Today, Amazon has some pretty good deals on fully automatic washing machines. The products we’ve listed down below are from brands like Whirlpool, Samsung and more. BPL 6.2kg Fully-Automatic Top Load Washing Machine Price: Rs 14,990 Deal price: Rs 9,990 The BPL 6.2Kg Fully-Automatic Top Load Washing Machine comes with a stainless steel tub that ensures resistance to rust. The washing machine offers 10 wash programs to best meet your requirements. It also has Automatic Imbalance Correction feature that even out your clothes for optimizing cleaning. Click here to buy. Samsung 7Kg Fully-Automatic Top Load Washing Machine Price: Rs 28,490 Deal price: Rs 23,490 The Samsung 7Kg Fully-Automatic Top Load Washing Machine comes with Magic Filter that gathers up all the lint, fluff, and particles from your clothes in one place to prevent drainage pipe from getting clogged. The Eco Tub Cleaning Technology keeps the tub of this machine clean without the need to use harsh chemicals. Click here to buy. Mitashi 7.5kg Fully Automatic Top Load Washing Machine Price: Rs 17,990 Deal price: Rs 11,990 The Mitashi 7Kg Fully Automatic Top Load Washing Machine comes with Automatic Overload Protection that automatically detects whether the machine is overloaded or not. The machine also turns itself off as soon as a wash cycle finishes. It also has a 'Magic Filter' that prevents the drainage pipe from getting clogged. Click here to buy. Samsung 6.2kg Fully-Automatic Top Load Washing Machine Price: Rs 18,999 Deal price: Rs 15,029 The Samsung 6.2Kg Fully Automatic Top Load Washing Machine features Wobble technology that washes your clothes gently without decreasing the quality of the wash. It also has a Waterfall function that makes sure that the detergent is distributed evenly. Click here to buy. IFB 6.5kg Fully-Automatic Top Load Washing Machine Price: Rs 18,390 Deal price: Rs 15,248 The IFB 6.5Kg Fully Automatic Top Load Washing Machine comes with 3D Wash function, which ensures that water rotates in the drum 360 degrees. The machine is protected against voltage fluctuations as it stops automatically when there is a voltage fluctuation. Click here to buy.
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Google recently seeded the Google Keep app integration to Docs and has been pushing out timely new features and updates for the app as well. Now, the company is reportedly renaming the note-taking app to Keep Notes. It is neither a wildly imaginative name nor pressing news but it is out-of-the-blue, the company has decided to rebrand the app. The new name is yet to show up for the app on the Google Play Store and the same is true for its web version and the Google Docs integration. As per Android Police, there are no modifications or additions to the features of the app as it works the same but in case one can’t wait to get the rebranded version, its latest APK with the new name is available for download via APK Mirror. Google Keep is a fairly light-weight and feature rich app by the company. One can create a To-Do lists, label their notes, colour code them and more with the app. As mentioned earlier, Google recently integrated the quick-access panel with Google Keep, Tasks and Calendar with Docs. The panel was first rolled out for Gmail and the new feature enables users to directly access the three services without opening separate tabs. Additionally, the new side panel is now also available for Google Calendar and same as Gmail, the side panel stays minimised until a user clicks on the Tasks or Keep icon. Speaking of Gmail, its Android version now offers an option to unsend an email. The feature was earlier restricted to the email client’s Web version, but with the updated 8.7 version of its Android app, users will be able to undo a sent message. After sending an email, a notification will pop up at the bottom of the screen with “Sent” on the left corner and “Undo” on the right. This notification is displayed on the screen for a few seconds and tapping on the “Undo” option will stop the email from being sent and return you to the draft page. Gmail on on iOS and Android will also be soon updated with a ‘Confidential Mode’. Mails sent under Confidential mode expire after a set amount of time and recipients are also not allowed to forward, copy, print or download them. However, one can still capture screenshots of the mail to get around the restrictions. Additionally, recipients who have malicious programs installed on their computer may still be able to copy or download the sent messages or attachments. You can learn more about the feature here.
Huawei’s next flagship smartphones, the Huawei Mate 20 and Mate 20 Pro will be unveiled in London on October 16. While we already know that the phones will be powered by the company’s new Kirin 980 SoC, new leaks have given us glimpses into what you can expect from the smartphone. The first one comes courtesy of the guys over at XDA Developers who have torn down the camera app APK in the leaked build of EMUI 9. Some of the features they uncovered were that videos would now support artificial bokeh. Further, users will get the option to place shapes in the bokeh effects. Another feature is AI Zoom, which as per the report, automatically adjusts a videos zoom level to keep the subject centered. However, in order for this particular feature to work, XDA Developers notes that the video needs to be recorded in 1080p and the AI Cinema feature needs to be switched off. AI Cinema is also a new feature which would use the Kirin 980’s real-time object recognition into apply cinematic filters to videos in real time. Further, XDA Developers found references for something called Underwater Mode as well as a graphic for the feature. The graphic shows a smartphone in a plastic bag. While the name of the mode suggests a way for users to use or take photos underwater, it unlikely that Huawei is going to suggest users to place their phone in a waterproof bag in order to do so. Since a capacitive screen is unusable underwater, the teardown reveals that users will have to use the volume down button for a photo, and volume up for video. Coming to the second leak. This one comes from WinFuture.de which has posted a couple of photos of the company’s Freebuds 2 Pro, which is the company’s take on true wireless earphones like the Apple Airpods. In fact, they do seem to look a lot like the Airpods, even down to the case that they come in. However, WinFuture.de reports that the phone will be able to wirelessly charge the Huawei Freebuds 2 Pro earphones, which something that no other major smartphone manufacturer offers right now. The report notes that the new earphones will feature a built-in bone sensor that captures the user’s voice via bone condition. It will also be able to distinguish voices via AI technology. As far as dimensions go, the of the earbuds is said to weigh 4.1gm and is 43mm long and 18.6mm wide. It is tipped to offer 15 hours of battery like in standby mode and offer noise cancellation. The Freebuds 2 Pro are said to be priced around EUR 150 and EUR 160, which is roughly Rs 12,600 and Rs 13,500.
Google has introduced a new ‘Priority’ page in Google Drive which makes use of the company’s AI and machine learning algos to better sort and organise files, as well as make them easier to find. Priority in Drive uses AI to see what users are working on and suggest actions accordingly. It also automatically assembles users’ working sets of files into flexible workspaces, provides enhanced search based on users’ history and preferences, and makes it easy for users to find files associated with their latest collaborators. “The goal of Priority is to put your most important files in one place. Using machine learning, we identify the files that are high-priority for you to work on. When you open the page, you’ll see those files, along with comments and suggested actions,” Google wrote in a blogpost. “You’ll be able to reply to some comments directly through the Drive interface and open full documents with one click. This will help you spend less time searching for content and more time doing work that matters,” the company added. Adding files to workspaces within Priority will not change their storage location or permission settings, but just make them available in one place so they are easier to find and access. “Our studies show most users only work with around 10–20 files at any given time. Workspaces help make sure you can get to those files more efficiently. To build your workspace, you can use Drive's intelligent file suggestions or add files manually,” Google explained. The Priority page can be accessed from Google Drive’s left-hand navigation panel and is currently available in beta to G Suite users. Google will reportedly be rolling out the AI driven features more widely to all users at a later date.
Last week, Realme sent out invites to the media for the launch of its second smartphone, the Realme 2 Pro, after getting separated from Oppo. The launch of the Realme 2 Pro will take place at 12.30PM on September 27, which is a month after the company launched the Realme 2 at a starting price of Rs 8,990 in India. In the latest development, the company has discreetly announced on Twitter that the smartphone would be a Flipkart-exclusive device. It’s time for you to experience #MaxPowerMaxStyle! Brace yourself for the unveiling of #Realme2Pro at 12:30pm, 27th September! Excited? Tag your friends and share your excitement. pic.twitter.com/cqiE1LGI1F — Realme (@realmemobiles) September 20, 2018 At the end of the launch event of the Realme 2, Madhav Sheth, Chief Executive Officer of Realme India had teased the ‘Pro’ version of the smartphone but did not mention the exact date. The Realme 2 Pro is said to be a high-end version of the Realme 2 smartphone. Sheth reportedly said that the Realme 2 Pro will be priced below Rs 20,000 and that will come with a new SoC and improved design compared to the Realme 2. Realme 2 specifications The Realme 2 features a 6.2-inch HD+ display with a notch, 19:9 aspect ratio and 88.8 percent screen-body ratio. Realme 2 features a diamond-cutting design on the back which is made up of a scratch resistant 12-layer nano-tech composite material. There is a dual-camera and a fingerprint sensor on the back panel. The smartphone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 Octa-core processor and have Adreno 506 GPU. The Realme 2 has a built-in AI Gaming Acceleration to boost the performance during gaming sessions. The Realme 2 houses a 4,230mAh battery with AI Power Master technology which is claimed to smartly allocate resources for apps running in the foreground and in the background. Realme claims that the AI can reduces overall power consumption in between 5-11 percent without compromising the operations. When it comes to the camera, Realme has incorporated dual-cameras on the back with a 13MP main camera and a 2MP secondary lens setup. The front shooter has an AI-powered 8MP lens. The Realme 2 comes with an enhanced user interface ColorOS 5.1 atop Android 8.1 OS. Realme 2 smartphone The Realme 2 3GB RAM and 32GB storage variant is priced at Rs 8,990 and the 4GB RAM and 64GB storage model costs Rs 10,990. The Diamond Black and Diamond Red colours of the Realme 2 are available on Flipkart through flash sales, while the Diamond Blue colour will be available by early October. You can read our review of the Realme 2 here.
Apple recently rolled out the stable iOS 12 update for its mobile devices. Alongside the new improvements that it brings to the table, it also adds support for Google Maps with Apple Carplay. Well, the update doesn’t but the new Version 5.0 of Google Maps app for iOS brings the new functionality for iOS users. Now Apple users will finally have an alternative to Apple Maps and will be able to use a third-party mapping service, however, Google is the only one who has released the update that enables Maps with CarPlay. Additionally, the latest Apple Music app update for Android now enables it to work with Android Auto. The latest update for Apple Music for Android smartphones brings the functionality for it to work with Android Auto. There are already plenty of third-party music streaming apps like Saavn, Gaana, Spotify (not available yet in India) and more that work with Android Auto. However, if Apple Music is one’s choice of audio streaming service, then it is finally working on Android Auto. Keeping Android users’ preferences in mind, Apple has enabled micro SD card storage support on Apple Music as well, a feature that is not available on iOS. Alongside Android Auto compatibility,the Apple Music update will also allow users to search for a song by typing its lyrics into the search bar. The feature only works when searching for songs whose lyrics are available with Apple Music app’s database. An improved artist view is now available for the app that was rolled out for iOS earlier this month. Coming back to Google Maps support for CarPlay, one will not be able to command Siri to navigate and control the app. However, it comes with built-in voice control that can be activated by tapping a button. The new update for CarPlay was announced during WWDC 2018. The company announced that iOS users will finally be able to use third-party navigation apps like Google Maps, Waze and others. At Google IO 2018, the company released some new visual templates for developers. Android Auto was also updated with some new media search capabilities like searching for songs using Google Assistant and asking for a song's live version or a song with the same name but by a different artist. Group messaging and Rich Chat Services (RCS) were also rolled out for Android Auto. 
Apple has topped the global premium smartphone (price greater than $400) market and has captured 43 percent share as the segment grew faster than the overall smartphone market in the second quarter of 2018, Counterpoint Research’s Market Monitor Q2 2018 has said. The premium smartphone market in Q2 2018 was driven by increasing shipments from Chinese players, which have upgraded their flagships and are positioning them at a higher price point compared to their previous flagship models. The firm says that as these players grow outside China, premium portfolio can now help them tap the developed markets like Western Europe or the US. “The global, premium smartphone segment grew faster (+7 percent) than the overall smartphone segment (-1 percent) in Q2 2018. Growth was driven by increase in the shipments of Chinese players like Oppo, Vivo, Huawei, OnePlus and Xiaomi. The premium smartphone segment contributed to one fifth of the global smartphone market during Q2 2018. Close to 40 OEMs compete in the premium segment globally, out of which the top five players account for almost 88 percent of the sales,” the research firm said. Apple is followed by Samsung with 24 percent global premium market share; Chinese players follow the suit with Oppo capturing 10 percent, Huawei getting 9 percent, Xiaomi 3 percent and OnePlus grabbing 2 percent share. When it comes to the segmentation within the premium segment, the $400-$600 price-band proved to be the sweet spot as it contributed to 45 percent of the total premium segment sales by volume. Counterpoint Research claims that 95 percent of the premium smartphone OEMs have a presence in the $400-$600 segment. “Going forward we expect that competition in the $400-$600 segment will increase as Chinese brands, with their flagship offerings, are planning to expand their presence further,” the firm said. In the $400-$600 price band, Oppo was at the top with 22 percent share followed closely by Apple with 22 percent. Samsung with 16 percent share, Huawei with 14 percent, Xiaomi at 6 percent and OnePlus, which got 5 percent share, followed the suit. Interestingly, OnePlus was one of the fastest growing brands in the $400-$600 segment. Its sales were driven by India, China and the UK. In India, it surpassed Apple and Samsung to become the number 1 premium smartphone OEM during the quarter with 40 percent market share. It was also amongst the top five premium smartphone OEMs in France (No. 4), Germany (No. 4), Italy (No. 5), Netherlands (No. 4), Sweden (No. 3) and the UK (No. 4) due to strong initial sales of the OnePlus 6. In the $600-$800 band, Apple and Samsung contributed to 85 percent of the shipments while Huawei trailed by a big margin. In the $800+ segment, Apple clearly dominated with 88 percent share during the quarter. “Among the key Chinese brands in the premium segment, Huawei and OnePlus were the only brands with wider geographic reach. More than 95 percent of flagship sales for Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi happened in China, while Huawei and OnePlus flagship sales grew in parts of Europe. Apple and Samsung sales were driven by developed markets like the US, China, Japan, Korea and countries in Western Europe,” Counterpoint Research claimed.
Gaming smartphones are the breakout technology this year in smartphones. Razer kicked off the storm with the Razer phone and Xiaomi quickly followed up with the BlackShark phone. Asus also announced its ROG Phone and all the three phones have beefed up hardware ready to support any application or game you throw at them. Turns out, Nokia too wants to have a piece of that cake. And what’s more, it might come to India. Nokia India’s Twitter handle posted a teaser that said “Stay tuned for a phone you can #GameOn” along with a 10-second clip. The video shows a few gaming sequences and the outline for a smartphone with three lights behind it. There’s no further information given in the teaser. Nokia had mentioned its plans of making a gaming-centric phone earlier. It could very well be like a productivity-maximising product like Samsung’s Galaxy Note 9 that had Fortnite exclusivity for a few days. Leaks about two Nokia phones called the Nokia 9 and the Nokia X7 surfaced and this could be either of them. The Nokia 9 or the Nokia 8.1 is rumoured to sport five rear cameras and a 4,150mAh battery, based on an image that surfaced on Weibo. However, a new report claimed the launch of the flagship phone has been delayed globally till February 2019. The Nokia X7 or the Nokia 7.1 also surfaced in recent leaks. It showed a 6.9-inch panel with 1080p resolution along with a single camera setup up front. Surprisingly, there’s no notch. The Nokia X7 could be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710. Turns out, it might be smaller than the Nokia 7.1 Plus too. Whatever be the case, Nokia is touting the upcoming smartphone will be for mobile gamers. That could indicate a flagship processor like the Snapdragon 845 along with at least 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. If it is indeed made solely for gaming, there could also be a high-resolution display and considering Nokia’s legacy, a radical new design as well.
Two images of the alleged Nokia 7.1 Plus have been released and show that the smartphone may come with a 5.9-inch display, which is slightly smaller than its predecessor, the Nokia 7 Plus that sports a 6-inch screen. Both the phones have an LCD display and going by the leaks, the Nokia 7.1 Plus will also not sport a notch. The photos of the device have been leaked on Chinese microblogging website Weibo. According to the user who leaked the photos, the Nokia X7 (the Nokia 7.1 Plus is reportedly referred to as Nokia X7 in China) will retain the 2160x1080p resolution. The side bezels seen in the display panel are thin. The top bezel is expected to house a camera, proximity sensors and the earpiece. The user also claims that the smartphone is expected to launch at the end of October or early November. It is not clear whether the launch timing are for China or for the other countries. The Nokia 7.1 Plus will reportedly come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 chipset - an upgrade from the Nokia 7 Plus which is powered by the Snapdragon 660 SoC. The device is said to support 18W fast charging. It may feature an in-display fingerprint sensor and is expected to come under the Google's Android One programme in the international markets. There is also a speculation that the device will launch with the alleged Nokia 9, which has been reported to sport a penta-camera setup on the back. Recently, the launch of the alleged Nokia 9 was reportedly postponed to MWC next year. A Nokia community Twitter page in Russia claimed that the company’s Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas allegedly does not find the smartphone to be "perfect" for launch this year. You can visit here to read more about the smartphone.
It seems like PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) will finally be making its way to the Sony PlayStation 4. First spotted by Eurogamer, the PS4 version of the game has been rated by the Korean Game Rating Board, which suggests that the game’s console exclusivity to the Microsoft Xbox console might be coming to an end. While the link no longer seems to be working, the guys over at VG247 managed to get a screenshot of the page. Making the game available on a new console should rekindle an interest in the game after a steady decline in number over the course of the year. In fact, earlier this month, it was reported that the total daily player count went below a million for the first time since last year. The game is currently only available on the PC, Xbox and mobile, with the Xbox version being the only console version of the game. The game was recently made available as a full retail release after being available as game preview for quite a while. It should also be noted that the official website for the ‘Fix PUBG’ initiative only mentioned the PC and the Xbox versions. Hopefully, the developer will include all the improvements that were made as part of the initiative for the PS4 release. Meanwhile, PUBG’s chief competitor, Fortnite Battle Royale is available almost everywhere. This includes, PCs, mobile, Xbox and the PlayStation 4. The game was recently released on Android, but after being exclusive to Samsung devices for a few days, it was released for other devices. However, only select devices support the game right now. Besides Fortnite, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and Battlefield V will offer battle royale modes. 
Google is bringing its cloud storage subscription service, Google One to India soon. The company announced the imminent launch of Google One through a blogpost saying that the service would become active in India over the next few weeks. With Google One, users can get extra cloud storage across Drive, Gmail, and Photos at cheaper prices. “We've improved the price of some of our plans and added new plan options, ranging from 100GB to 30TB, you can choose the plan that’s right for you,” Google said in its post. Beyond the 15GB free cloud storage that Google already offers its users, if one wants to purchase additional cloud storage, Google One will offer more cost effective plans compared to the current prices. Google has not revealed India prices for Google One plans, but in the US, the company offers 100GB storage at $1.99 a month, 200GB at $2.99 per month and 2TB storage at $9.99 per month, and so on. Google One members can also share their cloud storage plan with up to five additional family members, who will also have access to all the benefits of the programme. Additionally, Google One members will get access to a team of Google experts 24/7 to answer any questions related to file recovery, accidental deletion, and other general queries regarding Google’s products. Members are also eligible for other benefits such as deals on hotels listed in Google Search, Google Play Store credits and more. Those who have already purchased Drive storage plans will be updated to Google One automatically over the next few weeks. “Look out for an email confirming your upgrade to Google One, where you can manage your storage plan and benefits. The way you use Drive to store and share files doesn’t change,” Google wrote in its post. Alternatively, users can also sign up for an update to know when Google One becomes available in India.
As the OnePlus 6T launch draws nearer, more information about the smartphone is leaking out. The name of the handset is now finally officially confirmed and the latest barrage of leaks reveal the device’s rear panel, tipping at the absence of a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and at the presence of an in-display fingerprint sensor. The OnePlus 6T is now confirmed to be an Amazon exclusive in India and the recently announced wired Type-C Bullets headphones will also be launched soon, as per Amazon’s teaser page. All the announcements are official, except for the leaked images of the device’s rear panel, which suggest that OnePlus is most likely to stick with a dual rear camera setup instead of the rumoured triple cameras. The leaked image reveals that the OnePlus 6T could come with a Mirror Black finish rear panel. Posted by Winfuture.de, the image suggests that the device could ship a vertically stacked dual-rear camera setup on the rear and there might not be a rear mounted fingerprint sensor. However, previous reports and a new Amazon teaser suggest that the smartphone will sport an in-display fingerprint sensor, so this is not much of a surprise. The same has been teased by Amitabh Bachan in the first ad of the smartphone. He also holds the device in his hands, partially revealing its rear panel but hiding the spot where the fingerprint sensor used to be in its predecessors. Amazon’s teaser image for the device shows a wavy pattern in the background, which is again speculated to be a subtle hint at the presence of an in-display fingerprint sensor. Coming to the Type-C Bullets headphones, the company recently announced that the beloved 3.5mm headphone jack is being killed off in the OnePlus 6T. The company’s co-founder Carl Pei confirmed the news and said that the new headphones featuring a USB Type-C connector will be priced at Rs 1,490 in India and will be available across online and offline channels. Coming to the specs of the OnePlus 6T, it is rumoured to feature a 6.4-inch AMOLED screen with 2340x1080p resolution and a 91.5% screen to body ratio. It might feature a waterdrop notch display on top and is expected to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC, with the Adreno 630 GPU. As per the new leaks, it might not ship with a triple camera setup and could feature a 25MP front camera. It’s expected to be launched in a 6GB/8GB RAM version with options to select from 64GB/128GB/256GB of internal storage. The company recently started seeding the third Android Pie based Open Beta for the OnePlus 6 and the OnePlus 6T is expected to launch running on its stable version with OxygenOS layered on top. The smartphone is expected to be priced at $550 (Rs 38,000 approx).
Google India has finally brought Family Link to India. The service originally launched in March of 2017 and was available only in very select locations. After asking Google for over a year about when they would launch the service in India, the day has finally arrived. In case you’re wondering what Family Link is, its Google’s way of letting parents establish some level of control over their child’s smartphone usage. For Family Link to work, you need to create an e-mail for your child, who must be under the age of 13. Once created, you install the Family Link app on your child’s phone (which must be set up using the Child’s Gmail ID) and also install it on your (the parent) device. Once you add the child account to your Family Link app, you can establish a number of controls. You can set limits on the time spent on each app and total screen time allowed. You can also approve or disaprove app purchases, along with being able to remotely lock the phone if need be. At a time when digital addiction is increasingly becoming a worry, both Apple and Google are doing their part. There has been a growing concern over the excessive amount of time children are spending on their digital devices, leading to a whole host of issues which researchers in the medical field are just starting to explore. Physiologically, excessive time spent on digital devices has already been shown to alter sleep cycles adversely and also impact the bone structure in the hand. Psychological impacts are still under assessment, but some studies have started to link facets of smartphone usage to issues like body dysmorphic disorder and even depression. Anecdotal observations also seem to suggest that children have become far less social in comparison to previous generations and this could potentially lead to problems in social interactions. Apple investors had written an open letter to Apple earlier this year, pleading that they introduce better parental controls than those that existed at the moment. With iOS 12, Apple introduced Screen Time, which allows users to track their own app usage, set limits etc, but also do the same for a child account that’s part of the iCloud Family. Both Family Link from Google and Screen Time from Apple offer very similar controls, but with a few minor differences. We will explore the efficacy of both the control systems in the coming days to help you decide which if a better option for your kid. For Family Link to work, the child device must be running Android 5.1 and above and for the parental control device, the smartphone must be running Android 4.4 and above.
Xiaomi has announced that the Red colour variant of the Mi A2 is now available on its e-store Mi.com and e-commerce giant Amazon India from 12PM today. In Madrid, Spain the Chinese tech giant unveiled the phone in three colours, but in India, it decided to bring the Mi A2 in four colours - Gold, Lake Blue, Black and Rose Gold. The Red variant is the fifth colour option for the Mi A2 in the India lineup. The development was announced by Xiaomi on Twitter. The smartphone first went on flash sale on August 16. REDefine your style! #MiA2 Red Edition goes on sale tomorrow on https://t.co/D3b3Qt4Ujl & @amazonIN. #UpgradeToA2 pic.twitter.com/2fgPGbVYdQ — Mi India (@XiaomiIndia) 19 September 2018 The 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant of the Xiaomi Mi A2 is priced at Rs 16,999 and Xiaomi's India Managing Director, Manu Kumar Jain, has announced that the company will launch a 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant in India soon. A successor to the Mi A1, this is Xiaomi’s second smartphone under the Android One programme. Xiaomi Mi A2 Specifications The Xiaomi Mi A2 features an aluminum chassis and sports a 5.99-inch Full HD+ display with an aspect ratio of 18:9. The display is protected by last year’s flagship Corning Gorilla Glass 5 and the phone is powered by an Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset clocked at 2.2GHz. It has the fingerprint sensor and a vertically stacked dual-camera setup on the back. The dual-camera system on the Mi A2 features a primary 12MP Sony IMX486 sensor having 1.25 micron pixels and a secondary 20MP Sony IMX376 sensor for portrait photography. Both the lenses have f/1.75 aperture. There is a 20MP front camera with a Sony IMX376 sensor and Xiaomi's Super Pixel Technology. It runs on the Android Oreo 8.1 and since the phone has launched under Google’s Android One programme, customers will get unlimited high-quality photo storage on Google Cloud, as well as monthly security updates and at least two major OS software updates. The Mi A2 will be one of the first phones to receive the Android Pie update when it's rolled out later this year. You can read our review of the smartphone here.
At the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max launch earlier last week, Apple claimed longer battery life in all the three new iPhones, but didn’t reveal the exact battery capacities, along with some other crucial information. Now, thanks to a TENAA listing, the battery capacities are now revealed. The Chinese regulatory listing reveal the iPhone XS packs a smaller battery than its predecessor. There is a 2658mAh battery inside the iPhone XS as compared to the 2716mAh in the iPhone X. Despite a smaller battery, Apple claimed 30 minutes longer battery life on the iPhone XS than the iPhone X. The iPhone XS can reportedly provide 20 hours of talk time, 12 hours of internet usage, 14 hours of video playback and 60 hours of audio playback. Interestingly, the cheaper iPhone XR has a larger battery. Apple claimed the iPhone XR will last the longest among the three with 90 minutes longer battery life than the iPhone 8 Plus. There’s a 2942mAh battery inside the iPhone XR as compared to the 2691mAh battery in the iPhone 8 Plus. Lastly, the iPhone XS Max has the largest battery ever to be integrated in the iPhone. A 3174mAh battery underneath the giant slab of glass. The iPhone Xs Max, claims Apple, can provide up to 25 hours of talktime, 13 hours of internet usage, 15 hours of video playback, 65 hours of wireless audio playback and can also charge 50 percent in just 30 minutes. Earlier, a listing on Geekbench revealed the iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max both have 4GB of RAM. The new iPhones are powered by the new 7nm Apple A12 Bionic chipset that has a dedicated eight-core co-processor for AI workloads. The iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max rocks an OLED display while the iPhone XR has a LCD panel. All the three phones sport upgraded cameras that can now control the amount of bokeh you want in the photo. The new iPhones also support Dual SIM with Dual Standby. The iPhone XS and the iPhone XS Max start from Rs 99,900 and Rs 1,09,900 respectively while the iPhone XR is more affordable with prices starting from Rs 76,900.
OnePlus announced that it is working on a TV. No details are known about the product, not even the name. But speaking of the name, OnePlus is looking towards its community to christen its TV. On its official website, OnePlus has said, “To kick off this journey, we ask for your help in giving our TV product something truly special: a NAME.” There are of course prizes involved in case your name suggestion is used. Interested? Well, read on to know how to enter! Those interested can enter their proposed name for the OnePlus TV here before October 17. A person can suggest multiple names, but only one name per entry. On October 31, the OnePlus team will choose their favourite 10 suggestions. Each of these 10 favourites will get a pair of OnePlus Bullets Wireless. These aren’t the finalists though. 10 finalists will also be chosen, and 1 grand-prize winner will be chosen by the OnePlus team. The winner will be announced before December 17, 2018. We presume that OnePlus will launch its smart TV sometime early next year. If the winning name is selected from the suggestions, the user who suggested the winning name will receive one of the first OnePlus TVs and one round-trip airfare and hotel to the first OnePlus TV launch event. As far as rules for entering the contest are concerned, participants can suggest as many names as they like, but are only eligible to win ONE pair of OnePlus Bullets Wireless headset. If a winning name was proposed more than once, the user who suggested the name first will be selected as the winner. As we’ve mentioned above, there is no information available about the OnePlus TV. However, we can expect it launch with a bunch of AI features. Considering the boom of budget 4K TVs erupting in the market, we think it will be a 4K TV. It is also possible that the TV will sport HDR. We hope the TV runs on Android out of the box, if Android is the chosen OS. However, we hope that it doesn’t sport AOSP (Android Open Source Platform). With AOSP, you will get mobile versions of streaming apps like Prime Videos and Netflix. This means that if the TV supports 4K, the streaming apps will not be able to take advantage of the capabilities of the display. Also, the UI of these streaming apps will be a little cumbersome to use.
Nikon has expanded its portfolio in India with the launch of the Nikon Z7 and Nikon Z6 Full Frame Mirrorless cameras. Alongside the cameras, the company has also unveiled the Nikkor Z S-line lenses and the FTZ mount adapter. While the two FX-format cameras are near identical in terms of design, they differ in their sensor resolution, number of focus points, ISO range and a few other small features. There are three new lenses as well, the first one is the Nikkor Z 24-70mm f/4 S, while the Nikkor Z 35mm f/1.8 S is a wide-angle lens. Finally, the company has also introduced the standard prime Nikkor Z 50mm f/1.8 S lens. All the three S line lenses are interchangeable. The Nikkor Z lenses and the Nikon Z7 camera will be available for purchase in India starting September 27, while the Nikon Z6 will be available later in November. The Nikon Z7 is priced at Rs 2,69,950 for the body only, while buying it with the Nikkor Z 24-70mm F/4 S and the Mount Adapter FTZ Kit will cost you Rs 3,26,950. The Nikon Z6 body-only is priced at Rs 1,69,950, and purchasing it with the Nikkor Z 24-70mm F/4 S and the Mount Adapter FTZ Kit will cost Rs 2,26,950. The prices are in the range of what we previously speculated. You can refer to the table below for exact pricing on the various kit options and individual lens pricing as well. Talking about the specifications, both the Nikon Z7 and Z6 feature a backside illuminated CMOS sensor, with focal-plane phase-detection AF pixels. The Z7 comes equipped with a 45.7MP sensor and sports an ISO range of 64-25600. On the other hand, the Nikon Z6 gets a 24.5MP sensor and supports an ISO range between 100-51200. Additionally, there is a considerable difference in the number of focus points the two devices come with. The Z7 sports 493 focus points, while the Z6 has 273 focus points, both with 90 percent viewfinder coverage. The two cameras feature the new Expeed 6 image-processing engine and sport a 3.2-inch touchscreen. With the Nikon Z7, one will get the advantage of 12fps burst speed as compared to the 9 fps on the Z6. Both the cameras feature an EVF resolution of 3.6M, come equipped with a 5-axis image stabilisation, single XQD card slot and even weigh the same at 585g. They both can record 4:2:2 10-bit 4K video at 3840x2160p resolution at 30 fps. You can read our first impressions of the Nikon Z7 and the Nikon Z6 here. While it may appear that Nikon is not launching too many lenses with the new cameras, they have outlined a full roadmap of the upcoming lenses. The roadmap reveals a total of 12 lenses that the company hopes to have available by the year 2020. Of all the lenses, probably the most highly anticipated lens is the Nikkor 58mm f/0.95 Noct, the brightest lens available for a modern-day imaging system. The lens is expected to be released later in 2019.
Expanding its X Series mirrorless camera range, Fujifilm India has launched its latest mirrorless camera, the Fujifilm X-T3 in Black and Silver colours in India. The body of the camera is priced at Rs 117,999 and if you purchase it with an 18-55mm lens, it’ll cost you Rs 149,999. The X-T3 battery grip is available for a price of Rs 25,999. The camera features the new X-Trans CMOS 4 sensor and X-Processor 4 image processing engine. “It is a proud moment for us to announce the much-awaited Fujifilm X-T3 mirrorless digital camera in the same year which marks our 10th anniversary in India. As we celebrate this success today, we are also gearing up for the next big leap towards new goals, one of which is to achieve 30 percent market share in the Indian mirrorless market in the next 3-4 years. X-T3 is our step towards that endeavour and we at Fujifilm are confident that the new X-T3 will receive the same recognition and acceptance received by its predecessors,” Haruto Iwata, Managing Director, Fujifilm India Pvt. Ltd, said in a statement. The X-Trans 4 sensor is a back-illuminated 26MP resolution APS-C sensor and is claimed to ship with more than four times the number of phase detection pixels than current models. It has the lowest sensitivity of ISO160 and the low-light autofocus limit has also been extended to -3EV, enabling accurate focusing even in low light conditions, Fujifilm claims. The X-Trans CMOS 4 has 2.16M phase detection pixels increasing the phase detection AF area to entire frame (approx. 100%). Fujifilm says that the X-T3 has an improved AF performance which offers 1.5 times faster-processing speed than current models delivers blackout-free continuous shooting of up to 30 fps while using smooth Live View of 60fps to check the subject. It also supports 4K/60P 4:2:0 10bit internal SD card recording as well as 4K/60P 4:2:2 10bit HDMI output. The X Processor 4 engine has four CPU units to achieve image processing speed about three times faster than that of current models, the company notes. According to Fujifilm, the engine is the world’s first to deliver 4K/60P 10bit output and is also capable of instantaneously handling complex image processing tasks such as FUJIFILM’s “Color Chrome Effect” and “Monochrome Adjustment” function, among others. When it comes to design, the X-T3 inherits X-T2’s design features such as the positioning of dials on the top panel, central viewfinder style for an added sense of stability, and excellent grip design for comfort. The X-T3 uses a touch screen panel which is claimed to have a higher contrast, wider viewing angle and better operability than those in previous models to enable intuitive operation. A headphone jack is also provided on the camera body so that all accessories required for video recording, such as microphone and HDMI devices can be centrally connected to the body for added mobility in videography. The terminal cover is removable for connectivity for HDMI cables, microphones, headphones. The USB terminal supports USB Type-C (USB3.1 Gen1) specifications.
It looks like Apple came very close to delaying the launch of the Watch Series 4. According to a report by FastCompany, the Watch’s FDA classification letters were sent to Apple on September 11, while the launch was on September 12. Any further delay to those letters, and there could have been a very good chance that Apple would have to delay the launch of the Watch Series 4 as the ECG features was one of the main highlights of the device. During the presentation, Apple’s COO, Jeff Williams announced that the the Watch Series 4’s ECG Technology had received clearance from the FDA. Without those letters, he wouldn’t be able to say that. An ECG detects irregularities in a person's heartbeats (arrhythmias) and any such device requires approval from the FDA, at least in the US. The report notes that the FDA didn’t check the ECG hardware of the smartwatch, but rather two apps. The first app is called the ‘Irregular Rhythm Notification Feature’ and looks at the Apple Watch wearer’s heartbeat rhythm and can send a notification if it detects patterns related to atrial fibrillation or some other arrhythmia. The second app is called the electrocardiograph software for over-the-counter use by the FDA and it creates an electrocardiograph and provides analysis on whether it shows signs of cardiac arrhythmias. However, as per the report, the device is not intended to provide a diagnosis. FastCompany’s report goes on to state that the FDA has also put clear limitations on how the app should be used. “The ECG data displayed by the ECG app is intended for informational use only. The user is not intended to interpret or take clinical action based on the device output without consultation of a qualified healthcare professional . . . The ECG app is not intended for use by people under 22 years old.” It should be noted that when the app goes on sale in the US on September 21, it will not come with the ECG app. This will be provided via an OTA update. Further, the app is only available in the US, and it’s quite possible that the company is waiting for approval from each countries respective medical authorities before bringing the feature to the the Watch Series 4 in other countries. 
Last year, Chrome added WebVR support so that one could surf VR enabled websites. However, Mozilla has released its Firefox Reality web browser that is designed from scratch to work on stand-alone virtual and augmented reality (or mixed reality) headsets. It is now available for download in the Viveport, Oculus, and Daydream app stores. The new web browser is aimed at enabling users to surf the internet in a 3D environment and is said to deliver “immersive content experiences.” The new browsers uses the company’s Quantum engine for mobile browsers and users will be able to switch “seamlessly” between surfing the web from 2D to 3D and vice-versa. Andre Vrignaud, Head of Mixed Reality Platform Strategy at Mozilla says, “We had to rethink everything, including navigation, text-input, environments, search and more. This required years of research, and countless conversations with users, content creators, and hardware partners. The result is a browser that is built for the medium it serves. It makes a big difference, and we think you will love all of the features and details that we’ve created specifically for a MR browser.” The browser also comes with voice search capabilities using microphones that come built into VR and AR headsets so that navigation around the web is easier. The browser places a higher emphasis on content and as such, when a user boots it up, they will be shown experiences that can be directly viewed on a VR headset. “We are working with creators around the world to bring an amazing collection of games, videos, environments, and experiences that can be accessed directly from the home screen,” states Mozilla. This is the version 1.0 of the browser and version 1.1 is said to be in the pipeline with new features on the way like bookmarks, support for 360-degree videos, logging into a Firefox account and more. 
