Apple expects to sell more 6.1-inch LCD iPhones in 2018, could release at least one LCD model in 2019: Report

Apple post the release of iPhone X faced criticism from a section of users for its price tag. Following the backslash, Apple said to be developing production plans for its next iPhones stressing cheaper liquid-crystal display based on the consumers’ sensitivity to the price of smartphones, according to a latest report from WSJ. Apple is hoping that the LCD models would make up for the majority of the iPhone sales that would be releasing this fall. It is rumored for quite some time that Apple is prepping a low-cost 6.1-inch iPhone model for price-sensitive markets. But the new interesting thing is, Apple is, in fact, preparing a larger portion of the models than analysts had anticipated. Interestingly, Apple is said to use the displays next year as well, according to sources involved in the matter. Production planning suggests that the transition to OLED panels is likely to be slower than many in the industry believed a year ago, and according to analysts, the iPhone X with OLED display demand was weaker than their initial forecasts and is mainly due to its price tag at $999. Apple's top-selling models still pack LCD panels which include the iPhone 7, iPhone 8 starting at $699, and the 8 Plus ...

Google VR180 Creator desktop application for Mac and Linux released

VR180 camera lets you record and creates three-dimensional, immersive photos and videos and now to make it even easier for you to create and edit high-quality VR videos, Google is launching VR180 Creator on Mac and Linux. This application lets you edit VR180 footage with existing VR video tools.   The application currently offers two features for VR videos; "Convert for Publishing” this feature takes the raw fisheye footage from VR180 cameras and converts it into a standardized equirect projection. This can also be edited with another video editing softwares that most of the creators already use. Next feature is the “Prepare for Publishing;” this feature re-injects the VR180 metadata after editing so that the footage is viewable on YouTube or Google Photos in 2D or VR. The Google's VR180 app is only available for Mac and Linux at the time of release, Google didn't mention anything about Windows release just yet. This application surely simplifies the editing process of the VR180 recordings. It is free to use application and can download from here. Source

Gmail for iOS gets AI powered high-priority notifications

Google today is rolling out a new update to its Gmail app for iOS. This new update brings changes to the way the app pushes out notifications. When you receive important emails in your Gmail inbox, the app identifies which mail will need your attention.  Google will leverage on its Gmail’s machine learning and artificial intelligence capabilities to identify messages you may want to read first. To enable the feature, select “High priority only” from the Notifications drop-down in the settings menu of your Gmail iOS app. However, the feature is currently only available on iOS but will be coming to Android pretty soon.  Since this is not a 'by default' feature, you will have to enable the setting from the drop-down menu. Google also said that this feature would be available to every iOS user in the coming two days, so if you haven't received the update yet, you will. Source

Weekly Roundup: Xiaomi Redmi 6, Redmi 6A, Vivo NEX, Samsung QLED TVs, Garmin vivoactive 3 Music and more

This week Xiaomi has announced the Redmi 6 and Redmi 6A smartphones in China. Vivo has announced the much-hyped full-screen Vivo NEX S smartphone. Garmin has launched the vivoactive 3 Music smartwatch with integrated Music support and lots more in our weekly roundup. Xiaomi announced the Redmi 6, the company’s latest smartphone in the Redmi series and the successor of Redmi 5. It has a 5.45-inch HD+ display 18:9 aspect ratio display with 80.7% screen-to-body ratio, is powered by MediaTek Helio P22 12nm processor and runs Android 8.1 (Oreo) with MIUI 9 on top. It has a 5-megapixel front camera with face unlock and AI portrait. The Xiaomi Redmi 6 3GB RAM + 32GB storage costs 799 yuan (US$ 124 / Rs. 8,410 approx.), the Xiaomi Redmi 6 4GB RAM + 64GB storage – 999 yuan (US$ 156 / Rs. 10,520 approx.).     The Redmi 6A with the first MediaTek Helio A22 12nm Quad-Core SoC, single 13-megapixel rear camera, and a 5-megapixel front camera both with AI Portrait mode, but it doesn’t have a fingerprint sensor. Both the phones have a polycarbonate back panel with a brushed metal surface. Xiaomi Redmi 6A  2GB RAM + 16GB storage costs 599 yuan (US$ 93 / Rs. 6,307 approx.). Vivo introduced its flagship NEX series smartphones. The main highlight of the smartphone is its 6.59-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED screen with ultra-narrow ...

OPPO Find X with bezel-less display, unique design surfaces in video; will feature over 90% screen-to-body ratio

OPPO is all set to introduce its flagship Find X smartphone on June 19th at an event in Paris. The specifications of the smartphones were already revealed, however the design of the smartphone was a mystery, but not anymore. A promo on CTV has revealed the design of the smartphone with no bezels on three sides and minimal bezel on the bottom, similar to the Vivo NEX that was introduced earlier this week. This doesn't reveal the front camera, so there are chances for a pop-up camera like the NEX.  It also reveals an unique design that reveals a curved back and rear cameras. OPPO has officially confirmed that the phone will have over 90% screen-to-body ratio, and the image that shows the phone from the side reveals near bezel-less screen. OPPO Find X (PAFM00 / PAFT00) rumored specifications 6.3-inch (2340 x 1080 pixels) Full HD+ AMOLED 19:5:9 2.5D curved glass display 2.8GHz Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 10nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 630 GPU 8GB RAM, 128GB storage Android 8.1 (Oreo) with ColorOS Dual SIM (nano + nano) 16MP rear camera with LED flash, secondary 2MP rear camera 25MP front-facing camera Fingerprint sensor Dimensions: 156.7 × 74.3 × 9.4mm; Weight: 186g Dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11ac ...

Samsung Galaxy J6 Review

Since the in-pouring of Chinese smartphones in the Indian market, it has become difficult for the handset makers like Samsung, HTC and LG to make a dent in the mid-range smartphone segment. Keeping the optimism alive within themselves, the South Korean giant continues to launch the smartphones under mid-range with mediocre specifications. In an attempt to restore their lost glory in the sub 15k segment, Samsung has come up with Galaxy J6 at starting price of Rs. Rs. 13,990. We got hold of the 3GB RAM variant unit for our review. Has Samsung managed to pull it off with the J6? Let's check it out. Unboxing https://youtu.be/kNHD8xftBMY Box content Samsung Galaxy J6 smartphone 3GB RAM with 32GB storage model in Black color 2-pin charger (5V-1A) Micro USB Cable Headset SIM Ejector tool Quick start guide and warranty information Display, Design, and Hardware The Samsung Galaxy J6 sports a 5.6-inch (1480 x 720 pixels) HD+ Super AMOLED 18.5: 9 Infinity 2.5D curved glass display. Considering the brand and budget, we can't expect more like a FHD Super AMOLED screen here. The Galaxy J6 has a screen-to-body ratio of about 75.9% and pixel density of 294ppi. Having said that, we didn't find any issues with the display and ...

Micromax Canvas 2 Plus with 5.7-inch HD+ display, face unlock, 4000mAh battery launched for Rs. 8999

Micromax has released Canvas 2 Plus, one year after launching the  Canvas 2 (2017) in the Canvas series. It has a 5.7-inch HD+ 2.5D curved glass screen with 18:9 aspect ratio, is powered by a quad-core processor, has a 13-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front camera wit support for face unlock, however it still runs on Android Nougat. It has a fingerprint sensor on the back. Micromax Canvas 2 Plus specifications 5.7-inch (1440 x 720 pixels) HD+ 2.5D curved glass display with 18:9 aspect ratio, 450 nits brightness 1.3GHz Quad-core Processor 3GB RAM, 32GB internal memory, expandable memory  with microSD Android 7.0 (Nougat) OS Dual SIM 13MP rear camera with LED Flash, 1.12um pixel size, 80-degree FOV 8MP front-facing camera 3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio Fingerprint sensor 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS 4000mAh battery The Micromax Canvas 2 Plus comes in Matte Black and Jet Black colors, is priced at Rs. 8999 and is available through offline retailers across India. The company has also listed Canvas 2 (2018) on the official website with similar specifications, but with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, so it should be available soon. Commenting on the launch, Vikas Jain, Co-Founder, Micromax Informatics said: Canvas2 was the first smartphone that we ...

OnePlus 6 OxygenOS 5.1.7 update with bootloader bypass vulnerability fix released; 5.1.6 roll out paused in India due to stability issues, 5.1.8 with fixes coming

OnePlus rolled out OxygenOS 5.1.6 with several new features including portrait mode support for the front camera, battery percentage in the status bar, Idea VoLTE support in India Dual-4G network option and more a few days back. Now the company has released  OxygenOS 5.1.7 update with some fixes, including fixes for the bootloader protection bypass vulnerability, as it had promised. Check out the complete changelog below. Fixed schedule setting issue for Do Not Disturb(DND) mode Updated bootloader for system security enhancement General bug fixes and improvements OnePlus has also announced that it has paused the roll out of 5.1.6 update in India due to stability issues, however the company will release 5.1.8 update for the smartphone with fixes for the issues along with the features included in the 5.1.7 update, especially for the Indian users. Source

Samsung Galaxy S9+ Sunrise Gold Limited Edition launched in India

Samsung just launched the new Sunrise Gold color variant of the Galaxy S9 smartphone that joins the Midnight Black, Coral Blue, and Lilac Purple versions that were launched earlier this year. Samsung has also announced a TV Control widget, which offers a one-of-its-kind unified convergence solution between mobiles and televisions. Once enabled through Smart Things app, when a user is in the vicinity of a television, the TV Control widget will automatically show up on their phone and allow two-way screen mirroring and sound mirroring. With the ‘View Screen’ mode in the widget, consumers can carry their television entertainment as they move across rooms by using the ‘TV to device’ option. Consumers can also enjoy mobile games on a big screen by mirroring their mobile screen on to their television using the ‘Device to TV’ option. The TV Control widget also has a ‘Play Sound’ mode which allows consumers to stream and share music from their mobile with others around by using the television as a Bluetooth speaker using the “Device to TV” option. Reverse sound mirroring using the ‘TV to device’ option turns social entertainment to personal entertainment. So, consumers can listen to TV sound on mobile earphones at night without disturbing others. The Samsung Galaxy S9+ ...

Xiaomi starts testing Android 8.1 Oreo for Mi A1, stable roll out expected soon

Xiaomi launched Mi A1 back in Sep 2017 under Android One programme in collaboration with Google with an aim to keep the android version updated for next couple of years. At the event, Xiaomi and Google promised regular security patch updates every month along with Android Oreo in 2017 itself for Mi A1. The company started closed Beta Oreo 8.0 testing in mid December and rolled out Oreo 8.0 update to public on 31st Dec. Xiaomi managed to keep the promise made during launch event but company suspended Oreo 8.0 update due to stability issues within two weeks. Mi A1 was supposed to get Oreo 8.1 update as the device was launched under Android One Program but Xiaomi didn’t release any timeline for the same. As per our sources, yesterday company started rolling out Oreo 8.1 update to closed Beta users. The update also brings June security patch to the device but surprisingly company has not yet added treble support to the device. Earlier this month, Xiaomi announced MIUI 10 Global ROM at an event in India and company has already started closed MIUI Beta testing for some of it’s Mi series devices. Android Oreo 8.1 update is rolled out to Beta testers ...