Play Credit is being offered to selected users only.
Celebrating the spirit of Christmas, Google is offering selected users Play credit for selected users. These users are selected by Google based on their purchase history. To check you are selected or not, head over to the Play store and tap the hamburger button or swipe from the left to open the menu. Click on promotions to find your credit. If you have been selected you will find it there.
The deals may vary depending on the user to user. If you are selected, you might not be given the best deal. There are deals like $5 to spend on any app or game. You may have conditions like the credit can only be used on purchases above $20. You might not be able to use it on in-app purchases. There may be conditions that it can only be applied on audiobooks or games. The conditions are dependent on what Google awarded you.
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If you see this deal on your promotions tab, click the claim credit button to save this deal. They ave terms and conditions which you will be shown when you press claim credit. This credit also has an expiry date which you will be shown once you click claim credit. We had a deal giving us Rs 140 credit for any game purchase over Rs 140. Your offer may vary.
Your Offers may vary
Now once you have the deal in your account, you can navigate to what you want to buy. We have a deal on games above Rs 140 so we found a game above Rs 140 that we would like to purchase. There will be a purple banner saying, you can apply your app reward at checkout informing you that you can use your credit here. Once you click the buy button( the button with the price written on it), you will see the credit applied and you have to pay the left over amount.
The new lineup of Asus Laptops are here, but are they really worth your time?
Asus recently unveiled their latest thin and light VivoBook 15 (X505) and their gaming F570 laptop in India. Both the laptops are meant to cover all segments from thin and light for people on the go to gaming for the hardcore intense gamers. The Asus VivoBook 15 laptop starts at Rs. 30,990 while the Asus F570 Gaming laptop starts at Rs. 52,990. At the launch event held in New Delhi we were able to play around with both the devices for a bit, here is how we felt about them.
Asus VivoBook 15 First Impressions:
The Asus VivoBook 15 is meant for thin and light users
Asus VivoBook 15 is the company’s newest portable laptop in India. It is targeted towards people who need a thin and light laptop to carry around everywhere, but not small enough to make the hardware unusable.
The laptop sports a 15.6-inch 60Hz full HD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. It is powered by the second generation AMD Ryzen processors paired with either 4GB or 8GB of RAM. The device features a Vega 3/8 GPU to satisfy your basic graphics needs.
The laptop sports a plastic body which looks and feels very cheap, but for Rs 30,990 that is something I could live with. The display has an 81 percent screen to body ratio with thin bezels, which the company calls the nano-edge.
VivoBook 15 is targetted towards an audience looking for an affordable and portable laptop with a big screen and acceptable performance. It doesn't look great and feel great in the hand due to its cheap plastic build. However, as intended the laptop is very light weighing in at just 1.6 kg and is very comfortable to hold in one hand.
The keyboard is quite not tactile on VivoBook 15
The back feels not so great
Asus intended to make this laptop very thin and portable so people who travel a lot can carry it everywhere without skimming out on the hardware.
We didn't get to test out the performance on this laptop, however, the Ryzen 3/2200U or Ryzen 5/2500U whatever specification you decide to go with should offer enough performance on the go. The trackpad was smooth, but felt a little hard while operating. As for the keyboard, it has decent key travel but nothing more is there to be talked about.
The display according to Asus will max out at 60Hz, however, we weren't able to test that either. Overall, we can say the laptop does what it is intended to do and nothing more.
Asus F570 First Impressions:
The F570 is good for gaming oriented users
The Asus F570 is the company’s newest gaming laptop in India. It is targeted towards people needing a portable gaming cum workstation in a small form factor to carry around everywhere. The laptop sports a 15.6-inch 60Hz full HD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels, same as the VivoBook 15.
The F570 comes with the second generation AMD Ryzen 5 2500U processor coupled with 8GB of RAM, a Vega 8 integrated GPU paired with a dedicated Nvidia Geforce GTX 1050 GPU.
Asus F570 has been targetted to an audience looking for a gaming laptop that can be also be used as a workstation. The Asus F570 has a metal body, which does provide it an edge over similarly priced gaming laptops. It also packs an Nvidia Geforce GTX 1050, still it is comparatively light weight and comes in at only 1.9 kg.
The keyboard is quite tactile on he F570
The blue accents give the laptop a unique look
With this, the company definitely has cut some corners like making use of neon blue pinstripe paint under the keyboard and trackpad, so that it looks like they are LED backlit, however, they aren't. We didn't get to test out the performance on the laptop, however, the Ryzen 5 2500U should offer enough performance on the go for your workstation needs.
If you are more on the gaming side, the Nvidia Geforce GTX 1050 will do you the trick. The trackpad was smooth and felt quite soft while operating.
The keyboard has good key travel and offers a good typing experience with great tactile feedback to let users know when they have pressed a key. The display does max out at 60Hz. Overall, this laptop does most things perfectly and doesn't fail to impress its target audience.
Holiday season is here and people are shopping for gifts for their friends and loved ones. However, the choices are infinite and you cannot buy it all. So we have made a curated guide for you to help you buy the perfect smart gift for your techie friend/loved one.
Google Home/Amazon Alexa
Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa are equally competent.
With the smart Assistant are becoming more and more common these days, devices like Google Home Mini and Amazon Echo Dot have become cheap. Depending on persons personal choices, Google Assistant and Alexa are both equally competent.
Smart Watch
Smartwatches from the likes of Fossil and more are great to use.
Smartwatches are the next big thing. The smartwatches helps you keep the functionality of a watch with ability to change the looks whenever and wherever you want. You can also get notifications, reply to messages and do a lot of other nifty features.
Smart Band
Smart bands like the Mi Band 3 successor of Mi Band 2 is very popular
Smart Watches are really expensive because of low volume production. Smart Bands like the Mi Band 3. You can track movement, heartbeat check notifications and more.
The 360 degree camera like Gear 360 are great for trips.
360 degree cameras are great for people who like to record their every movement on their adventure trips. Their cameras generally aren't expensive and sync to your smartphone to help you view, edit and delete the footage. This is a perfect gift for any camera enthusiast or travel enthusiast.
A pair of Bluetooth Earphone
Bluetooth earphones help you move more freely while listening to music
Bluetooth earphones towards the end of 2018 are a must. With companies killing of the headphone jack, the Bluetooth earphone is a required accessory. Even if your smartphone has a headphone jack, the freedom the cable-less connection gives is great.
Poco F1 Armoured Edition gives a better look to the phone
Xiaomi has finally introduced the Armoured Edition Poco F1 with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. Earlier, the special edition phone was only available with the top-end model. However, now users can get the Armoured Edition of Poco F1 for much cheaper.
Xiaomi launched the Poco F1 back in August, 2018. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer also introduced a special variant called Armoured Edition. It is said to come with real kevlar at the back, which gives the phone a more sturdy look and feel.
Xiaomi Poco F1 features a 6.18-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 2246x1080 pixels. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC coupled with the Adreno 630 GPU. The dual-SIM handset packs in 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. It runs on Android 9 Pie based MIUI 10.1. All of this is backed by a 4,000mAh battery.
On the optics front, the Poco F1 gets a dual-camera setup at the back consisting of a 12-megapixel primary and a 5-megapixel secondary sensor. Up front, there is a 20-megapixel selfie shooter.
While the regular edition Poco F1 with 128GB storage is priced at Rs. 22,999, the new variant just costs Rs. 1,000 extra. So, the new Poco F1 Armoured Edition with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage would cost you a sum of Rs. 23,999. It will be available via Flipkart and Mi.com starting December 26.
One UI is based on Google's Android Pie operating system
Samsung recently announced their new UI, One UI. It is based on Google's latest iteration of Android. While the update is already available under a beta program for a few devices, the stable update is expected to roll out soon.
The company has confirmed the roadmap for the Android 9 Pie update for a couple of devices. The company shared the list via the Samsung Members application.
The South Korean giant will first provide the update to its latest flagship smartphones. Reports suggest that Samsung Galaxy S9 and S9+, in a few regions, have already started receiving the update. The update should be available all over the globe by January 2019.
Samsung Galaxy Note 9 is expected to receive the update sometime in February 2019. However, older flagships like Galaxy S8, S8+ and Note 8 will have to wait until March 2019. Once the flagship smartphones are updated, Samsung will start pushing the update for its mid-range devices. Phones like Galaxy A8 (2018), Galaxy A8+ (2018), Galaxy A7 (2018) and Galaxy A9 (2018) are expected to get the update by April 2019.
Android Pie will be rolling out for the more budget smartphones like Galaxy J4, Galaxy J4+, Galaxy J6, Galaxy J6+ and the Galaxy A8 Star by May 2019.
As for the tablets, the more recent Galaxy Tab S4 (10.5) will be receiving the update sometime in April 2019. However, Galaxy Tab S3 9.7, Galaxy Tab A 2017, Galaxy Tab Active2 and Galaxy Tab A 10.5 owners will have to wait until October 2019.
Samsung Galaxy S9 comes with a Super AMOLED display
Samsung is known for delaying software updates for so long. It looks the time has changed now. The company promised us stable Android Pie for Galaxy S9/S9 Plus in January, but the update is started to roll out right now.
The Android 9.0 Pie Stable update with Samsung's Latest One UI is currently available in Germany for users to download. We don't know yet that whether you can use a VPN to change the location to Germany and get an update or not but we have reports of German bought units starting to get the update. The reported users claim that they haven't enrolled in the beta program, so we can confirm that the update is a stable update, not another beta update.
According to Android Authority, after the update, the software version will change to G965FXXU2CRLI for the Galaxy S9 Plus. According to SamMobile, the software version for the Galaxy S9 will be G960FXXU2CRLI. The update is also available to download on the Samsung Servers according to SamMobile.
The update package is hefty and comes in at 1744.24MB. This will Android version 9.0 Pie. This also brings in the new Samsung Skin, the OneUI. You can read more about it here.
As per out reports, the updates is only rolling out to German units and unlocked units will get it first. As far as we know Germany is the only country getting it right now.
What's Changed in OneUI
One UI makes reachability easier
Samsung has completely revamped the UI changing the whole look and feel of the device. The UI is revamped for 18:9 aspect ratio display and Samsung's new Infinity-O displays. Our tests with the Note 9 on OneUI beta shows that the new UI brings in performance improvements. The new UI is more rounded to match the displays and overall design language by the company.
The Xiaomi Play has a gradient back and dual rear camera setup.
Xiaomi has finally launched the much-awaited Xiaomi Mi Play in China. The new smartphone is the company's first model in the play series. The smartphone sports a gradient back and a waterdrop styled notch. It is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio P35 SoC coupled with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage and packs a dual rear camera setup. The users will get 10GB of data free each month for 12 months while surfing the web on Mi Play.
Xiaomi Poco F1
Poco F1 is one of the best options under Rs. 25,000
In case you are looking for a flagship smartphone for a similar price point, the Poco F1 might just fulfill your needs. It comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC coupled with Adreno 630 GPU. It packs in up to 8GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The smartphone is available at a starting price of Rs. 20,990.
Honor Play
Honor Play offers flagship grade hardware for a relatively lower price point. It comes with the company's own flagship HiSilicon Kirin 970 chipset. It packs in up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. The Honor Play is available at a starting price of Rs. 19,999.
Xiaomi Mi A2 is also a part of Google's Android One program
In case you want to spend a little less and still want enough power, Mi A2 should justify a position in this list. It comes with Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor coupled with up to 6GB of RAM. It runs on stock Android 9 Pie, which is just an icing on the cake. Xiaomi Mi A2 is available at a starting price of Rs. 15,999.
RealMe 2 Pro
Realme 2 Pro sports a water drop style notch up front
RealMe 2 Pro is the cheapest smartphone on this list. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor. It also comes with a water drop style notch and up to 8GB of RAM. The smartphone is available at a starting price of Rs. 13,999.
Nokia 7.1 comes with a 5.84-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1080x2280 pixels. It comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor coupled with 4GB of RAM. It packs in 64GB of onboard storage, which is further expandable using a microSD card. The smartphone is available at a price of Rs. 19,999.
Microsoft has just added a new Surface device to their lineup of portable convertible laptops, Microsoft Surface Go. The company has designed this convertible laptop with travellers in their mind. This new device has the same convenience of the Surface Pro but in a much smaller form factor. We think that this makes it the laptop/tablet that every traveller should have in their backpack. Here is why:
Microsoft Surface Go packs a good amount of power to be used as a casual computer for work on the go. Also, the Alcantara cover, which sports a great feeling keyboard and trackpad, comes quite handy. In many laptops, due to their plastic or metal build long typing sessions hurt the hand, but due to the Alcantara cover, typing on the Surface Go feels a lot nicer.
Microsoft Surface Go's hinge can be adjusted up to 160 degrees enabling users to set the display angle much more freely. The hinge is quite sturdy and can last very easily during long strenuous usage sessions without any problems. The keyboard feels sturdy and is great to type on. Whereas, the trackpad has great precision and is one of the best that I have personally used barring Apple's trackpads. However, where this beats Apple in the precision department is that it also features a touchscreen display. The touchscreen is very precise and has excellent sensitivity.
The Surface Go Pen magnetically attaches to the Surface Go
Coming to the surface pen, which offers all the functionalities available on a surface pro pen along with some more new features. It has over 3,000 pressure points to help users draw and do stuff in a much more precise fashion than compared to a finger. The Surface Go also comes with palm rejection technology to avoid any incidental touches while using the pen. The pen also doubles as a pointer. It uses a single AAA battery that users need to replace manually. However, this might not be a headache for you as the company claims it has a battery life of more than 18 months. It also attaches magnetically to the Surface Go so you don't lose it.
All these things make the Microsoft Surface Go a really good compact machine that is perfect for almost everyone.
Xiaomi is slowly rolling out the MIUI 10 update to its every smartphone. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer has now started rolling out the OTA update for the four-year-old Redmi Note 3. Here's what it brings and everything else you need to know.
MIUI 10 brings faster animations for a smooth user experience. It also introduces gesture based navigation, a new notification shade and recents menu. While the UI has been updated, the version of the operating system remains the same.
As this is a slow rollout, it might take some time before the update reaches every smartphone. Once the update is available on your phone, you should see a notification for the same. Tapping on the notification will allow you to install the update. However, if you want to check for the update manually, head over to Settings > About Phone > System Update and tap on Check for updates.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 features a 5.5-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor. It packs in up to 3GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage. The storage is further expandable using a microSD card. It runs on Android 6.0.1 Marshmellow. All of this is backed by a 4,050mAh battery.
As for the optics, Redmi Note 3 comes with a 16-megapixel camera with a dual-LED flash. Up front, there is a 5-megapixel selfie shooter with f/2.0 aperture.
Xiaomi Mi Play will sport a waterdrop notch and a dual-camera setup
Chinese smartphone manufacturer, Xiaomi is now planning to launch a new smartphone. It is currently being touted as the Xiaomi Mi Play. While the name suggests that it is here to compete against the Honor Play, it also suggests that it might be a gaming centric phone.
As far as the specifications are concerned, the leaks and rumours suggest that the Mi Play will sport a 5.84-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1080x2280 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19:9. It is also said to pack in up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. All of this will be backed by a 2,900mAh battery.
On the optics front, the Mi Play is said to come with a dual-camera setup at the back consisting of 12-megapixel primary and a 5-megapixel secondary sensor. Up front, there will be an 8-megapixel selfie shooter.
As for the design, the leaks suggest that the Mi Play will come with a water drop style notch up front. This also makes it the first Xiaomi phone to sport such a notch. It also looks like Xiaomi is going with a gradient back design this time around.
A recent report also suggests that Xiaomi is planning to give away 10GB of data alongside the Mi Play. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer is offering the 10GB data to attract more customers towards buying this smartphone. However, there is a catch. While the data is available for a year, it can be used only with the apps and services that come pre-installed with the phone.
Xiaomi Mi Play will first make its debut in China. Soon after the China launch, the phone might make its way to India. The phone is said to be priced somewhere around Rs. 20,000. The smartphone is launching in China on December 24.
