- Google Pixelbook 2: Although there is no surety that we’ll get to see the Google Pixelbook 2 at the October 9 event, it is definitely expected. And it is actually the perfect time for Google to release a refreshed version of the Pixelbook this year. The new Pixelbook 2 is said to come with a fingerprint sensor, a 4k display with thinner bezels and improved internals.
- Second generation Pixel buds: Another device from Google that is expected on October 9 is the second generation Google Pixel Buds. The Pixel Buds that were previously rolled out by the company have definitely gone up a few notches in terms of performance after they got a few updates, but with a refreshed version, Google can add a number of new features like Google Translate functionality and the ability to go fully wireless.
- Google Smart Display: Announced recently at I/O 2018, Google Smart Display is the technology giant’s answer to the Amazon Echo Show. Till now, we have only seen Smart Displays that have been made by third party manufacturers like the Lenovo Smart Display. Although there is no official word about it, but the company can launch the first Google-made Smart Display that will also be powered by Google Assistant.
Google Pixel 3 to launch on October 9: What to expect?
Google has announced the date for its upcoming hardware event: October 9. The technology giant is expected to launch its flagship devices Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL at the event. The invites that have been sent out indicate that the event is in New York on October 9 at 8:30pm IST.
Although the invite doesn’t say what Google will be launching on October 9, the GIF released by the company only says “I <3 NY”. So it’s obvious that the 3 in the invite indicates Pixel 3 and NY means that the event will be held in New York.
Speaking about the smartphones, Google Pixel 3 mobile will feature a 5.5-inch display and will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor. The smartphone will house a 2,915mAh battery.
But it will be the bigger sibling – Google Pixel 3 XL – that will come with a host of changes. To begin with, the smartphone is expected to come with a glass back panel and will sport wireless charging capabilities. It will reportedly feature a 6.7-inch QHD+ display and much like Pixel 3, will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor. Google Pixel 3 XL is expected to sport dual rear front cameras and will reportedly pack a 3,430mAh battery.
Both the smartphones will run on Android 9.0 Pie. Besides the smartphones, here are other ‘Made by Google’ devices that are expected to be showcased by the company on its October 9 event:
Vivo V11 Pro with in-display fingerprint sensor launched in India: Price, specs and more
In-display fingerprint sensors seem to be Vivo’s newest love. We have so far seen the feature in Vivo X21 and the company’s recently launched flagship Vivo Nex. And now, the company has launched a new smartphone with in-display fingerprint sensor – Vivo V11 Pro.
Besides this, the newly launched smartphone by Vivo also comes with a ‘waterdrop’ display notch. Keeping up with the government’s Make in India initiative, the company announced that Vivo V11 Pro is being made in its Greater Noida factory.
It is notable that the smartphone were launched in Thailand just yesterday and after being rolled out in India, it will foray into other markets too.
Specifications
The dual SIM Vivo V11 Pro runs Android 8.1 Oreo skinned with Funtouch OS 4.5 and features a 6.41-inch full-HD+ Super AMOLED display with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The Vivo V11 smartphone sports a Halo FullView display that has a waterdrop-style notch on top and has a screen to body ratio of 91.27%.
Powered by a 2.2GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor coupled with 6GB RAM, the smartphone has 64GB internal storage and has a microSD card slot. The smartphone’s storage can be expanded up to 256GB by adding a microSD card, however, it is notable that Vivo V11 has a hybrid dual-SIM slot.
For imaging duties, Vivo V11 Pro mobile comes with a dual rear camera setup with 12MP and 5MP sensors and a 25MP front facing camera for selfies and video calls. Note that the front facing camera of the smartphone supports Face Unlock and AI enabled features and the dual rear cameras come with AI scene recognition. The camera apps of the smartphone also come with FunMojis — that enable users to have a personalised animated avatar that they can share with their friends.
And as we mentioned earlier, it comes with an in-display fingerprint sensor rather than a fingerprint sensor built on its hardware.
Vivo V11 Pro houses a 3,400mAh battery that comes with ‘dual-engine’ fast charging support. Connectivity options of the smartphone include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 and a micro-USB port.
Speaking of the smartphone’s dimensions, Vivo V11 Pro measures 157.9x75x7.9mm and weighs 156 grams.
Price and availability
Vivo V11 Pro comes in two colour variants — Dazzling Gold and Starry Night. The smartphone has been priced at Rs 25,990 and will be exclusively available on Amazon India’s website. The pre-orders for the smartphone begin today and it will first go on sale on September 12. As a part of the launch offers, the company is offering Rs 2,000 cashback from HDFC bank and Rs 4,500 cashback from Jio. Customers can also avail one-time screen replacement for free.
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Olympics chief Thomas Bach turns down violent esports
In July this year, the International Olympic Committee had announced that it would be a part of an Esports Forum. This was supposed to involve panel discussions, interviews and roundtable conferences with an aim of bringing Esports to Olympics one day. The said forum led to the formation of Esports Liaison Group, which got together the IOC and the Global Association of International Sports Federations.
While that sounded like a positive move, the president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, has voiced his opinion against including violent e-sports in Olympic Games unless some changes are made. On the occasion of Asian Games 2018, Associate Press quoted Bach saying, “We cannot have in the Olympic program a game which is promoting violence or discrimination. “So-called killer games. They, from our point of view, are contradictory to the Olympic values and cannot therefore be accepted.”
While sports like boxing, wrestling, judo, hockey are a part of Olympics, Bach — who is a former Olympic fencing champion himself — is of the opinion that combat sports are different. Although he did accept that all combat sports stem from actual fighting, he did defend his opinion by saying that, “sport is the civilized expression about this. If you have egames where it’s about killing somebody, this cannot be brought into line with our Olympic values.”
However, he did not clarify what all esports he is talking about when he talks about the ‘killer games’ category. Nevertheless, it is notable that most multiplayer competitive games come with violence that is highly stylized and is often inflicted by one mythical creature to another.
Even though we may not get to see the likes of Overwatch, League of Legends, and Dota 2 at Olympics because that IOC may find them too violent, we can fully expect games like Hearthstone or Rocket League.
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This is when the OnePlus 6T will be launched
OnePlus 6 has been doing wonderfully well in India, which is why it became the leading smartphone being sold in the premium segment. The company has gone ahead and put out teasers of its next smartphone launch, which will be on January 15, 2019. The smartphone in all likelihood will be the ‘T’ version of its flagship series. It is also a known fact that the next version of the smartphone will be 5G ready, since OnePlus’s CEO Pete Lau had already announced it at Mobile World Congress 2018.
We were contemplating that the upgrade to the OnePlus 6 will launch towards the mid-end of 2018 but with this teaser from the company on the Chinese Social networking site Weibo has hinted that the next version will come in 2019 not before that. Some reports also suggest that the company might ditch the ‘T’ version this time and move on to OnePlus 7 variant all together. However, we don’t think so, a ‘T’ version is needed and the next upgrade should be OnePlus 6T.
Then there is the case of some reports that are strongly suggesting that that this teaser is for OnePlus 7 only and 6T still will be launched in 2018. This was sparked when an OnePlus forum moderator did confirm that an official OnePlus 6T version is in the making and will be launched soon. Price indications point to a $550 price tag, which will be around Rs 38,500 in the Indian market.
However, nothing is concrete at the moment and there still might be changes. But one thing is for certain, that this whole debate of would they won’t they has brought the company again into limelight. We will be closely watching this and will bring you the latest updates, so stay tuned.
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Apple September 12 iPhone launch event: What all to expect
Apple fans have a reason to rejoice! The Cupertino based technology giant has finally sent out invites for its annual event during which it launches iPhones. The 2018 version of iPhones will be unveiled to the world on September 12 in the event that will be held at Steve Jobs theatre. The company has given out no word on what it plans to launch, and all analysts have got down to decoding that what the Tim Cook led besides the iPhones could be launched by Apple on September 12.
We have made a list of everything that you can expect at Apple’s September 12 event:
- Three iPhones: What tops the list is obviously the three new iPhones that Apple is all set to launch. If reports are to be believed, then Apple will be launching a 5.8-inch iPhone, a 6.5-inch ‘Plus’ model, and a 6.1-inch iPhone. All three are expected to come with wireless charging and come with 18-watt power adapter. The smartphones will be powered by the all new A12 Bionic processor and are expected to sport improved cameras. While the 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch versions may come with OLED screens, the 6.1-inch variant is expected to feature an LCD screen. It has also been reported that the OLED models will come with 512GB storage option.
- New Apple Watch: Since it showcased the first ever Apple Watch in 2014, Apple has launched a new version in its annual September event – with 2015 being the only exceptional year. And this time, we fully to see the Apple Watch Series 4 at the event. The new Apple Watch is expected to be available in two sizes and both will come with a new S4 system-on-chip. The Apple Watch Series 4 will come with thinner bezels and hence – a bigger display. The new Apple Watch is also expected to come with improved health sensors and will be available in both LTE and Wi-Fi models.
- Redesigned iPad Pros: We fully expected to see the revamped version of iPad Pro in WWDC 2018, but Apple chose not to launch it in spring. Now, it is only natural to see them at the September 12 event. The revamped iPads are expected to come in two sizes — 11 inches and 12.9 inches –and sport smaller bezels. They would also not have a Touch ID and will feature the Face ID instead.
- Second generation Airpods: The second generation AirPods by Apple may be dubbed AirPods 2 and if rumours in various reports are true, they come with Siri-integration and are water resistant. A longer battery life, better noise cancellation and an enhanced sound quality are expected from the AirPods 2. Although they are expected to be unveiled at this year’s event, some reports also point towards the possibility of them being launched in 2019.
Yu Ace smartphone with 4,000mAh battery launched in India: Price, specifications and more
Micromax’s subsidiary Yu Televentures has launched its Yu Ace smartphone in India. The entry level smartphone has impressive specifications for its price range including a massive 4,000mAh battery, a display aspect ratio of 18:9, face unlock and is powered by Android 8.1 Oreo.
The company has also said that Yu Ace will be getting an upgrade to Android Pie. With Yu Ace, Micromax has launched a smartphone after almost a year. The last phone launched by the company was Yu Yureka 2 in September 2017.
Specifications
Micromax Yu Ace smartphone features a 5.45-inch HD+ (720×1440 pixels) display with an aspect ratio of 18:9. The smartphone has support for dual-SIM cards and runs Android 8.1 Oreo skinned with the company’s own Steroid Launcher. Powered by a quad-core MediaTek MT6739 processor clubbed with 2GB RAM, the Yu Ace smartphone comes with 16GB internal storage.
The highlight among the specifications is the smartphone’s 4,000mAh battery. To our surprise, Yu Ace comes with a removable battery — something that is no longer common.
For imaging duties, the Yu Ace mobile comes with a 13MP rear camera clubbed with flash. For selfies and video calls, there is a 5MP front facing snapper. The smartphone has a fingerprint sensor on board and the company has also touted its Face Unlock feature.
Price and availability
The Yu Ace smartphone is priced at Rs 5,999 and it is can be bought from a Flipkart flash sale slated for September 6. Post that, the next flash sale will be held on September 13. The Yu Ace smartphone will be available in three colour variants — Charcoal Grey, Elektric Blue, and Rose Gold. Another storage variant of the smartphone — featuring 3GB RAM and 32GB onboard storage — will be rolled out at the end of next month. However, its pricing details remain unknown as of now.
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IFA 2018: What to expect from Samsung, Sony, Motorola and others
Keeping CES aside, IFA is one of the biggest annual tech shows in the world. And like every year, a host of technology companies are on their way to Berlin to showcase their latest gadgets. Before the event kicks off on August 31, we decided to list down everything that you can expect from IFA 2018:
Samsung: The South Korean technology giant will reportedly be showcasing an 8K QLED TV at IFA 2018. There are also reports that the Bixby Speaker that the company announced at Samsung Galaxy Note 9 launch will also be there for a closer look at the show. It is also expected to unveil its updated wireless devices at IFA 2018.
Sony: Sony’s plans for IFA 2018 involve bringing out its updated XZ3 smartphone. An image of the smartphone was recently leaked online and it looks nearly the same as Sony Xperia XZ2 Premium. So, an upgrade in specifications of the smartphone is expected. The company is also expected to showcase its upgraded music players from its Walkman range at IFA 2018.
Blackberry: According to several media reports, BlackBerry Key2 LE – a cheaper version of BlackBerry Key2 – will be unveiled at IFA 2018. The new model of the smartphone is expected to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor coupled with 4GB RAM and will house a 3,000mAh battery. In other words, its specifications are not as powerful as the BlackBerry Key2.
Huawei: Huawei is set to challenge its own P20 Pro smartphone by showcasing its Mate 20 lineup at IFA 2018. The Mate 20 lineup from Huawei also includes its Mate 20 Pro smartphone. While Huawei’s P series focuses on cameras and entertainment, the Mate series focuses on battery life and productivity. So we can say that the upcoming Huawei Mate 20 Pro is meant to be a ‘business phone’.
HTC: HTC has released a teaser – something U – for IFA 2018 and various leaks suggest that the company will be launching the HTC U12 Life at the tech expo. The smartphone is expected to come with a 6-inch display with 18:9 aspect ratio, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor clubbed with 4GB RAM and 64GB of inbuilt storage. It will also come with a dual rear camera setup.
Motorola: Motorola is totally expected to unveil its iPhone X inspired P30 smartphone at IFA 2018. The smartphone was announced in China earlier this month, and IFA 2018 will be the perfect platform to showcase it globally.
Lenovo: Speaking about Lenovo, the company is expected to showcase its updated laptops. There is also a possibility of seeing a new ThinkPad at the IFA 2018.
Nokia: If rumours are correct, then HMD Global will be showcasing a new high-end smartphone powered by Snapdragon 845 — dubbed Nokia 9. It goes without saying that the smartphone is expected to come with other high end specifications too.
LG: Reports suggest that LG will be launching its new flagship smartphone — V40 ThinQ — which is said to sport five cameras in total. The company is also expected to showcase an exoskeleton robot that it has been teasing off late.
Dell: No guesses for this one. The company will be updating the specifications of its laptop and PC line-up for IFA 2018. Other innovations are also expected, but currently there’s no official word about it.
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Instagram rolls out new tools to curb spamming on its platform
Facebook-owned photo-sharing app Instagram has now come up with new features that are expected to bring more transparency to the platform. All the new features that have been launched indicate that Instagram is seriously trying to reduce the number of fake accounts and spamming on its platform. This is bound to make the app more user friendly for people. Here are the new features to look out for:
- About This Account: The name explains what the feature does, isn’t it? With this feature, whenever you see an advertisement on Instagram, you’ll be able to find out more about the account. General information about the account like its location, username changes in the past year among other details will be visible to the users, bringing in more transparency. Users would know that the accounts they interact with are exactly who they say they are. This would also stop any fake accounts from spreading misinformation.
- Support for third-party authentication apps: Soon, Instagram will enable its user to log into their Instagram accounts using third-party authentication apps. In order to do this, just click on the ‘Menu’ icon on your profile and then go to ‘Settings’. After this, scroll down and select ‘Two factor authentication’ and then click on ‘Authentication App’. Instagram will then send a code to the authentication app you have installed. All you have then have to do is retrieve the code from the app and enter it on Instagram and two factor authentication will be enabled on your account. This feature has started rolling out and will be available globally in a few weeks.
- Increased access to verification: Till now, the method of getting your Instagram account verified was not clear. But now, the app is changing that. Users can now initiate the process of getting a verified account via a form available on the platform. It can be requested for by visiting ‘Settings’ on your profile and choosing ‘Request Verification.’ Then, the user will be required to share their username, their full name, and their business/legal identification. However, don’t get your hopes too high because, according to Instagram, requesting for verification doesn’t guarantee that your account will be verified.
UE Wonderboom Freestyle Bluetooth speaker review: Louder than you can imagine
Ultimate Ears or UE is a sub brand of Logitech and they have been making some great audio accessories for mobile phones. The latest to come to the Indian soil is the UE Wonderboom Freestyle Bluetooth speaker that comes in a variety of colours. We call it the grenade design as it reminds us of a military grenade, especially when you look at the Avacado colour of this speakers.
So let’s start by talking about its design and built. The UE Wonderboom Freestyle Bluetooth speaker is a rugged BT speaker that can be dropped from a height of up to 5 feet and nothing will happen to it. We tried it couple of times and really it didn’t wither at all. Over that, this speaker has IPX7 rating, which means it can be submerged in water up to 1 meter for 30 minutes and it will still be able to play your favourite tunes after the dip. We tried that too and it worked as it worked before, just wipe the water off and play the tunes as is.
The power and BT buttons are located on the top along with the play and skip button, which is basically the logo of the device. The front features the volume up and down buttons which you cannot miss because of their exceptionally large size. The rear bottom part hides the charging port. Mesh cloth and rubber is what this device is made up of. It also comes with a hook loop in case you want to hang it somewhere around the house. Also, you can pair it with one more UE Wonderboom speaker to get that extra sound when throwing the party or having friends over on game night.
Setting it up was a no brainer and we were up and running in under a minute. Just turn on your mobiles Bluetooth, press the power button followed by the BT button on the speaker and pair the devices. Now for the fun part—its resonance. It is mind bogglingly loud. It is so loud that it can wake the neighbours up. We did not expect this much sound from a small device like this. The bass is thumpy and the highs are clear, lows not so much. The battery backup is good too, we got about 9.5 hours of playback from this device. All in all, a great buy for Rs 6,995 and oh yes, the wireless range for UE Wonderboom Freestyle Bluetooth speaker is 100 feet and it works through walls as well.
Pros: Good base, waterproof, Shock resistant
Cons: Low notes could have been better
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The power and BT buttons are located on the top along with the play and skip button, which is basically the logo of the device. The front features the volume up and down buttons which you cannot miss because of their exceptionally large size. The rear bottom part hides the charging port. Mesh cloth and rubber is what this device is made up of. It also comes with a hook loop in case you want to hang it somewhere around the house. Also, you can pair it with one more UE Wonderboom speaker to get that extra sound when throwing the party or having friends over on game night.
Setting it up was a no brainer and we were up and running in under a minute. Just turn on your mobiles Bluetooth, press the power button followed by the BT button on the speaker and pair the devices. Now for the fun part—its resonance. It is mind bogglingly loud. It is so loud that it can wake the neighbours up. We did not expect this much sound from a small device like this. The bass is thumpy and the highs are clear, lows not so much. The battery backup is good too, we got about 9.5 hours of playback from this device. All in all, a great buy for Rs 6,995 and oh yes, the wireless range for UE Wonderboom Freestyle Bluetooth speaker is 100 feet and it works through walls as well.
Pros: Good base, waterproof, Shock resistant
Cons: Low notes could have been better
For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube Samsung Galaxy J2 Core ‘Android Go’ Edition launched in India: Price, specifications and more
Samsung’s first Android Go smartphone – Galaxy J2 Core has been launched in India. The announcement about the smartphone was made at Google for India 2018 – Google’s annual event – in New Delhi. It is the first time that Samsung has partnered with Google to unveil an Android Go device. Samsung Galaxy J2 Core was announced in India last week and it runs Android 8.1 Oreo (Go Edition). It is also touted to enhance selfies with a dedicated Beauty mode.
Price and availability
Samsung Galaxy J2 Core is priced at Rs 6,190 and competes with the likes of Micromax Bharat Go and Lava Z61 – both of which are Android Go smartphones too. The smartphone is available in Gold, Blue and Black colour variants and can be bought from retail stores or Samsung’s eShop in the country.
Specifications
Samsung’s first Android Go smartphone features a 5-inch QHD TFT display and is powered by a quad-core Exynos 7570 processor clubbed with 1GB RAM. The smartphone comes with 8GB of internal storage and can hold a microSD card of up to 256GB.
For imaging duties, there is an 8MP primary camera with an f/2.2 aperture and an LED flash. There is a 5MP front facing snapper for selfies and video calls.
Samsung Galaxy J2 Core houses a 2,600mAh battery that is claimed to offer an all-day experience on a single charge. The smartphone comes with 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, Micro-USB, and a 3.5mm headphone jack as connectivity options. Note that the smartphone does not come with a fingerprint sensor or a face unlock feature.
Speaking about the company’s newly launched smartphone, Sumit Walia, Director of Mobile business at Samsung India said, “Galaxy J2 Core reiterates Samsung’s commitment towards meaningful innovations that delight our customers. We are pleased to integrate industry-first smart memory management solutions that allow apps or content on the memory card. We are also pleased to partner with Google in bringing the latest Android experience for entry-level smartphones with Oreo (Go Edition) on Galaxy J2 Core.”
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