Tech Nuggets with the Technology

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Apple Watch series 5 hands-on: Software is king

The Apple Watch series 5. [credit: Samuel Axon ]

CUPERTINO, Calif.—The Apple Watch is the most popular Watch in the world, at this point—and not just among smartwatches. And while it lags behind competitors in terms of some common features, it also offers plenty that other smartwatches don't. Apple is bringing one of the biggest missing features—an always-on display—to the Apple Watch series 5, which the company unveiled at its HQ during an event earlier today.

We spent a few minutes wearing the Watch and trying out its new customization options and features. You can find the photos above and our impressions below.

The real star of the Apple Watch series 5 show is, of course, watchOS 6, which is a notable update that adds on an on-device app store, numerous new watch face customization and functionality options, new apps, and more. We already covered watchOS 6 when it was revealed at Apple's developer conference in June, so I won't spend too much time on it here. We'll dig deep on it when we review the series 5, though.

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KYC rider gets banks back in remittance game

Mandatory full KYC requirement for creating and transferring money through wallets has brought about a shift in business https://ift.tt/303G4PW https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Monday, September 9, 2019

Jack Ma to Step Down as Chairman: Alibaba Set for 'Big Challenge'

An accountant by trade, soft-spoken Alibaba CEO Zhang marks a stark contrast to Ma whose flamboyant style and charismatic leadership. https://ift.tt/2HYVSNv

Realme 5 to go on sale today at 12PM through Flipkart, Realme website: Specs, price, and more

The Realme 5 is all set to go on sale in India again. The smartphone will be sold through Flipkart and Realme.com, starting at 12PM. Moreover, the smartphone maker has said that the Realme 5 smartphone will go on sale every Tuesday. Also, the company’s CEO Madhav Sheth has announced that the Realme 5 series will be made available offline by mid-September. For now, one can only purchase the devices from online stores.

Realme 5 specifications

The Realme 5 features a 6.5-inch HD+ (720x1600 pixels) display. It comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 3+ for protection. The smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 chipset, paired with up to 4GB RAM. It comes in three variants: 3GB RAM + 32GB storage, 4GB RAM + 64GB storage and 4GB RAM + 128GB storage variant. The device also has a microSD card slot for memory expansion up to 256GB. It runs Color OS 6.0 based on Android 9 Pie.

In the optics department, the Realme 5 sports a quad-camera setup: a 12MP primary camera (PDAF and an f/1.8 aperture) + an 8MP sensor (f/2.25 aperture and a 119-degree wide-angle lens), a 2MP macro lens (f/2.4 aperture and a 4cm focus distance), and a 2MP portrait lens (f/2.4 aperture). It has a 13MP selfie shooter as well. You can check out our camera samples here.

On the connectivity front, Realme 5 includes options for G VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth v5.0, a GPS/ A-GPS, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a Micro-USB port. The smartphone packs a 5000mAh battery.

Realme 5 price in India

Realme 5 is priced at Rs 9,999 for the base 3GB RAM + 32GB storage variant. The smartphone costs Rs 10,499 for the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage model, and Rs 11,999 for the 4GB RAM + 128GB storage variant.

As mentioned above, the Realme 5 sale starts at 12PM today. It will be sold through Flipkart and Realme.com in Crystal Blue and Crystal Purple colour variants.

Realme 5 sale offers

Realme is offering seven percent SuperCash worth Rs. 750 when paying using MobiKwik on Realme.com. Additionally, buyers will also be eligible for Jio benefits worth Rs 7,000. In contrast, Flipkart buyers will get a five percent instant discount when using an HDFC Bank credit card. There is also a five percent cashback for shoppers with Flipkart Axis Bank credit card.

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Samsung Galaxy M30s Spotted on TENAA Ahead of Launch

Samsung Galaxy M30s is confirmed to pack a mammoth 6,000mAh battery, a triple rear camera setup, and a waterdrop-style notch. https://ift.tt/31bWozs

Hailee Steinfeld May Play Kate Bishop in Hawkeye Series

Hailee Steinfeld is reportedly being eyed to play Kate Bishop in the Disney+ limited series Hawkeye, which will see Jeremy Renner's Clint Barton / Hawkeye "pass the torch to Kate Bishop". https://ift.tt/2NeSbrx

Google Antitrust Probe Opened by US States, Advertising in Focus

Attorneys general from 48 US states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico formally opened an antitrust probe on Monday into Alphabet's Google. https://ift.tt/300jwzn

Jack Ma officially retires as Alibaba’s chairman

Jack Ma stepped down as Alibaba’s chairman today, handing the role over to the company’s current CEO Daniel Zhang. The transition was announced a year ago.

Ma will continue serving on Alibaba’s board until its annual general shareholders’ meeting next year. He also remains a lifetime partner of Alibaba Partnership, a group drawn from the senior management ranks of Alibaba Group companies and affiliates that has the right to nominate (and in some situations, appoint) up to simple majority of its board.

Ma said in last year’s announcement that he plans for his departure from Alibaba Group to be very gradual: “The one thing I can promise everyone is this: Alibaba was never about Jack Ma, but Jack Ma will forever belong to Alibaba.”

Ma left Alibaba’s CEO position in 2013 and was succeeded first by Jonathan Lu. In 2015 Lu was replaced by Zhang, the company’s former COO. As its CEO and now its chairman, Zhang has taken Alibaba’s reins as it copes with a slowdown in China’s e-commerce market after a decade of explosive growth. The online retail landscape also now includes new players like Pinduoduo, which have gained an advantage by focusing on smaller cities, important growth markets for Internet companies.

One interesting fact about the day Ma chose for his retirement as chairman is that it is Teachers’ Day in China. Ma is a former English teacher who is still nicknamed “Teacher Ma” and has said that he plans to devote time to education philanthropy.