MIUI 10 Global roll out expected to be announced in India on June 7

Last year at the Redmi Y1 launch event Xiaomi announced roll out details of MIUI 9 Global Stable ROM  for its phones. The company introduced MIUI 10 at its Mi 8 launch event yesterday in China, and also said that beta from will roll out in China starting later this month. Now Xiaomi India has shared a video for MIUI 10 and also says that it is coming soon, so it might reveal global ROM roll out details at the Redmi Y2 event on June 7th. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EM8E-51meSA MIUI 10 brings a new design, One-touch full screen gesture, improved notification center, improved multitasking management to make use of large 18:9 aspect ratio screens in new phones, system-level AI integration, Driving mode with voice control, improved start-up speed of system-level applications compared to MIUI 9 with new AI deep learning that predicts the application to be used and pre-loads it in the backround in advance, achieving a zero-second instant start. It also includes AI portraits for background blur even with single camera on the back and front as well as automatic discovery of smart devices. We should know India-specific features next week. Source

OPPO Find X flagship smartphone teased, launching in India soon

After rumors last month, OPPO has officially teased the Find X smartphone in India, Thailand and China. It has been four years since we had seen the last Find series smartphone from OPPO. Even though we heard rumors about the Find 9 last year, it did not go official. The company says that the Find X will be its futuristic flagship. Hi! It's been a long time. The OPPO Futuristic Flagship phone is coming. #OPPOFindX pic.twitter.com/uiJIv2tEgc — OPPO Mobile India (@oppomobileindia) June 1, 2018 OPPO Thailand has also shared a video teaser for the smartphone. We still don't know any of the specifications of the Find X, however some rumors say that the phone will feature a QHD+ bezel-less screen, Snapdragon 845 with up to 8GB RAM, rear camera with 5X optical zoom, 3D face unlock that was recently introduced in the Mi 8 Explorer Edition and VOOC Super Flash Charge technology. We can expect more details and the release date for the phone in the coming weeks. Source 1, 2

Lenovo Z5 with bezel-less display surfaces in renders; metal frame and glass back teased in official images

Earlier this week Lenovo confirmed that it will introduce its flagship Z5 smartphone with bezel-less display at an event in Beijing on June 5th. Since then the company had been teasing the phone in several images, but it is yet to reveal the image of the bezel-less screen. Today an alleged render of the phone has surfaced in China that shows the near bezel-less screen and the front camera is present in the centre of the bottom bezel. Earpiece is not seen in the images, so it could use Cantilever piezoelectric acoustic system, similar to the first-gen Mi MIX smartphone. The company has released several teaser images that show a metal frame around the phone with antenna lines visible on the top and the bottom edges. It also shows a glass back, so there are chances it might feature wireless charging. The phone will have AI-powered dual rear cameras, Snapdragon 845 SoC, but it is not expected to feature an in-display fingerprint scanner. According to earlier rumors, the phone will have over 95% screen-to-body ratio, and a large battery with support for fast charging, up to 45 days standby time and allow the user to talk for half an hour even with 0% battery. We should ...

Airtel planning to introduce combined billing for calls, DTH and broadband services

Bharati Airtel is said to be planning on bundling the billing for calls, DTH, broadband connections with a 5-10% discount on the combined bill. It is pretty obvious that the move is aimed at retaining consumers base in the competitive telecom sector. The telecom company is said to be testing a digital platform that would enable customers to bundle all their Airtel connections into one single bill without the hassle of going through multiple bills separately. Furthermore, it might also offer 5-10% discount on the combined total bill. Recently we heard that Jio is also planning something similar, where it would bundle broadband access at 100Mbps speed, JioTV and unlimited calling through a VoIP calls for less than Rs. 1,000 a month when it launches its fibre-to-home services later this year. Airtel is said to be testing this feature in Hyderabad currently and is expected to launch this sometime next week starting with southern cities. Airtel broadband customers will be the first to get this service. Airtel will also expand its home broadband offerings in key markets such as Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai. This move from Airtel comes at interesting times as Jio is planning to roll out its JioFibre service.

Sony Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact camera get Google Lens integration

Sony today announced that Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact camera  now has Google Lens integration. 'Google Lens' is Google's flagship product that understands your environment by scanning things you point at it and return relevant information. The feature is available out-of-the-box for XZ2 Premium. Google Lens lets you browse, and interact with the world around you. It lets you find products online, copy and paste text, learn more about landmarks, add events to your calendar, look up movie posters, identify popular plants and animals, and more. Google recently started rolling out Google Lens through Google Photos app for Android and iOS for everyone. To access the features on your  Xperia XZ2 and Xperia XZ2 Compact, update the Google app to access Google Lens directly from the camera app. It is a free update and it is rolling out from today. Source

Microsoft expands family group feature to Microsoft launcher and Edge browser for Android

We often come across content and sketchy stuff on the internet that we don't want our kids absorbing. With the same goal, Microsoft is now rolling out new features; family group improvements to Microsoft launcher and Edge browser. The update to Microsoft launcher and Edge browser allows parents to access family controls. The Microsoft Launcher update lets parents add their kids to the family group to track their location and keep an eye out on what apps they're using. This information appears in the feed section and it also includes the option to turn it off at any time for both kids and parents. You can also view their activities on those devices through Microsoft Launcher. The company claims that it is the only launcher that gives parents this visibility across Android, Windows 10, and Xbox One devices. Edge browser also gets an update which brings features like site blocking. If parents have set up a Microsoft family group, they can allow or block any websites and good thing is that if you have already tagged as allowed or blocked for your kids, these changes will carry the same settings as they try to access websites in Microsoft Edge on their Android devices. Microsoft is also announcing MSN Kids, ...

Chrome 67 for Android brings horizontal tab switcher flag, AR/VR APIs, more

Google is rolling out a new update to Chrome for Android which brings the version to 67. This update will better suit developers to create virtual reality experiences and other apps. Including the standard security and bug fixes, it also includes several design tweaks, but require flags to enable.  This version of Chrome begins testing the new 'WebXR Device API' which is a part of Google’s push into the web-based virtual reality that allows for unified experiences. It supports mobile devices and portable VR headsets like Daydream, as well desktop-connected rigs from HTC and Oculus. Developers can now create a 360-degree experience video in virtual surroundings, data visualization, home shopping, art, and games. Websites can now access accelerometer, gyroscope, orientation sensor, and motion sensor which will act as a fusion to first two sensors and the magnetometer for use as a virtual compass. Chrome 67 also begins the work on horizontal tab switcher replacing the current vertical setup. The iterations included in this update are overlapping cards and is very similar to the current version. This can be enabled using chrome://flags/#enable-horizontal-tab-switcher. A future version that is currently in the development falls in line with the Android P recent menu. Other minute changes include revamped favicons for various system pages. Chrome 67 is ...

Xiaomi to launch new Selfie smartphone in India on June 7, Redmi S2 expected to launch as Redmi Y2 [ Update: Amazon exclusive]

Update: Redmi Y2 will be launched exclusively on Amazon in India. A recent benchmark leak already confirmed the name, 3GB RAM and Android 8.1 for the smartphone. Earlier: Xiaomi India just scheduled an event in India on June 7th in New Delhi to launch the company's next selfie-focused smartphone. This will likely be the Redmi S2 which was introduced in China last week. It is expected to launch as Redmi Y2 since this looks like the successor of last year's Redmi Y1. The company is calling it #RealYou smartphone and the tweets have #FindYourSelfie hashtag. [HTML1] [HTML2] This comes with dedicated dual SIM and a microSD expansion slots arranged in a single tray, same as the Redmi Y1. Xiaomi Redmi S2 / Y2 specifications 5.99-inch (1440 × 720 pixels) HD+ 18:9 2.5D curved glass display with 1000:1 contrast ratio, 450 nits (typ) Brightness, 70.8% NTSC color gamut 2GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 625 14nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 506 GPU 3GB RAM with 32GB storage / 4GB RAM with 64GB storage, expandable memory up to 256GB with microSD Android 8.1 (Oreo) with MIUI 9 Dual SIM (nano + nano + microSD) 12MP rear camera with LED Flash, 1.25μm pixel size, PDAF, f/2.2 aperture, secondary 5MP camera 16MP front-facing camera with LED flash Fingerprint sensor, Infrared sensor Dimensions: 160.73 ...

Samsung Galaxy Note 9 reportedly delayed by two weeks due to design change

Samsung Galaxy Note series flagship usually gets launched in Q3 2018 in August or in September. However, if a new report out of South Korea is believed, this time around the Galaxy Note 9 might be delayed a little further due to last minute design changes ordered by Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-Yong. This will reportedly result in a two-week delay. Earlier it was reported that Samsung has begun the mass production of the 6.38-inch display panel for the Galaxy Note 9 in April, meaning it had a two-month head start compared to the Galaxy Note8 from last year. This report lines up with the report that said the Galaxy Note 9 will release ahead of the usual schedule, considering the Galaxy S9 saw early release earlier this year. Now coming to the new report, it says that Samsung is reducing the thickness of the display glass by 0.5mm at the last minute. The display glass is the layer on top of the OLED panel which protects it and also serves as the users’ input source. Interestingly, the change is a result of vice chairman’s recent trip to a smartphone distribution center in China where OPPO and Vivo that use Samsung's OLED panels offered better ...

Apple iOS 12 said to focus on Digital Health, upgraded ARKit 2.0 and more; No new hardware expected at WWDC

First, it was Google who focused on 'Digital Health' at the I/O 2018 and now it looks like Apple might be following the same suit. WWDC event officially kickstarts in just three days and now we hear that for the first ever the company is planning to help cure people of their iPhone addiction. Usually, Apple when it unveils a new software for iOS, Mac, Watch, it ties people even closer to their devices, but this time it is focusing on changing that. The company engineers are said to be working on series of tools to help users monitor how much time they spend on their devices and inside of certain applications. These details will be bundled with the setting apps in iOS 12. When Apple investors Jana Partners LLC and the California State Teachers’ Retirement System criticized the addictive nature of Apple’s devices, the company responded saying that it would add more "robust" parental controls to monitor the use of its products. Since Apple makes most of its revenue by selling hardware products, focusing on Digital Health upgrades would give more reasons for users to keep buying the company’s new devices. Furthermore, the company is also said to be planning on upgrading relatively new AR tools ...