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Hike Messenger 5.0: Everything you need to know

By
Devesh Arora
-

Hike had recently launched Hike 5.0, an all-new visually delightful, unique, social experience.The biggest update of Hike 5.0 is Hike Wallet, the easiest and most fun way to send and receive money. To make payments simple and seamless, the latest version offers “Hike Wallet”, making it the first social messaging app in India to integrate payments into the messaging application. The wallet will link directly to user’s bank account through UPI, enabling users to make instant and secure payments. It will allow users to make peer- to- peer transfer and Recharge their phones thus helping users to send/receive and manage money in a new and better way.

Hike Wallet

As a part of Hike Wallet, the company has also introduced “Blue Packets”, an innovative way to make payments fun and engaging. The addictive feature is an interesting blend of social networking, gaming and gifting. Users will be allowed to send money as a message to friends, relatives or directly on groups. Bluepackets on the application will keep the essence of gifting alive by allowing users to customise their Bluepacket by inserting the personal message along with the amount to be shared with a fellow friend making it an attractive online gift option for celebrations.

There are three main aspects of Hike Wallet:

    1.) Free and instant money transfer:

  • Bank-to-bank via UPI: With Unified Payments Interface (UPI) support enabled in Hike 5.0, users can now do free and instant bank-to-bank transfers with their friends. What’s exciting is that this works even if their friends aren't on the app.

Hike Wallet upi

  • Wallet to Wallet: For those who don’t actively use a bank account, Hike still allows you to send and receive money with your friends through the Wallet.

 

2.) Blue Packets: A Blue Packet is simply a beautifully designed envelope that users can insert money into and send to their friends. Users can choose from over 10 different beautifully crafted envelopes and also add a personalised message to it to celebrate those special occasions. A Blue Packet can be sent to an individual or even a group of friends. If you give Blue Packets to a group of your friends, you can have a little fun and select how many people in the group should get it. It works on a first come first serve basis and a Blue Packet when sent expires in 24 hours.

3.) Recharge: With Hike 5.0, users can now recharge their phones and pay their postpaid bill right from within the application. This removes the need to have another app just for paying mobile bills, thereby saving space on your phone.

Hike Messenger 5.0 is not only about their new Wallet, the revamped version of the app also consists of other interesting features offered by Hike 5.0 that enable self- expression:

  • App themes – Immediately on opening Hike 5.0, one can notice the new, slick look and feel. The application has placed a large emphasis on personalisation right up front with ‘App Themes’. Users can now choose
    from over 11 themes that are a combination of a colour and pattern. Elements across the app reflect this theme once chosen.

Hike themes

  • Night Mode – This is a feature that enables the night mode which reduces the glare from the screen and helps users to save themselves from being caught by their parents while chatting with friends during late hours.
  • Magic Selfie – This feature allows you to show the real you by capturing yourself with the new Magic selfie. With just a tap, using Machine Learning techniques, Hike’s camera now smoothens your skin and makes it radiant from any angle, making every single picture of yours count.

Hike Magic Selfie

  • Timeline – On popular demand, Hike has also brought back Timeline in its original form. In addition to Stories on Hike where users can post photos that disappear in 24 hours, users can now post text, photos and videos on their Timeline where memories stay forever, something which we have already seen in apps like Snapchat and Instagram. The Hike is now also an all in one scrap book of your life with your close friends. Additionally, sharing the press release for your kind reference.

Hike timeline

  • Word to Stickers - In order to enrich the chatting experience for its users, Hike has introduced the unique feature that enables them to convert text into stickers. This feature also shows how AI and machine learning has been incorporated into the application.

Verdict

During our intense review on the Hike Messenger 5.0, we felt that it is a really interesting messaging application which has given us an enormous experience. The themes never made us feel bored of using the application and the stickers were something which totally changed the way we used to convey our messages. The new wallet feature was something which made us realise that how much more a messaging application can do. We would love to suggest everyone should try the newly revamped Hike messenger or if you are already using the application, we highly recommend you to update it to the latest version.

Lenovo launches new future ready laptop lineup in India

By
Beetel Bite
-

On 19 July 2017 one of the world’s leading brands in PC, tablet and mobile phone Lenovo has launched a new series of future ready laptops. The new series consists of amazing designs, sleek looks and high-end technology. They offer the consumer a powerful computing and some pretty cool next generation features, giving the consumer an overall great experience.

Lenovo Yoga laptop

How Do They Make Them Future Ready?

They equip all of their laptops with the latest technology which is not in use currently and by the time they become mainstream you will already be equipped with them. The features they provide and the cost at which they provide are not available in the market in today’s date.

Lenovo future ready

Features

All of their laptops will have at least these following features:

  • 7th gen Intel core processor
  • FHD display
  • Branded speakers
  • BGN 1x1 / 2x2
  • 0 thunderbolt
  • Extended battery life
  • Windows 10

Let’s have a look at these amazing devices and see what they have in store for us.

Ideapad S series

Now, these devices are what we call ideal devices. These are a perfect example of look and performance. They have a stylish and sleek look which makes them more desirable amongst the youth and are quite light which makes them a good portable device. They have up to 8 hours of videos playback with FHD screen along with amazing speakers and great sound quality which makes them a great entertainment pack.

Lenovo Ideapad S

Ideapad 520 and 320

These are what we call entertainment packages. They come with latest multimedia capabilities with a high-end processor with FHD screen and advanced graphics up to NVIDIA 940MX. Ideapad 320 has Dolby audio optimised speakers with crystal clear audio and minimal distortion. Ideapad 520 is the upgraded version of Ideapad 320 with Harman speakers. Both the laptops promise high performance and great battery life.

Ideapad 520 and 320

Yoga 720 and 520

Yoga is not a new name in the market. These are an epitome of style, performance and portability. With 7th gen Intel i7 processor yoga 720 is a great package of style and performance with an amazing display and more than amazing sound quality it gives us a great experience. This masterpiece is ideal for all the youngsters who prefer portability and performance along with the great look and easy handling. Yoga 520 is another addition to slightly fewer features. Both of these devices come with FHD display, NVIDIA graphics and fingerprint scanners. Yoga 720 comes with Dolby audio and JBL speakers whereas yoga 520 comes with Harman speakers. The optional Lenovo active pen provides natural pen experience and pin point accuracy. With the inking feature, the users can now make sketches, write notes and share on the go.

Yoga 720 and 520

Prices

MODEL PRICE (INR)
Yoga 720 74,500 /-
Yoga 520 39,600 /-
Ideapad 720s 74,850 /-
Ideapad 520s 47,450 /-
Ideapad 320s 34,750 /-
Ideapad 720 42,400 /-
Ideapad 520 17,800 /-

The prices do not include GST or shipping or options and are subject to change without notice. Terms and conditions apply.

Relaince Jio to launch 4G VoLTE feature phone in its AGM, Here's how to watch it live

By
Devesh Arora
-

Reliance has its Annual General Meeting on Friday, July 21, where the company usually discusses its performance. This time the company will add a pinch of salt by introducing the most hyped Jio 4G VoLTE smart-feature phone under the LYF brand. Reliance may also introduce new cheaper tariff plans. However, everyone's attention would be grabbed by the upcoming 4G VoLTE feature phone. As per the reports, we got earlier, the 4G VoLTE feature phone will cost a bit over Rs. 1000 price bracket, which the company bring down to Rs. 500 by providing discounts, subsidies, etc. According to recent reports, Reliance might also announce a partnership with Intex, and other OEMs for the manufacturing of their upcoming feature phones. Mr. Mukesh Ambani will be hosting the AGM, it will start at 11 AM.

Also Read: Jio’s upcoming phone might now be called a Smart-feature phone?

However, Reliance will live stream its AGM and to be the first to know about what Reliance is going to introduce in the AGM, you can easily watch their live stream. Here is how you can watch it:
The live stream will start at 11 AM on July 21, and it will be available on the following channels:

  • YouTube
  1. Flame of Truth channel
  2. Jio Digital Life channel
  • Facebook
  1. Reliance Industries Limited Page
  2. Jio Page
  • Twitter
  1. @FlameOfTruth
  2. @RelianceJio
  • Jio Chat App
  • Jio Play App

The upcoming 4G VoLTE feature phone which is being expected to launch on Friday will have support to run basic social media applications like Facebook and WhatsApp Messenger, and some of the company's own applications for users entertainment.

iVoomi Me4 and Me5 with Android Nougat and 4G VoLTE launched in India

By
Devesh Arora
-

iVOOMi, a Chinese smartphone manufacturer, has launched their Me4 and the Me5 smartphones in India. The phones have been launched at unbelievable prices. Both the phone support 4G VoLTE and will run on Android Nougat out-of-the-box. Me4 and Me5 are priced at Rs. 3,499 and Rs. 4,499 respectively and are available exclusively on Flipkart.

Mr. Ashwin Bhandari, CEO, iVOOMi India said “We are glad to launch the extension of our Me Series Smartphone Me 4 and Me 5. We have partnered with Flipkart as exclusive online retail partner for the products due to their strong penetration across Tier-2, 3 and 4 cities.” He further added, “The idea was to efficiently reach out the widest consumer base across the target geography. iVOOMi has been climbing up the ladder of success worldwide over the past 15 years with its strong proposition of innovation and value for money products.”

Specifications

As far as the specifications are concerned, Me4 features a 4.5-inch display with a resolution of 854x480 pixels whereas the Me5 sports a larger 5-inch display with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels with 2.5D curved glass. The Me4 comes with 1 GB of RAM and 8 GB of internal storage that is expandable up to 64 GB via a MicroSD card. Me5 comes with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of onboard storage that is expandable up to 128 GB via a MicroSD card. The Me4 and Me5 pack a 2,000mAh and 3,000mAh battery respectively.

ivoomi me 5

In the camera department, the Me4 will include a 5-megapixel primary camera with LED Flash and a 5-megapixel front camera with Face Beauty, Face Detection & Panorama Mode. The Me5 features an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED Flash and a 5-megapixel front facing camera for selfies and video calling.

"Our exclusive partnerships with brands aims to bring latest technology at affordable prices to keep our audience excited. We are certain that smartphones from iVOOMi will receive overwhelming traction among Flipkart audience. And we look forward to continuing this partnership to maintain our market leadership in the segment", said, Mr. Ayyappan Rajgopal, Senior Director Mobiles.

Pricing and Availability

The iVOOMi Me4 and Me5 are available exclusively on Flipkart at a price of Rs. 3,499 and Rs. 4,499 respectively. The Me4 is available in three colour variants, namely Champagne Gold, Slate Grey & Midnight Black. Meanwhile, the Me5 is available only in two colour variants- Carbon Black & Champagne Gold.

 

Nokia 8 spotted on the official website, may launch soon

By
Devesh Arora
-

HMD Global, a finish company who owns the rights to manufacture and sell phones under Nokia branding is now set to unveil their first flagship, Nokia 8 on July 31. We have been hearing a lot of leaks and rumours regarding the smartphone, but the phone was now finally spotted on the company's Chinese website. The website flaunts the front side of the smartphone. However, the webpage is not accessible now as it has been taken down by the company.

nokia 8 leak

As per the previous leaks and rumours, the Nokia 8 is said to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset coupled with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of inbuilt storage which is further expandable via a microSD card. The smartphone also features a dual 13-megapixel camera on the back and an 8-megapixel camera on the front. The phone is said to sport a 5.3-inch Quad HD display with a resolution of 1440X2560 and the model number of the smartphone was tipped to be TA-1004.

Also Read: HMD Global’s Nokia 8 with Snapdragon 835 might launch soon: Report

However, there is no confirmation on the specifications of the upcoming flagship, and these specifications are only based on the leaks and rumours. Previous reports also claim that the smartphone will come at a price of €589 which in India would be roughly Rs. 43,500 (Prices may vary depending on the country).

Nokia 6, currently the most costly phone by launched by HMD Global will go on sale on August 23 priced at Rs. 14,999. You can register for the device on Amazon India.

 

Sony unveils the XA1 Ultra in India: Here's everything you need to know

By
Devesh Arora
-

Sony India has today unveiled its stunning super mid-range model in its refreshed “X” series, Xperia XA1 Ultra. Building on the success of last year’s XA Ultra, XA1 Ultra features a gorgeous edge to edge 15.24 cm borderless design to make the most of the display. The smartphone comes with two great cameras that are you only get to see in high-end premium devices.

Specifications

As far as the specifications are concerned, Sony XA1 Ultra is powered by an octa-core Mediatek MT6757 Helio P20 and for the graphics, the phone includes a Mali-T880MP2 GPU. The phone comes with a 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage for your media and applications. The smartphone is backed by a 2700mAh battery and supports Quick Charge 3.0 which can charge the phone up to 60% in 45 minutes.

Sony XA1 Ultra

Camera

In the camera department, XA1 Ultra offers a 23-megapixel high-resolution primary camera with a large 1/2.3” Exmor™RS for mobile sensor, bright F2.0 lens and superior low light capability. The company guarantees a super fast journey from launch to capture in 0.6s and incredibly fast and accurate Hybrid Autofocus, so even the most spontaneous moments are always in focus. Up front, the smartphone features a 16-megapixel front camera with Optical Image Stabilizer to eliminate the effects of handshakes and improve low-light selfies. The device comes with a Smart selfie flash to naturally illuminate your face, which can deliver great selfies even in low-light conditions. It allows you to capture the perfect selfie easily with just a wave via the ‘Hand Shutter’ camera feature which we have seen earlier on many other smartphones.

Software

Sony XA1 Ultra comes with Android Nougat out-of-the-box with a new feature which the company likes to call Xperia Actions. Xperia Actions is a new addition to XA1 Ultra that aims to learn your usage patterns to simplify your daily life by suggesting customisable settings and personalised recommendations. For example, when you go to bed your Xperia can learn your bedtime routine and automatically adjust the screen brightness and call volume. Or if you have travel plans your Xperia will be able to assist you before and when you arrive by detecting your location at an airport and suggesting you allow it to download offline maps and a local language dictionary.

Price, Availability and Launch Offers

The Sony XA1 Ultra is available in both online and offline markets at a price tag of Rs. 29,990. The phone comes in three colour variants- Black, White and Gold. With the purchase of the XA1 Ultra, the company offers free 3 months subscription of Sony LIV and if you purchase the new Style Cover Stand (SCSG40) with the XA1 Ultra, the company will offer Rs. 1000/- off.

Sony XA1 Ultra cover

Samsung Galaxy S9 to come with the same design as the S8

By
Devesh Arora
-

According to a recent report by The Bell, Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics is expected to launch the Galaxy S9 and S9+ with the same shape and size as of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ respectively. Reports claim that Samsung has given the display-specifications of the S9 to its display-making unit. The Samsung Galaxy S9 is said to come with a 5.77-inch display, while the S9+ will sport a larger 6.22-inch display.

Samsung will also continue with their “Infinity Display” design pattern with no physical home button. Reports also suggest that the company may give an attempt to in-screen embedded fingerprint scanner which couldn’t make its way to the S8 due to some technical issues. This year the company will not take any risks with their flagship devices, as per the reports.

Meanwhile, few reports claim that Samsung is set to unveil the Galaxy Note 8 on August 23 in New York, United States of America.

Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ are powered by the Exynos 8895 Octa-core processor coupled with the Mali-G71 MP20 GPU. The S8 features a beautiful 5.8-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1440x2960 pixels and a pixel density of 570 ppi. Meanwhile, the S8+ comes with a larger 6.2-inch display. The S8 and S8+ come with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage. On the camera department, the smartphones have a 12-megapixel primary camera with an aperture of f/1.7 and phase detection autofocus, Optical Image Stabilization and a LED flash. For selfies and video calling, the phones have an 8-megapixel autofocus camera with f/1.7 aperture.

Top 5 Custom ROMs based on Android Nougat

By
Devesh Arora
-

Google's Android is an open source operating system, which gives developers an advantage where they can tweak with the stock operating system and make custom builds which can deliver more features, advanced options or even smoother performance. Custom ROMs come with a set of advantages which give users a temptation to try them. Not every smartphone get updated to the latest version of Android by their OEMs. So, people can flaunt new android versions on their good old devices. Moreover, some people don't like the bloatware or the custom OEM skins on their phone. However, it gets tough when there are a lot of custom ROMs to choose from. Here we list out some immense custom ROMs available for wide range of devices and run flawlessly.

There are few things  you should keep in mind before installing a custom ROM:

  • Installing a custom ROM needs a custom recovery which can void your smartphone's warranty
  • These custom ROMs are not universal and come only for a set of devices. However, we have selected only those ROMs which support a wide range of devices.
  • We are not responsible for any damage caused to your smartphone during the installation
  • Kindly find your phone's support for the ROM and read description carefully for the present bugs(if any).

Here are the Top 5 Custom Android Builds according to us:

    1.) LineageOS:

LineageOS is a successor of the CyanogenMod which was initially started as a community that runs open source ROM which fixed many issues of carrier bloat and unliked skins from manufacturers on early Android phones. LineageOS now takes the place of the beloved CyanogenMod and keeps up with the promise to give latest android version updates to the older devices. The ROM gives seamless experience by providing Nexus-like stock UI without any bloatware. These ROMs are usually stable and any fixes needed soon come through an OTA update.

Lineage OS

    2.) Paranoid Android

Paranoid Android is another community which works on custom Android builds and provides great and flawless experience through AOSP (Android Open Source Project). The custom ROM has an appealing interface that you can customise the way you want. The ROM includes some features like hover notifications, a cool immersive mode which hides the status and navigation bars, dynamic system bars, peek notifications from lock screen and ability to use gestures instead of the navigation buttons. This ROM officially supports Nexus, Oppo, OnePlus and few other devices. However other devices are also supported via unofficial channels.

paranoid android

    3.) Resurrection Remix

Resurrection Remix is another custom ROM which is said to be the most stable ROM. This is a feature rich ROM with a lot of options to customise. The RR ROM allows you to personalise everything, notifications drawer to the navigation buttons, the lock screen and the animations. Some of the attractive features are Pitch Black dark theme, customizable notifications and more. The ROM is specially designed for the people who like to mess around with every element in the interface. Resurrection Remix's website states that it has an amalgam of features from other popular ROMs.

    4.) Bliss ROM

Bliss ROMs are one of the most highly customizable ROMs which provides users feature rich interface with a lot of tweaking options. Some of the features Bliss offers are Status Bar Tuner with additions in System UI Tuner, Clock customizations located in Blissify app, Status Bar gestures - DT2S, Notification Count, etc located in Blissify app Network Traffic Monitor also located in Blissify app. Bliss has support for wide range of devices and frequently updates for any bugs and fixes.

bliss rom

    5.) OmniROM

OmniROM is another ROM that provides vanilla android experience with seamless and smooth performance. The ROM is developed by ex-Cyanogen developers. The ROM brings enhancements to your Android experience by adding some features like OmniJAWS weather service, DSPManager, delta update system, dark mode UI, quick settings panel, enhanced Do Not Disturb mode along with the many more customization and personalization options. OmniROM is available for most of the popular smartphones.

 

Beyerdynamic launches the DT 770 Pro for portable devices in India

By
Devesh Arora
-

Beyerdynamic, a German audio equipment maker, has launched their DT 770 Pro reference headphones in India. The DT 770 Pro is a 32ohms version and is the latest addition to their series that are specially designed to function with mobile devices.

The Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro is for experienced sound professionals, used in countless studios throughout the world. Beyerdynamic, the audio specialist from Heilbronn in Germany has launched a special edition of the DT 770 Pro with an impedance of 32 ohms for optimal use with smartphones, mobile players and notebooks.

The studio legend goes mobile

The roots of the legendary Beyerdynamic DT 770/880/990 line go back to 1981. Their outstanding sound and durable design laid the foundation for these headphones’ unprecedented studio and stage career. The 32-ohm version of the DT 770 Pro is the latest addition to the series and has been optimised for use with portable devices.

The new technologies of the mobile computing revolution – tablet computers, smartphones, etc. – enable creative professionals to turn their inspirations into results, anytime and anywhere, without having to get to the studio first. The output of mobile devices is usually too weak to handle standard studio impedances of 80 to 250 ohms. The result is a strained sound that isn’t loud enough because high impedances are too much for the mini-amplifiers. The new 32-ohm version of the DT 770 Pro is the solution for all artists who don’t want to go without their favourite equipment for checking and mixing audio while on-the-go. This is because the new model offers exactly the same sound quality as its studio-optimized counterparts and maintains large volume reserves even when working with weaker output levels. Combining a balanced sound with long-term wearing comfort, thanks to the smooth soft skin ear cushions, the new DT 770 Pros now allow you to take your favourite studio sound with you, wherever you are in the world.

Proven and reliable

As most audio professionals know, DT 770 Pro headphones are virtually indestructible. Even if you are unfortunate enough to experience a breakage, nearly every part can be replaced individually, thanks to intelligent design and implementation. The new DT 770 Pro maintains this clever design ethos by offering a shorter connection cable (1.6 m) to keep things convenient when using it with portable devices.

beyerdynamic side

Features of the DT 770 Pro

• 32-ohm system especially for mobile use: higher output power at lower input levels
• Closed, diffuse-field equalised studio headphones
• Soft skin (artificial leather) ear cushions for easy cleaning and better
suppression of ambient noise
• Single-sided 1.6 m connection cable
• Innovative bass reflex system
• Sturdy, comfortably padded headband design with adjustable spring steel
construction
• Sturdy, easy-to-maintain design with parts that can easily be replaced

Specifications

Transducer type Dynamic
Operating principle Closed
Nominal frequency response 5 - 35,000 Hz
Nominal impedance 32 Ω
Nominal SPL 96 dB SPL
Nominal T.H.D. < 0.2%
Power handling capacity 100 mW
Sound coupling to ear Circumaural
Ambient noise isolation approx. 20 dB(A)
Nominal headband pressure approx. 3.5 N
Weight (without cable) 270 g
Length and type of cable 1.6 m straight cable
Connection Gold plated stereo jack plug (3.5 mm)
and 1/4" adapter (6.35 mm)

Beyerdynamic has priced the DT 770 Pro at Rs. 14,500 with a warranty of two years. These headphones will be available via Amazon India, headphonezone or directly from the manufacturer's website.

Xiaomi to soon launch the MIUI 9: Here's everything you need to know

By
Devesh Arora
-

Xiaomi is now set to launch the most awaited update of the MIUI on July 26. The MIUI 9 will be launched along with their upcoming Xiaomi Mi 5X. As of now, the latest version of MIUI is the MIUI 8 which is based on Google's Android Marshmallow operating system. The upcoming MIUI 9 update is supposed to run on Android Nougat. The launch is said to take place at the China National Conventional Center.

Select Xiaomi devices will be receiving the MIUI update along with the Android Nougat. The devices selected by the company are as follows

  • Mi 4C
  • Mi 4s
  • Mi Note
  • Mi Max
  • Mi 5
  • Mi 5s
  • Mi 5s Plus
  • Redmi Note 4X
  • Mi 6
  • Mi Max 2
  • Mi 5c
  • Redmi 4X
  • Mi Note 2
  • Mi Mix

The devices mentioned above will soon be updated to the MIUI 9 with new features. Here are the new features that come along with the update:

  1. Multi-Window Support - A feature which was brought to the stock android users with the Nougat update is now also coming for MIUI users through the MIUI 9 update. This will allow users to use multiple apps simultaneously. This feature brings an advantage to large phones like the Mi Max and Mi Max 2.
  2. Quick-reply -  This is also a part of the nougat update where users can easily respond to notifications without going inside the application.
  3. New Lock Screen - Xiaomi has provided a revamped design to the lock screen.

Above mentioned features are just a few highlights and the new ROM is said to come with many more changes. According to the reports, the company's CEO Lei Jun has confirmed that the MIUI 9 will be much more stable and smoother as compared to the MIUI 8. The release date as mentioned by the company is July 26, which is only for the China variants of the smartphone. After the China launch, Xiaomi will soon roll-out the update for the Global variants.

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