Samsung expands partnerships with more content providers for HDR10+; to build certification center in China

Samsung Electronics has announced the expansion of its HDR10+ ecosystem to 45 industry partners and the construction of a new certification center in China. Samsung says the new partnerships with companies will bring more true-to-life picture quality content to viewers and also expand the impact of HDR10+ technology across different market segments. In partnership with 20th Century Fox and Panasonic in June 2017, Samsung Electronics launched the HDR10+ certification and logo program. HDR10+ is Samsung’s next-generation standard technology for picture processing, which optimizes brightness levels and contrast for each scene, making bright areas brighter and dark areas darker to deliver a lifelike viewing experience. Rakuten TV which is a European online streaming service will begin offering HDR10+ content in the first half of next year. MEGOGO is currently finishing its HDR10+ licensing process, making its adoption of HDR10+ official, and planning to release HDR10+ contents on its platform, viewable on all Samsung Smart TV devices. ARSPRO, based in Moscow, is another production studio that has implemented HDR10+ technology, including the use of dynamic metadata. It has successfully carried out the remastering of the first several series of programming in HDR10+. In 2017, Samsung also launched its premium video streaming service with Amazon, making ...

Xiaomi Mint lightweight browser with data saver, 10MB size released for Android

Xiaomi's App team has launched a new web browser 'Mint Browser' for Android which comes in at just 10MB size. It focuses on privacy and security. The company brags that it comes with breakneck launch speed that brings you online faster than ever before.  Despite the small size, the browser comes with every useful feature including tabbed browsing, an incognito mode, voice search, and a reading mode. There is also a mobile data saver which further compresses data to save mobile data, and this feature would definitely be useful in areas where the data connectivity limited. Since the title itself says ad-free, we are sure the company would stick to it without pushing ads. The Mint browser is already available; you can download it from Play Store. Highlights of Xiaomi Mini Browser Tiny Size: Low storage requirements and breakneck launch speed bring you online faster than ever before. User-friendly Design: Our browser has no dusty corners. Find everything you need right when you need it. Voice search: Multitask with your hands waving free! Full-featured UI: Incognito & Reading modes, mobile data saving options, and more.

Samsung said to be working on new Gear Sport smartwatch successor

Samsung introduced the Galaxy Watch in August along with Note 9 bringing the company's smartwatch lineup under the Galaxy branding. It now looks like Samsung is working on the Gear Sport’s successor. The new smartwatch comes with model number SM-R500 and codename Pulse. The development on the watch started this month, with R500XXE0ARL5 the initial software version. Though we don't have any official name, it might be called Galaxy Sport. In terms of specifications, the Galaxy Sport has 4GB of internal storage and runs Tizen OS. Since it is Gear Sport successor, it should be all about fitness, which makes a variant with LTE connectivity unlikely. The Original Gear Sport came with model number SM-R600, so, we're not sure if the SM-R500 will be a proper upgrade It is also unknown if there would be two different variants as the Gear Sport came in only one size (1.2 inches), which considerably limited its appeal. The Galaxy Sport will come with Bixby on-board, we know that for sure, thanks to Bixby reminder. At this moment, we don't even know for sure when the new Galaxy Sport would launch, but a launch alongside the Galaxy S10 is possible. Source

Funcl AI Review: Affordable water-resistant, Bluetooth 5.0, aptX Hi-Fi earbuds

Funcl, a hardware startup introduced new Funcl W1 and Funcl AI True wireless headphones with Bluetooth 5.0 last month through Indiegogo. We already brought you the review of the Funcl W1, here we have the review of Funcl AI with support for aptX audio and extremely low latency. Does it live up to the expectations? Let us dive into the review to find out. Box Contents It comes with a charging case, quick start guide and warranty and safety information guide. It also comes with a micro USB cable and ear cushions in 3 different sizes in the final retail unit, however these were missing since this is an early review unit. Design and Build Quality Starting with the design, the Funcl AI has a familiar design as the Apple Airpods. These come in both Black and White colors. Each earbuds weigh just 4.9 grams and have 40.2x22.9x15.8mm dimensions. Even though it is made of plastic, it looks good. There are touch controls on each earbuds with an 'f' logo. Since this has shiny finish, it attracts fingerprints easily. There is a tiny LED on the edge of each earbuds that glows in white or red to indicate when the headset is pairing, charging or when the battery is low. Even ...

Huawei P30 said to feature triple rear cameras with 40MP primary sensor, 5x lossless zoom and 24MP front-camera

Post the success of Mate 20 series, Huawei said to be working on its next flagship; the P30 series which is likely to debut in the first half of 2019, a little after the MWC 2019 event. According to popular leakster Evan Blass, the Huawei P30 is shaping up to be another imaging powerhouse. The Huawei P30 promises to be another imaging powerhouse, according to someone who's seen one: triple rear camera, with a maximum resolution of 40MP and 5x lossless zoom, plus a 24MP selfie cam. And this isn't even the Pro variant. — Evan Blass (@evleaks) December 21, 2018 According to rumors, the P30 series will also embrace the triple rear camera setup with a maximum resolution of 40MP and 5x lossless zoom. It is likely to come with a 24MP front-camera. The interesting part of the rumor is that these specs aren't for the Pro model, meaning the base variant will likely carry these optics and the Pro variant will feature better optics with exclusive features. Since we are in the early stages of rumors, nothing beyond this is known, however, with abundant time in hands, we should come across more details as we move forward from this point. Source

Samsung 2019 Smart TVs said to come with Google Assistant integration, better audio quality

Samsung is said to be planning on integrating third-party voice assistants into its 2019 line of TV sets. The company may announce a partnership with Google to integrate Google Assistant as early as next month when the company unveils its next year TVs at CES 2019 show. Furthermore, Samsung is also going to put a bigger emphasis on audio quality and could include technology that mimics the way Apple’s HomePod tunes music to its environment into some of its high-end TV sets. Samsung's move to embrace third-party voice assistants comes just months after it added its own voice assistant Bixby to its 2018 TVs. However, the current integration of Bixby on TVs is fairly limited. Consumers can use the voice assistant to control playback of videos, but Bixby can’t yet open and control third-party apps. The company has also not opened up Bixby development to third-party TV app developers but plans to do so next year. This move will also help Samsung in offering developers with more flexibility, and take advantage of the growing number of smart speakers to bring far-field voice control to TVs without built-in microphones. Samsung’s integration of third-party voice assistants is expected to be similar to the way competitors like ...

AT&T to put ‘5G E’ logo on its existing 4G LTE phones

AT&T has confirmed that it will soon upgrade the 'LTE' indicator on some of its current Android phones to “5G E” in markets where the company now offers 4x4 MIMO, 256 QAM, and other advanced LTE network technologies. However, the exact count of devices is not disclosed yet. There's a possibility that millions of existing LTE smartphone owners could eventually see their AT&T network status icon change from “LTE” to “5G E.” AT&T said its “5G Evolution” service would be commercially available in more than 400 markets by the end of this year. AT&T last year introduced the “5G Evolution” marketing label to cover markets where it offers advanced LTE network technologies like carrier aggregation, 4x4 MIMO, LAA, and 256 QAM. AT&T says that these technologies can dramatically improve the speeds available through LTE. AT&T’s “5G E” label will be present next to “5G+” label, which the operator has applied to its mobile 5G service launching on December 21st in 12 cities. AT&T’s “5G+” label applies to transmissions in the operator’s millimeter-wave spectrum. AT&T’s initial mobile 5G launch will transmit signals in its 39 GHz licensed spectrum band across 100 MHz of spectrum and 2x2 MIMO antennas. An AT&T spokesperson said: They have one of the latest Android devices and it ...

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (2018) Review

As a long term Kindle user, I have perhaps one complaint with the device. They do only one job but do it so well that there's little reason for users to upgrade. Jokes aside, there's been little reason for most users to buy new Kindles. Sure, there was the Kindle Oasis with its waterproofing but the unconventional design and high price tag made it hard to justify. Enter the 4th Generation Kindle Paperwhite. Thinner, Lighter, Waterproof. Dare I say that this is the perfect Kindle? Design Kindles are pretty minimalistic devices by nature. A screen, a decent sized bezel and a rubberized back for a better grip. Pretty straightforward. With every successive generation, Amazon has made subtle tweaks to the formula to ensure a superior reading experience. With the 4th generation Kindle, the screen now sits flush with the surface. The raised bezels around the 3rd generation model's screen attracted a lot of lint and dust. Not so this time around. It's not all good though since the matte plastic panel on top of the e-ink display is very prone to smudges and fingerprints. Since the only way you'll be navigating the interface is through touch, there's simply no way to get around ...

Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Review: The Best Streaming Stick You Can Buy

There's no doubt that smart TVs are starting to make inroads in India but the vast majority of televisions remain unconnected, so to speak. With streaming services doubling down on their efforts to capture the Indian audience, there is a need to get this content on the biggest screen in the house. The all-new Fire TV Stick with 4K is Amazon's latest and potentially most aggressive effort yet to grab a foothold amongst users. Let's take a closer look. Slightly larger than the 2nd generation Fire TV Stick, there's not a whole lot that has changed here. This is still a plain old stick that plugs into a free HDMI port. Simple, straightforward and as easy as it gets. You'll observe a micro USB port along the side for power. Amazon recommends that you plug the stick into a wall charger since this is a significantly more powerful device but we didn't have any issues running it off the USB port on our TV either. Your mileage may vary of course. A power adaptor ships in the box and so does an HDMI extender that can come in handy in case the stick is too big to slot in behind your television ...

Get Android 9.0 Pie on Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 with Arrow OS ROM

Xiaomi embarked its journey into the Indian smartphone market with Mi and Redmi series. Even though Xiaomi was in talks for its VFM smartphones, the major turning for the company's is indeed the Redmi Note series and specifically Redmi Note 3. In this series, Redmi Note 5 is one of the best selling mobiles from the Chinese handset maker. Powered by Octa-Core Snapdragon 625 14nm Mobile Platform, this mid-range device was shipped with Android 7.1.2 (Nougat) with MIUI 9 out of the box, and it recently got MIUI 10 update after Android 8.1 (Oreo) update. However, chances of getting Android Pie update is very bleak as of now. In addition to it, the company didn't mention any time frame for the roll out. Notably, the company will be rolling out MIUI updates regularly. In case you wish to enjoy the latest version of Android on your Redmi Note 5, you can use custom ROM on your device. We tried Android Pie 9.0 based Arrow OS on our unit and here are our impressions, Requirements Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 with an unlocked bootloader – To Unlock the bootloader of your device, apply here. Arrow OS ROM – Download the latest ROM ZIP file from here. ...