Wednesday, 31 October 2018
You Can Now Navigate on Google Maps With Aamir Khan’s ‘Firangi’ From Thugs of Hindostan https://beebom-redkapmedia.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Thugs-of-Hindostan-Google-Maps-body.jpg
Google is collaborating with Yash Raj Films (YRF) to bring a cool new feature to Google Maps this festive season. As part of the promotions for the upcoming ‘Thugs of Hindostan’ (ToH), users of the world’s preeminent digital mapping software will now have the option to navigate using ‘Firangi Mallah’, Aamir Khan’s character from the aforementioned movie. The feature will be available on Android and iOS for the next couple of weeks.
To get started, users will need to first update their app from Google Play or the App Store. In case you choose to use ‘Firangi’ for navigation purposes, the familiar arrow will be replaced by the character on his donkey, which is apparently his favorite mode of transportation in the movie.
In a prepared statement, Neha Waikar, the Product Manager at Google Maps, said “We are truly excited to bring a first-time India-specific entertainment experience to Google Maps in India. As people gear up for Diwali and to watch Thugs of Hindostan, we wanted to do our bit by making their driving journeys more fun and playful … We wish the movie every success”.
Manan Mehta, the Vice President of Marketing and Merchandising at Yash Raj Films, said, “Thugs of Hindostan … brings together two legends of Indian Cinema, Mr. Amitabh Bachchan and Mr. Aamir Khan. We were aware that no marketing idea that we implement can eclipse this. So we had to think of creating a first time, unparalleled and unrepeatable marketing idea to promote this film. And in Google Maps we found a perfect partner to do so. We are confident that people will love the experience and of course the movie”.
Thugs of Hindostan (ToH) will launch nationwide on November 8 with Amitabh Bachhan, Amir Khan, Katrina Kaif and Fatima Sana Shaikh in starring roles. The ToH experience on Google Maps will be available for only a couple of weeks starting November 1, so hurry and update your app if you want a taste of it.
from Beebom https://beebom.com/navigate-google-maps-aamir-khan-firangi/
Jio Tops 4G Availability, Latency in India, But Airtel Has Fastest 4G: OpenSignal https://beebom-redkapmedia.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/open-signal-1.jpg
Jio offers the best 4G network in the country with the lowest latency and also beats rival operators when it comes to 4G availability across the 22 telecom circles in India, says Open Signal’s latest Mobile Network Experience Report.
The report, which was compiled using data from 1.7 million devices between June 1 and August 29, reveals that Jio is neck to neck with Airtel and Vodafone when it comes to offering the best video experience on its network. Airtel emerged as the operator which offers the fastest download speed while Idea was crowned the winner in the upload speed category.
When it comes to 4G availability, Jio left rival operators far behind with an average network availability score of 96.7%, while second-placed Airtel could only score 73.17%. Jio topped the 4G availability in 10 out of 22 telecom circles scoring 97% in those regions, with OpenSignal calling Jio’s 4G availability score ‘particularly remarkable’ for a relatively new 4G LTE market like India.
Jio also won Open Signal’s Latency Experience award with an average latency score of 72.20 milliseconds, while Vodafone occupied the second spot with average latency worth 80.42 milliseconds. In case you don’t know, latency determines how long a packet of data takes to travel across the network, so having low latency is key for critical applications and also for recreation like online gaming.
Airtel offered the fastest average 4G download speed at 7.53Mbps, over 2Mbps faster than Jio’s 5.47Mbps download speed. When it comes to uploading speed, Idea topped the charts with an average upload speed of 2.88Mbps followed by Vodafone with 2.31Mbps.
Vodafone, Jio and Airtel shared OpenSignal’s Video Experience award which took into account factors such as video loading time, picture quality and stalling rate during video playback. However, Airtel narrowly edged the rivals with a Video Experience score of 39.30, while Jio and Vodafone scored 38.63 and 38.55 points respectively.
from Beebom https://beebom.com/jio-4g-availability-airtel-speeds-opensignal/
WhatsApp Launches Challenge For Indian Startups https://beebom-redkapmedia.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/whatsapp-business-1.jpg
WhatsApp has announced a tie-up with Invest India to promote Indian start-ups and said it would organize a start-up challenge in the country with the aim to invest in the top five participants of the competition.
“WhatsApp will invest quarter of a million dollars as seed funding to the top 5 winners of the WhatsApp Start-up Challenge,” an official statement said. Also, the company would invest an additional $2,50,000 to a select few firms from the entrepreneurial community to promote their WhatsApp business number on Facebook.
Speaking on the occasion here, Union Minister of Commerce and Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu said that the start-up community is the future of India and it will be the platform through which “millions of youth of this country will be gainfully employed”.
Commenting on the partnership, Deepak Bagla, CEO, Invest India – the national investment promotion and facilitation agency – said: “India adds over three new start-ups a day, ranking it amongst the top start-up nations in the world. Through this partnership with WhatsApp, we aim to support the innovative start-ups in India and to create solutions not only for India but the entire world.”
Chris Daniels, Vice President, WhatsApp said: “We are excited to work closely with Start-up India by supporting entrepreneurs and start-ups to become engines of economic growth.”
from Beebom https://beebom.com/whatsapp-indian-startups-challenge/
Ads in WhatsApp Status Section Confirmed by VP Chris Daniels https://beebom-redkapmedia.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/whatsapp-body-.jpg
Clearing the air on Facebook’s monetization efforts towards WhatsApp, the mobile messaging service’s Vice President Chris Daniels on Wednesday said the company is going to put advertisements in its “Status” feature.
“We are going to be putting ads in ‘Status’. That is going to be primary monetization mode for the company as well as an opportunity for businesses to reach people on WhatsApp,” Daniels told reporters here. Daniels, however, did not give any timeline to this development that has been in the news for some time.
WhatsApp has over 1.5 billion users globally, including more than 250 million in India. There were media reports earlier this month that the Facebook-owned messaging app is planning to allow advertisements to be displayed in the “Status” section of the app. WhatsApp’s “Status” feature allows users to share text, photos, videos, and animated GIFs that disappear after 24 hours.
According to media reports, the advertisements would be powered by Facebook’s native advertising system and would be aimed at helping users understand and participate in businesses using the messaging app. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s goal to monetize WhatsApp has forced the social media messaging service’s co-founders to leave the company.
One of them, Brian Acton, told Forbes recently that Zuckerberg was in a rush to make money from the messaging service and undermine elements of its encryption technology. “Targeted advertising is what makes me unhappy,” Acton said. Four years after its acquisition by Facebook for $19 billion, WhatsApp, which now has over 1.5 billion users (against Facebook’s 2.3 billion), will reportedly carry targeted ads from 2019 — on a platform that has been ad-free till date.
from Beebom https://beebom.com/ads-whatsapp-confirmed/
Nubia X Ditches Notch, Front Cameras With Second Display on The Back https://beebom-redkapmedia.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/nubia-X-e1540996141210.jpeg
While most phone makers are now focusing their resources on the development of slider mechanisms (seen on the Mi Mix 3, Honor Magic 2) to avoid the notch trend, Nubia has gone a totally different direction
Specs and Features
Launched today in China, Nubia X is the company’s latest smartphone and it has dual displays and no front-facing cameras. Nubia has opted to add two screens on its device, the main screen on the front and a secondary screen on the rear panel, to avoid the widespread notch trend.
As you can see in the image attached above, Nubia hasn’t made any sort of compromises and included a color display on the rear as well. It’s not jsut an e-ink display either.
The rear display has huge bezels but that’s probably by choice as it offers you a great viewfinder for selfies. The screen only turns on when you flip the phone, which looks quite cool. It will again be switched off when you flip to the front. Another interesting addition is the presence of two fingerprint scanner, one on either side of the device – under the screen.
The Nubia X features a massive 6.26-inch IPS LCD display, with a 2280 x 1080p resolution on the front and an OLED screen, with a 1520 x 720p resolution on the rear. It’s powered by the Snapdragon 845 chipset, paired with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage on board.
There’s only a single dual camera module on the back, which is made up of a 16MP (f/1.8) and 24MP (f/1.7) lens. This module acts as the selfie camera as well. It includes a ton of AI features, including AI portrait and AI scene recognition.
“The company claims that the Nubia X could one of the best selfie capturing smartphones”
It runs Android 8.1 Oreo out-of-the-box instead of the latest Android 9 Pie, along with a modest 3,800mAh battery pack.
Price and Availability
If you’re fascinated by this dual-screen innovation, well, the Nubia X is priced starting at 3,299 yuan (approx Rs. 35,000) in China and there’s no word on a global launch just yet. Here are all the configurations, color variants, and pricing listed below:
- 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage
- Deep Gray, Black Gold – 3,299 Yuan
- Sea Blue – 3,399 Yuan
- 8 GB RAM + 128 GB storage
- Deep Gray, Black Gold – 3,699 Yuan
- Sea Blue – 3,799 Yuan
- 8 GB RAM + 256 GB storage
- Black Gold – 4,199 Yuan
- Blue Gold – 4,299 Yuan
So, would you be interested in buying this dual-screen beauty to avoid the notch? Let us know in the comments below.
from Beebom https://beebom.com/nubia-x-two-displays-no-notch/
OnePlus 6T Battery Life and Charging Test: Undoubtedly the Best https://beebom-redkapmedia.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/OnePlus-6T-charging.jpg
The recently launched OnePlus 6T is just a minor upgrade over the OnePlus 6, bringing just a couple of new features over its predecessors. Among these is a larger 3,700mAh battery which is a significant improvement over the OnePlus 6’s 3,300mAh battery. The device still ships with the same 5V/4A fast charger in the box, which has proven its fast charging capabilities with older OnePlus devices.
While it’s quite obvious that the newer OnePlus 6T will have a better battery life than the OnePlus 6, we’re here to find out just how much of an improvement does the larger battery bring. But before we get to our battery tests, lets take a cursory look at the charging performance.
Charging Test
As mentioned earlier, the OnePlus 6T comes with support for OnePlus’ fast charging technology (which isn’t called Dash Charge anymore, despite the charging brick still featuring the logo) and ships with a 5V/4A fast charger in the box. In my testing I found that the OnePlus 6T not only comes with a bigger battery but also charges a bit faster.
The bundled charger managed to charge up the phone from 10 to 100 percent in just 1 hour and 15 minutes, which is quite impressive. The OnePlus 6 takes a similar amount of time, but with a smaller battery. So, as you might have already expected, the OnePlus 6T really shines when it comes to charging speeds and there’s hardly any device in the market that can match up to its performance.
Battery Life
Now with a 400mAh larger battery you’d expect the OnePlus 6T to perform marginally better than the OnePlus 6, but OnePlus has also included some software improvements to regulate the battery consumption for the device and that leads to some exceptional battery life. As always, we put the OnePlus 6T through two different use case scenarios – one with a normal everyday workload and the other with intensive use. Here’s how the device performed:
Normal Workload
With a normal workload, which included some light web browsing, using social media, listening to music and playing a game or two of PUBG Mobile (apart from the usual calling and texting), the OnePlus 6T easily managed to last a full day with almost 50 percent battery remaining as I started my next day.
The OnePlus 6T delivered a decent screen-on-time of about 3 hours. Combined with the power-sipping Optic AMOLED display and OnePlus’ software optimization, the OnePlus 6T manages to last quite a while on a single charge and I for one really liked its performance.
Intensive Workload
Under an intensive workload, which included running benchmarking apps, watching a whole lot of YouTube videos, playing several PUBG Mobile matches, along with the usual calling and texting, the OnePlus 6T managed to pull off a screen-on-time just shy of 7 hours and 30 minutes while lasting one and a half days with that kind of use.
The device barely lost any charge overnight, which means that OnePlus has considerably improved the standby times for the device. With that kind of screen-on-time, the OnePlus 6T definitely shines, even among smartphones that pack larger 4,000mAh batteries.
OnePlus 6T Battery Life and Charging Test: Undoubtedly the Best
In conclusion, the OnePlus 6T is definitely the device to get if you want great battery life along with fast charging. As you’ve already seen, the device can easily last a full day under heavy workload and you won’t face any problems with the device’s battery life.
Even if the device does run out of battery, you can charge it up quite quickly which means that you won’t be tethered to the power outlet for an extended duration. Honestly, if great battery life is what you’re looking for, then there isn’t a better device that I can recommend to you right now.
from Beebom https://beebom.com/oneplus-6t-battery-charging-test/
How to Use the Clock and Weather Actions in Shortcuts 2.1 https://beebom-redkapmedia.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1.-Using-the-New-Clock-Action-in-Shortcuts-2.1.jpg
Apple has just released the Shortcuts 2.1 update and there are a ton of new features coming with this update. For starters, Apple has fixed the iCloud syncing problems of Shortcuts which used to be quite buggy. Apple also improved the sharing action in Shortcuts.
Now it allows users to delist a shortcut by deleting its link and associated data from Apple’s servers. Apart from these miscellaneous improvements, Apple has also introduced two new shortcut actions. The newly added Clock and Weather actions allow users to set up timer and alarms and get weather data for their locality. In this article, we are going to show you how you can use these actions to create your own nifty shortcuts:
Using the Clock and Weather Actions
As I said, Apple has introduced two new actions with the Shortcuts 2.1 update and these actions are really good. Before the update, users had to depend on Siri suggested shortcuts to either create or enable alarms. However, with the new clock action, users can set their own time and create or enable their own alarms. The new Weather action is also pretty powerful and allows users to retrieve three different weather data. The data includes current weather conditions, hourly and daily forecasts, and get details for specific data points such as highs, lows, humidity, pressure, and more. Now, let’s see how we can use these new actions:
Using the New Clock Action in Shortcuts 2.1
The new clock action in Shortcuts 2.1 allows three separate actions to be executed. You can create an alarm, disable/enable an alarm, or create a timer. Let’s see how you can use these actions:
- Launch the Shortcuts app, and tap on the “Create Shortcut” button. Now tap on the search bar and scroll down to find the “Clock” action and tap on it.
2. As you can see, you are presented with three options. You can either create an alarm, set a timer, or toggle an alarm. Let’s use the create an alarm action for this tutorial. Tap on the “Create Alarm” toggle to add it to your shortcut.
3. Here, you can do a couple of things. You can set the Alarm Label, the alarm time, and decide whether you want to repeat this alarm or not. For this tutorial, I am going to label it test, and set it up for 9:30 AM. You can also tap “Never” to get the repeat options. Let’s say, I want the alarm to be repeated on a Monday.
4. Now, our shortcut is ready. To test, if it’s working or not, just tap on the play button marked in the picture below. Now, open the Clock app to find your Alarm already created.
Using the Weather Action in Shortcuts 2.1
- The initial step is quite similar to what we used in the Clock action. So, we will launch the Shortcuts app and tap on the “Create Shortcut” button. Next, tap on the search bar and scroll down to find the Weather action. The Weather action has three different options to choose from. To keep it simple, we will use the first option which is the “Get Current Weather” action.
2. Since the weather app will need your current location access to work, grant the access by tapping on the “Allow Access” button.
3. Now our shortcut is ready. However, if you tap on the play button to test the shortcut, you will see that it is showing you the result inside the shortcut only.
4. To make sure that we can get the results anywhere we run the shortcut from, we will use a “Show Result” action. To use this action, just tap on the search bar and search for “Show Result” and then select the appropriate result by tapping on it.
5. Now, since we want to show the current weather data as the result, we will use this inside the “Show Result” action. To do this, just tap on “Show Results” field and then tap on “Weather Condition”.
10. Now, you can tap on the play button and the shortcut should work just fine.
SEE ALSO: How to Save Money on Amazon Using Shortcuts in iOS 12
Learn to Use the Clock and Weather Actions in Shortcuts 2.1
As you can see, these new actions are quite useful. You can do a lot with these actions and the simple shortcuts I showed you here are just the tip of the iceberg. Play around with these actions to form your own shortcuts and let us know if you encounter any problems by writing in the comments section below.
from Beebom https://beebom.com/clock-weather-actions-shortcuts-2dot1/
Honor Magic 2 Has Six Cameras, 3D Face Unlock, Bezel-Less Sliding Design https://beebom-redkapmedia.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/honormag2.png
First shown off at IFA 2018 along with the Kirin 980, Honor has now officially unveiled the much-anticipated ‘Magic 2’ in China. Honor Magic 2 comes with a full-screen display, a sliding mechanism for the front camera, and a total of six cameras. It also has its very own AI voice assistant, at least for the Chinese market.
Price and Availability
The Honor Magic 2 comes in three different configurations and has been priced starting at 3,799 yuan (~ Rs 40,000) for the 6GB+128GB variant. You’ll, however, need to shell out 4,299 yuan (~ Rs 45,000) for the 8GB+128GB variant and 4,799 yuan (~ Rs 51,000) for the 8GB+256GB variant.
The Honor Magic 2 will be available in blue, teal and red – with a gradient added to it, like is the case with most modern phones these days. It will go up for pre-order tomorrow and will be available for purchase starting November 6.
Specs and Features
In an attempt to extend the screen to the edges, phone makers are now going back to the sliding parts. Honor Magic 2 follows the lead of Oppo’s Find X and Xiaomi’s Mi Mix 3 with a manual slider for the selfie cameras, sensors and more.
Cameras
The Magic 2 packs triple cameras on the front and rear to win the award for the most number of image sensors on a phone. The triple cameras on the rear are a 16MP RGB sensor, a 16MP super-wide angle lens, and a 24MP monochrome sensor. As for the front cameras, which are hidden in the slider, Honor has included a 16MP+2MP+2MP setup to give you a total of six cameras.
Backed by the dual-core NPU of the Kirin 980, Honor says the phone is capable of identifying 60+ categories and 1500+ scenes automatically. Honor Magic 2 also supports ultra-wide-angle night mode, which sounds rather exciting!
The sliding mechanism not only holds the front camera but also the company’s 3D Face Recognition technology, which will help unlock the device with just a look. Honor says it has developed the 3D facial recognition in house and it can record tens of thousands of feature points on your face to make it more secure than regular face unlock.
Display and Processor
The Honor Magic 2 sports a 6.39-inch Full-HD+ AMOLED display, with a 1080 x 2340 pixels resolution. It’s said to bring a super high contrast and high color gamut to the table for an enhanced viewing experience. There’s an optical under-display fingerprint scanner here, which is 32.48 square millimeter in size.
As one would’ve expected, the Honor Magic 2 is powered by its parent Huawei’s in-house Kirin 980 chipset, coupled with Mali G-76 GPU, up to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage. There’s also a 3,400mAh battery in tow, which supports super-fast 40W charging.
With the release of this flagship device, Honor has followed the lead of its Chinese rivals and today debuted its own AI voice assistant ‘YOYO’ at the launch event. It’s part of the company’s updated Magic UI 2.0 ecosystem for China.
Honor Magic 2 runs Android 9.0 out-of-the-box, with the company’s EMUI 9.0 skin on top. As for connectivity options, the device brings along AI-powered dual-frequency GPS navigation, Cat.21 wireless connectivity (speeds up to 1.7Gbps), Bluetooth 5.0, and dual VoLTE among other things.
So, how do you like the Honor Magic 2? Does it seem like a worthy rival to the Xiaomi Mi Mix 3? Let us know your opinions in the comments below.
from Beebom https://beebom.com/honor-magic-2-six-cameras/
Samsung Galaxy S9+ Now Has Dockless DeX Support in Latest Beta https://beebom-redkapmedia.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/samsung-tab-s4-dex-mode-featured.jpg
Samsung debuted dockless DeX support with the Galaxy Note 9 to allow users to switch over to a desktop experience without having to use an accessory, i.e. the DeX Pad, as a mediator to connect your smartphone to a display or keyboard.
Well, first spotted by XDA Developers, this handy feature will soon be made available to Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ users with the upcoming Android Pie update. Samsung is currently testing dockless DeX support for these devices in the latest beta update, which will also bring the sweet-looking Samsung Experience UI 10 to its devices.
The Galaxy Note 9, if you remember, enables users to directly connect a display to their device via the USB Type-C charging port. You’d no longer need the DeX Pad but instead, only an USB-C to HDMI dongle is enough to connect a display and extend to the desktop environment to carry on with your work.
You could then choose to connect a mouse or keyboard via Bluetooth or simply turn the screen into a trackpad if you’re comfortable with it. The dockless DeX feature works well with the Galaxy Tab S4 (which recently launched in India) as well, which actually has a standalone DeX mode.
Samsung hadn’t extended dockless DeX support to Android Oreo-running Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9 Plus devices, but the leaked Android Pie-based Experience UI 10 builds include support for the same. And you can check out this feature working smoothly on Galaxy S9+ in this video right here.
Just like in the Note 9, the Galaxy S9 Plus connects over USB Type-C and you can use the on-display trackpad to navigate across the UI. It’s impressive to see it working so well.
So, are you excited to try out dockless DeX support once Android update Pie rolls out to Galaxy S9 lineup? Do you see yourself using it on the regular? Let us know down in the comments section.
from Beebom https://beebom.com/android-pie-beta-dockless-dex-galaxy-s9-plus/
How to Use Dark Mode on Google Maps on Android and iPhone https://beebom-redkapmedia.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/1.-Enabling-Dark-Mode-in-Google-Maps-on-Android.jpg
There’s no doubt that Google Maps is the best navigation tool that you can use today. While there are many competitive navigational apps out there, there’s none that matches the accuracy and universality of Google Maps. Apart from bringing exceptional navigational features, Google Maps also bring a plethora of tiny features which enhances the overall experience of the app.
For example, Google Maps automatically turns on dark mode while navigating during the night. The dark mode is a really cool feature and many people have asked me if there’s a way to make it the default option. Well, believe it or not, Google Maps does allow you to use dark mode during navigation all the time. In this article, we are going to show you how you can activate dark mode on Google Maps on Any Device:
Enabling Google Maps Dark Mode on Android and iPhone
Once you go through this tutorial, you will be able to use dark mode as your default navigation interface. That being said, remember that the dark mode only works during navigation and the app will use the light mode in all other instances. Hence, don’t worry when you don’t see dark mode on Google Maps when you set it up as it will only come when you start navigating:
Enabling Dark Mode in Google Maps on Android
- First, launch the Google Maps app and tap on the hamburger menu marked in the picture below. Here, tap on Settings.
2. Here, tap on “Navigation settings” and scroll down to find the “Map display” subsection. Now, under the “Color scheme” option, tap to select the “Night” mode.
3. As you can see, the time on the phone is 03:13 PM, but the app is using dark mode when I am using the navigation.
Enabling Dark Mode in Google Maps on iPhone
- The process is almost similar on the iPhone too. Just launch the Google Maps app and tap on the hamburger menu. Here, tap on the settings cog icon at the top right.
2. Now, tap on “Navigation” and enable the “Night” option for the Color scheme sub-menu found under the “Map display” option.
3. The picture below shows dark mode or night mode working on an iPhone at 03:37 PM. That means the dark mode is working even during the day.
SEE ALSO: 14 Cool Google Maps Tricks You Should Know
Use Dark Mode on Google Maps at Any Time
That was a pretty small and nifty tutorial and I hope that you guys enjoyed it. Do follow the steps and enable dark mode on your phones. It is especially beneficial for smartphones with OLED display as it could reduce the battery consumption during the navigation. Do let us know your thoughts on this tip by writing in the comments section below.
from Beebom https://beebom.com/dark-mode-google-maps-android-iphone/
Create Personalized Emojis on Gboard Using Your Selfies https://storage.googleapis.com/gweb-uniblog-publish-prod/original_images/Emoji_Minis_Gboard_UX_flow.gif
Google introduced ‘Mini’ stickers or ‘Minis’ in Gboard back in August, allowing users to convert their selfies into stickers that were available in two different packs called ‘Sweet’ and ‘Bold’. Google has today introduced a new Gboard Mini sticker pack called ‘Emojis’, which as the name suggests, lets users create personalized emojis that are highly customizable and can be tweaked to express a wide array of emotions in different scenarios.
The process of creating personalized emojis remains the same, with Gboard employing a combination of machine learning, neural networks, and artist illustrations for making an emoji that looks more like you. The Minis ‘Emoji’ sticker pack is now available on Gboard for Android and iOS across the globe.
Here’s how to create an Emoji Mini sticker:
1. Open Gboard, go to the stickers section and tap on the ‘create’ button.
2. Scan your face and click a selfie to create a personalized emoji template.
3. Once the template has been created, you can now customize your emoji with a range of personalization tools such face adjustment, hair color, beard style and even add fashion accessories such as ear rings and hats. Press the save button to create an emoji Mini sticker that will be used as a template to automatically create ‘bold’ and ‘sweet’ Minis.
4. Once your emoji mini sticker has been created, you can choose from a wide range of emotions, scenarios and art style to depict your personalized emoji. Moreover, you can customize the emoji anytime to match your new looks.
The best part is you can use these stickers in most apps that support stickers such as WhatsApp, or Telegram or Allo (yes, we know!). This is probably one of the coolest new features in Gboard and we can’t wait to see stickers from our friends in various apps.
from Beebom https://beebom.com/gboard-personalized-emoji/
Samsung’s New 48MP and 32MP Camera Sensors Will Hit Phones in 2019 https://beebom-redkapmedia.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Samsung-ISOCELL-body.jpg
Samsung has officially announced two new 0.8-micrometer (μm) pixel image sensors that will likely be used in smartphones next year. The first one is the massive 48MP ISOCELL Bright GM1, while the other one is the 32MP ISOCELL Bright GD1.
In a press release, Samsung claimed that the “the GM1 and GD1 can deliver light sensitivity equivalent to that of a 1.6μm-pixel image sensor at 12MP and 8MP resolution, respectively”. The sensors also support Gyro-based electronic image stabilization (EIS) for blur-free images.
Both the GD1 and GM1 have backside illuminated (BSI) CMOS sensors with Samsung’s ISOCELL Plus pixel isolation technology as well as the so-called ‘Tetracell’ technology that helps better illuminate low-light images by merging four small pixels to create a bigger one. Both sensors support gyro-based electronic image stabilization, although, apparently only the 32MP GD1 supports real-time HDR photography.
Samsung expects the ISOCELL Bright GM1 and GD1 to go into commercial production by the end of this year, which probably means that they will start showing up in various Galaxy devices in 2019.
In a statement released to the press, Ben K. Hur, the vice president of System LSI marketing at Samsung Electronics, said “Demand for ultra-small, high-resolution image sensors are growing as smartphones evolve to deliver new and more exciting camera experiences for users. With the introduction of our cutting-edge 0.8μm-pixel Samsung ISOCELL Bright GM1 and GD1 image sensors, we are committed to continue driving innovation in image sensor technologies”.
from Beebom https://beebom.com/samsung-48mp-32mp-isocell/
Poco F1 Gets Android Pie-Based MIUI 10 Beta, But Key Features Missing https://beebom-redkapmedia.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/poco-miui-pie-2.jpg
Poco F1, one of the best value for money phones today, is slated to get Android Pie update by the end of this year. But today, we’re able to see the user experience on the first beta build of Android Pie-based MIUI for Poco F1.
Ever since my encounter with Android Pie on the Pixel 3 XL, I have been itching to get the Poco F1 running on the latest version of Android too. After trying a bunch of popular custom ROMs like the unofficial LineageOS and Resurrection Remix, I am returning to MIUI because Xiaomi dropped the first beta of MIUI 10 based on Android Pie.
This is especially exciting as Xiaomi is preparing to bring the stable version of MIUI 10 based on Android Oreo to Poco F1 users this week. However, MIUI’s beta builds are mostly stable too, so I decided to go ahead and explore what are the new features in the ROM.
Before I begin, I want to express my gratitude for Recognized XDA developer yshalsager who dug up the ROM from MIUI Forums even before the official announcement.
The ROM brings the standard MIUI 10 interface with a cleaner and more vibrant UI compared to MIUI 9. However, there are no visible changes when between MIUI 10 based on Oreo and Pie. In fact, the only difference is the new Android Pie Easter egg and sadly that’s all.
Notably, the stable version of MIUI 10 based on Android Pie was released for Mi Mix 2S a couple of weeks ago while the recently released Mi Mix 3 runs this version out of the box. Further, a beta is already available for Mi 8 and it comes with noted Android Pie features such as Digital Wellbeing or Adaptive Battery.
Such features are not available on Poco F1 yet, so it makes all the labor – of first unlocking the bootloader, installing a custom recovery like TWRP, and then flashing the ROM – kind of futile. I tried sideloading the Wellbeing feature through APK as well as ADB but neither attempt worked. Additionally, there’s currently no option to turn the notch off.
Lastly, I don’t see any major difference in terms of the camera and the performance and would recommend you to either wait for the stable MIUI 10 or try out the MIUI 10 beta based on Android Oreo.
Anyway, if you still want to try, you can head over to this link and download the MIUI 10 Android Pie flashable ROM for Poco F1.
from Beebom https://beebom.com/poco-f1-android-pie-based-miui-10-beta-features-missing/
Huawei Laptops, Tablets Coming to India Soon https://beebom-redkapmedia.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/huawei-matebook-x.jpg
Chinese tech major Huawei plans to bring new tablets and PCs to India in addition to the planned launch of its flagship Mate 20 Pro smartphone, a top company official said at its headquarters here.
In the smartphone business in India, Huawei has so far pushed its sub-brand Honor to compete in the affordable segment, but by bringing more Huawei-branded phones, it is now eyeing a greater pie in the premium segment as well which is currently dominated by OnePlus, Samsung and Apple.
It is not just the smartphone market in India that the Consumer Business Group division of Huawei is now focusing on. “India is now a Tier-1 country for us and we will make new investments in the country to bring to the Indian consumers the benefits of new technology as early as possible,” Jim Xu, Vice President, Huawei Consumer Business Group, told a visiting group of journalists.
Huawei Matebook Coming to India
“We are making strategic investments in the PC business. In the smartphone segment, Honor will continue to do their business as usual even as we plan to increase the presence of Huawei-branded phones,” he added.
While Amazon is its online partner, Huawei will also look into forging partnership for offline sales. “We understand the importance of offline business. We may shortly open either exclusive Huawei brand shops or Huawei display zone or display desks in India,” Xu said, adding that the company will initially be targeting the consumers in cities to promote the Huawei brand.
In the second quarter of this year, Huawei became the second-largest smartphone seller in the world after Samsung.
The Chinese telecommunications giant started its consumer devices business hardly a decade ago when it started selling its 3G dongle devices and today its product range includes smartphones, tablets, laptops, wearables, accessories as well as a number of smart home devices.
“It is very tough to build a global iconic brand from China,” Xu said, adding that Huawei bucked the trend by focusing on quality of products and superior after sales services.
“Instead of focusing on advertising, we have put the emphasis on creating product differentiators by investing massively on research and development,” he said.
In smartphones, these key differentiators include the battery life, supercharge technology, and high-quality photography, among others. “Going ahead, Artificial Intelligence (AI) will completely change the smartphone experience for consumers. Today’s smartphones will soon start looking like feature phones, compared to the intelligent phones of the future,” he added.
Huawei PCs, on the other hand, are lightweight, portable and easy to use, Xu said. The company, he added, is looking forward to bringing the technology edge that it has in smartphones to Huawei PCs and offer the consumers a complete digital ecosystem that can make several tasks, including sharing of photos and files between devices, easier.
from Beebom https://beebom.com/huawei-laptops-india-launch/
Tuesday, 30 October 2018
Apple Mac Mini (2018) Specifications, Launch Date and Price in India https://beebom-redkapmedia.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/new-mac-mini.jpg
As we had anticipated, Apple also launched its tiny Mac Mini computer alongside the new iPad Pro models and the refreshed MacBook Air at its hardware event in Brooklyn. Apple has refreshed this tiny machine after a good four years, and it’s a great big upgrade too.
So, without further ado, here’s a quick look at the specs sheet, pricing, and availability details of the new Mac Mini:
Specifications
The new Mac Mini now comes in a Space Gray finish on the outside – with a similar design to its predecessor. It’s still the same flattened cube with rounded corners, an LED on the front, and a myriad of ports on the rear.
The Mac Mini now boasts of the latest internals, starting with quad-core 8th-gen Intel Core processors and going up to hexa-core processors from the same family. It is the first time Apple has offered the latter on the Mac Mini.
The 8th-gen processors are coupled with up to 64GB of 2666MHz DDR4 RAM and 2TB of SSD storage. There’s no hard drive or Fusion storage options this time around as Apple decided to go with all-flash storage.
Packing this much power into the same enclosure required an all-new thermal architecture — including all-flash storage, a bigger fan, expanded vents, and a redesigned power supply, says Apple.
Apple has also packed inside the Mac Mini its second-gen T2 security chip that includes a Secure Enclave co-processor and useful for secure boot and encrypted storage capabilities. There’s also a plethora of I/O ports including 4 Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports, one HDMI 2.0, two USB-A ports, Ethernet, and the 3.5 mm headphone jack.
To sum everything up, you can check out the key specs of the Mac Mini in the table attached below:
| Dimensions | 19.7 x 19.7 x 3.6 cm |
| Weight | 1.3 kgs |
| Processor | up to 6-core Intel Core i7 processor, clocked at 3.0 GHz |
| Graphics Memory | Intel UHD Graphics 630 |
| RAM | up to 64GB |
| Internal Storage | up to 2TB |
| I/O ports | 4 Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports, one HDMI 2.0, two USB-A ports, Ethernet, and 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Connectivity | 802.11a/b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.0, Gigabit Ethernet |
Pricing
As we’ve already learned, the base variant of the Mac Mini (8GB RAM + 128GB SSD) has been priced at Rs. 75,900 but you’ll have to pay a lot more as you upgrade the internals. Apple hasn’t talked about the availability details for India, so make sure to return back to Beebom.com for more updates.
from Beebom https://beebom.com/mac-mini-specs-price-and-availability-in-india/
Apple MacBook Air (2018) Specifications, Launch Date and Price in India https://beebom-redkapmedia.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Macbook-Air-comparison.jpg
Alongside a bunch of other products, Apple brought the MacBook Air back to life with a new variant that features Retina display, Touch ID, etc. Here’s a quick rundown of the specifications, pricing and availability details of the new MacBook Air.
Specifications
| Dimensions | 30.41 x 21.24 x (0.41-1.56) cm |
| Weight | 1.25 kgs |
| Display | 13.3-inch Retina, with 2560 x 1600 display resolution |
| Processor | 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 |
| Graphics | Intel UHD Graphics 617 |
| RAM | up to 16GB |
| Internal Storage | up to 1.5TB |
| Webcam | 720p FaceTime camera |
| I/O ports | 2 Thunderbolt 3 USB-C, 3.5mm headphone jack |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2 |
| Battery | 50.3Wh |
| Colors | Space Gray, Gold and Silver |
The new MacBook Air has a slightly new design. It now has slimmer bezels around the display and is powered by the 8th generation Intel Core processors.
The new MacBook Air has 13.3-inch Retina Display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 pixels. The base variant of the MacBook Air is powered by 1.6GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor, along with 8GB RAM, and 128GB SSD. You can go all in and buy a fully specced out MacBook Air with up to 16GB RAM and up to 1.5TB SSD as well.
The ports, however, will remain the same. You’ll get two USB Type-C ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The notebook also features Apple’s Touch ID for secure login.
The new MacBook Air also has the butterfly switch keyboards with individually lit buttons, and there’s a new Force Touch trackpad, which is said to be 20 percent larger than the one found on the current MacBook Air model.
Pricing
The base variant of the new MacBook Air is priced at Rs. 1,14,900 in India. The variant with 256GB SSD carries a price tag of Rs. 1,34,900.
Availability
There’s no official word on the MacBook Air’s availability in India, but it is now up for pre-order from the Apple website and will go on sale starting November 7 in the United States. The laptop is expected to land in India by the end of this year, so keep your eyes peeled.
from Beebom https://beebom.com/apple-macbook-air-2018-specifications-launch-date-price-india/
Apple iPad Pro (2018) vs iPad Pro (2017): What’s New https://beebom-redkapmedia.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/ipad-pro-features.jpg
Apple today unveiled two completely redesigned variants of its iPad Pro tablet and they’re all-screen (well, almost), backed by a powerful new A12X Bionic processor, and bezels tiny enough to not be able to fit the home button, and Face ID from the iPhone X, among several other exciting things.
The Cupertino giant has upgraded its iPad Pro lineup after a couple of years and it has brought a number of significant upgrades, so let’s see how it compares to the previous-generation iPad Pro:
Design and Display
Starting off with the biggest and most noticeable change, Apple has given its iPad Pro lineup a much-needed, modern revamp. It has tried pushing the screen to the very edge to now include rounded corners and an equally-sized bezel on all sides, a tradition that began with Apple iPhone X.
This has enabled the company to pack a larger 11-inch display in the same footprint as your previous-gen 10.5-inch iPad Pro model and considerably reduce the size of the larger 12.9-inch variant – including a same-sized display. This means we bid adieu to the home button and Touch ID, in favor of Face ID that’s integrated into the top bezel.
Face ID on the new iPad Pro models works in portrait and landscape
The screens on the new iPad Pro models are still the same Retina Display, with ProMotion technology that supports a 120Hz refresh rate. It has the same resolution and pixel density, while also featuring its True Tone technology.
Also, I’d like to bring to your notice that Apple has used 100% recycled aluminum to build its new iPad Pro. This is a small but essential eco-friendly step that helps reduce e-waste.
Internals
The new iPad Pro variants are powered by the souped-up A12X Bionic processor, which now boast of 4 power and 4 efficiency cores. It also introduces a seven-core Apple-designed GPU to enhance gaming performance by up to two times. This is a major leap compared to the A10X Fusion chip which powered the previous-gen iPad Pro and has for the last couple of years.
The latest iPad Pro models are also the first iPads to ever include a Neural Engine, which enables a host of features and AR experiences on this device. Both of the devices now run iOS 12.1 so the software shouldn’t be a big problem for users.
Cameras
Apple hasn’t really made any changes in the optics department and the newly launched iPad Pro continues to pack the same 12MP rear and the 7MP front camera (that’s included in the TrueDepth camera system) as previous-gen iPad Pro models.
There are some minor changes on board, such as the inclusion of new features such as Portrait mode, Portrait Lighting, and the playful Animoji (along with Memoji), but I’m a little disappointed to see the total lack of any form of stabilization this time around. The previous-gen iPad Pro had OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) on board.
Connectivity
Though I wouldn’t really have brought up connectivity, the iPad Pro now includes a USB-C 3.1 Gen 2 port for charging and data transfer purposes over Apple’s proprietary lightning port that is seen on the previous-gen iPad Pro.
Apple says it will allow users to connect a host of accessories and devices to the iPad Pro, such as an external display, cameras, musical instruments, and a lot more.
Apple Pencil
The Cupertino giant has also unveiled a second-gen Apple Pencil at the launch event and it’s only compatible with the new iPad Pro models. It features an all-white aesthetic, with matte finish and a touch sensor for a double-tap gesture. It’s also simple to pair and charge the new Apple Pencil, which now magnetically attaches to the iPad Pro.
The second-gen Apple Pencil remains on charge Till You detach it from the iPad Pro.
This is surely a much-needed upgrade over the original Apple Pencil, which needs to be plugged vertically into the lightning port on previous-gen iPads to pair and charge. So, this is one important upgrade if you’re looking to upgrade.
iPad Pro (2018) vs iPad Pro (2017): Specs Sheet
The new iPad Pro is a substantial and worthy upgrade to the older-gen iPad Pro, so let me sum up the differences for you in a quick specs shootout:
| Specs/Model | New iPad Pro | Old iPad Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Display | 11-inch and 12.9-inch Liquid Retina, with ProMotion tech | 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch Retina, with ProMotion tech |
| Processor | A12X Bionic | A10X Fusion |
| Internal Storage | up to 1TB | up to 512GB |
| Rear Camera | 12MP (f/1.8), no form of stabilization | 12MP (f/1.8), with OIS |
| Front Camera | 7MP (f/2.2) with Animoji, Portrait mode, Portrait Lighting | 7MP (f/2.2) |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, GLONASS, eSIM, USB Type-C charging port, | Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GPS, GLONASS, nano SIM, lightning port |
| Biometric Authentication | Face ID | Touch ID |
| IP Rating | N.A | N.A |
| Apple Pencil | 2nd-gen | 1st-gen |
| Colors | Silver, Space Gray | Silver, Space Gray, Gold and Rose Gold |
Price
Finally, let’s talk about how much extra would you need to shell out to get the latest iPad Pro. The older-gen iPad Pro started at Rs. 52,900 for the Wi-Fi-only 64GB base variant of the 10.5-inch model, whereas the new 11-inch model will cost you a whopping Rs. 71,900.
As for the larger 12.9-inch model, which is the same size as the older-gen iPad Pro, the Cupertino giant has priced the Wi-Fi-only 64GB variant at a Rs. 89,900 in comparison to the Rs. 65,900 price tag of the older-gen variant.
That’s a substantial difference in retail price as compared to the previous-gen model and falls in line with Apple’s recent mind-boggling pricing tactic – similar to the recent iPhone models. However, it’s definitely worth the upgrade for the features it offers, despite the higher price tag.
So, would you be interested in picking up the new iPad Pro? Let us know in the comments down below.
from Beebom https://beebom.com/apple-ipad-pro-2018-vs-ipad-pro-2017-a-quick-comparison/