Last week, the T-Series YouTube channel finally took over PewDiePie after months of battle between the two channels to be No.1 on the video sharing platform. T-Series YouTube channel has been ahead of PewDiePie in terms of number for a few days now, and while the gap between them is fluctuating, T-Series is comfortably maintaining its lead.
However, not everyone can accept being defeated with grace. And PewDiePie‘s owner Felix Kjellberg just showed us that he cannot take losing that well as he has just posted a sarcastic video on YouTube in which under the pretext of congratulating T-Series, he is actually just taking potshots at it.
The video, named Congratulations on Kjellberg’s YouTube channel reminds us a lot of Bitch Lasagna. In the video, Kjellberg can be seen saying that all it took to take him down was “a massive corporate entity with every song in Bollywood.” Much like Bitch Lasagna, Kjellberg has not been subtle in this video and has done a lot of trash-talking about T-Series.
He even made remarks about T-Series chairman Bhushan Kumar of certain misdoings, quoting a report of a popular Indian daily newspaper that says that Kumar alleged evaded huge tax and siphoned off “hundreds of crores to foreign countries to purchase properties in the names of his employees.” He has also mentioned in his video that T-Series sent him a cease and desist letter after he released the video ‘Bitch Lasagna’.
Furthermore, his video had some derogatory remarks for Indians in general like, “for serious Indian mafia, please don’t kill me, that’s a joke.” Kjellberg even sarcastically apologised to Indians for all the memes he has made on them. He went ahead and said, “India got YouTube figured out…How about next you figure how to fix the caste system… May be all those ads will solve your crippling poverty.”
However, we should point out here that all is not as it seems in the video. To begin with, Kjellberg makes it look like T-Series only managed to win because it is corporate, while he is not. But then, that is not the case. We aren’t denying that T-series is a corporate, but it is worth adding that PewDiePie has been associated with corporates too. For those unaware, Kjellberg’s income was reported to be $15 million in 2016, and it is not possible for a YouTuber who is not associated with a corporate to earn that much.
When PewDiePie’s subscriber base was less than 1 million, Kjellberg had a deal with Machinima. However, he did not stick to it for long and switched quickly to Maker Studios and their deal even survived the acquisition of the company by Disney. T-Series, on the other hand, was started by Gulshan Kumar in 1983, who previously used to sell fruit juice in New Delhi’s streets. After he was murdered in 1997, his son and younger brother started running T-Series.
Even though numbers are not required to know that Disney is far bigger than T-Series, the former’s annual revenue for 2018 was $59 billion, while the latter’s was less than $200 million. That is enough to prove who among the two is more corporate.
But then, we must point out that Kjellberg has not been associated with Disney since 2017, and the deal did not end by his choice. Disney did not want to continue to be associated with him because of anti-Semitic commentary and imagery in his videos that led to a controversy. Although his relationship with Disney ended, he still managed to make $12 million in 2017 and it is worth noticing that his videos still carry advertisements. Last year, he made $15.5 million.
Another thing we should mention here is that even though India has a population of 1.3 billion, not everyone has access to the internet. Only a quarter of the people in India own a smartphone and around reports suggest that 245 million among them use YouTube regularly. And this actually makes it a big deal for T-Series to overtake PewDiePie.
The two YouTube channels were neck-to-neck for months now and Kjellberg did everything he could to stay ahead of the record label. He launched a campaign called ‘Subscribe to PewDiePie’ which, we have to admit, went a little too far. His fans went a little overboard when they hacked printers so that they print out ‘Subscribe to PewDiePie’, some even drew a graffiti on a World War II memorial, bought billboards and TV spots, among other things. More recently, the attacker in New Zealand’s mosques also started his video saying ‘Subscribe to PewDiePie.’
Most users who support PewDiePie say that the channel reminds them of how internet initially was. And let’s face it, in the initial days of the internet, most people who used it was white English speaking males who had an interest in gaming. However, today the internet is way more diverse than that and people from all walks of life access it for content in their own language. Today, the internet is way more global than it was initially. So it was only a matter of time before another channel overtook PewDiePie. It was never a question of if it would happen. But the correct question was when it would happen. And now that it has happened for real, T-Series sits with the title of the No.1 YouTube channel.
After the launch of the Vivo V15 Pro in February, the company unveiled a non-Pro and watered-down version of the device named Vivo V15 last month. The Vivo V15 Pro went on pre-orders in India started last week. And today onwards, the company has officially started its sale of the Vivo V15 smartphone in India. The smartphone will be available for purchase through online e-commerce sites like Flipkart and Amazon India and people can also buy it from offline retailers. Similar to the Vivo V15 Pro, the Vivo V15 sports a pop-up selfie camera and has a triple-rear camera setup.
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Vivo V15 price and launch offers in India
The Vivo V15 bears a price tag of Rs 23,990 for the 6GB RAM and 64GB storage variant. It comes in three colour options — Frozen Black, Glamour Red and Royal Blue. We should mention that the last one is currently not on sale.
As mentioned above, the pre-orders of the Vivo V15 started last week on different platforms online. Starting today, interested buyers can purchase the smartphone via Tata CLiQ, Paytm Mall and other offline retail stores.
Launch offers of the Vivo V15 include a one-time free screen replacement and no-cost EMI options for up to 15 months. There is also an additional exchange value of Rs 2,000 and Rs 1,000 loyalty benefit over the experience value.
Other offers include benefits worth Rs 10,000 from Reliance Jio which is offering up to 3.3TB of data and the Jio Vivo Cricket Offer. There are also various offers on the purchase of Vivo V15 using major banks credit and debit cards. The customers will also get 5 cahsback on SBI cards and on EMI transactions.
Vivo V15 specifications
The Vivo V15 sports a 6.53-inch Full HD (1080 x 2340 pixels) InCell FullView display with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The screen of the device is protected by a Corning Gorilla Glass 5. The Vivo V15 is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio P70 SoC paired with 6GB of RAM. The device runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with Funtouch OS 9 and it packs a 4,000mAh battery. The Vivo V15 can support dual-SIM (Nano) cards and it has 64GB of internal storage with support of a microSD card of up to 256GB.
Your new #VivoV15 with 32MP Pop-up Selfie Camera is available in stores now at INR 23,990/-. What are you waiting for? #GoPop
On the camera front, the Vivo V15 features a triple rear camera setup which comprises of a 12MP (dual pixel) primary sensor with an f/1.78 aperture paired with an 8MP secondary sensor with an f/2.2 aperture along with a 5MP senor with an f/2.4 aperture. While the 32MP sensor on the front is housed in a pop-up selfie camera that comes with an f/2.0 aperture. The device also sports a fingerprint scanner at the back.
Other features of the device include 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth v5.0, Micro-USB (with OTG), GPS/ A-GPS, and 3.5mm headphone jack.
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Software giant Microsoft has quietly unveiled a refreshed version of its Surface Book 2 base model today. The company has introduced its 13-inch Surface Book 2 model with Intel’s latest 8th generation i5 processor. In addition to this, it is also keeping the existing model with a dual-core 7th generation model, which can now be picked up at a discounted price of $1,299. On the other hand, the newly launched model bears a price tag of $1,499.
It is worth noticing that Microsoft’s new Surface Book 2 model comes with an i5-8350U which, according to the company increases the processor’s boost clock speed up to 3.6GHz.
Furthermore, the newly launched device will come with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. We should mention that the new processor that is being used in the device is the only prominent change in the device that will give a boost to its performance.
To recall, the performance of Surface Pro 6 models with quad-core processors was a massive improvement as compared to its previous models that come with dual-core chips. It is also worth adding that today’s announcement by the software giant doesn’t come as a surprise as there were prior reports that speculated that Microsoft is planning to launch a refreshed model of the Surface Book 2.
We should also mention that the company will be holding an event in New York City on April 17. At the event, it is being speculated that the software giant is all set to disclose the pricing and availability of the Surface Hub 2. It has also been reported that Microsoft’s work-focussed event will include Steelcase, which is the same company that the software giant had partnered with for Surface-powered office of the future.
Microsoft has already sent out invites for the event that read, “Microsoft & Steelcase invite you to experience new ways to work better, together.”
This also means that the company may be all set to launch its Surface Hub 2S at the event, or at least showcase a detailed plan about it.
Last year, Microsoft gave us a first look at the Surface Hub 2 and the company also promised to launch the next model of Surface Hub in Q2 2019. With the invite, we can conclude that the company is keeping its promise.
Till now, it has been reported that Microsoft’s 50-inch display will be able to work with removable hardware cartridges and it will enable users to keep their devices upgraded in future. Other than this, the software giant also plans to deliver a Surface Hub 2X cartridge next year. The cartridge will reportedly come with the ability to rotate the device.
Social networking platform Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer, Sheryl Sandberg has said that the company was looking to place a restriction on which users can go live on its platform. The restriction is being considered in the aftermath of the New Zealand Christchurch terrorist attack.
After the events of Christchurch attack where one gunman killed 50 people at two mosques in New Zealand while live streaming the horrendous incident, Facebook had taken down the video. But it was live streamed nonetheless and it was seen by many people and some among them even downloaded it. After taking down the video, Facebook identified more than 900 different videos on its platform showing parts and portions of the massacre.
In a blog post, Facebook said that it has used its platform’s existing Artificial Intelligence to identify and remove the videos and other content of the massacre. It also said that it was identifying and removing hate groups in Australia and New Zealand after the massacre. According to Facebook, the company will now monitor who can go live on Facebook, and users who want to go ‘Live’ would have to meet with a criteria set by the social networking platform. The criteria depends upon factors like prior community standard violations and various other regulations.
Last week, the company said that 24 hours after the massacre, it had removed more than 1.5 million videos on a global scale which had footage of the New Zealand terrorist attack. And it was this week when one of the main Muslim community representing groups in France, said that it was suing Facebook and YouTube. It accused the social platforms of inciting violence by allowing the video to stream on their respective platforms.
It is not the first time Facebook is facing challenges over privacy issues. Previously, Facebook was embroiled in multiple data breaches last year. Although the company has time and again claimed that it is doing its best to strengthen privacy on its platform, it has been found guilty repeatedly of doing the exact opposite. More recently, it was discovered that Facebook was violating the code of conduct by paying teenagers to let it spy on them. Right after that, it was reported that Facebook’s employees had passwords for more than 500 million user accounts worldwide.
Last week, Brian Acton, co-founder of WhatsApp urged people for the second time to delete their Facebook accounts saying that such companies are not equipped to make decisions but people give them the power, which is a bad thing.
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Huawei recently launched its P30 Pro smartphone that is touted to come with enhanced camera capabilities. And now, the company has rolled out an update to the newly launched Huawei P30 Pro smartphone, which is reportedly reaching the devices as an over-the-air (OTA) package.
With the latest update, the Huawei P30 Pro smartphone‘s Always on Display feature will be enabled to work with third-party app notifications. In addition to this, improvements for the camera, audio and the fingerprint sensor. It is worth noticing that the update has arrived on Huawei P30 Pro before the handset even became available in markets. As of now, the smartphone is only listed for pre-orders in select countries.
The news of Huawei P30 Pro getting the update were shared by a Twitter user called Paul O’Brien and going by the screenshots he has shared; the update gets EMUI version 9.1.0.124 with build number C431E4R2P2 to the handset.
With the update, the Always on Display feature of the Huawei P30 Pro smartphone will be able to support notifications from third-party apps even when the screen is off. We should mention that the feature is also available on other Huawei smartphones like the P20 Pro and Mate 20 Pro.
According to the changelog, the update also optimises the performance of the camera of the Huawei P30 Pro smartphone in “certain scenarios.” Furthermore, it has also fixed the audio issue that affected the playback experience of Instagram videos on the smartphone. In addition to this, the update also improves the performance of the fingerprint scanner of the handset and adds the March 2019 Android security patch. Besides this, there is a fix for the pre-installed SwiftKey keyboard too. We should add that the update is 404MB in size.
Huawei P30 Pro specifications
Huawei P30 Pro runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with the company’s own EMUI 9.1 and is powered by Huawei’s Kirin 980 SoC clubbed with 8GB RAM. Huawei P30 Pro comes in 128GB/256GB/512GB storage options.
The handset sports a 6.47-inch full-HD+ (1080×2340 pixels) OLED display that comes with curved edges and a waterdrop-shaped notch. On the camera front, Huawei P30 Pro smartphone comes with a quad-camera setup on its back panel that comprises of a 40MP primary sensor with OIS, a 20MP sensor with OIS, an 8MP sensor with periscope style zoom system and lastly, a ToF sensor. The cameras of the smartphone are among the most-highlighted feature and they are touted to come with 5X optical zoom and 10X hybrid zoom and 50X digital zoom.
For selfies and video calls, Huawei P30 Pro smartphone houses a 32MP sensor that comes with support for AI HDR+. The device packs a 4200mAh battery and comes with reverse wireless charging.
Chinese smartphone brand OnePlus enjoys quote a fan following in India. The company is known to launch smartphones with premium specifications at a price that is relatively affordable compared to most other flagship handsets. OnePlus’ popularity in the country has surged to an extent that the company also surpassed Apple in the premium smartphone market in India, according to research firms IDC and Counterpoint.
And now OnePlus has hinted that it may be launching its own car soon. Yes, you read that right. The company took to its Twitter profile yesterday and posted a picture that has an outline of a car and says ‘Coming Soon’. Besides this, OnePlus has not said anything else about its ‘upcoming’ product.
You may be surprised about the company’s plans as till now, there have been no reports that suggest that OnePlus is planning to foray into the auto-business too. Also, when was the last time when OnePlus took to Twitter to announce about a product that is under development?
Since there are too many first times involved as far as this post by OnePlus goes, we should tell you what exactly we think the company has up its sleeve. Considering that the company tweeted this yesterday, it was the perfect time to be an April Fools’ Day prank on its users. Think from OnePlus‘ point of view: What can possibly be better than getting its customers excited about its new upcoming car, only to tell them three days later that it was just a prank on their part?
We have to say, it indeed is a very well thought out post by the company and there were many on Twitter who actually believed it too. Some even thought that the company is again partnering with McLaren, but to launch a car and not a smartphone this time.
However, some were smart enough to catch that the company is just bluffing since April Fools’ Day is right around the corner.
We should mention that a number of technology companies troll their users every year on April Fools’ Day. Google, Microsoft, Snap and Tesla among others are known for the pranks they play on their users on April 1 every year.
However, this year Microsoft has taken a stand against it and said that it would not be participating in any pranks this time on April 1. This is because previously, some of these pranks, which are actually meant just for fun, have caused problems to users. Google even had to apologise after it used Minions from Despicable Me in Gmail a few years back. We will have to wait to see if some other companies join Microsoft too. OnePlus clearly hasn’t.
Social media giant Facebook has explored ways to improve mobile connectivity for years and the main purpose for doing this is obviously to get more number of people in developed countries online. It would indirectly lead to a growth of the platform’s user base too as nowadays it is highly unlikely for people who use internet regularly to not be Facebook. However, the company says that it is doing it for humanitarian reasons.
Among the most noticeable efforts by Facebook have been its Internet.Org initiative, and its Free Basics and Express Wi-Fi offerings that were launched for fast-growing smartphone markets. Another project that can be recalled is Aquila, that has now been discontinued. As a part of the Facebook’s Aquila project, the company wanted to fly large, solar-powered drones which could send internet connectivity down to people.
However, according to a report in Business Insider that quoted a Facebook spokesperson, the company has also secretly been working on another method in which it plans to use small, bird-sized fixed wing aircraft that can be used to boost performance smartphone data speeds. The project is called ‘Catalina’ and has been named after an island near the Southern California coast, which is popular because it earlier used a carrier pigeon network. Although this was discontinued a year ago, its existence shows that the company wanted connectivity via a variety of lenses.
According to the report, the drones that Facebook wanted to use were close to the size of a sparrow. Furthermore, with the project the company did not aim to beam down internet connectivity in remote areas, instead it wanted to augment existing, 2G-level connections so that smartphone users could carry “high-density solid state drives… that could then be used to ferry data.” From what it seems like, the drones would act like mesh network between a grounded connection and the user’s handset in order to facilitate between high-bandwidth data transfers.
However, the company eventually moved away from the idea and abandoned the Aquila project. But then, it still has Internet.org running in various countries across the globe.
The news about Aquila project first surfaced online in June 2018 and back then, the social media giant said that it was still working with Airbus in order to develop enhanced high-altitude platform stations. These are also known as HAPS and can be built into the aircraft in order to beam down high speed internet from low Earth orbit.
Technology giant Google has removed a gay conversion therapy app from its Play Store. The app was made by a religious group called Living Hope Ministries and was removed after a wide range of groups started protesting against it.
According to a report by Axios, among those who were protesting against the app included thousands of internet users, New York State Senator Brad Hoylman and Human Rights Campaign. We should mention that the app has been removed just a day after the company was suspended from the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index. We should add here that the index rates workplaces on an overall LGBTQ equality and Google was removed due to refusing to remove the app earlier.
It is also worth noticing that Google is the last major technology company to remove the app and that Apple and Amazon had already removed it from their respective app stores in December last year. We should add that months after that, the app was live on Google’s Play Store even earlier this week.
During this time, the call for Google to remove the app grew louder. A petition was also filed on Change.org that requested the removal of the application and it reached over 1,42,000 signatures. We should add here that Apple‘s petition on the other hand, only got around 356 signatures and right after that the Cupertino based technology giant removed the app.
Google has spoken about its move in a statement saying, “After consulting with outside advocacy groups, reviewing our policies, and making sure we had a thorough understanding of the app and its relation to conversion therapy, we’ve decided to remove it from the Play Store, consistent with other app stores.”
We should also add here that the Conversion Therapy app claims that a person’s sexuality can be changed from gay to straight with a treatment. Needless to say, the app has garnered a lot of criticism and has also been banned in 15 states.
This is not the first time that the search giant has had to remove apps from its Play Store. In the last few months, there have been several instances when apps with adware and malware have been found on Google’s Play Store by researchers and security research firms. The technology giant has taken down such apps in multiple instances during the last six to eight months. While this particular app did not come with adware or malware, it received a lot of criticism from people for discriminating.
Facebook-owned WhatsApp has launched a new beta update for its platform which brings a new feature called Consecutive Voice Messages. The beta update is for the Android only and it holds the version number 2.19.86. It has also been reported that WhatsApp is working on bringing improvements to the Picture-in-Picture (PiP) mode. Although the PiP mode in WhatsApp is disabled in the current version of the app, but we will be able to see its addition in the next update after its proper development. The instant messaging platform is also reportedly working on few new features such as the fingerprint authentication that allows the user to lock/unlock the app using his fingerprint.
The new feature called the Consecutive Voice Message allows users to auto-play two or more voice messages sent one after other, meaning the voice messages will automatically be played consecutively. This feature was earlier spotted in November and at that time, it was still being worked upon. To use the new features that WhatsApp beta 2.19.86 brings, users will have to download the beta version of the app by becoming a part of the beta testers program. We should mention that the new WhatsApp update was first spotted by WABetaInfo.
Other than this, the beta update gets improvements in the PiP mode. The PiP mode in WhatsApp allows the users to watch videos from YouTube, Facebook, Instagram or any other video streaming app while using WhatsApp. Earlier, the users had to close the app to watch videos on any other app but now they can watch the videos and use WhatsApp simultaneously. The videos of the app will appear as a floating bubble on top of the WhatsApp window. The improved PiP mode will allow the users to watch the videos and use WhatsApp without any problems or lags.
Earlier we saw that WhatsApp was working on a number of features in its beta program. For instance, a search image feature was being tested by the messaging platform which would allow users to search anything related to an image he received in his chat. Then we saw that WhatsApp was working on an in-built browser through which the users could open any link they received in their app without opening any web browser like Chrome.
The PiP mode will be coming to users who own smartphones with Android 8.0 Oreo or above. But till now, there is no official comment made by WhatsApp about when it will bring the final version of the update for users. With the addition of so many new features to the platform, WhatsApp is giving more accessibility to its users.
Apple is known to keep its users’ data secure and treat their privacy as the top priority. However, it seems like there aren’t any servers in the world that cannot be hacked. Earlier this week, reports about a man pleading guilty to accessing Microsoft and Nintendo’s servers surfaced online. And days later, a man from Georgia has pleaded guilty to hacking into Apple accounts of various famous athletes and musicians. Furthermore, he also spent thousands of dollars from the victims’ accounts.
According to the Justice Department, the 27-year old Kwamaine Jerell Ford obtained his login credentials that belong to a number of professional athletes including players from NBA and NFL and some famous rappers via a phishing scheme. He sent emails to these players and musicians pretending to be a representative from Apple Support. However, we should add here that it has not been disclosed by the Justice Department who exactly was hacked.
The Cupertino-based technology giant reportedly received hundreds of unauthorized logins from the accounts of the victims of the hack. Once he received the login credentials of the person he emailed, Ford tried taking control of his/her account by changing email addresses and passwords. After this, victims could not access their accounts without the help of an Apple employee.
Reports suggest that Ford spent thousands of dollars on things like furniture, money transfers and travel expenses.
Speaking on the matter, FBI special agent Chris Hacker said, “The high profile victims, in this case, are an example that no matter who you are, hackers like Ford are trying to get your personal information. This case demonstrates the need to be careful in protecting personal information and passwords, especially in response to suspicious e-mails. Hopefully, this is a lesson for everyone, not just the victims in this case.”
It is worth adding that last April, Ford was formally accused on six counts including wire fraud, computer fraud, access device fraud and aggravated identity fraud. However, this week he has only pleaded guilty to computer fraud and aggravated identity theft. He would be sentenced for his crimes later this summer.
We should mention that this is not the first time that celebrities have had their Apple accounts hacked due to phishing scams. It has happened earlier too. To recall, in 2014, a major iCloud hack happened when nude photos of a number of celebrities were leaked. The hack was more popularly known as Celebgate and hackers behind it were sentenced in August 2018.
A new version of Google’s Gboard has been released for the iOS platform and can now be downloaded via Apple’s App Store. The new update of the Gboard brings new and revamped themes to the Google’s virtual keyboard. While the iOS version of Gboard was missing the customization option until now, the Android version of the app had it already. Along with update for its iOS app, Google has also rolled out a beta version of Gboard for Android. In the beta version of Gboard, a feature for Deleting Searches and a revamped overflow menu have been added.
The updated Gboard changelog was shared by Google on the Apple’s App Store. The Gboard update holds the version number v 2.0.0 and as mentioned earlier, it brings new customization support along with new themes to Google’s keyboard app. Google has said that now iOS users will be able to change the background colours of the Gboard, glide trail thickness, glide trail colour, key background colours and key boarder colours. Now, Gboard offers a total of 28 colours for the users to select from for various customizations including the gradient options. Earlier, the users were able to switch only between the light and dark modes on Gboard.
But it should be noted that not all of the new customizations will be brought to the Chinese and Japanese keyboard layouts.
Talking about the new beta update released by Google for the Android platform, the Gboard version 8.1 and it was first spotted by 9to5Google. In this beta update of Gboard some minor changes have been made such as changed overflow screen, and support for deleting the Gboard searches. The new Gboard overflow screen layout allows more icons and offers a better screen real estate than the earlier layout. The other feature is the deletion of Gboard searches which allows the users to long press on the search bar to enable the option of deleting searches. Once confirmed, the selected searches will be deleted.
A report by Android Police found out that the upcoming Gboard update for Android found mention of OCR and sharing. Google will most likely limit the sharing functionality to a whitelisted list of applications. Also, Google might add support of five new languages in its upcoming Gboard update including Buginese, Kurukh, Makassarese, Sasak, and Silt’e.
But till now, there is no word about the availability of the new update for the Gboard Android app.
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Google’s upcoming update for its Android OS platform is currently being called Android Q and it will bring a series of major changes over the current Android Pie Operating System. Earlier this month, Google had released a beta version of its upcoming Android OS, which showcased some of the features the next iteration of the Android will have. But there are many changes and features that are hidden from the users and those features haven’t been made public yet. But the recent discovery about the new Android update shows that Google is testing Digital Wellbeing integration with the Pixel Launcher in Android Q.
Digital Wellbeing is a feature, which helps the user monitor their app usage habits so they are able to see which app they are using the most and spending most of their time on. It was first introduced earlier in Android 9.0 Pie last year.
This feature in Android Q was first noticed by Quinny899, a member of XDA developer. Currently, in the beta version of the Android Q the Digital Wellbeing features is not enabled from the start as it has to be specially activated. But the feature is not easy to find in the beta build of the upcoming Android OS. With this feature turned on, the users will be able to ‘pause’ an app directly from the home screen. It means that the users can pause the working of an app directly from the home screen itself rather than setting up timers for the app.
The new feature of Android Q was able to work on a Pixel 2 XL. To use it, the users simply have to long-press an app from within the Pixel Launcher. The long-press will give a pop-up option in the contextual menu, which will read ‘pause the app’. Once the app is paused, its icon will turn grey. Although this might not be the final version of the Digital Wellbeing integration coming to the Android Q, but it will definitely give the users more access and control over their app and their smartphone usage habits.
Currently, the Digital Wellbeing feature gives the users access to set app timers from the Digital Wellbeing menu, the app timers functions as its name suggests. It stops or disables a particular app when the app usage reaches the set timer so the users don’t spend more time than they intend to.
More news about the Android Q is expected to be announced by the California-based tech firm, Google at its I/O 2019 event scheduled to start on May 7.
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Apple’s much-awaited AirPower wireless charging pad has officially been cancelled by the company on Friday. The announcement comes as a very rare news by the Cupertino-based company as Apple had earlier announced about the AirPower in 2017, where it said that it would start selling the product in 2019. But pulling the plug from one of its major products it not what the company is known for.
Earlier, the company even released some marketing photographs of the AirPower, but then it delayed the launch of the product. And now, in one final move, Apple cancelled its wireless charging platform – AirPower. According to Apple, the reason behind the cancellation of the device is that the AirPower is unable to meet the high standards set by the company about its products.
Dan Riccio, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering said, “After much effort, we’ve concluded AirPower will not achieve our high standards, and we have cancelled the project. We apologise to those customers who were looking forward to this launch.”
Rumours about the launch of the device was doing the rounds since last year. There were articles and videos coming of the product till last week showing how it would work and would revolutionise the Apple product’s charging. Earlier this week the company held a launch event where it unveiled some of its services like the Apple TV+, Apple News subscription service, Apple card etc.
The AirPower too was expected to launch at the same event. But the fans of Apple were disappointed that the product wasn’t even showcased. It was also expected to be in the markets this time around, but now it seems like it won’t be possible anymore.
RIP AirPower. Apple confirmed that the wireless charging mat “will not achieve our high standards.” https://t.co/5ZdkNZ0pD1
The news about the cancellation comes as Apple is trying to diversify its revenue by expanding its product line-ups – hardware as well as software – and deliver more products to the users. It should be noted that Apple had been telling its customers about the wireless charging since the launch of iPhone 8, which came with the wireless charging capability.
Even the Apple Watch is able to charge wirelessly, and it was last week when the company released their new updated AirPods wireless earbuds capable of wireless charging. The Apple’s devices are able to charge wirelessly through third-party wireless chargers, too. But Apple’s cancellation of its own wireless charger, AirPower, which it had teased the fans for years comes as a very big surprise.
Dan Riccio also said that Apple might launch some sort of wireless charger in the future, he said that the company is “committed to push the wireless experience forward.”
So, a day might come in the future where we might get to see an Apple’s wireless charger, but that day is not today.
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Chinese smartphone brand Realme has started rolling out the new ColorOS updates for its three of its smartphones. The devices that will receive the new update are — Realme 2 Pro, Realme 2, and Realme C1. The new ColorOS update brings the March Android security patch along with tweaks and improvements over the previous version of ColorOS. The update for all the devices is currently live in India and Indonesia and the users of the devices mentioned above will receive an over-the-air (OTA) update in the coming days.
Although the users will receive the updates automatically, if you don’t want to wait for it, you would be happy to know that the company has also made the update files available on its website. You can download the update files from the website to manually install it.
The new ColorOS update for Realme smartphones was announced on company’s website. And according to the company, the Realme 2 Pro update carries the software build number RMX1801EX_11.A.17_0170_201903151409 and it includes just the March Android security patch for the handset. However, the company has confirmed that the new ColorOS update will soon bring various new features to the devices.
Furthermore, the Realme 2 update carries the software build number RMX1805EX_11.A.25_0250_201903192122 and it too includes the March Android security patch for the device. But along with that the update also brings Expert mode and fingerprint shooting mode for the camera app of the smartphone. The Expert mode allows the user to manually tweak all the settings of the camera when clicking a picture. And the fingerprint shooting mode allows the user to tap on the fingerprint sensor to take a picture when the camera app is open
Lastly, the Realme C1’s update holds the same software build number as the Realme 2, which is RMX1805EX_11.A.25_0250_201903192122. The Realme C1 update also brings the March Android security patch along with the same new features as the Realme 2. But there is no inclusion of the fingerprint shooting mode on the Realme C1.
Other than the above-mentioned smartphones, Realme U1 has already received its March security patch update. And with the inclusion of the Realme 2 Pro, Realme 2 and the Realme C1, the only devices which haven’t received the new ColorOS update till now are the Realme 1 and the Realme 3.
To recall, the Realme was once a sub-brand of Oppo which later became independent. Since the beginning, the smartphone brand has been appreciated for launching handsets with powerful specifications in the budget segment.
Gaming is addictive. One can spend hours playing games on their smartphone, provided they have the right device. If you are a gamer who isn’t able to enjoy his gameplay because your smartphone is not updated with the latest trends, you can pick one among these handsets so that your gaming sessions remain uninterrupted:
In This Article
Samsung Galaxy S10+
Samsung Galaxy S10+ had to be on top of our list. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm’s latest flagship processor – Snapdragon 855 SoC. Along with the most powerful chipset in the world, Samsung Galaxy S10+ comes with a massive 12GB RAM. With this combination, there isn’t a game that wouldn’t run smoothly on the Samsung Galaxy S10+ smartphone.
Asus ROG Phone
Asus ROG Phone is the company’s smartphone that is aimed at gamers specifically. The smartphone runs Android 8.1 Oreo skinned with the company’s ROG Gaming UI. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor coupled with Adreno 630 GPU that has been optimized for gaming. It also has 8GB of RAM. There are a number of gaming-centric features on the smartphone including its GameCool vapour-chamber cooling system, side-mounted ports, two programmable ultrasonic AirTriggers and advanced force-feedback haptics. It also comes with an optional TwinView Dock that also has a Mobile Desktop Dock and a Gamevice controller with WiGig Dock that uses 60GHz Wi-Fi for gaming on big screens.
iPhone XS
Apple’s current flagship smartphone – iPhone XS – is one among the best handsets that you can use for playing heavy games. The device is powered by Apple’s own A12 Bionic chipset, which can handle very heavy usage on the iPhone. Even the most graphic-hungry games would run well on the iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max.
Xiaomi Black Shark 2
Since Xiaomi is getting Black Shark to India soon, we can expect the device to be available in the country in the months to come. Xiaomi Black Shark 2 is powered by the Snapdragon 855 SoC coupled with 6GB/8GB/12GB RAM. According to the company, the Black Shark 2 smartphone uses the world’s first ‘direct touch multilayer liquid cooling system’ which, according to Xiaomi, keeps the CPU 14-degrees cooler.
Huawei Mate 20 Pro
Huawei Mate 20 Pro is a very powerful smartphone and during our time with it, it handled the heaviest of the games that we played. We played games with very heavy graphics like Asphalt 9: Legends for hours on the Huawei Mate 20 Pro smartphone, and it handled all of them without any hiccups. Huawei has truly put effort into making its flagship device powerful and it shows. The smartphone is powered by the company’s own Kirin 980 octa-core processor coupled with 6GB/8GB of RAM. As promised, the processor does manage to run very power-hungry tasks on the smartphone.
iPhone XR
iPhone XR has the exact same processor as iPhone XS, although the RAM may be slightly lesser. But we can never say for sure as Apple is known for never disclosing its device’s RAM and battery capacity. However, even if the RAM is slightly lesser than that of iPhone XS, we have seen the relatively affordable iPhone XR handle very heavy games. If you are a gamer, you would love to own the handset.
Honor View 20
Much like Huawei Mate 20 Pro, Honor View 20 smartphone comes with the Kirin 980 SoC clubbed with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM. And although the smartphone is a lot cheaper than Huawei Mate 20 Pro, it handled most of the games that we played on it very well. We spent hours playing games on it when we reviewed it.
OnePlus 6T
The flagship by the Chinese smartphone brand is definitely one among the best gaming smartphones that you’ll find. OnePlus 6T is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor coupled with Adreno 630 GPU. The combination of the two makes it a smartphone with very powerful performance. It is, therefore, a device that can handle very heavy games. OnePlus 6T also comes with 6GB/8GB of RAM, which only makes things better for gaming.
Razer Phone 2
The smartphone by Razer is known for its gaming. However, it is not available in India yet. The device comes with Snapdragon 845 SoC and has 8GB of RAM onboard. The company has said that the Razer Phone 2 comes with vapour chamber cooling, wireless charging and water resistance. The battery of the device also supports Qualcomm QuickCharge+.
Samsung Galaxy Note 9
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is also one among the best gaming smartphones that you can buy right now. The device is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 processor, that can handle very heavy usage and gaming. Apart from this, Samsung Galaxy Note 9 comes with 8GB RAM and Adreno 630 GPU, which only enhance the gaming performance of the smartphone.
Facebook-owned photo-sharing app Instagram is now testing a seek bar to videos posted on people’s News Feeds. And with this feature, Instagram plans to give users a basic amount of control over the video playback on their News Feed. We should mention that the feature was first discovered by app researcher Jane Manchun Wong and it lets users skip forward to a point in the video that they wish to watch.
Another much-needed feature for Instagram that will be added is the ability to rewind a video without having to restart it completely. Till now, users have to watch the entire Instagram video in order to see a particular part of the video. However, other video players on all other social media platforms have been allowing since their inception.
We should mention that Instagram already has this feature for videos that are posted on IGTV. It is also worth noticing that this is not the first time that this feature is being seen on the user’s regular Instagram News Feeds.
But then, even if Instagram is adding this feature for videos on regular News Feed, it would not be included for videos that are posted on Stories that are posted on the platform.
Recently, Instagram rollout out the checkout feature on its mobile app. Using the new checkout feature, users can store their payment information on the app in order to make purchases more quickly. This is a business-related feature on the app and takes it one step ahead in vision for shopping.
As of now, more than 20 brands will be using the feature on Instagram including Nike, Adidas, Dior, H&M, MAC Cosmetics, Michael Kors, Oscar de la Renta, Prada, Uniqlo, Warby Parker, and Zara.
The items that are eligible for in-app checkout on Instagram will now have a big blue ‘Checkout for Instagram’ button below them. Once users tap on it, they will be asked to give their email ID which will help sellers complete their order. Shoppers would then be asked to enter their delivery information and choose their payment method, and once these details are reviewed by the platform, they would be able to go ahead with their order.
We should mention that prior to this, one could technically not complete their purchase on Instagram as the platform acted as a medium via which one could go to the web page on the retailer’s website to buy various items.
PUBG Mobile’s new beta update is now out. The game’s beta version 0.12.0 has been spotted and is reported to be rolling out globally. The update is said to bring some interesting new features including some new weapons and a new zombie adventure mode.
Although the new features are only present in the beta version of the app right now, they are also expected to come to the commercial version of PUBG Mobile. Here are all the features that the beta update version 0.12.0 gets to PUBG Mobile:
In This Article
New weapons
The new update, that was first spotted by News18 Tech, adds two new weapons to PUBG Mobile. The first one is a rocket launcher called RPG-7 and the second one if the explosive crossbow, where the bolt explodes as soon as it hits the target. So, if you throw it at objects like walls and vehicles, they are supposed to get blown up completely. However, currently the availability details of the weapons are not known and it has been reported that it will only be available in the Zombie event mode.
New zombie adventure mode
An all-new zombie mode is said to be added under the Event Mode section of PUBG Mobile. According to the description of the mode, ‘Collect supplies during the day and fend off zombies at night. Survive until the rescue arrives to win!’ In other words, this could be Left for Dead style mode, where players need to defend themselves and survive against zombies for a specified period of time.
Friendly spectate
With this feature, you can spectate your friends while they play PUBG Mobile. You can also keep a track of their stats and information as you look at their gameplay. There will also be an option of seeing how many spectators will be watching you play the game.
Crosshair colour
With this feature, players will be able to choose between nine colours to customize the no-scope crosshair. Furthermore, users can customise the red, holographic, 2x and 3x scope crosshair to either red or green.
Quick Chat
The quick chat option will also be available in a male voice after the update becomes public. The update will also add a new voice wheel, which will offer users with up to eight quick chat audio clips that will enable faster in-game access.
Companions
This feature basically adds an eagle which the player can include your character when they are in the lobby or during the gameplay. The eagle sits on the character’s shoulder and can hover around and comes with some emotes of its own. However, as of now, it isn’t sure if the eagle adds anything else apart from cosmetic value to the game.
This year, we haven’t seen too many launches or announcements by Asus till now. However, the Taiwanese electronics maker is reportedly all set to launch its Asus Zenfone 6 on May 16, 2019.
Weeks ahead of its official release, Asus Zenfone 6 smartphone has reportedly received Wi-Fi certification from the Wi-Fi Alliance, which holds the model number ASUS_I01WD.
Although not much has been revealed about the smartphone in the listing but it is confirmed that the device runs Android 9.0 Pie. For connectivity, it will have the dual-band Wi-Fi connection with support for 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands. According to some earlier leaks, Asus Zenfone 6 might come with a notch-less display along with a triple-rear camera setup. But Asus Zenfone 6 is also rumoured to sport a bezel-less and notch-less display.
Although the listing doesn’t mention the exact name of smartphone, it does say that the model number of the device – ASUS_I01WD. And considering that Asus hasn’t launched any flagship smartphone this year, the listed smartphone could be the Zenfone 6.
In February, advertisement images were leaked online which showed that the launch of the Zenfone 6 will take place in Valencia, Spain on May 16, 2019. The images also featured an outline of the device with bezel-less and notch-less design. Later, Asus confirmed about the launch of the device through a tweet.
Similar to previous Asus smartphones, the Zenfone 6 might come in multiple variants. And there is also a strong possibility that the deice might be powered by the Snapdragon 855 SoC which is Qualcomm’s flagship CPU of 2019. Besides the listings and the launch date of the device, no other specification is known about the Zenfone 6.
It should be noted that Asus Zenfone 5Z is the flagship device of the company for 2018. The smartphone is powered by Snapdragon 845 SoC coupled with 6GB/8GB of RAM. Asus Zenfone 5Z comes with 128GB/256GB of internal storage with support of microSD card of up to 2TB. It sports a 6.2-inch Full HD+(2246 x 1080 pixels) resolution Super IPS display with a notch. Asus Zenfone 5Z packs a 3,300mAh battery and runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with ZenUI 5.
Zenfone 6 wifi listing
On the camera front, Asus Zenfone 5Z comes with dual-rear camera setup comprising of a 12MP Sony IMX 363 Sensor with an f/1.8 aperture paired with an 8MP 120Degree Wide Angle camera. On the front there is an 8MP selfie camera with an f/2.0 aperture and 84-degree FOV. The device was placed in a price range similar and competed with OnePlus 6.
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With the smartphone industry getting new additions with ground-breaking features and powerful specifications every day, it seems like the tablet industry has been forgotten. But keeping the tradition alive, Samsung has quietly launched its Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) in Thailand, and thereby expanding its tablet line-up. Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) comes with support of cellular connectivity and it is also compatible with the S Pen Stylus. The newly-launched tablet by Samsung has a dedicated slot for the S Pen Stylus similar to the Galaxy Note series. Samsung Galaxy Tab is powered by an octa-core CPU and sports an 8-inch screen.
In This Article
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) price and availability
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) or Samsung Galaxy Tab A Plus P205 has been listed on the company’s official Thailand website but currently, there is no information about the price or the availability of the device. Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 comes in two colour variants — Black and Grey.
But according to a report from XDA developers, Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) will be sold in Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, and the UK. However, Samsung has made no comment about the device’s price or availability in India.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) specifications
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) sports an 8-inch WUXGA TFT (1920 x 1200 pixels) display with support for S Pen Stylus input. The tablet is powered by a 1.8GHz octa-core SoC paired with 3GB of RAM. Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with Samsung’s One UI. The device has single LTE-supported SIM slot and it comes with a one-tap blue light filter which activates the native low-light mode for reducing the strain on user’s eyes. As mentioned earlier, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) comes with a dedicated slot for S Pen. There is also an IP68 rating on the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) which protects it from dust and water damage to a certain level. It packs a 4,200mAh battery, however, there is no support for fast charging.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019)
On the camera department, the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) packs a single 8MP rear camera and a 5MP selfie camera. The rear camera of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) can record 4K videos at up to 30fps. But camera details such as aperture and pixel size are not mentioned by the company. The Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) comes with support for Galaxy Buds along with 2018 Gear IconX wireless earbuds.
Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) comes with 32GB of inbuilt storage with support of microSD card of up to 512GB. Other features of the Samsung Galaxy Tab A 8.0 (2019) include 4G LTE connectivity, Bluetooth LE 5.0, GPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Wi-Fi Direct, 3.5mm headphone jack, and a USB Type-C 2.0 port. The dimensions of the tablet are 201.5×122.4×8.9mm and it weighs 325 grams.
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Scores of technology professionals across the globe dream of getting jobs in big companies like Google, Microsoft, Apple and Facebook among others right after passing out of their respective colleges. In India, thousands of students even prepare for years before they get into prestigious institutes like the Indian Institute of Technology.
However, if you wanted to get through IIT and couldn’t, you have no reason to be depressed as it is not the end of your dreams and you may still be able to work for one of these. You don’t believe us? We’ll give you Abdullah Khan’s example.
According to media reports, technology giant Google has hired the Mumbai based 21-year old engineering student after the company spotted him on a hosting website for online programming challenges. The search giant has reportedly offered him a package of Rs 1.2 crore.
The reports also said that his six-figure package includes a base salary of Rs 54.4 lakh per annum coupled with a 15% bonus and stock options worth Rs 58.9 lakh over four years.
Khan is in the final year of engineering and studies at LR Tiwari Engineering College. After Google saw his performance on the website, the company reportedly reached out to him via email.
What followed was a few rounds of interviews online and then he was asked to appear for a screening at Google’s office in London. Speaking to a popular daily, Khan said, “I used to participate as it was fun. I did not even know that firms check programmers’ profiles on such sites. I showed the email to my friend who knew someone who had received such an email in the past. I am looking forward to joining their team. It will be an amazing learning experience for me. “
It’s definitely a dream opportunity that Khan has got. And with his story, thousands of students who did not make it to the IITs can get inspired to not give up on their dreams only because they didn’t get through a particular college. Colleges and universities are only a way to get through job interviews of big technology companies, and not going to your dream college nowhere means that you would not get your dream job.
At the end of the day, technology companies like Google and Microsoft are looking for talent and intelligence among potential employees and no degree can guarantee entry into these firms.
Flipkart’s Mobile Bonanza Sale ended on March 28 but the season of discounts did not. The e-commerce giant is now coming up with Qualcomm Snapdragon Days sale for its platform. The sale will begin from March 29 and go on till March 31. As the name of the sale suggests, Flipkart will be offering discounts and offers for the smartphones which are powered by the Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processors. During the sale, Flipkart is offering new discounts and offers on some of the smartphones while some of the offers from the Mobile Bonanza Sale are being continued in the Qualcomm Snapdragon Days sale.
Along with discounts and offers, Flipkart is also offering discounts on some of the best-selling devices in the sub-20K prince range. Some of the devices which are on sale during the Qualcomm Snapdragon Days sale include Poco F1, Vivo V15 Pro, Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1, Google Pixel 3 etc.
During the Qualcomm Snapdragon Days sale, the Poco F1, which is powered by Snapdragon 845 SoC, is being sold for Rs 17,999 for the 6GB RAM and 64GB storage. Other variants of the Poco F1 are also being sold at a discounted rate.
Similarly, during the Qualcomm Snapdragon Days sale, the Realme 2 Pro which is powered by the Snapdragon 660 SoC is being sold at a starting price of Rs 11,990 for the 4GB RAM and 64GB storage variant.
Asus’s Zenfone Max Pro M1, which is powered by the Snapdragon 636 SoC, currently is being sold for Rs 7,999 with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage variant during the Qualcomm Snapdragon Days sale. It should be noted that this is the lowest price the device is selling for as during the OMG Days sale, its price was discounted by Rs 500. The 4GB RAM and 64GB storage variant of the device is being sold at Rs 9,999 while the 6GB RAM and 64GB storage variant of the device is being sold at Rs 11,799.
Google Pixel 3, which is titled as the best camera smartphone is also on the sale. Both the devices are powered by Snapdragon 845 SoC and when launched, the Google Pixel 3 was priced at Rs 71,000 but now it is being sold for Rs 57,999 for the 4GB RAM and 64GB storage variant during the Snapdragon Days sale.
The newly launched Oppo K1 is powered by the Snapdragon 660 SoC and it is one of the cheapest devices to come with an in-display fingerprint scanner. During the Qualcomm Snapdragon Days sale, the Oppo K1 is being sold for a price tag of Rs 16,990 for the 4GB RAM and 64GB storage variant.
Similarly, the newly launched Vivo V15 Pro too is being offered at a reduces price during the Qualcomm Snapdragon Days sale. In the ongoing sale, the Vivo V15 Pro is being sold for Rs 28,990 for the 6GB RAM and 128GB storage variant. The device comes powered by Snapdragon 675 SoC and sports a triple-rear camera setup.
Other smartphones which are being offered at a discounted price in the Qualcomm Snapdragon Days sale are Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 6 Pro and Redmi Note 5 Pro. Both the smartphones are powered by the Snapdragon 636 processor and are available for Rs 11,999 and Rs 10,999 respectively. Nokia 6.1 Plus, powered by Snapdragon 636 SoC, is being offered at Rs 13,999 while the Motorola One which has the same processor is selling for Rs 13,999.
The Asus Zenfone 5Z with Snapdragon 845 SoC is being sold at a starting price of Rs 21,999 while the LG G7 ThinQ with Snapdragon 845 processor is selling at a starting price of Rs 27,999.
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Taking the throne from OnePlus 6 for being the most sold online smartphone in India, Xiaomi Poco F1 has become one of the best-selling devices in the Indian smartphone market. On Wednesday, Xiaomi India’s Managing Director and Global Vice President, Manu Kumar Jain took to Twitter to announce that according to a recent Q4 2018 IDC survey, the Poco F1 has become India’s No.1 smartphone in online smartphone market of Rs 15,000 and above. And with this, Xiaomi’s Poco F1 has dethroned OnePlus 6 to become the most selling online smartphone in India.
Jain’s tweet also includes an image that shows that OnePlus 6 holds a smartphone market share of 17.9% while the Poco F1 holds 22.5%, making it victorious and placing it above the former. It should be noted that the Poco F1 is the most affordable smartphone to come with the Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 SoC which was the flagship CPU of the American chipmaker for 2018.
Samsung Galaxy Note 9, which holds a price tag of Rs 60,490, and the Galaxy S9 which bears a price tag of Rs 45,350 run the same Snapdragon 845 SoC. Even the OnePlus 6 runs the same Snapdragon processor and it costs Rs 34,999 for the base model. On the other hand, the base model of the Poco F1 with 6GB RAM and 64GB is available at Rs 19,999, making it the cheapest smartphone to be powered by the Snapdragon 845 SoC. The other variant of the Poco F1 with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage is priced at Rs 22,999, while the top-end variant of the Poco F1 with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage is priced at Rs 27,999. All the variants of the Poco F1 come in three colour options to choose from – Graphite Black, Rosso Red and Steel Blue. There is also an armoured edition of the Poco F1 which comes with a Kevlar protection at the back and it is priced at Rs 28,999.
Specifications of the Poco F1 includes a 6.18-inch Full HD+ IPS LCD notched display. As mentioned earlier, the device runs on Snapdragon 845 SoC coupled with 6GB/8GB of RAM. At the back, there is a 12MP primary camera coupled with a 5MP secondary camera along with an LED flash. While on the front, there is a 20MP selfie camera with IR blaster.
"#POCOF1: Top Phone above Rs 15,000! With #POCO, has #Xiaomi given OnePlus reasons to worry?" – @techpp@rajupp#POCOF1 stands for true flagship specs. Everything that you need. Nothing that you don't.
South Korean technology Samsung’s newest flagships have been in news for months now. Earlier there were numerous reports and rumours that surrounded the three smartphones. And since Samsung Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10e have been launched, reports about their features and benchmark results keep popping up online.
And now, Samsung has rolled out a software update to its flagship smartphones of the year. The most important thing that the update gets to Samsung Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10e is the March security update. Besides this, the changelog of the update also mentioned about improvements for the Wireless PowerShare feature coming to the three handsets.
Although this update also rolled out earlier this week, the company paused it for all the three smartphones. However, Samsung did not give a reason for this and quietly starting rolling out the March Security patch again for Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10e smartphones. Personally, we feel that the update that was rolled out earlier may have been pulled back because of some bug.
But since the update is rolling out again, we can safely assume that it is bug-free again. It is worth mentioning that a new firmware version is being rolled out for the Samsung Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10e and Galaxy S10+. The Samsung Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10e and Galaxy S10+ (review) smartphones are receiving the G973FXXU1ASCA, G970FXXU1ASCA, and G975FXXU1ASCA respectively in India, Germany, the United Kingdom and France.
We should mention that the updates are now available over-the-air and if your device has not received the update yet, it will definitely get it shortly.
Another thing we should add is that the changelog of the update(s) is exactly the same as earlier. It mentions that the Camera stability of the smartphone will be improved and the Wireless PowerShare performance will be enhanced. Other than this, the update gets some bug fixes for the three smartphones.
Samsung Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and Galaxy S10e users all over the world should begin receiving the new firmware in the weeks to come. Although the rollout has already begun, it may take some time for it to reach everyone.
In case you don’t wish to wait for the update, you can head to Settings> Software update menu and tap on Download updates. Doing this will enable you to install the update manually on your smartphone.
Borderlands 3, the sequel of Borderlands series, has been announced this week during its panel at the PAX East. An extended trailer of the upcoming game was also showcased at the panel. Gearbox Software, the developers behind the Borderlands series has partnered with its publisher 2K to officially start ‘The Year of Borderlands’ where, besides the sequel of the series, many other things were announced. The major announcements made at the PAX East panel included Borderlands 3, Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition, Borderlands: The Handsome Collection, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and Borderlands2 for PC along with Borderlands 2 VR.
Borderlands 3 – The Borderlands 3 is the official sequel of the Borderlands series and the fans had been waiting for it for a very long time. The shooter-looter genre video game was showcased at the PAX East panel where they also showed a 4-minute long extended trailer of the game. Earlier this week, the game’s teaser was released which aroused the curiosity of the fans. Gearbox is planning to make the next announcement about the details Borderlands 3 on April 3 and its launch is scheduled in October.
Borderlands: The Game of the Year Edition (GOTY) – Along with the sequel of the game, the Borderlands: GOTY Edition was also showcased. The GOTY Edition of the Borderlands will have new weapons, visual upgrades, four add-on packs along with quality of life improvements. The GOTY Edition is the definitive edition of the FPS/RPG game Borderlands. And with the GOTY Edition, Borderlands is coming to the current generation gaming consoles. The Borderlands: GOTY Edition will launch on April 4 and can be played on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
Borderlands Ultra HD Texture Packs – The ultra HD texture packs of the game brings HD updates for all of the Borderlands titles. According to the company, the HD texture packs also includes the Borderlands: The Handsome Collection with DLC and comes with increased visual and graphical elements. Also, the Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel and its DLC will be a part of this pack. The Ultra HD texture pack has added 4K resolution graphics to the games which the fans had desired for a long time. The Borderlands Ultra HD texture pack can be downloaded from April 4.
borderlands — the pre-sequel
Borderlands 2 VR – The last on the list of the announcements made by Gearbox Software and 2K is the addition of four major Borderlands 2 DLC packs to the Borderlands 2 VR on the PlayStation VR. The Borderlands 2 VR will be brought out during Summer this year. The four DLC addition to the Borderlands 2 VR are Captain Scarlett and Her Pirate’s Booty, Mr. Torgue’s Campaign of Carnage, Sir Hammerlock’s Big Game Hunt, and Tiny Tina’s Assault on Dragon Keep. Although the launch date of the updated Borderlands 2 VR is later than the other packs mentioned here but it will be before the launch of the official sequel of the series, Borderlands 3.
borderlands 2
Earlier, Gearbox had added the AIM Controller support to the game as requested by the feedback of the players. True to their word, Gearbox Software and 2K have planned to launch sequel, pre-sequels, remakes, DLCs, HD texture packs, weapons and more in The Year of Borderland. And the fans of the game couldn’t be more excited for this announcement as they took to social media to show how much they are looking forward to it.
borderlands: GOTY
![[Video] Samsung Galaxy S10+ Review: Here is everything we found out](https://www.gadgetbridge.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/samsung-review-768x432.jpg "[Video] Samsung Galaxy S10+ Review: Here is everything we found out")
Samsung Galaxy S10+ had to be on top of our list. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm’s latest flagship processor – Snapdragon 855 SoC. Along with the most powerful chipset in the world, Samsung Galaxy S10+ comes with a massive 12GB RAM. With this combination, there isn’t a game that wouldn’t run smoothly on the Samsung Galaxy S10+ smartphone.
Asus ROG Phone is the company’s smartphone that is aimed at gamers specifically. The smartphone runs Android 8.1 Oreo skinned with the company’s ROG Gaming UI. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor coupled with Adreno 630 GPU that has been optimized for gaming. It also has 8GB of RAM. There are a number of gaming-centric features on the smartphone including its GameCool vapour-chamber cooling system, side-mounted ports, two programmable ultrasonic AirTriggers and advanced force-feedback haptics. It also comes with an optional TwinView Dock that also has a Mobile Desktop Dock and a Gamevice controller with WiGig Dock that uses 60GHz Wi-Fi for gaming on big screens.
Apple’s current flagship smartphone – iPhone XS – is one among the best handsets that you can use for playing heavy games. The device is powered by Apple’s own A12 Bionic chipset, which can handle very heavy usage on the iPhone. Even the most graphic-hungry games would run well on the iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max.
Since Xiaomi is getting Black Shark to India soon, we can expect the device to be available in the country in the months to come. Xiaomi Black Shark 2 is powered by the Snapdragon 855 SoC coupled with 6GB/8GB/12GB RAM. According to the company, the Black Shark 2 smartphone uses the world’s first ‘direct touch multilayer liquid cooling system’ which, according to Xiaomi, keeps the CPU 14-degrees cooler.
Huawei Mate 20 Pro is a very powerful smartphone and during our time with it, it handled the heaviest of the games that we played. We played games with very heavy graphics like Asphalt 9: Legends for hours on the Huawei Mate 20 Pro smartphone, and it handled all of them without any hiccups. Huawei has truly put effort into making its flagship device powerful and it shows. The smartphone is powered by the company’s own Kirin 980 octa-core processor coupled with 6GB/8GB of RAM. As promised, the processor does manage to run very power-hungry tasks on the smartphone.
iPhone XR has the exact same processor as iPhone XS, although the RAM may be slightly lesser. But we can never say for sure as Apple is known for never disclosing its device’s RAM and battery capacity. However, even if the RAM is slightly lesser than that of iPhone XS, we have seen the relatively affordable iPhone XR handle very heavy games. If you are a gamer, you would love to own the handset.
Much like Huawei Mate 20 Pro, Honor View 20 smartphone comes with the Kirin 980 SoC clubbed with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM. And although the smartphone is a lot cheaper than Huawei Mate 20 Pro, it handled most of the games that we played on it very well. We spent hours playing games on it when we reviewed it.
The flagship by the Chinese smartphone brand is definitely one among the best gaming smartphones that you’ll find. OnePlus 6T is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor coupled with Adreno 630 GPU. The combination of the two makes it a smartphone with very powerful performance. It is, therefore, a device that can handle very heavy games. OnePlus 6T also comes with 6GB/8GB of RAM, which only makes things better for gaming.
The smartphone by Razer is known for its gaming. However, it is not available in India yet. The device comes with Snapdragon 845 SoC and has 8GB of RAM onboard. The company has said that the Razer Phone 2 comes with vapour chamber cooling, wireless charging and water resistance. The battery of the device also supports Qualcomm QuickCharge+.
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is also one among the best gaming smartphones that you can buy right now. The device is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 processor, that can handle very heavy usage and gaming. Apart from this, Samsung Galaxy Note 9 comes with 8GB RAM and Adreno 630 GPU, which only enhance the gaming performance of the smartphone.
Samsung Galaxy S10+ had to be on top of our list. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm’s latest flagship processor – Snapdragon 855 SoC. Along with the most powerful chipset in the world, Samsung Galaxy S10+ comes with a massive 12GB RAM. With this combination, there isn’t a game that wouldn’t run smoothly on the Samsung Galaxy S10+ smartphone.
Asus ROG Phone is the company’s smartphone that is aimed at gamers specifically. The smartphone runs Android 8.1 Oreo skinned with the company’s ROG Gaming UI. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor coupled with Adreno 630 GPU that has been optimized for gaming. It also has 8GB of RAM. There are a number of gaming-centric features on the smartphone including its GameCool vapour-chamber cooling system, side-mounted ports, two programmable ultrasonic AirTriggers and advanced force-feedback haptics. It also comes with an optional TwinView Dock that also has a Mobile Desktop Dock and a Gamevice controller with WiGig Dock that uses 60GHz Wi-Fi for gaming on big screens.
Apple’s current flagship smartphone – iPhone XS – is one among the best handsets that you can use for playing heavy games. The device is powered by Apple’s own A12 Bionic chipset, which can handle very heavy usage on the iPhone. Even the most graphic-hungry games would run well on the iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max.
Since Xiaomi is getting Black Shark to India soon, we can expect the device to be available in the country in the months to come. Xiaomi Black Shark 2 is powered by the Snapdragon 855 SoC coupled with 6GB/8GB/12GB RAM. According to the company, the Black Shark 2 smartphone uses the world’s first ‘direct touch multilayer liquid cooling system’ which, according to Xiaomi, keeps the CPU 14-degrees cooler.
Huawei Mate 20 Pro is a very powerful smartphone and during our time with it, it handled the heaviest of the games that we played. We played games with very heavy graphics like Asphalt 9: Legends for hours on the Huawei Mate 20 Pro smartphone, and it handled all of them without any hiccups. Huawei has truly put effort into making its flagship device powerful and it shows. The smartphone is powered by the company’s own Kirin 980 octa-core processor coupled with 6GB/8GB of RAM. As promised, the processor does manage to run very power-hungry tasks on the smartphone.
iPhone XR has the exact same processor as iPhone XS, although the RAM may be slightly lesser. But we can never say for sure as Apple is known for never disclosing its device’s RAM and battery capacity. However, even if the RAM is slightly lesser than that of iPhone XS, we have seen the relatively affordable iPhone XR handle very heavy games. If you are a gamer, you would love to own the handset.
Much like Huawei Mate 20 Pro, Honor View 20 smartphone comes with the Kirin 980 SoC clubbed with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM. And although the smartphone is a lot cheaper than Huawei Mate 20 Pro, it handled most of the games that we played on it very well. We spent hours playing games on it when we reviewed it.
The flagship by the Chinese smartphone brand is definitely one among the best gaming smartphones that you’ll find. OnePlus 6T is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor coupled with Adreno 630 GPU. The combination of the two makes it a smartphone with very powerful performance. It is, therefore, a device that can handle very heavy games. OnePlus 6T also comes with 6GB/8GB of RAM, which only makes things better for gaming.
The smartphone by Razer is known for its gaming. However, it is not available in India yet. The device comes with Snapdragon 845 SoC and has 8GB of RAM onboard. The company has said that the Razer Phone 2 comes with vapour chamber cooling, wireless charging and water resistance. The battery of the device also supports Qualcomm QuickCharge+.
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is also one among the best gaming smartphones that you can buy right now. The device is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845 processor, that can handle very heavy usage and gaming. Apart from this, Samsung Galaxy Note 9 comes with 8GB RAM and Adreno 630 GPU, which only enhance the gaming performance of the smartphone.
