IBM wraps up its Red Hat acquisition for $34 billion

Avani Bagga
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IBM wraps up its Red Hat acquisition for $34 billion

Last year, IBM had announced that it will be acquiring Red Hat for a whopping $34 billion, including debt. Now, the American technology giant has wrapped up the deal, making it one among the biggest tech acquisitions the world has seen till now.

It was in October 2018 that IBM officially announced about the Red Hat acquisition. The deal got a stamp of approval from the US Department of Justice in May 2019. At the end of June this year, the European Union gave the deal between the two companies an unconditional approval and with this, the last potential roadblock was also removed.

According to IBM, Red Hat will continue to operate under CEO Jim Whitehurst. However, Whitehurst will be joining IBM in a senior management role and will report directly to CEO Ginny Rometty.

Back in October last year, a report in Reuters said that with this acquisition, IBM eyes to diversify its technology hardware and consulting business into high-margin products and services. As we mentioned earlier, this will one among the biggest tech acquisitions the world has seen so far and the largest one for the company yet. The deal is a part of CEO Ginny Rometty’s efforts to broaden the company’s subscription-based software offerings.

We should mention that it has been reported in the past that the need for this has arisen out of a drop in software sales of the company and a fall in demand for mainstream servers. It is worth pointing out that IBM has a market capitalisation of $114 and for its Red Hat acquisition, the technology giant will be paying $190 per share in cash.

Speaking to Reuters, Rometty had said, Red Hat is one of the few companies in the cloud computing sector that has free cash flow as well as strong revenue growth. According to Rometty, “This acquisition we are clearly doing for growth synergies. This is not about cost synergies at all.”

IBM

With the Red Hat acquisition, IBM eyes to catch up with the likes of Amazon.com, Alphabet, and Microsoft. In the last five years, IBM’s shares have fallen by almost a third of their value, while Red Hat’s have increased by over 170% in the same time frame.

Prior to this, the company has also acquired Canada-based Cognos for $5 billion, and a cloud infrastructure provider Softlayer for $2 billion in 2013. It also bought Weather Channel’s data assets for “over $2 billion” in 2015.

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Nintendo Switch Lite gaming console unveiled: All that you should know

Avani Bagga
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Nintendo Switch Lite gaming console unveiled: All that you should know

We have some very good news for gamers. Nintendo has taken wraps off its Switch hybrid gaming console today. Dubbed Nintendo Switch Lite, the console is a smaller version of the system that is focussed on the platform’s portable side. The company has announced that the new Nintendo Switch Lite is priced at $199.99 and will be made available for purchase on September 20.

We should mention that the Lite version of the Nintendo Switch will not come with detachable Joy-Con controllers. Instead, the latest gaming console by Nintendo is compact and an all-in-one piece of hardware. It can only be used as a handheld gaming console and users don’t get the option of connecting it to a television to play their favourite games on a big screen.

The new gaming console comes with a 5.5-inch display and weighs 0.61lbs, which is lesser than the original Switch. The company has rolled out Nintendo Switch Lite in three colour variants: Yellow, Gray and Turquoise. The new variant of the console promises a battery life that spans three to seven hours of gameplay.

According to the company, with a Nintendo Switch Lite, you can play all the games in the Nintendo Switch Library that have support for handheld mode. It is also worth noticing that some games may have certain restrictions for the Nintendo Switch Lite gaming console. The new gaming console does not come with HD Rumble support or the IR camera that once can access in Joy Cons for the regular version of Switch.

It’s worth adding that Nintendo Switch Lite will come with support for external Joy-Con controllers, the Switch Pro Controller and the Poke Ball Plus. It also comes with built-in gyro-controls. For connectivity, the device has support for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and NFC. A hands-on report in technology website The Verge has elaborated on these points about the newly launched gaming console by Nintendo.

We should point out that a number of reports in the Wall Street Journal over the last one year had predicted that Nintendo is working on a smaller and more affordable Switch gaming console. With this announcement by the company, the reports by the Wall Street Journal have proven to be correct.

Nintendo Switch Lite 2 launch

The latest gaming console by Nintendo may not be the best option for those who enjoy playing games on big screens. But then, for those who do not mind playing games on handheld devices, it is a good option as they would end up saving $100.

There is no word by the company yet about the India price and availability of the Nintendo Switch Lite. We would update you as soon as we know.

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Pokemon Go sales leave behind Candy Crush and Clash Royale

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Pokemon Go sales leave behind Candy Crush and Clash Royale

Three years back on July 6, Pokemon Go was released and it instantly became a global success. While most games made people stay in and be on their couches, Pokemon Go actually made people leave their homes and go out to look for Pokemons. After all this time, the excitement that the game initially saw has faded away. However, it still continues to be immensely successful even though there is no hype being created around it.

According to an analyst site Sensor Tower, Pokemon Go has grossed $2.65 billion over the last three years in spite of the fact that it is free on Google‘s Play Store and Apple’s App Store and many of its players have never made a single transaction on the game. When compared to the first three years of other major Western-made mobile games, Pokemon Go surpasses all others except Clash of Clans. Since we are comparing it with other games, we should mention that Pokemon Go has not been launched in China yet.

There are a number of titles from China and Japan like Monster Strike that are considered to be bigger, but then, when we speak about Western titles, Pokemon Go is one among the games that are said to be unstoppable. It is worth pointing out that Pokemon Go qualifies as a Western Game because its maker – Niantic – is based in San Francisco. Nintendo has very little to do with the app and even when it comes to profit, it gets a relatively lesser portion.

Pokemon Go’s biggest market is the United States and it accounts for around 35% of the game’s gross revenues. The US is followed by Japan at 25% and Germany at 6%. Even the spendings on the game have been split very evenly between iOS and Android. Interestingly, the has 54% of its earnings coming from Google Play Store, 1.6% from iPads and the rest comes from iPhone users.

pokemon go game sales

In spite of the fact that Pokemon Go recently turned three years in age and is currently not available in China, the game is the eighth biggest earner across all mobile games globally in June 2019 and has already grossed $395 million this year. This is an increase of 19% when compared to the same time in 2018.

According to Sensor Tower, the game will cross the $3 billion milestone by the end of this year since the players spend an average of $2.4 million on the game every day since the day it was launched three years back.

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Tecno Phantom 9 with triple rear cameras launched in India: Price and specifications

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Tecno Phantom 9 with triple rear cameras launched in India: Price and specifications

Tecno Phantom 9 has officially been launched in India today. The smartphone is the latest one to become a part of the company’s new Phantom lineup. The company calls the device as premium and has said that it features a 6.4-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display and runs the latest Android 9.0 Pie operating system.

The device comes with 6GB of RAM and sports an in-display camera. Here are all the details about the price and specifications of the Tecno Phantom 9 smartphone that you should know about:

Tecno Phantom 9 price and availability

Tecno Phantom 9 smartphone is available in its sole 6GB RAM/128GB storage variant and costs Rs 14,999 in India. The device will be going on sale starting July 17 and will be available exclusively on Flipkart’s website. The handset is only available in a Lapland Aurora colour option.

At the given price, Tecno Phantom 9 competes with a number of other handsets like Redmi Note 7 Pro, Vivo Z1 Pro, Samsung Galaxy M30, Realme 3 Pro, Nokia 6.1 Plus and others.

Tecno Phantom 9 specifications and features

Tecno Phantom 9 features a 6.4-inch (2340×1080 pixels) Full HD+ AMOLED display that has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9 and comes with 600 nits of brightness. Powered by 2.3GHz Octa-Core MediaTek Helio P35 12nm processor, the device comes with IMG PowerVR GE8320 GPU and is available only with 6GB of RAM. The handset has 128GB of internal storage and can hold a microSD card of up to 256GB.

The device has support for dual SIM cards and runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with HiOS 5. The device houses 3,500mAh battery and its dimensions are 158.46x 75.3×7.85mm. The smartphone does not come with support for fast charging.

On the imaging front, Tecno Phantom 9 sports a triple rear camera setup that consists of a 16MP primary camera with Quad LED flash, an 8MP ultra-wide sensor and a 2MP depth sensor. For selfies and video calls, there is a 32MP front-facing snapper that has an f/2.0 aperture and dual LED flash.

The smartphone comes preloaded with a number of photography modes including AI CAM, HDR, Portrait mode, Beauty, AR Mode, Animoji, Wide Selfie, Bokeh and Panorama. It also comes integrated with Google Lens and has support for AI Face Unlock.

The company’s latest smartphone comes with an in-display scanner has a 3.5mm headphone jack. For connectivity, it has Bluetooth 5.0, FM Radio, Dual 4G VoLTE, GPS and GLONASS, Micro USB and Wi-Fi.

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5 Online courses where you can learn coding for free

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5 Online courses where you can learn coding for free

With the advancement of web 2.0 you do not need to pay a hefty sum to learn any course, barring a few exceptions. Be it coding then, you can learn it for free and eventually earn from it. Here are 5 Online courses where you can learn coding for free:

Codecademy

To hone your programming skills, Codecademy provides you series of interactive online courses aimed at programming languages and frameworks. You can level up by clearing each gamified level. Quite popular for its courses, Codecademy till date has taught more than 24 million people how to code. Also, it provides user up to 300 million hours for free coding.

BitDegree

Another great please if you want to learn coding for free is BitDegree. From programming to game development, BitDegree offers myriad of courses for free. A unique blockchain system incorporated by them makes learning fun. In this, the user is awarded some rewards on achieving while learning. This helps business recruit good talent and measure course success.

Coursera

A good option for a newbie, who is looking forward to starting his/her career in coding or say as a part-time worker. Backed by Stanford University and venture capitalists, it has collaborated with various universities and organisations to provide their courses. The courses are taught by real university professors and are free from any fee, except some. Though, to get their verified certificate one has to pay some amount.

MIT OpenCourseWare

If you are looking for something different then this is the place where you can find some unique courses. You always have an option either to opt for a degree course or take individual courses, for free. An initiative by OpenCourseWare to bring forward all the MIT’s graduate courses online. MIT OpenCourseWare lets you learn these courses, without even getting in an actual MIT.

edX

Governed by MIT and Harvard, edX offers a big number of courses under Computer Science, Business & Management and Engineering. These courses can either be weekly or self-paced. Each divided into Introductory, Intermediate and Advance level. For mastery in a specific area, it even offers Certificate Programs. A good option for detailed learning.

So, if you are looking forward to learn coding for free, you can apply for any of the above-mentioned courses online, as per your preferences. Though not all courses provided are free, but you can any time go through the available ones and start learning.

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NASA asteroid warning: Former top astronaut says an extinction-causing asteroid impact “could happen”

Avani Bagga
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NASA asteroid warning: Former top astronaut says an extinction-causing asteroid impact “could happen”

A former top astronaut from NASA has warned that a massive, extinction-casing asteroid impact with Earth “could happen.” Leroy Chiao, the former International Space Station commander, has claimed that this “big disaster” could “of course” take place theoretically and that it has already happened in the past. But then, he has also reassured that the chances of this happening sometime in the near future are “pretty small.”

Speaking to RT America, Chiao said, “If you look at the movies that have been made about it, it’s this big disaster. And, of course, it could happen.” He further added, “We know that about 60 million years ago a very large asteroid impacted the Yucatan peninsula and probably wiped out the dinosaurs. And so that kind of thing can happen and does happen periodically. However, I think the chances of it happening are pretty small.”

The comet that he is talking about is the one that supposedly killed the dinosaurs and most sources say that this occurred 66 million years ago. The space object measured between 6.8 to 50.3 miles in diameter. The comet is said to have triggered a mass extinction on the Earth and killed 75% of the species including plants, animals and non-avian dinosaurs.

According to NASA’s asteroid trackers, an asteroid that has a destructive power of 2,700 megatons of explosive TNT risks can slam into the Earth later this year. Known as Asteroid FT3, the comet is said to come past our home planet on October 3, 2019. NASA has said that the flyby will be the first of the 165 that will go by between 2019 and 2116.

While the risk of cataclysm is fairly low in any of these asteroid flybys, but in case an asteroid deviates from its course and collides into the Earth, the results will be devastating.

We should add that Asteroid FT3 is a monstrous and is said to be 1,115ft (340m) in diameter and according to NASA‘s estimates, it weighs 55,000,000,000 kilograms.

asteroid impact

It is worth noticing that if an asteroid ever hits the Earth, it will slam into the planet at 20.37 km per second or more than 45,500mph. It is speculated that the force of the impact would be equal to 2,700 megatons of TNT or 2,700,000,000 tonnes of TNT.

For the sake of comparison, the nuclear bomb on Hiroshima in 1945 was in the range of 13 kilotons to 18 kilotons or 18,000 tonnes of TNT. This should give you a fair idea of the kind of destruction that can happen.

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Jabra Elite 85h and Elite Active 65t with active noise cancellation launched: Price and features

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Jabra Elite 85h and Elite Active 65t with active noise cancellation launched: Price and features

Audio brand Jabra has today announced the launch of its Jabra Elite 85h and Elite Active 65t during the Amazon Prime Days sale that will begin on July 15 and go on till July 16. Both the new offerings by the company can be connected to its Jabra Sound+ app that allows the users to personalise their experience on the two devices. Here are more details about the Jabra Elite 85h and Elite Active 65t:

Jabra Elite 85h and Elite Active 65t price and availability

Jabra Elite 85h and Elite Active 65t will be available during the Amazon Prime Days sale that is all set to begin on July 15 and will go on till July 16. Both the devices will be available in Copper Black colour. During the sale, Jabra Elite 85h and Jabra Elite Active 65t can be bought at Rs 21,999 and Rs 12,999 respectively. However, the price of the two after the sale without any launch offers is unknown.

Jabra Elite 85h and Elite Active 65t features

Jabra Elite 85h headphones are backed by the company’s SmartSound technology and Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). The SmartSound technology ensures that the audio of the Elite 85h automatically adjusts to your surroundings to “offer the best calls and music experience.” The headphones come with a battery life of up to 36 hours and it also has the company’s HearThrough technology. With Active Noise Cancellation activated, the 40mm custom-engineered speakers of the headphones are claimed to offer a top quality acoustic experience.

The device comes with eight microphones and among these, six are dedicated for making calls, four for ANC and two hybrid mics for calls as well as ANC. The headphones have support for Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri. In addition to this, the headphones offer up to 36-hour battery with Active Noise Cancellation activated and 41 hours without ANC.

Jabra Elite Active 65t

Coming to Jabra Elite Active 65t, the earbuds are said to be engineered for “true wireless music, calls and sport.” The smart earbuds can track fitness and performance with an integrated motion sensor and are also dust and water resistant. They offer up to five hours of battery on a single charge and up to 15 hours with its pocket-friendly charging case. The earbuds also have support for Alexa, Google Assistant and Siri.

Which one among the two would you want to buy? Let us know in the comments section below!

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Github bans ‘deepfakes’ porn app DeepNude

Avani Bagga
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Github bans ‘deepfakes’ porn app DeepNude

GitHub has banned the code that is based on DeepNude, the app that used artificial intelligence to create fake nude images of women. It has been confirmed that the Microsoft-owned software development platform would not allow DeepNude projects anymore.

The confirmation came from the Motherboard, the website that reported on DeepNude last month. Speaking to the website, Github said that the code of the app violated its rules against sexually obscene content. Github has also clarified that it has removed multiple repositories, including the one that DeepNude’s creator managed.

It is worth mentioning that DeepNude was initially a paid app that created nude pictures of women using ‘deepfakes’, a technology that is similar to AI. The women whose images it created were not asked for consent in any manner. After Motherboard reported about the app, the development team shut it down sawn saying, “the probability that people will misuse it is too high.” But then, it was reported last week that copies of the app were accessible online and some of them were on Github too.

Later that week, DeepNude team also uploaded the core algorithm to the platform, but then, this was not the actual app interface. In one among the pages that have now been deleted, the team wrote, “The reverse engineering of the app was already on GitHub. It no longer makes sense to hide the source code. DeepNude uses an interesting method to solve a typical AI problem, so it could be useful for researchers and developers working in other fields such as fashion, cinema, and visual effects.”

We should also mention that GitHub’s guidelines clearly state that “non-pornographic sexual content may be a part of your project, or may be presented for educational or artistic purposes.” However, the platform draws a line when it comes to pornographic or obscene content and outrightly bans it.

github

It is worth pointing out that the concept of fake nude photos was not invented by DeepNude. People have been creating fake nude images using various other platforms like Photoshops for many years now. Moreover, the results one got from DeepNude are reportedly not very consistent and worked the best when the subject was already wearing something like a swimsuit. But then, one did not need any technical or artistic skills to produce photos on the app and that is where it was different from Photoshop.

A lot has been spoken about how dangerous the impact of deepfakes can be. It cannot only be used to create fake and non-consensual porn of women but also to harass them using fake nudes. While copies of DeepNude may not stop appearing online, GitHub’s decision will make it harder for people to find the app.

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Nokia 9 PureView with five rear cameras launched in India: Price and specifications

Avani Bagga
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Nokia 9 PureView with five rear cameras launched in India: Price and specifications

HMD Global has today launched its Nokia 9 PureView smartphone in India. The key highlight of the smartphone is that it comes with five cameras on its back panel. It is the world’s first handset to come with a penta-camera lens. The company had initially launched the device at Mobile World Congress 2019 that had taken place in February in Barcelona, Spain.

Like all other Nokia smartphones from HMD Global, Nokia 9 PureView is a part of Google’s Android One programme. Other key specifications of the handset include Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC, a 5.99-inch 2K screen and 6GB of RAM. Here’s a look at the price and specifications of the newly launched smartphone:

Nokia 9 PureView price and availability

Nokia 9 PureView is priced at Rs 49,999 and it will go on sale via Flipkart starting today. The smartphone will also be available at various offline retail outlets in India starting July 17. The company has said that those who purchase Nokia 9 PureView will receive exclusive premium concierge experience for the first 30 days via their Nokia Mobile Care. This experience will include exclusive support desk with access to a top-tier customer support team and chance to talk to the company’s “master trainers for expert tips and tricks that help you get the most out of your Nokia 9 PureView.”

People who pay for their purchase using HDFC Bank credit and debit cards on EMI or regular transactions via Pinelabs terminals in offline stores will get a cashback of 10%. Customers will also get a 10% cashback if they use HDFC consumer durable loans. This is valid on retail stores till August 31, 2019. As a limited period offer, consumers will get Nokia 705 Earbuds worth Rs 9,999 for free. If one opts to buy Nokia 9 PureView via the company’s online store will get a gift card worth Rs 5,000 and Nokia 705 Earbuds worth Rs 9,999.

Nokia 9 PureView specifications

Coming to the specifications of the device, let’s begin with its camera setup. As we mentioned earlier, Nokia 9 Pureview comes with five camera lenses on its back panel. The company has worked with Qualcomm and Google to optimize the camera setup in a way that it completely utilizes the Snapdragon 845 SoC and Google’s Photos app. All the five cameras of the device come with Zeiss certified lenses. Three of these are 12MP monochrome sensors while two are 12MP RGB sensors. All the cameras get to work whenever a person takes a shot and then, the handset fuses these photos together to put together one image. For selfies and video calls, there is a 20MP front-facing snapper.

Nokia 9 PureView launch in India

The handset sports a 5.99-inch Quad-HD+ (1440×2960 pixels) POLED screen that has an aspect ratio of 18.5:9 and has an in-display scanner embedded on it. It comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Nokia 9 PureView also houses a 3,320mAh battery that has support for wireless charging. The smartphone also comes with options like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, and NFC for connectivity. The device has IP67 certification and is water and dust resistant. It comes without a 3.5mm headphone jack. Nokia 9 Pureview runs Android 9.0 Pie.

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Dr Mario launched on iOS and Android: Everything you need to know

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Dr Mario launched on iOS and Android: Everything you need to know

Nintendo has launched the latest edition in the Mario franchise – Dr Mario, on iOS and Android mobile systems. The game was in the works since some time now and reports were rife of its launch to be held on 10th July 2019. However, many became privy to the game 24 hours before its launch. Global editors were able to play the game, which is getting good reviews from all over.

Dr Mario is the latest edition by Nintendo and it is not like the usual Mario game, where the plumber needs to go through a maze, kill the demon and save the princess. Instead this time the character is a doctor and it is a puzzle-based game. Here you have to shoot medicines on an array of viruses and destroy them to get to the next level. The game is not freely available in India yet, however in the coming weeks it should be open to all. It has already crossed 1,00,000 downloads on Android.

In the game, one has to shoot and match tablets on to viruses, which in turn will kill them. It is a colour-based game system where you have to match the colour of the tablets to the one seen on the puzzle board. The point here is to match three objects of the same colour for you to destroy them. Gamers will be able to deploy various combos within the game, which makes the game more fun.

You only have a limited number of capsules to clear a stage so chose wisely. Do not overuse them thinking the next might be the right one. Instead, strategize well. The game also allows users to play with their friends online from anywhere around the world. Also, you can choose from a number of doctors in the games, as Dr Mario is not the only doctor in the game. There is also Dr Peach, Dr Toad and Dr Browser with team members like Buzzy Beetle and Goomba on duty. These assistants help the doctors with additional abilities to get rid of the viruses on the game field. When in a tough situation you can use special skills to destroy the pesky viruses, too.

The game is free to play but is built on a freemium model. Which means you have the option to purchase items within the game. You would encounter some form of advertising in the game as it is a freemium model. Also, the game is not an offline but online game. So, you would need a constant stream of the internet to play the game and data charges may apply. Overall, the graphics and gameplay are good and it does seem like a fun game to play if you have some time to kill.

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Apple launches refreshed MacBook Air and MacBook Pro: Price and specifications

Avani Bagga
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Apple launches refreshed MacBook Air and MacBook Pro: Price and specifications

Cupertino-based technology giant Apple has announced refreshed MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops. The company has added a True Tone Retina Display to the MacBook Air and Apple has also lowered the starting price of the device.

The 13-inch MacBook Pro that has been launched is upgraded with the new 8th-generation quad-core processors. It also comes with Touch Bar, a Touch ID, a True Tone Retina Display and the company’s T2 Security Chip. The company has also given out the India pricing details of the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro. Take a look:

MacBook Air, MacBook Pro price

The 2019 MacBook Air is available at a starting price of Rs 99,900 in India. If you are a college student, you can buy it for Rs 92,074. We should mention that the starting price of the device is lesser than its predecessor, which was priced at Rs 1,14,900. You can buy the new MacBook Air via Apple Authorised Resellers starting July 25. MacBook Air is powered by a 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 8th-generation processor and comes with 128GB of internal storage.

Coming to the 13-inch 2019 MacBook Pro, its starting price in India is Rs 1,19,900. But then, college students can get it for Rs 1,11,264. It will also be available July 25 onwards in the country. The base model of the device is powered by 1.4GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 8th-generation processor and it comes with 128GB of onboard storage. The laptop is also equipped with Touch Bar, Touch ID, and a True Tone Retina Display. It also has an Apple T2 Security Chip.

Speaking on the launch of the two new MacBook products, Tom Boger, Apple’s senior director of Mac Product Marketing said, “College students love the Mac — it’s the notebook they rely on from the dorm room to the classroom, and the No. 1 choice among higher education students. With a lower Rs. 92,704 student price for MacBook Air and the updated 13-inch MacBook Pro with faster performance, Touch Bar and Touch ID at Rs. 1,11,264 for students, there’s never been a better time to bring a Mac to college.”

It is worth mentioning that Apple’s new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro are a part of the company’s Back to School promotion. The benefits of the promotion can be availed by college students, their parents, faculty, staff and home-school teachers at Apple Education Store. Apple is also offering a pair of Beats Studio 3 Wireless headphones as a part of the promotional offers.

Discontinued products

After launching the new products, Apple has discontinued its non-Retina MacBook Air. In addition to this, the no-Touch Bar MacBook Pro models are also no longer available. The 12-inch MacBook is also not listed on the company’s website anymore.

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Redmi Note 7 Pro with 48MP primary sensor to go on sale in India today: Key Details

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Redmi Note 7 Pro with 48MP primary sensor to go on sale in India today: Key Details

Redmi Note 7 Pro is all set to go on sale in India today via Flipkart and Mi.com. The device was launched by Xiaomi in February and it has gone on sale a number of times in the country. The Redmi Note 7 Pro has been made available for purchase via open sales too. However, today, the company is hosting a flash sale. Here’s a look at the price, specifications and sale details of the smartphone:

Redmi Note 7 Pro price and sale details

The Redmi Note 7 Pro is available in three storage models in India – 4GB RAM/64GB storage, 6GB RAM/64GB storage and 6GB RAM/128GB storage. While the base model costs Rs 13,999, the 6GB RAM/64GB storage variant is priced at Rs 15,999 and the most high-end one can be bought at Rs 16,999. All the three models of the device are expected to go on sale via Flipkart and Mi.com. The sale will begin at 12 pm IST. The handset is available in Neptune Blue, Nebula Red, and Space Black colour options.

Redmi Note 7 Pro is available on the two platforms with Jio cashback offer that gives customers double data benefit on all prepaid recharges worth Rs 198 and above. Airtel customers will get up to 1,120GB data and unlimited voice calling. Mi Exchange plan and no-cost EMI for 3 months with Zest money is also available on Mi.com’.

Redmi Note 7 Pro specifications

The Redmi Note 7 Pro has support for dual SIM card and runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with MIUI 10. The handset features a 6.3-inch full-HD+ display that has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9 and a waterdrop-shaped notch on the top. Powered by octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 SoC, the device comes with up to 6GB of RAM and up to 128GB of internal storage. It also has support for a microSD card of up to 256GB.

Redmi Note 7S, Redmi Note 7 Pro sale in India to be held today at 12 pm IST

On the imaging front, the device comes with a dual rear camera setup that comprises of a 48MP primary sensor and a 5MP secondary depth sensor. For selfies and video calls, there is a 13MP front-facing snapper. The cameras of the smartphone come with AI scene detection, AI Portrait 2.0 and Night Mode. It also comes with 4K video recording.

The handset houses a 4,000mAh battery and for connectivity, it comes with 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS, USB Type-C port, and 3.5mm headphone jack. It also has a fingerprint scanner on its back panel.

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Spotify Lite for Android users launched: Everything that you should know

Komila Singh
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Spotify Lite for Android users launched: Everything that you should know

Swedish based music streaming platform Spotify has launched a Lite version of its app for Android users. The music streaming service provider aims to attract Android users who face problems like limited data plans, slower network and low storage.

The app Spotify Lite App was launched in 36 countries in Asia, Latin America, Middle East, and Africa including India, Brazil, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Chile, Colombia, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Algeria, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, Oman, Jordan, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, South Africa, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia.

The ad-supported free version of the app has been made available in these countries now. Spotify launched the beta version of its Lite app in May and now, the company has launched it for the regular users/ The app can be downloaded for free from Google Play store.

The new Lite app is 108MB in size, so it doesn’t take much time to download and install it on the user’s device. According to the company, the Spotify Lite app comes with a feature to control and clear cache files by just tapping on it. Another feature of the app allows the users to set a data limit and also notifies the user when reaches the set limit. The Spotify Lite app runs on smartphones with Android version 4.3 or more. The app is now available to all the users.

spotify music streaming app

The SpotifyLite app is loaded with personalised playlists based on user’s preferences. There are popular and trending playlists on the music streaming app along with curated playlists created by Spotify Editors. The users can enjoy different regional music like Punjabi, Tamil, and more. At the bottom, there are four tabs – Home, Search, Favourites, and Premium. The search tab lets the users search their favourite music from its catalogue and even displays the list of genres like Pop, Bollywood, Romance, Punjabi, Party, Tamil, Pride, and more. The ‘Favourite’ tab allows the user to create their own playlist. The ‘Premium’ tab permits users to buy subscription and ad-free experience also it allows them to download their favourite music. New subscribers will get 30 days free trial, after which they will have to pay Rs. 119 per month.

Commenting on the launch Amarjit Singh Batra, MD – India said, “We announced the availability of Spotify Lite Beta in India a couple of months ago to gauge user interest, which was high. As a result, Spotify Lite is now out of test mode, and available as an app for all users in the country. This small, fast app will make millions of free songs more accessible to anyone who may have an older mobile device, limited storage on their phones, are in poor internet connectivity areas, or just don’t want to spend excess data on listening to music. We are committed to the long-term development of the music streaming industry, and the launch of Spotify Lite is another strong step in that direction.”

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Infinix Hot 7 with four cameras launched in India: Price and specifications

Komila Singh
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Infinix Hot 7 with four cameras launched in India: Price and specifications

Infinix has today launched its Hot 7 smartphone in the Indian market today. The device comes with 4,000mAh battery and sports a dual rear camera setup. The company had launched the Hot 7 Pro handset sometime back and now, it has got the Infinix Hot 7 smartphone in the country. Here are more details about it:

Infinix Hot 7 price and availability

Infinix Hot 7 is priced at Rs 7,999 for its sole 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant in India. The handset will be available on Flipkart starting July 15. The device will be available in Midnight Black, Aqua Blue and Mocha Brown colours.

Commenting on the launch, Mr Anish Kapoor, CEO, Infinix India, said, “Infinix’s conveniently priced premium smartphones have been the talk of the industry not just for their price points but also the high-quality standards. We have realized how important value-addition is for the Indian consumers, and our promise of ‘ThodaExtra’ aims to establish Infinix as a brand that promises not a little, but a lot more!”

He further added, “We want our offerings to be dynamic, from great prices to segment-first features and devices that add aspiration to the sub 10k smartphone segment. An optimized combination of all these factors have allowed us to differentiate Infinix from our competition, and we are certain HOT 7 will augment this stance further.  The HOT 7 is a great addition to our product ecosystem, and it truly epitomizes the strategic enrichment we are looking to achieve through our devices to further the amazing journey we have had in the Indian market.”

Infinix Hot 7 specifications

The Infinix Hot 7 runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with XOS 5.0 and its sports a 6.19-inch HD+ LCD display that has an aspect ratio of 19:9 and is protected by 2.5D glass. The screen of the device has a peak brightness of 500 nits and a screen to body ratio of 83%. Powered by a 2.39GHz octa-core MediaTek Helio P25 SoC, the handset has 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. It can also hold a microSD card of up to 256GB.

For imaging duties, Infinix Hot 7 sports a dual rear camera setup that has a 13MP primary sensor and a 2MP secondary sensor. On the front, there is a 13MP primary sensor and a 2MP secondary sensor. The selfie cameras of the smartphone also come with support for Facial Unlock. The handset houses a 4,000mAh battery and has a fingerprint scanner.

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Micromax launches Android TV lineup and fully automatic washing machines in India

Komila Singh
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Micromax launches Android TV lineup and fully automatic washing machines in India

Domestic technology brand Micromax Informatics Limited has launched a new series of Google certified Android TVs and Fully Automatic top loading Washing Machines in India. The company mostly manufactures smartphones and tablets. But since last year, it has been focused on expanding its portfolio.

Coming to the specifications, the Google Certified Android televisions will be available in three sizes – 32-inch (80 cms), 40-inch (102 cms) and 43-inch (109 cms) with 16:9 aspect ratio. As the name suggests, the product has support for Google Assistant. The television can be controlled quickly using one’s voice. The television is certified by Google and has access to the technology giant’s official Play Store, Games, Movies, Music and the package. The Micromax Television has Dolby Digital Sound along with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity and a number of other features. The new Google Certified Android televisions will be made available for purchase on Flipkart from July 11 onwards. The product comes at a starting price of Rs 13,999.

Along with the Android television, the company has launched its Fully Automatic top loading Washing Machine. The Fully Automatic Washing Machine will be available in four wash capacity options of 6.00 kg, 6.5 kg, 7.00 kg and 8.00 kg. The washing machine is equipped with a sapphire crystal shaped inner drum that creates a special water flow for better cleaning and extra care of clothes.

The super-wide drum creates more washing space that reduces twisting and wear and tear of clothes. The product comes with loads of features to ensure extra care of clothes. The washing machine has a Magic filter mode that is helpful for a well-cleaned laundry. The Micromax washing machine comes with a Child Lock mode along with the presence of free wash feature that allows the user to preset the time and programme as per their requirements. Fully Automatic top loading Washing Machine will also be up for purchase from July 15 exclusively on Flipkart and the starting price will be Rs 10,999.

Micromax washing machine

Commenting on the launch of the new products, Mr. Rohan Agarwal, Director, Micromax Informatics Ltd. said, “Micromax, since its inception, has always stood for democratising technology at affordable price points. It has been our constant endeavour to understand the evolving needs of our consumers and offer the best of technology to cater to those needs. Taking that a step further, today we have announced a range of two new products in the consumer durables segment, with an aim to redefine the entertainment experience and everyday solutions for the Indian consumer.”

He further added, “The Google Certified Android TV is meant for those who want a larger than life entertainment experience by being packed with multiple compelling features and the fully automatic washing machine aims to make everyday solutions simpler and hassle-free. We look forward to the response from our consumers and are committed to grow this category further by consolidating our leadership position in the segment in India.”

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Amazon Fire TV gets official YouTube app, Prime Video app rolled out for Chromecast, Android TVs

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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Amazon Fire TV gets official YouTube app, Prime Video app rolled out for Chromecast, Android TVs

The official YouTube app for Amazon Fire TV is launching today in India on Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Stick 4K, both of which come with support for Alexa Voice Remote. Starting today, the Prime Video app will also be available for streaming content to Chromecast, Chromecast built-in devices and Android TVs.

Official YouTube app on Amazon Fire TV

Customers will be able to find the new YouTube app title in their ‘Your Apps and Channels’ row. The official YouTube app on the Fire TV is claimed to be a lot better than it ever was because it is integrated with Alexa voice controls. Users can easily find, launch, and control content on it using their voice. When users open the app for the first time, they would get a prompt that will ask to download the app. Once they install it, they would be able to open the app by just saying “Alexa, open YouTube.” Other commands that you can give include “Alexa, resume”, “rewind 30 seconds”, “next video” and more. We feel that these would make the experience a lot smoother for users.

youtube 2

They would also have the option of clicking on the app to sign in to their account and access the full library of content including their subscriptions, playlists, and recommendations. Other than this, they would also be able to play compatible videos in 4K HDR at 60fps on TVs and streaming media players that are supported. According to the company, the new YouTube app will get the default YouTube experience for customers using a compatible Fire TV device.

Prime Video App on Chromecast and Android TV devices

Chromecast and Chromecast built-in users, as well as Android TV users, will now be able to access the Prime Video catalogue. Going forward, they would also be to access Amazon Originals like Made in Heaven, Mirzapur, Four More Shots Please!, Breathe, Inside Edge, the upcoming Comicstaan Season 2 that will launch on July 12. They would also be able to watch Amazon Originals such as Good Omens, Fleabag and The Marvelous Mrs Maisel. Amazon Original movies such as The Jonas Brothers’ documentary Chasing Happiness and Guava Island starring Donald Gambino and Rihanna will also be available to watch.

Prime Video will also offer users to access 4K titles at no additional cost.

To use Chromecast on Prime Video, you can download the latest Prime Video version from Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

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Realme Million Days Sale to begin on July 10: All that you should know

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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Realme Million Days Sale to begin on July 10: All that you should know

Chinese technology company Realme’s CEO Madhav Sheth has today announced Realme Million Days sale in India. During the sale, the company will be offering a warranty of two years on the Realme C2 smartphone along with a temporary price cut on the Realme 3 Pro. The sale is all set to begin on July 10 and it will go on till July 12. Realme has announced these offers to celebrate the milestone of selling a million units of its Realme C2 handset that was launched in April this year.

Sheth took to his Twitter profile to announce the Realme Million Days sale in India. The two-year warranty on Realme C2 will be offered on Flipkart and the company’s official website. The device will be available in an open sale starting July 10 to July 12. The device is available in three storage variants in India – 2GB RAM/16GB storage, 2GB RAM/32GB storage and 3GB RAM/32GB storage. While the base model costs Rs 5,999, the 2GB RAM/32GB storage variant is priced at Rs 6,999 and the most high-end version bears a price tag of Rs 7,999.

Coming to Realme 3 Pro, it is being offered at a price cut in India. While the 4GB/64GB storage model will be priced at Rs 13,499 (discount of Rs 500), the 6GB RAM/64GB storage model is selling at Rs 14,999 (discount of Rs 1,000). The most high-end model of the device that has 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage is also available at a discount of Rs 1,000 and can be bought at Rs 15,999 during the sale. It will also be available on Flipkart, Realme.com and offline stores.

Realme C2 specifications

Realme C2 smartphone runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with ColorOS 6.0 on top and sports a 6.1-inch HD+ display. Powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio P22 SoC, the handset has up to 3GB of RAM. There is also a dual rear camera setup on the device that comprises of a 13MP primary sensor and a 2MP secondary sensor. For selfies and video calls, there is a 5MP front-facing snapper. The smartphone comes with up to 32GB of internal storage and can hold a microSD card of up to 256GB. The connectivity options of the device include 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, and Micro-USB port. It houses a 4,000mAh battery and comes with a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.

Realme 3 Pro specifications

Realme 3 Pro

Realme 3 Pro smartphone runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with ColorOS 6.0 and features a 6.3-inch full-HD+ IPS display that has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. Powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC, the handset comes with Adreno 616 GPU and has up to 6GB of RAM. On the imaging front, the device has a dual rear camera setup with a 16MP primary sensor and a 5MP secondary sensor. On the front, there is a 25MP selfie camera. Realme 3 Pro has a fingerprint scanner on its back panel and comes with 128GB of internal storage. It can hold a microSD card of up to 256GB. It houses 4,045mAh battery.

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10 PUBG Mobile tricks you need to know to always get the Chicken Dinner

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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10 PUBG Mobile tricks you need to know to always get the Chicken Dinner

Everyone has been trying to win the Chicken Dinner in PUBG Mobile. The game is getting increasingly popular and that’s why the number of people playing it are going up. This makes it far more difficult to get the Chicken Dinner, as one has to be the last standing man to win it. Here, we are listing down 10 PUBG Mobile tricks that will help you win the chicken dinner. Take a look:

Get the basics right

PUBG Mobile India Tour 2019 kickstarts today

We’ll start off on an obvious note, but it is very important for you to have a basic plan in PUBG Mobile. This includes choosing the good weapons, knowing smart positions and the ability to choose when to play defensive and when to play offensive. Don’t go looking for your favourite gun. Just grab what you get first and then you can look for it while you are properly armed. Never remain in the same position for too long and be vigilant about your enemies.

Land on roofs

PUBG Mobile 4

If you land on the roof of a house, you will be able to get better loot. You will be able to get better guns with less effort and it will also prove to be faster. When combined with fast landing, this can give a huge advantage to the users. It will help them find the right weapons too, and all of us know how much that matters in PUBG Mobile.

Kill enemies as soon as the game starts

PUBG Mobile 2

This is one of the most important PUBG Mobile tricks you can get. If you land alongside your enemy at a similar time, don’t go looking for the best possible weapon you can get. Grab whatever you get and kill the enemy first. By doing this, you will catch him off-guard and get an easy kill. Once you do this, you can also rush to other areas where people are looting to get more easy kills.

Shoot when in the right range

shooting range

Kill all your enemies, but kill them wisely. Shoot only when you are sure that you will hit one of them because in case you miss your shot, they will automatically know what your location is. Giving away your location is equivalent to committing suicide in PUBG Mobile.

How to predict the next safe zone

safe zone

While there is no hard and fast rule for predicting the next safe zone circle with accuracy, if you stay in the centre of one safe zone, you would most likely be included in the next one too. Even if you are not, the next circle will appear close by, so it will be easy for you to get to it.

Find SMGs and reload magazines before they hit zero

PUBG game (4)

The Sub-Machine Guns (SMGs) can provide a lot of advantage in a hot drop location. While you can ideally go for any gun, if you end up with an SMG, you would have a great advantage over others. If you have a different gun and then upgrade to an SMG, it would be a smart move too. The magazine loading is another feature that makes these guns have an edge over others. You should also always remember to find cover and change magazines too before you max out.

Being aware of your surroundings

surroundings in game

This is very basic, but at the same time, very important too – Always keep an eye on the mini-map of the game. It will display the footsteps of the other players when that is within 20 metres of your location. The main map is also extremely important and it gives information about the safe zone. If you indulge too much in looting and forget about the map, you may die outside the play zone.

Lure your enemies

lure enemies

Good weapons are not just used for shooting. An important PUBG Mobile trick is that you can use them to lure your enemies too. Just leave it on the ground and hide and when your enemy comes to pick it, you will get an easy kill. Even if he picks it up, you will have time to shoot him till he reloads it.

Always use headphones

Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700

Putting on your headphones will give you a lot of advantage. You would be able to listen to the footsteps of your enemies approaching and gunshots too. This will make it easier for you to locate them and kill them.

A must-know about landing

PUBG Mobile 5

Even if you land a second earlier to other players, you may get a great advantage. The first objective when you land should be to find a weapon and then take a position with enough cover. If you want to drop at a desired location and land first, then the drop needs to be precisely timed. Ideally, a player should drop at about 600 mts to 800 mts from the target. After the jump, the player would have to fly or drop at an optimal terminal velocity speed of 231 kms/hr to 234 kms/hr up until about 100 mts to 120 mts from the target. This can be achieved using the directional button. After this, the parachute can be used and the drop’s speed can be increased by continuing to hold the directional button.

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Qualcomm 215 mobile platform announced: Key features

Avani Bagga
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Qualcomm 215 mobile platform announced: Key features

American chipmaker Qualcomm has today announced the newest addition to its 2-series – Qualcomm 215 mobile platform. The company has claimed that this mobile platform gets “leading mobile experiences to entry-level smartphone buyers who need reliable, lasting performance.”

Speaking on the launch of the new chipset, Kedar Kondap, vice president of product management, Qualcomm Technologies said, “Featuring a 64-bit CPU and dual-ISPs, the Qualcomm 215 Mobile Platform is a significant milestone for the expansion of the entire mobile industry. We’re raising the bar for mass market devices and enabling experiences that were never before possible in the 2-series.”

Here’s a look at the key features of the Qualcomm 215 mobile platform:

Performance and Battery Life

Qualcomm 215 mobile platform comes with ARM Cortex A53 cores that are claimed to deliver up to 50% increased CPU performance as compared to the predecessor. The chipset is the first ever 64-bit CPU in the 2-series to come with a big boost in performance and it is claimed to offer better device longevity as it has support for modern 64-bit applications. The chipset also comes with an integrated Qualcomm Hexagon DSP that can support more than five days of music playback. Qualcomm 215 SoC also comes with Qualcomm’s Adreno 308 GPU and is equipped with display and video processing engines that support up to 10+ hours of video playback. It also has Qualcomm Quick Charge technology.

Entertainment

Qualcomm 215 has support for dual ISPs, which means that it can support dual rear cameras. We should point out that this is also a first in the 2-series. The chipset will enable the device to capture images of up to 13MP. It is also the first ever chipset in 2-series to come with support for HD+ resolution displays. Since it comes with Adreno 308 GPU, Qualcomm 215 has a boost of up to 28% increased gaming performance as compared to its predecessor.

Connectivity

Qualcomm 215 also comes with integrated Snapdragon X5 modem that has support for LTE Cat 4 with Carrier Aggregation for faster data rates and download speeds up to 150Mbps. It is the first ever platform in the 2-series to come with support for EVS Voice calls and Dual Sim with Dual Voice-over-LTE. This allows users to have multiple SIMs in their device.

The Qualcomm 215 Mobile Platform debuts the following “firsts” in the 2-series:

  • 64-bit CPU
  • Dual-ISP
  • Supports up to 13MP photo capture
  • Support for Full HD (1080p) video capture
  • Support for HD+ resolution display
  • Hexagon DSP for audio and sensor processing
  • Support for Dual SIM with Dual VoLTE
  • EVS voice calls
  • Wi-Fi 802.11ac
  • Support for NFC Payments on Android

Commercial devices with Qualcomm 215 chipset are expected to be available in second half of 2019.

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Samsung Galaxy A30’s latest update gets July 2019 security patch

Komila Singh
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Samsung Galaxy A30’s latest update gets July 2019 security patch

Samsung Galaxy A30 smartphone has reportedly started receiving a new update in India. The latest update gets a number of new changes and improvements to the handset. As of now, the update is only rolling out to users in India. The firmware version of the update that Samsung Galaxy A30 is receiving is A305FDDU2ASF3 and its size is reported to be 198.25MB.

The new update is being rolled out over-the-air in India. If you haven’t received it yet, you can head to Settings >Software Update > Download and Install to get it manually.

The report about the Samsung Galaxy A30 receiving the update first appeared on SamMobile. According to the report, the update has the July 2019 Android security that fixes vulnerabilities found within the Android OS. It also fixes 13 other vulnerabilities that only affecting Samsung Galaxy devices. Apart from that, the new update gets stability and improves the moisture detection algorithm.

The changelog of the latest update says, “charger USB/port’s moisture detection algorithm has been improved along with overall stability of the functions improved.”

Samsung Galaxy A30 specifications

To recall, the South Korean technology giant launched the Samsung Galaxy A30 along with the Galaxy A50 and Galaxy A10 in February this year.

Samsung Galaxy A30 comes with a 6.4-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-U display and is powered by an octa-core Exynos 7904 SoC. The smartphone comes with 4GB of RAM along with 64GB internal storage and it can hold a microSD card of up to 512GB. The device features a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and packs a 4,000mAh battery with 15W fast charging and USB Type-C port.

Samsung Galaxy A30 comes with a dual rear camera setup that consists of a 16MP sensor and a 5MP sensor. On the front, there is a 25MP sensor that can be used for selfies and video calls.

Recently Samsung has revealed its Galaxy A30 Smartphone in new colour variant in India. Till now, the handset was available in Black, Blue and Red colour options. Going forward, Samsung Galaxy A30 can be bought in White colour as well. The White coloured variant of the Samsung Galaxy A30 has been announced at Rs 15,490 by the company.

In May this year, the company had also reduced the price of the smartphone by Rs 1,500. Prior to the price cut, the Samsung Galaxy A30 was priced at Rs 16,990 in India and now, it can be picked up at Rs 15,490.

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OnePlus Pro starts receiving OxygenOS 9.5.9 update: Here’s everything new

Komila Singh
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OnePlus Pro starts receiving OxygenOS 9.5.9 update: Here’s everything new

Chinese technology company OnePlus launched the OnePlus 7 Pro smartphone in India in May this year. After its launch, the smartphone company started rolling out software updates for its device to improve its camera performance and other features. Now, OnePlus 7 Pro has started receiving the OxygenOS 9.5.9 update that gets camera enhancements, Face Unlock Assistive Lighting Support, June 2019 Android security update and some general bug fixes. OnePlus has announced on its forum that will be rolling out the new update in an incremental manner. The OTA update will be received by a limited number of users and will have a broader rollout in a few days after the company makes sure that there are no critical bugs in it.

According to the changelog of the update, the company has made these improvements in OnePlus 7 Pro:

  • The touch sensitivity has been improved.
  • Smoother Visual effects.
  • Enhanced haptic feedback for the keyboard.
  • Improved sensitivity of automatic brightness.
  • Optimized auto-switch of display resolution.
  • Enhanced speed and accuracy of GPS when the screen is turned off.
  • Haptic feedback of third-party app notifications has been adjusted.
  • Face Unlock assistive lighting has been added. You can access it by heading to Settings>Security & lock screen>Face Unlock>Face Unlock assistive lighting.
  • Improved sound enhancement for OnePlus Bullets Wireless 2. Head to Settings>Sound & vibration>Dolby Atmos >Earphone Adjustment >Earphone Sound Enhancement to access it.
  • Updated Android security patch to 2019.06.
  • Support for VoLTE/VoWiFi for 3 SE and Telenor SE (EEA Only) added.
  • General bug fixes and improvements

The new update has also included some camera improvements such as:

  • The performance of camera mode has been improved while switching from front to back.
  • Auto-focus has been upgraded.
  • Advanced photo-stitching in Panorama mode.
  • Improved photo quality of 48MP JPG in Pro mode.

As it was mentioned earlier, that OnePlus 7 Pro was launched in India last month. The smartphone is available in three storage options –  6GB RAM/128GB storage, 8GB RAM/ 256GB storage and 12GB RAM/ 256GB storage. While the base variant costs Rs 48,999, the 8GB RAM/256GB storage model is priced at Rs 52,999 and the most high-end one can be picked up at Rs 57,999.

The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 SoC and packs up to 12GB RAM. The device houses 4,000mAh battery and runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with OxygenOS. The smartphone sports 6.67-inch curved Quad HD+ Fluid AMOLED display that has a waterdrop shaped notch on the top to house a 16MP front-facing camera. It’s triple rear camera setup consists of a 48MP primary Sony IMX586 sensor, an 8MP telephoto sensor that has the 3X zoom and a 16MP ultra-wide angle lens. The device has an in-display fingerprint scanner.

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Hyundai Kona electric SUV unveiled in India, priced at Rs 25,30,000

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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Hyundai Kona electric SUV unveiled in India, priced at Rs 25,30,000

South Korea-based Hyundai Motor Ltd has today launched its electric sport utility vehicle – Kona – in India. Hyundai Kona electric SUV has been priced at Rs 25,30,000 and with this, the company has become the first manufacturer to launch a long-range battery electric vehicle in the SUV segment in India.

The company claims that Hyundai Kona electric car can cover 452 kms with just one single charge. Hyundai has also added that the car is considered to be one among the best long-range e-SUVs in the world. Nissan’s Leaf is another very remarkable car in the same category.

Hyundai has also taken steps to ensure that its electric vehicle manages to beat range anxiety and lack of charging infrastructure in India. For this, the company has provided two chargers to its customers along with the car. While one of the two is portable, the other one is an AC Wall Box Charger.

Hyundai Kona electric SUV 2

Hyundai Kona will be available for purchase at 14 dealers in 11 cities. The company has also said that it will be collaborating with Indian Oil Corporation Ltd to set up charging stations with fast chargers in fuel stations. The collaboration will extend in four cities – Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Bengaluru.

In addition to this, Hyundai’s dealerships that are eligible for selling Kona will also have chargers in their showrooms and service stations. The company is also offering the customers of Kona a warranty of three years with unlimited kilometres. With the lithium-ion battery, the company will be offering a warranty for eight years. However, that will be limited to 1,60,000 km. Hyundai Kona SUV houses a 39.2KWh advanced lithium polymer battery. We should mention that most other electric vehicles that are available in India come with batteries that are less than 20KWh.

Hyundai Kona electric SUV 3

Speaking on the launch of Hyundai Kona, Seon Seon Kim, Managing Director and Chief Executive of Hyundai Motor India said, “The Kona Electric is the ‘The New Normal’ as it is the first long-range green SUV with a capacity of 452 kms in one charge, enhancing the customer confidence in electric mobility. Kona electric has received worldwide recognition and will be the most conducive e-vehicle for the Indian market.”

Besides India, Hyundai Motor is selling its Kona Electric SUV in markets like the United States, Europe, Australia and Korea, where electric vehicles are already common.

We should mention at the Budget 2019; Finance Minister of India has announced steps that will push the adoption of electric vehicles in India. The government has allocated Rs 10,000 crore for electric vehicles infrastructure and announced a tax rebate for buyers.

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Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 starts receiving the Android Pie update

Komila Singh
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Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 starts receiving the Android Pie update

Taiwanese technology company Asus has started rolling out the Android Pie update for its ZenFone Max Pro M2. The update gets a number of features to Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 including Digital Wellbeing. The last update that the device received was in April this year.

It is worth noticing that the update comes with the firmware 16.2017.1906.066. Apart from a few improvements and features, ZenFone Max Pro M2 gets June 2019 Google security patch with the Android Pie update. Along with that, it also brings a few bug fixes to the handset. For instance, the power off icon in the Dark mode is no longer black. The new rollout shows that the FM Radio icon has also been changed now and a new icon had been added for it. It has also improved the vibration intensity of the smartphone.

The volume of the headset of the device has been enhanced too. Currently, the Japanese company has rolled out the Android Pie update in Japan. So, if you have ZenFone Max Pro M2 smartphone and have been waiting for it to get the update, you don’t have to wait for too long. When you get the update, before you download it, do make sure you check your smartphone’s product ID. If the product ID begins with ‘WW’ in the package name, replace the ‘WW’ with ‘JP’ and then continue to install the update. Another way of doing this is that the user can use the stock recovery or by insert the installation ZIP in the source directory of the device.

To recall, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 was launched with a 6.3-inch Full-HD+ display screen that has an aspect ratio of 19:9. The ZenFone Max Pro M2 is powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor paired with 3GB/4GB/6GB of RAM. The smartphone is available in two internal storage models – 32GB and 64GB.

On the imaging front, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2 features a dual rear camera setup that includes a 12MP primary sensor and a 5MP secondary sensor that can be used for depth-sensing. On the front, it has a 13MP camera along with flashlight for selfies and video calls. The device houses a massive 5,000mAh battery and that is the key highlight of the smartphone.

The Asus smartphone comes with a fingerprint sensor on its rear panel and for connectivity, it has 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS, a Micro-USB port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

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Asus expands its gaming laptop lineup in India with six new ROG laptops

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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Asus expands its gaming laptop lineup in India with six new ROG laptops

Taiwanese technology company Asus has today expanded its gaming laptop range in India with the launch of six new ROG devices. The newly launched Asus ROG laptops include – ROG Strix G531/G731, ROG Strix Scar III, ROG Zephyrus M GU502, ROG Zehyrus S GX531, ROG Zehyrus GX701, and ROG G703.

Here, we have listed down the features and the pricing of all the new gaming laptops by Asus. Take a look:

Asus ROG Strix G531 and G731 specifications

The new offerings by Asus have some things in common, but some specifications of the two are different. While Asus ROG Strix G531 is available with a 15-inch vIPS FHD display that has a refresh rate of 120HZ/3ms and the G731 comes with a 17.3-inch vIPS FHD that has a refresh rate of 60HZ. Both the laptops have Windows 10 as their operating system. While the G531 is powered by an Intel Core i5-9300H HM370 chipset, the G731 houses the Intel Core i7-9750H HM370 processor. Both the devices come with up to Nvidia GeForce GTX1650 GDDR5 (4GB) for graphics performance. The two laptops come with up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM and while G531 has up to 1TB of PCIe storage, the G731 has 1TB of HDD storage. Asus has also added a backlit chiclet all-zone RGB keyboard that comes with marked WASD keys and an N-key rollover.

Asus ROG Strix Scar III specifications

The Asus ROG Strix Scar III comes with a 15.6-inch IPS FHD display that is available in two variants with refresh rates of 144Hz/3ms and 240Hz/3ms. The laptop has Windows 10 as its operating system and has up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM. One variant of the laptop is powered by an Intel Core i7-9750H HM370 chipset and the other one houses an Intel Core i9-9880H HM370 processor. For graphics, the laptop comes with three options – NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 GDDR6 (6GB), NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 GGDR6 (8GB) and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti GDDR6 (6GB). The device comes with a backlit per-key RGB keyboard that comes with N-Key Rollover and anti-ghosting. It has three USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type A port, a USB 3.1 Gen Type-C port, an HDMI 2.0 and LAN, and a headphone and microphone combo jack.

Asus ROG Zephyrus M GU502 specifications

Asus ROG Zephyrus M GU502

This offering from Asus comes with a 15.6-inch Full HD IPS display and is powered by an Intel 9th generation Core i7-9750H HM370 chipset. The laptop comes with NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660Ti 6GB GDDR6 VRAM and up to 32GB of DDR4 RAM. The device has a backlit chiclet RGB keyboard that comes with N-key rollover and Aura Sync. It has two speakers that have smart AMP technology and for connectivity, the offering comes with a USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C with DisplayPort, an RJ45 Gigabit Ethernet, a USB 3.1 Gen2 Type A, an HDMI 2.0 and two USB 3.1 Gen1 Type A ports.

Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX531 specifications

Coming to Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX531, it sports a 15.6-inch FHD display that is touted to have a colour saturation of 100% sRGB. The laptop is powered by Intel Core i7-950H processor and has NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 for graphics. Asus ROG Zephyrus S GX531 comes with 8GB of DDR4 RAM and 1TB of PCIe 3.0 storage. The company has touted the presence of Active Aerodynamic System and Anti-Dust system for intelligent cooling. Asus has also added a desktop design chiclet-style keyboard that comes with N-key Rollover and is backlit. It comes with a number of ports including a DC-In, two USB 3.1 Gen1 Type C ports, two USB 2.0 ports, a 3.5mm headphone jack and an HDMI 2.0.

Asus ROG Zehyrus GX701 specifications

The laptop has a 17.3-inch Full HD IPS display that has a refresh rate of 144Hz and 100% sRGB. It is powered by an Intel Core i7-9750H processor and comes with NVIDIA RTX 2080 Max-Q and 8GB of GDDR6 VRAM for graphics. The device runs Windows 10 and has up to 32GB of DDR4 of memory and 1TB of SSD storage. The company has added an RGB keyboard that comes with N-key support and has a travel distance of up to 1.4mm. The ports on the laptop include USB 3.1 Gen2 Type-C with DisplayPort, a USB Type 3.1 Gen1 Type-C port, a USB3.1 Gen2 Type A port, two USB3.1 Gen1 Type A ports, an HMDI 2.0 and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Asus ROG G703 specifications

The laptop has a 17.3-inch FHD IPS LED anti-glare backlit display that has a refresh rate of 144Hz and 3ms of response rate. Powered by Intel Core i9-9980HK processor, the laptop comes with an NVIDIA RTX 2080 8GB GDDR6 VRAM for graphics and 32GB of DDR4 memory. The company has also added an RGB backlit chiclet keyboard with a full-size numpad. For connectivity, it has 3 USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports, a USB 3.1 Type C/Thunderbolt 3 port, two audio jacks, an HDMI 2.0 and more.

Price

Asus ROG G703 is the most expensive of the lot and 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 is available at a starting price of Rs 1,65,000 and the company’s Zephyrs GUS502 can be picked up at Rs 1,50,000. Last, but not the least, Asus ROG Strix III is available at a starting price of Rs 80,000.

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Instagram will soon let users “shadow ban” their bullies

Avani Bagga
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Instagram will soon let users “shadow ban” their bullies

Facebook-owned photo-sharing app Instagram will soon be rolling out new features to combat online bullying on its platform. The app will be getting AI-flagged comments and the ability for users to restrict accounts from commenting on their posts publicly. The team at Instagram is all set to launch a test soon and it will give users the ability to “shadow ban” other users from their account.

This basically means that the user will be able to restrict them so that their comments will only be visible to themselves. This feature will also hide when the user was last active on the app or when exactly they read a direct message.

In addition to this, the company has also announced that it will be rolling out a new feature that will use AI to flag comments that are potentially offensive. Instagram will even ask the commenter if they really want to go ahead and post the comment. The commenter would get the opportunity to undo his/her comments and according to Instagram, the feature helped “some” people reflect on what they were commenting and then undoing it.

But then, we should point out that the company is being very vague when it says “some”. It doesn’t give any concrete numbers and most of the times, people who are posting offensive comments or content already know what they are doing. But then, Instagram will now be giving them a chance to reconsider their decision of posting offensive content.

It is worth adding that Instagram has been testing a number of bully-focussed features. These include an offensive comment filter that, according to the company, screens bullying comments that “contain attacks on a person’s appearance or character, as well as threats to a person’s well-being or health.” The app is also testing a similar feature for photos and captions.

These features are really required on Instagram considering that the platform has a lot of offensive content on it. But then, we are not sure if they will be sufficient in stopping teens from bullying each other.

A report in The Atlantic last year claimed that teens even go to the extent of creating entire hate accounts that are dedicated to bullying a specific person or people. While these accounts can be reported, it requires time on Instagram’s part to take appropriate action for them. The new features will at least provide some immediate help.

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