Amazon India Fab Phones Fest Sale to begin on April 11: A look at smartphones with offers

Aman Singh
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Amazon India Fab Phones Fest Sale to begin on April 11: A look at smartphones with offers

Amazon India is bringing the Fab Phones Fest Sale in the next few days of this week. The sale will start from April 11 and will go on till April 13. During the 3-day sale, Amazon India is giving discounts and other bundled offers on various smartphones of varying price points in India. The Fab Phones Fest Sale also took place last month in March where the e-commerce platform offered discounts and offers on purchase of smartphones. With April’s Fab Phones Fest Sale, Amazon is giving its customers the chance to buy smartphones of their choice once again.

Discounts and offers in the Fab Phones Fest Sale

A number of smartphones will be available in the Fab Phones Fest Sale at a discounted price, but other than that, there will also be a number of bundled offers with the purchase of any handset during the sale. These bundled offers include total damage protection plans, no-cost EMI payment options, exchange offers, and more.

Amazon India has also partnered with Cashify to offer 6 percent extra value on the exchange of the user’s old smartphone. Also, other than smartphones, mobile accessories such as cases, power banks, headphones, chargers, selfie sticks, among others will also be on discounts during the Fab Phones Fest Sale.

Some of the biggest deals and discounts Amazon will be bringing in the Fab Phones Fest Sale is already being teased on the e-commerce platform right now. As a part of the Fab Phones Fest Sale, the OnePlus 6T will have the ‘lowest price ever’ as the e-commerce giant will be making the ‘biggest ever offer’ on the purchase of the device.

In the Fab Phones Fest Sale, the Apple iPhone X will also be available at a discounted price along with other offers in the sale. But till now, Amazon India hasn’t revealed the final discounted price for the device, but has said that the iPhone X will be on a no-cost EMI offer for the customers to avail.

It should be noted that Amazon India is offering the Apple iPhone XR at a discounted price with a cashback offer for the HDFC Bank customers.

Some of the Honor smartphones will also be available on a discount in the Fab Phones Fest Sale held by Amazon India. According to Amazon India, some of the Honor smartphones will be available at a discounted price worth up to Rs 8,000.

Other than that, Oppo smartphones will also be available with a discounted price during the Fab Phones Fest Sale. Oppo smartphones will also be available for extra discount over the normal exchange value if any new Oppo device is purchased with exchange offer.

Realme U1 will also be getting a price cut and a discounted price in the upcoming Fab Phones Fest Sale. So, people can get the device of their choice during the Amazon’s Fab Phones Fest Sale when it goes live on April 11.

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Redmi Go is now available through open sale: Price, specifications and sale offers

Aman Singh
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Redmi Go is now available through open sale: Price, specifications and sale offers

Xiaomi’s most affordable smartphone –Redmi Go – was launched last month and till now, it has only been made available for purchase through flash sales. But now, the Redmi Go’s flash sales have ended and it is available through open sales. The Chinese smartphone maker has announced that the handset will now be available for open sale on Flipkart, Mi.com and Mi Home Stores. The Redmi Go is the first smartphone from Xiaomi that runs on Android Go platform. The device also came with unlimited Google Photos storage along with an HD display, 3,000mAh battery and more. Xiaomi had said that the Redmi Go can support over 20 Indian languages as well as Google Assistant Hindi support (and Hinglish), especially for the Indian market.

Redmi Go price and sale offers

Redmi Go is available in only 1GB RAM/8GB storage variant in India that is priced at Rs 4,499. As we mentioned earlier, till now it was available via flash sales but now it will be available through open sales.

The device comes in two colour options to choose from – Black and Blue.

As mentioned above, the Redmi Go is available for purchase from Flipkart, Mi.com and Mi Home Stores. Redmi has also made an announcement on its Twitter handle about the open sale of the smartphone.

Sale offers of the Redmi Go includes an exchange offer on Flipkart and 5 percent instant discount if the customer purchases the device using an Axis Bank Buzz credit card. While Mi.com has also listed an exchange offer, and is offering up to Rs 2,200 cashback and up to 100GB data free from Reliance Jio. With the purchase of Redmi Go the customers will also get Mi Protect for Rs 399.

Redmi Go specifications

The Redmi Go sports a 5-inch HD (720 x 1280 pixels) display and runs Android 8.1 Oreo (Go edition). The smartphone is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 SoC and has Adreno 308 GPU. It packs 1GB of RAM along with 8GB of inbuilt storage and has support of a microSD card of up to 128GB. It supports dual-SIM (Nano) and has dedicated slots for SIM cards and the microSD card. The device packs a 3,000mAh battery which the company has said can last up to 10 days.

On the camera front, the Redmi Go comes with a single rear camera of 8MP with 1.12-micron pixels, an f/2.0 aperture with LED flash. While at the front, there is a 5MP camera, with 1.12-micron pixels and an f/2.2 aperture. Camera features of the Redmi Go includes full-HD video recording support, apart from HDR features, real-time filters, and smart scene detection. As mentioned earlier, the device comes with unlimited storage on Google Photos in high-quality resolution.

Other features of the Redmi Go includes 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.1, GPS/ A-GPS, Micro-USB, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

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Oppo Reno is all set to launch on April 24: Here’s everything that you should know

Aman Singh
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Oppo Reno is all set to launch on April 24: Here’s everything that you should know

Oppo’s new sub-brand, Reno is expected to unveil its devices in the coming weeks, however, till now there was no word on the official launch date of the handsets. But now, Oppo has sent out invites to foreign media groups about the launch of its Reno smartphones. The Chinese smartphone brand is expected to launch two smartphones, including its Reno 10x zoom device, at the event that is scheduled for April 24.

Earlier, Oppo had said that it would introduce the Oppo Reno in China on April 10, and now the new report confirms the global launch date of the devices from its sub-brand. The Oppo Reno 10x Zoom smartphone will reportedly be powered by Snapdragon 855 SoC and it will most likely have the much-awaited Oppo’s 10x Zoom technology, which the company had been teasing and testing with a triple-rear camera setup.

According to a report by Pocket-Lint, the press-invite from Oppo says that the event is on April 24 and will be held in Zurich, Switzerland. The tagline of Oppo’s upcoming event is ‘beyond the obvious’, which is a mystery in itself. But till now, we have seen multiple leaks of Oppo Reno’s upcoming smartphone which reveals its several main specifications and features. However, it would be worth seeing if the leaks were true or not.

Oppo Reno is expected to unveil two smartphones at the launch event, one will be the high-end variant which will most probably be the Oppo Reno 10x Zoom smartphone with the triple-rear camera setup. The main camera of the smartphone will have a 48MP Sony IMX 586 sensor paired with an 8MP wide-angle sensor (120 degrees) along with a 13MP periscope style lens setup which will have the 10x zoom capability (16mm to 160mm focal length). Other than that, the Oppo Reno 10x Zoom smartphone might also come with TUV Rheinland certified for eye protection.

The other smartphone which is expected to be launched at the event will most probably be the Oppo Reno Standard Edition which will come with a dual-rear mounted camera. The smartphone will most probably be powered by the Snapdragon 710 SoC and it is already up for pre-order at the company’s OppoShop website in China. The Standard Edition of Oppo Reno will come with four colour options – Extreme Night Black, Fog Sea Green, Mist Powder, and Nebula Purple. Other than that, the website listing also reveals that the smartphone will come with more than one configuration of RAM and storage capacity. The smartphone will be available with 6GB/8GB RAM and its internal storage will be 128GB or 256GB.

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10 ways to improve the gaming performance of your laptop

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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10 ways to improve the gaming performance of your laptop

If you love playing games on your laptop and want to make the most out of it, we are here to help! Here is a list of 10 things that you can do to boost your laptop’s gaming performance. Take a look:

Install the latest version of DirectX

laptop 1

DirectX is very important for gaming on Windows and Xbox consoles. The latest version of DirectX is DirectX 12 and it was released back in 2015. You should have it installed in your laptop to boost its gaming performance. However, we should mention that it is very rare that people go for a manual installation of the software as it gets installed on its own when a game requires it to. If this doesn’t happen, DirectX gets installed as a part of a Windows Update.

You can check the current DirectX version on your laptop by pressing WINDOWS + R to access the Run menu and then enter DXDiag. Once the DirectX Diagnostic Tool is loaded, open the Render tab and you will be able to see your graphics card. The Direct3D DDI here should be numbered according to the latest version of DirectX.

Overclock the GPU of your laptop

laptop 2

If you manage to overclock the GPU of the laptop, you will be able to get additional performance according to the graphics card that has been used. We should mention that are tools like MSI Afterburner available for overclocking the GPUs of AMD as well as Nvidia, so you ideally should not have too much trouble with it. However, problems can arise after overclocking as it then uses more electricity. So make sure that you adjust your computer’s power settings too. Another downside of overclocking is that it makes your laptop heat up too much.

Adjust the Power Settings of your laptop

laptop 3

If you are looking for hard-core gaming on your laptop, the first thing you should do is connect your device to a power outlet so that its battery doesn’t go down while gaming. Then head to the Power Settings of your laptop. If you use a laptop with Windows 10, head to Settings, and then press on System. Here, go to Power and sleep and then click on Additional power settings and choose the option of High Performance. You can also click on the ‘Change plan settings’ and then head to ‘Change advanced power’ and see if you have adjusted any settings there earlier that will result in less-than-optimum power on your device.

If you have a Windows 10 laptop, employ the Game Mode

laptop 4

Windows 10 comes with an Xbox app that has several features like screen recording, streaming, Game Mode setting. In order to activate this, you can press on Windows + G after you launch a game on the laptop and click on Settings. Go to the General Tab and then click the check in the Use Game Mode for this game box. Once it is enabled, the mode will make sure that the OS will run the game on optimum settings. However, this may close down a few background tasks.

Suspend all the apps running in the background

laptop 5

A small manual change that you can make to your laptop to boost the gaming performance is close down all the other apps and games are closed. Also, take a look at the System Tray and ensure that the taskbar list is empty. If you play the game with nothing else running in the background, you will be able to enjoy it a lot more.

Check the speed of your network when playing games online

laptop 6

When you are playing games online, a very key factor that determines the performance is the speed of your internet connection. If the internet speed in of your Wi-Fi is slow, try replacing it with an Ethernet cable. It’s a simple hack that usually works. Besides this, you should also manage your Automatic Updates.

Keep your system updated

laptop 8

Another very simple but key tip to keep the gaming performance of your laptop up to date is to install regular Windows updates. It will keep your laptop’s performance flawless. Also, you can probably avoid beta updates because they can occasionally get bugs in your laptop and may hamper the gaming experience.

Texture and Shader Settings can be tweaked

laptop 9

It will help to look at the settings of your graphics card too. This will give you access to master controls for texture and shader details and these basically determine how your game looks. You also have options to customise how your game looks here.

Keep the drivers of your laptop updated

laptop 10

Nowadays, computers that run Windows, macOS, and Linux operating system are mostly based around the same hardware and architecture. So regardless of the operating system that they have, it is important to keep their drivers updated. While graphics drivers need a more hands-on approach, Intel graphics drivers get up-to-date via Windows 10 update. However, Intel graphics are not very suitable for those who use their laptops for hard-core gaming.

Make sure your laptop is dust-free

laptop 11

One of the most basic things that you can do to ensure that the performance of your laptop doesn’t dwindle is keeping it dust-free. And the same rule applies to the gaming performance of a laptop too. Remember that dust and dirt are sworn enemies of performance as they reduce the airflow in the device and as a result, the computer gets too hot. The more the laptop is heated up, the slower its processor, GPU and other components get. And needless to say, this is exactly what is not required in a gaming laptop that works well. Clean the vents, screen and keyboard of your laptop regularly.

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Voto V9 with 3,000mAh battery, dual-rear cameras launched in India: Price and specifications

Aman Singh
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Voto V9 with 3,000mAh battery, dual-rear cameras launched in India: Price and specifications

Chinese smartphone maker Voto launched a handset named Voto V9 in India today. The Voto V9 is focused towards Indian youth in tier 2 and tier 3 cities and it has an affordable price tag and offers a good set of specifications. According to the company, the Voto V9 is a combination of dynamic design and power-packed features which will attract the youth of the country. It has a non-slip design with a curvy back panel which gives it a better grip with less chance of falling from the hands of the user. The Voto V9 is powered by a quad-core processor and runs Android 8.1 Oreo.

Voto V9 price and availability

The Voto V9 holds a price tag of Rs 6,999 and it can be purchased from premium retail stores all over the country.

Santosh Singh, National Sales Head of VOTO India said, “We are excited to mark a new milestone at VOTO with this ultra-modern smartphone V9. VOTO is sure to create buzz and recreate benchmarks in the industry. VOTO has used its expertise to create a unique space having unmatched quality, distribution and pan-Indian service network in the Indian market”.

Voto V9 specifications and features

The Voto V9 sports a 5.85-inch IPS 2.5 curve HD display and it runs Android 8.1 Oreo. The smartphone is powered by a quad-core processor paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. The Voto V9 packs a 3,000mAh battery with no fast-charging feature. Even at such an affordable price, the Voto V9 offers a fingerprint scanner and Face ID unlock for authentication and unlocking. The Voto V9 is also a Google Certified Device which makes its software less buggy and more stable.

voto v9 smartphone
voto v9 smartphone

Talking about the built of the Voto V9, it comes with a non-slip design and a curvy back. There is also Grippe texture finish on the device which makes it easy to hold and less likely to slip and break. The Voto V9 also comes with 22 regional languages support. Other features of the smartphone includes Dual 4G VoLTE+VoLTE and a 2.5D curved glass design. The company has promised that the device is capable of multitasking and will offer an improved web and application performance.

For imaging duties, the Voto V9 comes with a dual-rear camera setup which comprises of a 13MP camera paired with a 2MP camera. While on the front, there is an 8MP selfie camera with Panorama View Mode.

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Samsung Galaxy Note 8 begins receiving April Android security patch update: Report

Avani Bagga
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Samsung Galaxy Note 8 begins receiving April Android security patch update: Report

South Korean technology giant Samsung has started rolling out the April Android security patch for its Galaxy Note 8 smartphone. The latest security patch has been released to Samsung Galaxy Note 8 owners in Netherlands, Germany, Russia, Italy and some other regions. The latest software update, that comes with the security patch reportedly has the number N950FXXS5DSC5 in the Netherlands.

It is worth mentioning that a security bulletin that has been rolled out by Samsung says that the April 2019 Security Maintenance Release for the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 smartphone comes with five critical fixes for fifteen issues that varied in terms of severities. One among the critical fix that will be a part of the update is a patch for the remote attacker’s ability to execute arbitrary code on the handset being used by the target with the help of a specially crafted file.

The news of the update first surfaced on SamMobile and it says that users in Netherlands Germany, Russia, Italy and some other countries have started receiving the update on their smartphones. It is being speculated that the update on Samsung Galaxy Note is being rolled out in a phased manner and it will take a while for it to reach all the users. If you want to install the update manually, head to ‘Settings’, then go to ‘Software Update’ and press on ‘Download and Install’.

Other than this, the website has also published the Galaxy Note 8 firmware. So users who cannot wait to get the latest update can flash it manually if they feel confident about it. We must add that the security bulletin has also mentioned that the fixes that are related to the ‘Emergency Mode’ are also included in the latest update.

The April 2019 Security Maintenance Release is posted on Samsung’s official website.

To recall, last week Google rolled out the April 2019 Android Security Patch for Pixel smartphones. And the South Korean technology giant has been very quick in updating Samsung Galaxy Note 8’s security hardware. Other flagship smartphones by Samsung are also expected to get it soon.

Samsung launched its Galaxy Note 8 smartphone in August 2017 and the company recently rolled out an Android Pie update to it. The key specifications of Samsung Galaxy Note 8 include a 6.3-inch QHD+ Super AMOLED Infinity Display, a dual rear camera setup that has Dual optical image stabilisation (OIS) and a 3,300mAh battery.

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Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL budget smartphones, being tested in India

Aman Singh
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Google Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL budget smartphones, being tested in India

Google’s upcoming budget-friendly devices – Google Pixel 3a and the Google Pixel 3a XL – have been in many news reports recently. According to reports, the Google Pixel 3a and the Google Pixel 3a XL will be Google’s next devices instead of the Google Pixel 4 and the Google Pixel 4 XL. And before their launch, the Google Pixel 3a and the Google Pixel 3a XL have accidentally been leaked by Google on its official store.

And now, another news comes that the upcoming Pixel devices from Google are being tested in India itself. However, this has not been confirmed by the California-based technology giant.

Earlier, popular leakster Roland Quandt took to Twitter saying that both Google Pixel 3a and Google Pixel 3a XL will be priced ‘very low’ as compared to the regular Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. It should be noted that currently, the Pixel 3 starts at a price of Rs 57,940 for the 4GB RAM and 64GB storage while the Pixel 3 XL holds a starting price of Rs 60,890 for the 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. So, considering the fact that the upcoming devices from Google, Pixel 3a and the Pixel 3a XL will be budget-centric devices they might have a price much lower than their flagship counterparts.

The Google Pixel 3a and the Google Pixel 3a XL will be the watered-down version of their original counterparts and will most probably their specifications would not be as impressive as Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. Google has already confirmed the presence of the devices saying that it has been working on the devices. But till now there is no word on the official launch date or pricing of the smartphones.

Earlier, we saw that the Google Pixel 3a and the Google Pixel 3a XL received IMDA certification in Singapore which tell us that the devices will be launched sooner than expected. The certification was first noticed by MySmartPrice.

Google Pixel 3a and the Google Pixel 3a XL specifications (expected)

According to the Google Play Developer console listing, the Google Pixel 3a (codenamed ‘Bonito’) will sport a 5.6-inch Full HD+ display and will come with 4GB of RAM with the latest Android Pie version. The smartphone will most likely be powered by the Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 670 SoC. The device will reportedly have a 12MP rear camera and an 8MP front camera.

On the other hand, the Google Pixel 3a XL (codenamed ‘Sargo’) will sports a 6-inch Full HD+ display and will run the latest version of Android Pie. Other specifications of the device will be similar to the Google Pixel 3a.

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Honor Gala Festival Sale begins: Discounts on Honor View 20, Honor 10, Honor Play, Honor 8X, and others

Avani Bagga
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Honor Gala Festival Sale begins: Discounts on Honor View 20, Honor 10, Honor Play, Honor 8X, and others

Chinese smartphone brand Honor has today kick-started its Honor Gala Festival sale today, which will go on till the end of this week. The Honor Gala Festival sale is live on both Amazon India’s website and Flipkart and will go on till April 12.

The sale brings a number of offers on a number of smartphones, smart wearables, and tablets from the company. The discounts available on the Honor gadgets on both websites will go up to 50% and is touted to include offers up to Rs 50 crores.

The microsites of the Honor Gala Festival sale are live on Amazon India as well as on Flipkart. Here’s a look at the discounts that are available on various smartphone models during the five-day sale:

We’ll start by talking smartphones from Honor that are available on Flipkart. A discount can be availed on the purchase of Honor 9N, Honor 9 Lite, Honor 10 Lite, Honor 7A, Honor 7S, Honor 9i and Honor 10 smartphones.

Honor 9N’s 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant can be picked up at Rs 9,499 during the sale, which is down from its original cost of Rs 13,999. The 4GB RAM/64GB storage model of Honor 9 Lite is also available at the same price as Honor 9N during the sale. However, we should add here that the discount is a bigger one since the launch price of Honor 9 Lite was Rs 14,999. IF you are interested in buying the Honor 10 Lite, you can get the 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant of the handset at Rs 12,999, down from Rs 13,999.

Speaking of Honor 7A, its 3GB RAM/32GB storage model can be picked up at a discounted price of Rs 6,999 and Honor 7S’ 2GB RAM/16GB storage variant can be bought at Rs 5,499 during the sale. The launch prices of both these smartphones are Rs 8,999 and Rs 6,999 respectively.

The 4GB RAM/64GB storage version of Honor 9i has received a discount of Rs 7,000 and can be bought at Rs 10,999 during the sale. And on the other hand, Honor 10’s 6GB RAM/128GB storage variant is available at Rs 24,999 instead of Rs 32,999.

Coming to devices that will be available on Amazon India’s website, the Honor Play smartphone’s 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant can be picked up at Rs 13,999, instead of its launch price at Rs 19,999. The 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant of the Honor 8X smartphone would cost Rs 12,999, which is Rs 2,000 down from its launch price of Rs 14,999.

The 3GB RAM/32GB storage version of the Honor 7C smartphone is available at Rs 7,999 and its 4GB RAM/64GB storage model can be picked up at Rs 8,499. The launch prices of both the handsets are Rs 9,999 and Rs 11,999 respectively. Honor 8C’s 4GB RAM/32GB storage variant, that was launched at Rs 11,999, can be picked up at Rs 11,999 during the sale.

Speaking of company’s flagship smartphone of the year, during the sale Honor View 20‘s 6GB RAM/128GB storage variant will be available with a no-cost EMI and an “extra Rs 3,000 off on all credit and debit cards.”

Coming to smart wearables by the company, the Honor Band 4 and Honor Band 4 Running Edition have received a discount of Rs 100 and can now be picked at Rs 2,499 and Rs 1,599 respectively. On the other hand, the Honor Watch Magic is available at a starting price of Rs 12,999, instead of Rs 13,999. Apart from this, Honor MediaPad T3 10, MediaPad T3 8 can be bought at Rs 12,499 and Rs 9,499 instead of Rs 14,999 and Rs 12,999 respectively.

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Redmi’s next flagship with Snapdragon 855 SoC spotted online with a pop-up selfie camera

Aman Singh
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Redmi’s next flagship with Snapdragon 855 SoC spotted online with a pop-up selfie camera

After launching its Mi 9 smartphone, Xiaomi has been working on a new Redmi flagship device that will be powered by the Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 SoC. The image of the device was leaked earlier this month which depicts that the upcoming Redmi flagship which confirms the processor used in it. And now, another image has been leaked online which sheds light on some aspects of the Redmi’s upcoming smartphone.

The new leaked image shows that the unnamed Redmi flagship device will pack a triple-rear camera setup and will have a centre-positioned pop-up selfie camera. The handset in the leaked image has a bright red colour, and it should be noted that Xiaomi has already confirmed that the upcoming Redmi smartphone will be powered by the Snapdragon 855 SoC. But till now, there is no news about the launch date, internal specifications, market availability and the pricing of the device.

The news about the upcoming Redmi device housing Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 SoC was confirmed by Redmi’s Chief Lu Weibing. He had said that the device was still in the making, but other than the processor, no details about the device were disclosed. Xiaomi’s chief, Lei Jun was also spotted with the device earlier, and at that time it was reported that the upcoming Redmi handset will come with a pop-up selfie camera with a full-screen display. And being a flagship device, the upcoming Redmi device is expected to be launched in the high-end smartphone segment.

Talking about the latest leaked image, the image was spotted on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo which shows the smartphone with a pop-up selfie camera. And the device in the image also has antenna bands which could mean that the upcoming Redmi smartphone may come with a metallic build. The handset in the leaked image has a bright red colour scheme and it looks similar to the smartphone which was leaked earlier with the Xiaomi’s CEO.

redmi flagship
Image credit: Weibo

Like mentioned above, the image also shows that the device will pack a triple-rear camera setup with an LED flash and a front pop-up selfie camera. Earlier, a poster was leaked online which showed the Redmi 2 Pro will feature a pop-up selfie camera and there were claims that the device will be powered by the Snapdragon 855 SoC. It was also expected that the Redmi 2 Pro is the new flagship device of the company, but the design of both the smartphones is different, which falsifies that claim. Other than the camera and the CPU, more news about the devices are currently unknown so we will have to wait for the launch to find out more about the smartphones.

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Samsung Galaxy A20 with dual rear cameras, 4,000mAh battery to go on its first sale today: Price and specifications

Aman Singh
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Samsung Galaxy A20 with dual rear cameras, 4,000mAh battery to go on its first sale today: Price and specifications

After its launch in India last week, Samsung Galaxy A20 will be going on its first sale today onwards. The newly launched Samsung Galaxy A20 falls in between Galaxy A10 and Galaxy A30 smartphones that were launched by the South Korean technology giant previously in the country. Samsung Galaxy A20 is priced in the budget segment of the Indian smartphone market and it features a Super AMOLED display with 4,000mAh battery and comes with a dual-rear camera setup.

Samsung Galaxy A20 price and availability in India

The Samsung Galaxy A20 bears a price tag of Rs 12,490 and it comes in three colour variants – Black, Red and Blue.

As mentioned earlier, the device was launched last week and will go on its first sale from today onwards. The device can be picked up from Samsung’s online store, Samsung Opera House, major e-commerce platforms and retail stores.

Even though the sale will start from today, but the device has not been listed on the abovementioned platforms yet. And the company is yet to announce the launch offers for the Samsung Galaxy A20 smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy A20 specifications

The Samsung Galaxy A20 sports a 6.4-inch inch HD+ (720 x 1560 pixels) Super AMOLED Infinity-V display. It is different than some of the Samsung Galaxy A-series devices which come with an Infinity-U display. The device runs Android 9 Pie skinned with Samsung’s One UI. The Samsung Galaxy A20 is powered by the octa-core Exynos 7884 SoC, which comes with two high power cores clocked at 1.6GHz and six efficiency cores clocked at 1.35GHz. Unlike other Galaxy A devices, the Samsung Galaxy A20 will come in a lone 3GB RAM and 32GB storage variant. The handset will also have support of a microSD card of up to 512GB. As mentioned earlier, the Samsung Galaxy A20 packs a 4,000mAh battery with fast charging support and a USB Type-C port.

On the camera front, the Samsung Galaxy A20 packs a dual rear camera setup, which comprises of a primary 13MP sensor with an f/1.9 aperture paired with a secondary 5MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture. On the front, there is an 8MP camera with an f/2.0 aperture with fixed focus that can be used for selfies and video

calls. The Samsung Galaxy A20 also has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner for biometric authentication.

The Samsung Galaxy A20 measures 158.4 x 74.7 x 7.8mm and comes with a ‘Glasstic Build’ which is a combination of Glass and Plastic.

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Samsung Galaxy S10’s ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner may not be secure enough; here’s why

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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Samsung Galaxy S10’s ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner may not be secure enough; here’s why

As far as biometrics on smartphones go, it is mostly said that fingerprint scanners are more reliable than Face Unlock feature. This is because it can be fooled in a number of ways. A number of smartphones get unlocked when someone places a photograph of the owner in front of them. And various videos were released at the time of iPhone X’s launch which showed that the smartphone could not distinguish between twins. Sadly, a lot of handsets still can’t, making fingerprint sensor a more secure option.

However, now it seems like the new generation of in-display scanners are not completely secure either. A new video has surfaced online that shows the ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor of the Samsung Galaxy S10 getting unlocked with a fingerprint 3D-printed fingerprint case on a translucent strip.

Samsung Galaxy S10 boasts of Qualcomm‘s 3D ultrasonic in-display fingerprint technology, which as the name suggests, uses the ultrasonic waves from the finger to create a 3D map of the fingerprint patter. It is worth mentioning that the American chipmaker’s solution is said to be more secure than the optical fingerprint sensor that uses a 2D image to unlock the device. Optical fingerprint scanners are used in the likes of Vivo Nex, Vivo V15 Pro, OnePlus 6T and devices from Oppo.

But now, a video has been posted online by an Imgur user named ‘darkshark’, which proves otherwise.

The person in the video 3D printed the fingerprint pattern on a transparent strip and then put it on Samsung Galaxy S10’s screen right on its in-display fingerprint scanner. Only by adjusting the 3D-printed strip a little, Samsung Galaxy S10 is seen getting unlocked. A photograph of the user’s fingerprint on a wine glass was taken with a smartphone and then it was used for calculation of depth information using a software. This data was then used to 3D print the slide so that it has a 3-dimensional fingerprint pattern.

The user also mentioned that much better images of a fingerprint can be taken using a DSLR, which can then be used to create similar 3D printed slides to fool the in-display fingerprint sensor of Samsung Galaxy S10 handset. Furthermore, it should also be mentioned that using the 3D printed slide, Samsung Galaxy S10 was not unlocked once, but each and every time the user tries to. What makes it even scarier is the fact that a 3D printer is available very easily these days.

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Netflix kills support for AirPlay, Apple TV users would not be able to stream too

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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Netflix kills support for AirPlay, Apple TV users would not be able to stream too

If you have been watching Netflix shows on iOS devices, we have some news for you, and it’s not exactly a good one. The company has ended support for the easiest way to stream its shows from one Apple device to the other: AirPlay.

Some reports in the media claim that Netflix has said that it has taken the step because of a ‘technical limitation’. However, the technical limitation that has come to light is slightly unconventional.

Recently, Apple partnered with a number of major TV brands so that AirPlay 2 will be able to directly send shows coupled with a firmware update to their 2019 TV sets sometime later this year. But then, according to reports, AirPlay 2 does not come with digital identifiers that let Netflix tell those TVs apart, and because of this, the video streaming service cannot vouch for its users getting the best possible experience while casting shows to the new sets.

A Netflix spokesperson told The Verge, “We can’t distinguish which device is which, we can’t actually certify the devices… so we’ve had to just shut down support for it.

To be more specific, we should point out that this also means that those who have Apple TV set-top boxes, would also not be able to cast Netflix shows too.

In an official statement, Netflix said:

We want to make sure our members have a great Netflix experience on any device they use. With AirPlay support rolling out to third-party devices, there isn’t a way for us to distinguish between devices (what is an Apple TV vs. what isn’t) or certify these experiences. Therefore, we have decided to discontinue Netflix AirPlay support to ensure our standard of quality for viewing is being met. Members can continue to access Netflix on the built-in app across Apple TV and other devices.

According to a report in MacRumors, Netflix’s support page on its official website now says, “Airplay is no longer supported for use with Netflix due to technical limitations.”

As of now, Apple has not commented on the matter.

We should mention that tensions between Netflix and Apple are not fresh. The video-streaming service had declined to be a part of the newly launched Apple TV Plus, which makes the two competitors.

While most of the smart TVs have Netflix built-in now, it would be difficult for Apple users without one of the most convenient ways to stream shows from the video-streaming service.

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Meizu 16s spotted on TENAA listing, images and specifications revealed

Aman Singh
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Meizu 16s spotted on TENAA listing, images and specifications revealed

Chinese electronic maker Meizu is soon expected to launch its Meizu 16s smartphone. Ahead of its launch, the Meizu 16s handset has been spotted on TENAA listing. The device holds a model number M971Q and its listing on TENAA comes with its specifications and images as well. The rumoured flagship smartphone of the company – Meizu 16s – will reportedly be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 SoC, which is currently the most powerful processor in the world.

As per the listing, the Meizu 16s will sport a 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor for its main camera. The listing has leaked a number of other specifications and features of the Meizu 16s smartphone, which is rumoured to launch later this month. Here’s a look at all that has been revealed via the listing:

Meizu 16s specifications and features (rumoured)

According to the TENAA listing, the Meizu 16s will sport a 6.2-inch Full HD+ (1080 x 2232 pixels) AMOLED display. As mentioned earlier, the device will reportedly be powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 855 SoC coupled with 6GB or 8GB of RAM. The handset will have 128GB or 256GB of internal storage. The Meizu 16s’s listed image doesn’t have a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner which could mean that the device will come with an in-display fingerprint scanner. The smartphone will run the latest Android 9.0 Pie skinned with the company’s own UI Flyme OS.

The listing also reveals that the Meizu 16s will pack a 3,540mAh battery and it measures at 151.9 x 73.4 x 7.65 mm and has a weight of 166 grams. The Meizu 16s will come with a USB Type-C port with support for 24W mCharge fast charging. For connectivity, the Meizu 16s will reportedly come with a dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5, GPS and GLONASS.

On the camera front, the Meizu 16s is expected to come with a dual-rear camera setup that will comprise of a 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor with a 0.8-micron pixel size. But the details about the secondary camera are currently not known. The leaked image also shows a cut-out for a ring LED flash which similar to the Meizu M16th. On the front, the Meizu 16s will reportedly have a 20MP selfie camera.

Earlier, many other leaks and rumours have surfaced about the smartphone. However, most of them confirm the specifications of the Meizu 16s smartphone that have been mentioned here. However, we will find out more about the device along with its price and specifications once it launches in the coming months.

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Google Maps is getting another useful ‘Waze’ feature

Avani Bagga
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Google Maps is getting another useful ‘Waze’ feature

Google Maps and Waze are undoubtedly among the most used navigation apps presently. And let’s be honest, lately, Google has been leaving no stone unturned to ensure that its apps and services have an edge over the others. To make Google Maps more useful, the technology giant recently also added the ability to report accidents and speed traps, a feature that was first seen in Waze.

However, Google is not stopping at just that as it has now added another Waze feature to its Maps app. Going forward, people will be able to report more number of incidents on the roads on Google Maps. A report in 9to5Google said that incident reporting Google Maps has now been updated and it enables users to include traffic slowdowns.

Earlier, users could report crashes, police checkpoints, and speed cameras. However, there was no way for users to manually input an update indicating a traffic jam for others. We should say that the new update makes incident reporting far more useful on Google Maps considering that traffic jam is one among the biggest factors that cause a delay for people. But now, people will be able to share this information with users, so a lot of others will end up saving time.

The report further says that the feature will begin rolling out this week itself. But as of now, there is no word about whether the feature would be Android exclusive or it will be available for those using iOS devices as well.

As we mentioned earlier, last month Google added the ability to report accidents and speed traps to its Maps app. With the ability to report accidents and speed traps, users are able to share this information with others by just marking it on Google Maps. This feature on Google Maps is also inspired by Waze.

To make it easier for users to report incidents that cause a delay including accidents, speed traps or just traffic jams, Google has added a new dedicated ‘Add a report’ button on its Maps app. This can be done while still getting directions from Google, so users would not even have to exit navigation in order to report a happening.

In order to access the function, all you need to do is press the upward arrow from the bottom of the screen of your device. Another way of accessing it will be by pressing on the report button directly from the navigation on the app, which is placed right next to the audio and magnifying glass buttons.

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Lenovo K6 Enjoy with triple rear cameras, 3,300mAh battery launched: Price and specifications

Aadvika
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Lenovo K6 Enjoy with triple rear cameras, 3,300mAh battery launched: Price and specifications

Chinese smartphone maker Lenovo has today quietly launched its K6 Enjoy handset in its home country today. The newly launched Lenovo K6 Enjoy smartphone has a gradient design and comes with a tall display that has a waterdrop shaped notch on top.

The Lenovo handset is powered by the MediaTek Helio A22 processor and it sports a triple rear camera setup that has AI enhancements. Here’s everything that you need to know about the new smartphone:

Lenovo K6 Enjoy price

The company has launched its Lenovo K6 Enjoy smartphone in two variants in China. While the base variant of the K6 Enjoy has 64GB of internal storage, the high-end model comes with 128GB of onboard storage.

The starting price of the Lenovo K6 Enjoy is CNY 1,398 (approximately Rs 14,000). The device has already gone on sale on Lenovo’s official online store in China, however, there is no word about the availability of the handset in other markets across the globe.

Lenovo K6 Enjoy specifications

Lenovo K6 Enjoy smartphone has support for dual SIM cards and runs Android 9.0 Pie. The device comes with a 3D composite gradient texture on its back panel and is available in Black and Mirage Blue colour variants. The handset features a 6.22-inch HD+ (1520×720 pixels) IPS display that has a waterdrop shaped notch on its top and comes with an aspect ratio of 19:9.

Powered by the octa-core MediaTek Helio A22 SoC that is clocked at 2.0GHz, Lenovo’s K6 Enjoy smartphone comes with 4GB of RAM. For imaging duties, the newly launched smartphone has a triple rear camera setup that comprises of a 12MP primary sensor, a 5MP depth sensor, and an 8MP telephoto lens. The new smartphone has an 8MP sensor on its front panel for selfies and video calls. The selfie camera of the handset comes with AI enhancements and can be used to click portrait shots.

As we mentioned earlier, K6 Enjoy by Lenovo is available in two storage variants. The base model has 64GB internal storage and the higher-end model comes with 128GB of onboard storage. The handset can hold a microSD card of up to 256GB. Lenovo K6 Enjoy smartphone houses a 3,300mAh battery that has support for 10W charging. For connectivity, it has 4G, Bluetooth 5.0, dual-band Wi-Fi, a USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The smartphone has dimensions of 156.4x75x7.99mm and it weighs 161 grams.

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Did Tesla CEO Elon Musk push a former employee?

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Did Tesla CEO Elon Musk push a former employee?

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is in news again. And this time, it is not for the right reason. A report has emerged online that claims that the CEO pushed a former employee who had resigned from the company was trying to say goodbye to his co-workers.

The report about this surfaced on Bloomberg that quoted people familiar with the matter. However, the electronic car maker has denied the claim. In a statement given to Roadshow by CNET, a representative from Tesla said, “Elon did exit an employee at our Fremont delivery centre last year due to concerns about his performance, however, there was no physical altercation whatsoever.”

According to Bloomberg, “Musk made physical contact with the staffer in a heated confrontation that drew the attention of other employees and spilled into a hallway and later the parking lot, the people said. [..] The employee told people that Musk had pushed him, an account corroborated by others with knowledge of the incident. Another person described it as a tap or light touch.”

The report further claimed that the alleged incident prompted Tesla‘s board to launch an enquiry into the behaviour and conduct of its former Chairperson and current CEO. However, no evidence of physical altercation was found. It has also been claimed that Musk swore at the former employee and asked him to leave the company premises immediately.

According to the report, “The board concluded there was no ‘physical altercation,’ though it didn’t specifically address the allegation of physical contact or verbal haranguing.”

The report also said that the Board of the electric car maker also sent out an email saying, “It is the board’s responsibility to take seriously any potential issues that come to our attention involving senior executives, no matter how small or how large. In this instance, we conducted a thorough review, which proved that there was never a physical altercation, a fact confirmed by multiple people who were present at the time.”

On the other hand, the report in CNET said, “Those reports are simply untrue as confirmed by numerous people that observed the incident first-hand.”

We should mention that this is not the first time that Musk has been reported to be yelling at his staffers and firing them. In December last year, a report in Wired said that a few Tesla employees were told not to walk past Musk’s desk in case it jeopardised their career.

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Fortnite is getting Apex Legends’ best feature: Get details about it here

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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Fortnite is getting Apex Legends’ best feature: Get details about it here

Epic Games’ Fortnite is the leading battle royale game right now. However, in order to maintain its position, the game makers don’t shy away from getting inspired by features of other games of the same genre. And in its latest move, Epic Games will be rolling out a feature to Fortnite that will be a lot like Respawn Beacons of Apex Legends.

Starting next week, Fornite will be getting a feature called ‘Reboot Vans’ which will enable players to bring back their teammates to life in case they die. And as we all know, the feature is directly inspired by ‘Respawn Beacons’ of Apex Legends, which gives players a chance to revive their teammates.

It is worth adding that the feature was first leaked in February this year and it solves one among the most frustrating problems that most battle royale games have. Anyone who has played these games would know that probably one among the worst things that can happen is losing a teammate early. With this, you are left with the option of either quitting the game early or play with one person down while your friend just watches you play.

If we speak specifically about Fortnite, compared to other games, it is relatively easier to first take away all the health and shields of your enemy so that they are left crawling on the ground, and then kill them. Doing this completely removes them from the match. With the new feature, players will have to reclaim their teammates’ reboot card and then take them to a reboot van in order to make sure that they survive.

However, much like Apex Legends’ feature, ‘Reboot Van’ has its limitations. For starters, Reboot Van can be used only once and that too by one squad. This means that after one of its Reboot Vans gets activated, it remains dormant for the rest of the match. Moreover, the number of vans on the map is limited and even they may get dormant because of the circle that keeps on shrinking. This means that they are extremely difficult to access and using them can also mean that you may die yourself while reaching out to them.

It is worth adding that this is the second time that Fortnite has copied a feature from Apex Legends. The first one was a ping system that enables teammates to communicate with each other non-verbally. So, they can just press a button to highlight enemies, loot and locations.

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Google ‘confirms’ its Pixel 3a smartphone

Avani Bagga
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Google ‘confirms’ its Pixel 3a smartphone

After months of reports and leaks about its upcoming new mid-range smartphones, Google has confirmed the name of the handset that is rumoured to be showcased at the Google I/O 2019. The Pixel 3 Lite smartphone would actually be known as ‘Pixel 3a’, according to some screenshots that have surfaced online.

A report that surfaced on 9to5Google was coupled with some screenshots of the Google Store page of the upcoming smartphone. With the screenshots, it seems like the new handset by Google will be called the Pixel 3a.

However, we must add that Google has already taken down the page dedicated to the upcoming Pixel 3a smartphone. But before that could happen, the screenshot of the page was already taken. The report also says that Google’s website displayed some references to the Nest Hub Max that was leaked earlier, and to Nest Hub.

In fact, now neither the Pixel 3a product page nor the Pixel Compare page is live. So all that the leak actually confirmed was the name of the upcoming handset. It is worth adding that a report by XDA Developers talked about ‘Pixel 3a XL’ being spotted in an Android Q beta code. But then, we also must point out that with this, we have an official confirmation from Google about the smartphone.

google_pixel_3a
Image courtesy: 9to5Google

Much like other Pixel smartphones, a lot has been leaked about the upcoming Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL already. Earlier today, a Redditor ‘ElegyD’ shared literally the entire specs sheet of the two new smartphones that are codenamed ‘Bonito’ and ‘Sargo’. He said that he found the data on Google ‘s Play Console and it reveals a lot about smartphones. For starters, the two handsets are said to come with displays that are 5.6-inch and 6.0-inch in size and have a resolution of 1080p. They will reportedly be powered by Snapdragon 670 processors and sport 12MP rear cameras.

According to photos that were shared by a Russian technology blog named Rozetked at least one among the two smartphones come with a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Another interesting detail that has been confirmed today is that the handsets will be ‘midyear experiences’, so we don’t have to wait for Google’s October even to get a look at them. And we think that the technology giant will use its upcoming Google I/O 2019 to showcase the two smartphones.

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Honor Gala Festival sale starting on April 8: Discounts on Honor 10, Honor 9N, Honor 9i and more

Avani Bagga
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Honor Gala Festival sale starting on April 8: Discounts on Honor 10, Honor 9N, Honor 9i and more

If you have been considering to buy yourself a new smartphone in the budget range, we have some good news for you. Chinese smartphone brand Honor has announced its Honor Gala Festival that will begin on April 8 and go on till April 12.

As a part of the sale, a number of smartphones from the company including Honor 9N, Honor 9 Lite, Honor 10 Lite, Honor 7A, Honor 7S, Honor 9i, and Honor 10 will be available at discounted prices on Amazon India and Flipkart.

The smartphone brand has also said that the Honor Gala Festival sale will have offers worth Rs 50 crores. However, as of now, there is no word on the discounts and offers that customers will be able to avail during this period.

According to an official press release by Honor, the sale on Amazon India’s website and Flipkart will bring offers on smartphones, smart wearables and tablets. In addition to this, a  microsite on Flipkart has also been set up and that has revealed some deals that the customers will be able to avail.

However, as of now, Flipkart’s microsite only talks about the discounts on a few smartphone models including Honor 9N, Honor 9 Lite and Honor 10 Lite. In addition to this, it says that there are some “now or never deals” on Honor 7A and Honor 7S. Deals can also be availed on Honor 9i and Honor 10 handsets.

Speaking of the discounts, the 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant of Honor 9N can be bought at Rs 9,499 during the sale, down from Rs 13,999. The same RAM/storage model of Honor 9 Lite will be priced at Rs 9,499 too, however, the discount is a bigger one since its launch price was Rs 14,999. Customers will be able to pick up Honor 10 Lite’s 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant at Rs 12,999 instead of Rs 13,999.

Coming to Honor 7A, its 3GB RAM/32GB storage model will be available at a reduced cost of Rs 6,999 and Honor 7S’ 2GB RAM/16GB storage variant will be available at Rs 5,499. It is worth noticing that the two smartphones’ launch prices are Rs 8,999 and Rs 6,999 respectively.

Honor 9i smartphone’s 4GB RAM/64GB storage version has received a discount of Rs 7,000 and can be bought at Rs 10,999 during the sale, while Honor 10’s 6GB RAM/128GB storage variant can be picked up at Rs 24,999 instead of Rs 32,999.

Speaking about the sale, Suhail Tariq, CMO of Honor India said, “In our endeavour to create products those are meaningful to our consumers’ need and creating user-friendly technology interface, we have come a long way in India. Hence, we want to heartily thank our consumers by hitting the ground with the massive sale on our pre-eminent products from smartphones, wearable to tablets.”

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Two Chinese students conned Apple of nearly $1 million in iPhone replacements scam: Report

Aadvika
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Two Chinese students conned Apple of nearly $1 million in iPhone replacements scam: Report

In a rather shocking scam, two Chinese students in the United States allegedly duped Apple of $1 million. Yes, you read that right. The Cupertino-based technology giant was reportedly fooled by these students of the said amount in iPhone replacements. The two now have criminal charges against them and are undergoing trials in the US Federal Court.

According to a report in The Oregonian, the scam initially started in 2017 when the two Chinese engineering students – Yangyang Zhou and Quan Jiang – began smuggling counterfeit copies of iPhones into the United States from China. They would then send these fake iPhones to Apple for repair or replacement, saying that their devices were not switching on.

The Cupertino-based company, that is known for its after-sales service, in many instances replaced the fake iPhones with real ones. According to the report, the collective cost of the iPhones that were replaced is $895,800. On converting it, this becomes approximately Rs 6,20,17,129.

Zhou and Jiang then shipped the real iPhones back to China. Reports also allege that Jiang submitted 3,069 warranty claims and among these, Apple granted 1,493 replacement iPhones. This resulted in the company losing out on approximately $900,000, which is roughly Rs 6,23,07,900. We don’t know which among the two values is correct, but in either case, Apple lost out on a big amount because of the scam.

However, both the Chinese students are now claiming that they were not aware of the fact that iPhones were fake, according to Federal complaints. It has also been reported that the two worked together as a team. While Zhou is accused of illegally exporting the fake iPhones, Jiang has charges of illegally trafficking copied goods and committing wire fraud against himself.

We should mention that currently, both the accused students are not in custody, Jiang is being monitored by GPS.

The reason for the fraud was explained by a Homeland Security agent who said that the only reason that the scheme by the two students could work is because the employees at Apple Store could not verify the authenticity of the iPhones since they did not switch on. However, they went by the regular procedure that they follow and started with the replacement process.

Last year, another Chinese person who was staying in New Jersey on a student via pleaded guilty for selling fake iPhones and iPads. The Chinese national reportedly pocketed $1.1 million in sales by the scam.

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You can now video chat with up to 50 people at once on Microsoft’s Skype

Avani Bagga
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You can now video chat with up to 50 people at once on Microsoft’s Skype

Although video calling is now available on multiple platforms like FaceTime, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and WhatsApp, there are some Skype features that still make users have a preference for it. While WhatsApp may have a much bigger user base, some nifty features of Skype make it a better service than the instant messaging app.

Recently, software giant Microsoft announced that it will be adding another feature to make sure that Skype has an edge over others. Soon after, it rolled out a beta update to Skype for testing group video calls with up to 50 participants. And now, Microsoft has made the feature available to all with a stable update for Skype.

With the new feature, Skype would become very important for a number of businesses and companies as they would be able to use it for holding meetings. The feature would let them add various people who need to be included but cannot be physically present there.

It is also worth noticing that Skype is the only service that allows to add that many people in a group video call. Prior to this, Skype had support for adding up to 25 callers at a given time, but it was surpassed by Apple which allows up to 32 callers on FaceTime. However, Skype has taken its lead back with the latest update.

In order to get so many people on board for a video call, Microsoft will send notifications to all the participants in large video calls. On receiving the notification, participants can specify are allowed to call them.

This makes way more sense than what Skype did earlier. For those unaware, prior to this update, all the participants received a ring when a group call started. It is worth mentioning, however, that in case a video call has fewer than 25 participants, Skype would still let the call organizer ring everyone.

Coming back to the updated features, in case some participants don’t respond to the notification and miss the call, others will have the option of including them by calling them up once the video call has started. The new group calling feature is now available to all. So, if you think that it will be useful to you, you can download the latest version and start video calling up to 50 people starting today.

Which is your favourite app for making group video calls? Let us know in the comments below!

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Oppo A5 with 64GB internal storage launched in India: Price and specifications

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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Oppo A5 with 64GB internal storage launched in India: Price and specifications

Chinese smartphone maker Oppo has launched the 64GB storage version of its A5 smartphone in India. The new storage version of Oppo A5 is already available for purchase via brick-and-mortar stores in the country. Starting next week, it will also be available on online stores.

To recall, Oppo A5 was launched in India in August last year and it packed 32GB of internal storage. The newly launched variant is an upgrade over the original one. Oppo A5 64GB has a dual rear camera setup and is touted to come with AI Beauty 2.0 for selfies.

Oppo A5 (64GB) price in India

The 64GB storage version of Oppo A5 smartphone is priced at Rs 12,990 in India. The handset is already available for purchase via offline retailers and will be going on sale via online stores starting next week.

At the given price, the smartphone competes with a number of smartphones from Samsung’s Galaxy A and Galaxy M series. Even the base variant of Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 7 Pro is priced closely.

Back in August 2018, the Oppo A5 with 32GB storage was launched at Rs 14,990. However, the device has received two price cuts since then and can now be bought at Rs 11,990.

Oppo A5 specifications

The only difference between the Oppo A5 launched in August and the one unveiled now is the bump in storage. The Oppo A5 smartphone runs Android 8.1 Oreo skinned with ColorOS 5.1 and it features a 6.2-inch HD+ (720×1520 pixels) FullView display that has an aspect ratio of 19:9. The screen of the smartphone comes with a screen-to-body ratio of 87.9%. Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor coupled with Adreno 506 GPU, Oppo A5 comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. It can also hold a microSD card of up to 256GB.

For imaging duties, Oppo A5 comes with a dual rear camera setup that comprises of a 13MP primary sensor with an f/2.2 lens clubbed with a 2MP secondary camera with an f/2.4 lens. For selfies and video calls, there is an 8MP camera that comes with an f/2.2 lens. The handset comes with an AI Beauty 2.0 technology that is said to enhance selfies taken from it and its front camera also has support for a Face Unlock feature.

Oppo A5 smartphone houses a 4,230mAh battery and comes with 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS/ A-GPS, Micro-USB, and a 3.5mm headphone jack for connectivity.

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Samsung Galaxy A90 render video leaked; showcases the slider and rotating camera module

Aman Singh
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Samsung Galaxy A90 render video leaked; showcases the slider and rotating camera module

Ahead of its scheduled launch on April 10, Samsung Galaxy A90’s render video has been leaked online. The 3-minute long video shows a new and innovative slider and rotating camera module which is said to be one-of-its-kind. Earlier, we had seen a couple of leaks and images about the Samsung Galaxy A90 but this is the first time an actual render video of the device has surfaced online.

Samsung has already scheduled a launch event on April 10 where the company will launch three devices in three different cities – Sao Paulo, Milan and Bangkok. Samsung Galaxy A90 is also expected to launch on the same day.

Coming to the leaked render video of the Samsung Galaxy A90, it comes with a no-notch display coupled with thin bezels. But the key highlight of the leaked video is the slider mechanism of the Samsung Galaxy A90 which houses the rotating camera module of the device.

The video was posted by Waqar Khan who has leaked many smartphones renders in the past. The video shows that Samsung Galaxy A90 will have a notch-less and bezel-less display but it won’t have a pop-up camera like we expected before. Instead, the Samsung Galaxy A90 will come with a slider mechanism which holds the rotating camera module. The back facing camera of the device rotates to the front of the device to become a selfie camera.

Another tipster, OnLeaks had also tweeted in the past that the Samsung Galaxy A90 will have a sliding and rotating camera system. It also said that the Samsung Galaxy A90 or the Samsung Galaxy A80 could  hold a 48MP camera with a ToF sensor and a flash.

Prior reports have also suggested that the Samsung Galaxy A90 might come with a notch-less display and will most probably have a pop-up selfie camera. It has also been speculated that the device will have an in-display fingerprint scanner and will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC paired with 6GB/8GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage. But none of the leaked specifications are confirmed and the final product might come with slight changes in the specs sheet or the design.

Other than the camera, the video shows that the Samsung Galaxy A90 will have a regular and traditional earpiece instead of an acoustic display which the Huawei P30 holds. The video also confirms that the Samsung Galaxy A90 will have an in-display fingerprint scanner but whether it will have the face unlock feature or not is currently not known.

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

Google Assistant gets a celebrity voice cameo for the first time with John Legend

Gadget Bridge Bureau
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Google Assistant gets a celebrity voice cameo for the first time with John Legend

This week, Google Assistant launched its first celebrity voice cameo and with this, you can listen to Grammy-winning artist John Legend’s voice on the digital assistant. However, like all good things in the world, you will be able to listen to Legend’s voice on Google Assistant for a limited period of time. So we suggest that you make the most of it while it lasts.

Legend’s voice on Google Assistant will sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to you, give you information about the weather and answer some questions that you ask of it. It is worth adding that the Grammy-winning artist’s voice will be available on all devices that have Google Assistant. So you will be able to access it via your smartphone, Google Home or even on devices that run iOS.

We should mention that at Google I/O 2018, the technology giant announced that it has added six new voices to its digital assistant, and John Legend’s voice is one among them. At the event, the company also gave a preview of WaveNet, which is basically its speech synthesis model. Powered by the company’s DeepMind artificial intelligence, the technology works by taking samples of human speech and then directly modelling audio waveforms using it. This results in creating voices that sound more realistic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=40&v=AgHghcYqeto

According to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, “WaveNet allowed us to shorten the studio time, and the model can actually capture the richness of his voice.”

The technology giant made Legend record answers to only a few prompts. These include “Hey, Google, serenade me” or “Hey, Google, are we just ordinary people?”. Google has also said that there are some easter eggs that the users may find. However, we should add here that most of the responses will continue to be in the regular voice that we hear on Assistant.

To activate John Legend’s voice, you can say “Hey, Google, talk like a Legend” or go to Settings and switch to his voice. It is worth mentioning that the feature is only available in the United States as of now and Legend’s voice only talks in English.

But then, that’s hardly a reason to be disappointed as it may get rolled out to other regions. Even if does not, let’s not forget that Google Assistant will be getting five other voices and some of them may be rolled out in other regions of the world.

Even if the worst happens and none of them makes it outside the United States, this is the first time Google has got celebrity voices on Assistant, not the last.

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

Facebook ‘still looking into’ the millions of exposed user account data report: CEO Mark Zuckerberg

Aman Singh
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Facebook ‘still looking into’ the millions of exposed user account data report: CEO Mark Zuckerberg

This week, Facebook was in news for negative reasons once again when it was discovered that account data and passwords of millions of users of the social media platform had been stored on cloud servers unencrypted and were visible to the public eye.

Following the reckless act of one of the world’s biggest social networking platforms, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company is “still looking into” the report that millions of users’ data was publicly accessible on Amazon’s cloud servers.

In an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC News, Zuckerberg said, “In general we work with developers to make sure that they’re respecting people’s information and using it in only ways that they want.”

However, researchers at cybersecurity firm UpGuard on Wednesday said that they had found user information of millions on cloud servers. The information also contained the passwords of the users and as we mentioned earlier, all this was visible to the public eye. The records were 146GB in size and they were even accessible to be downloaded by anyone who found them.

Its just been over a year when the infamous Cambridge Analytica scandal had exposed just how unsecure Facebook users’ information was online. Earlier, Zuckerberg had also said that he was proud how far Facebook has come in protecting the privacy of its users and stopping the spread of misinformation. But the fact that it happened once again proves that what he said was not true after all.

Facebook’s CEO said, “I think in a lot of ways over the last few years, we have changed significantly how we run the company. I’m proud of the progress we’ve made. There’s a lot more to do in each of these areas. There’s a question of what decisions should be left to a private company to make, especially around things like speech and expression for so many people around the world.”

It is worth adding that Mexico-based digital platform Cultura Colectiva had openly stored 540 million records of Facebook users. Those records included the ID numbers, comments, reactions and even the account names of the users. But that database was closed on Wednesday when Bloomberg alerted Facebook about the problem and the social media giant contacted Amazon.

We should mention that WhatsApp’s CEO has said on multiple occasions that the users should delete their user accounts from the social networking platform. With these happenings becoming a regular thing for Facebook, it is not a safe and secure platform anymore.

In an unrelated piece of news, after the terrorist attack on Christchurch, New Zealand, where the terrorist used the Facebook’s live streaming feature to go live at the time of the massacre, the social media platform has said that it is changing its ‘live stream’ feature. It was also heavily criticised when the video was left unchecked and was not taken down hours after the incident. Addressing this CEO Mark Zuckerberg said that Facebook needs to build systems which can identify live stream terror events more quickly. But he didn’t tell if he will be adding a delay to the live broadcasting.

 

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