Vivo Apex (2019) vs Meizu Zero: Battle of the portless phones

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January 26, 2019

Vivo Apex 2019 — Vivo Apex (2019) will be showcased at MWC 2019

While Chinese smartphone manufacturer Meizu recently unveiled their Meizu Zero smartphone in China, Vivo also showcased something similar. With the Meizu Zero, the company is looking forward to a portless and buttonless design on a smartphone. Vivo Apex (2019) brings something similar to the table.

With these new smartphones, the companies are eliminating the needs of basic things like a charging port, SIM tray, 3.5mm audio jack, buttons on the sides and more. This will help the phones get a better water resistance and will bring a much cleaner design. It is interesting to see what solutions the companies are bringing in order to make such changes.

Meizu Zero does not come with a 3.5mm headphone jack just like most flagships nowadays. It does not even have a USB Type-C port for charging, which is why it supports Qi Wireless charging and the company is expected to bundle 18W wireless charger right inside the box. Further, the phone does not have any physical buttons. The volume keys and the power button have been replaced by capacitive keys just like the HTC U12 Plus.

Meizu Zero also eliminates the need of any speaker grill or earpiece as the phone uses a piezoelectric transducer under the display to create sound. While the same tech was used on the Xiaomi Mi Mix for the earpiece, here it will be used for the main speakers as well. As for the SIM tray, the company is replacing traditional SIM card options with eSIM, which is now popular due to the latest Apple iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR. There is also an in-display fingerprint scanner on the phone.

Also Read: PUBG Lite open beta launched, now you don’t need a high-end PC to play the game

Vivo Apex (2019) is more of a concept phone and the company is looking forward to showcasing it at the MWC 2019. The company showed off a Vivo Apex back in MWC 2018, with a popup selfie camera, which later on became the Vivo Nex.

As for the design of the Vivo Apex (2019), it comes with a "Super Unibody" design, which allows phone itself to act as a speaker with the help of the Body SoundCasting technology and vibrating the glass. For charging and data syncing, the phone uses magnetic connectors at the back. They will also be safer as they can act more like the MagSafe on Apple's older MacBooks.

Also Read:Top 5 Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro (2019) alternatives: OnePlus 6T, Honor View 20 and more

In the renders, the Vivo Apex seems to not have a camera up front. The company might solve this issue by throwing in a popup selfie camera like the Vivo Nex.

As for the specifications, the Vivo Apex (2019) comes with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC whereas the Meizu Zero gets last year's Snapdragon 845 chip. Both the smartphones are expected to come with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. The Apex (2019) will also be 5G ready as the phone is powered by the latest Qualcomm processor.

BSNL introduces new Rs 269 plan in India on occasion of India's Republic Day

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Tech Desk

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January 26, 2019

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) on the occasion of India's Republic Day has introduced a new prepaid tariff plan for its customers in India. The new Rs. 269 prepaid tariff plan offers its customers 2.6GB of data along with 2,600 minutes of free calls and 260 free SMSes for 26 days.

The plan is limited to users who get their recharges done from January 26 to January 31. This new plan is being called as the BSNL Combo STV 269 and has been made available across India.

Under the plan, consumers will get 2,600 minutes of free talk time across India, 260 free SMSes and a total data limit of 2.6GB for 26 days. As this plan has been specially released on the occasion of India's Republic Day so the number 26 is evident everywhere across the plan.

BSNL recently revised its Rs. 99 prepaid recharge plan, which is the company's calling only plan, to provide 24 days of validity instead of 26 days.

The company also introduced a new prepaid plan of Rs. 899, under which the consumers get 1.5GB of daily data along with 50 daily free SMSes and unlimited voice calls for 180 days. This new prepaid tariff plan is available pan India, with the exceptions of Delhi and Mumbai.

Also Read: Ericsson partners up with BSNL to bring 5G in India: Here’s what you need to know

According to a TelecomTalk report, the company has also increased the SIM replacement fee from Rs. 10 to Rs. 100 and it is offering customers in a few select areas 4G SIM card replacements at Rs. 19.

Lastly, the company has launched its own Fiber network in India to take on Reliance Jio's, Jio GigaFiber. The plans being offered by the company are affordable and have fast data speeds.

Avita Liber laptops first impressions: Just a fashion statement

By

Lalit Wadhwa

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January 26, 2019

Nexstgo's sub-brand Avita recently launched their Liber laptops in India. These laptops focus on providing looks and specifications to the users at an affordable price. The laptops start at Rs. 24,990 and will go all the way up to Rs. 64,490 and comes with processors starting from Pentium N4200 and go all the way up to 7th Generation Intel Core i5 processors.

Avita Liber first impressions: Design

Avita Liber Laptops are focused at people who want thin and light laptops with good looks and decent internal specifications to get work done on the go. Coming in at 5mm thinness at its thinnest point and weighing only 1.37 kg for the base model, they have achieved what they wanted. The laptop comes with 5 different patterns and in 14 colour options to choose from.

The laptop comes packaged in a metal body with fancy a paint job. However, the feel of it is not up to the mark. It feels like the laptop is built out of a cheap plastic when you use it. That is probably due to the paint coatings used on the device. The display sports slim bezels along with a massive trackpad that looks and feels good.

The laptop looks good and serves it's thin and light purpose. Overall, the feel of the laptop is a bit disappointing. The looks of this laptop make it feel more like a fashion statement than a laptop, which is what the company might be aiming it to be. The laptop is geared at people who want it to use it more for more than just completing their computing work. Which is both a good and a bad thing depending on your taste. Like I personally would prefer using a designer laptop, however, another member of my team hated the same.

Avita Liber first impressions: Performance

The laptop comes in two configurations - 13.3-inch 1920x1080 pixel full HD display and a 14-inch 1920 x 1080 pixel full HD display. The laptops come with either a Pentium N4200 or 7th Generation Intel Core i5 generation processor coupled with 4GB/8GB of DDR3 RAM depending on your variant. The laptop can be bought with 256GB/512GB SSD.

We didn’t get to test out the performance on this laptop, however, the 7th Generation Intel Core i5 should perform well enough for daily use scenarios. If you are looking to do some gaming, the Avita Liber laptops might not be a good choice. The keyboard has decent key travel. The trackpad is as smooth as one would like and its massive size helps a lot.

Avita Liber first impressions: Conclusion

Considering the price and specifications of the Avita Liber laptops, I personally feel that there is a lot of competition in this area and that these might not be a good deal to purchase. However, bring in the looks of the laptop, its 5mm thinness and its only 1.37Kg weight, the price starts to make a bit of sense. So if you want a good looking laptop that's thin and light for a decent amount, the Avita Liber Laptops are a good fit for your daily usage.

Apple's Mac App Store gets Microsoft Office 365: Here's how to install

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Tech Desk

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January 25, 2019

apple, macbook pro, 8th gen intel processors, update — Microsoft's all-new Office 365 also supports the touch-bar on newer MacBook models

Microsoft Office is one of the most powerful and popular tools for computers. The latest suite of Office 365 applications has only been available on Microsofts Windows operating system lately for PCs. That seems to change now as the company announces the availability of the applications on Apple's Mac App Store.

Now even Macbook or generally MacOS users can take advantage of the latest version of Microsoft Office. However, the software has also been available on Apple's iOS operating system for quite some time now, which means that iPhone and iPad users were already enjoying the services.

In order to start using Office 365 on your MacOS powered computer, you can head over to the App Store and find Office 365. Once downloaded and installed, open up the application to sign in with your Microsoft account. Note, you will need to purchase a subscription for the service before you can start making use of the software's full potential.

Phil Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing said in a press statement, “We are excited to welcome Microsoft Office 365 to the all-new Mac App Store in macOS Mojave. Apple and Microsoft have worked together to bring great Office productivity to Mac users from the very beginning. Now, with Office 365 on the Mac App Store, it’s easier than ever to get the latest and best version of Office 365 for Mac, iPad and iPhone."

Also Read: Apple iPhone XI to come with three cameras on back: Report

Microsoft's new Office 365 is developed for MacOS in such a way that it can support all the latest features of new MacBooks and the new MacOS Mojave. For instance, the application can make use of software features like Dark Mode and Continuity Camera. Further, MacBook with Touchbar owners can even take advantage of the touch bar while working on any of the Office 365v applications.

Top 5 Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro (2019) alternatives: OnePlus 6T, Honor View 20 and more

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Tech Desk

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January 25, 2019

samsung, Galaxy A9 pro 2019 — Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro is the company's second smartphone to sport an Infinity-O display

Samsung has launched yet another smartphone with their new Infinity-O display. The new Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro sports a hole punch design up front for the selfie camera. It has launched in South Korea for a price of KRW 599,500, which roughly converts to Rs. 38,000. Here are some of the alternatives to consider.

OnePlus 6T

While the Samsung Galaxy A9 Pro brings the all-new hole punch design, OnePlus 6T brings in an in-display fingerprint scanner on board. It even has a water drop style notch, which looks quite better than the likes of iPhone XR and more. Moreover, OnePlus 6T comes with flagship grade hardware including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset. It packs in up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. OnePlus 6T is available for a starting price of Rs. 37,999.

Also Read: How to make a normal OnePlus 6T look like OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition

Honor View 20

Honor has recently launched the Honor View 20 and it is one of the first smartphones to come with a hole punch display. The new smartphone from Honor also brings their new flagship Kirin 980 chipset, which is based on a 7nm process. It also comes with a 48-megapixel camera at the back. The smartphone is launching in India next week and it is expected to be priced under Rs. 40,000.

Xiaomi Poco F1

If you want to save some money and you don't care much about the looks of your phone, the Poco F1 will deliver way better performance than the Galaxy A9 Pro. Poco F1 comes with flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC paired with up to 8GB of RAM. Under the hood, it has a 4,000mAh battery. Poco F1 is available at a starting price of Rs. 19,999.

Also Read: Here’s why Xiaomi Poco F1 is the smartphone to beat in 2018

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

If you are willing to go back a generation, the flagship Samsung Galaxy Note 8 is selling for around Rs. 42,000 in India. The smartphone brings in tons of features like Samsung Pay, QHD+ Super AMOLED display and much more. The phone has also started receiving the latest Android Pie based One UI update.

Vivo Nex

In case you want a smartphone with a distinguishing feature, the Vivo Nex might just be the right phone for you. It comes with an almost bezel-less design, a pop-up selfie camera and an in-display fingerprint scanner. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC coupled with Adreno 630 GPU. Vivo Nex is available for a price of Rs. 44,990

PUBG Lite open beta launched, now you don't need a high-end PC to play the game

By

Devesh Arora

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January 25, 2019

PUBG Vikendi map — PUBG Lite will run smoothly even on low-end computers

PUBG or PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has become quite popular due to its availability on multiple platforms. Being a survival game where aiming and shooting matters a lot, the game is much preferred to be played on a PC. However, the PC version of the game requires high-end hardware. Not anymore, as PUBG introduces PUBG Lite for PC.

PUBG, which was initially made available on Steam at a price of Rs. 999 requires some serious hardware for smooth gameplay. The minimum requirements for the game include an Intel Core i5-4430 or AMD FX-6300 processor. At least 8GB of RAM and 30GB of storage is required to run the game. Further, for the graphics needs, PUBG recommends at least NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960 2GB or an AMD Radeon R7 370 2GB. However, even with these minimum specifications, the game would not even give a playable 60fps.

Enter PUBG Lite, which is built to solve this problem. The minimum requirements of the game include an Intel i3 with 2.4GHz clock speed, 4GB of RAM, 4GB storage and Intel Graphics 4000. Even the recommended specifications are an Intel Core i5 at 2.8Ghz, 8GB of RAM and 4GB of onboard storage. Graphics cards like Nvidia GTX 660 or AMD Radeon HD 7870 should be enough.

Also Read: Top 5 PUBG Tips and Tricks: Here’s how to win a chicken dinner every time

PUBG fans who were willing to play the game on their low-end computers had to install PUBG Mobile emulator. This created an advantage for these players over the ones who were using a mobile phone touchscreen to play the game. Now that PUBG Lite is out in beta, we can expect a full version to roll out soon.

HMD Global releases Android Pie update roadmap: Here's when your Nokia smartphone will get the update

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Tech Desk

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January 24, 2019

Android Pie — Android 9.0 Pie is Google's latest offering

HMD Global has finally released a roadmap for the Android 9.0 Pie update for Nokia's line of Android smartphones. The company has already rolled out the update to some of its popular smartphones. However, the other phone users have been waiting for the update since months. Here's when rest of the Nokia phones will start receiving the Android Pie update.

According to the new roadmap shared by Juho Sarvikas, Chief Product Officer, HMD Global via Twitter, most of the Nokia phones will get the update in Q1 2019. Nokia 5 and Nokia 3.1 Plus are set to receive the Android 9 Pie update this month. Other popular devices including the Nokia 6, 5.1, 3.1 and 2.1 will receive the update by March 2019.

Revealing our Android Pie update roadmap! We were the fastest in deploying Android Oreo ? 8.0 and 8.1 portfolio wide, with Android Pie ? we are committed to be even faster. You can also take a peek into the kitchen here: https://t.co/NlWbss4q3P #nokiamobile #android #androidone pic.twitter.com/lrJADwJOxO

— Juho Sarvikas (@sarvikas) January 23, 2019

As for the budget smartphones like Nokia 3 and Nokia 1, the update will be rolled out for them sometime in Q2 2019. HMD Global has already rolled out the update for Nokia 7 Plus, 6.1, 6.1 Plus, 7.1 and 5.1 Plus. Nokia 8 and 8 Sirocco have also recently started receiving the update.

Also Read: List of smartphones to receive Android 9.0 Pie update soon: Samsung, Nokia, Xiaomi

Nokia's Android smartphones are a part of Google's Android One program, which means they run on almost clean stock Android without many bloatware applications. The new update should bring all the new features introduced by Google including Adaptive Battery, gesture based navigation and much more.

Nexstgo launches Avita Liber series of Laptops along with other IOT products in India

By

Devesh Arora

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January 24, 2019

avita, laptops — Avita has launched a new range of laptops with tons of colour options

Avita, a company owned by Nexstgo Company Limited, has launched a range of new laptops in India. The brand has its presence in countries like USA, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, The Philippines and Malaysia and it is now ready to step into the Indian market with the all-new Liber series.

With the Liber series, Avita is aiming towards bringing fashion and technology together. Initially, the company is introducing two laptop sizes, 13.3-inch and 14-inch. These consumer grade laptops will come with FullHD displays and will be powered by up to Intel Core i5 8th Gen processors. The laptops will come with up to 8GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD storage.

COMMENTING ON THE LAUNCH, MR. ALEX CHUNG, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF NEXSTGO COMPANY LTD.“WE ARE ABSOLUTELY DELIGHTED TO LAUNCH AVITA'S EXCITING RANGE OF AVITA LIBER HERE IN INDIA. THIS MARKET IS KNOWN TO BE ONE OF THE FASTEST GROWING ONES IN THE TECHNOLOGY SEGMENT AND IS OPEN TO EMBRACE NEW LIFESTYLE BRANDS. WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO INTRODUCING OUR FASHION-FORWARD AND HIGH-PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS TO THE INDIAN CONSUMER’S BRAND PHILOSOPHY IS TO ALLOW OUR CUSTOMERS TO EXPRESS THEMSELVES THROUGH TECHNOLOGY AND WE AIM TO DO THIS WITH OUR VIBRANT LIBER RANGE.”

Also Read: Fortnite 7.20 update: Sneaky snowman, sniper shootout mode and more

Avita is also promising a battery backup of up to 10 hours, which should be enough to forget your charger home while rushing for work. As for the connectivity, both the laptops come equipped with a USB Type-C port, 2 USB-A 3.0 ports, Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11ac Wi-Fi. Just like the latest MacBooks, Avita Liber laptops will also use the USB Type-C port for quick charging.

As the company is bringing fashion as well, the Avita Liber series of laptops will be available in dozens of colour options. Apart from the traditional metallic colours, Avita will also show off vibrant shades including AVITA Purple, Urban Ruby, Angel Blue and more.

Also Read: Asus VivoBook 15 and Asus F570 First Impressions

Avita's new Liber series is now available via major e-commerce websites including Amazon, Flipkart, Tata Cliq and PayTM. The laptops will also be up for grabs at retail stores such as Viveks, Alfa, Dhruv Sales and Croma by the end of January 2019. The price range will start from Rs. 27,990 and will go all the way up to Rs. 83,990. Avita is also offering 3 years international warranty as a part of the launch offer to those who register online for the new laptop range.

Xiaomi India teases the launch of Redmi Note 7 in India: Here's what to expect

By

Tech Desk

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January 24, 2019

Redmi Note 7, xiaomi — Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 comes with a water drop style notch up front

Xiaomi recently unveiled the Redmi Note 7 in China under their newly separated sub-brand Redmi. Chinese smartphone manufacturer has now teased that the smartphone will be made available in India within the coming weeks. Xiaomi took their official Twitter handle as a platform to make the announcement.

The tweet shows a picture of Manu Kumar Jain, MD of Xiaomi India and Lei Jun, Founder of Xiaomi. Both the Xiaomi representatives held a Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 in their hand to showcase the upcoming smartphone. As this is a teaser, the picture has been uploaded upside down and even the caption is written in such a manner. The tweet reads "the 48MP head-turner is arriving soon! disruption guaranteed"

˙pǝǝʇuɐɹɐnƃ uoᴉʇdnɹsᴉp ¡uoos ƃuᴉʌᴉɹɹɐ sᴉ ɹǝuɹnʇ-pɐǝɥ #ԀW8ᔭ ǝɥʇ pic.twitter.com/e8YTnlcIO7

— Mi India (@XiaomiIndia) January 24, 2019

With such tweet, it is quite understood that the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 with a 48-megapixel rear camera will be made available in India very soon. However, it could be the Redmi Note 7 Pro or both the smartphones that are entering the market. Also, considering Xiaomi's history, the Redmi Note 7 is going to be very aggressively priced in the country, which will help them to crush the competition with Asus, Realme and other brands.

Also Read: Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro, Redmi Go and more smartphones to launch in India soon

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Specifications

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 features a 6.3-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1080x2340 pixels and a water drop style notch. The smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor, which is clocked at 2.2GHz. It packs in up to 6GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage, which is further expandable using a microSD card. All of this is backed by a 4,000mAh battery.

On the optics front, the Redmi Note 7 sports a dual-camera setup at the back consisting of a 48-megapixel primary and a 5-megapixel secondary sensor. Up front, there is a 13-megapixel selfie shooter.

New report suggests 4G internet speeds get faster in night in India, here's why

By

Tech Desk

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January 23, 2019

4g network — 4G data speeds get faster at night

OpenSignal, a wireless coverage mapping company has observed that the 4G internet speeds in India become faster at night. The company has measured the data speeds across India's 20 largest cities including Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Delhi and more. While the 4G speeds have reached an average of 21.6mbps in Indore at the fastest hour, Bangalore gets some of the slowest at 14.6mbps even at the fastest hours.

As for the slowest hour, which is mainly in the daytime, Allahabad currently has the slowest 4G data speeds averaging at around 2mbps. Hyderabad, on the other hand, is enjoying at least 5.2mbps even at its worst times. However, when it comes to an average, the 4G data speeds in Navi Mumbai appear to be the fastest.

Francesco Rizzato, Global Analyst at OpenSignal, says, "India's smartphone users experience varying 4G download speeds depending on the city they live in. In this study, Navi Mumbai led our 20 cities’ ranking with double the speed of Allahabad, which came last. Hyderabad has the most consistent speeds and Allahabad the highest variance". "In all cities, 4G download speeds changed considerably at different hours of the day, being the average download speeds at 4.5 times faster at night".

Also Read: Here’s why you should opt-in for pre-paid plans over postpaid ones: Airtel, Vodafone, Idea and Reliance Jio

OpenSignal has also reported that all the 20 cities they have tested show off a similar trend in Internet speeds. After analysing all the 20 cities, OpenSignal claims that at around 4AM, users experience average download speeds of 16.8 Mbps. However, the daily average sits at around just 6.5 Mbps.

The 4G data speeds vary between city to city. During congested times, users across all cities go through a much slower experience, with 4G download speed ranging from 2.5 Mbps to 5.6 Mbps. In less-congested hours the speeds experienced increased by approximately 9.8 Mbps to range from 9.9 Mbps to 19.7 Mbps.

Beetel BiteTech News, Reviews, PC Mobile Phones, Tablets and more

Avita Liber first impressions: Design

Avita Liber first impressions: Performance

Avita Liber first impressions: Conclusion

OnePlus 6T

Honor View 20

Xiaomi Poco F1

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

Vivo Nex

Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Specifications