Vodafone launches VoLTE services in Karnataka staring from Bengaluru, Mysore and Belgaum

After Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa and Rajasthan,Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh (UP) west, Vodafone has launched its VoLTE (Voice Over LTE) services in Karnataka in India, as it had promised. It is currently available in Bengaluru, Mysore and Belgaum, and will gradually roll out across other cities in the state. Vodafone is calling it Super VoLTE and said that the technology delivers high-quality sound over voice calls across the Vodafone SuperNet 4G network so that users will experience ultra-clear voice quality and reduced background noise. If you have a VoLTE enabled handset, you can SMS 4G CHECK to 199 to know if you your smartphone is Vodafone Super VoLTE compatible. If you have Dual SIM handset, Vodafone SIM should be inserted in the SIM slot with data capability and network mode should be set as “4G/3G/2G (Auto)”. Vodafone already said that it will roll out VoLTE in Kolkata soon, and will extended the service across the country in a phased manner over the next few months. You can check out the list of Vodafone VoLTE supported devices here. Commenting on the launch, Amit Kapur, Business Head – Karnataka, Vodafone India, said: We have been making significant investments to expand, upgrade and modernise our network to ensure that we provide the ...

​​Vodafone India, Idea announce new leadership team ahead of merger

In March last year Vodafone India and Idea Cellular announced merger of both the companies, which was expected to close last year. Earlier this week the companies said that the management team of the combined business would be confirmed prior to closing, which is now expected to complete in the first half of the current calendar year. Today they have announced the leadership team of the combined business, which will come into effect after the merger has been completed. The existing leadership teams of Idea Cellular and Vodafone India will continue to manage their separate businesses and be accountable for each company’s operational performance until the merger becomes effective. It is only upon completion of the merger that the two businesses will cease to operate as distinct and competing entities. As announced last year, Kumar Mangalam Birla will be Non-Executive Chairman of the merged company. CEO will be Balesh Sharma (currently Chief Operating Officer of Vodafone India) who will be responsible for the combined business’s strategy and its execution as well as driving integration. The following positions will report to the CEO: CFO - Akshaya Moondra, currently Chief Financial Officer at Idea. COO - Ambrish Jain, currently Deputy Managing Director at Idea, will be responsible ...

Xiaomi starts rolling out MIUI 9.5 Stable ROM, finally brings New Notification Shade with Quick Replies [Update: Changelog and Download links]

Update 2: Xiaomi has shared full changelog and download links for Redmi Note 4, Redmi Note 3 and Redmi 3S/ Prime. You can check out the recovery ROM and Fastboot ROMs for these phones below.  Redmi Note 4 (Snapdragon) V9.5.4.0.NCFMIFA - Recovery | Fastboot Redmi Note 3 | V9.5.1.0.MHOMIEK - Recovery | Fastboot Redmi 3S V9.5.1.0.MALMIFA - Recovery | Fastboot Full changelog Highlights Fix - Top sites setting is restored automatically in MI browser. (12-26) Fix - Dual Apps WhatsApp can not add contact member from group. (12-26) Fix - The "Move" option was displayed as "Copy" in Explorer (01-03) Fix - Home screen froze and slowed down (01-03) Fix - Automatic updates turned off if you restricted Updater\'s notifications (01-03) Fix - System launcher wasn't responding (01-03) Fix - Screen buttons overlapped with the keyboard during quick replies in the Notification shade (01-03) Fix - UI adjustments for RTL languages in Messaging (01-03) Fix - Weather info is not aligned in notification & status bar in landscape mode (01-09) Fix - 'Mobile data' label is misaligned in Restrict data usage settings (01-09) Fix - Black screen appears and then lock screen is displayed (01-09) Fix - The battery level is incorrect on status bar (01-16) Fix - Battery is draining very fast when the device is in idle mode (01-16) Fix ...

Samsung said to decide on in-display fingerprint sensor on the Galaxy Note9 soon

In-display fingerprint technology though took sometime are finally making their way. Vivo was the first one to introduce and it looks like Samsung might be finally bringing their flagship Galaxy Note9 with an in-display fingerprint sensor and there are reports that say Samsung will take a call on the same by the end of this month.  Though there were conflicting reports about the company bringing an in-display fingerprint sensor, the latest report from the Korea Herald claims that Samsung is going to make a final decision on the in-display fingerprint sensor for the Galaxy Note9 soon. Furthermore, Samsung Display, the division which supplies panels for Samsung devices has said to have prepared three or four solutions to integrate a fingerprint sensor into the display. The report says that both the Samsung display and Samsung Electronics are really considering the inclusion of an in-display fingerprint sensor on the Galaxy Note9. However, the company isn't decided and is expected to take the call by the end of this month. Some say that Samsung will introduce the in-display fingerprint sensor in order to differentiate its smartphones from the lot. While there are reports that Samsung will skip the technology for this year and push it to ...

Xiaomi opens its first Mi Home Store in Punjab

Xiaomi has announced that it has opened its first Mi Home Store in Punjab. This is the 30th Mi Home Store in India after Mi Home stores in Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, Chennai, Mumbai, Pune, Madhya Pradesh, Coimbatore and Gujarat. [HTML1] The new Mi Home Store in Pujab is located at VR Punjab Mall in Mohali. Mi Home Store will let customers experience as well as buy smartphones, power banks, headphones, fitness bands, air purifiers, VR headsets as well as other ecosystem and lifestyle products that are launched in India. Xiaomi opened India's first Mi Experience Store in Chennai a few weeks back. Xiaomi recently announced that it aims to reach 100 Mi Home Stores in 2018 itself, earlier than its 2-year time-frame, which is mid-2019.

Jabra Elite 65e total noise cancellation wireless headphones announced

Jabra has announced the Elite 65e total noise cancellation wireless headphones. The company claims that the headphone last up to 13 hours with ANC turned off and it works with Alexa, Siri, and Google Assistant depending on which OS you are using. The Jabra Elite 65e  headphones come with incredible conversation quality with 3-microphone technology and it uses 2 outer microphones in each earbud to deliver noise canceling. It comes with IP54-rating that is designed against water and dust resistance. It also gets EQ support from Jabra Sound+ app which let you personalize the music that suits you. It connects to a smartphone through Bluetooth 5. The noise cancellation is delivered via a combination of uniquely designed earbuds and Jabra EarGels. The oval-shaped earbuds ensure  a better fit in the ear. The Jabra Elite 65e will be available from April at a price of $199 (Rs. 12,956 approx.). Commenting on the new headphones, Calum MacDougall, SVP at Jabra said: The Jabra Elite 65e is perfect for the on-the-go user who wants noise blocked out, allowing for great conversations and music. We are well-known for our noise cancellation capabilities in the enterprise market, and this professional engineering allows us to offer an unrivaled solution for all consumers. The voice command capabilities and outstanding ...

Vodafone launches VoLTE services in UP West

After Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Goa and Rajasthan and Haryana, Vodafone has launched its VoLTE (Voice Over LTE) services in Uttar Pradesh (UP) west in India. It is currently available in Agra, Aligarh, Bareilly, Bijnor, Budaun, Bulandshahar, Dehradun, Etawah, Firozabad, Roorkee, Hardwar, Haldwani, Mainpuri, Mathura, Meerut, Moradabad, Muzaffarnagar, Rudrapur, Rampur and Saharanpur, and will gradually roll out across other cities in the state. Vodafone is calling it Super VoLTE and said that the technology delivers high-quality sound over voice calls across the Vodafone SuperNet 4G network so that users will experience ultra-clear voice quality and reduced background noise. If you have a VoLTE enabled handset, you can SMS 4G CHECK to 199 to know if you your smartphone is Vodafone Super VoLTE compatible. If you have Dual SIM handset, Vodafone SIM should be inserted in the SIM slot with data capability and network mode should be set as “4G/3G/2G (Auto)”. Vodafone already said that it will roll out VoLTE in Karnataka and Kolkata soon, and will extended the service across the country in a phased manner over the next few months. You can check out the list of Vodafone VoLTE supported devices here. Commenting on the launch, Dilip Kumar Ganta, Business Head – UP West, Vodafone India, said: As a ...

Dolby and OPPO form strategic intellectual property partnership for High-Efficiency AAC, JPEG-HDR and more

Dolby Laboratories today announced a strategic intellectual property partnership with OPPO. The partnership will result in OPPO collaborating with Dolby on High-Efficiency Advanced Audio Coding (HE-AAC), JPEG-HDR and other audio and video technologies. High-Efficiency Advanced Audio Coding (HE-AAC) is an international standard for audio encoding by Dolby Laboratories that is currently being used by hundreds of companies around the world. JPEG-HDR is part of the static image encoding standard whilst also storing data in a highly dynamic range of more than 8 bits so users can sample the entire range during post-processing. OPPO also said that 2018 marks the 10th anniversary of the OPPO smartphones. The company at the start of 2018 has officially entered the Japanese market and has mentioned that it is working on entering into Europe market very soon. Dolby Labs said its agreement to share its IP-based audio-visual technology with OPPO. Commenting on the partnership, Andy Sherman, Executive Vice President, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary, Dolby Laboratories said: OPPO, a leader in global consumer electronics, is well-known for its smartphones incorporating innovative technologies, and we are delighted to welcome them to our community of global partners. Adler Feng, Director of OPPO IP Department, said: Dolby is a leader in creating spectacular audio and video experiences, and we are ...

Samsung Exynos 7 Series 9610 10nm processor with AI features, 1080p 480fps slow-mo recording announced

Samsung today introduced Exynos 7 Series 9610 processor, successor of Exynos 7885 that powers the latest Galaxy A8 and A8+. It is based on the 10-nanometer (nm) FinFET process technology, and has eight-core CPU with four of Cortex-A73 CPU cores along with other four Cortex-A53 cores. It also supports slow motion video recording at 480 frames per second (fps), and has AI features such as vision image processing unit based on a deep-learning technology and image processing with a neural network engine for more intelligently enhanced face detection, as well as single camera out-focusing and augmented low-light images.  It also has advanced face detection feature that enables the camera to recognize faces that are either not facing forward or partially covered with objects like hair or a hat. With smart depth sensing, bokeh or out-focused portraits can be taken with a single camera. Through cleverly merging multiple frames, vision and image processing enhances the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and brightness that can improve pictures taken in low-light environments. Highlights of Samsung Exynos 9 Series 9810 SoC Based on the 10-nanometer (nm) FinFET process technology Octa-Core CPU with 4x 2.3 GHz Cortex-A73 cores and 4x 1.6GHz Cortex-A53 cores ARM Mali-G72 MP3 GPU UFS 2.1, eMMC 5.1, LPDDR4x RAM Advanced ISP and MFC with ...

Vivo V9 with 6.3-inch FHD+ 19:9 FullView display, 24MP front camera, dual rear cameras, Android 8.1 announced

Vivo just announced V9, the company's latest smartphone in the 'V series' and the successor of last year's V7 at an event in Thailand. It has a 6.3-inch FHD+ 19:9 2.5D curved glass display with a notch, 90% screen-to-body ratio and 1.75mm slim bezels. It is powered by Snapdragon 626 with 4GB RAM, runs Android 8.1 (Oreo) with Funtouch OS 4.0, has 16-megapixel rear camera along with a secondary 5-megapixel camera to capture the depth information for portrait shots. It has a 24-megapixel front camera with A.I face beauty for a perfect image event in low-light or glare and has face unlock. It also lets you add stickers to images, which it calls AR Stickers. It has a metal and glass design, comes with dedicated dual SIM and microSD slots and packs a 3260mAh battery. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlW5BXEDhEA Vivo V9 specifications 6.3-inch (2280 x 1080 pixels) Full HD+ 19:9 IPS display 2.2GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 626 Mobile Platform with Adreno 506 GPU 4GB RAM, 64GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD Dual SIM (nano + nano + microSD) Funtouch OS 4.0 based on Android 8.1 (Oreo) 16MP rear camera with LED flash, secondary 5MP camera 24MP front-facing camera with soft LED flash Fingerprint sensor Dimensions: 154.81 x 75.03 x ...