Snap’s new Spectacles is water-resistant, has slimmer profile, improved audio

Snap Inc. unveiled its Spectacles with built-in camera back in September 2016. Today, after rumors and FCC certification, it has unveiled new Spectacles, which is now water-resistant, so you can use them in the rain — or even take a photo or video in shallow water. It also comes in a smaller profile, since the temple area of the frame is 30% smaller compared to the predecessor. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qpbyj-hz05s It also has improved audio, and now, you can press and hold to take a photo. Snaps you capture will transfer to Snapchat up to four times faster with the new WiFi-only import mode, and always in HD since the video resolution is now 1,216 x 1,216 compared to  1,088 x 1,088. It has storage for 150 videos or 3,000 photos, home WiFi syncing, lets you capture up to 70 videos on a single charge and lets you recharge up to four times in the included charging case, which is now 20% smaller than the predecessor.  There is also up to four charges with the charging case, and inward- and outward-facing lights that tell you and other folks you're recording. The new Spectacles are exclusively available at Spectacles.com for $150 (£150 in the UK) in the US, Canada and France, and are coming elsewhere ...

Google ‘Solve for India’ mentoring program to support startups

Google India has hosted a four-day workshop which is a mentorship boot camp for around ten Indian startups this week. This initiative was launched last year and was initially aimed at an India-only pilot for mentorship and engagement by Google Developers Launchpad team. The ‘Solve for India’ mainly focuses on bringing the best of Google expertise across product, UX/UI and latest technologies including machine learning and AI that will help the emerging startups who are focusing on building solutions that serve's needs of India. At the Boot camp, founders and teams of the ten startups spent four days in one-on-one consults with experts from Google and external mentors from the industry with a goal to solve the critical product and growth challenges of the startups. The ten startups that participated in the first boot camp include Nebulaa, Slang Labs, PregBuddy, LegalDesk, PaySack, Vokal, FarMart, Meesho, Pratilipi, and M-Indicator. Speaking about the initiative, Karthik Padmanabhan, Developer Relations Lead, ‎Google India said: In the last few years, we have seen the growth in entrepreneurial and startup activity that goes beyond the big metros. We’re seeing a whole new generation of entrepreneurs and founders who’re innovating to solve for real challenges across Agriculture, Healthcare, Environment, Retail, Education, MicroFinance and the Indian language web. ...

Qualcomm to ease its licensing terms to strike deals

Qualcomm made it evident that it is aiming to ease licensing terms in order to strike deals at its earnings call on Wednesday. The chipset maker posted quarterly profit and revenue that topped Wall Street forecasts, which suggests that the company's slowdown in the global smartphone business might be less severe. Qualcomm's other line of business includes licensing patents that are essential for smartphones to work and this has traditionally driven most of its profits. However, this business has dropped sharply over the past year, as revenue most of which is attributed to Apple's iPhones withheld amid a legal dispute. Qualcomm now made it evident that it is prepared to accept lower revenue in exchange for maintaining the business structure and avoiding future customer disputes. Qualcomm calculated the percentage of the selling price of a smartphone and this so-called model had been the center of regulatory disputes in China, Korea an, the United States and also in its disputes with Apple. However, during the earnings call, Qualcomm said it would cap the phone price which is the basis of the revenue calculation at $400. More expensive phones, which can sell for $1,000, would still be treated as $400 for the Qualcomm license fee. This move comes after Qualcomm ...

Samsung Galaxy J2 Android Oreo (Go Edition) with Exynos 7570 14nm SoC surfaces in benchmarks

While most of the company are gearing up to launch more and more Android Oreo (Go Edition) smartphone, looks like Samsung too is joining the race. The Samsung Galaxy J2 might be the first Android Oreo (Go Edition), and the device has now surfaced in Geekbench benchmarks. Android Oreo (Go Edition) is an iteration of Android 8.0 that is specially designed for entry-level devices with low-RAM. Google has even launched Go specific apps including the Files Go, Gboard Go, Maps Go, YouTube Go. Facebook and Twitter have also launched their lite version apps that will work on low-cost phones. As for the Samsung's Android Oreo (Go Edition) phone, it comes with a model number SM-J260G indicating that it might the Galaxy J2. It comes with 1GB of RAM, coupled with Android 8.1. The chipset appears to be an optimized version of the Exynos 7570 clocked at 1.43GHz. The benchmark listing says “Universal7570_Go,” which is yet another indication of this device’s Android Go credentials. Since these are just Geekbench benchmarks listing, we are not sure about the authenticity of it unless the company officially announces it. Source | Via

Samsung Galaxy J2 (2018) with 5-inch Super AMOLED display, Samsung Mall launched in India for Rs. 8190

Samsung  has launched Galaxy J2 (2018) (SM-J250F), a new smartphone in India. It was introduced back in December last year and packs a 5-inch qHD Super AMOLED display, is powered by Snapdragon 425 SoC with 2GB RAM, runs Android 7.1 (Nougat), has a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and a 5-megapixel front camera that also comes wit a flash. The phone has a new design on the back with polycarbonate finish, but it has a familiar design on the front with a home button with capacitive touch buttons on either sides. It packs a 2600mAh battery It also comes with Samsung Mall, that was introduced with Galaxy On7 Prime earlier this year. This lets users shop by clicking a picture of the desired product and automatically getting results for the item across popular e-commerce platforms. Samsung Galaxy J2 (2018) specifications 5-inch (960 × 540 pixels) qHD Super AMOLED display 1.4GHz Quad-Core Snapdragon 425 Mobile Platform with Adreno 308 GPU 2GB RAM, 16GB Internal Storage, expandable memory up to 256GB via micro SD card Android 7.1 (Nougat) Dual SIM 8MP rear camera with LED flash 5MP front camera with LED flash Dimensions: 143.8mm x 72.3mm x 8.4mm; Weight: 153g 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, GPS 2600mAh battery The Samsung Galaxy ...

Moto Z3 Play with 6.1-inch FHD+ display, Snapdragon 636, dual-rear cameras, side-mounted fingerprint sensor surfaces in press image

Motorola's Z series is due for an update and the company's Z3 Play smartphone has hit the headlines a lot recently but most of it was restricted to concept images that are based on known dimensions, features and design traits. However, today we are having our first official clean look at the Moto Z3 Play. The image does showcase the phone in its full glory including the front and rear of the phone in detail. Interestingly the fingerprint sensor which we are used to seeing on front embedded into the home button is now being moved to the side and the front now packs a tall 18:9 bezel-less design. The phone is expected to pack a 6.1-inches FHD+ display in-line with the recently launched flagships. The rear of the phone packs a glass design and like always packs a camera protrusion where the dual-rear cameras rest and Moto dimple. Since Z-series is famously known for its modularity, the Z3 Play also comes with 16-pin connector down below the camera module. While the latest leak doesn't reveal any specifications, previous rumors suggested a 12-megapixel and 8-megapixel cameras. Another design change over the Z2 Play is that the Z3 Play might not have a 3.5mm audio jack. The ...

Gionee S11 Lite with 5.7-inch Full View display, dual rear cameras, 16MP front camera and F205 launched in India for Rs. 13999 and Rs. 8999

Gionee has launched F205 and S11 Lite, the company's latest smartphones in India. Both these were unveiled back in November last year and have 5.45-inch and 5.7-inch HD+ FullView displays with 18:9 aspect ratio, respectively.  The S11 Lite has 82.2% screen-to-body ratio, comes with 13MP + 2MP dual rear cameras with portrait mode that blurs the background. It also has 16MP selfie camera with Bokeh Selfie mode, enhanced face beauty and more. The F205 has uni-body design, 2.5D Arc edge screen with Corning Gorilla Glass protection and triple card slot that can accommodate two Nano SIM card and 1 Micro SD card, which is expandable up to 256GB. Gionee F205 specifications 5.45-inch (1440 x 720 pixels) HD+ 18:9 FullView 2.5D curved glass display, Corning Gorilla Glass protection 1.5GHz Quad-Core MediaTek MT6739 64-bit processor with PowerVR Rogue GE8100 GPU 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, expandable memory up to 128GB with microSD Android 7.1.1 (Nougat) with Amigo OS 5.0 Dual SIM 8MP rear camera with LED flash 5MP front-facing camera Dimensions: 148.4x70.7x7.95mm; Weight: 135.6g 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS 2670mAh battery Gionee S11 Lite specifications 5.7-inch (1440 x 720 pixels) HD+ 18:9 FullView 2.5D curved glass display, 82.2% screen-to-body ratio 1.4GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 430 Mobile Platform ...

OPPO A83 (2018) with 5.7-inch full-screen display, face unlock launched in India for Rs. 15990

OPPO launched the A83 earlier this year. Today it has launched OPPO A83 (2018), an upgraded version with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage. Other specifications are same, including the 5.7 HD+ full-screen 2.5D curved glass display, MediaTek Helio P23 SoC with 3GB RAM, 13-megapixel rear camera with LED flash and an 8-megapixel front-facing camera with support for A.I beauty technology that scan 200 facial recognition spots to beautify a selfie shot perfectly as well as face unlock to unlock the phone quickly. It has dedicated dual SIM slots and microSD slots and packs a 3180mAh battery. It doesn’t have a fingerprint sensor. OPPO A83 (2018) specifications 5.7-inch (1440 × 720 pixels) 18:9 HD+ full-screen 2.5D curved glass display 2.5GHz Octa-Core MediaTek Helio P23 16nm processor with 800MHz ARM Mali G71 MP2 GPU 4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage, expandable memory up to 128GB with microSD Android 7.1 (Nougat) with ColorOS 3.2 Dual SIM 13MP rear camera with LED flash, f/2.2 aperture 8MP front-facing camera, f/2.2 aperture Dimensions:150.5 × 73.1 × 7.7mm; Weight: 143g 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio 4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 4.2, GPS + GLONASS 3180mAh (typical) / 3090mAh (minimum) battery The OPPO A83 (2018) comes in Red, Blue and Golden colors, is priced at 15,990, is ...

LG posts highest quarterly profits in 9 years in Q1 2018, continues to narrow smartphone losses

LG Electronics has reported revenues of 15.12 trillion won (US$ 14.1 billion) for the first quarter that ended March 31, 2018, which is up 3.2% compared to the same quarter last year. It has posted profits of 1.11 trillion won (US$ 1.03 billion), up 20% YoY, highest first-quarter profit and revenue in company history and the highest quarterly profitability since the second quarter of 2009. The LG Home Appliance & Air Solution Company and the LG Home Entertainment Company reported their largest quarterly operating profit ever with each recording double-digit operation margins. Mobile Communications sector reported a revenue of 2.16 trillion won (US$ 2.01 billion), down 26% QoQ and 27.7% YoY due to revised smartphone launch strategy. The sector posted a operating loss of 136.1 billion won (US$ 126.85 million), compared to loss of 0.1 billion won a year ago, but it is less 36% compared to previous quarter, despite component price increases,  by continuing to improve its business structure. It shipped 11.4 million smartphones in the quarter, down 18% QoQ, and 23% YoY. While the global smartphone market is forecast to experience stagnant growth and more intense competition in the second quarter, LG expects to see positive results with the launch of the LG G7 ...

Xiaomi discontinues further MIUI 9 development to focus on stability and system optimizations, MIUI 10 expected soon

Xiaomi announced MIUI 9 back in July 2017 in an event in China that brought various new features including Split Screen, Smart app launcher, Universal Image search, Notifications Filter, Smart Assistant and more. Later, in November 2017, the company announced Global version of MIUI 9 with  New Gallery App, Calendar Cards, New Notification Shade, App Vault, Mi Video App, New Mi Explorer and Mi Drop. Earlier this year, the company’s co-founder and vice president Hong Feng confirmed that company has started development of next iteration of MIUI, and it will be called MIUI 10 (not X). With MIUI 10, company’s focus will be on improving user experience using AI and Machine learning algorithms. In the same event, it was mentioned that company will remain focused on MIUI 9 development. Yesterday, MIUI forum Admins posted announcement related to MIUI China ROM and said that company is suspending MIUI 9 Beta ROM updates for some time. The post says, To achieve better system stability and optimization, MIUI will release the last Development/Alpha ROM 8.4.26 on 27th April 2018. Thereafter, MIUI developers will focus on system optimization, which will continue for a period of time. It's expected that the update will be resumed in June ...