Election Commission of India joins Twitter before the Lok Sabha elections

Before the Lok Sabha 2019 elections that is scheduled to take place from April 11 to May 19, the Election Commission of India joined the social platform Twitter on Friday. Almost most of the politicians and political leaders already have a Twitter account and many of them are quite active on the micro-blogging platform, famous among them are PMO Modi, Rahul Gandhi etc. But the joining of the Election Commission before the elections could mean that the news and other details of the upcoming elections will be shared by the ECI’s Twitter account on a regular basis. To raise awareness among the voters, the Election Commission of India launched a programme named “Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation” programme (SVEEP) on the social networking platform. The newly launched programme aims to educate the voters and encourage them to part-take in elections. Twitter Indian welcomed the Election Commission of India’s SVEEP (Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation Program). The people can know more about the programme by going on @ECISVEEP – the official ECI account.
Mahima Kaul, Director of Public Policy and Government at Twitter India said “India is the world’s largest democracy, and the upcoming election is a key priority for us at Twitter. Over the past several months, we’ve taken significant steps to safeguard the integrity of conversations and enhance the health of our platform. We are honoured to onboard the Election Commission handle to encourage voter education.” Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Twitter launched a special election emoji in its roaster of emojis. This new emoji is aimed at encouraging the participation of the people in the election-related discussions, campaigns and encouraging more people to vote in the elections. The election emoji features an image of the Indian Parliament. The Director further stated, “Citizens will receive crucial information directly from the Election Commission on Twitter, in turn they can engage with and amplify accurate and positive information to their community.” Furthermore, after joining, the ECI has been giving information to the people about the voting rights and other information, such as what identity cards should be taken by the voters when they are going to cast their votes. After only a day of joining, the ECI has gained 14.5K followers with the numbers bound to increase as the elections date near. With the Election Commission of India joining Twitter, people would not have to go on websites or look in newspapers to look for information about the elections and voting. As most of the information will be provided by the ECI on their Twitter account. For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on TwitterFacebookand Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can also stay up to date using the Gadget Bridge Android App.

PUBG Mobile gets a play time restriction of 6 hours per day: Will this solve anything?

After being in the spotlight in the Indian media for addiction to ban, from theft to murder, PUBG Mobile makers have finally taken the decision to curb the addiction in Indian youth about the battle royale game. Since the start of 2019, multiple news surfaced about how teenagers and children were stealing, fighting, lying and even killing others or taking their own lives just so that they can play PUBG Mobile. Even politics was involved in it where several politicians mentioned the ban of the game. Rajkot of Gujarat became the first city to put a total ban on the India’s favourite battle royale game, which according to many was a bit too extreme. Even some youngsters were arrested playing the game in public and they were treated as if violating any of the Indian laws. Various child welfare association and parents along with school teachers also demanded a ban on the game because their children were too focused on the game and weren’t giving enough time to their studies. The developers and the company behind PUBG Mobile (Tencent) had responded about the addiction of children, saying that they will be taking responsible action towards it. Recently, news has surfaced online on Discord and Twitter that the players of PUBG Mobile aren’t able to play the game for more than 6 hours in a day.
Meaning, the game itself stops the players from playing more than 6 hours as it reminded them that “you have played the game for 6hr today”. The message also mentions the time when they will be able to play the game again. The Indian players of PUBG Mobile criticised this move by the company as they took their problem to the social media. Many users have reported receiving such message when they played past the time limit. Players who are under 18 years also received a reminder after 2 hours and 4 hours of playtime before they reached the six hours restriction set by the game. Although, no official comment has been made by the company in this regard, it is still not known if this move by Tencent Games and PUBG Mobile applies only to the Indian players or all players of the game worldwide. Many users are reporting this step to be a pain, but it could be the company’s step towards curing and controlling the PUBG Mobile addiction, which has been severely criticised by many in the Indian community. But will this solve anything? Well, to a certain extent it should be able to control the severe itch to play the game and younger generation could concentrate on studies too with playtime. The other side of the coin is that the Indian youth is very smart and sooner or later they will find out how to break this limit. At the moment the move seems to be a welcomed one by parents, but no so much by the players, especially the professional ones. For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on TwitterFacebookand Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can also stay up to date using the Gadget Bridge Android App.

WhatsApp is working on two new ‘forwarded’ message features to counter fake news

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Earlier, WhatsApp reported testing new features for its platform to make the user-experience easier. Now, the Facebook-owned messaging platform is working on improving its ‘forwarded’ message feature to counter and stop the spread of fake news on its platform. WhatsApp will be adding two new features – ‘forwarding info’ and ‘frequently forwarded’. As the names of the new features suggests what they are and how they work. The Forwarding Info feature will let the user known how many times the message has been forwarded. The feature will be available on the ‘message info’ section of WhatsApp. They can also get more details about the message by holding down the message and clicking the ‘i’ icon on top of the chat window. Once pressed, the message details will be revealed to the user. The users will also be able to check the count of the messages forwarded if the user himself has sent the message to others. Also, if the user wants to know more about the forwarded messages, he/she has received then he/she would have to forward the same message to someone else and then tap the abovementioned ‘i’ icon to know the details about the message. Once the user has forwarded the message, the ‘i’ icon will reveal the number of times the message has been forwarded.
The other feature is the Frequently Forwarded. This feature allows the user to see the label ‘frequently forwarded’ mentioned above a text message if it has been forwarded more than four times by a person. According to a report by WABetaInforeports, the forwarding info feature will not reveal the forwarding information about the message if it is not sent more than 5 times. But once it has been forwarded more than 5 times by a user then he will be able to see the forwarding info feature. The report further mentions that both the new WhatsApp features are still in development and they will be rolled out in the next beta update of WhatsApp for testing. Both the new features of WhatsApp were spotted on WhatsApp’s beta app for 2.19.80 on Android platform. But its development for the iOS platform is currently not known. Furthermore, earlier we saw the messaging platform test two new features, one was the ‘in-built browser’ which will let the user open a web-link sent to him without opening any external web browser like Chrome. While the other feature is the ‘search image’ feature, this feature allows the users to search more about the image he/she has sent or received. For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on TwitterFacebookand Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can also stay up to date using the Gadget Bridge Android App.  

Xiaomi Mi A3 and Mi A3 lite sporting mid-range CPU might be in the works: Report

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Recently, the Xiaomi Y3 was spotted on the Wi-Fi Alliance listing where it received the Wi-Fi certification concluding the announcement of the device in the near future. And now, another smartphone series from the Chinese smartphone maker, Xiaomi might get added to its ranks. Before this, the Mi A2 was a device with lots of good features, specifications, price tag and it ran stock Android being a part of the Android One programme. Till now there was no successor of the Mi A2, but now recent reports suggest that Xiaomi might be working on new smartphones running Android One, which could be the successors of the Mi A2 and the Mi A2 Lite. Earlier, XDA Developers confirmed the report by its member named ‘franztesca’ that Xiaomi is testing three new devices named ‘pyxis’, ‘bamboo sprout’ and ‘cosmos sprout’. Seeing that Google’s Android One programme already had a ‘sprout’ named device to its list it can be assumed that the new devices could be Mi A3. While the ‘pyxis’ device could be either of the two devices.
It should be noted that the Mi A2 was launched with the name Mi 6X in China. In January reports too emerged that had clues about the Xiaomi’s MIUI 10 code, which hinted that the company might be working on the Mi A3. With all these findings coming one after the other, there is a possibility that we might get to see launch of the devices in the near future. Noting that all the previous Xiaomi devices, which ran Android One were mid-range devices so the new Mi A3 too might be priced in the same price bracket. The new device could sport a mid-range CPU such as the Snapdragon 675 or the 710. The reports further mention that all three devices are being tested with an in-display fingerprint scanner. So, it could be Xiaomi’s turn to bring the in-display fingerprint scanner to the mid-range segment of their devices. But we might be seeing an optical sensor rather than Samsung Galaxy S10’s ultrasonic sensor. The devices might probably also carry a 32MP selfie camera with 4-in-1 pixel binning technology. Insiders also mention that, since these devices are still in their early stages of development so their names, prices and specifications are still unknown and are subject to change. Also, the company hasn’t revealed anything about the devices so the news should be taken with a pinch-of-salt.
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OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T OxygenOS 9 beta testing announced: Here’s how you can test the beta update

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After all the new smartphones from the Chinese manufacturer, OnePlus, received the Android Pie update like the OnePlus 6, OnePlus6T, OnePlus 5 and the OnePlus 5T, another OnePlus smartphone will be joining that list soon. All the devices mentioned above run Android 9.0 skinned with OxygenOS 9. Earlier, the company announced that they would be updating the OnePlus 3 and the OnePlus 3T from Android Nougat to Android 9.0 Pie skipping Android 8 Oreo. As per its promise, the manufacturer has announced its closed beta programme for the users of the OnePlus 3 and the OnePlus 3T in some regions. Seeing the popularity of the device in the Indian market, the OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T users in India too can enter the closed beta programme before the actual update arrives. A month ago, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer announced HydrogenOS beta, which is based on Android 9.0 Pie for the devices, but it was only for the Chinese users of the OnePlus 3 and the OnePlus 3T. Now following the HydrogenOS release in China OnePlus might once again release the OxygenOS 9 beta programme for the Chinese users of the device first before releasing it to other regions including India.

Steps you can follow to apply for the Closed Beta Test of the OxygenOS 9

The users of the OnePlus 3 and the OnePlus 3T must first sign up before they become eligible for the testing of the beta build of OxygenOS 9. But it should be noted that the users need to sign up to the beta programme before 7:30pm on March 23. After that time they won’t be able to sign up for the beta testing. Once signed up, the users will have to flash the new builds on the OnePlus 3 and the OnePlus 3T devices by downloading the beta build from the OnePlus forum. There will also be instructions about how to flash their devices on the OnePlus forum to make the flashing easy. But since the build is still in its beta testing phase, the users shouldn’t expect much from the build as it might crash and may not work smoothly. The official OnePlus forum also mentions that the users are required to completely wipe their devices multiple times during the testing period. There are many risks involved with the flashing of the new beta build and the users are advised to do it on their own risks. After the beta build is successfully tested and all the problems resolved, OnePlus will release one final stable build of the software. But till now there is no official dates announced about the release of the stable update of OxygenOS 9 for OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T.
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Xiaomi Redmi Y3 spotted at the Wi-Fi Alliance listing

Xiaomi had launched its Y-series smartphones few years back with the Redmi Y1 followed by the Xiaomi Redmi Y1 Lite. The Y-series devices of Xiaomi were focused mainly on the youth and the device came with a good selfie-centric camera with front LED flash. After the launch of the Redmi Y1 the company came up with another device named Redmi Y2, which followed the Y1’s footprints as it too was focuses the youth. Till now Xiaomi had not launched another device in the Redmi Y-series and neither had it announced any device for the line-up. But, recently the Redmi Y3 was seen on the Wi-Fi certification revealing certain specifications about the smartphone. According to a Wi-Fi Alliance listing, the Redmi Y3 has received the Wi-Fi certification, but the launch date of the device is still a mystery. The listing doesn’t reveal much about the device other than the fact that the device will be supporting the Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n. The Redmi Y3 holds the model number M1810F6G and it runs MIUI 10 based on Android 9.0 Pie. The listing was first spotted by MySmartPrice and other details about the Redmi Y3 is currently not known, the company too hasn’t revealed anything about the device.
The Chinese smartphone maker, Xiaomi had launched the Redmi Y2 (Redmi S2 in China) back in June 2018 and it came with a price tag of Rs 10,499 for the 3GB RAM and 32GB storage variant. However, now the device sells for Rs 8,999 for the 3GB RAM variant. The Redmi Y2 was powered by Snapdragon 625 SoC and it sported a 5.99-inch HD display. It came with a 3GB RAM and a 4GB RAM variant with varying price tag under Rs 15,000 mark. But with the Redmi Y3 appearance on the Wi-Fi Alliance listing, the launch of the device is imminent and it could be announced in the coming months. Just like its predecessor, the Redmi Y3 might be powered by a mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU like the Snapdragon 632 or the Snapdragon 636. Also, Redmi Y3 could hold a better back camera. Similar to its predecessor, which was a selfie-centric device, the Redmi Y3 too could hold a good front shooter with LED front flash. The Redmi Y2 held a 16MP AI camera so there is a possibility that the Redmi Y3 could hold a bigger megapixel camera with more selfie capturing features and camera modes to assist the selfie-loving troop. If launched, the Redmi Y3 should be priced somewhere around the Redmi Note 7 mark, which starts at Rs 9,999.
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How to make the most out of your Google storage

Let’s face a fact: Our lives without Google is not something most of us would like to imagine. Whether its Gmail, Google Assistant or Google Photos – most services by the technology giant make our life easy. However, there is one thing that most of us face a problem with: Storage on Google. Since our emails, documents, and photos are all crammed into one place, it is very easy to run out of space there. Google gives all its users 15GB of free space and we are expected to use this for everything related to our account. To be more specific, it includes all the content in Gmail, Google Drive and Google Photos. So although at first 15GB may seem like enough space to manage it, any person who uses Google services regularly can tell you it’s not. And for more storage, Google expects you to pay. Although the fee is as little as $2 a month for 100GB of storage, not everyone is willing to spend money on it, especially if it can be managed otherwise. Here, we are listing down ways in which you can manage your Google storage in order to make the most of the space that you have. Take a look at how you can do it:

Clean up your Google Drive

Google Drive is a place where you will, at times, find documents that are years old. So just take some time out one day and take a tour of your Google Drive. You may find a number of photos, videos and documents shared with you on Google Drive, which you may not need anymore. This may take up some of your time, but it will create a lot of extra space. You can also make use of this link to see which files take up the most space in your Google Drive. It will help you get rid of the ones that are heaviest. Once you are done with deleting your documents, go to the gear shaped icon on top right of your Google Drive and click on Settings and then on Manage Apps. Here, head to Options, and press on Delete hidden app data. However, make sure that you empty your Google Drive’s trash after this.

Reduce resolution of Google Photos

If you don’t use a Pixel smartphone from Google, all your photos get backed up to the search giant’s Photos app in full resolution. You can convert these into Google’s free and unlimited ‘high quality’ option, which will compress these images to 16MP and leave you with a lot of free space. For doing this, go to Photos settings page and select ‘High quality’. On the same page, if you click on ‘Recover storage’ button, it’ll compress your existing photos and videos and remove them from your Google storage.

Get rid of emails that you don’t need

While emails don’t take up space, attachments do. So if there are any emails in your Gmail account that come with attachments which you think you don’t need anymore, make sure you delete them. For doing this, you can follow these steps:
  • Type ‘has:attachment larger:10M’ in your Gmail search box.
  • Look out for any emails with attachments that you don’t require and delete them. Make sure they are deleted from trash too.
  • Empty your Spam folder. You really don’t need those emails.
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Huawei P30 and Huawei P30 Pro images leaked before launch

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Huawei’s upcoming flagship smartphones, the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro are set to launch by the company on March 26 in Paris, France. But, before the official launch of the device, images have been leaked online showing Huawei’s upcoming devices in full detail. Although the exact origin behind the leak is not known, some say it could be another marketing strategy of the company before the official launch of the device only days away. The images show that the upcoming Huawei smartphones will come equipped with triple-rear camera setup, not in Huawei Mate 20 Pro’s alignment, but in a vertical stack. According to the leaked images, the back of the device shows the glass finish with a coloured gradient look. The device has the Leica branding just below the camera as we saw before in Huawei Mate 20 Pro. While at the front, there is a water-drop notch along with a slightly thick bezel on the bottom of the screen. The images also show a dual-curved display on top of the Huawei P30 Pro. There is a power button along with volume rockers on the right side of the device. Earlier, it was predicted that the Huawei P30 and Huawei P30 Pro might come with a quad-camera setup but these leaked images tell another story. They show that the devices sports triple-rear camera with a LED flash set in a vertical alignment on the left of the cameras. Reports do suggest the device might get a ToF sensor at the back, too. In the images, with the smartphone, there is also a Sonos-branded speaker along with wireless charging pad. But it is still unclear if the Sonos-branded speakers will be a smart speaker or regular Bluetooth speaker.
The leaked image shows the Huawei P30 will come in three colours – Coral Blue, Black White and Ice Blue while the Huawei P30 Pro will come in Red, Ice Blue, Black and a damp Coral Blue. The leaked images were shared by Even Blass on his Twitter handle. P30 leaks A report by MSP noted that the Huawei P30 will have a 5X hybrid zoom while the Huawei P30 will have the rumoured and much-awaited 10X hybrid zoom. Furthermore, the Huawei P30 Pro will support the 40W Huawei SuperCharge ability, while the Huawei P30 will support the 22.5W Huawei SuperCharge. There is no fingerprint scanner at the back of the devices, which mean that the devices will come with an in-display fingerprint scanner. Face unlock system could also be thrown in the mix. https://twitter.com/evleaks/status/1108517258622586880 Further news is awaited about the new devices once they see the light of the day on March 26 in Paris.
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Samsung Galaxy A30 Review: Premium looks and display come with a long battery life

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Samsung has rejigged its budget to mid-level of smartphones. While the M series is aimed at the millennials who are on a strict budget, the A series is aimed towards an audience who can spend a little more to get better features. The A series has a lot of smartphones and with the recent launches like the Samsung Galaxy A30 and A50, more smartphones will be added to the series in the coming months. The first batch of the new A-series includes the Samsung Galaxy A10, Galaxy A30 and the Galaxy A50. All the newly launched Galaxy A-series devices have few things in common, they have a good build quality, they offer good features and they all carry Samsung’s brand with them. We recently reviewed the Samsung Galaxy A50 and now is the turn of Samsung Galaxy A30. The Galaxy A30 falls in middle of the A series and it ticks all the boxes, which makes up for a good budget-friendly smartphone while still being a good performer. But does it fall short on some of the aspects? Read on to find out more:

Design and Display

The front of the Samsung Galaxy A30 packs a huge 6.4-inch Full HD+ (1,080 x 2,130 pixels) resolution Super AMOLED Infinity-U display with 420ppi. The display of the Galaxy A30 is a pleasure to look at, as the colours look rich and vibrant. The screen is almost-bezel less with a slightly thick bezel at the bottom of the device. Thanks to its big display, playing games and watching media is a pleasing experience. The water-drop notch holds the front camera with the device’s earpiece placed right above the camera. As said the display of the device is bright and vibrant, even in sunlight there was no problem looking at its contents and reading the texts.
The back of the device has a glass-like build, but is poly-carbonate, which makes it look premium. Also, there is a dual-rear camera setup with LED flash at the back. There is also a rear-fingerprint scanner at the back of the device under which one can find the Samsung logo.
Image Sample of Galaxy A30
Galaxy A30 Front
The Samsung Galaxy A30 comes in three colour options – Red, Black and Blue. We held the Black variant, which looked more like dark grey, but it was pleasing to look at as the light bouncing back from the surface made it look colourful. At the left, there is the SIM and microSD card tray slot while on the right, there is a power button accompanied with the volume rocker keys. The top part of the device has the secondary noise cancellation hole while the bottom of the device houses the 3.5mm headphone jack, a USB Type-C port and the speaker grille.
Image Sample of Galaxy A30
Galaxy A30 back
The back of the device is a fingerprint magnet and you will find yourself wiping it from time to time. The surface of the Samsung Galaxy A30 is a bit slippery. So, if you are a dropper then our suggestion is to put a cover or a bumper case on it, to grip it better in the process to save it from harsh falls.

Performance and Camera

Under the hood, the Samsung Galaxy A30 is powered by an octa-core Exynos 7904 and it has Mali-G71 GPU to supply graphics. The device packs 4GB RAM coupled with 64GB storage. The Galaxy A30 also supports microSD card of up to 512GB.  We thoroughly reviewed the mobile and it gave no lags while gaming or during day-to-day operations. The Samsung Galaxy A30 scores a 105364 in the AnTuTu benchmarks while on Geekbench the device scored 1315 on single-core and 4087 on multi-core. The transitions between the apps was smooth. Multi-tasking too worked really well on most occasions in this device, but when many tabs of Google Chrome were open or when more applications were kept running in the background the device lagged a little. But it should be noted that we tested the device to the harshest of conditions, so under normal usage the device should not give its users any problems. Talking about the camera of the device, the Samsung Galaxy A30 packs a dual-rear camera setup at the back, which comprises of a 16MP primary camera with f/1.7 aperture paired with a 5MP ultra-wide sensor with f/2.2 aperture. At the front there is a 16MP selfie camera with no flash. The cameras support 4K image capture and full HD video recording.
Image Sample of Galaxy A30
Image Sample of Galaxy A30
We were hoping that these cameras do well in low-light photography, but we found out that when clicking in dim-light, the image seemed to suffer from a bit of noise and a little bit of blur. To reduce this, our recommendation is to turn on the flash light. On the brighter side,  the day-light photography was good, but the images were a little on the warmer side. You might want to experiment with the modes a little to extract the best shots. Talking about which, there are a lot of shooting modes to chose from for each type of scene. The live-focus function of the camera was useful and it worked fine as did the scene detection mode.
Image Sample of Galaxy A30
Image Sample of Galaxy A30
The Samsung Galaxy A30 packs a 4,000mAh battery and comes with a USB Type-C charger with fast charging support. The charging time from 0% to 100% took around 2 hours and it lasted a whole day under nominal usage with battery left to spare at the end of the day. But with heavy usage like gaming, 4K video watching et al under stress-test conditions, the device was able to give a little over 8 hours on a single charge. Being a mid-range smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy A30 is able to provide decent gaming performance under medium settings. Heavy-end graphic intensive games like PUBG and Asphalt 9 were smooth in the recommended settings with next to none frame drops and lag. Gaming on of Galaxy A30 For security, the device offers fingerprint scanner, face unlock, PIN, password and pattern. The face unlock feature worked quick in day-time but in low-light conditions it took a while to unlock. Similar is the fingerprint scanner, when we tried with dry fingers it worked fine and unlocked quickly, but when trying with moist finger we did notice it took a while to open the device as it didn’t register our fingerprint instantly. So, you might want to keep the scanner and your fingers dry when unlocking the device.
Image Sample of Galaxy A30
Image Sample of Galaxy A30
The Samsung Galaxy A30 runs Android 9.0 Pie skinned with Samsung’s One UI, which is a welcome change than the old Samsung UI. The One UI feels decluttered, smooth and free from bloatware. Although not as good as stock Android, but it gets the job done. In the sound department, the Galaxy A30 passes with really good marks, as its bottom firing speaker is loud and clear. The device also comes with Dolby Atmos Audio support, but it only works with a supported pair of headphones. We tested the Dolby Atmos with headphones and needless to say it passed with flying colours. The bass was good and the treble was clear, overall sound quality of the supplied headphones is great.
Image Sample of Galaxy A30
Image Sample of Galaxy A30
The Samsung Galaxy A30 comes with Dual 4G (Nano + Nano) support with a dedicated microSD card. So, two SIMs along with a microSD card can be used at the same time. The device comes with all the necessary sensors such as proximity, light, accelerometer and gyroscope.

Verdict and Final Thoughts

The Samsung Galaxy A30 is a good offering from the South Korean tech giant where it combines mid-range performance with a premium build quality. The Galaxy A30 gives the same vibes the top-end Samsung devices gives with its build and design. Even though it is tall it is comfortable to hold but one-hand use is hard unless you have big hands. Media consumption and web surfing on the device is good. But it still lacks on certain aspects such as camera performance as Samsung has used the same chipset as the Galaxy M20, which is priced much lesser than the Galaxy A30. Even the Galaxy M30 uses the same processor but the camera quality of the Galaxy M30 seems to be a little better than Galaxy A30. Saying that, the M30 does not give you the premium looks and Android 9 experience that comes in A30. . If you want classy design, good battery life, latest OS, out of this world touchscreen (under Rs 17,000) you can go for the Samsung Galaxy A50 without a doubt. Pros: Excellent screen Good battery backup Premium build quality Cons: Camera quality could have been better CPU same as Galaxy M20 For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can also stay up to date using the Gadget Bridge Android App.

Realme Mobile Bonanza sale offers discounts on Realme 3, Realme U1 and Realme 2 Pro

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Realme announced the Mobile Bonanza sale for its newest smartphone, the Realme 3 along with Realme U1 and Realme 2 Pro. The sale starts from March 25 and ends on March 28, and can be availed at Flipkart, Amazon.in, Realme.com and all Realme offline stores. In this 3-days sale Realme 3 will be available on instant discount of Rs 500 on Axis Bank debit and credit cards.

Realme Mobile Bonanza Sale offers

In the 3-day Realme Mobile Bonanza the newly launched Realme 3 will go on its third sale on March 26 at 12 noon on Flipkart and Realme.com. In the sale the Realme 3 will receive Rs 500 instant discount if purchased using the Axis Bank debit or credit cards on Flipkart. According to the company, the Radiant Blue variant of the Realme 3 will go on sale for the first time in the sale on March 26. The company has also mentioned that they have sold more than 3,11,800 units of Realme 3 in the first two sales. The Realme U1 will be selling for Rs 9,999 in the three-day sale and it will be available on Amazon.in, realme.com and offline retail stores. The original price of the 3GB RAM and 32GB variant of the Realme U1 is Rs 10,990. This means the smartphone will get a discount of Rs 1,000. Additional offers on the Realme U1 includes a pre-paid discount of Rs 1,000 on Amazon.in exclusively. So, overall users can avail Rs 2,000 discount on Realme U1.
Lastly, the Realme 2 Pro also gets a discount of Rs 1,000. It will sell for Rs 11,990 in the Realme Mobile Bonanza sale on Flipkart, realme.com and offline stores. The original price of the Realme 2 Pro is Rs 12,990 for the 4GB RAM and 64GB storage variant. Furthermore, Realme has opened its first Exclusive Service Centre (ESC) in New Delhi. According to the company, the young smartphone brand will reach 25 locations and set up their ESC so that the customer-company relations can improve. The company has said that it will establish 25 ESC’s by the end of 2019. Realme will also be planning to extend these facilities to 350 Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities by making their services available to 400 service centres. According to Realme, at these centres the customers can get their smartphones replaced and also, they can buy new Realme devices. For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can also stay up to date using the Gadget Bridge Android App.

PUBG PC update 27 brings new weapons, tweaks and Survivor Pass 3: Wild Card

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Recently PUBG Mobile got an update on its one-year anniversary along with new Royal Pass, new guns, dynamic weather amongst other things. And on its heels, the developers of PUBG have released a new update for the PC version of the battle royale game. PUBG PC update 27 brings various new features and a little bit of everything, from new guns to more gun spawns. With the new update, the developers have added more loot on the Erangel map, which is one of the many things the players wanted. Along with that, there are other changes such as Flare Gun balance, addition of a new weapon – MP5K, tweaks on M16A4’s performance. There is addition of a new Survivor Pass 3: Wild Card in this new season of PUBG PC, too. The new update has been made live by PUBG Corp. and it is still on test server, but currently is playable. The new update will be officially released to the PC servers on March 26. The update brings MP5K weapon, which is a new sub-machine gun. It fires 9mm ammunition and it will exclusively be available on Vikendi and will be replacing the Vector. The firing mechanics of the MP5K will be similar to the Vector that fired .45mm bullets. Also, the new SMG will have a higher magazine capacity starting at 30 rounds. With an extended magazine the MP5K can hold 40 rounds of bullets.
The new Survivor Pass 3: Wild Card adds 60 rewards, which can be won over a period of 10 weeks pass duration. There are new and improved missions included in the Survivor Pass 3 testing the player’s skills in the battle royale game. There is also an addition of a new in-game feature  that can track the missions of the players in real-time. There is an addition of new background and theme music with the new update as well. Just like PUBG Mobile’s Royale Pass, the Survivor Pass 3: Wild Card will run for 10 weeks starting from March 26 to June 4 and it can be purchased for $9.99 (approximately Rs 688). Other than the new addition, minor tweaks have been done to some weapons like the M16A4, which now has decreased recoil, increased damage and new attachments. Other guns tweaked are – UMP45, MK47 Mutant and Vector. Also, the loot spawn on Erangel has been increased – Assault Rifles (AR) by 12%, DMR rifles by 16% and SMGs by 14%. Several other changes have been made in the new update for which the players would have to wait till March 26. For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can also stay up to date using the Gadget Bridge Android App.  

Amazon India brings huge discounts and offers on Apple products in the Apple Fest sale

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A day after Holi, Amazon India has brought the Apple Fest sale with many offers and discounts on select Apple products. In the sale, select models of iPhones, MacBook laptops, Apple Watch, iPads and many other Apple products will be available for discounts and offers. The Apple Fest sale will start from March 22, (today) to March 28. In this 7-day sale, Amazon India will be giving select devices at no-cost EMIs along with other bundled payment offers. For the sale, Amazon India has tied up with ICICI Bank and SBI to offer payment-based deals to the customer who purchases the Apple device using the beforementioned bank credit or debit cards.

Apple Fest Sale offers and discounts

In the 7-day Apple Fest sale held by Amazon India, the users can get the iPhone X at a discounted price of Rs 73,999, which originally sold for Rs 91,900. While the iPhone 6S can be bought at Rs 27,999 which originally had a price tag of Rs 29,900.
Similarly, the top-end model of iPhones, the iPhone XS Max is getting a no-cost EMI payment option. Other iPhones such as iPhone XS, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 8 and iPhone 7 too are getting the no-cost EMI option. In the sale, the iPhone XR is available at Rs 67,999. Other than iPhones, the Apple Fest sale also includes discounts and deals on the sixth-generation iPad, which is available for Rs 24,990. The original price of the sixth generation iPad was Rs 28,000. The Apple MacBook is also available at a discount of up to Rs 15,000 along with three-month no-cost EMI on all major credit and debit cards. The Apple Watch (series 3) is also available in the discount scheme. The Apple Watch series 3 is selling for Rs 23,990 instead of Rs 28,900. The smartwatch is also getting a no-cost EMI option up to 9 months with all major credit and debit cards. Other than the main tech of Apple, iPad accessories are also available on the no-cost EMI offers. The accessories include smart cases and Apple Pencil for iPads. Similarly, MacBook accessories such as chargers, keyboards, and other items will also be getting the no-cost EMI payment option. Lastly, the Beats Solo3 wireless on-ear headphones is getting discount of up to Rs 5,300 during the Apple Fest sale on Amazon India. So, if you were thinking of buying an Apple product, then this is the right time to do it. For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can also stay up to date using the Gadget Bridge Android App.

Walmart is also planning to launch a cloud-based videogame-streaming service

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After Google, the multinational retail corporation, Walmart, is looking forward to jumping in the game streaming business. Recently, Google launched its Stadia, the upcoming game-streaming service from the tech giant, which would let the users play game titles of their choice. And it’s not even been a week when news arrives that it will be getting a competitor. It has been reported that Walmart has been planning to enter the game streaming sector with its own cloud-based game streaming service that will be similar to Google’s. According to a report by US Gamer, Walmart’s cloud-based game streaming service might give Google’s own service a run for its money. Although there is no official information from the company itself, but reports suggest that it might be true. And being one of the biggest companies in the world, there is a huge possibility that the retail corporation is able to own and work on something like this. Walmart is also able to support the requirements needed by the new service as the company already has six giant server farms, which contain sensitive customer information along with company’s own data. Since Google’s Stadia platform will also be relying on such data server farms, Walmart too might be using its own data centers for its cloud-based gaming service. It should be noted that big tech giants such as Apple and Microsoft too use similar data server farms to store their sensitive data and user information.
But, it should also be noted that (earlier) Walmart had entered into a five-year partnership with Microsoft to use Azure and Microsoft 365 products across the company on projects aimed towards Artificial Intelligence, machine learning and data platforms. So, there is a possibility that Walmart won’t be keeping the cloud in-house as it could use the Microsoft’s platform to do the same. It is not the first time Walmart will be targeting to enter the gaming arena as earlier it has partnered with Esports arena to make its own gaming computers and laptops named Overpowered.  However, there were several issues with the devices like poor build quality, bad customer service et al, which led to the downfall of the service and the products. Earlier, there were talks that the company might launch its own video-streaming service which would compete with Netflix. But the company backed away from the project and it was never launched. So, there also might be a possibility that Walmart will back out from the new cloud-based game-streaming service and it might never see the light of the day. For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can also stay up to date using the Gadget Bridge Android App.        

Welcome to the Gadget Bridge App for Android users

Today is a momentous day for YA Media Networks as the company has launched its first Media app catering to an audience who want to read the latest news from the world of technology and gadgets called Gadget Bridge. The new-age news app has everything from the GadgetBridge.com website in a fluid mobile-friendly interface. The articles written in a comprehensible format are available in a slick UI on the Gadget Bridge Android app.

Who is the Gadget Bridge App for?

Simply put, it is for everyone who loves technology and gadgets. Users and readers can find everything from the latest technology trends and gadget announcements to reviews, previews, comparisons and first impressions of different gizmos that are launched or about to launch. The intuitive scroll method makes it easy for the user to go through just the headlines swiftly, and if one wants to read anything further, they can just tap the article panel and will be taken to the article written in a jargon-free manner. The categories section in the app is for users who want to follow or read about a particular gadget beat. There are over 18 categories to read from, which include Mobiles, TVs, cameras, tablets, audio or just the regular news. The Gadget Bridge app also has a special section for people who want to see tech videos and not just read. Integrated with Gadget Bridge’s YouTube English Channel and player within the app, users and viewers can see the latest videos coming from the Gadget Bridge video team. For readers who would want to hear the article on the go or are working/doing something else at the same time, can just tap the speak button on the article page within the Gadget Bridge app and the voice assistant will start to voice read the article to them. Commenting on the significant launch, Mr. Sulabh Puri, Founder, and Editor in Chief of GadgetBridge.com said, “Today is a great day for us, as we move ahead in our journey to provide the best news and reading experience to the Indian and global audience, we have launched the Gadget Bridge App. This app will bring the best from the world of technology and gadgets to your mobile screen first. Our team has and is working overtime to bring you the absolute latest in very fluid and intuitive technology and gadgets news app. Also, the voice assistant will read out articles to you, at a press of a button. We will continue to better this app and evolve it as time passes.”

Gadget Bridge App availability? Where to download from?

The app is available in over 144 countries worldwide, India being the primary one. The App can be downloaded from the Google Play Store. For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget, videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can also stay up to date with the Gadget Bridge Android App.

Samsung Galaxy A50 review: A beautiful powerhouse

Samsung recently launched its Galaxy A50 smartphone in India along with its Galaxy A30 and Galaxy A10 handsets. The smartphone comes with an AMOLED panel, an in-display fingerprint scanner, a triple rear camera setup and houses the Exynos 9610 SoC. On paper, all this sounds very good, but is it actually as good to use? We spent a few days with the Samsung Galaxy A50 smartphone to review it and here are our observations:

Design and Display

It was honestly hard to decide which aspect of Samsung Galaxy A50 was the best one as far as its design goes. Because there are so many of them. Samsung Galaxy A50 sports a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display, that is simply brilliant. And if you flip over, you will see that the back panel of the handset refracts light into a rainbow-like pattern, making it look extremely beautiful. Let’s talk in detail about both before we declare a winner. The front panel of Samsung Galaxy A50 is dominated by the 6.4-inch screen, which has the exact same size and panel type as Galaxy A30 and Galaxy M30. Interestingly, all three models also come with the same Infinity-U shaped notch on their displays. However, the bezels are trimmed down and the display offers a 91.6% screen-to-body ratio. By doing this, Samsung has ensured that the handset is in-line with the newest trends. We should point out that the chin is slightly broader, but then, at this price point, it’s not a very big deal. The fact is that Samsung has tried to make the smartphone look very contemporary and has succeeded in doing so. Samsung Galaxy A50 comes with an in-display fingerprint scanner, and we’ll talk about its performance later. Although the material used in the smartphone has not been disclosed, it is speculated to be plastic or polycarbonate. The handset has curved edges and even the back panel is slightly curved, which definitely helps one-handed usage. Samsung Galaxy A50 is available in three colours in India – Black, White and Blue. The unit that we got for review was dressed in Black. Although the company says that it is Black, it looks more like Grey and the back panel of the smartphone refracts into rainbow patterns. Besides this, the back panel of the Samsung Galaxy A50 also houses the vertically stacked triple rear camera setup on its upper left corner and an LED flash lies right below it. There is also a Samsung logo on the back panel of the smartphone.
The power and the volume rocker buttons are placed on the right edge of the device and the SIM tray is housed on the left. The bottom edge of the Samsung Galaxy A50 has a USB Type-C port, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a speaker grille. To conclude, we will say that the overall look and feel of the smartphone is great. The built is solid and the device looks very premium. One handed usage was a cakewalk on the Samsung Galaxy A50 we didn’t find the smartphone to be slippery at all. Although we couldn’t decide whether the screen is the best aspect of the smartphone’s design or the back panel that refracts light into rainbow patterns is, we should say it’s most definitely a tie. Coming to the display of the smartphone, it projected rich colours that stayed consistent at all viewing angles. Some may feel that the colours were a little saturated, but we found them to be perfect for our taste. One of the key highlights of the Samsung Galaxy A50 is that in addition to turning the Bluelight filter on for eye-protection, users can also switch on the dark mode, which seriously helps in saving battery. We watched a lot of content on YouTube during our time with the device, and we really enjoyed doing so. The images appeared crisp and the device could even play videos at 1080p well. The sunlight readability of the smartphone could have been better. But if we have to sum up the display, we would definitely say that it is one of the good aspects of the smartphone.

Performance and Cameras

Samsung Galaxy A50 is powered by Exynos 9610 SoC clubbed with 4GB RAM or 6GB RAM. The smartphone comes with a triple rear camera setup comprising of a 25MP sensor with auto-focus and f/1.7 aperture, a 5MP sensor with fixed-focus and f/2.2 aperture and an 8MP sensor also with fixed focus and f/2.2 aperture. For selfies and video calls, there is a 25MP sensor with fixed-focus and f/2.0 aperture. Samsung Galaxy A50 handset comes with 64GB storage and can support a microSD card of up to 512GB. For security, there is an in-display fingerprint scanner and the device has support for a face unlock feature. Samsung Galaxy A50 houses a 4,000mAh battery and runs One UI based on Android 9.0 Pie. We’ll begin by talking about the One UI. For starters, One UI is definitely an improvement over Samsung’s Experience UI in terms of the look and usability. The text and icons on the device are bigger than before and in general, it looks cleaner than Experience UI. It may take a little bit of time to get used to, but we definitely found it better than Experience UI that we have used on other Samsung devices. The changes may look minute to some, but they are certainly very useful ones. For instance, the back button has now been placed at the bottom right of the smartphone screen, since that is where our thumb usually is when we are scrolling down in Settings. There is also an option of disabling the app drawer completely and users can also decide whether to open it using a swipe or a tap. The more you dig into the sub-menus of the Settings, the more options you will find. One UI is definitely a breath of fresh air after using Experience UI for ages. As we mentioned earlier, the option of enabling Dark mode is also there and if you think you spend too much time on your device, you can restrict yourself using Digital Wellbeing. The handset also comes with Samsung Pay Mini for carrying out UPI transactions. One thing that was a bit of pain, was that Samsung Galaxy A50 sends too many notifications and it comes with some bloatware. The additional apps on the handset include Amazon India, Dailyhunt, Microsoft Office and LinkedIn. Some of them can be removed or disabled. Most day-to-day tasks ran well on the smartphone. While the device could handle most of the tasks well, it wasn’t exactly a great multi-tasker. When we tried using the device for navigation and watching videos at the same time, the smartphone started heating up. The same happened when we tried downloading too many apps together on the Samsung Galaxy A50 smartphone all together. Gaming gave a similar experience. While games like Alto’s Odessey and Temple ran smoothly, the same cannot be said about heavier ones like Asphalt 9: Legends. Coming to the fingerprint scanner of the smartphone, its recognition was a little slow. And this was particularly true if our finger was moist. However, the face unlock makes up for it since it was very accurate even in dimly lit areas. The battery life of the device is one aspect of the Samsung Galaxy A50’s performance that we really liked. With normal usage, the battery easily lasts more than a day. During this time, we watched videos, clicked photos, used the smartphone for navigation and listened to music. Coming to the cameras of the smartphone, we have to say that we are very impressed with them. As we mentioned earlier, the Samsung Galaxy A50 has a triple rear camera setup that comprises of a 25MP sensor, an 8MP sensor and a 5MP depth sensor. For selfies and video calls, there is a 25MP sensor on the front panel. The camera app of the smartphone comes with a Live Focus mode for portraits, slow-motion video mode, Hyper-Lapse mode and timelapse. The camera app also comes with intelligent scene optimization. You can easily switch between all of these from within the app and also use the Bokeh effect that will give you some very nice shots. The images taken from Samsung Galaxy A50 turned out to be really good. In the day time, the images taken were sharp, the colours were rich and there was a lot of clarity and detail. We liked the performance of the wide-angle camera too, but we have to admit that the quality was slightly lower than the images taken from the primary camera. Another thing that we should point out is that when you transfer the images taken to a laptop, not all of them look as great as they do on the smartphone’s screen. Night photography could be better. The images taken in dimly lit areas lacked details and were not as clear as the ones taken during the day. The selfie camera of the Samsung Galaxy A50 worked very well. We clicked a number of selfies with it, and in some of them we even turned on the live bokeh mode. The self-portraits from Samsung Galaxy A50 turned out to be really neat, in well-lit as well as in dimly-lit conditions. When we ran benchmark tests on the smartphone, it scored 1,726 and 5,592 in single and multi-core scores of Geekbench and 1,44,145 in Antutu.

Verdict

The price of Samsung Galaxy A50 smartphone begins at Rs 19,990. While the device is amazing in terms of looks and has a vibrant display and a lasting battery, certain aspects of its performance could have been better. For instance, we would have liked to see the smartphone not heat up when we tried to multi-task with it. If design, display and battery are important to you in a handset, Samsung Galaxy A50 would not disappoint you. However, if your usage is too heavy, you may not be too happy with it. For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can also stay up to date with the Gadget Bridge Android App.

Facebook Messenger gets a new ‘quoted reply’ feature similar to WhatsApp

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Facebook has been adding new features to its web and other platforms to make the user experience more pleasing and easier-to-use. And now the company has added an ability to quote and reply to specific messages within a conversation in Facebook Messenger, this new feature is much like WhatsApp’s. According to a report by VentureBeat, with the addition of this new feature to Messenger, the users now can hold down an individual message in any conversation to ‘quote’ the message. Once held down, the user can then either add a reaction to the message or reply to it with a new ‘reply’ button. Once chosen the ‘reply’ option, the user will then be quoting the specific message he wants to reply as the message will be highlighted with a bubble and the user’s reply will go below it. This new feature will make it easier for the users to understand what the other user is replying to and what’s the actual context. This new feature of Messenger will be helpful in group chats where the chats move fast.  The users can understand and follow the conversation even between the other users chats. Although this is not a new feature as we have already seen this feature in WhatsApp, but the addition of it to FB Messenger is a welcome one.
Earlier we saw that the social giant added a ‘remove sent messages’ feature, which lets the user delete the text message sent by them to other users. After that the platform added a ‘dark mode’ feature that makes the bright appearance of the Messenger app turn to black, this feature was added to help the users have less strain on their eyes. And since most of the popular social platforms already have a ‘dark theme’ on them, the social giant Facebook’s addition of the mode to their platform comes late. The addition to Messenger comes after Facebook’s announcement of integrating all of its three platforms into one – WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger. But the announcement was received with heavy criticism from the users after which the social giant cancelled its thoughts about the integration. But Facebook then went on to expand this idea in other ways as it outlined the ‘interoperability across its platforms’, which is one of its many goals. And the addition of one of the features from WhatsApp seems to be another step closer to achieving the integration.
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Xiaomi Redmi Go first sale starts today at 12 noon: Here are all the details

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Xiaomi has launched its most affordable smartphone till now named Redmi Go. The phone was launched on March 19, in India, but its first official sale will start today on Flipkart and Mi.com from 12 noon. The Xiaomi Redmi Go runs on Android Go and it was announced by the company back in January. The device packs a 3,000mAh battery and comes with support for more than 20 Indian languages. The Redmi Go comes with Google Assistant support in Hindi as well as Hinglish (Hindi + English) languages and the device is aimed at the first time Android users.

Xiaomi Redmi Go price and sale offers

Xiaomi Redmi Go will start selling from 12pm on Flipkart, Mi.com and Mi Home stores today, 22 March, 2019. Users can click the ‘notify me’ button on Flipkart to know about the availability of the device. The Redmi Go carries a price tag of Rs 4,499 for the 1GB RAM and 8GB storage variant. The 1GB RAM and 16GB storage variant hasn’t been launched in India yet. The Redmi Go launch offers includes Jio Cashback up to Rs 2,200 and up to 100GB of free data. Flipkart will also be giving no-cost EMI options with the purchase of the device and there is an extra 5 percent off on its original price if purchases with Axis Bank Buzz credit card.

Xiaomi Redmi Go specifications

The Xiaomi Redmi Go sports a 5-inch HD (720 x 1,280 pixels) resolution display. The smartphone is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 425 SoC and it has Adreno 308 as its GPU. The Redmi Go comes with 1GB of RAM coupled with 8GB of inbuilt storage and microSD card support up to 128GB. The device runs Android 8.1 Oreo (Go edition) and packs a 3,000mAh battery. For photography, the Redmi Go has an 8MP rear camera with 1.12-micron pixels with f/2.0 aperture and LED flash. While at the front, there is a 5MP selfie camera with 1.12-micron pixel sensor and an f/2.2 aperture. According to the company, the Xiaomi Redmi Go’s camera comes with features such as full-HD video recording, HDR, real-time filters and smart scene detection. The users of the device will also get unlimited storage on Google Photos in HQ resolution. Other features of 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. Its dimensions are 140.4×70.1×8.35mm and the device weighs 137 grams. For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on TwitterFacebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel.

Samsung Galaxy A40 goes on pre-orders in Netherland before its launch

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After the launch of Samsung Galaxy A20 in Russia, a Galaxy A-series has gone on pre-orders in Netherlands prior to its launch. Samsung Galaxy A40 till now has been leaked multiple times but now, it is available for pre-orders on Dutch online store Belsimpel.nl, before its official launch. However, the smartphone is expected to launch at Samsung’s upcoming launch event in April. Samsung Galaxy A40 comes with dual rear camera setup much like the Galaxy A30. But the Galaxy A40 holds a 25MP primary sensor and it runs on One UI based on Android Pie. Here’s a look at the price and specifications of the device:

Samsung Galaxy A40 price

Samsung Galaxy A40 carries a price tag of EUR 249 (approximately Rs 19,500) in the Netherlands and it is currently available for pre-order on Belsimpel.nl. The smartphone comes in multiple colour options to choose from including Black, Blue, White and Coral. Samsung is set to hold an event on April 10 in three cities around the world – Sao Paulo, Milan and Bangkok. And the Samsung Galaxy A40 is expected to be launched officially at the event alongside the Samsung Galaxy A90 and the Samsung Galaxy A60. The event will be live streamed for the global audience on Samsung’s official YouTube channel and its website.

Samsung Galaxy A40 specifications and features

According to the listing on Belsimpel.nl, the Samsung Galaxy A40 sports a 5.9-inch Full HD+ (1080 x 2280 pixels) resolution Super AMOLED Infinity-U Display with a waterdrop notch and an aspect ratio of 19:9. Samsung Galaxy A40 is powered by an octa-core Exynos 7885 SoC coupled with 4GB of RAM. The smartphone comes with 64GB of internal storage with support for a microSD card. It supports dual-SIM cards (nano + nano). The Samsung Galaxy A40 packs a 3,100mAh battery but it doesn’t support fast-charging, and the handset has a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. The Samsung Galaxy A40 runs on Android 9.0 Pie skinned with One UI. The Samsung Galaxy A40 packs a dual-rear camera setup which comprises of a 16MP primary camera with an f/2.0 aperture and support of 4K video recording. The details of the second camera are currently not known. At the front there is a 25MP selfie camera with video chat support. Other features of the Samsung Galaxy A40 includes 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS/ A-GPS, NFC, USB Type-C, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The Samsung Galaxy A40 comes with all the necessary sensors which includes an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, gyroscope, and magnetometer.
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Top 5 water-resistant smartphones that you can buy

Holi brings colours, food, friends, coloured water and a huge chance damaging your smartphones. And lets’ face it: We are completely dependent on our smartphones and nobody would want their device to be ruined with a splash of water. Smartphones can be protected against fall damage using a case but there is no case when it comes to protecting it against water damage. So, here we are listing down five best smartphones which comes with an IP rating that makes them dust and water resistant.

Samsung Galaxy S10 series

samsung galaxy s10 lineup Samsung launched their newest flagship smartphones in the Galaxy S10 series last month and it broke all records with its powerful performance and punch-hole display. All the specifications aside, Samsung Galaxy S10 series (Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ and the Galaxy S10e) comes with the IP68 water-resistant rating. Explaining the rating, the IP68 dust and water-resistant means that the Galaxy S10 series is completely shielded from dust and particles. And it can also withstand being completely submerged in 1.5 meters deep water for up to 30 minutes and not let the water enter its innards. But if the time or the depth is increased, the water might enter the Galaxy S10.

iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max 

Apple iPhone XS Both the smartphones are the newest offerings from the Cupertino-based technology giant Apple. Both the smartphones were released back in September 2018 and they both have the best specifications Apple has offered till now in any smartphone. The iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max come with IP68 rating. Both the devices can withstand dust and stay submerged in 2 meters deep water for up to 30 minutes without getting damaged. But as mentioned above, if the time or the depth is increased, the water might enter damage the internals of iPhone XS/iPhone XS Max.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro 

Huawei Mate 20 Pro Huawei’s Mate 20 Pro came with a triple camera setup with a unique square camera placement. Even with the unique placement of cameras, the Mate 20 Pro became one of the best camera smartphones till now. The device also packed pretty impressive power and was one of the best smartphones of 2018. The smartphone was launched in October 2018 and it came with an IP68 rating unlike its non-Pro variant which came with an IP53 rating. Being IP68 certified means that the smartphone, just like others on the list, can survive splash, rain, dusty environment and can be submerged in water that is up to 1.5 meters deep water for 30 minutes.

LG V40 ThinQ 

The LG V40 ThinQ was released in October 2018 and it was LG’s flagship device for the year. The smartphone ran on two quad-core processors and it was one of the best phones of 2018. Following the smartphones in the list above, the LG V40 ThinQ too has an IP68 rating. It means, it can survive occasional dumps in water up to 1 metres for 30 minutes. It is dust proof, splash proof and can survive the rain too.

Google Pixel 3 series 

Google’s Pixel smartphones are known for their cameras since the first Google Pixel came out. But the newest iteration of the Pixel series offers not only superb camera quality and top performance, they come with an IP68 rating as well. The rating makes them a perfect piece of technology for photography lovers. The smartphone can be used in rainy days, in dusty conditions or can be taken in the swimming pool. But it can only last for 30 minutes under 3 meters of water before it too loses the war against water. But it should be noted that Google Pixel 3 has the highest depth withstanding. For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on TwitterFacebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel. [td_smart_list_end]

Huawei Mate X foldable 5G smartphone to launch in India this year

Chinese smartphone maker Huawei recently launched its first foldable phone called – Huawei Mate X – at MWC 2019 that was held in Barcelona last month. And now, the company has confirmed that the foldable smartphone will be launched in India later this year. However, there is no word about the exact date of launch of the smartphone in the country. That is all that has been confirmed by the company and no information about the market availability or pricing of Huawei Mate X in India have come to light yet. Speaking about Huawei Mate X launch in India, Huawei Consumer Business Group’s Senior Product Marketing Director, Wally Yang said, “India is an important market for us and we have been consistently investing and expanding our footprint in the market. We are focused on delivering the user experiences that defines the future of smartphone in the smart era. The unveiling of the Huawei Mate X was the first key for consumers to open the door to 5G smart living. As the leader of the 5G era, we are bringing an inspired, intelligent experience to global consumers in every aspect of their lives. We want our customers here to witness Huawei’s global 5G technological strength, and experience this technology marvel.”

Huawei Mate X expected price in India

To recall, Huawei Mate X comes with 8GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage and the handset bears a price tag is EUR 2,299. Although there is no word on the pricing of the smartphone in India, it is expected to be priced between Rs 1,70,000 and Rs 2,00,000. We should also mention that the smartphone is available only in an Interstellar Blue colour option.

Huawei Mate X specifications

The first foldable smartphone by Huawei features a 8-inch OLED FullView display that has an aspect ratio of 8:7:1 and comes without a notch. When folded, the Huawei Mate X offers a 6.6-inch display with an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. On its back, there is a ridge that houses the triple rear camera setup and features a 6.38-inch display with an aspect ratio of 25:9. Powered by HiSilicon Kirin 980 processor clubbed with 8GB of RAM, the smartphone comes with the 7nm Huawei Balong 5000 5G modem that has support for the StandAlone and Non-StandAlone 5G bands. On the camera front, the Huawei Mate X sports a triple rear camera setup with a 40MP wide-angle sensor, a 16MP ultra-wide-angle sensor, and an 8MP telephoto sensor. The smartphone houses a 4,500mAh battery that supports 55W Huawei SuperCharge technology.
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Apple unveils updated AirPods that come with improved battery life and wireless charging case

Cupertino-based technology giant Apple has announced the launch of it second generation AirPods. The updated wireless earphones from Apple come with a wireless charging case that users can opt for and the new H1 audio chip, which is claimed to enhance their performance, battery life and connectivity. Another big highlight of the new AirPods is the hands-free support for Siri.

AirPods price in India

Apple has also announced that the updated AirPods are have now gone on sale via the company’s App Store and its official website in the United States. the newly launched earphones will also be available in Apple Stores next week onwards. The updates AirPods along with the optional wireless charging case can be picked up at $199. However, if you choose to pick up the charging case separately, it can be bought for $79. The new AirPods will go on sale in India ‘later this spring’. In India, the price of the AirPods along with the standard charging case begins at Rs 14,900, however, if you wish to purchase them with a wireless charging case, they can be picked up at Rs 18,900. If you wish to buy the wireless case separately, it is available at Rs 7,500. The new AirPods will be available at all Apple authorised resellers in the country.

AirPods specifications and features

The key highlights of the upgraded Apple AirPods are the new H1 audio chip, the wireless charging case, and a 50 percent increase in talk time that has been promised by the Cupertino-based technology giant. In addition to this, as we mentioned earlier, the earphones also have hands-free support for ‘Hey Siri‘. It is worth adding that the wireless charging case is Qi-compatible, so it can be charged just by being placed on top of a Qi charging pad. Speaking of the H1 audio chip, it is said to enhance the performance, battery life and connectivity of the AirPods. Furthermore, the ‘Hey Siri’ trigger no longer requires the double-tap gesture to be activated. We should mention that this is a much awaited update as the first generation AirPods were announced in September 2016 along with Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. It is worth adding that those two were the first ever smartphones by Apple to come without a 3.5mm headphone jack. After Apple, a number of other smartphone companies ditched the 3.5mm headphone jack in their flagship devices too. The upgrade to AirPods, however, was a much awaited one by fans across the globe.
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HP refreshes its Envy, ProBook series of laptops, launches Reverb VR headset

HP has today refreshed its entire lineup of Envy laptops with 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen processors coupled with the 8th Gen Intel processors. The new lineup from the company includes HP Envy 13, HP Envy x360 13, HP Envy x360 15, and the HP Envy 17 laptops. The new laptops come with features like webcam killswitch and privacy screen. In addition to this, the company has also launched a Reverb VR headset, which can provide a resolution of 9.3MP per eye and a field of view of 114-degrees. HP has introduced five new laptops which includes regular as well as convertible devices. The HP Envy 13 and the HP Envy 17 come with a metallic chassis and come with a fingerprint sensor and a privacy screen. The two laptops come with a 3-way micro edge full-HD display that sports thin bezels. However, for HP Envy 13, one can opt for the optional 4K panel. Both the devices are configured with up to an 8th Gen Intel Core i7 processor clubbed with Nvidia’s GeForce MX250 graphics. The two will hit the stores next month and will come at a starting price of $899.99. We should add that the HP Envy 17 will also be available at Best Buy in May.
In Envy x360 13, users will be able to choose between full-HD and UHD screens, while its bigger sibling Envy x360 15 will be able to support 4K resolution. The Envy x360 13 laptop will be powered by up to 2nd gen AMD Ryzen 7 processor clubbed with AMD Radeon Vega 10 graphics. On the other hand, customers will be able to choose between AMD and Intel processors if they buy an Envy x360 15. The device with Intel processor will come with Nvidia GeForce MX250 and 4GB of graphics memory and the AMD variant will have AMD Ryzen 7 processor clubbed with AMD Vega 10 graphics. HP Envy x360 13 will be available for purchase starting April and its starting price will be $699.99. On the other hand, the HP Envy x360 15 will be available for purchase via HP’s online store and its starting price will be $799.99. Customers can also buy the latter via Best Buy in May. In addition to this, HP also unveiled two new devices in its PreBook series – the ProBook 445R G6 and the ProBook 455R G – that are backed by AMD processors. Both the laptops come with 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen processor and sport a MIL-STD certified metallic build. The laptops will hit the stores in June. Other than this, HP has also launched ProDesk 405 G4 Desktop Mini that houses the 2nd Gen AMD Ryzen Pro processor and is slated to go on sale in May. It is priced at $499. The company has also taken wraps off its HP Reverb VR headset, that will be available in two variants – the HP Reverb Professional Edition and the HP Reverb Consumer Edition. While the former will be priced at $649, the latter will cost $599. The headset has a two LCD displays and comes with a refresh rate of 90Hz. HP Reverb has a 114-degree field of view and it has two front-facing cameras.
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T-series vs PewDiePie: There seems to be no end to this battle

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In the online battle between the Indian entertainment and film production channel T-series and Felix Kjellberg’s PewDiePie, their specific subscribers count has reached more than 90 million. And with it, both the YouTube channels have become two of the only channels to reach a count of 90 million subscribers. Since the beginning, PewDiePie has been winning over the Indian T-series but on March 20, the T-series channel had won with more subscribers count. But that victory didn’t last long for T-series as soon Kjellberg’s channel took over once again and took the win in his favour. It should be noted that the rivalry between the two channels to become the No. 1 channel on YouTube has been going on since the mid-2018. Earlier, the Swedish content creator Felix Kjellberg had reigned supreme over YouTube with the most number of subscribers count on the platform. Kjellberg’s PewDiePie has been one of the most subscribed channels on YouTube for six years, until now.
The instantaneous rise of the Indian entertainment channel – T-series – on YouTube has been a constant threat to PewDiePie’s supremacy. Earlier, at the start of 2018, the Indian record label had around 30 million subscribers on YouTube. But since price of 4G data was reduces, and YouTube made its way to some feature phones, T-series’ channel has grown dramatically. And now it stands at the top of YouTube being one of the most subscribed channels in the history of YouTube, with the other being PewDiePie as both the channels have reached more than 90 million subscribers. These numbers are a first for both the channels and the platform itself. There have been several occurrences where both the channels and people associated with them had dissed the other channels. But it just added fuel to the fire which got them more attention and subscribers count. T-series is owned by Gulshan Kumar’s son Bhushan Kumar and till now there had been more than three times where the record label’s channel overtook Kjellberg’s PewDiePie. The first time it overtook PewDiePie was on February 22 for about 8 minutes, second was on March 9 for 8 minutes again, the third was on March 13 for few moments. The fourth and current occurrence happened today on March 20, for about a minute the record label’s channel had overtaken Kjellberg’s PewDiePie. The battle between the Indian T-series and Swedish Kjellberg’s PewDiePie is not over and by April 2019 both the channels might reach 100 million subscribers. With that number they will set new records and become the only two channels to reach 100 million subscribers.
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Oppo A7 and Oppo A5 receive a price cut in India

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Chinese smartphone maker Oppo has slashed the prices of its Oppo A5 and Oppo A7 smartphones in India. The new prices are applicable on the smartphones starting March 20. Interested customers can purchase the Oppo A5 and Oppo A7 smartphones from Flipkart, Amazon India, PayTm, Snapdeal, TataCliq and the company’s mobile stores to avail the offer. Both the smartphones were launched last year and come with a good set of specifications, attractive design and they are priced in the mid-range segment.

Oppo A7 and Oppo A5 price

The 4GB RAM variant of the Oppo A7 is getting Rs 1,000 off of its original price while the Oppo A5 is getting Rs 3,000 off of its original price. Today onwards, the Oppo A7 4GB RAM variant can be picked up at Rs 15,990 which was originally sold for Rs 16,990. On the other hand, the Oppo A5 can be purchased for Rs 11,990 which originally was available for Rs 14,990.

Oppo A7 specifications

The Oppo A7 sports a 6.2-inch In-Cell HD+ (1520 x 720 pixels) resolution display with a waterdrop-shaped notch. It is powered by Snapdragon 450 SoC coupled with 3GB or 4GB of RAM. The Oppo A7 comes with two storage variants, one with 32GB and the other with 64GB storage. Both the variants can support a microSD card of up to 256GB. The device runs on Android 8.1 Oreo skinned with ColorOS 5.2. The Oppo A7 packs a 4,230mAh battery that comes with VOOC charge technology. The device packs a dual rear camera which comprises of a 13MP primary sensor with a 2MP secondary sensor. On the front there is a 16MP selfie camera. The device also packs a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner.

Oppo A5 specifications

Coming to Oppo A5, it sports a 6.2-inch HD+ IPS LCD display with a notch. It is powered by the an octa-core Cortex A53 SoC coupled with 4GB RAM. The device packs 32GB of internal storage with support of a microSD card up to 256GB. The Oppo A5 runs on Android 8.1 Oreo skinned with ColorOS and packs a 4,230mAh battery. The Oppo A5 comes with a dual-rear camera setup at the back which comprises of a 13MP primary sensor paired with a 2MP secondary sensor. While at the front there is an 8MP selfie camera. Reducing the price of the devices before Holi is a wise move made by the company. With the prices reduced both the devices have become more purchasable for the features they offer. So, users who are looking for smartphones with good features but in a budget can go for these devices.
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Motorola One Vision to come with 48MP primary camera, Exynos 9610 SoC: Report

Ahead of even being officially confirmed, specifications of the Motorola One Vision smartphone have surfaced online. According to the leaked specifications of the smartphone, Motorola One Vision will come with a 48-megapixel primary sensor and sport a display that will have an aspect ratio of 21:9. The latest reveal is in-line with the previously spotted Geekbench listing, according to which the smartphone will come with a Samsung Exynos 9610 SoC. According to various speculations, the Motorola smartphone is expected to be called as Motorola P40 in China, where it will be powered by the Snapdragon 675 SoC. Reports also suggest that the smartphone is in development under the codename ‘Robusta2’.

Motorola One Vision specifications (expected)

According to XDA Developers, Motorola One Vision will come with a display that has an aspect ratio of 21:9 coupled with a full-HD+ (1080×2520 pixels) resolution. However, the leak does not talk about the actual display size of the upcoming smartphone.
Although the aspect ratio hints towards the Motorola One Vision smartphone sporting a tall display panel, it will somewhat be similar to Sony Xperia 1 and Xperia 10 models’ that we saw last month. However, we should also add here that previously leaked renders of Motorola P40 suggest that the smartphone will come with a 6.2-inch display. The report also suggests that Motorola One Vision will be powered by Exynos 9610 SoC clubbed with 3GB or 4GB RAM. The device is expected to be available in 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB inbuilt storage options. And we should add here that this is not in line with what was reported about Motorola P40 smartphone, as it was expected to come with Snapdragon 675 SoC. However, the presence of the Exynos 9610 SoC came to light with a recent Geekbench listing. On the camera front, the Motorola smartphone is expected to come with a 48MP primary sensor and the handset will come with features like Video 3D HDR and Long Exposure. It has been suggested to run the Android Pie out of the box and is expected to be a part of Google’s Android One program. It is also said to receive Android Q and Android R updates after it is launched. The upcoming handset is said to house a 3,500mAh battery. While in China, it may be launched as Motorola P40, in Latin America, India, and Brazil it is expected to come with Motorola One branding.
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