As phone manufacturers gradually do away with headphone jacks, wireless earphones have become the new normal. Chinese electronics giant Honor’s Sport Pro headphones follow the same trend, albeit with a special focus on fitness enthusiasts. Priced at Rs 3,999, it is available in Phantom Red, Phantom Grey, and Phantom Purple colour options.

Design

  One of the first things you notice about the Sport Pro is that its ear tips resemble Apple Earpods. The silicone ear tips are uniquely shaped which means you need to twist them slightly in ear after putting them on. But once that is done, it’s a snug fit. They also feel really soft and easy on the ear, mainly because they need not be inserted too deep.

The earbuds have magnetic outside ends which, when stuck together, automatically switch off the headphones. To reconnect, you can simply pull the ends apart again. The neckband is light and comfortable.

Since the earphones are geared for fitness enthusiasts, minute details have been well taken care of. For example, the ear tip design and fit are such that there is virtually no risk of the earphones falling off during an exercise session. The cable is braided so it doesn’t get tangled easily. On the right-hand side of the cable is a three-button control panel designed in a way that you can easily distinguish the volume buttons from the power key. The earphones are also IPX5-rated, so there is no serious danger from sweat or water splash. Overall, the build is practical and durable.

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Chinese smartphone brand Realme on Thursday announced the digital launch of its Narzo-series smartphones on May 11 at 12:30 pm. The company is hosting an online event where it will stream a pre-recorded launch video of the Realme Narzo 10 and the Realme Narzo 10A smartphones. The stream will broadcast on Realme’s official YouTube channel and social media platforms.

Touted to be aimed at youth-centric populace, the smartphones are expected to bring features such as 48-megapixel based multi-optic rear camera module, big capacity battery, gaming-centric processor, and more. Importantly, the phones are expected to be value-for-money propositions aimed at budget and midrange segment.

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Google has delayed the launch of Android 11 operating system’s first beta version due to the coronavirus crisis. The Android 11 Beta 1 will now go official on June 3 through an online event. Meanwhile, the technology giant has released a fourth developer preview of the upcoming operating system for the developers.

“When we started planning Android 11, we didn’t expect the kinds of changes that would find their way to all of us, across nearly every region in the world. These have challenged us to stay flexible and find new ways to work together, especially with our developer community.” the Android Developers team wrote in a blog post.

ALSO READ: Google once evaluated options to acquire video meeting app Zoom: Report

 The delay in Android 11 Beta 1 version has also impacted the rollout schedule of the operating system.

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In a relief to customers, State Bank of India on Thursday slashed benchmark lending rate by 15 basis points, and introduced special deposit scheme for senior citizens with higher interest rate.

The country’s largest lender has introduced a new product “SBI Wecare Deposit” for senior citizens in the retail term deposit segment to safeguard their interests in the current falling rate regime.

Under this new product, an additional 30 basis points premium will be payable for senior citizens retail term deposits with ‘5 Years and above’ tenor only, it said.

 ALSO READ: Public sector banks sanctioned Rs 5.66 trn in loans during March-April: FM

The scheme will be in effect up to September 30, it said.

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As the nationwide lockdown keeps over 260 million children home, it has become increasingly important for parents to monitor their screen time. From browsing and playing online games to spending more time on social media and watching videos online, children are constantly exposed to the harmful effects of screens. The pandemic has also left parents scrambling for alternatives. Most of them are worried that the new habits their children are likely to form could last much longer than the lockdown.

Can yoga help?

Staying cooped up indoors can be stressful for children. It’s one of the reasons they look for a virtual escape. However, as every parent knows, a child need to get a lot of outdoor activity to stay healthy.

Excess screen time and lack of outdoor exposure can have adverse effects on their mental and physical health. The safest way to exercise indoors is by developing a habit to practice yoga. It can be more fun if you join them. Not only does Yoga enhance strength, flexibility, coordination and awareness, it also improves concentration and promotes relaxation. Teach them to do it the right way and they will continue to practice it even after the lockdown is lifted.

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The Delhi High Court has allowed Bharti Airtel to claim a refund of Rs 923 crore by rectifying goods and services tax (GST) returns filed between July and September 2017.

The case pertains to underreporting of input tax credit in the GST summary return form, GSTR 3B, during those three months in 2017 due to absence of the purchase-related return form during the transition period.

The operator argued that in the absence of the statutory forms GSTR 2 and 3, the summary return form was introduced. It does not allow validation before uploading. In the absence of such validation, chances of incorrect details being uploaded could not be eliminated.

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Food delivery firm Zomato aims to branch out into delivering alcohol, according to a document seen by Reuters, as it seeks to cash in on high demand for booze during the coronavirus lockdown.

Zomato has already diversified into grocery as the restrictions on movement shuttered some restaurants and people hesitated to order outside food. Alcohol stores, closed nationwide on March 25, were allowed to re-open this week, generating queues of hundreds of people, leading to baton charges by police to enforce social distancing.

There is no legal provision for home deliveries of alcohol in India, something that industry body International Spirits and Wines Association of India (ISWAI) is lobbying to change in conjunction with Zomato and others.

 “We believe that a tech-enabled home-delivery based solution can promote responsible consumption of alcohol,” Mohit Gupta, Zomato’s CEO for food delivery, wrote in a business proposal to ISWAI.

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The latest offering of Norton, the security solution provider best known for its antivirus and internet security solutions, the Norton 360, doubles up as a service to safeguard privacy on the internet and also neutralise viruses and protect data.

The Norton 360 suite includes device protection from viruses and internet security, access to secure virtual private network (VPN), cloud storage for backup, password manager and parental controls. Moreover, it is a single-security solution that covers computers (Windows and Mac) and mobile devices (iOS and Android).

Being a subscription-based offering, the product comes in three yearly plans – Standard, Deluxe 3 Devices and Deluxe. In the standard plan it offers a single-device support, in Deluxe 3 three devices, and in Deluxe five devices. We used the Deluxe subscription and tested the product on Android smartphone and Windows-based notebook.

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South Korean tech giant Samsung is reportedly working on a proper successor to the Galaxy Buds+ called Galaxy Buds X and now a new report claims that the upcoming Buds may come with active noise cancellation feature.

According to the US Patent Office listing, the Galaxy Buds X will offer active noise cancellation and would be priced at under $150.

These wireless earbuds are expected to arrive with a bean-like design and provide more surface area to include better touch-sensitive controls, 9to5Google reported.

ALSO READ: Samsung starts taking online pre-orders for TVs, ACs, and other electronics

They would measure 28m long and 12mm wide, and their charging case could measure 26mm, which would make this case smaller than the one on the Galaxy Buds+.

There is no possible or rumoured launch date available, but one can expect them to make an appearance alongside the Galaxy Note 20 and the Galaxy Fold 2.

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A tough jobs market, pay cuts and an ailing economy have caused unrest among the Indian professionals and those working in IT, media and manufacturing feel their companies will fare worse in the next six months, a new LinkedIn survey said on Tuesday.

More than two in five media professionals said their companies would fare worse in the next six months, exhibiting a bleak outlook towards the short-term future. One in four manufacturing professionals and more than one in five IT professionals felt the same.

The overall findings showed that one in three Indians have reported a decrease in their personal incomes, whereas 48 per cent of active job seekers and 43 per cent of full-time professionals anticipate fewer job openings in the next two weeks.

LinkedIn’s second ‘Workforce Confidence Index’ shows a slight dip in the overall confidence towards future opportunities as professionals foresee testing times ahead.

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