Chinese electronics manufacturer Xiaomi is set to launch the Redmi Note 8 Pro in India on October 16. Successor to the Redmi Note 7 Pro, the phone would bring several new upgrades, including a 64-megapixel sensor-based quad rear camera set-up, MediaTek Helio G90T mobile processor and fast charging support. Apart from the phone, Xiaomi is also expected to announce its next iteration of Android operating system-based user interface, the MIUI 11.

Redmi Note 8 Pro specifications

The Redmi Note 8 Pro boasts a glass build with Gorilla Glass 5 protection on the front and back. On the front, the phone has a 6.53-inch dot-shaped notch screen of fullHD+ (2340 x 1080p) resolution. The HDR-ready screen has anti-oil and anti-fingerprint coating for protection against smudges. Powering the phone is MediaTek Helio G90T system-on-chip, which is a midrange mobile processor aimed at gaming-centric smartphones. Though the phone’s Chinese version is powered by Android 9 Pie operating system-based MIUI 10 user interface, there are chances that the Redmi Note 8 Pro Indian version would boot the MIUI 11. Read Complete Article

Chinese electronics manufacturer OnePlus is set to launch the OnePlus 7T Pro at a global event in London that would be livestreamed simultaneously on the company’s social media and YouTube channels. In India, the event’s livestream on YouTube will start at 8:30 PM. At the launch event, the company is also expected to unveil the OnePlus 7T Pro’s McLaren edition, teased recently on OnePlus’ official Twitter account.

A successor to the OnePlus 7 Pro, the OnePlus 7T Pro is expected to be a premium flagship. It could be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ mobile processor, which also powers the company’s recently launched OnePlus 7T. The phone might come in multiple variants; with up to 12 GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. However, the OnePlus 7T Pro McLaren edition is expected to come only with 12GB RAM and 256GB internal storage.

The OnePlus 7T Pro is expected to get the matte frosted glass design, which the company introduced in the OnePlus 7T. Other than cosmetic upgrades, the phone could be similar to its predecessor, the OnePlus 7 Pro. It is expected to boast a 6.65-inch fluid AMOLED screen of a QHD+ resolution and 90Hz refresh rate. Like in its predecessor, the screen in the OnePlus 7T Pro might be curved on the sides and support HDR10+. The phone is expected to come with a pop-up selfie camera module, in-display fingerprint sensor and Gorilla Glass protection on the front and back. Read Complete Article

Lenovo-owned smartphone brand Motorola on Wednesday launched the Motorola One Macro, with a dedicated macro camera lens for close-up shots. Priced at Rs 9,999, the phone is the third camera-centric smartphone to launch this year as part of the Motorola One-series. The two previous ones were the Motorola One Vision (review) and Motorola One Action (review). A Flipkart-exclusive smartphone, Motorola One Macro will be available on the platform of the home-grown e-commerce company starting October 12.

Lenovo One Macro specifications

The Lenovo One Macro has a 6.2-inch LCD screen of an HD+ (1520 x 720) resolution. While the One Action and One Vision boast a punch-hole screen of cinematic 21:9 aspect ratio, the One Macro has a U-shaped notch screen stretched in a tall 19:9 aspect ratio. The notch at the screen’s top accommodates phone’s 8-megapixel selfie camera, which has an f/2.2 aperture and supports screen flash, auto HDR, timer, face beauty, auto smile capture, cinemagraph, portrait mode, group selfie, spot colour, slow motion video and timelapse features. Read Complete Article

Launched in India on October 1, the Samsung Galaxy Fold is now available for pre-orders on Samsung online store, Samsung shop, and select retail outlets, including the Samsung Opera House in Bengaluru. The pre-orders will continue for a couple of weeks from now and the delivers for pre-orders will start from October 20.

Priced at Rs 1,64,999, the Galaxy Fold is India’s first smartphone with a bendable screen. First unveiled in February, the phone’s first iteration received a negative feedback from early reviewers over durability of its bendable screen and longevity of the hinge mechanism. Following a backlash, the phone’s initial pre-orders were cancelled and the device went back to the labs for testing and improvements. Thankfully, the model coming to India is the second iteration, which seems to have an improved bendable screen and folding mechanism.

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India is emerging as the testing and acquisition playground for global consumer technology companies, especially the so-called FAANGs, according to a veteran internet analyst.

RBC Capital Markets’ Mark Mahaney, who calls himself Wall Street’s “oldest internet analyst” after covering the sector for more than two decades, said India is now more popular than markets like China because it has the same growth dynamics but with fewer regulations.

As one of the largest economies and most populous countries in the world, India has turned into a testing ground for companies such as Facebook Inc., which has used it to beta-test a payments feature for WhatsApp. Netflix Inc. rolled out a mobile plan in India at 199 rupees ($2.80), much cheaper than what it charges for a basic plan elsewhere, and has created original content to capture more market share.

“India does have regulations but it doesn’t seem to be as protectionist as China,” said Mahaney. India has been considering a new law that would require personal data to be stored locally, which could impair the operations of the Internet giants but Mahaney remains confident they can still penetrate the market. Readmore

Unlike in case of smartphones, deciding whether to go for a budget device or shell out heavily on a safe premium one is not always easy when you are out in the market for a tablet. But there have come a few promising but inexpensive tablets in recent times, making the choice somewhat easier for users. The Alcatel 3T10 is one such tablet.

Priced at Rs 11,999, this 10-inch tablet comes with a Bluetooth speaker that also acts as the charging stand. When used separately, the tablet’s dual speakers with 5W drivers give a considerable output. Also, the speaker has a 2000mAh battery that lasts 4-5 hours on full charge.

This tablet runs on Android 9.0 and has Google Assistant pre-installed on it. Its 10-inch IPS display with an 800 x 1200 resolution leaves thick bezels around it. We found the display to be a bit dull, but that did not cause much hassle while reading mails, social media posts, or even streaming videos from Netflix or Amazon Prime. But we would advise you not to expect too much. Also, reading anything on its screen in sunlight would not be easy.

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Air purifiers have become integral to people’s needs these days, especially in major cities, thanks to the scourge of high pollution levels in recent times. The situation in Delhi during winters is particularly alarming and people earlier were forced to turn to air purifiers, which did not come cheap and you could not carry them with you. But that was earlier; technology is now moving towards what is called ‘personal air purifiers’, and that might change things for good.

We came across the Air Tamer A-310, a personal air purifier launched recently, and reviewed it to see if these devices could substitute the traditional air purifiers and answer the issue of air pollution in cities with an equal effectiveness. Here’s what we found:

The Air Tamer A-310 is completely portable — it fits in your pocket, so you can carry it with ease. It is a lightweight device and has a panel that looks like a display but is not.

At the bottom, it has a regular USB jack to charge the device, while the on/off switch sits at the bottom-left side. There are tiny bristles at the top to emit negative ions and an LED indicator at the back indicating if the device is on or off. Also, the device has a strap, so you can even wear it around your neck. Read Complete Article

GoPro on Tuesday launched its HERO8 Black and Max action cameras in India for Rs 36,500, and Rs 47,000, respectively.

Both the devices are available for pre-order at GoPro.com beginning October 1.

Shipments of HERO8 Black begin October 15 and it will be available at select retail partners globally starting October 20.

GoPro Max can be pre-ordered via GoPro.com with shipments beginning October 24. It will be available at select retailers globally on October 24 and in the US on October 25.

Its Mods, which comprise the ‘Media Mod’, the ‘Display Mod’ and the ‘Light Mod’ cost $79.99, $79.99 and $49.99, respectively. They will be available in India starting December.

GoPro MaxGoPro Max

“It’s been 15 years since the first GoPro camera, and from the start, we’ve been about enabling people to share their passions whether they’re fueled by adrenaline or artistry,” Nick Woodman, Founder and CEO, GoPro, said in a statement. Read Complete Article

South Korean electronics manufacturer Samsung on Tuesday launched its first foldable device, the Galaxy Fold, in India, at Rs 1,64,999. With this launch, the company became the first smartphone brand in the country to foray into the new product category of bendable screen devices. The device, a foldable smartphone, comes with 12 GB of RAM and 512 GB of internal storage. Its pre-orders will start from October 4, and the deliveries for pre-orders from October 20. The Galaxy Fold pre-orders could be done on the Samsung online store, Samsung shop, and select retail outlets, including the Samsung Opera House in Bengaluru.

The Galaxy Fold, introduced before the Mobile World Congress earlier this year, was upgraded recently to address the build and longevity issues reported by early reviewers. The reported issues were mostly related to the device’s bendable screen and hinge mechanism — key components of the company’s first foldable device. The upgraded version showcased by the company at the India launch on Tuesday seemed a robust device, but we will reserve our final verdicts for the review of the smartphone.

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Microsoft’s October 2019 Event saw the company unveiling a large range of new Surface devices.

Some other big announcements include Surface Laptop 3, Surface Pro 7, Surface Earbuds, Surface Neo, Surface Pro X and Surface Duo.

The 13-inch Surface Laptop 3 comes with the latest 10th-generation quad-core processors from Intel, while the 15-inch model comes with a custom AMD Ryzen 7 processor, or as Microsoft calls it, “Ryzen 7 Surface Edition”.

The 13-inch Surface Laptop 3 will start at $999 and will go up to $1,199 for the 15-inch model.

Microsoft has updated its Surface Pro 6 tablet with the Surface Pro 7. Like the Surface Laptop 3, it finally gets a much-requested USB-C connection.

Inside, there is an option of tenth-generation Intel Core CPUs, and storage options that run from a 128GB SSD through to 1TB. Read Complete Article