Google will offer full ad blocking only to enterprise users of Chrome
Technology giant Google has responded to issues that were raised by developers regarding its move to restrict ad blockers. The company has said that it will be enabling complete ad blocking capabilities, however, this will only be for Chrome users. The new change has been introduced months after the search giant faced outrage for the Manifest V3 standard. When the company proposed the Manifest V3 standard, it was meant to replace the existing webRequest API with declarativeNetRequest API.
With the new API, the ad blocking extensions can be used to filter out Web traffic. It is worth noticing that ever since the change was announced by the company in January, a large number of extension developers started protesting the move.
Google has clarified its stand regarding the proposal saying, “Chrome is depreciating the blocking capabilities of the webRequest API in Manifest V3, not the entire webRequest API (though blocking will still be available to enterprise deployments).”
The response is a clear indicator of the fact that Google is not completely moving to the alternative that it has proposed. However, it does say that the company will be retaining the existing webRequest API exclusively for enterprise users who are paying to use Google Chrome.
But for developers who are not targeting enterprise users, Google will not be making any major changes and the company will continue to stick to the Manifest V3 that it announced in January.
A number of extension developers have complained that the declarativeNetRequest API would make ad blockers less effective. Raymond Hill, who is the creator of extensions like uBlock Origin and uMatrix, said “Extensions act on behalf of users, they add capabilities to a user agent, and deprecating the block ability of the webRequest API will essentially decrease the level of user agency in Chromium, to the benefit of websites which obviously would be happy to have the last word in what resources their pages can fetch/execute/render.”
The primary reason behind extension makers complaining against declarativeNetRequest API is the limit of 30,000 rules. They say that rules such as blocking content elements beyond a certain size cannot be done. However, Google has said that it will be increasing the original limit. The company said, “We are planning to raise these values but we won’t have updated numbers until we can run performance tests to find a good upper bound that will work across all supported devices.”
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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare trailer released, the game will release on October 25
Infinity Ward has released the trailer of its upcoming Call of Duty game and to everybody’s surprise, the game is named Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. The new game will be a reboot of the ever-popular Call of Duty: Modern Warfare that was released back in 2007. However, we should mention that it is miles away from the Call of Duty games which were released in the past years with time travel, futuristic warfare, zombies, space etc.
The new game will have a single player campaign similar to the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare but it is not a sequel to the 2011’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. The new game seems to be in the same universe with a slightly different storyline. The big news is the return of some familiar faces in the game. The players who played the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series should know that ‘Captain Price’ who is making a return in the new game. The trailer reveals that the campaign will be divided into two parts – one with a Tier 1 operator of special forces while the other with a rebel fighter in the Middle East.
Jacob Minkoff, the single-player design director of Modern Warfare said, “We are telling a story about the modern war in the real world. If we whitewash it, if we backpedal from it, if we show a world where the heroes fight the terrorists and win, you never see the impact on the average person, the collateral damage, or the morally grey situations that soldiers themselves have to face.”
What was so special about the 2007’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare was its surreal storytelling, the range of emotions, truth, risky and disturbing themes. That’s the reason the 2007 Modern Warfare is still considered one of the best COD games. After which, the makers of COD delved into the elements of science fiction with COD Black Ops 4, COD Advanced Warfare and so on. The new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is an attempt by the game makers to take the franchise back on track.
Talking about the trailer, the game feels much like a remastered version of the old Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. But it is not the same game or the same story. The trailer shows tactical takedowns of terrorists by operatives led by Price. There are elements spread all around the trailer, and some scenes take you back to the old COD: Modern Warfare. Although the game mechanics haven’t been shown yet, the sound design is impressive. We get the scenes from the jungles and middle east. As mentioned above, the game will be divided into two parts and the players will be able to control two characters in the game.
The new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare plays on the strings of human emotions. And according to Minkoff, “this Modern Warfare has a much broader variety of emotions that it makes you feel.” We will see much about the game at the E3 which is scheduled next month. The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare will be release on October 25, 2019 and it will be coming to the Xbox One, PS4, and PC.The rules have changed. #ModernWarfare
— Call of Duty (@CallofDuty) May 30, 2019
October 25, 2019. pic.twitter.com/T1Awm95lHt
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Redmi Note 7S goes on open sale in India: Price, sale details and specifications
Xiaomi’s recently launched smartphone – Redmi Note 7S – has gone on open sale in India today. The smartphone comes with a 48MP camera and was unveiled by the Chinese handset maker last week.
The device went on sale twice in the country on May 23 and then on May 29. The Redmi Note 7S is basically the rebranded version of the Redmi Note 7 smartphone. Here are the price and sale details of the Redmi Note 7S smartphone that you should know:
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Redmi Note 7S price and sale in India
The Redmi Note 7S smartphone is available in two storage variants in India – one with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage, and the other with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. The handset is now available via open sale on Flipkart, Mi.com and Mi Home Stores. The company announced about the device going on open sale in India via a tweet yesterday. As we mentioned earlier, the new smartphone from Redmi has already gone on sale twice in India. Its first sale was on May 23 and the second one was on May 29. The smartphone lies in between the Redmi Note 7 Pro and Note 7 in terms of price and specifications. However, the company announced soon after the launch of the smartphone that it will be discontinuing the Redmo Note 7 in India.Redmi Note 7S specifications
The Redmi Note 7S smartphone has support for dual SIM cards and it runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with MIUI 10. The handset features a 6.3-inch full-HD+ (1080×2340 pixels) Dot Notch display that has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. Powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC, the Redmi Note 7S smartphone comes with up to 4GB of RAM and has up to 64GB of internal storage. For imaging duties, the Redmi Note 7S sports a dual rear camera setup that comprises of a 48MP primary sensor that has an f/1.8 aperture clubbed with a 5MP secondary sensor. The handset even has a 13MP sensor on its front panel that has support for AI Portrait mode and AI Face unlock. The smartphone can hold a microSD card of up to 256GB and for connectivity, it comes with 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS, USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Sensors on the Redmi Note 7S include an accelerometer, electronic compass, ambient light sensor, distance sensor, fingerprint sensor, and an infrared sensor. The smartphone houses a 4,000mAh battery that has support for Quick Charge 4 fast-charging technology. For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can also stay up to date using the Gadget Bridge Android App.Samsung Galaxy Note 10 to go ‘buttonless’; will ditch the headphone jack: Report
Every year, right after the launch of Samsung Galaxy S smartphones, the news about its handset from the Galaxy Note series starts pouring in. This year is no different. The latest news about the 10th anniversary Galaxy Note may not be something that you wish to hear. According to a report, the South Korean technology giant is planning to not add the headphone jack in Samsung Galaxy Note 10.
The report, which first surfaced on Android Police, says that Samsung is planning to launch two sizes for the Galaxy Note 10. While one will be a regular variant of the Galaxy Note 10, the other will be slightly smaller as compared to usual Galaxy Note phablets. The smaller variant would come without a 3.5mm headphone jack and any kind of physical buttons including Power, Volume, and Bixby.
Instead, the handset will come with capacitive or touch-sensitive textured areas, which are speculated to be similar to the power button/fingerprint scanner on Samsung Galaxy S10E. We should mention that this is in line with previous rumours that suggested that Samsung is looking to completely eliminate buttons on its Galaxy Note 10.
While removing buttons may not be a big problem as Samsung has always tried to make all aspects of its smartphones more unibody, but eliminating the headphone jack may not be a very welcome move. Moreover, it may not be appreciated as Samsung has always touted to retain the feature against its competitors. If Samsung plans to retain the stylus in this Galaxy Note 10 model, it will have to keep the slot to keep the S Pen too.
However, since the launch of Samsung Galaxy Note 10 is months away right now, these rumours should not be taken too seriously. As we get closer to the launch, we will get a clearer picture of what to expect from the upcoming phablet.
In an unrelated piece of news, it has been reported that while the top-end variant of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 will house a 4,500mAh battery, the watered-down model will pack a 3,400mAh battery. It has also been reported that both the variants of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 sport a single front-facing camera that will be placed in a punch-hole setup, just like the ones on the Galaxy S10-series.
But then, as we mentioned earlier, all of these must be taken with a pinch of salt as there are many months remaining for the launch of the handset.
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How to fix the USB drive format error message in Windows
USB Drives are one of the wonders of modern technology, as they are a way for the users to carry a large amount of data. They can store a good number of movies, data, files, songs and videos in spite of the fact that they are even smaller than our finger. Earlier, they were limited to 32GB or 64GB of USB devices but now with the advancement of technology, the USB devices come with all storage options.
But since it is a piece of technology, it comes with its own fair share of problems. The most common problems the USB drives face with is the error messages which renders the device unreadable and unwritable. Here are the steps by which you can check for errors on your USB drive:
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Checking the error via Windows built-in error checking utility tool:
- Open File Explorer and then right click on the USB Drive.
- Select ‘Properties’ from the list of options.
- Go to ‘Tools’ and then click on ‘Check Now’ under the error checking.
- After that, you need to choose from the option ‘Automatically fix file system errors’ or ‘Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors’. Once selected, you can click on ‘Start’.
- The tool will then start checking for errors and remove them automatically.
Using Command Prompt to check and fix the errors:
- Insert the USB drive to your laptop/ PC.
- Then open Command Prompt from the ‘Windows Home’ button or you can simply type ‘cmd’ in the search bar beside the Home icon to bring the Command Prompt. Open the Command Prompt as an administrator.
- After it opens, write ‘diskpart’ and click Enter.
- Then type ‘list disk’ and press Enter, it will show all the list connected devices with your PC.
- You will need to write down the disk number of your USB drive. After that type ‘select disk disk_number’.
- You will need to replace the ‘disk_number’ with the number of the USB drive. Once it is done, press Enter.
- Then type ‘clean’ and press Enter.
- Your USB drive will start cleaning.
Update the USB Driver:
- Open the Run dialog box on the PC by pressing the Windows key + R at the same time.
- Once the dialog box opens, type devmgmt.msc then press Enter.
- Once the Device Manager opens, you need to find and expand the Universal Serial Bus Controllers.
- After this, you need to look for Unknown Devices and then right click on it then click on Properties.
- Once the next window opens, click on the ‘Update Driver’ and select the option ‘Search for updates automatically’.
- It will search for the newest version of the USB driver and will automatically install on your PC/ laptop.
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Moto Z4 with Snapdragon 675 SoC, 48MP camera launched: Price and specifications
Lenovo-owned smartphone brand Motorola has today launched its Moto Z4 smartphone. As of now, the company has only spoken about the details of the handset’s ability in the United States and Canada. However, since other smartphones from Moto Z series have been made available in India, chances are, we will get to see the Moto Z4 too.
The newly launched Moto Z4 smartphone has a 48MP IMX586 sensor, but then, we should mention that the sensor type is only a speculation as the company has not said anything about it yet. The handset comes with support for Moto Mods. Here’s a look at the price details and specifications of the Moto Z4 smartphone:
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Moto Z4 price and availability
The Moto Z4 smartphone is only available in a 4GB RAM/128GB storage variant that is priced at $499 (approximately Rs 34,900). The smartphone will be going on sale in the US starting June 6 and its availability in Canada is scheduled for later this summer. Verizon customers can pick it up starting June 13 for $240 ($10 for 24 months). The handset is available in Flash Grey and Frost White colour options. A 5G variant of Moto Mod is being made available for Verizon customers at $199.99. Otherwise, the cost of the Moto Mod is $349.99. The company has also announced that the Moto 360 camera Mod will also be bundled for unlocked models at the same cost.Moto Z4 specifications
Moto Z4 runs Android 9.0 Pie and features a 6.40-inch full-HD+ (1080×2340 pixels) OLED display that has an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. Powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 SoC, the smartphone comes with 4GB of RAM. For imaging duties, the handset comes with a single 48MP camera at the back that has an f/1.7 aperture and a pixel size of 1.6-microns. The smartphone’s camera can produce images of 12MP in resolution and comes with PDAF and laser autofocus. For selfies and video calls, the Moto Z4 has a 25MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture and a 0.9-micron pixel size. The device has 128GB of internal storage and can hold a microSD of up to 2TB. On the connectivity front, it has 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, GPS, Bluetooth v5.0, NFC, USB Type-C. Moto Z4 houses a 3,600mAh battery that has support for 15W TurboPower fast charging technology and it comes with an optical in-display fingerprint sensor. The sensors onboard include an accelerometer, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, compass, gyroscope and fingerprint sensor. For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can also stay up to date using the Gadget Bridge Android App.Realme C2 sale in India to begin tomorrow at 12 pm: Get all the details here
Realme C2 smartphone will be going on sale in India once again tomorrow. The company is hosting a new flash sale for the smartphone at 12 pm (noon) IST on May 31. The smartphone will go on sale via Flipkart and Realme’s online store. The key specifications of the Realme C2 smartphone are its dual rear camera setup, MediaTek Helio P22 SoC and Android 9.0 Pie. Here’s a look at its price and specifications:
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Realme C2 price in India
Realme C2 is available in India in two storage variants – one with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage and the other with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. While the former costs Rs 5,999, the latter is priced at Rs 7,999. The Realme C2 smartphone is available in Diamond Blue and Diamond Black colour options. The sale of the Realme C2 handset will begin tomorrow at 12 pm (noon) IST. If you wish to buy the smartphone, you can head to Flipkart or Realme’s official website. Coming to the sale offers, Flipkart is offering no-cost EMI at as low as Rs 1,000 per month on the purchase of the smartphone. If you pay using an Axis Bank Buzz credit card, you can get a discount of five percent. If you buy the smartphone via the Realme official website and you pay for the smartphone using MobiKwik, you can get a 10% SupeCash cashback with a maximium value of up to Rs 1,000.Realme C2 specifications
The Realme C2 smartphone sports a 6.1-inch HD+ Dewdrop Full-Screen display. The device is powered by an octa-core Helio P22 12nm processor which is clocked at 2.0GHz and comes with up to 3GB of RAM. A base variant of the smartphone with 2GB of RAM is also available. The 2GB RAM variant comes with 16GB of internal storage and the 3GB RAM model has 32GB of onboard storage. Realme C2 runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with ColorOS 6.0 and the smartphone houses a 4,000mAh battery. For imaging duties, the handset has a dual rear camera setup with 13MP and 2MP sensors. There is also a 5MP front-facing camera on the smartphone that can be used for selfies and video calls. The selfie camera of the smartphone is backed by AI enhancements and comes with support for facial unlock feature. A fingerprint scanner is also present on the device. For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can also stay up to date using the Gadget Bridge Android App.Google, Apple and WhatsApp criticize GCHQ proposal to pry on encrypted chats
A proposal by the UK intelligence agency GCHQ, which alleges that a group of 47 companies have been eavesdropping on encrypted messages, has been criticized strongly by Apple, Google, Microsoft and WhatsApp. The four companies were among the 47 which face the allegations made by the proposal. An open letter has been published on Lawfar, in which the companies have clearly stated that this would undermine security, threaten trust in messaging services that have encryption and endanger citizen’s right to privacy and freedom of expression.
It is worth mentioning that the proposal from GCHQ was published in November last year in a series of essays, and at this point in time, it does not reflect any legislative agenda from the agency. The essay has arguments of two British intelligence officials that law enforcement should be present as a ghost participant in every encrypted chat on these platforms.
This basically means that no matter which messaging service you use; intelligence agencies would be CC’d in on encrypted messages. According to the authors of the proposal, the solution that they have offered is just as invasive as the practices that are being followed currently around eavesdropping on unencrypted telephone conversations.
We should point out that the approach that has been suggested would eliminate the need of back doors to be added to encryption protocols.
However, the technology companies that we mentioned earlier do not agree with this and have said that this solution would “seriously undermine user security and trust.” Furthermore, they have added that for doing this, messaging apps would need to change the way they use encryption and they would also have to mislead users by hiding notifications about who all are present in the chat.
The open letter says, “we write to express our shared concerns that this particular proposal poses serious threats to cybersecurity and fundamental human rights including privacy and free expression.”
It further added, “the ghost proposal would create digital security risks by undermining authentication systems, by introducing potential unintentional vulnerabilities, and by creating new risks of abuse or misuse of systems.”
When the open letter was published, the proposal’s original author Ian Levy from Cyber Security Centre said that the proposal was only hypothetical in nature and it was meant to be a ” starting point for discussion.” In a statement to CNBC, he also added, “We will continue to engage with interested parties and look forward to having an open discussion to reach the best solutions possible.”
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Oppo Reno Z with waterdrop notch display and dual-rear camera setup launched: Price and specifications
Oppo has today launched a new smartphone in its sub-brand Reno – Oppo Reno Z. The smartphone comes with a water-drop notch display instead of the shark-fin camera notch the other Reno devices have. The Oppo Reno Z is the first smartphone of the Reno family to come with a waterdrop-shaped notch as all the other devices come with the same shark fin camera. Other than that, the Oppo Reno Z packs a dual-rear camera setup and is powered by MediaTek Helio P90 CPU. Here are the price details and specifications of the Oppo Reno Z:
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Oppo Reno Z price and availability
The Oppo Reno Z with the 6GB RAM/ 256GB and the 8GB RAM/ 128GB storage sells for the same CNY 2,499 (approximately Rs 25,200). The Oppo Reno Z will come in four colour options – Bead White, Coral Orange, Extreme Night Black and Star Purple. The Oppo Reno Z will go on sale in China from June 6 onwards but the pre-orders are currently open. Other than the Chinese market, the company hasn’t said anything about its availability in the other regions and markets.Oppo Reno Z specifications and features
Oppo Reno Z sports a 6.4-inch Full-HD+ (1080 x 2340 pixels) AMOLED screen with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. There is also HDR10 support on the Oppo Reno Z similar to the OnePlus 7 Pro, and the device has a screen to body ratio of 92%. As mentioned above, the Oppo Reno Z is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio P90 SoC paired with an IMG PowerVR GM 9446 GPU. The device comes with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The Oppo Reno Z runs Android 9 Pie skinned with ColorOS 6.0 and it also comes with company’s own Breeno digital assistant. The newly launched smartphone packs a 4,035mAh battery with VOOC 3.0 fast charging. On the camera front, the Oppo Reno Z features a dual-rear camera setup which comprises of a 48MP primary sensor with an f/1.7 aperture paired with a 5MP lens. On the front, there is a 32MP selfie camera for video chats and selfies. Other features of the Oppo Reno Z includes NFC, Dolby Atmos support, 3.5mm audio hack, and in-display fingerprint sensor.
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Xbox Game Pass subscription is coming to PCs with over 100 titles
Software giant Microsoft has today announced that it is bringing its popular console game subscription service – Xbox Game Pass – to its Windows platform. It is worth pointing out that this is much bigger than just a formal recognition about some of its Xbox games in Game Pass is available for playing on the PC. For those unaware, currently, any of the PC games that are a part of Game Pass are available to play on Xbox or Windows. This has happened because of Microsoft’s Play Anywhere initiative. However, it is also worth noticing that a majority of these titles have been published by the company only.
But now, the company has said that it will be launching a new version of the subscription for Windows computers. This subscription will come with over 100 games from more than 75 developers, which is a lot more compared to fewer than 20 titles that can be accessed via Xbox Game Pass on PC. This obviously means that Microsoft has signed deals with other new developers too.
In a blog post, Xbox Chief Phil Spencer said, “Two years ago, we launched Xbox Game Pass on Xbox One, and since then we’ve seen how valuable a curated library of high-quality games can be for players and game developers alike. We researched whether a similar opportunity exists for PC players and PC game developers, and we believe that it does. We also considered the importance of bringing something new and additive to the PC gaming ecosystem, and we believe that we can. So, we designed a service specifically for the needs of PC gamers and PC game developers. It’s called Xbox Game Pass, just like the original, but it’s a new experience that we are building together with the PC community.”
As of now, there is no word on which games will be made available and how much the subscription will cost. There is also no news on when exactly the new service will be available. Microsoft has added that it will be announcing more details about the Game Pass for PC at the E3 which is scheduled for next month.
However, Microsoft is not silent about the developers it has signed up with. They include Sega, Deep Silver, Bethesda, Paradox Interactive, and Devolver Digital. Subscribers will get be getting the same benefits via the Microsoft Store that the current Xbox Game Pass members get via Xbox Live. It is worth mentioning that this includes playing any internally developed Microsoft game for free on the day it has been released. They will also get 20% off on the price of games in the library
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Meizu 16Xs with Snapdragon 675 CPU, triple-rear camera setup launched: Price and specifications
Chinese smartphone maker Meizu has launched its new smartphone with triple-rear camera and a notchless display in China. Dubbed Meizu 16Xs, the smartphone comes with an in-screen fingerprint scanner along with a Snapdragon CPU. It packs good specifications considering the price it sells for. Other than the smartphone, the company has also launched a headset named Meizu EP2C Type C, and as its name suggests, it supports Type-C connections rather than the regular 3.5mm jack. The new Meizu 16Xs’s launch comes a month after the company revealed its flagship device Meizu 16s which is powered by the Snapdragon 855 SoC, has a 48MP main camera sensor, packs a 3,600mAh battery and comes with a 6.2-inch display. Here’s a look at the price details and specifications of the smartphone:
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Meizu 16Xs price and availability
The Meizu 16Xs with the 6GB RAM/ 64GB storage variant is priced at CNY 1,698 (approximately Rs 17,100) while its other variant with the 6GB RAM/ 128GB storage sells for CNY 1,998 (approximately Rs 20,100). It comes in three colour options – Midnight Black, Silk White and Coral Orange. The Meizu 16Xs will go on sale in China from June 10 onwards. But the company hasn’t revealed anything about the global availability of the device till now. Meizu EP2C Type-C headset was also launched alongside the smartphone and it is priced at CNY 129 (approximately Rs 1,300).Meizu 16Xs specifications and features
The Meizu 16Xs sports a 6.2-inch Full-HD+ (1080 x 2232 pixels) display with an aspect ratio of 18.6:9. It is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 675 SoC paired with Adreno 612 GPU. There is 6GB of RAM present on the Meizu 16Xs and it comes with up to 128GB. Meizu 16Xs runs Android 9 Pie skinned with Flyme OS 7 and it supports dual-SIM cards. The Meizu 16Xs has a slight bezels on the top and the bottom and the back of the handset has a gradient finish. The device packs a 4,000mAh battery that supports 18W fast charging. The Meizu 16Xs features a triple -rear camera setup which comprises of a 48MP Samsung ISOCELL main camera with an f/1.7 aperture paired with an 8MP 118-degree ultra-wide camera with an f/2.2 aperture. The third camera on the device is a 5MP sensor with an f/1.9 aperture. On the front, there is a 16MP selfie camera with an f/2.2 aperture.Other features of the Meizu 16Xs includes USB Type-C port, Dual 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth v5 etc.Which one would be your #Meizu16Xs color? pic.twitter.com/a4AikRznBh
— MEIZU (@MEIZU) May 30, 2019
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Hideo Kojima’s Death Stranding will finally be released on November 8
Death Stranding is a highly anticipated game from one of the best game creators in the industry – Hideo Kojima. After months of teasers and reveals the game has finally gotten a release date. The Sony exclusive title will be released on November 8, 2019 and it has many star cast as its lead protagonists/antagonists. The official release of the game is still months away, but it is up for pre-orders on the PlayStation Store. Official confirmation reveals that there will be four Death Stranding game editions once it launches for the masses. Each edition will have its own add-ons from in-game items to free goodies like a cargo case to a life-sized BB Pod Statue with a baby inside it, which is similar to the game itself.
Yesterday, the game received an 8-minute trailer which showcased some of the characters, the world, the mechanics, graphics and the combat of the upcoming Death Stranding. As mentioned above, Death Stranding is filled with star cast like Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkelsen and even the Oscar award winner Guillermo Del Toro. All of them will play their part in the game. PlayStation Store has listed the game’s release date to November 8, 2019 and it has been put under the action/ adventure title with a PEGI-18 rating.
Now, talking about the different editions of the game, the Death Stranding Digital Edition is currently priced at $59.99, and the price on PlayStation Store’s India is Rs 3,999. On the other hand, the Death Stranding Digital Deluxe Edition holds a price tag of $79.99 and is up for pre-order. Its India price is listed as Rs 4,799 on PlayStation Store. There is also a Death Stranding Special Edition with a price tag of $69.99 (approximately Rs 4,900) and lastly the Death Stranding Collector’s Edition with $199.99 price tag (approximately Rs 14,000). It is the collector’s edition of the game which will come with goodies like the custom case along with the BB Pod Statue, a Ludens key ring along with a cargo case.
As mentioned above, the game will be a PS4 Exclusive and it is using the Decima Engine. In addition to this, Kojima himself tweeted that the game will come in three versions (in terms of language). There will be one with an English voice version, another with English voice with a Japanese subtitles version and lastly there will be one with fully Japanese voice version. Kojima describes the game as a unique type of action game with something called a Social Strand System.Alone, we have no future.
— PlayStation Europe (@PlayStationEU) May 29, 2019
Legendary creator @Hideo_Kojima_EN returns on 8th November with Death Stranding. Get the details on all of the incoming editions: https://t.co/glfdas3nX1 pic.twitter.com/bAHm9nz5Or
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15 best websites to keep yourself entertained for hours
Are you bored and have nothing to do? Can’t think of anything to pass the next few hours? We are here to help you. Here’s a list of websites that will keep you entertained for hours or even days. Check them out now:
Ted is a website on which you can spend hours. You can choose from thousands of talks on the website that are informative and interesting. Many of these talks are from people who are leaders and experts in their respective fields, so you would not only be spending your idle time in an entertaining way, but you may even find something that you can learn from.
What’s the difference between innovators and entrepreneurs? Or how are hate speech and free speech different from each other? If you often find yourself pondering on questions like these, Difference Between is the website for you. You’ll find all your answers there.
If you are someone who is interested in history, Whizzpast is the place for you. It doesn’t matter which era you wish to learn about. Whizzpast has interesting information and pictures of all of them.
You wouldn’t even realise the number of hours you end up spending on this website. On Sporcle, you would be able to find quizzes on literally any topic in the world. Furthermore, you will also get the option of creating your own quizzes. If you have free time in hand and don’t know what to do, head to Sporcle.
If you are learning a new language, Lang-8 can help you do it better. All you have to do is go and write in that language and native speakers will come and correct you, if required. They would also be able to tell you a better way of saying the same thing. It’s a fun website to learn how to speak a new language.
Browse comic strips made by talented users, or show your own talent by creating strips on the website. You can then share with your friends on social media and garner appreciation for yourself.
You don’t have to be an artist to create the most beautiful and dreamy pieces of art on Silk. All you need is a mouse and some time at hand. Just visit the website and get started with your first drawing to see what magical pieces of art you didn’t know you can create.
As the name suggests, this website is very useful to anyone who is looking for useless websites to kill time on. You’ll find scores of them on The Useless Web and your time will fly without you getting bored.
GeoGuessr is a very interesting website to be on. It will show you various pictures from Google Streetview and you will have to guess where exactly they are from. You can spend hours on this one.
If you don’t like any fonts that are available on Word or Powerpoint because they aren’t personalised enough, you can create your own. Just head to Calligraphr and make a new font based on your handwriting.
This is pure sorcery. We are not exaggerating. Visit the website, think of a character (real fictional) and then hit ‘Play’. With just a few questions about your character, Akinator would accurately guess what you thought. We tried it thrice before putting it in on the list, and trust us, it works.
On Kongregate, you can find thousands of free games online. These include the big, popular ones, as well as the lesser known ones. If you are a gamer, this is the website for you.
Again, this is a website where you can spend hours. You will be given a query and you will be asked how Google completes it. Take a few guesses and see how close you can get to the real Google autocomplete.
If you want to see where exactly we are today in terms of the history of all of the recorded time, then this website will help you find that out. It’s something everyone should check out at least once.
As the name suggests, this website will recommend different documentaries that you can watch. Choose a topic and find various documentaries on it and spend hours watching them.
For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can also stay up to date using the Gadget Bridge Android App.
[td_smart_list_end]
In This Article
Ted
Ted is a website on which you can spend hours. You can choose from thousands of talks on the website that are informative and interesting. Many of these talks are from people who are leaders and experts in their respective fields, so you would not only be spending your idle time in an entertaining way, but you may even find something that you can learn from.
Difference between
What’s the difference between innovators and entrepreneurs? Or how are hate speech and free speech different from each other? If you often find yourself pondering on questions like these, Difference Between is the website for you. You’ll find all your answers there.
Whizzpast
If you are someone who is interested in history, Whizzpast is the place for you. It doesn’t matter which era you wish to learn about. Whizzpast has interesting information and pictures of all of them.
Sporcle
You wouldn’t even realise the number of hours you end up spending on this website. On Sporcle, you would be able to find quizzes on literally any topic in the world. Furthermore, you will also get the option of creating your own quizzes. If you have free time in hand and don’t know what to do, head to Sporcle.
Lang-8
If you are learning a new language, Lang-8 can help you do it better. All you have to do is go and write in that language and native speakers will come and correct you, if required. They would also be able to tell you a better way of saying the same thing. It’s a fun website to learn how to speak a new language.
Strip Generator
Browse comic strips made by talented users, or show your own talent by creating strips on the website. You can then share with your friends on social media and garner appreciation for yourself.
Silk
You don’t have to be an artist to create the most beautiful and dreamy pieces of art on Silk. All you need is a mouse and some time at hand. Just visit the website and get started with your first drawing to see what magical pieces of art you didn’t know you can create.
The Useless Web
As the name suggests, this website is very useful to anyone who is looking for useless websites to kill time on. You’ll find scores of them on The Useless Web and your time will fly without you getting bored.
GeoGuessr
GeoGuessr is a very interesting website to be on. It will show you various pictures from Google Streetview and you will have to guess where exactly they are from. You can spend hours on this one.
Calligraphr
If you don’t like any fonts that are available on Word or Powerpoint because they aren’t personalised enough, you can create your own. Just head to Calligraphr and make a new font based on your handwriting.
Akinator
This is pure sorcery. We are not exaggerating. Visit the website, think of a character (real fictional) and then hit ‘Play’. With just a few questions about your character, Akinator would accurately guess what you thought. We tried it thrice before putting it in on the list, and trust us, it works.
Kongregate
On Kongregate, you can find thousands of free games online. These include the big, popular ones, as well as the lesser known ones. If you are a gamer, this is the website for you.
Google Feud
Again, this is a website where you can spend hours. You will be given a query and you will be asked how Google completes it. Take a few guesses and see how close you can get to the real Google autocomplete.
Here is Today
If you want to see where exactly we are today in terms of the history of all of the recorded time, then this website will help you find that out. It’s something everyone should check out at least once.
Documentary Heaven
As the name suggests, this website will recommend different documentaries that you can watch. Choose a topic and find various documentaries on it and spend hours watching them.
For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can also stay up to date using the Gadget Bridge Android App.
[td_smart_list_end] Samsung Galaxy Note 10’s battery capacity along with full render revealed
As we are inching closer to the launch of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10, which will be the next flagship smartphone for 2019, more renders, leaks and reveals are surfacing online. We have already seen that the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 will come in two variants, and according to a new leak, the cheaper variant of the model will be called the Samsung Galaxy Note 10e. The new name makes sense as the Galaxy S10e is also the cheapest of the Galaxy S10-series. There also has been rumours that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 10 will pack a 3,400mAh battery which is lower than last year’s Samsung Galaxy Note 9 which has 4,000mAh battery capacity. In addition to this, a new render has surfaced online revealing the design and the build of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note 10. The render reveals that the next in the Galaxy Note will feature a quad-camera arranged in a vertical way (similar to the Huawei P30 Pro). At the front, there is a center-placed hole-punch camera.
The top-end variant of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 will reportedly pack a 4,500mAh battery while the lower variant will have the 3,400mAh battery. The battery pack of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 reveals the build EB-BN970ABU. According to a report by GalaxyClub, N970 in the name is similar to the model number of the lower variant of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 with model number SM-N970. Other reports suggest that the Samsung Galaxy Note 10’s Pro variant has the model number SM-N975. A tipster named Ice Universe revealed that both the variants of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 will have a single front-facing camera placed in a punch-hole camera setup, just like the ones that we saw on Samsung Galaxy S10. However, we should point out that while Samsung Galaxy S10’s selfie camera was placed on the top left, Note 10 would have it in the centre.
Now, talking about the new render of the Samsung Galaxy Note 10, it was brought out by designer Ben Geskin. In the render, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 is shown with a single front camera and the quad-rear camera setup placed in a vertical alignment. Three cameras are placed together similar to the Huawei P30 Pro, while besides it is the strip which reportedly contains the LED flash, ToF camera and a flood illuminator.
Other than the camera, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 render shows a bezel-less full screen curved Infinity-O display design. The screen might be a Super AMOLED as the other premium Samsung smartphones. And lastly the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 might come in a gradient back finish in more than one colours.
For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can also stay up to date using the Gadget Bridge Android App.
Flipkart’s Flipstart Days sale to is back with discounts on laptops, mobiles, electronics, and more
After the Flipkart’s Big Shopping Days sale and the Month End Mobiles Fest sale, the online e-commerce platform’s Flipstart Days sale is coming back. The Flipstart Days sale will start from June 1 and will go on till June 3, 2019 and during this time, Flipkart is offering discounts and offers on many products and categories. This is the third Flipstart Days sale brought by Flipkart since the start of 2019. Flipkart has partnered with Axis Bank to offer a 10% instant discount for customers who use Axis Bank Debit or Credit card for making the purchases. The e-commerce platform said that it will be bringing up to 80% discounts on headphones, laptops, mobile accessories etc.
Flipkart has put out a landing page for its upcoming Flipstart Days sale which reveals the details of the sale and the products which will be available on discount. Flipkart is providing up to 80% discount on the purchase of any electronics during the sale and up to 70% discount off on the headphones and speakers from Sony, JBL or other brands. During the sale, you can buy laptops for as low as Rs 12,990.
Flipstart Days sale is also putting discounts on mobile accessories which includes power banks, mobile cases, covers etc. Other than that, the e-commerce platform is also giving the no-cost EMI, extended warranty along with exchange offers to the users who buy these products.
The company is also giving TV and other appliances on up to 75% discount in the Flipstart Days sale. The 32-inch Vu Smart HD TV will sell at Rs 12,499 during the sale. ACs and refrigerators can be bought with up to 50% discount.
Electronics aside, during the Flipstart Days sale, Flipkart is giving discounts on home appliances. So, you can get Juicer mixer grinders at Rs 999 and steam irons at Rs 299. There are also discounts and offers on Home and Furniture category which will be getting from 30% to 75% discount. Fashion products will be getting up to 80% discount as well. Finally, there are discounts on toys, books, sports products as well.
As mentioned above, Flipkart’s Flipstart Days sale will start from June 1, 12:00 am (midnight) and will conclude on June 3, 11:59 pm (midnight).
What would you be buying from Flipkart during the sale? Let us know in the comments section below!
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World Cup Bonanza: Get a TV for as low as Rs 3,699
Just before the Cricket World Cup 2019, Detel has launched a new television in India that is priced at Rs 3,699. Dubbed Detel D1 Star, the new offering by the company is claimed to be the cheapest TV in India and has gone on sale in the country already.
If you are interested in buying the Detel D1 Star TV, you can or head to B2BAdda website for distributors and partners. You can also download Detel’s smartphone app to order the television for yourself.
Coming to the features and specifications, the newly-launched television comes with a 17-inch LED display that has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Detel D1 Star comes with a host of connectivity options including HDMI, USB and VGA ports. The television has two speakers on its each side. Detel D1 Star comes with support for 10W speakers and 5Wx2 speakers.
On the launch of D1 Star, Mr Yogesh Bhatia, MD, Detel said, “Our mission stays intact and we are grateful that Indians around nooks and corners of the country accepted and appreciated our product Detel D1. We will continue to strive hard in order to make a change in the lives of unconnected people. Every product of ours has a different objective to fill in the gaps in the ecosystem. This is indeed a societal initiative which is promoting the idea of – Ab Har Ghar TV Se World Cup dekhega India.”
He further added, “We together embarked on a never-ending journey and presently we are working on a series of special initiatives which are set to bring a real-time change in the lives of unconnected Indians.”
The new offering from Detel comes with a warranty of 1 year and it has been launched under the company’s initiative ‘Ab Har Ghar TV Se Har Ghar World Cup.’ The company has said that the aim of its new initiative is to help “unconnected Indians to connect with their favourite sport – Cricket.”
The company has claimed that the new Detel D1 Star TV is the cheapest TV in India. Other than launching the television, the company has also announced a number of offers on its LED TV ranging from 24-inch to 65-inch TVs. These include:
- With Detel’s tie-up with Pine labs, any customer holding a credit card of 13 banks can swipe the card and take home a Detel TV with zero down payments
- Give a missed call on “02071171710” to of zest money and avail 6 months interest-free EMI, with a down payment of 35%
- Comprehensive warranty for LED TV is 1 year
- Additional Warranty for the LED Panel is 2 years
Samsung Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20 receives Android 9 Pie update days before its scheduled roll out
Samsung Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20 were to receive the new Android 9 Pie update on June 3 as per the schedule shared by company. But days before its scheduled arrival date, both the smartphones of the Samsung Galaxy M-series have received the new Android 9 Pie skinned with One UI update. Other than a new Android version and UI, the update also brings the May 2019 Android security patch to both the Samsung Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20.
The update file size of the Samsung Galaxy M10 is of 926MB and the one for Galaxy is 1883MB. Both the updates will automatically will reach the devices of the users but if it doesn’t, it can be downloaded manually. To manually download the new updates, the users would need to go to Settings and then head to Software Updates to check the updates. Once there, the smartphone will automatically check for new updates. If there is a new update is available, it will ask permission to download the update file. But it should be noted that the update file is large in size so a good Wi-Fi connection is required to download the new updates. Once downloaded, you can tap on the ‘Update Now’ button to update the device but we recommend to do so only when the battery is at least at 30%.
The biggest change the new update for Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20 brings is the One UI v1.1 which is the latest and the cleanest UI from Samsung. When launched, both these devices came with Android 8 Oreo skinned with Experience UI. The One UI has many changes than the previous Experience UI and the new skin brings some options and features to the bottom part of the screen. The new UI also comes with the Night Mode which eases up the viewing experience on the user’s eyes. There is also the notification control feature like the ability to reply to messages directly from the notification panel itself.
Other than that, the new One UI removes the pre-installed applications which came with the earlier Experience UI like LinkedIn and Mobile Office, and adds support for HEIF (High-Efficiency Image File) image format. There is addition of adaptive themes and new emojis for the Samsung Keyboard and a floating keyboard. The camera app on the Samsung Galaxy M20 has also received a new mode called Scene Optimizer which automatically adjusts the colour settings of the image. The Gallery of the smartphones have also been added with new features in the Editing section.
The new Android Pie updates for the Samsung Galaxy M10 and the Samsung Galaxy M20 comes a week after the South Korean technology giant had brought out Android Pie for the Samsung Galaxy M30.
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WhatsApp for Android gets a feature that enables Continuous Voice Message Playback
Facebook-owned WhatsApp has rolled out a new update for its Android app with addition of continuous audio clip playback feature. This feature is now available as a part of a stable update for WhatsApp for Android so all the users of the application can download it. The application can be updated through Google Play Store or through the application itself. In addition to this, another feature was spotted being tested on the beta version of the application, which will give the users the ability to share their WhatsApp status as a Facebook status. There is another feature which was being tested on the beta version of the app, which adds a dedicated QR code button in the application’s profile section which can be scanned by other users to share their details.
The new version of WhatsApp for Android holds the version number v2.19.150 and it can be downloaded through the Google Play Store. Although the smartphone will receive the update notification on its own but if it doesn’t it can be downloaded manually.
Talking about the new feature of WhatsApp for Android, it will automatically start playing the next audio clip sent to the user as a message once the previous audio clip has finished playing. And the users won’t have to tap on the play button on separate voice messages again and again to play after one has ended. Other than the new feature, the application update has also patched a vulnerability (CVE-2019-3568) which was in the earlier version of WhatsApp.
Although the new feature is not a major one like the dark mode but it will be helpful for conversations in which the users send and receive multiple voice messages. It should be noted that this feature was first spotted on the platform’s beta version – WhatsApp beta 2.19.86 for Android back in March 2019.
Other than the new feature, this version of the app doesn’t bring the features which we saw earlier being tested on the beta version of WhatsApp. Earlier, we saw that the beta version of WhatsApp comes with a feature which would let the users share their WhatsApp Status with Facebook Stories. Similar to Instagram Stories which gives the option to upload the same Story on their Facebook profile, the WhatsApp Status sharing works the same. And also, there is another feature which puts a dedicated QR code button on WhatsApp. This QR code will allow the users to share their user information with other users.
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Apple TV and Music apps for Mac revealed via screenshots
Cupertino based technology giant Apple will be unveiling its next big update for the macOS and iOS at its WWDC event that is scheduled for Monday. Before Apple’s WWDC 2019 begins, we are getting more and more glimpses of what the company plans to announce next. Some screenshots have surfaced online that show the new designs of the Apple TV and Music apps for the macOS 10.15.
The screenshots have been shared by 9to5Mac, which also shared screenshots of the Dark Mode and updated iOS apps yesterday. The screenshots show colourful icons on the left menu bar with a look and feel that may remind some of iTunes. Much like the Apple Music app on mobile, you can browse songs in the new macOS Music app under various categories. These include ‘For You’ and ‘Radio’. The centre of the Apple Music app has the playback control option.
Coming to the TV app, it offers more at the navigation bar in the centre. You can even browse through various apps like Watch Now, Movies, TV Shows, Kids, and Library. Each tab can be used to sort through more genres of content in the app.
Speaking of the screenshots that showed the new Dark Mode in iOS 13, they depict that it will work across the dock in apps like Music. The company is also said to add a switch in the Control Center or within the main iOS Settings page.
The Reminders app for iOS 13 can also be seen in the screenshots that have been shared. We should mention that they appear to be completely revamped and it will come with separate sections for today, scheduled, flagged, and all. It will also let users search through existing reminders. The report also says that the company is combining its Find my Friends and Find my iPhone apps into a single app called ‘Find My’.
iOS 13 will come with a revamped Health app and upgraded Maps app. It will also have native support to use the iPad as a secondary Mac screen. Among the most prominent features of iOS 13 will be Dark Mode on iPhones and iPads.
Apple had sent out invites for its WWDC 2019 event last week it has been confirmed that the event will take place on June 3 at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California.
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Flipboard database hacked, user credentials downloaded several times over 9 months
Earlier this week, Flipboard, a popular news platform revealed that its database which contained the account information of the users was hacked. The company also revealed that the data was downloaded several times during the last 9 months. The data which was downloaded by the hackers contained the user information and user credentials. The company has also sent emails to all its users revealing the matter. The official Flipboard website has also posted a security incident notice which reveals the details about the data breach. Flipboard has around 150 million users but it remains unknown about the number of users who were affected with the attack. Taking a precautionary measure, the platform reset the passwords of all its users, the reset includes the passwords which were protected cryptographically.
According to the email sent by Flipboard to its users revealing the details, the hackers had gained access to some of its database which contained account information between June 2, 2018 and March 23, 2019 and April 21 to April 22, 2019. The email further reveals that the database contained the user’s name, password and email address. The hacker attack was discovered on April 23, 2019 by the Flipboard engineers.
Flipboard on its website stated, “Our engineering team became aware of the incident after identifying suspicious activity in the environment where the databases reside.”
The company has also assured that not all the users were affected from this attack but as a precaution it has reset all the passwords of the users. And as mentioned above, the number of users who suffered the attack remain unknown. The company also revealed that the hackers had downloaded a large amount of user’s passwords during the security failure using bcrypt. But for the users who haven’t changed their passwords since March 14, 2012, the company has protected their passwords using the SHA-1 encryption. The company has also informed the law enforcement about the hack and unauthorised access, and involved an external security firm to investigate the flaw and look further into the matter.
Flipboard said, “To help prevent something like this from happening in the future, we implemented enhanced security measures and continue to look for additional ways to strengthen the security of our systems.”
Flipboard rotated all the existing digital tokens which the users who used third party application credentials like Facebook, Google or Twitter to log in. But the users can still use the apps to log in to Flipboard.
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Samsung Galaxy M40 price revealed days before its official launch: Get all the details
South Korean technology giant Samsung is bringing a new device to its Galaxy M-series line-up in India on June 11 – the Samsung Galaxy M40. As expected, the Samsung Galaxy M40 will sit after the Samsung Galaxy M30 and will offer better specifications and features and before its official launch, the price of the device has been revealed. Some of the highlights of the Samsung Galaxy M40 are that it will be powered by Snapdragon CPU which is unlike the other smartphones in the Galaxy M-series which are powered by the Exynos SoC.
In This Article
Samsung Galaxy M40 price in India
According to Asim Warsi, Senior Vice President of Mobile Business, Samsung India told Gadgets 360 in an interview that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy M40 will have everything the consumers love about the Galaxy M-series. He said that the Galaxy M10, Galaxy M20 and the Galaxy M30 were priced between Rs 8,000 and Rs 18,000, but the Samsung Galaxy M40 will “come around the give or take Rs 20,000 price point.”Samsung Galaxy M40 specifications and features (expected)
According to the recent tease by Samsung and Amazon about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy M40, it will feature a Super AMOLED display with a hole punch cut out on top for the camera module. As mentioned above, it will be powered by the Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 675 SoC and will pack a huge 5,000mAh battery similar to the Samsung Galaxy M30’s. The Samsung Galaxy M40 will run Android 9.0 Pie skinned with One UI. On the camera front, the Samsung Galaxy M40 will pack a triple-rear camera setup which comprises of a 32MP main primary sensor along with two other secondary lens. The Samsung Galaxy M40 will also have ‘Screen Sound’ feature which means that the screen will produce the sound for calls through vibrations. This is also a new feature coming to the Galaxy M-series and it was originally called the Sound on Display (SoD) which was unveiled last year in May. This technology is also used by LG and Huawei in their latest flagship devices. At the given price point, the Samsung Galaxy M40 will compete with some of the most popular smartphones in their category like the Redmi Note 7 Pro, Nokia 7.1, Poco F1, etc. Since the Samsung Galaxy M40 is listed on Amazon India, it is safe to assume that the device when launched will be sold through Amazon and Samsung Online Stores. As mentioned above, the Samsung Galaxy M40 will be launched in India on June 11.
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Amazon Echo Show 5 with 5.5-inch display launched in India: Price and features
After it launched the Amazon Echo Show in India, the e-commerce giant has unveiled a new product in the country – Amazon Echo Show 5. The newly launched Amazon Echo Show 5 comes with a 5.5-inch 960×480-pixels display and sports a 1MP camera. The device has a single full-range speaker that is 1.65-inches in size. The smart speaker from Amazon is way more affordable than the Amazon Echo Show, which is priced at Rs 22,999. The new device can be picked up at Rs 8,999 and has a number of features in common with the high-end one. The shipping of Amazon Echo Show 5 will begin on July 18 in India.
Interested customers will be able to choose the Amazon Echo Show 5 in two colour options – White and Black. Just like the high-end Amazon Echo Show, the new smart display-cum-speaker lets users communicate with the company’s popular AI-based digital assistant Alexa. Other than this, users will also be able to get visual cues to Alexa’s verbal responses via the 5.5-inch touchscreen on the device. So, if you are looking for lists, recipes or videos, the screen on Amazon Echo Show 5 will prove to be useful.
We should also mention that just like any other Amazon Echo devices that come with a screen, the Amazon Echo Show 5 can be used to make video calls, watch TV shows, stream music and even control compatible devices. A number of Alexa skills can be activated by the users and the screen of the device proves to be a useful addition in most cases.
Powered by MediaTek MT8163 chipset, the Echo Show 5 can be connected to the internet using a Wi-Fi connection. The smart speaker also has Bluetooth functionality, much like any other wireless speaker. Using the Bluetooth connectivity option, it can be connected to various devices including smartphones, tablets, and even laptops and computers.
Another important feature that we should talk about is the ability of users to delete voice recordings and any Amazon records of they said to the speaker with just a simple command. The speaker also addresses the privacy concern that some people has with a button that can control a physical shutter for the camera and a button that has been used to turn off the microphone.
We should point out that since Amazon Echo Show 5 is available at Rs 8,999 in India, it is the most affordable of the other Echo devices that are available with a screen. While the Echo show is priced at Rs 22,999, the Echo Spot costs Rs 12,999.
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Microsoft Excel for iPhone can now click photos of spreadsheets
Software giant Microsoft is updating Excel for iPhone so that users will be able to import spreadsheets and tables into the app using their handset’s camera. The feature isn’t a new one as it first made its debut on the Android version of the Microsoft Excel app in March this year. Now, it has finally made its way to iPhones. With the new feature, iPhone users will be able to take a picture of a printed data table and convert it into a fully-editable table in the Excel app.
Furthermore, the feature will also enable them to import the data with Excel for iPhone and then resume editing it, even if you use the app via Windows or Mac. The company has deployed artificial intelligence to get this useful feature to Excel for iPhone. It has also made use of optical character recognition (OCR) and machine learning to convert paper-based data into digital tables.
The image recognition in the app will be able to detect financial spreadsheets, work schedules, task lists, timetables, and other kinds of tables. It is one of the most impressive features in Microsoft’s Excel mobile apps yet. The company had to club its work on the PDF Reflow feature for word, the Office Lens app and Seeing AI in order to get this feature to work right.
The new Microsoft Excel feature is available for iPhones in 21 countries starting today. Users will just need to update their apps in order to start using the new feature.
We should also mention that when this feature was rolled out for Android, it was announced that it will be available to Microsoft 365 users too. Other than this, the company also said back then that its Authenticator app will start getting Microsoft Account security alerts. These security alerts can be used to secure personal accounts like Outlook.com. Just like other authenticator apps do, the feature sends users notifications when an account password is changed. They are also notified about other account related activities via the feature. The software giant has added these alerts in the Microsoft Authenticator for both iOS and Android.
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How to live with a smartphone with low internal storage
Smartphones today are able to store data beyond what we could have hoped for a few years ago as 128GB and 256GB internal storage has become a norm. People can use the data available on smartphones to store their apps, data, pictures, etc. But that is possible today, a few years earlier, smartphones didn’t have that amount of internal storage. Earlier, we had to rely on external storage like microSD cards for data storage so that our phones could work properly with some memory remaining.
However, even today, there are a number of entry-level smartphones that come with very limited RAM and internal storage. Users of such handsets often face problems about what they should keep in their smartphone and what they must delete. Having too many files on such devices slows down the performance.
Luckily, there are a number of things that you can do to make the most of the limited storage on your smartphone in a way that it doesn’t affect your day to day life. Read on to find out more about it.
- Backup your photos to Google Photos – All the smartphones today come with Google applications and one of the most useful apps by the technology giant is Google Photos. Google Photos does what its name suggests, it stores photographs in its online/cloud storage. You can even set it to the automatic backup mode by going to the Settings so that whenever you click a picture from your camera, it will automatically get saved in your Google Photos account. You can later delete the photo from the internal memory to clear up space.
- Clear Cache – Cache is the temporary files that an Android system uses for later references. It saves time and bandwidth when an application is launched. But over a period of time, the app collects too much cache which gets stored in the internal storage of the device. You should clear the cache by going to the Settings of the device, then to the application then to Clear Cache to clear the stored up the cache.
- Using Light (Lite) apps – Some of the major applications like Facebook, Messenger uses data which is too much for a device with low storage. First, these apps are heavy in size and secondly, they use lots of memory to work. But using Lite version of the same apps can give you enough space with the same experience. The Lite app versions could be downloaded from Google Play Store.
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Should the US trade ban on Huawei worry Xiaomi?
If you follow technology news, you would know that Chinese smartphone brand Huawei has been at loggerheads with the US government for quite some time now. The tensions between the two became far more serious this month when the Trump administration imposed a ban on all the companies in the United States from doing any kind of business with Huawei. What followed was after the US trade ban was quite a nightmare for Huawei.
All major technology companies that are based in the United States, including Google, Intel, Qualcomm, Broadcom and Microsoft, halted their business with the Chinese smartphone brand. ARM, which is not based in the US but manufactures some chips there, also followed the suit.
This means that Huawei now does not have access to Android (except the version available as open source), mobile processors and Windows platform for laptops. While it has been reported that the company has stockpiled enough components to last three months to a year, it is far from being a permanent solution. It is nearly impossible for any company to produce smartphones without all these companies. Ironically, this happened right after Huawei took over Apple as the No.2 smartphone brand in the world in terms of shipments.
All of this happened with Huawei because the Chinese government is said to be using the company’s devices for spying on users. Although this is something that Huawei has always denied, the reports about this aren’t new. But then, the United States government seems convinced enough that this is actually the case. The government issued a warning to consumers to avoid using devices from Huawei saying that they are a threat to national security. More recently, it imposed the ban on doing any kind of business with the company too.
While Huawei has a huge battle to fight right now, the real question is that are other Chinese smartphone manufacturers safe? Or should they be equally worried too? We should mention that reports have previously surfaced online that claim that other Chinese smartphone makers like Xiaomi, Vivo and Oppo are also being used to spy on people. If this is indeed true, then how safe are these companies right now?
Since Huawei has been embroiled in the controversy with the US government, the sales of all of these companies have gone up. However, that may be just a very temporary thing to have happened. If other Chinese smartphone makers are found to be as guilty as Huawei, then we should mention that companies in the United States may halt their business with them too, which will put all of them in danger. This will not only hurt the companies’ future business, but also the consumers who would stop receiving Android updates. This has already happened with Huawei P30 Pro users, as the premium smartphone has been removed from Android’s official website and other platforms.
Another cause of concern for users of smartphones from these companies is their data. Even if they use their smartphones for a year and then change it, they should remember that the Chinese government may be accessing all of their data. Considering the fact that smartphones are today used to access even banking apps, this makes it a very risky thing to have a smartphone from the likes of Xiaomi with you.
We spoke to Faisal Kawoosa, Founder and Chief Analyst of Analytics Research Consulting firm techARC, about how US trade ban will affect Chinese brands other than Huawei, and he said, “If the issue escalates, then companies other than Huawei will be impacted. This includes Chinese smartphone brands as well as American companies like Google because, at the end of the day, Android is also primarily spread by Chinese smartphones. So businesses in both countries will be affected. But then, as of now, it seems unlikely that the situation will become that bad.”
Kawoosa also spoke about how India will be affected by US trade ban saying, “Indian market will be affected by this, because we depend on the United States as well as China when it comes to smartphones. It is in the best interest for all that Huawei and the US resolve the matter.”
It may be too soon to determine what will happen to Chinese smartphone makers other than Huawei, we can say one thing: If Huawei smartphones are used by the Chinese government to spy on people, chances are that other companies like Xiaomi would not be exempted from this either. So, we can safely say that if using a Huawei smartphone is a threat to security, then using another device from a Chinese company is not safe either. Till the time a conclusion between the US and Huawei is reached, buying any smartphone from any Chinese brand may mean potentially having to use a handset that does not even get Android updates.
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