Audio equipment maker JBL by HARMAN, owned by tech major Samsung, on Thursday launched its new JBL C115 true wireless earbuds in India for Rs 4,999.

According to the company, the earbuds come with access to voice assistance, autonomous connectivity and jumbo battery life making it the ultimate go-to headphones.

“Over its 75-year history, JBL has delivered the best sound experiences to different generations of audio enthusiasts cutting across demography and pocket size. Celebrating our milestone 75 year anniversary, we are excited to bring the new JBL C115 TWS to our aspiring youth who are discerning in their sound choices, without losing sight of the price tag,” said Vikram Kher, Vice-President, Lifestyle Audio, HARMAN India said in a statement.

It comes with ergonomic fit earbuds for comfort, autonomous connectivity and access to the phone’s voice assistants like Google Echo or Alexa directly from the earbuds.

To ensure an easy full day’s use, the JBL C115 offers 21 hours (6 hours in the earbud + 15 hours in the charging case) of combined playback time with their matching charging case.

The earbuds come with a 5.88mm dynamic driver featuring JBL Pure Bass sound which is portable and pocket-friendly.

Budget News:  unionbudget2021-2022

Read Complete Article

A day after India asked it to withdraw changes to its privacy policy, WhatsApp on Wednesday said the proposed change does not expand its ability to share user data with Facebook and that it is open to answering questions on the issue.

The Indian government on Tuesday posed 14 questions to WhatsApp on its “invasive” changes in Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

“We wish to reinforce that this update does not expand our ability to share data with Facebook. Our aim is to provide transparency and new options available to engage with businesses so they can serve their customers and grow,” a WhatsApp spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that WhatsApp will always protect personal messages with end-to-end encryption, so that neither WhatsApp nor Facebook can see them.

“We are working to address misinformation and remain available to answer any questions,” the spokesperson further stated.

In a strongly worded letter to WhatsApp CEO Will Cathcart, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has said the proposed changes to the WhatsApp Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, without giving users an option to opt-out, “raise grave concerns regarding the implications for the choice and autonomy of Indian citizens”.

Budget News:  unionbudget2021-2022

Read Complete Article

Vivo on Wednesday expanded its youthful Y series with the launch of Vivo Y31 in India at Rs 16,490 for 6GB RAM + 128GB ROM variant.

The smartphone is available for purchase in two attractive colour options- racing black and ocean blue on Vivo India E-store, Amazon, Flipkart, Paytm, as well as across all partner retail stores.

“Like all vivo devices, the Y31 follows Vivo’s commitment to ‘Make in India’ and is manufactured at Vivo’s Greater Noida facility,” the company said in a statement.

The smartphone features 48MP AI Triple Rear Camera setup with photo processing algorithms. The device also has a 2MP Bokeh camera and a Super Night Mode for the rear camera which uses the multi-frame noise reduction algorithm to reduce the noise in your photos.

The smartphone also uses Electronic Image Stabilisation (EIS) technology in the rear camera which crops and aligns individual frames, which is further supported by an algorithm that automatically corrects for unstable movements delivering Ultra Stable Videos.

On the front, the smartphone has a 16MP camera.

Budget News:  unionbudget2021-2022

Read Complete Article

Samsung Electronics on Wednesday launched a new consumer solid state drive (SSD) product, boasting upgraded performance and reliability.

Samsung said its 870 EVO SSD series comes in five models — 250 gigabyte (GB), 500GB, 1 terabyte (TB), 2TB, and 4TB — and will go on sale in around 40 countries starting with South Korea and the US.

The new SSD can be used with all devices that have 2.5-inch serial ATA (SATA) interface connection, it added.

The 870 EVO delivers 38 percent higher rand read performance compared to its previous 860 model, offering a better storage solution for both general and professional users, reports Yonhap news agency.

“Representing the culmination of our SATA SSD line, the new 870 EVO delivers a compelling mix of performance, reliability and compatibility for casual laptop and desktop PC users as well as Network Attached Storage users,” said Lee Kyu-Young, vice president of the memory brand product business at Samsung.

The latest SSD features Samsung’s latest V-NAND chip and controller and supports the maximum SATA sequential read and write speeds of 560 and 530 megabyte per second.

Budget News:  unionbudget2021-2022

Read Complete Article

Google has released Chrome 88 as the latest stable version of their cross-platform web browser without any support for Adobe Flash Player.

Flash reached its official end of life on December 31, when Adobe officially stopped supporting the software. On January 12, Adobe also began blocking content from playing inside Flash.

Apple and Mozilla have also stopped supporting Flash, and Microsoft is scheduled to end support later this month, reports ZDNet.

According to web technology survey site W3Techs, only 2.2 per cent of today’s websites use Flash code, a number that has plummeted from a 28.5 per cent figure recorded at the start of 2011.

First announced in July 2017, Adobe had said to stop updating and distributing Flash Player after December 31, 2020 due to the diminished usage of the technology and the availability of better, more secure options such as HTML5, WebGL and WebAssembly.

Microsoft has announced to end support for Adobe Flash Player on Microsoft Edge and Internet Explorer 11 at the end of the year.

Budget News:  unionbudget2021-2022

Read Complete Article

Homegrown instant messaging app Hike Messenger, later known as Hike Sticker Chat, has been officially shut down.

The company’s chief executive officer Kavin Bharti Mittal announced the shutdown of its operations recently.

“Today we are announcing that we will be sunsetting StickerChat in Jan’21. We thank you all for giving us your trust. We wouldn’t be here without you. All your data will be available to download in the app,” Mittal tweeted.

Kavin Mittal is the son of India’s second largest telco Bharti Airtel’s founder and chairman Sunil Mittal.

The app has been removed from Playstore and Apple’s App store.

Users can download their data inside the application. However, the announcement does not mean an end to other apps in development by the company.

The end of Hike’s messenger service comes at a time when Signal and Telegram have added tens of millions of users in recent weeks.

Launched in December 2012, Hike was once regarded as a competition to global messaging platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger and Viber.

Budget News:  unionbudget2021-2022

Read Complete Article

From smartphones with a full-path colour management system to a rollable screen and flexible form factor, OPPO has some big things planned for this year. The Chinese smartphone maker is starting the year 2021 with the Reno 5 Pro 5G, a premium midrange smartphone with industry-first imaging-related enhancements for an improved videography experience.

A successor to the OPPO Reno 4 Pro (review), the OPPO Reno 5 Pro 5G is touted to be a camera-centric smartphone. But how does it fare on other key parameters like design, display, performance and on-battery time? Let’s find out:OPPO Reno 5 Pro 5G: Design

“If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!” That seems to have been Oppo’s motto while designing the Reno 5 Pro 5G. The smartphone looks similar to its predecessor: Two-side curved screen on the front and a gradient design with matte finish on the back. While the phone’s front looks identical to the Reno 4 Pro, its back cover has got some minor but relevant upgrades. Instead of plastic, the Reno 5 Pro 5G has glass covering its back; it is not a regular glass but the Panda glass, said to provide protection against minor scratches. In real life, the Panda glass (review unit: Astral Blue colour) seems resilient against scratches and the gradient design with matte finish protects the glass from unwanted fingerprint marks.

Budget News:  unionbudget2021-2022

Read Complete Article

Xiaomi on Tuesday launched in India the 10th Gen Intel Core i5-10210U Comet Lake processor powered Mi Notebook 14 (IC) laptop. Priced Rs 43,999 onwards, the thin-and-light laptop comes in multiple configurations, including a variant with NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (2GB GDDR5 VRAM) discreet graphic card. The Mi NoteBook 14 (IC) will be available in silver colour on Mi online store, Mi Homes, Amazon India, Flipkart and select retail stores.

“After taking considerable consumer feedback, we are now expanding our Mi Notebook 14 portfolio to include a more convenient integrated web camera above the display. We retain 10th generation Intel CometLake processors in the new devices as well, since they offer great productivity performance for thin and light laptops and offer day-long battery life. Mi Notebook series has been widely accepted and appreciated by Mi Fans and consumers and with the launch of Mi Notebook 14 (IC) we continue to raise the bar and set new benchmarks. We have expanded this range to deliver superior experience by offering powerful machines, and features that fulfil the requirement of students and working professionals,” Raghu Reddy, Chief Business Officer, Mi India, said in a statement.

The Mi Notebook 14 (IC) is a thin-and-light laptop that weighs 1.5kg. Made of aluminium and magnesium alloy, the laptop boasts a unibody metallic chassis. It sports a 14-inch anti-glare display of fullHD resolution.

Budget News:  unionbudget2021-2022

Read Complete Article

Xiaomi on Tuesday launched in India the 10th Gen Intel Core i5-10210U Comet Lake processor powered Mi Notebook 14 (IC) laptop. Priced Rs 43,999 onwards, the thin-and-light laptop comes in multiple configurations, including a variant with NVIDIA GeForce MX250 (2GB GDDR5 VRAM) discreet graphic card. The Mi NoteBook 14 (IC) will be available in silver colour on Mi online store, Mi Homes, Amazon India, Flipkart and select retail stores.

“After taking considerable consumer feedback, we are now expanding our Mi Notebook 14 portfolio to include a more convenient integrated web camera above the display. We retain 10th generation Intel CometLake processors in the new devices as well, since they offer great productivity performance for thin and light laptops and offer day-long battery life. Mi Notebook series has been widely accepted and appreciated by Mi Fans and consumers and with the launch of Mi Notebook 14 (IC) we continue to raise the bar and set new benchmarks. We have expanded this range to deliver superior experience by offering powerful machines, and features that fulfil the requirement of students and working professionals,” Raghu Reddy, Chief Business Officer, Mi India, said in a statement.

The Mi Notebook 14 (IC) is a thin-and-light laptop that weighs 1.5kg. Made of aluminium and magnesium alloy, the laptop boasts a unibody metallic chassis. It sports a 14-inch anti-glare display of fullHD resolution.

Budget News:  unionbudget2021-2022

Read Complete Article

Samsung has said it will release its smart tracking tag on the market this week as the South Korean tech giant tries to expand its mobile ecosystem with advanced communications solutions.

Samsung said the Galaxy SmartTag will go on sale in South Korea on Tuesday with a price tag of 29,700 won ($26).

The latest mobile accessory leverages Bluetooth low energy (BLE) technology, which allows users to easily locate non-connected items by simply attaching the tag to objects.

The tag can be registered through Samsung’s SmartThings app, and users can register multiple tags on their smartphones, reports Yonhap news agency.

According to the company, SmartTag can make an alarm sound when users are near the object. It will use a coin battery that powers the device up to 300 days for use.

Samsung, the world’s largest smartphone maker, said the SmartTag is compatible with any Galaxy device that runs on the Android 8.0 system.

The Bluetooth dongle attaches to valuables such as keys, bags or pet collars and makes those items trackable via a mobile app.

Budget News:  unionbudget2021-2022

Read Complete Article