OPPO F7 Diamond Black Cricket Limited Edition launched in India

OPPO launched the F7 smartphone in India back in March for Rs. 21,990, which went on sale in the country starting April 9th. Last month OPPO  launched Diamond Black 128GB Special Edition F7 in the country. Today it has launched a new OPPO F7 Cricket Limited Edition smartphone in India. The phone has similar specifications as the original F7, but this is the Diamond Black model with  unique glass body that shimmers like gemstones, reflecting different colors with each glance from the user. It also comes with cricket case covers and signatures of Hardik Pandya, R. Ashwin and Rohit Sharma, brand ambassadors for the phone. OPPO F7 specifications 6.23-inch (2280 x 1080 pixels) Full HD+ 19:9 IPS display Octa Core MediaTek Helio P60 12nm processor (Quad 2GHz Cortex A73 + Quad 2GHz Cortex A53 CPUs) with 800MHz ARM Mali-G72 MP3 GPU 4GB RAM with 64GB internal memory, 6GB RAM with 128GB storage, expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD Dual SIM (nano + nano + microSD) ColorOS 5.0 based on Android 8.1 (Oreo) 16MP rear camera with LED flash, f/1.8 aperture 25MP front-facing camera, f/2.0 aperture, HDR,  Sony IMX576 sensor Fingerprint sensor 3.5mm audio jack, Dirac HD Dimensions: 156 x 75.3 x 7.8mm ; Weight: 158g Dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 4.2, ...

Nokia 7 Plus to get Dual 4G LTE support soon via OTA update

HMD Global launched the Nokia 7 Plus Android One smartphone in India last month, and the phone went on sale in the country last week. As we had mentioned in the review, the phone has support for 4G VoLTE in one SIM, while the other SIM supports only 3G.  HMD Global Chief Product Officer, Juho Sarvikas on Twitter has confirmed that the phone will soon get support for 4G on both the SIMs via an update. [HTML1] It should also support 4G VoLTE on both the SIMs. This feature is available in only in Honor View 10 and the Chinese version of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro, but the Indian version of the Redmi Note 5 Pro is expected to get the support soon. With the Dual 4G option, you can enable 4G and VoLTE on both the SIMs and switch between them easily. At the launch, the company also confirmed that it will also bring Face Unlock feature via an update, which is available in the Chinese variant already. The Nokia 7 Plus also comes with Treble support with A/B system partition for seamless updates. Check out our Nokia 7 Plus Review, if you are planning to get the phone.

ZTE submits application to U.S. Commerce Department seeking suspension of business ban

ZTE Corp has submitted an application to the U.S. Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) seeking for the suspension of a business ban. ZTE was banned for seven years from using USA based companies components and software.  Even though it is not clear what the company included in the application, but it did say that the company has provided additional material at the BIS’s request. Early last week Chinese negotiators who are holding trade talks with U.S. counterparts in Beijing asked the United States Govt to hear ZTE’s appeal, and also take the company's efforts to improve its compliance and amend the ban into account. The U.S officials, on the other hand, had said that the ban on ZTE was not related to trade policy, instead, the move is seen as part of the broader trade spat between the USA and China. The ban also threatens ZTE's smartphone business who is heavily reliant on imports of U.S. chips. Source

Black Dot emoji message could crash Android messaging apps

A new mysterious bug found on the WhatsApp is causing the app to crash, it is the black dot emoji that when touched crashes or freezes the app. It is not tapping the emoji that causes the crash as much as what lies underneath it, meaning that tapping anywhere on the message; "<⚫> 👈🏻 ‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎ ‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎ ‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎ ‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎ ‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎ ‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎ ‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎ ‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎ ‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏‎‏can't touch this" can trigger the bug. The fact behind this is that there are around two thousand invisible characters in the message that ends up causing Android's text rendering engine to crash, especially on older devices. While some modern phones recover after freezing. The invisible part of the message has special characters which Unicode uses to specify whether the text need to be written right-to-left or left-to-right and sometimes these characters are needed to properly display text in languages that are written right-to-left, such as Hebrew and Arabic. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jC4NNUYIIdM Modern devices have been able to handle LTR and RTL texts even within same sentences, but the issue only shows up when a strange combination of characters trigger a bug in the rendering engine which is what that is happening now. The sequence of two thousand characters switches the text's orientation back and forth repeatedly, but when the engine fails ...

Chrome OS to get better Bluetooth support and Android app shortcuts

Chrome OS team looks to be working on app shortcuts within the right-click context menus which is a sign of better integration as more and more touch-oriented devices arrive. It is also working on better Bluetooth support. App shortcuts are nothing new to Android, they are available for quite some time now. App shortcuts enable you to jump right into specific actions or functions within an app from launch. Chrome OS currently doesn't support app shortcuts because of the way the apps have been segregated into their own container, however, it now looks like the support might be coming very soon. We have started seeing 10-inch Chromebooks with touchscreen functionality, they might also be the death knell for Android tablets. Though Google doesn't officially talk about it in the public, developments like these display its aim to further integrate the Android experience into Chrome OS. In another note, Chrome OS might also be receiving a much-needed Bluetooth functionality rehaul. Chrome OS has always had the Bluetooth bug with the pairing, connecting, and audio playback and all that might be changing soon. You can track the progress of the development by enabling the '#newblue' flag in chrome://flags, which is currently available in the Developer Channel. The new Bluetooth daemon is at present is ...

TCL iFFALCON Smart LED TVs go on sale in India starting at Rs. 13499

iFFALCON, a new a smart TV brand, co-invested by TCL and Tencent Digital launched its new Smart LED TVs in India last month. As promised, these TVs went on sale today. There are three smart TV models – iFFALCON 55K2A, iFFALCON 40F2, and iFFALCON 32F2. The top-end iFFALCON 55K2A 55-inch 4K HDR TV has specially-customised Google services, and is powered by Android 7.0 Nougat and has in-built Google Chromecast, Google Voice Search and more. It also has Micro Dimming technology and features such as white LED HD backlight that enhance the colour gamut and provide more dynamic colour contrast. It has Dolby 5.1 Surround Sound, advanced DTS post-processing technology, and the Smart Volume feature. iFFALCON 32F2 LED Smart TV 32-inch specifications 32-inch (1366×768 pixels) HD LED display with 178-degree viewing angle,6000:1 (Static) Contrast Ratio, 60 Hz refresh rate Dual Core A9 Processor with Dual Core Mali GPU 768MB RAM, 4GB internal memory iFFALCON App Store, YouTube, Netflix and Eros Now apps WiFi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4 GHz), 3 x HDMI, USB 2.0 x 2, Ethernet Supports H.265, H.264, VP9, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, VC1, WMV, TS, MKV, AVI, MP4 10W speaker, Dolby Audio iFFALCON 40F2 LED Smart TV 40-inch specifications 40-inch (1920 x 1080 pixels) Full HD LED display with 178-degree viewing angle,6000:1 (Static) ...

Apple’s iconic iMac turns 20

20-years ago today, Apple officially introduced the iMac. While the present perception of the iMac might have been taken for granted, Steve Jobs presentation and the official unveiling of the iMac is worth watching even after 20-years. It's also safe to say that the machine has made a lasting impact on technology at a large scale.  [HTML1] It is also worth noting that how much the industry has changed in the past 20 years. Though the original iMac might look quaint today, when it was unveiled 20 years ago, it was nothing short of a revolution. It has a 15-inch CRT screen, 4GB hard drive, and late 90s design. It also helped in ushering in the USB era, though they were available even before iMac, like always Apple back then inspired many to build USB peripherals. Apple post the success of the first-gen iMac faced a situation where it had to hit the drawing tables designing the followup that will define the future. The result is a 2002-era iMac G4 with an impressive 15-inch LCD monitor with a neck that let the display tilt and swivel at the same time preserving Apple's all-in-one design. However, it wasn't a big hit as the original iMac with high-prices. Continuing the legacy, Apple then launched ...

Samsung Galaxy S10 said to launch in January 2019, foldable phone in February at MWC

Samsung usually launches its S-series flagships at the MWC event in February or after that in a separate event in March. However, a new report from Korea suggests that the Galaxy S10 launch date will be set for January 2019. Considering S9 this year launched a month ahead of the S8 from last year, this report is not unusual in any way. It is reported that Samsung has asked its suppliers to start supplying components for its much-rumored foldable smartphone this November. If anything, we might see the handset launching early next year at the Mobile World Congress 2019. So, if Samsung wishes to launch the foldable smartphone at the MWC 2019, the S10 will see the light in the day a month ahead of schedule. Samsung to reportedly start sourcing parts for its 10th-anniversary flagship with quite a handful of features by this October. Samsung is likely to launch the Galaxy S10 at the Consumer Electronics Show 2019 which will be held in Las Vegas from January 8-11. Samsung hasn't picked the CES stage for launching a flagship in the recent years, but the company primarily focuses consumer electronics like home appliances. Since nothing is official just yet and it is still too early to ...

Moto Z2 Play gets Android 8.0 Oreo update in India

Lenovo-owned Motorola back in September last year confirmed the list of devices that will get the Android 8.0 (Oreo) update. The company rolled out stable Android 8.0 (Oreo) update for the Moto Z Play smartphone in India last month, now it has rolled out the update for its successor, Moto Z2 Play in the country, after rolling it out in Europe last month. Android Oreo brings a lot of new features and improvements including Background limits, Notification channels, snooze notifications, Autofill APIs, Picture in Picture (PIP) display, Adaptive icons, Wide-gamut color for apps, Support for high-quality Bluetooth audio codecs such as LDAC codec, Companion device pairing, Keyboard navigation and much more. You can check out the complete list of features here. The Android 8.0 (Oreo) OTA update for the Moto Z2 Play has the Build number OPS27.76-12-25, is about 1.2GB in size and also includes Android security update for April 1, 2018. The Moto G5 series and other eligible Moto smartphones are expected to get the Oreo update in coming weeks. Source 1, 2

Honor 10 with 5.84-inch FHD+ display, 6GB RAM, dual rear cameras launching in India exclusively on Flipkart on May 15

Update: Flipkart has now confirmed that the Honor 10 will launch exclusively with them on May 15th, the same day as the phone gets introduced for the global markets at an event in London. Huawei’s Honor brand announced its flagship Honor 10 smartphone in China last month. Today Honor India has confirmed that the phone will launch in the country by the end of May exclusively on Flipkart. The Honor View 10 was launched in India exclusively on Amazon earlier this year. The Honor 10 is expected to be introduced for the global markets at an event in London on May 15th. To remind you, the phone packs a 5.84-inch Full HD+ 2.5D curved glass display with a notch and 19:9 aspect ratio,n Octa-Core HiSilicon Kirin 970 10nm SoC with i7 co-processor, Android 8.1 (Oreo) with EMUI 8.1 on top, dual rear cameras with 16-megapixel RGB sensor and 24-megapixel monochrome sensor with 2x Zoom, LED flash, AI scene recognition, and a 24-megapixel front-facing camera with AI beautification and support for face unlock. It has a 3400mAh battery with support for Super fast charge (5V/4.5A) that can charge from 0 to 50% in just 25 minutes. It has a curved glass body and also comes in Purple color achieved by applying ...