Fitbit Ionic Review

It's surprising how long it has taken for Fitbit to launch a smartwatch. Focussing on budget or mid range fitness trackers, we finally got the Blaze in 2016 which had a smartwatch like interface but none of the capabilities. Announced back in August, the Ionic has all the ingredients that you expect in a smart peripheral. Apps, payment capabilities, watch faces and more, it ticks all the boxes. With the abundant options available though, the Ionic will need to be greater than the sum of its parts. Does it deliver? We spent a week with the Fitbit Ionic to find that out. Fitbit Ionic features and specifications 1.42 inch (348 x 250 pixels) Touchscreen Color LCD display Supports iPhone (4S and later) and Android (4.4 and later) Water resistant to 50 meters Sensors:3-axis accelerometer, 3-axis gyroscope,Optical heart rate monitor Altimeter, Ambient light sensor WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS, NFC for payments Automatically tracks your run with the new Run Detect feature that kicks in GPS tracking Swim tracking offers real-time laps, exercise duration and calories burned for pool swims. Integrated antenna provides a stronger connection to GPS and GLONASS satellites to record elevation climbed, split times, and a map of your walk, run or ride ...

Xiaomi India might be gearing up for Explorer Program for upcoming Redmi Note 5

Xiaomi has a tradition of involving Mi Fans in device exploration before the launch of Redmi Note models in India, these explorers get devices before the official launch and are expected to participate in challenges given by the company. For Redmi Note 3 company recruited 100 Mi Fans under the Mi generation program in 2016 and last year, company recruited 50 hardcore Mi Fans as Explorers to test and explore Redmi Note 4 before its official launch. It's been a year since Xiaomi launched its budget champion in country and everyone is anxiously waiting for the successor of Redmi Note 4. Xiaomi has Fan Clubs in almost 20 cities in India which are officially supported by the Company, meet-ups are held every month in these cities and themes for the meet-ups are decided by the company officials. We have come across a few threads posted by Presidents of these Mi Fan Clubs regarding this month’s meetup on Mi Community and the theme for January Meetup is Reminiscing Mi Generation and the discussion will be on Redmi Note series which is hinting towards another Explorer program which might be followed by Redmi Note 5 launch as it happened for past two years. In ...

Google Gboard for iOS gets dedicated GIF-making button

Google has silently rolled out an update to its Gboard app which brings the Gif-Making button to the main screen right next to the word suggestion bar. Though this feature is available since last September, it is hidden behind the emoji button on the bottom. With this new change, accessing the button is more convenient.  The Gif-making button with its new placement allows you to quickly create your own funny reactions and send it as Gifs while chatting. You can use your front or rear camera to create 'Loop' a small three-second Boomerang like clip or 'Fast-Forward' one or two-second clips. Once you are done, you can copy paste the gif to send it to your friends. Turning small video clips isn't a new feature, there are many 3rd party apps that can do it. In Fact, Google's own Motion Stills app makes it possible. But bringing the Gif-making button to the home screen is the easiest way to create funny reactions. For now, the update is just available to iOS, but we can expect it to land in Android very soon. Source | Via

Xiaomi starts rolling out MIUI 9.2 with App Vault, Gallery Editor and Mi Video app

Xiaomi announced the lightning fast MIUI 9 Global back in November 2017 with many fresh changes including Split Screen, Interactive and Fresh UI changes, New Gallery App, Calendar Cards, App Vault, New Notification Shade, Mi Video App, New Mi Explorer and Mi Drop. Xiaomi rolled out these features to MIUI Global Beta ROM users in past two-three months but most of these features are still not available for Stable ROM users. Xiaomi has rolled out MIUI 9 (Global Stable) for first two batches announced during MIUI 9 launch but the third batch of devices are yet to get MIUI 9 Global Stable ROM update which includes Redmi 4A, Redmi Note 3, Redmi 3S/Prime, Mi4i and older devices. Now, Xiaomi has started rolling out MIUI 9.2 to devices which had already received MIUI 9 Global Stable ROM, and as per the changelogs and reports by users, App Vault, New Gallery editor and Mi Video app are included with this update. Xiaomi has also mentioned that KRACK WPA2 security vulnerabilities have been fixed with this update. As per users, Dual Notifications bug for Whatsapp and Telegram applications has been fixed. The MIUI 9.2 Stable update is already available for Mi Mix 2, Redmi Note 4, ...

Get Rs. 5000 cashback on AirPods and Apple TV with Citi Credit Cards

Apple launched the Airpods back in 2016 and it was popular since then. Now Apple has partnered with Citibank India to offer flat Rs. 5000 cashback for the Airpods and several Apple TV variants, including the latest Apple TV 4K. Apple had already partnered with HDFC Bank to offer up to Rs. 10,000 cashback on iPhones and iPads with HDFC Bank Credit / Debit cards till 11th March 2018 AirPods - Rs. 7900 (After Rs. 5000 cashback) Apple TV 32GB  - Rs. 7900 (After Rs. 5000 cashback) Apple TV 64GB  - Rs. 10,900 (After Rs. 5000 cashback) Apple TV 4K 32GB -  Rs. 12,430  (After Rs. 5000 cashback) Apple TV 4K 64GB  -  Rs. 14,480  (After Rs. 5000 cashback) Apple TV (4th generation) 32GB - Rs. 7,100 (After Rs. 5000 cashback) This limited period Citi offer is available on both EMI & non-EMI transactions from 20th January, 2018 to 28th January 2018 and is not valid on Citibank Corporate Credit Cards. Cash back amount will be credited on or before 90 business days. This offer is available at select stores in India. You can check out the complete list here.

Google Allo v26 prepares for multiple-account support, customizable stickers, GIFs, new camera effect and more

Google Allo V26 has started rolling out. While the update doesn't bring in terms of customization, a teardown of the APK has revealed upcoming features like the support for multiple accounts, customizable stickers, Gifs, new camera effects and more. https://youtu.be/RUNodAtMigs Google Allo V26 adds strings to Scene Generation feature which is an expressive feature which can essentially create custom stickers and GIFs themed from the text you enter. This icon will be present next to the gif on Allo’s main conversation toolbar. You can either create a custom sticker or a gif from the text you enter. Google Allo and Duo soon will be able to connect with other users through email IDs rather just relying on phone numbers. The upcoming update might also add the ability to choose which of the accounts should be preferred to start a new conversation. This setting is currently referred to as the "default sender id," but will change when it goes live. The teardown also reveals new effect called "shocked breaking news," is being discovered. Once the feature is live, the user needs to download required assents and then the effect will provide an overlay in the center. The Bollywood camera effect icon is redesigned yet again from a typical zoom icon to ghost ...

Honor 9 Lite sold out in 6 min in first sale, 3 min in second sale, next sale on Jan 23

Huawei's Honor brand started selling the Honor 9 Lite smartphone exclusively on Flipkart on January 21st midnight, which was sold out in record 6 minutes of the sale opening, selling at a the rate of over 150 units per second. The company started selling the smartphone again on January 21st 12 noon, which sold out in 3 minutes, said the company. Looking at the surging demand for the Honor 9 Lite and to ensure, it is available for everyone in India, Huawei said that Honor, and Flipkart will be getting more stocks. The company will hold third sale of the Honor 9 Lite on Flipkart at 12PM tomorrow, January 23rd. Flipkart is offering 10% cashback on Citi Debit and Credit cards as a part of its Republic Day sale and the phone comes with up to Rs. 7000 buyback guarantee. Regarding the sale, P Sanjeev, Vice President, Sales, Huawei Consumer Business Group, said: We are incredibly humbled by the continued love and response shown by our Indian consumers. The sold-out response for Honor 9 Lite again establishes the fact that consumers want a wholesome experience with meaningful innovations. Honor 9 Lite is a complete package given its excellent price, specifications and Honor’s best in class technology, and will ...

Google Play Books v4 hints at audiobooks with casting, Android auto support and more

Google Play Books v4 just hit the Play Store, while the update didn't bring many changes, it hints at the launch of audiobooks with Android auto, casting support and more. In fact, few users have spotted the banner of audiobooks on Play Store with 50% off on first audiobook offer listed.  A teardown has revealed a host of new features that are likely to be added in the upcoming versions. The official changelog to the V4 is a tap on the center and current page marker. Tapping on the center of the page brings up the controls, the update also relocated the page numbers which are no longer present on the right side. The new update also adds page marker which shows the book name and the current reading page.  Now coming to the features that were revealed in the teardown, it prepares the launch of audiobooks. A closer look at the V4 code reveals the strings relating to the audiobooks, playback, casting, and more. Once the audiobooks switch is enabled, ebooks and the audiobooks will be placed in separate menu making it clutter free. Just like the regular books, audiobooks will also have samples and will notify once you reach the end. It also reveals that Google ...

Alexa app update brings Alexa voice integration to all Android phones

Huawei Mate 9 was the first phone to come integrated with Amazon's virtual assistant; Alexa voice support. There are very few phones on the market that support. Installing the Alexa app wouldn't bring the Google Assistant type support, rather it was just limited to controlling Echo devices. Now Amazon says that it is rolling out Alexa app update bringing Alexa voice integration on all phones. Once the update is live, you'll be able to access Alexa skills like controlling music, send messages, and more. However, you still can't talk to Alexa simply by uttering the hot keyword even when you are in the app. Amazon says that the Alexa app update will be available soon and will enable Alexa on all phones. The updated Alexa app brings big Alexa button in the nav bar to start voice commands, and the update brings app version to v1.24.3555.0. With Alexa arriving on all phones, there are more possibilities for phone markets to take advantage of the feature.  We wish Amazon had also included the support for the hot keyword as well, but there's hope for future. You can download the Alexa from Google PlayStore or via the Amazon app store directly. Source

New Sony Xperia smartphone with 5.7-inch display, no 3.5mm headphone jack passes through the FCC

A new Sony Xperia device has just found passing through the FCC revealing the lack of 3.5mm audio jack. Usually, FCC certifications don't reveal much, but this time it is different as it revealed vital information regarding the upcoming Xperia phone.  The Xperia device in question comes with a model number ID PY7-21831A. The schematic images reveal strong hints to the lack of 3.5mm audio jack making it the first ever Sony smartphone to skimp the headphone jack. There is a possibility that the device could be an upcoming 'Xperia Flagship' since Sony might not ditch the headphone jack on a mid-range device. The schematic image reveals the use of a combined USB / headphone jack cable connection. Furthermore, the document highlights the dimensions of the phone with 152.79 x 72.42 mm, and a 5.7-inch screen diagonal display. It is, however, unclear if it is an 18:9 aspect ratio display or not. The phone will come with a single port that will be used for both charging and audio jack. As we had mentioned above, FCC certification doesn't offer much in terms of specifications, but we will keep this updated when we hear more about the upcoming Xperia flagship. Source|Via