Tech Nuggets with the Technology

Monday, January 14, 2019

Fortnite Was Nintendo Switch's Most Played Game of 2018 in Europe

Fortnite on Nintendo Switch was the most played game on Nintendo's console in Europe. Nintendo released information regarding the most played games on the Nintendo Switch and it seems that Epic Games'... http://bit.ly/2RvJXhf

Google Kills Chromecast Audio but You Can Still Buy One Till Stocks Last

Google has confirmed it will stop manufacturing its Chromecast Audio, a simple dongle that helped convert dumb speakers into smart wireless speakers. http://bit.ly/2FqhuTh

Sony to Restructure Its Mobile Division: Report

The reshuffle heralds a fresh strategy for Sony Mobile. http://bit.ly/2VU38iW

More than half of customers will shop for food online by 2021

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Global hyperscale datacentre growth boom set to continue into 2019, Synergy Research shows

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Fife Council upgrades WAN to offer ultrafast broadband services

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Interview: Andy Berks, digital product director, ASOS

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AWS ‘does not dominate’ cloud market, claims Amazon’s UK public policy chief

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Verizon Game Streaming Service in Development: Report

After Google, Microsoft, Sony, and Amazon, Verizon too has its eyes on the nascent game streaming market. http://bit.ly/2RL1GQU

Samsung Galaxy A7 2018, Galaxy A9 2018 discounted in India

Highlights: Samsung Galaxy A7 and the Galaxy A9 smartphones are now discounted in India. The Galaxy A7 now starts at Rs 18,990. The Galaxy A9 now starts at Rs 33,990. Samsung has discounted its Galaxy A7 (2018) and the Galaxy A9 (2018) smartphones in India. Offline retailer Mahesh Telecom tweeted out the news and the new handsets are being sold at the discounted prices online as well. The 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant of the Samsung Galaxy A7 is now available for Rs 18,990, down from its launch price of Rs 23,990. The 6GB RAM model of the phone was launched at Rs 28,990 but it will now be available at Rs 22,990. Coming to the Galaxy A9, the smartphone comes in 6GB and 8GB RAM models with 128GB of storage space and was launched priced at Rs 36,990 and Rs 39,990 respectively. The 6GB RAM variant is now available at Rs 33,990 and its 8GB RAM model at Rs 36,990. Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) specs: The Samsung Galaxy A9 sports a 6.3-inch full-HD+ Super AMOLED Infinity Display with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC and as mentioned earlier, comes in 6GB and 8GB RAM options with 128GB of internal storage. The highlight of the device is its four rear-camera setup, which includes a 24MP primary sensor with an f/1.7 aperture, a 10MP telephoto sensor with an f/2.4 aperture and 2x optical zoom, an 8-MP ultra-wide sensor with 120-degree field of view with an f/2.4 aperture, and finally a 5MP depth sensor with an f/2.2 aperture. On the front, the Galaxy A9 (2018) sports a 24MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture. It is equipped with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and is backed by a 3800mAh battery that supports fast charging. Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) specs: The Samsung Galaxy A7 features a 6-inch full-HD+Super AMOLED Infinity Display with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio. It runs on a Samsung Exynos 7885 SoC and comes in 4GB and 6GB RAM models. The smartphone features a triple-rear camera setup with a 24MP autofocus sensor along with an f/1.7 aperture, an 8MP ultra-wide sensor with an f/2.4 aperture, and a 5MP depth-sensor with a fixed focus lens sporting an f/2.2 aperture. On the front, the Galaxy A7 (2018) sports a 24MP fixed-focus camera sensor with an f/2.0 aperture and an LED flash. The device is powered by a 3300mAh battery. Related Reads: Samsung Galaxy A7 2018 Review Samsung Galaxy A9 first impressions http://bit.ly/2M8m6y5

Apples 2018 performance in India pegged disastrous by analysts

Highlights: Shrinking iPhone shipments in 2018 could be Apple India’s worst performance since 2014. Performance attributed to skyrocketing price and competition from Chinese companies. Local manufacturing of iPhones “won’t move the needle” in favour of Apple. The high cost of iPhones and the intense competition from Chinese smartphone makers is attributed as the reasons for Apple’s worst performance since 2014 in India - one of the fastest-growing smartphone market in the world, analysts have said. According to a report in The Economic Times, iPhone shipments in the country last year are estimated to have shrunk by as much as half from a record level in 2017. Citing Hong Kong-based market research firm Counterpoint Research, the report said that Apple’s India shipments were pegged at 1.6-1.7 million in 2018, while CyberMedia Research predicted them at nearly 2 million, which are both lower than 3.2 million in 2017. According to analysts, highly priced iPhones were unable to compete with rivals, including OnePlus, which offer better features at half or even a third of the cost of iPhones. Apple shipped about 400,000 iPhones in October-December, Neil Shah, Research Director at Counterpoint Research was quoted as saying. The firm also said that the sales of new iPhones (XR/XS/XS MAX) in November were down over 20 percent as compared to last year’s iPhone launches (8/8 Plus/X) even as the iPhone XR series outsold its powerful peers. In comparison, OnePlus, the leader in the premium segment, shipped an estimated 500,000 units. “Apple had been rising every year until 2017… the 2018 shipments will be at the level of 2014-15, setting them three years back in a market that has grown 50 percent between 2014-15 and 2018,” Shah added. Counterpoint Research says that India’s smartphone market almost doubled to 150 million units in 2018 from about 80 million in 2014. Comparatively, Apple’s shipments have risen to 1.6-1.7 million (1.2 percent market share) last year as compared to 1.5 million in 2014. The analysts went on to say that even the EMI schemes, zero down-payment and cashback plans failed to attract customers to the $1,000 new iPhone models. While talking to CNBC recently, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that Apple’s India business grew from $100-200 million a few years ago to over $2 billion in 2016 and flattened out after that. Apple considers India an important market but still doesn’t want to sell cheaper iPhone in India. “For Apple, 2018 has been a disastrous year in India… while Apple is still the favoured aspirational brand in India, it has definitely slipped. In comparison, the Android smartphone market in India is one that is thriving and full of innovation,” Prabhu Ram, Head of Industry Intelligence Group at CyberMedia Research (CMR), was quoted as saying. The firm anticipates nearly 45 percent year-on-year decline in iPhone shipments in the fourth quarter of 2018. In its previous report, Counterpoint Research ascribed the lengthening replacement cycle as one of the reasons for the sales decline in the US and Europe. The decline in emerging markets like the Asia Pacific is claimed to be due to the higher price when compared to the pricing of the offerings from Chinese smartphone players. “Chinese brands have 30-40% cheaper pricing than Apple. It doesn’t make sense to pay sky-high prices for a product that doesn’t have new features,” Shah said, while adding that iPhones won’t even support 5G until 2020. Last year, a report claimed that Apple may begin assembling its top-end iPhones, like the ones which belong to the iPhone X family, in India through the locally established Foxconn unit from 2019 to take its “business in India to a new level.” However, Shah says that local manufacturing “won’t move the needle much since Indian consumers are happy with offerings by OnePlus because Apple doesn’t want to lose brand equity in India and may not slash prices.” Related Read: Apple CEO Tim Cook dismisses idea of cheap iPhones for India http://bit.ly/2ssOh1q