Chinese electronics maker Realme recently launched its 100W soundbar speaker system, priced at Rs 6,999. Called the Realme 100W soundbar, it is a 2.1 channel audio system with a dedicated wired subwoofer. The soundbar features a quad-speaker set-up – two full-range speakers and two high-frequency tweeters, each of 15W power output. Its wired subwoofer has a 40W audio driver for low-frequency output.

The soundbar features a rectangular tube-shaped design with a plastic build and a mesh covering the entire front. It does not look cheap but ordinary. Overall, the soundbar has a no-frills design with smooth curved edges. It has a light-weight build, which makes it convenient to use either as an extended audio system with television or as a standalone device. However, the soundbar’s wired subwoofer limits its standalone utility due to portability issues.

Although the sound bar supports wall-mount and table-top installations, it is better suited for the latter because most of its port are available on its back. Speaking of ports, the soundbar features optical, coaxial, HDMI ARC, AUX, and USB. Besides, there are ports to connect subwoofer and power cable. For wireless connectivity, the soundbar has Bluetooth.

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Apple has released the iOS 14.1 as well as iPadOS 14.1 updates with support for the latest devices and some bug fixes.

The update can be downloaded on compatible iPhones starting from the iPhone 6s. Those who haven’t been notified about the update can manually check by going to Settings, then General and Software Update.

iOS 14.1 introduces a number of bug fixes. It addresses a major problem that caused some emails to be sent from the wrong alias, fixes an issue that could cause widgets and icons to show up in the wrong size, the company said in a release note.

The update also adds support for 10-bit HDR video playback and editing in Photos on the iPhone 8 and later, and improves compatibility with Ubiquiti wireless access points.

In addition to 10-bit HDR support, iOS 14.1 also addresses several issues where the Apple Watch case material was displayed incorrectly in the Apple Watch app, fixes an issue that could prevent zeros from appearing in calculator and more.

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Tamil fringe groups and some political parties demanded that actor Vijay Sethupathi excuse himself from the movie on Sri Lankan cricketer Muttiah Muralitharan. They alleged that Muralitharan was a betrayer of the Tamil people and supported the then Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa during the 2009 civil war

Vijay’s decision to play the lead role became a matter of heated debate in the social media. The ruling AIADMK had said the actor should reconsider his decision to be a part of the movie. Parties, including the MDMK, PMK and veteran Tamil filmmaker Bharathirajaa were among those who had urged the actor to disassociate from the biopic.

While people such as Congress MP Karti P Chidambaram, actor-turned-politician and founder of All India Samathuva Makkal Katchi R Sarathkumar and his wife and actor Radhikaa Sarathkumar had voiced their support for Sethupathi, the Tamil movie world was largely silent. Even the South Indian Artists’ Association, popularly known as Nadigar Sangam, the body representing the interests of actors, maintained a studied silence on the issue.

He requested Sethupathi to opt out of his biopic ‘800’ considering opposition. The actor has been under tremendous pressure from some quarters to withdraw from the biopic project, the iconic cricketer said in a statement. “I don’t like an outstanding artist from Tamil Nadu to be affected because of me. I request him to step aside since he should not face unnecessary hurdles in his career in future,” Muralitharan said.

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Samsung seems to be one brand in the Android ecosystem that is making true smartwatches, even as many others simply pass off wristwatch-shaped health and fitness trackers as smartwatches. Samsung’s recently launched Galaxy Watch 3 justifies its smartwatch moniker, and it works right on point. It does double up as a health and fitness tracker, too, but its overall utility goes far beyond that.

Unlike smartphones, smartwatches are a lifestyle accessory, so their design plays an important role. Thankfully, the Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 (45mm mystic black variant with leather straps) manages to impress with its classic circular design, which looks retro but premium and polished.

The watch has a 1.4-inch super AMOLED touchscreen which is bright and vivid. It supports gesture-based navigation; swipe down from top to access quick settings, swipe inwards from left for notifications, and swipe inwards from right for quick-view windows. It also supports the wrist gesture for the screen wake function, which works like a charm. As part of its upgrade, the Galaxy Watch 3 gets an always-on display mode, which keeps the screen active to show basic information. However, the always-on display mode causes the watch’s on-battery time to drop drastically.

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The coronavirus pandemic has changed my – just like everyone else’s – perception of cleanliness and hygiene. Since the beginning of the Covid-19 lockdown in March this year, I have been scrubbing and wiping not just my home but also gadgets, clothes, and everything else that I use or come in contact with. However, after the initial zest for cleaning waned, I realized I could do with some help in everyday home cleaning. It was around this time that I learnt about the iMap 10.0 vacuum-cum-mopping machine built by Milagraow, a home-grown robot maker.

The iMap 10.0 is a disc-shaped robot that looks futuristic and intriguing. Though a technology-rich machine, it is easy to use and manage. The robot not only vacuum cleans but also wet-mops the floors. It’s only a part of everyday domestic chores, the cleaning and mopping of floors is one task that consumes a lot of time and effort. With these two handled by the robot, I was at peace that I would finally have the time for other jobs which I had been putting off for a tomorrow that would never come.

Speaking of the iMap 10.0, the robot is a delight to use. It is not a machine for deep or extensive cleaning, which you might like to do yourself once a week. For a good everyday cleaning to keep the home floors free from dirt, dust and particles, the iMap 10.0 has you covered. It is a smart robot that you can operate through voice command, too. Moreover, it supports automation and requires minimal human intervention.

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The OnePlus 8T is here and like the company’s previous ‘T’ series smartphones it is a seasonal refresh packed with big and small upgrades. From an AMOLED screen of 120Hz refresh rate to a 65W charging solution, this smartphone brings several improvement over predecessor OnePlus 8.

In this OnePlus 8T review, let’s find out if the upgrades bring any positive change in the overall user experience:

Design

The OnePlus 8T continues with the premium glass-metal construction we are used to seeing in OnePlus smartphones. As for upgrades, the glass back cover gets a glossy profile with a new rectangular camera module placed at the top-left corner. The new design theme, especially the rear-camera module, looks generic and similar to smartphones that you get at much lower price points, like the Realme 7 Pro (review). So, though made of premium materials, the OnePlus 8T lacks the touch of novelty. Its new colour themes, however, add some zing to its otherwise generic design.

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When talking among themselves, Silicon Valley big shots sometimes say weird things. In an internal presentation in March 2018, Google executives were asked to imagine their company acting as a “Good Censor,” in order to limit the impact of users “behaving badly.”

In a 2016 internal video, Nick Foster, Google’s head of design, envisioned a “goal-driven ledger” of all users’ data, endowed with its own “volition or purpose,” which would nudge us to take decisions (say, about shopping or travel) that would “reflect Google’s values as an organization.”

If that doesn’t strike you as weird — like dialogue from some dystopian science-fiction novel — then you need to read more dystopian science fiction. (Start with Yevgeny Zamyatin’s astonishingly prescient “We.”)

The lowliest employees of big tech companies — the content moderators whose job it is to spot bad stuff online — offer a rather different perspective. “Remember ‘We’re the free speech wing of the free speech party’?” one of them asked Alex Feerst of OneZero last year, alluding to an early Twitter slogan. “How vain and oblivious does that sound now? Well, it’s the morning after the free speech party, and the place is trashed.”

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Apple iPhone 11 and SE 2020 went flying off the shelves on the first day of the festive sale in India.

On Apple Store Online, iPhone 11 disappeared within a couple of hours as the festive offer opened on October 17.

As part of festive season offers, Apple gave out free AirPods with a limited stock of iPhone 11.

iPhone SE 2020 was another Apple product that was sold faster on ecommerce platforms like Flipkart during the ‘Big Billion Day’ sale.

Some buyers even grabbed the new iPhone SE 2020 for nearly Rs 20,000 after trade-ins and other festive schemes on credit and debit cards.

The iPhone SE 2020 starts from Rs 4,696 a month on EMI or Rs 39,900 before trade-in on Apple Store Online.

The base variant of the iPhone 11 with 64GB internal storage is now available for Rs 54,900, whereas the 128GB and 256GB model costs Rs 59,900, and Rs 69,900, respectively.

Soon after the launch of new iPhone 12 series, Apple slashed the prices for older iPhone models including the hot-selling iPhone XR, iPhone SE (2020) and iPhone 11.

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The world of computing is full of buzzwords: AI, supercomputers, machine learning, the cloud, quantum computing and more. One word in particular is used throughout computing – algorithm.

In the most general sense, an algorithm is a series of instructions telling a computer how to transform a set of facts about the world into useful information. The facts are data, and the useful information is knowledge for people, instructions for machines or input for yet another algorithm. There are many common examples of algorithms, from sorting sets of numbers to finding routes through maps to displaying information on a screen.

To get a feel for the concept of algorithms, think about getting dressed in the morning. Few people give it a second thought. But how would you write down your process or tell a 5-year-old your approach? Answering these questions in a detailed way yields an algorithm.Input

To a computer, input is the information needed to make decisions.

When you get dressed in the morning, what information do you need? First and foremost, you need to know what clothes are available to you in your closet. Then you might consider what the temperature is, what the weather forecast is for the day, what season it is and maybe some personal preferences.

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It’s that time of the year when the celebrations commence. And this year will be witness to a unique festive season with the prolonged impact of the pandemic. Due to the economic uncertainty, the consumers are expected to be measured in their category choices. There is an increasing value-seeking behavior, with a preference for trusted brands. Brands need to nudge consumers and get into their consideration set, on the media platforms where the consumers are spending a lot of time. With digital acceleration like never before discovery, inspiration and purchase is all happening on mobile. Facebook family of apps with wide scale and deep penetration offer opportunities to marketers to get discovered in new ways. Around 80% of Gen Z and Millennial consumers, say their festive shopping is influenced by Facebook and Instagram.

Industry experts recommend marketers to leverage social media for driving brand discovery this season. In this light, industry leaders from Facebook, Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, Samsung and Lenovo have shared insights about driving brand discovery, understanding evolving consumer media habits, newer consumer experiences, and building the capability of digital commerce.

Across most categories, Indians say that the Facebook Family of Apps is their leading online source for discovery

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