, cloud computing helps your business to adapt to changes outside and remain competent.

Nowadays, many businesses are adopting cloud computing due to its benefits pertaining to cost, time efficiency, fitness and much more. Let us get to the benefits of cloud computing so that you know in what ways it benefits your business.

First, it enhances business performance and convenience to do business.

Next is cost reduction: With cloud computing you only need to pay for the cloud services instead of investing in data centres and servers which you use. In short, you only have to pay for the consumption cost and not the infrastructure costs.

Mass economies of scale: Considering that customers are aggregated in the cloud, one can achieve massive economies of scale. By exploiting cloud computing services one can achieve a lower variable cost than one can get otherwise.

Time saving: With cloud computing, businesses can provision resources on the cloud with just a click of a button. This saves the time which would otherwise be consumed on the basis of capacity planning, man power allocation, any other overheads etc.

Increased productivity: Cloud computing helps business to focus on their primary goals by reducing the burden of other tasks. There are several tasks such as hardware setup, software patching which cloud computing banishes. By reducing these IT chores cloud computing helps them focus on their main goals.

Services: Once a business opts for cloud computing they are surrounded by a broad set of policies, technologies and control. This helps businesses protect their data, apps, infrastructure from potential threats. These are taken care by the company who is providing cloud computing.

Greater performance: Cloud Computing services run on a vast networks of security data centres. This gets regular upgradation through latest generation of fast and efficient computing hardware. Thus businesses can get benefits over a single corporate data centre. Someone at the services end will admin and take care of the infrastructure, upgradation etc, so that you focus on your business and performance. In most cases the cloud service provider will provide the latest in terms of infrastructure at their end.

There are several types of cloud computing. This includes Public cloud, Private cloud, Hybrid cloud. One important thing to note here is that, considering the variety of cloud services, not one cloud services is appropriate for everyone. Cloud services have evolved over time to provide the right solutions depending on your needs.

The downside of Cloud Computing is that, if your data is hacked, chances are you will not get to know immediately. Also, you would need a very good internet connection between you and the service provider. So, keep security and location of the cloud services in mind when you are choosing one for your business.

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Samsung Galaxy A8s images surface on TENAA

Just after getting certified by FCC, Samsung Galaxy A8s has now obtained vital certifications via TENAA. And because of this, we got a look at the upcoming Samsung smartphone before its December 10 launch.

We have to admit that the TENAA listing does not reveal much, but then, it does give us a good look at the front and back panels of the device. However, no specifications have been revealed or confirmed.

The 6.39-inch display of the device can be seen, and it is indeed the ‘Infinity-O’ screen Samsung had spoken about at its developer conference last month. So the 24MP selfie camera is housed in a hole on the top left of the display of Samsung Galaxy A8s. The back panel of the smartphone has the triple rear camera setup that comprises of 24MP main, 10MP telephoto and 5MP depth cameras.

The back panel of the smartphone has Gradient White and Blue colours and sports a fingerprint scanner.

Samsung Galaxy A8s is expected to be powered by Snapdragon 710 SoC clubbed with 6GB of RAM. The smartphone will reportedly house a 3,400mAh battery.

The smartphone will be the first ever to sport a display with a cut-out hole for the selfie camera. Samsung has come up with this in order to give its users a truly full-screen experience. It has also been speculated that Samsung Galaxy A8s will come without a headphone jack. If this report is true, then it will be the first Samsung smartphone to ditch the 3.5mm headphone jack.

Samsung Galaxy S10 is also said to sport a cut-out selfie camera. This seems in line with Samsung’s strategy because the South Korean technology giant usually introduces features in its mid-range phones and then gets them to their flagship devices.

It is worth noticing that Huawei Nova 4, which will also be launching this month on December 17, will also come with an on-screen selfie camera. It was earlier being reported that Huawei’s device will launch sooner than Samsung, and reports said that it is going to beat the company in its own game. However, Samsung managed to schedule it’s event a week before Huawei’s.

Image courtesy: TENAA

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Rashmi, the first humanoid robot made by a software engineer based out of Ranchi is now a RJ

A humanoid Robot called Rashmi has been created by Ranjit Srivastava, a 38-year-old Ranchi based software engineer. The news of the creation of this robot came back in August, 2018. Since 3rd December the robot has been employed by popular radio channel as an RJ. The robot hosts the ‘Ask Rashmi’ segment where people can ask questions to her and she replies to them. This is the lip-syncing robot, which uses Artificial Intelligence, Linguistic Interpretation, visual data and face recognition systems to make it talk like a human being. Rashmi was called the Indian version of Sophia robot, which was developed by Hanson Robotics, a company based out of Hong Kong.

The development of Rashmi robot is said to have taken two years and Rs 50,000 were spent during that time. She can speak in various languages such as Hindi, English, Marathi and Bhojpuri. Ranjit Srivastava’s idea of developing this Robot was inspired by watching Sofia.  

So many robots are developing around the world. In the context of India’s development, this is a huge milestone. Many Indian IT professionals have taken up the field and soon we might see more such robots coming in.

Engineers worldwide are also designing androids. Robot designs to a large extent are inspired by nature. Scientists study the skeletal and muscular system of animals in order to make robots. The end result is realised when they are converted into servos and actuators—it is all based upon natural environment.

There are several robots, which have been inspired from animals in the past. Take for example HAMR. This is a tiny robot which has been inspired from a cockroach. Like a cockroach it can walk on land and also on water. Another is the Bad Bot which has been inspired from the bat and the ScratchBot that has been inspired from the rat.

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7 new features Apple has rolled out to iPhones, iPads, MacBooks and HomePods

Apple has released its latest iOS 12.1.1 update across its products in all ranges. The iOS 12.1.1 update has reached iPhones, iPads and iPod touch, and macOS Mojave 10.14.2 and HomePod 12.1.1 has come to Mac models and HomePods respectively. Here are a few new features that you should know about:

Expanded dual e-SIM support

Apple iPhone XS

The most important change that comes with iOS 12.1.1 update is specifically meant for iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR. At the time when this year’s lineup was launched, the dual SIM support on the iPhones could only for a select few carriers. But with the update, it has been extended to additional carriers as well. We’ll update you about the new carriers supported in India as soon as there is an official word on it. With dual e-SIM, iPhone users can use two SIM cards, but the second one has to be a virtual SIM.

Improved Facetime

video call

Another important change that the update has got is for Facetime. It has added a one-tap shortcut to flip cameras and the ability to capture Live Photos while being on a Facetime call.

A change specifically for iPhone XR

apple-iphone-xr-rear

If you use an iPhone XR, you should know that the smartphone now has support for previewing notifications using haptic touch. This feature was already present on the iPhone XS and XS Max.

A change in the News App

apple news

This update is specifically for iPod Touch and iPad. The news app on the two devices now has the option to hide the sidebar when it is in landscape mode.

Other changes of iOS 12.1.1

iphone (3)

The latest update has added the support for real-time text during Wi-Fi calling on iPad and iPod Touch. Bug fixes for Face ID, Messages, visual voicemail, voice memos, clock, and HomePod are also present in the update. For those unaware, real-time text messages are transmitted from the sender to the recipient as they are being written.

How to download iOS 12.1.1

iphone 3

The alert for iOS 12.1.1 update should come to your device automatically. However, if it doesn’t, then you can head to Settings of your device, and then select ‘Software update’ under ‘General’. You can download the update from there.

A tip before you download the iOS 12.1.1 update

 iphone (2)

Before you install the iOS 12.1.1 update, you need to ensure that at least 50% of the battery of your Apple device is charged. Also ensure that you install the update while being connected to the Wi-Fi.

macOS Mojave 10.14.2

macbook air

Apple’s Mac models that were released in 2012 or later have got the macOS Mojave 10.14.2 update. It brings the RTT support to the Mac models and adds the menu item to News which lets the user open the story in Safari browser. The issue that was preventing iTunes from playing media on third-party speakers has also been fixed with the latest update.

HomePod 12.1.1 update

homepod

Firstly, the update gets support for HomePod smart speaker in China and Hong Kong. The update also makes the HomePod’s LEDs light up when it is being used for Group FaceTime calls.

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Lenovo Z5s launch date postponed from December 6 to December 18

The Lenovo Z5s which was supposed to be launched on December 6, the company has postponed the launch date. Instead of December 6 it is December 18 now. This has been realised after the Lenovo Group VP Chang Cheng released a new poster of the phone recently.

TENAA has also released a few of the phone’s technical specification. These includes a 3,120mAh battery. Its dimensions are 156.7×74.8×7.8mm and it comes with a 6.3-inch touch display. The good thing about the phone’s battery is that it supports 18W fast charging.

Two Weibo images that were revealed say a lot about the phone. In the first image the Lenovo Z5s looks alluring in its gradient colour. In the second image it shows that the phone has a triple rear camera setup. The Lenovo Z5s would be unveiled at the Lenovo global headquarters situated in China on its launch date. Since Lenovo is known to announce multiple products during its launch it is expected that it would announce the Lenovo K5X mid-range smartphone, too.

Jumping back to the cameras, since there is a gap between its dual camera sensors and its third lens the camera resembles with that of the Huawei P20 Pro. Over that, there is an LED flash below the triple camera setup in Lenovo Z5s. Some other leaked images of the smartphone are also doing the rounds, which show something interesting in terms of display. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy A8s and Huawei Nova 4, which has a feature in-screen camera hole at the top left hand-corner, the Lenovo Z5s will have its camera hole towards the centre upper portion of the display.

As of now there is no word on the CPU and RAM configuration of the smartphone. Rumour mill does suggest a 64GB variant. Whatever the case be, by the looks of it, the Lenovo Z5s will give rich photographic experience to its users. And seems like three rear camera driven smartphones are becoming a fad now and we expect more such phone to crop up in the next quarter. MWC is right around the corner and probably then we will see more such phones come out of their factory quarters in full glory to the world.

Image courtesy: Weibo

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How to edit an image on an Android smartphone

After you have taken the image on your phone there are few easy steps to edit your image. Editing an image on Android is very simple and a quick process. A lot of people might cringe at the idea of editing an image on Android. That’s because the editing is not as refined compared to photo-editing software such as Photoshop. However, editing your picture in android will definitely give it a new look and you just might find it worthy to post it on social media.

First things first, you need to ensure that you have a good picture. All Android smartphones come with a camera app.  Just open it. Make sure the image that you want to take is in the centre of the screen before you click. To edit, you would find many editing options in your device. The number of tools in every android might be assorted.

But they are common in terms of the options of brightness, frame, cropping, text, stickers and filters. You can also put text or highlight few portions of your image. Some phones might even have the blur and eraser pen tool.

If one knows which part does what function editing is going to be child’s play. And this, one can know by being aware of the very basic tools. As stated earlier some of the basic and common tools are for cropping, filters, framing, brightness.

Now, let’s get to their functionality one by one.

Filters: Provides an added shade to you picture. It could also change the colour of the background to an extent.

Framing: It puts various frames which acts like a décor to your image.

Cropping and rotating: This works to adjust the size and rotate the image in different angles, clockwise or counter-clockwise.

Brightness: You can increase or decrease the brightness of the image as per your convenience.

So, here’s how to edit your image:

  1. After you have clicked your image, select it.
  2. You will find a few options below the screen. One of them would be edit. Click on that.
  3. There will be a list of options.
  4. As said, there will be options of cropping, adjusting the size and brightness of the image, providing filters. Try some of them out and according to what you find is ideal set it.
  5. Once you are done with the editing, there will be a ‘save’ button press that. You will find your edited image in the gallery folder of your device.

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Samsung Galaxy A50 spotted on Geekbench with Android 9 Pie and Exynos SoC

0

Not a day goes without Samsung being in news these days. And the latest report that has surfaced online talks about Galaxy A50 (SM-A505FN), which has recently been spotted on Geekbench. Whenever an upcoming smartphone appears on Geekbench, we get to know about a few of its specifications.

The first thing that the Geekbench leak of Samsung Galaxy A50 reveals is that the smartphone comes with Exynos 7 9610 chipset, which is a 10nm processor that has four Cortex-A73 cores and four A53 cores. The GPU used along with it in the smartphone is Mali-G72 MP3.

samsung geekbench

But what really caught our eye was the fact that the smartphone runs Android 9.0 Pie. This is a big deal for Samsung as the South Korean technology giant has just started its transition away from Android Oreo. To recall, its recently launched Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) is also powered by Android 8.0 Oreo and is waiting for the Pie update. The much talked about M-Series smartphones of Samsung, with which it will be replacing its current On-Series and J-Series, have also appeared on benchmark websites with Android Oreo.

Other than this, the leak reveals that the upcoming Galaxy A50 mobile from Samsung will pack 4GB of RAM. The version that appeared on Geekbench shows 64GB of internal storage. However, it has previously been reported that Samsung Galaxy A50 will also be available with 128GB onboard storage too.

It is worth noticing that Samsung Galaxy A50 scored 1681 in single-core test and 4867 in multi-core test. While the single-core score of the device can be compared to devices with Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC, the multi-core score is comparable to Snapdragon 636 SoC.

In 2018, we saw Samsung revamping its A-series with a number of innovations and by packing attractive new features in their handsets.

To recall, Samsung launched its Galaxy A7 and Galaxy A9 (review) smartphones this year. While Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) comes with a triple rear camera setup, the Galaxy A9 (2018) is the first ever smartphone to come with four cameras on its back panel.

Both the smartphones are aimed at users for whom photography is very important when they are buying a smartphone.

Image courtesy: Geekbench

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Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 and ZenFone Max M2 Go specifications revealed

The Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 is set to launch on 11th December at a launch event in India. Along with this the company is also launching the ZenFone Max M2 Go. Both have been listed in the Company’s Russian official website. Both smartphones come with tall, bezel-less 19:9 displays and sport display notches.

The ZenFone Max Pro M2 would be available to customers from 12th December. The phone would come at a price of RUB 17,990, which is roughly Rs 19,000 in India. The ZenFone Max M2 comes at a cost of RUB 12,990 which is roughly Rs. 13,700 in India. This phone has the option to be bought in the form of instalments. While the ZenFone Max Pro M2 comes in blue colour, the ZenFone Max M2 would be available in black colour.

Coming to the specifications of the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2. It sports a 6.3-inch HD+ (1,080×2,280 pixels) IPS LCD panel with an aspect ratio of 19:9. The Dimensions of the phone are 157.9×75.5×8.5mm and its weight is 170grams. The phone sports a dual rear camera setup with a 13-megapixel primary sensor and a 12-megapixel secondary sensor. The front camera comes with a 5-megapixel sensor.

Connectivity options include Bluetooth v5.0, GPS, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, 4G LTE, GLONASS, a micro-USB port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Also, at the back, there is a fingerprint sensor. It is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC and comes with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. To give it life a 5,000mAh battery has been installed in this device.

Now we come to the Asus ZenFone Max M2 specifications. It sports a 6.3-inch HD+ (720X 1,520 pixels) IPS LCD panel with a 19:9 aspect ratio. It has 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage. The android smartphone bears a 13 MP primary sensor and a 2MP secondary sensor. On the front it has an 8MP selfie camera.

In terms of connectivity, it includes 4G LTE, Wifi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS/ A-GPS. Also, a micro-USB port and a 3.5 mm headphone jack are part of the package. The phone seems to be on the heavier side as it weighs 160 grams. Built-wise kits dimensions are 158.41×76.28×7.7mm.

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Honor V20 with triple rear cameras set to launch on December 10

Honor 8C just made its way to India a few days back. And now, it seems like the Chinese smartphone maker will be launching one more smartphone before the year ends. Huawei’s sub-brand Honor will be hosting an event in Paris on January 22. And it is widely speculated that the smartphone maker will be unveiling the Honor View20, which is codenamed as Princeton, at its event. However, before that happens, the smartphone will be launched in China.

According to a report in BGR, the Chinese smartphone maker confirmed the same today via its Weibo account today saying that the smartphone will be launched on December 10. However, as per speculations, the smartphone will be known as Honor V20 instead of View20 in China. If you look closely at the launch poster shared by Honor, you will see that the huge number 3 showcases the night view of Hong Kong city.

According to previous reports about the upcoming device, Honor V20 smartphone be seen sporting a Full HD+ display that will come with 2310×1080 pixel resolution. The presence on an in-screen camera has also been speculated. The upcoming Honor V20 smartphone is said to come with Huawei’s high-end Kirin 980 processor.

While the size of the battery of the upcoming smartphone is not known yet, reports have suggested that Honor V20 will have support for 22.5W rapid charging. We have already seen triple rear camera setup in Huawei’s P20 Pro and Mate 20 Pro smartphones and according to reports, we will get to see them in Honor V20 too. It has also been speculated that the third lens of the camera will be a ToF 3D stereo camera which can be used for 3D depth sensing.

In fact, the ‘3’ written on the launch poster shared by the company could be confirming the presence of a ‘3D Camera’ feature. Honor V20 mobile is said to run Android 9 Pie operating system skinned with EMUI 9. It has been reported that the smartphone will go on sale in China on December 27, however, this has not been confirmed officially till now. The expected price of the smartphone is 2,799 Yuan.

Image courtesy: BGR

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Vivo NEX 2 official renders, hands-on video leaked days ahead of launch

Earlier this year when Vivo launched its NEX smartphone, we were really impressed by the design of the handset. The device offered a full-screen experience to its users, was among the first few smartphones to come with an in-display fingerprint scanner and had a pop-up selfie camera. We thought its design was very futuristic and it made it look extremely premium.

Needless to say, we are looking forward to the successor of the smartphone, Vivo NEX 2, which is all set to launch in China on December 11. As of now, there is no word on the smartphone’s availability in India, but we should expect it to be launched soon considering that India is an extremely important market for the handset-maker.

And just days before the launch, the company took to its Weibo account to share the official press renders of the device. Other than this, a hands-on video of the upcoming Vivo NEX 2 smartphone has also surfaced online which shows the display and the back panel of the handset.

vivo nex 2.

Speaking of the press renders of Vivo NEX 2 mobile, they show that the smartphone will deliver a full-screen experience as it does not come with thick upper and lower bezels. The back panel of the smartphone comes with a smaller screen, a triple rear camera setup clubbed with LED flash and an RBG-lit Lunar Ring for notifications. Two rear cameras are present inside the ring, while the third rear camera and the LED flash are placed on either side of it.

The hands-on video of Vivo NEX 2, which has been shared by Ice Universe, shows that the device indeed comes with a big notch-less display. In the video, it seems like the smartphone offers nearly 100% screen-to-body ratio. Other than this, the back panel of the upcoming smartphone from Vivo looks like its sports a gradient colour. Speculations have suggested that the Vivo NEX 2 will be available in Ice Blue and Star Purple gradient colour options.

According to reports, Vivo NEX 2 will come with a 5.5-inch rear screen, which means that the display in the front of the handset would be 6.5-inches in size, much like its predecessor Vivo NEX (review).

The dual rear cameras of the smartphone which are present inside the RBG-lit Lunar Ring can be used to click selfies. When users will do this, the second screen of the device will turn into a viewfinder. Apart from showing notifications, the Lunar Ring can also be used as flash while taking pictures.

The third sensor of the smartphone is expected to be a ToF (Time of Flight) stereo camera that can be used to map 3D objects. Besides this, no other details about the smartphone have surfaced, but we will update you as and when we get to know.

Image courtesy: Weibo

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Apple is rolling out the new watchOS 5.1.2 that will come with ECG features

The Apple Watch series 4 has been slated to get this feature from some time. Now it is finally rolling out as the company has got the relevant permissions from the governing body in USA. With the introduction of the watchOS 5.1.2 users in USA will be able to get ECG as well as detect irregular heart rhythm. The apps will come in the new OS update and is slated to trickle down to other countries as well.

The company first had given the world a glimpse of these apps and features when they launched the Apple Watch Series 4 along with the new iPhone XS, XS Max and XR in September this year. These apps and feature are finally rolling out in the US market, since it has got FDA’s approval.

The timeline for the feature set to come to other countries is still undecided as Apple needs to get approvals from each country’s medical body for the same. India being a big market for Apple, industry insiders have told us that clearances have been asked for in India as well, but there is no firm word on when they will get it. Chances are the feature will roll out in parts of Europe before it comes to the Asian countries like India and China.

To use the ECG feature the users need to place a finger on the crown of the Apple Watch Series 4 and wait for 30 seconds for the Watch to detect it. The watch will detect any signs of arrythmia and give a feedback to the user. However, the feature is not replacing the doctors or medical equipment, but is a matter of means for early detection. If someone find any irregularity with their health using this feature, a doctor or a hospital should be consulted immediately.

With this feature the smart watch by Apple has become smarter. Who knows what will they bring to the table next.

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SHARP has launched new air purifiers starting at Rs 19,250

Air Purifiers help to clean your house free of dust and other particulate matter. Just like an X-Ray machine can identify our body parts thoroughly, an air purifier scans the entire air around the house and would pull in the last strand of dust. Today, SHARP Corporation has launched a plethora of Room Air Purifiers. The Room Air Purifiers which comes under J series has finally been launched by SHARP in India. The Room Air Purifiers are especially designed and built for India.

There are various editions of the machines launched at various price points. First is SHARP’s FP-J30M-B. This is priced at Rs 19,250. The second one is the FP-J40M-W; this costs Rs 27,000. The FP-J60-W is another model that has a price tag of Rs 35,000. Rising up the price scale is the FP-J80M-H which is sold at a cost of Rs 39,000.

While the FP-J30M-B is available through the offline mode, the other three models are sold through online and offline sales and distribution networks across India.

The features of the new set of air purifiers include Haze mode that enables superior purification using HEPA and carbon filters. This cleans out substances like Benzene and NOx. The PM10 filter in these purifiers are washable, too. There is a light sensor on the J60 and J80, which senses when you have turned off the light to sleep. It automatically shuts the light off on the air purifiers, so you get complete darkness in your room. The J60 and J80 also come with PM level indicators that lets the users know in real time, the PM2.5 levels in their rooms.

For asthmatic patients this would prove to be really useful as the air around you once purified, relieves your lungs. Also, if one is thinking of keeping a pet in their house, they should also invest in an air purifier. One might catch asthma from animal dander if they come in contact of it. This can be curbed by using an air purifier.

Delhi being one of the most polluted cities, an air purifier in every house would prove to be a lifesaver. One can experience the stark difference between the inside and outside atmosphere with the use of an air purifier. A tip for air purifier users, make sure to change your filters regularly, most manuals would tell you when you need to change them, so go through them when buying.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxV2nD26JIM

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OnePlus 5G smartphone could cost $200 to $300 more, CEO confirms

Chinese smartphone brand OnePlus yesterday spoke further about its upcoming 5G smartphone. The company confirmed that it will be using the latest Snapdragon 855 processor in its 5G smartphone and has partnered with to launch it. And now, we have some more information about the much-anticipated smartphone. While OnePlus is popular for offering premium smartphones at a relatively affordable price tag, the company’s 5G smartphone would be an exception.

According to a report in The Verge, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has said that the company is working on a 5G and 4G phones simultaneously and the5G model is expected to cost at $200 to $300 more than the upcoming 4G phone.

“It’s hard to know because there’s a lot of specifics still to look at, but it’s likely in the neighbourhood of $200-300 more,” he said.

Lau further said that OnePlus is working on a 5G smartphone in spite of the fact that it will cost more because there is a lot of customer demand for it. He further added, “5G is an important trend with its own tremendous challenges…we’re working to understand the technology as quickly as possible.”

Among the key challenges for OnePlus will be making a 5G mobile for various cellular carriers that can operate on different frequencies.OnePlus CEO also said that taking the phone from one carrier to another would be a lot tougher with 5G connectivity as compared to what it is with 4G. As of now, the company has not seen a solution that would cover many different carriers across the globe.

We should mention that OnePlus‘ 5G smartphone is targeting just one kind of 5G network, the ‘Sub-6′ spectrum that is used by EE. It is worth noticing that waves of AT&T and Verizon have more speed than EE, which will be OnePlus’ first carrier in Europe.

Speaking about millimetre wave, Lau said that they come with their own set of challenges and a good-looking handset is one among them. This is because it has to be designed in a way that multiple antennas fit into it.

Lau was quoted saying, “On the product level, it’s much more complex than 4G, so a significantly higher level of challenge, especially millimetre wave. It appears impossible to make a nice-looking flagship device, for now.”

As of now, there is no word on the availability of OnePlus’ 5G smartphone in other parts of the world. But we’ll update you as soon as we know.

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[Video] Sony WH1000XM3 Headphones Review

Verdict and Final Words

Overall, I loved the audio experience on these headphones, they are comfortable to wear. The Sony WH-1000XM3 headphones will not give you any sort of aches (head or neck). With 40mm drivers inside the sound does not crack or distorts even at full volume. Calling feature works flawlessly, too. The battery lasts for over 25 hours on a single charge, but does take its fair bit of time to recharge. Sony has enabled fast charge on these headphones, where users can get up to 5 hours of playback time with a charge of 30 minutes. But that can happen only by using a compatible fast charger.

Sadly, the charger is not part of the package one would need to buy it separately. That is the only downer I came across on this device. All in all, Sony you have outdone yourself and I for one loved these. They are definitely one of best headphones right now in the premium side of the audio market. If you have the money to spend and are looking for futuristic sound and controls, go for them without a doubt.

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OnePlus and Amazon are said to be working on a trade-in-program

OnePlus is doing a partnership with Amazon India. It is slowly ceasing to be just a mobile company. In an interview that appeared India Today they announced that they will launch their first TV in 2019. They also mentioned that they doing a trade-in-program. So, the users can upgrade their phones at an affordable price.

The date of this partnership hasn’t yet been declared. But one thing is certain—it will allow users to upgrade their OnePlus phones easily. It is similar to the current trade-in-offer, where one sends their device and gets credits in return for buying a new smartphone. You would probably send your smartphones to Amazon now that this partnership has commenced. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to trade-in any flagship smartphone.

The trade-in in program might not just start with OnePlus 6T. The report is not very clear on it. According to some sources the program might start with OnePlus 7, when it gets launched next year. Whatever the case maybe, the program seems to be starting very soon. With which model, is yet to be known. We for one would want it to start with OnePlus 6T and continue with the other models that get launched afterwards.

To recall, the OnePlus 6T smartphone, which is based on Android 9.0 Pie has a 6.41-inch Optic AMOLED display. This is laced with a waterdrop notch on the top. It has a 3,700mAh battery, 16MP + 20MP dual rear cameras and a 20MP selfie camera. Also, OnePlus 6T comes with a Nightscape mode, improved low-light photography and enhanced colour reproduction, and dynamic range. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor and is available with 6GB or 8GB RAM and 128GB or 256GB storage.
Another good news is that this Chinese smartphone maker is set to launch the OnePlus 6T McLaren edition on December 12.

The McLaren edition would also be an Amazon exclusive and it has gone live on Amazon India’s website with a ‘Notify Me’ button. The technical specifications of the Mclaren edition will be the same as the regular edition. The only change one would see will be on the outside. Before this, the company has already launched couple of limited editions of their previous generation of smartphones. One of the more popular ones was ‘The Avengers’ edition and the ‘Star Wars’ version.

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Epic Games to have its own game store for PC, Mac and Android

Epic Games, which has developed titles like Unreal Tournament, Gears of War and Fortnite will be launching its own online game store. Developers will be able to use this online game store to sell their games.

At first, Epic Games’ online game store would only be available on PC and Mac. However, it will also be made available to Android and other ‘open platforms’ in 2019.

It has been reported that the concept of the upcoming store will be on the same lines as Valve’s Steam and EA’s Origin. The game store by Epic Games will come with a list of curated titles from different developers.

But the reason why developers may be attracted to use Epic Games’ online store is that the company will take a lesser cut than others.

Most other platforms take 30% of the revenue from the total sales of each title. This includes the purchase fee as well as the in-app purchases that are made by the customers. It was because of this that Epic Games launched Fortnite on Android via its own website.

With its own game store, Epic Games will only take 12% of the revenue from developers, which means better earnings for them. In addition to this, if Epic’s Unreal Engine is used by the title, then the company will cover 5% of the royalty for using the engine.

Other features that will be offered to developers include a newsfeed using which they can communicate with their customers and a special creators program. Using this program, content creators such as YouTubers or Twitch streamers can get a share of the revenue whenever they refer someone to play the game. It is worth noticing that this can only be enabled when developers opt for it, and they also get to decide how much share will go to the content creators.

For the first 24 months, Epic Games will cover the first 5% of creator revenue-sharing.

What makes this even better is the fact that Epic Games has promised that developers will be getting their own game page and newsfeed, which would come without any store-placed ads, cross-marketing or paid ads. Epic Games will also let developers use any game engine and would not be limiting its service to those who use Unreal Engine.

More details about the upcoming game store will be revealed at The Game Awards.

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Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G variant to be powered by Snapdragon 855 SoC

China Mobile is currently having its annual Partner Conference in Beijing. Xiaomi is among the biggest companies that are attending the conference and the smartphone maker seized the chance to demo its 5G-enabled Mi Mix 3. To recall, Xiaomi’s Mi Mix 3 smartphone was launched in October this year. At the launch, Xiaomi showcased a 4G model and said that the 5G enabled variant of Mi Mix 3 would be launched later.

And now, the company has showcased the device China Mobile’s Partner Conference. Although all the specifications of the smartphone are the same as the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 model launched in October this year, the only difference is that it comes with the latest Snapdragon 855 SoC.

The smartphone maker has said that Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 5G combines the newest chipset by Qualcomm to its next-gen modem. This modem has some in-house antenna switching technologies that enable the smartphone to reach download speeds of 2Gbps.

The new model of Mi Mix 3 mobile will retain the body of the model launched in October. It will come with a slider mechanism, a display with a massive screen-to-body ratio, a fingerprint scanner on the back panel of the device. Besides the processor, the rest of the internals of the smartphone is expected to remain the same. And this means the much-touted night mode and 960fps video recording will also be present on the new version of the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3.

The Chinese smartphone maker also said that the development of the device started in 2016 and the final design and architecture was finalised in 2017. In September this year, Lin Bin posted a photo of the first device running 5G in the company’s test lab on Weibo. Xiaomi will be partnering China Mobile in pre-commercial tests in its home country. It will also be launching the device in Europe in Q1 2019.

To recall the specifications of Xiaomi Mi Mix 3, it features a 6.4-inch OLED touchscreen and comes in three models – 6GB RAM/128GB storage, 8GB RAM/256GB storage and 10GB GB RAM/256GB storage. The smartphone has four cameras in total – 12+12MP dual rear cameras and 24MP+2MP dual selfie cameras.

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Samsung Galaxy M20 display panel leaked

Samsung will be launching a flurry of phones in the next few months, so leaks and tips around the same will abundant. The leaked image of the Samsung Galaxy M20 has appeared on 91Mobiles. Samsung Galaxy M20 is the first smartphone releasing as part of the new M series of Samsung. According to the image Samsung will use a waterdrop-type notch for accommodating the front camera and sensors. This would also increase the overall screen space of the phone.

In the image, it shows that the Samsung Galaxy M20 will have large curves on the side. Furthermore, it has a more premium look than the Galaxy J and Galaxy On series, which it would replace. The backdrop of this is that Samsung is facing a lot of pressure from its competitors. Its target is to revamp its portfolio by March, 2019. There is a small cut-out on the top of the display screen that is meant for the selfie camera. As indicated it would probably have a high screen-to-body ratio.

Samsung Galaxy M20

The first water-drop notch was introduced by OPPO and the trend has been followed by several Chinese brands since then. For Samsung it is the first water-drop notch phone to be launched and it was somewhat unexpected.

A few leaks have revealed that the Samsung Galaxy M20 is coming with the Exynos 7885 mid-range SoC and 3GB RAM. According to sources, the chipset will have 8 cores and 1.6GHz clock speed. Another source has said that the smartphone will have 32GB internal storage and the display will support 1,080×2,340 pixels resolution. It will also run on Android 8.1 Oreo software.

According to reports, the Galaxy M20 and Galaxy M10 are already under production. They are being produced in their Noida plant as the Make in India initiative. The launch date hasn’t been declared yet, but it is expected to launch somewhere in early 2019.

Samsung has also released the teaser of its Infinity O, Infinity U and Infinity V displays. Will Samsung bring them out in the M series, too? We shall get to know in some time. As of now, the M series will add to the water-drop notch smartphones along with the unique features Samsung already has. Once the phone is released it would be interesting to see what effect does it have on the buyer’s demand and can it beat the rising Chinese smartphones market.

Image Courtesy: 91mobiles

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