LG unveils it's new 'Q series' smartphone in India at Rs 15,990

Expanding its Q series, South Korean tech Major LG Electronics launched a new smartphone "Q7" in India at Rs 15,990.

Technology News: Expanding its Q series, South Korean tech Major LG Electronics on Tuesday launched a new smartphone "Q7" in India at Rs 15,990.

The 5.5-inch FHD+ smartphone with 18:9 aspect ratio will be available across leading retail stores from September 1.

The device is powered by 1.5 GHz Octa-Core chipset coupled with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal storage that can be expanded up to 2TB.

LG Q7 Offer

"We are confident that the consumers who are looking for a balanced smartphone with the premium features will find the LG 'Q7' very hard to resist," Advait Vaidya, Business Head- Mobiles, LG India, said in a statement.

The device runs Android Oreo and houses 3,000mAh battery -- equipped with Qualcomm's "Fast Charge" technology.

The smartphone sports 13MP with PDAF rear camera and 8MP front camera. It also comes with an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based...continue reading

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News Source: BS

ASUS ZenBook Pro 15 UX580: Intriguing ScreenPad, superior performance (Tech Review)

A major highlight at Computex in Taipei this year was Taiwanese tech major ASUS' ZenBook Pro 15 UX580 - the main attraction of which is a ScreenPad that is essentially a touchpad composed of an LCD touchscreen placed beneath its trackpad.

Technology News: A major highlight at Computex in Taipei this year was Taiwanese tech major ASUS' ZenBook Pro 15 UX580 -- the main attraction of which is a ScreenPad that is essentially a touchpad composed of an LCD touchscreen placed beneath its trackpad.

The concept is inspired by the Touch Bar that we saw on Apple MacBook Pro back in 2016 and can also be used as a mini secondary monitor for multi-tasking.

The notebook comes with powerful internals such as 8th-generation Intel Core i9-8950HK hexa-core processor, NVIDIA GTX 1050 Ti graphics, 16GB DDR4 RAM and 1TB storage and the company is touting it as a professional-grade laptop that promises superior performance.

ASUS ZenBook Pro 15 UX580 Features

Carrying forward the legacy of ASUS ZenBook series, the ZenBook Pro 15 UX580's design is not much of a change from the previous iterations.

That being said, the device does have a few tweaks such as the color variant. The ZenBook Pro has been introduced in a "Deep Dive Blue" with rose gold trimmings that looked tasteful.

The inside of the device has a beautiful brushed metal finish, which handled smudges and fingerprints well.

Know more → ASUS ZenBook Pro 15 UX580

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News Source: BS

Google admits it tracks users, but says it's 'to improve experience'

The Associated Press ran a story saying an many Google services on Android devices and iPhones store users' location data even if the users explicitly used a privacy setting forbidding that.

Technology News: After facing criticism over reports that certain Google apps track users' whereabouts even when they turn off location data, the tech giant has revised its Help Page, clarifying that it does track location data in order to "improve Google experience".

Previously, the Help Page stated: "You can turn off Location History at any time. With Location History off, the places you go are no longer stored."

The page now says: "This setting does not affect other location services on your device, like Google Location Services and Find My Device.

"Some location data may be saved as part of your activity on other services, like Search and Maps".

Google Tracks your Movements

The new language confirms that location data is, indeed, being tracked by some Google apps.

"We have been updating the explanatory language about Location History to make it more consistent and clear across our platforms and help centres," CNET reported on Friday, quoting a Google spokesperson.

The Associated Press earlier this week ran a story saying an investigation found that many Google services on Android devices and iPhones store users' location data even if the users explicitly used a privacy setting forbidding that...continue reading

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News Source: BS

 

Vivo X21 Review: A worthy mid-range flagship to challenge OnePlus dominance

Priced at Rs 35,990, the Vivo X21 is a premium mid-range device strong in almost all areas; the phone’s modest processor seems a downside, but it shows no signs of weakness in real-life scenario.

Technology News : After showcasing the prototype of in-display fingerprint sensor technology at the Consumer Electronic Show, 2018, Chinese smartphone maker Vivo on May 29 launched the Vivo X21 with a fingerprint sensor under the display. For a mid-range smartphone, the X21 boasts premium features like dual rear cameras, artificial intelligence capabilities, face-unlock mechanism, Hi-Fi sound with dedicated AMP and modern notch-based screen. These features propel it in the league of mid-range premium smartphones – at least on papers.

Vivo X21 Design

The Vivo X21 glass-metal-glass sandwich design looks similar to other mid-range smartphones. The design, especially the frame, looks close to the OnePlus 6, but the front is dominated by a notch-based screen stretching almost edge to edge on three sides and leaving only a thin chin on the bottom. On the back, the reflective glass design with horizontally aligned dual camera set-up on top left is in line with the current trend and looks similar to the Honor 10.

Vivo X21 The thin frame that holds the front and back glass feels pointed, something similar to the Nokia 8 Sirocco. While the frame makes it easy to hold and operate the phone, the razor thin volume rocker keys and a power button on the right side of the frame are somewhat uncomfortable to use.

On the bottom, the phone sports an outdated microUSB port for charging and data transfers, coupled with a mono speaker on the right and dual-SIM slot on the left. The left side of the frame is vacant and the top side features a 3.5mm audio output port and secondary microphone.

Overall, the design looks modern, but not refreshing. The metallic frame gives to the convenience to hold the phone with confidence, but the thin volume rocker keys and power button reduce the utility overall.

Vivo X21 Battery

The Vivo X21 is powered by a 3,200 mAh battery that keeps the phone going for almost a day. Interestingly, the phone boasts a dual charging technology, which improves charging time and takes the battery level from zero to 100 per cent in less than one-and-a-half hours.

Read the Verdict → Vivo X21 Review

Honor 7C Review: Another budget smartphone with decent camera, performance

For a budget smartphone, the Honor 7C comes loaded with premium features like metallic design, 18:9 aspect ratio screen, Android Oreo-based EMUI 8.0 OS, face unlocking capabilities, etc.

 

Technology News : Honor, an online subsidiary of Huawei, is on a roll in India. After launching the budget Honor 9 Lite, followed by a mid-range Honor 10, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer recently launched the Honor 7C. For a budget smartphone, the Honor 7C comes loaded with several premium features like metallic design, 18:9 aspect ratio screen, Android Oreo-based EMUI 8.0 operating system, face unlocking capabilities, etc.

In terms of design, the Honor 7C looks like another modern day smartphone with 5.99-inch fullHD+ IPS 18:9 aspect ratio screen, which is bright and colourful, covered under curved glass. The phone belongs to Honor 7x lineage, therefore it has an aluminium back that feels sturdy. The phone’s tall stance, coupled with a mammoth screen on front, looks good for a budget proposition.

The Honor 7C is one of the very few Honor devices to boast the Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. Honor has been using the in-house developed Huawei Kirin system-on-chip (SoC) in almost all the models. However, the Honor 7C trades in the Kirin 659 SoC for the entry-level Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 SoC to power the device.

As for the performance, the Honor 7C sails through most daily tasks without any hiccups. However, it does feel underpowered, especially while handling processor-intensive tasks like multitasking and online video streaming. The performance, though, is at-par with other budget smartphones in the segment, except for the recently launched Xiaomi and Asus smartphones, which boast a much powerful Snapdragon 660 SoC.

Though the performance is nothing exemplary, the phone handles graphic intensive apps better than Kirin 659 SoC-based counterparts do. The browser-based gameplay is consistent and smooth, app-based video streaming services work satisfactory and games work fine at moderate settings.

In terms of imaging, the Honor 7C sports a 13-megapixel primary sensor, paired with a 2MP depth-sensing lens. There is an 8MP sensor on the front for selfies and face unlock feature. The camera in Honor 7C takes satisfactory shots, however, it is a mixed bag of hits and misses. The auto focus is instant but the touch to focus seems a bit out of calibration. The shots look detailed and the colour reproduction is natural. In low light conditions, the camera is not great, but still better than what other budget smartphones’ cameras turn out to be. It takes decent shots, but the noise is prominent.

Read the Verdict → Honor 7C Review

Toreto Monotone Wireless Earphones Review: Impressive sound in budget segment

The Toreto Monotone wireless headphone offers impressive audio output in a lightweight neckband on-ear hook design.

Technology News : Hong Kong-based audio accessory maker Toreto recently launched the Monotone Tor-265 Bluetooth earphones for audiophiles looking for a wireless option in a sub-Rs 2500 budget.

For an entry-level headset, the Toreto Monotone looks sturdy but falls short on water resistance feature. The ear hook with wired neckband design adds to the utility, especially for fitness enthusiasts who like to listen to music during work out sessions. However, the lack of sweat resistance limits the use and does not qualify it as a gym companion.

In terms of audio output, for a budget unit, this pair of headphones is impressive. The sound falters at high pitches and, at times, is shrill and may force you to lower the volume levels. The bass is average and varies depending on the quality of the audio track. The sound signature is balanced though and watching movies on the go is a delightful experience with the ergonomic ear-fit design cancelling out noise to some extent.

As for the utility, the headset features voice-enabled prompts that inform the user about Bluetooth connectivity, calls and other notifications. The voice also reads out the phone number of the incoming call, which is useful while using the headphones on the go. However, the absence of a vibration mode makes it compulsory to plug in at least one of the earphones to receive the prompts, especially if the phone is on silent mode.

The built quality is impressive and the all-black design looks neat. The huge logo on both the ear hooks does look odd though and might not impress everyone. The power button doubles as pairing, play/pause, call receive/disconnect key. Dedicated volume adjustment keys are present on the right ear hook along with USB port.The earphone battery goes on for a day on moderate usage and last for more than 6 hours if used heavily.

The headset comes in a black hard case that also houses two earplug variants and a USB cable for charging.

Read the Verdict here → Toreto Wireless Earphones

Micromax Bharat Go with Android Oreo (Go Edition) announced at Rs 4,399

The Bharat Go comes bundled with a cashback offer of Rs 2,000 from Airtel that brings down the effective cost to Rs 2,399.

Technology News : Home-grown electronics brand Micromax Informatics on May 22 announced the Bharat Go, an Android Oreo Go edition-based smartphone, in collaboration with India’s leading telecom operator Bharti Airtel. Priced at Rs 4,399, the smartphone comes bundled with a cashback offer of Rs 2,000 from Airtel that brings down the effective cost to Rs 2,399.

The key highlight of the Bharat Go is the operating system it boots — Android Oreo Go edition — which was announced by Google last year. The operating system is a trim-down version of the Android Oreo, optimised to run efficiently on devices utilising much of phone’s hardware resources. As a result, the operating system works efficiently even on devices with 1 GB of RAM or less.

The Android Oreo (Go edition) comes with a dedicated suite of apps designed to run faster while using less data.

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Also Read : Comio X1 Note

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As for the other features and specifications, the Bharat Go features dual-SIM functionality, both of which support voice over long term evolution (VoLTE) calling. The phone comes pre-loaded with Google apps optimised for Go edition, such as Gmail Go, Maps Go, Files Go, Chrome, YouTube Go, Assistant Go, Play Store and GBoard.

The Bharat Go sports a 4.5-inch screen and boasts a smart key that allows users to take screenshots, click pictures and switch the phone into silent mode. On the camera front, it uses a 5-megapixel camera on the back and front. Powering the device is a MediaTek quad-core processor, paired with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage.

It is powered by 2,000 mAh battery and the phone supports USB on the go (OTG) functionality, which allows users to connect the phone with mass storage devices, serial communications, keyboards/mice, game controllers, Ethernet and camera controller.

Read More About → Micromax Bharat Go Features

Alexa, Siri, Google Assistant can hear this hidden command, but you cannot!

Researchers can now send secret audio instructions undetectable to the human ear.

 

Technology News : Many people have grown accustomed to talking to their smart devices, asking them to read a text, play a song or set an alarm. But someone else might be secretly talking to them, too.

Over the past two years, researchers in China and the United States have begun demonstrating that they can send hidden commands that are undetectable to the human ear to Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Assistant. Inside university labs, the researchers have been able to secretly activate the artificial intelligence systems on smartphones and smart speakers, making them dial phone numbers or open websites. In the wrong hands, the technology could be used to unlock doors, wire money or buy stuff online — simply with music playing over the radio.

A group of students from University of California, Berkeley and Georgetown University showed in 2016 that they could hide commands in white noise played over loudspeakers and through YouTube videos to get smart devices to turn on airplane mode or open a website.

This month, some of those Berkeley researchers published a research paper that went further, saying they could embed commands directly into recordings of music or spoken text. So while a human listener hears someone talking or an orchestra playing, Amazon’s Echo speaker might hear an instruction to add something to your shopping list.

“We wanted to see if we could make it even more stealthy,” said Nicholas Carlini, a fifth-year PhD student in computer security at U C Berkeley and one of the paper’s authors.

Carlini added that while there was no evidence that these techniques have left the lab, it may only be a matter of time before someone starts exploiting them.

These deceptions illustrate how artificial intelligence — even as it is making great strides — can still be tricked and manipulated. Computers can be fooled into identifying an airplane as a cat just by changing a few pixels of a digital image, while researchers can make a self-driving car swerve or speed up simply by pasting small stickers on road signs and confusing the vehicle’s computer vision system.

With audio attacks, the researchers are exploiting the gap between human and machine speech recognition. Speech recognition systems typically translate each sound to a letter, eventually compiling those into words and phrases. By making slight changes to audio files, researchers were able to cancel out the sound that the speech recognition system was supposed to hear and replace it with a sound that would be transcribed differently by machines while being nearly undetectable to the human ear.

The proliferation of voice-activated gadgets amplifies the implications of such tricks. Smartphones and smart speakers that use digital assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa or Apple’s Siri are set to outnumber people by 2021, according to the research firm Ovum. And more than half of all American households will have at least one smart speaker by then, according to Juniper Research.

Read More About → Smart Speakers

Want to change Google Assistant’s voice? You have six choices now

At its annual developer conference Google I/O, the company said these six options, which feature both male and female voices, would be rolled out later this year.

Technology News : Making the competition in Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered assistants space tougher, Google on Tuesday announced that people will soon have a choice of choosing from six voices, including one of musician John Legend, to talk to “Google Assistant”. At its annual developer conference Google I/O, the company said these six options, which feature both male and female voices, would be rolled out later this year.

Company CEO Sundar Pichai said that Google has been working on newer and more life-like version of its spoken AI that features a natural voice that is “closer to how humans speak.” The improvements include more natural pauses “that have meaning” and other subtleties to help create a “more natural dialogue” with Assistant. This new version of the Assistant is built on a tech machine learning technology called Wavenet, which the company started building out some 18 months ago.

Now instead of having to say “Hey Google” or “OK Google” every time to give a command, users only have to do this one time and then have a conversation with the Assistant. Google calls this feature “continued conversation” and it’ll roll out in the coming week. The new powerful Assistant can now distinguish between two sentences that are joined by “and” and can reply with two different query-specific answers in one go.

Also Read : Google Gmail now gets smarter with security, productivity and AI features

The tech giant wants to bundle its voice assistant into every device and app and is bringing Google Assistant in Google Maps. It’ll be available on iOS and Android this summer. Users can now share estimated time of arrival with their contacts without touching the device.

Further, the Assistant would soon be able to make calls for you to make reservations at restaurants or salons.

It would also teach children to use polite language when interacting with the Google Assistant’s “Pretty Please feature. When kids say “Please” during a command, they would receive thanks from the virtual assistant in response. Google says that “Pretty Please” feature would launch later this year.

The company also brought Assistant-powered Smart Displays. These devices would be launched in July.

Read more → Change Google Assistant Voice

New update allows users to access Instagram and Facebook content within WhatsApp

In its latest update rolled out for select iOS users, WhatsApp support will allow users to play Instagram and Facebook videos within the app, without exiting the chat.

Technology News : In a bid to increase user engagement, popular instant messaging platform, WhatsApp, has rolled out an update by which users can view content from Facebook and Instagram within the app itself.

In the present day, a user who receives videos or images from Facebook, Instagram or any such app would be redirected to these apps to view the content. However, this is set to change with the new update, reports The Verge.

In its latest update rolled out for select iOS users, WhatsApp support will allow users to play Instagram and Facebook videos within the app, without exiting the chat.

Apart from this, the new update also introduces the ability to add and revoke admin privileges from users in a group chat and empowers admins to edit the subject, description and icon of a chat that is already underway.

In November last year, WhatsApp had announced an update through which one can view YouTube videos directly inside the messaging app, in picture-in-picture mode.

If a YouTube link has been sent on a conversation, then users can directly view the video through the link on WhatsApp itself, as it will no longer be redirected to YouTube. Instead, the YouTube clip will appear within a small floating window on your screen, thus implying that you can watch YouTube videos and message at the same time.

On a related note, the latest update is expected to be rolled out to Android users as well in the coming weeks.

Read More about the Latest → WhatsApp Update

Huawei P20 Pro Review: Worthy challenger to Samsung Galaxy S9, iPhone X

The Huawei P20 Pro might be on the pricier side, but the smartphone impresses as an all-rounder on all parameters, including photography.

 

Technology News : Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei has had a sketchy presence in India: The previous Huawei-branded smartphone to come to India was the Huawei P9, launched in August 2016. Now, after more than a year and a half, the world’s third-largest smartphone brand has launched in the country its flagship Huawei P20 Pro at Rs 64,999, soon after the smartphone’s international unveiling in Paris on March 27.

The Huawei P20 Pro boasts a tri-camera set-up on the rear, a modern notch-based screen on the front, premium glass and metal build, and system-wide artificial intelligence capabilities. The flagship smartphone has a lot in store for everyone, but the phone is primarily directed to the niche audience of shutterbugs.

On paper, the Huawei P20 Pro competes, even surpasses, the flagship Samsung Galaxy S9-series and Apple iPhone X. However, is this the device that can bring some fresh air to the premium flagship segment, dominated at present by Samsung and Apple? Let’s take a look:

Design

• The Huawei P20 Pro boasts a glass-metal-glass sandwich design, similar to the Galaxy S9-series and iPhone X. The curved glass back in the P20 Pro shows different colour hues when looked at from different angles, unlike the bland single colour that competitors have. However, the protruding camera module and a glass prone to fingerprints, similar to the iPhone X, might not catch everyone’s fancy.
• The front is dominated by a notch-based 18.7:9 aspect ratio fullHD+ AMOLED screen and a fingerprint scanner that also doubles up as a gesture-based navigation key. The addition of a fingerprint scanner on the front might not look appealing, but it makes unlocking the device or navigating more convenient, especially when the phone is placed on a flat surface like table.

Screen

• The Huawei P20 pro sports a 6.1-inch fullHD+ OLED screen with a notch on top to accommodate the selfie camera, earpiece-cum-secondary speaker and a host of sensors. While the notch-based screen set-up is still not optimised for immersive experience on the Android operating system, Huawei has customised the OS to best suit the screen format, so the screen automatically adapts to content and offers seamless transition from notch-based to without notch. Also, the notch can be enabled or disabled from settings, based on user preference. This gives the user complete control over the notch. That makes Huawei’s iteration of notch in the P20 Pro the most polished yet.

Camera

• The Huawei P20 Pro boasts the world’s first Leica-branded triple-camera set-up on the back. The phone has a 40-megapixel main shooter paired with a 20MP monochrome lens and an 8MP telephoto lens. There is also a 24MP selfie camera on the front.
• The rear tri-camera module used in the P20 Pro is an imaging powerhouse, especially in low-light conditions. The monochrome lens of f/1.6 aperture size gets ample light to brighten even the dull scene exponentially. Whereas the 8MP telephoto lens enables up to 5x zooming capabilities (up to 3x optical zoom), the 40MP primary sensor helps stack the additional information received by every megapixel to bring out photos that are full of details.
• The front camera, on the other hand, sports a 24MP shooter that takes equally satisfactory shots in any light condition.

 Battery

• Powering the P20 Pro is a 4,000 mAh battery, which keeps the phone working for more than a day. Interestingly, the battery charging time is also short and the phone goes up from zero to 100 per cent in less than 2 hours. The power-efficient screen with fullHD+ resolution, AI-based background task monitoring and optimised software help the phone beat competition in battery life.

Verdict

• Priced at Rs 64,999, the Huawei P20 Pro might be on the pricier side, especially as it is primarily a camera phone more than anything else. However, it would be undermine its all-round capabilities as a smartphone. The phone performs equally well on all other parameters – from screen to performance and multimedia. In its segment, the phone could prove a tough competitor to the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus.

Samsung Galaxy A6 and Samsung Galaxy A6+ unveiled with infinity screen: Details here

Designed to compete in the budget segment, the two phones feature ultra-wide 18.5:9 aspect ratio infinity screen, a large-capacity battery and bright camera modules on the front and back.

Technology News  : South Korean electronics major Samsung on May 1 announced the Galaxy A6 and A6 Plus budget smartphones. The two smartphones boast ultra-wide 18.5:9 aspect ratio infinity screen, a large-capacity battery, and bright camera modules on the front and back. Designed to compete in the budget segment, the phones offer midrange specifications and features.

Samsung Galaxy A6 specifications

The Galaxy A6 sports a 5.6-inch super AMOLED HD Plus screen in 18.5:9 aspect ratio. The phone features a 16-megapixel camera unit on the front and back with of f/1.9 and f/1.7 aperture, respectively and LED flash light. It is powered by an octa-core processor clocked to operate at a maximum frequency of 1.6 GHz, paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage or 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage options. The phone also supports storage expansion using microSD card slot, which can take up to 256GB cards.

The A6 boasts a 3,000 mAh battery and boots Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box.

Samsung Galaxy A6 Plus specifications

The Galaxy A6 Plus, on the other hand, sports a 6-inch super AMOLED fullHD Plus screen in 18.5:9 aspect ratio. Unlike the A6, the A6 Plus sports a dual rear camera setup on the rear featuring a 16MP primary sensor of f/1.7 aperture mated with a 5 MP sensor of f/1.9 aperture size. On the front, there is a 24 MP sensor of f/1.9 aperture for the selfies. Like Galaxy A6, there is a dedicated LED flashlight on the front and back. The is powered by an octa-core processor clocked to operate at a maximum frequency f 1.8 GHz, paired with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage or 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage options. The phone also supports storage expansion using microSD card slot, which can take up to 256GB cards.

The phone is powered by a 3,500 mAh battery and boots Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box. Both phones support LTE Cat.6 with 2CA, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC (select markets), GPS, Glonass, and BeiDou.

The phones will be available in black, gold, blue, and Lavender from early May onwards in select European, Asian and Latin American markets, before rolling out globally to additional markets throughout South Korea, Africa and China.

Also Read  → Samsung Galaxy C7 Pro

Xiaomi Redmi S2 leak shows Redmi Note 5 Pro-inspired design: Details here

The India-bound budget-centric smartphone is reported to sport dual rear cameras and feature face-unlock mechanism. Here are all the details you need to have for the upcoming Xiaomi smartphone.

Technology News : Touted as the Redmi S2, the budget-centric smartphone is reported to sport dual rear cameras and feature the face-unlock mechanism, according to a report by online technology-based forum XDA-developers.

Now, the phone’s purported image renders, shared by a Czech-based online publication SvetAndroida, show Redmi S2’s front and back views. Based on renders, the phone would sport a tall 18:9 aspect ratio screen on the front and dual cameras on the back, along with a fingerprint scanner. The phone’s back seems identical to the Redmi Note 5 Pro, which was launched in India on February 14. However, the dual antenna lines on top and bottom have a different design and, therefore, the phone seems to bring some design element changes too.

In terms of specifications and features, the report in XDA hinted that the Xiaomi Redmi S2 would sport an 18:9 aspect ratio screen of HD+ (1440×720) resolution. It would be powered by a Qualcomm MSM 8953 system-on-chip (SoC), which is a Snapdragon 625 processor. In terms of storage, the phone would have a 16GB variant, though other storage models are also likely, and there would be a microSD card slot for storage extension. As for memory, the phone would likely come in 2GB and 3GB RAM variants.

Talking of imaging, the phone would have a dual-camera set-up on the back, which will either have the 12-megapixel primary sensor of Sony IMX486 or OmniVision OV12A10, and the 5MP Samsung S5K5E8 as the secondary sensor. On the front, there would be a 5MP Samsung S5K5E8 sensor.

The Xiaomi Redmi S2 would have a 3,080mAh battery and boot Android Oreo 8.1 out-of-the-box.

Based on most of the specifications and features, the Xiaomi Redmi S2 seems like a mixture of the Redmi 5 and Redmi Note 5 (Redmi 5 Plus) with added dual cameras on the back. While most of the specifications, such as HD+ screen and storage and RAM variants put it in line with the Redmi 5, the Snapdragon 625 processor would give the Redmi S2 a huge boost in terms of processing power.

Read more about  → Xiaomi Redmi S2

Google Gmail now gets smarter with security, productivity and AI features

The updated email client is currently rolling out in batches. But you can try the new look by going in the settings (click on clog icon on top right) and selecting ‘Try the new Gmail’ option.

Technology News : Search engine and technology giant Google on April 25 started pushing out a new Gmail web client with redesigned features and new upgrades centred on productivity, security and ease of use. The updated email client is currently rolling out in batches. But, you can try the new look by going to the settings (click on clog icon on top right) and selecting ‘Try the new Gmail’ option. You can also move back to the old client, if you find the new look confusing, by going to the setting again and selecting ‘Go back to classic Gmail’.

Here are the new features in the updated Gmail web client:

Gmail Security Features

• In the new email client, Google has introduced a new confidential mode, which enables creating expiration dates or revoking previously sent messages, thereby helping protect sensitive content in emails. Additionally, the new email client could also require additional authentication via text message to view an email, it is now possible to protect data even if a recipient’s email account has been hacked.
• Google has also designed the new Gmail web client with built-in information rights management (IRM) controls. These controls allow you to remove the option to forward, copy, download or print messages. This helps reduce the risk of confidential information being accidentally shared with the wrong people. However, the feature is still in a testing phase and the rollout will begin to consumer Gmail users and a limited number of G-Suite customers in the coming weeks, followed by a broader rollout to all users later.
• The new Gmail web client also features redesigned security warnings with a bigger and bolder outlook to keep you informed when it comes to potentially risky email.

Artificial Intelligence for quick replies and easy follow-ups

• Google has integrated some AI-powered features in Gmail, such as nudging, smart reply and high-priority notifications. Targeted to improve productivity, these features proactively remind you to follow up on or respond to messages, without making any distractions.

Productivity features

• The redesigned Gmail web client now makes it easier to view, download or share attachments without opening the email threads. The attachments are now visible on the front-end and you can see and click attachments in your inbox before ever opening a thread. You can also do things like RSVP to a meeting invite, archive an email thread, delete an email, mark email as read and snooze an email without opening them. The new tools are enabled to show as soon as you hover over messages and, therefore, require no clicks.

G Suite integration

• The redesigned Gmail web client now features other G Suite apps such as calendar, keep, tasks, etc, on the right side in the action bar. These apps enable you to make quick reference, create or edit calendar invites, capture ideas or manage to-dos without leaving your inbox.

After 4 years, Orkut founder to launch ‘Hello’ social network app in India

With hello, the aim is to create positive, meaningful, authentic connections and sustained social engagement.

Technology News : A new social networking platform ‘hello’, set up by the founder of the once-popular Orkut, has announced its entry into the Indian market amid the controversy surrounding user data breach at Facebook.

hello has been set up by Orkut Buyukkokten, who was the founder of Orkut that once was a leading social networking site in India and Brazil. Interestingly, Orkut shut down its services in 2014, having lost its sheen to rivals like Facebook.

“If you look at social media today, it has isolated people instead of bringing them closer. It has become more about broadcasting than sharing. We need a fresh start. Hello is built around interest-based communities where users with same interests can connect, leading to true connections,” Buyukkokten said.

He added that with hello, the aim is to create positive, meaningful, authentic connections and sustained social engagement.

“We started in Brazil in July 2016… About 35,000 users were a part of our beta testing in the Indian market. Orkut was huge in India and I’m delighted to say hello to India once again,” he said.

The hello app is available for download on App Store and Google Play.

Asked about the monetisation model, Buyukkokten said the company “does not have to sell user data to get revenues”.

“When a user signs up, they are asked about five things that they are passionate about and then get recommendations that are non-intrusive. We also ensure that every advertiser has a profile on hello (for greater accountability),” he said adding that no user information is shared with third-party apps.

After India, the company would look at rolling out its service in its home market the US as well as in countries like France and Germany.

Social networking giant Facebook, which has over 20 crore users in India, had admitted that nearly 5.62 lakh people in the country were “potentially affected” by its global data breach involving Cambridge Analytica.

The data mining firm has been accused of harvesting personal information of over millions of Facebook users illegally to influence polls in several countries.

Read More About → Hello App

Apple unveils affordable iPad: 9.7-inch display, 8MP camera with Pencil

Apple executives said the company will release a iPad model that works with its Apple Pencil accessory and features an upgraded A10 Fusion chip, the same CPU that powers the iPhone 7.

Technology News : Apple Inc on Tuesday kicked off an event in Chicago where it announced a new iPad that would work with its Apple Pencil accessory aimed at helping it grab more of the U.S. education market.

The tablet will have a starting price of $299 for students and $329 for consumers. Tech companies are battling for dominance in US schools with inexpensive devices and laptops that are geared towards classroom use and seen as a way to hook young consumers.

Education-geared laptops running operating systems by Alphabet Inc’s Google or Microsoft Corp can be had for less than $200.

Apple hit hard on the education theme on Tuesday, with school bells and announcements over a public address system directing press and teachers into an auditorium at Lane Tech College Prep High School. Apple board member and former US Vice President Al Gore mingled with the crowd.

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook opened the keynote with a nod to politics, saying “we are deeply inspired by the courage of the students who walked out” and marched on Washington, advocating for stricter gun control laws following a school shooting in Florida. The line elicited loud cheers from students seated at the rear of the auditorium.

The Chicago event comes during a spring buying season when many schools are making purchasing decisions for the upcoming school year.

Apple executives said the company will release Apple new iPad model that works with its Apple Pencil accessory and features an upgraded A10 Fusion chip, the same CPU that powers the iPhone 7. The company also released a new version of its word processing apps for the iPad designed to work with the pencil and allow students to take handwritten notes more easily.