Amazfit GTR 3, the successor to the Amazfit GTR 2, seems a promising entry in this year’s smartwatch line-up, bringing several upgrades such as a brighter screen, better battery life, and more. Amazfit has been good value for money, but the only issue, as we have seen earlier, is weak software support that spoils the experience.
Has Amazfit managed to cross the barrier with GTR 3? Let’s find out this and more about in this review:
Amazfit GTR 3: Build and design
Straight out of the box, I set my eyes on this sleek smartwatch with a large round screen curved at the edges meeting aluminum alloy case giving this watch a pristine look.
The GTR 3 has a 1.39-inch AMOLED HD touch display (454×454 pixels) with 326ppi pixel density. it offers crisp and bright colorus even in direct sunlight. The display has a 1,000nits peak brightness and features tempered glass with an anti-fingerprint coating. The display feels really good in daily use and clearly, this is one of the finest displays I have seen in a smartwatch so far.
There are two buttons on the right edge, with one, much to my surprise, is a rotating crown for navigation. The crown is highly responsive and one of the highlights of the watch and it’s a treat for smartwatch users.
Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. unveiled a new server chip that’s based on advanced 5-nanometer technology, marking a milestone in China’s pursuit of semiconductor self-sufficiency.
The Chinese tech giant’s newest chip is based on micro-architecture provided by the SoftBank Group Corp.-owned Arm Ltd., according to a statement Tuesday. Alibaba, which is holding its annual cloud summit in Hangzhou, said the silicon will be put to use in its own data centers in the “near future” and will not be sold commercially, at least for now.
“Customizing our own server chips is consistent with our ongoing efforts toward boosting our computing capabilities with better performance and improved energy efficiency,” said Jeff Zhang, president of Alibaba Cloud Intelligence and head of Alibaba’s research arm Damo Academy. “We plan to use the chips to support current and future businesses across the Alibaba Group ecosystem.
”With the pandemic fueling increasing demand for cloud services, tech giants worldwide are increasingly seeking ever-more powerful and energy efficient semiconductors to gain an edge. Alibaba’s server chip is one of the most advanced by a Chinese firm yet, as it joins global rivals like Amazon.com Inc. and Google in gradually replacing silicon from traditional chipmakers like Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. with products custom-designed for their data centers and workloads.
The development signals how China’s effort to build a homegrown semiconductor industry is bearing fruit. Xi Jinping’s government has made tech self-sufficiency a top national priority, setting aside billions in government funding and offering a wide range of policy support to help local firms overcome U. S. sanctions on the industry.Alibaba is one of a number of Chinese firms that has answered Beijing’s call to invest in the development of cutting-edge technologies and manufacturing capacities.
Facebook Inc., facing intense scrutiny over its business practices, is planning to rebrand the company with a new name that focuses on the metaverse, according to The Verge.
Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg is expected to announce the name at the company’s Connect conference on Oct. 28, the website reported on Tuesday.
A Facebook spokesperson declined to comment, saying the company doesn’t “comment on rumor or speculation.”
Zuckerberg, who co-founded the social network in 2004, has said that the key to Facebook’s future lies with the metaverse concept — the idea that users will live, work and exercise inside a virtual universe.
“In the coming years, I expect people will transition from seeing us primarily as a social media company to seeing us as a metaverse company,” Zuckerberg said in July. “In many ways the metaverse is the ultimate expression of social technology.”
The rebranding would come at a time when Facebook is under fire from regulators, lawmakers and activists. Whistle-blower Frances Haugen has shared thousands of company documents with regulators and the Wall Street Journal. The documents detailed Facebook’s struggle with moderating its content and alleged deleterious mental-health effects of its photo-sharing app Instagram.
The tech world is changing so fast that if a company misses out on one of the critical updates, it is trashed on blogs, vlogs, and print. The disappointment of the reviewers takes a different manifestation. For most smartphone makers, an underperforming device means the end of the road for it until next year. However, for Apple belying expectations translates into new renders of the next iPhone. The iPhone 13 has been suffering the same fate. While Apple has made notable improvements to battery life, a design overhaul is much needed. Besides, the company also needs to up the specs if it plans to compete in the premium smartphone market. New entrants have already been disrupting this space with flagship killers at half the price of premium smartphone makers’ premium devices.
Here’s a list of Apple improvements that we would love to see in the future iterations. Moreover, companies need to realise that a phone goes much beyond its camera. Although with the Instagram generation, the camera is significant, the phone’s changes need to go beyond that.
Display of 90Hz-120Hz refresh rate
Apple has made significant improvements to the screen with more brightness. The sound quality on the phones has also got better with more depth and richness. But the company has shied away from fiddling with the refresh rates. The 60hz display has been a standard feature on iPhones, while other smartphone makers have graduated to 120hz (some even to 144hz) display. While Apple has introduced the adaptive refresh rate feature in pro models, the technology needs to trickle down in regular phones. At least the new lower-range iPhone can have a 90hz display to improve the gaming and movie-watching experience. Apple will have to adjust battery life accordingly as a higher refresh rate would translate into lower battery life.
The Galaxy Buds2 is a pair of wireless earbuds from South Korean electronics maker Samsung. Inspired by the company’s flagship Galaxy Buds Pro (review), these earbuds boast a minimal design, dual audio drivers, active noise cancellation (ANC), and wireless charging. Starting with the design, these earphones are quite like the Buds Pro, only without fancy decorations. Though the earbuds look minimal yet premium, their glossy finish and neat contours make them handling-agnostic. Likewise, the earbuds’ square-shaped case with rounded edges requires caution while handling due to its glossy profile. On the positive side, it is lightweight and compact, and slides easily even in the most cramped spaces.
Coming on to the fit, the earbuds come with three pairs of silicone ear tips of different sizes. These ear tips are soft and comfortable. They provide snug fit and the earbuds latch well into the ears. The earbuds’ lightweight design and comfortable ear tips make them unnoticeable to users even after extended use. A caveat, the earbuds are IPX2-rated, meaning no protection against dust and limited protection (splash) against water.
In terms of features, the Galaxy Buds2 sticks to the fundamentals. Packed with dual audio drivers, the earbuds offer ANC as one of its core features. While the ANC intensity is rock solid, it is not adjustable. Thankfully, Samsung has retained the three-level ambient noise sound volume of the Galaxy Pro here. For the uninitiated, the active noise cancelling feature comes in handy when you want to isolate yourself from ambient noise by filtering the outside noise. The ambient sound volume feature is quite the opposite. It helps users stay connected with what is happening around while using the earbuds.
Besides features related to ANC and ambient sound, there also are other features like pre-set equalisers, read notifications aloud, and ambient sound during calls that improve the user experience. The value-added features are, however, managed through the Samsung Galaxy Wearable app, which is available only for Android smartphones.
As for the performance, the Galaxy Buds2 is good for listening to music, podcasts, and any other form of audio, but not so much for calls. The audio output is refined and the earbuds sound good, irrespective of what music genre you prefer. As for calls, the Galaxy Buds2 struggles to pick up voice in environments with heavy ambient noise. Even in calm environments, the voice call experience is anything but good.
When a manufacturer has built a car that has been tested on a special track with modern tech kitted out to spot for chinks in its developmental growth, you know that serious effort has gone into the car. That is exactly the story with the latest SUV from the Mahindra stable — the XUV 700 — a car that’s been getting M&M more attention since its erstwhile bestseller of yesteryear, the Scorpio.
Unequivocally, this is the best Indian car that I have been behind the wheel of in a long time and, of course, that doesn’t include the Jaguar or the Land Rover. Why? There are a few reasons, to start with. For one, the interiors don’t feel like that of a truck or a commercial vehicle. They are spiffy, comfortable and aesthetically pleasing with dashes of wood-grained veneer, leather and high-end plastics interspersed in the front, side and rear.
Even the chrome-brushed handles in matte finish evoke a BMW kind of fit and that’s a good thing. Start the car and the smooth sound of the engine is unlike any other M&M car. Mahindra big boss Anand Mahindra has often repeated in the past that every M&M car shares a certain DNA which is rugged, with an off-roading quality and built for hard wear and tear.
In that vein, the XUV 700 goes a step further. It is all those, but also has a smoother edge for those who want city comfort now offered in the likes of competitor vehicles such as the MG Hector, Hyundai Creta, Volkswagen Tiguan and Tata’s Harrier.
Right from the nifty and unique door handles that pop open with the click of the key fob to the lane change cameras that are positioned both in front and behind the car, the 700 is out to make a sweeping statement. Namely, that it’s not leaving any stone unturned in reclaiming lost ground. After all, Mahindra has been the big alpha dog when it comes to tapping the SUV market that has been evolving and growing in leaps and bounds. That king of the hill position not only slipped but also saw the clear and present danger of being dethroned forever with the onslaught of top class products made by MG, Kia and more in just the last 24 months.
Once you start up the 700 with a start-stop button, its new-generation, 6-speed automatic transmission helps to smoothly push the 1,600-plus kilo five-seater into action. On the road, it moves smoothly and with confidence although being built on a monocoque chassis, there is more rigidity. That also means the car is a little bouncy on uneven roads in India, and can feel wobbly in the beginning but rev it up and that smooths out in due course.
The Taiwanese company that manufactures smartphones for Apple Inc. and other global brands announced plans Monday to produce electric cars for auto brands under a similar contract model.
Foxconn Technology Group will produce cars and buses for brands in China, North America, Europe and other markets, said its chairman, Young Liu. He said the clients can modify their appearance and features for their markets.
Foxconn, also known as Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., enters a crowded global market with electrics being offered by almost every established automaker and dozens of ambitious startups.
The flagship Model E sedan, developed with Italian design house Pininfarina, is due to be launched in 2023, the company said. It said the Model E will seat five and have a range of 750 kilometres on one charge.
Liu mentioned automakers Fisker Inc. and Taiwan’s Yulong Group as clients.
The newspaper Taiwan News said last week other potential customers include Stellantis, the automaker formed by the merger of FIAT Chrysler and Peugeot, but Liu did not confirm that.
Foxconn said its first electric bus, the Model T, will have a range of less than 400 kilometres on one charge.
WhatsApp will now let users in a group join an ongoing group call, building on a capability it introduced first in July.
Joinable calls, introduced in July, provided users the ability to answer a group call even after it had started, instead of participants joining exactly when the call is made.
“So, now group calls are contextual to your group chats and you can effortlessly join them right from the chat tab. With group calling growing in popularity, integrating joinable calls gives WhatsApp users a new spontaneous way to connect with their family and friends groups,” WhatsApp said, announcing the new feature.
Users can call a WhatsApp group and join the call directly from the group chat.
Users will be able to join ongoing calls with your groups anytime, effortlessly and directly from the chat view with one click.
The notification will say the name of the group instead of participant names.
Only people who are part of the group can join the call, and the call will show in the chat list, so people can see which groups have ongoing calls immediately after opening the app.
The feature will have a “lighter distinct ringtone”.
Facebook-owned WhatsApp has been working on new reaction features as the new beta version of the platform brings the ability to manage reaction notifications with new settings to disable them or change their tone for iOS users.
With that users can be alerted (or not) by new reactions the same way they are with messages and groups notifications citing WABetaInfo, 9To5Mac reported on Saturday.
Even though WhatsApp is working on this feature, reactions are still not available for public beta testers to try it out, the report said.
Previously, WABetaInfo said messages can have an infinite amount of reactions but they will stop being counted when reaching 999 of them, after that a “+” sign will appear.
WhatsApp has also been working on multi-device support 2.0, which will bring an iPad app and let users connect to the app even without an internet connection with their phones or with it off.
At present, public beta testers for its desktop app are already able to join the multi-device beta programme, which lets you use WhatsApp with up to four devices paired without the need of a smartphone connected to the internet.
Recently, WhatsApp finally started rolling out end-to-end encrypted chat backups for iOS and Android users globally.
With the new update, if a user chooses to back up his chat history with end-to-end encryption, it will be accessible only to him, and no one will be able to unlock the backup.
Neither WhatsApp nor the backup service provider will be able to access their end-to-end encryption backup, according to a recent report.
Apple is hosting a virtual event on Monday at 10 am Pacific Time, with rumours widely suggesting the event will be focused on redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with a faster version of the M1 chip, brighter mini-LED displays, and more.
As per reports by MacRumors, third-generation AirPods will likely be announced at the event as well. The new AirPods are rumoured to feature a similar design as the AirPods Pro, but without Active Noise Cancellation, and they could have improved sound quality and some other new features.
Reports suggest the third-generation AirPods have already been manufactured and are ready to launch, which increases the likelihood that they will be announced during the Apple Event next week.
Earlier this week, an account on a Chinese social media platform also claimed that third-generation AirPods will be announced at the Apple Event next week. Last month, the same account accurately revealed that Apple would announce the ninth-generation iPad at its September event.
This would be the first update to the standard AirPods since the second-generation AirPods were released in March 2019. The second-generation AirPods are priced at USD 159 with a wired charging case and at USD 199 with a wireless charging case.
An update to the AirPods Pro is not expected until next year.
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