ToneTag launches Audio Pod

From the invention of wheels and flint stone tools to Nano-technology and artificial intelligence, man has always produced technologies and machines that make his life easier. In today’s world, technology is everywhere! 

Everything we do involves technology. It is completely integrated into our lives and the two have become inseparable. Even the way we make payments has evolved significantly. Today, we have different types of payment technologies available, including cards, mobile payment options such as NFC, QR codes, RFID chips, e-wallets, applications and many more.

But what about a device that can be placed anywhere and can enable payments via sound without any dependency on Wi-fi or internet? Sounds intriguing, right? That is because we do not associate sound with payments, but with more traditional things such as music. But why should the beneficial nature of sound be curtailed or confined to producing just music? Why can’t one utilize sound based technology to make payments? Well, with ToneTag Audio Pod, you can!

“ToneTag Audio Pod is a device that can be used by any merchant irrespective of their scale of operations or nature of the business. This device can be that trigger which enables mass acceptance of digital mode of payments amongst merchants. In our push towards a digital economy, a device like the ToneTag Audio Pod can bring in both the merchant and the consumer segment to accelerate the digital drive.” added Mr. Kumar Abhishek, Co-Founder and CEO, ToneTag.

ToneTag Audio Pod is as simple as just tapping a phone on a Pod to complete a transaction. On tapping the phone on the ToneTag Audio Pod, the pod emits a sound wave carrying data that is received by the mobile phone. On confirmation of the same, the payment is complete.

ToneTag Audio Pod is a one stop solution for everything in payments.
    Enables quick and faster checkout at stores, with transactions being completed under 3 seconds and thereby acting as a queue buster
    Any issuer, merchant or acquirer can use the ToneTag Audio Pod to receive payments
    Payment acceptance from any e-wallet or banking application
    Payment experience is better when compared to prevalent methods
    No congestion and rush at stores, giving merchants and customers a pleasant retail experience
    Works in offline conditions. No data connection required
    Robust build quality, combined with state of the art design features
    Space efficient and user-friendly

Amazon Announces All-New Kindle App

Amazon has announced an all-new Kindle app that makes it easier than ever to turn your phone or tablet into a book—so you can read anytime, anywhere. The Kindle app is designed for book lovers and provides easy access to the most popular Kindle features—you can effortlessly move between the pages of your book, your library, your personalised bookstore and more. The all-new Kindle app is available now in the App Store and Google Play, and will be delivered as part of a free, over-the-air update starting this week. 

“We’ve built the new Kindle app from the ground up for book lovers, giving readers easy access to everything they might want to do with their books, all in one place,” said Chuck Moore, Vice President, Kindle. “It’s now easier than ever to turn your phone or tablet into a book and immerse yourself in an author’s world at any time.”

All-New Design

With the new Kindle app, it is easier to get to what you want. Whether it’s starting the next chapter in the book you’re reading or a quick search through your library, the all-new design makes switching back and forth seamless. Key updates include:

•    All-New Look—The Kindle app features a new look and feel inspired by books. Details include larger book covers, new fonts, a new app icon, and new light and dark background themes to choose from.

•    One-Tap Access—New bottom bar navigation automatically shows an icon of the book you’re currently reading, making it easier than ever to get back to reading at any moment. The bottom bar also provides quick access to Kindle’s most popular features allowing you to switch between the pages of your book, your library, your personal bookstore, and more.

•    Easy Search—The search bar is now always available throughout the app, so whether a book is in your library or among the millions of titles in the Kindle Store, it’s easier than ever to find it.

Now WhatsApp Enables You To Share Your Live Location

Whatsapp has rolled out a new feature that allows you to share your location in real-time with family or friends. Whether you're meeting up with friends, letting loved ones know you're safe, or sharing your commute, Live Location is a simple and secure way to let people know where you are. 

 This end-to-end encrypted feature lets you control who you share with and for how long. You can choose to stop sharing at any time or let the Live Location timer simply expire.

Here's how it works. Open a chat with the person or group you want to share with. Under "Location" in the attach button, there's a new option to "Share Live Location." Choose for how long you want to share and tap send. Each person in the chat will be able to see your real-time location on a map. And if more than one person shares their Live Location in the group, all locations will be visible on the same map.

Live Location is available on both Android and iPhone and will be rolling out in the app in the coming weeks. We hope you like it.

Nokia 8 arrives in India At Rs 36,999!

HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, today announced the availability of Nokia 8 in India. A high-performance, beautifully crafted smartphone, the Nokia 8 brings three world-firsts to Android smartphones, including a debut collaboration with ZEISS optics. With performance and pure Android at its heart, as well as the most advanced aluminium unibody design to date, the Nokia 8 incorporates all the hallmarks of a true flagship Nokia smartphone.

Nokia 8 is also the first smartphone to feature Nokia OZO Audio, placing exclusive Hollywood technology in the palm of your hand. OZO spatial 360° audio brings a fully immersive audio experience to your 4K video. Leading-edge 360° audio capture ensures the playback lets you truly relive the moment so your memories never fade.

4.6mm thin at the edge and just 7.3mm slim on average, Nokia 8’s seamless unibody is precision milled from a single block of 6000 series aluminium and its pure design has been refined through a 40-stage process of machining, anodizing and polishing. Select models feature a high-gloss mirror finish that has taken over 20 hours to complete to achieve a flawless look. The phone features Qualcomm’s powerful Snapdragon 835 Mobile Platform and paired with the pure, secure and up-to-date Android experience ensures outstanding performance.

Nokia 8 is Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 compatible, meaning when your battery is running low you can get back to recording your important moments sooner.

The Nokia 8 will be available at a recommended best buy price of Rs. 36,999/- . It comes in four colours – Polished Blue, Tempered Blue and Steel. Nokia 8 in Polished Copper will be available a few weeks after the launch. The Nokia 8 will be available across key mobile retail outlets across the country including Croma, Reliance, Sangeetha Mobiles, Poorvika, BigC (among others) and our online partner Amazon.in.

Jio customers will get up to 100GB additional 4G data on Nokia 8. An additional 10GB Jio 4G data with every recharge of Rs. 309 or above, limited to 10 recharges till August 31, 2018.

Nokia 8 consumers will also have access to special Nokia Mobile Care Concierge Service in 50 cities across the country. Nokia 8 consumers from these 50 cities can avail of Nokia Mobile Care services from the convenience of their homes.





Source: Techpads

FANS TURN UP IN LARGE NUMBERS FOR WWE 2K18 MIDNIGHT LAUNCH

Eight stores across 7 cities held midnight launch for one of the most anticipated games this year, WWE 2K18. Fans in Mumbai, Kolkata,Thane, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Baroda and Pune got their copies on the stroke of midnight launch along with the game’s official merchandise.

WWE 2K18 is available now for the PlayStation 4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, and Windows PC on October 17, while the Nintendo Switch version is scheduled to release in Fall 2017.

The Standard Edition for PC is priced at ₹ 999, while the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch versions are priced at ₹ 3499. The Deluxe Edition for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One is for ₹ 5499 and the Nuff Edition is available for ₹ 9,999. WWE 2K18 is available with leading retailers, both online and offline.

HTC Vive ANNOUNCES FALLOUT 4 VR BUNDLE

HTC VIVE today announced a new hardware bundle featuring Fallout 4®VR, one of the most anticipated VR titles to date. Starting October 14th, customers who purchase an HTC Vive, will receive a free redemption code for Fallout 4 VR, a $59.99 value, which launches on December 12, 2017 (vive.com/fallout4-vr).

Fallout 4, the legendary post-apocalyptic adventure from Bethesda Game Studios and winner of more than 200 ‘Best Of’ awards, including the DICE and BAFTA Game of the Year, and most recently ‘Best Virtual Reality Game’ at gamescom 2017, finally comes in its entirety to VR. Fallout 4 VR includes the complete core game with all-new combat, crafting, and building systems fully re-imagined for virtual reality.

"Fallout 4 VR is the most anticipated title for VR this holiday, and the game development team at Bethesda Game Studios is delivering on the promise with a full-length AAA open-world game that takes advantage of Vive’s incredible room-scale immersion for a mind-blowing experience in the Wasteland,” said Joel Breton, GM of Vive Studios. “The promise of a game with near endless content, including hundreds of locations, characters, and quests, fully playable in VR, is something that we have been focused on providing for the VR gaming community. We are now thrilled to provide this incredible game to new Vive owners and eagerly look forward to game’s launch on Vive this December.” 

The freedom of exploring the wasteland comes alive like never before when experienced using Vive’s superior room-scale technology. Vive’s submillimeter tracking for responsiveness and accuracy makes it the most immersive way to experience Fallout 4.

Players must be 18 or over to redeem Fallout 4 VR code. Please check your local vive.com for details and availability.

Celebrate Diwali with Xbox One S

With ‘Diwali’ being right around the corner, it’s time to share this happiness and celebrate the joy of gifting. Cool technology gifts - for yourself or your loved ones add a touch of entertainment and could make for great gifts this festive season! What better way to bring in the festivities than by gifting the tech-savvy generation an ultimate gaming gadget.   

Microsoft has introduced a perfect Diwali gifting option with Xbox One S which delivers a new quality of console games in India with richer, more luminous colors for a visually-stunning gaming experience. The Xbox One S is an incredible device for a complete gaming and entertainment experience. With 4K Ultra HD video content support, HDR support for video and gaming and an incredible line-up of games, including Forza Horizon 3, Gears of War 4 and Battlefield 1, you are bound to have an awesome time playing on the new console this Diwali.

The Xbox One S 500GB variant will be available for INR 29,990 and the Xbox One S 1TB variant will be available for INR 34,990. You can choose from either 1TB or 500GB of memory, and enjoy your favourite and soon-to-be-favourite games on the streamlined, high-performing 4K entertainment system, Xbox One S. This Diwali, Xbox is also giving a 14-day Trial Membership of Xbox Live Gold so that you can join your friends in an online gameplay and experience all the fun of the fastest, most reliable gaming network with Xbox Live Gold.

Airtel offers iPhone 7 at just Rs. 7777

Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), India’s largest telecom services provider, today announced the launch of its latest digital innovation – the Online Store [www.airtel.in/onlinestore] that will offer a range of premium smartphones with affordable down payments, instant credit verification and financing, and bundled monthly plans.

Airtel’s Online Store went LIVE today with Apple’s iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus variants and the company plans to add devices from all leading brands to the store’s offerings in the near future.

The iPhone 7 (32 GB) is available at a down payment of just Rs 7777 and 24 monthly installments of Rs 2499. The monthly installments have a built-in high-end postpaid plan which offers 30 GB data, unlimited calling (local, STD, national roaming), and Airtel Secure package that covers the device against any physical damage and offers cyber protection.

Airtel’s Online Store launch is part of Project Next – Airtel’s digital innovation program aimed at transforming customer experience across all of its services and touch points. Airtel plans to invest up to Rs 2000 crores under Project Next to launch several exciting digital innovations to step change the simplicity and interactivity of the Airtel customer experience.

Airtel’s Online Store is an integrated digital platform aimed at making it easier for customers to upgrade to smartphones they always aspired for, without the constraint of high put-down prices and cumbersome financing schemes. All smartphones on the platform will come with down payments that are a fraction of the market price of the device and the convenience of easy monthly instalments with a built in postpaid plan. The postpaid plan will offer large bundles of data, unlimited calling and device protection package, allowing customers to enjoy the device to the fullest on India’s leading smartphone network.   

The entire Online Store journey is digitally enabled, right from purchasing the device to instant financing and plan activations, all within a few clicks over a computer or a smartphone/tablet. The device will get delivered to the customer’s doorstep. 

Harmeen Mehta, Global CIO & Director – Engineering, Bharti Airtel said, “This is yet another exciting digital innovation from Airtel to delight customers. Not only are we making it easier for millions of customers to upgrade to devices they always wanted, we are also making the entire process seamless and simple through digital technologies. Imagine getting your dream device, instant credit to purchase it and a great plan to go with it, all available in one place with a few clicks. All this is a product of some cutting-edge digital engineering by the in-house teams at Airtel. We would also like to thank our partners for integrating their APIs seamlessly with our platform to enable a great customer experience.”

Airtel has partnered with Apple Inc., HDFC Bank, Clix Capital, Seynse Technologies, Brightstar Telecommunications and Vulcan Express to enable the digital experience on its Online Store.

Airtel’s Online Store services are currently available to customers in 21 cities across India and will be expanded to other cities and towns shortly.

How to get your favourite device on Airtel’s Online Store in four easy steps:

1.      Go to www.airtel.in/onlinestore and select the device of your choice

2.      Check your eligibility and get instant loan approvals

3.      Make the down payment for phone    

4.      The device will be delivered to your preferred location/address

Vodafone offers 90GB data, unlimited calls at Rs 399 for 6 months, counters Jio, Airtel

Data war continues. Telecom companies are bringing new tariff plans for its customers almost every other day. In line with the same, and strive in the competitive telecom space, Vodafone announces a new plan for its prepaid users.Vodafone is offering 90GB of 4G data along with unlimited voice calling facility to its users at just Rs 399. Although the company didn't mention if the plan if for the existing or the new users. 

This was first reported by Indian Express. Under the Rs 399 plan, Vodafone India is offering 90GB of 4G data to its users for 6 months. Alongside the data benefits, it is also offering unlimited voice calling facility for its users. There are no clear statement by Vodafone if the offer is for the new or existing Vodafone user. Chances are that this Rs 399 offer is a limited one and is ti commemorate the on-going festive season. Basically, a gift from Vodafone to its users. Note: This offer could be limited to select circles only, so you may need to check before recharging.

This new tariff plan by Vodafone India directly counters Reliance Jio and Airtel's Rs 399 plan. First coming to the Vodafone plan, let's see what it offers. The Vodafone Rs 399 plan offers 90 GB of 4G data along with unlimited voice calls for 6 months. This plan is limited to the Vodafone prepaid users only. Indian Express was the first one to report about this new offer by Vodafone.

For the postpaid users, there is another plan that costs Rs 499 -- although there are reports of some users getting a discount of Rs 100 if they talk to customer care -- that gives the same benefit. This plan to offers 1GB data per day for 3 months along with unlimited calls. Interested customers can call at 9582566666, reports the Hindustan Times.

It should be noted that, because this plan is a part of a Diwali gift from Vodafone to its customers, we are still not sure if it's a limited offer or will continue after Diwali.

Source: IndiaToday

OnePlus 5T with full screen display leaked in new image

OnePlus 5T could be the next device from the company, and now another image of the device has leaked online showcasing a full screen with 18:9 aspect ratio and no home button on the front. SlashLeaks has posted the leaked image of the OnePlus 5T on their Twitter account, though as with all leaks, it needs to be taken with a pinch of salt. Even with the OnePlus 5 launch, we saw various leaks take place, all claiming to showcase what the device’s final look.

Reports have claimed the Chinese tech start-up will launch OnePlus 5T as early as November and the new OnePlus 5 models are already out of stock in the US. If the OnePlus 5T does come with a 18:9 display which is rumoured to be 6-inches in size, this will mark a drastic design change. Some reports have claimed this might just be the OnePlus 6 smartphone, though this would be a very early release for the new phone.

According to the GizmoChina, which had included details of the upcoming OnePlus 5T, the phone might have 6-inch Full HD+ display with a resolution of 2160 x 1080 and reduced bezels on the side. Other reports have claimed OnePlus 5T could just come with some minor hardware changes like added water, dust resistance to the phone.

Last year, OnePlus 3T was launched in December in India and came with an improved Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor over the 820 processor on the original OnePlus 3. It also had an improved front camera, which was bumped up to 16MP. We’ll have to see what trend the company follows this year and whether it will simply introduce a new colour variant for the OnePlus 5 series.

OnePlus has yet to confirm its plans to launch a new flagship, though according to reports, OnePlus 6 might be launching as early as February 2018, and not the summer of 2018 as has been the case with previous launches. OnePlus 5T if it does sport a different full vision display, will mark a major design change for a mid-cycle upgrade.

Source: Indian Express

OnePlus gives you more reasons to love Diwali!

OnePlus, a global mobile technology company, with presence in over 35 countries, today announced the last phase of its OnePlus Diwali Dash 2017 promotions. With Diwali around the corner, OnePlus is bringing more cheer to its community. As part of its ongoing festive offers and Diwali Dash 2017, OnePlus users can win an assured prize by playing a simple game on oneplusstore.in between 10AM, 12th October and midnight on 19th October. 

This year, Diwali has been bigger than ever for OnePlus as it became one of the top selling product during Diwali sale events on its exclusive online sales partner Amazon.in with growth of up to 3x (vs last year) on event days. During the last Diwali sale event on Amazon.in scheduled during 14-17 october 2017, OnePlus fans have last chance to avail attractive offers on OnePlus smartphones.

    Flat discount up to Rs 5,000 on OnePlus 3T Soft Gold and Rs. 4,000 on OnePlus 3T  Gunmetal Grey
    Cashback of up to Rs 1,750 on the SBI credit and Debit cards
    Upto Rs.4,000 additional off on Exchange
    No cost EMI upto 12 months
    Easy finance options with Bajaj Finserv

Presenting OnePlus Diwali Dash Festival, 2017

OnePlus today announced the ‘OnePlus Diwali Dash 2017’, to gift all OnePlus users something special for the festive season. The Diwali Dash promotions are limited to OnePlus users and is exclusively available on its online store in India - http://oneplusstore.in.

Starting  12th October 10 AM till  midnight of 19th Oct, OnePlus users need to register themselves using their OnePlus phone’s IMEI number on the Diwali Dash page https://oneplusstore.in/diwali/2017 - and win an assured e-gift voucher.

After registration, OnePlus users can win e-gift vouchers worth up to Rs 1,500 from OnePlus and its partner brands by playing a simple game of spin and win. As a part of the game, icons with different value will be continuously rolling on the screen and user just needs to click to freeze one of them and claim the amount. The excitement doesn’t stop at that! Participants can further level up their chances by winning a ‘wild card’ which entitles users to choose any of the above vouchers of their choice.

Additionally, for those who are not an existing OnePlus user, can avail exciting offer of free Bullet V2 earphones and Sandstone back cover with the purchase of any variant of the OnePlus 5 till 20th October, only on oneplusstore.in.

Source: Techpads
 






 

Sunny Leone or Priya Rai? Artificial intelligence can recognise your favorite stars!

Adult video website Pornhub will soon launch a new AI-powered model that will monitor the clips which are being uploaded online and automatically generate tags based on names and features.

Pornhub states that the algorithm has been trained to recognize over 10,000 pornstars by scanning and interpreting footage. The website is also asking users to validate whether the tags and labels which have been provided by the AI model are correct.

Apart from identifying the name of a pornstar, the software will also be capable of identifying the type of hair on an actor - blonde or brunette. Eventually, the AI will be able to identify individual categories - redhead. It will also be able to understand the nature of video content, which means, the kind of sexual act it contains, such as threesome.

The company’s plan at the moment is to have the program scan all of its 5 million odd videos “within the next year”.

Source: DNA

Paytm Mall offers Rs 15,000 cashback on iPhone 8 ahead of Diwali

Paytm Mall is offering a cashback of Rs 15,000 on the newly launched iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus on its platform during the ongoing Maha Cashback Sale. The e-commerce platform is offering a flat cashback of Rs 9000 with the promo code 'YBSPECIAL' and an additional Rs 6,000 cashback for Yes Bank Credit Card customers that will be credited within 24 hours of the phone getting shipped.

The iPhone 8 64 GB and 256 GB are now available on Paytm Mall at an effective price of Rs 46,950 And Rs 59,800 respectively, while the iPhone 8 Plus 64 GB and 256 GB are selling for Rs 58,000 and Rs 71,000 respectively. All variants are of the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch Retina HD displays are available in Space Grey, Silver and Gold finishes with a colour-matched, aerospace-grade aluminum band.

The iPhone 8 64 GB and 256 GB are now available on Paytm Mall at an effective price of Rs 46,950 And Rs 59,800 respectively, while the iPhone 8 Plus 64 GB and 256 GB are selling for Rs 58,000 and Rs 71,000 respectively. All variants are of the 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch Retina HD displays are available in Space Grey, Silver and Gold finishes with a colour-matched, aerospace-grade aluminum band.

Source: MSN

Deltin Corp brings you the globally renowned World Gaming Festival

What happens in Vegas, comes to India.

Get set to be dazzled with the Las Vegas experience right here in India. This November, head to Goa for the ‘Celebration of a Lifetime’. Introducing the Deltin World Gaming Festival where Gamers from across the world will descend to compete for the coveted championship title. The magical World Gaming Festival (WGF) is being brought to you by the Deltin Group - owned by Delta Corp Ltd – Prepare to be awestruck with the Vegas style appeal, opulent luxury, world class scintillating entertainment, international cuisines and those magical moments that your inner gamer will be able to cherish forever. The Deltin Group also unveiled Jackie Shroff as the Brand Ambassador for the event.

To be held from November 30 to December 4, 2017, the 5-day extravaganza will see  6 international and local popular games, namely,  Poker, Rummy, Roulette, Baccarat, Indian Flush and Andar Bahar. It should be noted that The Deltin Group pioneered the concept of ‘The World Gaming Festival’ in India way back in 2011 and since then the Deltin Group has been working relentlessly in adding infrastructure, gaming capacity and value adds in the field of entertainment, luxury, cuisine and overall properties.

Globally, gaming festivals are seen as intersection of games, entertainment, food and culture and The Deltin WGF is all set to take it to the next level. The host venues speak for themselves – Deltin Royale, Deltin JAQK and Deltin Caravela – All three anchored in Goa’s serene river, are the finest and award winning properties in India. Deltin Royale is 40,000 sq.ft five level luxury gaming with 850 gaming positions, Deltin JAQK with over 350 gaming positions, and Deltin Caravela which is touted as India’s very 1st Casino & Flotel has 80 gaming positions. Besides, there are multi cuisine restaurants, Aqua Bar, Spa, and The Grand Exclusive Whisky Lounge.

In addition, The Deltin WGF will take on another Avatar at The Deltin Daman. This will be a video gaming festival and will take place from December 15 to December 17, 2017. It is being conducted keeping in mind the growing popularity of e-sports as a segment within the gaming industry. The Deltin World Gaming Festival at Daman will comprise of games such as FIFA 18, Tekken 7, Counter Strike and DOTA 2. The video gaming leg of the Deltin WGF will include Controller Gaming Experience Zone, Motion Gaming Experience Zone, Virtual Reality Experience Zone, Simulation Gaming Experience Zone and Fun with Friends Zone. The Deltin Group will redo the Daman property to incorporate large format screens on which these games will be played and also ‘Live Stream’ the tournament matches.

OnePlus is collecting user data without permission, and that’s not okay

On his blog, Chris Moore reveals that the Chinese electronics company has been collecting some very specific data from OnePlus users without their permission.

EDITOR'S PICK
New rumor claims OnePlus 5T is coming in November with an 18:9 display
We've been focusing a lot of our energy on the Pixel 2, Galaxy Note 8, and LG V30 as of late, but there are still a couple more flagship phones coming down the pipeline in …
The hype around OnePlus is real: the next so-called flagship killer from the company is expected to feature a bigger display with a new aspect ratio and minimal bezels, and there are already multiple reports out there creating an online buzz. However, that’s not to say that all’s well in paradise. It’s no secret that OnePlus has faced heavy criticism from its users in the past year or two over its failure to provide adequate device support. More negative press ensued after the launch of the OnePlus 5 with reports of benchmark manipulation, wrongly-mounted displays, and more importantly, users being unable to dial 911 in emergency situations. Well, it seems the Chinese tech company is in trouble again, and in my opinion, OnePlus should really take the time to explain itself this time.

Chris Moore, the owner of a UK-based security and tech blog, recently published an article demonstrating that OnePlus has been gathering his personal information and transmitting them without his permission. He noticed an unfamiliar domain while completing the SANS Holiday Hack Challenge and decided to further examine it. He found that the domain – open.oneplus.net – had essentially been collecting his private device and user data and transmitting them to an Amazon AWS instance, all without his permission.

The data that OnePlus is accessing ranges from device information like the phone’s IMEI, serial number, cellular number, MAC address, mobile network name, IMSI prefix, and wireless network ESSID and BSSID to user data like reboot, charging, screen timestamps as well as application timestamps.

Moore states that the code responsible for this data collection is part of the OnePlus Device Manager and OnePlus Device Manager Provider. Fortunately, Jakub Czekanski claims that despite their being a system service, they can be permanently disabled through replacing net.oneplus.odm for pkg via ADB or through running this command: pm uninstall -k –user 0 pkg

Source: Android Authority

Airtel partners with device manufacturers to offer 4G smartphones for the price of a feature phone

Bharti Airtel (“Airtel”), India’s largest telecommunications services provider, and Karbonn Mobiles, a popular Indian smartphone brand, today announced a partnership to bring an affordable 4G smartphone to the market, effectively at the price of a feature phone. This is the first of several partnerships that Airtel plans to have with mobile handset manufacturers to bring highly affordable bundled 4G smartphone options to the market and fulfill the digital aspirations of millions of Indians.

Under the partnership, the Karbonn A40 Indian – now comes at an effective price of just Rs 1399 (compared to its current market price of appx. Rs 3499). The Google Certified – Karbonn A40 Indian has a full touch screen plus dual SIM slots, and offers complete access to all apps on Google Play Store, including YouTube, Facebook and WhatsApp. The 4G smartphone is bundled with a monthly pack of Rs 169 from Airtel, which offers generous data and calling benefits. For details visit www.airtel.in/4gphone.

Raj Pudipeddi, Director – Consumer Business & CMO, Bharti Airtel said, “As the market leader and pioneer of 4G services in India, Airtel’s aspiration is to digitally empower every Indian with high speed data access. We are delighted to partner with Karbonn to remove barriers to smartphone adoption and enable millions of Indians to leapfrog to a full touchscreen smartphone experience. We plan to partner with multiple manufacturers to bring affordable smartphone options to the market and build an ‘open ecosystem’ of low cost devices. This is yet another step in our ongoing journey to deeply understand customers and bring innovation that delights them.”   

 The customer needs to make a down payment of Rs 2899 for the 4G smartphone and make 36 continuous monthly recharges of Rs 169. The customer will get a cash refund of Rs 500 after 18 months and another Rs 1000 after 36 months, taking the total cash benefit to Rs 1500.

In case the customer does not wish to opt for the Rs 169 bundled plan, she/he has the flexibility of doing recharges of any denomination and validity as per individual requirements. However, to claim the cash refund benefit, recharges worth Rs 3000 must be done within the first 18 months (to claim the first refund installment of Rs 500) and another Rs 3000 over the next 18 months (to claim the second refund installment of Rs 1000).    

The ownership of the smartphone is completely with the customer and there is no need to return the device to Airtel/Karbonn at any point to claim the cash benefit.

The partnership between Airtel and Karbonn is part of Airtel’s ‘Mera Pehla 4G Smartphone’ initiative, which is aimed at enabling every Indian to buy a 4G smartphone and get on to the digital superhighway. Under the ‘Mera Pehla 4G Smartphone’ initiative, Airtel will partner with multiple mobile handset manufacturers to create an ‘open ecosystem’ of affordable 4G smartphones and bring them to market for virtually the price of a feature phone.

All smartphones under the ‘Mera Pehla 4G Smartphone’ initiative will be available at leading mobile stores across the country. After sales support for the devices will be provided by the handset manufacturers through their service network.     

Airtel offers 4G/3G/2G services across all 22 telecom circles of India. Its network covers over 95% of India’s population and is supported by a deep distribution network.

Sony Announces Exclusive Festive Offer for Xperia Fans this Diwali

In its endeavor to uplift the festive essence, Sony India today announced an exclusive festive offer for the Xperia fans. On the purchase of Xperia XZ Premium, customers will get a free Bluetooth Speaker (SRS-XB10) worth Rs. 4990/- and a Style Cover Stand (SCSG10) worth Rs. 3490/-. This exhilarating offer starts from 7th October and is valid till 31st October, 2017.

Mr. Satish Padmanabhan, Sales Head, Sony India, said, “In this auspicious season, we are ready to enhance the festivities of our customers with incredible consumer promotion offers. The assured gifts on the purchase of every Xperia XZ Premium will not only delight our customers, but will also add more excitement to their festive shopping.”

Exclusive festive offer on purchase of Xperia XZ Premium

Sony’s Xperia XZ Premium, is the most ground-breaking smartphone powered by an amazing 4K HDR display, latest Qualcomm 835 processor for super-fast download speeds, a stunning loop design and 960 fps Motion eye camera to capture motions that human eye can see.

On the purchase of Xperia XZ Premium from between 7th October to 31st October, customers will get a Bluetooth Speaker (SRS-XB10) worth Rs. 4990/- and Style Cover Stand (SCSG10) worth Rs. 3490/-. This exhilarating offer is applicable across all Sony Centers, Sony Mobile retail partners like Croma, Reliance, Ezone, etc. and key mobile retail outlets. Sony has also come up with attractive price offers across several categories to add to the festivity cheer.

Terms & Conditions:

1.     The purchase should be done in between 7th October 17 to 31st October 17 (both days included).

2.     No festive offer requests will be entertained post 31st October, 2017.

3.     Activation of the handset should be done latest by 7th November 2017.

4.     Dealer's invoice (both pre- and final invoice) should be in same customer's name.

5.     Freebies will be sent directly by Sony India Pvt. Ltd. (Sony India) on the address mentioned on the invoice within 90 working days post final purchase of the product

6.     By availing the redemption offer, it would be deemed that the customers have given their consent to contact them through call, SMS or email on the details provided by them for the purpose of offer.

7.     Product images, features, specifications shown here are for representational purposes only; the actual product may vary in terms of colour or model. Offer available till stocks lasts and is subject to change without prior notice by Sony India at its sole discretion.

8.     In case the free product is not available, another product will be provided of similar value.

9.     This offer cannot be exchanged for cash or discount on product.

10.  All disputes as regards the offer shall be governed by the laws of India and shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of courts of New Delhi.  MRP is inclusive of all taxes. Price quoted is for 1 unit of product

Mi MIX 2 With Bezel-Less Display Launched in India at RRs 35,999

Mi MIX 2, the much-awaited 'flagship class' smartphone by Xiaomi, has been launched in India. The biggest highlight of the device is its 5.99-inch bezel-less display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The Mi MIX 2 is also powered by the current flagship mobile SoC from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 835. The launch is Xiaomi's first premium smartphone launch in the country since the Mi 5 in March last year. The smartphone is a Flipkart exclusive, though it will also be available via mi.com, Mi Home stores, and Xiaomi retail partners. Notably, the company has only brought the 'regular' ceramic + aluminium variant of the smartphone to India, with the Xiaomi MI MIX 2 Special Edition featuring an all-ceramic body and 8GB of RAM not making its way to the country.

Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 price in India, launch offers
The Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 price in India is Rs. 35,999, and at that price, it competes with the OnePlus 5. The company has launched the Mi MIX 2 in its 6GB RAM, 128GB storage variant in the country, with no mention of whether the other variants will be brought here as well. The smartphone will be available via Flipkart and Mi.com in a preview sale on October 17. The smartphone's general availability will begin in the first week of November, and it will then go on sale via Mi Home and other offline retailer partners in addition. There are no Mi MIX 2 launch offers as such, beyond a zero percent EMI offer, which will be available via all retail channels, the Xiaomi's Manu Jain said at the launch event.

Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 specifications and features
The dual-SIM (Nano) Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 runs MIUI 9 based on Android 7.0 Nougat. It sports a 5.99-inch full-HD+ (1080x2160 pixels) LCD dispay, and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC that's coupled with 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM. The dual-SIM (Nano-SIM) smartphone sports a 12-megapixel Sony IMX386 rear camera sensor with 1.25-micron pixels, 4-axis optical image stabilisation, 5-piece lens, an f/2.0 aperture, as well as a facial recognition feature. On the front, it bears a 5-megapixel front camera, also with the facial recognition function that can be used to unlock the smartphone.

As for storage, the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 variant launched in India bears  128GB of storage that is not expandable. Connectivity options on the Mi MIX 2 smartphone include 4G (support for 43 LTE bands), VoLTE, dual-band Wi-Fi 802.11c, Bluetooth v5.0, GPS/ A-GPS, and USB Type-C. Sensors on board include accelerometer, ambient light sensor, barometer, digital compass, gyroscope, and ultrasonic proximity sensor. The smartphone runs on a 3400mAh battery, measures 151.8x75.5x7.7mm, and weighs 185 grams.

As we mentioned, the biggest highlight of the Mi MIX 2 is its 5.99-inch bezel-less LCD display that has a full-HD+ resolution (1080x2160 pixels) in an 18:9 aspect ratio. The company says the display has a pixel density of 403ppi, and is complete with DCI-P3 colour gamut support. The smartphone has minimal bezels on three sides, with only a 'bottom chin' that sports the front camera and other sensors.

With no top bezel to house the earpiece, the company has decided to use a 'hidden sound-guided speaker' that resonates sound through the display and frame. The Xiaomi Mi MIX 2 bears a ceramic body with a 7-Series aluminium frame and an 18K gold plated camera ring on the rear panel.

Source: Gadget360

Say hello to the Comio P1, S1, C1 and C2 smartphones

COMIO enters the Indian market with the launch of its flagship handsets S1 and P1 along with C1 & C2. Building on the legacy of its manufacturer - Topwise Communication, COMIO smartphones have been designed keeping the Indian consumer in mind with a range of innovative, technologically advanced and user friendly features and products. Headquartered in New Delhi, the brand seeks to cater to the mid-level segment which is the fastest growing smartphone segment in the country. 

The Phones
Celebration of design: The COMIO S1 sports a metal unibody with curved edges and is available in two colour variants - Royal Black and Sunrise Gold. The USP of the handset lies in its slim design and metallic finish which makes this phone easy to carry and visually appealing in equal measures.  One can unleash their inner photographer with a 13-megapixel Auto focus with flash rear camera and 8-megapixel selfie camera that accentuates every intricate detail. Paired with a 5.2-inch HD IPS display, front finger print sensor, 2GB RAM and a 2700mAh battery that makes COMIO S1 a device worth buying.

Long lasting battery life: The COMIO P1 is packed with a 5000 mAh battery that’s built to last. Available in a Metal Grey and Sunrise Gold colour variants, it comes in a metal body with a dual-SIM phone offering, 5.5-inch HD IPS display screen, finger print sensor, 3 GB RAM, 13-megapixel Autofocus with flash rear camera and 8-megapixel selfie camera with screen flash. The smartphone ensures 24 hours talk time and 30-day standby time.

Exhilarating audio: The COMIO C1 sporting a metal frame comes with Hi-fi music that offers consumers a multidimensional cinematic listening experience, bringing them closer to the action, delivering extraordinary sound quality. Whether listening via the stereo speakers or headphones, even the most discerning music fans will be blown away by the sound quality. The COMIO C1 will be available in Mellow Gold and Space Black variants and comes with 32 GB internal memory, 5-inch HD IPS display and 8-megapixel autofocus with flash rear camera with 5-megapixel selfie camera.

Fully-Loaded: The COMIO C2 handset comes loaded with a powerful battery, security features, scratch free back cover and exceptional music quality. Special focus has been given to design, the C2 comes in a 12.7 cm (5) HD IPS Display and is available in Royal Blue and Royal Black and comes with a scratch free back cover. The side keys and power button come in golden decorative color. Rear Camera 8 MP Auto-focus with flash and selfie camera 8 MP with flash. The camera’s beauty function is another highlight. Other features include- high-quality music player, COMIO UI based on Stock Android and Android 7.0 Nougat. 

All the four smartphones run on a Quad-core 64 bit Mediatek chipset, with 32GB internal memory and are 4G VoLTE enabled. Designed to deliver, our COMIO smartphones is a perfect balance of powerful performance, fast connectivity and better battery life.

The devices are also embedded with the Freezer and Clone Application. The Freezer app allows you to as many applications as you wish without the worry of space constraints whereas the Clone app makes sure that all that data from your device is backed up at all times. The Clone app also allows for ease of transfer of data from one handset to another.

COMIO smartphones come with the valuable anti-theft feature preloaded in all handsets. In case of any suspicious activity, SIM based alerts are shared with the registered mobile number. One of the interesting feature of Anti-theft is the image click seek, wherein when someone tries to unlock the device by trying to break the pattern or PIN, the device will automatically take the image of the unauthorized person. Other options include the lock and unlock feature, shutdown blocker, data back up, and SIM related functions.  

The COMIO smartphones are available at all key retail stores in North India and will be available from first week of October in West India.  They are also available at leading online portals like Amazon, Snapdeal, Flipkart, Paytm and Shopclues.

Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL launched, in India price starts from Rs 61,000

Google on Wednesday night announced the Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL smartphones. The phones, which come with features like a smarter camera and stereo speakers, will be coming to India at the same time when they become available in the US. For now the date of availability for the Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL has not been announced but they are available for pre-order in the US and India. The Pixel 2 has a starting price of $649 whereas the Pixel 2 XL will sell with a starting price of $849.

Update: The prices for Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL in India have been announced by Google along with their availability. The price of the Google Pixel 2 in India will start from Rs 61,000. This is for the 64GB variant. The 128GB variant of the phone will cost Rs 70,000. The price of the Pixel 2 Xl is going to be Rs 73,000 in India. The 128GB variant will be selling for Rs 83,000. In other words, these Google phones are pricey. The phones will be available in India for pre-order from October 26. The Pixel 2 will go on sale from November 1 while the Pixel 2 XL will sell from November 15. Online both phones will be exclusive to Flipkart, but they will also be available in offline stores.

The two phones are successor to the Pixel and the Pixel XL that were launched last year. They are also made using a new approach that Google calls AI + Software + Hardware. Google CEO Sundar Pichai at the Pixel launch event said that hardware alone was boring as far as phones were concerned. He said that they phones needed to be smarter and the Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL  were the smarter phones. 


Of the two phones the more exciting one is the Pixel 2 XL, which has a bigger 6-inch screen. This is a phone made by LG and hence looks very similar to the V30 from the front, largely because it has the same screen. However, other than the screen size and the design -- the Pixel 2 XL has thinner bezels -- the Pixel 2 and its bigger sibling are the same.

Both phones come with waterproof design -- rated IP 67 -- that is an improvement over the original Pixel phones but still not as good as the latest iPhones that have IP 68 rating. They also come with a slightly tweaked metal and glass body. The metal frame in both the phones comes with Squeezable Gesture, similar to that of the HTC U11. This gesture can be used to launch the Google assistant.
The two phones also come with a new camera. Although it is a single lens camera, Google says that it is so good that DxO, an agency that rates image sensors, has awarded the Google Pixel 2 camera 98 points, highest ever received by a phone and 4 points higher than what the iPhone 8 Plus with its wot-lens cameras got. The Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL cameras use a 12.2-megapixel image sensor, coupled with a F1.8 lens. This is possibly the same sensor that is inside the HTC U11.

On the front the two phones have an 8-megapixel selfie camera. The other features and specs of the Pixel 2 phones are:
-- Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. Available in two variants -- 64GB storage and 128GB storage. Both come with 4GB RAM.
-- Active Edge is the name of the Squeezable frame. Also fingerprint scanner calls Imprint.
-- Stereo speakers on the front.
-- 100 per cent DCI-P3 colours on Pixel 2 XL. 95 per cent on Pixel. In other words, more accurate colours.
-- a special portrait mode in Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL cameras. Google says that its machine learning is so good that it can create a portrait effect with one camera that is as good, if not better, as what other phones do with two cameras.
-- The Pixel 2 has a 5-inch screen with 1080P resolution.
-- The Pixel 2 has a 2700 mAh battery. The Pixel 2 XL has 3520 mAh battery.
-- The two phones come with support for e-SIM along with support for regular SIM.
-- Android Oreo and a new Google launcher, which shows notifications from Calendar on the home screen. Also the display has always on feature that shows notifications, similar to feature in the Moto phones. 



Source: IndiaToday

Amazon Introduces Alexa and the All-New Echo, Echo Plus, and Echo Dot to India

Amazon today announced that Alexa, the brain that powers Amazon Echo, is coming to India, along with three Alexa-enabled devices: Echo, Echo Plus, and Echo Dot. Customers who want to help further the development of Alexa and the Echo family of devices may  request an invitation to purchase devices beginning today at www.amazon.in. As a thank you, for a limited time, eligible customers will receive an introductory discount of 30% off the purchase price of Echo devices and one year of Prime membership. Devices will ship beginning the week of October 30th.

Echo, Echo Plus, and Echo Dot are voice-controlled speakers designed entirely around your voice—they are always ready, hands-free, and fast. Alexa is the brain behind Echo—since Alexa runs in the cloud, the service is always getting smarter. Just ask, and Alexa will answer questions, play music, read the news, set timers and alarms, check the calendar, provide sports scores, control lights at home, and much more. With Echo’s far-field voice control, you can do all this from across the room using just your voice.

In India, Alexa delivers a customised Indian experience, including an all-new English voice with local pronunciations and intonation; support for music titles, names, and places in additional non-English languages; local knowledge; and local skills from Indian developers. Third party developers in India are already building new, localised skills for Alexa, and over 10,000 skills will be available for customers in India, including skills from Saavn, Times of India, ESPNcricinfo, Ola, Freshmenu, and more.

“Tens of millions of customers are already using Alexa, and today we’re excited to bring her to India with an all-new experience designed from the ground up for our customers in India,” said Dave Limp, Senior Vice President, Amazon Devices and Services. “The combination of Alexa and Echo provides customers with hands-free access to music, weather, news, information, and more—just ask.”

Amazon Echo—The Hands-Free, Always On Speaker for just ₹9,999
Echo is a hands-free, voice-controlled speaker that allows you to access Alexa from anywhere in the room with far-field voice control. It uses on-device software to detect the wake word, “Alexa.” When Echo detects the wake word, the device’s light ring turns blue and begins streaming the request to the cloud where Alexa processes the request. Since Alexa is built in the cloud and leverages Amazon Web Services, the Alexa Voice Service is always getting smarter and adding more functionality.

Omnidirectional, Room-Filling Sound
Amazon Echo has been fine-tuned to deliver crisp vocals with dynamic bass response. Its 2.5” down-firing woofer, dedicated tweeter, Dolby processing, and 360° omni-directional audio deliver crisp vocals and dynamic bass throughout the room. Echo can stream music directly from popular music services such as Amazon Prime Music, Saavn, TuneIn, and more. Echo is also Bluetooth-enabled so you can stream music directly from your phone or tablet.

Designed to Disappear
Amazon Echo is designed to disappear into your home. Pick from a variety of shell colors and finishes to fit into your home’s décor—choices include charcoal, sandstone, and heather gray.

http://www.amazon.in/echo

Echo Plus—Set Up Your Smart Home in Minutes for ₹14,999
Echo Plus includes all the features of Echo, including room-filling sound powered by Dolby and a far-field microphone array, and adds a built-in smart home hub.

With the built-in smart home hub, Echo Plus makes connecting to compatible smart home devices easy. Just say “Alexa, discover my devices,” and Echo Plus will automatically discover and set up compatible lights, without the need for additional hubs or apps. This simple set-up works initially with a variety of ZigBee-supported products from Philips Hue. 

http://www.amazon.in/echoplus

Echo Dot—Add Alexa to Any Room for Only ₹4,499
Echo Dot is a hands-free, voice controlled device that is powered by Alexa and uses the same far-field voice recognition as Echo. Echo Dot has a sleek and compact design, comes in either black or white, and is designed so you can put an Echo Dot into every room. Use the built-in speaker to talk with Alexa and listen to music, or Echo Dot can directly connect to speakers through Bluetooth or by using a 3.5mm stereo cable, enabling you to add Alexa to any home entertainment system.

http://www.amazon.in/echodot

Introducing Polls in Instagram Stories

Ever wanted to find out quickly what your followers’ on your Instagram think? Well, now you can get a quick feedback with Instagram’s Polling Sticker – available on Instagram Stories. 

Today we’re introducing an interactive poll sticker in Instagram Stories that lets you ask a question and see results from your friends and followers as they vote. The sticker is customizable and lets you create your own question and customize your choices, making sharing stories more fun. Once someone has voted on your poll, they’ll see which choice is in the lead at any given moment. Poll creators can also check the results in real-time – and see exactly who voted for what.

Here’s how you can setup your poll:
•    After you’ve taken a photo or video for your story, select the “poll” sticker and place it anywhere you’d like — you can write out your own question and even customize the poll choices.
•    After you’ve shared your poll, your friends and followers can immediately start voting and see real-time results. Once someone has voted on your poll, they’ll see which choice is in the lead at any given moment.
•    To see your own poll results, swipe up to open the viewers list for that part of your story. Not only will you see how many votes each option received, but you’ll also see who voted and what option they chose.

Source: Techpads