Xiaomi signs MoU with Microsoft for cloud support, artificial intelligence and laptops

Xiaomi today announced that it has signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Microsoft to collaborate in cloud computing, artificial intelligence and the development of equipment for use with notebook computers. The companies will also collaborate in personal assistants using their own existing devices, including Microsoft’s Cortana. [HTML1] Partnership with Microsoft is not new for Xiaomi. In 2015 Microsoft tied up with Xiaomi to offer Windows 10 ROM for the Xioami Mi 4. In 2016 Xiaomi acquired 1,500 patents from Microsoft and said that it will pre-load Microsoft Office and Skype apps on its Android smartphones and tablets. The same year it also introduced Mi Notebook running Windows 10. With the latest partnership Xiaomi expects to bring more new products and services to its users and also allow Microsoft to reach more users using Xiaomi products. Commenting on the partnership, Xiaomi Senior Vice President Wang Xiang, said: We’ve been very happy in our collaboration with Microsoft, and we’re very happy to continue deepening the relationship with the signing of this strategic memorandum of understanding. Xiaomi’s mission is to let everyone in the world enjoy technology. This collaboration with Microsoft in many areas of technology will help us to more quickly deliver more outstanding products and services to our users. Source

Micromax Ayurveda Series Air Conditioners launched starting at Rs. 29990

Micromax today launched its Ayurveda Series Air Conditioners in India starting at Rs. 29,990. The new series is specially designed for the diverse Indian weather conditions and curb the bad air quality. They are powered by the R32 eco-friendly refrigerant and has much lower ozone-depleting & global warming potential than some other refrigerants used in the market.  They are also made of 100% copper. It is also India’s first AC with a PM 2.5 filter powered by the goodness of 'Neem' which is also perfect for the Indian climate with its cooling solution, according to the company. Micromax claims that the new line-up is said to provide anti-bacterial & anti-allergen properties through the neem filter. The company in the next 12 months aims to capture 5% market share of the Indian AC market and establish itself as a serious player in the category. The Micromax Ayurveda Series Air Conditioners range between Rs. 29,990 to Rs. 39,990 depending on the variant.  The company says that it has also set up dedicated service centres and customer service applications for the new product segment for better customer reach. Commenting on the launch, Rajesh Agarwal, Co-founder, Micromax Informatics said: Indian consumer’s needs have been the topmost priority at Micromax and we ...

Samsung starts building new EUV semiconductor line, to invest $6 billion by 2020

Samsung back in September announced that it is working on 7LPP (Low Power Plus) with EUV (extreme ultra violet) lithography technology for smartphones that is targeted for initial production in the second half of 2018. Today, as expected, the company has announced that it is building new EUV (extreme ultraviolet) line in Hwaseong, Korea. Samsung will use EUV technology starting with its 7-nanometer (nm) LPP (Low Power Plus) process. Yesterday Samsung and Qualcomm announced that they have expanded their foundry partnership for on EUV process technology and also said that future Snapdragon 5G mobile chipsets will use Samsung’s 7nm LPP EUV process technology. Samsung said that the new EUV line will enable to strengthen its leadership in single nanometer process technology to meet demand from various applications, including mobile, server, network, and HPC (high performance computing). The new facility is expected to be completed within the second half of 2019 and will be ready for production in 2020. The initial investment in the new EUV line is expected reach USD 6 billion by 2020 and the company said that additional investment will be determined depending on market circumstances. Source

Airtel and Motorola partner to offer 4G smartphones at effective starting price of Rs. 3999

After partnering with Intex, Karbonn and HMD Global, Airtel has partnered with Lenovo / Motorola to offer affordable 4G smartphone options to customers as part of Airtel’s ‘Mera Pehla Smartphone’ initiative. Under this partnership Moto C, Moto E4 and Lenovo K8 Note 4G smartphones are now available with cashback of Rs. 2000 from Airtel. These 4G smartphones will come bundled with a special Airtel recharge pack of Rs. 169 offering 1GB 4G data per day and unlimited calling – Local and STD. You need to pay upfront amount of Rs. 5,999, Rs. 8,499 and Rs. 12,999 for the Moto C, Moto E4 and Lenovo K8 Note, respectively and do 36 continuous monthly recharges worth Rs. 3500. You will get a cash refund of Rs 500 after 18 months and another Rs. 1500 after 36 months, taking the total cash benefit to Rs. 2000. Moto C specifications 5-inch (854 x 480 pixels) FWVGA display 1.1GHz quad-core MediaTek MT6737M 64-bit processor with Mali-T720 GPU 1GB RAM, 16GB internal memory, expandable memory up to 32GB with microSD Dual micro SIMs Android 7.0 (Nougat) 5MP auto focus rear camera with LED Flash, 1.4 microns, 74° lens, 720p video recording 2MP front-facing camera with LED flash, 1.0 microns, 63° lens 3.5mm audio jack, FM ...

Jabra Elite 65t Bluetooth earbuds with Alexa voice support launched in India

Jabra today launched the Elite 65t True Wireless Bluetooth Earbuds with Alexa voice support in India. The company claims that it can offer 15 hours of audio playback on a single charge and comes included pocket-friendly charging case. The Jabra Elite 65t Earbuds allows you to personalize the music through an equalizer that can be accessed through the Jabra Sound+ companion application. The new earbuds have a distinct focus on the voice experience that is capable of delivering superior audio quality for calls and music without wires. It comes with four microphone solution combined with an optimized acoustic chamber that enables advanced noise suppression and voice enhancement for every type of environment. It connects to smartphones through Bluetooth 5.0 and also has one-touch access to Amazon Alexa voice assistant. You can make Aleca ask to play music, hear the news, the heck weather, control smart home devices, and much more. The headset weights 6.5 grams each and the charging case weighs 67 grams.  The Jabra Elite 65t packs 3 Lithium-ion batteries which are included in the box. It promises 5 hours of battery life and the case offer additional 10 hours of battery life. A 15 minute rapid charge gives up to 1.5 hours battery. The Elite 65t come in Titanium ...

Huawei P20 with dual rear Leica cameras, top-notch surfaces on certification site

Huawei is expected to introduce its flagship smartphones in the P20 series at separate event in March in Paris. We had seen several renders of the smartphones in recent times. Now two smartphones with model numbers EML-AL00 and EML-TL00 have been listed on TENAA in China, which could be P20. This shows iPhone X-like top-notch that we had seen in the P20 Lite but the fingerprint sensor is present on the front instead of back in the P20 Lite. The image reveals a metal body and Huawei branding on the back. It shows dual rear cameras with LEICA lenses, which hints that only the P20 Plus will feature triple rear cameras. The phone is rumored to run Android 8.1 Oreo with EMUI 8.1 on top and is expected to be powered by Kirin 970 SoC. Huawei is expected to introduced new range of MediaPad tablets at the MWC 2018 next week, but are not expecting and new phones at the event. We should know more details about the P20 series when the phones get certified by TENAA in the coming weeks. Source 1, 2 | Via

Opera Max data-savings app renamed as Samsung Max, available only for Samsung smartphones

Opera introduced Opera Max, data savings app in the U.S. and Europe in 2014, which was launched in India in 2015. In the same year Samsung introduced Galaxy J2 with Ultra Data Saving mode powered by Opera Max and started adding the feature in other budget and mid-range smartphones. Last year Opera discontinued the app and said that it will not get any update. Today Samsung has took over the app and renamed the app as Samsung Max so all the existing users who updates the app will see the change. Samsung says that the upgraded version will now get updates from Samsung and will feature improved Data Saving and Privacy Protection Mode, along with an enhanced design and user experience. Samsung also said that the app will now be available only for select Samsung smartphones and non-Samsung smartphone users will be not able to use it after the application. It also said that Samsung Max will come preloaded on all Galaxy A and Galaxy J series smartphones in India, Argentina, Brazil, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, Thailand and Vietnam. It is also available for download via the Google Play or Galaxy Apps stores on additional Samsung devices. Source

Energizer POWER MAX P16K Pro smartphone with 16000mAh battery to be unveiled at MWC

Avenir Telecom, under its Energizer brand is already releasing smartphones. Today it has announced that it will introduce new Energizer POWER MAX P16K Pro Android smartphone with whopping 16,000mAh battery at the Mobile World Congress 2018 in Barcelona next week. Few years back OUKITEL introduced K10000 smartphone with 10,000mAh battery and 10 days of battery life. The company also says that it will have an ultra slim design, even though it packs a huge battery. It will have a 5.99-inch 18:9 Full HD+ display, 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Since it packs a huge battery it should be quite heavy, but it should last for weeks. Hope the company will offer fast charging support since it will takes hours to charge the huge battery. The company will share complete specifications of the smartphone as well as the image of the phone at the ShowStoppers on 25th February, Sunday in Barcelona.

ARCHOS Hello Smart Display with Google Assistant announced ahead of MWC

ARCHOS ahead of the MWC 2018 event has announced the Hello Smart Display with Google Assistant support. It comes in two variants; one with 7-inch HD display and the other one with an 8.4-inch Full HD touchscreen display. The Smart Display packs high fidelity speaker and powered by a quad-core processor. It comes embedded with Google Android Oreo for many activities at home: voice requests, objects, and services control, video call, etc. It looks like an Echo Show from Amazon but with Google Assistant support instead of Alexa. It can be used in portrait or landscape mode and has 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage. It packs four long range multidirectional microphones, a 5 MP, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, and a battery of 4000mAH. The company says that it is ideal to receive and make video calls with Google Duo, send messages, listen to and to answer queries including news, weather forecasts, traffic conditions, consultation app, applications, and services. It is compatible with services like Google Music, Spotify, YouTube, etc. and can even broadcast content on a larger screen, like television. Furthermore, the ARCHOS Hello also manages all connected objects in the house including lights, radiators, shutters, surveillance cameras, voice-control PicoWAN smartplug. The ARCHOS Hello will ...

Google Files Go now lets you backup files to Google Drive

Google introduced Files Go beta app back in November last year to free up space on your Android phone, later it was released widely in December. The company keeps updating the app adding new features. It got option to open files in other apps, tablet support and more last month. Now it has received an option to back up your files to Google Drive. To use this, you just need to select the files and click the three dots menu and click "Back up to Google Drive". You will be asked for confirmation. Then it will list of files that will be backed up. If you have have multiple drive accounts, you need to select one, and you can also select the folder when you want to files to be saved. You need to have Google Drive app to be installed on your phone to use this feature. The changelog lists that the latest update adds additional SD card features and includes bug fixes and performance improvements. You can download the Google Files Go app from the Play Store here.