Author: Souradeep Roy

Five Tech Gadgets We Wish Were Available In India

India is one of the fastest growing markets for technology as the developing nation has a huge population with disposable income and they are not wary of spending on new technology. If we look back, there was a time when we hardly received any new tech. Heck! India skipped out on technology like the Answering Machines and Pagers for the mass market. People who could afford it were few and far between. But the scenario has changed and the tech companies now put immense focus on emerging markets such as India. But there are still a few gadgets and tech innovations that we wish came to India. They may be introduced to the Indian market at a later date but they aren’t available just yet.

Xiaomi Mi Gaming Laptop

The budget gaming laptop that everyone wanted Xiaomi to introduce to India still hasn’t arrived on the country’s shores yet. If anything, India is known to be a price sensitive market and this laptop is extremely budget friendly. It comes in different variants for every budget. The laptop is a 15.6-inch device that sports a 7th Generation Intel Core i7 or i5 CPU, a 256GB SSD + 1TB HDD and either an Nvidia GTX 1060 or an Nvidia GTX 1050 Ti. The i7/GTX1060 variant sports a 16GB RAM, while the i5/1050Ti variant is coupled with 8GB of RAM. The 16GB of RAM + GTX 1060 model costs CNY 8,999 (Rs 93695 Approx) while the 8GB of RAM + 1050 Ti model costs just CNY 5,999 (Rs 62459 Approx). This is dirt cheap if we compare it to other gaming laptops of similar specs available in the market.

Amazon Echo Wall Clock

Amazon has introduced a lot of home products in the Indian market and all the products have done quite well. Even though smart home products are something that not Indians are completely familiar with, the Echo devices have done quite well. Amazon launched a smart wall clock recently that connects to your Echo device.

You can set the timer using your Alexa-powered smart speaker and the lights around the rim of the clock will light up to show you how much time is left. The use of this can be a little narrow for users but it can be useful to some. People who are working in household settings, people who are working under strict deadlines, bachelors who are forgetful and people working in the kitchen can all benefit from it. One can set up the clock in their kitchen or on top of their study table or desk and keep a track of time and set timers to achieve certain goals. The price of the clock is $30, which directly converted translates to around Rs 2157.

Huawei’s FreeBuds 2 Pro

Wireless earbuds tech is in vogue and we cannot deny the fact that they are here to stay. After Apple launched their Apple AirPods, every other smartphone manufacturers have launched their version. Huawei recently launched the Huawei FreeBuds 2 Pro. But unfortunately there is no news as to when it will be available in India, if at all. This earphone features bone conduction technology, supports wireless charging and has 13nm drivers. The design is eerily similar to the Apple AirPods right down to the earphone case. One can sue the Huawei Mate 20 Pro to charge the earphones through reverse charging as well. It costs CNY 999 which roughly translates to Rs 10,401.

Google Pixel Slate

Apple recently launched the all new iPad Pro in India and it is absolutely beautiful to look at. However, Google has not paid too much heed to their tablet division in India with the Pixel Slate still not available in the market. The Pixel Slate has four different variants with Intel Celeron processor and 4/8 GB RAM with 32/64GB RAM variant starting at £549 (Rs 49702 Approx) being the cheapest one. The fully specced out version of the tablet with 8th Generation Intel Core i7 Processor and 16 GB RAM, 256GB storage will set you back £1,549 (Rs 140235 Approx). It might be the case that Google does not see the product fit for the Indian market or may very well introduce this tech wonder to India at a later date but we sure hope that it does hit Indian shores soon.

Tesla Model 3

The last one on our list is every car enthusiast and environmentalist’s dream. Tesla has been manufacturing battery powered cars for years now but it still hasn’t come to India. Unlike most car manufacturers, who can just set up a business in India and make and manufacture their products, a Tesla requires planning, help from the government and a lot of infrastructure setup throughout the country. The cars, since they run on electricity, need to have charging points spread across the country. In a country where there are places that hasn’t even received electricity even in 2018, Tesla might be a distant dream. Many countries, Norway being the prime example, have different government schemes. These schemes provide exemptions and rebates to people buying electric cars. But it seems like there is no such plan, at least in the near future in India.

The Tesla Model 3 is the latest addition to Tesla’s lineup and features a 310 mile range, 0-60 mph acceleration in 3.3 seconds and claims to have the most refined design and engineering among other cars in the category. If we do end up on Tesla’s radar and if the government is indeed trying to bring the pollution down by encouraging customers to buy electric cars, we might find a lot of Tesla buyers in the country.

December 15, 2018
New Yi Action Cameras Launching On Flipkart On December 17

The Yi Action Camera and the Yi 4K Action camera will go on sale on Flipkart starting December 17th. Yi cameras were previously available on Amazon’s India website since 2017 exclusively.

The 4K+ action camera can shoot 720p videos at 60/120 and 240 fps and 4K at 60fps. It can also shoot 1080p videos at 60/50/30 and 25 frames per second and 1440p at 30 and 25 fps. The 4K camera takes 2.5K videos at fps rates of 30 and 25 as well. The camera also has slow motion video capture and can record video and take time lapse pictures at the same time. The video length captured by this camera is 5 min, 20 min, 60 min and 120 min. It also features a built-in 3 axis gyroscope and 3 axis accelerometer. Yi 4K+ action camera reportedly also has video stabilisation built in. It uses a cross-border compensation algorithm to compensate the motion change to produce stable videos. The camera also senses the available light and adjusts the frame rate and parameters automatically.

Also Read: Trends For The Photography Industry In 2019

Yi is one of the biggest competitors for GoPro in the action camera segment and have been doing well in many markets owing to their low pricing.

Inside the hood, the camera has a Sony IMX377, 1/2.3″, 12 megapixels CMOS image sensor with Exmor R ability. The Exmor R is a back-illuminated version of Sony’s CMOS image sensor. It boasts of a 2.19 inch touchscreen with a 640x 360 resolution. The screen’s aspect ratio is 16:9 and has a 160 Degree field of view. It also features a 128 GB flash memory. The camera has a 1400 mAh battery which is also decent. The two cameras are marked as “Coming soon” in Flipkart at the moment. While the current landing page for these cameras are displaying exorbitant prices, the two cameras will reportedly be priced at Rs 4,999 and Rs 9,999 respectively. It is available in two colours which are Black and White.

December 14, 2018
Samsung Galaxy S10: What To Expect

Earlier this week, a news website broke the news for Samsung’s latest flagship phone’s release dates, specifications, sizes as well as UK prices. Since then, there has been leak after leak and several renders have also shown up on the internet. Being the 10th anniversary Galaxy product, everyone expected the phone to look drastically different. Many also assumed that it would have a folding display. But according to leaks, the phone is slated for launch at a Samsung Unpacked event beforeMobile World Congress 2019. The event is scheduled for the 20th of February. The leaks came directly from a trusted source of the said news website and they have verified the source as well.

Earlier renders of the Galaxy S10 before the leaks

Specifications

The leaks also suggest that the S10 will be available in three different versions. These include a regular version, a Plus version, and a flat version. The regular version and Plus version will feature curved displays while the flat version will have a non- curved or flat display. All the three phones will have the Infinity- O display. This design was patented by Samsung recently and features a camera cutout at the front of the screen. This gets rid of the notch that every other phone comes with these days.

A case manufacturer's expectations for the Galaxy S10 lineup: pic.twitter.com/lrExjvalcb
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) December 8, 2018

This is also less obtrusive when it comes to media consumption such as videos or gaming. The phone will also feature an Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor. The fingerprint sensor, unlike the optical ones that we see on most phones, is said to read fingerprints using ultrasonic waves. It supposedly reads the ridges of the fingers in 3D. There will also be a three camera setup at the back with three different focal length lenses, namely standard, wide and tele.

Also Read: Alleged Samsung Galaxy S10 5G Prototype Seen In Video

Price, Screen Size And Availability

The Galaxy S10 will feature the newly showcased One UI over Android Pie. The One UI is specially made to help users to use the phone easily with one hand. Coming to the size of the screen, the three variants will be 5.8 inch for the Lite variant, 6.1 for the standard variant and 6.4 for the Plus variant. Interestingly, the storage sizes have also been leaked along with the price for the UK market. The 5.8-inch Lite version of the S10 will feature 128GB of storage and retail at £669.

The standard 6.1-inch screen will be available in two sizes. The 128GB will be priced at £799 and the 512GB storage variant will cost £999 in the UK. The Galaxy S10 Plus is going to boast of a lot of different variants with a lot of storage options. There will be a 128GB version for £899 and a 512GB version at £1099. There also will be a one terabyte Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus for a whopping £1399. The S10+ will compete with the iPhone XS Max which has a price tag of £1,449 for their 512GB variant in the UK.

December 14, 2018
Trends For The Photography Industry In 2019

The photography industry is evolving rapidly and has seen a lot of ups and down in the past twenty years. With micro four thirds cameras giving way to 35mm film, film cameras giving way to point and shoot and then ultimately 35mm DSLRs and now Mirrorless cameras. The industry has changed as and when consumers have needed it to. During the war, cameras such as Zenit and Zorki were built robustly for the soldiers to take to war. As time went by, camera manufacturers started focussing on bigger image sizes, instant print cameras and so on. But now, we are knocking on the doors of 2019, which may dawn a new era in the camera and overall photography industry. Let’s find out which new camera technology we feel will emerge and will be in 2019’s photography trends.

More Mirrorless Cameras

Sony and Fujifilm have been manufacturing mirrorless cameras for a while now and with technology advancing at a very fast pace, there cameras are now performing as good as, or sometimes better than DSLRs. Mirrorless cameras are smaller in size and easier to carry due to the lack of the mirror mechanism. The digital viewfinder also helps one see the exact output when changing the settings in a camera through their viewfinder. These cameras were generally avoided by professionals in earlier years since it’s inception because of the lack of it’s lens portfolios.

But with big players such as Canon and Nikon entering the mirrorless game this year, all manufacturers have stepped up and released a huge lens portfolio for their mirrorless line up. There are many users who hate switching brands and brand loyalty is something that will be put to test with the camera companies now competing in a level playing field.

DSLR Sales Will Decrease

DSLRs have been the choice of photographers for a long time now. These cameras have established lens lineups, are robustly built and can be built in all price ranges. But with mirrorless cameras slowly gaining ground in the market, DSLR sales may decrease drastically. Many news agencies use DSLRs from Canon and Nikon and were reluctant to shift to a new system till now. This was because a shift would mean changing lenses and accessories as well.

With the two major players entering the high end mirrorless segment, interchangeability might be possible between different systems. This means use of DSLR lenses on mirrorless cameras and vice versa. This can be done with the help of proprietary adapters. These adapters will not reduce the lens’ focussing speeds and other capabilities like Image stabilisation. In 2019’s photography trends, there is a good chance that a large chunk of the DSLR users will shift towards mirrorless. This will therefore decrease DSLR sales.

Video Centric Micro-Four Thirds Cameras

Since ages, filmmakers have used either 35mm or 16mm to shoot videos. Be it in film or in digital backs. The 35mm cameras have been the choice of many filmmakers. Great Hollywood films such as Black Swan, 127 Hours, Avengers, Whiplash and even TV series like Dexter and House have all used DSLRs for their shoot at some point. Documentary filmmakers use the 16mm format more often. But a new format is gaining ground and camera manufacturers are trying to push this format hard on the market. The Micro four thirds, is a format that sits between full frame cameras or 35mm and APS-C sensors. This format allows the camera to be less bulky but provides great quality footage.

The micro four thirds are also mirrorless cameras but differ in sensor size. These cameras have a sensor size equivalent to a 4/3-inch video tube. Having a digital viewfinder also helps filmmakers look at exposure and framing in real-time through the viewfinder itself and not have to look at the screen. Now, having a smaller sensor size has not reduced the resolution as many of these cameras provide the same, and at times more, resolution than a DSLR’s video. Cameras such as Panasonic’s GH5 or Olympus’ OM-D E-M1 Mark II are being made with filmmakers in mind. It will be great to see other companies joining the bandwagon. With the digital space growing at an alarming rate, Vloggers, Streamers and Youtubers can definitely take advantage of this format.

Artificial Intelligence In DSLRs and Mirrorless

If we can have a digital assistant at home for us to switch on and switch off lights and perform other tasks, why can’t we have artificial intelligence in our cameras? Cameras, like smartphones are becoming smarter by the day. Even a few years back, it was unimaginable to ask your camera “GoPro, take a photo” and the camera would follow. Well, now you can. With technology evolving at an alarming rate, camera manufacturers are including features like WiFi connectivity, bluetooth, voice commands and so on for cameras as well.

Artificial Intelligence is already present in many cameras that can detect faces, click photos when it sees smiling faces, connect to your phones and so on. While a personal assistant for all your photography needs may be a long time away, we feel that there may be a good chance that more AI features will be integrated into a camera in the coming year’s photography trends.

Fingerprint Sensors In Cameras

For photojournalists and studio photographers, for media houses and wedding photography teams, several users share a single camera in different times. And every user has his or her own preference. Be it the exposure setting, focus or colour settings and so on. This is where fingerprint sensors come in. Just like a computer has different user settings where a particular user can log-in to his or her user preferences a camera with a fingerprint sensor can scan the fingerprint of the user and immediately change the current settings to that.

This would be a great to see in 2019, if manufacturers do decide to include such a thing. Canon has already patented a fingerprint scanner technology for it’s camera. But it is unclear what they plan on doing with it. With the sensor, one can also be sure that the camera will not fall into the wrong hands and will prevent it from being stolen and used.

Better Lenses

Lenses are as important as the camera body itself. A photographer needs to choose his or her lenses carefully and according to the need. Lenses are also quite expensive so it is best to select expensive and well performing ones than buying cheap ones. Specially if you are a professional. In photography trends of 2019, we expect to see some really great lenses. One of the major complaints most photographers have with DSLRs are that the cameras don’t fare too well in extreme low light conditions.

Next year can be a welcome change for them as many manufacturers, with meteoric advancements in optics, are now creating extremely wide aperture lenses. These lenses can go as low as f/1.2 or even f/1 or f/0.95. Canon’s 50mm f/1 or Leica’s 50mm f/0.95 are great examples. These lenses can shoot at extremely low lighting conditions with relatively lower ISOs providing great images without noise. This year we can expect more of these lenses from different manufacturers as well.

These were our predictions for photography trends of 2019. Let us know in the comments, what you feel should make it in this piece and we will try and include the same!

December 13, 2018
Nokia 8.1 Launched In India

Five days after it’s global launch in Dubai, Nokia has launched the Nokia 8.1 in India. Read on to find out what the specifications, price and availability are for India.

Specifications And Design

The Nokia 8.1 is a bigger version of the Nokia 8 Sirocco and features a Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 710 SoC, along with the Adreno 616 GPU. This will be paired with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage. It features a 6.18-inch screen with a 18.7:9 aspect ratio. The screen has a 2246 x 1080 px resolution and a pixel density of 403 ppi. It also receives extra protection from the Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The phone has a modest 3,500 mAh Li-Ion battery. Since it is a new launch, as a result, it will run Android 9.0 Pie out of the box.

On the camera front the phone has dual rear and single front camera set up. The rear cameras feature 12 MP and 13 MP sensors and can shoot 2160p videos at 30fps. The front 20 MP sensor can shoot 1080p videos at 30fps. The rear camera lenses are made by Zeiss optics. The camera also has the ‘Bothie’ feature, which allows simultaneous photo/video shooting. In terms of connectivity, the Nokia 8.1 has all the basic connectivity solutions like 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 5.0, 802.11 ac Wi-Fi and has a USB Type-C port for charging and data syncing. Above all the 3.5mm audio jack is also making an appearance for all the audiophiles.

Price, Colours and Availability

The phone is quite lightweight and measures in at 154.8 x 75.76 x 7.97 mm and weighs in at 180 grams. It will be available in three different colours namely Blue/Silver, Steel/Copper and Iron/Steel. The Nokia 8.1 will be available at Rs 26,999 in India and is available through Nokia’s own website as well as Amazon. It will be available from December 21, 2018 but is already available for pre-booking at Nokia’s website.

December 13, 2018
Finally A Skullcandy That Won’t Stop Working In One Ear – Wireless Skullcandys

Skullcandy earphones and headphones are infamous because they stop working in one ear after a while. While they have a great customer service that replaces damaged earphones, it is still a hassle. It seems that Skullcandy has launched a truly wireless earphone which, we can all hope, will work in both ears even after a longer use period. The Skullcandy Push is a true wireless earbud that is reasonably priced and can gibe Bose, Sony, Jabra, Samsung and Apple a great competition. So let’s find out what the features, specifications and prices are.

The earbuds feature a Bluetooth wireless technology that features Bluetooth 4.2. The company claims that the earbuds will provide 12 hours of battery life. This includes up to six hours of play, which is the charge stored in the earbuds and the charging case holds an additional six hours. According to Skullcandy, the earbuds feature Secure FitFin Gels which do not allow the earbuds to fall off from the ear easily.

The earbuds also has features such as Activate Assistant, Microphone, Call, Track, and Volume Control. It has a button on each side of the buds. The right button turns the volume up. The left button turns it down. Tapping either button will enable a user to answer and end a call. Pressing the left earbud for two seconds will reject a call or put one on hold. Triple pressing either button will have your assistant help with sending a message and setting a reminder apart from other functions.

Also Read: Top Tech: Top 10 Budget Earphones Under Rs. 1,000

Technical Specifications

Connection Type: Bluetooth® 4.2
Impedance: 16 Ohms
Driver Diameter: 9.2mm
THD: <3% at 1KHz
Sound Pressure Level: 100 +/-3dB (1mW/500Hz)
Frequency Response: 20Hz – 20KHz

The box comes with the Push Earbuds, Charging Case, Micro USB to USB charging cable, User Guide and a 2 Year Warranty Guide. Unfortunately, the earbuds are not water resistant or sweat resistant. So, working out in them is best avoided. The price of the earbuds is $129.99 and will be sold exclusively at Target till December end. There is also a “Fearless Use Promise” which lets a user register his Skullcandy Push earbuds on their website. This entails a user to get a replacement if they ever lose or break one of their earbuds for $49.

December 13, 2018
Five Superhero Movies That We Cannot Wait To Watch

Tis the season of giving and film production companies sure know how to do that! With christmas just around the corner, we are excited about a lot of movie releases from Marvel, Sony and more. In this article we narrow down five superhero movies you should not miss and talk about when they are slated for release in India.

Avengers: Endgame

The story of Avengers, which is a gathering of all the superheroes from the MCU has been in the making since 2008 when Iron Man launched. With Marvel’s The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Avengers: Infinity War, Marvel studios has been building the story upto this movie where it all unfolds. All the movies from the MCU and all their stories are intertwined to come to the final conclusion which is the Avengers: Endgame.

Release date: United Kingdom on April 26, 2019, and United States on May 3, 2019, in IMAX and 3D. India release will probably be after or during UK release.

Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel is one of the most anticipated movies this year. A woman, who is also the most powerful superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is definitely a force to reckon with. This movie, people hope, will also go into the history of Nick Fury and the Avengers Initiative. Marvel comics have had a lot of women superheroes such as Wasp, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch but Carol Danvers, or Captain Marvel is a league on it’s own. Speculations suggest that Nick Fury will ask Captain Marvel to rescue Tony Stark and eventually to take down Thanos.

Release date: The release is slated for March 8, 2019 but it is still unclear if it will be a worldwide release or a US and UK Pre-release.

Spider- Man: Into The Spider-verse

If you feel that the blockbuster movies are too far away in March and April and so on, you are wrong! Sony Pictures Entertainment is releasing the animated Spider- Man: Into The Spider-verse in just a few days! The animated film moves away from the usual Peter Parker storyline that we are so used to. It focusses instead on Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales who is bitten by a radioactive spider as well. The movie also features Spider- Men (for lack of a better term, since they are not all men) from alternate universes. It features Spider-Gwen, Peter Porker / Spider-Ham, Peni Parker / SP//dr, Spider-Noir, apart from Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker and the original Spider- Man.

Release date: 14th December 2018 is the slated release for India and UK.

Once Upon A Deadpool

Deadpool is known for being foul- mouthed and crass. He is one of the only superheroes who uses sexual and graphic content in the movies. But, why should a superhero movie be only for adults? With that in mind, a PG- 13 version of Deadpool 2 is being made for viewers from all ages to enjoy. The movie is named Once Upon A Deadpool, which sounds like a children’s book. The trailer features Fred Savage, who is known for movies such as The Princess Bride. In the trailer of the film “Why PG-13?” Fred asks. “It’s a family movie,” Deadpool replies. “Also money. Also Disney.”

Release date: December 12, 2018 is the release date but we are not sure when it will arrive in India, if at all!

Also Read: Spider-Man : Into the Spider-Verse: Who is Miles Morales?

Aquaman

After two smaller appearances in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) and Justice League (2017) Aquaman is finally getting his own movie! The first trailer for the film, which was released almost four months back has garnered a lot of interest from DC Comics fans. The story revolves around Arthur Curry who later becomes Aquaman. He is the son of a lighthouse keeper and Atlanna, the princess of the underwater nation of Atlantis. The movie will feature some really great action sequences, underwater CGI fights and a lot more!

Release date: December 14, 2018 is the release date for India as well as UK.

December 10, 2018
Do We Really Need Smart Watches?

Humanity has always evolved and changed with technology. Since prehistoric times, humanity has taken major leaps every time they have learnt or mastered a new technology. Even though fire is not a technology, controlling fire is. Learning how to make and use tools and weapons is also a technological advancement. Just as Video has killed the radio star, we now have smart watches that are replacing normal Quartz and Mechanical movement watches. But the real question is do we really need it? In this article we debate on whether smart watches have any real use, as an individual technology, or partnered with the phone, that advances technology as a whole. But before we get into all of that, let’s first know what smart watches are and their history.

What Are Smart watches ?

Smart watches are wearable computing devices that can also be used to tell time, apart from a host of other features. They connect to your phone, or work independently and connect with the help of eSIM cards. Early models of smart watches could perform basic functions such as basic. math calculations, telling time digitally and even playing games.

Concise History Of Smart watches

Casio’s calculator watches were legendary and were used widely by many in the 90s. As technology advanced, computers became smaller and smaller, chips and processors became smaller and phones have become smarter. Nowadays, phones and tablets can perform at par or in some cases even outperform computers. Watches took a little longer to change though. In the early years, Seiko who were credited to making the first Quartz Watch – the Seiko Astron, also were one of the forerunners in smart watch technology. Seiko RC series, Timex’s Datalink, Sony Ericsson and Fossil’s MBW-100 were all notable milestones in the journey of smart watches that we have today.

But these watches were either underpowered or did very little in terms of usefulness. Pebble was also one of the brands that took the smart watch industry further. But many consider Motorola to be the first company to make a quantum leap into the future by introducing the Moto 360, an Android Wear based watch, that finally looked and felt like a wrist watch. With it’s round form factor and removable straps and day long battery, it had a balance of functionality and style, but it still wasn’t enough to be called a breakthrough. Then Apple came along and stole the show and the smart watch industry hasn’t looked back since.

What Category Does A Smart watch Fall Into?

Smart watches have lived a very difficult life. It is neither a watch, not a computer. It is neither dependent completely on phones, neither is it completely independent. This has been a topic for debate for a very long time. Smart watches nowadays can best be described as computers that one can wear, that also tell time.

Form Or Function?

We have always known watches to be circular in shape, well mostly at least, but a circular form factor restricts the usability of a smart watch. So many manufacturers go the rectangular way. From Zenwatches to the Apple Watch everyone has a form factor that is anything but traditional. These rectangular form factors restrict people with smaller wrists from wearing these smart watches. Most rectangular watches are noticeably smaller or thinner. For example many watches in the Titan Edge collection or even the most expensive ones such as Patek Philippe Gondolo or the legendary Richard Mille RM17 Extra Flat Tourbillon. But as technology improves, these watches are also getting thinner with lesser bezels.

They have become much more functional even though not a work of art as many Bauhaus inspired watches or most of the Tourbillon watches are. These are, as many horologists joke, timeless pieces of art. But since the inception of smart watches, their gaudy and eccentric looks have changed a lot. A CEO of a company can now look great in an Apple watch without having to worry about having a strange looking device on his or her wrists.

Functionally, however, these watches do a lot more than just tell time. A modern smart watch can make and receive phone calls, send texts, track your fitness, check your pulse, record your ECG and a lot more. But the question is when and why do we use it. Specially when most of these functions can be achieved by the smartphone in your pocket? Well, there are times when having a smart watch can be extremely useful. Features such as checking your heart rate and recording your ECG can be the difference between life and death.

While driving a car and stopping at a signal, one can quickly turn their wrist, check their notification and reply without having to take out their smartphone every time. Some smart watches also come with an eSIM feature. This allows the watch to work independently, without requiring a connection to the phone. These allow you to still see and reply to notifications even if you forget your smartphone at home. Sometimes, in meetings, taking out your smartphone to check an important text or notification can seem rude. This is also true for Movie theatres and hospitals and that is where smart watches might be ‘handy’.

Also Read: eSIM Technology Explained : Why Do More Phones Not Have It?

So Do We Really Need Smart watches?

In order to answer the question “So Do We Really Need Smart watches?”, one needs to emphasize on the ‘We’ more than the ‘Need’. Whether or not you need a smart watch depends on who you are. It depends on how you use your smart watch or even your smartphone daily needs to be reviewed. If you are a busy person who needs to be constantly alerted regarding your notifications or if you are driving long distances on a daily basis a smart watch might be great for you!

If you have had frequent health problems that need to be monitored or are a fitness fanatic, if you forget your phone at home often and a lot more can define your need for such a device. Some may use it as a watch more than a computer and use it occasionally. On the other hand some may use the other features more than the watch itself.

Even if you feel that you do not need a smart watch at the moment, it is great to learn how to use and operate it. Smart watches are here to stay and they are improving drastically every year. If not today, you might need a smart watch later on in the process. If you are not that tech savvy then you may have to learn a lot about it in order to catch up to this emerging technology. It is best to go to a store, try out a smart watch and then decide. But if you are a light smartphone user or a student, it would be wise to avoid smart watches as they will just stay as a timepiece in your drawer if they aren’t used to their full potential.

December 10, 2018
Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite Spotted On Geekbench Running Android 9 Pie

The Xiaomi Mi 8 Lite which was launched as the Xiaomi Mi 8 Youth in China back in September has been spotted on Geekbench recently and it seems like the phone may come to India with Android 9 Pie out of the box! But there is also a possibility that the company might be testing their MIUI custom skin on some devices. There are a number of different Mi 8 editions as well. They include Xiaomi Mi 8, Mi 8 Explorer Edition, Mi 8 SE and Mi 8 Pro.

Features and Specifications

The Mi 8 Lite boasts of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 AIE Octa- core processor, up to 2.2 GHz and an Adreno 512 GPU, up to 650 MHz. The phone comes in two different variants which are 6GB + 128GB and 4GB + 64GB. It features a 6.26 inch screen with an aspect ratio of 19:9. The screen has a resolution of 2280 x 1080 with 403 ppi. It is an FHD+ display. On the battery front, it features a 3350mAh power reserve.

In terms of camera the phone has a 24MP Sony IMX 576f ront camera with 4-in-1 Super Pixel technology and 1.8 micron large pixels. The phone also has a dual camera set up at the back. This includes a 12MP rear camera boasting of 1.4 micron large pixels and a f/1.9 large aperture with Dual Pixel Auto-focus. The secondary camera at the back is a 5MP Samsung S5K5E8 camera with 1.12?m large pixels. The phone can shoot 4K videos at 30 fps. It also shoots 120 fps slow motion video as well as 30 fps stabilised video in 720p and 1080p.

Also Read: Xiaomi To Launch A Smartphone With A 48 MP Camera In 2019

The phone supports QC 3.0 quick charging via a USB- C charging port and includes a 5V2A charger in the box. The international versions are available in two colour options, which are Midnight Black and Aurora Blue. However, we will only find out if the phone does have the Android 9 Pie out of the box or not once the phone is launched which is slated to be Dec 26, 2018.

December 10, 2018
iPhone XR Top Ranked Single Lens Camera Phone According To DxOMark

New Test Reports from DxOMark claim that the recently launched iPhone XR have the best cameras in the single lens camera phone category. It is also noteworthy that the latest Pixel devices have not been tested yet by DxOMark which also sport a single lens. Apple launched three new devices this year, namely iPhone XR, XS and XS Max. The XS and XS Max both have two lenses while the XR sports a single lens.

iPhone XR Camera Specifications

Specification wise, Apple has not cut corners when it comes to the camera of the iPhone XR even though it is at a lower price point. The camera features a 12Mp f/1.8 sensor with 1.4µm pixel pitch. It boasts of a 26mm f/1.8 aperture lens with optical image stabilisation, phase-detection autofocus, and a dual-tone LED flash. The phone also has a Quad-LED dual-tone flash. It shoots 4K videos at 24/30/60 fps and 1080p videos at 30 fps at default settings.

Camera Test Results

According to DxOMark, their scoring system involves it’s engineers capturing and evaluating over 1500 test images and more than 2 hours of video both in controlled lab environments and in natural indoor and outdoor scenes, using the camera’s default settings. When the iPhone XR was put under the scanner, it emerged with an overall score of 101. The iPhone XR’s photo score was 103 points and Video score was 96. This gives it a total score of 101 in the camera department.

According to the camera test, the iPhone scored excellently in Autofocus, Artifact removal (which in turn means sharper pictures in low light without artifacts) and Flash. The Bokeh and Zoom of the camera topped out at 35 points. This is a little low when it comes to scoring on the DxOMark. The camera, according to DxOMark produces vivid and pleasant colours in most situations. But it is said to display fine grain luminance noise in indoor and low light conditions.

DxOMark, on their website, stated that the iPhone XR had a great dynamic range in outdoor videos along with very good colour rendering and white balance. It also showcased excellent stabilisation with low residual motion. However, they also remarked that slight instabilities were noticeable in exposure and white balance under changing lighting conditions. This might mean shooting videos at a concert or a party that has rapidly changing lighting may be a little difficult.

It will be interesting to see how the Pixel 3/3XL fares in the DxOMark reviews when it comes out but the iPhone XR’s single camera performance sure will be a touch cookie to crack.

December 7, 2018
Spider-Man : Into the Spider-Verse: Who is Miles Morales?

In the year 2011, (with the Ultimate Comics Spider-Man) Peter Parker , the Ultimate Spider-Man met his demise. Someone needed to step up and so someone did. The replacement came in the form of the young Miles Morales. In the fourth issue of Ultimate Comics Fallout miniseries, fans got a glimpse of the Miles Morales’ Spider- Man’s costume. They did not know who it was under the suit or the origin of the new hero. Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli, the writers of the Miles Morales Spider- Man later debuted the hero. An Afro-Latino teenager, Miles is the second Spider-Man to appear in Ultimate Marvel. Let’s discuss what we know about Miles Morales, his origin story and his super powers.

Origin Story

Oscorp scientist Dr. Conrad Markus uses Parker’s blood to recreate the formula that created Spider-Man. The Prowler (Aaron Davis, played by Childish Gambino in Spider- Man: Homecoming ) steals the formula. One of the spiders created by Markus crawls into the Prowler’s duffel bag when he is stealing the formula from the lab. Miles Morales, Prowler’s nephew and a grade-schooler , is bitten by the spider during a visit to Aaron’s apartment. This is the origin story of Miles Morales’ Spider- Man.

[blockquote]Guys-who-say-they’re-not-the-Avengers, assemble!

-Miles Morales (Earth-1610)[/blockquote]

The story pretty much goes into the same Miles Morales discovering that he could climb walls and sense immediate danger using his spider-sense. He did have two other powers that the original Spider- Man did not possess, but we will talk about it later in the article. Seeing the way mutants are treated in the modern world, Miles felt reluctant in accepting his newfound powers, and with it, great responsibilities. With Peter Parker’s death, and after an impressive fight with Electro, Miles decided to do the right thing. He donned a black and red version of the Spider Man suit.

Fan Reception Of Miles Morales

The character of Miles Morales gained popularity for the same reason that Peter had gained popularity back in the day. The character was relatable and extremely intelligent and witty. There was a huge difference in opinions when the character was first introduced however. Being an Afro-Latino teenager, some fans felt the decision was an attempt by Marvel Comics to be politically correct. Some also felt that the introduction of a minority Spider-Man was simply a publicity stunt to attract more readers. This was also seen when Iceman from Marvel Comics and Batwoman from DC were written to be LGBT superheroes. Deadpool is famously known to be Pansexual. But Miles Morales gave the minority a voice and young kids a ray of hope. As did Black Panther.

Superpowers of Miles Morales’ Spider- Man

Miles Morales was bitten by a slightly different spider, genetically speaking, compared to Peter Parker. He does possess the superpowers that Peter Parker did. These include superhuman strength, great eye sight, ability to cling on to walls, shooting spider webs and a spider-sense. However, Miles’ spider- sense is not as strong as Peter’s as it only alerts him of immediate danger. Miles Morales also possesses two new superpowers. One, is the ability to camouflage himself, including his clothing, to match his surroundings and the other is called Venom Strike.

Now, the venom strike is not actual venom but a feature in his gloves that deflects energy through any material which both the Spider- Man and his enemy is in contact with, this includes his webbing. Miles can also up the ante by using what he calls a ‘Mega Venom Blast’ which is a more powerful version. When using this, Spider- Man’s eyes glow with yellow energy. This energy explodes outwards in a radiant burst and can deflect multiple attacks from enemies.

December 7, 2018
Here Is How Water Cooling On Modern Smart Phones Works

Water cooling or liquid cooling has become a unique selling proposition for phones these days. And at times it turns out to be nothing more than a marketing gimmick. Liquid cooling has been around for a long time for personal computers which are gaming oriented. This kind of cooling was introduced because gaming PCs get heated up due to their high performance requirements. It is one thing to have water or liquid cooling on PCs which have a lot of space to work around, but on a phone space is a huge constraint.

Why Use Liquid

Air cooling, which had been the choice of many, isn’t as efficient as Liquid cooling when it comes to computers and mobile phones. Air cooling requires a lot of fans. And fans take up space. A typical gaming PC with air cooling will have case fans, graphics card fans, and a CPU fan. Same goes for phones. The phones have several holes to dissipate heat. These try to keep the insides of the CPU cool, but on the other hand, liquid cooling requires coolant-filled tubes, a radiator, water blocks which are the equivalent of heat sinks and a few other small components. On normal phones without liquid cooling, the processor is generally under-clocked so that it generates less heat. The generated heat is dissipated through the body of the phone which makes the body of the phone hot while playing games etc.

What Liquids Are Used

Water, deionised water, glycol/water solutions, and dielectric fluids such as fluorocarbons and PAO are the heat transfer fluids that are most commonly used. Most phones use water. The amount of water used is so less, it is essentially always in vapour form, which is why these systems are also called vapour cooled systems.

Do Phones Need Liquid Cooling

Smartphones running just fine even two or three years back on normal air cooling/ heat dissipation coupled with under-clocked CPUs. But with smartphones becoming thinner and users demanding more and more performance from their smartphones, heating suddenly became a major issue. NEC Medias X 06E was the world’s first water- cooled phone. But around 2015/2016, Nokia introduced the Lumia 950XL and Samsung introduced the Galaxy S7; both water- cooled phones. Phone cooling has changed and improved a lot since then. Phones can perform much faster and the CPU can even be over-clocked if liquid cooling is used. The ASUS ROG phone, which has an overclocked cpu uses this form of cooling.

How Does It Work

Phones use a copper thermal heat pipe to distribute the heat and move it away from the CPU. This kicks into play when the phone is performing high intensity tasks. These may include tasks like gaming or even media playback. The copper tube has a very minuscule amount of liquid. The liquid is not even enough to see if the tube is cut open. The cooling happens through condensation. Condensation is the process of vapour turning to liquid when cooled.

As the processor heats up, the liquid heats up and turns into vapour, thus absorbing the heat from the CPU. This vapour then moves to the opposite end of the heat pipe. This end is further away from the CPU and is considerably cooler. The vapour dissipates the heat thus turning back into liquid form. This process is continuous and works well to dissipate and disperse heat from a concentrated area to a much larger area thus cooling the entire system faster and more efficiently.

December 7, 2018
Xiaomi To Launch A Smartphone With A 48 MP Camera In 2019

Xiaomi is known to tease its phones ahead of their launch. They have been in the headlines for most of their major releases, be it for the Poco phone or the Mi Mix 3. Their phone teasers create a certain hype regarding the price, specifications and unique features. For the Poco phone it was the Snapdragon 845 at a very low price, for the Mi Mix 3 it was the full screen display and slider design and so on.

Now it seems that the company’s President has teased a phone that has a remarkably high megapixel count. The image shared on a popular Chinese social networking website, only shows a part of the screen. The camera placement area of the screen can be seen of a phone that has “48 MEGAPIXEL CAMERA” written beside the flash. A part of the lens can also be seen in the image.

What The Image Reveals

The camera placement seems to be a vertical one, with the flash underneath it. From the image, we can also see that the phone has a glass back, and what appears to be the volume keys on the top (of the inverted phone image). According to the post, the company will launch the phone in January 2019. The Nokia Lumia 1020, released in 2013 had a whopping 41 MP camera. Even though the camera was much ahead of it’s time, the camera alone unfortunately could not save the Lumia brand at the time.

Also Read : Yandex Launches Its First Android Smartphone With AI Assistant

The phone, according to speculation, suggests that the phone may have the Sony IMX586 48-megapixel sensor. It can also sport the Samsung ISOCELL Bright GM1 48-megapixel sensor. Xiaomi is also supposed to be launching a 5G successor to the Mi Mix 3. There is a slight chance that the new 48 MP camera phone can be the Xiaomi Mi 9. The phone may also feature the new Snapdragon 855 chipset that is also supposedly being launched first by OnePlus.

December 6, 2018
eSIM Technology Explained : Why Do More Phones Not Have It?

We get a lot of questions from our readers regarding eSIM cards. Are they physical SIM cards? Do they require changes in hardware or software? If they are just software changes then why aren’t they introduced to phones that have already been released and so on. In this article, we will discuss this relatively new technology and try to clear the air regarding eSIMs. We will also try and answer some of these questions.

What Is An eSIM?

As the name suggests, eSIM is an electronic SIM card. An eSIM replaces the need for a physical SIM card that has been a part of our phones for ages. There are several reasons for the SIM cards to face the axe but we will talk about those later. The eSIM was introduced out of need, more than out of want. Samsung was working on a smartwatch that would allow a person to remotely connect to cellphone carriers without the need for a phone. Samsung’s Gear S2 smartwatch was the first device to use the eSIM. With the launch of Apple XS and XR, eSIM has now become a widely known technology.

Is It Hardware Or Software?

This has been a huge question for the uninitiated as everyone wants to know if the eSIM feature has any hardware complications or does it just happen via software. Well, it involves both. The eSIM is a very small SIM card that is attached to the phone. It is much smaller than a Nano SIM card. The eSIM card is 6mm x 5mm in size. Comparing it to a Nano SIM card which stands at a much larger 12.3mm x 8.8mm, the eSIM provides the manufacturers an opportunity to get rid of the bulky SIM card tray and use that space to include something else.

Since the entire eSIM technology involves hardware, it will not be possible to inculcate this technology into smartphones that do not have this tech. So your Oneplus 6 or 6T or even your Samsung Galaxy S9 won’t be able to make use of this feature. The eSIM is non removable and it is safely tucked inside the phone. The most important thing about the eSIM feature is that one does not need to change SIM cards when changing their network operator. They can simply do so using software.

If you are using an eSIM on your watch, it can have the same number as your phone. This helps you to make and receive call from your watch even if you do not have your phone with you. eSIM cards will also negate the hassle that one has to face when changing phones. Some phones use a Nano SIM, some use a Micro SIM and so on.

Future Of eSIM

GSMA, the organisation that represents the interests of mobile operators, has announced a standard for this new kind of SIM. The use of smartwatches have also increased in the recent times and this means more and more use of eSIM card. This is good news as the future is definitely moving towards eSIM cards. AT&T, Deutsche Telekom, Etisalat, Hutchison Whampoa (owner of Three and soon O2), Orange, Telefónica (the current O2 owner) and Vodafone have all shown their support for this technology and we can definitely expect more and more phones to use this feature in the future.

December 6, 2018
PUBG Mobile 0.10.0 Beta Update Introduces New Rifle, Chat Options And More

PUBG Mobile, one of the biggest and most played smartphone games, has released a new beta. The game recently won a bunch of awards at Google’s Play Store Awards in 2018. The game just received the Season 4 update recently. With the new update, Tencent Games is introducing the MK47 Mutant gun, which was already a part of the game’s XBox One and PC version of the game.

Beta Update New Additions

The MK47 Mutant will be now available on Android and iOS too. The assault rifle has multiple fire modes and a 20-bullet clip. A Laser Sight attachment is also added to the game. This allows players to fire more accurately and the MK47 is one of the many weapons that can make use of it. It is yet to be seen how accurate this attachment is compared to other scopes that are already in the game. New control settings are also added, where players can customise the screen layout with new preset and variable options. However, with the new season, all players will have to work extra hard to get back to their previous Tiers as it gets reduced to a level or two below the rank of the previous season.

This was long overdue as many gamers had requested for such a change in forums and Reddit as well. However mobile phones can be a tricky space to design a game on and PUBG seems to have listened to it’s users. We all know how horrible the PUBG chat is. No matter which high end phone you own, opening up chat means that the game is going to crash. Now, however, additional chat options have been added with dozens of scripted text and voice dialogue options in game. These have been added to make communication between teammates easier. These fall under tactics, movement, and discussion categories.

Also Read: PUBG Mobile: Tips And Tricks To Become An Ace Player

With new seasons, come new in-game items. The introduction of new outfits for your character in the game is also being rolled out in this update. The update also includes the general bug fixes that are usually included in every major update.

December 6, 2018