Google Arts & Culture update brings new camera button for AR, Material design and more

Google Explore Art and Culture app which uses augmented reality is getting a new update to its iOS and Android. It brings a new camera tab making AR features easily accessible. The Android version of the app brings a new bottom bar with Material Theme.  The Home, Explore, Nearby, and Profile section of the app are still accessible from the navigation drawer. However, a new addition to the bottom bar is the new Camera icon. The Art Projector shows you actual-size artworks in augmented reality right in front of you. You can also tap on your lookalike to discover more information about the work or the artist. Take a snapshot of anything around you and find colorful connections to art using Color Palette. It uses computer vision algorithms to find multiple artworks from around the world that exactly match the color in the photo you just snapped of. The new Camera tab will also include Pocket Gallery, a virtual exhibition space and experience that brings together all of Vermeer's known artworks in one place. Google Arts & Culture app update is now available on Android and iOS. Source

LG profit down 80% as smartphone sales continue to decline in Q4 2018

LG Electronics has reported revenues of 15.77 trillion won (US$ 13.99 billion) for the fourth quarter that ended December 31, 2018, which is down 7% compared to the same quarter last year, as expected. It posted profits of 75.7 bilion won (US$ 67.1 million), down 79.3% YoY, while net profit was down 80.7 billion won from 182.8 billion won a year earlier. Decrease in profits is due to primarily due to lower sales of mobile products, said LG. For the whole of 2018 it reported 61.3 trillion won (US$ 54.4 billion) revenue, same as 2017. Full-year profit of 2.70 trillion won (US$ 2.40 billion) is up 9.5% compared to 2017 with record profitability from appliances and home entertainment products. Mobile Communications sector reported a quarterly revenue of 1.71 trillion won (US$ 1.51 billion), down 16.1% QoQ and 41.4% YoY due to sluggish smartphone market and intensifying competition in mass-tier products. The Mobile sector posted a operating loss of 322.3 billion won (US$ 289.6 million), compared to loss of 216.3 billion won a year ago and 146.3 billion won loss it posted in Q3 2018. Full-year operating loss increased to 790.1 billion won (US$ 700.65 million). LG said that the loss in mobile sector widened as marketing ...

Saregama Carvaan Mini Bhakti with 300 devotional songs launched

Saregama has launched the Carvaan Mini Bhakti, it comes preloaded with 300 devotional songs and can be started with a just press of a button. Like other Carvaan devices, it does not need the internet or connectivity with your phone to play it.  The pre-loaded 300 songs are categorized by deities like Shiv, Ganesh, Krishna, Sai, Devi and Ram, Hanuman. The Carvaan Mini Bhakti also includes bhajans, aartis, mantras and more. It features like AM/FM, Bluetooth and a USB. This mini version of Carvaan can last up t0 4 hours and comes with a 6-month warranty. The Carvaan Mini Bhakti is priced at Rs. 2490 and will be available on Saregama website and retail outlets. Vikram Mehra, Managing Director, Saregama India said:  Carvaan is an undoubted success in India and expanding across the globe now. New variants of the product is launched based on our customer feedbacks and demands. We are proud to have constantly been able address the need between the demand and supply. With launch of a new variant – Carvaan Mini Bhakti, we hope the experience of listing to devotional songs is enhanced and made easier.

Sony Xperia XZ4 said to feature – 52MP main + 16MP telephoto and a ToF sensor

Sony is reportedly working on the XZ4 flagship which is rumored to launch at the MWC 2019 event in February. Before the official announcement, we see more details about the flagship surface. The Xperia XZ4 said to feature triple rear cameras.  The triple rear camera system on the XZ4 include a 16MP telephoto lens with f/2.6 aperture, a 52MP primary camera with f//1.6 aperture and finally a 0.3MP ToF sensor. The fact that the Xperia XZ4 comes with a 52MP sensor means that the 48MP sensor on the View20 or the Redmi Note 7 are no longer the highest regarding the number of pixels. The ToF sensor purpose is to raise the speed of autofocus. The CAD-based render was posted on Reddit based on the live-images that were leaked earlier. Furthermore, rumors also suggest that the XZ4 packs a ToF sensor on the front, however, the exact optic details are unknown at the moment. Since the information that surfaced is from various sources, there's no way to tell if they are legitimate, so it's just speculation at the moment. Source

Microsoft reports $32.5 billion revenue with 12% YoY growth in Q4 2018, LinkedIn revenue up 29%

Microsoft has announced final quarter results that ended on 31st December 2018. When compared to the last fiscal year, the revenue is increased by 12% resulting in $32.5 billion, operating income is $10.3 billion with an increase of 18%, the net income was $8.4 billion, and the diluted earnings per share were $1.08 GAAP and $1.10 non-GAAP%. Microsoft returned $9.6 billion to shareholders in the form of dividends and share repurchases in the second quarter of the fiscal year 2019. The revenue in Productivity and Business Processes was $10.1 billion and increased by 13%. The Office commercial products and cloud services revenue increased by 11% driven by Office 365 commercial revenue growth of 34%. Office consumer products and cloud services revenue increased 1% with growth in Office 365 consumer subscribers to 33.5 million. LinkedIn revenue increased 29% with record levels of engagement with 30% session growth. Dynamics products and cloud services revenue increased by 17% driven by Dynamics 365 revenue growth of 51%. Revenue in Intelligent Cloud was $9.4 billion and increased by 20%. Windows OEM revenue declined by 5%. The Windows commercial products and cloud services revenue increased 13%. Gaming revenue increased 8% with Xbox software and services revenue growth of 31%. Search advertising revenue excluding ...

Startup India – WhatsApp Grand Challenge lets Startups win a total of $250,000

WhatsApp launched WhatsApp Business app and WhatsApp Business API last year.  In an effort to fuel the growth of India’s entrepreneurial and small business community, WhatsApp announced the partnership with Invest India on 31st October 2018. Today it has announced WhatsApp Grand Challenge for StartUps in partnership with Invest India. Entrepreneurs with highly innovative ideas, business models that solve for a local India problem, making a large scale socio-economic impact can apply latest by 10 March 2019, said the company. Applications will be evaluated by an independent evaluation committee being curated by StartUp India. The best 30 ideas will be shortlisted for the subsequent round and to 10 in the following round. The selected 10 ideas will be invited to participate at the live pitch day during the grand finale and will be announced in May 2019.  A total of $250,000 to the top 5 winners will be up for grabs. You can check out more details on Startup India website.

LG V50 ThinQ with 6-inch display, Snapdragon 855, 5G support said to be introduced at MWC 2019

LG is reportedly working on its first 5G smartphone; the LG V50 ThinQ which is rumored to go official at the MWC in February; earlier than Samsung Electronics first 5G model; the Galaxy S10 X. The company is said to announce two models of LG G8 ThinQ and LG V50 ThinQ at the International Conference Hall (CCIB) in Barcelona on April 24th. This is the first time LG's G and V series flagships are releasing together. The company finally decided to go 4G LTE route for the G8, and the V50 would be its first 5G phone. LG Electronics said to have disclosed major details including model name, function, and specification to three mobile communication companies. The LG V50 is said to sport a 6-inch display, Snapdragon 855, and a 4000mAh battery. LG already confirmed water-cooled cooling unit vapor chamber for the phone to overcome any heating problem. The V50 5G is scheduled to be launched in North America and Europe in March, beginning with three domestic telcos such as SK Telecom, KT, and LG U +. Sprint is confirmed to be another carrier in the USA. The V50 ThinQ 5G will be priced at between 13,00,000 korean won ($1,168 approx.) and 15,00,000 korean won ($1,349 approx.). The LTE model, ...

Google+ for consumers to shutdown on April 2nd 2019

Back in December 2018, Google announced that it will shut down Google+ for consumers in April 2019 due to low usage and challenges involved. The company confirmed that it will pull the plug on April 2nd, your Google+ account and any Google+ pages you created will be shut down and the company will begin deleting content from consumer Google+ accounts. Photos and videos from Google+ in your Album Archive and your Google+ pages will also be deleted. However, the company is allowing users to download and save your content before April. Note that photos and videos backed up in Google Photos will not be deleted. The process of deleting content from consumer Google+ accounts, Google+ Pages, and Album Archive will take a few months, and content may remain through this time. As of February 4th, you will no longer be able to create new Google+ profiles, pages, communities or events. Starting early March 2019, additional data will be available for download, including author, body, and photos for every community post in a public community. If you sign in to sites and apps using the Google+ Sign-in button, these buttons will stop working in the coming weeks but in some cases may be replaced by a Google Sign-in button. ...

Apple’s 2020 iPhones said to feature 3D cameras in AR push

According to a latest Bloomberg report, Apple is said to be planning to launch iPhones with more-powerful 3D cameras as soon as 2020, pushing the company further into AR. The rear-facing, longer-range 3D camera is designed to scan the environment to create three-dimensional reconstructions of the real world. Furthermore, the 3D reconstructions of the real world work up to about 15 feet from the device compared to the current distance of 25 to 50 centimeters to power Apple’s Face ID facial-recognition feature. Apple’s new system uses a laser scanner, rather than the existing dot-projection technology which doesn’t work as well over long distances. This is one among the many features including a third-camera, enhanced photo-capture tools, and a more powerful chip, that Apple plans to include in-coming generations of iPhones. The laser-powered 3D camera would enhance augmented reality on the iPhone, allowing for more accurate depth perception and placement of virtual objects. Apple has been in talks with Sony for testing sensors for the new system. For 2019, Apple plans successors to the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max -- code-named D42 and D43 and an update to the iPhone XR. The larger of the new high-end iPhones will have three cameras on the back, and the ...

Global smartphone shipments down 4.9% in Q4 2018, Samsung leads with 70.4 million, Huawei posts 43.9% YoY growth

According to IDC, worldwide smartphone shipments reached a total of 375.4 million units during the Q4, down 4.9% YoY. This marks the fifth consecutive quarter of decline. This downfall also marks the worst year ever for smartphone shipments with global smartphone volumes declining 4.1% in 2018 with a total of 1.4 billion units shipped. With challenging market conditions, Q1 of 2019 is also expected to have a decline further. China, which is the largest focal point for smartphone shipment continues to downfall, thus pushing the recovery further forward. The Chinese market which accounts for roughly 30% of the world's smartphone consumption, had an even worse 2018 than the previous year with volumes down just over 10%. High inventory continues to be a challenge across the market as is consumer spending on devices, which has been down overall. Chinese vendors like Huawei, OPPO, vivo, and Xiaomi – grew their share of the China market to roughly 78%, up from 66% in 2017. On a worldwide basis, the top 5 smartphone companies continue to get stronger and now account for 69% of smartphone volume, up from 63% a year ago. If vivo is included, which is currently number six and has been in and out of the ...