ASUS launches new ZenBook 13, 14 and 15 with NanoEdge display in India starting at Rs. 71990

ASUS has launched new ZenBook series of laptops - ZenBook 13 (UX333), ZenBook 14 (UX433) and ZenBook 15 (UX533) in India, after they were introduced at the IFA last year. The ZenBook 13, 14 and 15 as per the company are world’s most compact 13.3-inch, 14-inch, and 15.6-inch laptops These come with frameless ASUS NanoEdge display with ultraslim bezels having a 95% screen-to-body ratio. These feature the latest quad-core 8th Generation Intel Core i7 processor with integrated Gigabit Wi-Fi optimized for Intel Wireless-AC 9560 and up to NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Max-Q graphics. The ScreenPad doubles up as a number pad ASUS ZenBook 13 UX333FN ASUS ZenBook 14 UX433FA ASUS Zenbook 15 UX533FD Display 13.3” FHD 14” FHD 15.6” FHD Processor quad-core Intel Core i7-8565U / Core i5-8265U processor quad-core Intel Core i7-8565U, 2GB NVIDIA GTX 1050 Max-Q RAM 8GB 2133MHz LPDDR3 16GB 2400MHz DDR4 Storage PCIEG3x2 NVME 512GB / 256GB M.2 SSD PCIEG3x2 NVME 1TB M.2 SSD Interfaces 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C,1 x USB 3.1 Type-A, 1 x USB 2.0 Type-A, 1 x HDMI, 1 x MicroSD card reader 1 x USB 3.1 Gen 2 Type-C, 1 x USB 3.1 Type-A, 1 x USB 3.0 Type-A, 1 x HDMI 1 x SD card reader Camera 3D IR HD camera Wireless Connectivity Dual-band 802.11ac gigabit-class Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0 Battery 50Wh 3-cell ...

Apple hit with lawsuit over FaceTime issue: All you need to know

"Apple products are designed to protect your privacy. Apple believes privacy is a fundamental human right." These are Apple's own words on security and privacy. In fact, a couple of years back, the Cupertino giant took press and said: "Apple is the most effective security organisation in the world." Well, fast forwarding to 2019, Apple Inc, was sued by a lawyer based out of Houston, who claims his iPhone allowed an unknown person to eavesdrop on his private communication with a client. For the uninitiated, Apple is being rigorously criticised for a bug in iOS 12.1 that lets random outsiders listen to the conversation during a live video chat using FaceTime feature. However, it doesn't end here as the bug additionally allowed the user to call someone on FaceTime and begin hearing the other person even before they picked it up. As per the report, Attorney Larry Williams II said the glitch intruded on the privacy of “one’s most intimate conversations without consent. Moreover, he claimed that he was eavesdropped while taking testimony during a client deposition. Williams is asking for unspecified punitive damages on his claims of negligence, product liability, misrepresentation and warranty breach, adds the report. However, Apple has mitigated the problem ...

Google revamps Gmail on Android and iOS: What’s new in the redesigned Gmail app?

Quite lately, Google has been revamping its entire set of products in an attempt to optimise and suite the latest trend. The search engine giant has recently made some notable changes in GDrive and Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Sites on the web. In the latest development, Google is bringing a new look to Gmail on mobile space, after rolling these to the Gmail web. According to the company, with new designs, you can quickly view attachments—like photos— without opening or scrolling through the conversation. Moreover, they have made it easier to switch between the accounts, in order to access emails without breaking a sweat. Secondarily, they have replaced the search button with a search bar at the screen top. Just like the web, users will get similar red warnings as an alert when something looks like a threat. With machine learning, Gmail can assist you to draft emails faster using Smart Compose, or reply to messages quicker with suggested responses generated by Smart Reply. It can also “nudge” you to follow up on emails with subtle reminders in your inbox and notify you to reply to threads so that you can prioritize what’s important or overdue. This update is part of a larger effort to bring the look and feel of G Suite apps together as a whole, and always with ease-of-use in mind. The company also stated, "In the coming weeks, you’ll see the new mobile design in Gmail on Android and iOS, with more G Suite mobile apps to follow later this year." Source

Apple reports $19.97 billion profit on $84.3 billion revenue in FY Q1 2019, iPhone revenue down 15% YoY

Apple has reported quarterly revenue of $84.3 billion, down 5% over last year with a net profit of $19.97 billion, almost same as last year and earnings per share of $4.18, an increase of 7.5% over last year in their earnings for the financial year Q1 2019 that ended December 2, 2018. During earnings call Tim Cook said that iPhone XR, iPhone Xs, and iPhone Xs Max are by far the best iPhones the company has ever shipped but iPhone revenue was down 15% from last year since its customers are holding on to their older iPhones a bit longer than in the past. iPhone results accounted for significantly more than the company's entire year-over-year revenue decline. It said that foreign exchange,  less subsidies and battery replacement program were the reasons for users to hold onto their existing iPhones a bit longer. U.S. revenue was up by more than $1.5 billion compared to a year ago and in several markets where revenue grew by double digits including among others Germany, Spain, Poland, Mexico, Malaysia and Vietnam. iPhone revenue down 15% from last year. Outside of iPhone, Apple's business grew strongly by 19% Services revenue reached an all-time high of $10.9 billion, up 19% over the ...

ASUS Zenfone 5Z Android 9.0 (Pie) global roll out begins [Download Link]

After rolling out Android 9.0 (Pie) update for the Zenfone 5Z in Taiwan last month, ASUS has finally started rolling out the update globally earlier this week, as it had promised. The latest Android Pie update brings several new features, including Adaptive Battery that uses machine learning to prioritize system resources for the apps, App Actions that helps you raise the visibility of your app and help drive engagement using machine learning, new Magnifier feature for easier copy-and-paste and lots more. The Zenfone 5Z Android Pie update has the version number 90.10.138.175 compared to 157 that rolled out in Taiwan and is 1080MB in size. You can download the full Zip here or incremental OTA from 90.10.138.157 or  80.30.96.221. The company promised Pie update for the Zenfone Max Pro M2 in January, but there is no sign of it as the month is going to end. Source 1, 2

Samsung starts mass production of first 1TB eUFS flash memory ahead of Galaxy S10 launch

Samsung  has announced that it has begun mass production of first 1TB flash storage for next-generation mobile devices and it utilizes  16 stacked layers of 512-gigabit (Gb) V-NAND chips. It uses the same 11.5mm x 13.0mm package as the previous 512GB version, but this uses a newly developed proprietary controller. This will allow users to store 260 10-minute videos in 4K UHD (3840×2160) format, compared to 13 videos of the same size in 64GB eUFS. The 1TB eUFS offers up to 1,000 megabytes per second (MB/s), offers up to 58,000 IOPS random read speed, which is up to 38 percent over the 512GB version and the random writes at up to 50,000 IOPS are 500 times faster than a high-performance microSD card (100 IOPS). Samsung said that it plans to expand the production of its fifth-generation 512Gb V-NAND at its Pyeongtaek plant in Korea throughout the first half of 2019 to bring the 1TB eUFS to smartphones. Last year's Samsung Galaxy Note9 was introduced in 512GB version for the first time, and the 1TB storage will likely debut with the Galaxy S10+ next month, which is also rumored to come with 12GB of RAM. Samsung has also listed its journey from eMMC 4.5 with ...

Gmail down in India and parts of Europe as users face log-in issues [Update: It’s back]

Update: Several users have started reporting that they are able to log-in and are not facing 404 issue anymore. Google's Gmail is reportedly facing outage in parts of the world with users reporting ‘404 Error’ while trying to log in to the site. However, other products including YouTube, News seem unaffected. Gmail is currently down in India and some part of Europe for more than half an hour. Hi there. Currently, there are no disruptions. Could you try clearing the browser cache and cookies to see if that helps: https://t.co/0qpxh9xK73? Keep us posted. — Gmail (@gmail) January 29, 2019 However, unaware of the issue, Google claims that there are no disruptions. The Gmail for Android and iOS are also working just fine, meaning the issue is restricted to the desktop version. According to Downdetector.com, the Gmail is having issues since 6:16 AM EST (around 4:46 PM IST, Tuesday.) Breaking down the issue, 42% problem was during log-in, while 31% of users reported they could not receive messages and about 25% of users reported a problem with the website. Users have taken to Twitter to bring the outage to everyone's notice. We're sure Google would fix the issue soon enough.

Samsung 8K display driver IC with data speeds of up to 4Gbps announced

Samsung Electronics has announced an 8K display driver IC (DDI) that helps deliver true-to-life 8K resolution with intra-panel data transfer speed at up to 4-gigabit-per-second (Gbps). It adopts the company's Unified Standard Interface for TV (USI-T) 2.0. The boost in the DDI’s data transfer capability enhances the efficiency of a display’s system performance and reduces the need for additional components. The company says that it also allows more streamlined product designs for slim bezel-less TVs with display sizes 65-inches and above. The 8K DDI’s advanced performance at 4Gbps intra-panel interface speed minimizes the added clutter around the display panel that offers more freedom in premium 8K TV designs. The updated interface also supports a smart equalizer (EQ) feature that utilizes two-way channels between the timing controller (TCON) and individual DDIs. The smart EQ can program all DDIs in a panel simultaneously, reducing the possibility of bit errors and resources that are required for panel production. The Samsung's 8K DDI samples as well as licensing for the USI-T 2.0 intra-panel interface are currently available. Ben K. Hur, senior vice president of System LSI marketing at Samsung Electronics said: To deliver true 8K resolution, it is essential for today’s DDIs to support a high-speed 4Gbps intra-panel interface. ...

Jaybird RUN XT true wireless sports headphones announced

Jaybird has announced the Jaybird RUN XT True Wireless Sport Headphones that come with IPX7 waterproof and sweatproof and new color options. The headphones are protected by a double hydrophobic nano-coating.  The Jaybird RUN XT True Wireless Sport Headphones come with interchangeable silicone ear tips and fins that securely fit almost any ear. Thanks to Siri and Google Assistant support, you can control music, take calls and more at the push of a button. The company claims that it can provide 12 hours of playtime, with four hours in the buds and an additional eight hours in the carrying case. A five-minutes quick charge provides a full hour of playtime. The Jaybird App allows you to fully customize your music experience by adjusting the EQ - pump up the bass or crank the treble with your own settings or choose from hundreds of others shared within the Jaybird community. It comes with Spotify integration making it easy to listen to your playlists and discover others. The app also features a Find My Buds feature to help you locate them in case they go missing. Jaybird also announced that it will also debut a new podcast playlist feature on the app in early February. Jaybird RUN XT True Wireless ...

Vivo to launch pop-up camera phone in India on February 20, V15 Pro expected

Vivo India today sent out invites for the launch of a new smartphone with a pop-up camera on February 20th. This could be the rumored V15 Pro, successor of the V11 Pro that was launched in India back in September last year. A recent case leak revealed that the phone will feature triple rear cameras and there is a opening on the top that will let you raise the camera for capturing selfies. This is defeinitely an unique design. It will likely come with a FullView display with minimal bezels and an in-display fingerprint scanner, similar to the predecessor. The mid-range smartphone is said to be priced under Rs. 30,000, similar to the V11 Pro, and it said to launch as X25 in China around the same time or in early March. We should know more details about the smartphone in the coming weeks.