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Essential Products in problems; said to have stopped PH-2 development, might sell soon

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Tech Desk
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Essential Phone, Essential PH-1, Essential PH-2, Essential Products, Essential in problem, Andy Rubin, Google, Android
Essential PH-2 might just have been cancelled suggests a report

In a recent report from Bloomberg, stated that the smartphone manufacturer Essential Products has stopped the development on the PH-2 and might be soon shuttering its doors by selling off the business. The report said that the company in less than a year has lost its hope and shuttered developing products altogether. Additionally, it mentioned that the company has hired the financial firm Credit Suisse Group AG, in a bout to valuing the company and selling it off, it even has an unnamed bidder interested.

The validity of this report is not known, however, in an update from Essential that recently followed the report, it has been stated that the company is not looking to sell and some products get priority over others so the less important ones get cancelled. Below is a tweet from Andy Rubin, explaining what happened and which direction is Essential Products looking to foray into.

The report did shake things up, not only on the outside but on the inside also. It is being said that after the report surfaced there was unrest within the company employees. However, an internal e-mail sent by Rubin seems to have calmed the employees. In the e-mail obtained by The Information stated, "no one (including me at this moment) knows what the best thing for the company will be." It further stated that the company will not shut down and is in active talks with bankers to raise money.

Also Read: Top 5 Reasons to Buy Essential Phone

In the e-mail, Rubin also mentioned that some of the bankers might have suggested a possible acquisition, but those are just talks. Finally, in the e-mail, Rubin said that the Bloomberg report will not position the company well for optimisation of its fundraising effort.

As of now, we can only speculate what is going to happen, but, it seems as if Essential Products is struggling and is soon going to finish its $300 million fund which it raised last time.

Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 launched: Here's how it compares against SD 660 and MediaTek Helio P60

By
Brahmjot Singh
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Qualcomm Snapdragon chipsets are currently the most popular in the smartphone industry

Qualcomm has finally launched a new mid-range chipset, the Snapdragon 710. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 is an octa-core chipset that sets up a great competition for the similarly priced Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 and the MediaTek Helio P60.

CPU and GPU

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 is an octa-core processor with 2 cores clocked at 2.2 GHz while remaining 6 are clocked at 1.7GHz. The Snapdragon 660 and the MediaTek Helio P60 are also octa-core processors. The Snapdragon 710, Snapdragon 660 and Helio P60 come with Adreno 616, Adreno 512 and ARM Mali G72 MP3 GPU respectively.

Camera

As for the support for cameras, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 can support up to a single 32-megapixel camera while dual-camera setups can go up to 20-megapixel. The Snapdragon 660, on the other hand, can support Up to 24MP single and 16MP dual camera setup. The Helio P60 can push its limits to 32 MP single and a 16MP+24MP dual camera setup. All the processors are capable of recording videos at 4K Ultra HD resolution.

Display

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 and the MediaTek Helio P60 can support up to Full HD+ resolution displays. The Snapdragon 710 being more advanced can even handle displays with a Quad HD+ display.

Fast Charging

The MediaTek Helio P60 chipset comes with Pump Express 4 fast charging support. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 and Snapdragon 710 come with Qualcomm's Quick Charge 4 and Quick Charge 4+ technology respectively.

Connectivity

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 710, Snapdragon 660, and MediaTek Helio P60, all support Dual Band Wi-Fi 802.11ac. The Snapdragon 710 and Snapdragon 660 come with Bluetooth 5.0 while the MediaTek chipset comes with Bluetooth 4.2. As for location, all the processors support GPS, GLONASS, Beidou and Galileo. However, the Qualcomm chipsets also support QZSS and SBAS.

Huawei India rolls out affordable protection plans for Huawei and Honor branded devices in India

By
Lalit Wadhwa
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Huawei
Huawei is focusing on customer satisfaction.

Chinese Smartphone Manufacturer, Huawei India has a growing number of smartphone sales in India. In order to attract even more consumers, the company announced affordable protection plans for Huawei and Honor smartphones. These plans are for smartphones available on Amazon.in.

This is in partnership with OneAssist. OneAssist is a ubiquitous platform for assistance and protection programs to provide these plans to consumers in India. The protection plan is presently available for the stunning P20 Pro, P20 lite. Also, all Honor smartphones including Honor 7X, Honor V10, Honor 8 Pro. There are also a variety of plans. The plans start from Rs 1249 and are valid for 1 year from the date of the activation of the plan.

What are features of this plan?

Focusing on ensuring utmost customer satisfaction, the Huawei Protection Plans will cover any kind of accidental and liquid damage to the device. These also include unintentional drops and mishandling. In a partnership deal with OneAssist, the customers will be able to avail many benefits under these protection plans. The free benefits include free pick up and drop, 24x7 on-call assistance, cashless claim service among others. The free pickup and drop service is available in PAN India. Also, the Plan will be activated 15 days from the plan payment.

Also Read: Honor 7A and 7C launched in India: Price, Specifications and Alternatives

"At Huawei, we are focused towards creating consumer-centric service environment for hassle-free customer care. Having collaborated with one of the pioneers of smartphone protection and assistance, OneAssist, we strive to provide consumers with unmatched services. We are confident that this association will be fruitful for our customers and will provide unparalleled, innovative services to our customers." -Sanjeev, Vice President Sales, Huawei India

Huawei India spokesperson stated that the company will continue to focus on consumers. This includes expanding service network, explore new forms of service to provide users with a more convenient and personal experience, laying a solid foundation for future growth. However, with the increasing amount of Huawei and Honor phones in the country, let's see how this shapes out.

Sony's New PlayStation Chief Hints at reviving the Portable Gaming Scene

By
Lalit Wadhwa
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psp vita
The PSP Vita was one of the earlier Sony's Portable Gaming Console.

Sony Incorporated's newest PlayStation chief John Kodera says that he sees a considerable market in the portable handheld gaming market. This is different from the past chief who though portable handheld gaming market is dead.

John Kodera replaced Andrew House as head of the $16.6 billion Sony's games division in October. This leads to us believing the new PlayStation may come with portable handheld gaming counterpart. However, Mr Kodera said, “it is not yet the right stage to discuss specific hardware plans.”

“In my opinion, rather than separating portable gaming from consoles, it’s necessary to continue thinking of it (portable gaming) as one method to deliver more gaming experiences and exploring what our customers want from portable,. We want to think about many options.”

-JOhn Kodera, PlayStation Cheif Sony

While the company killed hasn't updated their PS Vita since 2011. The success of the Nintendo Switch proves that Mr Kodera is on the right path right now. However, the company said that they will pursue “a different approach and strategy”. This is because they don't see a market opportunity for such devices.

Sony Working on Handheld Gaming Devices?

While Kodera didn't comment Nintendo's approach with the Switch he said: "Sony has been experimenting with projects such as PlayLink, a project unveiled last year that lets gamers use smartphones to interact with PlayStation 4 games."

psp
PSP was the first handheld device for gaming by Sony.

The key question for PlayStation business is the successor of the PlayStation 4. This makes the Sony PlayStation 4 nearly 5 years old. While Kodera declined to comment on the timeline of the new PlayStation 5, he did say that the device is underway and game developers will be getting a look to help them design new games accordingly. “We’ll be leveraging the knowledge and experience of having built four generations of consoles." He also added.

Also Read: Here is what to expect from Apple WWDC 2018?

What will happen to PlayStation 5?

Kodera’s comments come merely a day after the company announcing their conservative earnings targets across most of its businesses. Sony expect a drop in the earings by the PlayStation department by March 2021. This makes us believe that the Sony might be launching out a new PlayStation somewhere in 2021. Also, in other news, there are rumours about Playstation 5 using AMD chipsets.

Top 3 alternatives for Xiaomi Mi 8

By
Devesh Arora
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Xiaomi Mi 8 to launch at an event in Shenzhen, China

Xiaomi, the Chinese tech giant, has finally announced that it will be launching its next flagship, the Xiaomi Mi 8 soon. We have seen a lot of rumours and leaks about the upcoming device and now its official that Xiaomi will pull of the curtains on May 31, 2018, in Shenzhen, China.

Specifications

As far as the specifications are concerned, the speculations suggest that the smartphone will be powered by the latest and greatest Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset. The Xiaomi Mi 8 is expected to come with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. Rumours also suggest the smartphone will feature a 6.01-inch display with an under display fingerprint scanner.

As for the pricing, the Xiaomi Mi 8 is expected to price at CNY 2,799 (roughly Rs. 29,900) for the 6GB+64GB variant while the 8GB+128GB variant will retail for CNY 3,199 (roughly Rs. 34,200).

Xiaomi will unveil the smartphone on May 31 and we still don't know whether the company will be launching the smartphone in other markets or not. However, here are some alternatives you can buy in India right now.

OnePlus 6

OnePlus 6 features a dual-camera setup at the back

Xiaomi Mi 8, if launched in India, will directly compete against the recently launched OnePlus 6. The OnePlus 6 features a 6.28-inch Optic AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080x2280 pixels and 19:9 aspect ratio. The device comes with up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The OnePlus 6 starts at a price of Rs. 34,999 for the 6GB variant.

Xiaomi Mi MIX 2

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2

In case you are really interested in a Xiaomi flagship, the best you can get in India is the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2. The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 features a 5.99-inch IPS LCD display with 18:9 aspect ratio. The smartphone is powered by the last year's Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC. The device packs in 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage at it is priced at Rs. 29,999.

Samsung Galaxy S8

Samsung Galaxy S8 AOD 2
Samsung Galaxy S8 features an Always-on Display

If you are looking for something from a tier-one brand, the Samsung Galaxy S8 can be your pick over the Xiaomi Mi 8. It does have last year's chipset and does not have an on-screen fingerprint scanner, but it has got a lot up its sleeve. The Galaxy S8 sports a 5.8-inch Super AMOLED display. The smartphone is currently priced at Rs. 45,990 and using PayTM's cashback offer, you can grab it for as low as Rs. 37,990.

Here is what to expect from Apple WWDC 2018?

By
Lalit Wadhwa
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WWDC
Here is what all you can expect from WWDC event by Apple this 2018.

Apple is going to hold its World Wide Developer Conference(WWDC) of 2018 starting soon. The conference will start on June 4th, 2018. As usual, the conference will unveil new software improvements, sneak peak of iOS 12 with new MacOS and watchOS. While the WWDC is meant for software releases. We might see some new hardware to be launching also.

So let's see what all we can expect from WWDC 2018?

PrevNext

3. iOS 12

iOS 11
iOS 12 is expected to fix all the bugs in iOS 11.

The main highlight of the WWDC will be the new iOS version. Considering the number of iPhones and iPads there are in the market. The new iOS update will be the most demanded and popular software improvement. Considering how buggy iOS 11 is, it is a good idea to launch the iOS 12 update soon.

A new iOS update usually brings in new features, however, there are rumours of Apple fixing the bugs in iOS 11 for the iOS 12 instead of pushing new features. However, there will be some new features.
First order of new few features should be towards Siri. It is highly expected to get some much-needed functionality improvement. It was one of the first to hit the market back in 2011, however, it is one of the most inefficient ones nowadays. Apple's recent poaching of Google's ex-chief of search and artificial intelligence, John Giannandrea indicates the same.
Also, Siri said to some users that it will be getting a new voice at WWDC 2018.

2.  watchOS & Apple Watch improvements

Apple Watch
Apple Watch is the most popular smartwatch in the market.
Apple Watch is one of the most popular Smartwatches around in the market. Given its popularity, it will be apt to introduce some new features into the watchOS. It is presently running watchOS 4.3. So we can expect a WatchOS 5 unveil.
There can be a steamKIT that enables apps to push notifications directly to Apple Watch if they are paired with the phone. This will make Apple Watch cellular a more independent device. Also, Spotify could launch their Apple watch app.

1. A more affordable HomePod speaker

apple homepod
HomePod wasn't received well due to how bad Siri is.
Apple HomePod was the Apple's entry into the smart home speaker. However, considering how bad Siri is shelling out $349 for the Siri-powered smart gadget was not something people liked. Rumours are there will be a $199 beats branded smart speaker with Siri support.

Honor 7A and 7C launched in India: Price,Specifications and Alternatives

By
Lalit Wadhwa
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Honor 7A 7C
Honor unveiled two new smartphones under Rs 10,000 price tag for the Indian Market.

Chinese Smartphone Manufacturer, Huawei’s sub-brand Honor launched two new smartphones in India. The Honor 7A and Honor 7C are the company's budget segment devices. Both of these smartphones are Exclusive to Online Retailers (Flipkart and Amazon). Both Honor 7C and Honor 7A were unveiled in China in March and April respectively.

Honor 7A

Specifications

The Honor 7A sports a 5.7-inch HD Plus IPS LCD display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The smartphone sports an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 SoC coupled with 3GB RAM and 32GB of Storage.

Honor 7A
The Honor 7A and 7C look alike.

It also has a microSD card for expandable storage for up to 256GB. For the optics, Honor 7A sports a dual camera setup with a combination of a 13MP sensor and a 2MP sensor. For the selfies, the smartphone sports an 8MP camera with a f/2.2 aperture. The smartphone runs on Android 8.0.0 with EMUI 8.0 skin on top. All of this is backed by a 3,000mAh battery.

Price

The Honor 7A costs Rs 8,999 and is a Flipkart exclusive. It will be available on sale from MAy 29th. You can also buy the smartphone from HiHonor online store in Black, Gold and Blue colour variants. There is a launch offer for Honor 7A. It includes Rs 2,200 cashback from Reliance Jio along with 100 GB of free data.

Honor 7C

Specifications

The Honor 7C sports a 5.99-inch HD Plus IPS LCD display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The smartphone sports an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 SoC coupled with 3GB RAM and 32GB of Storage or 4GB or 64GB of Storage.

Honor 7A
The Honor 7A and 7C look alike.

It also has a microSD card for expandable storage for up to 256GB. For the optics, Honor 7A sports a dual camera setup with a combination of a 13MP sensor and a 2MP sensor. For the selfies, the smartphone sports an 8MP camera with a f/2.0 aperture. The smartphone runs on Android 8.0.0 with EMUI 8.0 skin on top. All of this is backed by a 3,000mAh battery.

Price

The Honor 7C costs Rs 9,999 for the 3GB variant and Rs 11,999 for 4GB variant. This smartphone is an Amazon exclusive. It will be available on sale from MAy 31st. You can also buy the smartphone from HiHonor online store in Black, Gold and Blue colour variants.

Alternatives

10.or G

10.or G 5
The 10.or G sports stock android giving it an edge over others.

The 10.or G comes with a dual rear camera and almost the same specifications. However, the 10.or G comes with an almost stock Android experience which makes it faster in practice than the Honor 7A and 7C.

Also Read: 10.or G Review: A budget smartphone with a dual-camera setup

Redmi 5

Redmi 5
The Xiaomi Redmi 5 is the most popular smartphone in this segment.

The Redmi 5  is one of the best selling smartphones in this price segment. It lacks the dual camera. Rest is almost the same. However, it is cheaper than the Honor 7A and 7C.

Also Read: Top Five alternatives to the Xiaomi Redmi 5

Micromax Bharat Go launched in India: Price, Specifications and Alternatives

By
Brahmjot Singh
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Micromax Bharat Go features a 4.5-inch display

Micromax has finally launched its first Android Oreo (Go Edition) smartphone in India. The Micromax Bharat Go comes with 1GB of RAM and 8GB of storage which is enough for the Go Edition Android. Google introduced Android Oreo (Go Edition) to bring a fluid Android experience even on entry-level devices like the new Bharat Go.

As far as the specifications are concerned, the Micromax Bharat Go features a 4.5-inch display. The smartphone is powered by a quad-core MediaTek chipset. The device packs in 1GB of RAM and 8GB of onboard storage. The Micromax Bharat Go runs on Android Oreo (Go Edition) out of the box. Under the hood, there is a 2,000mAh battery powering up everything.

On the optics front, the Micromax Bharat Go sports a 5-megapixel rear camera with a LED flash. Up front, there is a 5-megapixel selfie shooter with a soft flash.

The Micromax Bharat Go is priced at Rs. 4,399. Bharti Airtel is offering Rs. 2,000 cashback on purchase of the smartphone bringing its effective price to Rs. 2,399.

Lava Z50

Lava Z50
The Lava Z50 is very similar to the Bharat Go in terms of specs

Lava Z50 was one of the first smartphones in India to come with Android Oreo (Go Edition). The Lava Z50 is priced at Rs. 4,399 and just like the Micromax Bharat Go, the smartphone can be grabbed for as low as Rs. 2,399 using Airtel's cashback offer. Lava Z50's specs are pretty similar to the Bharat Go. Lava is also offering free one-time screen replacement to customers who purchase the Z50 on or before June 30, 2018.

Nokia 1

Nokia 1
Nokia 1 was one of the first smartphones to come with Android Oreo (Go Edition)

Nokia 1 is a little expensive but if you want an Android Oreo (Go Edition) smartphone from a tier one brand, the Nokia 1 should be your pick. The Nokia 1 features a 4.5-inch IPS LCD display. The smartphone is powered by the MediaTek MT6737M SoC coupled with 1GB of RAM. Nokia 1 is currently priced at Rs. 5,499.

10.or D

10.or D
10.or D delivers a near stock Android experience

If you are willing to spend a little bit more, then you can opt-in for the 10.or D at just Rs. 4,999. The 10.or D features a larger 5.2-inch HD display and comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 425 chipset. The device packs in 2GB of RAM and 16GB of onboard storage. The smartphone runs on a full-fledged Android 7.1.2 Nougat and will soon be updated to Android Oreo.

Moto G6 to launch on June 4 in India: Here's all you need to know

By
Tech Desk
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Motorola, Moto G6, Moto G6 India, Moto G6 India Launch Date, Moto G6 India Release Date, Moto G6 India Price, Moto G6 Specifications
Motorola to launch the Moto G6 on June 4 in India, will be an Amazon exclusive

Motorola launched the Moto G6 series last month in Brazil, after which the company went mum about its plans for the rest of the countries. Now, the company has started teasing the Moto G6 and G6 Play smartphones in India. Amazon India has even made a product page for the Moto G6 which will be exclusive to the platform and on the page, the company has mentioned that the device will be launching on June 4 in India. On the product page, the company has even made the notify me button live for users to pre-register and show interest in the smartphone. It is not sure if the company will be launching both the Moto G6 and G6 Play at the same event or not. Rumours suggest that the company is planning to launch the G6 Play at an earlier date which will be a Flipkart exclusive.

Moto G6 specifications:

Moto G6 Launch
The G6 will be an Amazon India exclusive

The Motorola Moto G6 sports a 5.7-inch FHD+ Max Vision IPS display with an aspect ratio of 18:9. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 chipset paired with Adreno 506 GPU and runs on Googles Android 8.0 Oreo operating system. There are two variants of the device - 3GB RAM/32GB internal storage and 4GB RAM/64GB internal storage. As for the camera, it features a dual camera setup on the back consisting of a 12-megapixel primary shooter along with a 5-megapixel secondary shooter. On the front, it features a 16-megapixel selfie camera. All of this is backed by a 3,000mAh battery.

Moto G6 Play specifications:

Moto G6 Play
The G6 Play will come in two storage variants

The Motorola Moto G6 Play sports a 5.7-inch HD+ Max Vision display with an aspect ratio of 18:9. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 427 chipset paired with an Adreno 308 GPU. It comes in two variants: 2GB RAM/16GB internal storage and 3GB RAM/32GB internal storage. Similar to the G6 it also runs on Google's Android 8.0 Oreo operating system. As for the camera, it features a 13-megapixel primary camera on the back and an 8-megapixel camera on the front. All of this is backed by a 4,000mAh battery.

Also Read: Moto G6 Plus, G6 and G6 Play launched: Price, Specifications and more

Expected Pricing

Motorola is expected to start the price of Moto G6 at Rs. 12,999 or at Rs. 13,999 considering all of the current rumours surrounding the phone. Whereas, the G6 Play is expected to start at Rs. 10,000. We recommend that you take these prices with a pinch of salt as the products haven't launched in India, and the company can make a pricing strategy to better suit the market at any point of time.

Samsung has launched the Galaxy J6, J8 and Galaxy A6 and A6+ in India

By
Devesh Arora
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Samsung Galaxy J6
Samsung Galaxy J6 features a fingerprint scanner at the back

Samsung has introduced some new budget and mid-range smartphones in India. The Samsung Galaxy J6, Galaxy J8, Galaxy A6 and Galaxy A6+, all come with an 18.5:9 aspect ratio display which Samsung likes to call Infinity Display.

Samsung Galaxy J6

The Galaxy J6 sports a 5.6-inch Super AMOLED HD+ display with an aspect ratio of 18.5:9. The smartphone is powered by the Exynos 7870 processor, which is a two-year-old chipset. The device packs in 3GB or 4GB of RAM coupled with either 32GB or 64GB of onboard storage which is further expandable using a microSD card. The smartphone runs on Android 8.0 Oreo and it is backed by a 3,000mAh battery.

On the optics front, the Galaxy J6 features a 13-megapixel camera at the back with an aperture of f/1.9. Up front, there is an 8-megapixel selfie shooter with a soft LED flash.

Samsung Galaxy J8

Galaxy J8 features a larger 6-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1480x720 pixels and an 18.5:9 aspect ratio. The smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 SoC. The dual-SIM handset comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage which is further expandable up to 256GB using a microSD card. The device runs on Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box.

In terms of cameras, the Galaxy J8 sports a dual-camera setup at the back consisting of a 16-megapixel and a 5-megapixel sensor with f/1.7 and f/1.9 aperture respectively. Up front, there is a 16-megapixel selfie snapper with f/1.9 aperture.

Samsung Galaxy A6 and A6+

Samsung Galaxy A6 and A6+ not only have a difference in screen size but also have a different set of cameras and different processors. The Galaxy A6 features a 5.6-inch Super AMOLED display while the A6+ features a larger 6-inch Super AMOLED display. The A6 is powered by the Exynos 7870 SoC while its elder sibling comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor.

Just like the flagship Galaxy S9+, the A6+ also sports a vertical dual-camera setup

Both the smartphones come with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage with an option for further expandability. However, the Galaxy A6 is also available in a 3GB+32GB variant. Both the devices run on Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box. As for the battery, the A6+ comes with a 3,500mAh battery while the smaller A6 comes with a 3,000mAh battery.

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