Apple releases iOS 11.3 with Battery Health Tool, ARKit 1.5, Business Chat, New Animoji and more

Apple just released iOS 11.3, a major update for iPhone and iPad, about three months after the release of iOS 11.2.  The update brings ARKit 1.5 to offer even more immersive AR experiences to recognize and place virtual objects on vertical surfaces like walls and doors, and more accurately map irregularly shaped surfaces like circular tables for next-generation AR apps,  iPhone Battery Health (Beta) to show battery health and recommend if a battery needs to be serviced. This feature is available in Settings -> Battery for iPhone 6 and later.  As promised, it is now possible to disable Apple’s power management feature. It also brings new Animoji lion, bear, dragon and skull for the iPhone X users, also brings Business Chat for users to communicate directly with businesses right within Messages, which is launching today in Beta in the US and Canada. It also includes stability improvements and bug fixes. Messages in iCloud and AirPlay 2 that appeared in Beta were removed. The iOS 11.3 update is about 700MB in size that varies depending on the device and is already available over-the-air (OTA). It is compatible with iPhone 5s and later, all iPad Air and iPad Pro models, iPad 5th generation, iPad mini 2 and later and iPod touch 6th ...

Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S Hands On Impressions

The latest flagship on the block, Xiaomi’s Mi MIX 2S is an updated and upgraded version of the stunning MIX 2. We got a chance to check out the phone for a bit after its launch in China. Follow along for a quick unboxing and first impressions of the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S. Hands On Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y2IVNDAUZY Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S specifications 5.99-inch (2160 × 1080 pixels) Full HD+ 18:9 display with DCI-P3 color gamut 2.8GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 845 64-bit 10nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 630 GPU 6GB LPDDR4x RAM with 64GB / 128GB (UFS 2.1) storage / 8GB LPDDR4x RAM, 256GB (UFS 2.1) internal storage Android 8.1 (Oreo) with MIUI 9 Dual SIM (nano + nano) 12MP rear camera with 26mm wide-angle lens, 1/2.6″ Sony IMX363 sensor, f/1.8 aperture, 1.4µm pixel size, dual-tone LED flash, 4-axis OIS, Optical zoom, 4K video recording, secondary 12MP rear camera with 46mm telephoto lens, 1/3.4″ sensor size,  f/2.4 aperture, 2X zoom 5MP front-facing camera with real-time AI portraits Fingerprint sensor Dimensions: 150.86×74.9x 8.1 mm; Weight: 189g Dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11ac dual-band (2×2 MU-MIMO ), Bluetooth 5, GPS/GLONASS/Beidou, NFC, USB Type-C 3400mAh (typical) / 3300mAh (minimum) battery with QC 3.0 fast charging, 7.5W Qi wireless charging First Impressions The box packaging of the Mi Mix 2S ...

GoPro HERO waterproof action camera launched in India for Rs. 18990

After the listing, GoPro has officially launched its new entry-level HERO waterproof action camera in India. It comes with a 10-megapixel sensor capable of recording videos at 1080p 60fps resoltion, has voice control for hands-free recording and comes with built in stabilization. Highlights of GoPro HERO 10MP, 1/2.3" CMOS sensor for 1080p 60fps video recording. Durable Waterproof Design (up to 10m / 30 feet) 2 Inch (320 x 480 pixels) Touch Screen 4GB internal storage, microSD expansion slot (up to 128GB) Voice Control for hands-free control Rugged build for better durability QuikStories Enabled, GoPro App Compatible Video: 1440p and 1080p; Time Lapse Photo: 0.5 Sec Intervals, Burst: 10 MP at 10 fps Wi-Fi and Bluetooth The GoPro HERO is priced at at Rs. 18,990, is available for pre-order on Flipkart and goes on sale on April 1st. In the U.S. it is priced at$199.99 (Rs. 13,028 approx.). Commenting on the launch of new GoPro camera, Meghan Laffey, GoPro’s SVP of Product, said: HERO is a great first GoPro for people looking to share experiences beyond what a phone can capture.HERO makes it easy to share ‘wow’ moments at a price that’s perfect for first-time users. Adarsh Menon, Vice President and Head-Electronics and Private Labels, Flipkart,said: We are delighted to be a part of this exclusive ...

Samsung Galaxy Note9 with Snapdragon 845, Android 8.1 surfaces in benchmarks

Samsung Galaxy Note9 (SM-N960U) running Android 8.0 appeared on HTML5 test browser benchmark last month. Now the smartphone has surfaced on Geekbench listing that reveals that it will be powered by Snapdragon 845 with 6GB RAM and run Android 8.1 (Oreo). It doesn't reveal another specifications. In Geekbench it has posted 2190 points for single-core and 8806 points for multi-core, on par with other Snapdragon 845-powered smartphones. The SM-N960U should be U.S. version with Snapdragon 845, while other countries will likely get the Exynos 9 Series 9810 SoC, similar to the S9 series. Recent report said that Samsung will make a final decision on the in-display fingerprint sensor for the Galaxy Note9 soon. It also said that 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. We’ll probably hear more about the Galaxy Note9 and its features in the coming months since the phone is expected to be introduced only at the end of Q3 2018. Source | Via

Indian mobile internet users expected to reach 478 Million by June 2018: IAMAI

Indian mobile internet users is expected to reach 478 million by June 2018, according to a report titled Mobile Internet in India 2017 published jointly by the Internet and Mobile Association of India [IAMAI] and KANTAR-IMRB. The reports estimate around 291 million Urban mobile internet users and 187 million Rural mobile internet users as of December 2017. The number of mobile internet users increased by 17.22% from December 2016. As of December 2017, it reached 456 million users. Urban India witnessed an estimated 18.64% YoY rise, while Rural India witnessed an estimated growth of 15.03% during the same period. However, urban India is expected to show a slowdown with 59 penetration, while Rural India with only 18% mobile internet penetration is clearly the next area of growth. Report further states that youngsters below 25 years top the internet users list in India with 46% of Urban users and 57% of Rural. On the other hand, the age range of 25 to 44 has an almost equal distribution of users in Urban and Rural Areas. The use cases of youngsters is fairly limited to social networking and browsing; while old men stick to audio/video streaming. While working women also indulge in social networking and browsing, while non-working women ...

Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S Photo Gallery

Xiaomi introduced the Mi MIX 2S, its latest flagship smartphone in the MIX series in China earlier this week. We got to check out the smartphone, here is a quick look at the phone in the form of photo gallery. The Mi MIX 2S has 5.99-inch (2160 × 1080 pixels) Full HD+ 18:9 display with DCI-P3 color gamut, same as the predecessor. There is a small earpiece on the top along with an hidden ultrasonic proximity sensor. It is powered by the latest Snapdragon 845 with 6GB / 8GB RAM and runs Android 8.1 (Oreo) with MIUI 9.5. There is a 5-megapixel camera on the bottom right with support for AI portrait selfies with real-time background blur and face unlock. [gallery columns="2" link="file" size="medium" ids="248035,248036"] The power button and the volume rockers are present on the right side and the dual SIM slot is present on the left side. At the event the company said that it will support Dual 4G VoLTE. The primary microphone, USB Type-C port and loudspeaker grill. You can also see the antenna lines. The secondary microphone is present on the top, but the phone doesn't have an infrared sensor. It measures 150.86×74.9x 8.1 mm and weighs 189 grams. Even though the front doesn't see ...

Xiaomi Mi TV 4S 55-inch 4K HDR TV with AI voice remote, Dolby audio announced

Xiaomi has silently introduced new Mi TV 4S 55-inch 4K HDR Smart TV in China. It has the same PatchWall, a UI layer on top of the Android OS that’s based on deep learning AI technology that can curate content based on recommendations and also has Dolby and DTS Audio. It has a metal frame and also comes with multi purpose Mi Remote Control, which also has infrared in addition to Bluetooth to work with most appliances such as setup box. It has Mi Touch that replaces traditional navigation buttons so you can use gestures to control your TV. It also has Speech Recognition for voice control. Xiaomi Mi TV 4S 55-inch specifications  55-inch (3840 x 2160 pixels) 4K display with 178-degree viewing angle,  8ms dynamic response 1.5GHz quad-core Amlogic Cortex-A53 processor with 750MHz Mali-450 MP3 GPU 2GB RAM, 8GB internal memory MIUI TV based on Android WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4 / 5GHz), Bluetooth 4.2 LE, 3 x HDMI, AV, 2 x USB, 1 x Ethernet Supports HDR 10 and HLG,H.264, H.265, Real, MPEG1/2/4, WMV3, VC-1 2 x 8W speaker, DOLBY AUDIO / DTS- HD audio dual decoding The Xiaomi Mi TV 4S 55-inch is priced at 2999 yuan (US$ 476 / Rs. 31,080 approx.) and will be ...

Airtel TV app now offers ALTBalaji catalogue of shows, movies for free

Airtel today announced a partnership with ALTBalaji, a wholly owned subsidiary of Balaji Telefilms to bring exciting digital content from ALT Balaji’s portfolio to Airtel TV app users. With this partnership, ALTBalaji’s complete range of original shows and movies are now available on Airtel TV app for free. This will also help ALTBalaji in extending its content distribution to Airtel TV app’s fast-growing user base. Airtel already has content partnerships with Eros Now, Hooq and Sony LIV. On the other hand, Airtel TV has further strengthened its content catalog, which according to the company is one amongst the largest in India. Currently, Airtel users can choose from over 350 + LIVE TV channels and 10,000 + movies and shows on Airtel TV app. All content on Airtel TV app is completely free for Airtel Postpaid and Prepaid customers until June 2018. Commenting on the same, Sameer Batra, CEO – Wynk said: We are thrilled to partner ALTBalaji and bring their rich content on to Airtel TV app. This will add to the wide range of exciting digital content available to our users. As Airtel TV continues to rapidly expand its user base, we remain focused on offering our users easy access to differentiated line up of entertainment content ...

Google launches Cloud Text-to-Speech service powered by DeepMind’s AI for more natural sounding voices

Back in October 2017, DeepMind Artificial Intelligence startup became a part of the Alphabet, and its WaveNet technology which is a deep neural network for generating raw audio waveforms is used in producing better and more natural sounding speech for Google Assistant in English and Japanese languages. Google today announced that it is bringing this technology to Google Cloud Platform with Cloud Text-to-Speech open for developers or business that needs voice synthesis on tap, whether that’s for an app, website, or virtual assistant. The company says that it can be used in a variety of ways including power voice response systems for call centers (IVRs), enabling real-time natural language conversations, have IoT devices talk back to you, convert text into the spoken format like audiobooks, etc. There are 32 basic voices to choose from, across 12 languages. Cloud Text-to-Speech correctly pronounces complex text such as names, dates, times and addresses for authentic-sounding and it also allows you to customize pitch, speaking rate, and volume gain and supports a variety of audio formats, including MP3 and WAV. The improved WaveNet model generates audio 1,000 times faster than the original model, fidelity has also been increased to 24,000 samples per second, and the resolution has been bumped up from 8 to 16 bits all of which producing ...

Reddit 3.0 beta for Android brings AMOLED night mode, improved bottom navigation bar, new themes and more

Reddit beta for Android is getting a new update with improvements and features like AMOLED night mode toggle in Settings, improved bottom navigation bar, and more.  The AMOLED night mode toggle in Settings switches over from the existing dark grey night mode to a pitch black AMOLED-compliant UI. This feature will definitely save battery, given if your device has an OLED display. It can also automatically switch on and off at certain hours. There are few other themes called Pony and Trees, and these have white as the main backdrop. Furthermore, the app also packs a redesigned bottom bar as well as major and minor UI changes and improvements, a new account drawer for switching between accounts faster. Like with most app updates, Reddit for beta also brings bug and crash fixes and improvements. With the new features and improvements, Reddit is shaping up to become a perfect client application, if not better than 3rd-party applications. However, Reddit is currently not accepting new users and applicants for beta testing. So, if you are interested in trying out the app, download the APK from here and side-load it. Via