TECNO unveils Phantom Ultimate 2 tri-fold smartphone concept: Take a look

TECNO unveils Phantom Ultimate 2 tri-fold smartphone concept: Take a look



Chinese smartphone brand TECNO has unveiled a new tri-fold smartphone concept named “Phantom Ultimate 2”. Featuring a 10-inch double-folding main display, TECNO stated that in its folded state, the device measures 11mm thick, which is slimmer than some existing foldable smartphones. The company also mentioned that the hinge technology used for this device could enable existing bi-fold smartphone models to achieve a thickness of less than 9mm.


TECNO Phantom Ultimate 2: Details


TECNO announced that it has achieved the impressive 11mm thickness for a tri-folding smartphone by using a thinner hinge design and the industry’s thinnest battery cover, measuring just 0.25mm. Additionally, the company claimed that the hinge supports over 300,000 folds, ensuring durability and longevity.


When folded, the concept smartphone displays a 6.48-inch screen that expands to a 10-inch display with a 4:3 aspect ratio in its fully unfolded state. TECNO stated that the OLED panel on the device features a 3K resolution display with LTPO technology for dynamic refresh rate adjustment.


The company also highlighted that it has optimised its user interface to enhance the experience on a tri-folding device. TECNO explained that the base screen can lay flat while the upright screen offers a laptop-like form factor, with the bottom display functioning as a keyboard in this mode. Other notable feature optimisations include multi-window support, tent mode, adaptive icons, and an optimised home screen layout.


“The unveiling of this new concept also paves the way for further progress in TECNO’s foldable device innovation, with its second-generation foldable devices, PHANTOM V Fold2 5G and PHANTOM V Flip2 5G, scheduled for release soon,” TECNO stated.

First Published: Aug 28 2024 | 5:31 PM IST



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Apple-owned Beats enters India with Solo Buds, Solo 4, and Pill launch

Apple-owned Beats enters India with Solo Buds, Solo 4, and Pill launch


Beats Solo Buds, Solo 4 and Pill

Apple-owned audio brand Beats has launched three audio devices in India, including the Beats Solo Buds wireless earphones, Beats Solo 4 on-ear headphones, and Beats Pill Bluetooth speaker. These new devices are now available for pre-orders on Apple’s website, with general availability starting on September 4.


“Beats Solo Buds, Beats Solo 4, and Beats Pill deliver remarkable sound performance, battery life, and dual compatibility for both Apple and Android devices,” said Oliver Schusser, Apple’s vice president of Apple Music and Beats. “We are thrilled to be bringing our latest premium product offerings to India, a country with such a rich culture and diversity driven by the youth.”


Beats Solo Buds: Details


The Beats Solo Buds come in the smallest case the company has ever made. The earbuds feature an ergonomic design with nozzles and laser-cut vents to improve audio performance while ensuring a comfortable wearing experience. Each earbud has a dual-layer transducer, which the company claims reduces micro-distortions.


For calls, the earbuds are equipped with custom-made microphones that are powered by advanced noise-learning algorithms. The company claims 18 hours of playback time on a single charge, along with quick charge functionality. Other notable features include one-touch pairing, Find My and Find My Device support, and more.


Beats Solo Buds: Rs 6,900


Colours: Matte Black, Storm Gray, Arctic Purple, Transparent Red


Beats Solo 4: Details


The Beats Solo 4 on-ear headphones offer a lightweight construction, weighing 217g. The headphones feature a flex-grip headband and durable yet plush on-ear cushions for comfort. They are equipped with 40mm transducers that reduce latency and distortion, delivering high-fidelity acoustics. The headphones also support Spatial Audio with dynamic head tracking.


The microphones on the Beats Solo 4 are powered by an intelligent noise-learning algorithm to ensure a high-quality calling experience. The company claims up to 50 hours of battery life, with a quick charge function that provides five hours of playback from a 10-minute charge.


Beats Solo 4: Rs 22,900


Colours: Matte Black, Slate Blue, Cloud Pink


Beats Pill: Details


For the Beats Pill wireless portable speaker, the company has re-engineered the woofer and introduced radial ribbing to offer upgraded acoustics, room-filling sound, and enhanced bass. The speakers are designed with a 20-degree upward tilt for better on-axis sound projection, minimising sound reflection. Users can pair two Beats Pill speakers in Amplify or Stereo modes.


Beats also stated that the speakers are 10 per cent lighter than their predecessor and come with a removable lanyard cable and a soft-grip silicone backing. The speakers are rated IP67 for resistance against dust and water ingress. The company claims 24-hour battery life, with up to 2 hours of music playback from a quick 10-minute charge.


Beats Pill: Rs 16,900


Colours: Matte Black, Statement Red, Champagne Gold

First Published: Aug 28 2024 | 5:27 PM IST



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Dropped phone in water? This video could save you a trip to service centre

Dropped phone in water? This video could save you a trip to service centre



A video on YouTube titled “Sound to Remove Water from Phone Speaker (Guaranteed)” claims that playing the video on your wet smartphone “will eject water from your phone speaker and completely remove water from your mobile speakers.” The video has over 45 million views, and many comments suggest that it works. According to a report by The Verge, they tested the video on a smartphone that had been dropped in water, and it worked to some extent.


The video’s audio seemingly produces low-tone sound, creating air motion near the speaker outlet that pushes the water or liquid droplets out of the vent. This method is more effective on larger speakers that can produce lower tones and higher volumes, making it difficult to determine whether it works as effectively in small smartphone speaker vents.


However, this is not a new concept. Electronics makers, including Apple and Xiaomi, have incorporated such features natively in some of their devices. For example, the Apple Watch uses this mechanism to eject water after it gets wet. Similarly, Xiaomi offers a “Clear Speaker” function on select smartphones, which produces high-pitched sounds at the highest volume level to expel water droplets from the speaker vents.


Using this YouTube video or similar techniques to dry out your smartphone might help remove liquid from speaker vents. However, if liquid is present in the smartphone’s charging port or any other part, it is essential to follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer. Some smartphones even come with an “Ingress Protection” rating, offering some degree of protection from dust and water ingress.


Recently, Apple issued an advisory stating that placing a wet iPhone inside a bag of rice can cause further damage and is not an appropriate solution for drying your phone. Similar to other original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), Apple also suggests tapping the smartphone to remove excess liquid.

First Published: Aug 28 2024 | 4:02 PM IST



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Apple eyes bigger slice of India's streaming, music market with Airtel deal

Apple eyes bigger slice of India's streaming, music market with Airtel deal


Apple and Airtel (representative image)


Apple is tying up with India’s Bharti Airtel to offer the telecom firm’s premium customers its music and video streaming services for free, giving the U.S. giant access to thousands of consumers in the world’s most populous nation.


With mostly English-language content, Apple TV+ is a small player in India’s $28 billion media and entertainment market, where its rivals include Netflix, Amazon Prime Video , Disney+ Hotstar and billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s JioCinema.


The move comes as competition tightens in India and an $8.5-billion merger of the Indian media assets of Reliance and Walt Disney – which have a streaming service each – faces close scrutiny from antitrust regulators.


“Apple TV+ will come bundled with premium Airtel WiFi and Postpaid plans,” Airtel said in a statement on Tuesday, though the companies did not disclose a deal value for the partnership or information on costs.


Apple Music will also be available for current premium users of Airtel’s Wynk music app, which will be shut down. Its employees are being subsumed by the company, Airtel said.


Two sources familiar with the strategy said that for Apple, the deal is aimed at reaching out to a much bigger pool of consumers with its digital services given Airtel is the country’s second biggest telecom operator with 281 million subscribers.


Ambani’s Reliance Jio telecom service has 489 million users.


The Apple TV+ streaming service, known for its original series like Ted Lasso, The Morning Show and Slow Horses, has so far differentiated itself in the streaming landscape with a focus on in-house content.


Most rival platforms in India and overseas offer users older movies and TV shows from other studios, as well as their own originals.


Airtel will within days announce new tariff plans that will include free Apple TV+ offerings, said two other sources with direct knowledge of its plans.


Currently, the Apple TV+ service retails at $9.99 per month in the U.S. and 99 Indian rupees ($1.18) per month in India, compared to Ambani’s JioCinema which offers cricket content for free and has plans as cheap as 29 rupees a month.


Netflix starts with monthly tariff of 149 rupees.


Cricket is seen as a way to attract more customers to streaming platforms in India, and Disney lost millions of Indian users last year when it lost streaming rights to Ambani’s Reliance for streaming the world’s richest cricket tournament, the Indian Premier League.


Apple has 6% of India’s 690 million smartphone users, according to data from research firm Counterpoint. The remaining market is dominated by phones from Samsung and Xiaomi, and are powered by Google’s Android operating system.


Apple Music is currently priced at 99 Indian rupees per month and has a library of 100 million songs.

First Published: Aug 28 2024 | 2:51 PM IST



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Google rolls out quick reply redesign on Gmail for Android: What is new

Google rolls out quick reply redesign on Gmail for Android: What is new


Gmail “Quick Reply” feature


Google has officially begun rolling out the redesign of Gmail’s “Quick Reply” feature for Android to personal Google accounts and individual subscribers of Google Workspace. The upgrade is not yet available to users in Workspace Labs, and testers will receive access at a later date. Google has announced that the feature will be available on iOS devices later this year. The Quick reply redesign is expected to be fully available to Workspace customers in the coming weeks.


“Starting today, you can reply to emails directly from the bottom of the conversation, without opening a new screen, making it easier to reference the email you’re replying to. We know this new option is best for quick, lightweight responses, so for longer, more formal responses, you can simply expand the text box to access more formatting options,” Google stated in a blog post about Workspace updates.


The Quick reply redesign introduces a text field at the bottom of the screen, eliminating the need to scroll to select from options like Reply, Reply all, or Forward, although these options remain available. Users can start typing immediately after tapping on the text box without needing to expand or switch screens.


Additionally, users can change recipients, attach files, or expand the text field using the expand icon. The ability to reference the contents of the message being replied to is also included, similar to functionality on messaging platforms.


Google announced the Gmail redesign in May, alongside updates to Google Messages and Google Home.


In related news, Google has also introduced enhancements to Gemini functionality in Gmail, including two new writing tools. The existing “Help me Write” feature, which allows users to formalise, elaborate, and shorten their emails, now includes a new Polish tool that helps users refine drafts created on mobile devices and the web.

First Published: Aug 28 2024 | 2:17 PM IST



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Moto g45 5G budget phone goes on sale with introductory offers: Details

Moto g45 5G budget phone goes on sale with introductory offers: Details


Motorola’s budget 5G smartphone, Moto g45 5G, is now available for purchase in India. Launched on August 21, the device is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 chip and features a vegan leather finish on the back, available in three Pantone-curated colours: Brilliant Blue, Brilliant Green, and Viva Magenta.


Moto g45 5G: Price and variants


4GB RAM + 128GB storage: Rs 10,999


8GB RAM + 128GB storage: Rs 12,999


Moto g45 5G: Availability and offers


The Moto g45 5G smartphone can be purchased from Motorola official website and the e-commerce platform Flipkart. Introductory offers include a Rs 1,000 discount from Axis Bank and IDFC First Bank customers on credit card and credit card equated monthly instalment (EMI) transactions.


Moto g45 5G: Details


The Moto g45 5G sports a 6.5-inch HD+ display of a 120Hz refresh rate, protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The smartphone is equipped with a stereo speaker system that supports Dolby Atmos surround sound for surround sound audio experience.


The smartphone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 chip, with up to 8GB RAM and 128GB of on-board storage. It comes with a 5,000mAh battery that supports 20W wired charging. For photography, the Moto g45 5G sports a 50MP primary camera sensor paired with a 2MP depth sensor, and a 16MP front-facing camera.


Moto g45 5G: Specifications


  • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3

  • RAM: 4GB and 8GB

  • Storage: 128GB

  • Display: 6.5-inch LCD display, HD+ resolution, 120Hz refresh rate, Gorilla Glass 3 protection

  • Audio: Dolby Atmos

  • Rear camera: 50MP primary + 2MP depth sensor

  • Front camera: 16MP

  • OS: Android 14-based HelloUI

  • Battery: 5000mAh

First Published: Aug 28 2024 | 1:55 PM IST



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