Chinese Technology Company Honor is all set to launch its upcoming mobile phone Honor 20S on September 4. The company will be introducing the smartphone first in China. Prior to its launch, the Honor 20S has now been listed on the JD.com. The latest smartphone is now up for pre-order on the website. The listing on the website reveals the design as well as the display along with key specifications.
As per the official listing Honor 20S is now available for pre-booking. As per the listing, the handset will come with a triple rear camera setup with a 48-megapixel sensor on the back panel. While the front the smartphone will be featuring a hole-punch display. The website also reveals the pricing of the device. Honor 20S will be available for purchase at CNY 9,998 (approximately Rs. 99,900) from 9 PM onwards
The smartphone will come in three colour options Butterfly Feather White, Butterfly Feather Black, and Butterfly Feather Blue colour. The company will be offering Honor 20S in two storage variants 6GB RAM with 128GB internal storage and 8GB RAM with 128GB internal storage.
On the part of the design, the upcoming phone will be featuring a bezel-less as well as notch-less hole-punch display integrated with a selfie camera on the top left corner of the screen. On the rear panel, it sports a triple rear camera setup aligned vertically in a module along with a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.
Previously the smartphone also got listed on the Chinese regulatory website TENAA. As per the listing, the smartphone will be featuring a 6.26-inch full-HD+ (1080×2340 pixels) display. The device will be powered by, a 2.6GHz octa-core SoC that will be offering 12GB RAM along with up to 256GB storage. Honor 20S runs on Android Pie. On the part of the camera, it comes with a triple rear camera setup included with the 48-megapixel main camera, 8-megapixel sensor, and a 2-megapixel sensor. While on the front Honor 20S will include a 32-megapixel sensor. The device will house a 3,650mAh battery with 20W fast charging support. It measures 154.25×73.97×7.87mm and weighs 172 grams.
Taiwanese technology company Asus, expanding its gaming laptop range, announced the launch of ultra-slim gaming laptop ROG Zephyrus G (GA502) in India. It not only covers all the gaming essentials but also extends an ultra-slim and compact experience at an affordable price bracket, as stated by the company. The gaming laptop will be available for purchase via e-retailer Flipkart at a price tag of Rs 99,990.
The ultra-slim Asus ROG Zephyrus G GA502 is 20mm slim and it weighs 2.1kg. The gaming laptop features a 15.6-inch IPS anti-glare display along with a Full HD resolution as well as a 120Hz refresh rate panel. The laptop is powered by third-generation AMD Ryzen 7 3750 processor supported by Intelligent Cooling, the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1660 Ti clocks up to 1,335MHz at 60W in Turbo mode with ROG Boost. The device comes with up to 32GB DDR4 RAM along with 512GB internal storage.
Zephyrus G GA502 offers a White-backlit chiclet keyboard. Asus ROG Zephyrus G GA502 comes with a 76Whr lithium-ion battery along with a 180W power adapter allowing gamers 8.8 hours of battery life, ample to support everyday productivity. The connectivity options include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5.0, one USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C port, three USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-A ports, an HDMI port, 3.5mm headphone jack, and a Kensington lock as well.
“Ensuring the long life of the laptop is the intelligent cooling system, powered by self-cleaning thermal module, anti-dust tunnel fans, 33% thinner blades for up to 17% improved airflow, fan scenario profiles and modes. The laptop is completely flexible and versatile, with smart amplifier and HRA certification”, said the company.
To recall last month Asus launched a new range of gaming laptop range in India with the launch of six new ROG laptops. The newly launched Asus ROG laptops include – ROG Strix G531/G731, ROG Strix Scar III, ROG Zephyrus M GU502, ROG Zephyrus S GX531, ROG Zephyrus GX701, and ROG G703. Asus ROG G703 can be purchased at Rs 4,00,000. The Zephyrus GX701 and GX531 cost Rs 3,00,000 and Rs 2,50,000 respectively. The Asus ROG Strix III Scar comes at a starting price of Rs 1,65,000 and the Zephyrs GUS502 is available at Rs 1,50,000. Lastly, Asus ROG Strix III comes at a starting price of Rs 80,000.
Creating a checklist or To-Do list on Microsoft Excel for keeping a track of day to day work is very easy. Most of us use To-Do apps to list down the day to day tasks on a particular day. Here are the simple steps that you can follow through the end to create a checklist:
In This Article
Turn on Developer Tab
At the outset activate the ‘Developer’ tab in Excel. First, you need to head to File and choose Options now you will see Excel Options in the dialog box. Then select the Customize Ribbon option, after this check the box beside ‘Developer’ and click Ok. Now on the Excel ribbon, you will spot the Developer tab.
Prepare Tasks in Excel
Now set up a column ‘To Do’ and start adding the tasks that you want to do.
Enter Checkboxes in Excel
Apart from the to-do column you now need to add Checkboxes. In order to do that all you have to do is click on the Developer tab next click on the Insert tab that you will find under ‘Form Controls’. After that click on the Excel cell and then insert the checkbox.
Now you will notice a default text to the right of the checkbox. In order to remove that right click on the checkbox then select the ‘Edit Text’ option and erase the text.
Allocate a cell to each Checkbox
Now you are required to allocate a cell to all the checkboxes. While doing this we need to tick and un-tick to the right of the checkboxes where you will see TRUE and FALSE values. This process will allow us to make use of those values to check whether all the boxes are checked or not. To do so right-click on the checkbox and opt for Format Control.
After this, you will get an option of the control tab you will spot a cell link box. Now click on the button on the right side of the Cell link box that you would like to allocate to the checkbox then click ok.
Repeat the step to select the cell for the remaining checkboxes
Apply Conditional Formatting
To select the task click on ‘Conditional Formatting’ under the ‘Home’ tab and select ‘New Rule’. To do so ‘Use a formula to determine which cells to format’, now click on ‘Format’ button, select ‘Strikethrough’ under ‘Effects’ and go for a red color from ‘Color’ dropdown and click ‘Ok’. Do again for each task you entered.
Now the column gets hidden every time you tick the column that gets updated and unticks the checkbox, so you can only view the tasks that are undone in the Excel sheet. To do so tick the checkbox beside the task that will turn red as well as striking off the text for completing the task
Microsoft announced a new Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18970(20H1) to Windows Insiders that intends to bring back desktop design for the tablet mode. Releasing the new Windows 10 Insider Preview the company aims to bring tablet experience for 2 -in-1 convertible PCs.
“We are beginning to roll out a new tablet experience for 2-in-1 convertible PCs as a Beta to Windows Insiders. This new experience allows users entering tablet posture to stay in the familiar desktop experience without interruption” said the company.
The search box on the taskbar collapsed into an icon.
File Explorer switches to touch an optimized layout.
Touch keyboard auto invokes when you tap text fields.
The software company has also made a few more changes to the tablet section in Settings. According to the company, the new rollout is only available for a small number of Insiders first.
Use your convertible PC as a laptop as you normally would–opening apps and interacting with them.
When you’re ready to pick it up and go or simply lean back on the couch, you can fold back the keyboard or remove it altogether, and it should switch to this new mode shown above.
Now use your device as a tablet with touch.
Apart from that, the company now also brings new reset this PC option that will now allow the user to select between download Windows or use local reinstall. Before this change, the PC only came with the option to do a local reinstall and would build a new Windows installation from existing Windows files.
“When this feature was introduced in Windows 10 version 1507, it provided the advantage of enabling Windows to be recoverable without requiring extra disk space to store a compressed, backup copy of Windows in a hidden partition. We’ve heard feedback that some of you would prefer to use your high-speed internet connection to speed up this process by just downloading Windows.”
Now this will remove all the apps that the user has installed on their PC. Additionally, if the user selects the option of “Remove everything” user data on their PC will get automatically deleted. While on the other hand the on the Windows 10 devices they will now have a cloud download option that is different from the Recover from the cloud that will reinstall the same build, version and edition, which is currently installed on the user’s device.
Last year the software technology giant Microsoft introduced the dark mode theme for Outlook.com. And now the company has announced that it will bring the dark mode feature on Outlook for iOS and Android, as well as Office.com. Dark mode themes reduce eye strain and improve battery life. After the launch of iOS 13, the software company will roll out the new feature to Word, Excel, OneNote, PowerPoint, SharePoint, OneDrive, Planner and To-Do on mobile.
In its official blog post announcing the launch of Dark mode on Outlook for iOS and Android, Microsoft explained that for iOS, Outlook will automatically switch to Dark Mode depending on the preference while Outlook for Android automatically switches to Dark Mode when you choose Battery Saver. Dark Mode will also save battery life when the user is traveling or on the go for long stretches of time. It will be best suited for viewing email, calendars or files in places where the default white mode may be less suitable, like darkened airplanes, movie theaters or in bed at night.
“Our design research specifically focused on these contexts where folks would want to use Dark Mode, and the response was very positive. While some Dark Mode experiences can be neon or overly bright, people felt that Outlook mobile kept the kind of relaxed feeling you might want in a dimly lit living room or bedroom. They described the experience as comfortable, crisp, clear, and aesthetically pleasing, a nod to how Dark Mode can reduce eye strain.” said the blog post.
Microsoft first brought a darker UI theme to desktop apps in Office 2010. The company further explained that “using the new gray palette for Fluent, our app teams began by aligning to the single palette. This included increasing contrast, brand color saturation, and consistency among details like how and when we use shadows when in Dark Mode.”
In the future, the company is also planning to bring Dark Mode to even more of the Microsoft 365 product suite. Dark Mode comes to Word, Excel and PowerPoint for mobile with the launch of iOS 13, as well as iPad. Along with this, the company will also bring Dark Mode to SharePoint, OneDrive, OneNote, Planner, and To-Do on mobile.
“There will be more experiences to follow — Dark Mode for all Outlook clients, Planner and OneDrive on the web are coming down the pipe — so stay tuned for those rollout dates.”
Super Plastronics Pvt. Ltd. (SPPL), on the completion of its association with Kodak today announced the launch of a series of new 4K smart TV in India. The three new Kodak smart TVs have been launched under the XPRO series that includes Kodak 43 4KXPRO, Kodak 50 4KXPRO and Kodak 55 4KXPRO. All the three XPRO series of smart TVs offers 1GB of RAM and up to 8GB of internal storage.
Speaking at the launch, Super Plastronics Director and CEO, Avneet Singh Marwah said “We are delighted to announce the expansion of Kodak XPRO HD LED TV series. We have always marked our efforts proactively to support the demands of our customers. Thus, we have come up with these 4K models and recently we have started a new production line at our Noida facility with a production capacity of 3000 units in a day and we will be offering 2-3 variants in every quarter”.
As the name suggests Kodak 43 4KXPRO comes with a 43-inch display, Kodak 50 4KXPROwill be available with a 50-inch screen and last of all
Kodak 55 4KXPRO will be available in a 55-inch screen size. The Kodak XPRO lineup of smart TVs display comes with IPS panels along with 4K resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels, a 5,00,000:1 contrast ratio, 500 nits brightness and are supported by HDR 10.
All the new LED TVs will be powered by a quad-core A53 CPU coupled with Mali-450MP multi-core GPU. The Kodak XPRO smart TVs come with 1GB of RAM along with 8GB of internal memory. The smart TVs run on the Android 7.1 operating system that comes integrated with apps like Netflix, Hotstar, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Voot and Zee5, YUOO TV, Sony LIV and Eros Now.
Kodak XPRO TVs will be offering a 24W Audio Output supported by Digital surround sound, Total volume, Dynamic surround and feather sound support. The connectivity options include three HDMI ports, two USB ports, WiFi and an RJ45 ethernet port.
Pricing and Availability
The latest Smart TVs Kodak 43 4KXPRO, Kodak 50 4KXPRO and Kodak 55 4KXPRO can be purchased at Rs 22,499, Rs 27,999 and Rs 31,999 respectively. All three TVs will be available on the e-commerce website Flipkart from September 1.
After postponing the launch of Samsung Galaxy Fold for several months, last month the South Korean company confirmed to launch its foldable smartphone sometime in September. However, the company did not confirm the exact launch date of the device. Now in the latest development, the company has confirmed that initially, the Galaxy Fold will arrive in few markets. And on that list, India is among them where the most awaited phone will debut. The upcoming phone is now also listed on the Samsung India website.
Earlier this year, Samsung was ready to launch its first foldable smartphone. But before it did that, it sent the device to some reviewers in the US, who reported about the issues in the screen and the hinge design of the Galaxy Fold. Now the company assures that it has fixed all the issues of the Galaxy Fold handset and that it is ready to be launched for the general public in September. Some of the reports suggest that the company will be launching the Galaxy Fold between September 18 to September 20.
Other reports suggest that Samsung, in the beginning, will roll out 100,000 units in the Korean market and its entire production of the Galaxy Fold will arrive at a number of 1 million units worldwide. Therefore, we can guess that the company is in no mood to launch the phone at cheaper prices. Galaxy Fold is priced at USD 1,980 (approximately Rs 1,40,000).
Now according to the Samsung India website’s listing, the company will be launching the phone in four colour options Space Silver, Cosmos Astro Blue, and Martian Green Black colour here.
In total the smartphone will come with six cameras a triple camera set up on the rear panel, dual camera set up within the foldable screen and a selfie camera on the cover. The triple rear camera setup consists of a 16MP ultra-wide camera, a 12MP wide-angle camera and a 12MP telephoto camera. On the inside, it has a 10MP selfie camera and an 8MP RGB depth camera, lastly, a 10MP selfie camera on the cover will be seen. The screen comes with a flexible 7.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED Infinity Flex Display
The Samsung Galaxy Fold will come with 12GB of RAM along with 512GB of internal storage. To give it the life it houses a 4,380mAh battery. The foldable phone will also offer face and fingerprint scanner.
As the launch of the OnePlus 7T is coming closer more and more leaks and rumours are pouring in. The latest is that the key specifications of the OnePlus 7T smartphone have been leaked on the web. The rumours suggest that the phone will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ SoC, and it will pack a 3,800mAh battery.
Additionally, the device will be featuring a 6.55-inch Super AMOLED display and will come with some improvements over OnePlus 7 that the company launched a few months ago, globally. Apart from that, the company is also expected to launch its first-ever OnePlus TV alongside the said smartphone. According to some other rumours the smartphone company likely to launch the high-end variant of the OnePlus 7T that is OnePlus 7T next month on September 26th.
Tipster Ishan Agarwal on Twitter shared that the upcoming phone will come in two storage variants 8GB of RAM along with 128GB and 256GB of internal storage. Additionally OnePlus 7T will be offered in two colour options Frosted Silver and Haze Blue colours.
On the part of technical specifications, the phone is expected to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ SoC. It will come with a 6.55-inch 2K Super AMOLED 90hz Display with Smaller Notch. The OnePlus 7T will be housing a 3,800mAh battery.
Coming on the camera capabilities the tweet suggests that OnePlus 7T will arrive with the triple rear camera setup. The camera setup will consist of a 48-megapixel primary camera sensor, a 16-megapixel secondary camera sensor and lastly a 12-megapixel tertiary camera on the back panel of the phone. While on the front, it will feature a 16-megapixel camera for selfies and video calling. The front camera will have support for the 960fps 10-second SlowMo videos, Wide-angle-video as well as Nightscape mode.
However, as of now the smartphone company has not revealed the launch date of the OnePlus 7T but the tweet shared by tipster Ishan Agarwal claims that the handset will be launched on September 26. In addition to this, he also says that the launch event will be held in Delhi
As per other reports, the upcoming OnePlus phone will be housing a 4,080 mAh battery and will be powered by Snapdragon 855 SoC. OnePlus 7T will measure 161.2×74.5×8.3mm.
Lastly, we would like to say that all the mentioned details are speculative and we therefore also suggest you take it with a grain of salt.
The Chinese smartphone company recently launched Vivo S1 in India. It comes with a 32-megapixel front-facing camera and is powered by MediaTek Helio P65 SoC. The device has a 4,500mAh battery along with an in-display fingerprint sensor. Vivo sent us the Diamond Black colour variant of the S1 for review that we used for over 10 days now. Read our review to know if it is worth purchasing.
In This Article
Vivo S1 Design and display
Vivo S1 comes with a 6.38-inch Full-HD+ Super AMOLED display that includes a waterdrop design to house the selfie camera. The design of the smartphone has a 90 per cent screen to body ratio and offers an aspect ratio of 19.5:9 that provides great multimedia experience. The display comes with an in-display fingerprint sensor along with face unlock as security features. If we look at the design it carries a slim look that makes it easy to handle and the bezels are thin on the sides and on contrast the chin is wider.
The company has launched the smartphone in two colour variants Skyline Blue and Diamond Black. So, for this review, we got Diamond Black colour version. The very first time when we unpacked the device we found it to be sleek as well as well designed. It comes with a plastic-coated rear panel, under it some diamond patterns that make it look stunning.
However, the back, as well as the front panel, catches fingerprints as well as scratches very easily. And while reviewing this stylish unit the front caught few minor scratches on the display. Here we would like to suggest that at Rs 20,000 price point the company should have taken care of such details and rather than giving more attention to the design. We would have appreciated the use of Corning Gorilla Glass because no one likes a trendy phone with a scratched front.
On the brighter side, the company has chosen plastic material that gives it a glass-like finish. The rear panel comes with a triple rear camera set up aligned vertically along with golden border all along the metal rim placed on the top left corner with LED Flashlight. On the right edge, Vivo S1 comes with Volume and power buttons that are easy to get to. On the left, the phone comes with a Dual SIM (NANO) card slots along with a dedicated Google Assistant button that activates the Assistant on a single press, identical to the Vivo Z1 Pro. While at the bottom user gets a 3.5mm headphone jack as well as a Micro-USB port along with a speaker grille.
Not only the back panel looks stylish, but the front also looks pretty good. Vivo S1 has a bright display screen that offers vivid colours as well as crisp text characters when used indoors. The brightness of the screen is not superb when used under direct sunlight. We suggest using the auto screen brightness mode if you go out a lot. On the whole, the display is pretty much decent as we thoroughly enjoyed watching movies, surfing the internet as well as browsing social media apps like Instagram and Facebook. The overall experience was good because the touch response is quick.
Here we would also like to mention that at this price point the Vivo S1 offers in-display fingerprint sensor along with face unlock feature. And we were surprised to note that both the sensor were swift at unlocking the phone, but the face unlocks feature excellent for our liking as it was way faster than the fingerprint sensor.
Vivo S1 Performance and Camera
Vivo S1 is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio P65 SoC. The Helio P65 is paired with two cores Cortex A75 cores clocked at 2GHz along with six Cortex A55 cores clocked at 1.7 GHz. The handset comes integrated with Mali-G52 intended for graphics.
The handset is available in three storage options 4GB RAM/128 GB storage and 6GB RAM/64 GB storage and 6GB RAM with 128GB storage that is expandable up to 256GB via microSD card. The 4GB RAM along with 128GB of internal storage will come at a price tag of Rs 17,999 the other 6GB RAM with 64GB of onboard storage variant can be purchased at Rs 18,990 while the 6GB RAM with 128GB storage variant can be bought for Rs 19,990.
The handset runs on Android 9.0 based on Funtouch OS 9 that offers Jovi Smart Screen, Customisable Icons, Dark Mode, new shortcut centre and so on, which offers smoother and faster user experience.
Unlike Vivo Z1 Pro, the Vivo S1 smartphone comes with a 4500mAh battery supported by 18W fast charger that is included in the box. It takes 2.5 hours to get fully charged. Despite the large battery inside the device is light in weight.
Vivo S1 Performance and Camera
Coming to the user interface and Android 9 with Funtouch OS experience, if truth to be told the home screen is a bit chaotic as there is no app drawer. It comes pre-installed with lots of apps like V-Appstore, Vivo Browser, Vivocloud data backup service, Easyshare file sharing tool, I Manager for general security and maintenance tasks and I Theme for UI customisation. Third-party apps include Gaana, Amazon, Facebook, WhatsApp, PhonePe, Paytm and more. The device could have done without them, however, Vivo does give its users the options to quickly remove most of the above apps in two taps.
A good-looking phone with great design is not the only requirement while buying a smartphone. Today in the era of Instagram and Facebook people love clicking pictures as well as posting them instantly. So if you are also one of them and love taking pictures as well as expect them to be Instagram worthy then the S1’s selfie camera comes into play. On the front, the 32MP camera (with f/2.0 aperture) has been included within a waterdrop design. The camera sensors of the device are supported by Artificial Intelligence. It offers enhanced beautification features like AI Face Beauty, AI Portrait Lighting, AR Stickers, etc. We must say it is a good quality selfie phone that let us capture great selfies in low light conditions also. So that means the front camera sensor is capable of taking a picture in all light conditions.
Now coming on the rear camera capabilities, first things first, Vivo S1 features a triple rear camera set up that includes a 16MP (f/1.78), 8MP AI Super Wide Angle (f/2.2) secondary sensor along with 2MP Bokeh Camera (f/2.4). The rear camera sensors of the device are supported by Artificial Intelligence, too. It comes with several modes like HDR Mode, Live Photo, PDAF, AI Super Wide-Angle, Portrait Mode, AI Portrait Framing, AI Face Beauty, Time-Lapse, Slo-Mo among others. At this price point, we did not expect Vivo to be providing a phone with just a 16-megapixel camera. Its competitors in the market launched their devices with a 48-megapixel camera set up. Well, maybe in the next one then.
However, we managed to click a good picture with the Vivo S1 but we missed the sharpness in the pictures, which a 48 MP camera will fetch. And here we would like to mention like many other smartphones it also failed to capture pictures where red, magenta and white colours were prominent, we clicked few pictures in the portrait mode and the results were not up to mark as we noticed a change in the colours.
The low light pictures were great we have also attached a few samples of photos captured in low light conditions. The pictures were less noisy when compared to some of its competition and we were able to capture the photos with great details.
Verdict
Where other Chinese brands like Xiaomi and Realme are constantly coming up with great design and performance Vivo’s S1 did leave us with a mixed bag of feelings. On one hand, we loved the day and night shots of the front camera, but day shots of the rear sensors were a bit outdated. Nevertheless, if you are looking for a phone that looks good as well as captures great selfies then go for Vivo S1 because it delivers good selfies in almost all light conditions.
Over that, to give it life, Vivo S1 houses a 4500 mAh battery that is supported by 18W Dual-Engine Fast Charging. It lasts more than a day on a single charge if you are not a heavy gamer or power user.
Finally, it’s confirmed the all-new range of Apple’s iPhone 11 will be unveiled on September 10. The company has also started sending invites to the press for the Apple Special Event that will be held at Steves Jobs Theatre in Cupertino, California.
At the Apple Special Event, the company is expected to introduce the new series of iPhone 11. Although the press invite did not bear that the new generation of the iPhone will be unveiled or not. But if we look at the press invite carefully we can see the Apple’s logo donning five vibrant colours dropping a hint that the new iPhone 11 model might be introduced in five new pulsating colour options. But if we go by the rumours the company might launch three new models of iPhone at the September 10’s event.
All the three models will be the successor of the iPhone XR, XS, and XS Max. In which the two models are expected to arrive with a triple rear camera set up and the XS model might also feature a bigger 6.1-inch display screen than its predecessor that owns a 5.8-inch display. Apart from that, we can expect the new series of iPhones to come with better imaging capabilities and a more powerful processor, Bionic A13.
According to some reports that surfaced on the web, the 2019 iPhones could be supported by bidirectional wireless charging feature that will allow the AirPods to charge with the use of the company’s new wireless charging case. Apart from that, the phones might feature Face ID biometric security along with a larger battery and the use of shatter-resistance technology.
Like always the premium smartphone making company will be bringing a few more products this year alongside iPhone 11 models. Last year the company launched Apple Watch Series 4 along with a software update for the HomePod. So as the rumours suggest this year also the company will come up with a new 16inch MacBook Pro along with new iPad and iPad Pro.
Alongside the 2019 iPhone series of smartphone, the company is planning to launch Apple watch in two new casing of titanium as well as ceramic. The upgraded version of the watch will arrive in 40mm along with 44mm sizes similar to the Apple Watch Series 4.
Sources close to Gadget Bridge have confirmed, the price of the smartphones for the Indian audience will be announced right after the event. The base variants of iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 max/pro will lie between Rs 69,999 and Rs 84,999.
Asus smartphones have started receiving new software updates. The FOTA updates are being rolled out for ZenFone Max M2, ASUS 6Z, ZenFone Max Pro M2 and ZenFone Max Pro M1. All the smartphones were launched by the company a few months ago.
The Taiwanese company launched the Asus 6Z at a starting price of Rs 31,999 while the ZenFone Max M2 costs Rs 7,499. ZenFone Max Pro M1 and Max Pro M2 are available at Rs 8,499 and Rs 9,999 respectively.
ZenFone Max M2
The smartphone is receiving a software update with version 16.2018.1908.48. The software update also brings August Google security patches. The software update comes with improved charging efficiency that ensures that the phone will charge safely without damaging the battery even if the device is kept plugged in for extended periods of time. It will automatically get disconnected if the device is kept plugged in above 48 hours.
ASUS 6Z
ASUS 6Z Fota update comes with version number 16.1220.1908.189_M3.6.17.31_20190814. The software update brings with the support for more than 18 SmartKey functions. The functions include Open Calculator, Open Currency converter, Open Unit Converter, Open Stopwatch, Toggle preset alarm, Open Timer, Open Gallery, Show QR code , Open recent files start/Stop video recording, Alarm snooze, Quick Dial call, Answer Calls, WiFi ON/OFF, Hotspot ON/OFF, Bluetooth ON/OFF, Open Camera app and take a picture, Open Camera app and record video.
The new update offers an enhanced camera and improved call audio quality in addition to this it also brings the August Android security patch.
ZenFone Max Pro M2 and ZenFone Max Pro M1
ZenFone Max Pro M1 and M2 updated FOTA software come with version number 16.2017.1906.069 and 16.2017.1908.057 respectively. Besides getting the updated software it will also receive August Google security patches that will fix all the security vulnerabilities and stay clear of any breaches in privacy.
Techno announced the launch of two new smartphones in India. The company introduced Tecno Spark Go and Tecno Spark 4 Air under the budget segment. Both the latest smartphones come with 6.1-inch waterdrop-style notch display and are powered by Helio A22 quad-core SoC. The smartphones house a 3,000mAh battery along with the face unlock feature.
Tecno Spark Go, Tecno Spark 4 Air price and availability
Tecno Spark Go has been launched in a single 2GB RAM with 16GB internal storage option while on the other hand Tecno Spark 4 Air will be available in 3GB RAM with 32GB onboard storage option. The younger sibling will come with a price tag of Rs 5,499, whereas the elder sibling will cost Rs 6,999. The company is offering both the smartphones in two colour options Nebula Black and Royal Purple colour. These phones will be available across all the offline retailers in the country.
On the purchase of Tecno Spark Go the buyers will get a free Bluetooth earpiece worth Rs 799 as a complimentary gift. The buyers will also get a one-time screen replacement, 100 days’ free replacement along with one-month extended warranty.
Tecno Spark Go specifications
Tecno Spark Go is powered by the 2.0GHz Helio A22 quad-core SoC paired with 2GB RAM along with 16GB of storage expandable up to 256GB via microSD card. It features a 6.1-inch HD+ display with 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 85 percent screen-to-body ratio and 450nits brightness. The Smartphone runs on HiOS 5 built over Android Pie.
On the part of the camera, the smartphone comes with along 8MP AI rear camera, F2.0 aperture and night Algorithm 2.0 paired with Dual Flash that offers Portrait Mode, HDR, Night Mode and professional camera settings. On the front it sports a 5MP AI selfie camera with a Micro slit front flash that comes with AI Beauty Mode, Portrait Mode, in-build localized AR Stickers and Wide Selfie Mode for better selfie experience.
The Tecno Spark Go houses a 3,000mAh battery. It offers Face Unlock 2.0 comes with a screen fill-light feature that comes with advanced security function of not unlocking the device when eyes are closed.
Tecno Spark 4 Air specifications
Tecno Spark 4 Air, features a 6.1-inch HD+ display with 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 85 percent screen-to-body ratio, and 450nits brightness. It runs on HiOS 5 based Android Pie and is powered by the 2.0GHz Helio A22 quad-core SoC coupled with 3GB RAM that offers 32GB of storage that can be further expanded up to 256GB via microSD card. It has a 3,000mAh battery and features Face Unlock 2.0 supported by screen fill light feature in a device that helps users to unlock quickly in a dark environment.
On the camera front, Tecno Spark 4 Air comes with a 13MP f1.8 primary sensor that captures perfect portraits along with supported features like Portrait Mode, HDR, Night Mode and professional camera settings. On the front, it 5MP AI selfie camera with Micro slit front flash that comes with the same features as Tecno Spark Go.
Amazon announced that it will now be offering more than 30,000 skills by the top brands and developers to the Alexa users in India. The company stated that its voice assistance service store will now provide Alexa skills across various categories like Astrology, Bollywood, Cricket, Devotion, Entertainment, Education, Food & Recipes, Homes Services, Kids, among others.
Dilip R.S., Country Manager for Alexa Skills and Voice Services, Amazon India said, “Voice is the future. Coupled with the advent of web and mobile, voice will be a step change for human interaction with technology. With over 30,000 skills in the Alexa Skills Store in India, brands and developers truly understand the opportunity that voice presents. Today, over 40 devices with Alexa built-in are available to Indian customers, from multiple brands like Sony, LG, Bose, iBall, Panasonic and boat. We look forward to connecting with the community at Alexa VOXCON, share and learn from each other,”
The Indian developers have built Alexa skills specifically for the Indian consumers that include Sanjeev Kapoor recipes, Ganesha Speaks, Bollywood Quizzes and many more. Devotional skills like Hanuman Chalisa, Gayatri Mantra, Sai Darshan and music skills like All India Radio have also been included to lure new customers in the market.
The Alexa skills also include kids-oriented categories like Wild Planet, ChuChu TV, Hello Rhymes and Bedtime Stories. According to the company the developers have also included more locally used words and phrases in their Skills. The Edutainment section comes with WikiHow, Word of the Day, Riddle Time and many more options to choose from.
“Today, over 40 devices with Alexa Built-in are available to Indian customers, from multiple brands like Sony, LG, Bose, iBall, Panasonic and boat.” Said Dilip.
Apart from that the e-commerce company Amazon has also announced two days “Alexa VOXCON” first-ever conference in India. The conference will be held in New Delhi from September 18 to September 19. The conference will be headed by Amazon leaders and its main focus is to provide an opportunity for businesses, technical builders and Amazon to come together, share and learn on voice tech.
During the two days conference, the participants will also get a chance to be part of the Alexa Voice Awards ceremony where a panel of industry experts will recognize the people and brands for their exceptional work with Alexa.
Lenovo owned company Motorola launched Moto G7 earlier this year. Motorola G7 is said to be ‘a premium phone with affordable pricing’. It is popular for offering a good camera, fast charging, improved CPU and a big display. A few months have passed and now the next generations of Moto G series images have landed on the internet. After the pictures of the moto G8 appeared on the internet, the specifications of Moto G8 Play have surfaced on the web. The upcoming phone might come with an HD+ screen and a 4,000mAh battery along with this it could be powered by MediaTek SoC.
According to a report by XDA Developers the company is expected to add 4 smartphones in the Moto G series– Moto G8, Moto G8 Plus, Moto G8 Power and Moto G8 Play. The online portal also claims to possess the specifications of the base variant of the Moto G8 Play.
The report says that the speculated phone will arrive with a model number XT2015-2, XT2016-1 or XT2016-2 depending on the market. Moto G8 Play will reportedly feature an HD+ (720×1,520 pixels) 19:9 screen and it measures 157.6mm x 75.4mm.it’s the smartphone supports LTE bands (2/4/5/7/6), too.
The report further reveals that that device will be powered by a MediaTek SoC. Yes, the device could come with either the MediaTek Helio P60 or the MediaTek Helio P70 CPU. The rumored phone will debut with either 3GB or 4GB of RAM, 32GB or 64GB of internal storage and will be housing a 4,000mAh battery, which is larger than Moto G7 Play. As per a schematic, it will have a rear fingerprint sensor. Over that, it will be supported by NFC and dual-SIM slots depending on the market it sells in.
Moto G8 Play is also expected to arrive in two colour options – Iron and Cosmo, and it might be launched in Brazil, Latin America, Asia Pacific and Europe first. Information about India is still unclear, but going by the past trends, the smartphone will come to India at the time or soon after the launch.
After launching a new series of laptops in India, Lenovo is all set to launch new versions of smartphones in the country. The company has also started sending invites to the media for the same. According to the press invites the company will be launching not one, not two, in fact, three smartphones in the country. Lenovo will be unveiling Z6 Pro, K10 Note and A6 Note on September 5 here.
As we all know that the company has already launched the Lenovo Z6 Pro a few months ago in China now the company has decided to launch two fresh mobile phones in the Indian market. A few months back in May the company launched Lenovo K9 Note in India and now it will be introducing its successor Lenovo K10 Note. However, no official specifications have been revealed by the company with regards to Lenovo K10 Note and Lenovo A6 Note smartphones. But Lenovo A6 Note has now appeared on the Android Enterprise listing revealing its specifications ahead of its official launch.
Lenovo A6 Note specifications
As per the speculative listing, the Lenovo A6 Note is expected to come with a 6.1-inch display screen. The device will run on the Android 9 Pie OS. The company is expected to launch the phone in two storage options 16 GB and 32 GB internal storage. However, the listing does not reveal the processor of the smartphone, but it mentioned that it will be offering 2GB of RAM. Here we would like to mention that all the specifications are speculative so we can wait till the smartphone gets launched.
Lenovo Z6 Pro Tech specs
To recall, Lenovo Z6 Pro runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with ZUI 11 supported by Game Turbo mode, U-Touch and U-Health among others. The smartphone features a 6.39-inch AMOLED display that comes with the support for DC dimming and HDR 10 and has an in-display fingerprint scanner that also has the ability to detect moist and wet fingers. The handset is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor clubbed with Adreno 640 GPU. It comes in 6GB/8GB/12GB RAM options. Apart from that, the Z6 Pro also has support for Face Unlock.
Coming on the imaging capabilities, the Lenovo Z6 Pro sports an AI-powered quad-camera setup paired with dual-LED flash. The camera setup includes a 48MP main sensor with an f/1.8 lens, a 16MP wide-angle sensor, an 8MP telephoto sensor and a 2MP sensor. The smartphone comes with a ToF (Time of Flight) and a PDAF sensor as well. The cameras are supported by optical image stabilisation and modes like Super Night Scene, Super Macro, Super Wide Angle, Super Body, and Dual Scene. On the front, there is a 32MP selfie camera on this smartphone.
Lenovo Z6 Pro houses a 4,000mAh battery supported by 27W fast charging. Reverse charging is also available on this handset. The connectivity options include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, dual-frequency GPS and a USB Type-C port.
We have been hearing that Apple has been using a “grading” program to hear Siri voice recordings globally. After several reports criticised the company, it has suspended the project. The company also promised to make the system more transparent where the users can opt-out of the grading programs. Those who are unaware, the Cupertino based tech giant had hired employees that were found to be hearing private conversations via Siri. In a new development, the company has fired 300 contractors in Cork, Ireland who were involved in listening to more than 1,000 Siri conversations.
The grading process has raised deep concerns over the user’s privacy as their personal data, as well as details, are being used in the wrong ways. As we mentioned earlier after this the company decided to suspend the grading project. According to a report by Engadget, many contractors throughout Europe may have been let go and are upset that Apple fired so many people with just one week’s notice. Even those who were concerned with the program’s ethical implications expressed their frustration.
For the past month the staff had been on paid leave. In another report by The Guardian said, “The staff had been on paid leave since 2 August, the day Apple announced its decision to suspend the program, referred to as “grading”, as it conducted a thorough review”.
Apart from that the tech giant has also made a few changes in its privacy policy as well as apologised for the Siri grading program. In a press release it said:
As a result of our review, we realise we haven’t been fully living up to our high ideals, and for that we apologise. As we previously announced, we halted the Siri grading program. We plan to resume later this fall when software updates are released to our users — but only after making the following changes:
First, by default, we will no longer retain audio recordings of Siri interactions. We will continue to use computer-generated transcripts to help Siri improve.
Second, users will be able to opt in to help Siri improve by learning from the audio samples of their requests. We hope that many people will choose to help Siri get better, knowing that Apple respects their data and has strong privacy controls in place. Those who choose to participate will be able to opt out at any time.
Third, when customers opt in, only Apple employees will be allowed to listen to audio samples of the Siri interactions. Our team will work to delete any recording which is determined to be an inadvertent trigger of Siri.
Apple is not the only one that has employed human supervision for its automatic voice assistant other brands like Google, Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft were also identified for listening to recordings from its digital assistant. But now Apple has suspended both non-optional recording and the subsequent grading policies. The company has also promised not to record or use the user’s data unless they opt-in. This is a great move by the company, which could bring the user trust back.
Fitbit introduced new smartwatches along with the Aria Air scale and paid premium service for the Fitbit app. Fitbit Versa 2 comes with improved features along with new modes like Sleep Score and smart wake. The new smartwatch also comes with various health-related features. The second product launched by the company is Fitbit Aria Air that is a low-cost Bluetooth scale, which tracks weight and syncs with the Fitbit app to calculate BMI. Apart from that the company also launched Fitbit Premium a paid subscription service in the Fitbit app for guidance and coaching.
Fitbit Vera 2 features, pricing and availability
Fitbit Vera 2 smartwatch is the redesigned variant of the Fitbit Versa. Versa 2 is also powered by a faster processor for better performance and seamless navigation. It comes with a larger AMOLED display, too. An anodized aluminum finish in a natural color palette black, petal, stone, midnight blue and olive along with a simplified one-button design can be seen on this smartwatch.
Fitbit Vera 2comes with a swimproof feature making it durable and water-resistant up to 50 meters. It has innovative sleep features like Sleep Score, smart wake, sleep mode and Estimated Oxygen Variation Graph besides this it also comes with health-related and other smart features. The new smartwatch also has an inbuilt microphone that is supported by Alexa voice assistant service. The device is integrated with the Spotify app that allows the user to control their music and podcasts with it. The watch now has brighter clock faces and crisper display with an optional always-on mode and it lasts more than five days on a single charge.
The special edition Versa 2 features a premium jacquard woven band in navy and pink with a copper rose aluminum case or smoke with a mist grey case. Accompanied by this it comes with a contemporary color-matched classic silicone band in navy and olive colours. The high-end device comes with a free three-month trial of the Fitbit Premium membership, too.
Fitbit Versa 2 will be available from September 15 across Reliance Digital, Croma, Helios and other major retailers offline and online on Amazon and Flipkart at Rs 20,999. Whereas, the Versa 2 Special Edition will be available for purchase at Rs 22,999. The two exclusive editions –emerald and plum, both with a copper rose case will be available later on the company’s official website.
Fitbit Aria Air
Fitbit Aria Air is a low-cost Bluetooth scale that tracks weight, BMI data and trends integrated with user’s holistic health data in the Fitbit app. The weighing scale can be synced to the Fitbit’s wearable devices. As per the company service, Aria Air gives you access to added data, information and motivation to more effectively reach your health and wellness goals. By connecting it to the smartwatch along with the Fitbit app allows the user to track their activity, exercise, sleep, heart rate, nutrition, weight data and trends over time.
Together with the Fitbit app, Aria Air supports the features like:
Option to create a plan: Set a healthy weight goal in the Fitbit app, log your food, and view weight trends alongside calories in and out to stick to a plan based on personal goals.
Compatible with Fitbit Premium: Integrate with Fitbit’s new paid membership, featuring personalized insights and guided programs, including a two-week program to help you understand the importance of keeping an appropriate calorie range for your weight goal.
Connect to partner apps: Sync weight data with popular brand apps so you can see all your exercise, food logging and weight data in one place on the Fitbit app.
Social support and inspiration: Access the Community section of the Fitbit app to connect with friends, family and fellow Fitbit users for healthy eating and weight management tips, support groups and motivation.
Fitbit Aria Air will be available from late September and has been put on pre-order on Fitbit.com and select retailers like Reliance Digital, Croma and online on Amazon and Flipkart. The weighing scale will come at a price tag of Rs 6,999.
Sony is known to build some great music equipment including headphones and Bluetooth speakers. The latest from their camp is the Sony SRS-XB32 Bluetooth speaker, which come with an extra bit of bass punch. We tuned in to it for a good 15 days and tried to find all the chinks in its armour. This is our review of the Sony SRS-XB32 Bluetooth speaker that comes from Sony’s Extra Bass lineup.
In This Article
Design
First thing out of the box, we found it to be on the heavier side of things. The small size is deceiving. But then, we dug deep into why is it so? It is because this BT speaker has an extra-large battery inside and the whole shell is made to last an impact. So yes, the weight of just under a KG is justified. Will talk more about that in a moment, let’s first talk about its looks and design.
The Sony SRS-XB32 Bluetooth speaker is built to perfection. Available in 3 colours – Red, Black and Blue, we reviewed the last one. The front has a set of 48MM audio drivers behind a mesh type grille, which gives it the edge. But what takes the cake are the set of LED light strips that run around the front façade and sides of this speaker. It looks exceptional and one would love to turn these on in parties. The light strip can be controlled with the help of the Music Centre and Fiestable apps. A lot of colour options can be chosen from and our favourite is white, as it just pops out.
There are two more LED lights hidden behind the grille, which came to us as a good surprise. They are well hidden and only light up when you play a track. They flash with the beats, so does the LED light strips. You can control the light strip and can completely turn it off by pressing the light button, located at the back, for 3 seconds. Talking about which, there is back as well as front button panel on the Sony SRS-XB32 Bluetooth speaker. Let’s talk about the front one first. This is located on the top of the speaker and consists of the live mode, play/pause, volume up, volume down and power buttons.
The rear panel has the regular USB, MicroUSB charging ports as well as an auxiliary-in jack. This is accompanied by a couple of buttons such as battery (that doubles up as the light key), which lets you know the exact amount of battery left in the device (when short pressed). A reset pinhole button can also be found here. A bit of advice, keep this panel tightly shut since the Sony SRS-XB32 Bluetooth speaker is IP67 rated. Which means it is water and dustproof. If you let the rear panel loose then water might seep in if submerged in water.
With this the BT speaker is also shockproof, we dropped it from up to 3 feet and nothing happened to it. Not even a scratch. This is mostly because the entire shell is built of hard rubberised material. We have seen water resistant machinery coming from Sony before, but shockproof is something new.
Performance
Coming to the Sony SRS-XB32 Bluetooth speaker’s capabilities, its audio and features, we found it to be quite attractive. Setting up this speaker was child’s play and with NFC enabled on the device it just takes a tap to connect the speaker to any NFC compatible smartphone or tablet. In case you do not have that on your device, you can just pair it as easily using Bluetooth. In about 2 minutes we were up and running. Sony’s Music Center app comes handy when you want to operate the device wirelessly. The app also shows a popular list of music apps in one place, which of course are already installed on your smartphone. These include Spotify and Google Play Music.
The Blue LED light on the top panel stops flashing once your smartphone is connected to the speaker. And as soon as it did, we turned on Spotify to listen to some of our favourite tunes. Since the Sony SRS-XB32 Bluetooth speaker falls in the extra bass category, they do deliver a great bassy experience. The highs and lows are great. Mid becomes better when you turn on the live mode. One can easily toggle between modes using the top button panel.
In standard mode the LED indicator on top of the power button will be green (can access this by pressing play and volume down buttons together). To get into extra bass mode tap the live button, which will turn the power indicator to white. For live mode with extra bass, the LED lights on both the live and power buttons will turn white. Yes, this can be tricky to learn at first, but after a few times, you get the hang of it. In case you still do not get the gist of it, all this can be managed from the Music Centre app as well.
The live mode adds a real punch to the sound by enhancing the mids. Which also makes the voice clearer. It is great if you are hearing jazz tunes or opera on it. For regular Bollywood masala or western tunes, the extra bass mode is where we found comfort. Some neat functionalities have been added to the Sony SRS-XB32 Bluetooth speaker like party booster mode. When turned on via the app, this will enable you to tap the speaker on top, bottom, front, left or right. Each tap will produce different sounds of a drum or percussion. Gimmicky? Yes, but fun? Definitely yes!
Also, one can create a party chain of these speakers. If you have more than one of these then you can connect them with each other to create a party chain (up to 100 speakers at a time). Therefore, getting more great sound. Sony claims that the battery of this speaker lasts for 24 hours. Well, it does almost do that if you keep the extra bass mode off and do not turn on the LED lights. Then you get much more battery life, otherwise, you will end up getting half of it (12-13 hours), which still is not bad. Also, with the USB port, you can charge your other devices using Sony SRS-XB32 Bluetooth speaker. Coming to think of it, one would not be doing that often, but in case you are out with this portable speaker and need a quick battery top-up in your smartphone, you know you can rely on this BT speaker.
Verdict
The price of the Sony SRS-XB32 Bluetooth speaker is Rs 10,990 in India. Is that steep? Yes. But is it worth it? Totally. The sound is superb, the looks are great, LED lights can be controlled, the battery lasts long, what’s there not to like. But yes, if you ask us to compare it with the competition, we have to say a sub-10K price on this speaker would have been a sound-licious buy.
After seeing success with Amazon Echo Show and the second generation of Echo Show, the company recently launched a more affordable version of the smart display speaker: Amazon Echo Show 5. Priced at Rs 8,999, the device comes with a 5.5-inch screen and has support for Alexa, Amazon’s digital assistant. While this sounds like a great deal on paper, we spent a few days with the smart device to know what its pros and cons are. Read the rest of our review to find out more:
In This Article
Amazon Echo Show 5 design
In terms of the design, the Amazon Echo Show 5’s design is a lot like the 10-inch smart display speaker that we have seen from the company. However, the 5.5-inch screen of the device is similar to work on as that of a smartphone. But the similarity is limited to the size. Since the resolution of the display of Amazon Echo Show 5 is 960X480, some may feel that it doesn’t match up to the screen of their handset. The front of the smart display speaker is dominated by the display that is outlined by white-coloured edges on all four sides.
A selfie camera placed on the top of the screen can be covered using a shutter. We really appreciate this as people have often cited privacy concerns when it comes to keeping smart display speakers with cameras in their living rooms or bed rooms. The ability to keep the selfie camera closed certainly caters to that lot. The top edge of the device comes with physical volume buttons and a key to mute Alexa. It also has the physical slide to hide the selfie camera of the smart display speaker.
On the back, the device has a power port. We should mention that much like all other Amazon Echo speakers, the Echo Show 5 needs to be plugged in at all times in order to work. Amazon Echo Show 5 also has support for a micro USB port and a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
The device is White in colour and its speakers at the back are dressed in Silver. Another version of it is available in Black too. It’s light in weight and compact. For those who found the previous Amazon Echo devices too big for their bedside tables, the Echo Show 5 is the solution. However, if you are one amongst those who like to watch a lot of video content, the screen may not be big enough for you.
We overall liked the design of Amazon Echo Show 5. It is very much in-line with other devices in the Amazon Echo family and the smart display speaker doesn’t occupy too much space where it is kept.
Amazon Echo Show 5 performance and features
The key differentiating factor of the Amazon Echo Show 5 is its display size. Since the size of the screen has been reduced as compared to other devices in the range, you will see that the Echo Show 5 showcases lesser information than others. But before we talk further about the performance, we should tell you how to get started. You would have to download the Amazon Alexa app on your smartphone, which is available on Google Play Store as well as Apple’s App Store. Once you install the app, you would be able to connect your device to your handset and using the app; you can add new skills, create routines and integrate other devices from Amazon too.
Coming back to the performance, we should mention that the navigation is not as seamless as it is in other Amazon devices. For instance, since there are no physical home button, going back to Home Screen means always pulling down the Menu from the top of the screen to press on the shortcut. In addition to this, we should also mention that even Alexa does not have the ability to go to certain menus in Amazon Echo Show 5.
Having said that, Alexa does offer very prompt responses to queries it does have support for. Most of our commands got a good response from the digital assistant. A visual element also appears on screen each time Alexa answers a query and this is something we really liked.
There is a wide variety of things that you can ask Alexa to do. We at times asked Alexa how much time it will take for us to reach a certain spot in town, made it do calculations, asked it for daily updates and more. You can simply say, “Alexa, what all can you do?” The digital assistant will then show you a list of commands that you can use with it.
Routines is one of the prominent features of Amazon Echo Show 5. With this, you can connect the smart display speaker to other smart home devices in the house. However, we could not try this out ourselves.
We should also mention that it will be a big plus if you have subscribed to other services by Amazon like Amazon Prime. As of now, the ecosystem that the smart display speaker has is limited as compared to the one that is available on Google’s devices. So, a number of popular apps like YouTube are not available on Amazon Echo Show 5. This makes it important for any user of the device to have subscription for other Amazon services too.
Moving on, the device offers 1.65 x 4W of sound output. While the volume cannot go extremely loud, we should mention that it remains consistently clear. The users also have the option of adjusting the level of bass, mids and trebles via the Alexa app. It is decent overall.
Verdict
At Rs 8,999, the Amazon Echo Show 5 is certainly a good buy. Although, as we have mentioned earlier, it is not as seamless as other smart display speakers in the Amazon range, it is far more affordable than them too. The idea of having a compact smart speaker with a display and a digital assistant has its own advantages. While the screen quality and the functions that Alexa can perform on Amazon Echo Show 5 don’t match up to that of the bigger Echo Show, the latter is far more expensive. At the given price range, Amazon Echo Show 5 will not disappoint you.
Xiaomi’s sub-brand Redmi is all set to launch its most awaited smartphone Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro today. To launch the series of smartphones the company has organized a huge event in Beijing, China. Alongside Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro, the company will also be introducing its first smart TV named Redmi TV also a redesigned variant of RedmiBook at today’s event. The launch event will begin at 11 am IST. Interested people can watch the event live on the Redmi’s website.
Redmi Note 8, Redmi Note 8 Pro price and specifications (expected)
In China today Xiomi’s sub-brand will launch Redmi Note 8 as well as Redmi Note 8 Pro. The company will be launching Note 8 Pro in two variants, 6GB RAM + 128GB of internal storage that is expected to cost CNY 1,799 (approximately Rs 18,000)and 8GB + 128GB storage variant may cost CNY 2,099 (approximately Rs 21,000).
On the other hand, Redmi Note 8 will be made available in a single 4GB + 64GB internal storage variant that might come will a price tag of CNY 1,199 (approximately Rs 12,000).
Both the smartphones will carry the same design and are also protected by Gorilla Glass 5 from the front as well as on the rear panel. A dot drop notch on the front display will also be seen. Apart from that, both the devices will be featuring a quad rear camera set up. The camera set up of the Redmi Note 8 will consist of a 48-megapixel primary sensor and the elder sibling will include a 64-megapixel main sensor. Apart from that, the quad-camera set up will include a Super Wide Angle lens, Depth of Field lens and Super Macro lens. Both younger and the elder sibling will boast a 4,500mAh battery. Redmi Note 8 will be supported by 10W charger whereas the Redmi Note 8 pro will come with an 18W charger. Redmi Note 8 will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 processor while the upper variant will be powered by MediaTek Helio G90T chipset.
Refreshed RedmiBook 14 and Redmi TV specs and price
Redmi will also launch its much-awaited Redmi TV and an upgraded version of RedmiBook 14 at the grand event. The Redmi TV will debut with a 70-inch screen. If we go by the rumours, the new entrant will come with super-thin bezel supporting 4K UHD panel. The Redmi smart TV will carry model No L70M5-RA. The company may also launch the smaller versions of the TV at the same event. However, there are no other details about the upcoming TV even the company has not disclosed if it will arrive in India or not.
Apart from that refreshed RedmiBook, 14 will also be launched alongside Redmi Note 8 series and Redmi TV. The company launched the RedmiBook 14 a few months ago along with Redmi K20 and Redmi K20 Pro. This will be the upgraded variant of the previous one that was powered by the 8th-gen Intel processor. The revamped variant of the RedmiBook 14 will be powered by the 9th gen Intel processor. For now, there are no more details of the new RedmiBook 14. Similar to the previous one the company might not bring RedmiBook 14 to India either.
German audio products brand Blaupunkt has launched wireless earphone BE-50 in India. Last month the company launched a set of two wired earphones EM10 and EM01 in the country. The company stated earphones come with a Bluetooth Neckband at competitive pricing.
The company entered the country with its Personal Audio range of products in February this year. The brand stated that the previously launched earphones EM10 and EM01 were much-admired by the audiophiles and their initial offerings Truly wireless pods (BTW01), Lightest BT Earphone (BE-01) took the market by storm, too.
Blaupunkt launched BE-50 in the Indian market at Rs 1499. The latest wireless headphones come with a Call Disconnect Feature. The wireless earphones are touted to offer the finest listening experience, advanced technology along with a unique Magnetic Lock. The earphones are powered by Qualcomm Processor that helps the user to control a number of calls and music features.
Blaupunkt headphones come with 150 mAh battery that on a single charge the earphones offer up to 12hrs of playtime and up to 2 weeks of standby time. The product weighs just 25 grams as High-Grade materials have been used to design the earphones that make them light in weight.
Additionally, the Blaupunkt BE-50 comes with different controls to answer, end, reject the call and switch songs without the need to take the phone out. It also comes with an in-built mic for a handsfree experience. BE-50 is IPX5 Water Resistant that protects it from dust and water splashes.
Over that, the new wireless earphones come with a noise isolation feature that can block out 90% of ambient sound and the device works with almost all the Bluetooth enabled devices.
Andrzej Cebrat, Managing Director, Blaupunkt says, “In a highly competitive market as ours, the product experience defines the future as compared to design In India. Blaupunkt has already achieved a benchmark as a leading player in the range of home audio products. With our century-old legacy of impeccable innovation and 20+ years of experience in India, we are certain that our audio products have raised the bar in the audio products market and we will continue to add high quality products that meet the consumer demands. I am confident; our latest wireless earphone BE-50 will be equally praised and accepted in the market”.
This year Vivo seems to be on a launching spree. The company is all set to launch another smartphone in the country. Vivo has officially confirmed that it will unveil Vivo Z1x smartphone on September 6. Even before it is launched, the company has revealed that the upcoming smartphone will be available on e-commerce website Flipkart. The new smartphone will debut with a triple rear camera setup along with an in-display fingerprint sensor and a waterdrop style notch. The phone will be a gaming-centric device that will be introduced in the country in the coming month.
Flipkart will be the online sales partner for the Vivo Z1x smartphone along with its own online store. The company stated that the latest smartphone will be targeting the game-loving consumers in the country that has been designed to perform better even while playing heavy duty games on their devices. As we all know that a few months ago the Chinese smartphone company also launched the Vivo Z1 Pro for customers who love playing games like PUBG. Z1 Pro comes with a massive 5,000mAh battery and Qualcomm Snapdragon 712 AIE chipset. So in that case, we can expect a more powerful processor for the Vivo Z1x mobile phone.
Apart from that, the company has also released a video teaser of the forthcoming phone on its official Twitter account giving us a short glimpse of the Vivo Z1x. According to the teaser, the handset will come with an in-display fingerprint sensor. The phone is displayed donning pearl blue and a purplish-blue colour on its back panel. On the rear, it displays a triple rear camera set up aligned vertically in a module along with an LED flashlight. In the end, the video says that the device will be unveiled on September 6 and will be available for purchase online on Flipkart as well as vivo.com.
As per another report Vivo, Z1x will arrive with a 48-megapixel camera supported by Samsung ISOCELL GM1 sensor. Apart from that on the Vivo’s website, the product page says that the phone will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. Which one? We shall come to know in about a weeks’ time.
The Chinese smartphone company finally launched the most awaited Oppo Reno 2 series of smartphone in India. The latest smartphone by the company has been introduced for the first time in the country and the world. The key highlights of the smartphone include quad-camera setup, shark-fin rising camera, Snapdragon 730G processor and VOOC 3.0 fast charging and so on. The Reno 2 is the successor of the Oppo Reno 10 X Zoom that the company launched in the country a few months ago. Take a look at our comparison as we compare Oppo Reno 2 with Oppo Reno first-generation and know which one suits you the best:
In This Article
Display
Oppo Reno 2: 6.55-inch AMOLED Panoramic notch-less display with a 20:9 aspect ratio.
Oppo Reno 1: 6.6-inch panoramic AMOLED display with 93.1% screen-to-body ratio, 6th generation Corning Gorilla Glass and TUV Rheinland certification.
Oppo Reno 2: quad-camera setup houses a 48-megapixel primary shooter, a 13-megapixel telephoto camera, an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera, and 2-megapixel portrait camera. Support 20x zoom
Oppo Reno 1: Triple-rear camera setup with a 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor, a 13MP periscope telephoto lens and an 8MP super wide-angle lens. Supports 10x zoom.
Selfie camera
Oppo Reno 2: 16-megapixel Shark Fin selfie camera.
Oppo Reno 1: 16MP pop-up selfie camera
RAM and storage
Oppo Reno 2: 8GB of RAM along with up to 256 of internal storage.
Oppo Reno 1: 6GB RAM/128GB storage and 8GB RAM/256GB storage
Battery
Oppo Reno 2: 4,000mAh battery along with support for VOOC 3.0 fast charging.
Oppo Reno 1: 4,065mAh battery with VOOC 3.0 support
Operating system
Oppo Reno 2: Android 9 Pie with ColorOS 6.1 on top
Both the smartphones come with a great display, excellent camera experience and a lasting battery. Oppo Reno 2 lacks in some aspects like display and battery. But in terms of imaging capabilities, it leaves behind Oppo Reno 10X. The pricing of the newly launched smartphone is also lower than the predecessor.
Oppo Reno 2 series officially launched in India today. The smartphone was globally launched in the country today. The flagship device comes with a quad-camera setup that offers 20x zoom camera capabilities. The key highlights are 6.55-inch AMOLED display, 4,000mAh battery. Alongside Reno 2 the company also launched two more devices Reno 2Z and Reno 2F as well. All the three handsets come with the 48-megapixel camera.
Oppo Reno 2 series price in India
As we mentioned earlier the company launched three smartphones in the country. Oppo Reno 2 will be available for purchase at Rs 36,990, while Reno 2Z will be sold at 29,990 however the company has not disclosed the pricing of the Reno 2F. the company will be offering the Reno 2Z in Sky White, Luminous Black, and Polar Light colours while the Reno 2F will be available in just Sky White and Lake Green colours.
Reno 2 series of the smartphone will be available on all the leading online store across the country.
Oppo Reno 2 specifications
Oppo Reno 2 comes with a 6.55-inch AMOLED Panoramic notch-less display with a 20:9 aspect ratio. The display screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 6 and the screen offers 93.1 percent screen to body ratio. It is powered by the Snapdragon 730G SoC octa-core processor paired with 8GB of RAM along that will offer up to 256 of internal storage. The handset runs on Android 9 Pie with ColorOS 6.1 on top It houses a 4,000mAh battery along with support for VOOC 3.0 fast charging.
The quad-camera setup of the Oppo Reno 2 will house a 48-megapixel primary shooter, a 13-megapixel telephoto camera, an 8-megapixel wide-angle camera, and 2-megapixel portrait camera. As mentioned, the phone will support 20x zoom. The set up comes equipped with Electronic Image stabilization as well as OIS. It also offers a 60fps frame rate along with the support for recording videos with a 116-degree wide-angle sensor. On the front, it comes with 16-megapixel Shark Fin selfie camera.
The Oppo Reno 2 is will come with a dedicated Neural Processing Unit (NPU) that will provide improved modes like Ultra Dark, Ultra Steady and Bokeh mode. For gaming purposes, the phone will be equipped with anti-cheat extensions along with enhanced Wi-Fi for connectivity along with 25 percent faster graphics compared to the predecessor. In addition to this, it will come with Game Boost 3.0, Game Assistant and HDR10 that will provide better and improved gaming performance.
Oppo Reno 2Z specifications
Oppo Reno 2Z that will come with a 6.53-inch full-HD+ (1,080 x 2,340 pixels) display with Gorilla Glass 5 protection and 19.5:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by the MediaTek Helio P90 SoC, coupled with 8GB of RAM along with 256GB of internal storage. It is expected to pack a 4,000mAh battery along with the support for VOOC 3.0 charging.
On the camera front, the Oppo Reno 2Z will come with a 48-megapixel IMX586 sensor, along with a 119-degree 8-megapixel sensor, and a pair of 2-megapixel sensors. The sensors will be offering 2x optical zoom, ultra-steady video mode for up to 60fps frame rate, EIS and Ultra Night Mode. According to the leaked live images, the phone will arrive with a centrally aligned pop-up camera.
Oppo Reno 2F specifications
Oppo Reno 2F will also be launched alongside Oppo Reno 2 that will be sporting a 6.53-inch full-HD+ (1,080 x 2,340 pixels) display with 19.5:9 aspect ratio and Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The phone will be powered by MediaTek Helio P70 SoC processor along with 8GB of RAM that will offer 128GB of internal storage.
On the camera front, the phone will be available with a 48-megapixel Samsung GM1 sensor, assisted by a wide-angle 8-megapixel sensor with 119-degree field of view and a pair of 2-megapixel sensors. It will be offering Ultra Night Mode 2.0 for low-light conditions along with 10x digital zoom excluding Electronic Image Stabilisation feature.
In order to take on Snapchat, Facebook is working on a new app called Threads that will allow the users to share their status, location, battery life and more with their closest friends. Threads will be a companion app to Instagram that will promote close sharing between users along with added text, photo as well as video with the use of Instagram’s original tools. According to a report by The Verge, the app is being put on internal testing by the social media giant.
A few months ago, the company quashed ‘Direct’, which was the standalone messaging app. The Direct messaging app was launched in 2017 in six countries Chile, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Turkey and Uruguay. The second app came with lots of filters similar to Snapchat. According to the portal, executives said that beta testers were frustrated about having to switch between Instagram and a second app whenever they wanted to send a message.
“A messaging app built around your close friends might be more popular. That’s what Snapchat already is today for a healthy portion of its users.”
A few of the reports suggests that the Snapchat users spend more time than average than Instagram users spend inside it.
“For Facebook and Instagram, which have long coveted Snapchat’s strong engagement among younger users, Threads could represent another effort to chip away at their rival’s appeal.”
Apart from that a couple of screenshots of the Thread app have also emerged on the web. It shows how the app has been built to promote constant, automatic sharing between users and the people on their “close friends” list on Instagram.
By opting the automatic sharing option, the user’s close friends will be able to view the user’s location, driving speed and more. In the beginning, the app will not show the information about the user’s location in its place it shows “on the move”. It will also let the user update their status physically that will display the statuses in the main feed with messages.
“The core of Threads appears to be messaging, and it looks very similar to the existing messaging product inside Instagram. Messages from your friends appear in a central feed, with a green dot indicating which of your friends are currently active. If your friend has posted a story recently, you can view that from inside Threads as well. Threads also have a camera, which you can use to capture photos and videos and send them to your close friends.”
However, the photo-sharing app has not disclosed any information with regards to the launch date. Similar to the Direct app the company might also bring down the Thread app before releasing it to the general public.
