Monthly Archives: November 2017

Nokia 2: Two reasons to consider and skip Nokia’s budget offering

Nokia’s cheapest smartphone is upon us. At Rs 6,999, the Nokia 2 acts as an entry point into Nokia’s brave new Android world. Just like the Nokia 5 and Nokia 3, the Nokia 2 is available from all major retail store across India. It brings with it a premium design, stock Android, solid build quality and the promise of two day battery life.

The Nokia 2 arrives in a hotly contested segment dominated by the likes of the Xiaomi Redmi 4, Xiaomi Redmi 4A and Samsung Galaxy J2. Let us take a look at two reasons why the Nokia 2 is worth considering and two reasons why you should skip Nokia’s budget offering:
Nokia 2: Two reasons to consider and skip Nokia’s budget offering
SHOBHIT VARMA | @SHOBHIT_TECH
LAST UPDATED: NOV 25, 2017
NEW DELHI
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Nokia 2: Two reasons to consider and skip Nokia’s budget offering
Nokia’s cheapest smartphone is upon us. At Rs 6,999, the Nokia 2 acts as an entry point into Nokia’s brave new Android world. Just like the Nokia 5 and Nokia 3, the Nokia 2 is available from all major retail store across India. It brings with it a premium design, stock Android, solid build quality and the promise of two day battery life.

The Nokia 2 arrives in a hotly contested segment dominated by the likes of the Xiaomi Redmi 4, Xiaomi Redmi 4A and Samsung Galaxy J2. Let us take a look at two reasons why the Nokia 2 is worth considering and two reasons why you should skip Nokia’s budget offering:

Reasons to buy
Design, build quality

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Tank like build quality has become a hallmark of the current crop of Nokia smartphones and the Nokia 2 does not disappoint. The Nokia 2 has removable polycarbonate back which is mated to a frame made out of series 600 aluminium for rigidity. As a result, the phone feels extremely solid in the hand. The phone exhibits no creaks or rattles – even when pressure is applied.

Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/technology/story/nokia-2-two-reasons-to-consider-and-skip-nokia-budget-offering/1/1096865.html

Samsung Galaxy S9 rumoured to sport a screen-to-body ratio of 89-90 percent by getting rid of the bottom bezel

The upcoming Galaxy S9 has been involved in a number of rumours and speculations in the past few weeks. Now a tipster has revealed that the bezels on the Galaxy S9 would be even less than that on the S8, effectively giving the phone an 89-90 percent screen to body ratio.

Samsung Galaxy S9 case renders. SammobileSamsung Galaxy S9 case renders. Sammobile
According to a report by Sammobile, the tipster claims that the bottom bezel present in the Galaxy S8 would be completely removed in Galaxy S9. Xiaomi’s Mi Mix 2 smartphone did the same thing bit in the opposite direction, meaning they removed the top bezel of the phone keeping a tiny amount of bezel in the bottom which housed the front camera.

The top bezel of the Galaxy S9 is expected to be even narrower than the bottom bezel of the S8 according to the report. The side bezels would most probably remain unaffected as the curved display already makes them appear non-existent.

A report by GSMArena claims that the Apple’s latest flagship iPhone X has a screen-to-body ratio of upto 81.49 percent. If this is true then the S9 would have up to 9 percent more screen on a body that would most probably be same in size as the iPhone X.

According to a recent report by Venture Beat, Samsung is planning to show off the S9 and S9 Plus at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January. This is expected to be earlier than the usual cycle by Samsung, as the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus were announced after CES. The official launch event is expected to take place in the month of March, similar to the timeline that the company followed this year.

The official launch event is expected to take place in the month of March, similar to the timeline that the company followed this year. Reports have speculated that the Galaxy S9 will be the first smartphone in Samsung’s S-series lineup to sport dual cameras. The phone reportedly is powered by Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 845 processor and also Samsung’s Exynos 9 9810 chipset.

However, these are just rumours and no concrete information thus far has come to light about the Galaxy S9 and all information should be taken with a pinch of salt. We shall keep on updating you as more information surfaces online.

Published Date: Nov 25, 2017 10:49 am | Updated Date: Nov 25, 2017 10:53am

Source: http://www.firstpost.com/tech/news-analysis/samsung-galaxy-s9-rumoured-to-sport-89-90-percent-screen-to-body-ratio-4226933.html

Apple’s 2018 iPhones may finally support dual SIM cards: Report

GI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has been providing a lot of information lately on Apple’s plans for the iPhone in 2018. Earlier this month, Kuo reported that the Cupertino giant could launch three iPhones next year, all of which are expected to sport an iPhone X-like design language. Now, Kuo has added that at least one of the phones will sport modems from Qualcomm and that all of them will come with support for dual-SIM.

Kuo’s report comes following an earlier rumour that Apple is looking to Intel for a majority of the modems. One of the reasons behind this could be due to Apple’s ongoing legal disputes with Qualcomm. However, Kuo now reports that Qualcomm will still supply modems, but in limited numbers. Intel will provide 70 to 80 per cent of the modems, while the rest will be provided by Qualcomm.

The iPhone models in 2018 will feature Intel’s XMM 7560 and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X20 modems with both supporting 4×4 MIMO technology that would enable faster LTE transmission speeds, Kuo said.

Next year’s iPhones are also expected to have DSDS (dual-SIM dual standby) and dual LTE. If this is true, it will be the first time Apple has added dual-SIM support for an iPhone. Furthermore, instead of the existing DSDS phones which commonly support LTE + 3G connections, next-gen iPhones will support LTE + LTE which will enable both the SIMs to be active simultaneously.

It is also possible that the iPhone next year will support one SIM slot and one eSIM. The Apple Watch Series 3, which was launched earlier this year, was the first smartwatch from Apple to feature eSIM support. While eSIM is currently being adopted in markets like the US, it is still not a thing in India, which is why the Series 3 with LTE connectivity never made it to the country.

Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/technology/story/apple-2018-iphones-may-finally-support-dual-sim-cards-report/1/1093990.html

iPhone X may go off shelves soon as Apple cuts down on retailer margins

Apple’s iPhone X has seen a huge demand from all corners of the world while the company has been grappling to supply the numbers. Fans of the iPhone X are finding it difficult to get their hands on the new bezel-less flagship, but things look worse for the Indian market. According to a new report, Apple has reduced retail margins on the iPhone X by almost 30 percent, causing many retailers to stop taking orders for the phone as they cry foul.

Both chain owners and small-scale retailers are furious over Apple’s decision to cut margins as it means lower profits for them while the Cupertino giant makes the most out of higher margins, according to a report by The Economic Times. The report adds that Apple’s move in India has caused some retailers like Sangeetha Mobiles, for example, to stop taking orders of the iPhone X. This will further reduce the supply of the flagship in the country which is already seeing a pretty huge demand.

“Apple has cut margins on the iPhone X from 6.5 per cent to 4.5 per cent for large retailers like us, and if a customer pays by card, which is usually the case, the margin reduces to almost 1.5-2 per cent,” said Subhash Chandra, managing director at Sangeetha Mobile to ET. “Apple gives the least margins… How on earth do they expect the retailer to work for them for free – our overheads are anywhere around 10 per cent,” Chandra added.

Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/technology/story/iphone-x-may-go-off-shelves-soon-as-apple-cuts-down-on-retailer-margins/1/1094752.html

OnePlus 5T India Launch, Aircel Offers to Beat Jio, and More: Your 360 Daily

OnePlus 5T has been released in India, going on sale today via Amazon India for Prime members, and will become available for the general public on November 28. The handset is available for Rs. 32,999 for the 6GB RAM + 64GB storage variant and Rs. 37,999 for the 8GB + 128GB model, and comes only in Midnight Black colour. The new features of OnePlus 5T (Review) include the 6-inch bezel-less display with 18:9 aspect ratio, improved cameras, and facial recognition. It comes with a bunch of launch offers, such as complimentary 1,000GB data from Idea, 1-year membership of Zomato Gold, 12-month accidental damage insurance plan, Rs. 500 Kindle ebook credit, and Rs. 300 in Amazon Pay balance on using the Prime Video app, along with Rs. 1,500 cashback on HDFC Bank credit and debit cards.

Aircel launches new plans to take on Jio
Aircel has announced new tariffs for Kolkata circle to take on Jio, providing new and existing subscribers with offers on local and STD voice calls, 3G data and local as well as national SMSes. At Rs. 93, new Aircel users will get local and STD voice calls at 20 paisa per minute, talk time worth Rs. 70, monthly 250MB data, and 50 local and national SMS for 365 days. The Rs. 175 plan offers unlimited local and STD calls, 1GB of 3G/ 2G data, and 100 SMSes for 30 days and 84 days at Rs. 175 and Rs. 349, respectively.

For existing users, Aircel has the Rs. 94 pack that brings down the tariff of all local and STD calls to 20 paisa per minute for 365 days, and provides 1,400 local and national SMSes. Then there’s the Rs. 148 plan for existing users that provides bundled local and STD calls (maximum 250 minutes per day, 1,000 minutes per week), 2GB of data, and 100 SMSes, and validity of 28 days. Subscribers can also choose the Rs. 348 pack with bundled local and STD calls (maximum 300 minutes per day, 1,200 minutes per week), and 1GB data per day, and 84-day validity.

Xiaomi establishes another plant in India, launches Mi Power Bank 2i range
Xiaomi has opened a new manufacturing plant in Noida, its third in India, where it will manufacture its new Mi Power Bank 2i range. Covering an area of 2.3 lakh square feet, the facility can apparently produce seven power banks per minute. 500 people are employed at the factory, and Xiaomi plans to hire more in the near future. Locally produced packaging material is used at the plant, and there are plans for local procurement of SMT (surface-mount technology) next year. As for the new Mi Power Bank 2i range, it will come in 10000mAh and 20000mAh capacities at Rs. 799 and Rs. 1,499, respectively. It will hit Mi.com and Mi Home stores on November 23 and large-format retailers and Mi Preferred Partners in December.

Xiaomi Mi Note 3 gets a cheaper 4GB RAM variant
Xiaomi has launched a new Mi Note 3 variant with 4GB RAM and 32GB storage in its home market. Priced at CNY 1,999 (roughly Rs. 19,500), this model will be positioned below the two original variants of the handset, which came with 6GB RAM and 64GB and 128GB storage options. Not yet launched in India, the Mi Note 3 was unveiled in China in September this year, and comes with a 16-megapixel front camera, dual 12-megapixel rear cameras, and 3500mAh battery. Other key features include 5.5-inch full-HD screen, Snapdragon 660 chipset, AI beautification, and facial unlocking.

Source: https://gadgets.ndtv.com/360daily/features/oneplus-5t-india-launch-aircel-offers-jio-xiaomi-mi-note-3-1778333

Android Phones Track Location Even With GPS Turned Off, Google Says It’s to Improve Message Delivery

Google has been collecting user location data on Android smartphones even when location services were turned off, as per a new report. Quartz claims the location tracking still occurred on Android smartphones even if a user took precautionary measures like disabling location, not using any app, or not inserting a SIM card on the device.

The investigation by Quartz claims that an Android device sends these details when the device is connected to the Internet. The report says that the user location data tracking has been in practice since start of this year, and the company essentially collects addresses of nearby cellular towers, even when location services are turned off on the device. Quartz adds that Google confirmed the practice.

A Google spokesperson is quoted to have told Quartz that the company has been collecting cell tower addresses to improve delivery of push notifications and messages on Android devices for roughly 11 months. The spokesperson, however, added that the user location data was never stored. The Google spokesperson is also quoted to that it will stop collecting user location data in the form of cell-tower location by the end of November. “Android phones will no longer send cell-tower location data to Google, at least as part of this particular service, which consumers cannot disable,” the company has said. The new report raises a lot of questions on user privacy where people might not like to be tracked but do not have the option to actually turn it off.

In an email, Google spokesperson said, “In January of this year, we began looking into using Cell ID codes as an additional signal to further improve the speed and performance of message delivery. However, we never incorporated Cell ID into our network sync system, so that data was immediately discarded, and we updated it to no longer request Cell ID.” The report adds that even if the data sent to Google was encrypted, it could have been compromised.

Google in its terms of use for its services vaguely refers, “When you use Google services, we may collect and process information about your actual location. We use various technologies to determine location, including IP address, GPS, and other sensors that may, for example, provide Google with information on nearby devices, Wi-Fi access points and cell towers.”

At this moment, it isn’t clear the exact use case of the location tracking but it could be used for targeted advertising.

Source: https://gadgets.ndtv.com/apps/news/google-tracking-user-location-data-on-android-even-when-disabled-report-1778542