LG is working on a new flagship smartphone with the code name Judy. Smartphone tipster named Evan Blass has shed some light on the upcoming flagship offering from Korean smartphone maker.
Though this is a successor of LG G6, it will have a new name and will not be called as LG G7. The G6 was one of the first flagship smartphones that featured 18:9 aspect ratio with a nearly bezel-less design. The outdated processor ( Snapdragon 821) on G6 didn’t leave enough room for the device to make an impact.
LG G6
This time around, the smartphone maker is taking its time to launch a product with the latest set of hardware. to compete against upcoming Samsung Galaxy S9.
Speculated specifications of LG Judy:
The Judy is expected to have a 6.1-inch display with a new MLCD+ technology, which offers better brightness compared to a typical IPS LCD panel. The smartphone will be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Octa-core SoC, paired with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB onboard flash storage.
The MLCD+ is a new display technology, which offers high-level of brightness of up to 800 nits. It does this with less power consumption, up to 30% less than typical LCD panel.
Like with the LG V30, the smartphone will feature dual-camera setup on the back. In typical LG fashion, it will be a combination of a regular lens and a wide-angle lens with an f/1.6 aperture. Like every other LG flagship smartphone, this one will also feature IP68 certification against water and dust resistance. For the first time, the LG smartphone will have a stereo speaker setup, dubbed as “boombox”.
Conclusion:
Launching a smartphone later in the year makes sense for LG. It also falls in line with the company’s decision to not follow a set launch cycle. The presence of the latest chipset will also help its case. Let’s hope that LG gets the pricing right for this one.
Atari is venturing into a new business of cryptocurrencies with Atari Token. The company has partnered with a brand Infinity Network, which is the creator of blockchain based Atari Token. The company is also planning to create a new digital entertainment platform using the same. It looks like the crypto has already started to pay off, as the latest Bloomberg report suggests that, the stock of the company has already spiked up to 60%.
Atari is mainly known for arcade games and video games, but the name has been also associated with movies and music as well.
Infinity Network has signed up for a long-term contract to use the name Atari. In exchange for this, the French company gets a minority stake in this new entity.
The company is creating a new digital platform, which will help the customers to make transactions using Atari Token. The company will continue its partnership with Pairplay to create a “Pong Coin” based on Atari Token exclusively for “crypto casinos”.
What is Cryptocurrency or Atari Token?
Every US dollar or an Indian rupee printed has to be directly proportional to the gold that country has, the value fluctuates with the actual gold value. However, the cryptocurrency is a digital asset, which works independently. Cryptocurrency value depends on people, if people think it has a value, then the price goes higher or vice versa. Hence there are no entities that actually controls these currencies.
The creator of the cryptocurrency can limit the number of tokens or coins. It all depends on the demand. The recent rise and fall of the Bitcoin explain this phenomenon in the simplest way. If more people buy, the prices go up or vice versa.
Update: It has been confirmed that the smartphone in question is indeed a rebranded version of the Honor 7x, which is officially called as Huawei Mate SE. The smartphone will retail in the US for US$ 249.99 and will be available in Grey and Gold Colour.
Huawei Mate SE (BND-L34) for the US. A rebranded Honor 7X with identical specs. 249.99 USD. Grey and Gold.
It has been confirmed that Huawei will be attending MWC 2018. It is rumoured to announce the Huawei P11/P20 Lite at the event. The marquee launch of the P11/P20 and P11/20 Plus will happen on March 27th. However, it looks like the P20 Lite isn’t the only phone it will launch at MWC 2018. A new leak has revealed that the company might launch the Honor 8 Pro with Huawei branding.
Evan Blass, a popular tipster posted images of the Huawei 8 Pro on Twitter. The device looks exactly like the Honor 8 Pro with thin bezels on the side. The top and bottom bezels are thinner which means that it will have an 18:9 aspect ratio. The Honor 8 Pro, at the time of its launch, had relatively thinner bezels than its competitors with a 16:9 aspect ratio. The images reveal that the LED flash will have a different position this time around.
If Huawei does launch the Honor 8 Pro has a Huawei device, it will have to have a competitive price. The Honor 8 Pro is more than a year old and if priced under Rs. 20,000 it could be a great device.
Honor 8 Pro Specifications
The device has 5.7 inch 2560 x 1440 px display which is ideal for media consumption via VR.
[amazon_link asins=’B01N4FMUFH’ template=’ProductAd’ store=’igyaan-21′ marketplace=’IN’ link_id=’e9005d1d-07ff-11e8-8dc5-8f27400e8a2c’]The Honor 8 Pro runs on the Kirin 960 chipset which is an octa-core chip – four high-performance Cortex A73 cores clocked at 2.4GHz and four low-power Cortex A53 cores clocked at 1.8Ghz. The Honor 8 Pro has 128 GB of storage along with 6GB of RAM.
The phone also has a large 4000 mAh battery and fast charge capabilities, with long battery modes built into Honor’s user interface.
The camera setup consists of two cameras, 12+12 MP shooters, where one is a monochrome camera while the other is RGB. The smartphone can combine the aperture to deliver an extremely wide f/0.95. The Phone also shoots 4K video at 30fps. The front camera is an 8 MP shooter with an f/2.0 aperture and capable of 1920 x 1080p video.
Conclusion
If true, it appears to be a baffling move by Huawei. However, there are chances that Huawei will launch an upgraded version of the Honor 8 Pro. The company has been very competitive when it comes to pricing. Similar strategy is expected with the Huawei 8 Pro.
The Essential Phone had a lot of hype to live up to. It was, after all, created by Andy Rubin, popularly known as the “father of Android.” However, the smartphone was met with heavy criticism for its camera performance, especially at that price point. Over the months, the company reduced the price of the device from US$ 699 to now US$449. It recently launched three new colour variants of the device as well. Now, Essential has announced an Amazon-exclusive Halo Gray colour variant of the device.
Essentail Ph-1
The Halo Gray version of the Essential PH-1 now gets support for Alexa (Amazon’s AI). The pre-orders have already begun for the limited edition variant and the phone will go on sale from the 21st of February. Essentail hopes that these new colour variants will help competing with the likes of the OnePlus 5T and Xiaomi Mi Mix 2.
Design:
The Essential PH-1 looks like no other phone on the market. In fact, this is the first smartphone to embrace the notch, which houses the selfie camera. The material of choice for the smartphone is also quite unique. This is the first smartphone to use premium and sturdy materials like Titanium and ceramic. The smartphone does support additional modules like 360-camera. docking station etc.
In case three new Essential Phone colors weren't enough, today we're unveiling Halo Gray, the first Essential Phone to come with Alexa built-in. Halo Gray is available for pre-order exclusively from Amazon starting today. https://t.co/hkwkBKGyprpic.twitter.com/lDad2xngBq
The smartphone uses a one of a kind IPS LCD QHD panel with a notch on the top. Under the hood, the smartphone runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Octa-core SoC, paired with 4 GB RAM and 128 GB storage. The smartphone runs on latest and stock Android UI with promised timely software updates up to 2 years.
The dual main camera setup on the smartphone houses dual 13 MP cameras (RGB + Monochrome) with support for 4K video recording and portrait mode. There is an 8 MP selfie camera with similar video recording capabilities.
Conclusion:
At the price of US$ 449, the Essential PH-1 is a very impressive device. However, it is not available in India and the company hasn’t revealed any plans on changing that either.
Smartphones in 2018 are expected to have the standard 18:9 aspect ratio. Not just premium phones, but, even budget and entry-level devices are expected to follow the industry norm. HTC, which recently launched the HTC U11+ in India, might be launching an entry-level phone with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The company is rumoured to launch the HTC Desire 12 with a tall display at MWC 2018.
HTC Desire 825
Evan Blass, a popular tipster on Twitter revealed that the company is working on an entry-level device. He later revealed that this smartphone will be called the HTC 12 Desire. The company is also expected to launch the HTC U12 at MWC 2018.
Specifications:
The HTC Desire 12 will have a 5.5-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. We have seen the majority of bezel-less smartphones have a display close to 6 inches, so, this information might not be accurate.
The smartphone is expected to have a MediaTek processor, paired with 2GB RAM and 16GB onboard flash storage. If these specifications turn out to be true, the HTC U12 Desire could be one of the cheapest smartphones with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The device will be powered by a 2730 mAh battery.
The smartphone is expected to have a 13 MP primary camera and a 5 MP front-facing camera. However, there is no further information on other specifications about the cameras.
Conclusion:
While the specifications do come across as entry-level, pricing could make a difference for the HTC U12 Desire. The 18:9 aspect ratio could differentiate it from other entry-level devices. Also, there are chances that this could be an Android Go device considering the specifications. However,
HTC hasn’t learned anything from the past. People no more look for a brand name, instead, they dig down deep for the specifications. The only upside about the HTC Desire 12 is the 18:9 display. The processor, RAM, and ROM don’t say much about the device. However, nothing has been confirmed by the company yet. This means that the leaks could amount to nothing, come MWC 2018.
Launched in September 2017, the iPhone X was a big design shift for Apple. One of the most eye-catching features of the iPhone X is its display notch. Unlike a lot of phones that might launch with a notch this year, the iPhone X’s notch has a purpose. It houses the front camera, earpiece and all the hardware required for Face ID.
At the time of its launch, the iPhone X received mixed reviews for its notch. However, people soon realised that the notch blends into the UI pretty soon. For the majority of people, the notch doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb. For the minority of people that are annoyed with it, Apple might have good news for you.
The next generation iPhone X will have a smaller notch. This was claimed in a research note issued by analysts Andrew Gardiner, Hiral Patel, Joseph Wolf, and Blayne Curtis at investment bank Barclays. While they believe that the 2018 iPhones will only have a slightly improved Face ID, this could result in a smaller notch. Along with that, the note also claims that Face ID will be introduced in the upcoming iPad Pro:
We remain confident that Apple is set to deploy its TrueDepth 3D sensor across the iPhone range in 2018 and to also add it to the pending iPad Pro refresh as well.
Given the complexity and multiple years spent developing the current generation of module, combined with supplier comments over the past month regarding multi-year customer commitments, we do not envisage a major change to the architectural make-up in 2018 […]
We do expect the sensor to evolve slightly, potentially reducing in size (i.e., smaller notch) and improving in specificity […] helping to further drive very strong growth [for some Apple suppliers] in 2H18 as the second generation of sensor ships in this year’s new iPhones.
2018 iPhone Lineup: What To Expect
2018 will see three new iPhones being launched at the Apple annual launch event. One of them will be the 2018 iPhone X, iPhone X Plus and an iPhone X SE. Interestingly, the naming of the upcoming smartphones suggests that the successor to the iPhone SE will indeed be a large iPhone that has design elements similar to the iPhone X.
iPhone X Plus Concept
Kuo claims the 2018 iPhone X will again start at US$ 1000, the iPhone X Plus will be priced higher (likely US$ 1200-US$ 1350) while the iPhone X SE will be priced at around US$ 700-US$ 800.
The iPhone X 2018 (tentative name) will have the same 5.8 inch OLED display found on the current iPhone X. It will have a 2,700 to 2,800mAh battery, supplied primarily by Unimicron. The 2018 iPhone X will also be powered by a new chipset and is expected to feature advanced Face ID.
The iPhone X Plus will have a 6.5-inch OLED display in a body that might not be much bigger than the iPhone 8 Plus’. It is expected to have a 3,400 to 3,500 mAh battery supplied Unimicron.
iPhone X SE?
The cheapest iPhone of the lot will be the iPhone X SE. It will be the successor to the iPhone SE and feature considerable upgrades over the predecessor. Although, these updates might end up costing the essence of the ‘SE’ series. The iPhone X SE will have a 6.1 inch LCD display with a design similar to the iPhone X. This means that Face ID will be introduced in this smartphone as well.
The iPhone X SE will be powered by the latest chipset, just like the iPhone SE was. However, unlike the 2018 iPhone X and iPhone X Plus, it won’t feature wireless charging. It will also miss out on 3D Touch.
As for investor reaction to the 2018 iPhone lineup, Kuo says that there is an air of “conservative sentiments due to concerns about a lack of major spec upgrades.” However, Kuo predicts the market will appreciate the 6.1 inch iPhone X SE, which he says will account for around 50% of the new iPhones sold in the second half of 2018.
The Nokia 7 Plus could be the first Nokia-branded Android One smartphone. It is expected to be launched at MWC 2018 along with the Nokia 1. After a plethora of leaks and speculations about the Nokia 7 Plus, now we have a live image of the first Nokia smartphone with 18:9 aspect ratio display.
The Nokia 7 Plus will be a spiritual successor of the highly popular Nokia 7 (at least in China). The Nokia 7 was launched with a 16:9 aspect ratio display, powered by Snapdragon 630 Octa-core processor. Nokia 7 Plus, however, is expected to have an 18:9 aspect ratio with an almost bezel-less design. The single Zeiss lens on the Nokia 7 has been doubled on Nokia 7 Plus.
It looks like the company is testing the phone internally in India. The leaked image has a name “Raj Sharma” and the word “Namaste”, which means welcome. Therefore, it might hint at a possible launch in India sooner than expected. As we move closer to MWC 2018, more details about the upcoming Nokia device are being leaked.
Rumoured Specifications:
Nokia 7 Plus will be the first Nokia smartphone to offer an 18:9 aspect ratio display. The IPS LCD display will supposedly have a 2160 x 1080 px resolution. The fingerprint sensor along with the dual Zeiss branded cameras are located on the back, with a hint of an orange accent around the camera ring. According to the renders, it could sport an all-glass design, similar to the Moto X4 and Nokia 7.
It is worth noting that the Nokia 7 Plus will run on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 SoC, coupled with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage. The “Android One” branding on the back of the phone guarantees that the device will launch with Android 8 Oreo out of the box. Hence, you can expect regular software updates for the next two years.
Nokia 7 Plus Renders
Renders suggest that the company has decided to retain 3.5 mm headphone jack and a USB type C port charging and data syncing. At least on paper, the Nokia 7 Plus looks like a well-balanced smartphone, with a smart set of specifications.
Apart from the Nokia 8, HMD Global missed the mark by pricing its budget devices higher than expected. The likes of Nokia 6 lost out to Honor 7X, Mi A1 and others. The Nokia 7 Plus, to make a mark in the Indian market, has to be priced close to the Moto X4. At a price close to Rs. 20,000 the device will be the only device with an 18:9 aspect ratio and Snapdragon 660 chipset.
However, nothing can be said about the pricing of the smartphone yet. While the Nokia 7 Plus specifications are impressive, these are leaks at the end of the day.
More smartphones in 2018 are expected to drop the headphone jack. It is a sad reality we have to live in. However, it is also true that more and more budget Bluetooth headphones are becoming better by the day. So, if you have a smartphone without a headphone jack, or just want to try out a pair of great sounding Bluetooth headphones, read on. We take a look at the top five Bluetooth headphones (in-ear and over-ear) that cost less than Rs. 2000!
Zakk Air
If you work out, or like the occasional jog, the Zakk Air are ideal for you. These in-ear type Bluetooth earbuds cost Rs. 1899 and are available on Amazon right now. The earbuds have a playback time of up to 5 hours and are also sweat resistance. So you don’t have to worry about spoiling them when you’re at the gym.
Coupon Code: Igyaan10
Start Date- 16/03/2018 7:00 AM
End Date- 16/04/2018 9:00 PM
Boat Rockerz 510
These are for people who prefer over the ear headphones. Boat headphones are bass heavy and these headphones are no different. The Rockerz 510 has a comfortable fit, and ideal for long listening hours. It has an inline microphone as well as a host of buttons to control your music and headphones without reaching out for your phone. Also, it comes with a 3.5mm cable for times when your headphones run out of battery.
Moto Pulse Wireless Headphones
Probably the most minimalistic headphones on the list, the Moto Pulse headphones sound great. They are on ear type headphones instead of over the ear. This means that the sound bleeds out a bit. However, at a price of Rs. 1500 and the assurance of Moto brand, the Moto Pulse make a great pair of headphones. One downside is the lack of support for wired playback. This means that if you run out of battery, there is no way to use the headphones.
Zakk Flex
The Zakk Flex are in-ear type earphones with a neckband reminiscent of the Sony h.ear in earbuds. The neckband is flexible resulting in a very comfortable fit. A good thing is that the flexible neckband doesn’t add a lot of weight to the earphones. They sound great and are priced at Rs. 1799. Just like the Zakk Air, these earbuds are also sweat resistant. The neckband comes into play when we talk about the battery life. The Zakk Flex has a playback time of up to 8 hours which is extremely convenient.
Portronics Harmonics 204
The Portronics Harmonics 204 have a build and style similar to the Zakk Flex. There is a neckband that holds the earbuds together and is also very flexible. A nifty feature it has is the magnetic latch to prevent accidental falls. Similar to the Zakk Air, the Harmonics 204 have a playback time of up to 5 hours.
Google Pixel 2, the flagship smartphone from Google is one of the best photogenic smartphones in the market. In fact, It scores perfect 100 points on DxOMark. The Pixel 2 was originally launched for Rs. 61,000, which is now available for just Rs. 41,999. If you are looking for a smartphone with flagship level processing, faster OS updates and best-smartphone camera, then Pixel 2 is the to consider.
How to get Google Pixel 2 for Rs. 41,999?
Due to unimpressive sales number, the phones retail price was brought down to Rs. 49,999. Now, with flat Rs. 8,000 cashback from Citibank, the final price comes down to Rs. 41,999. The cashback is applicable to all the Citibank cardholders.
This offer is applicable only on Flipkart, which is the authorised online reseller for the Google Pixel 2 and Google Pixel 2 XL.
Login to Flipkart, add Pixel 2 to card, check-out and make payment using Citibank card. This deal is applicable for EMI plan as well
One has to make a complete payment of Rs. 49,999. The cash back will be credited back to user’s account in next 90 days.
Specifications:
The Google Pixel 2 comes with a 5.0-inch 1080p pOLED display, protected by 2.5D curved tempered glass on the top. It has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset, 2.4GHz octa-core processor, Adreno 540, 4GB RAM and 64GB/128GB onboard storage. The two-tone colour of the phone is also reminiscent of the original Pixel from 2016.
The two-tone colour of the phone is also reminiscent of the original Pixel from 2016, which runs on Android Oreo 8.1. As is with every Google phone, the new Pixel 2 will be first in line to receive Android P update in 2018. The fingerprint sensor sits at the back of the device but, this time around the “glass window” is smaller.
This year, the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL use a technology called “dual-pixel” which divides every pixel into two. Google has decided to go for a single camera setup similar to last year’s Pixel phones. The rear-facing camera is a 12.2 MP sensor with an f/1.8 aperture and 1.4 micron pixel size. On the front is an 8MP camera with an f/2.4 aperture.
Google has introduced new features in the camera department like the addition of AR. You’ll be able to add 3D characters and emoji into photos and videos and see them move around as you’re capturing the scene. That includes things like a sleepy coffee cup, but also some recognisable characters.
Xiaomi is expected to launch the Mi Mix 2S at MWC 2018. A few weeks ago, the Mi Mix 2S looked like a fragment of someone’s imagination. Especially with the weird design and how the “notch” was being handled in the renders. However, the past couple of weeks have proved that the Mi Mix 2S is definitely real and could be launched very soon. While it was predicted to be launched before MWC, there has been no indication from the company and the MWC now seems like the ideal event for its launch.
The Mi Mix 2S seems more than just a revision of the Mi Mix 2. It will have a new design, an upgraded chipset and possibly, an in-display fingerprint sensor. So, with a few days to go for its launch, what do we know about the device so far?
Price
One of the mysterious aspects of the device is its price. So far, there has been no information leaked about the pricing of the phone. However, considering Xiaomi’s competitive pricing for all its devices, the Mi Mix 2S could be the cheapest smartphone running on Snapdragon 845 after MWC 2018. Devices like the Galaxy S9 and Sony Xperia XZ2 Pro will be priced much higher. The Mi Mix 2S is expected to be priced slightly higher than Mi Mix 2.
Mi Mix 2S Design Sketch
Display
As bezels get thinner, the average size of smartphone displays has become bigger. In 2016, 5.5 inch displays were the norm, however, tall aspect ratios mean most devices come with a 6 inch display. That is expected to be the case with the Mi Mix 2S as well. The device will have a 6 inch display with a 2160 x 1080 px resolution. However, due to that notch on the top right corner, it might have an unusual resolution.
Under The Hood
The Mi Mix 2S was heavily touted to be the first ever Android device running on the Snapdragon 845 chipset. However, that won’t be the case but, it will be one of the first few devices on the market. Recently, an official banner ad of the Mi Mix 2S was leaked, and it revealed that the device will have 8GB of RAM and 256GB storage. In typical Xiaomi fashion, the storage won’t be expandable. This will be an upgrade over the Mi Mix 2, which has 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage in India.
The fingerprint sensor is largely expected to be placed on the back, however, the banner ad did not show a fingerprint sensor. To assume that the Mi Mix 2S could have an in-display fingerprint sensor might not be stretching it. The Mi Mix 2 did not have a headphone jack, and similarly, the Mi Mix 2S won’t have a headphone jack as well. Powering the device will be a 3400 mAh battery with support for QuickCharge 4.0+.
OS
So far, only the Xiaomi Mi A1 runs Android 8 Oreo. All other Xiaomi phones even the Mi Mix 2 runs Android 7 with MIUI 9 on top. There have been reports that claim the Mi Mix 2S will run Android 8 Oreo out of the box. This does make sense, and maybe after the launch of its 2018 flagship device, the company will start rolling out Android Oreo update for other devices as well.
2016 Mi Mix
The Mi Mix 2S will run MIUI 9 on top of Android 8 Oreo and will be one of the first in line to receive the MIUI X update. The trend of Face Unlock means the Mi Mix 2S might have a software implemented facial recognition, similar to the OnePlus 5T.
Camera
The smartphone cameras have gained importance over the years. Nowadays, camera performance can make or break a device. The Google Pixel and Pixel XL launched in 2016 did not have all the flagship features. However, they did have the best smartphone camera at that point, which papered over their other shortcomings. Xiaomi would want to launch a flagship device with great camera capabilities.
The Mi Mix 2S is expected to have a dual-camera setup on the back, a first for the Mix series. Leaks suggest that Xiaomi will use a Sony IMX363 sensor.
Samsung Notebook 9 (2018), Notebook 9 Pen (2018), and Notebook 7 Spin (2018) will be available from 18th February in the US. These are the first set of Notebooks from Samsung features Intel’s 8th Gen (Quad-core) processor with Windows 10 operating system.
The Samsung Notebook line of notebooks designed to offer mobility with the aesthetically pleasing form factor. These notebooks weights less than 3 pounds, which lessens the burden on the user. When it comes to price to performance ratio, these notebooks balances both the aspects in a right proportion.
Pricing:
The entry-level Samsung Notebook 7 Spin is priced at $899.9, which makes it the most affordable model. The Samsung Notebook 9 (2018) with 13.3 inch retails for $1,199.9 and $1,299.9 (Core i5 and Core i7 model). The 15 inch model comes with Intel Core i7 processor (with a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce GPU) for $1,499.9. Finally, the 15 inch model with Core i7 is available for $1,299.9. Finally, the Samsung Notebook 9 Pen (2018) with 13.3 inch screen retails for $1,399.9.
13.3-inch model and 15.0-inch model of Samsung Notebook 9 with Intel Core i7 processor retails for the same price tag.
Specifications:
Samsung Notebook 9 comes in two different screen size (13.3 inch and 15.0-inch), featuring a 1080p Samsung RealView touch display. One can choose between Intel Core i5 or Core i7 processor coupled with 8 GB LPDDR4 RAM and 256 GB SSD. The 15.0 inch model comes with a dedicated GPU Nvidia GeForce MX150 with 2 GB LPDDR5 memory. A special model named Notebook 9 Pen comes with an S-pen with a built-in IR-front-facing camera for facial recognition.
Samsung Notebook 7 Spin offers 13.3-inch screen size with a 1080p resolution LED touch panel, powered by 8th Gen Intel Core i5 Processor.
Every model of Samsung Notebook offers fingerprint scanner with support for Windows Hello. In addition to that, the Notebooks offer full-sized USB 3.o port, HDMI port, 3.5 mm headphone jack and a USB type C thunderbolt port.
A Telugu character is all over the internet, causing massive app-crash on iOS devices. Some users have reported, whenever they receive a message with the specific Telugu character, the app crashes and becomes unresponsive. The bug is affecting the iPhones and iPads running on iOS 11.2. However, if the iPhone/iPad runs on iOS 11.3, then your device will not be affected. So, if a user receives a text with the Telugu character on WhatsApp, iMessage, or Gmail the app goes unresponsive.
Apple has officially responded, stating that the company is working on a software update to fix the issue. So, we might expect an interim iOS update, which should patch the bug.
Apple has responded to iMore stating:
The bug has been patched on the beta version of iOS 11.3. Users will receive a software update very soon that patches the bug.
How to fix this on an affected iPhone or iPad:
If the third-party app like WhatsApp or Gmail are affected, then uninstall and re-install the app (delete the complete thread after re-installing)
If the iMessage app is affected, then tell your other friend to send a text and open the text message from notification shade, go back to the main page and delete the complete thread.
Google has updated its Google Image search which might have huge repercussions. The company took to Twitter to announce that it has removed the “view image” button from image search. Therefore, the company has made it difficult for people to save copyrighted images directly. The update might seem small but, it is a huge change in the grand scheme of things.
Today we're launching some changes on Google Images to help connect users and useful websites. This will include removing the View Image button. The Visit button remains, so users can see images in the context of the webpages they're on. pic.twitter.com/n76KUj4ioD
The company has essentially eliminated the “view image” button. This button was once the direct link to a high-resolution version of the image. This was a huge concern for photographers, publishers and stock image sites for obvious reasons. As this button essentially allowed users to access the original version of the image without visiting the source site.
Now, users will be able to visit the source site “visit” button. This means that in order to steal an image, the user will have to go to a source site which means an additional step. The timing of the move is worth noting here. In early-February, Getty Images announced a licensing partnership with Google.
Back in 2016, Getty Images filed a complaint against Google. It accused the company of anti-competitive practices within Google Images. It said that Google was “distorting search results in favour of its own services.” Therefore, users did not have an incentive to visit source stock websites likes Getty to download the original image.
Getting rid of the “view” button is definitely a significant move. However, whether this will curb copyright infringement or not is yet to be seen.
Huawei will be launching a smartphone at MWC 2018. After some speculation that the company would skip the event, it confirmed its presence. However, it also confirmed a launch event for March 27. At MWC 2018, the company is expected to launch the Huawei P11/P20 Lite while the March 27 event will see the unveiling of the Huawei P20 and P20 Plus.
A few days ago, renders of the Huawei P11/P20 Lite were leaked by a popular tipster on Twitter. And now, live images of the device have been leaked by FCC. The leaked images confirm what has been rumoured for a while now. The Huawei P11/P20 Lite will have a lot of similarities with the Apple iPhone X.
On the front, it will have an iPhone X-style notch that will house the earpiece and front-camera. On the back, Huawei P11/P20 Lite will have a vertically placed dual-camera setup. The position of the camera module is uncannily similar to the iPhone X. It even protrudes a bit, just like the iPhone X. The LED flash is placed below the cameras, while it is placed between the two cameras on the iPhone X.
The fingerprint sensor will be placed on the back. Therefore, we might have to wait until the end of the year for a Huawei phone with Clear ID. The device also appears to have an all-glass build with an aluminium frame.
Expected Specifications
With bezels getting thinner, the standard size of a smartphone has increased from 5.5 inches to 6 inches. The Huawei P11 Lite is expected to have a 6 inch display with a 2880 x 1440 px resolution. Just like the Mate 10, Huawei could use an OLED panel as well. As seen in the renders, the corners are curved which means an OLED panel is expected on the Huawei P11 Lite as well.
Under the hood, it will have the HiSilicon Kirin 970 chipset along with 6GB or 8GB of RAM. The fingerprint sensor will be placed on the back of the phone. While the smartphone is expected to be thin, it is expected to house a big battery that will support SuperCharge
The MWC 2018 event isn’t too far away. Hence, we are expected to see frequent leaks of devices that are expected to be launched in the coming days.
Android 8 Oreo, much like iOS 11, seems to be a troubled software update of 2017. Officially launched back in August, OEMs were slow to roll out updates but, at least some devices were being updated. Samsung recently started rolling out the Android 8 Oreo update to its 2017 flagship, the Galaxy S8 and S8+. This rollout began after an extensive Beta program was carried out.
Experience UI Based On Android 7 Nougat
However, the company had to suspend the new software update rollout. This isn’t the first time an OEM had to suspend the Android 8 Oreo update. Smartphone makers like Xiaomi, OnePlus also halted updates to their devices. Samsung has come out and clarified its stance on the matter:
Following a limited number of cases where Galaxy S8 and S8+ devices have rebooted unexpectedly with the Android 8.0 Oreo, we have temporarily stopped the rollout of the update. We are investigating the issue internally to ensure that the impact to the affected devices is minimized and the rollout of the update can resume as quickly as possible.
When the year began, Xiaomi had to suspend the Android 8 Oreo update to its Mi A1 devices. Many users complained about issues pertaining to an unresponsive camera and dialer app. Similarly, OnePlus had to suspend the rollout for the OnePlus 5T.
There is no confirmation from the company as to when the rollout will resume. The downloaded files will be deleted if you haven’t installed the update yet.
Some Android 8.0 Oreo features:
User Interface
Users can now organise notifications into custom channels and modify the alerts for the entire channel. An autofill framework in the operating system makes the repeated filling of forms easy for the user. This can range from sign up information to a new service, or credit card information to make a payment. The feature will prevent frustration and repetitiveness by allowing users to quickly fill in a form. Users will have to opt-in for the Autofill framework, after which new and existing applications can make use of the feature.
Picture-In-Picture Mode and New Notifications
A new picture-in-picture feature allows users to continue operating the device without interruptions for things like watching a video. Another interesting change in the UI this time around is Adaptive Icons. The supported shapes are Circle, Squircle, Rounded Square and Square.
Behind The Screen
A cache budget is allocated to every application. When the system is low on resources, the applications that exceed the cache budget the most will be the first to have their cached files deleted. Developers can also set custom triggers to update the content when it is stale or outdated, even without a specific request from the user. There are also background execution limits, which ensures that applications running in the background don’t use up a lot of system resources.
Media playback should be significantly improved for users, as now there is fine-grained control to scrub to a particular frame in a video. Applications can also now mix multiple audio and video tracks at once, for streaming purposes.
Pixel 2 XL Runs Android 8 Oreo
A smart sharing feature allows the operating system to guess the context of a photo, and pick the best application to hand the image over to. The more you use your phone, the more your smartphone will learn about your behaviour and act accordingly. A smart copy feature enables similar functionality but for text, where the smartphone recognises if the text copied is an address, a phone number or name of an entity, and suggest opening a relevant app.
