PUBG is one of the most famous games on mobile in the world
After the huge backlash in the world of smartphone gaming, when the state of Gujrat, India placed a ban on playing on the online battle royale game, Player Unknown Battlegrounds Mobile, also known as PUBG Mobile, the parent from the United Arab Empire also calling for the same. In a report by Khaleej Times, UAE parents want to impose a ban on that game because of the fact that it is a "bad influence on youth" because of its "violent content and addictive nature."
PUBG or PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is a multiplayer survival battle royale game which is very famous. Especially in smartphone gaming, scene it is one of the top games right now in the world. The game has already been banned in a number of cities in the state of Gujrat. Even 15 players have been arrested by the Police for playing the said game.
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The decision has been gaining a lot of backlash due to the extremeness of the punishment. Playing the game will put you in police custody along with real criminals. A group of youths in Badalpur, Gujrat decided to mark their territory for playing the said game by putting up the posting in an area.
The poster read: 'This place is reserved only for PUBG game players'. The poster also mentioned that it had been put up on the order of "Vijay Bhau". After the poster was spotted, a local resident approached the local police authorities, namely the Thane police by tweeting about it and asking the police to take the matter in their hands. After the tweet was posted, the Thane police got the poster removed and warned the youth against playing the game in the area.
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In another incident, a Class X student decided to end his life just because his mother allegedly scolded him for playing PUBG on his cell phone. The 16-year-old Kallakuri Samsbashiva hung himself from the ceiling fan of his room putting an end to his life at the family's Malkajgiri area during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. He was a student of the Gouthami High School, and he also locked his bedroom from inside after being scolded by his mother, Unadevi for playing the game for too long instead of studying.
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However, the ban on the PUBG Mobile was recently lifted in Gujrat's capital city Ahmedabad. Numerous players including some of the famous names in the country came out in protest against the ban whichs was in effect since March 14, 2019.
WhatsApp's latest beta update brings a feature to block frequently forwarded messages.
WhatsApp has been working on various methods to stop people from spreading fake news over the platform, which has been a common problem in countries like India. The company recently introduced a feature which helped users know what messages are forwarded. Now the company is releasing a way to block frequently forwarded messages.
However, initially, users will only be able to block frequently forwarded messages for groups. The feature has been spotted by WABetaInfo in an early build of the application's upcoming update. Once the feature is rolled out, the admin of a group can head over to the group settings and toggle frequently forwarded messages option. They can either choose "Allow" or "Don't Allow" option.
Technically, this should serve as a spam filter within the application, which could result in limiting the number of fake news spreading across the platform. However, the downside still remains that if users copy and paste the text, there is no way of telling whether it's forwarded or not.
Apart from frequently forwarded messages feature, the Facebook-owned company has also introduced features like forwarding limits, suspicious link detection and improved group admin controls. Reportedly, the company is also working on a feature called reverse image search, which will allow users to quickly verify the authenticity of a received image.
Apart from spam protection features, the comapny is also gearing up to bring much-awaited features like Night Mode and more.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro is the successor the popular Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 Pro.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro was launched a couple of months back as a successor to Redmi Note 5 Pro, one of the most popular mid-segment smartphones in India. The Redmi Note 4 and its successor, the Note 5 Pro cemented Xiaomi's name in mid-segment smartphones in India. So does the smartphone live up to the legacy of its successors or not? Let's find out.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro: Specifications
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro comes with a 1.80 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 coupled with an Adreno 509 GPU and 3/4/6 GB of RAM depending on the variant you choose. It sports a 6.26-inch (1080 x 2280 pixels) notched LCD display. For optics, it features a 12-megapixel f/1.9 rear sensor along with a 5-megapixel f/2.2 sensor and an LED flash. For selfies, it packs a 20-megapixel f/2.0 along with a 2-megapixel f/2.2 sensor. All of this is backed by a 4,000mAh battery.
The smartphone is backed by a massive 4,000mAh battery.
The device sports a metal back panel with a plastic frame around the sides. It runs Google’s Android 9.0 Pie with completely modified MIUI 9.0 skin on the top. The phone sports hybrid dual sim card slots, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a micro-USB port for charging & data syncing.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro Review: Design
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro features a metal back with a plastic frame. The look and feel of the smartphone are not that great in hand. The materials feel a little cheap, which considering the price point can be accepted.
The front has a huge chin on the bottom.
The device sports a 6.26-inch, 19:9 aspect ratio notched LCD display. The dual front camera, earpiece, notification led and the proximity sensor are all placed inside of the notch.
Back of the device is made out of metal.
On the back, there is a dual camera module paired with an LED flash aligned in a vertical orientation. The phone bears Xiaomi's logo and the fingerprint sensor on the back.
Top, Bottom, Left, Right in that order.
On the right edge, there is the power button along with the volume rockers just above it. The left side only holds the sim card tray, which consists of a hybrid dual sim card slot. On the top edge, there is a headphone jack and on the bottom edge, there is the micro-USB port along with a primary microphone and the speaker grille. Xiaomi made the microphone look like a secondary speaker grille for symmetry, which is appreciated.
Overall, the design of the smartphone is pretty much similar to that of the Mi A2. The plastic frame robs the otherwise great feel of the metal and the bevelling on the sides makes holding the smartphone in hand a slight inconvenience. Overall, the design of the smartphone is unimpressive but not necessarily boring.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro Review: Software
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro runs Google’s Android 9,0 Piew with a heavily modified Android skin on top. Xiaomi's approach to software has always been quite complex. They tend to heavily modify the operating system (OS) to add customisability, but it tends to take the UI's look away from what we think Android looks like. Moreover, introducing so many features causes a lot of minor bugs in the software.
MIUI 10 has more of a love of hate relationship with people.
Features like a built-in theme engine in the smartphone and an ability to modify various settings that you can't on the stock Android gives the MIUI an edge. But the absence of an app drawer, complete overhaul to the UI and a lot of bloatware in the form of Xiaomi's alternative apps for stock Android apps along with those stock android apps push the people like me, who love a stock Android UI away. In the end its a matter of personal preferences.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro Review: Performance
Performance is a major area of concern on any device, Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro sports a 1.80 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 coupled with an Adreno 509 GPU and 3/4/6 GB of RAM. We had the 6GB variant, so your performance might vary depending on the unit you purchase.
AnTuTu (left) Geekbench (right).
We ran our usual benchmark tests to evaluate the performance of the phone. On AnTuTu, the device yielded a score of 116436, which is okay considering the price and competition. On GeekBench, it managed to get a single core score of 1325 and a multi-core score of 4762. The performance numbers of the device on paper were not bad for the value.
While playing light games such as Temple Run and Crossy Chicken, the phone runs smoothly. Games like PUBG Mobile and Asphalt 9 Legend's also works fine with a slight lag after long gaming hours. Considering the price of the smartphone, it performs pretty well.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro Review: Display
Xiaomi utilises a notch design similar to the one seen on Apple's iPhone X.
The Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro sports a 6.26-inch 19:9 aspect ratio LCD display with a massive notch. The brightness turns up high enough to offer great sunlight visibility and turns down enough to offer comfortable usage experience even in the complete darkness. We did observe slight discolouration on the panel, however, it might be an issue with our unit only.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro Review: Cameras
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro features a 12-megapixel f/1.9 rear sensor along with a 5-megapixel f/2.2 sensor and an LED flash. For selfies, it packs a 20-megapixel f/2.0 along with a 2-megapixel f/2.2 sensor. Although, not everything depends on a camera’s megapixel count as we have seen in the past.
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The rear camera of the device offers images with good details and great colour reproduction. The saturation and contrast are great. The camera boosts, the colour of images a little bit, but it is not noticeable easily.
Without beauty mode (left), with beauty mode (rihgt).
The front camera of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro is also not so bad. The colours are not natural and are a bit boosted. The beauty mode is annoying, which gets turned on automatically whenever you open the camera. With the beauty mode is turned to its maximum, the colours are so highly boosted that subject looks weird and unnatural.
Overall, apart from the software annoyances of MIUI, the camera quality of the device is great.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro Review: Battery
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro comes packing a 4,000mAh battery, which lasts for a little over 12 hours on a single charge. Charge time with the included charger is around one and a half hours, which is perfectly normal. Overall, you would like to charge the smartphone in the night before going to bed, so as to it doesn’t die on you in the middle of the day leaving you stranded.
PCMark Work 2.0 battery life test result.
We ran PCMark’s Work 2.0 Battery Life test, which subjects the phone to heavy usage and finds out how the battery performs in those conditions. The device yielded a result of 12 hours and 50 minutes, which lines up with the battery capacity in the smartphone and our day to day usage.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro Review: Conclusion
Overall, the smartphone is a hit or a miss.
At the time of writing this review, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro starts at Rs. 12,999 with 4GB RAM, 64GB storage. Our 6GB RAM variant costs Rs 14,999. At that price point, the performance is not upto the mark. Competitors from Huawei and Asus are offering way better performance for the price. The story is the same with the cameras. It all boils down to the software. MIUI software is loved by many and if you like it, the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro is a great option, else you should stay away from it.
Netflix, the popular media streaming service, has ended support for Apple's AirPlay feature. AirPlay basically allowed iOS users to stream their favourite show on Netflix to their Apple TV via the iOS app. Netflix justified the move by claiming it is to maintain a standard of quality for its users.
The company has even made the necessary changes to its website. Under its FAQ section, the answer to the question "How do I use my mobile device to watch Netflix on my TV?" has been edited to show "Airplay is no longer supported for use with Netflix due to technical limitations."
However, users can still use the media streaming app on their Apple TV in order to watch TV shows or movies. Other options for streaming include Google's Chromecast or using an Android TV. Users can even rely on a physical cable to cast media content onto their television.
Netflix, in an official statement, claimed, “We want to make sure our members have a great Netflix experience on any device they use. With AirPlay support rolling out to third-party devices, there isn’t a way for us to distinguish between devices (what is an Apple TV vs. what isn’t) or certify these experiences.”
Meanwhile, Netflix is working on new plans tailored for countries like India. These plans will allow users to get a mobile-only subscription or weekly based subscriptions making it easier on the user's pocket.
Amazon is bringing a new sale dedicated to mobile phones and accessories.
Amazon India is now coming up with yet another sale. This time the Fab Phones Fest sale, as the name suggests, is all about smartphones. The sale is set to kick off on April 11 and will go on until April 13. The poster suggests there will be discounts on various smartphones along with some bundled offers.
While the company has not released an exact portfolio of the products that will be a part of the sale, it has given a few hints using teasers and posters. Fab Phones Fest sale claims to bring the 'lowest price ever' on the OnePlus 6T smartphone. Amazon India's website clearly states that it will bring the 'biggest ever offer' on the device.
Apart from OnePlus 6T, there will be select smartphones from brands like Honor and Oppo that will be a part of the sale. The e-commerce giant claims that the Honor smartphones will get discounts of up to Rs. 8,000. Even the budget-oriented Realme U1 get a great offer during the Fab Phones Fest sale.
Last year's Apple flagship, the iPhone X, will also be available at a discounted price during the sale. Currently, the phone goes for around Rs. 74,999. While there is no pricing confirmation, the website does claim to provide no-cost EMI option for the iPhone X.
Apart from the discounts and bundled offers, the e-commerce website will also bring additional offers such as total damage protection plans, no-cost EMI options, exchange offers and more. Notably, Amazon India has also tied up with Cashify to offer 6 percent extra value on old smartphones.
Lenovo K6 Enjoy is a new budget smartphone available in China.
Lenovo has just launched a new budget-oriented smartphone, the Lenovo K6 Enjoy. It comes with entry-level specifications such as the MediaTek A22 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM. It comes in either 64GB or 128GB storage variants and starts at around CNY 1,398 (roughly Rs. 14,000). Here are some of the alternatives available in India right now.
Redmi Note 7
Redmi Note 7 has a massive 4,000mAh battery.
Xiaomi's sub-brand Redmi has recently launched its two budget smartphones, the Redmi Note and Note 7 Pro in India. The cheaper of the two, Redmi Note 7, comes with a 6.3-inch FullHD+ display with a waterdrop style notch up front. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset coupled with up to 4GB of RAM. The smartphone is available at a starting price of Rs. 9,999.
Realme 2 Pro
Realme 2 Pro sports a water drop style notch up front.
Realme 2 Pro is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor, which is much better than the MediaTek A22 on the Lenovo K6 Enjoy. It also gets a dual-camera setup at the back and a 16-megapixel selfie shooter. The phone also features a water drop notch up front. All of this comes in for a starting price of Rs. 12,990.
Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2
Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 sports a dual-camera setup at the back.
Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 is touted as one of the best budget-oriented smartphones as it offers the best price to performance ratio. The device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor coupled with up to 6GB of RAM. It comes with a glass sandwich design and a notched display. Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 is now available at a starting price of Rs. 9,999.
Samsung Galaxy M20 comes with an Infinity V notch display.
Samsung's recently launched M-series smartphones are giving tough competition to Chinese manufacturers. The Galaxy M20 smartphone features a 6.3-inch fullHD+ Infinity-V Display. It is powered by the octa-core Exynos 7904 processor paired with up to 4GB of RAM. The device runs on Samsung Experience v9.5 built on top of Google's Android 8.1 Oreo. It is available at a starting price of Rs. 10,990.
Xiaomi Mi A2
Xiaomi Mi A2 is available in a variety of colour options.
Xiaomi Mi A2 was launched with a price tag of Rs. 17,999 but now it is available for just Rs. 11,999. It comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor paired with up to 6GB of RAM. It is a part of Google's Android One program, which means it runs on a clean stock version of Android. The smartphone sports a dual-camera setup at the back and a 20-megapixel selfie shooter.
PC gaming has been here for decades now. In the earlier days, users had to purchase CDs or DVDs with licenses in order to play these games. With digital licences becoming a thing and increasing popularity of online gaming, gaming clients came into existence. Currently, the most popular clients are Steam, Epic Games and Origin. Here's a comparison between all three of them.
Steam
Steam is one of the oldest and most popular gaming clients. It was launched back in 2003 and today it has millions of games in its library. Some of the more popular titles that are available on steam include Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), GTA 5 and much more. Apart from games, users can even find softwares like RainDesktop, VEGAS Movie Studio 16 and more.
Steam offers a huge gaming and software library.
As far as the interface is concerned, the client itself looks quite simple. However, in a recent update, the chat section receives an overhaul, which changes its looks as well as brought in new features. It is also worth noting that Steam has a huge active community that stays connected. The client also has an Android/iOS app, which can even be used for Steam Gaurd. It is basically a two-factor authentication system for more security.
Epic Games
While Epic Games has been here since 1991, their gaming client only started to gain attention after the launch of the popular battle royale game, Fortnite. Apart from Fortnite, some of the other popular titles now available on Epic Games are Metro Exodus, The Walking Dead: Final Season, The Division 2 and more.
Epic Games has a modern interface.
The interface looks modern when compared to something like Steam. It also has plenty of features baked into it such as the ability to connect to Steam in order to add new friends. However, unlike Steam, Epic Games does not have its own chat hub. So, if you need to talk to your teammates, you will either need to stick to in-game chat or you can use something like Discord or TeamSpeak.
Origin
Origin has tons of popular games in its library.
It might come to surprise to many but Origin is owned by the popular video games company, EA Games. While the client already has tons of popular games like Anthem, Battlefield V, Fifa 19, The Sims and more. However, it the downloads of the gaming client started to rise when Apex Legend launched for free.
Conclusion
Currently, Steam has one of the biggest game libraries, a huge community and better security. Epic Games and Origin are not far behind with great user interfaces and a growing library with much popular AAA titles.
However, everything comes down to the availability of the game you want to play. If you want to play CS:GO, you will need to stick with Steam and if you want to play Apex Legends or Fortnite, you will have to shift to Origin or Epic Games respectively. At the end of the day, Steam, Epic Games and Origin are just clients and should not be deal breakers as a player spends most of his time in-game rather than on the client. So, it all boils down to which game you want to play today.
Xiaomi is known to produce smartphones that make one of the best price-to-performance ratios. However, lately, the company has been accused of providing too many advertisements throughout its custom user interface, MIUI. Here's how you can disable them to get better user experience.
Before we begin, we need to understand that why Xiaomi enables ads on their MIUI. In simple terms, Xiaomi and its sub-brands sell smartphones at a very aggressive price point and in order to make up for the low-profit-margin on hardware, they monetize their software to generate income that goes into R&D, marketing and more.
Ads are everywhere in MIUI so the removal process is not going to be a one-click process. The user will need to disable ads from multiple sections of the UI.
Revoking MSA app authorization
First, you will need to go to the Settings of your Redmi Note 7 Pro smartphone and navigate to Additional Settings > Authorization and Revocation. Here, you need to select MSA (MIUI System Ads) from the list and hit revoke. This usually requires multiple attempts but once done, it will remove ads throughout the system. However, if this just simply refuses to work for you, disable ads on each application manually.
Disable advertising identifier
Advertising identifier feature can be found in Settings > Additional Settings > Privacy > User Experience Program. As the name suggests, disabling this will stop sending information to Xiaomi for customised advertisements.
Apart from the above-mentioned steps, you will need to head over to every pre-installed apps such as File Manager, Downloads, MIUI Theme and more. You will need to look for something called “Recommendations,” “Receive Recommendations“ or “Show recommended content” and disable them. These will be available under the settings menu or about section of the pre-installed apps. You can also disable “Personalized wallpaper selection” feature under MIUI Themes to avoid ads on the lock screen.
Netflix is one of the best media streaming services and it is also known to be the costliest. In India, the current subscription plans start from Rs. 500. Now, to make things easy on the pocket for consumers, Netflix is releasing a bunch of weekly plans, which will start from just Rs. 65.
According to a report by Gadgets 360, the new plan will cost users as low as Rs. 65 per week and it will be available only for mobile devices. The report further suggests that the company is working on a new mobile-only monthly plan as well which will cost around Rs. 250.
Currently, the new plans are visible to a select number of users around the country. As per the report, Netflix is testing out a different set of plans for select countries in order to attract more users to their streaming service. The upcoming plans will allow users to watch Netflix on their mobile devices for a lower price and subscribe for a shorter time span.
The starting plans like Rs. 250 per month or Rs. 65 per week will support only Standard Definition (SD) content viewing. In order to get High Definition (HD) or Ultra HD, users will need to upgrade their plans accordingly. Also, it is worth noting that these plans will work only on smartphones and tablets.
Apart from the Rs. 65 per week mobile only plan, the company will bring more weekly plans for Rs. 125, Rs. 165 and Rs. 200 for Basic, Standard and Premium plans respectively. These plans are just a weekly subscription for the already available Rs. 500, Rs. 650 and Rs. 800 monthly plans.
However, the above-mentioned plans are just being tested by the company. They may or may not roll out anytime soon.
Samsung Galaxy A20 is a new budget-oriented smartphone
Samsung has just launched the Galaxy A20 smartphone in India that is priced slightly lower than the Samsung Galaxy M20. In order to get a lower price point, Samsung did shave off some of the features. Here are the top 5 alternatives to the Samsung Galaxy A20 available in India right now.
Redmi Note 7
Redmi Note 7 comes in a variety of colour options
Xiaomi's sub-brand Redmi has recently launched its two budget smartphones, the Redmi Note and Note 7 Pro in India. The cheaper of the two, Redmi Note 7, comes with a 6.3-inch FullHD+ display with a waterdrop style notch up front. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 chipset coupled with up to 4GB of RAM. The smartphone is available at a starting price of Rs. 9,999.
Realme 2 Pro
Realme 2 Pro sports a water drop style notch up front
Realme 2 Pro comes with a dual-camera setup at the back and a 16-megapixel selfie shooter. It comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor coupled with up to 6GB of RAM. The phone also features a water drop notch up front. All of this comes in for a starting price of Rs. 13,990.
Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2
Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 sports a dual-camera setup at the back
Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 runs on a nearly stock version of Google's Android operating system. It comes with a glass sandwich design and a notched display. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor coupled with up to 6GB of RAM. Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 is currently available at a starting price of Rs. 9,999.
Samsung Galaxy M20
Samsung Galaxy M20 comes with an Infinity V notch display
Samsung recently launched the Galaxy M20 smartphone in India. The device features a 6.3-inch fullHD+ Infinity-V Display. It is powered by the octa-core Exynos 7904 processor paired with up to 4GB of RAM. The device runs on Samsung Experience v9.5 built on top of Google's Android 8.1 Oreo. It is available at a starting price of Rs. 10,990.
Xiaomi Mi A2 is a part of Google's Android One program
Xiaomi Mi A2 was launched with a price tag of Rs. 17,999 but now it is available for just Rs. 11,999. It comes with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor paired with up to 6GB of RAM. It is a part of Google's Android One program, which means it runs on a clean stock version of Android. The smartphone sports a dual-camera setup at the back and a 20-megapixel selfie shooter.
