HMD Global schedules an event in India on August 21, Nokia 6.1 Plus (X6) expected

HMD Global has sent out invites for the launch of a new smartphone in India on August 21st. The invite just says that it will be the company's next big unveil, but this will likely be the  Nokia 6.1 Plus, the global version of the Nokia X6 smartphone that was introduced for the global markets last month, starting from Hong Kong. Nokia 6.1 Plus specifications 5.8-inch (2280 × 1080 pixels) Full HD+ display with 19:9 aspect ratio with Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection 1.8GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 636 14nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 509 GPU 4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage, expandable memory up to 400GB with microSD Hybrid Dual SIM (nano + nano / microSD) Android 8.1 (Oreo), upgradable to Android P 16MP (RGB) rear camera with dual-tone LED flash, f/2.0 aperture, 1.0um pixel size, EIS, 5MP (Monochrome) secondary rear camera with f/2.2 aperture, 1.2um pixel size 16MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture, 1.0um pixel size Fingerprint sensor 3.5 mm headphone jack, FM Radio Dimensions:  47.2 x 70.98 x 7.99~8.59mm; Weight: 151g Dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), Bluetooth 5, GPS + GLONASS, Type-C 3060mAh (typical) / 3000mAh (minimum) battery with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 fast charging The Nokia 6.1 Plus was introduced at HK$ 2,288 ...

Samsung starts mass production of first 4-bit 4TB SSD for consumers

Samsung has announced that it has begun mass production of industry’s first 4-bit (QLC, quad-level cell) 4-terabyte (TB) SATA solid-state drive (SSD) for consumers. This is based on 1-terabit (Tb) V-NAND offering the performance of 3-bit design With the new 1Tb 4-bit V-NAND chip, Samsung will be able to efficiently produce a 128GB memory card for smartphones that will lead the charge toward higher capacities for high-performance memory storage. "Samsung’s 4-bit 4TB QLC SATA SSD maintains its performance levels at the same level as a 3-bit SSD, by using a 3-bit SSD controller and TurboWrite technology, while increasing drive capacity through the use of 32 chips, all based on 64-layer fourth-generation 1Tb V-NAND," said Samsung. This offers sequential read speed of 540 MB/s and a sequential write speed of 520 MB/s. Samsung said that it is planning to introduce several 4-bit consumer SSDs later this year with 1TB, 2TB, and 4TB capacities in 2.5-inch form factor. In addition, the company expects to provide M.2 NVMe SSDs for the enterprise this year and begin mass production of 4-bit fifth-generation V-NAND. Source

ACT Fibernet ties-up with Amazon Pay for bill payments, lets you avail cashback offers

ACT Fibernet (Atria Convergence Technologies Ltd.)  today announced its partnership with Amazon Pay to create a quick and seamless bill payment channel for its customers. As part of the tie-up, ACT Fibernet will integrate with Amazon Pay on its company website, portal and app, which will provide the users an additional channel to make online payments. In addition to this, Amazon Pay has introduced cashback offers for ACT Fibernet customers. Users making bill payment or applying for new connections through Amazon Pay on ACT Fibernet website portal or App in the month of August will be rewarded with exciting cashback offers. Speaking on the partnership Ravi Karthik, Head of Marketing, Atria Convergence Technologies Ltd said: Digital wallet payment has phenomenally transformed the way we make monetary transactions today. It is fast, secure and highly convenient. We are extremely happy to extend the e- wallet service to our customers via Amazon Pay - one of the most trusted consumer brands. We believe this easy payment option will amplify our users experience and add value to their lives. Commenting on the partnership, Manesh Mahatme, Director – Acceptance and Merchant Payments, said: We are happy to partner with ACT Fibernet to extend the trusted and convenient Amazon Pay ...

Google acquires mobile graphics benchmarking company GraphicsFuzz

Google has acquired GraphicsFuzz which is a company specializing in mobile graphics benchmarking tools, for an undisclosed amount. GraphicsFuzz is a three-person team-Alastair Donaldson, Hugues Evrard, and Paul Thomson and they will be joining Google’s Android Graphics Team to integrate their specialist graphics driver testing technology within the Android ecosystem. The company's flagship product ShaderTest GLES uses shaders that run in the graphics pipeline and guide the rendering process. It will also help in detecting bugs in drivers through a process called metamorphic testing. The reference shaders produce an image, post which ShaderTest GLES applies semantics so to preserve transformations to the source code and compares the output. If the two results don’t match, ShaderTest GLES’s “intelligent reducer” feature reverses the transformations to narrow down the bug’s cause. This technology is being used to detect vulnerabilities in phones like the Samsung Galaxy S9 where the GraphicsFuzz discovered an exploit in Qualcomm’s Adreno 630 graphics driver that let malicious WebGL webpages to trigger a reboot with Samsung’s stock internet browser. The GraphicsFuzz technology was developed by Alastair, Hugues, Paul and Andrei Lascu from the Department of Computing at Imperial College London, with funding support from the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the TETRACOM EU project. Google's Spokesperson in a statement said: The technology developed by GraphicsFuzz helps graphics technology vendors to ...

AR Stickers v1.3 reduces app size by making Star Wars and Stranger Things packs optional

Google's AR Stickers app was launched with a handful of stickers built right within the app's download section. However, Google, over the time kept making each pack as separate apps that need to be downloaded to use, leaving 'Star Wars' and 'Stranger Things' as the only pre-installed ones. But Google is now making packs as separate apps reducing the AR Stickers app size from 65MB to just 8.5MB. AR Stickers app initial packs included 'Star Wars,' 'Stranger Things,' 'Foodmoji,' 'Blocks,' and 'Text.' A separate 'Winter Sports' that was added in the February update and removed Blocks from the main app. Google in April again removed 'Foodmoji' and 'Text' and now 'Star Wars' and 'Stranger Things' were the last to go. This means that AR Stickers app does not have any packs making it impossible for users to use the app without any sticker pack. However, Google added two stickers (BB-9E and Lucas) from the pack for you to experiment with. Interestingly, Google has removed the mini Play Store popup when you try to use a sticker from a pack you don't have. This is a welcome change for those who aren't using the AR Stickers app but taking up your space instead. You can download AR Stickers, AR Stickers: ...

Fossil Q Venture HR and Q Explorist HR with GPS announced in India starting at Rs. 19995

Fossil today has announced the fourth-generation of Q lineup smartwatches. Two new watches in the lineup include Q Venture HR with 40mm stainless steel casing and Q Explorist HR with the large 45mm case. The smartwatches are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 2100 SoC and pack NFC for Google Pay, built-in GPS that allow the users track walks, and runs, hikes, bike rides, and more, Swimproof Functionality, and a heart rate sensor where users can get the reading and automatically track heart rate across multiple types of workouts using Google Fit. It features a stainless steel case and touchscreen digital display and the company claims 24+ hours of battery life. The straps and bracelets are interchangeable (Q Venture HR: 18mm / Q Explorist HR: 22mm). It supports Wireless syncing + magnetic charging and is compatible with iOS 9.3+ and Android 4.4+. Most importantly, it is powered with Wear OS by Google.  The Fossil Q Venture HR and Q Explorist HR will be available in India by the end of October 2018 and will retail starting at Rs. 19,995 and ranges up to Rs. 21,995. Commenting on the same, Steve Evans, EVP of Fossil said: Since our entry to the smartwatch market, it has always been our first priority to be nimble and adapt quickly to ...

Microsoft Surface Laptop launched in India starting at Rs. 86999

Microsoft has launched Surface Laptop running Windows 10 S. It was introduced back in May last year, and packs a 13.5-inch Pixel Sense edge-to-edge display with immersive touchscreen and ultra-thin bezel, Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection, is powered by 7th Generation Intel Core i5 or i7 processor and offers up to 14.5 hours of battery life. It has Alcantara fabric-covered keyboard with responsive keyset, large trackpad and soft palm rest offering typing comfort and has anodized metal on the outside. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcO9MRiIGbI Microsoft Surface Laptop specifications 13.5-inch (2256 x 1504 pixels) PixelSense 10 point multi-touch Display with 3:2 aspect ratio,Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection 7th Generation Intel Core i5 or i7 processor with Intel HD 620 (i5) / Intel® Iris Plus Graphics 640 (i7) 8GB, or 16GB RAM, 128GB, 256GB, or 512GB SSD Windows 10 S 720p HD front-facing camera 3.5mm headphone jack, Stereo microphones, Omnisonic speakers with Dolby Audio Premium Ambient light sensor,  TPM chip for Enterprise-grade protection with Windows Hello face sign-in Dimensions: 308.1 x 223.27 x 14.48 mm; Weight: 1.25kg Wi-Fi 802.11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 LE, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort, Surface Connect Up to 14.5 hours of video playback Pricing and availability Surface Laptop - Core i5 with Intel HD Graphics 620, 128GB SSD, 8GB RAM - Rs. 86,999 (MRP) Surface Laptop ...

Microsoft Surface Book 2 launched in India starting at Rs. 1,37,999

Microsoft today launched the Surface Book 2 in India, after announcing it for the country earlier this year. The Surface Book 2 was announced back in October last year. The Surface Book 2 sports a 15-inch display (3240 x 2160 resolution) and it is powered by the Intel 8th-gen core i7 processor 8650U clocked up to 4.2GHz with Turbo Boost and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB graphics option. It has 16GB of RAM with either 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB SSD storage options. The company is promising up to 17-hours of battery life on a single charge and five hours for tablet video consumption. On the other hand, the 13″ model packs a 13.5-inch display (3000 x 2000 resolution) and powered by the 7th gen Intel i5 processor with 8GB RAM and the high-end model is powered by the i7 processor with 16GB RAM with256GB, 512GB, or 1TB SSD as storage options. The high-end 13″ model packs the Nvidia GeForce GTX 1050 2GB graphics memory. Connectivity options include Bluetooth 4.1, 2 USB-A, 1 USB-C, Surface connect, SD card slot, headphone jack with support for Dolby Atmos. Price and availability Surface Book 2 13.5" Core i5 with Intel HD Graphics 620, 256GB SSD, 8GB RAM - Rs. 1,37,999 (MRP) Surface Book 2 13.5" Core i7 with NVIDIA GeForce GTX ...

Apple plans to regain its position in India with strong retail strategy, Stores, dedicated services and more

Apple might be US's first $1 Trillion company and it could have bestsellers worldwide, but if you look closely, the company is struggling to keep up in one of the world's biggest market; India where it is lagging behind in the 11th position. Apple, in fact, sold less than 1 million iPhones in India in the quarter accounting to a meagre 1% market share. Fortunately, Apple is well aware of this and is planning a strong comeback, according to a report from Bloomberg. The report highlights the steps that Apple is willing to take in order to regain its position in the country and these include better retail deals with higher sales targets, the establishment of Apple stores in India, an overhaul of the company’s relationships with independent retailers, and improved apps and other services aimed more closely at Indians and this also includes a revamped version of Apple Maps by 2020. As for the better retail strategy, Apple will be partnering with individual stores to raise sales targets by four times to 40 or 50 units every week. It plans to cut off retailers that consistently fail to hit the mark. In exchange, Apple will train the retail sales staff to teach customers how to use ...

Google’s Digital Wellbeing finally opens up in beta for Pixel users on Android 9.0 Pie

Google officially named Android 9.0 P as Pie, and the update is already rolling out to Essential and Pixel series phones. At the I/O 2018 Google showed off the Digital Wellbeing feature, but it was missing in the developer's preview update. However, the Digital Wellbeing beta has finally opened up for Pixel owners on Android 9 Pie. The Digital Wellbeing feature is to promote, what CEO Sundar Pichai calls JOMO," for the "joy of missing out"—as opposed to the modern social terror of "FOMO"/fear of missing out. The beta version of the feature includes a 'Dashboard' that will help you understand your phone usage better, app usage timers so that you can limit the usage, a "devices down," Do Not Disturb mode for preventing interruptions, and a new Wind Down feature for encouraging you to disconnect at night. Combinedly, these features are here to help you better understand your habits and digital health, and will also enable you to limit the usage and how to switch off for a better balance. As mentioned above, it is only available for Pixel phones, and you can sign up for the beta here. Once you've signed up, you will receive an invitation via email in 24 hours and on accepting ...