NVIDIA Shield TV v7.1 update brings in-game voice chat, 120Hz display support and more

NVIDIA today announced the rollout of SHIELD Software Experience Upgrade 7.1 bringing a host of new features, improvements and the return of one community favorite. It brings new in-game voice chat support for communicating in top titles like Fortnite and PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS. You can now connect a headset and mic to the SHIELD controller 3.5mm jack. The update also brings smoother, more accurate mouse movements, keyboard shortcuts, and a Keyboard and Mouse Games row on GeForce NOW. After collecting feedback, NVIDIA is bringing a virtual keyboard and mouse companion that significantly cuts down on login frustrations; you can download it for Android from the Google Play Store or iOS. The NVIDIA Share feature allows you to capture screenshots, record game highlights and stream gameplay to Twitch; this feature is finally making its return. You can enable this within the NVIDIA Share menu in System > Settings. Finally, it is also bringing 120Hz mode for supported TVs and monitors; as well as additional methods for power off, restart and sleep. The Shield Experience V7.1 is rolling out starting today and you can download it from here. Source

Samsung SmartThings Tracker with LTE-M, GPS announced

Samsung Electronics today announced its new SmartThings Tracker, which is its small, lightweight GPS tracking device connected through an LTE-M network that can easily be attached to backpacks, a set of keys, pet collars and more. This makes it easier to locate a gym bag or backpack, a laptop case, pets. Items can be easily tracked in real time through Samsung’s Android and iOS compatible SmartThings app. Family members can also use SmartThings Tracker to stay connected by sending a location notification to the SmartThings app that alerts the rest of the family. Users can also use it as an arrival sensor, triggering automation, and more. The in-built LTE-M network technology provides a greater range of signal coverage over Bluetooth. Users can track and send location updates. Family members can share location updates by simply pushing the SmartThings Tracker’s power button twice which sends a notification to the SmartThings app. The alert can only be seen by users with shared access. The Samsung SmartThings Tracker will be available through AT&T from September 14 on Samsung.com, select AT&T stores, and other major retailers nationwide. It is priced at $99 (Rs. 7,160 approx.) with AT&T service included for the first 12 months at no additional charge. After the first 12 ...

Sprint and Nokia to demo First Live 5G NR Connection over Massive MIMO

Nokia and Sprint today announced that they will showcase the first live demonstration of a 5G New Radio (NR) connection over a dual mode-capable Massive MIMO radio at Sprint's booth during Mobile World Congress Americas. For this, both the companies will use Sprint's 2.5 GHz spectrum, Nokia's commercial AirScale Base Station and Massive MIMO Active Antenna, and a VIAVI TM500 5G test device emulator. The demonstration highlights Sprint's 2.5 GHz spectrum and game-changing Massive MIMO technology to deploy mobile 5G in the first half of 2019. This first live 5G NR system connection using a Massive MIMO Active Antenna supports up to 120 MHz of spectrum in 2.5 GHz. As for the Nokia AirScale Massive MIMO Active Antenna, it is expected to deliver up to 3 Gbps peak downlink throughput for a single sector over 5G and LTE simultaneously using Sprint's spectrum. This enables Sprint to offer both 4G LTE and 5G on the same radio to continue meeting its customers' demand for unlimited data and high-bandwidth applications. Nokia and Sprint will also be showcasing other 5G demonstrations at Sprint's booth, including low latency use cases for public safety and car platooning, and an Augmented Reality demo for Enterprise. Dr. John Saw, Chief Technology Officer, Sprint, said: Sprint has long ...

Verizon completes first 5G NR call on a commercial network with simulated smartphone

Verizon, Ericsson, and Qualcomm Technologies today announced that they have completed the first end-to-end call with a smartphone form factor test device on a commercial 3GPP 5G New Radio (NR) network in Minneapolis, MN. This test demonstrates the experience consumers will eventually have on a commercial 5G NR network when it becomes available.  The companies were able to perform several tests over the 5G connection, including accessing the internet. The transmissions were completed over Verizon’s 39 GHz spectrum and an Ericsson millimeter wave radio through the Ericsson non-standalone Option 3x core. As for the form factor device, it includes an integrated Snapdragon X50 5G modem and RF subsystem. Verizon has announced it will be first to launch 5G residential broadband service in four markets in the U.S. including Los Angeles, Sacramento, Houston, and Indianapolis in the second half of 2018. Bill Stone, vice president, Technology Development and Planning for Verizon said: This latest demonstration is significant because it took place over commercial 5G NR network equipment to a test device in the form factor of the handheld devices our customers will eventually use on our 5G network. Verizon and our technology partners continue to achieve significant 5G deployment milestones. Together, we’re leading the way to making this ...

Google opens up Photos Library API to everyone

After being in developers preview over the past few months, Google today announced that its Photos Library API is now generally available. Those who wish to build and test their own experience can join the partner program for a larger integration.  Regardless of mobile, web, or backend developer, users can use the REST API to utilize the best of Google Photos and help people connect, upload, and share from inside the app. Google also announced that it is launching client libraries in multiple languages. With this new development, users can easily find photos, based on what's in the photo, when it was taken, attributes like media format, upload directly to their photo library or an album, organize albums and add titles and locations, use shared albums to easily transfer and collaborate. You can use smart filters, like content categories, to narrow down or exclude certain types of photos and videos and make it easier for users to find the ones they're looking for. Source

Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 Platform is based on new ultra-low power system architecture, offers extended battery life

Qualcomm just introduced Snapdragon Wear 3100, the company's next generation smartwatch platform and the successor of Snapdragon Wear 2100 that was introduced back in 2016. This based on a new ultra-low power hierarchical system architecture. In this hierarchical architecture, the high-performance quad core A7 processor, the highly efficient integrated DSP, and the new ultra-low power co-processor work in conjunction with each other to fundamentally look to re-imagine smartwatch experiences – enhance existing ones, bring-in new ones – while supporting extended battery life. It is available in both connected (4G LTE) and tethered (Bluetooth + Wi-Fi) versions. The new co-processor, the Qualcomm QCC1110 that has been designed from the ground up is incredibly small at ~21mm2, is optimized for ultra-low power operation, and acts as a powerful companion to the main processor, re-defining audio, display, and sensor experiences for next generation smartwatches. The co-processor also integrates a deep learning engine for custom workloads, such as keyword detection, and is extensible over time. Rich Interactive Mode: In collaboration with Wear OS by Google it utilizes and enhances the capabilities of the platform and support increasingly rich, fluid experiences designed for the wrist. New Personalized Experiences                  ...

WhatsApp finally arrives for KaiOS-powered JioPhone

WhatsApp is finally available for the JioPhone that is powered by KaiOS. At the annual AGM back in July, Reliance Jio chairman said that YouTube, WhatsApp and an improved Facebook app will be available for JioPhone from 15th August. After a month's delay, WhatsApp is now available. The app has been built specially for Jio KaiOS, a web based operating system designed for JioPhone, so that its users get the best experience. WhatsApp for JioPhone and the JioPhone 2 is available for download from the Jio App store starting today, September 10, 2018 and will be rolled out on all JioPhones by September 20, 2018. Once downloaded, users can verify their phone number with OTP and start chatting. Since it is available for JioPhone, it should also be available for KaiOS-powered Nokia 8110 4G that is expected to launch in India soon. Commenting on the launch, Chris Daniels, Vice President, WhatsApp, said: Millions of people across India can now use WhatsApp private messaging on the best-in-class JioPhone across India. By designing this new app for KaiOS, we hope to expand the ability for people to communicate with anyone in India and around the world by offering the best messaging experience possible to JioPhone users. Akash Ambani, Director, Reliance Jio Infocomm ...

Xiaomi Redmi Y2 MIUI 10 Stable update starts rolling out

Xiaomi launched Redmi Y2 running MIUI 9.5 based on Android Oreo back in June, in the same event company also announced MIUI 10. Xiaomi started rolling out MIUI 10 Global Beta ROM in mid-June but said that stable roll out will start in September. Today, Redmi Y2 users started reporting that they are receiving a new Stable OTA update on their devices. The new update comes as MIUI 10.0.1.0.OEFMIFH and is 501 MB in size. This update also brings August security patch along with major changes like Full-screen gestures, Redesigned Notification Panel, Redesigned Volume Sliders, Improved multitasking management, natural sound system, and a lot more, for more details on MIUI 10 refer to this post. You can download the recovery ROM here and flash it using the recovery method. There is also fastboot ROM here and flash it manually. The Xiaomi Redmi Y2 is the first device to receive MIUI 10 based Global Stable update in India and other devices like Redmi Note 5 Pro, Redmi Note 5 are also expected to receive the update in coming days. Check out the changelog below, Designed for full screen experience All-new full screen gestures will change the way you interact with your device. They can do everything you ...

OnePlus 6T confirmed to feature in-display fingerprint scanner

After the box of the OnePlus 6T, the company's upcoming flagship smartphone surfaced revealing an in-display fingerprint sensor and a waterdrop notch, now in an e-mail to CNET the company confirmed that it will feature an in-display fingerprint scanner. It also said that it originally intended to introduce the technology on the OnePlus 5T, but it did not do since the technology wasn't mature enough to meet the company's standards for delivering a fast and smooth user experience, so it had to wait for an year. Incoming: Top Secret Message... pic.twitter.com/84d9ymNBQW — OnePlus (@oneplus) September 10, 2018 The company has also released a new teaser which hints at the in-display fingerprint scanner. The report also said that the OnePlus 6T will be thicker by 0.45mm since the internal hardware had to be rearranged. The phone is rumored to sport a large 6.4-inch AMOLED display and powered by the same Snapdragon 845 SoC with up to 8GB of RAM. It is said to pack 128GB of internal storage, but there could also be a 256GB variant. There are also rumors of triple camera setup like the R17 Pro. It is said to pack a large 3700mAh battery which is a significant upgrade from the OnePlus 6 ...

Daniel Zhang to succeed Jack Ma as Alibaba chairman next year

Chinese conglomerate Alibaba has officially announced that Daniel Zhang, CEO will succeed Jack Ma as chairman of the board, starting September 10, 2019. Meanwhile, Jack Ma will continue as executive chairman at Alibaba over the next 12 months and will stay on the Alibaba board of directors until the 2020 annual shareholders meeting. Moreover, Ma is planning to focus on philanthropy, education and also said to pursue new dreams. Ma stepped down as CEO in 2013, handing the position over to Jonathan Lu. Then Lu was replaced in 2015 by Zhang, Alibaba’s former COO. Jack Ma, a former English teacher, co-founded Alibaba in 1999 and has a net worth of $36.6 billion, according to Forbes. Alibaba was initially started as an e-commerce website and later expanded into other business areas including cloud computing and digital payments. Jack Ma in a letter penned: Today, as we mark the 19th anniversary of Alibaba, I am excited to share some news with you: with the approval of our board of directors, one year from today on September 10, 2019 which also falls on Alibaba's 20th anniversary, Group CEO Daniel Zhang will succeed me as chairman of the board of Alibaba Group. While remaining as executive chairman in the next ...