Siri voice recordings will no longer be heard by Apple or its partners: Users can opt out soon

Rashi Gupta
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Siri voice recordings will no longer be heard by Apple or its partners: Users can opt out soon

Apple has been talking a lot about privacy in the recent past. However, reports emerged that the company itself was also listening to conversations between the users and the AI program Siri. Contractors and partners of Apple have been using a “grading” program to hear Siri voice recordings globally. After the public appeal, the incidents came to light. Following which the Cupertino based tech giant has decided to hang the project.

Apple has also said that in the future they will make the system more transparent, where users can opt-out of such programs. But, how soon will this feature be enabled on iOS devices is unclear.

Several reports came out in the last ten odd days, which stated that Apple partners and contractors have been hearing private conversations via Siri. These were done in the garb of medical experiments where the partner could know each and every detail about the end customer talking with artificial intelligence. These conversations included, but were not limited, to medical details, medical drug usage, private conversations etc.

It is a known fact that all AI makers including Google and Amazon do listen to conversations to improve their respective programs Also AI learns on the go so that more and more localisation can be done. However, a third-party vendor listening to your conversations with Siri or other artificial assistant programs is a violation of a user’s privacy.

A report that came out in The Guardian where a source told them, “There have been countless instances of recordings featuring private discussions between doctors and patients, business deals, seemingly criminal dealings, sexual encounters and so on. These recordings are accompanied by user data showing location, contact details, and app data,”

This has raised deep concerns and users are at the sharp end of the deal. As their data and other details are being used in ways, which they have no clue about. Recently the US Government has also taken a strong stance against how a person’s data is being used by the company without their consent. Facebook has been fined billions of US dollars because they sold sensitive user data to an analytics company some time ago. A strong step for personal security in the virtual world by the Indian Government is also needed.

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TCL P8, P8S and P8e 4K TVs launched in India: Key details

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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TCL P8, P8S and P8e 4K TVs launched in India: Key details

TCL has today launched its new P8 series of smart TV in India. The newly-launched television series comprises of P8S, P8E and the P8 TVs. Among the three devices, the TCL P8S TV is the flagship of the company and it has been made available in 65-inch and 55-inch variants. Meanwhile, the P8E TV has been launched in 65-inch, 55-inch, 50-inch and 43-inch screen variants and the P8 model is available in three sizes: 55-inch, 50-inch and 43-inch.

All the three televisions that have been launched today are Google-certified Android 4K TVs and some of them have the ability to control other smart home devices. TCL P8S starts at a price of Rs 44,990 in India, while the starting prices of P8E TV and P8 TV models are Rs 29,990 and Rs 27,990.

The three devices are certified by Google Android TV and come with LED UHD Android Smart DTV that is backed by AI. The televisions are touted to work seamlessly without the use of a remote because of this feature, because of the presence of AI. According to a statement shared by the company, with AI Fairfield Technology, “the TV enhances the image and sound engineering to offer the most immersive TV viewing experience.” They also come with a Sports Mode feature that is claimed to enhance the perception of an on-going match.

The latest televisions also come with Netflix and YouTube integration and the company has also partnered with apps like Hotstar, YuppTV, Voot, AltBalaji, and more. The devices run Android 9.0 Pie.

TCL TV launch

Commenting on the launch, Mr Mike Chen, TCL India Managing Director said, “We are glad to be hosting the official launch of the P8 Series for the members of the fraternity. Our latest series is going to chart a new chapter in the Smart Home appliances category in India, including the Smart TVs. We have utilised the latest advancements in artificial intelligence to move beyond the status quo offerings in the segment and provide a holistic and seamless experience to our users.”

He also added, “We are also excited to host special live-demo sessions for our audience, showcasing just how a 4K AI-enabled Smart TV transforms into a Smart Home gadget, helping users control all of their connected Smart Devices through voice commands. We are excited to serve our audience an experience of the seamless world that we have endeavoured to create with the latest product launch and will coming with more such surprises in the coming time to enable smart and innovative living for our users.”

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10 best smartphones with edge-to-edge, bezel-less displays

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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10 best smartphones with edge-to-edge, bezel-less displays

Edge-to-edge displays don’t only add to the premium looks of a smartphone, but also enhances the experience of watching videos on the device. If you spend a lot of time playing games or watching videos on your smartphone, you should consider buying a handset that has a bezel-less screen. Here, we have made a list of 10 best smartphones that come with edge-to-edge, bezel-less displays. Take a look:

Samsung Galaxy S10 series

Samsung Galaxy S10

When we speak of edge-to-edge displays, the first company that comes to our mind is Samsung. The South Korean technology giant recently launched its Galaxy S10 series. All three devices in the series – Samsung Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10 Plus and Galaxy S10e – come with bezel-less edge-to-edge displays. The regular variant of Samsung Galaxy S10 features a 6.1-inch QHD+ Curved Dynamic AMOLED Infinity-O display that has an aspect ratio of 19:9 and a pixel density of 550ppi. Infinity-O display basically means that the handset comes with a hole-punch design on its screen to house the selfie camera. Samsung Galaxy S10e, on the other hand, comes with a 5.8-inch screen and its pixel density is 522ppi. Samsung Galaxy S10+ has the biggest screen of them all. The handset sports 6.4-inch display, but then, it has a pixel density of 438ppi and its hole-punch display is in the shape of a capsule as it houses two front camera sensors. You can read more about the device in our review here.

OnePlus 7 Pro

OnePlus 7 Pro, OnePlus 7 Android Q Developer Preview 2 update

Coming to OnePlus 7 Pro, the latest flagship of the Chinese technology brand is its first smartphone with a bezel-less, edge-to-edge screen. The smartphone features a 6.67-inch Fluid AMOLED display that has a Quad-HD+ resolution and comes with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The screen has a pixel density of 516ppi, a refresh rate of 90Hz and it comes with support for sRGB, DCI-P3 colour gamuts, HDR10+ and Netflix HDR streaming. A Night Mode 2.0 is also present on it.  The screen is protected with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and it has a rating of A+ from DisplayMate. The device houses its front imaging sensor in a pop-up selfie camera module.

Asus 6Z

Asus 6Z review

The recently launched Asus 6Z smartphone also comes with a bezel-less display. The device has a 6.4-inch full-HD+ IPS screen that has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9 and a screen-to-body ratio of 92%. The screen of the handset has support for 600 nits peak brightness and 100 DCI-P3 colour gamut. It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 6 on top. Other key highlights of the device are its Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC and rotating camera setup that has a 48MP primary sensor.

Huawei P30 Pro

huawei P30 Pro phone

While Huawei P30 Pro is mostly known for its imaging capabilities, that’s not the only thing that makes the handset premium. Huawei P30 Pro’s edge-to-edge display only adds on the looks of the smartphone, and at the same time, make the video watching experience better. The handset has features a 6.47-inch full-HD+ OLED display that comes with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9 aspect ratio and it supports DCI-P3 colour gamut. The smartphone houses its selfie camera in a U-shaped notch on its screen. It also has a quad-camera setup on its rear panel and is the first-ever device to come with up to 50x digital zoom.

Samsung Galaxy A70

samsung galaxy a70s to come with a 64MP camera

Samsung Galaxy A70 smartphone is another smartphone by Samsung on our list that comes with an edge-to-edge display. The handset sports a 6.7-inch full-HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity-U screen that has an aspect ratio of 20:9. The U-shaped notch on the display of the device houses its 32MP selfie camera. The smartphone has a slightly broader chin at the bottom. Other key highlights of the device include a triple rear camera setup and 4,500mAh battery.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro

Huawei Mate 20 Pro 8

Huawei Mate 20 Pro was a flagship device launched by the Chinese technology company before the P30 Pro. The camera-centric device came with a beautiful edge-to-edge, bezel-less display too. The smartphone sports a 6.39-inch QHD+ curved OLED display that has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9 and it has support for DCI-P3 HDR. It also comes with an 86.9% screen-to-body ratio and has a high colour saturation. The device houses its selfie camera and other sensors in a notch on top of its display and has a slightly broader chin on its bottom.

Vivo Z1 Pro

Vivo Z1 Pro sale

Launched in India last month, the Vivo Z1 Pro smartphone comes with a 6.53-inch full-HD+ (1080×2340 pixels) IPS display. The edge-to-edge screen of the device has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9 and it comes with a hole-punch design to house the 32MP selfie camera of the smartphone. The glossy back panel of the smartphone and its 5,000mAh battery are the other highlights that make it a good buy.

Samsung Galaxy M40

Samsung Galaxy M40 review

Samsung has been launching a number of devices with edge-to-edge displays this year. Samsung Galaxy M40 is one among them. The device features a 6.3-inch full-HD+ Infinity-O Display that offers a contrast ratio of 1200:1 and is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The handset’s screen has 480 nits of brightness. Another notable feature of the display panel is the company’s screen sound technology. With this, the screen of the device produces audio vibrations, and hence, Samsung Galaxy M40 has eliminated the earpiece.

Oppo Find X

Oppo Find x

Oppo Find X smartphone sports a 6.42-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display that has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9 and it comes with a 93.8% screen-to-body ratio. The handset comes with a brightness level of 430 nits and a pixel density of 401ppi. Another key feature of the device is its selfie camera sensors are hidden under a motorised slider module.

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

galaxy-note-9

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is more like an honourable mention on our list. The phablet comes with a ]6.4-inch Quad HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity Display panel that has a 1440×2960 pixels resolution. However, the top edge of the device and its chin are slightly broader than the ones on the rest of the devices on the list.

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Google Pixel smartphones to use text-to-speech technology for emergency calls

Avani Bagga
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Google Pixel smartphones to use text-to-speech technology for emergency calls

Technology giant Google is adding an automated text-to-speech feature to the Phone app on its Pixel smartphones. This new feature will let users send information to certain emergency contacts without the need for speech. However, the company is limiting the emergency contacts to medical, fire or police responders.

Google has tried to keep the system for this as pretty simple. When a user will be on an emergency call, the Phone app of the Pixel device will offer three additional buttons: ‘Medical’, ‘Fire’ and ‘Police’. On pressing the button, the text-speech feature will be activated and it will read out a message that will inform the operator that the caller has used an automated service and then describe the kind of help that is required. The message will also carry the current location of the caller.

According to the California-based technology giant, the feature has been designed for certain situations in which one requires help but cannot communicate for getting it. This may happen in case of injuries, or a situation where speaking out aloud poses danger. Needless to say, the feature will be extremely beneficial for those have speech disabilities, in case they get stuck in a situation of distress.

This is basically an extension of a feature that the company added to its default Phone app for all Pixel smartphones in 2017. For those unaware, with the feature that was added earlier, when a user dials an emergency number using a Pixel device, it automatically adds a location card on the dialling screen do that it is easier to relay this information to the responder.

The text-to-speech system that Google is introducing now will make doing this even simpler as now, the user will not have read out that information in a situation of emergency and it will reach the responder automatically.

Google Pixel smartphones to use text-to-speech technology for emergency calls 2

Google has said that the new feature will be rolled out to Pixel smartphone in the United States in the next few months. The company has also added that some “select Android devices” will be getting the feature in their Phone app too.

However, as of now, there is no word on when the company will begin rolling out the text-to-speech feature to Pixel smartphones and other Android devices outside the United States. We will update you when we get to know more about it. Till then, do let us know in the comments below what you think of the new feature!

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Paytm First Games eyeing to raise $25 million in its next round of funding

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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Paytm First Games eyeing to raise $25 million in its next round of funding

Paytm First Games, which is a joint venture between Alibaba Group’s AGTech and digital payments platform Paytm, is in discussion with investors to raise $25 million in its next round of funding. With the funding, the platform eyes further expansion and will be adding more games for the users. In a statement, the company has also said that the funding will be used in its technology platform as well as for building e-sporting events. The current team size of Paytm First games is 150 people and the company has said that once it secures the funding, it plans to double the number of people.

According to a release that the company shared, Paytm First Games has become one of India’s fastest-growing gaming portals and its annual revenue run rate is $50 million. The platform offers more than 300 games including fantasy cricket, fantasy kabaddi, fantasy soccer, rummy, battle center for games of skill, 8 ball pool, ludo, and live quiz.

In fact, Paytm First Games’ fantasy cricket game, ‘First Captains’ has received an overwhelming response from users during the recently concluded Cricket World Cup, according to the company. The company has also added that this surge helped it grow 3x during the tournament.

Sudhanshu Gupta, COO, Paytm First Games, said, “The platform has grown multifold in last one year. We now have about 30 million users on our platform with half of them being monthly active users. On our paid games, people spend around Rs 4,000 on games like Rummy, while the spends are to the tune of Rs 400 in fantasy league, etc.”

According to reports, Paytm First Games is in talks with SAIF Partners and a ‘Hong Kong-based entity’ for its financing round.

After Paytm Mall, which is an e-commerce platform by the company, Paytm First Games will be the second entity for which the firm will be raising new capital from external investors.

Paytm First Games funding

We should mention that Paytm First Games was started in 2018. While initially it was named as ‘Gamepind’, it later got rebranded as ‘Paytm’ First Games’. The platform is a part of the company’s plan to build a bouquet of products under the Paytm First Brand, that has a paid subscription programme and offers video-streaming, dining offers and more.

As of now, this is all that is known about the next round of funding of Paytm First Games. We will update you as we get to know more.

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OnePlus brand ambassador Robert Downey Jr. is actually using Huawei P30 Pro?

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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OnePlus brand ambassador Robert Downey Jr. is actually using Huawei P30 Pro?

Before the launch of OnePlus 7 Pro this year, the Chinese technology company OnePlus hired Marvel’s much-loved Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr, as its brand ambassador. The company also ended up facing a lot of flak for it because some people thought that they would rather have waterproof OnePlus smartphones than seeing Robert Downey Jr advertising them. Recently, the Hollywood actor posted about the OnePlus 7 smartphone on his page on the Chinese social media platform Weibo. While there is nothing wrong with that, the actor reportedly posted about the device using Huawei P30 Pro, instead of a OnePlus device.

According to the report, which first surfaced on huaweicentral.com, on July 30, Robert Downey Jr forwarded a Weibo using a Huawei P30 Pro smartphone and did not use the handset that he endorsed for OnePlus. Later, the post on Weibo was deleted, but before that could happen, some eagle-eyed users took a screenshot of the post.

We should mention that this is not the first time that a brand ambassador or an executive of a smartphone company has been found using a handset made by a rival company. To recall, Samsung was found tweeting posts with an iPhone a couple of times last year. In fact, Samsung’s ambassador in Russia was seen using an iPhone while she was on-air in a TV interview.

It is also worth pointing out that most celebrities don’t handle their social media handles on their own and have teams to do it for them. So, it may be possible that someone else might be handling the Weibo page of Robert Downey Jr. on his behalf and must have inadvertently used the Huawei P30 Pro instead of a OnePlus 7 Pro.

OnePlus brand ambassador Robert Downey Jr. is actually using Huawei P30 Pro
Image courtesy: huaweicentral.com

To recall, it was in May this year that the Chinese technology brand signed up Robert Downey Jr. for its marketing campaign. Speaking about it, Pete Lau, Founder and CEO of OnePlus had said, “We, at OnePlus believe in having a laser focus in everything we do and in doing whatever it takes to create an exceptional experience for our community. Working with Robert Downey Jr, we see that these ideologies are reflected in him as well, in his creativity and dedication. This synergy has us convinced that nobody could represent what we stand for better and we are delighted to welcome Robert Downey Jr. into the OnePlus family.”

While OnePlus has always promised to offer high-end specifications at relatively affordable prices to its customers, its smartphones have never come with an IP rating for water resistance.

Update:

Seems like all this has been done by Robert Downy Jr. assistant, who was tweeting on his behalf. Robert has put out a small statement on Chinese social media website saying, “Well, I guess it’s time to upgrade my assistant to a new OnePlus 7 pro so mistakes don’t happen again. Up for a quick delivery run?” 

Hopefully, the next tweet from his account will be from a OnePlus smartphone.

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[Video] Samsung Galaxy A80 Unboxing and First Impressions, goes on sale in India

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[Video] Samsung Galaxy A80 Unboxing and First Impressions, goes on sale in India

The Samsung Galaxy A80 has gone on sale in India. In this video of Samsung Galaxy A80 Unboxing, we will take you through some of its cooler aspects, too. We do a detailed unboxing of the device and talk about its neat features. It is the first mechanical rotating camera found on any smartphone. It comes with a 6.7-inch edge to edge display, 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. Price of the Samsung Galaxy A80 is Rs 47,990.

Smsung Galaxy A80 technical specifications:

Display
17.03cm (6.7″) FHD+ (1080 x 2400)
Super AMOLED New Infinity Display
On-screen fingerprint

Rotating Camera
Rear & front
48MP(F2.0) + 8MP + TOF Camera

Memory
8GB | 128GB

Battery
3,700mAh
25W Super Fast Charging
USB Type C

Processor
Snapdragon 730G
Octa-Core

OS
Android Pie
Samsung One UI

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IBM fired more than 1,00,000 older employees to look ‘cool’: Report

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IBM fired more than 1,00,000 older employees to look ‘cool’: Report

In a shocking revelation that has just come forward, a senior IBM employee has said in an ongoing discrimination lawsuit that the technology giant has fired around 1,00,000 employees in the last few years because it wanted to have more millennial workers like Amazon and Google so that it looks “cool” and “trendy”.

According to a report that has surfaced on The Register, the lawsuit hearing in the case has been filed by lawyers on behalf of Jonathan Langley, a former salesman for IBM. It is worth pointing out that former HR vice president of the company, Alan Wild has said that “50,000 to 100,000 Big Blue staff have been axed in the past five or so years.”

The axed staff at IBM was replaced by younger people so that the company looks ‘young’. Several technology companies like Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Facebook also have a lot of young people and millennials working for them. Langley, 61, had sued the company for “unfairly ditching older capable staff to replace them with so-called early professional hires.”

IBM, however, has maintained that it does not discriminate on the basis of age. In a statement, the 108-year-old company said, “The company hires 50,000 employees each year, and spends nearly a half-billion dollars on training our team. We also receive more than 8,000 job applications every day, the highest rate that we’ve ever experienced, so there’s clear excitement about IBM’s strategy and direction for the future.”

It is worth mentioning that the technology giant, in the last few years, has fired nearly a third of its global workforce and aggressively hired new people simultaneously. According to the report, “Langley was a long-standing IBM Hybrid Cloud salesperson until he was selected to be laid off – despite performing so well.”

In his disposition, Wild has also added that IBM wanted potential hires to see the company not as an “old fuddy duddy organization”. Instead, the company wanted to be looked upon as “cool and trendy.”

IBM

He further added, “To do that, IBM set out to slough off large portions of its older workforce using rolling layoffs over the course of several years.”

According to ProPublica, an investigation that was conducted in March last year found that in the last five years, the company has fired almost 20,000 employees in the United States and most of them were either 40 years in age or more.

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UrbanClap is on a fund raising spree, they raised a whooping sum of money this time

Avani Bagga
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UrbanClap is on a fund raising spree, they raised a whooping sum of money this time

UrbanClap is known as the app that connects freelance workers in India and UAE to those who are looking for professionals. The app has become hugely popular within four-and-a-half years of its launch and it enjoys a tremendous user base. Now, UrbanClap will be expanding its business even further because, in its latest round of funding, it has raised $75 million.

It is worth mentioning that this is Series E round of funding for UrbanClap and it was led by Tiger Global. Some of the company’s existing investors including Steadview Capital and Vy Capital were also a part of the current round of funding. We should point out that Steadview Capital had led the company’s Series D round of funding that had happened last year.

Till now, UrbanClap has raised around $185 million. The startup has said that as a part of the new financing round, some of its early investors have sold portions of their own stake.

UrbanClap has its operations in ten cities in India, Dubai and Abu Dhabi and as we mentioned earlier, it connects people with professionals like repair staff, photographers, beauticians, cleaners, etc. It’s a good way for users to look for professionals if they want to get their services and for freelancers, the app is an effective way of finding work.

Speaking to technology news website TechCrunch, the company’s CEO Abhiraj Bhal said that UrbanClap has a network of 20,000 service professionals and around 4,50,000 transactions are made on its platform every month. He also added that the app offers help to offline service workers, who usually rely on mediums like stores or word of mouth to get work. According to Bhal, UrbanClap makes it easier for them to find work and they get paid more for their work too. The CEO says that the app offers a more direct deal and workers get to keep 80% of the earnings that they make per job.

UrbanClap

Bhal also added that this means that workers can earn multiples more and have control over their working hours. He said, “The UrbanClap model really allows them to become service entrepreneurs. Their earnings will shoot up two or three-fold, and it isn’t uncommon to see it rise as much as 8X — it’s a life-changing experience.”

The company says that the average value of service falls between $17 and $22. It is also worth pointing out that UrbanClap keeps its network of professionals updated and offers them training for credit and basic banking services. Bhal has also revealed that only 25% of those who apply are selected by UrbanClap on the basis of meetings, background and criminal checks and a test of the skills they specialize in.

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YouTube Premium subscribers can now download offline videos in 1080p

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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YouTube Premium subscribers can now download offline videos in 1080p

With the emergence of so many OTT content player like Netflix, Voot, Hotstar, Amazon Prime Etc, some might wonder YouTube Premium is a small fish in the pond. However, some beg to differ and YouTube Premium is quickly becoming a force to reckon with. Many swear by the service as it gives the best of both worlds good premium content, YouTube Originals as well as a lot of user-created content, without ads.

Earlier YouTube Premium used to give its users the option to download a video for offline viewing in just 720p resolution. However, with the new update rolling out the consumers of the service will be able to download videos for offline watching in 1080p resolution. This is certainly good news for people who might want to catch up on content in better resolution. Or people who want to watch the content on a large screen like FHD monitors or TVs at a later time.

The rollout has started in the premium market’s firsts. Insiders to Gadget Bridge have told us that the rollout will happen for the Indian watcher as well, but it might take some time. Right now, the update is rolling out in the USA and other bigger markets. With YouTube Premium users also get access to YouTube Music service in which the subscribers do not see any ads.

This is a good move by the company since many small screens like a smartphone also support 1080p video resolution and some support FHD+ too. Hopefully, the new update will come to Indian shores too in the coming weeks. So that consumers here will be able to enjoy the benefits as well. Right now, YouTube Premium service in India comes with the first month free-trial after which one has to pay Rs 129 per month for it.

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Xiaomi’s Mi Mix 4 to come with reverse wireless charging: Report

Avani Bagga
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Xiaomi’s Mi Mix 4 to come with reverse wireless charging: Report

Chinese technology brand Xiaomi is said to be working on a reverse wireless charging feature and the company’s upcoming flagship is expected to come with it. Speculations further suggest that the upcoming Xiaomi Mi Mix 4 is the device by the Chinese brand that will have support for the reverse wireless charging feature. It is worth mentioning that handsets that have support for this feature can charge other compatible devices. All the user has to do is place the other device on their back panel.

The feature was first introduced by Huawei in its Mate 20 series. The company was followed by Samsung, which added the reverse wireless charging feature in its Galaxy S10 series. Now, according to a new speculation, Xiaomi is all set to get this feature to its flagship device.

The latest MIUI beta updates have strings of reverse wireless charging and these were first spotted by XDA Developers. According to the strings that have been found, there will be a setting that will enable users to “use phone to charge other devices wirelessly.” The strings also suggest that this setting will get turned off automatically in case the charging does not begin within 90 seconds. This has been done to ensure that not too much power is drained out, according to the report. The report in XDA Developers also says that reverse wireless charging feature by Xiaomi is expected to make its debut on Mi Mix 4 smartphone.

While there is no proper evidence of this, we should mention that the report has added that Mi Mix 4 has been codenamed ‘Hercules’ and is tipped to support wireless charging. The presence of reverse wireless charging is also expected. As of now, nothing concrete is known about the upcoming Mi Mix 4 smartphone. Reports that have surfaced online previously suggest that the handset will be powered by Qualcomm‘s Snapdragon 855 SoC and it will come with a fingerprint scanner embedded on its screen.

mi-mix-3
(Representative image)

We should mention that currently, the only two handsets in Xiaomi’s current portfolio that have support for wireless charging include Mi 9 and Xiaomi Mi Mix 2S. If the report by XDA Developer turns out to be correct, the Mi Mix 4 will not only be a smartphone with wireless charging, but it will also be able to charge other devices with its reverse wireless charging feature.

What do you think of the reverse wireless charging feature? Does it seem useful or is it something that’s not very necessary? Let us know in the comments below.

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Realme X and Realme 3i to go on sale in India at 12 pm (noon) IST: Key details

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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Realme X and Realme 3i to go on sale in India at 12 pm (noon) IST: Key details

Realme X and Realme 3i smartphones will be going on sale in India today. The two handsets will be available for purchase on Flipkart and Realme.com. Both the devices were launched in India last month. While Realme X is the flagship device of the Chinese technology brand, the Realme 3i is a budget device. The key highlights of the Realme X include a pop-up selfie camera, a 48MP primary sensor, and VOOC Flash Charge 3.0.  On the other hand, Realme 3i has a waterdrop-shaped notch and sports a 13MP camera. Read on to know more about the price of the devices and the sale details:

Realme X, Realme 3i price in India, sale details

Realme X is available in India in two storage variants: 4GB RAM/128GB storage and 8GB RAM/128GB storage. While the former is priced at Rs 16,999, the latter costs Rs 19,999. Both the variant can be picked up in Polar White and Space Blue colours.

Realme 3i, on the other hand, is available in 3GB RAM/32GB storage and 4GB RAM/64GB storage variants that cost Rs 7,999 and Rs 9,999 respectively. The device is available in Diamond Black, Diamond Blue, and Diamond Red colour options.

The sale of the two smartphones will begin on Flipkart and Realme’s online store at 12 pm (noon) IST. Coming to the offers that are available, Realme X customers can get a 10% Mobikwik SuperCash worth Rs 1,500 and cashback vouchers worth Rs 7,000 from Reliance Jio. On Flipkart, they can also get no-cost EMI options and a 5% Unlimited Cashback and 5% discount on purchases made via Axis Bank Credit card and Axis Bank Buzz Credit card respectively.

If you buy a Realme 3i, you can get a cashback of up to Rs 5,750, that comprises of an instant cashback of up to Rs 2,200 via 222 vouchers that are valued at Rs 100 each. Partner vouchers worth Rs 4,800 from MakeMyTrip, Myntra, and Zoomcar can also be availed with a recharge of Rs 299 (prepaid). In addition to this, there is also a 10% MobiKwik SuperCash of Rs 1,500.

On Flipkart, you will also be able to get a 5% cashback on purchases made via Flipkart Axis Bank credit card and 5% cashback on payments made via HDFC Bank debit card. An additional 10% discount is also being offered on fashion purchases and no-cost EMI options starting at Rs 278 per month can also be availed.

Realme X specifications

Realme X runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with ColorOS 9 and it features a 6.53-inch full-HD+ notch-less AMOLED display that has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The screen of the smartphone also has an in-display fingerprint scanner embedded on it. Powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 710 SoC, the handset comes with up to 8GB of RAM and has 128GB of internal storage.

For imaging duties, Realme X has a dual rear camera setup that consists of a 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor and a 5MP secondary sensor. On the front, there is a 16MP sensor that can be used for selfies and video calls. The smartphone houses a 3,765mAh battery with support for VOOC Flash Charge 3.0 and it comes with 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS/, and USB Type-C port for connectivity.

Realme 3i specifications

Realme 3i sale in India

Realme 3i runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with ColorOS 6 and it sports a 6.2-inch HD+ display that has a 19:9 aspect ratio. Powered by MediaTek Helio P60 SoC, the device comes with 4GB of RAM and it has 64GB of internal storage. The handset can also hold a microSD card of up to 256GB. The device has a dual rear camera setup that consists of a 13MP primary sensor and a 2MP sensor. For selfies and video calls, there is a 13MP sensor on the front panel of the smartphone.

The handset houses a 4,230mAh battery with support for 10W charging and it has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, Micro-USB port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack for connectivity.

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New Android ransomware lures victims via SMS messages pretending to be porn

Avani Bagga
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New Android ransomware lures victims via SMS messages pretending to be porn

If you have an Android smartphone, you need to be careful about a new family of ransomware that has been discovered. According to security researchers, the newly-found Android ransomware goes deeper into the handset via SMS messaging. Dubbed Android/Filecoder.C, the ransomware has been distributed through a number of popular online forums like XDA Developers and Reddit. In most cases, the attackers try to lure victims into downloading adult content from suspicious links and this sets the pitch for the ransomware attack. The attackers then demand a ransom between $98 to $188.

The Android/Filecoder.C ransomware was spotted by security researchers at ESET and they found that it was being transmitted via malicious apps. The links of the malicious apps were found by the researchers on forum posts that were mostly related to pornographic content. Once the user installs any of these apps, the ransomware starts spreading via SMS messages to the victim’s contact list too. The messages that are sent to the victim’s contacts contain the links to ransomware. Each of these is shown as an app that uses the pictures of the recipient. It is believed that the ransomware has been active since July 12.

Furthermore, the ransomware has the same message template available in 42 languages. So, it automatically detects the language settings of the infected device and then uses the matching template. Once the recipient clicks on the link in the message, the malicious app gets installed on his device too.

A blog post that has been published by the researchers reads, “The ransomware has the ability to send text messages, due to having access to the user’s contact list. Before it encrypts files, it sends a message to each of the victim’s contacts.”

Once the message sending process is completed by the ransomware, it goes through the files that are saved in the accessible storage and encrypts most of them. It is also worth mentioning that the app that gets the ransomware also has the command-and-control (C2) settings and Bitcoin wallet addresses. In addition to this, the attackers make use of Pastebin as a conduit to retrieve the information from the source code.

malware

While it has been claimed that the ransomware can encrypt different file types like texts and images, it is worth mentioning that Android extensions such as .apk and .dex and compresses files like .zip and .rar are not included in it.

To avoid being attacked with this ransomware, users are recommended to only install reliable apps, that too only via the Google Play Store. In addition to this, they should avoid clicking on any unknown links and update their devices regularly.

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Motorola One Action render leaked online, reveals two colour variants

Komila Singh
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Motorola One Action render leaked online, reveals two colour variants

Lenovo-owned Motorola recently launched its Motorola One Vision smartphone in India. Now, the company is gearing up to launch the Motorola One Action. Prior to its launch, a lot of leaks regarding the Android One smartphone have surfaced on the internet. Recently, the Moto One series handset was spotted on the Android Enterprise Recommended listings that revealed the smartphone’s specifications and key details. Along with the specifications and details, the upcoming device’s image was also uploaded on the website. The images revealed the Motorola One Action will come with a hole-punch display and will have a slim chin as well as narrow bezels on the top. Now, a new leak has surfaced on the internet that has revealed the colour options of the Motorola One Action.

A tipster named Ishan Agarwal has shared the image of the Motorola One Action smartphone on his Twitter account. The leaked image reveals that the new smartphone will be available in two colour variants: White and Blue-Green colour.

His tweet read, “Motorola One Action Official White and Blue/Green Render! Like this new Triple Camera phone from Motorola?”

As we mentioned earlier, the smartphone was spotted on the Android Enterprise listing and it was revealed that it will come with a 6.3-inch display and will have 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. In addition to this, the Motorola One Vision will be equipped with a fingerprint sensor along with NFC support. The handset will run Android 9.0 Pie.

The company has not confirmed when the smartphone will be launched nor it has revealed the details and specifications of the device. But as the rumours and leaks of the Motorola One Action smartphone are pouring in, we can expect that smartphone will arrive soon in the market.

The upcoming handset will be featuring a triple rear camera setup that will be vertically aligned on the rear panel and will also include a dual-tone LED flashlight on its rear panel. Motorola One Action will also sport a fingerprint scanner on the back of the device. On the base, it will come with a speaker grille along with a USB Type-C port as well as a microphone. The device will be based on the Android One Program and this confirms that it will be receiving timely Android and Security patch updates for the next two and three years.

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

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

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

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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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

Komila Singh
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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

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

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

Komila Singh
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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

Komila Singh
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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

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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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

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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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

Komila Singh
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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

Avani Bagga
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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

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

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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