Microsoft has started testing its Chromium-powered Edge browser on the newly-launched Xbox One and Xbox Series X/S consoles.

According to The Verge, Xbox testers in the Alpha Skip-Ahead group can now access the new Microsoft Edge on Xbox One or Xbox Series S / X consoles.

However, full mouse and keyboard support is still missing.

“The new browser on Xbox will give users access to websites they want to surf on the controller,” the report said on Sunday.

The current test version also supports many of the same features from the desktop version of Edge that includes extensions and vertical tabs.

The current version of Edge also suffers from a few bugs at present. It currently supports navigation via Xbox controller.

Users can also expect the core Edge features to be available on the browser like support for extensions, Collections, and other desktop features.

The Edge browser also brings support for Google’s Stadia cloud-based streaming platform. The browser is also likely to help users play more browser-based games.

“Currently, the test is limited to Xbox testers in the Alpha Skip-Ahead group but hopefully, it won’t take Microsoft too long to release it to the public,” the report noted.

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Storage solutions major Western Digital on Monday launched its two new SanDisk portable SSDs that aim to offer nearly 2x the speed over previous generations.

According to the company, the SanDisk Extreme and SanDisk Extreme PRO portable SSDs are purpose-built to keep up with today’s high-quality content demands.

The SanDisk Extreme Portable SSD is available now in 500GB for Rs 7,999, 1TB at Rs 12,999 and 2TB for Rs 27,499, with the 4TB model shipping later in April 2021.

Meanwhile, the SanDisk Extreme PRO portable SSD is available now in 1TB Rs 19,999 and 2TB for Rs 34,999 with 4TB model shipping in April 2021.

“With the new range of SSDs in the segment, we have bumped up the speeds with the latest NVMe technology and used robust materials in our designs to make the devices look trendy while being rugged enough to help back up heavy files safely,” Khalid Wani, Director Sales, India, Western Digital, said in a statement.

With capacities up to 4TB, the new NVMe drives are made for creating content or capturing and moving incredible 4K and 8K footage with ease, which will be available in India from April 2021.

The flagship SanDisk Extreme PRO portable SSD features a forged aluminum chassis made to stay cool under the pressure of a heavy workload and a durable silicone design to withstand the rigors of production.

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Lenovo-owned Motorola is set to launch Moto G10 Power and Moto G30 in India on Tuesday. The launch event for both the smartphones will start at 12 pm IST and the phones will be available on e-commerce giant Flipkart. The two budget smartphones were launched in China last month. Some reports claim that Moto G10 Power is a rebranded version of Moto G10 which was launched in China.

What are the key features both the smartphones are expected carry?

Let’s take a look

Moto G10 Power

For a budget phone expected to be priced under Rs 15,000, G10 Power is expected to be loaded with great features.

Display

The phone will have a 6.5 inch IPS LCD display and an aspect ratio of 20:9. The smartphone will have a bezel-less display with a waterdrop notch on it. It is expected to have a screen resolution of 720 x 1600 pixels with a pixel density of 270ppi.

Camera

G10 Power will have quad camera setup on the back with a 48 MP primary camera. It will also have an 8 MP ultra wide angle shooter, a 2MP macro camera, and a 2 MP depth camera. The camera also features HDR mode, autofocus, LED flash, digital zoom and face detection, among others. It will also have an 8 MP front camera.

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Smartphone maker OPPO on Monday launched its latest F 19 Pro Series smartphones – F19 Pro+ 5G and F19 Pro with quad rear cameras and feature Super AMOLED displays in the Indian market.

OPPO F19 Pro+ price starts at Rs 25,990 for the sole 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant. The OPPO F19 Pro, on the other hand, has 8GB RAM + 128GB storage option at a price tag of Rs. 21,490 and 8GB RAM + 256GB storage model at Rs. 23,490.

“The launch of each generation of the F series has raised the bar of what consumers expect from a mid-range smartphone. With AI Highlight Portrait Video, Smart 5G, 50W Flash Charge and our proprietary System Performance Optimizer make the OPPO F19 Pro+ 5G a delight to use,” Damyant Singh Khanoria, Chief Marketing Officer, OPPO Mobiles India Pvt. Ltd, said in a statement.

OPPO F19 Pro+ features a 6.4-inch full-HD+ (1,080×2,400 pixels) Super AMOLED display with 20:9 aspect ratio and 60Hz refresh rate.

Under the hood, the Oppo F19 Pro+ has the octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 800U SoC, along with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM.

The device houses a quad rear camera setup that carries a 48MP primary sensor with an f/1.7 lens, 8MP wide-angle macro shooter, 2MP portrait sensor, and a 2MP macro shooter.

The smartphone features a 16MP selfie camera sensor.

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Vivo is likely to launch its X60 series in India towards the end of March, Vivo India Director of Brand Strategy Nipun Marya confirmed during a virtual press briefing on Friday. The series comprises Vivo X60, Vivo X60 Pro, and Vivo X60 Pro+ that were initially launched in China.

Vivo also announced its imaging-focussed Vision+ initiative for mobile photography enthusiasts. It also revealed that it is set to bring a new phone with RGBW camera sensor. The Vision+ initiative aims to create a visual content ecosystem for mobile photography enthusiasts. This will include content co-creation, education, and cultural exchanges.

The company claims that the initiative will first start with the upcoming Vivo X60 series in India. It is said to be based on four pillars including VISION+ Mobile Photography Awards, Vivo VISION+ Mobile Photography Academy, the Vivo VISION+ Master Class, and the Vivo VISION+ Photographers Federation.

With Vivo VISION+ Mobile Photography Awards, the brand plans to invite smartphone users to showcase their photography skills. On the other hand, vivo VISION+ Mobile Photography Academy focuses on bringing an artistic and cultural exchange platform closer to the users. The Academy will soon invite world-class photographers to conduct Masterclasses to inspire people to transcend from clicking images to capturing moments filled with emotions and feelings. The vivo VISION+ Photographers Federation, vivo plans to collaborate with more creators to explore the limitless possibilities of mobile photography, which will ultimately contribute to advancements and developments in vivo products, the company said in a statement.

The Vivo X60 and X60 Pro were launched in December last year in China, the high-end flagship X60 Pro+ variant was unveiled in January, 2021.

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OnePlus on Monday announced a three-year partnership with Sweden-based camera manufacturer Hasselblad to co-develop the smartphone camera systems. The first camera system to come out from this partnership will feature on the OnePlus 9 series, which is set to globally launch on March 23. In addition, OnePlus announced its plans to invest more than $150 million over the next three years to further build out its smartphone mobile imaging capabilities.

“OnePlus has always prioritised a premium user experience over everything else. Beginning in 2021, we are making a concerted effort to significantly improve the smartphone camera experience for our users, with the expertise of a truly legendary partner in Hasselblad,” said Pete Lau, Founder and CEO of OnePlus.

OnePlus said that in partnership with Hasselblad, the Chinese smartphone maker aims to deliver vastly improved camera systems on future OnePlus smartphones, including the upcoming OnePlus 9 Series. According to OnePlus, the partnership will develop over the next three years, starting with software improvements including color tuning and sensor calibration, and extending to more dimensions in the future. The OnePlus 9 series will feature ‘Natural Color Calibration with Hasselblad’. Through the new colour solution, OnePlus aims to bring more perceptually accurate and natural-looking colours to photos taken with OnePlus flagship cameras. It also will serve as OnePlus’ new standard for colour calibration for its future smartphone cameras.

Besides, the upcoming OnePlus smartphone will boasts the new Hasselblad Pro Mode, which would bring Hasselblad’s class-leading sensor calibration to a smartphone for the first time, resulting in accurate and natural colour for a solid foundation for post-editing. According to OnePlus, the Hasselblad Pro Mode has been revamped with a new user interface based on Hasselblad’s image processing software to give users an authentic Hasselblad look and feel. It also allows for an unprecedented amount of control for professional photographers to fine-tune their photos, with the ability to adjust ISO, focus, exposure times, white balance and more. Users can also use 12-bit RAW format for even richer color and higher dynamic range.

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Fastrack today announced three new products under Fastrack Reflex portfolio – Fastrack Reflex 3.0, Fastrack Reflex 2C Pay, and Fastrack Reflex Tunes which marks the brand’s entry into the Hearables segment.

The products will be available in Fastrack stores and Fastrack.in and start from Rs 1795.

Reflex 3.0 is the newest smart band from the company that comes in dual tone with more than ten sports modes tracker ranging from Yoga, running, hiking to cycling and offers 20 watch faces which can be matched with interchanging straps.

Priced at Rs 2,495, the smart band has 10-day battery life, Reflex 3.0 is water-resistant and is equipped with a heart rate monitor along with features like phone finder, sleep tracker, idle alert and vibration alarm, etc.

The Reflex 3.0 is also supported with an app called Fastrack Reflex World, which provides the user with fitness activity report and in future will give access to health and diet tips, new workout suggestions.

Fastrack is soon likely to launch Reflex 2C Pay powered by YONO SBI, a contactless payment solution in the form of a fashionable sleek fitness band. Reflex 2C Pay assists consumers to make contactless payment and also help them with their fitness regime. The watch comes with features like sleep and activity tracker, phone finder, music control, 7 day power reserve and more.

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Chinese tech major Xiaomi will soon introduce smart TVs under the ‘Redmi’ brand in India as it looks to further expand its position in the burgeoning smart TV segment in the country.

Speaking to PTI, Xiaomi India Category Lead (Smart TV) Eshwar Nilakantan said when the company had introduced its smart TVs in 2018, its aim was to increase the smart TV penetration in the country and “democratise” the segment.

“In 2018, the penetration was 18 per cent, less than one-fifth of the TVs sold were smart and we wanted to democratise the segment like we had done for smartphones. Since then, the 18 per cent has grown to a little over 55 per cent. We have grown with the market and sold over 5 million smart TVs,” he said.

Nilakantan explained that India has over 200 million households, of which 170 million have a TV – 100 million of those are CRT TV and 70 million have a flat monitor.

“Smart TV penetration is only 20 million. So if you look at this overall market, there are 50 million people who would be coming and buying a smart TV, and even the 100 million households who have a CRT will be upgrading directly to a smart TV, that is a massive opportunity,” he added.

A number of smartphone players such as Samsung, LG, Micromax, OnePlus, Infinix and Motorola have smart TVs in their product portfolio in India.

According to Counterpoint Research, shipments of TVs in India grew 15 per cent annually to reach the highest-ever 15 million units in 2019, and the growth was mainly driven by budget smart TVs, with 32-inch TVs the leading segment.

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Jabra has launched Jabra Evolve2 30 headphones with a 2-microphone call technology for voice calls and online meetings.

Launched in two variants – STEREO and MONO — the Evolve2 30 STEREO costs Rs 12,149 and Evolve2 30 MONO costs Rs 10,922. The headphones will be available for sale from mid-March through Jabra authorised resellers. Both the headphones are available in black colour,

It also has 28mm speakers and an ‘advanced digital chipset’ for improved audio quality for both calls and playback.

These include a dedicated Microsoft Teams button so you can jump in and out of virtual meetings easily.

The Evolve2 30 is also available in a Microsoft Teams certified variant, which comes with a dedicated Microsoft Teams button so you can jump in and out of virtual meetings with just one touch, while the boom arm allows you to easily mute and unmute yourself in an instant.

The headphones have oval memory foam ear cushions with the angled earcup design and a single-sided busylight that turns on automatically when you’re on a call and can also be turned on manually to signal “do-not-disturb”.

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The interesting Xiaomi-realme war on social media has once again gain attention of their fans and this time, it is regarding the camera technology, as both the companies claim that they brought smartphones housing 64MP sensor to the world, with realme saying on Friday that they offered the first-ever “hands-on experience” on the technology.

According to realme, it showcased its latest 64MP quad-camera set up to the consumers and fans in India on August 8, 2019, and “was the first to provide the world a hands-on experience of 64MP quad-camera and the technology behind it”.

“realme marked that day by hosting a unique photography event in New Delhi, wherein the audience was provided with a personal experience and briefing about the 64MP technology,” the company told IANS.

“realme has consistently delivered a cutting-edge, premium smartphone experience to Indian customers at the most value-driven price points and has always showcased its true commitment towards its fans,” it added.

Xiaomi’s Redmi brand showcased the 64MP camera technology in China on August 6, 2019 while realme said it showcased the same sensor “hands-on” in New Delhi on August 8, 2019.

Redmi Note 8 series was launched in China on August 29, 2019 with the same 64MP camera while realme XT smartphone with 64MP sensor arrived in India on September 13, 2019.

Redmi Note 8 Pro with the same camera technology was launched in India on October 16.

Both the brands have now locked horns with the 108MP camera in their devices.

While Xiaomi has launched Redmi Note 10 Pro Max with the 108MP sensor, realme is set to bring the same technology in its next offering later this month.

According to industry experts, for consumers, the camera continues to be a major smartphone purchase determinant.

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