Xiaomi adds MIUI lock screen clock customisation and showing notifications using face unlock

Xiaomi’s MIUI is a heavy skin on top of Android, but what sets it apart from other Android skins is its feature richness and customizations. MIUI gets updated biweekly, including closed beta on every Tuesday and public beta on every Friday. [gallery size="large" ids="282006,282005,282007"] This week, Xiaomi has introduced lock screen clock customization which lets users choose clock position on the lock screen. Users can choose between Centered, Left-aligned, and Vertical positions to match with the wallpaper styles but these customizations do not work on third party themes. [gallery columns="2" size="large" ids="282009,282008"] Apart from lock screen customization, Xiaomi has also added option to stay on lock screen after unlocking (using face unlock) which lets you stay on lock screen after face data is verified instead of unlocking the device instantly. An option to show notification details after verifying face data is also added which shows notification details on the lock screen after the face data is verified. Xiaomi has also introduced new VoLTE icon which can be seen in the screenshots above. These features are available only in MIUI Global Beta v9.5.9 as of now and are expected to be released to MIUI Global Stable ROM users with future updates. Xiaomi has already kicked off MIUI 11 development, and the company ...

OPPO Reno series smartphones launching in India on May 28

OPPO launched its Reno Series of smartphone i.e., OPPO Reno Standard Edition and Reno 10x lossless zoom version in China last month. Today, OPPO has officially posted a teaser of launching the Reno Series in India on May 28th, 2019. OPPO has posted a picture on its social media channels that say 'I'm Reno. Soon in India, 28th May' which confirms that the Reno Series smartphones will be launched in India. OPPO will be launching the Reno Standard Edition and the Reno 10x lossless zoom edition smartphone in India. To recall, the standard version has a 6.4-inch Full HD + AMOLED display and is powered by  Snapdragon 710 processor. On the other hand, the 10x lossless zoom version comes with a 6.6-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with ultra narrow bezels and 93.1% screen-to-body ratio. Both these have up to 8GB of RAM, Game Boost 2.0, run Android Pie with ColorOS 6 on top and a 48-megapixel primary rear camera with Sony IMX586 sensor. The standard edition features a 5-megapixel secondary camera, while the high-end model comes with a 13-megapixel periscope telephoto camera and an 8-megapixel 120-degree ultra-wide lens with an equivalent focal length of 15.9mm, which provides wide-angle shots and the telephoto camera offers 159mm equivalent focal ...

Airtel launches Rs. 249 pre-paid plan with Rs. 4 lakh Life Insurance cover and Rs.129 plan with unlimited calling

Airtel has been revising its prepaid and postpaid plans recently and last week, the company launched a new Rs.299 prepaid recharge plan with Amazon Prime subscription bundled. Similarly, today, Airtel has launched two new prepaid recharge plans i.e., Rs. 129 plan and Rs.249 prepaid recharge plan. The Rs.249 prepaid recharge plan also comes with Rs.4 Lakhs Life Insurance bundled. Airtel's new Rs.249 prepaid recharge plan comes with 28 days validity and offers 2GB 3G/4G data per day, unlimited calls and 100 SMS per day. Additionally, users will also be eligible for Rs.4 Lakh Term Life Insurance Cover from HDFC Life/Bharati AXA Insurance. The company is also providing free access to Airtel TV Premium that includes subscriptions from Zee5, HOOQ, Live Channels, Movies and more along with Norton Mobile Security that is valid for 1 Year. Once a user recharges with the Rs.249 prepaid plan, they will get an SMS on how to share the Know Your Customer(KYC) details for processing and claiming the insurance policy. Once the KYC verification is complete, users can access their policy from the Airtel app on their phone. Airtel also launched a new Rs.129 prepaid recharge plan and it comes with 28 days validity as well, offers 2GB 3G/4G ...

Instagram to block hashtags from search related to anti-vaccination misinformation

Instagram on Thursday said that it will block search results for hashtags that return false information to discourage people from getting vaccinated. Facebook-owned, Instagram announced this at an event for press in San Francisco. “If the hashtag was #vaccines1234, if it contained a high proportion of known vaccine misinformation, we would block that hashtag entirely,” said Karina Newton, Instagram’s global head of public policy The “known vaccine misinformation” has been debunked by the World Health Organization and the posts with confirmed false information won’t display any search results. Right now, Facebook is under pressure to remove anti-vaccine propaganda from its network of sites, where it is said that the algorithm has helped to create large audiences for the hoaxes. Furthermore, Instagram is also planning to introduce a pop-up message for people who search for details regarding vaccine to high-quality information. The company also added that the wording of the message is yet to be finalised. “It’s going to take some time to continue the work on it,” Newton said. Since the process is in the initial stage, it might take some time to get rid of all. Moreover, Instagram is also building a tool to appeal to content moderation decisions. For example if your post ...

Realme releases Android Pie ColorOS 6 update schedule

realme already confirmed that its older devices will get Android 9.0 (Pie) update along with ColorOS 6 soon. The company event rolled out Android Q beta 3 for its latest realme 3 Pro smartphone, which is the first phone in the range to support it. Now the company has confirmed that it will start beta testing for the Android Pie based ColorOS 6 update starting next week. This will also add Hyper Boost 2.0 for the devices with the update, expect realme 2, C1, and C2. List of devices that will get Android Pie ColorOS 6 beta update and the time frame: realme 2 Pro — May 15th with Hal3 / Camera2 API support realme 1 and realme U1 — June 5th realme 2 and realme C1 — June 15th It also confirmed that it will roll out stable update in phased manner, after the beta testing is over, which could vary from 15 to 20 days. So, we can expect stable update for all these phones by the end of next month. It will bring Digital Wellbeing feature with an OTA update in the future. Source

Telegram updated with Archived Chats, option to Pin unlimited chats and more

Right after WhatsApp, Telegram gained popularity very quickly and in some cases, the application is being considered better than WhatsApp in terms of feature it provides. In a recent development, Telegram has rolled out new updates with a new design on Android, the option to archived chats and many more. Archived chat: Now, you can swipe left on a chat to transfer it to your archived chats folder. When an archived chat gets a notification, it will pop out of the folder and back into your chat list. Muted chats will stay archived forever. Pin unlimited messages: Pin an unlimited number of chats in your archive to keep your messages in the order you want. Bulk action: Now you can make use of Bulk action on your chat list by long tap on a chat to open the new menu where you can select multiple chats and then pin, mute, archive or delete them, all faster than ever before. Quick forward: This latest update also lets you select messages and quick forward using the button which appears right under your thumb. In addition to it, you also get an expanded chat list, where you can see more text from the messages, new streamlined sharing menu, ...

ASUS Zenfone 6 images with no-notch slider design, dual rear cameras surface

Less than a week from the launch of ASUS Zenfone 6, new images of the dummy unit has surfaced showing off it's no-notch design, as revealed in the teaser recently. This shows a manual slider design, glass back, dual rear cameras and a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. Sliding the phone down reveals dual front cameras, and it is said to come with a standard and a wide-angle cameras on the front. Sliding up shows the large speaker grill, and it is said to come with speaker tuned by Harman Kardon. There camera unit is present on the top center with the flash next to it. On the bottom there is a USB Type-C Port and a 3.5mm audio jack, as confirmed by ASUS. Similar images in silver was posted by @evleaks last month, but the Black version looks different, which could be a prototype. pic.twitter.com/jJOyaxyF3F — Evan Blass (@evleaks) April 7, 2019 The company already confirmed Snapdragon 855, dedicated dual SIM and microSD slots, notification LED and a separate smart key on the right. We should know more details in the coming days. The ASUS Zenfone 6 event on May 16th starts at 8PM CEST (11:30 PM IST), and ASUS will offer live stream on its official website. Source 1, 2

Google Pixel 3a XL Unboxing and First Impressions

Google introduced the Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL smartphones a few days back at its I/O event. Here we have the unboxing of the Pixel 3a XL, the bigger phone. Check out the unboxing and the first impressions below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBicJdqOYNk Box Contents Google Pixel 3a smartphone in Clearly White color 2-pin 18W fast charger (5V-3A/9V-2A) USB Type-C to USB Type-C cable Quick-switch OTG adapter In-ear headphones with different set of tips SIM ejector tool Quick Start Guide and Warranty information The Pixel 3a XL features a 6-inch Full HD+ (2160×1080 pixels) OLED screen from Samsung, even though it was rumored to come with a gOLED panel from LG. Unlike the Pixel 3 XL, this doesn't have a notch, and has 18:9 aspect ratio. There is an 8-megapixel camera on the front, next to the earpiece that also doubles up as a speaker. You still have the chin below the screen that houses the second speaker. It is protected by Dragontrail glass. Powered by Snapdragon 670, it comes with 4GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 64GB eMMC of storage. It has a 3.5mm jack that the Pixel 3 series lack, but loses out the water-resistance. Unlike the glass back on the Pixel 3 series, this comes with polycarbonate back, which doesn't feel premium, ...

Qualcomm Smart Headset Platform gets Google Assistant and Fast Pair support

Qualcomm already has Qualcomm Smart Headset Platform based on the QCC5100 Series Bluetooth Audio SoC introduced last year. Now it has announced a partnership with Google to add support for Google Assistant and Fast Pair support for Bluetooth headphones. The will let manufacturers to more easily create differentiated wireless stereo earbuds featuring support for the Google Assistant and enabling a variety of product tiers and categories. The end-to-end reference design supports push-button activation for the Google Assistant which connects to the Google Assistant app running on the smartphone. Google Fast Pair helps optimize the out of box pairing experience for end users and facilitates tasks such as switching the connection between multiple devices. This is supported on Qualcomm QCC5100, QCC3024 and QCC3034 SoC series. The Qualcomm Smart Headset Platform with support for the Google Assistant and Google Fast Pair is available to order. Source 1, 2

ASUS Zenfone 6 to be announced on May 16 in Spain [Update: New Teaser]

Update: May 9, 2019 — New teaser shows Snapdragon 855, dedicated dual SIM and microSD slots, notification LED, separate smart key on the right, above the volume rockers and the power button, and a 3.5mm audio jack on the bottom. Keep the essentials. Come and join the livestream on May 16 2019 at 20:00 (CEST). #ZenFone6 #DefyOrdinary Learn more: https://t.co/y3fiATPH71 pic.twitter.com/fJXefTldNV — ASUS (@ASUS) May 8, 2019 Update: May 3, 2019 — New teaser shows no-notch display with minimal bezels. The event starts at 8PM CEST (11:30 PM IST). The company will offer live stream on its official website. Embrace the extraordinary revolution. #ZenFone6 #DefyOrdinary Learn more: https://t.co/y3fiATPH71 pic.twitter.com/PeLNUeL20N — ASUS (@ASUS) May 2, 2019 Earlier: After leaks, ASUS has officially confirmed that it will introduce its flagship Zenfone 6 series smartphones at an event in Valencia, Spain on May 16th. Even though its Zenfone 5 series were introduced at the MWC last year, this year the company has decided to launch it couple of months after MWC. Meet the incredible #ZenFone 6 soon! #DefyOrdinary pic.twitter.com/BrmqCAvX4g — ASUS (@ASUS) February 25, 2019 It has 'Defy Ordinary' tag and says 'the revolution is coming' hinting at something new. The teaser shows the phone in the background without a notch, so it might feature ...