Samsung is gearing up for a major reshuffling of their phone lineup. The company wishes to eliminate the J series phones entirely and create an M series of phones. It is also reported on a Korean news website that Samsung plans to put an LCD screen on their 2019 version of the J Series of phones. This comes in the wake of Apple making it’s cheapest iPhone XR feature an LCD panel. Samsung reportedly wants to divide the A series models into two segments with OLED as well as LCD options in different price brackets. The Galaxy A8 Star, A8 Plus, A6 Plus all have AMOLED panels at the moment. The A series models will also reportedly see a change of nomenclature.
What is Samsung Planning?
Samsung is reportedly reshuffling their phones to get the maximum number of customers as well as to create a price differentiation. Their strategy seems to be to raise the price range of their A9, which has a quad camera setup. This will enable them to capture the lower end of the market with the J series as the company looks to sell more in terms of volume. Samsung will reportedly take Galaxy A series OLED and LCD models to Korean, North American and European markets. The A series will have a quad camera setup. Since these markets have a greater purchasing power, it will be easier to sell the OLED phones there. On the other hand, LCD models will be introduced only in India and Southeast Asia. These markets have a lower purchasing power and has a chance to sell more in terms of volume.
The company is also said to be reorganising its lineup by integrating Galaxy J, Galaxy ON and Galaxy C series into ‘Galaxy M’ next year. This is also one of the major reason’s for the reshuffling plan. There are also speculations that Samsung may be taking this drastic step due to the stiff competition from Chinese manufacturers. Specially in markets like India and parts of South East Asia.
Facebook was one of the first globally accepted social media platforms. It is a platform that combines a wide variety of social medias ranging from simple messaging to photo and video sharing. But with passing time, social media is evolving and changing. Niche specific apps are on the rise, like chat focused WhatApp and photo sharing app Instagram. Both of which Facebook acquired for $ 19 billion and $ 1 billion respectively. A new social media segment that has seen phenomenal growth in recent times is video/lip syncing applications. China based TikTok is the current leader in this segment. To get a slice of this rapidly booming sector, Facebook has launched their Lasso app.
Facebook has taken this step to bring back teens who are slowly moving away from the platform, when compared to last year. The Lasso app lets users create short fun clips with a lip syncing option. You can sign in to the app with your Instagram credentials or create an account by linking it to your Facebook. Additionally, the Lasso videos can be shared on Facebook and Instagram. The sharing feature will be added later.
Features
Cool Camera Tools & Effects- High quality video editing tools, text on video/music and a lot more effects from in app camera.
Massive Music Library- It has one of the biggest music library which range from trending pop hits to vintage classics. Facebook claims users can find each and every song on the app.
Latest Hashtags & Challenges- The app suggests trending hashtags and also the ones which might become a trend soon.
Share Directly To Facebook- The app being a part of the Facebook ecosystem, allows users to easily share videos on Facebook with a single tap.
Lasso is available for both Android and iOS devices. The app is currently available in selected regions as Facebook is gathering feedback and reviews from users.
Once we buy a new smartphone, the first thing we do is get a mobile cover and a screen protector for it. But there are other useful accessories as well that can increase the usefulness of your phone. In this article we will discuss little known accessories that you can buy on Amazon for a throwaway price!
AmazonBasics Mobile Phone Repair Kit
This is an extremely handy tool if you like to repair your own phones. The repair kit for smartphones can be used for mobile devices, game systems, wristwatches, and eyeglasses. It consists of a precision aluminium screwdriver with telescopic handle for extended reach. It allows for easy one-handed operation due to screwdriver’s free-spinning end-cap. The repair kit includes two mini pry bars, an opening pick, a SIM card ejector tool and suction cup. It also has 3/4-inch S2 screwdriver bits which can fit into tight spots. iPhones are known for their custom screws and this kit includes pentagonal size for iPhones and iPads. The kit comes in a zippered case for safe storage and convenient portability.
Posterguy Waterproof Mobile Pouch
Ever wish you could take your phone when you go for a swim or use your phone in the rain? This waterproof mobile pouch cover for smartphones protects your phone from water damage. The case can store a 6 inch smartphone. It can be submersed under water as well once locked properly. The case is an IPX8 certified waterproof cover with fingerprint sensor and is suitable for phones up to 6.5 inches of diagonal screen size. One can also use it to store credit cards or money.
It also includes a17 inch neck strap for easy carry and access. It is perfect for using in rain, beach or any other kind of adventure. The pouch is best suited for adventure trips where moisture, water, dust or snow can be an issue. Putting your small valuables or expensive or inexpensive smartphone in this phone bag will leave your items bone dry and dust proof.
Sports Arm Band Protective
If you are a fitness freak then this accessory may be a life-saver! Early morning jogs can be tedious as well as fun but storing your phone and protecting it from rain or sweat and keeping your house keys can be a difficult task. Using this, you won’t have to worry about losing your keys and credit cards at the gym or at the park. It has a touchable protective screen and can activate iPhone 7 home button and can be used freely when your phone is in the armband during sports.
Its headphone cutouts allows for music playback or taking calls while walking or running. Another great feature is the armband’s reflective strip which allows for safe running in low light conditions. It fits Apple iPhone 6 6S 4.7 inch, iPhone 6 Plus, 6S Plus, 5.5 inch or other below 5.5 inch cell phones. The armband is made of high-quality nylon premium material which reduces the chances of pungent smell from sweat accumulation.
Water Resistant Waist Phone Bag
Another mobile carrying pouch, this is a multi-purpose tool for storage and ease to carry. The pouch is water resistant, but it is not waterproof. The straps can be threaded through the loops on the back for a tight fit on the belt or any combination of wear options and belt sizes. There’s a loop on top as well. It is made with 1000 denier waterproof cordura nylon, with MOLLE attachments, double webbing molle belts behind, and extra strong buckles. It can be a great bag for people who like outdoor adventures as well as trekkers. It can fit a charger, passport, key, credit card, cigarette lighter, sun glass, cellphones, digital cameras etc.
Selfie Beauty Ring Light
If you use your front camera more than the back camera of your phone, this is the perfect accessory for you. This selfie ring light attaches to your phone and it gives a great light throw for selfies. The light has 3 different levels of brightness and provides supplemental or side lighting for creative photography and videography. It provides continuous LED light and does not heat up too much. It works with all phones as well as tablets. This selfie ring light is built from high quality plastic and is durable and shockproof. It works on 2 AAA batteries but the batteries are not in the package.
12X Zoom Mobile Phone Telescope Lens
This tele lens is a great accessory for the photographers who use their phone a lot. We all have wished the phone camera had a tele lens and not just digital zoom. Even though many phones nowadays are equipped with two or more lenses which range from wide to tele, if your phone does not have that then this accessory is great for you. The lens screws into the clip that comes with it. This ensures that the lens perfectly aligns with your camera. It can be great for using in concerts, tourist destinations, zoos and any other long-distance shooting. The lens is a 12X zoom lens and is portable and detachable. It is compatible with all mobile phones.
Charging Stand & Station Dock Platform Holder
A lovely and neat addition for your home, this eco-friendly bamboo charging stand bracket can help you avoid clutter in your house. It is a 100% natural bamboo charging stand that is taken from sustainable forest harvest and is quite durable. The charging dock looks very fashionable and the stand has a solid build for better stabilisation. It can hold your phone as well as your smartwatch for charging. The dock is suitable for all kinds of mobile phones and smartwatches. It has a cutout for your Apple watch charger. The cutout can be of use for other smartwatch chargers as well.
Portable Mini 16 Led Light
Another great value for money product, this is a portable light that can be directly plugs into your phone’s adapter and works as a light to take photographs and videos. The light provides the same daylight colour temperature as popular professional xenon flashes. So you get natural-looking skin tones, the right depth and soft shadows. It does not have a great throw and can illuminate subjects that are close by. The light can also be used as a simple flashlight or a small emergency lamp. It works with all smartphones and can be easily carried in pocket or a small bag The light comes with the light itself and a USB to 3.5mm charging cable.
Amazon has officially announced that it will be selling more Apple products on its website. This will be done when the holiday season starts. The move reflects on how important e-commerce platforms like Amazon are becoming, even for brands such as Apple.
Earlier, Amazon only sold limited items from Apple’s inventory such as Mac computers and Beats headphones. Since Apple offers direct competition to the e-commerce giant with some consumer products, the companies always has their differences. Some issues also rose over Apple not adopting Amazon apps into its devices, which saw its resolution later. Now, the e-commerce giant will sell the latest iPhones, iPads and the Apple Watch 4 in select regions. These include the United States, Europe, Japan and most importantly, India. The company is already stocking up the devices, so that they are available in plenty in the coming weeks. The Apple products will now be available exclusively on the Apple Amazon page.
It’s Not All Additive
The move also resulted in the elimination of third-party and unauthorised sellers who sell Apple products on Amazon. However, third party accessories supporting Apple devices will be found on the website. Only third- party sellers retailing Apple products will no longer be present .
The list of products will however not include the Apple HomePod, as it is a direct competition to the Alexa Powered Speakers offered by Amazon. The reasons for a stand-off between these tech giants are never-ending, but this seems to be a promising move towards a better future for consumers. As most of the consumers prefer to buy products from e-commerce websites, this is a welcome step.
Apple has said that they will continue to work to improve the experience for Apple customers on Amazon and are looking forward to customers having ‘another great way’ to buy their products. A notable statistic is the fact that about 71% of Apple’s sales in 2018 came through distribution channels such as Amazon.
HD Video cameras on smartphones opened a lot of possibilities for app developers. One such video looping application was the wildly popular Vine app. It allowed users to share 6 second clips which turned out to be a highly successful phenomenon. Twitter bought the app for 30 Million $ in 2012 even before its official launch. Recently, the co-founder of Vine, Dom Hoffman has announced the successor to his first app, which will be released in Spring 2019.
The Concept & What Happened With Vine
Vine was the platform that kick-started the career of many stars like YouTuber Logan Paul and singer Shawn Mendes. Logan Paul and his brother Jake Paul started making vines in their high school and are now one of the highest earning YouTubers. Similarly, Shawn Mendes also joined the platform at age 15. After which he gained a lot of attention after his first vine went viral.
But, Twitter had to shut down Vine back in January 2017 due to a couple of reasons. Some of them include fierce competition from Instagram, Twitter’s cash crunch and no scope of ads because the clips were only 6 seconds long. From being one of the highest downloaded free application on Apple’s app store it vanquished into darkness and was ultimately shut down. Albeit, Twitter keeps the video archive alive online.
Dom Hoffman has previously talked about creating a V2 of the Vine app. But it was only recently that he tweeted that the app will be called byte and will be a successor to Vine. A website and a twitter page of the app is already online. The twitter page has reached 68k followers which indicates people are hyped about the Vine successor.
Although, not much detail about the byte app is available, Dom Hoffman says that they have a solid concept and proper funding for the upcoming app. However, times have changed and so has the competition. TikTok, another video looping app has seen tremendous growth in recent times. Competing with it will be hard for byte. The true fate will only be revealed after the app is launched and available for download.
Netflix has always been on point when it comes to crime drama. The shows featured on Netflix are more often than not, highly rated on IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes and always manage to keep you on your toes. This weekend, we give you a list of such shows to watch on Netflix that will keep you on the edge of your seats. So make some pop-corn, sit back and binge watch.
This gripping crime series focusses on a true event that happened in the United States in the 80s and continued till the 2000s. The story revolves around Steven Avery, a man from Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, who served 18 years in prison for the wrongful conviction of sexual assault and attempted murder. There are two seasons with a total of 20 episodes each running around 47 to 77 minutes.
This crime series is based on a book called Mindhunter: Inside the FBI’s Elite Serial Crime Unit. The authors of the book are John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker, and they focus around the time when the FBI did not have a criminal profiling division. The story revolves around the central characters FBI agents Holden Ford and Bill Tench. They go around the country to interview serial killers (They coin the term as well, on their journey to understand ‘serial killers’). There is just onwseason with 10 episodes with a watching time of 34 to 60 minutes each episode.
This crime drama is gripping and is an extraordinary story told through fiction about the infamous Unabomber. Ted Kaczynski, also known as the Unabomber was a real life terrorist. He, between 1978 and 1995, killed three people and injured 23 others. The story of the series follows the main character Jim Fitzgerald who the FBI tasks to profile the Unabomber. He faces constant opposition from within the FBI who question his weird methods. The series has 1 season with 8 episodes each 42 to 43 minutes long. It is a great watch for the thrill-seekers on a Sunday afternoon.
Narcos is a highly successful crime drama series running for three seasons now and has a huge viewer base at the moment. And what more, it is set to release a new season on November 16th! If you still haven’t watched the series, then this weekend would be a good time to catch up on it. Seasons 1 and 2 are based on the story of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, who was an infamous drug lord in Columbia. He was known as the “The King of Cocaine” and was the wealthiest criminal in history. Escobar was known to have burnt money to keep himself warm at times.The three seasons comprise of 30 episodes ranging from 30 to 45 minutes each.
The show chronicles a story of deception, intrigue and murder in and around frozen Minnesota but somehow all clues lead to Fargo, North Dakota. Fargo has three seasons so far and each have an amazing starcast with very edge of the seat stories. It features great actors such as Billy Bob Thornton, Allison Tolman, Colin Hanks, Martin Freeman, Kirsten Dunst, Patrick Wilson, Jesse Plemons. Others well known figures include Jean Smart, Ted Danson, Ewan McGregor, Carrie Coon, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Goran Bogdan and David Thewlis. If you are going to watch this, you will need more than two days of constant binge-watching for sure!
This is the first German-language Netflix original series and is a great watch if you are fine with watching a show with subtitles or are fluent in the German language! The show revolves around a fictional town in Germany where children start to disappear mysteriously. This bring out the dark past, the double lives and the broken relationships of four families in the town. This show is often compared to Netflix’s Stranger Things. It has one season with 10 episodes with a run time of 45 to 57 minutes each.
This series is based on Jeffrey Toobin’s book, The Run of His Life: The People v. O. J. Simpson (1997) and revolves around the Nicole Simpson murder case. In 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman were found stabbed to death outside Nicole’s condominium in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles and O.J. Simpson was the prime suspect for the murders. O.J Simpson is a former American running back. He was a well known figure at the time. The story follows how the trials for the same went and how, finally (Spoiler alert) he was acquitted. This mini-series is a part of American Crime Story. The series has 10 episodes ranging from 41 minutes to 1 hour 6 minutes each.
Technology is evolving rapidly and companies are bound to update products every year to keep up with their competition. But, this fast-paced development can often lead to hardware issues which arise after the products have reached the customers. One such infamous case was the ‘exploding batteries’ on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. And recently, Apple has announced that the iPhone X and 13-inch MacBook Pro have some issues. This causes the hardware to fail or not respond for no apparent reason.
The Issues
The iPhone X’s screen or part of the screen randomly stops recognising the user’s touch. Sometimes, it even reacts when the user has not touched it.
The 13 inch MacBook Pro (non-touch bar) that was sold between June 2017 & June 2018 might have an issue that leads to hard disk failure or data loss.
The Good
Apple has admitted to the issues with their products and is offering a free replacement to solve the issues. The users with eligible iPhone Xs can get a free screen replacement from Apple’s Authorised Service Providers or retail stores. Similarly, the MacBooks that face the disk failure issue can get a free service at an Apple retail store or an Authorised Service Provider. To check if your MacBook has such an issue, you can simply type the serial number on the company’s support page.
The iPhone X users have been complaining about the screen issue for almost a year now. And the company’s delayed response definitely made the customers suffer all this while. Also, Apple being one of the leaders in the tech industry, is not expected to ship products that have such issues.
Samsung has finally announced its flagship flip phone, the W2019. The smartphone has two AMOLED displays. The second screen features navigation keys as well, so that you can use the phone without having to open it. Though it is a flip phone, it has flagship specifications. It runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC and has 6 GB of RAM. The phone will only retail in China as of now.
Specifications
The W2019 is the latest in the line of flagship flip phones launched in China by Samsung. While it may be a flip phone, it is crafted with premium materials. It is made from anodised diamond-cut aluminium and glass. Although the build of the phone shows off a retro design, the internals surely set it apart. The W2019 has two 4.2 inch Super AMOLED displays with a 16:9 aspect ratio and a 1920 x 1080 resolution. The phone runs on the Snapdragon 845 SoC with 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB / 256 GB storage options.
On the back, it houses a camera setup which is the same as the Galaxy S9+. This consists of a 12 MP sensor with dual f/1.5- f/2.4 aperture and a second, telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom. The front camera is a 8 MP sensor with f/2.0.
Under the hood, it packs a 3,070 mAh battery with a USB Type-C connector for charging. It has a side-mounted finger print sensor, seen on most Samsung phones these days, and is pretty convenient. The phone runs Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box. The W2019 also has a dedicated Bixby button to activate the Virtual Assistant directly.
What’s More
Another huge aspect of the phone, quite literally, is the thickness, which is 17.3 mm when the phone is closed. While this is unheard of in smartphones these days, one must keep in mind the fact that this is a clamshell flip phone and not your every day device.
That being said, the smartphone does have a huge fan following in China, despite its high price bracket. While nothing has been mentioned about the price and availability of the device, we can expect it to be somewhere upwards of the $ 2000 mark, considering the price of its predecessors.
If there is anything that a tech enthusiast likes almost as much as new technology, it is to read books. Books allows a reader’s imagination to run free and most people interested in tech have free thinking and a great power of imagination. There are books related to the tech industry, tech business and general science and the future, that might interest techies. In this article we list a few books that one must read if they have an inclination towards technology and the future.
Steve Jobs
By Walter Isaacson
Considered to be like the Bible for some tech enthusiasts, this book by Walter Isaacson is extremely in-depth and takes an honest look at the eccentric CEO of Apple and later the CEO of Pixar Animation. The book tells us how this creative genius managed to transform the fate of six big industries, such as personal computers, music, animated movies, phones, digital publishing and tablet computing. The birth of Apple, the growth and then eventual downfall, the fights with co-founder Steve Wozniak, the comeback of Jobs into Apple and the birth of the Lisa, Macbook and eventually the iPhone.
This book is specially interesting because Steve Jobs insisted that Walter Isaacson write his autobiography and promised to not interfere in it. Thus, this book has a neutral perspective and goes through the ups and downs of Steve Jobs’ life and the lives of people around him. It is definitely a must read even- if you are an Android fan!
Elon Musk: How the Billionaire CEO of Spacex and Tesla is Shaping Our Future
By Ashlee Vance
Considered to be the real life Iron Man, Elon Musk is an entrepreneur, forward thinker and a genius. He founded the online payment website PayPal which was later aquired by Ebay. Musk then moved on to think about the future of humanity and wanted to use his newfound money to advance tech, to push technology into the future. He bought two companies – SpaceX and Tesla Motors. This books talks about how he is slowly shaping the future of technology and about Musk’s ‘deconstructed obsession with technology’.
Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft’s Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone
By Satya Nadella
This book is about the changes that are happening inside Microsoft and covers topics such as artificial intelligence, mixed reality, and quantum computing. Satya Nadella talks about his childhoot in India and how he grew to become the CEO of one of the biggest tech companies in the world – working on Artificial Inelligence and other futuristic technology. He, through this book, tells the inside story of how a company rediscovered its soul—transforming everything from culture to their fiercely competitive landscape and industry partnerships. This is a must read book for any tech enthusiast for sure.
Live Work Work Work Die: a journey into the savage heart of Silicon Valley
By Corey Pein
The author of this book set out to learn how an overhyped industry like the tech startup industry could possibly sustain itself as long as it has.But in order to understand it thoroughly he had to become one of them. He soon started to skulk through gimmicky tech conferences, pitching his over-the-top business ideas to investors, and rooming with a succession of naive upstart programmers whose entire lives are managed by their employers-who work endlessly and obediently, never thinking to question their place in the system.
The book explores and ‘challenges the positive, feel-good self-image that the tech tycoons have crafted-as nerdy and benevolent creators of wealth and opportunity-revealing their self-justifying views and their insidious visions for the future’. It is a great read to understand how the silicon valley works. And how the people who are running the industry functions. It is an inside look into one of the most cut-throat industries in the world, from a neutral perspective.
Innovation and Its Enemies: Why People Resist New Technologies
By Calestous Juma
Drawing from nearly 600 years of technology history, Innovation and Its Enemies identifies the tension between the need for innovation and the pressure to maintain continuity, social order, and stability. Everything from computers to mobile phones to the more recent artificial intelligence can be a cause for concern for many. The author uses detailed case studies of coffee, the printing press, margarine, farm mechanization, electricity, transgenic animals and more. The book tries to show how technologies emerge and end up favouring their establishment in the marketplace. It draws from the lessons history has taught us regarding the ever evolving tech industry. It also debates tech such as artificial intelligence, online learning, 3D printing, gene editing, robotics, and drones.
Soonish
By Kelly Weinersmith
This comic take on science and technology feels like vegetables if they tasted like meat. It is science and technology made interesting by giving it a comic turn with graphics that are quirky and witty. It talks about the future of technology – from robot swarms to nuclear fusion powered-toasters and how they will impact our future. The book, although extremely funny to read, teaches us a lot about the future of tech. It makes serious topics fun to read. What will the world of tomorrow be like? How does progress happen? And why don’t we have a lunar colony yet? These are some of the questions that this book asks and answers. And it does so through a series of interviews of professors and scientists and such.
A Brief History of Time: From Big Bang to Black Holes
By Stephen Hawking
Now that we have covered the witty and funny, this book is for serious science and technology lovers. One cannot fully understand or imagine how the future will look like, unless one understands the past. A Brief History Of Time is a book that is timeless itself. It asks some questions that are unanswered. The book tries to best explain by drawing theories of the entire cosmos from Albert Einstein to Newton. Stephen Hawking, who died just this year, was one of the greatest minds of our time. The author takes the readers on a journey into the depth of cosmos right from the big bang theory, through the nature of forces and the world of string theory in physics, to the different forces that constitute the universe itself as he tries to answer questions about life, the universe and everything else. And no! The answer isn’t 42.
The Kirin 980 was unveiled by Huawei earlier this year. It is the only Android Chipset made using the 7nm manufacturing process in the market right now. The chipset is seen on the flagship devices like the Mate 20 series and the Honor Magic 2. Now, new reports suggest that a successor to the processor is set to launch soon, named the Kirin 990. The Kirin 990 will most probably have the same 7nm manufacturing process as the 980. But will have 5G support as well.
What’s New
While the manufacturing process remains the same, this does not mean that the 990 can’t be any better than the 980. Sources say that the Kirin 990 will consume upto 10% lesser battery and offer more than 10% improvements in performance. The chipset is reportedly under testing already and the company will make it official in Q1 of 2019.
In terms of 5G connectivity, the chipset might arrive with the Balong 5000 modem. 5G is the next big thing in the smartphone industry with almost all major manufacturers rushing towards it. Xiaomi and OnePlus have already announced their 5G compatible phones which will be out next year. Other manufacturers are also jumping on to the bandwagon with Qualcomm already having developed modems for the same. However, Apple only plans to launch 5G devices in 2020. As they are waiting for the proper infrastructure for the same to be developed soon.
Additionally, other industry sources claim that the testing of the Kirin 990 chipset is already under way. According to them, the cost of testing the chipset is also very high, with each test costing around 200 million Yuan. While the chipset maybe announced soon, it is highly unlikely that it will enter production at the time. The Kirin 980 was recently announced and has made its way to only a handful of phones. Huawei will make sure that the Kirin 980 is present in a good number of devices, before pushing out the Kirin 990.
Fortnite, a Battle Royale game that can be played on smartphones, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC as well as Mac, just crossed a new milestone. They reported that they had 8.3 million concurrent players worldwide. This came after their release in South Korea. It means that more than 8 million people were logged in to the game at the same time. This, by no means is a small feat. Specially considering it’s rival PUBG had around 797,000 peak concurrent players as of November 8.
How Are Fortnite And PUBG Similar?
Both Fortnite and PUBG share similar play-styles but the similarities end there. PUBG is a more true to real life game whereas Fortnite has a more fast paced nature with it’s fort building abilities and has cartoonish graphics. They have been locking horns for a long time now and have been in constant competition. Both have in-game purchases and both Epic Games (Fortnite) and Tencent Games ( PUBG) have constantly been pushing updates with new maps and new items to keep the game interesting. PUBG has recently launched Harley Quinn and Joker outfits whereas Fortnite has added NFL Jerseys.
How Are Fortnite And PUBG different?
PUBG has peaked at 3 million concurrent players which is quite low if we compare it to Fortnite’s recent achievement. Steam, which is a gaming digital distribution platform, averages about 5 million concurrent players across all of its games. Steam has about a 16 million peak in terms of concurrent players. This includes players who are just logged in to the screen. It is also noteworthy that Steam sells PUBG for a price of Rs 999 at the moment in India, whereas Fortnite is a free to play game with in-game purchases.
Fortnite’s minimum requirements for PC is an Intel HD 4000 and Core i3 2.4 Ghz processor. On the other hand PUBG has a higher Nvidia GeForce GTX 660 2GB / AMD Radeon HD 7850 2GB with an Intel Core i5-4430 / AMD FX-6300 and 8 GB RAM requirement. The massive differences in PC requirements can also account for lower concurrent as well as overall player count.
Smartphone components are evolving at a rapid pace but, the lithium-ion batteries that power them are not able to keep up with the latest hardware specifications. Hence, in an effort to prolong battery life, companies are trying to make software and hardware more power efficient. Recently, at the Android Dev Summit, Google revealed some key findings that can boost battery life on smartphones. Display and screen brightness are the biggest battery drainers on any smartphone. Google’s findings reveal using darker colours and the dark mode can extend battery upto 63%.
Google’s Findings
The most interesting piece of information from the summit was, more brightness draws more power in an almost linear manner. Next, the developers shared their studies performed using the Google Pixel 1 smartphone. The study points out the power consumption on max brightness between normal mode and ‘dark Mode’ on the AMOLED screen on the Pixel 1. The study reveals that the Pixel 1 consumed 250 mA of battery on max brightness in Normal mode whereas max brightness on dark mode consumed only 92 mA . The power consumption on dark Mode is 63% less than the Normal Mode. While, Google also conducted a similar test on the iPhone 7 with LCD display and it showed no difference in power consumtion between two different modes.
Google also studied the impact that different screen colours have on power consumption. They found different colours draw different amounts of power from the source. For instance, Red consumes 600 miliWatts of power and Green consumes 580 miliWatts of power. While, Blue draws the highest power at 800 miliWatts out of the RGB colour gamut. The most important finding is that Black consumes the least power out of all the 65k colours that a display can produce. On the other hand, White draws max power out of the battery.
Google Admits Their Mistake
Google has admitted that they made a mistake in the past with their material design scheme. The company heavily encouraged developers to use white as their primary color for all applications and interfaces which apparently takes a jab at battery backup.
Fortunately, Google explained how ‘Dark Mode’ can prolong the battery backup on a smartphone. Additionally, the latest YouTube with dark mode is an example that Google is learning from its mistakes and continue to bring this support to other apps as well. The company also demonstrated the comparison results that YouTube with dark mode has over normal mode. The YouTube video was paused on both the smartphones to pin point effects dark mode has on power drain. At 50% brightness, dark mode consumed 80 mA of power while normal mode consumes 93 mA of power from the battery. The biggest highlight in this study was the amount of power drawn on 100% screen brightness. YouTube in Dark Mode consumed 96 mA of max brightness which is higher than 50% at Normal Mode. But, Normal Mode on 100% brightness drew significantly higher power at 239 mA.
As foldable displays come to the verge of becoming a reality, Android has announced it’s support towards this new tech. This was announced at the Android Dev Summit held at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA. Android announced that they will be extending their hand to support foldable displays with their UI. According to the company, as early as Android 1.6, Android and it’s partners have contemplated different screen sizes and densities. They have since worked on several different form factors to power a broad category and new experiences like Android TV, Android Auto, Wear OS and even Android apps on Chromebooks. The introduction of Phablets, which are phones with bigger screens set the benchmark for where smartphones are today.
Android Optimisation For Folding Displays
Foldable screens are the future where the screen folds into a phone and unfolds into a bigger screen for media consumption. Android is working towards making this transition from a phone to a media consumption device seamless and more immersive. Android states that when unfolding, the app seamlessly transfers to the bigger screen without missing a beat. They are optimising Android for this new form factor. According to the company, they are making changes to help developers everywhere take advantage of the possibilities this creates for amazing new experiences. It also opens up new ways to engage and delight the users, states the company.
Android also stated that there will be more manufacturers joining the folding screen bandwagon soon. Last year, ZTE displayed a phone that had two screens attached to a hinge. While Samsung’s new phone closes inward, but Royole’s FlexPai, another foldable phone, has an outward-folding screen. Other makers such as Huawei, LG, Xiaomi, Oppo, Lenovo and Motorola are also reportedly working on foldable phones. It will be interesting to see how Android optimises for different form factors and screen sizes from different manufacturers in future.
Fossil is a company that is recognised all over the globe for their quartz watches and recently they have launched an affordable smartwatch called Fossil Sport Smartwatch. It has a circular touchscreen display and has easy swap silicon straps. The smartwatch is water resistant and has many features like GPS navigation, heart rate tracking and customisable dials.
Fossil Sport Smartwatch
The Fossil Sport smartwatch has a circular 41 mm case which is 12 mm thick and is made form Nylon and Aluminium. The smartwatch has a touch screen display to display time and content. It has an 18 mm wide silicone strap that can fit wrists of sizes up to 19.5 cm. The Fossil Sport also has a side mounted crown and two push buttons. It has a 5 ATM water resitance rating hence, it can be easily survive a swimming session. In terms of sensors, the smartwatch has an accelerometer, altimeter, ambient light sensor and NFC support.
The Fossil Sport smartwatch runs on the latest Snapdragon 3100 SoC and has 4 GB of inbuilt storage. It uses WearOS by Google, which is specially developed for smartwatches. The watch is compatible with both Android and iOS devices running iOS 9.3 or above and Android 4.4 or above. It connects to your smartphone via Bluetooth 4.2 and also has Wi-Fi 802.11 connectivity. Fossil claims the smartwatch has a battery backup of up to 24 hours depending on usage It also has a low-power mode that can give 2 days of additional battery backup with all smart features turned off. You can charge the watch via the magnetic plate which can fast charge it up to 80 % in just one hour.
The Fossil Sport smartwatch has a heart rate tracker and an activity tracker to track your fitness levels. It can display notification for e-mails, alarm clock, alerts, calendar, app alerts and even text messages from your smartphone. The watch supports wireless data syncing with user’s phone and also support Google Pay services. It has a built-in microphone that perform a variety of tasks on your smartphone via voice commands. One key highlight of the smartwatch is its untethered GPS navigation capabilities. This feature allows to navigate destinations without even connecting to a smartphone and the built in 4 GB ROM can store music for your running sessions.
Dell is well known for its Alienware gaming laptops. However, Dell is also pushing out machines that aren’t dedicated gaming machines, but deliver great gaming performance along with all-round usability. The Dell G3 is a part of this series of laptops and while it does not look like a traditional gaming laptop, it does pack some impressive specs on paper.
[section label=”Design & Build”]
Design & Build
The design of the Dell G3 is sober for a gaming laptop, to say the least. It does not have any flashy lights, heavy accents, nor does it feel like a gaming laptop. On the outside, it carries the Dell logo and a few ports. The laptop has an SD Card port, 2 SuperSpeed USB 3.1 ports, 1 USB 3.1 port, 1 HDMI port, 1 ethernet port, a headphone hack and the charging port. Relatively thin for a gaming laptop at 22.7 mm, the Dell G3 weighs in at just 2.5 Kg.
The subtle design is good in other environments or for users who do not perform heavy gaming. The design of the laptop ensures that it offers the perfect balance, appearing like a regular laptop.
[section label=”Display”]
Display
The Dell G3 has a 15.6 inch 1920 x 1080 IPS LED display. Being an IPS display, it has good viewing angles.The display has an anti-glare coating on it as well. The anti-glare coating is great as it protects your eyes from strain caused by continuous exposure to the display. However, the anti-glare coating is probably one of the most ‘glaring’ problems of the laptop. The coating seems to dim down the brightness of the display, and also makes it appear more dull. This is clearly visible while gaming as one feels like the laptop is not on full brightness.
Not only does this affect the gaming experience on the laptop, the issue spreads out to other utilities as well. If you are in a brightly-lit environment, or even outdoors, the display will be hard to view. Another drawback of the coating is that it does not produce an accurate representation of the colours. So if you’re a designer or an editor, using softwares such as Photoshop or Illustrator would be an issue.
[section label=”Keyboard”]
Keyboard
The Dell G3 has a full-sized keyboard which adds to your convenience. The keyboard is well spread out and the keys have good travel in between them. The feedback from the keys is also good, fit for both intense gaming and every day business affairs. The keyboard is also equipped with a num pad which is extremely helpful for both gaming as well as day-to-day office activities. The trackpad could have been a bit bigger, considering it needs to be used for gaming and the buttons on the trackpad are a little mushy. So fi you’re using the trackpad, we recommend using touch rather than the physical buttons on it.
The keyboard also has a blue backlight which gives that ‘gaming machine’ feel to the laptop. Again, the colour on the keyboard backlight is not very flashy and is good enough to be used in all environments.
[section label=”Gaming”]
Gaming
On paper, the Dell G3 has top of the line specifications. It has an 8th gen, Intel i7 processor which reaches upto 4.1 GHz with Turbo Boost. It runs on 8 GB of DDR4 RAM and has 128 GB of SSD storage, with an additional 1 TB HDD. For graphics, it is supported by the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1050 Ti with a 4 GB GDDR5 graphics memory. All of this should make the G3 a gaming beast, but unfortunately, it isn’t.
While games such as PUBG run pretty smoothly at a high graphics configuration, the laptop does struggle with heavier games. For example, it could run Wolfenstein II and Assassin’s Creed Odyssey at mid graphics and at 30 fps. Also considering the fact that Wolfenstein II is relatively old. Adding to this is the average display which really took away the pleasure of a good gaming experience .
You can solve this issue by swapping out the 1 TB HDD for a faster and more efficient SSD. On the other hand, you can just run your games out of the existing 128 GB SSD on the laptop, or even upgrade that SSD to a higher storage capacity.
[section label=”Performance”]
Perfromance
The battery life on the laptop is decent, with it providing around an hour and a half with intense gaming and around 5-6 hours of light use. You can also disable the graphics card while not in use, which will add on its battery life.
The G3 also has a dedicated webcam, with a 720p resolution. While the camera quality is not brilliant, it is enough for basic video calling and Skype sessions. The laptop also has two microphones out front, which capture good sound and can be helpful if you forget to carry your gaming headsets around. The G3 also has 2 front firing speakers, which are tuned by Waves MaxxAudio, giving out good quality of sound, which makes for an immersive experience while gaming or viewing content.
[section label=”Serviceability”]
Serviceability
A huge advantage that the laptop does offer is the ability to swap out and upgrade components in case you want to upgrade something or simply change out faulty or worn out parts. The bottom has all the components laid out in a very accessible fashion. You can easily swap out your HDD for an SSD, for example.
[section label=”Verdict”]
Verdict
While the Dell G3 is not a hardcore gaming laptop, it fulfils what it sets out to do. It is an all-round performer with the ability to be used for day-to-day operations as well as a higher level of gaming. However, if you are someone who is looking for something that will exclusively be used as a gaming machine, the Dell G3 is not for you. But if you’re in the market for a feature packed, overall well performing laptop, this is probably the machine for you. At a price of Rs 84,990, this is a pretty good deal for its price.
