Microsoft is reportedly planning to launch its first dual screen smartphone, the Surface Duo, in late July. According to Windows Central’s Zac Bowden, Microsoft may be planning to launch the Surface Duo in the coming weeks in order to beat the Samsung Galaxy Fold 2, which is expected to launch on August 5.
“I’m told Microsoft wants to launch Surface Duo before the Galaxy Fold 2 is announced. So, before August 5th? We’re getting close. Assuming plans don’t change, Surface Duo should start shipping in less than 2 months,” Zac said in a tweet.
However, Zac did note that the timelines may change, presumably due to the unrest in the US and the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Contrary to Zac’s view, the Microsoft official website lists the device for 2020 Holiday launch.
OnePlus 8 Pro is set to go on sale for the first time in India on Monday from 12 noon at Amazon. The smartphone will be available in 8GB RAM/128GB storage and 12GB RAM/256GB storage variants, and onyx black, glacial green and ultramarine blue colours. Besides OnePlus 8 Pro, the OnePlus 8’s 6GB RAM and 128GB internal storage variant will also go on sale for the first time in India from Amazon.
OnePlus 8 Pro and OnePlus 8 sale offers
As part of its sale offers, Amazon is offering up to Rs 3,000 off to State Bank of India card holders. The e-commerce platform is also offering an additional Rs 1,000 cashback as Amazon Pay balance on prepaid orders and a 12 months interest free equated monthly instalment scheme on all major banks. Besides, Amazon is offering six free bonus audiobooks with Audible membership to OnePlus 8 buyers.
OnePlus 8 Pro specifications
The OnePlus 8 Pro is a flagship product, aimed at the premium smartphone segment. It has a 6.78-inch fluid AMOLED screen of a QHD+ resolution, stretched in a 19.8:9 aspect ratio. The display has a punch hole on the top-left side, accommodating the phone’s selfie camera, and rounded corners. Its screen, with a 120Hz refresh rate, supports the HDR10+ and MEMC interpolation technology for a smooth video-rendering experience. Moreover, the display supports HDR boost, which artificially optimises on-screen content by enhancing colour, contrast and brightness.
Smartphone makers now bring at least two models of each of their premium smartphones – one that maxes out on everything to show the maker’s innovation competence, and second that does not compromise on flagship specifications and features but cuts corners on some lesser features to keep the price low and reach the masses. The OnePlus 8 belongs to the latter category of premium smartphones.
A successor to the OnePlus 7T, the OnePlus 8 brings seasonal upgrades like Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 865 system-on-chip, big-capacity battery, new design and a screen with a punch hole for front camera. However, the company has downgraded the rear camera set-up of the OnePlus 7T by taking away the 2x optical zoom telephoto sensor.
So, where does the OnePlus 8 in 2020 with all its upgrades, and a downgrade? Let’s find out:
Design
The OnePlus 8 has a minimalistic design and premium build. It retains the glass-metal sandwich design of its predecessor but brings new colour options like the ‘Interstellar Glow’ and ‘Onyx Black’, adding some flavour to an otherwise bland design. An issue with the glass body is that it attracts fingerprints. The OnePlus 8’s body does not behave any differently – it is susceptible to smudges and gets fingerprints. Thankfully, the phone comes with a redesigned TPU cover, which protects the phone’s body from accidental scratches and unwanted smudges. A caveat, it adds to the weight and dimensions of the phone.
Apple is hosting its five-day long annual worldwide developers conference 2020 from June 22. It is the first time in its 31 years long run the Apple WWDC would be held in an online-only format due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The WWDC20 lineup has been finalised and it would start with a keynote session on June 22 where the company would announce its future roadmap pertaining to products and services. Besides, the WWDC20 would focus on Platforms State of the Union timing and information on how developers can learn about the future of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, and watchOS.
The keynote address will stream directly from Apple Park via apple.com, the Apple Developer app, the Apple Developer website, the Apple TV app, and YouTube, and will also be available for on-demand playback after the conclusion of the stream. For viewers in China, the keynote will also stream on Tencent, iQIYI, Bilibili, and Youku.
Google on Friday launched a feature on Google Search, Assistant, and Maps to help users find information related to Covid-19 testing centers near them in India.
The technology giant is working with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the government’s crowdsourcing platform MyGov to provide users with information on authorised testing labs. The new feature is available in English and eight other languages in India — Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, and Gujarati.
Finding reliable information regarding testing centres has been a big issue pointed out by people who want to get tested for Covid-19.
While making a coronavirus-related search (eg. “coronavirus testing”) on Search and Google Assistant, users will now see a ‘Testing’ tab on the search results page providing a list of nearby testing labs along with key information and guidance needed before using their services. On Google Maps, when users search for keywords like “covid testing” or “coronavirus testing”, they will see a list of nearby testing labs, with a link to Google Search for the government-mandated requirements.
Xiaomi on Thursday made a global debut of the Mi Notebook-series laptops from India. The Chinese internet company launched the Mi Notebook 14 Horizon Edition and Mi Notebook 14 with up to 10th Gen Intel Core i7 processor. The Mi Notebook 14 Horizon Edition comes in Core i5 and Core i7 variants, priced at Rs 54,999 and Rs 59,999, respectively. The Mi Notebook 14, on the other hand, ships with Core i5 processor at a starting price of Rs 41,999. The laptops go on sale from June 17 at Mi online store, Amazon India, Mi Home and Mi Studio. It shall also be available on retail outlets soon.
Xiaomi Mi Notebook 14 Horizon Edition specifications and features
The Mi Notebook 14 Horizon Edition laptops have 14-inch fullHD screens with 178-degree viewing angles and anti-glaring coating. Made of aluminium, the thin and light laptops have 91 per cent screen to body ratio. The Horizon Edition comes in two processor variants; Intel Core i5 10th Gen and Intel Core i7 10th Gen. Both the variants have 8GB DDR4 RAM, 512 solid state drive (SSD) storage and Nvidia MX 350 discreet graphic processing unit (GPU). The laptops have 10 hours of battery life and support fast charging, according to Xiaomi. With screen stretched on borders, the Mi Notebook 14 Horizon Edition lacks built-in webcam. Thankfully, the company bundles an external webcam with the package.
After several delays, Google on Wednesday released the first Beta version of its upcoming Android 11 mobile operating system for developers to test before official rollout that is scheduled for later this year. The Beta version of Android 11 is based on feedback that the technology giant received since February on the Android 11 developer previews. According to Google, the Beta Android 11 is built on three key themes: People, Controls, and Privacy.
To make Android 11 people-centric, Google has added different layers of customisations in the OS to help people converse on the phone while prioritising messages from across the apps from contacts that matter. Besides, the Android 11 brings conversation notifications that appear in a dedicated section at the top of the shade, with a people-forward design and conversation specific actions, such as opening the conversation as a bubble, creating a conversation shortcut on the home screen, or setting a reminder. Google has also added ‘Voice Access’ functionality to the OS for people who control their phone entirely by voice. The OS brings an on-device visual cortex that understands screen content and context, and generates labels and access points for accessibility commands.
Sony recently launched its wireless Bluetooth headphones, the WH-CH710N, in India. With active noise cancellation its key feature, the headphones seem to be an affordable alternative to company’s premium WH-1000XM3s headphones. The new headphones from Sony look promising, but how does it fare in the overall scheme of things? Let’s find out.
Design and build
The headphones weigh around 200 g, which is considered light weight in its segment. It is a treat for those who desist bulky headphones. Moreover, the headphones’ band has a comfortable fabric wrap with good amount of cushion that does not feel heavy when resting on head. The earcups have soft cushion, too. However, they are not the best and you might find them inconvenient in hot weather conditions. The headphones have matte finish, which looks impressive. However, the plastic built might not appeal to all.
The headphones feature control buttons on its earcups for ease of use. On the right earcup, there are buttons for volume, play/pause, noise cancellation and ambient sound. The play/pause button here doubles up to wake voice assistants, when used with smartphones. On the left, there is a power button, a USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm auxiliary port for wired connectivity.
Once a part of contingency plans, work-from-home is now the new working standard for businesses to operate amid the on-going coronavirus pandemic. While a make-do workstation at home can get you moving, there are things like dual-band wireless router, cloud storage, thumb drives, wireless keyboard and mouse, etc. that help elevate user experience and improve productivity and work efficiency.
Business Standard lists five things to make work-from-home functional
Routers and internet dongles
You cannot establish a work-from-home set-up without internet connectivity. There are multiple ways to connect to the internet, but the most efficient in current scenario is wireless. If you have just the notebook or desktop, a simple 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi router would work just fine. However, if there are multiple devices like printer, scanner, external display, etc., then you need a dual-band wireless router to connect and manage all your connected devices.
Besides, a portable hotspot device with an active internet plan should always be ready as a back-up, in case you lose internet access through your primary channels.
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