Samsung just launched the new Sunrise Gold color variant of the Galaxy S9 smartphone that joins the Midnight Black, Coral Blue, and Lilac Purple versions that were launched earlier this year. Samsung has also announced a TV Control widget, which offers a one-of-its-kind unified convergence solution between mobiles and televisions.
Once enabled through Smart Things app, when a user is in the vicinity of a television, the TV Control widget will automatically show up on their phone and allow two-way screen mirroring and sound mirroring.
With the ‘View Screen’ mode in the widget, consumers can carry their television entertainment as they move across rooms by using the ‘TV to device’ option. Consumers can also enjoy mobile games on a big screen by mirroring their mobile screen on to their television using the ‘Device to TV’ option.
The TV Control widget also has a ‘Play Sound’ mode which allows consumers to stream and share music from their mobile with others around by using the television as a Bluetooth speaker using the “Device to TV” option. Reverse sound mirroring using the ‘TV to device’ option turns social entertainment to personal entertainment. So, consumers can listen to TV sound on mobile earphones at night without disturbing others.
The Samsung Galaxy S9+ ...
Samsung just launched the new Sunrise Gold color variant of the Galaxy S9 smartphone that joins the Midnight Black, Coral Blue, and Lilac Purple versions that were launched earlier this year. Samsung has also announced a TV Control widget, which offers a one-of-its-kind unified convergence solution between mobiles and televisions.
Once enabled through Smart Things app, when a user is in the vicinity of a television, the TV Control widget will automatically show up on their phone and allow two-way screen mirroring and sound mirroring.
With the ‘View Screen’ mode in the widget, consumers can carry their television entertainment as they move across rooms by using the ‘TV to device’ option. Consumers can also enjoy mobile games on a big screen by mirroring their mobile screen on to their television using the ‘Device to TV’ option.
The TV Control widget also has a ‘Play Sound’ mode which allows consumers to stream and share music from their mobile with others around by using the television as a Bluetooth speaker using the “Device to TV” option. Reverse sound mirroring using the ‘TV to device’ option turns social entertainment to personal entertainment. So, consumers can listen to TV sound on mobile earphones at night without disturbing others.
The Samsung Galaxy S9+ ...
OnePlus rolled out OxygenOS 5.1.6 with several new features including portrait mode support for the front camera, battery percentage in the status bar, Idea VoLTE support in India Dual-4G network option and more a few days back. Now the company has released OxygenOS 5.1.7 update with some fixes, including fixes for the bootloader protection bypass vulnerability, as it had promised. Check out the complete changelog below.
Fixed schedule setting issue for Do Not Disturb(DND) mode
Updated bootloader for system security enhancement
General bug fixes and improvements
OnePlus has also announced that it has paused the roll out of 5.1.6 update in India due to stability issues, however the company will release 5.1.8 update for the smartphone with fixes for the issues along with the features included in the 5.1.7 update, especially for the Indian users.
Source
Micromax has released Canvas 2 Plus, one year after launching the Canvas 2 (2017) in the Canvas series. It has a 5.7-inch HD+ 2.5D curved glass screen with 18:9 aspect ratio, is powered by a quad-core processor, has a 13-megapixel rear camera and an 8-megapixel front camera wit support for face unlock, however it still runs on Android Nougat. It has a fingerprint sensor on the back.
Micromax Canvas 2 Plus specifications
5.7-inch (1440 x 720 pixels) HD+ 2.5D curved glass display with 18:9 aspect ratio, 450 nits brightness
1.3GHz Quad-core Processor
3GB RAM, 32GB internal memory, expandable memory with microSD
Android 7.0 (Nougat) OS
Dual SIM
13MP rear camera with LED Flash, 1.12um pixel size, 80-degree FOV
8MP front-facing camera
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
Fingerprint sensor
4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS
4000mAh battery
The Micromax Canvas 2 Plus comes in Matte Black and Jet Black colors, is priced at Rs. 8999 and is available through offline retailers across India. The company has also listed Canvas 2 (2018) on the official website with similar specifications, but with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage, so it should be available soon.
Commenting on the launch, Vikas Jain, Co-Founder, Micromax Informatics said:
Canvas2 was the first smartphone that we ...
Since the in-pouring of Chinese smartphones in the Indian market, it has become difficult for the handset makers like Samsung, HTC and LG to make a dent in the mid-range smartphone segment. Keeping the optimism alive within themselves, the South Korean giant continues to launch the smartphones under mid-range with mediocre specifications.
In an attempt to restore their lost glory in the sub 15k segment, Samsung has come up with Galaxy J6 at starting price of Rs. Rs. 13,990. We got hold of the 3GB RAM variant unit for our review. Has Samsung managed to pull it off with the J6? Let's check it out.
Unboxing
https://youtu.be/kNHD8xftBMY
Box content
Samsung Galaxy J6 smartphone 3GB RAM with 32GB storage model in Black color
2-pin charger (5V-1A)
Micro USB Cable
Headset
SIM Ejector tool
Quick start guide and warranty information
Display, Design, and Hardware
The Samsung Galaxy J6 sports a 5.6-inch (1480 x 720 pixels) HD+ Super AMOLED 18.5: 9 Infinity 2.5D curved glass display. Considering the brand and budget, we can't expect more like a FHD Super AMOLED screen here. The Galaxy J6 has a screen-to-body ratio of about 75.9% and pixel density of 294ppi. Having said that, we didn't find any issues with the display and ...
OPPO is all set to introduce its flagship Find X smartphone on June 19th at an event in Paris. The specifications of the smartphones were already revealed, however the design of the smartphone was a mystery, but not anymore. A promo on CTV has revealed the design of the smartphone with no bezels on three sides and minimal bezel on the bottom, similar to the Vivo NEX that was introduced earlier this week. This doesn't reveal the front camera, so there are chances for a pop-up camera like the NEX.
It also reveals an unique design that reveals a curved back and rear cameras.
OPPO has officially confirmed that the phone will have over 90% screen-to-body ratio, and the image that shows the phone from the side reveals near bezel-less screen.
OPPO Find X (PAFM00 / PAFT00) rumored specifications
6.3-inch (2340 x 1080 pixels) Full HD+ AMOLED 19:5:9 2.5D curved glass display
2.8GHz Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 10nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 630 GPU
8GB RAM, 128GB storage
Android 8.1 (Oreo) with ColorOS
Dual SIM (nano + nano)
16MP rear camera with LED flash, secondary 2MP rear camera
25MP front-facing camera
Fingerprint sensor
Dimensions: 156.7 × 74.3 × 9.4mm; Weight: 186g
Dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11ac ...
Google today is rolling out a new update to its Gmail app for iOS. This new update brings changes to the way the app pushes out notifications. When you receive important emails in your Gmail inbox, the app identifies which mail will need your attention.
Google will leverage on its Gmail’s machine learning and artificial intelligence capabilities to identify messages you may want to read first. To enable the feature, select “High priority only” from the Notifications drop-down in the settings menu of your Gmail iOS app. However, the feature is currently only available on iOS but will be coming to Android pretty soon. Since this is not a 'by default' feature, you will have to enable the setting from the drop-down menu.
Google also said that this feature would be available to every iOS user in the coming two days, so if you haven't received the update yet, you will.
Source
VR180 camera lets you record and creates three-dimensional, immersive photos and videos and now to make it even easier for you to create and edit high-quality VR videos, Google is launching VR180 Creator on Mac and Linux. This application lets you edit VR180 footage with existing VR video tools.
The application currently offers two features for VR videos; "Convert for Publishing” this feature takes the raw fisheye footage from VR180 cameras and converts it into a standardized equirect projection. This can also be edited with another video editing softwares that most of the creators already use. Next feature is the “Prepare for Publishing;” this feature re-injects the VR180 metadata after editing so that the footage is viewable on YouTube or Google Photos in 2D or VR.
The Google's VR180 app is only available for Mac and Linux at the time of release, Google didn't mention anything about Windows release just yet. This application surely simplifies the editing process of the VR180 recordings. It is free to use application and can download from here.
Source
Apple post the release of iPhone X faced criticism from a section of users for its price tag. Following the backslash, Apple said to be developing production plans for its next iPhones stressing cheaper liquid-crystal display based on the consumers’ sensitivity to the price of smartphones, according to a latest report from WSJ.
Apple is hoping that the LCD models would make up for the majority of the iPhone sales that would be releasing this fall. It is rumored for quite some time that Apple is prepping a low-cost 6.1-inch iPhone model for price-sensitive markets. But the new interesting thing is, Apple is, in fact, preparing a larger portion of the models than analysts had anticipated. Interestingly, Apple is said to use the displays next year as well, according to sources involved in the matter.
Production planning suggests that the transition to OLED panels is likely to be slower than many in the industry believed a year ago, and according to analysts, the iPhone X with OLED display demand was weaker than their initial forecasts and is mainly due to its price tag at $999. Apple's top-selling models still pack LCD panels which include the iPhone 7, iPhone 8 starting at $699, and the 8 Plus ...
Xiaomi smartphone with model numbers M1804E4A, M1804E4T and M1804E4C have been certified by TENAA in China. This should be the Mi Max 3, successor of last year's Mi Max 2. According to the listing, the phone is said to pack a 6.99-inch Full HD+ 18:9 aspect ratio screen, will be powered by a 1.8GHz Octa-Core SoC (Should be Snapdragon 636) with up to 6GB of RAM, run Android 8.1 (Oreo) and pack a 12-megapixel rear camera with Sony IMX363 sensor, along with a secondary rear camera with AI portraits.
The phone is said to feature a metal body, fingerprint sensor on the back and a 5400mAh battery with support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 using bundled 18W charger.
Xiaomi Mi Max 3 rumored specifications
6.99-inch (2160 x 1080 pixels) Full HD+ IPS 2.5D curved glass display
1.8GHz Octa-Core Snapdragon 636 14nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 509 GPU
3GB RAM with 32GB, 4GB RAM with 64GB storage, 6GB RAM with 128GB storage
MIUI 9 based on Android 8.1 (Oreo), upgradable to MIUI 10
Dual SIM
12MP rear camera with Sony IMX363 sensor, 1.4µm pixel size, dual-tone LED flash, secondary rear camera
8MP front-facing camera
Fingerprint sensor
Dimensions: 176.15×87.4×7.99mm; Weight: 221g
4G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2.4 / 5GHz) MIMO, Bluetooth 5, GPS + GLONASS, USB ...
Google is finally bringing features to Android Messages application that many would appreciate. Google says that it is creating a messaging experience that would be available on multiple devices, and let you share whatever you want. One among the many features is rolling out is Android Messages for Web that lets you send and receive texts from your computer.
For Android Messages Web to work, you will have to be on the latest version of the Android Messages app. It sends SMS messages using a connection from your computer to your phone so that carrier fees will apply, just like on the mobile app. Like with many chat applications, you will have to scan the QR code, and it is unique to your computer and pairs the mobile app to that computer.
When you have unread messages, the Messages icon in your browser tab will show a red notification and the number of unread messages. Interestingly, Messages on Web has a dark mode which you can turn on from the settings menu. Now it also supports sending Gifs; you can tap the + button on the left-hand side of the compose bar to search for GIFs for your conversation. Smart Replies for Android Messages has ...
Google Datally app was launched back in November 2017 and today the company is rolling out a bunch of new features including guest mode, WiFi map, daily limit and more. Google claims that an average user saved 21% of their mobile data.
The new Guest Mode puts you in control when lending your phone. This lets you set the amount of data you’re okay to let another person use before you hand over your phone. The daily limit gives you the ability to decide how much data to use every day. You can set the maximum amount of data you want to spend per day, and get warnings when you’re about to bust through your limit. You can choose to block data for the rest of the day or keep going.
Unused Apps section in Datally app shows you the apps that you’re not using, but are taking up your precious data. With one tap, you can uninstall an unused app. Wi-Fi Map feature makes it easier way to find nearby Wi-Fi networks. You can even rate that network after you connect. All these features are rolling out from today through Google Play.
Source
Samsung is already making its own Exyons SoCs for its smartphones that are sold outside the U.S. however these CPUs ARM Mali GPUs. Now a job listing for Samsung SARC, its R&D center in Austin, Texas and ACL (Advanced Computing Lab) in San Jose reveals that Samsung is looking to make its own GPUs, starting from its budget phones, but it also plans to develop GPUs for autonomous driving, deep and machine learning.
The company's own GPUs will be self-designed, including architecture, software, ISA etc. Other from Qualcomm, SoC manufacturers including MediaTek, Huawei, Spreadrum and others use either ARM's Mali or Imagination Technologies' PowerVR GPUs for their processors. Samsung could eventually make its own GPUs for its high-end Exynos SoCs to compete with Apple.
The listing for GPU engineer says:
Our flagship GPUs will populate lower tier mobile devices while nextgen GPUs embrace evolving markets like autonomous driving and the power of machine/deep learning computations. This is Samsung’s proprietary IP. We will define the ISA, the architecture, the SW, the entire solution. Not many companies can claim this - We can.
Source 1, 2
Apple is expected to launch three iPhones later this year; a low-cost 6.1-inch iPhone, iPhone X second generation, and iPhone X Plus with a 6.5-inch screen. Apple iPhone X Plus and 6.1-inch entry-level iPhone schematics surfaced last week, and today we have a brand new hands-on video with dummy units of what appears to be the final design of the upcoming apps.
The‘final design’ schematics have been floating through the Asian supply chain over the last week, allowing for detailed 3D mockups to be created. The 5.8-inch iPhone X 2018 schematics measure 143.65 mm by 72.03 mm by 7.69 mm thick. This means that the upcoming iPhone X 2018 will be 1.1 mm wider. As for the 6.4-inch OLED iPhone, the schematics indicate dimensions of 157.53mm by 77.44 mm by 7.85 mm thick. It can be comparable to the iPhone 8 Plus which is about 1mm shorter and 1mm wider.
https://youtu.be/l-vYAHICKtg
This makes sense as the OLED model would adopt the same narrower aspect ratio as the current iPhone X. The 6.4-inch iPhone is 0.35 mm thicker and the report also states that the 6.4-inch iPhone X Plus will likely feature the same camera technology as the current iPhone X, with the TrueDepth sensor measuring in at ...
Starting iOS 12, iPhone users in the U.S. will be able to automatically and securely share their location data with first responders. This provides faster and more accurate information to help reduce emergency response times. Since more than 80% of 911 calls, today come from mobile devices, this move is indeed smart.
Since landline-era infrastructure is outdated for 911 centers to quickly and accurately obtain a mobile caller’s location, Apple launched HELO (Hybridized Emergency Location) in 2015, which estimates a mobile 911 caller’s location using cell towers and on-device data sources like GPS and WiFi Access Points. Today it announced that it would also use emergency technology company RapidSOS’s Internet Protocol-based data pipeline to quickly and securely share HELO location data with 911 centers, improving response time during an emergency.
The RapidSOS’s system will deliver the emergency location data of iOS users by integrating with many 911 centers’ existing software, which relies on industry-standard protocols. The company is also focusing on privacy, user data cannot be used for any non-emergency purpose, and only the responding 911 center will have access to the user’s location during an emergency call.
The FCC requires carriers to locate callers to within 50 meters at least 80% of ...
Google India just announced the launch of an extensive training network for journalists in India as a part of Google News Initiative. With this it aims to raise awareness against misinformation and provide new tools to journalists in their fight against fake news. This will provide training to 8000 journalists in English and six other Indian languages in the next one year.
For this, the Network will select 200 journalists from cities across India, who will hone their skills in verification and training during 5-day train-the-trainer boot camps that will be organised for English and six other Indian languages.
This network of certified trainers will train more journalists at 2-day, 1-day and half-day workshops organised by the Network. Training workshops will be conducted in English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Marathi and Kannada in cities across India.
"The focus of the training will be fact-checking, online verification and digital hygiene for journalists, using a curriculum built by experts from First Draft, Storyful, AltNews, BoomLive, Factchecker.in, and DataLeads," said Google
Language
Date
Location
Application deadline
English
July 30 - August 3
Gurugram
July 5
Hindi
August 20 -24
Gurugram
July 15
Kannada
August 27 - 31
Bengaluru
July 15
Tamil
September 17 - 22
Chennai
July 15
Telugu
November 19 - 22
Hyderabad
September 15
Marathi
December 3 - 7
Mumbai
September 15
Bengali
January 15 -19
Kolkata
September 15
Newsroom, press club or journalism collegees interested in joining and ...
Google is planning on fixing a bug on Chromecast TV streaming stick and Home that reveals user’s location. This bug lets a website collect precise user location data, according to a report from security reporter Brian Krebs. This bug exploits a loophole in Google’s systems to cross-check a list of nearby wireless networks with Google’s precise geolocation look-up services.
By using the location gained by the nearby Wi-Fi networks through a Google Home or Chromecast, malicious websites can triangulate a user’s location. Since these devices barely need any authentication from third parties to receive data on local networks, they exploit the generous permissions to collect any sensitive data.
https://youtu.be/ESS_D6P26zQ
It is common for Web sites to keep a record of the numeric Internet Protocol (IP) address of all visitors, and these addresses can be used in combination with online geolocation to glean information about each visitor’s hometown or region. However, this type of location information is often quite imprecise. This is typically not the case with Google’s geolocation data, which includes comprehensive maps of wireless network names around the world, linking each individual Wi-Fi network to a corresponding physical location.
This gives Google an advantage to determine a user’s location to within a few feet by triangulating the user between several nearby mapped Wi-Fi ...
OPPO is all set to introduce its flagship Find X smartphone at a global event in Paris, France later today. The company has sent out invites for the launch of a smartphone in India on July 12. Even though the invite doesn't say that it will be the Find X, the caption "Find what you have have been looking for until now" hints at the launch of the next-generation Find series smartphone.
Recent leaks confirmed the specifications and the design of the smartphone. OPPO also confirmed that the Find X will feature a 93.8% screen-to-body ratio screen.
Even images that have surfaced clearly shows unique slider design to hide both the front and rear cameras. The phone is rumored to feature a 6.3-inch Full HD+ AMOLED 19:5:9 aspect ratio display, powered by Snapdragon 845 with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, run Android 8.1 (Oreo) with ColorOS 5.1, pack a 16-megapixel rear camera with a secondary 20-megapixel rear camera, 25-megapixel front-facing camera and a 3645mAh battery with VOOC fast charging.
The OPPO Find X global launch event in Paris starts at 8:45PM on June 19th (12:15 AM IST on June 20th). The company will also offer live stream, which you can watch in the link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtidDa-V98g
We should ...
[caption id="attachment_256236" align="aligncenter" width="573"] Image: The Verge[/caption]
OPPO will introduce its flagship Find X smartphone at a global event in Paris, France later today. Now The Verge has posted hands-on impressions of the smartphone that reveals all the specifications. As rumoured, the phone features a pop-up front and rear cameras that are motorized, so it doesn't have a notch for the 6.4-inch Full HD+ AMOLED screen. It still has narrow bezels on the top for the earpiece. The phone also has 3D facial scanning system for biometric authentication, and will not come with a fingerprint sensor or 5x dual-camera zoom.
[caption id="attachment_256241" align="aligncenter" width="574"] Image: The Verge[/caption]
The phone has a 16-megapixel rear camera along with a 20-megapixel secondary rear camera that can open on 0.5 seconds. It has a glass back, but it doesn't have wireless charging for its 3,730mAh battery, instead it uses its own VOOC fast charging technology. This also confirms 256GB storage, in addition to 128GB storage.
[caption id="attachment_256240" align="aligncenter" width="574"] Image: The Verge[/caption]
OPPO Find X specifications
6.4-inch (2340 x 1080 pixels) Full HD+ AMOLED 19:5:9 2.5D curved glass display
2.5GHz Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 10nm Mobile Platform with Adreno 630 GPU
8GB RAM, 128GB / 256GB storage
Android 8.1 (Oreo) with ...
HMD Global announced the Nokia 5.1, successor of last year’s Nokia 5 last month. After Bluetooth certification, Nokia smartphone with the model number TA-1109 has been certified by TENAA. This could be released as Nokia X5 in China and Nokia 5.1 Plus in other markets. This reveals a 5.86-inch HD+ 2.5D curved glass display with 19:9 aspect ratio and a notch, and it will be powered by a 2GHz Octa-Core SoC with up to 6GB of RAM.
This could be a MediaTek SoC, same as the Nokia 5.1. It also has dual rear cameras, fingerprint sensor on the back and a glass back, similar to the Nokia X6.
Nokia 5.1 Plus / X5 (TA-1109) rumored specifications
5.86-inch ( 720×1520 pixels) HD+ 2.5D curved glass 19:9 aspect ratio display
2GHz Octa-Core processor
3GB RAM with 32GB internal memory, 4GB / 6GB RAM with 64GB internal storage, expandable memory up to 128GB with microSD
Android 8.1 (Oreo) OS, upgradable to Android P
Dual SIM
13MP rear camera with LED Flash, PDAF, secondary rear camera
8MP front-facing camera
3.5mm audio jack, FM Radio
Fingerprint sensor
Dimensions: 149.51×71.98×8mm; Weight: 160g
4G VoLTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS
3000mAh battery
The Nokia 5.1 Plus / X5 is expected to come in Black, Blue ...
Google today has launched the Podcasts Android application and it comes packed with AI-based personalized recommendations, discover and listen to favorite podcasts. Google is also partnering with industry experts to improve diversity in podcast creation and transform podcasting for the better.
It also comes integrated with the Google Assistant across your devices and with Google Podcasts, you can listen and subscribe to any podcast, including popular shows like The Daily, Cyrus Says, Modern Love, Lage der Nation, The Bill Simmons Podcast, and many more. Google Podcasts uses AI to offer recommendations based on your listening habits.
Google Podcasts seamlessly syncs across a variety of Google products, including the Google Assistant. So you can easily play the Podcast you are listening from the phone and resume it on your Google Home later. Google also mentioned that it will integrate Google Podcasts into more Google products. As for those who are hosting the Podcast, it will include prompt Google to index new podcasts as quickly as possible, generate a direct link to your podcast, download the Google Podcasts brand assets for sharing on your website, track analytics that come from Google Podcasts.
Google says that it will introduce AI based features like speech-to-text technology, automatic subtitling, Google Translate, subtitles in a wide variety of languages, ...
