Apple schedules ‘It’s Show Time’ special event for March 25

After rumors, Apple has officially announced its special event on March 25th with a tagline: 'It’s show time'. Even though the invite doesn't reveal anything, the company is expected to introduce its own streaming video service and News subscription service. Apple is not expected to introduce any hardware at the event. Recent reports said that Apple has already informed studios and networks to be prepared for a April launch, but some of the recent reports say that it might take months to roll out. Apple  acquired Next Issue Media’s digital magazine service Texture last year, so the News subscription service could integrate the magazine app Texture into Apple News. With simplified subscription service covering multiple publications, Apple could bring in new News use cases and generate new revenue something similar to Apple Music. The company is said to be planning to claim half of the $10 monthly subscription fee, while the other half will be shared among the participating publishers according to how many people read their stories. The March 25 'It’s show time' event takes place at Steve Jobs Theater located at the company Apple Park campus and starts at 10:00 am PT (10:30 PM IST). Apple will offer livestream for the event on its website and through the ...

Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro gets Android 9.0 Pie-based MIUI Global Beta ROM

Xiaomi launched first quad camera phone Redmi Note 6 Pro in India back in November running MIUI 10 on top of Android 8.1 (Oreo) and last month it started recruiting Beta testers for testing Android Pie based MIUI 10 Global Beta ROM for various devices including Redmi Note 6 Pro. [gallery columns="2" size="medium" link="file" ids="277570,277571"] As per a post on MIUI Forum, Xiaomi has started rolling out MIUI 10 Global Beta 9.3.11 update for Redmi Note 6 Pro, which brings Android 9.0 (Pie) along with March security patch to the device. Note that this is a MIUI Global Nightly Beta update and is currently available for closed beta testers only, to learn more about different MIUI versions refer to this post. Android 9.0 (Pie) based MIUI Global Beta ROM is expected to be rolled out in coming weeks but you can download the zip and flash using the updater method manually in case you're impatient. Apart from Redmi Note 6 Pro, Redmi Note 5 Pro, Redmi 6 Pro, and Redmi Y2 are also expected to receive the Android 9.0 (Pie) based MIUI Global Beta update in coming months. Here's the perfect #MondayMotivation. The Quad camera all-rounder is now available at the best price ever starting at just ₹11,999. 🤳20MP + 2MP AI front camera 📸12MP + ...

HUAWEI Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro sales cross 10 million units globally

Huawei has announced that the sales of HUAWEI Mate 20 series that includes the Mate 20 and the Mate 20 Pro have crossed 10 million units globally since it was launched in October last year. It took just just 5 months to achieve this feat, same as the P20 series. Unlike the P20 series, the company did not announce any new color variants of the phone to celebrate this. At Mobile World Congress 2019, the GSMA – organizers of MWC and the leading mobile industry body – named the HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro the ‘Best Smartphone’ of 2019. HUAWEI is all set to introduce the P30 series at an event in Paris on March 26th. The company already confirmed that the P30 series will feature impressive lossless zoom capabilities and an enhanced low-light mode. Kevin Ho, president of Handset Business of Consumer Business Group, said: Looking to the future, everything we do in Huawei CBG will continue to begin and end with consumers. Our ultimate goal is to lead the transformation of the smart device industry and deliver an inspired, intelligent experience to consumers across all scenarios.

HUAWEI Watch GT Active and Watch GT Elegant with Lite OS surfaces

Ahead of Huawei's P30 smartphone launch, two new smartwatches from its portfolio have been surfaced on the internet. As per the leak, the watch is dubbed as HUAWEI Watch GT Active and HUAWEI Watch GT Elegant. Both the smartwatches are expected to launch along with P30-Series later this month. The 'Huawei Watch GT Active' (pictured above) and 'Huawei Watch GT Elegant' will reportedly have the same 1.39-inch screen as the regular GT watch, but with different bezel designs. Having said that, there is no information on the specification front or the upgrade that smartwatches will bring to the table. In terms of software, both the wearable is expected to run the company's proprietary Lite OS. The report says that the Active model will cost 249 Euros (US$280 / Rs. 19,570 approx.), while the Elegant version will be 229 Euros (US$257 / Rs. 17,995 approx.). The regular Watch GT was originally priced at 199 Euros, so presumably, there will be some hardware differences to justify the markup in price. Source

SHARP KC-G40M Air Purifier with Humidifier launched in India

SHARP has launched the “KC-G40M” Air Purifier with Humidifier designed specifically for India Market today. With this launch, the company aims to strengthen its presence and to expand its air purifier range ahead of summers. This Air Purifier with Humidifier boasts of smart holistic cleaning of the indoor air using dual technology. The PASSIVE HEPA &PANDAA filter combination eliminates PM2.5, Pollen, other gaseous substances such as Toluene, Ethyl Benzene and other HAZE compounds. Its Humidifying function also ensures comfortable humidity level through natural evaporation technique, helpful in maintaining body hydration thus reducing skin, eye, throat dryness and sinus issues. The KC-G40M comes with washable fine-meshed PM10 filter. It manages the room humidity ~60% RH and also allows the Air Conditioner to be run at ~25 to 27 degree C, thus saving electricity and reducing power bill. The SHARP KC-G40M is available at an introductory price of Rs. 33,000 through sales & distribution networks all across India. It is backed by 1-year onsite warranty, and ensures the availability of spares and consumables for a period of 5 years after the model is discontinued in India.

Google game controller patent surfaces, could be announced with game streaming service at GDC 2019

At the upcoming GDC 2019 (Games Developers Conference), the search engine giant Google is expected to announce its game streaming service codenamed Yeti. However, it is not confirmed whether Yeti will be a streaming service based on Project Stream or a dedicated console unit. Either way, there is a chance that the company has plans for a branded controller to work with its "Netflix of games". The document, filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), comes with images that reveal the design of the controller, which looks similar to that of the PlayStation 4 controller. As per the images, it has two joysticks, a directional pad, four gameplay buttons, and pairs of shoulder and trigger buttons. In addition, there seem to be home and back buttons at the top part of the controller and a circle-shaped button referred to as an action button. It also has a microphone button in between the joysticks that may hint at compatibility with Google Assistant. However, nothing is confirmed as of now, we advise you to take this information with a pinch of salt. Source | Via

HONOR 8X EMUI 9.0 Android Pie to roll out in India starting from March 18

HUAWEI'S HONOR brand has announced that it will be rolling out the Android Pie (EMUI 9.0) update for the HONOR 8X smartphone in India starting from March 18. It rolled out the update for HONOR 10, HONOR Play and HONOR View 10 earlier this year. The new EMUI 9.0 update brings gestures, GPU Turbo 2.0, Translation, AI Shopping, HiVision visual search, Password Vault, Wireless Sharing (Projecting), Digital Balance dashboard, and more to Honor smartphones. Built on Android Pie, EMUI 9.0 is aimed at providing a smoother and secure user experience. EMUI 9.0 unifies, combining once separate functions into a single, streamlined experience. The update supports the AR scanning capability combined with image recognition technology to help users track down any item and purchase it. HONOR 8X will also get improved search capabilities with reverse image search to help users learn more about people, plants, and even vehicles. The Digital balance feature helps users understand and manage their and their child's habits. The update also allows the phone to recognize which apps are safe, and knows how to protect itself. The upate will be rolled out in batches from March 18th and will eventually be made available across all HONOR 8X devices.

OPPO to launch new Reno series smartphone on April 10

OPPO has announced that it will launch a smartphone under new Reno series on April 10th. This is rumored to be the company's flagship smartphone, after the Find X series, and some reports say that it will replace the R series. OPPO says that this is not a sub-brand like the Realme that later became a separate brand. It is rumored to pack a Snapdragon 855 SoC, 10X hybrid optical zoom and a 4065mAh battery. OPPO at the MWC confirmed that it will introduce 10x lossless zoom camera smartphone with 48-megapixel main sensor, a 120 degree ultra-wide lens and a telephoto camera with 159mm equivalent focal length. OPPO at the MWC also said that it will commercially launch Breeno, its AI-powered virtual personal assistant in its new products in Spring, so we might also see this at the event. We should know more details about the phone in the coming weeks. Source

Apple’s 7th-gen iPad said to retain Touch ID and audio jack

As per the recent development, the yet-to-be-launched seventh-generation iPad which is expected to come along with the updated iPad mini 5 will continue to use the same housing as the sixth-generation iPad, as per the report from Japanese site Mac Otakara. Previous speculations stated that the device will feature a 10.2-inch display, however, the new report stated that it is hearing mixed rumours from suppliers. However, the iPad is expected to come equipped with Touch ID fingerprint sensor rather than Face ID and it will also have headphone jack as well. If the information floating around the Internet turns out to be true, the Cupertino giant will be introducing both the iPads somewhere around spring, right around March 25. According to report, both new iPads will debut at the same time, but the site did not provide any prospective launch timelines beyond mentioning that suppliers are preparing for a launch. On the other hand, Apple’s long-rumoured head-mounted AR device will be ready by the middle of next year. The mass production of AR headset could start as soon as the fourth quarter of 2019 and not beyond the second quarter of 2020. Furthermore, the company is planning to scrape a standalone device plan ...

ASUS ROG Zephyrus S GX531, Zephyrus S GX701GX and GL504 Strix SCAR II with NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPU and GL12CX launched in India

ASUS has launched ROG Zephyrus S GX531, ROG Zephyrus S GX701, and ROG Strix SCAR II gaming laptops and GL12CX desktop in India. The gaming laptops feature NVIDIA GeForce RTX GPUs, 144Hz displays with slim bezels and advanced cooling. The ASUS Zephyrus S GX531 ultra-slim laptop measures 15.35~16.15mm, and was introduced as the world's slimmest gaming laptop. It has a 15.6” display, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2070 Max-Q, is powered by Intel Core i7-8750H CPU, 144Hz refresh rate display and 3ms response time plus. It has patented AAS cooling system, 12V anti-dust cooling fans, 5 heat pipes and 4 heat sinks, the laptop offers a high-performance experience. The Zephyrus S GX701GX has a 17.3-inch screen, up to 8th Gen Intel Core i7 processors and NVIDIA GeForce RTX  2080 GPU in an even more compact ultra slim chassis. It has the same 144Hz 3ms response time display and the patented AAS cooling system sustains high performance via efficient cooling. It comes with per-key RGB Lighting and Aura Sync, which also extends illumination to volume roller for quick adjustment and a glowing numpad that appears on the touchpad. The ROG Strix SCAR II with a 15.6-inch screen has the same 144Hz high refresh rate and 3ms response time, features up ...