Microsoft is testing a macOS-like reset feature for Windows 10

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In order to improve reset or refresh option on Windows 10 PCs, Microsoft has now revealed that it is testing a new cloud download feature. The feature will be similar to the on macOS. It will make it simpler to reset Windows 10 when it’s hardware fails or when the OS needs reinstalling. Currently, the new feature is not available for public testing and it only will be shown when the user boots the device in an abortive condition.

As we mentioned earlier, the new feature is similar to Apple’s macOS reinstalls. Apple users can reinstall macOS by downloading a second copy from the cloud. Microsoft has already been using a feature like this in its Surface lineup. This allows the machine to “recover from the cloud” when it downloads a copy of Windows 10 as well as reinstalling it.

Usually, Windows is supported by a copy of the Operating System on a partitioned fraction of the drive or intermediary tools and can be restored via the cloud or a USB key on laptops such as Dell, Asus, HP, and more. The company is always working in unusual ways makes it easier for people to tackle various problems on laptops. It is also working on trouble-free techniques that can be used by anyone.

Microsoft’s Windows Lite and Windows Core OS (WCOS) are likely to receive this new feature. 

The testing is part of the Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 18950.

The company has said, “Insiders may notice some references to “Cloud download” relating to PC reset or refresh. This feature isn’t available and working quite yet. We’ll let you know once it is, so you can try it out!”

The test comes with a few more features that have been mentioned below:

Single Window Mode: The company has now updated the new button and it now allows the user to open the new screenshots in their current app window. With this, the user does not end up opening loads of shots that they took multiple times in order to take the perfect screenshot. The single-window mode also allows the user to keep all the shots taken opens in different windows. This option now appears in the settings so that the user can make up their mind upon which mode they like better.

Zoom: The new Windows update now lets the user zoom in to their screenshots so that they are diminutive for them to interpret. This can be done by pressing CTRL+Plus, CTRL+Minus, and Ctrl+Mouse. The company further explains “We’ll also zoom out to make sure the whole snip fits in the Snip & Sketch window. If you want to see the snip at its original size, click the Zoom button and then ‘Actual Size’.”

Improving WIN+Shift+S discoverability:  This feature is for the users who love using WIN+Shift+S so that they can take shots anytime they want. It now uses the canvas space in Snip & Sketch in order to take knowledge of snip without opening the app first.

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Redmi Note 7 Pro is now available on open sale in India

Chinese technology company Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 7 Pro smartphone has now gone on sale in India. Till now, the smartphone was available for purchase in India only via flash sales. The company has announced the open sale of Redmi Note 7 Pro because it says that the device has surpassed the five million sales mark within five months of its launch in India. Other than the Redmi Note 7 Pro, the series by Xiaomi also consists of Redmi Note 7 and Redmi Note 7S.

In the open sale, the customers will be able to buy the handset at any given point in time from Flipkart, Mi.com, Mi Home, Mi Studio and Mi Preferred Partner stores. They would not have to wait for the flash sales of the smartphone. It is worth pointing out that the latest news from Xiaomi comes after the limited open sale of the device ended on Wednesday.

Redmi Note 7 Pro price in India, sale details

Redmi Note 7 Pro smartphone is available in three variants in India: 4GB RAM/64GB storage, 6GB RAM/64GB storage and 6GB RAM/128GB storage. The three variants are available at Rs 13,999, Rs 15,999 and Rs 16,999 respectively. Redmi Note 7 Pro is available in Nebula Red, Neptune Blue, and Space Black colour variants.

Coming to the sale offers, the smartphone is available with an Airtel Double Data promotion that lets prepaid customers get up to 1,120GB of 4G data along with unlimited voice calls on a recharge of Rs 249 and Rs 349. This will be valid for the first 10 months. Flipkart is offering a 5% cashback to those who pay for the purchase using the HDFC Bank debit card or Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card. No-cost EMI options will also be available on Mi.com as well as on Flipkart.

Redmi Note 7 Pro specifications and features

Redmi Note 7 Pro comes with the support of dual SIM cards and it runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with MIUI 10. The smartphone features a 6.3-inch full-HD+ display that has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9 and sports a waterdrop-shaped notch on the top. The handset is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 SoC, and it comes with up to 6GB of RAM and up to 128GB of internal storage.

redmi note 7 pro 2

For imaging duties, the handset has a dual rear camera setup that comprises of a 48MP primary sensor with an f/1.79 lens and 5MP depth sensor. On the front, there is a 13MP sensor that can be used for selfies and video calls.

The smartphone from Xiaomi houses a 4,000mAh battery and for connectivity, it has 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS, USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

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OnePlus 7 Pro starts receiving OxygenOS 9.5.11 update

OnePlus has started rolling out a new software update for the OnePlus 7 Pro smartphone. The latest update by the company brings the August 2019 Android security patch. The Chinese smartphone company has pushed the security patch even before the Google Pixel devices got it.

Along with with latest August 2019 Android security patch, the update also gets optimized adaptive brightness with a few bug fixes as well as performance improvements. The update also adds sensitiveness to the touchscreen of the smartphone, which will be beneficial while gaming.

The company has said the new update will be rolled out in a staged manner. OnePlus 7 Pro has started receiving the OxygenOS 9.5.11 update. Initially, only a few users will receive the new update after which a wider rollout will begin once the company makes sure that it is bug-free.

Here’s a look at the changelog of OxygenOS 9.5.11 update: 
System

  • Optimized Adaptive Brightness
  • Optimized the sensitiveness of the screen touch while gaming
  • Optimized the accidental touches with notification bar in calling
  • Updated GMS to 2019.06
  • Updated Android security patch to 2019.08
  • General bug fixes and improvements

If you are a OnePlus 7 Pro user and you have not received the update notification of the OxygenOS 9.5.11 update, then you can download it manually by heading to the Settings menu of your handset.

Last month, OnePlus had rolled out a new update for the OnePlus 7 Pro that perks up the performance of the camera of the smartphone. The company has been working hard to enhance the imaging quality of the device.

The Chinese technology company launched the OnePlus 7 Pro in India in India a few months ago. The smartphone comes with a 6.67-inch curved Quad HD+ Fluid AMOLED display that comes with an in-display fingerprint sensor.

The device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoCand it comes with up to 8GB RAM. The handset houses a 4,000mAh battery and runs Android 9 Pie with OxygenOS baked on top. OnePlus 7 Pro comes with a triple rear camera setup that has a 48MP primary Sony IMX586 sensor, an 8MP telephoto sensor that has 3X zoom, and a 16MP wide-angle sensor.

For selfies and video calls, OnePlus’ flagship device has a 16MP pop-up selfie camera.In India, the smartphone is available three in storage options – 6GB RAM/128GB storage, 8GB RAM/ 256GB storage and 12GB RAM/ 256GB storage. While the base model has been priced at Rs 48,999, the 8GB RAM variant costs at Rs 52,999 and the 12GB variant bears a price tag of Rs 57,999.

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Apple signs up for the Data Transfer Project: Find out more

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After around a year of being launched, the Data Transfer Project is now getting a set of new partners and features. Now, Cupertino-based technology giant Apple has announced that it will be joining the project and will develop interoperable systems to transfer data to and from iCloud. It is also worth mentioning that a number of alternative social media networks will also be joining the project. While Tim Berners-Lee’s project, Solid, will enable the import and export of contacts; the transfer of posts will be managed by Mastodon.

We should point out that the Data Transfer Project is an open-source project that is aimed at simplifying the process of data transfer from one service to the other. It will mostly be comprised of back-end coding to ensure compatibility among various tools of exporting data like Google Takeout and Facebook’s ‘Access Your Information tool’. As of now, these tools primarily let you download data directly to a hard drive. However, the project now aims to take it a step further by allowing the data to be ported directly to another service.

With this, you will be able to send all the photos from your pictures on Facebook to your Google Photos account without having to worry about too many steps to be followed or even the possibility of a data leak. If executed, the project will introduce methods of data transfer that surely will be useful for one and all.

Last summer, technology giants like Google, Twitter and Facebook had signed up for the project. The project also has a GitHub page that has all the updates about and the page shows that it is still a work in progress. The official website of the project says, “We are continually making improvements that might cause things to break occasionally. So as you are trying things please use it with caution and expect some hiccups.”

Till now, most of that work has been on the back end. However, the project may also have a number of consumer-facing products that will be joining in soon. In a statement, Google has also spoken about some new user-facing projects that will be out in the next few months. Speaking on it, Jessie Chavez, Google’s lead for the project said, “We’re really encouraged by the progress the Data Transfer Project has made since we announced it last year, and look forward to rolling out our first user-facing features in the coming months.”

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Samsung Galaxy Note 10+’s Aura White colour variant images surface online

Samsung is all set to launch its Galaxy Note 10 series in the coming week on August 7 at Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, New York City. Prior to its launch, a number of reports and rumours about the device have been pouring in. This time, the South Korean company is reportedly planning to launch Galaxy Note 10 series in two variants – Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+. Recently, we saw the images of the Galaxy Note 10+ 5G variant that were shared by a famous tipster on his Twitter account. The post also revealed that the device will be available on Verizon’s 5G network in the US.

Now, a new leak reveals that the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ will be launched in Aura White colour variant. Popular tipster Ishaan Sharma has shared the image of the forthcoming smartphone by Samsung on his Twitter account. The image showcases the Galaxy Note 10+ in plain white colour, unlike the Prism White Galaxy S10 models. In addition to this, the tweet also reveals a pink coloured variant of the Galaxy Note 10 smartphone.

The tweet reads, “Exclusive: Here’s your first look at the Samsung Galaxy Note10+ Aura White Colour Option! So yeah, it’s basically plain white colour, not like the Prism White (Aura Glow is Fancy enough!). Also sharing the render of Galaxy Note10 Pink Colour.”

Until now, if we go through the past reports that surfaced online, they indicated that the upcoming Galaxy Note 10 smartphones will be made available in Gradient Silver, Aura Glow, and a Glossy Black colour options.

Samsung Galaxy Note 10+
Image Courtesy: Android Headlines

According to another report that surfaced online, the upcoming Galaxy Note 10+ will be available in the same Prism White colour option like the Galaxy S10‘s. Apart from that, the images shared on the website reveal that the smartphone design looks identical to the regular Galaxy Note 10+. The pictures also show that the display of the smartphone has‘August 23’ written on it. We would like to mention that this the date when Samsung will reportedly be putting the smartphone on sale. At present, the company has already started the pre-bookings of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 series in certain countries.

As we mentioned earlier, a leak had surfaced online a few days ago where a popular tipster Evan Blass shared a promo image of Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G variant. It also revealed that the smartphone by Samsung will feature triple rear cameras, much like Samsung Galaxy Note 10.

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Google’s Pixelbook 2 will come with Pixel 4 like Face Unlock feature

A few days ago, Google revealed some key features of the upcoming Pixel 4 smartphone in its official blog post. The blog post was accompanied by a video that showed that the device will come with a Face Unlock feature accompanied by a Motion Sense feature. The Face unlocks feature is nothing like the other facial identification features that we come across in most of the current Android devices. The feature is similar to the method that Apple had introduced with the iPhone X in terms of complexity and security.

 On the other hand, the Motion Sense feature lets users snooze alarms, skip songs, and reject phone calls just with a wave of their hands. The new feature has been built by Google as a part of a project called Soli that the company started four years back.

According to a recent report, it has been revealed that now Google Pixelbook 2 will have support for Pixel 4-like face unlock feature. The device is expected to be launched in October this year. Chrome Unboxed has also given a convincing explanation of why this is an achievable target.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnRbXWojW7c

The report points out that the face recognition feature has been mentioned in the Chromium open-source project (which is responsible for Chrome OS). Chrome OS is the operating system that controls Google’s Pixel Slate and Chromebook. However, the website does not in particular mention the Pixelbook 2 that has been codenamed Atlas.

However, it did reveal about the development of the libraries associated with the face unlock feature. The face unlock feature has now been put into operation in devices with Intel processors. So now, they may be approaching Google Pixelbook 2 to embrace devices with MediaTek chipset. The code identified by the Chrome Unboxed purposely hints in the direction of a node added for ‘Face Detection’.

But then, we should mention that the presence of a feature in Chromium libraries does not provide evidence that the upcoming Chromebooks or Pixelbook 2 would come with face detection.

But then, one cannot really completely rule out the possibility too. Pixelbook 2 will reportedly come with a new set of sensors in its display that will provide functions similar to the company’s approaching smartphone.

It is still unknown if any older Chromebooks will be getting the new face unlock feature. If the company has decided to bring the new feature to the older laptops, it is expected that the face detection would then be used as a security feature and not only as a way to unlock the device.

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Idea becomes the fastest 4G network in Indore: Ookla

Telecom operator Idea has emerged as the fastest 4G network in Indore. This has been verified by Ookla, which is the global leader in broadband testing and web-based network diagnostic applications. The results of the 4G data speed tests that were conducted across the region revealed that Idea’s 4G network is the fastest in Indore, Dewas, Hoshangabad, Durg, and Bhilai.

According to Ookla‘s findings, it has been verified that Idea 4G speeds are the highest as compared to all other top operators in Indore, Dewas, Hoshangabad, Durg and Bhilai. With Idea 4G, customers will be able to make group calls, binge watch movies, TV shows, share photos and videos, and do other things that they love.

Speaking about the development, Mr Vishant Vora, Chief Technology Officer, Vodafone Idea Ltd. said, “We are deploying new age technologies to enhance customer experience as we build a robust, future ready network in Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh. Ookla verification is a recognition of our consistent efforts to provide better network experience to our valued customers.”

Vodafone Idea Ltd has said that it is on a major network modernization exercise to ensure that customers get a “seamless data experience and connectivity in both rural and urban locations of Madhya Pradesh & Chhattisgarh.” The company has also mentioned that it offers 4G, 3G, and 2G services via a large spectrum portfolio of 61MHz that is utilized across 12,106 sites.

Since the two companies have merged, Idea’s coverage is now available across 664 Towns and 53,130 villages in the Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh circle and covers an area of 260800 square kilometres. According to the company, the recent network initiatives have resulted in “Idea 4G delivering fastest speeds in Indore, Dewas, Hoshangabad, Durg and Bhilai.” In addition to this, the company has also received recognition by Ookla.

mobile data

Mr Rajesh Naik, Business Head – MP & CG, Vodafone Idea Ltd said, “We are delighted to be verified as the fastest 4G network in the major cities of Indore, Dewas, Hoshangabad, Durg and Bhilai. We hope our customers will continue to enjoy the benefits of Idea 4G and take delight in our premium content offerings from Sony LIV, Zee5, Shemaroo, Hoi Choi etc. available on the Idea Movies & TV App. We are also confident that our strengthened network presence and faster 4G speeds will attract more customers to the Idea network in MPCG.”

MPCG’s Fastest 4G speed Network verification is based on mean 4G download speeds in Indore, Dewas, Durg and Bhilai and on typical 4G download speeds in Hoshangabad.

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Compare: Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 and Samsung Galaxy A30 and Redmi Note 7 Pro and Realme 3 Pro

Huawei has today launched its Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 smartphone in India today. The handset comes with a triple rear camera setup, houses a 4,000mAh battery, and has a pop-up selfie camera. It is priced at Rs 15,990 and competes with a number of other devices that are leading the segment. Here, we compare the newly launched smartphone with Samsung Galaxy A30, Redmi Note 7 Pro and Realme 3 Pro. Take a look at our comparison to decide which one is the best buy for you:

Display

Samsung Galaxy A30 gets slow-motion video mode, June 2019 security patch with new update

Huawei Y9 Prime 2019: 6.59-inch full-HD+ LCD display with 19.5:9 aspect ratio.

Samsung Galaxy A30: 6.4-inch full-HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-U display.

Redmi Note 7 Pro: 6.3-inch FHD+ Dot Notch display with 19.5:9 aspect ratio.

Realme 3 Pro: 6.3-inch Full-HD+ display

Processor

Huawei Y9 Prime 2019: Octa-core Kirin 710F processor

Samsung Galaxy A30: Octa-core Exynos 7904 processor

Redmi Note 7 Pro: Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 processor

Realme 3 Pro: Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 processor

Rear camera(s)

redmi note 7 pro 2

Huawei Y9 Prime 2019: Triple rear camera setup with a 16MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle lens and a 2MP sensor.

Samsung Galaxy A30: Dual rear cameras with 16MP and 5MP sensors

Redmi Note 7 Pro: Dual rear camera setup with 48MP Sony IMX586 and 5MP secondary sensors.

Realme 3 Pro: Dual-rear camera setup with 16MP and 5MP sensors.

Selfie camera

Huawei Y9 Prime 2019: 16MP pop-up selfie camera.

Samsung Galaxy A30: 25MP sensor with an f/2.0 lens

Redmi Note 7 Pro: 13MP AI selfie camera.

Realme 3 Pro: 25MP selfie camera

RAM and storage

realme 3 pro sale in India

Huawei Y9 Prime 2019: 4GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage.

Samsung Galaxy A30: 4GB RAM and 64GB of onboard storage.

Redmi Note 7 Pro: 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, 6GB RAM and 64GB/128GB storage.

Realme 3 Pro: 4GB RAM/64GB storage, 6GB RAM/128GB of internal storage

Support for microSD card

Huawei Y9 Prime 2019: Up to 512GB

Samsung Galaxy A30: Up to 512GB

Redmi Note 7 Pro: Up to 256GB

Realme 3 Pro: Up to 256GB

Battery

Huawei Y9 Prime 2019: 4,000mAh battery

Samsung Galaxy A30: 4,000mAh battery with 15W fast charging support.

Redmi Note 7 Pro: 4,000mAh battery

Realme 3 Pro: 4,045mAh battery

Operating system

Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 launch

Huawei Y9 Prime 2019: Android 9 Pie with EMUI 9.1

Samsung Galaxy A30: Android Pie with One UI

Redmi Note 7 Pro: Android 9 Pie with MIUI 10

Realme 3 Pro: Android 9 Pie with ColorOS 6

Price

Huawei Y9 Prime 2019: Rs 15,990

Samsung Galaxy A30: Rs 16,990

Redmi Note 7 Pro: Rs 13,999

Realme 3 Pro: Rs 13,999

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Honor Play and Honor 8X start receiving the Android 9 Pie update in India

Honor has started rolling out the latest Android 9 Pie update for its Honor Play and Honor 8X smartphones in India. The Android 9 update comes with EMUI 9.1 and is intended to improve users’ experience with a number of new features and improvements. These include a better UI design, gesture-based navigation, GPU Turbo 3.0, all-new EROFS (Extendable Read-Only File System), advanced battery management and more. According to the company, the new update will be rolled out in batches starting this week.

The latest Android 9 Pie update trims down System-on-Chip power consumption throughout gameplay by 10% and offers top-quality graphics. The EROFS perks up the app speed; fluidity and smoothness, and will also amplify random read performance by an average of 20%. Even the app start-up speed will go up by 10%. In addition to this, the new software update also improves the data reading performance during a low-memory condition, and it also enhances the security of system files.

EMUI 9.1 update brings GPU Turbo 3.0, which will enable game lovers to experience gaming with high frame rate, elevated graphics quality, and longer battery life. Popular games like PUBG, ASPHALT 9, NBA 2K19, Mobile Legends, Fortnite, FIFA Mobile and Modern Combat 5 will all run very smoothly on the devices post the update.

The EMUI 9.1 update for Honor Play brings Huawei Vlog, which allows users to modify music and special effect settings for Spotlight Reel, Highlights, Portrait. It also includes slow-motion and fast-motion videos, Video ringtones and more.

The latest Android 9 Pie software update has a distinctive combination of innovation, modern technology along with ease for a more fluid and trouble-free operating system.

It enhances the user experience day by day and makes their lives easier. In terms of security, the latest update brings AI-driven smart life features, navigation, and usability. On the other hand, the users can now spontaneously control their smartphones by swiping instead of clicking on buttons.

The latest update allows the operating system to increase the smartphone’s performance and predictability. Certain features like Adaptive Battery get advanced over time as the user spends more time with the device. What is more, it also endeavors to discover the brightness level preferred by the user in certain apps and environments and automatically adjusts it.  In addition to this, the update gets the Digital Wellbeing feature that lets the user cut down on smartphone usage.

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Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 with 4,000mAh battery launched in India: Key details

Chinese technology brand Huawei has today launched its Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 smartphone in India. The device was launched globally in May this year, but then, at that time, the company had not disclosed the price and availability of the handset. A few days back, Amazon India had started teasing the launch of the device in the country. While we already knew what to expect from Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 in terms of specifications, the company still had to announce the official pricing and availability of the device.

The key highlights of the smartphone include 4,000mAh battery, a pop-up selfie camera, and a triple rear camera setup. Here’s a look at all the details about the smartphone:

Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 price in India, availability

The company has launched the Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 in India in only one variant that has 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The handset is priced at Rs 15,990 and is available exclusively on Amazon India’s website. The pre-bookings of the smartphone have started today and the first sale will be held on August 7.

Coming to launch offers, Amazon India is offering a No-cost EMI for up to 6 months and exchange offers up to Rs 1,500. It has also partnered with SBI and Reliance Jio for some lucrative offers for buyers. A cashback of Rs 500 is also available for those who pay via Amazon Pay. Those who pre-book the device will also be getting Huawei Sports BT headphones and a 15,000mAh power bank, both worth Rs 4,598.

Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 specifications

Coming to the specifications of the Huawei Y9 Prime 2019, it runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with EMUI 9.0. The handset features a 6.59-inch full-HD+ LCD display that has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9 and is powered by an octa-core Kirin 710F processor. As we mentioned earlier, the Huawei smartphone comes with up to 4GB of RAM and has up to 128GB of internal storage.

In addition to this, the newly unveiled smartphone packs a 4,000mAh battery. On the imaging front, there is a triple rear camera setup on the device that consists of a 16MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor and a 2MP lens.

For selfies and video calls, there is a 16MP sensor which, we should point out, is housed in a pop-up selfie camera module. The device has a fingerprint scanner on its back panel and for connectivity, it supports GPS, USB-Type C, 4G LTE, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

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Spotify now has 108 million paid subscribers and 232 million active users

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Spotify Technology has added a number of more subscribers in the second quarter this year. The music streaming app Spotify has reported that it has managed to add 8 million subscribers in the quarter that ended in June. However, we should mention that this is below the expected 8.5 million subscribers. It has revealed that at the end of the second quarter, Spotify’s collective monthly active users grew to 232 million. The music streaming app Spotify now has a total of 108 million paid subscribers, and they have increased by 30% from a year ago. It is worth pointing out that both paid and unpaid subscribers are included in monthly active users.

The company stated, “We missed on subs… That’s on us.”

Users who are having the benefit of the 30-day trial are included in paid subscribers. In addition to this, Spotify has also launched a biannual campaign that is offering access to the premium service for $1 to its users.

Since last quarter, all these factors have pressed its average revenue per user to €4.86 ($5.42) — down 1%. The company further added that it expects the decline to continue in the low single digits for the rest of the year.

On the other hand, Apple Music had 60 million paid subscribers as of June this year. Users who are availing the Apple Music’s three-month free trial are also included in this number.

As per the company, its quarterly revenue increased 31% from last year to $1.86 billion, and at the same time, it’s operating expenses increased by 4%. Apple says that its operating loss declined to $3.34 million, which is much better than expected by the analyst. They expected the music streaming platform will drop about $62 million on sales of $1.83 billion. Furthermore, the company says that it has entered into an agreement with two out of the four major music labels for accredits. It further revealed that it is actively in talks with the other two, however, the company did not name the music labels.

The massive revenue generated by Spotify goes to the music labels. They all get together to renew their agreements in every few years. This decides the company’s future profits and losses. However, it also depends on how its existing limits transform during the dialogue with the music labels.

The music streaming service, which has ramped up its podcast offerings with the acquisition of Gimlet Media, Anchor and Parcast, said its podcast audience is up 50% since the last quarter. Barry McCarthy, CFO of Spotify, said the company is still open to acquiring more podcasting businesses.

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LG and Sony see a fall in smartphone sales

In the last quarter, Sony and LG saw a drop in their smartphone sales as compared to the same time in the previous year. The earnings’ releases that have been shared by the two technology companies have confirmed this. According to LG, the sales from its smartphone division have declined by 21% as compared to the same quarter last year. Sony’s earnings from smartphone sales, on the other hand, fell by almost 30%.

These are both significant drops in smartphone sales. LG has said that “slow sales of 4G premium models and intense market competition in mass-tier products” for the drop in its results. Even the launch of its first 5G smartphone – LG V50 – could not save the results of the company. Speaking of Sony, a report in Bloomberg says that the company had reduced the annual forecast for smartphone sales from 5 million to 4 million units for 2019.

The reason why this decline in smartphone sales is concerning is because of the high-end devices that both the companies have launched during the reporting period. While Sony launched its Xperia 1 smartphone that comes with an aspect ratio of 21:9 and has a tall display, LG unveiled its G8 and its first 5G device. However, these handsets struggled to impress the target audience of the companies, and hence, could not contribute much towards the sales of LG and Sony.

Sony Xperia 1 specifications

Sony Xperia 1 sports a 6.5-inch ‘CinemaWide’ OLED 4K screen that comes with an X1-style image processing, and has a screen resolution of 3,840 x 1,644 pixels, HDR support and an aspect ratio of 21:9. Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor clubbed with 6GB of RAM, the handset comes with up to 128GB storage. The smartphone can hold a microSD card of up to 512GB. Sony Xperia 1 runs Android 9.0 Pie and it houses a 3,300mAh battery. The handset comes with IP68 certification, that makes it water and dust resistant.

LG G8 ThinQ

LG G8 specifications

LG G8 ThinQ features a 6.1-inch Quad HD+ (1440 x 3120 pixels) OLED FullVision display and is powered by Snapdragon 855 SoC coupled with 6GB RAM. The smartphone runs Android 9.0 Pie and is available in a dual-rear camera setup variant and a triple-rear camera setup variant. LG G8 ThinQ sports a triple-rear camera setup that comprises of a 12MP sensor, a 16MP super wide-angle lens and a 12MP telephoto sensor.

On the front, there is an 8MP autofocus camera with f/1.7 aperture for selfies and video calls. LG G8 houses a 3,500mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 technology support.

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Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 to launch in India today: Expected price, launch details

Chinese technology brand Huawei is all set to launch its Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 smartphone in India today. After Amazon India had started teasing the launch of the handset last month, it was confirmed that the smartphone would be launched on August 1 in India. Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 smartphone was unveiled globally in May this year. However, back then, no price and availability details were mentioned.

The biggest highlights of the Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 are its pop-up selfie camera, notchless display, and its 4,000mAh battery. A report has surfaced online in July this year which had shed light on the price of the handset in the country. Here, you can read more about the specifications and the launch of the smartphone:

Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 expected price and launch time

As mentioned previously, the price of Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 smartphone was not mentioned by the company at its global launch in May this year. However, a report had recently surfaced online that claims that the handset will be priced under Rs 20,000 in India. The company will be beginning the launch event of the smartphone at 12 pm (noon) IST and it will be revealing the price of the device at 2 pm IST.

We should mention that Amazon India had started teasing the launch of the device by Huawei in India last month. Soon after, it also revealed that the handset will be unveiled for the country on August 1.

Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 specifications

Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 smartphone runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with EMUI 9.0 and it sports a 6.59-inch full-HD+ LCD display that has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The handset is powered by an octa-core Kirin 710F processor and it comes with up to 4GB of RAM. In addition to this, the handset houses a 4,000mAh battery.

Huawei Y9 Prime 2019

For imaging duties, there is a triple rear camera setup on the smartphone that comprises of a 16MP primary sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle sensor and a 2MP lens. On the front, there is a 16MP sensor that can be used for selfies and video calls. It is worth mentioning that the lens on the front of the handset is housed in a pop-up selfie camera module.

The smartphone comes with 64GB/128GB of internal storage and has a fingerprint scanner on its back panel. For connectivity, there is support for GPS, USB-Type C, 4G LTE, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

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Microsoft takes a jab at Apple in the new Mac vs PC advertisement with a man named ‘Mac Book’

If you are a millennial you would have grown up watching Apple and Microsoft battling it out in Mac vs PC commercials. A lot of advertisements were launched by the two trying to pull one upon the other. These ads made up for a classic battle between two gigantic IT companies. Now, Microsoft has gone ahead and found a person named Mackenzie Book. In short, people call him ‘Mac Book’.

With him in the advertisement, Microsoft has taken the laptop war to the next level. The IT giant got ‘Mac Book’ to call out Apple and swear by that the Microsoft Surface Laptop 2 is better than Apple MacBook. It is a funny take on the battle where ‘Mac Book’ (the person) is saying Surface laptops are better in every aspect. Like the touch screen, since MacBooks do not have one.

Also, Microsoft took a jab at MacBook’s performance and battery life. But one can read clearly at the bottom of the screen, that when it came to battery life, they compared it to MacBook Air, not MacBook Pro. And at the end of the commercial ‘Mac Book’ tells all to buy a Microsoft Surface in a way that MacBook endorses it.

The advertisement has just been launched and is going viral on the YouTube network and other social media sites. Over 1,000 people have already liked it and the numbers are increasing. After this advertisement, which some are calling a low-blow, we will not be surprised that Apple comes with its own Mac vs PC ad. Here we might see a character playing Michel Rosoft, hence “Mic Rosoft”. We for one cannot wait for Apple’s reply to this ad. Check out the full Mac vs PC commercial below.

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Samsung Galaxy A80 has gone on sale in India

Samsung Galaxy A80 has gone on sale in India today. A few weeks ago, Samsung had officially announced the arrival of the Galaxy A80 smartphone in India. Prior to this, Samsung Galaxy A80 was launched globally in April this year. The smartphone had gone up on pre-orders from July 22 to July 31.

Samsung Galaxy A80 has today gone on sale on the company’s official website, offline stores, and all the leading online stores. The key highlights of the smartphone include rotating camera setup, a bezel-less display and features like Super Steady Mode and Live Focus videos. The device is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 SoC. Here are all the sale details that you should know about:

Samsung Galaxy A80 price in India, launch offers

 Samsung Galaxy A80 has been launched in a single variant in India that has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. The smartphone is priced at Rs47,990. Samsung Galaxy A80 is available in three colour variants: Angel Gold, Ghost White, and Phantom Black. The newly launched device is up for sale on Samsung India website, Amazon India and Flipkart. The device will also be available for purchase on all the leading retail stores as well as the Samsung Opera House.

samsung galaxy a80 India launch

Coming to the launch offers, the company is offering five percent cashback for the Citibank credit card users. Samsung is also offering an additional discount of Rs 3,000 on the exchange of old smartphones. On the other hand, Flipkart is offering a 5 percent cash back to the Flipkart Axis Bank Credit Card users. On the purchase of the smartphone using HDFC Bank debit cards, Amazon is offering a cashback of 5 percent.

Samsung Galaxy A80 specifications

Samsung Galaxy A80 comes with a 6.7-inch full-HD+ (1080×2400 pixels) super AMOLED ‘New Infinity Display’ that has an aspect ratio of 20:9 along with an in-display fingerprint sensor. The smartphone runs Android Pie with One UI baked on top. The Galaxy A80 is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 730G SoC coupled with 8GB of RAM. The device offers a 128GB of internal memory and it houses of a 3,700mAh battery that supports 25W fast charging.

On imaging duties, Samsung Galaxy A80 sports a rotating camera module that includes a 48MP primary sensor with an f/2.0 lens, an 8MP secondary ultra-wide-angle sensor and a 3D depth camera with an IR sensor. When the user goes for the selfie mode, the camera module automatically slides up and rotates. In addition to this, it comes with a Super Steady mode that claims to lessen video shake. It comes with pre-loaded with other numbers of features that improve the photography experience of the user.

The connectivity options include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, and USB Type-C.

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Google Pay will now send you SMS alerts to ensure secure transactions

Payment apps are a boon in today’s time. It is because of these apps that digital payments are slowly replacing transactions with traditional money. While five years back people felt helpless on forgetting their wallet at home, today, it is really no big deal as most of the payments can be made via smartphones. However, a major downside to digital payments is that it is hard to recognize suspicious transactions. To help users identify them with ease, Google Pay will be sending them app notifications and SMS alerts to inform them that approving the request would deduct money from their account.

Google has also added that the additional notification will be going live in India first. Speaking about this, Ambarish Kenghe, Director, Product Management, Google Pay said in a blog post, “We are mindful that at Google Pay, users are entrusting us with their most sensitive asset – their money. We are conscious of the responsibility that comes with this trust.” He also added, “The above security features, and a lot more ongoing work in this direction, are a small example of how we keep our users safe.”

It is worth mentioning that in the last two years, a number of Indians have started preferring to make payments via instant bank-to-bank transfers via Unified Payments Interface (UPI). After demonetisation of Rs 1,000 and Rs 500 notes were announced by the government, scores of Indians had adopted digital payments for the first time.

The company has also said in the blog post that Google Pay has a number of its security infrastructure like scam protections. The app uses Machine Learning-based scam prevention models and it displays explicit warnings of ‘scam’ and ‘stranger’ in case a request that the user receives comes from a suspicious person. It does the same when the request is made by someone who is not in the user’s contacts.

Google Pay has some other security features besides scam protection that are already present in it. These include secure access via PIN, exhaustive risk relations check to block fraudsters and warnings during collect requests.

Google Pay new feature

The technology giant has also said in its blog post that it had launched Google Pay with “the best of Google’s security infrastructure, leveraging our experience of 20 years of bringing some of the world’s most helpful technology products to billions of users worldwide.”

Google is known to regularly add new features to its various apps and services to make it more useful for users. What do you think of the latest feature that has come to Google Pay? Let us know in the comments below!

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Vivo Z5 with 4,500mAh battery, triple rear cameras launched: Price and specifications

Chinese technology company Vivo has launched its Vivo Z5 smartphone in its home country. The device is the company’s latest mid-range offering and it comes with a waterdrop-shaped notch on its display and is powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 712 SoC clubbed with up to 8GB of RAM. The handset has a Super Night View 2.0+ that is said to boost low-light camera quality. The device also comes with Multi-Turbo for enhanced gaming performance.

Vivo has also added a beauty mode that is backed by artificial intelligence to recognise 103 different facial features. According to the company, this results in better selfies. The Vivo Z5 also has support for OTG reverse charging and it works with 22.5W flash charge. Here’s a look at the price details and specifications of the Vivo Z5 smartphone:

Vivo Z5 price

The Vivo Z5 is available in four storage variants in China. While three come with 6GB of RAM, their storage capacities are 64GB, 128GB and 256GB. The price of the three variants of Vivo Z5 is CNY 1,598 (approximately Rs 16,000), CNY 1,898 (approximately Rs 19,000), and CNY 1,998 (approximately Rs 20,000) respectively. The most high-end variant of the Vivo Z5 has 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage that costs CNY 2,298 (approximately Rs 23,000).

The handset is available in Aurora Illusion, Bamboo Forest Night, and Holographic Illusion colour variants in China. The three variants that come with 6GB of RAM have gone on sale from Vivo’s online store already, however, the 8GB RAM model will be going on sale starting August 6.

Vivo Z5 specifications and features

Vivo Z5 has support for dual SIM cards and runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with FunTouch OS 9.1. The smartphone comes with a 6.38-inch full-HD+ Super AMOLED display and is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 712 SoC. The device comes with up to 8GB of RAM and it has up to 128GB of internal storage.

Vivo Z5

For imaging duties, Vivo Z5 comes with a triple rear camera setup that comprises of a 48MP primary sensor that has an f/1.79 aperture, an 8MP wide-angle sensor that has an f/2.2 lens and a 2MP third sensor that has an f/2.4 lens. For selfies and video calls, there is a 32MP sensor that comes with an f/2.0 aperture.

The new offering from Vivo houses a 4,500mAh battery that has support for 22.5W Flash Charge and for connectivity, it has 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Micro-USB with OTG support, Bluetooth, GPS and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The handset also comes with an in-display fingerprint scanner.

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OnePlus leads Apple and Samsung by achieving the highest market share in India

According to a new report by Counterpoint Research OnePlus has become the leading premium smartphone brand in India. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer managed to capture 42 percent of the premium market share. As per the report the growth has been achieved by the launch of OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro in the country in the period of the second quarter of 2019. OnePlus is the first Chinese smartphone brand that has achieved the highest market share in the country.

Commenting on the report, Vikas Agarwal, General Manager, OnePlus India said, “OnePlus focuses on offering the premium technology experience. Our user-driven product philosophy has helped us sustain the remarkable growth despite the slowdown in the industry. We are especially excited about growing the premium smartphone segment that is under-penetrated for several years with less than 5% share of the total smartphone segment”.

oneplus 7 pro sale in India
Brands like Xiaomi, OPPO, Vivo, and Huawei have also entered this segment. The report says that this segment is going to be hyper-competitive in the second half of 2019. Looking at the competitive background, the combined share of OnePlus, Samsung and Apple was 85% during the quarter down from 88% level a year ago.

After falling behind Samsung in the First Quarter of 2019 OnePlus saw a strong growth after the launch of its flagship smartphone OnePlus 7 series that rescued the highest position. The Chinese smartphone brand managed to break into the elite club by capturing the highest shipment share of 43 percent in this segment. It widens the space between Samsung and Apple by offering premium flagship features in India at an affordable price. The report says, “With multiple model strategy, OnePlus debuted into the ultra-premium segment (Rs 45,000 or roughly US$645) with OnePlus 7 Pro and immediately captured 26% share. This ultra-premium segment is a subset of the overall premium segment and usually led by Samsung and Apple. With healthy sales of Samsung Galaxy S10-series, OnePlus 7 Pro and Apple iPhone XR the volumes in this segment almost doubled”

Samsung went down to the second position in premium-segment holding a 22% share. It saw a decline of 16 percent year on year. On the other hand, promotions for the S10 series continue to be stronger.

Galaxy S10 Plus was the top model for Samsung despite the availability of cheaper Galaxy S10e. This shows that India consumers are ready to pay more for a premium experience.”

During the second quarter of 2019, the sales of Apple smartphones doubled after its iPhone XR received a price cut. The company is also focusing on local manufacturing within the country. This will help them save 20% on import duties and can potentially pass on to consumers or use it to build its retail footprint and upcoming festive season discounting/marketing.

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PUBG Mobile update 0.14.0 starts rolling out: Here’s everything new

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PUBG Mobile has today released the patch notes of its version 0.14.0. PUBG Mobile 0.14.0 is available to download on Android as well as iOS. The new update gets the functionality as well as get new content to the game.

According to PUBG, the latest 0.14.0 update gets security improvements, in-game changes and a new vehicle to the game. Here’s a look at all the changes that have been made PUBG Mobile 0.14.0:

Android Resources Extension Pack: The size of the Android installation package and added Resource Expansion Pack has been reduced. We should mention that the latter contains some rarely used equipment and resources that are displayed with a placeholder icon until the time the user downloads the Pack.

Mode Selection UI adjusted:

  1. Added tier information in Classic
  2. Matchmaking and Settings are now on the same page
  3. Visual effects improved

Daily Mission redesigned: (Not available on the test server yet)

  1. The number of Daily Missions are reduced and there have been changes in rewards.
  2. Daily Missions will be released randomly. Players will also have the option of switching to random missions in the mission pool up to three times a day.

New Feature: Infection Mode

In this asymmetric PVP mode, players will randomly be divided into Zombies and Defenders. Defenders will be able to use firearms, but Zombies will only be able to use melee attacks and abilities with cooldown time.

Another notable thing is that Zombies can be revived in case they are defeated by Defenders, however, the same is not the case for Defenders. In case Defenders get killed by Zombies, they will turn into Zombies themselves. If all Defenders are infected, zombies win; but even if just 1 Defender survives by the end, then the Defenders win.

Character System:

  1. At the beginning of the game, each player gets a character.
  2. Characters start with one skill that is effective only in EvoGround.
  3. The outfits, voices, emotes and MVP emotes of the characters can be customized.
  4. Level up the characters and collect progress rewards by playing with them in any mode to earn EXP.

Level V and rewards added for some achievements:

  • Battle-Hardened V: Reach Ace.
  • Fun Times V: Complete 800 matches in Arcade.
  • Classic Lover V: Complete 1000 matches in Classic.
  • Evo Tactician I-V: Complete 5/20/50/100/200 matches in EvoGround.
  • Perseverance V: Log in consecutively for 60 days.
  • Assault Mastery V: Kill 2000 enemies with Assault Rifles.
  • Sniper Mastery V: Kill 1000 enemies with Sniper Rifles.
  • Shotgun Mastery V: Kill 1000 enemies with Shotguns.
  • SMG Mastery V: Kill 2000 enemies with SMG.
  • Melee Mastery V: Kill 200 enemies with Melee.
  • Pistol Mastery V: Kill 200 enemies with Pistols.
  • Deathbringer V: Kill 2000 enemies.
  • Skull Collector V: 200 Kill enemies with headshots.
  • Field Medic V: Revive teammates 500 times.
  • Predator V: Kill 20 enemies in a single Classic match.
  • Chicken Bucket V: Win 50 matches.
  • PUBG Elite V: Earn 555 SSS rating
  • Epic Find V: Earn 100 different permanent outfits(Legendary).
  • Mythic Fashion I-V: Earn 1/5/10/20/50 different permanent outfits(Mythic).
  • Social Butterfly V: Reach 120 in-game friends.
  • Brothers in Arms V: Team up with friends 1000 times.
  • Santa Claus V: Gift an item to a friend 100 times.
  • Center of Attention V: Earn 600 LIKEs.
  • Happy Training V: Complete 1000 Clan Trainings.
  • Shopaholic V: Spend 1000000BP.
  • Perfectionist V: Reach the highest Royale Pass rank for 6 seasons in a row.
  • Bounty Hunter V: Complete 1000 Royale Pass missions.
  • Open Sesame V: Open 100 Royale Pass Elite Crates.
  • Unique Destiny: Earn 6000 Achievement points.

Battlefield Veteran I-III:

Complete any 2/4/6 of the following achievements:

Assault Mastery V, Sniper Mastery V, Shotgun Mastery V, SMG Mastery V, Melee Mastery V, Pistol Mastery V.

PUBG Mobile version 0.14.0

Improvements and Bug Fixes

Inventory interaction UI adjusted

  1. Non-inventory UI functions will now be blocked in Inventory.
  2. The item display area has now been expanded.
  3. Simplified the editing of emotes.
  4. The selection logic for firearms and vehicles has been improved.
  5. Players can now choose to show the helmets and backpacks in the main menu
  6. Added new zoom feature to zoom in on the character when viewing firearms, hats, glasses, face accessories and backpacks

Improved outfits: After the update, if the outfit being previewed is in conflict with the currently equipped outfit, the current outfit will be unequipped to make sure the previewed outfit displays correctly.

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Samsung Galaxy Active renders surface online

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The company launched the Samsung Galaxy X Cover 4s smartphone last month. Now it is expected that soon the South Korean giant is planning to launch another rugged smartphone. Rumours mills were rife that in the near future the company is also planning to release the official renders of the Samsung Galaxy Active. It is the same smartphone that is considered to be the rugged version of the Galaxy S9. It was also spotted at MWC in February this year.

Now, the company has officially released the fresh renders of Samsung Galaxy Active online. The smartphone is stated to be powered by the Exynos 9810 SoC. The smartphone will be available in 4GB RAM option. The Galaxy Active is believed to be featuring a 5.2-inch display with 2,540 x 1,440 pixels resolution. The mobile is likely to house a 4,500mAh battery. Over that, it will be sporting three capacitive buttons beneath the screen. While the fingerprint sensor is placed beside the camera set up.

Now coming on the imaging duties, the Samsung Galaxy Active smartphone is expected to come up with a 12.2-megapixel rear camera along with 8-megapixel front-facing camera. The camera set up is basically similar to Samsung Galaxy S9. One can also see an AT&T logo at the back of the device. The date of its release also matches with the Galaxy Note 10’s Unpacked event. However, the company has not confirmed if the smartphone will be launched during the same event.

Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2
Image courtesy:Twitter/ Evan Blass

Unconnectedly, Samsung has also planned to announce the launch Galaxy Watch Active 2 on August 5. The smartwatch is the successor of Galaxy Watch Active. The upcoming smartwatch by Samsung will be available in three models including an LTE version. All the three models will be an LTE model, a Bluetooth-only model, and an Under Armour-branded Bluetooth version. All the three models of the smartwatch will be available either in a 44mm or 40mm case sizes. The smartwatch will come with a few heart-related features in the smartwatch at the launch event that will include alerts if the user’s heart rate jumps too high or drops too low.

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Apple iPhone 7 can now be bought for Rs 3,440: Here’s how

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Apple iPhone is considered to be the most modern and hot selling smartphone in India. The company is planning to launch its most anticipated 2019 line-up of iPhones shortly the iPhone 7 will soon receive its most awaited iOS 13. This will be rolled out by the company in a few months’ time. The iPhone 7 by Apple was launched in September 2016. It features a 4.70-inch touchscreen display with a resolution of 750×1,334 pixels at a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch (ppi) and an aspect ratio of 16:9. If you wish to own an Apple’s smartphone without burning a hole in your pocket then you can buy an iPhone 7 at the cheapest price ever.

If you have a relative coming from the USA to India, you can easily avail this offer. Metro, a retailer of Apple iPhones in the USA, has launched a fresh promotion where it is offering Apple iPhone 7 at its lowest price the original price of the smartphone is USD 449 that is approximately Rs 30,902. When you subscribe to the Metro service you can buy it for a mere USD 50 that is approximately Rs 3,440. This never-before deal is applicable to only 32GB variant of iPhone 7. The smartphone is available in matte black colour only. We would like to mention that the USD 50 does not take in activation fees or any taxes. In that case, it will cost you extra or to the person bringing that here.

iphone 7

To avail this never-before offer the user, firstly, needs to verify their identification in its system. In order to confirm that the user should not be an existing member of Metro services. The user will not be eligible to avail this offer if he/she is found to be a member of the Metro in the past 90 days.

To recall the smartphone is powered by a 2.34GHz quad-core Apple A10 Fusion processor that offers 2GB of RAM. The Apple iPhone 7 runs iOS 12 and it houses a 1,960mAh non-removable battery. The smartphone by Apple is based on iOS 12 that comes with 32GB of inbuilt storage.  It is a single SIM (GSM) smartphone that accepts a Nano-SIM card.

As far as the camera capabilities are concerned, it features a 12-megapixel camera with an f/1.8 aperture on the back panel. The rear camera setup has phase detection autofocus. On the front, it sports a 7-megapixel camera for selfies, with an f/2.2 aperture.

Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, GPS, Bluetooth v4.20, NFC, Lightning, 3G, and 4G. Sensors on the phone include accelerometer, ambient light sensor, barometer, compass/ magnetometer, gyroscope, proximity and fingerprint sensors.

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Amazon Freedom Sale 2019 to start on August 8: Key details

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E-commerce major Amazon India has today announced its Freedom Sale 2019 that is all set to begin from August 8 and will go on till August 11. During these three days, a number of discounts and deals will be available on Amazon India. The company has also partnered with SBI Bank to offer an instant discount of 10% to its credit card users. We should also mention that for Prime members, the sale will be beginning a day in advance on August 7 at 12 pm (noon) IST.  Amazon will be offering debit card EMI, no-cost EMI and Bajaj Finserv EMI options on listed products.

In addition to this, Amazon will also be offering a 40% discount on smartphones and accessories. While devices like Samsung Galaxy M40 and Oppo K3 will be available at a discounted price, handsets like OnePlus 7 Pro have been listed at an extra exchange discount.

If you are interested in buying the OnePlus 7 Pro, you would be glad to know that the device will be listed with an extra discount on exchange and no-cost EMI options. The handset’s starting price is Rs 48,999 and the key features of OnePlus’ offering include a triple rear camera setup, a 16MP pop-up selfie sensor and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 SoC.

Besides this, the OnePlus 7, Oppo Reno, Vivo V15, Samsung Galaxy Note 8 and Oppo F11 will also be available on exchange offers. The devices that will be seeing a price cut include Samsung Galaxy S10, Samsung Galaxy M40, Samsung Galaxy M30, Samsung Galaxy M20, Redmi Y3, Oppo A7, Honor View 20 and Oppo K3. However, until now, Amazon has not revealed its exact discounted prices.

Amazon Freedom Sale 2019

Huawei Y9 Prime 2019 smartphone has also been listed on the Freedom Sale page, however, only ‘Coming Soon’ is written beneath it and we don’t know what kind of offers can be expected. The device is all set to be launched by the company on August 1 and since it has made an appearance on the website, it can be assumed that it will be made available for purchase by the time Amazon Freedom Sale 2019 will begin.

Other than this, Amazon India will also be offering discounts on power banks, cables, chargers, Bluetooth headsets, cases and covers. Smartwatches, cameras, and accessories have also been listed to go on discount and deals will be available on headphones, speakers, laptops, televisions and air-conditioners too.

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10 smart home gadgets you didn’t know you need

In today’s world, we are completely dependent on technology. But then, it’s not like we regret it since technology and gadgets make our lives a lot easier than what they otherwise will be. Since the last few years, even home appliances like bulbs and LEDs have become smarter because they are now advanced enough to perform more features. Such gadgets and appliances help in making our homes smarter. Here, we have listed down 10 smart home gadgets that you didn’t know you need. Take a look:

Google Home

google-home

Google Home is a smart speaker that will make your life a lot easier than it currently is. You can consider it to be a gadget that acts as your assistant. It gives you news updates, answers queries that you ask, calculates how long it will take you to reach office, plays music, and so much more. It is backed by Google Assistant, which, as the name suggests, is the technology giant’s digital assistant. This is certainly a smart home gadget we recommend.

Syska Mini Smart Socket

Syska Mini SMart Socket

Syska Mini Smart Socket is also on our smart home gadgets’ list. It can turn any device that you have into a smart device. It is basically a Wi-Fi enabled wall socket that can be used to control other devices too. The device has support for Google Assistant as well as Amazon Alexa and it can also work on 2G, 3G and 4G networks. You can read our review of the smart socket here.

Amazon Echo Show (2nd generation)

Amazon Echo Show review

The second generation of Amazon Echo Show (review) is also a smart speaker, but unlike Google Home, it comes with a screen. Since it is from Amazon’s family, it is backed by Alexa. It has a 5MP along with four microphones and it powered by an Intel Atom x5-Z8350 processor. You can connect it to your smartphone using Bluetooth to use it as a Bluetooth speaker. While this smart home gadget works a lot like Google Home, since it has a screen, it obviously has some extra features. For instance, if you ask Google Home for news updates, it will read them out to you. However, the Amazon Echo Show will show you a news bulletin from various news channels.

Syska 4 Spike Buster

Syska 4 Spike Buster

Syska 4 Way Spike Buster is a power strip that is equipped with Spike and Surge Protection. This limits the voltage that is supplied to the device by storing the excess power and then releasing it gradually. The sockets of the power strip are designed to be compatible with Indian as well as international plugs and devices.

Orient Aeroslim Smart Fan

Orient Aeroslim Smart Fan

Orient’s Aeroslim smart fan can be controlled with the help of Orient smart app and it comes with unique features like Fan Scheduling, Reverse rotation, Built-in timer, Turbo mode, Scene Switching Light, Breeze mode and Sleep mode. It is available for purchase on Amazon India’s website and it is a smart home gadget that is very likely to improve your home.

Philips Hue Smart Bulb

Philips Hue Smart Bulb

Philips Hue smart bulb comes with 16 million colours and its colour temperature falls between 2000K and 6500K. The bulb can be dimmed using a smart device only and it comes with an instant 100% light output. It comes with upgradeable software. It can also be controlled wirelessly.

Voice-controlled TVs

micromax Android tv

There are a number of voice-controlled TVs that you can buy. Most smart TVs have support for voice-commands and come with support for the likes of Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa. Pick the smart TV that fits your requirements, but then, we can tell you that getting a smart TV would really enhance your experience as they have a number of apps and also let you use social media and other browsers.

Amazon Fire TV Stick

Amazon Fire TV Stick

Amazon Fire TV Stick now comes with an Alexa Voice Remote control. The Fire Stick is easy to set up and comes pre-registered to the Amazon account of the people. Users can plug it into their HDTV and then enjoy titles and personalised recommendations. It also has a dedicated power, volume and mute buttons that can be used to control TVs that are compatible.

Nest Cam Outdoor

Nest Cam Outdoor

Google Nest Cam Outdoor, as the name suggests, is a camera that lets you look outside your home at any given point in the day. It comes with 24/7 live streaming and can send activity alerts to your phone. They basically work like indoor cameras by Google. It will be a good buy for you if you value privacy.

Mi Air Purifier 2

Mi Air Purifier 2

The Mi Air Purifier 2 is simple and elegant and its design is 40% smaller than its predecessor. It offers a high 310m3/h Clean Air Delivery Rate (CADR) and the gadget is claimed to take only 10 minutes to circulate purified air in a 21m2 room.

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ColorOS 6 Open Trial Version launched for Oppo F9 smartphone

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OPPO has announced the launch of the ColorOS 6 Open Trial Version for its F9 smartphone. The latest ColorOS 6 Open Trial Version offers the up-to-date Android Pie mobile operating system experience along with a number of new features.

ColorOS 6 brings Android Pie’s new features along with improved interactions, higher AI capabilities and optimised underlying interface. The latest navigation gesture by Android Pie comes with cutting-edge experience for user interactions with the mobile.

Borderless design

A borderless design concept is offered to relieve user anxiety triggered by surplus information. To provide its users with a well-designed interface, Oppo has used a combination of light and delicate colours. Over that, the company provides a white background to create a simple and elegant user interface. To offer unified experience in borderless aesthetics the white background provides refined gradients. This is combined with built-in modern art wallpapers.

Improved interaction

For smoother and smarter interactions, the navigation bar has been shifted to the top of the screen. On the other hand, information hierarchy has been updated by replacing tapping with swiping. The new ColorOS 6 comes with animations that put on natural resistance to generate a more spontaneous virtual experience for operations.

Dazzle Color Mode and a brand-new portrait style

ColorOS 6 comes with innovative imaging technologies. The latest update brings two new features. Namely, Dazzle Color Mode along with fresh portrait style.

The dazzle mode controls mapping algorithms that restore bright colours, converse light, and advanced shaded pictures. ColorOs 6 develops a series of scenarios that Oppo F9 imaging capabilities can handle. It uses Artificial Intelligence to scan through the most viewed images present across the social networks to modify five portrait filters. In addition to this, for facial recognition and skin tone adjustment, it employs algorithm-based optimization for beautifying the images.

Elevated gaming experience
The ColorOS 6 has upgraded OPPO’s gaming optimization program ‘Game Boost’ to version 2.0. The new update brings ‘Touch Boost’ and ‘Frame Boost’ that offers improved gaming experience and frame rate stability that delivers a 38% increase in performance.

The app ‘Game Space’ comes with various features and customisation of game limitations for the network, power consumption, messaging and much more. Additionally, ‘Game Assistant’ delivers shortcuts for a number of purposes, that includes ‘do not disturb’, background processes and split-screen, which can be customised for a personalized gaming experience.

Payment security and privacy protection

To lessen the risk of individuals data leaks in high-frequency and dangerous cases that also includes app encryption, private safe and find my device, ColorOS 6 has introduced powerful security features. It comes with payment safety applications like automatic payment blocking, payment identity verification and environment monitoring for payment apps. Eradicating dangers like induced payment, unsafe links, and fraudulent messages.

Oppo has rolled the new ColorOS 6 update for its F9 smartphone. Afterwards, it will be rolled out to Find X along with other smartphones by the company.

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Syska BT670 Boombox wireless speaker launched in India

Mobile Accessories manufacturer Syska has launched its BT670 Boombox wireless speaker in India. The wireless speakers are light in weight and portable. The company says that it is aimed at those who enjoy listening music indoors as well as outdoors.

Syska’s newly launched Boombox speaker can be connected to a smartphone or to a music player through a Bluetooth connection or an AUX cable. The Boombox wireless speaker comes with a hands-free call button to answer or reject an incoming call and it has a play/pause music button. The device also comes with an FM radio and a micro SD card slot. It packs a 500mAh built-in battery that is touted to offer up to 6 to 7 hours of playback.

Syska BT670 Boombox Wireless Speaker

Syska BT670 Boombox wireless speaker features

  • Multi-function button
  • Bluetooth connection
  • Answering incoming calls, ending the call, reject incoming calls
  • Last number redials
  • USB mode
  • Micro SD card mode
  • AUX mode (3.5mm)
  • Built-in FM mode
  • Volume adjustment
  • 50mm powerful bass drivers
  • 500mAh built-in battery
  • Play Time: Up to 6 to 7 hours
  • Power Output: 6W
  • Other connectivity modes: A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP

Commenting on the launch of the Syska Boombox Bluetooth speaker, Ms Jyotsna Uttamchandani, Executive Director, Syska Group said, “We have witnessed a growing demand for wireless audio accessories such as Bluetooth speakers and wireless earphones in the last few years. Owing to this ever-increasing trend, we have introduced the sleek and stylish BT670 Boombox wireless speaker which is targeted towards music admirers across age groups at a very attractive price range. This product is also an ideal gift proposition especially for elderly people who appreciate music. We at Syska are consistent in bringing innovative and up-to-the-minute products to meet the ever-evolving needs of our customers.”

Syska BT670 Boombox wireless speaker price and availability:

Syska BT670 Boombox Wireless Speaker is currently available in four vibrant colours: Black, Red, Green and Light Blue. Interested buyers can buy the product at a price tag of Rs 2,699 through all the leading retail and mobile accessories outlets.

Syska BT670 Boombox Wireless Speaker

To recall, last month Syska had launched a self-grooming kit for men called UltraGroom Pro Styling Kit HT5000K in the country. The self-grooming kit includes an LED display, power display, travel lock and a charging indicator along with a choice of trimmers. The kit consists of a 21mm cutter width, a hair trimmer that comes included with a stubble comb, a nose trimmer, a foil shaver, a precision trimmer, a body groomer along with two stubble combs, and an eyebrow trimmer with two stubble combs. The kit is accompanied by a USB cord for charging.

The product can be purchased at Rs 3,999 through all leading e-commerce platforms and retail stores.

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