Author: Vivek Umashankar

Google Pixel 2 Devices Face Overheating Issues After February Security Patch

Google Pixel 2 devices have started receiving the February security patch. These updates are pushed to patch any vulnerability or a bug. However, sometimes these updates themselves start to create a new bug. Users of Google Pixel 2 and Google Pixel 2 XL are have started reporting that their smartphones have started heating up.

According to users, after the February security update, the smartphone tends to heat up a lot. Not only that, even the battery life of the smartphones has taken a hit.

A user on Reddit wrote that:

I recently updated my Pixel 2 to the latest security patch. I’ve checked it’s not a recently downloaded app, I’ve uninstalled all the apps I downloaded before it started getting hot just to check. It gets fairly warm almost instantly after starting to use it, within about a minute or so of anything really. Anyone got any advice? Battery life seems unaffected.

Another user said:

Battery is terrible since the latest update. Phone is getting pretty warm just using reddit anymore.

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL are the smartphones which launched with great potential. However, these devices have been in the limelight for all the reasons. Here are some of the issues reported by Google Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL users.

The first known issue on the Google Pixel 2 XL was the display issue. Users complained that the display on the smartphone bit dull compared to other smartphones. The company then patched the issue with a software update. Still, a few users have a complain that the display shows cooler colour with a blue tint on a slight shift.

Soon after that, users of Pixel 2 XL started complaining about voicemail issue, which causes users low volume on outgoing voicemail via Google Allo application. Which was later on patched with a software update. Users also raised a concern about buzzing or rattling issue on the stereo speakers, which was later on patched with a software update.

Conclusion:

However, the issue doesn’t seem to be universal, as a few users have commented that they haven’t experienced anything unusual and their devices are performing normally. Google is yet to comment on this issue, with whats wrong with the latest security update or is this caused by some third party application.

February 17, 2018
BlackBerry To Launch Three Android Devices At MWC 2018

BlackBerry is all set to launch three new smartphones in the coming days. According to a recent leak, these phones come with code name Athena, Luna, and Uni. After years of dominating the smartphone market along with Nokia, BlackBerry has gone off the rails. WIth another set of Android devices, the company would want to establish a strong foothold.

In the last couple of years, the company has launched smartphones like the BlackBerry Priv, BlackBerry KeyOne, and BlackBerry Passport. Now, the company is all set to refresh this lineup with these newer offerings. These devices are expected to be officially launched at the upcoming MWC 2018 in Barcelona.

WIPO has published a new patent from BlackBerry Limited for a smartphone with a sliding mechanism. In fact, the sketch resembles the BlackBerry Priv, which was launched in 2015. Back in the October 2017, a report claimed that the company is working on a new smartphone, is this one in the question?

The only difference between these models is the placement of the camera. The camera will be hidden until the slide is open. The back-case offers a camera lens, which might offer features like a wide-angle lens, fish-eye vision, a zoom lens or a macro lens.

Registered Patent for upcoming BlackBerry smartphone

Specifications of BlackBerry Uni, Luna, and, Athen:

As of now, we just have the specifications of the BlackBerry Uni. It is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 Octa-core processor with 6 GB or 8 GB RAM and 64 GB storage. The screen resolution of Uni (1620 x 1080) hints that the phone might resemble the BlackBerry KeyOne. This confuses a bit, as it has a mechanism like Priv, but a screen resolution of KeyOne? Considering that these devices will be launched in 2018, BlackBerry might go for a bezel-less design, which might be the reason for this different screen resolution.

Presently, the specifications of the other two models are still unclear. As the MWC approaches, we will have a clear idea about all three devices.

Conclusion:

At least on paper, these smartphones look promising. BlackBerry should make sure that these devices run on latest Android OS with a competitive price tag at the time of launch.

February 17, 2018
LG Will Launch A Rebranded LG G7 In June 2018

LG is working on a new flagship smartphone with the code name Judy. Smartphone tipster named Evan Blass has shed some light on the upcoming flagship offering from Korean smartphone maker.

Though this is a successor of LG G6, it will have a new name and will not be called as LG G7. The G6 was one of the first flagship smartphones that featured 18:9 aspect ratio with a nearly bezel-less design. The outdated processor ( Snapdragon 821) on G6 didn’t leave enough room for the device to make an impact.

LG G6

This time around, the smartphone maker is taking its time to launch a product with the latest set of hardware. to compete against upcoming Samsung Galaxy S9.

Speculated specifications of LG Judy:

The Judy is expected to have a 6.1-inch display with a new MLCD+ technology, which offers better brightness compared to a typical IPS LCD panel. The smartphone will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Octa-core SoC, paired with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB onboard flash storage.

The MLCD+ is a new display technology, which offers high-level of brightness of up to 800 nits. It does this with less power consumption, up to 30% less than typical LCD panel.

Like with the LG V30, the smartphone will feature dual-camera setup on the back. In typical LG fashion, it will be a combination of a regular lens and a wide-angle lens with an f/1.6 aperture. Like every other LG flagship smartphone, this one will also feature IP68 certification against water and dust resistance. For the first time, the LG smartphone will have a stereo speaker setup, dubbed as “boombox”.

Conclusion:

Launching a smartphone later in the year makes sense for LG. It also falls in line with the company’s decision to not follow a set launch cycle. The presence of the latest chipset will also help its case. Let’s hope that LG gets the pricing right for this one.

February 17, 2018
Atari Announces New Cryptocurrency Called Atari Token

Atari is venturing into a new business of cryptocurrencies with Atari Token. The company has partnered with a brand Infinity Network, which is the creator of blockchain based Atari Token. The company is also planning to create a new digital entertainment platform using the same. It looks like the crypto has already started to pay off, as the latest Bloomberg report suggests that, the stock of the company has already spiked up to 60%.

Atari is mainly known for arcade games and video games, but the name has been also associated with movies and music as well.

Infinity Network has signed up for a long-term contract to use the name Atari. In exchange for this, the French company gets a minority stake in this new entity.

The company is creating a new digital platform, which will help the customers to make transactions using Atari Token. The company will continue its partnership with Pairplay to create a “Pong Coin” based on Atari Token exclusively for “crypto casinos”.

What is Cryptocurrency or Atari Token?

Every US dollar or an Indian rupee printed has to be directly proportional to the gold that country has, the value fluctuates with the actual gold value. However, the cryptocurrency is a digital asset, which works independently. Cryptocurrency value depends on people, if people think it has a value, then the price goes higher or vice versa. Hence there are no entities that actually controls these currencies.

The creator of the cryptocurrency can limit the number of tokens or coins. It all depends on the demand. The recent rise and fall of the Bitcoin explain this phenomenon in the simplest way. If more people buy, the prices go up or vice versa.

February 17, 2018
Honor 8 Pro With Huawei Branding Could Be Launched At MWC 2018

Update: It has been confirmed that the smartphone in question is indeed a rebranded version of the Honor 7x, which is officially called as Huawei Mate SE. The smartphone will retail in the US for US$ 249.99 and will be available in Grey and Gold Colour.

Huawei Mate SE (BND-L34) for the US. A rebranded Honor 7X with identical specs. 249.99 USD. Grey and Gold.

Listed at B&H Photo Video: https://t.co/JpkZaIchng

Was on Amazon too: https://t.co/iACW8AulKz pic.twitter.com/lV82bngMjr

— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) February 17, 2018

It has been confirmed that Huawei will be attending MWC 2018. It is rumoured to announce the Huawei P11/P20 Lite at the event. The marquee launch of the P11/P20 and P11/20 Plus will happen on March 27th. However, it looks like the P20 Lite isn’t the only phone it will launch at MWC 2018. A new leak has revealed that the company might launch the Honor 8 Pro with Huawei branding.

Evan Blass, a popular tipster posted images of the Huawei 8 Pro on Twitter. The device looks exactly like the Honor 8 Pro with thin bezels on the side. The top and bottom bezels are thinner which means that it will have an 18:9 aspect ratio. The Honor 8 Pro, at the time of its launch, had relatively thinner bezels than its competitors with a 16:9 aspect ratio. The images reveal that the LED flash will have a different position this time around.

If Huawei does launch the Honor 8 Pro has a Huawei device, it will have to have a competitive price. The Honor 8 Pro is more than a year old and if priced under Rs. 20,000 it could be a great device.

Honor 8 Pro Specifications

The device has 5.7 inch 2560 x 1440 px display which is ideal for media consumption via VR.

[amazon_link asins=’B01N4FMUFH’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’igyaan-21′ marketplace=’IN’ link_id=’e9005d1d-07ff-11e8-8dc5-8f27400e8a2c’]The Honor 8 Pro runs on the Kirin 960 chipset which is an octa-core chip – four high-performance Cortex A73 cores clocked at 2.4GHz and four low-power Cortex A53 cores clocked at 1.8Ghz. The Honor 8 Pro has 128 GB of storage along with 6GB of RAM.

The phone also has a large 4000 mAh battery and fast charge capabilities, with long battery modes built into Honor’s user interface.

The camera setup consists of two cameras, 12+12 MP shooters, where one is a monochrome camera while the other is RGB. The smartphone can combine the aperture to deliver an extremely wide f/0.95. The Phone also shoots 4K video at 30fps. The front camera is an 8 MP shooter with an f/2.0 aperture and capable of 1920 x 1080p video.

Conclusion

If true, it appears to be a baffling move by Huawei. However, there are chances that Huawei will launch an upgraded version of the Honor 8 Pro. The company has been very competitive when it comes to pricing. Similar strategy is expected with the Huawei 8 Pro.

February 17, 2018
Essential PH-1 Halo Gray Colour Available To Buy On Amazon

The Essential Phone had a lot of hype to live up to. It was, after all, created by Andy Rubin, popularly known as the “father of Android.” However, the smartphone was met with heavy criticism for its camera performance, especially at that price point. Over the months, the company reduced the price of the device from US$ 699 to now US$449. It recently launched three new colour variants of the device as well. Now, Essential has announced an Amazon-exclusive Halo Gray colour variant of the device.

Essentail Ph-1

The Halo Gray version of the Essential PH-1 now gets support for Alexa (Amazon’s AI). The pre-orders have already begun for the limited edition variant and the phone will go on sale from the 21st of February. Essentail hopes that these new colour variants will help competing with the likes of the OnePlus 5T and Xiaomi Mi Mix 2.

Design:

The Essential PH-1 looks like no other phone on the market. In fact, this is the first smartphone to embrace the notch, which houses the selfie camera. The material of choice for the smartphone is also quite unique. This is the first smartphone to use premium and sturdy materials like Titanium and ceramic. The smartphone does support additional modules like 360-camera. docking station etc.

In case three new Essential Phone colors weren't enough, today we're unveiling Halo Gray, the first Essential Phone to come with Alexa built-in. Halo Gray is available for pre-order exclusively from Amazon starting today. https://t.co/hkwkBKGypr pic.twitter.com/lDad2xngBq

— Essential (@essential) February 16, 2018

Specifications:

The smartphone uses a one of a kind IPS LCD QHD panel with a notch on the top. Under the hood, the smartphone runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Octa-core SoC, paired with 4 GB RAM and 128 GB storage. The smartphone runs on latest and stock Android UI with promised timely software updates up to 2 years.

The dual main camera setup on the smartphone houses dual 13 MP cameras (RGB + Monochrome) with support for 4K video recording and portrait mode. There is an 8 MP selfie camera with similar video recording capabilities.

Conclusion:

At the price of US$ 449, the Essential PH-1 is a very impressive device. However, it is not available in India and the company hasn’t revealed any plans on changing that either.

February 17, 2018
HTC Desire 12 With 18:9 Display To Launch At MWC 2018

Smartphones in 2018 are expected to have the standard 18:9 aspect ratio. Not just premium phones, but, even budget and entry-level devices are expected to follow the industry norm. HTC, which recently launched the HTC U11+ in India, might be launching an entry-level phone with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The company is rumoured to launch the HTC Desire 12 with a tall display at MWC 2018.

HTC Desire 825

Evan Blass, a popular tipster on Twitter revealed that the company is working on an entry-level device. He later revealed that this smartphone will be called the HTC 12 Desire. The company is also expected to launch the HTC U12 at MWC 2018.

Specifications:

The HTC Desire 12 will have a 5.5-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. We have seen the majority of bezel-less smartphones have a display close to 6 inches, so, this information might not be accurate.

The smartphone is expected to have a MediaTek processor, paired with 2GB RAM and 16GB onboard flash storage. If these specifications turn out to be true, the HTC U12 Desire could be one of the cheapest smartphones with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The device will be powered by a 2730 mAh battery.

The smartphone is expected to have a 13 MP primary camera and a 5 MP front-facing camera. However, there is no further information on other specifications about the cameras.

Conclusion:

While the specifications do come across as entry-level, pricing could make a difference for the HTC U12 Desire. The 18:9 aspect ratio could differentiate it from other entry-level devices. Also, there are chances that this could be an Android Go device considering the specifications. However,

HTC hasn’t learned anything from the past. People no more look for a brand name, instead, they dig down deep for the specifications. The only upside about the HTC Desire 12 is the 18:9 display. The processor, RAM, and ROM don’t say much about the device. However, nothing has been confirmed by the company yet. This means that the leaks could amount to nothing, come MWC 2018.

February 17, 2018
Images Of Nokia 7 Plus With Bezel-Less Design Leaked

The Nokia 7 Plus could be the first Nokia-branded Android One smartphone. It is expected to be launched at MWC 2018 along with the Nokia 1. After a plethora of leaks and speculations about the Nokia 7 Plus, now we have a live image of the first Nokia smartphone with 18:9 aspect ratio display.

The Nokia 7 Plus will be a spiritual successor of the highly popular Nokia 7 (at least in China). The Nokia 7 was launched with a 16:9 aspect ratio display, powered by Snapdragon 630 Octa-core processor. Nokia 7 Plus, however, is expected to have an 18:9 aspect ratio with an almost bezel-less design. The single Zeiss lens on the Nokia 7 has been doubled on Nokia 7 Plus.

It looks like the company is testing the phone internally in India. The leaked image has a name “Raj Sharma” and the word “Namaste”, which means welcome. Therefore, it might hint at a possible launch in India sooner than expected. As we move closer to MWC 2018, more details about the upcoming Nokia device are being leaked.

Rumoured Specifications:

Nokia 7 Plus will be the first Nokia smartphone to offer an 18:9 aspect ratio display. The IPS LCD display will supposedly have a 2160 x 1080 px resolution. The fingerprint sensor along with the dual Zeiss branded cameras are located on the back, with a hint of an orange accent around the camera ring. According to the renders, it could sport an all-glass design, similar to the Moto X4 and Nokia 7.

It is worth noting that the Nokia 7 Plus will run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC, coupled with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage. The “Android One” branding on the back of the phone guarantees that the device will launch with Android 8 Oreo out of the box. Hence, you can expect regular software updates for the next two years.

Nokia 7 Plus Renders

Renders suggest that the company has decided to retain 3.5 mm headphone jack and a USB type C port charging and data syncing. At least on paper, the Nokia 7 Plus looks like a well-balanced smartphone, with a smart set of specifications.

Apart from the Nokia 8, HMD Global missed the mark by pricing its budget devices higher than expected. The likes of Nokia 6 lost out to Honor 7X, Mi A1 and others. The Nokia 7 Plus, to make a mark in the Indian market, has to be priced close to the Moto X4. At a price close to Rs. 20,000 the device will be the only device with an 18:9 aspect ratio and Snapdragon 660 chipset.

However, nothing can be said about the pricing of the smartphone yet. While the Nokia 7 Plus specifications are impressive, these are leaks at the end of the day.

February 16, 2018
Google Pixel 2 Now Available for Rs. 41,999

Google Pixel 2, the flagship smartphone from Google is one of the best photogenic smartphones in the market. In fact, It scores perfect 100 points on DxOMark. The Pixel 2 was originally launched for Rs. 61,000, which is now available for just Rs. 41,999. If you are looking for a smartphone with flagship level processing, faster OS updates and best-smartphone camera, then Pixel 2 is the to consider.

How to get Google Pixel 2 for Rs. 41,999?

Due to unimpressive sales number, the phones retail price was brought down to Rs. 49,999. Now, with flat Rs. 8,000 cashback from Citibank, the final price comes down to Rs. 41,999. The cashback is applicable to all the Citibank cardholders.

This offer is applicable only on Flipkart, which is the authorised online reseller for the Google Pixel 2 and Google Pixel 2 XL.

Login to Flipkart, add Pixel 2 to card, check-out and make payment using Citibank card. This deal is applicable for EMI plan as well

One has to make a complete payment of Rs. 49,999. The cash back will be credited back to user’s account in next 90 days.

Specifications:

The Google Pixel 2 comes with a 5.0-inch 1080p pOLED display, protected by 2.5D curved tempered glass on the top. It has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, 2.4GHz octa-core processor, Adreno 540, 4GB RAM and 64GB/128GB onboard storage. The two-tone colour of the phone is also reminiscent of the original Pixel from 2016.

The two-tone colour of the phone is also reminiscent of the original Pixel from 2016, which runs on Android Oreo 8.1. As is with every Google phone, the new Pixel 2 will be first in line to receive Android P update in 2018. The fingerprint sensor sits at the back of the device but, this time around the “glass window” is smaller.

This year, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL use a technology called “dual-pixel” which divides every pixel into two. Google has decided to go for a single camera setup similar to last year’s Pixel phones. The rear-facing camera is a 12.2 MP sensor with an f/1.8 aperture and 1.4 micron pixel size. On the front is an 8MP camera with an f/2.4 aperture.

Google has introduced new features in the camera department like the addition of AR. You’ll be able to add 3D characters and emoji into photos and videos and see them move around as you’re capturing the scene. That includes things like a sleepy coffee cup, but also some recognisable characters.

February 16, 2018
Samsung Notebook 9 (2018) And Notebook 7 Spin (2018) Goes On Sale On 18th February
Samsung Notebook 9 (2018), Notebook 9 Pen (2018), and Notebook 7 Spin (2018) will be available from 18th February in the US. These are the first set of Notebooks from Samsung features Intel’s 8th Gen (Quad-core) processor with Windows 10 operating system.

The Samsung Notebook line of notebooks designed to offer mobility with the aesthetically pleasing form factor. These notebooks weights less than 3 pounds, which lessens the burden on the user. When it comes to price to performance ratio, these notebooks balances both the aspects in a right proportion.

Pricing:

The entry-level Samsung Notebook 7 Spin is priced at $899.9, which makes it the most affordable model. The Samsung Notebook 9 (2018) with 13.3 inch retails for $1,199.9 and $1,299.9 (Core i5 and Core i7 model). The 15 inch model comes with Intel Core i7 processor (with a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GPU) for $1,499.9. Finally, the 15 inch model with Core i7 is available for $1,299.9. Finally, the Samsung Notebook 9 Pen (2018) with 13.3 inch screen retails for $1,399.9.

13.3-inch model and 15.0-inch model of Samsung Notebook 9 with Intel Core i7 processor retails for the same price tag.

Specifications:
- Samsung Notebook 9 comes in two different screen size (13.3 inch and 15.0-inch), featuring a 1080p Samsung RealView touch display. One can choose between Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processor coupled with 8 GB LPDDR4 RAM and 256 GB SSD. The 15.0 inch model comes with a dedicated GPU Nvidia GeForce MX150 with 2 GB LPDDR5 memory. A special model named Notebook 9 Pen comes with an S-pen with a built-in IR-front-facing camera for facial recognition.
- Samsung Notebook 7 Spin offers 13.3-inch screen size with a 1080p resolution LED touch panel, powered by 8th Gen Intel Core i5 Processor.
Every model of Samsung Notebook offers fingerprint scanner with support for Windows Hello. In addition to that, the Notebooks offer full-sized USB 3.o port, HDMI port, 3.5 mm headphone jack and a USB type C thunderbolt port.
February 16, 2018
One Telugu Letter Can Crash Your iPhone Or iPad
A Telugu character is all over the internet, causing massive app-crash on iOS devices. Some users have reported, whenever they receive a message with the specific Telugu character, the app crashes and becomes unresponsive. The bug is affecting the iPhones and iPads running on iOS 11.2. However, if the iPhone/iPad runs on iOS 11.3, then your device will not be affected. So, if a user receives a text with the Telugu character on WhatsApp, iMessage, or Gmail the app goes unresponsive.

Apple has officially responded, stating that the company is working on a software update to fix the issue. So, we might expect an interim iOS update, which should patch the bug.

Apple has responded to iMore stating:

The bug has been patched on the beta version of iOS 11.3. Users will receive a software update very soon that patches the bug.

How to fix this on an affected iPhone or iPad:
- If the third-party app like WhatsApp or Gmail are affected, then uninstall and re-install the app (delete the complete thread after re-installing)
- If the iMessage app is affected, then tell your other friend to send a text and open the text message from notification shade, go back to the main page and delete the complete thread.
February 16, 2018
Asus Might Launch A Gaming-Centric Smartphone At MWC

Asus will be launching its next generation of Zenfone series smartphones in MWC 2018. Along with that, it could also launch a gaming-centric Android smartphone. As the brand has already established itself in notebook gaming territory, this upcoming device will have a lot to live up to.

Upcoming Asus ZenFone series

Along with Asus ROG, the brand will also announce a bunch of smartphones like ZenFone 5, ZenFone 5z, and ZenFone Max Pro. These smartphones will feature newer processor (Qualcomm Snapdragon 636) with taller 18:9 aspect ratio screen and a dual rear-camera setup. All three smartphones will be powered by Android Oreo 8.0 with custom Zen UI on the top.

According to sources, the smartphone will be named after ROG (gaming laptop series from Asus). Presently, there is no confirmation of the additional details of the phone. The only thing is that the brand should launch a phone with competitive pricing.

As Razer Phone has already set up an example for a gaming smartphone, here is the list of features that might feature on Asus ROG smartphone.

Speculated specifications:

Following the footsteps of the Razer Phone, the device will have a 120Hz display. It will have an IPS LCD display with a 2880 x 1440 px resolution.

Under the hood, the smartphone is expected to have either the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 or the 845 chipsets. Depending on when the phone is launched, the chipset inside may vary. To handle the sort of heavy gaming, the chipset will be paired with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM. It will also have either 64 GB or 128 GB onboard flash storage based on UFS 3.0. To tackle overheating, it will apparently have a Liquid Cooling System

Similar to the Razer Phone, the device from Asus will have dual front-firing stereo speakers.

In the day and age of all premium smartphones having top-notch specifications, does a gaming phone make sense? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

February 15, 2018
Samsung Galaxy Note9 May Not Have An In-Display Fingerprint Sensor

The under-the-display fingerprint scanner is now a real thing, thanks to the Vivo X20 Plus UD. The Samsung Galaxy Note8 was widely expected to be the first-ever device with this technology. However, for some reasons only known to Samsung, that did not happen. A few days ago, it was rumoured that the Galaxy Note9 will finally implement this technology. However, according to recent rumours, Samsung has decided not to implement this technology.

The report claims Samsung has stopped working on this technology for an unknown reason. Therefore, the Korean tech giant will stick with the rear-mounted scanner like the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.

Theoretically, to implement this technology the device must have OLED display (doesn’t work on IPS LCD) with a capacitive touchscreen. The scanner sits behind the display. (accesses fingerprint through a semi-transparent layer).

Possible reason:

Samsung might go with the Quantum-dot display technology instead of OLED, which makes it impossible to implement this technology. Which might have made an exclusive deal with Vivo that prevents other smartphone manufacturers to implement this technology.

The technical difficulties in the manufacturing these chips might be it. An earlier report claimed that Samsung didn’t want to rely on Synaptics and wanted the in-screen fingerprint sensor of the Galaxy Note9 to be based on its own technology. However, it might have run into some trouble which made it drop the technology altogether.

Cumbersome Placement of the Fingerprint sensor placement on the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note8

Another reason for this decision could be Apple. Apple has already confirmed that it believes Face ID is the future. In order to compete with Apple and it face ID tech, Samsung could implement better facial/iris recognition in the Galaxy Note9.

Conclusion:

A recent report, the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 will feature the under-the-display fingerprint scanner. Now, a new report completely disapproves the last report. Finally, Samsung might implement this feature on Samsung Galaxy S X or Samsung Galaxy Note X.

February 15, 2018
Apple HomePods Are Leaving A White Stain On Wooden Surfaces

The Apple HomePod is Apple’s answer to Amazon Echo and Google Home. Ever since its launch, the HomePod has received rave reviews. It is even being termed as the best-sounding smart speaker on the market right now. According to a number of HomePod users, the Siri-powered speaker tends to leave a permanent mark on the wooden surface. The marks are quite reminiscent of a hollow circle, that has a major effect on the oil-based wood table.

After such complaints, Apple updated its official support page for HomePod. It now reads:

It is not unusual for any speaker with a vibration-dampening silicone base to leave mild marks when placed on some wooden surfaces. The marks can be caused by oils diffusing between the silicone base and the table surface, and will often go away after several days when the speaker is removed from the wooden surface.

If not, wiping the surface gently with a soft damp or dry cloth may remove the marks. However, if marks persist, clean the surface with the furniture manufacturer’s recommended cleaning process. If you’re concerned about this, we recommend placing your HomePod on a different surface.

HomePod’s Base is made using soft Silicone, which is known to observe oil on a molecular level, which makes the table dry creating a permanent mark. Apple announced its Siri-powered smart speaker HomePod at its developer conference in June 2017. At the time, the company said it would go on sale in December 2017. However, due to some reasons, Apple pushed the release and it went on sale on the 9th of February.

Apple HomePod

Powered by the same chipset as the iPhone 6, the smart speaker runs on the A8 chipset. It has built-in Siri, six microphones and HomeKit support to control compatible smart home devices. An interesting feature is the ability to automatically optimise sound for a given room. The Google Home Max also has a similar feature where it automatically optimises the sound based on where it is kept in a room. It also has seven tweeters and a high excursion woofer.

Despite the late launch, the HomePod will ship without features like AirPlay 2, which allows pairing and multiroom audio.

February 15, 2018
2Gbps Download Speeds A Thing Of Reality With The Qualcomm X24 LTE Modem

Qualcomm, the pioneer in the smartphone chipset business has officially announced a new X24 LTE modem. The modem offers LTE download speeds of up to 2 Gbps. These speeds are almost double of what the X20 LTE modem (used in Qualcomm Snapdragon 845) offers. Rumours also suggest that the modem will be used in the upcoming Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC (which is due until 2019).

The technology is called 4.9G by Nokia communications, which will be the last phase of the 4G era. As a matter of fact, this is faster than the Gigabit LTE (which offers up to 1.2 Gbps). This makes it the fastest wireless modem that is currently in mass production.

Samsung Galaxy S9 Will Run On Snapdragon 845

Specifications:

The chipset is based on 7nm FinFET process, with support for Cat 20 LTE. 4×4 MIMO with a maximum of 20 spatial streams.

Maximum download speed of 2 Gbps and an upload speed of 316 Mbps has been achieved in the test run. The chipset does offer dual VoLte and dual LTE dual standby. In layman’s term, one can use two Jio SIM simultaneously.

The modem does support all the exciting cellular technologies like LTE FDD, LTE TDD, and LTE-U etc. The 3×20 Mhz carrier aggregation will make this one of the best standalone modems for upload speeds.

Conclusion:

The year 2019 will be a great year for smartphone enthusiasts as the chipset maker is also developing a 5G modem by the name X50 5G modem. This is set to debut in late 2019. So, the OEM will have to make a choice between newbie X50 with the 5G capability or well-versed X24 modem with 4.9G capability.

February 15, 2018