Dell India presents the latest XPS 13

Dell has announced the launch of XPS 13, a high performance, artfully constructed laptop. The stunning 13.3-inch laptop sports virtually borderless Infinity Edge touch display, a design pioneered by Dell, and is backed by the unmatched Intel 8th generation core processors offering increased performance. 

Dell XPS 13 has been consistently winning accolades as one of the best 13” Windows notebooks and is one of the jewel products of the XPS family The XPS 13 has all of the manageability and select security features of Latitude in an aggressively thin and competitive form factor. The Dell XPS range is an acclaimed range and has garnered over 300 product awards, with a number of industry ‘firsts’ and ‘bests’ across form factor breakthroughs, display prowess, battery life to its acclaim.

Dell’s iconic virtually borderless Infinity Edge display maximizes screen space by squeezing a 13.3-inch display in an 11-inch form. With a bezel only 5.2 mm thin, starting at only 1.22kg and measuring a super slim 9-15 mm, the XPS 13 is exceptionally thin and light.

With more power into an already incredible design, the latest 8th gen Intel® Core processors offer increased performance with 4 cores, all in a sleek (9-15mm thin) form. More cores mean increased performance during multitasking, plus, Dynamic Power Mode, engineered by Dell, delivers extra processing power, while intelligently monitoring and managing system temperatures. Dell Dynamic power mode with new 8th generation processors delivers up to 44% improved performance over 7th gen processors.*

Key features:

•    More screen, less to carry: The Dell XPS 13 has a unique virtually borderless InfinityEdge display, with only a 5.2mm bezel on the top and both sides and weighs between 2.7lbs (1.2kg), 2.9lbs (1.29kg) for touch
•    Premium Design: The Dell XPS 13 is crafted with machined aluminum, carbon fiber and hardened Corning Gorilla Glass NBT for incredible durability and a superior experience. The palm rest, made of carbon fiber is thin but strong like aluminum and feels cool to the skin
•    Stunning Viewing angle: Dell XPS 13 is embedded with IPS wide-viewing angles, which allows one to enjoy 170° views on a brilliantly bright, 400-nit screen
•    Stay powered longer: Dell Dynamic power mode with new 8th generation processors delivers up to 44% improved performance over 7th gen processors. Dynamic Power Mode delivers extra processing power, squeezing every drop of power out of the CPU, while intelligently monitoring and managing system temperatures.
•    Killer Wireless: The Dell XPS 13 comes with Killer 1535 Wireless-AC, which provides the strongest and most reliable Wi-Fi connection and is designed specifically to make online videos, voice and games play faster and smoother.
•    Leading-edge connectivity: The XPS 13 features a new Thunderbolt 3 port, which is the newest generation of Type-C connectivity, enabling up to 8x the transfer speeds of USB 3.0 at up to 40Gbps and is twice as fast as Thunderbolt 2
•    Ultra-sharp Resolution: With an UltraSharp Quad HD+ display experience eye-popping clarity and detail, which boasts an incredible 5.7 million pixels. That is 4.4 million more pixels than an HD+ and 2.5 times that of a Full HD display.
•    Smarter material and Power-efficient: The XPS 13 is also ENERGY STAR® qualified.  It’s EPEAT Gold registered14 and BFR/PVC-free15, free of materials like cadmium, lead, mercury and some phthalates,

Availability and Pricing:

Dell XPS 13 is now available for purchase in India at a starting price of INR 84,590 on www.dell.co.in, at select Dell Exclusive Stores, Croma and Reliance Digital outlets

InFocus unveils Vision 3, India’s full screen smartphone At Rs 6,999

InFocus Smartphone has announced the launch of their latest smartphone InFocus Vision 3 for the Indian market. It features a 5.7-inch full vision screen and 18:9 HD high resolution display. 

The InFocus Vision 3 comes equipped with a unique camera feature ‘Dualfie’, which is exclusively developed for the Indian consumers. Fot those new to this feature, it allows to click simultaneously from the front and rear camera to display the image together on the large screen.

A 18:9 Full Screen with 5.7 inch and 82.4% HD High-resolution screen ratio screen, the InFocus Vision 3 is a perfect companion for consumers that enjoy video streaming. The InFocus Vision 3 sports a 13 MP AZ and 5 MP 120° Wide-angle camera. The Vision 3 also sports one key split screen to work on 2 apps simultaneously, the larger screen makes this feature more viable to use.

The 8MP front camera comes loaded with beauty features and allows up to 7 levels of beauty modifications. The front camera also sports background blur to give definition to subjects. Another interesting camera feature of the InFocus Vision 3 is that is allows users to click and share photo stories in a grid. Grid photography allows users to take photos creatively, which can be directly shared on social media and with peers. It houses a powerful 4000 mAh battery allows the device to run for up to 22 days on standby (stated by company) and can also be used as reverse charger power bank.

It is powered by MTK 6737H 4-Cores 1.3GHz Processor and the Android Nougat operating system. The smart Fingerprint sensor allows the users to save up to 4 sets of fingerprints and access multiple applications at the touch of a tip.

The Vision 3 offers striking and clear HD+ full vision display. It comes loaded with 2GB RAM + 16GB variant which is expandable up to 64GB memory (through micro SD)

The InFocus Vision 3 will be available at Rs. 6,999 from 20th December 12 AM onwards and will be exclusively available on Amazon.in.

Stay tuned as we post the review of the budget smartphone soon.


Source: Techpads
 

Sony introduces new powerful speaker systems SA-D40 and SA-D20

Extending its home audio line-up, Sony India today launched its stylish and affordable speaker systems, the SA-D40 and SA-D20. Driven by innovation the new additions offer powerful sound, strong bass, and enhanced connectivity with unique design for both television and smartphone usage.
4.1 and 2.1 channel multimedia speaker with 80W and 60W power output for SA-D40 and SA-D20 respectively.

Empowering an immersive sound experience, SA-D40’s 4.1 and SA-D20’s 2.1 channel surround sound system offers impactful bass with wider sound effect, contributing to a multi-faceted television viewing experience by ensuring a real cinema like audio ambience at home. Adding to Sony’s overall audio tech capabilities these speakers provide a rich audio quality, delivering balanced and precise sound.

Experience pure high power audio with SA-D40’s 4.1 and SA-D20’s 2.1 channel multimedia speakers boosted with an 80W and 60W power output respectively.

Wireless music with Bluetooth and USB
Connect phone wirelessly through Bluetooth streaming and enjoy favourite mobile songs with enhanced sound. The Bluetooth and USB capabilities of the speakers not only enhance TV sound but offer easier access to listen to music by smartphone and USB effortlessly. The speakers can also memorize upto eight Bluetooth devices for easy connection.

The SA-D40 and SA-D20 are accompanied with one supplied cable required to connect with TV. With a simple and user friendly remote controller, it comes in a handy size and is fit to the hand.

Reproduce massive deep bass with the big size sub-woofer embedded in both SA-D40 and SA-D20. For high quality audio, the SA-D40 especially offers a wider peak frequency range providing a holistic audio treat for the consumers. SA-D40 and SA-D20 are tuned based on Indian latest movies and music titles by Sony’s sound engineer. Thanks to this, SA-D40 and SA-D20 realize best sound with entertainment.

The SA-D20 and SA-D40 will be available across all Sony Centers and major electronic stores in India.

Product    Availability    MRP    Best buy    Colours
SA-D40
13th December    Rs. 8,490/-    Rs. 7,990/-    Black
SA-D20
13th December    Rs. 7,490/-    Rs. 6,990/-    Black

Panasonic launches all new sleek and stylish – Eluga I9

Panasonic India, a leader in innovation and technology launched the latest addition to its Eluga range - Eluga I9, a phone with super sleek design (7.8mm) and 2.5D curved screen for better picture quality and enhanced viewing experience. The 4G VoLTE enabled smartphone is a complete holistic entertainment device that features a 5” HD display for crystal clear picture quality and an eight hour video Playback support to watch your favorite movies, TV series and videos. The all new Eluga I9 will be available from 15th December 2017, exclusively on Flipkart for Rs. 7499.

Eluga I9 comes with the unique fingerprint sensor which allows the user to take superb selfies with just one touch and provides the smartphone with an impenetrable security that can be surpassed only by the user. The new Eluga device lets you enjoy best photo quality and shooting experience with the 13MP Auto Focus Rear Camera with LED flash and 5MP Front Camera which gives the perfect selfie shot. In addition, users can add some fun by editing pictures in different modes such as watermark, Panaroma, burst mode and various other filters to make photographs look more interesting. 

Eluga I9 is encased in a full unibody design that protects the phone from humidity, dust and is extremely durable.  The power-packed Eluga I9 comes with 1.25 GHz quad core processor, 3GB RAM, Android Nougat 7.0 and 32 GB ROM expandable upto 128 GB.  It delivers high performance with 2500 mAh battery.

The new smartphone is a great blend of style and class which makes it appear really sleek. Eluga I9 equipped with Arbo, an artificial assistant developed by Panasonic that tracks the user’s routine and help the user to plan his day better by giving suggestions based on users usage pattern. It also has an in-built OTG Support for smooth connectivity. Other connectivity options include 4G, LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS.

The sleek Eluga I9 will be available in three stunning colors – Space grey, Champagne Gold and Blue from December 15th onwards exclusively on Flipkart

HARMAN Launches Harman Kardon Allure with Amazon Alexa in India

HARMAN International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. focused on connected technologies for automotive, consumer and enterprise market, today announced the availability of Harman Kardon Allure in India. An intelligent speaker with Amazon Alexa Voice Service, the Allure complements any home space with its stunning design and beautiful 360-degree Harman Kardon sound and was first unveiled at IFA, in Berlin in August 2017. Harman Kardon Allure is priced at INR 22,490 and available exclusively for Prime members on Amazon.in starting today. 

By pairing Harman Kardon’s refined and powerful audio performance with Alexa’s intuitive voice technology, Allure brings discerning music-lovers a richer, premium listening experience, anywhere anytime, around the home.

Harman Kardon Allure is hands free and controlled by voice commands. Just ask Alexa to play music, read the news, make purchases from Amazon.in, and more. Even in noisy environments, proprietary far-field voice technology allows the speaker to hear commands from a far distance. Alexa is always getting smarter and customers from India can enable over 11,000 skills - which makes using Harman Kardon Allure a truly personal experience.

With Alexa, users can enjoy skills from across sectors like Travel (Uber, Ola, Goibibo, Jet Airways), order Food and hear recipes (Faasos, Box8, Freshmenu, Zomato, Tarla Dalaal), get Sports & Entertainment updates (Amazon Prime Music, Saavn, ESPNCricinfo, Bollywood Hungama), News and Education (Times of India, NDTV, ABP Live, AajTak, Byju’s), Home Services (UrbanClap, Housejoy) as well as control their Smart Home (Syska, Phillips, Silvan) with their voice.

The sturdy yet elegant transparent design of Allure blends into any interior with a subtle touch of delicacy and ease. Place it anywhere and the speaker will be able to fill any space with refined and powerful 360-degree Harman Kardon sound.

Harman Kardon Allure’s stunning 360-degree ambient lighting design glows from within. The ambient light will react to the voice commands and move along with the rhythm of the music.

“We’re excited to launch this much sought-after product in India. Ever since its launch at IFA in August - we have seen tremendous interest and demand for the Harman Kardon Allure from our Indian customers” said Sumit Chauhan, Vice President - Lifestyle Audio Division at HARMAN India.

“Research shows the number one use of digital voice services is music streaming and Allure with its premium sound quality, iconic design, and exceptional voice-enabled technology, will produce a spectacular sound experience while delivering on our promise of elevating a connected life through smart technology.”

KEY FEATURES
•    Powered by Amazon Alexa Voice Service: Connect to Alexa through dual-band Wi-Fi, just ask and Alexa will provide information, place an order, play music, and more. It’s always getting smarter and adding new features with more than 11,000 Alexa skills.
•    Far-field Voice Recognition:  Built-in 4-microphone array with advanced noise cancellation technology allows for hands-free voice control from across the room.
•    360-Degree Sound: Transducers and built-in subwoofer produce 360-degrees of rich and powerful sound that fills up every corner of the room.
•    360-Degree ambient Lighting: 360-Degree, multicolored and responsive lighting in an iconic design to elevate and enhance any décor.
•    Wireless Bluetooth Streaming: Stream room-filling music wirelessly from your mobile devices via Bluetooth.

Intex Launches its latest Multi-faceted and Powerful Smartphone - ELYT e6

Keeping in mind New Year festivities and Christmas, Intex Technologies, one of the leading Indian mobile handset players, has introduced a new multifaceted, big on features & stylish 4G-VoLTE smartphone -  ELYT e6 – specially for the festive season. Flaunting elegant sleek looks with a 2.5D curved glass, the 4G-Volte device is packed with powerful features - 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM, 13MP rear camera and 8 MP selfie camera with Flash and big battery. All these classy features in one smartphone is exclusively available on Flipkart at a competitive price of Rs 6999.

The 4G-enabled ELYT e6 comes with a 5-inch HD FL display supported with a 2.5D curved glass display giving a smoother touch & swipe experience along with premium and elegant looks. The display is well protected with the super tough Dragontrail glass, one of the best for protection and sturdy usage, being six-times tougher than conventional glass. ELYT e6 is powered with 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM, 1.25GHz & 64-bit Quad Core Mediatek processor, ensuring smooth performance while playing high-end games or watching videos and multitasking.

Running on the latest Android 7.0 OS, the 4G dual-SIM smartphone is powered with a big 4000mAh Li-Poly battery, which offers a talk-time of up to 8-16 hours and a standby time of more than 12 days.

For photography enthusiasts and selfie lovers, Elyt e6 has a 13MP Rear AF Camera with LED flash and 8MP selfie camera with LED Flash to let you capture best moments and selfies, resulting in stunning images. To top it all, these moments can be easily shared with the OTG support to ensure smooth sharing.

Elyt e6 has an in-built 32GB ROM with an expandable memory of up to 128GB. The elegant device will be available in Black.

Sachin Saga Cricket Champions scores over 1.00 Mn downloads in less than a week of launch

JetSynthesys’ Sachin Saga Cricket Champions today announced a successful milestone of achieving 1.00 Million downloads within a week of its launch. Within less than a week, the cricketing mobile game has become one of the top-most downloaded games on Google Play making it one of the most awaited and popular cricket based game in India.

Launched on 7th December by the Master Blaster himself, the game gives fans an opportunity to relive the legend’s career by stepping into his shoes. “Sachin Saga Cricket Champions” creates a larger than life virtual cricketing experience on a mobile device. Through the technology embedded in the game, the players for the first time can experience real-time shadows and motion captures in a mobile game without hampering the game’s performance.

The pre-registrations for this game opened on Google Play Store on 1st of October. The game was also featured as #1 by Google on pre-registration amongst top global titles.

Talking about this incredible milestone, Mr. Rajan Navani, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, JetSynthesys said, “The game has received a stupendous response from cricket lovers across the country. Over the last few months, the team at JetSynthesys has worked meticulously to develop a world class cricketing experience by bringing alive the on-ground magic on mobile phones. The success of the game amongst cricket fans and mobile game lovers validates our efforts. We are elated with the success of the Sachin Saga Champions and are confident that the game will continue garnering traction in the times to come.”

Additional updates on the game available here http://www.sachinsaga.com/

Gionee offers its loyal customers another reason to smile with international trips

Dream limitless with Gionee ‘Smile Squad’; as the smartphone giant unveils its super rewarding customer loyalty program. With every new Gionee purchase all customers, existing and new, get a chance to win bumper prizes such as couple trips to Thailand or brand-new bikes. Additionally, a customer also gets a scratch card with an assured discount coupon of up to Rs.500; redeemable on the next purchase or, gets a chance to win exciting gifts like gold coins and Gionee smartphones.

Ushering in the seasonal festivities, Gionee kick starts the campaign on December 10th 2017, which is slated to conclude on January 31st 2018. Adding to the insights, the scratch card offers a plethora of Gionee bounties such as discount coupons  upto Rs.500 on all Gionee models which can be redeemed by 31st March on their next purchase from the same retailer. Customers can also stand a chance to win special gifts like 5gm Gold Coins and Free Smart Phones which can also be redeemed by 31st March 2018. However, to claim the bumper prize, all consumers are required to register themselves on Gionee’s website, collect their unique ID and play ‘Spin the Wheel’ and become a star of ‘Smile Squad’.

The winners of the contest will receive confirmation through email or SMS on registered mobile number and can redeem the prizes after the campaign period ends (31st January,2018) till 31st March,2018.

Gionee ‘Smile Squad’ is an exclusive community of Gionee users and the community was formed with a single purpose – to spread smiles and enrich the lives of our customers with exciting goodies and gifts. Anybody can join the squad by simply purchasing a Gionee phone. So, get a Gionee smartphone today, because the chances to win bumper prizes ends soon.

JetSynthesys and Sachin Tendulkar launch “Sachin Saga Cricket Champions”

JetSynthesys, a leading digital entertainment and gaming company has launched its much-awaited game “Sachin Saga Cricket Champions” featuring the Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar. At a high decibel event today, Sachin Tendulkar unveiled the game along with Mr. Kris Gopalakrishnan, Non-Executive Chairman, JetSynthesys and Mr. Rajan Navani, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, JetSynthesys.

“Sachin Saga Cricket Champions” is the official mobile gaming app of the cricketing God himself. The game aims to bring to life, the Legends’ cricketing style and iconic matches to every Indian. Through this game, the player gets a chance to step into the shoes of Sachin Tendulkar and relive his innings from some of the most memorable matches he has played for the country.

Set to go live today, “Sachin Saga Cricket Champions” creates a larger than life virtual cricketing experience on a mobile device. Through the technology embedded in the game, the players for the first time can experience real-time shadows and motion captures in a mobile game without hampering the game’s performance.

Commenting on the launch of his game, Sachin Tendulkar said, “With Sachin Saga, the aim is to bring cricket fans together and enable each one of them to experience my journey through this game.  Sachin Saga Cricket Champions is a game that also has a lot of trivia and fun in addition to being competitive and challenging.”

He further added, “I wanted to ensure that everyone got a chance to play this game, no matter what phone they had, hence our team has really worked hard to bring this game to every mobile device. I really hope the game helps cricket enthusiasts to become champions in the digital games arena with their talent and my experience”

Talking about this notable milestone Mr. Rajan Navani, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, JetSynthesys said, “It is delightful to see the response we have received through the pre-registration from cricket lovers across the country. Our vision through this game, is to give mobile gaming players the opportunity to re-live the magnificent career of a superstar sportsman like Sachin Tendulkar. We are upbeat about our proposition and are hoping that the cricketing universe enjoys the effort we have put in to bring dream to reality on a virtual platform.”

Mr. Kris Gopalakrishnan, Non-Executive Chairman, JetSynthesys said “Our global game development team at JetSynthesys has leveraged state of the art technology to create an engaging experience for gamers around the world, in a sport that is a religion in India, brought to life with the iconic Sachin Tendulkar”.
Unique aspects of the game
A one of its kind game, ‘Sachin Saga Cricket Champions’ is bound to delight Sachin and cricket fans with its intense and authentic cricket action. With realistic motion capture and cricketing stance of the Little Master, this futuristic game with console quality visuals of the international cricketer, puts the player to face every challenge that the legend overcame to become the God of cricket.

The game brings in real time shadow movements, authentic stadium environments and swift motion quality of fielders plucking the ball out from thin-air. One moment you are facing a legendary leg spinner and the other you are up against a reverse swinging yorker. This game ensures that the followers of the sport experience intense excitement in the middle of the pitch!

Some exclusive features in the game:

Legendary Mode
    Play as the master blaster himself in his most iconic matches from his past in the same conditions and stadiums as he did. Start the journey of a young 16-year-old Sachin that made him a legend and play his glorious career of 24 years.

Gameplay
    All new revolutionary real-world batting system that emulates real-world playing conditions which result in authentic batting experiences.
    Play the game in its truest form (zone based bat connections) i.e. well-timed connection of the bat with the ball defines the outcome of the shot and a miss timed connection could result in a catch.
    Motion captured batting shots of Sachin himself that allows you to play all his legendary shots the way he does.
    Dynamic camera angles that allow you to relive your shots from the best angles.
    Replay camera – Experience the beauty of the shot in slow motion as you knock one out all the way.
    Watch fielders pull out the ball from thin air to take stunning catches.
    Fielders slide and dive to reach the ball just like in actual games.

JetSynthesys aims to leverage its core capabilities of gaming, video and music to digitally connect celebrities, brands and consumers, to drive user engagement and monetization through personalization. With innovation in patented platforms, AI & Machine Learning, it is tapping into the exciting and fast-growing space of mobile gaming in India. 

Jabra launches Jabra Elite 25e headphones with best-in-class battery for wireless calls and music

Jabra, part of the GN Group, pioneers in sound, launches the Jabra Elite 25e, an in-ear stereo neckband headphone with best-in-class battery for wireless calls and music*. The Jabra Elite 25e are full mobility on-the-go headphones that allow for seamlessly switching between calls and music throughout the day for optimal effectiveness and productivity – all of this for an accessible price point.

The Jabra Elite 25e headphones are perfectly powered: One charge delivers all day or week power with up to 18 hours of battery life – giving you the freedom to stay connected anytime and anywhere. This is the best performance for a headset in this class. Whether the headphones are used for listening to music, commuting or making and taking calls, the wind-protected microphone allows for total concentration. 

The neckband has bendable flex zones and the design will ensure a great fit and all-day comfort. By enhancing the fit with Jabra’s EarGels users get better in-ear sound. The eargels and speakers are engineered for an immersive audio experience. The new eargel design allows for a more secure and comfortable fit with less audio leakage as a result. This greatly improves the listening experience, so whether you prefer rich bass or crisp high tunes, your sound quality needs won’t be compromised.

With a dedicated voice control button and message read out, you have one-touch access to Siri and Google Now, letting you access information hands-free, on the move. There’s no longer any need to take your phone out of your pocket if you want to answer a call or change your tune!

Features
•    All-day music and calls. Up to 18 hours of battery time.
•    Amazing durability. Wind and water resistant. IP54 rated.
•    Even better fit. Improved neckband and EarGelsTM design.
•    Optimal connectivity. Connects up to 8 devices via Bluetooth, and two at the same time with Multiuse
•    Dedicated voice control button. One-touch access to Siri and Google Now.
•    Exceptional sound quality. Speakers engineered for immersive audio.

Jabra Elite 25e will be available at Croma, Amazon and all Jabra authorized resellers from Dec 05, 2017 at a price of Rs3,999.

GOQii introduces Smart Preventive Family Healthcare and Health Store

GOQii, the preventive healthcare platform, is expanding its healthcare services to GOQii health 3.0 ecosystem. As part of the new services offerings, GOQii is introducing Smart Preventive Health Care plans and a new fitness tracker. GOQii health 3.0 consists of a suite of new offerings that will be available to all existing GOQii users in the beginning of 2018. These services will be available in India and will roll out to other countries through 2018.

The new offerings are:-

Smart Preventive Family Healthcare Plan: GOQii Family Care is a one-stop solution for all health concerns of your family. This is in keeping with GOQii’s commitment to encouraging players as well as their family to make a permanent shift towards a healthier lifestyle. GOQii Family care connects, tracks and takes care of the family’s health with consultations by GOQii care team consisting of GOQii Coach, GOQii Doctors and GOQii health experts.

Vishal Gondal, Founder & CEO, GOQii says: “As our platform expands we are trying to fulfil the health care needs of an entire family instead of just an individual. There are number of active players who have already enrolled their families on the platform for over two years. Based on this learning and experiences, we were prompted to introduce family care plans. We found that families who adopt healthy lifestyle together develop stronger family bonds and are more likely to accomplish their health goals.”   

Games4Good: Cognitive abilities can be maintained or improved by exercising the brain, the same way physical fitness is improved by exercising the body. GOQii Games4Good is a series of puzzle-based cognitive games built into the GOQii app that helps players exercise their mind and prevent brain disorders and improve their memory, cognitive powers and overall mental health.

Gondal adds, “Gaming has proven as an effective tool for behaviour modification. With the addition of Cognitive Gaming, your health experience will become more fun, engaging and good for your brain and help prevent conditions like Alzheimer and Dementia”.

GOQii Health Store: Is a GOQii curated health marketplace with a suit of wide variety of products and services catering to individual’s needs and preferences. GOQii has entered into one of the most comprehensive strategic partnerships with various companies in the health and fitness categories such as healthy snacks, health food delivery brands, health supplements, online pharmacy, diagnostics, genetic testing, gym, and accessories.

Qualcomm Announces Support for Android Oreo (Go edition)

Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ:QCOM) has announced support for Android Oreo (Go edition), an optimized experience for smartphones supporting 1 GB or less of memory. Qualcomm Technologies is working with Google to enable the next wave of value priced smartphones with a focus on speed and reliability. Android Oreo (Go edition) offers an improved user experience by optimizing the Android operating system and applications to run more efficiently on devices with less storage, and RAM. This allows greater consumer flexibility as mobile users in emerging regions such as India, Southeast Asia and Africa gain access to a wider variety of Android smartphones with a more modern operating system. Mid and low-tier Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile platforms will be ready to be used by device manufacturers shortly after the latest version of Android (in this case Android 8.1 Oreo ) is released to the Android Open Source Project.

“We are excited to implement Android Oreo (Go edition) within the Qualcomm Snapdragon mobile platform family as it will enable consumers around the world to experience a more robust operating system for lower cost smartphones,” said Nancy Fares, vice president of product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “Android Oreo (Go edition) delivers an optimized Android user experience key for emerging regions where lower bill of materials costs are especially attractive, as well as in established regions for pre-paid and lifeline uses.”

Android Oreo (Go edition) ships with a rebuilt set of Google’s most popular apps that were designed from the ground up to address local needs, plus a tuned version of Google Play that allows users to download any app, but also highlights apps designed to work best on smartphones with 1 GB or less of memory. In addition, Android Oreo (Go edition) includes features to control and monitor data usage, plus the same security improvements that Google launched with Android Oreo. When paired with a Snapdragon mobile platform, consumers will benefit from new experiences not seen before from smartphones in this range.

“Entry-level devices are the gateway to the internet for many people, and we want to make sure everyone has a great experience when they use these devices,” said Sameer Samat, vice president of product management, Android and Google Play. “We’re excited that Android Oreo (Go edition) will significantly improve storage, performance, data management, and security.”

Android Oreo (Go edition) is expected to be available running on devices based on Snapdragon mobile platforms in early 2018.

OnePlus 5T Star Wars Limited Edition launched

OnePlus has announced the latest smartphone OnePlus 5T Star Wars Limited Edition in association with one of the most awaited movies of the year -- Star Wars: The Last Jedi to celebrate the OnePlus anniversary in India on Dec 02, 2017.

This association is a first step in celebrating this milestone together with our community in India. OnePlus and Star Wars fans can be a part of the launch event in Mumbai by booking the tickets for Rs. 999 only on Paytm, starting 7th Dec from 10 am onwards.

Star Wars has enthralled generations with their masterful storytelling from a galaxy far, far away, with the best in technology and strong engagement with their fan community. Similarly, OnePlus too has a dedicated community that is deeply passionate about the best in technology, design and attention to detail. With this befitting association, OnePlus community will be able to thoroughly enjoy the legacy of both the brands.

OnePlus 5T — Star Wars Limited Edition will go on sale starting 15th December across all channels including on Amazon.in, oneplusstore.in and OnePlus experience zones in Bangalore and Noida.

Gionee Launches Eight New Models with Full View Display

Gionee unveiled eight exciting new smartphones for China and global markets, each featuring a dazzling FullView display, making Gionee the first mobile phone manufacturer to offer this breakthrough technology on every product in its portfolio. New models are S11S, S11, S11 lite, M7 Plus, M7, M7 Power, M7 mini, and F205.

Chairman Liu Shared Gionee’s FullView Strategy at Launch Event.

The company launched its new lineup at the Gionee Global Product Launch Event – Winter 2017, in Shenzhen, China, and attended by nearly 500 members of the local and international media, as well as special guests, including brand ambassador and celebrated actress Liu Tao and renowned portrait photographer Jesse.

During the event, Chairman Liu shared his insights about the smartphone industry, and affirmed that Gionee’s strategic use of FullView display on all of its models, not just its high-end models, puts the brand at the forefront of the technological breakthrough driving market growth.

“Gionee’s strategy of producing a complete line of FullView display smartphones is also a strategy of product innovation and product differentiation,” said Gionee Chairman Liu Lirong during his speech. “In addition to features like long battery life, security, and quad-camera photography, we will also be carrying forward other hallmarks of Gionee products. These include innovative functions, materials, and interactive experiences. Gionee will continue to make breakthroughs. This is how our products embody Gionee’s brand philosophy of ‘technology for a better life.”

To equip its latest models with FullView display, Gionee leveraged its vast R&D and manufacturing resources, extensive sales network, and strong supply chain integration. This required close cooperation with Samsung to implement its AMOLED screen technology, which has become the benchmark for smartphone screens in the industry. Gionee is one of the few smartphone makers to get a steady supply of this state-of-the-art technology.

Following Chairman Liu’s speech, Jesse, the photographer most famous for his portraits of “The Handsomest 85-year-old Grandpa,” shared his appreciation for the new-generation camera capabilities found on Gionee’s new smartphones, along with his insights about how to shoot great photos. In turn, Miss Liu Tao shared her thoughts about the stylish designs of Gionee’s latest smartphones, as well as how to take a beautiful selfie and look fashionable.

S11 to Lead Gionee’s Overseas Offerings:

Among Gionee’s new models, S11, S11 lite, M7 Power and F205 will be sold worldwide, with S11 being the flagship product for overseas markets, targeting young, influential, fashionable consumers who rely on mobile devices to access the Internet, especially social media, play games, take photos and stay in touch with friends.

Gionee equipped the S11 with its four camera that include 16MP + 8MP dual camera in the front, 16MP + 5MP dual camera in the rear and real-time hardware-level bokeh that will recognize you as the object and blur the background, and upgraded beauty modes.

S11’s 5.99-inch, bezel-less FullView display with 18:9 aspect ratio provides a more satisfying interface for watching videos, playing games, browsing the Internet, reading, taking and sharing beautiful photos.

The S11’s stylishly curved body shape perfectly fits in the hand, and is crafted using nine types of manufacturing innovations, including a 20-step sophisticated process, create a unique pattern, which combined by micron-level texture, with the width and density as small as 5μm, which let the body surface could reflect light with prismatic 3D effects.

Powered by an octa-core P23 processor, this high-end phone comes with 6GB RAM and 64GB ROM. The storage is expandable up to 256GB via microSD card. It runs on Amigo 5.0 based on Android 7.1 with a battery capacity of 3410mAh.

S11S sets the benchmark for Gionee photography enthusiasts:

Gionee equipped the S11S flagship of the S Series in China with its four camera that includes an impressive 20MP + 8MP fixed-focus dual camera in the front and 16MP + 8MP auto-focus dual camera in the rear – the best camera capability in Gionee’s portfolio. S11S also includes customized photo processor DSP, provides enhanced HDR Effect and wider dynamic range, hardware-level bokeh and other S Series capabilities and features.

S11S also features S Series’ new high-tech design aesthetic. Its stainless steel frame provides a stronger case than aluminum alloy, and its highly polished surface appears more luxurious, while providing a comfortable grip.

The slim frame allows for a higher screen-to-body ratio, a 6.01-inch FullView Display with Samsung AMOLED screen and FHD+ 2160*1080 resolution, providing a more enjoyable game and movie experience.

S11S’s long battery life of 3600mAh with Intelligent Power Management System and fast-charging capability provides users with up to 13.5 hours of non-stop usage – a 20 percent improvement over the previous model. This is complemented by the phone’s large memory combination of 64GB ROM + 6GB RAM with expandable storage up to 256GB, and Helio P30 processor that provides a smoother operation overall.

S11S offers a higher level of payment security with bank card binding as well as NFC payments such as bus card swipes. Additionally, the phone has higher data security with Anti-theft 2.0 and Private Space.

M7 Plus to top the Gionee lineup 

Gionee’s new M7 Plus represents the highest level among its products for China market, equipped with a dual security chipset that guarantees the security of payment, system and data; battery capacity up to 5000mAh; and 6.43-inch, Samsung AMOLED 18:9 FullView display. In addition, this flagship smartphone comes with 6GB RAM and 128GB ROM, powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor.

M7 Plus is expected to appeal to professionals who need next-level security. The model also offers capacity to transfer amounts via Alipay IFAA2.0 standard.

M7 Plus also is the first Chinese brand phone to offer wireless charging, the first to have artificial intelligence, and Automatic Speech Recognition to cancel orders,and provide fast payment with a single touch.

OnePlus 5T sold out in less than 5 minutes on Amazon.in

OnePlus today announced that its latest premium flagship device – the OnePlus 5T was sold out within first 5 minutes, as a part of the special one-hour preview sale on Amazon.in. The OnePlus 5T received a stellar response from customers during the early access launch exclusively for Amazon Prime members on November 21st.

Commenting on the occasion, Vikas Agarwal, General Manager, OnePlus India, said, “The OnePlus 5T is our way of giving our community the latest and greatest technology, in form of a premium flagship smartphone. We have seen unprecedented customer response to the early access sales, in India as well as globally. Hundreds of fans have flocked to our Experience stores in Bangalore and Delhi, waiting in long queues to be amongst the first ones to get their hands on the new device. We are happy to announce that OnePlus 5T will go live for open sale, starting Nov 28th across all channels which includes Amazon.in, oneplusstore.in, select Croma stores and Experience zones in Bangalore and Delhi.” He added.

Globally, on November 21st, OnePlus 5T broke launch day sales record and in just 6 hours became the company's fastest selling device.

Available at a starting price of Rs. 32,999, the OnePlus 5T sports an immersive 18:9 Full Optic AMOLED Display, powerful dual camera optimized for low light performance and one of the fastest facial recognition technologies on the market.

The OnePlus 5T continues to offer unparalleled flagship experience powered by the most powerful chipset- Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Processor, precisely-tuned software, Dash Charge, upto 8 GB of RAM - with a slew of new additions on Oxygen OS for the most intuitive and refined Android experience.

Sansan launches the ‘Eight’ app in India

Sansan Inc., Japan’s leading provider of cloud-based business card management services, has launched the ‘Eight’ app in India. The company aims to fulfill its vision of transforming user connections in the country that has the world’s largest potential workforce. Pivoted on the power of connections and life changing moments catalyzed by chance encounters, Sansan is also going live with its maiden integrated campaign designed for India called #TogetherMade, onboarding Gul Panag as the key influencer.

Speaking at the launch event, Chika Terada, CEO, Sansan Inc. said, “For Asian professionals, the business card is a vital tool for networking and progression. More than 10 billion business cards are exchanged a year, and with Eight, we plan to not only streamline this process, but also add more value to it so that every connection counts for an individual. India represents a huge market for us due to its large English-speaking working population. We are focusing on India to help us reach our ultimate goal of creating the future of “no paper” business cards.”

The Eight app and the power of connection
The Eight app combines business card scanning features with social media functionality to connect users and enable them to capitalize on a superior networking platform. The app has implemented AI driven technologies and offers a new way to unleash the potential of business connections by converting analog business card information to digital. It ensures that business connections in India are available at everyone’s fingertips. With the Eight app, users can:

•    Use their smartphone camera to digitize business cards
•    Manage their contacts by digitizing business cards
•    Connect with contacts over the app itself
•    View insights through a real-time news feed
•    Utilize complete integration with their phone for email/phone conversations
•    Get recommendations of new connections
In Japan, Eight already has 2 million users, 5000 daily downloads and it also digitizes around 300,000 business cards every day. In India, connections are currency and upward mobility is highly driven by “who you know”, so Eight has brought a sophisticated and scalable business card digitization process that connects people in innovative ways. It intends to fix the management of business contacts without a lot of clutter and dissonance in the market.

In order to escalate the speed of digitizing business cards, Sansan will launch a business card scan partner program in India. Sansan provides its unique business card scanner to co-working spaces, chain shops such as coffee or tea chains where business persons come by, and facilities where more than 100 people visit per day. An Eight user can bring their large pile of exchanged business cards and save time to digitize them, which allows them to fully unleash the power of personal business connections. Sansan is also looking for business process outsourcing companies to create a joint operation to scan cards for Eight users. For those interested in this program, please contact here.

Edward Senju, Executive Producer of Eight added, “Since our establishment, we have continuously enhanced our transcription process to reach 99.8% accuracy, and to transcribe more than 200 million business cards a year in a secure way. By doing so, we have stored an enormous amount of data of business persons connections. Utilizing these data with AI technologies will help us provide new opportunities for our users.”

Protecting the Most Valuable Asset for Business Success with #TogetherMade

Eight recognizes that in India, contacts are critical currency for professional success. Any one contact made at any point in a person’s life or work can prove to be the powerful connect that changes the course of their career or helps them find a faster, better way to get ahead. Too often, however, these contacts are left to chance. Physical business cards collected from in-person meetings are often left in a stack on a desk, given to a secretary, or stored in disparate devices, networks and clouds. Eight provides a secure, seamless way to instantly organize business cards and cultivate every connection. Its technology ensures the accuracy of business card data as it is digitized and provides simple social tools that allow users to cultivate every connection.

Eight will celebrate the connections that have helped create the success stories that inspire the country. Its integrated campaign, #TogetherMade, will show how every success, even “self-made” successes, are the result of so many chance encounters and contacts. It will reinstate the need to protect every contact as anyone could turn out to be the lucky connection that changes the course of a career.

The campaign will launch with a #TogetherMade brand film that reveals the untold story of Gul Panag and how a series of chance encounters put her on the path to a storied career as an actor, entrepreneur and adventurer. It tells us that success isn’t really self-made, but #TogetherMade, a combination of our efforts and people influencing our lives in a positive way. Eight will celebrate this power of chance encounters across paid, owned and earned channels, with content and stories that reinforce the need to protect every contact that could, one day in the future, be critical.

Gul Panag said, “In our country we love and celebrate the stories of the self-made. However, so much of our success is due to the people who support us in big and small ways throughout our careers. We must value and protect every connection because, as my own story shows, they can shape our success in innumerable and invaluable ways. I am thrilled to introduce Eight to India, a country of professionals characterized by unwavering ambition and untold potential.”

The app is now expanding its market reach and India represents the beginning of a journey that will enable Eight to help millions make their dreams into reality.

My first impressions of Apple iPhone X

I have been an Apple Fanboy from the time I could afford one from my hard-earned money and iPhone X launch was no different as I waited for 4.5 hours on 4^th November to get my hands on it from the Apple Union Square Store in San Francisco. My wait was nothing compared to the gentleman who waited for 6 days to be the first one to get the iPhone X.

1. Automatic Setup: More of an iOS 11 feature, the transfer of content from my old iPhone to this one was a breeze.
   
2. First 10 minutes of hassle: If you have been a prolonged iPhone user like me then you need to unlearn a few steps to get comfortable with this beauty but in not more than 10 minutes you will become a pro in handling iPhone X and will not miss past gens of iPhone.
   
3. RIP Home Button: Given the great user experience, you will not miss the home button at all and suddenly makes one feel why the button existed in the first place.
   
4. Face ID: I loved the responsiveness of Face ID and it continues to surprise me with every usage and the best part is that it recognizes your face in utter darkness and will not unlock the phone if someone else is holding it against you. I still miss Touch ID at times when the phone is lying flat on my office desk and I need to just check a notification but other than that Face ID is a sheer consumer delight.
   
5. Fits in my palm: I am an iPhone 7 Plus user. I always wanted large display to fit in my palm and with iPhone X’s 5.8-inch display, I get a display bigger than my old phone (5.5-inch) and all within my palm’s reach.
   
6. Storage: Given the future applications architecture the 64 GB would have been less and therefore I got myself the 256 GB iPhone X as however ideally Apple should have taken out the 128 GB and 256 GB phones but then they would have breached the psychological price point barrier of sub 1000 US$ phone (64 GB iPhone X = 999 US$) and they need to keep the cash register ringing.
   
   By-Manish Aggarwal