Category: Tech

Latest Technology News, Alternative, Bio-Tech, Medical, R&D and Innovations

  • The OnePlus 6 Will Have One Thing In Common With The iPhone X

    The OnePlus 6 Will Have One Thing In Common With The iPhone X

    When Apple decided to drop the iconic Touch ID on its new iPhone X, a lot of people had apprehensions about its facial recognition technology. Facial recognition has been present in Android devices ever since the advent of Android Jellybean. Samsung devices have iris scanning, although its a secondary way of securing the device since they also have fingerprint sensors.

    But, ever since Apple unveiled Face ID, facial recognition has received a lot of mainstream attention and it is no denying that Face ID is the most secure rendition of the facial recognition technology. It now appears that the OnePlus 6, expected to be launched in mid-2018 will have its own version of Face ID. It may be too early for detailed OnePlus 6 rumours, but a report claims that the OnePlus 6 will have the same advanced facial recognition system as the iPhone X.

    The OnePlus 6 will have a camera hardware setup similar to the iPhone X, complete with a 3D camera module that will use infrared light to measure depth. However, the OnePlus 6 will not have an iPhone X-like notch. Instead, the handset is expected to have a full top bezel where the extra sensors should be found.

    The OnePlus 5T was launched with facial recognition system as well. However, OnePlus conceded that it is not for security purposes but, for convenience.

  • Specifications Of Samsung Galaxy J2 (2018) Leaked

    Specifications Of Samsung Galaxy J2 (2018) Leaked

    Samsung has decided that 2018 will be the year when its flagship-exclusive features will trickle down to its mid-range devices. In comes the Galaxy A8 and Galaxy A8+ but, it appears that the company’s lower-end offerings will continue to be on the same path of design and features albeit a few upgrades. The Galaxy J2 (2018) will be Samsung’s mid-range offering for the early-2018 period and a new leak has revealed all the important specifications of the device.

    The device will have a 5-inch Super AMOLED display with 960 x 540 px resolution.

    Under the hood, the device is expected to have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 chipset, 1.4GHz quad-core processor, Adreno 308 GPU, 2GB of RAM, and 16GB of onboard storage which will expandable via microSD card.

    Powering the device is a user-replaceable 2600 mAh battery. The J2 (2018) has dual-SIM support, Bluetooth 4.2, LTE Cat.4 (up to 150Mbps down), and 802.11n Wi-Fi.

    Both the primary and secondary cameras have an LED flash, according to the renders. On the back is an 8 MP camera and the front houses a 5MP camera.

    There is no word from the company regarding the official launch of the device.

  • Facebook To Launch Standalone Video Streaming App Called ‘Watch’

    Facebook To Launch Standalone Video Streaming App Called ‘Watch’

    Most people’s answer to ‘Where do you watch videos on the internet?’ would ‘YouTube, of course!’. Over the years, it has dominated the video consumption space on the internet because it has artists who create content that is only accessible on YouTube and nowhere else. The visual format of content consumption has become so huge that even Apple is planning to launch a subscription-based video streaming service in the coming years. Thanks to the increased accessibility and relatively cheaper fare of the internet over the world, services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video have become successful as well.

    If you are an avid Facebook user, you come across all kinds of videos on your timeline every few seconds. It can be a funny 15-second 9GAG video or a VICE clip about cooking Christmas dinner in a dumpster. For several years, videos have been a focus for Facebook and the company might be taking an important step towards making videos its one of the most important business aspects.

    Facebook will be launching Watch, a standalone video streaming app which will compete with the likes of YouTube and Netflix.

    What is Watch?

    Facebook Watch is already available as a beta version within the Facebook app in the US and will soon make its global debut. It is a video streaming app which will blend in Facebook’s other services like Messenger and WhatsApp.

    According to our sources, Facebook is working on making Watch a standalone app to launch in Q1-Q2 2018

    Watch includes features like a “discovery” page that recommends new content, a dedicated feed for comments and reactions to videos, show-specific Facebook groups, and new Watch pages. For creators and publishers, Watch is presented as a platform to help them build an audience of passionate fans and make money from their work.

    Any creator that is a part of Facebook Mentions, will be automatically eligible to use the app. Facebook Mentions is a platform that lets all sorts of public personalities to engage with their fans.

    The Facebook Watch app will have a new set of tools which is called Live Creative Kit. These tools will essentially help creators produce more professional streams. To create more fun and engaging content, the Watch app will let users add custom video intros and outros to broadcasts. Even the viewers can feel like a part of fandom by using custom stickers.

    One-fifth of videos on Facebook are live videos, which is one of the important statistics and around which, a lot of the features of Facebook Watch are created. For example, users can add frames to their broadcasts in order to create a thematic experience that’s consistent with their brand perception.

    Why Watch Has The Potential To Surpass YouTube

    As of now, YouTube is the largest video streaming platform in the world and has been for a long time. Many services came and couldn’t survive the magnitude of competition that is required the ruffle the feathers of YouTube. Facebook Watch, however, will be different. It is a common term to hear that ‘Facebook is crushing Snapchat by copying features that Snapchat brought to the fore’. It is true, Snapchat has not been able to deal with Facebook’s constant adaption of Snapchat’s own features because at any given point, Facebook has much more active users than Snapchat. Also, Facebook adapts and responds quickly.

    Making speed a priority has allowed Facebook to build products and features that allow it to outpace competitors and perfect user experiences. This is part of the reason why Facebook-owned properties like Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp account for 21.8% of the total time that the average consumer spends on their mobile phones.

    To become the biggest video content consumption platform, Facebook needs video content, and reports claim that it has taken a drastic step to ensure that creators jump on board as soon as possible and has started paying for original content. According to The Wall Street Journal, Facebook “is taking the risk out of the content-creation endeavour for many publishers, either by paying to offset their production costs or offering to license or buy their content outright.”

    This means that Facebook will be able to generate exclusive content quicker by allowing creators to work freely without thinking of the monetary repercussions of content creation. Already, many creators on YouTube have had a fall-out with YouTube due to the monetization guidelines and with the lucrative offer from Facebook, famous content creators might be persuaded into changing their allegiance. Evidently, all the famous creators on YouTube have a strong presence on other social media platforms hence, the transition might not be as hard as people might imagine.

    Furthermore, with the creators on board, Facebook will need advertisers to generate the revenue. While Facebook is becoming increasingly profitable, speculators believe YouTube is now barely breaking even on ad revenue. Facebook has even started monetizing videos that are directly uploaded to its platform.

    This focus on video has already resulted in native Facebook video uploads getting 10 times more shares than YouTube uploads. Following Facebook’s initial emphasis on video, there has been a 50 percent increase in uploads to Facebook by brands over the past three years.

    Lastly, there is no denying that Facebook has the audience for pulling off the unthinkable and surpass YouTube as the biggest video streaming platform. In 2016, Zuckerberg disclosed that the average person spent 50 minutes a day on Facebook’s platforms (not counting WhatsApp). Users in the U.S. spent an average of 35 minutes per day on Facebook, compared to YouTube with 17 minutes. In addition to higher time on site, Facebook has more users than YouTube, with more than two billion users vs YouTube’s 1.5 billion.

    Conclusion

    Facebook owns entities like Instagram, WhatsApp and Messenger. Integrating a video streaming platform with other popular social media outlets would mean that a consumer would never leave the ecosystem created by Facebook. After dominating the social media sphere for so many years, Facebook, an internet organisation, has the resources to replicate the same success in the world of video streaming as well. To believe that YouTube will disappear is incredibly naive. Instead, it will likely become marginalised, much in the same way Snapchat and Twitter now have to deal with the popularity of Facebook and survive in its shadow.

    With increasing disdain among creators on YouTube and a lucrative offer from Facebook to all the popular content creators, Facebook has the perfect product to be the biggest video consumption platform in the world.

  • Huawei Honor Launches The Honor 9 Lite

    Huawei Honor Launches The Honor 9 Lite

    Huawei’s sub-brand Honor has launched a mid-range variant of the Honor 9, the Honor 9 Lite at an event in China. It is priced at CNY 1199 (Rs. 11600 approx.) for the 3GB/32GB variant, CNY 1499 (Rs. 14500 approx.) for the 4GB/32GB variant and CNY 1799 (Rs. 17400 approx.) for the 4GB/64GB variant. In China, it will go on sale from the 26th of December and India, along with Russia and Europe will also get the smartphone soon.

    The Honor 9 Lite follows the same design language as the Honor 7X and the Honor View10. It has a 5.65-inch IPS LCD display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution which translates into an 18:9 aspect ratio.

    Under the hood, similar to the Honor 7X, the Honor 9 Lite has the HiSilicon Kirin 659 chipset, an octa-core processor, the Mali-T830 MP2 GPU, 3GB or 4GB of RAM and storage options of 32GB and 64GB. It is worth noting that the onboard storage will be expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is placed at the back and the bottom bezel on the front houses the Honor branding.

    Powering the device is a 3000 mAh battery which also supports the Super Charge technology.

    The Honor 9 Lite has four cameras. To the front and back, it has a 13MP + 2MP setup and both the setups record 1080P videos at 30fps.

    The Honor 9 Lite shares a lot of its features with the Honor 7X and falls short a bit short of what the Honor View10 will offer when it is launched in India in January, at least of paper. As is with every smartphone in India, the pricing will be crucial for the Honor 9 Lite.

  • World’s First 5G Wireless Hardware Specifications Officially Approved

    World’s First 5G Wireless Hardware Specifications Officially Approved

    Everyone wants faster and better internet connection. While 4G has slowly but surely entered the Indian market on a mass level, the world has already moved on to 5G internet. The first true move towards launching 5G wireless networks and smartphones received a huge impetus. The members of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) have officially approved the hardware specifications for the Non-Standalone (NSA) 5G New Radio (NR) standards. The specifications were confirmed during a meeting of the 3GPP group in Lisbon, Portugal. The actual specifications will be posted sometime later this week on the group’s official website.

    This development means that smartphone hardware companies such as Qualcomm, Intel, Huawei and others can begin making 5G wireless products and components based on these official standards. The industry has already moved towards 5G and only recently in November, Qualcomm, ZTE, and China Mobile announced a successful test of the world’s first end-to-end 5G NR interoperable system based on the standards that were developed by the 3GPP group.

    As reported earlier, the Indian government has recognised the importance of the fast-speed internet and has already taken steps to ensure that India is not left behind in the 5G race. India is planning to roll out 5G internet services by the year 2020. In order to complete this task successfully, the government has set up a high-level forum which will evaluate all possible roadmaps to make sure that 5G internet becomes prominent in the country. For the said objective, the ministries of telecom, information and technology, and science and technology have been included in the forum. A budget of Rs 500 crore is set aside for research and development of 5G technology by the government.

    Apart from the government, Indian telcos such as Airtel are also actively taking initiatives toward the 5G technology. Airtel on 26th September launched a mimo, a pre-5G technology, producing internet browsing speeds three times higher than the current levels. State-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd. along with Airtel have also signed initial pacts with smartphone makers such as Nokia for the development of 5G and its applications which are relevant to India.

  • Amazon Is Working On Its Own Version Of YouTube

    Amazon Is Working On Its Own Version Of YouTube

    It is no secret that Google and Amazon are embroiled in a battle of power. It might seem silly to consumers but, it might end up costing the two companies millions of dollars. Amazon has been refusing to sell Google hardware on its platform, and Google has responded by blocking YouTube access on Amazon’s line of Echo and Fire TV products.

    Now, it is fair to assume that Google can’t replicate Amazon’s online presence and Amazon, in turn, can’t make a platform as huge as YouTube right now. But, it appears that Amazon is not willing to give up the ambition of having its own YouTube-like platform. Amazon filed trademarks requests with the US Patent and Trademark Office for products called AmazonTube and OpenTube.

    Interestingly, this happened the same day Google announced that Amazon devices will lose YouTube access from the 1st of January.

    Amazon says Amazon Tube and/or Open Tube would provide “non-downloadable pre-recorded audio, visual and audiovisual works via wireless networks on a variety of topics.”

    In the description, Amazon says the new service would also provide “on-line network services that enable users to share content, photos videos, text, data, images and other electronic works relating to entertainment, including, movies, television, audiovisual works, music, audio works, books, theatre, literary works, sporting events, recreational activities, leisure activities, tournaments, art, dance, musicals, exhibitions, sports instruction, clubs, radio, comedy, contests, visual works, games, gaming, festivals, museums, parks, cultural events, concerts, publishing, animation, current events, fashion, multimedia presentations, history, language, liberal arts, math, business, science, technology, hobbies, culture, sports, arts, psychology, and philosophy.”

    Apart from that, a report claims that Amazon has been registering new domain names including AlexaOpenTube.com, AmazonAlexaTube.com, and AmazonOpenTube.com.

    If these are more than just routine patent filing activities and Amazon goes ahead with its plan of launching a YouTube competitor, it will be interesting to see how the consumers respond and whether it will be available to match up to the vast content that YouTube offers,

    [poll id=”58″]

  • New Self-Healing Glass Could Be The Future Of Smartphones

    New Self-Healing Glass Could Be The Future Of Smartphones

    As smartphones move to an all-display and no bezels design, the onus will be on smartphone makers to produce rigid and robust phones. Even in today’s day and age, the smartphones are broken after a bad fall and if it’s a flagship phone, then the cost of repairing is huge. All of that might change if this self-healing glass becomes commercially available to smartphone makers.

    Researchers from the University of Tokyo claim that they have discovered a type of glass that can heal itself, which could be used in phone displays and other devices. This can be done thanks to a new polymer called “polyether-thioureas” that lets the screen repair cracks when pressed upon. Just like a lot of famous discoveries, this self-healing glass was discovered by accident as well. A student named Yu Yanagisawa was attempting to use the material as glue when he discovered its healing properties.

    This is not the first time that a similar technology has come to the fore. Similar self-healing methods have been tried on plastic and rubber but, the researchers say this is the first of its kind as it can be repaired at room temperature. Motorola filed a patent a few months back which chronicled the use of self-healing display technology that would fix cracks when heat is applied. The LG G Flex 2 had a back panel that could self-heal minor scratches and dings.

    It is certain that implementing this technology especially at its nascent stage will be costly and might not be an average consumer’s cup of tea. But, there is a market for rugged smartphones and enthusiasts will be more than happy to spend the extra bucks if it meant that their devices could self-heal.

  • Amazon Has Launched The Redmi 5A Competitor

    Amazon Has Launched The Redmi 5A Competitor

    2017 has been a fascinating year for mobile phone enthusiasts from all walks of life. There have been flagship phones that have cost over a lakh such as the iPhone X and practically free 4G phones like the JioPhone. Toward the end of the year, Xiaomi launched a sub-5K phone, the Xiaomi Redmi 5A which could be the ideal phone for someone making a shift from a feature phone to a smartphone. Now, Amazon has launched the third phone in its ‘Tenor or 10.or” brand, the 10.or D.

    Xiaomi Redmi 5A

    Priced at Rs. 4999 for the 16GB storage variant and Rs. 5999 for the 32GB storage variant, the pricing is almost identical with the Redmi 5A. The smartphone will go on sale at 12:00 PM on the 5th of January, and registrations for the first sale have already begun on Amazon India. The e-commerce giant is also giving away a 1-year subscription to Amazon Prime.

    The 10.or D will have a 5.2-inch  display with a screen resolution of 1280 x 720 px.

    Under the hood, the device will have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 chipset, a quad-core processor, the Adreno 308 GPU to handle the graphics, and two RAM/storage variants. One of the variants will have 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage while the other one will have 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, the storage will be expandable via microSD card. The fingerprint sensor is placed at the back of the phone.

    Powering the device will be a 3500 mAh battery which in theory, should be sufficient enough to handle the 5.2-inch HD display. The listing page claims to deliver up to 70 hours of MP3 playback time, up to 25 hours of talk time and up to 10 hours on the internet.

    Similar to the Redmi 5A, the 10.or D has a 13MP primary camera with auto-focus and an LED flash. On the front of the phone is a 5MP camera.

    The specifications of the 10.or D are identical with the Redmi 5A. However, specifications are not the only factor and it will be interesting to see if Amazon can compete with the popularity of Xiaomi in the budget smartphone category.

  • Here’s Why Apple Slows Down Older iPhones

    Here’s Why Apple Slows Down Older iPhones

    Ever since the iPhone 8 and iPhone X was launched, there have been multiple reports from previous gen iPhone users of their devices slowing down considerably. Theories about how Apple deliberately slows down older iPhones to practically force people into buying the new ones have been doing the rounds ever since.

    Ever since a Reddit post gained attention and the interpretation of subsequent benchmark tests posted by Primate Labs’ John Poole went even more viral, people have been taking shots at Apple for throttling the speeds of older iPhones.

    iPhone 5c Was Launched In 2013

    To actually believe that Apple or for that matter any company would do something so ethically wrong would be unfair. If Apple were to do this, it would likely lead to incredible battles with the governmental that no company like Apple would ever want to happen. In fact, Apple is focusing attention on smoothing out the very high and quick peaks of power draw that can cause problems with older batteries.

    To address the issue and the theories flying around the internet, Apple issued a statement to TechCrunch:

    Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices. Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components.

    Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions. We’ve now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future.

    In short, what Poole’s benchmarks are showing is the result of a power curve-smoothing algorithm that Apple rolled out last year to mitigate iPhone shutdown issues.

    To tackle battery ageing in a more efficient way, what Apple is doing for older iPhones is it is capping the processor power to prolong the age of the battery. This is a is a lithium-ion chemistry issue, not an Apple or any other OEM issue. Over time, batteries just become bad. This is an attempt to make people’s phone work for longer with fewer issues, not to get them to switch away from it.

    These changes will not affect the average performance of a device, and it is not throttling; it is capping the peak demands. In doing so, it is not allowing them to be as high and spreading that work out over more cycles rather than one.

  • New Software Update Breaks Basic Functionality Of Pixel 2 XL

    New Software Update Breaks Basic Functionality Of Pixel 2 XL

    Google launched the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL back in October to much fanfare. When both the devices were launched, there were hardware and software issues that marred the progress of the two devices and definitely persuaded a lot of customers away from the two devices.

    The latest software update for the Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL has brought new issues to both the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. After the latest software update, users have to physically wake up the screen to see who’s calling and accept or decline the call. That is a basic function that every feature phone also has, to wake up the screen and display who’s calling.

    The smaller of the two phones, Pixel 2 has its own set of issues. Since the latest software update, the USB-C to 3.5mm headphone jack dongle that comes inside the retail box is not working anymore. Users have reported that the adapter doesn’t work as the sound comes from the phone’s speakers instead of headphones.

    Google has not responded to any of the complaints so far.

    The Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 Xl are priced at Rs. 61000 and Rs. 73000 for the base variant, respectively. Users expect top-notch service and performance from phones that cost so much and it appears that the Pixel 2 devices are having a hard time coping with the demands of the consumers.

  • There Will Be No Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

    There Will Be No Xiaomi Redmi Note 5

    The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 is one of the most popular smartphones in India. The budget smartphone with a big battery and decent camera became the benchmark of budget smartphones over the past year. While Xiaomi and other brands have come out with similarly priced devices, a lot of consumers are waiting for the Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 to launch. The sad news is that Xiaomi might not be launching the Redmi Note 5 and instead, the recently launched Redmi 5 Plus will be the only big screen device from Xiaomi, as of this moment.

    According to a Supermoderator on the MIUI forum, the Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus is going to remain the company’s only large-screened affordable option. This is not an official confirmation but, it as close as it gets to one.

    The Redmi 5 Plus was launched in China along with its smaller sibling, the Redmi 5 on the 7th of December. It is possible that Xiaomi will launch the Redmi 5 Plus in India as the Redmi Note 5, considering the Redmi Note 4’s immense success in the country.

    Xiaomi Redmi 5 Plus

    It has a 5.99-inch display with a 2160 x 1080px resolution which again, translated to an 18:9 aspect ratio. Similar to the Redmi 5, its display also has rounded corners.

    Under the hood, the Redmi 5 Plus has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 chipset, 2.0GHz octa-core processor, Adreno 506 GPU, 3GB or 4GB of RAM, and 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage which will be expandable via microSD card. The fingerprint sensor sits at the back of the device which has become a Redmi signature irrespective of thin or thick bezels.

    The Redmi 5 Plus is powered by a massive 4000 mAh battery which, according to Xiaomi, has a standby time of up to 17 days. The device has a micro USB port for charging and data syncing along with a 3.5mm headphone jack.

    The Redmi 5 Plus has a 12MP primary camera and a 5MP secondary camera with beautify 3.0 software.

  • New Patent Reveals Apple’s Plan To Diversify Face ID Usage

    New Patent Reveals Apple’s Plan To Diversify Face ID Usage

    Apple introduced its take on facial recognition technology, Face ID along with the launch of the iPhone X. The iPhone X represented the major design haul that everyone was waiting for ever since the iPhone 6 was launched. Over the course of time since the iPhone X was made available to the public, Face ID has received polarising reviews. While some people can’t wait for Touch ID to make comeback (which seems highly unlikely anymore) and the others like the implementation and believe that future software updates will make Face ID even better than it already is. Some of us have forgotten about the home button and embraced the gestures life.

    It is safe to assume that Face ID was not a one-off affair till the company figured out how to embed fingerprint sensors under the display. Apple believes that Face ID is the future and there have been multiple reports corroborating that future iPhones will drop Touch ID in favour of Face ID. A new patent filed by Apple has been unearthed, which reveals the company’s plan to diversify the implementation of Face ID on more than just the iPhones.

    The documentation describes Face ID technology that would fit iPhones, iPads, MacBooks, and iMacs. The patent, which was awarded to Apple on the 19th of December, reveals that Apple filed it all the way back in March of 2015

    The technology described in Apple’s patent could be used in a variety of smart devices, to automatically initiate actions based on whether a user is facing the display’s sensors or not. This is Apple’s description of the technology:

    Based on knowledge of how many users are present and the location of those users, device 10 may make adjustments to display 14 (e.g., to optimize brightness, content, audio, etc.), may turn on or off device features, or may take other suitable action. As an example, device 10 may activate a visible image sensor in device 10 when it has been determined that one or more users is present in the vicinity of device 10.

    The visible image sensor can then be used to gather additional information from the user (hand gestures, images of the user for a video conference, face detection data indicating where the faces of the users are located, etc.).

    It is fair to believe that this is true and that Face ID will be trickled down to all other iOS and macOS devices but, it is still just a patent and there are chances that just like a lot of patents, this could be thrown to the back burner.

  • Samsung Galaxy S9 And Galaxy S9+ Design Leaked

    Samsung Galaxy S9 And Galaxy S9+ Design Leaked

    As we approach the end of 2017 and the possible launch of the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+, the rumours and leaks will come thick and fast, We recently unearthed the specifications and benchmark scores of the Galaxy S9+ and this new leak reveals the design of the Samsung Galaxy S9+ and its smaller variant.

    For weeks, it was rumoured that the Galaxy S9+ would sport a dual-camera setup at the back while the smaller sibling, the Galaxy S9 will have a single camera. This new leak of the case for both the phones is very similar to the renders that were revealed a few days ago. The leak confirms that the camera setup for both the devices will be different.

    Another welcome change from the Galaxy S8 and S8+ will be the repositioning of the fingerprint sensor. Just like the fingerprint sensor on Galaxy A8 and Galaxy A8+, the fingerprint sensor is now placed under the camera and not next to it like their predecessors.

    A recent leak also revealed the specifications of the Samsung Galaxy S9+.

    The RAM shown in the spec sheet is 5GB which means that the device in question here has 6GB of RAM as benchmark websites get the specifications wrong a number of occasions. Another interesting aspect here is the operating system. According to leak, the Galaxy S9+ will run Android 8.0 Oreo which is a positive, considering the company announced the Galaxy A8 and A8+ with Android 7.1.1 Nougat even though the devices will be launched in January.

    Galaxy S9+ Renders

    If Samsung goes the Google Treble route, then the Galaxy phones might get faster updates compared to the umpteen amount of time that Samsung takes to update even its flagship phones. To put things into perspective, Android 8.0 Oreo was officially launched back in August, and the Galaxy Note8 along with the Galaxy S8 and S8+ are still running Android 7 Nougat.

    The Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+ are expected to look very similar to their predecessors with slightly thinner bezels and a repositioned fingerprint sensor. Unlike last year when there was barely anything to differentiate between the Galaxy S8 and its bigger sibling, Samsung will introduce a few changes in the lineup to justify a bigger price tag of the ‘+’ model. The Samsung Galaxy S9 is expected to sport a single camera at the back while the Galaxy S9+ will have a dual-camera setup at the back.

    The Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are expected to be launched at MWC in late-February 2018.

  • Facebook Will Notify Users if Someone Else Uploads Their Photo

    Facebook Will Notify Users if Someone Else Uploads Their Photo

    Facial recognition is a software that Facebook uses to some extent. Now, the social networking company is taking facial recognition to another level with its new feature. Using facial recognition, Facebook will notify a user if someone else uploads of that user.

    According to Facebook’s blog post, the idea behind Photo Review is to give users more control over their online identity by giving them more privacy settings to work with. For the time being, those settings are the only means to work around facial recognition, with users being asked to grant Facebook permission to use facial recognition across the service.

    Powered by the same technology we’ve used to suggest friends you may want to tag in photos or videos, these new features help you find photos that you’re not tagged in and help you detect when others might be attempting to use your image as their profile picture.

    This would allow Facebook to implement more features that use facial recognition, such as account recovery. Facebook has conceded that there will be an easier on-off switch if you find facial recognition to be more trouble than it’s worth.

    Photo Review is powered by the same AI technology that suggests friends you might want to tag in your pictures. The good news here is that the user does not have to be friends with someone for Photo Review to work, as long as the user has friends in common, they will be notified. When you are notified, you then have the choice to add your tag to the photo, leave yourself untagged, or report the photo as inappropriate.

    Facebook says Photo Review is rolling out to most regions, though users in Canada and the EU will not get to use it due to data laws that restrict the use of facial recognition.

     

  • Apple Will Launch Upgraded AirPods In 2018

    Apple Will Launch Upgraded AirPods In 2018

    Back in 2016, Apple did the unthinkable by removing the beloved 3.5mm headphone jack from the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus. To make the transition from wired headphones to wireless technology a little more Apple-friendly, the American tech giant launched the AirPods. The “magically” pairing wireless earbuds were launched along with the iPhone 7 at a price of US $149. While it received flak for its looks, it has gained popularity over the course of time and is the best-selling Bluetooth earbuds in the market right now.

    It was recently reported that the AirPods won’t be available until early-2018 and that it might be a hint towards a revision of the AirPods. KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has issued a few notes to investors regarding the availability of AirPods and the possibility for a revision to the hardware in the second half of 2018.

    Kuo estimates that AirPod shipments will experience 100 percent growth and reach 28 million units in 2018. Kuo didn’t delve into any details regarding the design or feature which might be introduced in the revised AirPods other than that they will include a “smaller quartz component”. Kuo also stated they could have a higher average selling price.

    The AirPods were launched back in 2016, so an overhaul is long due with better hardware and sound.

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