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Microsoft offers Sony 10-year Call of Duty contract

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The ongoing buyout deal has already been cleared out unconditionally in Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Serbia. (Image: Activision Blizzard)

Microsoft back in January announced that it was acquiring Activision Blizzard. While the deal is still under scrutiny by various authorities checking for anti-competitive practices, Microsoft seems to have offered Sony a 10-year contract for Call of Duty games.

According to an opinion piece published in the Wall Street Journal by a Microsoft executive, the company has offered Sony a 10-year contract to make each new Call of Duty game release available on the PlayStation the same day it releases on Xbox.

Sony gaming chief, Jim Ryan back in September revealed that Microsoft had offered Sony a three year contract keep the game series on PlayStation after the current agreement expires. Sony at the time refused the agreement saying that it was inadequate.

This new 10-year contract offer has been made to Sony, after Microsoft has been facing increased regulatory scrutiny over its $69 billion buyout for Activision Blizzard. Sony has been publically criticising the deal and has been calling for a regulatory veto.

EU regulators have stated that "the transaction may significantly reduce competition on the markets for the distribution of console and PC video games, including multigame subscription services and/or cloud game streaming services, and for PC operating systems." The deadline for the EU proceedings is in January, and Microsoft offering remedies for anti-competitive practices could shorten the process.

Also Read: Xiaomi to launch two desktop PCs soon

The ongoing buyout deal has already been cleared out unconditionally in Brazil, Saudi Arabia and Serbia.

"The main supposed potential anticompetitive risk Sony raises is that Microsoft would stop making Call of Duty available on the PlayStation. But that would be economically irrational," Microsoft President Brad Smith said in the WSJ opinion piece.

In other news, Microsoft announced that it is raising prices of new Xbox games from $60 (approximately A$90; Rs 4,000) to $70 (approximately A$105; Rs 5,000), starting in 2023, according to a company spokesperson.

Nothing in talks with carriers to launch future product in the US market

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There is some chatter in the market, that the company could also be looking to launch its first tablet. (Image: Nothing)

Nothing back in July launched its first smartphone, dubbed Nothing Phone (1). The device has managed to be coined as one of the best mid-range handsets of the year. But not everyone in the global markets got to enjoy the device. One of the major markets that missed on the launch of the device was the US.

It's never too late, Nothing founder Carl Pei in an interview with CNBC said that "Now we are in discussions with some carriers in the US to potentially launch a future product there."

While he said that the company is going to launch a future "product", carriers mostly only sell phones and tablets. This hints that the company could soon launch a smartphone in the US market or going out of the way could launch a new tablet.

People got excited and read this as a confirmation to the launch of the Nothing Phone (2). However, Pei shot down the rumours by tweeting that the Phone (2) will not launch anytime soon.

While the tweet shot down the rumours, it does not mean the company will not launch a sequel, it just states, it is not launching anytime soon. The tweet could also be interpreted as downplaying the talk about Phone (2) so that it does not hamper with the sales momentum of the Phone (1).

Also Read: OnePlus partners with Keychron to launch its first mechanical keyboard

There is some chatter in the market, that the company could also be looking to launch its first tablet, to take on the rejuvenated and competitive market. However, until we hear anything come from the official channels, we recommend that you take this news with a pinch of salt.

In the tweet, Pei confirmed that the Nothing Phone (1) will be getting the Android 13 update soon. He also mentioned that the company is currently heavily focussing on software to provide its users with a higher level of satisfaction.

OnePlus partners with Keychron to launch its first mechanical keyboard

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Tech Desk
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Mechanical keyboards have a very strong enthusiast community, and was the category chosen by the OnePlus community members as a future product category. (Representational Image: OnePlus)

OnePlus just announced its new co-creation platform, called 'OnePlus Featuring'. On this platform, the company will work with its partners to launch new products in the market. The first partner for the platform is Keychron, which OnePlus is collaborating with to launch a new mechanical keyboard.

This will be the company's first keyboard, which will feature a mechanical key switch design, and will come with the ability for the users to customise its keys. The keyboard will be made available globally in early 2023. Apart from this, the company did not reveal any additional details about the upcoming product.

OnePlus, Keychron, OnePlus mechanical keyboard, OnePlus Keychron mechanical keyboard, OnePlus Featuring
This will be the company's first keyboard, which will feature a mechanical key switch design. (Representational Image: Keychron)

Keychron is one of the most popular names in the industry, and has been in business since 2017. Mechanical keyboards have a very strong enthusiast community, and was the category chosen by the OnePlus community members as a future product category via a poll on the company's official forums.

Besides this, the company has announced that it is looking to launch two new PC monitors soon. Both these products suggest that the company is highly interested in getting into the PC market. Incidentally, Xiaomi is also looking to enter the PC market, and is soon expected to launch two mini PCs in its home country of China. But unlike Xiaomi, the company does not have any laptop or tablet offerings, so it will be interesting to see how the company decides to compete in the PC market.

OnePlus, Keychron, OnePlus mechanical keyboard, OnePlus Keychron mechanical keyboard, OnePlus Featuring
The company has announced that it is looking to launch two new PC monitors soon. (Representational Image: Keychron)

In other news, OnePlus is celebrating its 9th anniversary this month, with multiple sales on its products going on globally. The company has been continuously growing, with 43.8 percent and 104.6 percent year-over-year growth in Asia Pacific and India, respectively, in the first three quarters of 2022.

Also Read: Oppo ColorOS 13 update timeline announced

The company has also released a claim that it now has 30 million Red Cable Club members. Apart from this, the company has stated that it has a number of new products, which are slated for a global launch in the coming months.

Xiaomi to launch two desktop PCs soon: Here's a look

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Tech Desk
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Both the PCs will first be launched in the company's home market of China, and will then slowly be launched in the international markets. (Image: Weibo)

Xiaomi could soon be looking to enter the PC market. The company already sells laptops and entering the PC market just seems like the right next move. The company was reportedly going to showcase their first PCs at its December 1 event in China, which has now been postponed due to the passing of Jiang Zemin - the former General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party.

Xiaomi is yet to announce a new date for the event. However, it seems as if it did showcase its two PC designs to a select number of people.

Xiaomi Host Mini PC

The first design is called the Xiaomi Host Mini PC with a small form factor (SFF) design. The leaked images from Weibo showcase the device in a barebones state with a 100W XM22AL5X PSU. We don't know the hardware that will be going into the box.

In the photos we can see that the Xiaomi Host Mini PC includes support for a low-profile, half-height up to dual slot dedicated GPUs on a Mini-ITX motherboard. There is also a mechanical switch at the back of the device. We do not know what is the function of that switch. One of the photos does show a keycap for the button included in the accessory package.

Xiaomi Mini PC

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The Mini PC is rumoured to be priced at Yuan 3,999. (Image: Weibo)

The Xiaomi Mini PC resembles the Intel NUC and the Apple Mac Mini. We do know a lot more about this device. It will apparently be powered by the AMD Ryzen 7 6800H APU paired with the Radeon 680M RDNA2 GPU. It will come with 512GB of SSD storage along with 16GB of RAM.

Also Read: Microsoft Teams Android app update brings much requested feature

The Mini PC is rumoured to be priced at Yuan 3,999 (approximately A$ 838; Rs 46,646).

Both the PCs will first be launched in the company's home market of China, and will then slowly be launched in the international markets.

Nokia Android 13 update schedule: Five phones in the first phase

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Tech Desk
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The first phase of the update rollout includes five smartphones. (Representational Image: HMD Global)

HMD Global recently announced that it completed its migration to Android 12 for all of its eligible Nokia smartphones. It has stated that if a smartphone did not get the operating system update will not be getting it in the future. The company has now announced its first phase for the Android 13 update rollout.

The first phase of the update rollout includes five smartphones, all of which are affordable and have been launched a while ago. The list of devices receiving the update is below:

  • Nokia X10
  • Nokia X20
  • Nokia XR20
  • Nokia G50
  • Nokia G11 Plus

Take note, the company has not revealed the exact timeframe as to when these devices will be receiving the update.

Interestingly, the list does not include the Nokia C31, the Nokia G60 5G, and the Nokia X30 5G, all of which were announced at IFA 2022 back in September. This could be because the G60 5G and the X30 5G aren't even available in the market. However, rest assured, Nokia at the unveil did confirm that these phones will be getting the Android 13 update.

Also Read: Oppo ColorOS 13 update timeline announced

All of the phones in the company's first update phase meet the Android Enterprise Recommended requirements, including bulk deployment with zero-touch enrollment, quick Android security updates (within 90 days of release from Google), physical availability of enough units, and “consistent application experience”.

HMD Global has also confirmed it will soon be releasing a longer list of its phase 1 with timeframes. The list will include a number of more Nokia smartphones that will be receiving the update.

Microsoft Teams Android app update brings much requested feature

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Tech Desk
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The live transcription feature has been available on the web and the desktop apps since last year. (Image: Microsoft)

The Covid-19 pandemic changed a lot of aspects of how we live our lives. One of the significant shifts we saw was the increased popularity of video conferencing tools. Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams at the time became household names, especially for people in the enterprise and education markets.

Microsoft Teams is one of the most popular video conferencing platforms right now. However, a list of its smart features has been absent from its mobile apps. Now with its latest update for the Android platform, the company is bringing one of its niftiest features, live transcription to its Android app.

The live transcription feature has been available on the web and the desktop apps since last year. The feature will now be made available to over 100 million Android users that have the app installed on their smartphones.

How to use the live transcription feature on the Microsoft Teams Android app

After updating the app to the latest version, Android users during an ongoing meeting can simply tap on the "More actions" option, and then start or stop live transcription for the speakers.

After you turn on the live transcription feature, it will automatically start appearing in the meeting chat with appropriate speaker labels. Users will also be able to access the entire transcript after the meeting has ended from inside of the "Files" section of the app.

Also Read: How to Edit Videos for Social Media Platforms

The new option is available for both one-to-one and group chats.

Besides the live transcription feature, Microsoft has also bringing a list of other features to Teams. These features include instant polls during calls, schedule send for messages, and improved web experience for Teams with this big update.

Motorola Edge 30 Fusion finally launched in US: Comes in a special colourway

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Tech Desk
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Motorola Edge 30 Fusion US variant comes with the same specifications as its global counterpart. (Image: Motorola)

Motorola Edge 30 Fusion is finally making its debut in the US market. The device will be made available in the country on December 12 in a new colourway that the company is calling Viva Purple. This new colour is the Pantone Color of the Year 2023.

Pantone each year picks a colour of the year, "by analyzing global trends and themes throughout the year", considering "all aspects of society from fashion to marketing, social media and even politics."

The company in its press release claims that it has a "globally-exclusive partnership with Pantone in the smartphone category." It also stated that Viva Magenta is a "a fearless hue that writes a new narrative", it "conveys what it means to blend the virtual and the physical with enthusiasm", it's "inspired by nature and explored through technology, revealing multiple dimensions and a new way of creating."

Motorola Edge 30 Fusion Viva Magenta: Price

Motorola Edge 30 Fusion Viva Magenta colourway is priced at $799.99 (approximately A$ 1,177.15; Rs 65,149.19). The new colourway comes bundled with a pair of Moto Buds 600 ANC TWS earbuds in the Winetasting colour.

If you don't want the new colourway, you can opt for the Neptune Blue colour, which is priced at $699.99 (approximately A$ 1,030; Rs 57,005.44). However, this colourway does not come with the earbuds.

Also Read: Motorola Edge 30 Pro: Price, specifications

In the US, the Edge 30 Fusion will be made available as an unlocked phone compatible with AT&T and T-Mobile networks only.

Motorola Edge 30 Fusion US variant comes with the same specifications as its global counterpart.

Oppo ColorOS 13 update timeline announced: Take a look here

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Tech Desk
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The company has claimed that this is just an approximate timeline. (Representational image: Oppo)

Oppo has announced that it will be updating a number of its smartphones to ColorOS 13 this month. This includes both the stable and the beta version updates.

While the company has listed all of the devices getting the update, it states that the timeline is approximate. It claims that there might be unforeseen delays for specific models in some countries for certain carriers. It also claims that the update schedule for carrier-exclusive models will be given by the carriers themselves.

According to the released list, all of the high-end models launched recently will first get the update over the next couple of weeks, after which the company will start focussing on the older and lower-end models.

Also make note that some of the updates will be released globally, while some of them will be released on a country by country basis.

Also Read: Honor Magic Vs launched: Cheapest foldable yet?

Listed below is the timeline of Oppo phones that will be getting the ColorOS 13 update.

Oppo ColorOS 13, Oppo, ColorOS 13, Oppo ColorOS, Oppo update
The high-end models launched recently will first get the update over the next couple of weeks. (Image: Oppo)

ColorOS 13 Stable update

Ongoing

  • Oppo Find X5 Pro
  • Oppo Find X5
  • Oppo Find X3 Pro
  • Oppo Reno8 Pro
  • Oppo Reno8
  • Oppo Reno7
  • Oppo Reno7 Z 5G
  • Oppo F21 Pro 5G
  • Oppo F21 Pro
  • Oppo K10 5G
  • Oppo K10
  • Oppo A96
  • Oppo A77
  • Oppo A76

From December 15

  • Oppo Find X3 Lite (France)
  • Oppo Reno7 5G (India)
  • Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G (Indonesia, Saudi Arabia)
  • Oppo Reno6 5G (India)
  • Oppo Reno5 Pro 5G (Saudi Arabia)
  • Oppo Reno5 5G (Indonesia)

From December 21

  • Oppo Find X3 Neo (France)

From December 28

  • Oppo Reno6 Z (Thailand)
  • Oppo Reno5 Pro 5G (India, Pakistan)
  • Oppo Reno5 Z (UAE)
  • Oppo F19 Pro+ 5G (India)

From December 29

  • Oppo Find X5 Lite (France)
  • Oppo A74 5G (India, Indonesia)

ColorOS 13 Beta update

Ongoing

  • Oppo Find X2 Pro
  • Oppo Find X2
  • Oppo Reno8
  • Oppo Reno7 Pro 5G
  • Oppo Reno7 5G
  • Oppo Reno6 Pro 5G
  • Oppo Reno6 5G
  • Oppo Reno6 Z
  • Oppo Reno5 Pro 5G
  • Oppo F21s Pro
  • Oppo F19 Pro+ 5G
  • Oppo A74

From December 9

  • Oppo Reno8 Z (Thailand)
  • Oppo F21s Pro 5G (India)

From December 23

  • Oppo F19s (India)
  • Oppo F19 (India)
  • Oppo A95 (Indonesia)
  • Oppo A77s (India, Indonesia)
  • Oppo A74 (Indonesia)

Honor Magic Vs launched: Cheapest foldable yet?

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Tech Desk
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Honor Magic Vs is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset. (Image: Honor)

Honor has finally launched its new foldable flagship, named the Honor Magic Vs. This time along, the company has managed to slim down the device and make it lighter compared to the last generation. The company claims that it has been able to reduce the weight of the device with the help of a brand-new hinge design that allows the phone to close without a gap.

The new Honor Magic Vs is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset paired with 8GB/12GB of RAM and 256GB/512GB of internal storage. The company has also announced that it will be launching an Ultimate version of the device later, which will come with 16GB of RAM and with support for the newly introduced stylus called Magic Pen, which will connect via Bluetooth.

Honor Magic Vs: Price

Honor Magic Vs has been launched in three colour options: Orange, Cyan and Black. The Black and Gold colour variants will only be made available for the highest memory combo.

Honor, Honor Magic Vs, Honor Magic Vs launched, Honor Magic Vs price, Honor Magic Vs price in India, Honor Magic Vs specifications, Honor Magic Vs specs, Honor Magic Vs features
Honor Magic Vs sports a 6.45-inch external OLED display with support for 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+. (Image: Honor)

The 8GB RAM/256GB storage variant is priced at Yuan 7,499 (approximately A$1,548; or Rs 85,485), the 12GB RAM/256GB storage variant is priced at Yuan 7,999 (approximately A$1,652; or Rs 91,185), and the highest spec version with 12GB RAM/512GB internal storage is priced at Yuan 8,999 (approximately A$1,858; or Rs 1,02,584). The yet to be released Ultimate version will be priced at Yuan 10,888 (approximately A$2,248; or Rs 1,24,118).

The company has already started taking pre-orders for the device in China, with the first sale scheduled for November 30. The company has confirmed to us that it will be launching the Honor Magic Vs in global markets in Q1 2023. However, it did not confirm which markets will get the new foldable.

Honor Magic Vs: Display

Honor Magic Vs sports a 6.45-inch external OLED display with support for 120Hz refresh rate and HDR10+. The resolution for the outer display is 2560x1080 pixels. Inside the phone, you will find a 7.9-inch foldable OLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate and a 2272x1984 pixel resolution. Both the foldable and the outer display use 10-bit panels.

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The device is backed by a 5,000mAh battery with 66W fast charging. (Image: Honor)

The foldable display on paper is the same as its predecessor, the Magic V. However, this time along, the company claims that the foldable panel is "practically creaseless." It has been able to achieve this thanks to a new hinge, which is "carefully crafted with a single-piece processing technology." The company has used only four elements instead of 92, all while maintaining the durability and sturdiness.

The company claims that the hinge was able to withstand 400,000 folds at its Honor Labs, which comes out to more than ten years of use with 100 folds per day.

Cameras

Honor Magic Vs gets a new triple-camera setup consisting of a 54-megapixel Sony IMX800 primary sensor with an F/1.9 lens. Along with the primary camera, the device gets a 50-megapixel ultrawide-angle camera, which also acts as a macro lens, and an 8-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom.

Honor, Honor Magic Vs, Honor Magic Vs launched, Honor Magic Vs price, Honor Magic Vs price in India, Honor Magic Vs specifications, Honor Magic Vs specs, Honor Magic Vs features
The company claims that the hinge was able to withstand 400,000 folds at its Honor Labs. (Image: Honor)

At the front, the device gets a 16-megapixel sensor on the cover display for taking selfies. The company did not elaborate on the camera specifications inside of the fold.

Battery

The device is backed by a 5,000mAh battery with 66W fast charging. The company claims that the device can charge from 0 to 100 percent within 46 minutes.

Operating system

Honor Magic Vs runs Google's Android 12 operating system with the company's own MagicOS 7.0 skin on top.

Honor MagicOS 7.0 based on Android 13 announced: List of devices, rollout schedule

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Tech Desk
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Honor MagicOS 7.0 brings in a more streamlined design with flat icons, fluid animations and the new Honor Sans font. (Image: Honor)

Honor just a day before the unveiling of its Honor 80 series and Magic Vs foldable smartphones has announced its MagicOS 7.0 skin based on Google's Android 13 operating system. It is a complete visual overhaul with a number of noteworthy features. The new operating system skin will be present on all upcoming Honor smartphones.

Honor MagicOS 7.0

The new MagicOS 7.0 brings in a more streamlined design with flat icons, fluid animations and the new Honor Sans font. The new home screen design brings in larger folders for easier accessibility along with new widgets to bring in a more personalised experience for the users. The skin comes bundled with a new video editor for creative professionals.

Honor MagicOS 7.0, Honor, MagicOS, Honor MagicOS, Honor phones, Android 13, Honor 80 series, Honor Magic Vs
For foldable devices, the company has added support for split-screen keyboard, smart widget and task manager. (Image: Honor)

The company has brought in MagicRing for seamless file transfers, smart clipboard, call and notification management between MagicOS devices and other Honor laptops and tablets.

For foldable devices, the company has added support for split-screen keyboard, smart widget and task manager. Magic Text feature recognises text from inside of images, and then allows users to scan and save the text into a PDF file.

With its Honor OS TurboX feature, the company promises faster app launches along with optimised system-level power consumption management. The MagicGuard feature provides system protection, privacy protection and financial security protection, malware protection.

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Honor MagicOS 7.0 is based on Google's Android 13 operating system. (Image: Honor)

At the unveil, the company released the initial list of devices, which will receive the MagicOS7.0 update. It also announced that it will be releasing the global rollout schedule and list of devices soon.

Honor MagicOS 7.0 (Android 13) eligible devices and rollout schedule:

December 2022

Honor Magic V
Honor Magic3 Ultimate Edition
Honor Magic3 Pro
Honor Magic3
Honor V40

January 2023

Honor Magic4 Supreme Edition
Honor Magic4 Pro
Honor Magic4

February 2023

Honor 70 Pro+
Honor 70 Pro
Honor 70

March 2023

Honor 60 Pro
Honor 60
Honor 50 Pro
Honor 50

April 2023

Honor X40 GT

May 2023

Honor V40 Light Luxury Edition
Honor X40
Honor X30

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