Apple will be launching the iPhone 11 (or iPhone XI) in September this year, and there are still months to go for the event. However, that doesn’t mean that rumours about the upcoming iPhone are not circulating online. Since the beginning of the year, a number of reports about the 2019 iPhones have emerged and we have also already seen two sets of renders of the upcoming handset.
Just two weeks ago, some reports also suggested that the iPhone 11 would feature a triple rear camera setup that will be housed in a square module on the smartphone’s back panel. To recall, this particular design was shown in renders that were shared by technology website Digit in collaboration with leakster @Onleaks.
And now, there is another report that supports this claim. Steve H.McFly, or @Onleaks, as he is most popularly known has taken to Twitter to post about how his leak from January was correct. For doing this, he has used a schematic from SlashLeaks and his own render in a picture to show how the former confirms the design that he leaked earlier this year.
We should mention that the image from Slashleaks is supposed to be a welding pattern of the iPhone 11. Although most of the details are rather abstract in the image that has been shared, one thing that can be seen clearly is the fact that it is designed to support the flagship smartphone’s square camera bump that we saw in the renders earlier this year.
https://twitter.com/OnLeaks/status/1111353645768028160
Furthermore, there is also dedicated space for the three camera lenses, a flash and an additional sensor. This only confirms that the renders that were leaked in January this year may actually be close to the actual design of the iPhone 11 that we will get to see in September this year.
Image courtesy: Slashleaks
However, we should also add that since many months are left for the launch of the 2019 iPhones, anything that we get to see right now in the form of leaks is ultimately a rumour and should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Another thing we should add here is that not many fans are happy with the square bump that has shown up online more than once now. Apple fans have also taken to social media to voice their opinions about the upcoming smartphone’s design. Since it is too early right now, Apple may also consider changing the look and feel of the handset before it is finally launched in September this year.
Oppo’s new sub-brand Reno is going to be launched in China on April 10. The sub-brand will be focused towards the young generation of smartphone users. Some of the leaked images and renders of the first smartphone of the company showed what the device’s front and back panels will look like. But now, a video has surfaced online which shows Reno’s upcoming smartphone in its full glory. The video shows the unusual style of selfie camera the upcoming smartphone will have and it sparked a chain of criticism from the users on social media.
The leaked video shows the design of the Reno, and the back panel of the smartphone has Oppo’s logo engraved on it. However, most people seem to have a problem with the selfie camera placement of the Reno smartphone. The handset comes with a pop-up style selfie camera but it is unlike any other elevating front camera that the smartphone world has seen till now. The selfie camera rises from one side while the other side gets lodged in, meaning the selfie camera pops-up in a slanted way so that it forms an inclined plane on top of the handset.
Users expressed their opinion about how the selfie camera was a step backwards from today’s forward moving smartphone technology or how dirt could get inside the internals of the device from the small ridges of slant of the front camera. And it might be true that in the long run, dirt and dust might hinder the workings of the Reno’s slanted selfie camera and it might not be the best placement of sensors.
The Reno device showcased in the leaked video doesn’t seem to have the 10x zoom behind its periscope lens as it was seen in the MWC 2019. So, the leaked product might be a lower priced variant of the Reno smartphone running on Snapdragon 710 SoC instead of the top-end variant Snapdragon 855 SoC. The video also showcased a USB Type-C port along with a 3.5mm headphone jack on top of the device. At the back, there is a dual-rear camera setup with an LED flash.
Image credit: slashleaks
It is true that Oppo Find X was another phone with motorized camera module which received mixed criticisms from critics and fans. Around the same time, Vivo launched its NEX smartphone with a pop-up selfie camera, and they all were an instant hit among fans. But Reno’s selfie camera seems to be the mix of the two-camera placement modules and it might not be the best one.
Image Credit: slashleaks
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Microblogging website Twitter was one among the first few platforms that adopted the much-talked-about Dark Mode for its mobile app. The Dark Mode, which is called ‘Night Mode’ on the microblogging website, has been a hit among Twitter’s audience and most of them agree that it makes the reading experience on the app better, as it put less strain on the eyes. Furthermore, it also uses less battery for those who use Twitter on their Android smartphones.
And now, Twitter has taken a step forward and launched a new kind of Dark Mode. Keeping up with CEO Jack Dorsey’s promise of a battery-saving dark mode, Twitter has just announced via its own platform that it has started rolling out a Dark Mode that has a proper black background and is called ‘Lights Out’.
However, as of now, Twitter has only made the new mode available for its iOS app. And currently, there is no word on when the mode will be made available for Android users.
It is worth mentioning that for most popular flagship smartphones that come with OLED screens, much like iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max, the use of a Dark Mode in apps helps in extending their battery life. This happens because the OLED panels of these smartphones only light up the pixels that are not black.
It was dark. You asked for darker! Swipe right to check out our new dark mode. Rolling out today. pic.twitter.com/6MEACKRK9K
So, when we use the Dark Mode in most apps and choose a black wallpaper for devices with OLED displays, a lot of battery gets saved, considering the amount of time we end up endlessly scrolling on our phones. Twitter has also added that the proper black background reduces strain on users’ eyes in areas that are lowly-lit.
Some other popular apps that have rolled out the Dark Mode include YouTube, Android Messages app, Pocket, Slack, and Google Assistant. We should also add here that Facebook is also testing the Dark Mode on its popular instant messenger WhatsApp. The company also rolled out the mode on its Facebook Messenger app.
However, as of now, there is no word about the Dark Mode coming to Facebook’s native app and Instagram. However, we expect it to follow considering that it is Facebook’s usual way of first rolling out a feature to one of its apps and based on the response it gets there, it makes the feature available on other apps too.
And looking at the popularity of the Dark Mode among masses, there is a very less possibility of it not getting a good response on WhatsApp and Messenger. So, it’s only a matter of time before the feature gets rolled out to other Facebook apps too.
Apple has announced that developers from India and 45 other countries can now start promoting their apps in the company’s App Store search pages to increase their reach to more users. The Search Ads of Apple’s App Store was introduced back in 2016 WWDC with the aim to help the app developers reach a larger user base and increase the visibility of their apps on the App Store. Till now, the App Store’s Search Ads was limited to only 13 markets but now it had been expanded to 46 markets/countries. The app ads show up in the first page of the results when the user searches for the relevant apps.
Apple announced about the change in the App Store’s Search Ads policy by putting a notification on its Developer website. Earlier, the Search Ads was limited to only select markets, but in the updated list of 46 markets, India, Jordan, Egypt, Finland, Hong Kong, Argentina, Austria and Malaysia are included. Along with addition of new markets, there are changes made to the campaign configuration. Now, the developers can assign a single campaign to run across multiple countries while earlier, the developers had to configure a campaign individually for every single country where they wanted the campaign to run.
Talking about the Apple Search Ads of the App Store, Apple provides two types of search ads – Search Ads Basic and Search Ads Advanced. The Search Ads Basic just asks for three main parameters from the developers – the ads budget, the ads promotion countries and the app that will be promoted. Once all the parameters are provided, Apple will automatically create the required ad and put it in front of the potential users. In this, the developers are only charged for the number of times their apps are installed by the users. Apple also gives the developer, the max cost-per-install when the developer is setting up the ads. The developers can also specify their own max cost-per-install.
On the other hand, the Search Ads Advanced are for the developers who want to control more aspects of their ads and app promotion. It provides the developers with many options so that they can promote their app according to their own ways. The developers can select their own keywords and choose the devices – iPhone or iPad – and even define their users. In the Advanced Search Ads there is no limit on the budget and the developers can pay more or less as per their limits.
Apple’s App Store is one of its major money-making platforms and with the addition of 46 more countries that are able to use the Search Ads feature, the revenue generation of the company will go up. Although the Search Ads feature doesn’t add much to the Apple’s revenue, but it is believed that by the year 2020, the Search Ads will become a $2 billion business.
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A 24-year-old security researcher, Zammis Clark, was nearly sent to prison today after he admitted that he hacked into Microsoft and Nintendo servers and stole confidential information. Clark is known as Slipstream or Raylee online and he was charged for various offences of computer misuse in a London Crown Court on Thursday. He pleaded guilty for hacking into Microsoft and Nintendo servers.
According to the prosecutors, Clark had gained access to the company’s server on January 24, 2017, by using an internal name and password. He then uploaded a web shell, with which he could access Microsoft’s security for at least three weeks. This was followed by him uploading multiple shells that enabled him to search the company’s network and even upload files to it or download the data that he wanted.
After Clark broke into Microsoft’s internal Windows flighting server, nearly 43,000 files were stolen. And it is worth mentioning that these servers contain confidential copies of Windows’s pre-released versions and were being used to distribute early beta code to various developers. Clark gained information on pre-released versions of Windows with nearly 7,500 searches. We should mention that he targeted unique build numbers to obtain this information.
Furthermore, he shared access to Microsoft’s servers via an Internet Relay Chat (IRC) server chatroom, and this enabled other people to access and steal the information. According to the prosecutors, Microsoft’s servers were accessed by hackers from various countries including France, Germany and the United Arab Emirates. The stolen files were found by the police on Clark’s home computer, and this followed a joint investigation that involved the software giant’s cyber team, the FBI, the NCA’s National Cyber Crime Unit (NCCU) and EUROPOL.
Thomas Hounsell, a 26-year-old who runs a discontinued BuildFeed website, also appeared with Clark in court on Thursday. He closely followed Microsoft’s development processes and he also used Clark’s server breach to conduct over 1,000 searches over a period of 17 days.
The intrusion in Microsoft servers ended when Clark uploaded a malware on the company’s networks. Post this, he was arrested in June 2017, however, he was also later bailed out without any restrictions on his computer use. Clark then went back to hack into Nintendo’s internal network in March 2018. He gained access via Virtual Private Networks and used similar software to hack into the company’s confidential game development servers. We should mention that these servers have the development code for unreleased games and Clark stole 2,365 usernames and passwords before Nintendo discovered the breach in May last year.
It is worth mentioning that the cost of damage estimated by Nintendo is between $913,000 and $1.8 million, while Microsoft has said that it suffered damage of around $2 million.
Clark’s defence lawyer told the court that his client is an autistic person and has face blindness, he would be very vulnerable to violence from other prisoners if imprisoned. Furthermore, he would be at greater risk of reoffending if he had to go to prison for his crimes. Clark’s parents also wrote to the judge saying that he would be sent to rehabilitation and detailed on the challenges he faced because of autism. His mother also specified that she had given up her day job in order to help her son and work on his rehabilitation.
Judge Alexander Milne, QC sentenced Clark saying, “Everything I have heard and been told leads me to believe this is a young man who would suffer disproportionality if he went to prison. The heartbreak and I can only see it as heartbreak for his parents, comes across loud and clear. They are to be commended.”
Clark has been sentenced to a total of 15 months of imprisonment and will be suspended for. On the other hand, Hounsell has been also sentenced to six months of imprisonment, and he will be suspended for 18 months too. In addition to this, Hounsell will have to complete 100 hours of community service. Judge Milne concluded his sentence saying, “I am trusting this will be a lesson from which you will all learn.”
Apple has released a new OS update called WatchOS 5.2 for all the compatible Apple Watches. The new update brings many new features to the Apple Watch and the most prominent one among them is support for the ECG app. But the ECG support feature will only be available for 19 markets in Europe and some others in Hong Kong. Other new features that the WatchOS 5.2 brings include an expanded irregular heart rhythm notification feature for the new markets. Currently, both the new features are limited to the Apple Watch Series 4. Furthermore, the new update adds support for second-generation AirPods.
Out of all the changes the WatchOS 5.2 brings, the support of ECG app seems to be the most noticeable and important change. With this feature, the users can record an electrocardiogram using their Apple Watch. The feature is currently available for Hong Kong markets and several European markets which includes Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK. But it should be noted that, the ECG feature had already made its debut in December last year in the US and its territories such as Puerto Rico and Guam. The new WatchOS 5.2 update came a week after the debut of iOS 12.2.
Jeff Williams, Apple’s Chief Operating Officer said “We’ve seen the ECG app and irregular rhythm notifications on Apple Watch have meaningful impact on our customers across the United States. We are excited to bring these features to customers in Europe and Hong Kong, giving them access to empowering information about their heart health.”
The other feature enables the notifications for the irregular heart rhythm for the Apple Watch Series 4 in the above-mentioned markets. According to Apple, the data received through the ECG app and the irregular heart rhythm notification will be able to alert the users about the signs of Atrial fibrillation (AFib).
Along with health features, the WatchOS 5.2 also adds support for the second-generation AirPods. Some of the markets where the update has been released, it also adds support for real-time text (RTT) for phone calls. Other features of the Apple WatchOS 5.2 includes support for the Apple News + which was launched for iOS earlier this week. There is also two new gradient-style watch faces for the Apple Hermès watches in Cherry/Sakura and Bleu colours to match the spring Hermès band collection.
Speaking about the update, Apple said that the WatchOS 5.2 brings the new and updated security content and it fixes 29 vulnerabilities which were found on models starting from Apple Watch Series 1. The update adds several other features and fixes the problems of the old update.
Steps to follow to install the WatchOS 5.2 update
The new update will only be compatible with the Apple Watch models running WatchOS 5. Here are the steps you need to follow to install the update:
Go to the Apple Watch app on your iOS device.
Once inside the app, head to General then tap on Software Update.
The device must be connected with an internet connection and the Apple Watch must have at least 50% of battery.
The update will get downloaded on its own and once downloaded, it will begin to update the device.
But during the installation process, the iPhone must be in close proximity with the Apple Watch and both need to be connected with Wi-Fi. Once the installation is complete, the Apple Watch will restart with the new WatchOS 5.2.
We have some good news for gamers! Gaming video streaming platform Twitch has announced today those who will subscribe to Twitch Prime will get a free year of Nintendo Switch Online service. We should mention that otherwise, the service costs $19.99.
However, you must know that Twitch is offering the service to subscribers in a two-stage process. Firstly, subscribers will be able to get a free membership for three months, and after sixty days, they will be able to get the next nine months. We assume that this has been done in order to ensure that people don’t sign up for a month, claim the entire year of Nintendo Switch Online service and then leave.
The deal is now open for both new and existing Switch Online subscribers. And those who have subscribed already will get extra months in their plan.
But there’s another thing that we should point out. Twitch Online is a part of Amazon Prime service, which costs $12.99 per month or $119 per year. So, it may not make too much sense if you pick the subscription just for the Switch Online service. This is even more valid because you will have to pay for at least two months to get an entire year of free service. However, if you pay for Amazon Prime already, then you don’t have to think about this.
Speaking of Switch Online, it comes with numerous benefits for Switch players. These include the ability to play games online, save various games on the cloud, and access to classic NES games and exclusive titles like Tetris 99.
According to Twitch, Amazon Prime subscribers can redeem their three-month subscription till September 28 and if they want to get their nine-month membership, they have until January 28, 2020, to do it.
In addition to this, the streaming service website has issued a warning saying that “Nintendo Switch Online membership will automatically convert to a 3-month membership for $7.99 unless automatic renewal is turned off any time up to 48 hours before the end of the initial 3-month membership.”
So before you claim your free service, you must check your renewal settings in order to avoid paying extra.
Just yesterday, Twitch also rolled out a new feature called Squad Streams on its platform that enables up to four Twitch streamers to go live simultaneously in one window. Using the feature, creators will also be able to boost the profile of smaller streamers on Twitch.
The sandbox video game, Minecraft has been popular with the fans worldwide ever since it was launched way back in 2009. And thanks to its constant update cycle, the game remains fresh and free from bugs, and other technical problems. But a recent update of the game has removed the references of its creator Markus ‘Notch’ Persson from Minecraft. The studio behind the game, Mojang, owned by Microsoft has removed the text such as ‘Made by Notch!’ and ‘The Work of Notch!’. In the new update certain quotations has been added such as ‘Don’t worry, be happy!’ and ‘Go to the dentist’.
The new changes in the update were a part of Minecraft’s newest Java snapshot release version 19w13a. In this new form, the Hero of the Village status effect along with the accessibility button has been added to the title screen of the game. Although the new update’s patch notes read that it had fixed 22 bugs but there was no mention about the removal of the creator of the game, Notch’s name from the reference,nor is any reason given behind it. But Notch’s name is listed as the creator in the game’s credits.
This was also confirmed by the Minecraft wiki which has listed the removal of the creator’s name and the quotes in the March 27 snapshot. But neither the company, Mojang or Microsoft has commented about this issue.
Minecraft is a sandbox style videogame, which lets the players build and explore a Lego-like multiplayer virtual world where more than one player from around the world can play together. Till now, it has been downloaded more than 100 million times on PC. It is also one of the most popular online games on Xbox One as well. Breaking many records, Minecraft is one of the most downloaded and most played paid apps for iOS and Android platforms, too.
Microsoft acquired Mojang, the company that created the game after paying $2.5 billion to the game’s creator Notch. And since then Notch has been surrounded with controversy like the endorsing of the QAnon conspiracy or debating about the definition of gender or using the word ‘feminist’ as an insult. There are several other conspiracies and controversies which surrounds the creator of the game. Although not likely, but it could be a reason the company had removed Notch’s name from the game, but till now there hasn’t been any comment made by the company, Microsoft.
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Japanese consumer electronics company Sony’s chairman Kazuo Hirai has announced his retirement from the company. With this, his 35-year career is coming to a close. It is worth mentioning that Hirai stepped down from the post of CEO around a year back and passed the role of Kenichiro Yoshida.
We should also add that Yoshida was the CFO with whom Hirai orchestrated Sony’s turnaround from a loss-making electronics maker to a profitable company that focussed on its PlayStation business.
Hirai will be leaving his role of chairman on June 18 this year, however, he will continue to be associated with the company as an occasional ‘senior advisor’ upon the request of the company’s management.
Speaking about Hirai’s departure in a statement, Yoshida said, “Hirai-san and I have been working on management reforms together since December 2013. While he will be retiring from both Chairman and our Board of Directors, we look forward to his continuing high-level support to Sony’s management that encompasses a breadth of diverse businesses.”
Hirai also spoke about leaving his post at the Chairman saying, “Since passing the baton of CEO to Yoshida-san last April, as Chairman of Sony, I have had the opportunity to both ensure a smooth transition and provide support to Sony’s management. I am confident that everyone at Sony is fully aligned under Yoshida-san’s strong leadership, and are ready to build an even brighter future for Sony. As such, I have decided to depart from Sony, which has been a part of my life for the past 35 years. I would like to extend my warmest gratitude to all our employees and stakeholders who have supported me throughout this journey.”
It is worth adding that Hirai joined Sony’s music division in 1984 and later moved to the United States to lead the company’s overseas marketing. He then moved to Sony Computer Entertainment in 1995 just before the first ever PlayStation was launched.
In 2006, he succeeded Ken Kutaragi as the head of the gaming business. And in 2012, Hirai replaced Howard Stringer as the CEO of Sony. He then spearheaded the ‘One Sony’ initiative that streamlined the Japanese electronics maker’s operations.
We should mention that the company’s PlayStation business has constantly been making profits and after years of making fans wait, Sony is expected to finally launch the next generation of PlayStation soon. Recently, a report surfaced online which claims that the gaming console will either be launched this year or in 2020.
Social media giant Facebook has today announced some initiatives to deliver social and inclusive growth by harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI). the announcements were made by Facebook at its inaugural AI for India Summit that was held in Bengaluru. The summit focussed on AI for Social Good and was attended by AI thought-leaders, start-ups, NGOs, and developers.
Speaking on the event, Ajit Mohan, Vice President and Managing Director, Facebook India said, “At Facebook, we are developing and leveraging cutting-edge technologies for products we develop around the world. From developing a tool to swiftly connect blood banks and hospitals with blood donors to utilizing Disaster Maps to aid the relief work during the 2018 Kerala Floods, we have always sought opportunities to deploy the best of H our expertise in the service of India.”
He further added, “We are an ally for India’s economic growth and social development and this summit is our effort to understand how we can contribute to the development of deep tech in India, as well as corral resources to use these technologies to develop impactful solutions for tough and persistent problems.”
To show how AI can be used for social good, Facebook spoke about its Blood Donation tool and said that till date, more than 35 million people have signed up to be donors across the globe. The social networking giant also spoke about how AI plays a very crucial role at the time of crises and shed light on its efforts during the 2018 Kerala Floods when it partnered with SEEDS India. Facebook’s data was used to track people’s movement and with this, SEEDS could manage early recovery and timely relief organisations.
Mohan also added, “At Facebook, we are also committed to growing the local AI ecosystem, which can be achieved by providing support to start-ups, to the student community, and by ensuring diversity within the ecosystem itself. That’s the thought behind our key announcements today around AI for India Accelerator, trainings and scholarships for students and developers, and ‘Women in AI’ hackathons.”
India Innovation Accelerator: Under this program, the social media giant will extend mentorship and support to startups that are leveraging AI to address gaps within areas of women safety, agriculture, education, healthcare, climate change, and resilient cities, among many others.
100 Scholarships for students and developers: This program by Facebook is focused on nurturing their ideas for utilizing AI for social good. The scholarships under this program will enable the students to gain access to advanced Deep Learning courses.
‘Women in AI’ Hackathons: These AI Hackathons will be aimed at encouraging women developers and women-led startups that focus on AI. The winners will be provided courses on AI and Machine Learning by professors of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras.
AI Trainings: Under Facebook Hubs program, it will conduct extensive, application-based AI training with a host of startups across 20 locations in India. The program is aimed at helping startups and entrepreneurs scale their businesses, Facebook Hubs will extend support for the community by hosting mentor hours and conducting training and workshops.
Reliance Jio completely changed the face of Indian telecom industry when it was launched. And it has always managed to be in headlines since then. Recently, Reliance Jio launched new plans for its prepaid users and then reports surfaced online suggesting that it is testing the triple-play plan for the Jio GigaFiber. And now, according to a UBS report, the usage of Reliance Jio SIM cards as the primary network for making voice calls by multi-SIM card holders has increased in 2018.
It is a great news for the Reliance Jio as the report states that the users who use more than one-SIM cards in their smartphones have been using the Jio SIM cards as their primary calling SIM. The report noted that around 92% of the Reliance Jio users used the network for voice calls from December 2018 to January 2019. We can see the growth on comparing it to last year’s numbers, when 83% of the Jio users used it as a primary calling SIM from March 2018 to April 2018. So, in under 8 months, the number of Jio user’s reliability on Reliance Jio SIM cards for making voice calls increased by 9%.
The report by UBS was based on a survey carried out in 13 cities of the country which showed that Airtel’s usage as the primary data SIM has increased to 95% during the December 2018 – January 2019 period. Earlier, Airtel’s data usage by users was 83% in March 2018 – April 2018. So, the user’s reliability on Airtel for their primary data SIM card increased by 12% in an interval of around 8 months. The Indian cities which were under the survey — New Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Nagpur, Patna, Vishakhapatnam, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Alwar, Salem, Raipur and Allahabad.
It should be noted that Airtel along with many other telecom companies were forced to reduce their voice calls and data service charges after the arrival of Reliance Jio. Reliance Jio was the first to offer unlimited 4G data services along with unlimited voice calling feature for a price of Rs 399 for three months. Seeing users switch their network preferences from other companies to Reliance Jio, forced the telecom companies to come up with new ideas and services to compete with the ever-increasing popularity and user base of the newly- launched Jio. And the end result was that all the major telecom companies like Airtel, Vodafone, Idea had to reduce their charges for the services they offered to stay in the telecom sector and compete with Jio.
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HMD Global changed the game for Nokia smartphones when it not only packed them with powerful specifications but also made sure that they get timely Android updates and security patches. No matter which Nokia smartphone it is, the company rolls out timely updates for it.
And HMD Global has done the same again as Nokia 7 Plus, Nokia 7.1, Nokia 6.1 Plus, and Nokia 6.1 have reportedly started receiving the March Android security patch in India. All the four smartphones are receiving over-the-air updates and in case your device hasn’t received it yet, it’s just a matter of time before it gets it.
All the four software updates get the same V3.51F build to Nokia 7 Plus, Nokia 7.1, Nokia 6.1 Plus, and Nokia 6.1 smartphones. The most important update that comes to these Nokia smartphones comes with the March Android security patch and enhancements in their user interface.
In addition to this, HMD Global has rolled out the March security patch for the Nokia 1 smartphone in Iraq. The update for Nokia 1 also includes V1.550 build and also comes with some improvements in the system stability of the device.
It is worth mentioning that Nokia 7 Plus, Nokia 7.1, Nokia 6.1 Plus, and Nokia 6.1 run Android 9.0 Pie already, so there will be no change in the Android versions of the four handsets with the latest update that they have received. On the other hand, the Nokia 1 smartphone still runs Android 8.1 Oreo. However, even that has not received the Android 9.0 Pie after the latest update.
Some reports online suggest that the update for Nokia 7 Plus is 375.3MB in size, whereas the one for Nokia 7.1 is 342.9MB. Nokia 6.1 Plus‘ update is reportedly 339.8MB in size, and the one for Nokia 6.1 update is 530.7MB. The update for Nokia 1 is said to be 816.4MB in size.
We should add that the system stability of Nokia 7 Plus, Nokia 7.1, Nokia 6.1 Plus, and Nokia 6.1 has also improved with the latest update. Furthermore, the update for Nokia 7.1 is also said to be live in the United States. As of now, there is no word on when other markets will get the update for these smartphones.
Considering HMD Global’s past record, the update should reach other markets shortly too. All four Nokia smartphones from HMD Global were launched in India last year but in different months.
The music streaming platform, Spotify was earlier unavailable to the Indian users. But recently, the company has launched its platform for the Indian users as well. Now, the platform is testing a new subscription service called – the Premium Duo. In this new subscription service, Spotify will offer a user two Premium subscriptions for a discounted price of $12.49 (approximately Rs 865) for a month. The new service also comes with an innovative feature called – the Duo Mix, which auto-generates the music on the listening habits of both the users.
Spotify’s new subscription plan was first spotted by a Reddit user named Hasztagg and later it was confirmed by The Verge. The Premium subscription of the music streaming service, Spotify only costs $9.99 (approximately Rs 692) for a month, which is not cheap if you look at other competing music streaming platforms. But with the Premium Duo, a user can save more money on their monthly subscriptions as the Duo subscription costs $12.49, which is $7.49 (approximately Rs 518) cheaper than taking two separate subscriptions. Couples or roommates can use this service where they both can save money and listen to their choice of music online.
But there is a catch with the Premium Duo subscription service, similar to the Family subscription the subscribers must live at the same address. The Spotify’s Family subscription plan allows up to six users to share the same plan. The Family subscription costs $14.99 (approximately Rs 1,038) for a month. However, the Family subscription plan was a source of frustration for many users as Spotify would ask each of the six users to verify their address and confirm they all live at the same address.
In Premium Duo service, Spotify will ask the user to provide this address when both the subscribers sign up for the Premium Duo subscription.
Once both the users of the Spotify Premium Duo subscription have signed up, they will get access to the Duo Mix. It’s a new auto-generating playlist feature of the music-streaming platform where only one playlist is created when the sign-up process is completed. The playlist will be shared by both the users. The playlist works similar to Spotify’s existing Discover Weekly or Daily Mix playlists. Also, for the Spotify Mobile app, there is an addition of ‘Chill’ and ‘Upbeat’ options for the playlist to switch between songs and tempos.
Spotify Premium Duo
But there is also an option to create a playlist of your own choice which can be shared with your Duo partner with the ‘Shared Playlist’ feature.
Currently, the Spotify Premium Duo subscription plan is being tested in five markets – Poland, Colombia, Chile, Denmark and Ireland. The company didn’t comment when will it bring the new subscription service to other markets of the world.
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The battle between T-series and PewDiePie has been going on since last year. And each time the former outnumbered the latter in terms of followers on YouTube, PewDiePie’s followers surged up quickly. However, today the followers of T-Series’ YouTube followers have finally taken over PewDiePie’s with a huge margin. At the time of writing, T-series had 44,215 more followers than PewDiePie on YouTube.
We should mention that prior to this, Swedish content creator Felix Kjellberg has enjoyed being the biggest channel on YouTube in terms of subscribers. In fact, Kjellberg’s channel was the most subscribed on YouTube for six years. However, things began to change in mid-2018, when for the first time T-Series came very close to surpassing PewDiePie. Since then, a battle between the two channels started and in the process, they both ended up crossing 90 million subscribers on YouTube.
We should add here that at the beginning of 2018, T-Series had around 30 million subscribers on YouTube. However, with the constantly falling price of 4G data coupled with YouTube’s arrival on feature phones, the user-base of the channel grew tremendously. And today, it has become the biggest YouTube channel in terms of subscribers with over 91,663,221 subscribers (at the time of writing).
It is worth noticing that this is not the first time that T-Series has surpassed PewDiePie in terms of followers on YouTube. There have been several instances in the past when the same has happened. The first time T-Series overtook PewDiePie on February 22 for about 8 minutes and this was followed by 8 minutes on March 9. The third time when T-Series’ YouTube channel’s followers surpassed PewDiePie’s was on March 13 for a few moments. And more recently on March 20, it happened for the fourth time for about a minute.
Image courtesy: FlareTV (YouTube)
It is worth adding that this time, the record label’s YouTube channel did not take over PewDiePie’s for a few minutes. At the time of writing this article, it had T-Series’ followers were ahead of PewDiePie’s for about 20 minutes and the difference between the two kept on surging in favour of the record label’s channel.
However, we still cannot say if the battle between the Indian T-series and Swedish Kjellberg’s PewDiePie is over or not. Considering that PewDiePie has a very strong fan base who have been adopting a number of ways to get others to subscribe to his channel, it may just bounce back. We will have to wait to see if that happens, but one thing is for sure, at this rate, the two channels will definitely cross 100 million subscribers by April this year.
Taiwanese electronics maker BenQ has launched its ZOWIE G-SR-SE Red e-sports Mousepad in India to enhance the gaming experience of the players. BenQ ZOWIE G-SR-SE Red is a special edition mousepad and is the successor of the company’s ZOWIE G-SR-SE Blue. The newly launched mousepad gives gamers a new look, a new colour option along with refreshed design. Here’s everything you should know about the newly-launched mousepad:
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BenQ ZOWIE G-SR-SE Red e-sports mousepad price and availability
BenQ ZOWIE G-SR-SE Red e-sports mousepad bears a price tag of Rs 2,500 and it is available on Amazon India’s website. The ZOWIE G-SR-SE Red is also available in select retail stores and select ZOWIE resellers across the country.
BenQ ZOWIE G-SR-SE Red e-sports mousepad features
BenQ ZOWIE G-SR-SE Red e-sports mousepad offers gamers a smooth and even textured surface for mouse movement which results in better traction to the mouse’s sensors. BenQ ZOWIE G-SR-SE Red e-sports mousepad comes with a 100 percent flat rubber base which increases the stability on any surface.
The new mousepad by BenQ can be used with their trackball mouse, optical mouse or wireless mouse. Its dimensions are 470 x 390 mm ± 10 mm/ 18.5 x 15.3 inches ± 0.4 inch.
While the base of the BenQ ZOWIE G-SR-SE Red e-sports mousepad is made of rubber, its upper surface has cloth on top. The build and the materials used for the mousepad offers the gamers comfort for long durations of marathon gaming. Being a special edition mousepad, the ZOWIE G-SR-SE Red e-sports by BenQ gives a slightly different glide and movement of the mouse than its standard black G-SR mousepad and it also carries a different look.
G-SR-SE-RED
This year, BenQ also launched a gaming monitor in its ZOWIE series named ZOWIE XL2546 240Hz DyAc 24.5-inch e-Sports gaming monitor along with two gaming mice named ZOWIE EC1-B and EC2-B. Both the gaming mice from ZOWIE come equipped with 3360 sensors which gives the gamers a different mouse tracking feel. The EC-B series of ZOWIE mice comes with a USB report rate switch with indicator lights at the bottom. It makes the adjustments of settings more convenient and allows the gamers to check their mouse rate without any additional software.
The DPI lights and the feet of the mouse has also been changed. So now, the DPI indicator light is placed at the bottom of the mouse. Other changes in the ZOWIE EC-B series mice includes an inclusion of the 2 large mouse feet, which have been replaced with 4 smaller ones.
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OnePlus smartphones have always been known for offering premium features at an affordable price. And since last year, the company has also started rolling out timely software updates for its devices. Since the beginning of the year, the company has been pushing out new Android updates for its devices, both new and old.
While it has been a while since OnePlus 5, OnePlus 5T, OnePlus 6 and One Plus 6T got the latest update, the and the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T got the beta update just recently. And the final stable update is expected to come to the two smartphones in the near future.
And now, the company has announced an Open Beta programme for the OnePlus 5 (Open Beta 29), OnePlus 5T (Open Beta 27), OnePlus 6 (Open Beta 15), and OnePlus 6T (Open Beta 7). The new update brings many changes and improvements, and some of them include tweaks in the photo editor tool in the Gallery of the devices, and some fixes in the Weather app, among other improvements.
Currently, the Open Beta programme update is being rolled out through the OTA (over-the-air) update for the users. But it is only limited to the users who are part of the Open Beta programme for the above-mentioned devices. For joining the Open Beta programme, the users need to side-load the beta software package on to their devices. Once it is side-loaded, users need to install the software. After the successful installation of the software, users will be able to enjoy all the changes and features that the update brings.
The new Beta update for the OnePlus 6 and the OnePlus 6T brings new features such as optimisations for the screenshots and the Phone app. Other new features that the beta update brings include an improved colour adaptation for cards in the shelf along with improvements in the weather app and support for permission migration or the OnePlus Switch tool. There are also additional improvements in the photo editor tool in the Gallery app.
The update for the OnePlus 5 and the OnePlus 5T brings all the changes and new features with the exception of the photo editor tool of Gallery app.
Although it’s an update, the users should keep in mind that these updates are still in their beta phase. So if you get the beta update for them, it may come with some issues, glitches and bugs. The final update is speculated to come in the next few weeks.
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Apex Legends is best known for becoming a huge hit right after its launch. The game was very quick to garner a huge user-base and received largely positive reviews from most people who played it. If you are just starting out with the game, or are not able to score that well, here are some tips and tricks that will help you:
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Make use of different characters
One thing that makes Apex Legends unique is its cast of characters. Each of the characters in the game has a passive ability and a tactical ability that they can activate. We recommend that you give all the characters a try and see which one fits your style the most. And use your character’s ability, that is how you’ll know who you like playing as.
Identify what’s worth going after
Like most battle royale games, Apex Legends gives you an array of items that you can go after. However, there is a colour-coding that it uses that will help you differentiate between the value of these items. The items on the game will be coloured in White, Blue, Purple and Gold. While the Gold items are the best ones that you can get, Purple, Blue and White follow (in the same order). Although Gold and Purple will mostly provide you with the same armor, the difference will be that the Gold one will come with additional perks.
Pay attention to coloured numbers when you attack
Whenever you shoot an enemy, you will see a coloured number pop up. In Apex Legends, the colour of the number will always match the colour of the armor the enemy has. Additionally, Red numbers indicate that your enemy does not have armor and Yellow indicates a headshot.
Carry different kinds of weapons
This is a staple rule of every battle royale. Most of these games provide users with a number of weapons to choose from and Apex Legends is no exception. You will find weapons like handguns, shotguns and sniper rifles. Once you drop, you will have to make do with whatever you can find first. However, as the game progresses, we recommend you to find weapons that complement each other.
Know the ammo type of your weapon
Each weapon has its own specific ammo type and is colour coded, so you can identify them easily. The brown weapons including pistols, SMGs, and smaller rifles would have light ammo, while the green ones like assault rifles, snipers, and the Wingman hand cannon will have heavy ammo. Similarly, the shotgun shells are red and Yellow ones will have energy ammo. We recommend you not to keep two weapons of the same ammo type.
Remember that you can revive
The best way to win Apex Legends is to keep your three-man squad alive for as long as you can. However, if one of your teammates goes down because of losing their health, remember that he can still be revived. If you lost all your health and are down, you should crawl slowly to avoid danger and get closer to your teammates. But do remember to protect yourself with a knockdown shield while doing this. Another thing to remember is that the time to revive a team player who is down is limited, so others should act in time to do the necessary. If the player gets killed, and their teammate managed to pick up their banner in time, it can be brought to respawn beacon to resurrect them.
Communicate with your team
If you are comfortable with it, use voice chat as it is the quickest way to communicate with your team. However, if you are not, you the pinging system in the game, but do communicate with your teammates. It may sound minor, but it is one of the key things that make you win.
Use the map effectively
Another very important point that you must remember while playing Apex Legends is that using the map is a must. Also, since the circle starts shrinking over time, you will have to move around often and effectively in order to take the crown. Do look out for the red balloons on the map and use them to glide to other places quickly. Also, remember that there is no fall damage in the game. So even if you fall from a mountain, you will not be hurt.
Play smart
Unlike other battle royales, Apex Legends does not have too many players per game, so it is highly unlikely that you will get into a big fight right away. So, you can use this time to find weapons of your choice that suit your style of playing the game. Start attacking enemies once you are done looking for these weapons. Be aggressive when fighting your enemies, but remember to not be reckless. Attack or get attacked – this is the only thing that you should remember while playing Apex Legends.
Remember to dispose of weapons too
In Apex Legends, you have limited inventory space. So remember to review it regularly so that you can drop anything that you cannot use. However, if you do this, ping it to your teammates. What’s not useful to you may be useful for them.
Taiwanese electronics maker Getac has launched two new fully-rugged tablets named K120-ANSI and K120-Ex. The company has promised that both the tablets will offer safety and performance in a hazardous working environment. Being rugged tablets, they can work in extreme temperatures and offers good performance as they are powered by the Intel i5 and i7 CPUs and run Windows 10 Pro. Here’s a look at their pricing details and specifications:
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Getac K120-ANSI and K120-Ex price and availability
Although Getac K120-ANSI and K120-Ex are said to be available for purchase globally starting today, its pricing was not mentioned on the website at the time of writing. We will update you as soon as there is an official word from the company.
Getac K120-ANSI specifications
Getac K120-ANSI comes with different CPU variants – two comes in Intel Core i7 CPU, among whch one is powered by the Intel Core i7-8550U CPU clocked at 1.8GHz while the other is powered by an Intel Core i7-8650U CPU clocked at 1.9GHz. There are two more CPU variants of the K120-ANSI – one is powered by an Intel Core i5-8250U CPU clocked at 1.6GHz while the other is powered by the Intel Core i5-8350U CPU clocked at 1.7GHz. The tablet runs Windows 10 Pro and it sports a 12.5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) IPS TFT LCD display with 1200 nits LumiBond brightness. Getac K120-ANSI comes with 4GB DDR4 RAM which can be expanded up to 32GB while it comes with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB SSD storage variants. It has got a capacitive multi-touch screen with optional dual mode touchscreen. There is also an optional 1D/2D imager barcode reader along with USB 2.0 port. It packs two 2,100mAh batteries but there is also an optional 3,450mAh x 2 battery variant of the tablet.
On the camera front, the Getac K120-ANSI comes with an 8MP auto focus rear camera while the front camera is a Full HD webcam. The users can also get the optional Windows Hello face-authentication camera at the front. For ports, the Getac K120-ANSI comes with a DC in jack, a USB 3.0 port, a USB 3.1 Gen Type-C port along with a LAN port. There is also an HDMI port and a microSD card slot on top of K120-ANSI.
For connectivity the K120-ANSI comes with 10/100/1000 base-T Ethernet, Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265, 802.11ac, Bluetooth (v4.2)I, an optional dedicated GPS and an optional 4G LTE mobile broadband. The K120-ANSI is 329.5 x 238 x 24mm in dimensions and weighs 1.82kgs.
Getac K120-Ex specifications
Coming to Getac K120-Ex, it is available in different CPU variants as well – two come with Intel Core i7 CPU, among which one is powered by the Intel Core i7-8550U CPU clocked at 1.8GHz while the other is powered by an Intel Core i7-8650U CPU clocked at 1.9GHz. There are two more CPU variants of the K120-Ex – one comes powered by an Intel Core i5-8250U CPU clocked at 1.6GHz while the other is powered by the Intel Core i5-8350U CPU clocked at 1.7GHz. The K120-Ex sports a 12.5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080 pixels) IPS TFT LCD display with 1200 nits LumiBond brightness technology. The display of the tablet has the capacitive multi-touch screen with an optional dual mode touchscreen. The rugged tablet comes with 4GB DDR4 RAM which is expandable up to 32GB. The storage of the K120-Ex includes 128GB, 256GB, 512GB and 1TB SSD.
There is also an optional 1D/2D imager barcode reader and an optional Serial port (9-pin; D-sub), or USB 2.0 port variant of the device. On the camera department, the Getac K120-Ex comes with an 8MP auto focus rear camera while the front camera is a Full HD webcam. There is also an optional Windows Hello face-authentication front-facing camera. The device also comes with a headphone jack and mic-in combo in the tablet.
For ports, the Getac K120-Ex comes with a DC in Jack, a USB 3.0 port, a USB3.1 Gen 1 Type-C port, a LAN (RJ-45), an HDMI port and a MicroSD slot. Other features of the Getac K120-Ex includes 10/100/1000 base-T Ethernet, Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 8265, 802.11ac, Bluetooth (v4.2)I, an optional dedicated GPS and an optional 4G LTE mobile broadband. Other optional features of the K120-Ex comprise of an inclusion of optional Intel Pro Technology, TPM 2.0, optional Smart Card reader or HF RFID Reader, and Kensington lock. The device packs two 2,100mAh battery, its dimensions are 329.5 x 238 x 24mm and weighs at 1.86kgs.
It is MIL-STD-810G certified and IP65 certified making it dust and water resistant. The company has assured that it is 6 feet drop resistant. The device comes with a warranty of 3 years which includes accidental damage of the device.
Both the devices come with anti-explosive, intrinsic safety technology and can work in temperatures ranging from -21-degree Celsius to +63 degree Celsius making them rugged beyond imagination.
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Foldable smartphones are definitely the latest rage in the world of technology. While Samsung and Huawei have already launched Galaxy Fold and Mate X respectively, the next expected foldable device is expected to come from Xiaomi. And now, the Chinese smartphone brand has shared another video of its prototype foldable smartphone.
It is worth mentioning that Xiaomi has not thrown any light on the specifications of the smartphone in the video, but it does confirm that the company is still working on its foldable device. Xiaomi’s foldable prototype smartphone was first showcased in January this year and unlike Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X, it comes with a double-folding design. Although this video does confirm that the company is still serious about its foldable device, we still don’t know when we can expect the device to be launched.
The video was shared by the company on its official profile on Chinese social networking website Weibo and it was then re-uploaded on YouTube. We should mention that the new video does not show anything that is not known about the device yet. If you watch the video, you will be able to see a person using the smartphone in portrait mode when it is unfolded. The person then folds the device from both the sides and places it on top of a box of noodles.
It is worth noticing that there is a slight software lag in changing the orientation of the screen as well as turning the UI from tablet to smartphone mode can be seen in the video. Xiaomi will have to work more on the device to fix these issues before it finally becomes available.
While Samsung and Huawei have already launched their foldable phones and we know about what Xiaomi is planning, we should also add that Apple and Motorola are also working on their respective foldable phones.
In unrelated news, Samsung also published a video of its Galaxy Fold smartphone today, giving the world a first glimpse at what the device looks like when it is folded. The video showed a number of Samsung Galaxy Fold smartphones undergoing stress tests by being folded and unfolded repeatedly.
Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X will also be launching in India, although the timelines for their respective launches are not clear as yet. Samsung Galaxy Fold’s India launch was confirmed to select media on the when the company’s Galaxy S10 series was unveiled in the country.
Video courtesy: Xiaomishka
Chinese smartphone brand Lenovo has been teasing its Lenovo Z6 Pro flagship smartphone for quite some time now. The Lenovo Z6 Pro is the successor of the 2018 Lenovo Z5 Pro GT which came with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage. The company has announced that the device will be launching on June 2019.
And now, a revelation has been made by the company’s VP Chang Cheng that the Lenovo Z6 Pro’s might be able to capture and produce 100-megapixels images. The image was teased on the Chinese social networking platform Weibo. The VP had posted about the Lenovo Z6 Pro on Weibo using a Chinese hashtag which means ‘a billion pixels’, or 100-megapixels (also means 100 million pixels in some cases.
The news comes after Qualcomm’s announcement about its processors already possessing the capability of supporting images of more than 100-megapixels. But is should be noted that making a 100-megapixels image would require the smartphone camera to capture and combine multiple shots of a single frame and bring them together into making one large picture.
Lenovo Z6 Pro camera features and specifications (expected)
Although not much is known about the specifications of the device, but the Lenovo Z6 Pro is expected to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC which the company used in its predecessor, the Lenovo Z5 Pro GT. As mentioned earlier, the Lenovo Z5 Pro GT was launched in December 2018 and it packed 12GB of RAM, so its successor is expected to pack something similar if not better specifications.
It is also expected that the Lenovo Z6 Pro will come with 5G support. But the company might also launch a non-5G variant of the device similar to the Samsung Galaxy S10 series.
As the company’s VP Cheng had teased on Weibo about the Lenovo Z6 Pro having a HyperVision camera it can be speculated that the device’s camera will be its main feature. And the second teaser from the VP proves that point. Cheng’s post on Weibo was spotted by IT Home and the post reveals the Lenovo Z6 Pro’s Hyper Video feature. Cheng has used the hashtag which translates into ‘billion level pixels’, meaning the device will be able to produce larger images. Cheng had also posted a video teasing the Lenovo Z6 Pro’s hyper video and super macro capabilities on his Weibo account.
But there is a possibility that the Lenovo Z6 Pro might not have the features the VP is teasing about so the news should be taken with a pinch of salt. For now, we will have to wait for the launch of the device to see what features and capabilities the Lenovo Z6 Pro possess.
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April Fool’s Day is just around the corner, which basically means that you are not only going to be trolled by your peers but by technology companies too. A number of technology companies including Google, Microsoft, Tesla, Amazon, Netflix, Snap, among others are known for playing pranks on users on April 1. However, Microsoft decided to do something different this year and has taken a stand against its own pranks.
The software giant’s marketing chief Chris Capossela has issued a warning to all employees of Microsoft to not indulge in the process of annoying hoaxes on Monday. Technology website The Verge obtained an internal memo win which Capossela has explained that “data tells us these stunts have limited positive impact and can actually result in unwanted news cycles.” In addition to this, he has also told all the teams at Microsoft to not come up with any April Fools’ Day stunts for the public.
Capossela has been quoted saying, “I appreciate that people may have devoted time and resources to these activities, but I believe we have more to lose than gain by attempting to be funny on this one day.” We should add here that considering some April Fools’ Day plans by technology companies shave back-fired in the past, it’s probably safe to follow this.
To recall, Google had to apologize for adding Despicable Me minions into emails and for muting threads, that created quite a chaos for scored of Gmail users a few years ago. Even Microsoft has been a part of the companies who have pranked their users on April Fools’ Day in the past.
It is worth adding that Microsoft’s ban on April Fools’ Day comes when the software giant resurrected its Clippy Office assistant before killing it again a day later. The employees of the company transformed the paperclip into an animated pack of stickers and used it for Microsoft’s Teams chat software. However, it has been reported that the paperclip was shut down a day later by the ‘brand police’ inside Microsoft.
Here’s a look at the full internal memo sent by Capossela:
Hey everyone,It’s that time of year when tech companies try to show their creativity with April Fools’ Day stunts. Sometimes the outcomes are amusing and sometimes they’re not. Either way, data tells us these stunts have limited positive impact and can actually result in unwanted news cycles.Considering the headwinds the tech industry is facing today, I’m asking all teams at Microsoft to not do any public-facing April Fools’ Day stunts. I appreciate that people may have devoted time and resources to these activities, but I believe we have more to lose than gain by attempting to be funny on this one day.Please forward to your teams and internal partners to ensure people are aware of the ask to stand down on external April Fools’ Day activities.
The most affordable smartphone from Xiaomi – Redmi Go – will go on its fifth sale today at 2pm (IST). The Redmi Go smartphone will be available for purchase on Mi.com, Mi Home stores and Flipkart. Redmi Go was launched last week in India and its first sale went on March 22, Friday. The device is the most affordable smartphone from the Chinese manufacturer Xiaomi and it is aimed at the first-time Android users. The Redmi Go comes with unlimited Google Photos storage which is one of its highlights.
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Redmi Go price, availability and sale offers
The Redmi Go is priced at Rs 4,499 and as we mentioned earlier, it can be purchased via Mi.com, Mi Home stores and Flipkart.
The smartphone comes in two colour options – Black and Blue.
As a part of launch offers, the company is offering up to Rs 2,200 Jio cashback and up to 100GB Jio data for free. Flipkart is also giving 5 percent instant discount on the purchase of the Redmi Go smartphone on EMIs using Axis Bank credit cards and 5 percent discount if purchased using Axis Bank Buzz credit cards.
It should be noted that the sale which will start from 2pm IST today will be the fifth sale of the Redmi Go. Earlier, the Redmi Go went on sale on March 22, March 25, March 26 and March 27.
People who want to purchase the device can click the ‘Notify me’ button on Flipkart to get notified when the sale is about to begin and the Redmi Go comes in stock.
Redmi Go specifications
The Redmi Go smartphone sports a 5-inch HD (720 x 1280 pixels) resolution display. It is powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core Snapdragon 425 SoC coupled with Adreno 308 GPU. The Redmi Go comes with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage and can hold a microSD card of up to 128GB. The affordable device comes with dual-SIM card slot (Nano) and has its own dedicated microSD card slot. Redmi Go runs Android 8.1 Oreo (Go edition) and packs a 3,000mAh battery.
On the camera front, the Redmi Go packs a single 8MP rear camera with 1.12-micron pixels and an f/2.0 aperture paired with an LED flash. While on the front, there is a 5MP selfie camera with 1.12-micron pixel size and an f/2.2 aperture.
For connectivity, the Redmi Go includes 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth v4.1, GPS/ A-GPS, Micro-USB, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
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ShopClues, the Indian e-commerce platform, has launched a multi-featured smartphone at a very affordable price point. The device is named Tii54 smartphone and is made by Tiitan Holdings. The Tii54 smartphone is an entry-level smartphone with an HD display, 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage and it is powered by a MediaTek processor. The company has targeted it towards the tier II, tier III, tier IV cities in India.
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Tii54 smartphone price and availability
The Tii54 smartphone bears a price tag of Rs 4,999 and it available on ShopClues exclusively. The device comes in multiple colour options to choose from including Red, Black and Purple.
Tiitan Tii54 smartphone specifications
The Tii54 smartphone sports a 5-inch HD display and is powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core MediaTek SoC coupled with 3GB of RAM. The internal storage of the device is 32GB and it supports microSD card of up to 64GB. The dual-SIM smartphone has a face ID detector and front mounted fingerprint scanner and it houses a 3,000mAh battery. The Tii54 smartphone runs Android 8.1 Oreo but the company has promised that it will update it to the latest version of Android Pie.
Tii54 smartphone sports a single 13MP camera at the back which is a big plus considering the price point it sells for. Its build quality is also good as it comes with a multi-layered rubberised finish. According to the company, the Tii54 smartphone comes with good speakers which are capable of delivering ‘excellent sound quality’.
Tiitan TII54
Since the device is targeted towards the smaller Indian cities, holding a price tag of Rs 4,999 is a good selling point for the Tii54 smartphone. It can also be used by the first-time Android users who are just moving on from their feature phones.
Tiitan TII54 Black
At the given price point, the newly launched Tii54 smartphone competes directly with the likes of Redmi Go, Asus Zenfone Lite L1 and Nokia 1. If we consider the specifications of the Tii54 smartphone including its 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, fingerprint scanner, 3,000mAh battery, the device seems to be good on paper at the given price bracket. Although the Tii54 smartphone is a new device and it doesn’t have a big brand backing it up, it has the potential of doing well in the regions it is targeting thanks to the specifications and features that the smartphone packs.
We have some news for gamers who use Twitch. The live streaming video platform for gamers has today announced a new feature that will help creators to boost the profile of smaller streamers on Twitch. The feature is called Squad Streams and it would also help streamers collaborate better with one another. In addition to this, using Squad Streams, up to four Twitch streamers will be able to go live simultaneously in one window.
Besides giving viewers the chance to watch the action from four different angles, the new feature will also let bigger channels the opportunity to host smaller creators and also share their screen with the audience at the same time.
Twitch‘s Squad Stream uses the discoverability features that are already there on the platform like raiding and hosting. We should mention that these features let large creators get others in the spotlight either by sending a wave of viewers to their channel or by mirroring someone’s stream to broadcast it to their followers if they are more in number.
According to Twitch’s vice president of creator experience, who wrote about the new feature on Medium, “streamers actively team up with other creators to benefit everyone in a channel.” He further added, “Creators can join forces right from the dashboard, stream content they wouldn’t normally stream, and grow their communities all at the same time. Viewers get more angles on the action, a way to support more of their favourite streamers with ease, and a chance to chat with several great communities at once — or join a new one.”
The video-streaming platform for gamers has touted the feature for being useful for everything ranging from tabletop streams to speed-running sessions. However, the feature will be the most useful to the more mainstream section on Twitch who spend their time watching team-based battle royale games like, Apex Legends, Fortnite and League of Legends.
The company has also posted some promotional streams to show the new feature to everyone and if you watch those, you would be able to see that Twitch has enlisted some popular streamers like Michael ‘Shroud’ Grzesiek and Imane ‘Pokimane’ Anys. While Grzesiek showed off how well the feature works for games like Apex Legends, Anys used it with League of Legends. The new Twitch feature will begin rolling out first with Partners, and Twitch Affiliates will follow.
Speaking more about the feature, Thieblot said, “Most streamers stream in 720p or above, so without video quality options, the squad viewing experience can be taxing since it would display up to four 720p+ streams at once. Our plan is to make Squad Stream available to Affiliates and all other streamers as we continue expanding our transcodes capacity.”
South Korean technology giant Samsung has not exactly been receptive towards the idea of anyone trying out its Galaxy Fold smartphone for real. However, now it seems like the rule does not apply to robots. And particularly to Samsung’s specialized stress testing machines.
The company has released a video in which it has showcased the bending abilities of Samsung Galaxy Fold handset. We have to admit, the video looks very amazing as it shows so many Samsung Galaxy Fold smartphones open and shut in perfect synchronization. However, we should also add here that the video showing stress tests has so far given us the best look at what exactly the Samsung Galaxy Fold looks like when it is folded.
If you look at the video, you would know that the Galaxy Fold is able to fold perfectly well and looks polished when folded. The screens turn on quickly when unfolded and when the device folds, there isn’t much of a gap between the two sides. Furthermore, unlike what the previous reports suggest, there doesn’t seem to be any creasing issue.
But then, we should add here that the video has been produced by Samsung, and the company must have taken care to hide all the visible flaws (if any) before it was published. We would have to wait before we get to see the handset in real to know if it is actually this polished or not.
The South Korean technology giant has also promised that the Galaxy Fold smartphone will be able to “outlast 200,000 folds and unfolds”. We should point out that this means approximately five years of usage, assuming that an average would fold it may be hundred times in a day.
Samsung Galaxy Fold’s price starts at $1,980 and it is all set to release next month on April 26. The company has also confirmed that the Samsung Galaxy Fold will also be launched in India.
At the India launch of Samsung Galaxy S10 series, the company’s President and CEO of IT & Mobile Communications Division, DJ Koh reportedly said to select media, “Indian market is, I clearly said, most important market — not only investment and everything, my long-term commitment is towards the market. In this market, why will I not deliver my newest technology innovation? Yes, I will do.”
Although he did not share an exact timeline of launch, we can expect Samsung Galaxy Fold to come to India around the same time as other major markets.
Whenever you shoot an enemy, you will see a coloured number pop up. In Apex Legends, the colour of the number will always match the colour of the armor the enemy has. Additionally, Red numbers indicate that your enemy does not have armor and Yellow indicates a headshot.
This is a staple rule of every battle royale. Most of these games provide users with a number of weapons to choose from and Apex Legends is no exception. You will find weapons like handguns, shotguns and sniper rifles. Once you drop, you will have to make do with whatever you can find first. However, as the game progresses, we recommend you to find weapons that complement each other.
Each weapon has its own specific ammo type and is colour coded, so you can identify them easily. The brown weapons including pistols, SMGs, and smaller rifles would have light ammo, while the green ones like assault rifles, snipers, and the Wingman hand cannon will have heavy ammo. Similarly, the shotgun shells are red and Yellow ones will have energy ammo. We recommend you not to keep two weapons of the same ammo type.
The best way to win Apex Legends is to keep your three-man squad alive for as long as you can. However, if one of your teammates goes down because of losing their health, remember that he can still be revived. If you lost all your health and are down, you should crawl slowly to avoid danger and get closer to your teammates. But do remember to protect yourself with a knockdown shield while doing this. Another thing to remember is that the time to revive a team player who is down is limited, so others should act in time to do the necessary. If the player gets killed, and their teammate managed to pick up their banner in time, it can be brought to respawn beacon to resurrect them.
If you are comfortable with it, use voice chat as it is the quickest way to communicate with your team. However, if you are not, you the pinging system in the game, but do communicate with your teammates. It may sound minor, but it is one of the key things that make you win.
Another very important point that you must remember while playing Apex Legends is that using the map is a must. Also, since the circle starts shrinking over time, you will have to move around often and effectively in order to take the crown. Do look out for the red balloons on the map and use them to glide to other places quickly. Also, remember that there is no fall damage in the game. So even if you fall from a mountain, you will not be hurt.
One thing that makes Apex Legends unique is its cast of characters. Each of the characters in the game has a passive ability and a tactical ability that they can activate. We recommend that you give all the characters a try and see which one fits your style the most. And use your character’s ability, that is how you’ll know who you like playing as.
Like most battle royale games, Apex Legends gives you an array of items that you can go after. However, there is a colour-coding that it uses that will help you differentiate between the value of these items. The items on the game will be coloured in White, Blue, Purple and Gold. While the Gold items are the best ones that you can get, Purple, Blue and White follow (in the same order). Although Gold and Purple will mostly provide you with the same armor, the difference will be that the Gold one will come with additional perks.
Whenever you shoot an enemy, you will see a coloured number pop up. In Apex Legends, the colour of the number will always match the colour of the armor the enemy has. Additionally, Red numbers indicate that your enemy does not have armor and Yellow indicates a headshot.
This is a staple rule of every battle royale. Most of these games provide users with a number of weapons to choose from and Apex Legends is no exception. You will find weapons like handguns, shotguns and sniper rifles. Once you drop, you will have to make do with whatever you can find first. However, as the game progresses, we recommend you to find weapons that complement each other.
Each weapon has its own specific ammo type and is colour coded, so you can identify them easily. The brown weapons including pistols, SMGs, and smaller rifles would have light ammo, while the green ones like assault rifles, snipers, and the Wingman hand cannon will have heavy ammo. Similarly, the shotgun shells are red and Yellow ones will have energy ammo. We recommend you not to keep two weapons of the same ammo type.
The best way to win Apex Legends is to keep your three-man squad alive for as long as you can. However, if one of your teammates goes down because of losing their health, remember that he can still be revived. If you lost all your health and are down, you should crawl slowly to avoid danger and get closer to your teammates. But do remember to protect yourself with a knockdown shield while doing this. Another thing to remember is that the time to revive a team player who is down is limited, so others should act in time to do the necessary. If the player gets killed, and their teammate managed to pick up their banner in time, it can be brought to respawn beacon to resurrect them.
If you are comfortable with it, use voice chat as it is the quickest way to communicate with your team. However, if you are not, you the pinging system in the game, but do communicate with your teammates. It may sound minor, but it is one of the key things that make you win.
Another very important point that you must remember while playing Apex Legends is that using the map is a must. Also, since the circle starts shrinking over time, you will have to move around often and effectively in order to take the crown. Do look out for the red balloons on the map and use them to glide to other places quickly. Also, remember that there is no fall damage in the game. So even if you fall from a mountain, you will not be hurt.
Unlike other battle royales, Apex Legends does not have too many players per game, so it is highly unlikely that you will get into a big fight right away. So, you can use this time to find weapons of your choice that suit your style of playing the game. Start attacking enemies once you are done looking for these weapons. Be aggressive when fighting your enemies, but remember to not be reckless. Attack or get attacked – this is the only thing that you should remember while playing Apex Legends.
In Apex Legends, you have limited inventory space. So remember to review it regularly so that you can drop anything that you cannot use. However, if you do this, ping it to your teammates. What’s not useful to you may be useful for them.
