Tech Nuggets with the Technology

Sunday, September 1, 2019

Apple is now offering free cracked screen replacements for seletced models of the Apple Watch 3

If you own an Apple Watch 2 or 3, then you might want to be a little careful with its screen. In a statement by the San Cupertino giant, they said, “Under very rare circumstances, a crack may form along the rounded edge of the screen in aluminium models of an Apple Watch Series 2 or Series 3”. The company admitted the fault in the Apple Watch models and offered free fixes for the issue.

If you’re in India, then we assume that an Apple authorized service provider will replace the screen on units that are cracked. These screens will be replaced free of charge, provided they exhibit these specific types of cracks. If you’re not sure if your Apple Watch is eligible to have its screen replaced, head on over to Apple’s official website where they’ve listed out all the models that have been affected by this problem.

Apple says that the watch will be repaired and returned in approximately five business days. Apple also has a handy guide on what steps you should follow before you send your watch in for repair, right here.

One of the company’s most sought-after products, the Apple Watch was not always viewed as a successful wearable. After a few stumbles in 2015, the Apple Watch is now one of Apple’s most popular devices.

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Ars To-Be-Read: Space operas, platypus papers, and more books to read this fall

How the NFL—not the NSA—is impacting data gathering well beyond the gridiron

Video shot and edited by Christopher Schodt. (video link)

SANTA CLARA, Calif.—As guards were going so far as to check inside NFL fans' wallets as part of routine security measures before a recent preseason game at Levi's Stadium, a different form of surveillance was taking place on the inside of the San Francisco 49ers' one-year-old, $1.3 billion home here in Silicon Valley.

We're not talking about facial recognition devices, police body cams, or other security measures likely zeroing in on fans. Instead, employees from San Jose-based Zebra Technologies had recently finished scanning the NFL uniforms of the 49ers and of their opponents—the Dallas Cowboys. All of a sudden, an on-the-field de facto surveillance society was instantly created when Zebra techies activated nickel-sized Radio Frequency Identification Device (RFID) chips that were fastened inside players' shoulder pads. Every movement of every player now could be monitored within an accuracy level of all but a few inches.

Read 37 remaining paragraphs | Comments

https://arstechnica.com

Amazons OnePlus Flagship Phenomenon Sale: OnePlus 7, OnePlus 7 Pro available with upto Rs 2,000 instant discount and more

Amazon is hosting a OnePlus Flagship Phenomenon Sale where it is offering a few choice offers and deals on the OnePlus 7 series of handsets. Axis bank debit and credit card users can purchase the OnePlus 7 and the OnePlus 7 Pro, and avail an instant discount of up to Rs 2,000. The offer is also valid on both EMI and non-EMI purchases but the last day to avail the offer is September 6. Those who buy the OnePlus 7 Pro will get an instant discount of Rs 2,000 while OnePlus 7 buyers are eligible for Instant discount of Rs 1,500.

Currently, the OnePlus 7 Pro is priced starting at Rs 48,999 for the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant and it goes up to Rs 52,999 for the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage version. The handset’s 12GB RAM + 256GB storage version is priced at Rs 57,999. As for the OnePlus 7, it is priced starting at Rs 32,999 for the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant and goes up to Rs 37,999 for the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage version. In addition to Amazon, the deal on OnePlus 7 series is available via OnePlus.in and select offline retail stores. You can read the complete terms and agreements of the sale on Amazon.

The new sale is taking place just before the OnePlus 7T series launch, which is rumoured to occur on September 26. The OnePlus 7T series is reported to feature the OnePlus 7T and the OnePlus 7T Pro. There are multiple reports about both the handsets online and you can read more about the devices here. The company has also confirmed that it will launch an Android-powered OnePlus TV next this month in India. You can read all there is to know about the upcoming OnePlus TV here.

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Samsung Galaxy M30s key specifications leaked via Android Enterprise listing

Samsung is reportedly working on a new mid-range handset called the Samsung Galaxy M30s. While the company’s ‘s’ updates for its existing lineup are expected to feature incremental updates, the Samsung Galaxy M30s is shaping up to be a successor to the Samsung Galaxy M30. The upcoming smartphone is now listed on Android Enterprise by Google for Enterprise Recommended devices. The listing hints at some of the key specs of the upcoming device, such as it could come with 4GB RAM and with options to select between 64GB and 128GB of internal storage.

While the listing doesn’t have an image of the Samsung Galaxy M30s, it also suggests that the handset could sport a 6.4-inch display that has fingerprint support. The smartphone won’t get NFC support, which is not too surprising. The handset is expected to launch this month and we previously came across the device’s renders as well. It was shown off with a triple camera setup on the rear, along with a fingerprint reader and a blue-green gradient colour design. Previously, a teaser of the handset was leaked, which suggested that the Galaxy M30s could be backed by a large 6000mAh battery. However, the source of the leak is a mystery and one should take it with a pinch of salt.

The Samsung Galaxy M30s is also rumoured to come equipped with a 48MP main camera sensor with f/2.0 aperture lens. This won’t be surprising since Xiaomi, Realme, Motorola and other phone makers are also embedding a 48MP sensor on their mid-range handsets. The other two cameras on the Galaxy M30s could be an 8MP f/2.2 ultra-wide sensor, and a 5MP f/2.2 depth sensor, while a 16MP might be on the front. The handset is speculated to be priced in the Rs 15,000 - 20,000 price range.

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Part cow, part… bacterium? Biotech company makes heifer of gene-editing blunder

Netflix can kill The OA, but it can’t kill a movement

Inside Foxconn's manufacturing facilities in India, where it operates two plants and has plans for two more as it looks to diversify its operations beyond China (Saritha Rai/Bloomberg)

Saritha Rai / Bloomberg:
Inside Foxconn's manufacturing facilities in India, where it operates two plants and has plans for two more as it looks to diversify its operations beyond China — On a steamy summer morning, dozens of buses pull up outside a cluster of low-slung, blue buildings in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

Passengers have been requested to not carry their older 15-inch MacBook Pros on Air India flights

If you own a 15-inch MacBook Pro, you may not be able to carry it on any future Air India flights. In an advisory issued by the Directorate general of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Saturday, passengers were requested to not carry their 15-inch MacBook Pros as checked in or hand baggage. This applies to 15-inch MacBook pros purchased between September 2015 and February 2017.

In a tweet that was posted on Saturday, the airlines confirmed the notice. The tweet said,” In view of the advisory by DGCA regarding the transportation of affected lithium batteries by Air, we request our Passengers not to carry 15-inch Apple MacBook Pro (purchased between September 2015 and February 2017) as checked-in or hand baggage”

#FlyAI : In view of the advisory by DGCA regarding transportation of affected lithium batteries by Air, we request our Passengers not to carry 15-inch Apple Mac Book Pro (purchased between Sep 2015 – Feb 2017) as checked-in or hand baggage. pic.twitter.com/K0hCxlR43h

— Air India (@airindiain) August 31, 2019

Earlier in June, Apple announced a recall of MacBook Pros that were sold between September 2015 and February 2017 as they feared it would pose a safety hazard to users. Even as early as last week, a few airlines that operate from India like Singapore Airlines also issued a ban on a selected number of MacBook Pros on-board due to an alleged battery fire risk. Due to this announcement, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had said that it was examining the issue and may announce an official ban on the device if need be. Well, this week that came to pass, as the DGCA issued the request.

Clearly, faulty batteries on laptops can be a safety hazard, especially when you’re flying. This seems to have pushed the San Cupertino giant to set up a website for consumers to check if their laptops were affected by this particular battery problem as well.

To be fair, even the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which regulates all civil aviation issues in the US banned the 15-inch MacBook pro on flights in the States.

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How to prevent spammers attack your Google Calendar using Gmail

The spammer takes advantage of this ‘auto-integration’ by sending you a fraudulent invite on Gmail, which automatically gets saved on your Calendar. But here’s how you can prevent that from happening. https://ift.tt/2PzJR7E

Samsungs next foldable phone will reportedly be more affordable

Samsung Galaxy Fold was the company’s first foldable device that was announced back at MWC 2019. It didn’t do so well since many of the review units malfunctioned because of an apparent issue with the phone‘s hinge mechanism. However, the smartphone manufacturer is back on track and is expected to launch the fixed device at the upcoming IFA 2019 trade show. Samsung is also apparently working on its next foldable device, which might be cheaper than the first one. As per a report by SamMobile, the upcoming foldable phone by the company sports the model number SM-F700F and could be more affordable.

Samsung packed the very best hardware on its first Galaxy Fold. The handset gets three displays and 512GB of internal storage. As per the report, the company’s next foldable device could cut down on internal storage to offer 256GB of internal storage and hence, get a less expensive price tag. However, we suggest you take this report with a pinch of salt since the information doesn’t come via an official source. In addition, there’s no confirmation on what kind of a foldable smartphone Samsung will come out with next. There have been some patent sightings that hint at a clamshell design or an outward folding display, similar to the Huawei Mate X but nothing is confirmed yet.

As mentioned earlier, Samsung is reported to re-launch its Galaxy Fold smartphone soon. The company might announce a fixed and properly functioning Samsung Galaxy Fold on September 6. Rumours suggested that the launch would take place by the end of September but it seems like the company has hastened it. The report also came out at the time when the Samsung India online store hosted a product webpage for the Samsung Galaxy Fold, which again hints at the device’s imminent launch.

Samsung Galaxy Fold specifications

The Samsung Galaxy Fold is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC in the US and some other regions while it will run on a Samsung Exynos chip, which is most likely the Exynos 9820. It sports a 7.3-inch Infinity Flex display, which enables the display panel to fold along the hinges. When folded, the Galaxy Fold sports a 4.6-inch HD+ display that has thick bezels. When unfolded, the handset opens up to a QXGA+ resolution panel with 4.2:3 aspect ratio.

The device packs 12GB RAM with 512GB of internal storage and gets a 12MP + 12MP + 16MP triple cameras on the back and a 10MP + 8MP camera setup on the front. It runs on Android 9 Pie and is backed by a 4380mAh battery.

Samsung Galaxy Fold Price

The Galaxy Fold was announced for EUR 2000 in Europe which converts to Rs 1,55,788 approximately in India. It is priced at $1,980 in the US, which comes around to Rs 1.37 lakh approx.

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Redmi Note 8 Pro, Realme XT, Realme 5, iPhone 11, and More From This Week

Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro announcement, and Realme XT unveiling dominated the tech news this week. Read on to find out more details about the biggest happenings in the world of technology this... https://ift.tt/2MW070H