iQOO on Tuesday launched India’s first smartphone powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 768G system-on-chip. Named the iQOO Z3, the smartphone comes in 6GB RAM + 128GB storage, 8GB RAM + 128GB storage, and 8GB RAM + 256GB storage configurations. The iQoo Z3 starts at Rs 19,990 for the 6GB RAM + 128GB storage variant.
The 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant is priced at Rs 20,990 and the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage option is priced at Rs 22,990. The 5G smartphone will be available in Ace Black and Cyber Blue colours on Amazon India and the iQOO India website from June 8. As part of the introductory offer, the phone gets Rs 1,500 instant discount, valid for ICICI Bank credit and debit cards users.
As for the specifications, the iQOO Z3 boots Android 11 operating system-based FuntouchOS 11 user interface. The smartphone features a 6.58-inch full-HD+ (1080 x 2408 pixels) display of 120Hz refresh rate and a 20:9 aspect ratio. The display supports HDR10 and boasts DCI-P3 Wide Colour Gamut. It sports a triple rear camera setup with 64-megapixel primary sensor (Samsung ISOCELL GW3 sensor), along with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens and a 2-megapixel sensor with an f/2.4 lens. It has a 16-megapixel selfie shooter on the front. The rear camera can recording 4K videos at 60 fps. It boasts EFB (eye, face, body) autofocus tracking, and Super Night Mode supported by several filters for low light photography.
Apple kicked off its annual developer conference (WWDC 2021) on June 7 with a keynote where the American technology giant introduced new features and services that are coming to its hardware lines through software updates. For iPhone, Apple previewed major updates coming with the iOS 15 operating system. Among several notable features, there are some that seemed to have been developed specifically to enhance life in the pandemic, and thereafter. For example, the upgrades coming to Apple’s video call platform ‘FaceTime’.
With the iOS 15, Apple extends the FaceTime calls beyond Apple devices. Like any other video conferencing platform, Apple users will now be able to create a link for an event and share it with others, so anyone with access to the link can join the FaceTime call from their web browser – Android and Windows devices. The FaceTime call link can be created from iPhone, iPad and Mac, and shared with others through Messages, Calendar, Mail, or any third-party apps. Apple said the FaceTime calls on the web remain end-to-end encrypted, so privacy is not compromised.
Apple also introduced SharePlay feature to help users share experiences while connecting with friends and family on FaceTime. The feature will allow FaceTime call participants to listen to songs together with Apple Music, watch a TV show or movie in sync, or sharing their screen to view apps together. SharePlay works across iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and with shared playback controls, anyone in a SharePlay session can play, pause, or jump ahead. SharePlay will also be available on the Apple TV, so users can watch shows or movies on a big screen while connecting over FaceTime. Apple said that many over-the-top platforms’ app like Disney+, ESPN+, HBO Max, Hulu, MasterClass, Paramount+, Pluto TV, TikTok, Twitch, etc. are integrating SharePlay into their apps.
Apple is also introducing a new tool named ‘Focus’ with the iOS 15 to help users focus and reduce distraction. Focus is developed to filters notifications and apps based on what a user wants to focus on. That said, Apple users can set their device to help them be in the moment by creating a custom Focus or selecting a suggested Focus, which uses on-device intelligence to suggest which people and apps are allowed to notify them. Focus suggestions are based on users’ context, like during their work hours, and when Focus is set on one Apple device, it automatically applies to their other Apple devices. Users can create Home Screen pages with apps and widgets that apply to moments of focus to only display relevant apps and reduce distractions. When a user’s Focus is blocking incoming notifications, their status is automatically displayed to others in Messages, reflecting that a user is not currently reachable.
The above-mentioned features seem just the right addition to improve user experience amid the pandemic. Aside to these, there are several other features coming to iPhone with iOS 15. FaceTime is set to get Spatial Audio support, microphone modes, portrait mode, and grid view for group calls.
Apple Inc on Monday said a new “private relay” feature designed to obscure a user’s web browsing behavior from internet service providers and advertisers will not be available in China for regulatory reasons.
The feature was one of a number of privacy protections Apple announced at its annual software developer conference on Monday, the latest in a years-long effort by the company to cut down on the tracking of its users by advertisers and other third parties.
Apple’s decision to withhold the feature in China is the latest in a string of compromises the company has made on privacy in a country that accounts for nearly 15% of its revenue.
In 2018, Apple moved the digital keys used to lock Chinese users’ iCloud data, allowing authorities to work through domestic courts to gain access to the information.
China’s ruling Communist Party maintains a vast surveillance system to keep a close eye on how citizens use the country’s heavily controlled internet. Under President Xi Jinping, the space for dissent in China has narrowed, while censorship has expanded.
Apple’s “private relay” feature first sends web traffic to a server maintained by Apple, where it is stripped of a piece of information called an IP address. From there, Apple sends the traffic to a second server maintained by a third-party operator who assigns the user a temporary IP address and sends the traffic onward to its destination website.
The use of an outside party in the second hop of the relay system is intentional, Apple said, to prevent even Apple from knowing both the user’s identity and what website the user is visiting.
Apple said it also will not offer “private relay” in Belarus, Colombia, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkmenistan, Uganda and the Philippines.
Apple has not yet disclosed which outside partners it will use in the system but said it plans to name them in the future. The feature likely will not become available to the public until later this year.
One out of every two smartphones sold globally is expected to support 5G by the end of 2022 as factors like increasing affordability, unique design and performance fuel adoption of the new technology, according to a whitepaper by Counterpoint Research and Realme.
According to the whitepaper titled ‘Making 5G Global: Accessibility for All’, the global adoption of 5G is outpacing all previous generations.
In the first quarter of 2021, within just one year after the launch of the world’s first commercial 5G network, almost one out of every three smartphones sold worldwide supported 5G, it said.
While developed markets have been driving 5G adoption, this is expected to change as more emerging markets are starting to launch commercial 5G services, it added.
The whitepaper noted that premium segments have traditionally dominated in the early adoption stage of previous generations but 5G has brought a new dynamic to the market.
“In 2020, 5G phones in the low-to-mid-range price segments accounted for nearly 40 per cent of all 5G devices sold. With average selling prices (ASP) likely to continue declining by double-digits in the foreseeable future, it is expected that one out of every two smartphones sold globally will support 5G by the end of 2022,” it added.
Apple’s WWDC (Worldwide Developer Conference) 2021 is set to kickstart today, June 7. Like last year, the event will be held virtually owing to the coronavirus pandemic. For the uninitiated, the WWDC is Apple’s annual developer-focused event where the American technology giant announces development with regard to its software and services on day one, followed by sessions with developers to bring them on-board the development process. That said, Apple is likely to unveil the next iteration of its operating systems for iPhone, iPad, Watch, TV, Mac, etc. Besides, there are chances that the company would unveil a new line-up of its MacBook Pro model at the event.
WWDC 2021: Keynote livestream timing, how to watch online in India
The WWDC 2021 will begin with keynote from Apple’s CEO Tim Cook that will stream live from Apple’s campus in California, America on June 7 at 10 am (PDT). In India, the WWDC 2021 keynote will start at 10:30 pm (IST) and it will livestream on Apple website, Apple TV app, and Apple Developer app. The event will also livestream on Google’s YouTube at Apple official channel. Alternatively, you can watch the livestream through the video embedded below.
Facebook welcomes the progress made by the Group of Seven on a minimum tax rate and accepts this could mean the social network pays more tax, and in different places, its head of global affairs Nick Clegg said on Saturday.
“Facebook has long called for reform of the global tax rules and we welcome the important progress made at the G7,” Clegg said on Twitter. “Today’s agreement is a significant first step towards certainty for businesses and strengthening public confidence in the global tax system.
“We want the international tax reform process to succeed and recognize this could mean Facebook paying more tax, and in different places.”
Industry body COAI has said that any concern around adverse impact of 5G on health is “totally misplaced”, and all evidence available supports that the next-generation technology is safe.
The Cellular Operators’ Association of India (COAI) asserted that 5G would prove to be a “game changer” and lead to “exponential increase in benefits” for the economy and society.
The association – which represents large telcos like Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea – argued that India already has strict norms in place and prescribed standards for electromagnetic radiation limit in telecom sector is far more stringent than global-accepted standards.
“Radiation permitted in India is one-tenth of what is accepted globally so already our systems have taken this into account…Any notion or concern about radiation and impact are misplaced. These are fallacious fears and this always happens whenever a new technology is introduced,” S P Kochhar, Director General, COAI told PTI.
The Delhi High Court on Friday dismissed actress Juhi Chawla’s lawsuit challenging the setting up of 5G wireless networks in the country and slapped a fine of Rs 20 lakh on her and co-petitioners by describing the plea as “defective”, “abuse of process of law” and filed for “gaining publicity”.
Justice J R Midha said the plaintiffs — Chawla and two others — have abused and misused the process of law and wasted the court’s time. The judge said the plaint in which questions have been raised about health hazards due to the 5G technology was “not maintainable” and was “stuffed with unnecessary Scandalous, frivolous and vexatious averments” which are liable to be struck down.
Google-owned YouTube Music available on Android Auto is getting one of its biggest redesigns adding navigation tabs and more.
Rolling out as a part of the YouTube Music 4.30.50 Android app, this redesigned interface for Android Auto is a fairly major shift from the old interface.
By far the biggest change in this new YouTube Music interface on Android Auto is the four navigation tabs across the top, 9To5Google reported.
There are four tabs in total, the first being a “Home” tab which includes shortcuts to recently played media.
There’s also a “Last Played” tab for your most recent songs or albums. “Library” includes your playlists and saved media, and there’s also a dedicated tab for “Device Files”, i.e. locally stored media.
Notably, though, these tabs are contextual. If you aren’t a regular YouTube Music user, for example, the “Last Played” tab won’t appear. The same applies to “Device Files”.
If you don’t have any locally stored music, the tab doesn’t show up, the report said.
Beyond just navigation, though, this new YouTube Music design for Android Auto also spruces up the main UI with more visual elements.
Apple Inc. is working on a new iPad Pro with wireless charging and the first iPad mini redesign in six years, seeking to continue momentum for a category that saw rejuvenated sales during the pandemic.
The Cupertino, California-based company is planning to release the new iPad Pro in 2022 and the iPad mini later this year, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The main design change in testing for the iPad Pro is a switch to a glass back from the current aluminum enclosure. The updated iPad mini is planned to have narrower screen borders while the removal of its home button has also been tested.
The iPad became an increasingly key part of Apple’s portfolio over the past year as people looked for new ways to work, study and stay entertained at home during Covid-19 lockdowns. Sales of iPads jumped 43% during the last six months of 2020 compared with a year earlier. The gains continued in the first three months of 2021 when the tablets generated $7.8 billion — a 79% increase from the same quarter a year earlier.
For the new Pro model, the switch to a glass back is being tested, in part, to enable wireless charging for the first time. Making the change in material would bring iPads closer to iPhones, which Apple has transitioned from aluminum to glass backs in recent years.
It takes more than a good-quality display and audio for a smart television to justify its ‘smart’ moniker. Unfortunately, most products, especially in the budget segment, simply slip mediocrity on the pretext of smart experience. Thankfully, there are some smart televisions like the recently launched Realme Smart TV 4K (43-inch) that come close to meeting the expectations. It is one of the few smart televisions in the budget segment that cover a wide spectrum of features and services for a comprehensive smart TV experience.
For starters, the Realme Smart TV 4K 43 is powered by Android 10 TV, which gives it access to apps and services supported by the Google operating system for smart televisions. Therefore, you can navigate and explore the new-age content available on over-the-top platforms like YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+ Hotstar, etc, or simply watch the conventional cable channels by plugging in a set-top box. Besides, the TV has Google Chromecast built in for easy transmission of content from supported smartphones, tablets, and PCs on the television’s screen. These are some basic features available with every smart television powered by the Android operating system. What gives the Realme Smart TV 4K an edge is the niche features coupled with wide connectivity options and I/O ports availability.
The Realme Smart TV 4K 43 is among the few with far-field microphones in the television itself for hands-free operation powered by Google Assistant. Though you cannot operate the TV entirely due to the limitations with Google Assistant, it proves immensely useful if you have other smart home devices like bulbs, plugs, fans, air conditioner, air purifier, cameras, etc.
The thing with smart TVs is that they heavily rely on the internet to render smart services. Therefore, the experience can go for a toss if the TV cuts corners on internet connectivity. Thankfully, the Realme Smart TV 4K 43 covers both wired and wireless connections right. Besides the RJ45 LAN port for wired internet connectivity, the Realme Smart TV 4K 43 supports dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4Ghz and 5GHz) – something rarely available in budget smart TVs. The 2.4GHz band is congested beyond hope and creates conflict with other wireless devices like Bluetooth speakers, soundbars, earbuds, etc.
Dual-band Wi-Fi addresses this issue by allowing internet services over the 5GHz band, which is less congested. Important to note that the dual-band Wi-Fi is a router-specific service.
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