OnePlus 6T to launch in India on October 30
Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus has confirmed that it is all set to take wraps off its next flagship smartphone OnePlus 6T on October 30. The company has sent out media invites for the launch event of OnePlus 6T that will take place on the said date in New Delhi. This time, OnePlus fans will too have a chance of seeing the phone getting launched as invites for the event can be bought too.
The India launch of OnePlus 6T happens to be on the same day as the global launch. The invite that has been sent by the company comes with the tagline – ‘Unlock The Speed’ – which, we think, points towards the indisplay fingerprint sensor that OnePlus will sport. The invite further says that OnePlus 6T will be launched at KDJW Stadium, which is inside Indira Gandhi Stadium Complex in New Delhi. The date and time of the launch are also mentioned on the invite. As we mentioned earlier, the smartphone will be launching on October 30 at 8.30pm.
OnePlus fans can buy invites to the event via the company’s official website. The invite costs Rs 999 and will go on sale on October 17 at 10:00am.
The global launch of OnePlus 6T will take place in New York City on October 30 at 11am EDT. This basically means that both the launches will take place simultaneously. Those who cannot make it to the event can watch the live-stream of the launch on the company’s official website.
Needless to say, a number of rumours and speculations have surfaced online about the upcoming smartphone. OnePlus 6T will reportedly feature 6.4-inch Optic AMOLED full-HD+ display and will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor. It will be available in 6GB and 8GB RAM options and is expected to have an internal storage of up to 256GB. The smartphone will reportedly house a 3,700mAh battery and is said to run Android 9.0 Pie out of the box. The display of the smartphone will sport a waterdrop style notch at its top.
It has been confirmed earlier that OnePlus 6T will come with an indisplay fingerprint sensor and will not sport a 3.5mm jack. The smartphone would not support wireless charging and also would not offer an IP rating.
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Instagram launches new tools to stop online bullying and spread kindness
Let’s face it: Online bullying has become common with the growing popularity of social networking platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. And all of them have tried to their bit to control it. Facebook owned photo sharing app Instagram’s head Adam Mosseri has admitted that more work needs to be done in order to limit bullying and spread kindness on the platform.
This came with the announcement of new tools on the platform to combat bullying and a new way of identifying and reporting bullying. Instagram has also announced that it will be introducing a camera effect to spread kindness via Instagram Stories.
A machine learning tool to detect bullying
Going forward, Instagram will be using machine learning technology to detect bullying in photos. It will also be scanning the image captions and send them to their Community Operations team so that they can be reviewed.
The tool – according to the company – will be more beneficial in removing bullying. So even if bullying doesn’t get reported, the platform will be able to identify it. Instagram says that the tool will help the platform protect teens – who experience higher rate of online bullying than others. The tool has started rolling out on Instagram and will reach all users in the next few weeks.
Removing bullying comments on live videos
Instagram had introduced a bullying comment filter which – as the name suggests – detects and hides bullying comments from Feed, Explore and Profile. The photo sharing platform is now adding this filter to comments that are posted to live videos. This is being done to promote Live as a safe and fun place where one can share moments with their friends in real time. This feature has been rolled out globally to all users.
A new camera effect to spread kindness
Instagram has partnered with Maddie Ziegler, a New York Times bestselling author, dancer and actor to launch a kindness camera effect. Maddie has been very vocally against online bullying and is one among the people who use the platform to promote positivity.
One can get the camera effect automatically by following Maddie. For using the camera effect, swipe right on your Instagram app to open the camera, tap at the face icon at the bottom, and select the new camera effect.
If your camera is in the selfie mode, you will see the filter filling the screen with hearts. And on switching to rear camera, you will see an overlay with kind comments in various languages. You can click a picture and extend the kindness to your friends by tagging them. Once they are tagged, your friends will be able to use the filter from their camera too.
And in case you aren’t following Maddie, and you see the effect on someone’s Story, just tap “Try it’ to add the filter to your camera.
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Blaupunkt 50-inch Smart LED TV with Soundbar Review: Big on screen, bigger on sound
In September Blaupunkt launched a sling of LED televisions in India. One of which is the Blaupunkt 50-inch Smart LED TV with Soundbar. This one particularly caught our attention since it was a combo deal you rarely see on the shelves. For people who are less familiar with the brand, which we are sure are less, Blaupunkt is a German brand that has been building some excellent in car entertainment systems and audio driver for automobiles. They have forayed into different segments, one of which is audio and video for homes. We at Gadget Bridge got our hands on the latest television by the company that came to our side of the world. This is our review of the new LED TV by Blaupunkt.
The sound bar supplied with the Blaupunkt 50-inch Smart LED TV is quite light. The sides of the sound bar are squarish giving it a modern look. Dressed in black the sound bar can be wall mounted or kept under the TV on the table. This became a little bit of a hassle for us, as when kept under the TV it blocks the IR port. To control it, every time we had to raise our arms.
The sound bar comes with an LED indicator on it. The Blue LED indicated, Bluetooth pairing, purple is for AUX 1 and Green is for AUX 2. The rear has these AUX ports along with a USB port for it to play music directly from a USB pen drive. The box also contains a neat little USB extender which when placed extends the USB port to the right for ease of access. Wish same was done for the side connectivity panel on the TV.
Yes, you can do that and pair multiple devices with the soundbar. Pairing over Bluetooth is an easy task, so is the USB functionality. All the popular formats such as MP3 are supported. The full function remote control comes in handy and one can easily navigate without turning the TV screen on.
Other features of the TV include screen casting, 16:9 aspect ratio, 4,000:1 contrast ratio and 178 degree viewing angles (which is very good when watching the tele from the sides).
In This Article
Design
While most LED TVs in the budget to mid-price range look the same, it was refreshing to see a different looking LED TV. The Blaupunkt 50-inch Smart LED TV sports silver trims around it and also comes with silver aluminium legs. The flatscreen measures 50-inches diagonally and is great to look at. Built for medium to large rooms and living rooms this thin tube has 75mm depth at its thickest point. The front of the TV is dominated by the large smart screen, which has Blaupunkt branding under it in the middle. The right side of the TV has physical power, volume and channel buttons, while the left side has nothing. Usually most TVs have a side connectivity panel on the left, but not this TV. Well, somewhat. To reach to the side connectivity panel, one has to go inwards to the back, which kind of defeats the whole purpose of it being there. Right next to it is the downwards facing port panel. The TV has everything from twin USB, multiple HDMI, Ethernet, component and composite ports. It even has an auxiliary speaker jack that can connect external speakers or in this case connects the sound bar to the TV. Speaking of which, setting up the TV and the sound bar did not take much time. We were up and running in matter of minutes. The only place we spent a little extra time is when we were trying understand how the soundbar would pair with the TV.
The sound bar supplied with the Blaupunkt 50-inch Smart LED TV is quite light. The sides of the sound bar are squarish giving it a modern look. Dressed in black the sound bar can be wall mounted or kept under the TV on the table. This became a little bit of a hassle for us, as when kept under the TV it blocks the IR port. To control it, every time we had to raise our arms.
The sound bar comes with an LED indicator on it. The Blue LED indicated, Bluetooth pairing, purple is for AUX 1 and Green is for AUX 2. The rear has these AUX ports along with a USB port for it to play music directly from a USB pen drive. The box also contains a neat little USB extender which when placed extends the USB port to the right for ease of access. Wish same was done for the side connectivity panel on the TV.
Performance
Blaupunkt 50-inch Smart LED TV is a beast when it comes to performance. When we turned it on and listened to it, without the sound bar, we started wondering why does one require the soundbar with this flat screen. The TV has 30W RMS twin hidden speakers, which are great to fill up a large room. Then we turned on the soundbar and a smile came to our face. When the soundbar kicks in, it adds additional 60W RMS and the sound becomes extremely good and realistic. Movies, sports and gaming experience becomes much better with it turned on. Internally, the Blaupunkt 50-inch Smart LED TV comes with a 1.5 GHz Quad-core CPU, 1 GB RAM and 8 GB storage. Built on the Android for TV OS this TV does take a little time to start, as each time the operating system has to kick in, but when it starts it has great graphics to show. We watched everything from FHD YouTube videos to 4K movies. All of them look exceptionally good on this smart LED TV. The picture is clear with vivid colours and blacks are deep. For the budget segment we got really kicked with what we were seeing. One can easily connect the TV to the internet with an Ethernet cable, but setting up the Wi-Fi does take a fair bit of time. Once online the TV updates all the feature lists on its own. There are good amount of apps like Hotstar, Netflix, Eros Now etc. already installed in the TV and you can download more that are supported through the app store. Navigation and search was made easy using the Air remote that is supplied in the box. Oh, we did not talk about the remotes. Well, there are 3 of them that come with this television, two for the TV (A regular large candy bar style remote and the air remote) and the third one for the sound bar, in case you want to just use the soundbar separately without turning on the TV.
Yes, you can do that and pair multiple devices with the soundbar. Pairing over Bluetooth is an easy task, so is the USB functionality. All the popular formats such as MP3 are supported. The full function remote control comes in handy and one can easily navigate without turning the TV screen on.
Other features of the TV include screen casting, 16:9 aspect ratio, 4,000:1 contrast ratio and 178 degree viewing angles (which is very good when watching the tele from the sides).
Verdict
Overall, we quite liked what we saw. Yes, somethings like the side port panel placement could have been better, however that is not a deal breaker. At a price of Rs 33,999 the Blaupunkt 50-inch Smart LED TV with its sound bar is a good buy, especially if you want 4K capabilities and great sound to go with it.Pros:
Excellent sound 4K support Good connectivity and smart featuresCons:
Takes some time to start Side connectivity panel a bit out of reach For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.Apple MacBook Air available on Paytm Mall for Rs 48,490
The festive season is also the season of discounts. Amazon’s Great Indian Festival has started today and deals on electronics would begin tomorrow on Flipkart as a part of its Big Billion Days sale. But these aren’t the only two e–commerce websites which are trying to outdo each other. Attractive deals are available on other platforms too and Paytm Mall happens to be one of them.
If you want a new laptop for yourself, it is the right time to but the Apple MacBook Air. Originally priced at Rs 77,200, the Apple MacBook Air (128GB) is now available at a price of Rs 48,490 as a part of Paytm Mall’s Maha Cashback sale.
If you visit the website, you will see that the MacBook Air is actually listed at a price of Rs 65,990. Customers will be getting a flat cashback of Rs 10,000 and vouchers up to Rs 5,000. These vouchers can be used for getting a free backpack and movie tickets and do grocery shopping, mobile recharges or bill payments. Flight vouchers are also a part of the deal.
An additional cashback of 10% can also availed if buyers pay for their purchase via ICICI Bank’s credit or debit cards.
Put together, these deals bring down the price of a MacBook Air to Rs 48,490. If you wish to avail this offer, you should know that it will go live today at midnight. the offer will be available for the entire day tomorrow or till the stock lasts.
Apple MacBook Air is also available on Amazon India’s website and Flipkart, but at higher prices. While Amazon is offering the Apple MacBook Air at Rs 53,999, it can be picked up from Flipkart at Rs 62,990. But a further exchange offer on Flipkart of up to Rs 9,000 can bring the price of the laptop down to Rs 53,990 — which is more or less the same price as Amazon’s.
Apple MacBook Air is powered by a 1.8GHz Intel Core i5 processor clubbed with Intel HD Graphics 6000 GPU and upto 8GB of RAM. The device offers a battery life of up to 12 hours. Other key highlights of the laptop include a range of built-in apps and programs including Siri, FaceTime, GarageBand, iTunes, and Time Machine.
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Top 10 smartphone deals available on Amazon Great Indian Festival
The Amazon Great Indian Festival has begun and it’s raining discounts on the website today. If you have been planning to buy a new smartphone, no other time could have been better. From Samsung’s this year’s flagship smartphone to iPhone X, there are offers available on many smartphones on Amazon for the next five days. Here, we bring to you the 10 best deals on smartphones that you can avail during the Amazon’s festive season sale:
For the first time ever, OnePlus has offering its flagship smartphone on a reduced price during the Amazon Great Indian Festival. The 8GB RAM/128GB storage variant of OnePlus 6 smartphone is available at a price of Rs 34,999 – which is Rs 5,000 less than its launch price. Prior to this, the company has always offered cashbacks or exchange discounts on its smartphones. It was also announced by the company that its 64GB storage version will be available for Rs 29,999 during the sale. However, when we tried to look for it, we did not find it listed on the website.
Have you been planning to buy an iPhone but Apple’s this year’s flagship is too heavy on your pocket? You have the chance of picking the Apple iPhone X at a reduced price from Amazon India for the next five days. While the 64GB storage variant can be picked up for Rs 69,999, the 256GB storage version can be bought at Rs 1,06,704. Note that the discount on the 64GB version is actually a massive one, as currently the smartphone is available for over Rs 25,000 less than its launch price. And iPhone X being Apple’s 10th anniversary edition is surely something a fan boy wouldn’t want to miss on. So if you were waiting for a deal on an iPhone, this may be the one.
If you are not a fan of Apple products, you can go for a Samsung smartphone. And if you are interested in buying a Samsung smartphone, you’ll be happy to know that you can get a discount on the company’s last year’s Note phablet – Galaxy Note 8. The 6GB RAM/64GB storage variant is currently available for Rs 43,990 – down from Rs 67,900. Needless to say, the price cut is massive and you may not want to miss this deal from Samsung.
If you like the S series in Samsung better than the Note series, don’t be disappointed, as the company’s this year’s flagship smartphone – Galaxy S9 – is also available at a reduced price on Amazon. The 64GB variant of the smartphone – which was launched at Rs 57,000 – is now available at Rs 42,990 at Amazon. The 128GB version and 256GB storage variant – which were earlier priced at Rs 61,900 and Rs 65,900 – now bear the price tag of Rs 44,990 and Rs 48,990 respectively.
The next smartphone on our list is for selfie lovers. The company had touted Xiaomi Redmi Y2’s front facing camera for the great selfies it could take at the time when the smartphone was launched. Xiaomi Redmi Y2 is available in two storage variants – 32GB and 64GB. While the launch price of the 32GB variant was Rs 9,999, the 64GB version costed Rs 12,999. During the sale, the prices of the variants have been reduced to Rs 8,999 and Rs 10,999 respectively.
Launched last month in India, Vivo V9 Pro goes on sale for the first time during Amazon Great Indian sale. The smartphone comes only in 6GB RAM/64GB onboard storage model which was priced at Rs 19,990. During the sale, it is available at a discount of Rs 2,000 at Rs 17,990.
The next smartphone in our list from Huawei’s sub-brand Honor. The Honor Play smartphone that was launched in India in August this year is available at a reduced price at Amazon during its festive season sale. The smartphone came in two variants – 4GB RAM and 6GB RAM – priced at Rs 19,999 and Rs 23,999 at the time of their launch. If you are an interested buyer, you can pick the 4GB RAM version of the smartphone at Rs 18,999 during the sale.
The Realme 1 smartphone from Oppo created a lot of stir when it was launched in May this year. The smartphone came in three storage variants – 3GB RAM/32GB storage, 4GB RAM/64GB onboard storage and 6GB RAM/128GB inbuilt storage – which were priced at Rs 8,990, Rs 10,990 and Rs 13,990 respectively. During the sale, the 4GB RAM/64GB storage model of the smartphone is available for Rs 10,490 and the 6GB RAM/128GB storage variant can be bought at Rs 12,990.
The recently launched smartphone by Xiaomi, Redmi 6 Pro is also available at a discounted price on Amazon India’s website. The smartphone has two storage variants – 32GB and 64GB –clubbed with 3GB RAM and 4GB RAM respectively. The 32GB model was earlier available on Amazon at Rs 11,999 and its cost has now been reduced to Rs 10,999. Speaking of the 64GB version, it earlier bore a price tag of Rs 13,499, now it is available on Amazon for Rs 12,999.
If you want to buy a budget smartphone, you can go for Honor 7C. The two storage variants of the smartphone – 32GB and 64GB – were launched at Rs 9,999 and Rs 11,999 respectively. For the next five days, the 32GB variant of the smartphone can be picked up from Amazon at Rs 8,999.
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OnePlus 6
For the first time ever, OnePlus has offering its flagship smartphone on a reduced price during the Amazon Great Indian Festival. The 8GB RAM/128GB storage variant of OnePlus 6 smartphone is available at a price of Rs 34,999 – which is Rs 5,000 less than its launch price. Prior to this, the company has always offered cashbacks or exchange discounts on its smartphones. It was also announced by the company that its 64GB storage version will be available for Rs 29,999 during the sale. However, when we tried to look for it, we did not find it listed on the website.
iPhone X
Have you been planning to buy an iPhone but Apple’s this year’s flagship is too heavy on your pocket? You have the chance of picking the Apple iPhone X at a reduced price from Amazon India for the next five days. While the 64GB storage variant can be picked up for Rs 69,999, the 256GB storage version can be bought at Rs 1,06,704. Note that the discount on the 64GB version is actually a massive one, as currently the smartphone is available for over Rs 25,000 less than its launch price. And iPhone X being Apple’s 10th anniversary edition is surely something a fan boy wouldn’t want to miss on. So if you were waiting for a deal on an iPhone, this may be the one.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8
If you are not a fan of Apple products, you can go for a Samsung smartphone. And if you are interested in buying a Samsung smartphone, you’ll be happy to know that you can get a discount on the company’s last year’s Note phablet – Galaxy Note 8. The 6GB RAM/64GB storage variant is currently available for Rs 43,990 – down from Rs 67,900. Needless to say, the price cut is massive and you may not want to miss this deal from Samsung.
Samsung Galaxy S9
If you like the S series in Samsung better than the Note series, don’t be disappointed, as the company’s this year’s flagship smartphone – Galaxy S9 – is also available at a reduced price on Amazon. The 64GB variant of the smartphone – which was launched at Rs 57,000 – is now available at Rs 42,990 at Amazon. The 128GB version and 256GB storage variant – which were earlier priced at Rs 61,900 and Rs 65,900 – now bear the price tag of Rs 44,990 and Rs 48,990 respectively.
Xiaomi Redmi Y2
The next smartphone on our list is for selfie lovers. The company had touted Xiaomi Redmi Y2’s front facing camera for the great selfies it could take at the time when the smartphone was launched. Xiaomi Redmi Y2 is available in two storage variants – 32GB and 64GB. While the launch price of the 32GB variant was Rs 9,999, the 64GB version costed Rs 12,999. During the sale, the prices of the variants have been reduced to Rs 8,999 and Rs 10,999 respectively.
Vivo V9 Pro
Launched last month in India, Vivo V9 Pro goes on sale for the first time during Amazon Great Indian sale. The smartphone comes only in 6GB RAM/64GB onboard storage model which was priced at Rs 19,990. During the sale, it is available at a discount of Rs 2,000 at Rs 17,990.
Honor Play
The next smartphone in our list from Huawei’s sub-brand Honor. The Honor Play smartphone that was launched in India in August this year is available at a reduced price at Amazon during its festive season sale. The smartphone came in two variants – 4GB RAM and 6GB RAM – priced at Rs 19,999 and Rs 23,999 at the time of their launch. If you are an interested buyer, you can pick the 4GB RAM version of the smartphone at Rs 18,999 during the sale.
Realme 1
The Realme 1 smartphone from Oppo created a lot of stir when it was launched in May this year. The smartphone came in three storage variants – 3GB RAM/32GB storage, 4GB RAM/64GB onboard storage and 6GB RAM/128GB inbuilt storage – which were priced at Rs 8,990, Rs 10,990 and Rs 13,990 respectively. During the sale, the 4GB RAM/64GB storage model of the smartphone is available for Rs 10,490 and the 6GB RAM/128GB storage variant can be bought at Rs 12,990.
Xiaomi Redmi 6 Pro
The recently launched smartphone by Xiaomi, Redmi 6 Pro is also available at a discounted price on Amazon India’s website. The smartphone has two storage variants – 32GB and 64GB –clubbed with 3GB RAM and 4GB RAM respectively. The 32GB model was earlier available on Amazon at Rs 11,999 and its cost has now been reduced to Rs 10,999. Speaking of the 64GB version, it earlier bore a price tag of Rs 13,499, now it is available on Amazon for Rs 12,999.
Honor 7C
If you want to buy a budget smartphone, you can go for Honor 7C. The two storage variants of the smartphone – 32GB and 64GB – were launched at Rs 9,999 and Rs 11,999 respectively. For the next five days, the 32GB variant of the smartphone can be picked up from Amazon at Rs 8,999.
For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Google Pixel 3 event: All that was launched
Google just took wraps off its flagship devices of the year at an event in New York. But, it didn’t launch just the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. The technology giant also unveiled other products at the vent including its Google Home Hub, Pixel Slate Chrome OS tablet and Pixel Stand. Here, we talk about all the new gadgets that were launched by Google at its event and tell you everything that you need to know about them:
After months of speculations and rumours, the much awaited Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 Xl have finally arrived. The smartphones come with Android 9 Pie and are powered by Snapdragon 845 processor clubbed with 4GB RAM. Available in two storage variants and three colour options, the two smartphones only differ from each other in terms of display and battery. While Pixel 3 comes with a 5.5-inch FHD+ flexible OLED display, Pixel 3XL sports a 6.3-inch QHD+ flexible OLED screen. The smartphones feature a 12.2MP dual pixel single rear camera and dual front cameras with an 8MP wide-angle sensor and an 8MP secondary sensor. Read our story here to know about the detailed specifications and features of the smartphones.
The technology giant its Assistant Smart Display Google Home Hub at its event. The key feature of the device is its 7-inch display that enables users to not only ‘hear’ a response to their command, but also ‘see’ it. All of Google’s most used apps including Maps, Search and Photos have been redesigned to work on Hub. Google Home Hub is priced at $149 and is available in four colours — Chalk, Charcoal, Aqua, and Sand. The pre-orders of the device have gone live today and it will begin shipping in the US on October 22. A new feature called Ambient EQ is present on Google Home Hub that changes the colour and brightness of the display according to the light of surrounding areas. The device does not have a camera on it, so that people are comfortable using it in their homes and provides a personalised experience to everyone by recognising who is speaking to it. The device comes with an optimised YouTube experience for the users along with six months of YouTube Premium. Google Home Hub’s Home View feature enables it to become a dashboard for all the smart gadgets installed in your home. Google Home Hub can connect to over 200 million devices across 1,000 brands.
Till now, we had read about the Pixel Slate tablet in rumours and leaks. We finally got to see it today at the Made by Google event held today. The convertible Pixel Slate is the first tablet that the technology giant has launched in the last three years. The biggest highlight of Pixel Slate is its detachable keyboard — which makes it a cakewalk to convert the device from a laptop to a tablet. The Pixel Slate is the first tablet by Google to run Chrome OS and it supports apps that have been downloaded from Google Play store. Available in Midnight Blue colour option, the price of Google Pixel Slate starts at $599. Buyers will get YouTube TV for free for the first three months, and will have to buy the keyboard of the device separately at $199. Pixel Slate tablet also supports Google Pixelbook Pen that is priced at $99. The tablet features a 12.3-inch LTPS LCD molecular touchscreen display that has a pixel density of 293ppi. Powered by eighth generation Intel Core m3/Core i5/i7/Celeron processors coupled with 4GB/8GB/16GB RAM, the device comes with 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB onboard storage. The Pixel Slate has an 8MP primary and selfie cameras that come with f/1.8 and f/1.9 apertures respectively. The tablet houses a 48Whr battery that is claimed by the company to last up to 10 hours after a single charge. The Chrome OS gets features like Split screen, Family Link, Do Not Disturb and Night Light. The tablet has integration with Google Assistant and in case you buy the keyboard, you’ll also get a dedicated button for it. There is built-in virus protection, a Titan security chip and a fingerprint sensor on the device.
If you are planning to buy the Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL smartphones, then you may want to buy the Google Pixel Stand too. The Pixel Stand lets users charge their smartphones wirelessly. But, when charging on Pixel Stand, they stay in either Portrait or Landscape mode. The dock of the Pixel Stand has a USB-C that powers it and it supports fast charging. The Stand can charge any Qi-compatible device and is priced at $79. Interestingly, if you dock your phone on the Stand at night, it’ll automatically switch on the Do Not Disturb mode on the device. Note that when a smartphone is docked on the Pixel Stand, information like weather, traffic, and calendar show up on it automatically. Other functions that can be done while charging your phone on the Stand are giving it commands via Google Assistant, using it as a live photo frame to see pictures from Google Photos and see who is at the door by connecting it to Nest Hello.
For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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In This Article
Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL
After months of speculations and rumours, the much awaited Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 Xl have finally arrived. The smartphones come with Android 9 Pie and are powered by Snapdragon 845 processor clubbed with 4GB RAM. Available in two storage variants and three colour options, the two smartphones only differ from each other in terms of display and battery. While Pixel 3 comes with a 5.5-inch FHD+ flexible OLED display, Pixel 3XL sports a 6.3-inch QHD+ flexible OLED screen. The smartphones feature a 12.2MP dual pixel single rear camera and dual front cameras with an 8MP wide-angle sensor and an 8MP secondary sensor. Read our story here to know about the detailed specifications and features of the smartphones.
Google Home Hub
The technology giant its Assistant Smart Display Google Home Hub at its event. The key feature of the device is its 7-inch display that enables users to not only ‘hear’ a response to their command, but also ‘see’ it. All of Google’s most used apps including Maps, Search and Photos have been redesigned to work on Hub. Google Home Hub is priced at $149 and is available in four colours — Chalk, Charcoal, Aqua, and Sand. The pre-orders of the device have gone live today and it will begin shipping in the US on October 22. A new feature called Ambient EQ is present on Google Home Hub that changes the colour and brightness of the display according to the light of surrounding areas. The device does not have a camera on it, so that people are comfortable using it in their homes and provides a personalised experience to everyone by recognising who is speaking to it. The device comes with an optimised YouTube experience for the users along with six months of YouTube Premium. Google Home Hub’s Home View feature enables it to become a dashboard for all the smart gadgets installed in your home. Google Home Hub can connect to over 200 million devices across 1,000 brands.
Pixel Slate ChromeOS tablet
Till now, we had read about the Pixel Slate tablet in rumours and leaks. We finally got to see it today at the Made by Google event held today. The convertible Pixel Slate is the first tablet that the technology giant has launched in the last three years. The biggest highlight of Pixel Slate is its detachable keyboard — which makes it a cakewalk to convert the device from a laptop to a tablet. The Pixel Slate is the first tablet by Google to run Chrome OS and it supports apps that have been downloaded from Google Play store. Available in Midnight Blue colour option, the price of Google Pixel Slate starts at $599. Buyers will get YouTube TV for free for the first three months, and will have to buy the keyboard of the device separately at $199. Pixel Slate tablet also supports Google Pixelbook Pen that is priced at $99. The tablet features a 12.3-inch LTPS LCD molecular touchscreen display that has a pixel density of 293ppi. Powered by eighth generation Intel Core m3/Core i5/i7/Celeron processors coupled with 4GB/8GB/16GB RAM, the device comes with 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, or 256GB onboard storage. The Pixel Slate has an 8MP primary and selfie cameras that come with f/1.8 and f/1.9 apertures respectively. The tablet houses a 48Whr battery that is claimed by the company to last up to 10 hours after a single charge. The Chrome OS gets features like Split screen, Family Link, Do Not Disturb and Night Light. The tablet has integration with Google Assistant and in case you buy the keyboard, you’ll also get a dedicated button for it. There is built-in virus protection, a Titan security chip and a fingerprint sensor on the device.
Pixel Stand
If you are planning to buy the Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL smartphones, then you may want to buy the Google Pixel Stand too. The Pixel Stand lets users charge their smartphones wirelessly. But, when charging on Pixel Stand, they stay in either Portrait or Landscape mode. The dock of the Pixel Stand has a USB-C that powers it and it supports fast charging. The Stand can charge any Qi-compatible device and is priced at $79. Interestingly, if you dock your phone on the Stand at night, it’ll automatically switch on the Do Not Disturb mode on the device. Note that when a smartphone is docked on the Pixel Stand, information like weather, traffic, and calendar show up on it automatically. Other functions that can be done while charging your phone on the Stand are giving it commands via Google Assistant, using it as a live photo frame to see pictures from Google Photos and see who is at the door by connecting it to Nest Hello.
For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
[td_smart_list_end] Google Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL with Android Pie, improved cameras launched: Price, specs and more
Google just took wraps off its latest flagship smartphones – Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL at its Made by Google event in New York. The much awaited devices come with bigger screens, the best cameras in Pixel line and an upgraded wireless charging experience. The two devices are not very different from each other and their biggest distinguishing factors are the display and battery. This year, the smartphones in the Pixel series would be available in three and not two colour variants – the newest colour version being called Not Pink. Here are all the details about the newly launched Google’s flagship smartphones that you should know about:
Google Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL pricing and availability
The smartphones are available in two storage variants – 64GB and 256GB. While Google Pixel 3’s base model is priced at Rs 71,000, the 128GB storage variant costs Rs 80,000. The price of 64GB variant of Google Pixel 3 XL is Rs 83,000 and the 128GB version bears a price tag of Rs 92,000. Pre-orders of both the flagship devices will begin on October 11 and the smartphones would go on a sale on November 1.
The smartphones will be available in Clearly White, Just Black, and Not Pink colour variants.
Google Pixel 3, Pixel 3XL specifications
Google Pixel 3 features a 5.5-inch FHD+ flexible OLED display that comes with an aspect ratio of 18:9. Protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and the back, the smartphone’s screen boasts of features like Always-on display, 100,000:1 super contrast ratio and HDR support. The smartphone is powered by the most powerful processor in the world — Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 clubbed with 4GB RAM along with Adreno 630 GPU. It also has Pixel Visual core, Titan M Security Module and comes with IP68 dust and water resistance. The smartphone runs Android 9.0 Pie out of the box.
As we mentioned earlier there are two storage variants of the smartphone — one with 64GB onboard storage and the other with 128GB inbuilt storage. Google Pixel 3 lacks the support for a microSD card.
Now let’s talk about the main highlight of the smartphone: The cameras.
For imaging duties, Google Pixel 3 comes with a 12.2MP dual pixel single rear camera with f/1.8 aperture, 1.4um pixel size and a 76-degree field-of-view. The camera supports features like autofocus with dual phase detection, optical & electronic image stabilisation and spectral & flicker sensor. The primary cameras of the smartphone can shoot 4K videos at 30fps. Google Pixel 3 sports dual front cameras with an 8MP wide-angle sensor with f/2.2 aperture, 97-degree field of view and fixed focus coupled with an 8MP secondary sensor with f/1.8 aperture, autofocus with phase detection, and 75-degree field-of-view.
Google Pixel 3’s camera comes with the much talked about ‘Top Shot’ feature. With Top Shot, the camera of the smartphone automatically captures alternate shots in HDR so that you can choose from them later. It also comes with a Group Selfie feature that is claimed to capture 184% more area than iPhone XS. Google has also introduced Night Sight — which ensures better images in dimly lit conditions. Other than this, Photobooth feature will also take photos of subjects who are smiling.
Google Pixel 3 houses a 2915mAh battery that, according to the company, can provide up to 7 hours of usage with just 15 minutes of charging time. The smartphone comes with USB Type-C port, supports 18W fast charging and Qi wireless charging. Fast charging for the smartphone is available with the Pixel Stand.
For connectivity options, Google Pixel 3 supports 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5, USB Type-C, NFC, GPS/ A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and Google Cast. The smartphone’s sensors include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, barometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor and a magnetometer. Google Pixel 3 also comes with a back mounted Pixel Imprint sensor and an Active Edge feature which enables users to trigger features by just squeezing the sides of the smartphone.
Speaking of Google Pixel 3 Xl, it shares almost all the specifications of the Pixel 3. What sets them apart is the display and battery life. Google Pixel 3 XL has a 6.3-inch QHD+ flexible OLED display that has an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. The display comes with HDR support, 100,000:1 super contrast ratio and True black level. The battery of the smartphone is 3430mAh. Much like Google Pixel 3, it is claimed to deliver a usage of 7 hours with just 15 minutes of charging time.
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Panasonic Eluga Ray 600 with 4,000mAh battery launched in India: Price, specifications and more
Panasonic has today expanded its lineup in the budget segment in India with the launch of its Eluga Ray 600 mobile. Panasonic Eluga Ray 600 houses a 4,000mAh battery, comes with the Face Unlock feature and sports a 5.99-inch display. The Android 8.1 Oreo based smartphone is available in three colour options and comes with a front flash module. Here’s a look at the price, availability and specification details of the smartphone:
Panasonic Eluga Ray 600 price and availability
Panasonic Eluga Ray 600 is priced at Rs 7,999 and the smartphone will be available exclusively at Flipkart. It will be available during Flipkart’s festive season sale — Big Billion Days — which is scheduled to begin on October 10 and will go on till October 14. However, the smartphone will be available starting October 11. Panosonic’s latest smartphone is available in Blue, Black and Gold colour variants.
Panasonic Eluga Ray 600 specifications
Panasonic Eluga Ray 600 features a 5.99-inch HD+ IPS display and is powered by a 1.3GHz MediaTek MT6739WA quad-core processor clubbed with 3GB RAM. The Android 8.1 Oreo based smartphone has an inbuilt storage of 32GB and can hold a microSD card of up to 128GB.
For imaging duties, Panasonic Eluga Ray 600 sports a 13MP primary autofocus camera coupled with flash. On the front panel of the smartphone, there is an 8MP camera that supports flash and can be used for selfies and video calls.
The camera app of the smartphone comes with various modes and can be used to make time lapse videos and has support for auto-scene detection. Panasonic Eluga Ray 600 houses a 4,000mAh battery that is said to last an entire day.
The connectivity options of Panasonic Eluga Ray 600 include Bluetooth v4.1, GPS, LTE, FM radio, Wi-Fi, OTG and support for microUSB. The smartphone comes with an accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor and as we mentioned earlier, it has support for Face Unlock.
Speaking on the launch, Pankaj Rana, Business Head – Mobility Division, Panasonic India said, “We are glad to expand our big view series portfolio with the launch of Eluga Ray 600. Panasonic has always been known for innovation and technology, the new Eluga Ray 600 is meant to provide a powerful experience to our customers seeking high definition display, stylish looks and a battery that lasts over 24 hours! Eluga Ray 600 is equipped with Panasonic’s in-house AI – Arbo Hub, our one stop app to make life easier. The sleek device is designed for the young audience who likes to enjoy technology with style.”
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WhatsApp to get advertisements in its Status feature soon: Report
Popular instant messaging app WhatsApp is undergoing a big change. While a few years back, the company had said in a statement that advertisements would never come to the app, now things look a little different.
If a report by WABetaInfo is to be believed, then the Facebook-owned instant messaging app will be going ahead with its new revenue policy and advertisements will arrive on Whatsapp for Android version 2.18.305.
It further says that as of now, the advertisements are not visible to the users, however, they will get activated in future.
The addition of advertisements on WhatsApp may not be a welcome change for users, but reports surrounding it have been surfacing for quite some time now. Prior to this, a report in The Wall Street Journal that quoted officials from WhatsApp stated that with advertisements, a new stream of revenue for the company will open up.
The reported further said that the advertisements on WhatsApp will be shown to users within the Status feature — much like the ones we get to see in Instagram Stories.
As of now, the advertisements cannot even be seen on WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.18.305. But as we mentioned earlier, the report said that advertisements will be enabled later.
Facebook’s plan to monetize the instant messaging app is not in-line with WhatsApp’s terms of service that got updated once it acquired the app in 2014. The terms of service that were updated by Facebook clearly stated that users can “still count on absolutely no ads interrupting your communication.”
As of now, there is no official word on when advertisements will begin to roll out on WhatsApp. However, what we are certain of is that advertisements definitely will make their way to app as that is something company officials have already confirmed.
Adding advertisements on WhatsApp Status feature can prove to be extremely good for Facebook, as the Status feature has already hit the benchmark of 450 million daily active users. The Status feature enables users to upload a picture or a video that can be seen by people on their contact list for 24 hours. Furthermore, users can also check which of their contacts have seen their Status.
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Google Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL set to launch in India on October 22: Report
Google is all set to unveil its flagship smartphones of the year — Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL — today at an event in New York. Along with the launch of the smartphones, the technology giant’s Pixel slate tablet, a new Chromecast and Google Home Hub will also get showcased.
Just before the global launch of the devices, a report has surfaced online that says that Google’s flagship smartphones will be launched in India this month itself. According to MySmartPrice, Google will be holding a media event to launch the two smartphones in India on October 22. Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are expected to go on pre-orders in the country soon after they are launched formally.
The report further stated that Google will be selling its devices on Flipkart, much like Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. However, there is no word on the specific availability and pricing details.
Scheduled to launch today, Google Pixel 3 series is expected to feature a design that will be similar to its predecessors. The smartphones will reportedly come with IP68 certification — making them dust and water resistant. The Pixel 2 series by Google, on the other hand, had IP67 certification.
Reports have also suggested that Google Pixel 3 will feature a 5.5-inch display, whereas the Pixel 3 XL will sport a 6.3-inch screen. The smartphones will be powered by the most powerful processor in the world — Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845. Both Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL will come with 4GB of RAM and have two storage variants — 64GB and 128GB. However, the presence of a microSD card slot seems unlikely.
For imaging duties, Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are expected to sport a 12.2MP primary camera that will come with AI powered features. The devices will reportedly have a ‘Top Shot’ feature that will work similarly to Samsung Galaxy Note 9’s Scene Optimizer. For selfies and video calls, the smartphones will reportedly feature an 8MP front facing snapper. Google’s flagship smartphones of the year will run its latest Android 9.0 Pie out of the box.
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