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GTX 1660 Ti With 6GB GDDR6 RAM Launched

Nvidia is an American company that designs graphics processing units (GPUs) for gaming and professional markets. Late last year the company launched the Titan RTX GPU which is targetted towards the premium sector. On 22 February 2019, the company launched a new GPU chip called GTX1660 Ti which is targetted towards the mid range sector.

GTX 1660 Ti Features

The all new GTX 1660 Ti chip is based on the 12th generation Turing Architecture. Unlike the GTX 1060 which can be deemed its predecessor is based on the Pascal architecture. According to Nvidia, the architecture on the latest chip is 1.4x power efficient than Pascal architecture. The GTX 1660 Ti requires 120 watts of power to operate and taking the increased power efficiency into consideration, it delivers the best performance per watt of any GPU in its class.

The GTX 1660 Ti features 1,536 Cuda cores that have a boost clock of 1.8 GHz. The new chip packs 6 GB of GDDR6 memory which has a transfer rate of up to 12 Gbps. The company has also added that overclocking the new chip is fairly easy. The GTX 1660 TI has dedicated hardware encoder that delivers 15% improved efficiency over prior generation graphics cards. Noteworthy, the new chips is also optimized for Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) which is the most popular software used by streamers globally.

The GTX 1660 Ti also has built-in support for Nvidia ANSEL which allows taking high-quality screen captures and 360-degree photospheres of games. It also has support for Nvidia Freestyle technology that allows the gamers to customise the appearance of their games with post-processing technology. This filter can convert gameplays or photos to resemble watercolour paintings, oil paintings or even retro movies.

GTX 1660 Ti Price

Also Read: DxOMark Ranks Xiaomi Mi 9 As The Best Video Shooter, Samsung Galaxy S10+ Best For Selfies

GPU’s based on GTX 1660 Ti chip start at US $ 279 (around Rs 19,800). However ready to purchase GPU’s from manufacturers like Asus, EVGA, MSI, PNY, Zotac will slightly differ in price dependent on region and features like single or double fans.

February 22, 2019
Vivo Roadmap Reveals New Smartphone Models
After introducing the V15 Pro, Vivo has registered trademark applications which indicate that the company is prepping for the launch of new smartphone models. A total of 14 applications were submitted to the EUIPO (European Union Intellectual Property Office) under the description ‘smartphones; mobile phones’. Although there is no official information regarding the devices, we might see the new range of Vivo handsets being unveiled in the not-so-distant future.

Vivo X Series Smartphones

The X series will include high-end smartphones from Vivo. Last year, Vivo X21 became the world’s first device with an in-display fingerprint scanner. The device will probably be followed by the X31 by March 2019. Trademark requests for the Vivo X35 and the X37 were also filed, but it is too soon to expect their launch.

Given below are the trademark requests for the devices
- X31
- X33
- X35
- X37
Vivo V Series Smartphones

The mid-budget segment of the market will be targeted by the V series of Vivo smartphones. The latest device from this series was the Vivo V15 Pro, which was launched on February 20 and sports a pop-up selfie camera. As of now, there are speculations that all the smartphones may not launch in this year itself. In fact, the lineup looks like a roadmap for the next year.

The trademark requests for the handsets can be checked out below
- V17
- V19
- V21
- V23
- V25
Vivo Y Series Smartphones

Also Read: Vivo V15 Pro Unboxing And Hands-On

The most budget-aggressive smartphones from Vivo will be placed in the Y series. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer released the Vivo Y93 in November 2018, but the new series info released shows that the names of the devices will be changed. They will be priced inexpensively as compared to their counterparts.

Find out more about the trademark requests below
- Y40
- Y50
- Y60
- Y80
- Y90
February 22, 2019
DxOMark Ranks Xiaomi Mi 9 As The Best Video Shooter, Samsung Galaxy S10+ Best For Selfies

A good camera is a prerequisite for premium smartphones these days. An average smartphone can be deemed as a good smartphone if the camera of the device performs up to the mark. Flagship smartphones such as Google Pixel 3 and the Apple iPhone XS hold the top spots when it’s about camera performance. However, with the release of newer devices which are challenging this niche at a much lower price, improvements in the camera become very necessary. Xiaomi Mi 9 and Samsung Galaxy S10+ are the latest smartphones to get their cameras examined by DxOMark, the pioneers in camera benchmarking.

Xiaomi Mi 9

Xiaomi released the Mi 9 in China on February 20, and it has been the talk of the town since its launch. With flagship-level specifications at almost half the price of premium smartphones, there are high expectations from the camera of the Mi 9. DxOMark tested out the camera of the smartphone, and fair enough, the Mi 9 didn’t disappoint.

The Xiaomi Mi 9 sports a triple rear camera setup. The device has a 48MP (f/1.75) Sony IMX586 primary sensor, combined with a 16MP (f/2.2) ultra wide sensor and a third 12MP (f/2.2) telephoto sensor. In terms of the front camera, the Mi 9 has a 20MP selfie shooter. DxOMark’s scores for the smartphone’s camera are as follows

As per DxOMark, Mi 9 is the best Xiaomi device they have tested to date. It almost secured the top spot in their smartphone camera ranking list. A score of 112 points clearly displayed the camera’s ability to take high-quality images. Also, the Mi 9’s camera scored 99 points when it was tested for video recording, which is the best video score so far.

Samsung Galaxy S10+

The Samsung Galaxy S10+ also passed the DxOMark test, and it did so by claiming the first rank next to the Huawei Mate 20 Pro and P20 Pro. The device was launched on February 21 and was given the title of “the best front camera performance for both still images and video” by DxOMark.

The device sports a triple rear camera setup which consists of a 12MP (f/1.5- f/2.4) primary sensor, 12MP (f/2.4) telephoto sensor and a third 16 MP (f/2.2) ultra-wide sensor. The smartphone also has a dual front camera module, which is a combination of a 10MP (f/1.9) sensor and an 8MP (f/2.2) sensor housed in the punch-hole display.

Also Read: Xiaomi Launches The Mi 9 In China

According to DxOMark, The Galaxy S10+ performed really well while capturing skin tones and maintaining exposure at the same time. The portrait mode of the device also got very rave reviews. The handset showed off impressive stabilization and focus while recording videos. In terms of ranking, it surpasses Google Pixel 3 and the Galaxy Note 9, making it the highest ranked smartphone camera in their list.

February 22, 2019
Google Will Require Android Apps To Support Android Pie In 2019
Google’s operating system Android has been really popular because of the millions of apps available on the platform. What also helps its case is the level of customisation Android devices offer. This includes the ability to sideload apps from third party sources. But, some of these sources have been known to spread spyware through bypassing the app permissions as they support older Android’s Application Programming Interface(API). Google in a bid to counter the problem, has announced that all the new apps submitted to the Play Store in the year 2019 will have to support the latest API level 28, that is Android 9 Pie.

What Does This Mean?

According to Google, over 150,000 applications have added support for runtime permissions in 2018. Shockingly, the feature was introduced back in 2016 with Android Marshmallow, which had the API level 23. This meant that these apps were capable of bypassing permissions altogether, creating a security risk. Google tackled this by mandating all new apps to support API level 26, which was in Android 8.0 Oreo. Updates to the existing apps also had to support the same API.

Google is updating these restrictions up a notch by mandating the app developers to update these apps to the latest API. Google Play Protect which was launched in 2017 is a security suite integrated into the Play Store. This service will be used to warn users of the apps not supporting the latest API. Here are the new timelines for the developers:
- August 2019: New apps will be required to target API level 28 (Android 9 Pie).
- November 2019: Updates to existing apps on the Play Store will be required to target API level 28(Android 9 Pie).
- By 2020: The target API level will increase annually.
Android will also use the Google Play Protect to warn the users if the app they are about to sideload targets to an API level older than Android Oreo (API level 26). It has also gotten the major Chinese application markets to comply with the new API levels on their app stores. These are from companies like Huawei, OPPO, Vivo, Xiaomi, Alibaba, and Baidu.

Also read: Samsung Will Finally Allow Users To Remap The Bixby Button

Google has said that 95% of the spyware target API level 22 (Android 5 Lollipop) or older, which creates a host of security issues. Notably, the Android platform gets monthly security patches, but some devices take a long time to be updated because of their respective OEMs. This leaves these devices vulnerable to new security threats. Therefore, this move is expected to make Android more secure.
February 22, 2019
Notchless OnePlus 7 Leaks In The Wild
OnePlus is a Shenzhen based smartphone manufacturer that came into existence in the year 2013. Albeit it is a budding company in contrast to competitors like Apple and Samsung, it has made its mark in the heavily crowded smartphone industry. Late last year the company launched the OnePlus 6T smartphone which has received a warm welcome globally. For the past three years, the company has been launching two smartphones each year. Accordingly, the company will launch the OnePlus 7 smartphone before the Q2 of 2019 ends. The first renders of the upcoming smartphone were leaked weeks after the launch of OnePlus 6T. Freshly leaked live images suggest that the future smartphone will be a big leap forward from the current device.

OnePlus 7 Leak

https://twitter.com/Steven_Sbw/status/1097856863620583425

The live images of OnePlus 7 were leaked on Twitter which reveals a smartphone with a notch less display and minimal bezels. Certainly, the device posing in the image is a OnePlus smartphone as the signature OnePlus icons are clearly visible on its screen. Noteworthy, the alleged OnePlus 7 smartphone does not have a notch display to accommodate the front facing selfie camera. The images shared on Twitter were captured in an improperly lit environment. Therefore, it is hard to make out what the device exactly looks like. Past leaks have claimed that the OnePlus 7 smartphone will have a sliding display like the Mi Mix 3 which has concealed selfie camera and ambient light sensor.

Expectations and Launch Date
- Upgraded Chipset- The OnePlus 7 is expected to feature the latest chipset from Qualcomm which is the Snapdragon 855. The SoC consists of an Octa-Core CPU and Adreno 640 GPU.
- Larger Display- Although the OnePlus 6T sports a 6.41 inch display which is one of the largest on flagship smartphones, its successor the OnePlus 7 is plausible to have an even larger display.
- Larger Battery- The OnePlus 6T is powered by a 3700 mAh battery which was bumped by 400 mAh from the OnePlus 6‘s 3300 mAh. The upcoming OnePlus 7 is likely to pack a larger size battery as its competitors like Huawei Mate 20 Pro and Galaxy S10 Plus have a battery larger than 4,000 mAh.
- Faster Charging Support- The regular variant of the OnePlus 6T supports 20 watts Dash charge. While the limited McLaren edition OnePlus 6T supports 30 watt Warp charge. Accordingly, OnePlus 7 is also expected to feature faster charging Warp charge.
Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ India Price Revealed

OnePlus has not announced the launch date of the OnePlus 7 smartphone. Going by the past OnePlus launch cycles, the upcoming device will launch sometime in the month of May or June this year.
February 22, 2019
Samsung Will Finally Allow Users To Remap The Bixby Button

Samsung has time and again proved its hardware prowess with its flagship smartphones. The devices offer cutting-edge design and features but they always had an Achilles heel, their software. The software that the company provides with the handsets has not always fared well with the audience. Introducing Bixby in 2017 made their problems worse as they gave users a voice assistant they didn’t ask for. The company also added a non-remappable button to the mix, making problems worse. But Samsung has announced that its flagships running Samsung’s latest OneUI will get an option to remap the infamous Bixby Button.

Samsung Bixby Remapping

Samsung recently started updating its yesteryear’s flagships to Android Pie based OneUI. These devices include the Galaxy S8 and S8+, Galaxy Note 8, Galaxy S9 and S9+ and Galaxy Note 9. These devices are also set to get the option to remap the Bixby Button to a third party app. The option is currently only available in the latest Galaxy S10 series of smartphones. Notably, the Bixby button works via three methods, a single press, a double press and a long press on the button activates the voice assistant. After the update, it will be possible to remap it to a third party app using any of the above functions. For example, if you set a single press on the button to open the camera, a double and a long press would still activate Bixby.

Also Read: HTC Announces The Vive Focus Plus With Revamped Motion Controllers

Samsung’s decision to allow the Bixby button to be remapped may come as a reason to rejoice for many users. It is expected to make using the company’s flagships convenient by providing the ability to remap the button to any app. Bixby as a voice assistant has not seen the popularity that Samsung may have expected it to be. According to a study, the users of the assistant are as low as 4% in the US. Unfortunately, the company has not provided any information about the timeline of the update for older devices, but it is expected to arrive in a few weeks.

February 22, 2019
HTC Announces The Vive Focus Plus With Revamped Motion Controllers

HTC tasted a lot of success in the hands of the Vive VR Headsets, which clearly shows in the fact that the HTC Vive is one of the highest selling VR headsets worldwide. The company has announced the Vive Focus Plus on February 21, which is a newer and upgraded version of the Vive Focus VR headset. First revealed in October 2018, the Vive Focus had support for three degrees of freedom. With the recently announced Vive Focus Plus, the controllers can be tracked in six different degrees, which means that you can now move the controllers around, not just rotate them on the spot.

The Competition

With the announcement of the ‘standalone’ Oculus Quest VR headset last year, competition for creating the ‘all-round performing’ VR headset has stepped up. The Quest will include a pair of controllers and will support the “arena-scale” tracking feature. This feature will enable the user to walk in areas of almost 4,000 square feet while retaining headset tracking. The Oculus Quest is set to be released this spring, whereas the HTC Vive Focus Plus will be released in the second quarter of 2019.

Design And Features

The headset of the Vive Focus Plus resembles the headset of the original Vive Focus in almost all aspects. It is equipped with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset and provides the user with six degrees of freedom tracking. The VR headset has a 3K AMOLED display with 2880 x 1600 px resolution. The Vive Focus Plus runs on the Vive Wave platform, enabling its users to download new content and apps from the Viveport online store. Furthermore, HTC claims that the new edition of the Vive Focus can distribute its weight more evenly by increasing its contact area with the forehead.

Availability

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ India Price Revealed

The Vive Focus Plus will be available for purchase in 25 countries, some of them being Canada, USA, UK and Australia. HTC has not announced the price or launch date for its latest VR headset yet, but as mentioned before, users can expect it to go live on sale in the second quarter of 2019.

February 22, 2019
Google Didn’t Mention The Nest Secure Has A Built-In Microphone

American search engine giant Google hasn’t had the best reputation when it comes to users privacy. The company failed to maintain user data when a serious security bug in its social media offering, Google+ was found. The company has once again found itself amidst controversy when it was discovered that one of is products, the Nest Secure has a built-in microphone which went unnoticed for more than a year.

Google Nest Secure Controversy

Google acquired the home security company Nest in 2014 and then merged it under the Google brand last year. The Nest Secure bundle of devices were introduced in 2017. Google announced in early February this year that the Nest Guard, one of the devices in the Secure bundle, would double up as a voice assistant; as it will gain Google Assistant functionality. Using Google Assistant to work hands-free requires a microphone, and this microphone was never disclosed to have been present in the device. After the update, the users then would receive an email with instructions on how to turn on the microphone and set Google Assistant up on the device.

The controversy also arises from the fact that the product page of the device didn’t mention the presence of the hardware for more than a year. The page has since been updated with a microphone mentioned in the ‘Audio and Lights’ section of the product description. This oversight on Google’s part is being taken down as a serious offence in breaching a users privacy. There have been many negative sentiments about the company’s actions, most of them coming from US politicians who are concerned about the user’s privacy.

Also read: Samsung Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ India Price Revealed

Google has since clarified in a statement, that it never meant to keep the information about the presence of a microphone a ‘secret’. It also mentioned that the hardware was disabled until the update, and will continue to do so if the user desires.

February 22, 2019
World’s First Side Notch Smartphone Launched

American smartphone manufacturer, Essential launched the Essential PH-1 in the year 2017. It is one of the world’s first smartphone to have a notch display which was soon followed the iPhone X. Even though Apple iPhone X was not the first smartphone to have this feature, prominently it is the device that kick started the whole notch trend. Archos, a French company has launched the world’s first smartphone with a side notch. Unlike smartphones with conventional notch displays, the Archos Oxygen 68XL has a small notch on the top right side that houses the selfie camera.

Archos Oxygen 68XL Looks and Features

The Archos Oxygen 68XL due to its lateral notch has a distinctive design. The front of the smartphone accommodates a 6.85-inch display with HD+ resolution and pixel density of 218 ppi. The device with its 173.5 x 81.5 x 8.9 mm dimensions has a hefty build and it tips the scale at 214 grams. The rear of the smartphone has a glossy glass panel that houses the fingerprint sensor, company branding and vertically aligned dual camera setup.

Under the hood, the Archos Oxygen 68XL features the Helio P22 SoC which is manufactured using 12 nm fabrication process. The chipset is comprised of the PowerVR GE8320 GPU and an Octa-Core CPU. In terms of memory and storage, it has 3 GB of LPDDR3 RAM and 32 GB of inbuilt storage which is further expandable via a microSD card. The smartphone is powered by a mammoth 5,000 mAh battery and runs on the latest Android 9.0 Pie.

The dual rear camera setup of the Archos Oxygen 68XL is comprised of an 8 MP + VGA sensor along with an LED flash. The front facing selfie camera uses a sensor with 5 MP resolution. Connectivity options on the smartphone include 802.11 ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, Dual 4G VoLTE, 3.5 mm jack and bottom mounted Micro-USB 2.0 port for charging and data transfer.

Archos Oxygen 68XL Price and Availability

Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ India Price Revealed

The Archos Oxygen 68XL is priced aggressively and it costs € 149 (around Rs 12,000). The device will be showcased at the upcoming MWC 2019 which is scheduled for 25-28 February. It will be available for purchase in the month of May this year.

February 22, 2019

Samsung Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+ India Price Revealed

Samsung launched the Galaxy S10 lineup of smartphones on February 20 in San Fransisco. Three main devices, namely the Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy S10+ were introduced which took the mantle of the company’s next flagships from the Galaxy S9. Unfortunately, no information was provided on their India specific pricing at the launch event. Putting an end to all speculations, Samsung has started taking pre-orders for all the three handsets in the country, revealing their prices.

Samsung Galaxy S10 Series

The next generation flagship series of smartphones by Samsung, the Galaxy S10 lineup has three devices that are arriving in India soon. They are similar in most ways while differing in certain aspects like screen size, battery capacity, cameras and obviously, pricing. All smartphones feature a glass sandwich design and have the new Infinity-O displays. The devices feature Samsung’s new Dynamic AMOLED displays with support for HDR10+ content. All the smartphones run on the Exynos 9820 SoC in India, which is manufactured using 8nm fabrication process. It contains an Octa-core CPU and Mali-G76 MP12 GPU.

Notably, the Galaxy S10 lineup differs in a few features, like the Galaxy S10e featuring a side-mounted fingerprint scanner and dual rear cameras; while its two larger siblings have an ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner and triple rear cameras. The screen size also varies on all devices, with the Galaxy S10e sporting a 5.8-inch display; while the Galaxy S10 and Galaxy S10+ have a 6.1-inch and 6.4-inch display respectively. The front cameras of the Galaxy S10e and the Galaxy S10 is limited to just one sensor, while the Galaxy S10+ has two front-facing cameras. The Galaxy S10e is powered by a 3100mAh battery; while the Galaxy S10 and the Galaxy S10+ have a 3400mAh and a 4100mAh cell respectively. All the three smartphones have IP68 certification for water and dust resistance, support Wi-Fi 6, NFC, fast wireless charging and also support reverse wireless charging.

Samsung Galaxy S10 Series: Pricing

Also read: Apple Planning To Combine iPhone, iPad And Mac Apps By 2021

The prices of the S10 series in India are as follows:

Model	Galaxy S10e	Galaxy S10	Galaxy S10+
Price	Rs 55,900 (6GB + 128GB)	Rs 66,900 (8GB + 128GB)	Rs 73,900 (8GB + 128GB)
		Rs 84,900 (8GB + 512GB)	Rs 91,900 (8GB + 512GB)
			Rs 1,17,900 (12GB + 1TB)

All the models will be available in India starting March 8.

You can pre-book the Galaxy S10 series by visiting the link here.

February 22, 2019

Beresheet, Israel’s First Lunar Lander Launched From Florida

Israel’s first lunar lander took flight on 7:15 am IST aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, which was launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on February 22. This mission (called the Nusantara Satu mission), if deemed successful, will place Israel at the fourth place amongst nations which have already attained controlled touchdown on the moon. The list already includes countries like the United States, USSR and China. The unmanned robotic lander has been named ‘Beresheet’, which is a Hebrew translation for “in the beginning”.

About The Rockets And Payloads

The 23-storey-tall rocket disappeared into the sky as it made its way towards the moon. There were three sets of cargo on the Falcon 9, which is one of the most famous rockets in the arsenal of Elon Musk’s aerospace research organization, SpaceX. As mentioned before, one of the payloads was the 585 kg Beresheet lunar lander, whereas the other two payloads were intended for different purposes. One of them was Indonesia’s telecommunications satellite and the other was an experimental satellite for the US Air Force. It was also reported that the lunar lander took its place in earth’s orbit almost 34 minutes after its launch. 15 minutes later, two satellites separated from the Beresheet. The complete launch was broadcasted on SpaceX live webcast.

SpaceX Recycles Falcon 9’s Engine

Highest reentry heating to date. Burning metal sparks from base heat shield visible in landing video. Fourth relight scheduled for April. https://t.co/uq6TdMhgFN
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 22, 2019

The Falcon 9 and the lunar lander launch was not the only highlight of the launch. SpaceX added another milestone in its book of innovating technology by recycling its rockets. Mission control engineers and other people cheered from the launch site as the Falcon 9’s main-stage booster separated from the rest of the payload, shuttled back to Earth and had a safe landing on the “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship.

Main engine cutoff and stage separation confirmed. Second stage engine burn underway. pic.twitter.com/bDt2z62HGI
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 22, 2019

Bearing the name of legendary Sci-Fi author Iain M. Banks’ “fictional starships”, the drone-pad was positioned almost 500 km off Florida’s coast. The distant glow of the returning booster was clearly visible against the sky as the moon appeared. Noteworthy, this marked the booster’s third launch and landing after delivering Iridium-7 and SAOCOM 1A payloads to space.

Plans For Landing

Successful deployment of the SpaceIL lunar lander confirmed, starting the spacecraft’s two-month voyage to the Moon pic.twitter.com/iMlVYJHef3
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) February 22, 2019

Beresheet is expected to land on the near-side of the moon by mid-April. In doing so, it will travel through almost 6.5 million kilometres in space. Agreed, the direct path from the earth to the moon would be much shorter, but the lunar lander will travel via a more circular orbit. As per SpaceX plans, the gradually widening Earth orbit will help the probe to eventually reach the moon’s gravitational pull, leading to a controlled ‘soft’ landing.

Also Read: Elon Musk Promises Tesla Will Release Full Autonomous Driving Feature This Year

As of now, there is no plan to get the spacecraft back to earth. It will spend 2-3 days on the moon, photographing landing sites and measuring the moon’s magnetic field. Then the lunar probe will be shut down and it will remain on the lunar landscape for all eternity. The complete broadcast of the Nusantara Satu Mission can be found below.

February 22, 2019
Samsung Galaxy Home To Be Launched By April 2019

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Home smart speakers last year during the announcement of the Galaxy Note 9. Not just that, the speaker was also displayed at the Samsung Developer Conference even though the company abstained from making any statement on its official launch. During the Galaxy Unpacked 2019 event, Samsung has revealed that the Smart speakers will be available for purchase in the month of April this year.

Features

The Galaxy Home would compete with similar smart speakers such as Amazon Echo and Google Home. Talking about voice assistants, Amazon Echo has Alexa integration while the Google Home uses Google Assistant. The smart speaker from Samsung will have the Bixby Voice Assistant. The sound quality is tuned by AKG, which was acquired by Samsung in 2017. The Galaxy Home can also be used as a smart hub for keeping tabs on the gadgets that are compatible with the platform.

Bixby Integration

According to Samsung, Galaxy Home is the only AI speaker that will transmit a wave of sound directly towards you when you communicate with the device. This means that the user will experience surround sound irrespective of their position in the room. It packs 6 different speakers and one subwoofer, all of which are housed in the same unit. Furthermore, the Galaxy Home also has 8 microphones with integrated ‘far-field’ technology. Users can say “Hi Bixby” from across the room and communicate with the smart speaker.

Also Read: Elon Musk Promises Tesla Will Release Full Autonomous Driving Feature This Year

Surveys show that Bixby is used by only 4 percent of users in the US. In comparison, 44 percent of users use Siri and almost 30 percent have the Google Assistant as their primary voice assistant. Agreed, it’s a good-looking speaker, but Samsung may have to step out of the box a bit with the Galaxy Home.

February 21, 2019
Samsung Galaxy Fold

Samsung Galaxy Fold is the first foldable smartphone from the company. The device allows multitasking on three apps simultaneously and features a uniquely designed hinge with interlocking gears. The smartphone features six cameras in total, has two displays and is touted as a premium device by Samsung.

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February 21, 2019
Xiaomi Mi 9

Xiaomi Mi 9 is the newest flagship from the Chinese brand. The smartphone features top tier specifications and has a glass sandwich design. It also has a triple rear camera setup and a waterdrop notch on the front. The device is targeted towards power users who don’t want to spend a lot of money on a smartphone.

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February 21, 2019
Apple Planning To Combine iPhone, iPad And Mac Apps By 2021

The Apple ecosystem is vast, with various devices interconnected seamlessly. Despite running the same OS, the apps on the iPhone and the iPad differ in functionality and availability. A report claims that by the year 2021, the company will combine its iPhone, iPad and MacOS apps in a project codenamed Marzipan.

Combined Apps In The Apple Ecosystem

The move of combining apps for all the major products in the Apple ecosystem will make it easier to develop apps for these products. The Marzipan project might make an appearance in the upcoming Apple’s WWDC Developer conference in June. Only app development will be linear as Apple has confirmed that it won’t merge iOS and MacOS as a singular platform. Along with the alleged Marzipan project; Apple is also expected to announce the next generation of iOS, the iOS 13 for iPhones and iPads, at the event.

The alleged project Marzipan will begin its journey later this year, as Apple will let the developers port their iPad apps to Mac computers via a software development kit. This will be further explored in the year 2020 when iPhone apps will be tested for porting to Mac. All of these will be combined to form a united app experience across these three platforms by the year 2021. The kit will be released as early as June, which coincides with reports of it launching at the WWDC. This change will let developers create a cross-platform experience for an app, as some apps are currently available on iOS and not on MacOS.

Also read: Samsung Announces The Galaxy S10 5G Smartphone

The project Marzipan is expected to provide a revenue opportunity for Apple as the company takes a profit share for in-app purchases and in-app subscriptions. It is also expected to announce some new products in its services divisions; namely a premium news subscription service and a video content initiative, in the month of March. The idea of combining apps for different ecosystems was first explored by Microsoft for its Windows Phone and Windows PCs, as well as Google when developing Android apps for ChromeOS. This move by Apple is expected to improve the app experience and may provide seamless connectivity on a single app between different platforms.

February 21, 2019