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Showing posts from January, 2018

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Starts Receiving MIUI 9 Global Stable ROM

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 has ultimately received MIUI 9 through a new MIUI 9.2 version. The new custom ROM doesn't upgrade the current Android version on the Redmi Note 3 as it is based on Android 6.0 Marshmallow. However, there are tons of new features to enhance the experience over the MIUI 8 version that is presently running on the global Redmi Note 3 units. Xiaomi started rolling out MIUI 9.2 as its next global MIUI ROM for all its smartphones running MIUI 9 earlier this month. The rollout of the Redmi Note 3's MIUI 9 Global Stable ROM was announced on the MIUI Forum, specifying the MIUI 9.2.4.0 version. The announcement adds that it may take between 48 hours to 72 hours to receive the update. As per user reports available on MIUI forums, the new software update brings MIUI 9.2.4.0.MHOMIEK build that comes in 290MB of size. The changelog available through the provided screenshots on an MIUI forum post confirms that the MIUI 9 update for the Redmi Note 3 includes some

Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S to Be the First Snapdragon 845 SoC Smartphone: Report

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Weeks ahead of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018, Xiaomi is rumoured to be in the development of the Mi MIX 2S. The new Mi MIX model, which is likely to be an upgrade of the last year's Mi MIX 2, is already reported to be the offering that could debut from Xiaomi's side at the forthcoming MWC in Barcelona. However, a new report from China claims that the handset will also be the first model by the company to come with a Snapdragon 845 SoC. Xiaomi and Qualcomm announced their partnership on the Snapdragon 845 last month, and the first Xiaomi smartphone to feature the new processor was initially expected to be the Mi 7, the new flagship that is not likely to debut at MWC 2018. As per the latest report by Chinese blog IT168, the upcoming Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S won't just be the company's first but also the world's first smartphone with a Snapdragon 845 SoC. The new model is also said to feature an upgraded camera over the one available on the Mi MIX 2, which was

Xiaomi Redmi 5 Gets a New Variant, Features 4GB of RAM

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The Xiaomi Redmi 5 now has a third variant with 4GB RAM in China. Listed on the official Xiaomi store, this will be the third variant in the Redmi 5 range that was previously launched in 2GB RAM and 3GB RAM options. The Redmi 5 4GB RAM variant's price is CNY 1,099 (roughly Rs. 11,000), a premium of CNY 200 (roughly Rs. 2,000). It apparently comes with no other specification upgrades except the increased RAM; it has inbuilt storage of 32GB. The smartphone is yet to launch in India. As we mentioned, the 4GB RAM variant of the recently launched Redmi 5 has been quietly listed on Xiaomi's official website in China. The new variant is available in Black, Rose Gold, Light Blue, and Gold colour variants. The smartphone was launched alongside the Redmi 5 Plus at an event in China. Xiaomi Redmi 5 specifications The dual-SIM (nano) Redmi 5 sports a 5.7-inch HD+ (720x1440 pixels) display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The phone runs MIUI 9 based on top of Android Nougat. It

Google Bets $1.1 Billion More Brains Can Help Take On Apple

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Google officially closed its $1.1 billion (roughly Rs. 7,000 crores) deal with HTC, adding more than 2,000 smartphone specialists in Taiwan to help the search giant chase Apple in the cut-throat premium handset market. The deal will help Google design more of its own consumer hardware and could set it up to wade deeper into special-purpose chips -- like Apple. Google's most recent Pixel model came with a new image processor to improve the device's camera. More of this "custom silicon" will come in the future, Google's hardware chief Rick Osterloh said in an interview. Osterloh brought in HTC engineers and designers to help Google control more of the design and production of its products, including working more closely with suppliers. Google previously focused on software and let manufacturers including Samsung Electronics and HTC handle the hardware. But modern phones offer features like augmented reality and artificial intelligence-based services tha

Google Bets $1.1 Billion More Brains Can Help Take On Apple

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Google officially closed its $1.1 billion (roughly Rs. 7,000 crores) deal with HTC, adding more than 2,000 smartphone specialists in Taiwan to help the search giant chase Apple in the cut-throat premium handset market. The deal will help Google design more of its own consumer hardware and could set it up to wade deeper into special-purpose chips -- like Apple. Google's most recent Pixel model came with a new image processor to improve the device's camera. More of this "custom silicon" will come in the future, Google's hardware chief Rick Osterloh said in an interview. Osterloh brought in HTC engineers and designers to help Google control more of the design and production of its products, including working more closely with suppliers. Google previously focused on software and let manufacturers including Samsung Electronics and HTC handle the hardware. But modern phones offer features like augmented reality and artificial intelligence-based services tha

Google Bets $1.1 Billion More Brains Can Help Take On Apple

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Google officially closed its $1.1 billion (roughly Rs. 7,000 crores) deal with HTC, adding more than 2,000 smartphone specialists in Taiwan to help the search giant chase Apple in the cut-throat premium handset market. The deal will help Google design more of its own consumer hardware and could set it up to wade deeper into special-purpose chips -- like Apple. Google's most recent Pixel model came with a new image processor to improve the device's camera. More of this "custom silicon" will come in the future, Google's hardware chief Rick Osterloh said in an interview. Osterloh brought in HTC engineers and designers to help Google control more of the design and production of its products, including working more closely with suppliers. Google previously focused on software and let manufacturers including Samsung Electronics and HTC handle the hardware. But modern phones offer features like augmented reality and artificial intelligence-based services tha

Oppo, Qualcomm Partner on 5G Mobile Phones

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Chinese smartphone maker Oppo on Monday announced a partnership with chipmaker Qualcomm, where Qualcomm will support Oppo to make 5G-ready mobile phones. As part of the "5G Pioneer Initiative", Qualcomm will provide comprehensive solutions such as the radio frequency front-end field to Oppo, it was announced at the 2018 Qualcomm Technology Day in China. "In the future, Oppo will continue to invest in groundbreaking technologies such as 5G and Artificial Intelligence, and apply these to product scenarios based on the core needs of users," Tony Chen, Oppo CEO, said during a panel discussion. Oppo plans to launch 5G mobile phones in 2019. "In 2018, Oppo will speed up entry into global markets, and specifically enter more developed countries like Japan, to provide smartphones featuring advanced technologies and artistic design to more users in the world," Chen added. Earlier this month, IMT-2020 (5G) Promotion Group, the key promotion

Nokia 5, Nokia 6 Android 8.0 Oreo Update Now Rolling Out

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HMD Global has officially announced that the Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 are now getting the Android Oreo software update. Android Oreo beta builds for the Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 were already released in last year. In a tweet on Tuesday, HMD Global Chief Product Officer Juho Sarvikas announced the availability of Android 8.0 Oreo on the Nokia 5 and Nokia 6. "Sweeter and Smoother. The #Nokia5 and #Nokia6 are officially joining the #AndroidOreo family" said the tweet. He also stated that the rollout would happen in phases. A Twitter user from India has apparently received the update on his Nokia 6 (TA 1021) as an OTA download, and takes the software to version 5.220. The file size is around 1.8GB. The OTA update details core Android Oreo features such as Picture-in-picture, Notification dots, Google Play Protect security scans, Faster boot up time, Autofill, and Google January 1 security patch. The OTA update page also reveals that the file size is around 1822.9MB. Earlier th

OnePlus Buyback Programme Now Available for OnePlus 5T in India

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OnePlus has announced its buyback programme is now available for the OnePlus 5T in India. Interested buyers can avail the offer on the purchase of the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T smartphones now. Under the buyback plan, users can exchange an old handset to buy a new OnePlus 5T at a discounted price. The OnePlus Buyback services are provided by Manak Waste Management Pvt Ltd. (Cashify). Notably, the Buyback service can only be availed after a new smartphone order has been placed on the company's website. Also, the exchange facility is available only on select smartphones and pin codes. In order to avail the offer, the user initially has to provide details of the old smartphone and check the buyback details in the page. Now, the user has to buy the new OnePlus 5 or OnePlus 5T. After the handset is delivered to the buyer, a team from Cashify will get in touch with the user to fix an appointment. After a verification, the user will get cash in exchange for the old smartphone,

Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Said to Pass 3C Certification, Rumoured to Launch Late Next Month

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Redmi Note 5 has now received 3C certification in China, as per a report. The certification has been given to two models of the upcoming Redmi Note series smartphone that are listed as the Xiaomi MEE7S and MET7S. Some previous reports suggested that Xiaomi is set to launch the Redmi Note 5 in the second quarter of this year, while there were also some speculations in the past that company could launch the Redmi 5 Plus instead of the Redmi Note 5 as the successor to the Redmi Note 4. Nevertheless, the latest discovery points to a sooner launch of the all-new Redmi Note model. A report by MyDrivers claims that the Redmi Note 5 has now been certified by 3C in China. The report also highlights some of the key specifications of the rumoured Redmi Note model as well as claims that the base variant of the new model will come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 SoC, while its top-end version will feature a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC. This counters the previous MyDrivers report that was clai

Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 Top Selling Smartphone in India in 2017: Counterpoint

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Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 was found to be the top selling smartphone in India for CY (Calendar Year) 2017. A Counterpoint Research report suggests that Xiaomi's budget smartphone sold the highest number of units in the smartphone segment in 2017. Xiaomi took three spots on the list, Samsung took four spots, Vivo took two spots, and Oppo got one position. A recent report also ranked the Jio Phone as the top selling feature phone of Q4 2017. As we mentioned, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 became the top selling smartphone in CY 2017 in India - according to the latest report by Counterpoint Research. We have reached out to Counterpoint for a comment on the total shipment volumes of the smartphone. The Xiaomi Redmi 4 was ranked second, Samsung Galaxy J2 was ranked third, Oppo A37 was ranked fourth, Xiaomi Redmi 4A was ranked fifth, Samsung Galaxy J7 Nxt was ranked sixth, Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime was ranked seventh, Samsung Galaxy J2 (2016) was ranked eighth, Vivo Y55L was ranked ninth,

Apple Wants You to Put Your Medical Records on the iPhone

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Imagine this: you're on vacation and slip and fall at the pool. You head to the hospital, where doctors ask if you're taking any medications or have had any recent medical procedures. Instead of trying to recall the names of all your pills or your medical history while in pain, you easily pull up your medical record on your phone. Apple, the tech giant that has been hungrily eyeing the healthcare sector for years, announced Wednesday it would soon allow people in certain hospital systems to tether their medical records to their iPhones, getting easy access to seven categories of information, including immunisations, lab results or allergies. ALSO SEEiOS 11.3 to Bring Battery Health, Power Management, and Other Features The medical records capability will roll out through a beta available to the general public in the coming months. It's an update of a less sophisticated medical records function in Apple's Health app. Previously, people could download s

Xiaomi Says Product Innovation, New Operating Models Helped It Grow in India

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After two back-to-back market research reports giving Xiaomi a thumbs up in the highly-competitive Indian market, the Chinese smartphone maker on Thursday said the constant innovation across its products and operating model has helped it reach this position. According to German market research firm Canalys, Xiaomi holds a market share of 27.4 percent in the market, having shipped 8.2 million smartphones in the fourth quarter of 2017. Additionally, Hong Kong-based Counterpoint Research also reported that Xiaomi is the leader in India, with a market share of 25 percent in Q4. "We are pleased that we have been able to retain our position as the No 1 smartphone brand in the Indian market (including both online and offline) according to reports from Canalys and Counterpoint," Manu Jain, Vice President, Xiaomi and Managing Director, Xiaomi India, said in a statement. Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 was the best-selling device of 2017, followed by Redmi 4 and Samsung Galaxy

Asus slashes up to Rs 3,000 on Zenfone-series smartphones in India

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Asus has announced permanent price cuts on seven Zenfone smartphones in India. The discounted smartphones are ZenFone 3 (5.2, 5.5), ZenFone Max, ZenFone 3 Max (5.2, 5.5) and ZenFone Go (5.0, 5.5). The devices will e available at the reduced price across all major e-commerce sites like Flipkart, Amazon and retail stores including Asus Exclusive Stores as well. With a view to make smartphones appealing for a larger segment of market, ASUS, the Taiwanese leader in mobile technology, today announced permanent price reductions for 7 finest ZenFones namely ZenFone 3 (5.2, 5.5), ZenFone Max, ZenFone 3 Max (5.2, 5.5) and ZenFone Go (5.0, 5.5). Commenting on the announcement Peter Chang, Region Head – South Asia & Country Manager for ASUS India said, “India is one of the biggest markets for us and we are committed to accelerating our rapid growth. Innovatively crafted ZenFones have been successful in attracting our discerning Indian customers, and we are confident of the f

Got an SMS Saying Your Mobile Services Will Stop on January 7? It’s Spam

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2018 has just started and there is already a hoax SMS doing the rounds, targeting telecom subscribers. The SMS misinforms telecom subscribers that voice services on their number will stop from January 7, and asks them to port their number to other networks. This message is being sent to users of all telecom operators and in various circles going by complaints from consumers on Twitter. Interestingly, the message asks users to port their number to “any other network” by generating a UPC (Unique Porting Code), and does not name any particular operator they should port to. Irate customers targeted by the SMS have, unsurprisingly, taken to Twitter to get some answers around the matter.  Telecom companies such as Jio, Vodafone and Idea have started responding to customers’ queries around the SMS, denouncing the message as spam and asking users to ignore it. An Airtelrepresentative also confirmed to Gadgets 360 that the message is spam. Tata Docomo and BSNLsubscribers have rece