Micromax Infinity N12 is the first smartphone by the company to come with a display notch. It is also touted to have AI photography and a lasting battery. But is the smartphone as good as the company tries to make it sound? Watch our review video to find out.
Chinese smartphone brand Xiaomi started rolling out the Android 9 Pie update to its Mi 8 series in December last year. The update has already arrived on the Mi 8 and Mi 8 Explorer Edition and now, it has started rolling out to Xiaomi Mi 8 SE.
The latest MIUI 10.2.2 update is being rolled out to the mid-range smartphone now and users are receiving it as an OTA. However, if you cannot wait for that, you can also download the latest update to your smartphone via the source link.
Since the Xiaomi Mi 8 SE already runs MIUI 10, which is heavily customised, you may not notice any visible changes.
To recall the specifications of the mobile phone, Xiaomi Mi 8 SE features a 5.88-inch Super AMOLED display that is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass on both sides. Powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 710 processor, the device comes with 6GB of RAM and can be bought in 64GB and 128GB storage variants.
For imaging duties, the smartphone comes with a dual rear camera setup with 12MP and 5MP sensors and on the front panel, it has a 20MP selfie snapper. The back panel of the smartphone also has a fingerprint scanner and Mi 8 SE also has support for face unlock.
Xiaomi’s Mi 8 SE houses a 3,120mAh battery. We should mention that the smartphone is only available in China as of now and the company hasn’t announced any plans of launching it in other markets.
The device also received a price cut in China recently. The 64GB storage model, which was earlier priced at ¥1699 (~$250), can now be picked up at ¥1599 (~$236). On the other hand, the 128GB storage variant is also available at a discounted price of ¥1699 (~$250). The discount can be availed via JD.com as well as Xiaomi’s online store. The new pricing applies to all the colour variants of the Mi 8 SE smartphone.
The Xiaomi Mi 8 SE smartphone was launched in May last year along with the company’s Mi 8 and Mi 8 EE handsets. The smartphone is also called as the cheaper, lower-end variant of the standard Mi 8 by some.
Shemaroo has launched its own video streaming app ShemarooMe for Android, iOS and web. This app is going to feature films in multiple languages such as Hindi, Gujarati, Punjabi. It is also going to feature a diverse range of content that would encompass devotional and kids shows. This app is going to be provide around 3,500 titles. There are about 2,000 film titles and 1,000 hours of non-film content available. ShemarooMe will operate on ‘freemium’ model; and some content will be available to everyone for free.
Having announced its intentions to foray into the streaming space last year, Shemaroo lifted the lid off ShemarooMe during an event in Mumbai, which occurred yesterday. The app consists of many Bollywood classics which includes Devdas, Golmaal, Disco Dancer, Mera Naam Joker, Amar Akbar Anthony etc. Also, Shemaroo is offering shows under its Bollywood section. However, the originals on ShemarooMe are meant to complement its Bollywood offerings. You can treat them like extras that you get on DVDs and Blu-rays, albeit a much-extended version.
A Shemaroo spokesperson said their understanding of the Indian audience and curation are its main reasons for success.
Being one of the biggest distributors in India, Shemaroo is banking on a huge collection. Some part of it is historical, as it enters the digital age. With the introduction of ShemarooMe, there is going to be a tougher competition as big Indian media companies are exploiting the entertainment market to increase its foothold.
With the likes of Shemaroo joining the OTT ranks, the market gets thicker as Amazon Prime, Netflix, ALT Balaaji etc.
Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi recently revealed the launch date of its upcoming Mi 9 smartphone. The company will be launching the device on February 20, which is also the day Samsung Galaxy S10 will be unveiled at its Unpacked event.
Right after this announcement, the company has announced that it will be hosting an event on February 24 in Barcelona, Spain at the Mobile World Congress 2019. Xiaomi has released the official teaser of the launch with a tagline “We will make it happen” in which it has stated that it will be unveiling a new handset.
While the teaser has not revealed the name of the device being launched, it is being speculated that Xiaomi will be unveiling the 5G variant of its Mi Mix 3 smartphone.
We should mention that the 4G variant of Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 was launched in October last year and it has a dual rear camera setup and a bezel-less screen. Back then, Xiaomi had promised to launch the 5G variant of the Mi Mix 3 in 2019. And now, with the latest teaser coming out, it is very likely that we will get to see the smartphone at MWC 2019.
It is also worth noticing that Xiaomi had showcased the 5G variant of its Mi Mix 3 smartphone at the Consumer Electronics Show 2019 that was held in January this year. The MWC 2019 seems to be the perfect event at which the smartphone could be launched commercially.
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Besides this, the Chinese smartphone brand is also working on a foldable phone which is also speculated to launch along with the 5G variant of the Mi Mix 3 smartphone. The device looks like a tablet when unfolded and then can be folded into an actual smartphone.
To recall the specifications of Xiaomi Mi Mix 3, it sports a 6.4-inch OLED touchscreen and it is available in three models – 6GB RAM/128GB storage, 8GB RAM/256GB storage and 10GB GB RAM/256GB storage. The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 has four cameras in total – 12+12MP dual rear cameras and 24MP+2MP dual selfie cameras. Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 also supports fast charging and the company is putting a 10W charger in the box for its customers.
Three date rule, play hard to get, men should pay, dress your best: We all have heard this dating advice at some point in our lives. These dating rules are taught to us by our friends, siblings or even our favourite movie characters.
But then, dating in today’s world is nothing like what it was when these so-called rules were made. Asking someone out over a WhatsApp text no longer raises eyebrows. It is actually the only acceptable way to do it now. So the question arises whether these rules even apply in today’s day and age. And how many people even follow them?
Dating app Tinder has attempted to answer our questions by conducting a survey among its Indian users and we have to admit, the insights are very interesting.
To begin with, around 85% of Indians think that the profile picture is the biggest turn-on factor when they are looking at someone’s profile on an online dating website or an app. To be more specific, 86% of the men who were a part of the survey said that the profile picture is the most important thing while 83% of women agreed. However, we should point out that 86% of women voted for hobbies and 87% said education was the most important criteria. As far as common interests go, more number of men take them into consideration while looking for a partner online.
When asked about who should organise the first date, 50% of the participants said that it doesn’t matter. 28% said that they would want to be the ones who arrange the date and 22% believe that the other person should take the initiative.
A big change in dating pattern was revealed by the survey. While most of us have grown listening to people tell us not to text our potential partner too soon after the first date, 71% of the participants said they would do so within a day of the meeting. 16% said that they would wait for the next day and 7% said that they wouldn’t contact their date via a text message at all.
The survey even asked who should actually send the first text message after a good first date. And seems like Indian youth doesn’t care about this too, as 45% of the participants said that it really doesn’t matter who texts first. 30% said that they would text their date if the first meeting is good enough and 25% said that they would wait to get the text.
Coming to the second date, Indian youth seems to be ditching gender roles as 48% think that it doesn’t matter who arranges for the second date. 30% of the participants said that they would want to be the ones who do it, while 22% would expect their date to do it.
And gone are the days when people told each other through common friends that they like each other. Now, 48% said that they would do it themselves with a cute message on WhatsApp. A phone call and a face to face conversation followed and means like a handwritten love note didn’t have too many takers.
Another key finding of the survey is that among the new dating behaviour, like ghosting or benching, playing it cool is the one that is the most common with Indian singles. Messaging but not meeting, sexting, and disappearing suddenly follow.
Tinder has mentioned that the survey was conducted on 1,500 Indian singles from seven cities, across the 18-34 age group who own a smartphone.
Lenovo-owned smartphone brand Motorola recently launched its mid-range Moto G7 handset lineup at an event that was held on February 7 in Brazil. The latest smartphones from Motorola started making headlines months before they were unveiled and now, various markets across the globe are waiting for the devices to be launched in their respective regions too.
The Moto G7 series consists of the vanilla variant of Moto G7, Moto G7 Plus, Moto G7 Power and Moto G7 Play. As of now, there is no confirmation on the date on which the smartphones will be launched in India. However, a report has emerged that suggests the pricing of Moto G7 Power smartphone in the Indian market.
According to a report in India Today that quotes a ‘reliable source’, the Moto G7 Power smartphone will cost Rs 13,999 in India. It will be the 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant of the device that will bear this price tag. Furthermore, it also revealed that the Moto G7 Power mobile will be available in India starting tomorrow via online as well as offline channels.
The device will only be available in Black colour option in India. Considering that the budget and mid-range segment in Indian smartphone market is the most competitive one, at the given price, the Moto G7 Power handset will be competing against the likes of Samsung Galaxy M20, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M2, Realme 2 Pro, Honor 10 Lite among others.
To recall, the Moto G7 Power smartphone sports a 6.2-inch display with 720 x 1520 pixel resolution and comes with a notch on top of its screen. Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 632 chipset, the device comes with a massive 5,000mAh battery, which is being touted as its biggest highlight.
On the camera front, the Moto G7 Power comes with a single 12MP primary sensor along with an 8MP selfie sensor. The smartphone runs the Android 9.0 Pie operating system skinned with Moto Experiences. The device has a nearly-stock Android experience.
Prior to this, it was speculated by Mahesh Telecom that the Moto G7 Power smartphone will be priced at Rs 15,999 in India. The dealer also tweeted that it will be offering a discount on the device and make it available Rs 14,500 in the country. We would have to wait to see which one of the two prices is actually true.
South Korean technology giant has today launched its Galaxy Tab Active 2, which is being touted as the company’s latest rugged tablet in India. The Galaxy Tab Active 2 tablet is MIL-STD-840G certified, which is the military standard for ruggedness and is made to provide efficient working under tough conditions.
Furthermore, the new tablet by Samsung is IP68 certified, which means that it is water-proof and dust-proof, and it comes with Knox security and has a replaceable battery. The company has announced that Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 2 tablet will be available in India starting Mid-March 2019.
The new device by Samsung is said to be extremely durable and can work even when the screen is wet and the user is wearing thick gloves. Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 2 houses a 4,450mAh battery and comes with Samsung’s Knox security feature which gives it enhanced security against hackers. The new tablet also has a physical keyboard that is attached to it with the help of Pogo pins.
Samsung has said that the Galaxy Tab Active 2 comes with protection against vibrations, accidental shocks and drops. Speaking more about its water resistance, Samsung said that Galaxy Tab Active 2 can remain 1.5-meter underwater for 30 minutes, which we think is quite impressive. The tablet can also keep up with extreme temperatures ranging from -40°C to 80°C. However, it requires a temperature ranging from -20°C to 71°C in order to work normally.
These are the special features of the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active 2. Keeping these aside, it is more or less a regular tablet. Coming to the specifications of the Samsung Galaxy Tab Active it has an 8-inch WXGA display with a resolution of 1280×800 pixels. It is powered by the company’s own Exynos 7870 processor clubbed with 3GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. It can also hold a microSD card for more storage space and has support for 4GB LTE and S Pen.
Mr Sukesh Jain, Senior Vice President of IT and mobile enterprise business, Samsung India said, “Samsung’s latest rugged tablet – Galaxy Tab Active2 will redefine mobility solutions which are available for businesses in India. Armed with innovative capabilities, our devices are robust, dependable and purpose-built to fit their specific needs of on-site operations. The product will suit the demands of field professionals across sectors like defence, law enforcement, transportation, e-commerce, logistics, manufacturing and many others by allowing the field managers to oversee the operations digitally. Galaxy Tab Active2 would meet their expectations with perfection.”
He further added, “The Samsung Galaxy Tab Active2 addresses many rugged demands and provides a sturdy device that is easy to manage from an IT perspective, and deliver features and accessories specifically designed to improve mobile workflows beyond the scope of typical office use.”
Xiaomi’s next phone the Redmi Note 7 has been the most talked about phone in India ever since the company announced the phone will house a massive 48MP rear camera. The banter grew louder when it was announced that the phone would be priced in the sub-15K category. The phone is already launched in China and now the company has announced that the phone will finally be launched in India. The launch date of the phone is kept as 28th February.
The company had been teasing the phone online for weeks now, and earlier through a tweet it announced the launch date of the phone. The registration process for purchasing tickets for the launch event of the phone is already complete.
The phone is already launched in China and is currently selling well in the Chinese market. The Note 7 wins on many fronts that makes this smartphone worth buying. It packs a good mid-range hardware, has an attractive design aspect and is priced very competitively like most of the Xiaomi phones before it. Earlier it was reported that the company has sold more than 1 million units in the Chinese market in just three weeks after its launch. Those numbers show just how popular the phone is, and seeing Xiaomi customer base in India the numbers are most likely to increase.
The official price of the phone in India is not yet revealed, but in China the phone is selling for CNY 999(approx. Rs 10,300) for the 3GB RAM and 32GB storage variant. The highest variant of the Note 7 with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage is priced at CNY 1,399 (approx. Rs 14,500). The prices of other variants of the phone were also covered in our earlier report.
Talking about the phone, Managing Director, Manu Kumar Jain commented that Redmi Note 7 will be a “game changer device”.
Mi Fans, I'm sure you are as excited as Mi with the launch date reveal of #RedmiNote7, the #ǝɟᴉ7ƃnɥʇ of a phone. 🤩
Redmi Note 7 comes with a 6.3-inch full HD+ (1080 x 2340 pixels) with Gorilla Glass 5 on top. It is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 Octa-core CPU and has 6 gigs of RAM with 64GB internal storage. It comes with 4,000 mAh battery with Quick Charge 4 support. However, the main attraction of the phone is its camera setup. It has a dual rear camera setup of a 48-megapixel Samsung GM1 sensor with f/1.8 aperture and a 5-megapixel sensor while the front camera is a 13-megapixel sensor. As far as the colour options are concerened it comes in – Fantasy Blue, Bright Black, Red (optional) and Twilight Gold.
The current market favourite in the mid-range smartphone segment is the Samsung’s Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20. If Redmi Note 7 won’t be able to take over the market from them then it surely will try to give Samsung a tough competition.
Xiaomi’s OS – MIUI comes in all the smartphones manufactured by the company. Last year, Xiaomi brought its newest update to the OS, the MIUI 10, which revamped the previous version of the OS. It had many new design and visual changes over its previous version, the MIUI 9.
Now, Xiaomi has brought another update to its MIUI 10 Global Beta that brings the much-awaited Dark Mode to the system apps of the phone. The Dark Mode will work on all the system apps of the phone – Gallery, Phone, Messaging, Calculator, Screen Recorder, Updater and Contacts. The Dark Mode also comes for the Notification panel along with the Volume sliders and Recent Apps menu.
Xiaomi will be rolling out the MIUI 10 Global Beta ROM with Dark Mode from 15th February onwards, but it will be available only to eligible users. Currently the dark theme of the OS is available only to select few apps, but there is no information from the company when it will bring out the system-wide dark mode.
According to leaked reports Google will be bringing a system-wide dark-mode for all the apps (system and others) in its latest iteration of Android – Android Q. Dark Mode is something which has been getting really popular these days as many of the popular apps have already brought dark modes with them like Twitter, Reddit and many others. While the apps which have not brought the mode right now, but are currently working on it, like Whatsapp.
Unlike what most people think, Dark Mode is not a visual and cosmetic upgrade, it has many benefits, it consumes much less power than the white theme mode. It is also useful at night where the user will be looking at less white and blue light emitted by the phone, thus will be able to sleep better at night. Over that, it’s also a matter of personal preference.
Currently, Xiaomi has started working on their next iteration of MIUI – the MIUI 11 and hopefully we will get to see a system-wide dark-mode in it.
There have been a lot of rumours about the Nokia 9 PureView, ahead of its launch at the upcoming MWC (Mobile World Congress). One of them talks about the penta-lens camera setup. It says that the smartphone will come with two 12MP imaging size cameras, two 16MP cameras and an 8MP camera. However, another rumour has surfaced online that contradicts the previous one. As per the new rumour posted by Twitter account Nokia_Anew, all sensors are going to have similar resolution. The account also claims that there will be no 3D depth sensor in the Nokia 9 PureView.
Earlier, a promo video was launched that talked about the various features of the penta-lens camera. It talks about “10X more light capture”, “5 simultaneous shots”, Stunning HDR photography, refocus etc. Since this is a promo video, there is a huge possibility for these features to be true. The promo video also confirms that the Nokia 9 PureView will sport a 5.99-inch QHD resolution 3D glass OLED display, 2K resolution display with HDR10 support, in-display fingerprint sensor, Snapdragon 845 SoC and 6GB RAM.
Earlier, we talked about a very recent leak publicised by Google that tipped about its specifications. According to that leak. The Nokia 9 PureView will sport a 6-inch display and runs Android Pie out-of-the-box. The smartphone will have a 4GB RAM that will be coupled with an internal storage of up to 128GB. It will be incorporated with a fingerprint scanner, which will lack ‘Zero-touch Support’. The Nokia 9 PureView will come with 18W fast charging and telephony support in all likelihood. Alongside this smartphone, in the same leak, Google tipped about the Nokia 1 Plus.
According to that leak, the Nokia 1 Plus will sport a 480×960 resolution display with 4x ARM Cortex-ARM (1,500 MHz) CPU. The device will include Imagination Tech PowerVR GE8100 (570 MHz) GPU, 213 DPI and 1GB RAM. Coming back to the Nokia 9 PureView, the smartphone will probably launch on February 24, before the Mobile World Congress kicks off. If not then, we reckon, the handset will launch in the midst of the Mobile World Congress scheduled between 25-28 February.
In today’s day and age, online dating is no longer an eyebrow-raiser. Apps like Tinder have just become an easy place to get to know new people. Personally, we think that they are big time-savers as we would rather talk to someone on texts and decide if we want to see them than go out on few dates only to realise they aren’t worth our time. However, it can be tricky to find the right match on dating apps, where a lot depends on the first impression you make via your profile. If you have not been getting any swipe rights on Tinder, you need to work better on your profile. Here, we are listing down 10 reasons why people are not swiping right on your profile on Tinder, so that you know exactly what you need to change:
In This Article
You have a boring bio
The cardinal rule while writing a bio for Tinder is to keep it short and interesting. If you are going to write it like it’s your resume, you aren’t getting any swipe rights. Take it like this: You have just a few lines to convince a stranger that you are worth talking to. And then pen down something yourself in a witty way. Just writing ‘I like to read’ or ‘I love to go fishing’ isn’t going to help you much.
Your profile picture looks like that of a couple
This is one of the big Nos on Tinder. If you have a girl or a guy standing next to you in your Tinder profile picture, people would automatically assume that they are your significant other. Even if the woman in question is your sister or a cousin, you can’t expect a stranger to know that, can you? Honestly, this is as bad as talking about an ex-partner on the first date. So if you have a picture like that, just change it already.
You have no picture at all
If there’s something worse than having other men or women in your profile picture, it’s having no picture at all. We wouldn’t be surprised if no has swiped right on you yet. Having no picture at all can mean that you are a bot, or you are insecure about the way you look, or you just simply don’t take Tinder too seriously. In any of these cases, you aren’t getting swipe rights.
You are looking for true love
If you make your profile look like you would consider someone swiping right as a marriage proposal, you aren’t going to get any swipe rights. There is always a possibility of meeting someone good enough on Tinder whom you may fall in love with, but don’t go to the platform with this expectation in mind. It’s just a place to get to know new people and decide if they are worthy of meeting in person. So make sure your profile communicates that you are not someone who starts planning their wedding on the basis of a few conversations. If you are actually looking to get married, you can go to shaadi.com instead.
You have weird quotes on your profile
“They say love is right around the corner, that’s probably why I feel I’m going in circles.”
Honestly, would you swipe right on someone who has that as their bio? If not, how can you expect someone to like something like this on your profile? Remove it as soon as you can. Also, don’t use any quotes in the first few conversations with anyone. Keep it light-hearted and witty. Don’t try too hard to be funny, keep it natural.
Wrong grammar in your Tinder bio
This is another big reason why people don’t swipe right on other people’s profile. One small grammatical mistake can be overlooked, but if your profile looks like you constantly make such errors, you probably won’t get a swipe right. While this isn’t an issue with everyone, there are people who can get very turned off by it.
You come across as a catfish
Honestly, no one has the time to waste on someone who isn’t even real. And on Tinder, it’s pretty easy to tell if you are fake. Most people don’t waste too much time on someone who doesn’t agree to meet even after matching on the app and having a few conversations. Another way to tell if someone is a catfish is that they only have one or very few pictures that are not clear. Make sure your profile doesn’t come across as a fake. Put your pictures and preferably, your Instagram profile link too.
You are on Tinder to make friends
Most people go to Tinder to look for someone for a potential relationship. While you may end up being friends with someone on the app, that’s not its primary purpose. You can try Bumble, that has a BFF section if you are only looking to meet new people for being friends with them.
You live on the other side of the globe
Long-distance relationships take a lot of time and effort. And not everyone is willing to put that kind of effort, particularly if you are meeting them on a dating app. So even if you have paid to get Tinder Plus, people living in different cities or countries may not be too interested in you for the primary reason that they may only get to see you once or twice a year, or maybe not even that.
You are not a good conversationalist
If someone has swiped right on you, and you then have the most boring conversation ever, they’ll be more than happy to un-match you. So, if you reply to someone with one-word answers, or just “I’m doing good” and make no efforts to have a conversation, you aren’t getting a date even if you temporarily managed a swipe right.
If you have been looking to buy a gift for your date on Valentine’s day, Vivo has just solved your problem. The Chinese smartphone brand has kicked off its Carnival sale on Flipkart, Amazon India and the company’s own official website. The company is offering some limited period offers on a number of its smartphones.
The sale is live already and will end after Valentine’s Day gets over. The smartphones on which discounts are availble include the Vivo Nex, Vivo V9 Pro and the Vivo Y95. Moreover, there are no-cost EMI plans and exchange offers during Vivo’s Valentine’s Day sale. Along with this there are exchange offers, and some freebies in tow.
The Vivo V9 Pro that was originally launched at a price of Rs 19,990 can now be purchased at Rs 15,990.However, we should mention that this offer is applicable only on its 6GB RAM variant. Amazon India is offering no-cost EMI plans and 10%instant discount for transactions executed through Yes Bank credit card. Speaking of Flipkart, it is providing no-cost EMI benefits as well as an additional Rs 1,500 off for a limited period of time. Also, the shopping portal is providing up to Rs 13,850 on exchange for the 4GB RAM model. The Vivo NEX that was launched back in July last year came at a price tag of Rs 44,990.
Now, the smartphone is available all three shopping sites at a discounted price of Rs 39,990. Flipkart and Amazon are providing the same no-cost EMI discount and 10%banking discount as Vivo V9 Pro on the NEX smartphone . It is also offering an exchange discount worth Rs 5,000. Vivo’s e-shop is offering no-cost EMI plans and a wireless Bluetooth headset on all smartphones and exchange discounts. Lastly, the Vivo Y95 is can be bought from all three shopping websites at a price of Rs 15,990. You can also find banking discounts and no-cost EMI plans along with exchange discounts for up to Rs 15,320 on Flipkart and Rs 1,500 on Amazon.
Apart from these three phones, Vivo V11, Vivo V11 Pro, Vivo Y83, Vivo Y93 and the Vivo Y81 are also available at discounted prices.
Microsoft has released a new firmware update for its Xbox One console before Crackdown 3 Xbox release, which is scheduled for February 15. The update is said to improve the 4K performance of games.
The firmware update is named OS version 10.0.17763.4085 (rs5_release_xbox_dev_ 1902.190131-1620) and it is available for download. The console’s latest update competes with Sony’s PS4 Pro, and it will fix many problems and bring some new features as well. The update comes ahead of the launch of many AAA title games like Anthem, Jump Force, Metro Exodus, Far Cry New Dawn and others.
The changes that come with the new update include improvements in Cortana’s responsiveness, enhancements in the audio system, an improved 4K gaming experience and more.
Let’s speak about the changes in more detail:
To begin with, some reliability fixes have been added to Microsoft’s digital assistant Cortana, which are said to upgrade the responsiveness of the software. Furthermore, improvements have also been made to the audio system when switching from Home to game. The audio won’t fade away like it did before when unplugging a headset during video playback.
Coming to the video section, the 4K video pipeline has been fixed and improved so that 4K videos and games would run smoothly in the desired setting without any lag or decrease in performance.
The console crash problem has also been fixed in the update along with Home Dashboard performance improvement. The update also gets a fix for the mouse lag problem and going forward, it will operate smoothly, according to the company.
The update gets improvements to the installation process of the games and the Avatar Editor and Microsoft Rewards apps have been fixed as well. Some games had a problem where the cutscene would fail to play and the game would just lock on its own, however, post the update, this shouldn’t happen anymore.
The latest firmware update gets enhancements for network port performance and improvements in the idle screen performance. Upgrades for 4K visuals, My games & apps menu, guide on Home, and save game feature have also been included.
According to Xbox Corporate Vice President Mike Ybarra, the upcoming game Anthem would play best on Xbox One X, but there were several reports that users have falsified the claim. Although the Anthem would be released on February 22, two of its demos were released earlier which gave immense problems to the users trying to play the game. The update brought by Microsoft hopes to fix many flaws and problems that the company’s newest console has. It was a wise move by Microsoft because if the company hadn’t done so it would have lost the battle of consoles against its rival, the Sony PS4 Pro.
Samsung has got a dedicated reservation page on its US official website on which interested users can go and register themselves for the company’s ‘next Galaxy flagship’. This page is asking for personal information and whether or not the buyer is interested in reserving a carrier locked or unlocked version of the smartphone.
Samsung’s next Unpacked event is scheduled for February 20 and the company is going to unveil its Galaxy S10 series as well as its first foldable smartphone. Reports also suggest that the company will launch its new earbuds and smartwatch at the event.
Those who would reserve the smartphone are going to get the benefit of $600. However, there is one condition. You need to complete the order transaction within the duration of 72 hours after the device goes on sale. There is a cashback up to $550 for those who exchange their old smartphone to get the Samsung Galaxy S10. Depending on your old smartphone, you are going to receive the cashback. For older phones, you will get a cashback $300 and for recent phones such as Google Pixel 3, iPhone XS series, Galaxy Note 9, you can avail a cashback of $550.
In order to know how much amount you will be paid for your existing phones, you can consult Samsung’s official website. Also, if you reserve the phone right away, then you will be credited $50 for the purchase of accessories. Samsung Galaxy S10 will arrive to those who pre-order the smartphone by March 8. It is worth noticing that for availing these benefits, users need to place an order via Samsung.com or Shop Samsung app within 72 hours of the sale going live. If they do not complete their order, they will not get these benefits.
The reservation will end on February 20 at 11:59PM ET. Not all information about the offer is known, but we speculate that it won’t be applicable for the cheapest devices belonging to the Galaxy S10 series. Samsung hasn’t unveiled any benefits for registered customers yet. At its event, Samsung is expected to launch three smartphones belonging to the S10 family namely —Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and the Galaxy S10E.
Earlier this month, Nintendo announced that it is going to make a smaller and cheaper version of its Nintendo Switch gaming console to boost the sales. Now the company has made headlines again as it has announced what it has up its sleeve for its Nintendo Switch platform this year.
In its Direct video promo, the company announced that it will be bringing many classic old titles as well as newer titles for Switch. The titles vary from Super Mario Maker 2 to The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening which was a Game Boy classic. Link’s Awakening will basically be a remake of the old game with better graphics, better animation, revamped music, however, it will have the same story and will come with a bucketful of nostalgia. The game was released way back in 1993 for Game Boy and it became an all-time classic.
Link’s Awakening
In This Article
Some other games which were announced earlier were:
Astral Chain
Astral Chain, a new action game for Switch where players can control two fighters at the same time. A multi-player version of Tetris, the Tetris 99, which is more or less a Tetris battle royale. The Tetris 99 can be played together with 99 other players and they can simultaneously play the competitive game of block dropping and gaining points.
Oninaki, an action RPG game was also announced, and it comes from the Back-to-Basics studio, which is the same studio that made games like I Am Setsuna and Lost Sphear.
Lovers of the JRPG can rejoice as the Switch is also getting Fire Emblem: Three Houses. The company has already introduced the main characters, so fans already know what to look forward to.
Rune Factory 4 Special has also been announced for the platform. The original game was an RPG with a huge fan base, and with the special version, the company would want to get a similar kind of response from fans. The next series in the line-up, Rune Factory 5, is currently in development and will be available on Switch later.
Final Fantasy VII will also be coming to Switch by the end of March. On the other hand, the Final Fantasy IX is currently available on the platform.
Another big game that will be making their way to the Switch is Dragon Quest 11 S, however, it will be available on Switch later this year. This game is the enhanced version of the original hit. Dragon Quest Builders 2 is also coming to the platform in July, and as the name suggests, the game is also from the same series.
Apart from the graphics heavy titles Nintendo also announced simple side-scrolling games as well. Some of them are:
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, which is like the Castlevania series. The game was announced by Nintendo with a teaser. Another such game is Yoshi’s Crafted World which will be releasing for Switch on March 29. We should mention that its demo is already available online and players can download it to give it a try before the actual game comes out.
Another side-scroller is a puzzle-based game called the BOXBOY! + BOXGIRL!, which promises some high-quality puzzle solving with friends as it will be a multiplayer game. The game is coming out in April. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, an action puzzle game for Switch is also getting an update. With this update, the game will get an option to played with multiple players.
BOXBOY! + BOXGIRL!
The Marvel Ultimate Alliance will also be coming out during the summer. The game features co-op battles with characters from the Marvel universe like Ironman, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Spiderman, Captain Marvel and others.
Disney Tsum Tsum Festival, Deltarune!, Daemon X Machina are some of the other titles which will be coming for Nintendo Switch this year.
With the wild plethora of games to choose from, both old and new, players will have a hard time keeping their hands off of their Switch. There is a little something for everyone so the choices of the games won’t be limited.
In a recent instance, Twitter CEO and co-founder, Jack Dorsey found his conversation with Recode’s Kara Swisher very hard to follow. It was a question-answer session in which the Kara Swisher came up with some questions on behalf of the audience and Jack, on the other hand did not come up with precise answers, expect that he was not doing very well as a CEO.
Later, he mentioned, that the conversation was a “chaotic hellpit” and “definitely not easy to follow.” One of the reasons for this is that Twitter does not organise conversations in a way in which they are easy to dissect. And the conversation can be particularly hard to follow if there are way too many participants involved in the thread in question. Therefore, in order to address the problem of following threaded conversations, Twitter has announced that is testing a kind of profile preview overlay.
Oh hai @jack. Let’s set me set the table. First, I am uninterested in beard amulets or weird food Mark Zuckerberg served you (though WTF with both for my personal self). Second, I would appreciate really specific answers. #KaraJack
Until now, if you clicked on the profile picture or the name of a person who is replying, you would be taken to their profile. This tends to disrupt the flow of going through threads as in the midst of reading something, you are taken somewhere else. It’s easy to get distracted from the conversation because of this.
In this new feature however, you can choose to look at someone’s profile without going away from the page in case you did not intend to at the first place. The feature will make a preview of the profile of the user (replier) instead of taking you on a new page. This preview will have the replier’s full twitter bio, number of follower and when they joined Twitter. This works both within the threads and the main feed.
You will have an option to go to someone’s profile as well as access all of the standard share options you usually see by click on the share button on the tweet. However, in this case, they will be meant for the user’s profile. Twitter said that this feature is going to launch for Android users soon. This will be very convenient for users as till now, even if they inadvertently clicked on someone’s name in a Twitter thread, they were taken on the user’s profile without intending to go there.
In other words, it is going to help users stay focused on the conversation and derive important information about who is participating without jumping from one page to another. This is expected to be a solid interface tweak that has a huge potential of making Twitter reading experience much more user-friendly.
Just yesterday, a report surfaced online which claimed that Apple will be holding an event on March 25 to launch its upcoming news subscription service. Now, another report has started circulating which says that the dates for Apple’s annual developer conference, WWDC 2019 have been leaked.
It is being said that Apple will be holding the WWDC conference between June 3 and June 7 at the McEnery Convention Centre in San Jose, California. We should mention that WWDC 2018 was held from June 4 to June 8 and back in 2017, the conference was scheduled from June 5 to June 9. However, the venue of the WWDC conference has always been the same – McEnery Convention Centre.
The report about the supposed dates of WWDC 2019 was first published by MacRumors, which spotted the 2019 events calendar from the City of San Jose’s Office of Cultural Affair. The schedule for WWDC 2019 was listed there along with the venue of the event.
While the listing was eventually taken down by the official website, the cached version shows the reference for the event named ‘Team San Jose 2019 WWDC’, which is being organised by ‘Apple’.
It is worth mentioning that all the information that has been spotted is very identical to last year’s WWDC entry which was found in the Office of Cultural Affairs’ 2018 events calendar.
But then, since Apple has not announced the dates officially yet, they may get changed. Apple is expected to announce the official dates of WWDC 2019 in March, because that is when it usually gives away the schedule for its developer conference.
WWDC 2019: Expected announcements
The Cupertino-based technology giant is expected to unveil the iOS 13 and macOS 10.15 at WWDC this year. The latest version of iOS will reportedly bring a system-wide dark mode, which is speculated to be similar to macOS 10.14 Mojave’s dark mode. The upcoming iOS 13 will also have an all-new experience for iPad users and will get some other improvements to the file management system.
A recent report also said that iOS 13 will also come with some AirPower-specific features. Other than this, Apple will also be unveiling watchOS 6 and tvOS at WWDC 2019. Last but not least, the company is also expected to announce some developer-focussed initiatives aimed at its Netflix-like video streaming service.
PUBG Mobile garnered tremendous popularity in 2018. And with great popularity, came some serious criticism. The multiplayer game has been under fire because being too addictive. Apparently, players have a tendency of getting too addicted to PUBG Mobile and the amount of time they spend playing game leads to problems in their family, work, studies and other areas.
Recently, the Gujarat government issued a directive to all primary schools in the state instructing them to ban the game within school premises. A student body in Jammu is also seeking a ban on the game because the game was supposedly the reason behind their bad results in examinations.
Amid all this, rather positive news about the game has surfaced online. PUBG Mobile played as Cupid between two players who fell in love after getting in contact with each other via the game. The couple recently announced that they are now getting married via Twitter.
Nourhan-al-Hashish was reportedly one among the early players of the game and used to play PUBG Mobile with his squad. It during one of the normal matches of the game that Hashish met his future partner and they regularly started playing PUBG Mobile together. Their friendship blossomed and now, Hashish has announced via Twitter that he is engaged to his partner.
His tweet read, “Started from PUBG, now we are here.” The couple also posted photos of their engagement on the microblogging website. However, there is no other information available about this love story that started on the fields of PUBG.
We should mention that the tweet has gone viral already and has garnered over 13,700 likes and 2,633 retweets at the time of writing this piece.
So maybe others can take a leaf out of the couple’s book and look for love on apps that bring together people with similar interests. The dating apps are clearly not doing us any good anyway.
In unrelated news, the next update of the PUBG Mobile is set to roll out this month. The latest 0.11.0 final update of the game will be rolling out to the masses and will bring the much-awaited zombie mode, which has been added after Tencent collaborated with Resident Evil 2.
With a Google account, you can like videos or subscribe to various channels. However, unless you have a YouTube account, you cannot have any presence on the on the video channel circuits. In this article we will guide you how to create your YouTube channel. You can use any device, either a computer, laptop or a mobile to start a YouTube channel.
Before we go ahead, we must tell you that there are two kinds of YouTube channels. The first one is a personal channel and the other one is a business channel. Here are the steps on how to create a youtube channel:
Sign in to your YouTube account. In case you don’t have one, create a Google account. The identity based on your Google account will automatically start featuring on YouTube.
In the top right-hand corner, you will find your profile icon. Once you click on that, you will find the settings button adjacent to the ‘creator studio’ button
After going to settings, click on ‘Create a channel”
The next step is to fill in all the details pertaining to your Google account.
Once you are done with this, you will be able to create a personal YouTube channel. In case you want to create a business channel, then the steps are slightly different. But they are quite easy. Here you go:
Sign in to YouTube via your Google account
Go to “your channel list”
Just like the above method, click on “Create a New channel”. Either this, or you can create one for an existing brand account.
Fill in the details asked and then verify your account.
TECNO Mobile, a Chinese smartphone manufacturer, whose parent company is TRANSSION launched new smartphones – CAMON iACE2x and the CAMON iACE2 in India. The main focus of these phones is the AI powered camera. Both these phones have some common functions, which phones in the sub 8K bracket have. But the company also put some features like 3GB RAM, 8MP AI Selfie camera and gradient colored back panels in these smartphones, which we see in the high-end phones only. Both these phones can be bought from retail stores as of now.
Talking about the phones Arijeet Talapatra, CEO of TRANSSION India said, “We are a youth-centric brand, listening to and understanding the voice from our customers have formed a part of our very DNA. CAMON portfolio is designed to cater to the aspirations of today’s tech-savvy millennials who consider smartphone as their first & preferred choice of taking decent pictures and sharing them via social media. The software algorithm of camera is optimized on Indian Skin tone and delivers best-in-class photography in any type of challenging environments.
The specification list of Tecno CAMON iACE2 and CAMON iACE2x are almost the same. They both comes with a 5.5-inch Full HD+ display with 18:9 aspect ratio. Have a 13MP AI rear camera and dual LED flash and an 8MP AI front camera with front flash. They are available in four colour options: Midnight black, Nebula black (gradient option in iACE2x) and Champagne Gold and City Blue. Both have slim bezels and 80.5% screen-to-body ratio.
The smartphones are powered by Helio A22 64-bit Quad-Core processor clocked at 2.0GHz. Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box with HiOS on top of them is what these smartphones fetch. Over that, the mobiles have a 3,050mAh battery with AI power management and according to the company they can last for 24-hours after a full charge. Lastly, they have 4G VoLTE supported dual SIM card slots and they are accompanied with an expandable microSD card slot that can support up to 128GB storage.
The place where the phone differs from each other is the RAM and the storage. While Tecno CAMON iACE2 comes with 2GB RAM and 32GB storage, it is priced at Rs 6,699. The other variant Tecno CAMON iACE2x comes with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage, and is priced at Rs 7,599. The phones come with Face Unlock and Fingerprint Scanner as well. The Tecno CAMON iACE2x has something called an anti-oil fingerprint sensor, which according to the company would work in every weather condition.
The company has promised that the users would get a 1-time free screen replacement, 100-days free replacement of phone and 1-month extended warranty with the purchase of these phones. It also has promised that the customers will get the ‘best’ after-sales service.
A new report has surfaced on 91mobiles, according to which, one among the two Motorola handsets that will house the Samsung’s processor will be Motorola P40. The report has also shared the specs sheet of the upcoming successor of last year’s Motorola P30 smartphone.
Motorola P40 will reportedly be powered by Samsung’s 10nm Exynos 9610 octa-core processor and will be available in 3GB and 4GB RAM options. While the former will come with 32GB internal storage, the latter will be clubbed with 64GB and 128GB storage. Among the key highlights of the device will be its 48MP primary camera that will be placed on its back panel.
The Motorola P40 smartphone will reportedly come with a punch-hole display design to house the selfie camera in the screen. with this design, it will be able to offer its users a full screen experience. Like its predecessor, the smartphone will be a part of Google’s Android One program. The upcoming Motorola P40 smartphone will have support for NFC technology and will be backed by a 3,500mAh battery.
Another detail about the device that has been shared is that it will be available in Blue and Gold colour options.
Image courtesy: 91mobiles, @onleaks
As of now, there is no word on when the Lenovo-owned smartphone maker plans to launch the P40 handset. We should mention that Motorola P40’s predecessor, P30, was only launched in China. It was P30 Note that made it to the global market with the name of Motorola One Power. While we cannot say if Motorola P40 will be launched globally, it would be safe to assume that if it does, it will be a part of Motorola One branding.
Image courtesy: 91mobiles, @onleaks
We will update you as we get to know more about the launch date, availability and other key specifications of the upcoming Motorola P40 smartphone. Stay tuned with to get more timely updates of the device!
Search giant Google pays Apple to be the default search engine on iPhones, and the deal between the two technology companies is worth billions. Last year, Google reportedly paid as much as $9.46 billion as ‘traffic acquisition costs’ or TAC.
This massive value has been revealed by Goldman Sachs analyst Rod Hall, who cited Google’s financial results as he gave out the number. However, that’s not all. The deal may even be worth more next year if estimates of Goldman is accurate. According to estimates, Google may have to pay $12.2 billion to Apple next year, and $15.6 billion in 2021. This may happen in spite of the fact that TAC growth is slowing, according to Hall.
He further said that the Cupertino-based technology giant has recently started focussing a lot more on its ‘services’ revenue stream than it earlier did and its composition is weighted towards things like TAC, the 15%-30% fee that Apple collects from app developers on App Store. Services that have a recurring monthly subscription like Apple Music are not a part of this.
The note given by the investment bank said, “Combining our TAC work with App Store data from Sensor Tower we conclude that TAC and Apple’s share of app store downloads represented 51% of Services revenues in 2018 and an even larger 70% of Services gross profits.”
In Apple’s fiscal 2018, the company earned a total of $37 billion by its services business. And investors are hoping that it will grow and start contributing for a majority of Apple’s total revenue growth.
However, to hit this target, Apple will need to launch a new content bundle, according to Hall. He even said that Apple may have to bundle a subscription to online video, magazines, and even online storage.
Coming back to the note shared by Goldman Sachs, it further said, “We expect Apple to launch an ‘Apple Prime’ type package in late March through the profitability and attractiveness of this are key to better Services growth and profits than we currently model.”
To recall, it was reported in 2017 that Google paid Apple $3 billion per year in TAC costs. Prior to that in 2014, it was reported that Google paid Apple $1 billion. This latter is a sure-shot number as it was found in court filings.
Chinese smartphone brand Xiaomi is all set to launch its flagship smartphone – the Mi 9 and the company claims that it is the best-looking device in its lineup so far. Xiaomi has today confirmed that it will be launching its upcoming Mi 9 smartphone on February 20.
We should point out, that a much-anticipated smartphone launch is already scheduled for February 20. We are talking about the Samsung Galaxy S10 lineup, which will be launched on the same day at the company’s Unpacked 2019 event in San Francisco. Samsung will be launching its Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+, Galaxy S10E smartphone, along with its new earbuds and smartwatch at the event that is scheduled for February 20.
The company has posted a photo of Roy Wang from TFBoys holding the Mi 9 on its Weibo account. In the image, it can be seen that the smartphone has a triple camera setup on its back panel that will have sensors stacked vertically. Furthermore, the top sensor can be seen with a colourful accent around it.
Although it looks like an LED light, some speculative reports have also suggested that it may be a colourful piece of glass.
Xiaomi Mi 9 smartphone is expected to sport a 6.4-inch 19:9 FHD+ AMOLED display that will come with a waterdrop shaped notch on top. The waterdrop-shaped notch will house a 24MP selfie camera with the Sony IMX576 sensor. The smartphone is said to come with a design that will be similar to OnePlus 6T and the back panel would be like the one we saw in Huawei P20 Pro.
The device is expected to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor with X24 LTE modem clubbed with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. There will reportedly be another model with 8GB of RAM and 256GB internal storage. The smartphone is expected to come with an in-display fingerprint scanner.
Xiaomi Mi 9 will run Android 9.0 Pie that will be skinned with MIUI 10. We would have to wait a few more days to get to know more about the specifications of the upcoming smartphone.
With the number of data breaches going up, privacy on the internet is literally becoming a myth. In what can be termed as the latest among these privacy breaches, cybercriminals have reportedly put 617 million hacked accounts for sale on the dark web. It is worth noticing that this database was collected from 16 separate data breaches and it is now listed on the dark web market place Dream Market, where drugs, weapons and other illicit items are sold.
The report, which first surfaced on The Register, claims that the hacked websites include MyFitnessPal, MyHeritage and Animoto. While data breaches on these websites were known, there were others in the list like 500px, which had earlier not reported a breach.
The database includes email addresses, passwords, location and other such personal details about users.
While the data troves are listed individually on the website, they are all being sold by the same vendor called ‘gnosticplayers’. The seller reportedly joined the Dream Market on February 6 and as of now, has a five-star rating. But then, it is worth mentioning that this rating has been given to him by a single buyer.
Gnosticplayers’ profile states, “Feel free to message me here on Dream Market to tell me what kind of data you’re searching (crypto, gaming, or huge data sets”, and I will list it here for sale right after. Since I have a huge reserve of fresh data, I probably have what you need. If the data does not correspond to what the breach information specifies, do an escrow dispute. However, carefully read the listing of what you’ll receive because if you purchase it you agree to receive the specified data.”
Considering that a number of listings were from undisclosed data breaches, cybersecurity experts have issued a warning that states that the scale of the breach could be massive and it may lead to change in public sentiment towards security.
Security experts also said that people should be vigilant and should look out for their accounts being compromised even if they don’t use the websites or services that report about data breaches any longer.
Also, since a lot of people have a tendency of using the same credentials across various platforms, this means that if one of their accounts gets compromised, hackers get vital information for all.
You can check if your email address has been compromised on a website called Have I Been Pwned, which keeps a track of all major data breaches.
HP unveiled today, its new Premium Spectre series that consists of the Spectre Folio and the Spectre x360 laptop and convertible. The HP Spectre Folio provides a great PC experience as it is a leather convertible PC. HP claims that it has embraced the art of manufacturing, where it combines designed hardware with handcrafted leather and accented stitching. In order to achieve thin and light design, the Spectre Folio incorporates a very small motherboard. It has got 8th Gen Intel Core i7 processor. There is a fanless thermal inside it that leverages unique qualities of leather in order to create a comforting experience when you put it on the lap. Probably will not heat much, as the company claims.
Sumeer Chandra, Managing Director of HP said, “HP continues to create the world’s most exciting devices that are leading the PCs into a new era of innovation. By listening to the needs of our customers and leveraging our design and engineering capabilities, HP is setting new benchmarks for the industry.”
Other features of the HP Spectre Folio include up to 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD storage. It has got 1W 400-nits FHD display for ideal viewing in any lighting condition. The convertible PC also comes with a touchscreen.
The HP Spectre x360 laptop has been designed for an on-the-go lifestyle. In the company’s own words, this has been built for superior design, leading security and enhanced performance. This model features a new-age design that can be achieved with the help of CNC machining. The laptop is powered by the latest quad-core 8th generation Intel Core processors and provides a long-lasting battery life. There is an angled USB-C port that provides better cable management. Also, there is a dual chamfer design for an easier lid lift from three sides. Sound on the device is powered by Bang and Olufsen.
The HP Spectre x360 laptop sports an FHD 4K (UHD) display. It is available at a starting price of Rs 1,29,990 in Dark Ash Grey colour. The Poseidon Blue colour option comes at a starting price of Rs 1,39,990. The HP Spectre Folio on the other hand is priced at Rs 1,99,990 which comes in Cognac Brown colour.
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