If you finally decided to purchase a new laptop but yet not sure where to find the best deals, then you’ve come to the right place. We have handpicked some of the best deals Flipkart has on laptops. The products in this list below are from brands like Lenovo, Dell, Asus, and more. Asus F541UA-XO2231T Price: Rs 25,990 Deal price: Rs 23,990 The Asus F541UA-XO2231T is powered by an Intel Core i3 6th Gen processor, which is paired with 4GB RAM and 1TB hard drive. The machine is pre-installed with Windows 10 OS, which means you do not need to worry about installing it separately. Click here to buy. Dell Inspiron Price: Rs 26,990 Deal price: Rs 24,990 The Dell Inspiron features an anti-glare display, which offers a resolution of 720 x 1280 pixels. The laptop is powered by an Intel Core i3 6th Gen processor, which is paired with DDR4 RAM and 1TB hard drive. The laptop comes with the Linux-based operating system Ubuntu. However, customers are free to install their own OS if they want. Click here to buy. HP-BS542TU Price: Rs 25,990 Deal price: Rs 24,990 The HP-BS542TU is backed by an Intel Core i3 6th Gen processor, which is paired with 4GB DDR4 RAM and 1TB hard drive. The laptop does not come with installed an installer OS, which means you need to install OS on your own. Click here to buy. Lenovo Ideapad 320 Price: Rs 58,990 Deal price: Rs 54,990 The Lenovo Ideapad 320 sports a 15.6-inch HD display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. The device is powered by an Intel Core i7 7th Gen processor. The laptop packs an 8GB RAM and 1TB hard drive. The machine comes with installed Windows 10 as well. Click here to buy. Acer Aspire 5 Price: Rs 36,990 Deal price: Rs 33,990 The Acer Aspire 5 features a 15.6-inch HD display with a resolution of 1366 x 768 pixels. The device is powered by the latest 8th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, which is paired with 4GB RAM and 1TB hard drive. It has a built-in microphone and dual speakers as well. Click here to buy
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Mars rover Opportunity fell silent on June 10 owing to a dust storm that struck the 22-kilometre-wide Endeavour Crater called Perseverance Valley. The storm plunged the solar-powered rover into complete darkness. By June 20, the storm only grew worse. Finally, in late July, the storm began dying down, giving researchers back on Earth hope that communication with the stranded rover could once again be reestablished. Now, it seems the dust storm is clearing some more. If there ever was a right time to get Opportunity to talk to us again, it’s now. "The Sun is breaking through the haze over Perseverance Valley, and soon there will be enough sunlight present that Opportunity should be able to recharge its batteries," said John Callas, Opportunity Project Manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in a statement. Mission controllers on Earth are already trying to wake Opportunity up three times a week by sending commands to shout back through the big radio antennas of NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN). NASA will wait for the atmospheric opacity (“tau” level) to reduce before expecting a successful signal transmission. “When the tau level dips below 1.5, we will begin a period of actively attempting to communicate with the rover by sending it commands via the antennas of NASA's Deep Space Network. Assuming that we hear back from Opportunity, we will begin the process of discerning its status and bringing it back online,” commented Callas. “If we do not hear back after 45 days, the team will be forced to conclude that the sun-blocking dust and the Martian cold have conspired to cause some type of fault from which the rover will more than likely not recover,” added Callas. This means the team has a strict deadline to meet. It must attempt to revive the Mars rover before that or lose all hopes of working with it in the future. After the deadline, the engineers will make “passive listening efforts” for several months before writing Opportunity off for good.
Google has announced that it is working with researchers at Harvard in using Artificial Intelligence to help predict earthquakes aftershock locations. Aftershocks occur after the initial ‘mainshock’ of an earthquake and while they aren’t as powerful as the main earthquake, they can significantly hamper recovery efforts. Phoebe DeVries, Post-Doctoral Fellow at Harvard, notes that “although the timing and size of aftershocks has been understood, and explained by established empirical laws, forecasting the locations of these events has proven more challenging.” In order to make these predictions, DeVries says that the team of researchers used a database of information collected from 118 earthquakes from around the world. They then applied a neural net to analyse the relationships between the static stress changes that were caused by the mainshocks and the aftershocks. The algorithm was then able to identify patterns. These patterns were then used to create a model that will be able to offer improved forecasting of aftershocks. DeVries notes that while the model is still not completely precise, it’s still a step forward in the right direction. As an unintended consequence, the research also helped the Google and Harvard'ss teams of researchers identify physical quantities that may be important in earthquake generation. This information helps to better understand earthquakes themselves and mitigate their harmful effects.
Lenovo has announced several new laptops at the ongoing IFA event in Berlin. The latest ones are the flagship Yoga C930 and the Yoga Book C930. The Yoga C930 is the company’s flagship consumer laptop that comes with a soundbar-like Dolby Atmos speaker in the hinge and a UHD touchscreen display. On the other hand, Lenovo’s 2-in-1 convertible Yoga Book C930 sets itself apart from the crowd with an e-ink display that replaces its keyboard. The company claims that the Yoga Book C930 is the world’s thinnest and lightest dual-screen device that weighs merely 775g and measures 9.9mm when its lid is closed. Lenovo Yoga C930 and Yoga Book C930 Price The Lenovo Yoga C930 starts at Euro 1499 (Rs 1.23 lakh approx), while the Yoga Book C930 is priced starting at Euro 999 ( Rs 84,900 approx). Both the laptops are expected to be shipped starting September 2018. Lenovo Yoga C930 Features and Specifications The Yoga C930 is also a 2-in-1 laptop and it also comes with a touch-sensitive display. Lenovo is also including an “Active” stylus with the device that is said to support 4,096 levels of pressure detection. The ‘Garaged pen’ charges when it is docked back into the laptop, similar to the Samsung Note 9. The notebook comes with up to a 4K wide-angle 13.9-inch display with Dolby Vision and as mentioned earlier, its hinge is actually a speaker that is always facing whichever way the display is. It features a backlit keyboard, comes with a fingerprint reader and a Windows Hello enabled webcam as well. Processor options on the laptop include the 8th-Gen Intel Core i7-8550U or the 8th-Gen Intel Core i5-8250U. It comes with up to 16GB DDR4 RAM and up to 2TB PCIe SSD support. Connectivity options include one USB 3.1, two USB Type-C ports and a headphone jack. Lenovo claims that the Full HD display model of the laptop can deliver up to 14.5 hours of battery backup on a single charge, while the UHD model will max out at around nine hours. Lenovo Yoga Book C930 Features and Specifications Yoga Book C930 is a 2-in-1 convertible that runs on Windows 10 and Lenovo claims that the device is the world’s thinnest and lightest laptop. The device features a 10.8-inch QHD IPS display and an e-ink display that replaces the keyboard. The secondary display can be used as a notepad, sketchbook or an e-reader and even with the two displays, it is said to deliver up to 10 hours of battery life on a single charge. The e-ink display also doubles as a keyboard with auditory and haptic feedback. The laptop is powered by h the 7th Generation Intel Core processor and its also a fan-less device, which means that there is no thermal noise. It comes equipped with two Dolby Atmos speakers, which are not embedded into the hinge, and it can also be rotated 360 degrees. It comes with an optional “Precision Pen,” that is Bluetooth enabled and can be used with both the LCD and the e-ink display. 
Huawei has finally launched the Kirin 980 processor, which is the world’s first commercial System-on-Chip (SoC) manufactured with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s (TSMC) 7nm process. The company says the chipset combines best-in-class performance, efficiency, connectivity features, and Dual NPU AI processing power. During the event, the company compared the SoC with Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 and claimed that the Kirin 980 has 37 percent better performance and is 32 percent more power efficient. “Last year, we showed the world the potential of On-Device AI with the Kirin 970, and this year, we’ve designed an all-round powerhouse that not only features outstanding AI capabilities, but also brings cutting-edge raw performance to consumers. Equipped with all-new CPU, GPU and Dual NPU, the Kirin 980 is the ultimate engine to power the next-generation productivity and entertainment applications,” Richard Yu, Huawei Consumer Business Group CEO, said during his keynote at IFA, 2018. The TSMC 7nm process technology enables Kirin 980 to pack 6.9 billion transistors within a centimetre square die size, which is up by 1.6 times from the previous generation. Compared to the 10nm process, the comapny says that the 7nm process delivers 20 percent improved SoC performance and 40 percent improved efficiency. It added that the Kirin 980 is also the first SoC to use the Cortex-A76 cores, which are said to be 75 percent more powerful and 58 percent more efficient compared to their previous generation. In an octa-core configuration, the CPU in Kirin 980 is comprised of two high-performance Cortex-A76 cores; two high-efficiency Cortex-A76 cores; and four extreme efficiency Cortex-A55 cores. To take full advantage of this unique configuration, Huawei said it has developed a Kirin CPU subsystem with Flex-Scheduling technology that flexibly allocates the right cores to the right tasks. “This solution designates the large high-performance cores to handle immediate, intensive workloads; the large, high-efficiency cores to provide sustained performance; and ultra-efficiency cores to tackle every day, light activities with extreme power efficiency. Running at higher clock speeds compared to the prior generation, Kirin 980 enables quicker app launch times, better multi-tasking and a generally smoother user experience,” the tech giant added. Huawei has integrated the Mali-G76 GPU into the Kirin 980 which is said to offer 46 percent greater graphics processing power at 178 percent improved power efficiency over the previous generation. Mali-G76 also features a clock boosting technology that utilises AI to intelligently identify gaming workloads and adjust resource allocation for optimal gaming performance. The Kirin 980 SoC has a Dual-Neural Processing Unit (NPU) which, the company claims, elevates the ‘On-Device AI’ experience with greater processing power and intelligence. According to the Chinese conglomerate, the synergy between the Dual-NPU results in an image recognition capability that is greater than the sum of two—the Kirin 980 can recognize up to 4,600 images per minute, up 120 percent compared to Kirin 970. Huawei also integrated its proprietary fourth-generation ISP into the SoC that provides a 46 percent increase in data throughput compared to its predecessor and better support for multi-camera configurations, as well as an all-new HDR colour reproduction technology that can manipulate picture contrast to highlight objects on various parts of an image, Huawei says. “In addition, Kirin 980 utilises the Multi-pass noise reduction solution that removes artifacts without scrubbing away image details, resulting in better quality on images taken in low-light scenarios. ISP also improves motion tracking and when a user attempts to snap a photo of a moving person, the ISP can recognise the subject with 97.4 percent accuracy, so any user can capture fleeting moments with ease,” the company said in a statement. In the connectivity space, Huawei integrated a modem supporting LTE Cat.21 with a peak download speed of 1.4Gbps.
As smartphone manufacturers are ditching the audio jack, the popluace is beign ushered towards a wireless era whther we like it or not. There’s no doubt that one will experience better audio quality with a wired medium, but there’s work to be done in order to get closer to the same level of quality using wireless means. Qualcomm has announced the new aptX Adaptive technology, which is aimed at reaching this goal. The new codec is an amalgamation of aptX HD, which is said to delivering HD sound quality, and aptX low latency that is meant for scenarios like better audio-video sync while watching a movie or gaming. Qualcomm says that the new aptX Adaptive codec is dynamically adjustable and can switch between delivering the highest possible audio quality and low bitrate with low latency when needed. It also takes the external RF interference into account to provide “optimum audio quality or latency depending on the type of content being played on the device.” “aptX Adaptive is advancing our industry as it is designed to deliver audio quality that matches wired performance across a wide range of sources and to provide consumers with the immersive wireless listening experience they are looking for,” said Anthony Murray, senior VP and general manager, voice & music, Qualcomm Technologies International, Ltd. “With this new product, listeners don’t have to do anything while aptX Adaptive dynamically adjusts performance to best deliver exceptional audio whether the user is playing games or listening a song.” The aptX Adaptive decoder is slated to be made available for customers on the Qualcomm CSRA68100 and the Qualcomm QCC5100 series Bluetooth Audio SoCs from September 2018. Another version of the codec will be made available for smartphones and tablets running on Android P from December 2018. It should be noted that iPhone users won't be able to experience the technology as it does not support AptX and the new update will be useful only for Android devices. One can check their headphone box or visit the aptX website to figure out if their device supports AptX. 
The Aditya Birla Group has announced that the merger of Idea Cellular and Vodafone India is complete, and the new firm is now operational as India’s leading telecom service provider with a subscriber base of over 408 million. In the merger, the Vodafone Group owns a 45.2 per cent stake and Aditya Birla Group owns a 26.0 per cent stake. A new Board of Directors comprising of 12 Directors (including six Independent Directors) has been constituted. Chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, Kumar Mangalam Birla is appointed as the Chairman of the board and Balesh Sharma, a Vodafone veteran, has been chosen as the CEO. According to the company, the new firm’s pan India Revenue Market Share (AGR) is 32.2 percent and it has a growing broadband network (3G+4G) with over 340,000 broadband sites as well as the largest voice network with over 200,000 unique GSM sites to cover over 1.2 billion Indians (92 per cent population coverage). The group also claims to have the widest distribution reach with over 1.7 million retailers and approximately 15,000 branded stores. “Today, we have created India’s leading telecom operator. It is truly a historic moment. And this is much more than just about creating a large business. It is about our Vision of empowering and enabling a New India and meeting the aspirations of the youth of our country. The ‘Digital India’, as our Honourable Prime Minister describes it, is a monumental nation-building opportunity. As Vodafone Idea, we are partnering in this initiative by building a formidable company of international repute, scale and standards,” said Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group and Vodafone Idea Limited. Vodafone Idea is expected to generate Rs 140 billion annual synergy, including opex synergies of Rs.84 billion, equivalent to a net present value of approximately Rs.700 billion. “The equity infusion of Rs.67.5 billion at Idea and Rs.86 billion at Vodafone coupled with monetisation of standalone towers of both companies for an enterprise value of Rs.78.5 billion, provides the company a strong cash balance of over Rs.193 billion post payout of Rs. 39 billion to the DoT,” the Aditya Birla Group said in a statement. “As India’s leading telecom operator with two popular and loved brands, the company has the scale and resources to ensure sustainable customer choice and introduce new technologies. We are committed to offer both our retail and enterprise customers an excellent experience while fulfilling their evolving digital and connectivity needs via new products, services and solutions. We will offer them more network coverage, more value and more excitement,” Balesh Sharma, CEO, Vodafone Idea Limited, added. With 1,850MHz of total spectrum holding, over 200,000 unique GSM sites and ~235,000 kms of fibre, the merged company claims to offer superior voice and broadband connectivity across the country. It also says that it covers 92 per cent of the population reaching nearly 500,000 towns and villages. This extensive infrastructure will allow customers to remain confidently connected across the country and enjoy uninterrupted services even as it integrates and optimises its network in a phased manner across circles. Vodafone Idea says that ti will continue to invest in developing infrastructure and introduce newer and smarter technologies — IoT, high speed and secure leased lines, digital wallets, MIMO and Cloud services.
Android OS is expected to capture nearly 85 percent market share in the operating system space by the end of 2018. The volumes of the smartphones with Android OS are expected to grow at a five-year Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 2.4 percent, with shipments approaching 1.41 billion in 2022, market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) said in its latest Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. Also, the average selling prices (ASPs) of the Android shipments are growing at a double-digit pace and are expected to grow 11.4 percent in 2018 to $262, up from $235 in 2017. For iOS, the firm said that iPhone volumes are expected to grow by 2.1 percent in 2018 to 220.4 million in total. IDC forecasts iPhones to grow at a five-year CAGR of 2.0 percent, reaching volumes of 238.5 million by 2022. When it comes to the worldwide smartphone market, IDC says that it is expected to decline again in 2018 and will experience low single-digit growth from 2019 through the end of its forecast in 2022. The firm forecasts worldwide smartphone shipments to decline 0.7 percent in 2018 to 1.455 billion units, down from 1.465 billion in 2017. However, the market is believed to return to positive growth in the second half of 2018 with volumes up 1.1 percent compared to the second half of 2017. In the long-term forecast, the overall smartphone market is expected to reach 1.646 billion units shipped in 2022. When breaking down the growth by device type, the large-screen smartphones (5.5 inch and larger) will lead the charge with volumes of 941.6 million in 2018, accounting for 64.7 percent of all smartphones, up from 623.2 million units in 2017 and 42.5 percent share. By 2022, shipments of these larger screen smartphones will jump to 1.391 billion units, or 84.5 percent of overall shipment volume. Also, the anticipation of the two iPhone models with over 6-inch display and available for shipment in the second half of 2018, will act as another catalyst toward driving these important display trends. “With two out of three new iPhones expected to be larger than 6 inches, Apple will not be left behind in the 2018 race for increased screen real estate. You could say the term 'phablet' is becoming less relevant now that most smartphones will ship with larger screens, and when folding screens start coming into play in the medium term, this screen trend will evolve in new directions,” Melissa Chau, Associate Research Director with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers, said in a statement.
After numerous speculations, reports and leaks, Motorola has finally made its Motorola One and Motorola One Power smartphones official. As previous reports tipped, the two devices are a part of Google’s Android One initiative and are bound to get timely software updates and security patches. Both the devices run on Android Oreo and the company has promised to soon roll out the Android 9.0 Pie update for them. While the Motorola One is a less powerful variant of the Motorola One Power, both the handsets feature a dual-rear camera setup and come with a notched display. Motola One, One Power Price and Availability The Motorola One comes in a 4GB RAM/64GB storage variant and is priced at €299 (Rs 24,759 approx). It will be available in Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific in the coming months. India specific pricing and availability of the device is not known yet. Motorola has announced that the One Power will be available in India starting in October. It comes with 3GB and 4GB RAM models, coupled with 32GB and 64GB internal storage respectively. However, there is no word on what it could be priced at. Moto One Specifications The Moto One smartphone features a 5.9-inch HD+ 19:9 notched LCD “Max Vision” display. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 with Adreno 506 GPU and is backed by a 3000mAh battery. It comes bundled with TurboPower charger that the company claims can deliver up to 6 hours of power in 20 minutes. In terms of optics, the smartphone comes equipped with a 13MP + 2MP dual-rear camera setup with f/2.0 aperture and 1.12μm pixels. On the front is an 8MP sensor that supports portrait mode with a f/2.2 aperture. Moto One Power Specifications The Moto One Power sports a 6.2-inch Full HD+ 19:9 notched “Max Vision” display. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 with Adreno 509 GPU and comes equipped with a 5000mAh battery. It also supports the TurboPower charger, which is said to can deliver up to 6 hours of power in 15 minutes of charging. Talking about the camera, the device features a 16MP + 5MP dual-rear camera setup with f/2.0 aperture and 1.12μm pixels. On the front is an 8MP sensor that supports portrait mode with a f/2.2 aperture. 
If you are looking for a smartphone in the sub 10k price bracket, then you have a few options to choose from. The most popular device under the sub 10k segment has to be the Redmi 5. The Redmi 5 price...
Tracking user behaviour online has become a dominant source of revenue for many companies. By tracking what users do online, companies like Facebook, Google and Amazon are able to sell their services to advertisers in the form of targeted advertising. As users started to block cookies which were the original tracking method, companies developed newer, more persistent ways of tracking people through the browser, using technologies like invisible pixels and what not. Today, Mozilla is taking a stance against such practices, changing their policy in favour of the consumer, switching from passive a “do not track” policy to “will not track.” “In the near future, Firefox will, by default, protect users by blocking tracking while also offering a clear set of controls to give our users more choice over what information they share with sites,” said Mozilla VP of product strategy Nick Nguyen. The changes will roll out on a trial basis later in September with Firefox 63 which will block slow-loading trackers. Mozilla hopes that by the time Firefox 65 is released, it would have blocked all cross-website tracking by default. Mozilla will allow users to enable tracking if they need it and also add options to allow blocks for slow-loading trackers and third-party cookies. While all the popular browsers such as Google Chrome, Safari and Microsoft Edge (IE) offer a 'Do Not Track' feature, none of them are as aggressive as the method being implemented by Mozilla on Firefox. Mozilla states that this decision goes beyond just protecting their consumers’ privacy. It says that slow loading trackers take as much as 50 percent more time to load in comparison to regular trackers. Additionally, Mozilla says that many trackers use deceitful methods to collect more information on users than they think, warranting a step to keep them in check. 
Every now and then, someone will come and ask us “what’s a good DSLR to buy for beginners” and in almost every one of those situations what they really mean is “whats the best...
As the launch of the Google Pixel 3 XL gets closerm, there has been a surge in the number of leaks regarding the smartphone. The devcie was recently, seen in a YouTube hands-on video by a Ukrainian user named Распаковываем. Amid these extensive reports and videos, the smaller Google Pixel 3 has managed to remain pretty well hidden, but not anymore. An anonymous redditor has shared the photos of what it claims to be the Google Pixel 3, which show the phone’s overall design and reveals some information about the display, its resolution and the battery pack that the smaller Pixel is expected to launch with. The images show a black-coloured smartphone that looks like the Google Pixel 2 XL. It has a two-tone back panel of which almost one-third is covered in glass, while the remaining section seems to be matte. There is only one rear-camera with an LED flash and the fingerprint sensor is centrally located on the back. From the side, the images show the phone carrying a power button and a volume rocker on the right edge. On the front, there is no notch and the bezels on the side seem thinner than the Pixel 2 XL. The dual-camera setup is not seen clearly but some screenshots suggest two front shooters. The major difference in design can be noticed in the length of the front-facing dual speakers. Also, there is a small opening between the rear-camera and the LED flash. Nothing has been talked about the pin-hole and it is assumed to be a microphone to capture the audio while a user is shooting a video. The Redditor also posted the screenshots, which reveal some specifications of the the device in question. According to the shared screenshots, the Google Pixel 3 is expected to sport a 5.5-inch display which will have a resolution of 2160x1080, 18:9 aspect ratio and 60GHz refresh rate. The battery capacity is suggested to be 2915mAh. When it comes to the camera, the two front-facing shooters are seen to feature 8MP sensors each. While the ‘Front Camera #1’ has f/1.8 and f/2.2 suggesting a variable aperture, the ‘Front Camera #2’ has a static f/1.8 aperture. It has been reported earlier that Google might have incorporated two camera on the front to them to apparently shoot ‘Super Selfies’ and improving a security/facial recognition feature, but there’s still no hard evidence of that. Google is also tipped to include a new Visual Core chip in the smartphones, which will be used for “more than just HDR+.” You can read more about the Pixel 3 XL smartphone here. Meanwhile, Google is also reportedly developing a ‘mid-tier’ Pixel smartphone keeping in mind the Indian market. Just like Apple, it seems Google also wants to target the Rs 40,000-Rs 50,000 segment where OnePlus is registering massive growth numbers. According to a report in The Economic Times, this India-centric phone could be made available in the country early next year. Previous reports have suggested that Google may incorporate a Qualcomm Snapdragon 710 SoC. Reportedly, Google Pixel Hardware team visited the country to understand the needs of an average Indian user. Google has only one percent market share in the premium segment and sold only 80,000 Pixel 2 phones since its launch in India last year. Image courtesy: 9to5google
Calling PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds or PUBG a popular game would be an understatement, to say the least. The game has already sold millions of copies and is available on PC, Xbox and mobile. Talking to UK based publication, Express, PUBG creator, Brendan ‘PlayerUnknown’ Greene talked about the future of the game. During the recent PUBG Invitational in Berlin, Greene said that a five-year plan is in place for PUBG eSports. However, the developers will not immediately focus on eSports. The first year plan revolves around finding a working format for eSports while improving the core gameplay experience for gamers. "We outlined a five-year plan for eSports, and this year's all about finding the format, finding the best ruleset for everything and trying to standardise everything so that this can grow," Greene said before adding, “Year one is just stabilising what we have, really getting the game competitive and providing a really good foundation to build an eSport on top of.” Greene plans to start off the gaming title from amateur level and then move to pro-league, making it sustainable. He also stressed the importance of creating a self-sustainable esports ecosystem for the game. "We want to build a self-sustaining ecosystem," he continued. "We understand that you have to support players, it can't be just on the teams to support players. You have to find a way for them to invest in your eSport." For now, Bluehole, the developers of the game, are more concerned with adding quality of life updates. The company recently started a new initiative called ‘Fix PUBG’. The initiative aims to fix some of the major issues in the game over the coming months. The first of the fixes have already rolled out to PC gamers, and the company has stated that these fixes would make their way to the Xbox version in two to four weeks. Speaking of the Xbox version, it will finally preview and be available as a full release from September 4 onwards.
BlackBerry has announced its latest Key2 LE smartphone that comes with a full QWERTY keypad. It is a less powerful version of the previously launched BlackBerry Key2 smartphone that was a good device for those who still need a physical QWERTY keyboard but a bit overpriced considering the hardware it runs on. The new handset is aimed at delivering the same sturdy physical keyboard, at a lesser price. Alongside the keyboard, highlights of the Key2 LE include a dual rear camera setup and new colour variants other than the regular black. BlackBerry Key2 LE Price and Availability The Key2 LE is launched with 4GB RAM and options to select from 32GB or 64GB internal storage. The 32GB version is priced at $399 (Rs 28,283), while the 64GB version will cost $449 (Rs 31,827) in the US. The company has not announced the device’s Indian pricing and availability yet. The smartphone comes in Slate, Champagne and Atomic grey colour variants. BlackBerry Key2 LE Features and Specifications The Key2 LE features the same U shape as its predecessor and equipped with Corning Gorilla Glass that protects the display. The back panel comes with a textured pattern that is said to provide a better grip. BlackBerry has retained the 4.5-inch IPS LCD display on the smartphone that comes with a 3:2 display aspect ratio with 24-bit colour depth, 434 PPI and a 1620 x 1080p resolution. It is powered by the Octa-Core Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 and runs on Android 8.1 Oreo. The device’s internal storage can be expanded up to 256GB via a microSD card and supports hot-swappable. In terms of optics, the Key2 LE comes equipped with a 13MP+5MP dual-rear camera with a dual-tone LED Flash. It supports capturing Bokeh shots, HDR, 4K video recording at 30 fps, Scan, Private Capture, and comes with PDAF. On the front, it sports an 8MP sensor that is capable of recording 1080p videos at 30fps. The smartphone is backed by a 3000 mAh battery that is said to deliver up to 22.5 hours of backup on “mixed usage”. Same as its predecessor, the device comes with the DTEK security suite, dual apps support and all of its keys are programmable for added convenience. 
New iPhones are incoming. Apple has sent out invites for an event on September 12 at the Steve Jobs Theatre at its Cupertino Apple Park campus. There is no ‘official confirmation’ that the iPhones are launching next month, but the company tends to unveil the smartphones around this time of the year. Based on several leaks and reports, three variants of the iPhone will be launched along with a new Apple Watch, iPad Pro and probably a MacBook Air. The logo on the invite along with the slogan ‘Gather Round’ has got people guessing, but it could just be a top-down view of the amphitheatre where Tim Cook will take centerstage. What’s interesting is the gold colour of the logo. Will there be a gold coloured iPhone? Shortly after the invites were sent out, 9to5Mac reported at least two of the upcoming iPhone variants will be called iPhone XS. The blog showed a leaked photo which they claimed to be the first glimpse of the devices. It does make sense as Apple has used the ‘S’ moniker to offer incremental refinements with improved performance and features. The two models will reportedly be offered in a gold finish. The iPhone X was Apple’s major redesign after many years. Apple introduced FaceID, did away with TouchID and fitted a 5.8-inch OLED display with a notch on top. The phone has been one of the company’s best-selling devices, even though it’s price touched $999 in the US. This time around, Apple is rumoured to introduce a variant larger than the iPhone X, along with another more affordable one. Furthermore, the company is expectd to offer changes in the design and colour, improved performance, perhaps a boost in screen resolution, better cameras and probably a longer battery life. Apple is also rumoured to introduce the Apple Watch Series 4 and a new iPad Pro during the same event. The event will be streamed live on the internet so we can all ‘gather round’ and watch the new iPhones being announced. Needless to say, the next few months are going to be crazy.
Apple has officially sent out invites for a launch event that will take place on September 12 at company’s Apple Park headquarters. The comapny is expected to unveil of a number of new iPhone models, a refreshed Apple Watch, new AirPods, and announce a release date for the iOS 12 operating system. But just when people were talking about this development on the internet, 9to5mac has come out with a claim saying that it has got an exclusive access to the 5.8-inch and 6.54-inch iPhones, which are expeted to OLED displays. The website also claims that Apple will be calling this year’s smallest phone the ‘iPhone XS’. The platforms notes that the ‘iPhone XS’ will come in a new gold colour option that was not previously offered. The information provided by 9to5mac is in line other reports that have been making rounds in the industry. Recently, a Bloomberg report claimed that this is the ‘S’ year for iPhone and the models will have an ‘S’ added to their names. The report about the new Gold colour came as early as in March when designer Benjamin Geskin tweeted that Apple could be working on a new Blush Gold variant of the iPhone X. Other details about the phones, including the one with the LCD panel, are not yet known. Apart from the iPhones, the 9to5mac also claims to have seen the Apple Watch Series 4. It says that the biggest change that this year’s smartwatch gets an edge-to-edge display. “Apple has been rumored to be working on ~15% bigger displays for both sizes of Apple Watch — that rumor has been confirmed in the images we’ve discovered,” the website wrote. Apple has achieved this by reducing the bezel size around the watch display. In addition to the edge-to-edge display, Apple will also bring new watch face which is expected to show more information than the current faces display. The analog watch face reportedly shows a total of eight complications around the time and within the clock hands. The images obtained also show a new hole between the modified side button and Digital Crown, which is likely to be an additional microphone. Covcer and intext image courtesy: CNN, 9to5mac
The Great Red Spot is a giant spinning storm in Jupiter’s atmosphere that’s been raging for about 400 years. The Great Red Spot is more than twice the size of our dear blue planet and reaches speeds of about 434 km/h (270 mph). Scientists at NASA have been observing this storm for a while now, and have come across a new observation—they have detected signs of water just above the planet’s deepest clouds. Researchers say that the pressure of the water mixed with its measurement of another oxygen-carrying gas, carbon monoxide, imply that Jupiter contains two to nine times more oxygen than the Sun. Published in the Astronomical Journal, the findings support theoretical and computer-simulation models that have previously predicted the presence of large amounts of water on Jupiter. The Great Red Spot is full of dense clouds. This makes it hard for electromagnetic energy to escape, thus allowing astronomers to learn very little about the chemistry happening within. “It turns out they’re not so thick that they block our ability to see deeply,” comments Gordon L Bjoraker, an astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The data collected recently by NASA will supplement the data collected by the space agency’s Juno spacecraft, which at the moment, is around the giant planet with its own infrared spectrometer and a microwave radiometer that can probe deeper into Jupiter than anyone has probed before. “If it works, then maybe we can apply it elsewhere, like Saturn, Uranus or Neptune, where we don’t have a Juno,” comments Amy Simon, Goddard Space Flight Center’s planetary atmospheres expert. A theory that was widely accepted until some several decades ago is that Jupiter is identical to the Sun in composition and that it is a giant ball of hydrogen with a touch of helium. In other words, it was thought to be full of gas and no core. But this theory is seeing more and more evidence against it. The theory prevalent now is that Jupiter does have a core, and it’s possibly ten times heavier than the Earth. “Jupiter’s water abundance will tell us a lot about how the giant planet formed, but only if we can figure out how much water there is in the entire planet,” says Steven M. Levin, a Juno project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. At any rate, the days and years ahead will tell us more about the largest planet in our solar system. Click here to read about the 12 new moons recently discovered around Jupiter.
If you’re tired of wires and want to get rid of them then it's time to move to a wireless headset. We have found some amazing cashback deals on Paytm Mall on wireless headphones. The products you will find in the list below are on-ear headphones and over-ear headsets. Sony CH400 Wireless Headphones Price: Rs 4,990 Deal price: Rs 2,539 (inclusive of cashback) The Sony CH400 is voice assistant compatible, which means a simple press on a button can activate your smartphone assistant for navigation, calling and more. The buttons on the ear cup also help in managing audio tracks and volume easily. As per the company, the headphone can last for up to 20 hours on a single charge. Click here to buy. iBall Musi Sway BT01 Bluetooth Headset Price: Rs 1,799 Deal price: Rs 999 (inclusive of cashback) The iBall Musi Sway features a swivel ear cup design that enables easy storage. The control buttons to manage audio tracks and calls are placed on the earcup, which means you do not even need take out your device from a pocket. As per the company, it can stream music for up to ten hours on a single charge. Click here to buy. boAt Rockerz 400 Price: Rs 2,990 Deal price: Rs 1,394 (inclusive of cashback) The boAt Rockerz 400 is an on-ear Bluetooth headphone, which comes with a built-in microphone that lets you manage calls easily. Users can control the volume and skip tracks easily with the control buttons that are placed on the earcup. As per the company, it has a battery life of up to eight hours. Click here to buy. Portronics Muffs Wireless Headset Price: Rs 1,999 Deal price: Rs 934 (inclusive of cashback) The Portronics Muffs Wireless Headset comes with a built-in microphone and ear cup mounted controls that lets you answer calls and manage audio tracks conveniently. As per the company, the device can provide up to ten hours of music playback on a single charge. Click here to buy. Intex Jogger-B Bluetooth Headphone Price: Rs 2,500 Deal price: Rs 1,562 (inclusive of cashback) The Intex Jogger-B is an over-the-ear headphone, which features a built-in rechargeable battery and an LED indicator that lets you know the charging status of the device. The headphone sports an LCD display and an ear cup mounted controls for managing tracks and calls. It is also equipped with a TF card slot an AUX port for music streaming. Click here to buy. 
Sony has announced the launch of the successor to the Xperia XZ2 conveniently called the Xperia XZ3. The smartphone doesn’t change much in terms of design, and specifications, but it does bring with it a bunch of new features. The Xperia XZ2 was announced back in February. Sony Xperia XZ3 specifications When it comes to the specifications, a lot of the power under the hood is the same as its predecessor with some changes. The Xperia XZ3 is 9.9mm in thickness making it slimmer than the XZ2. The smartphone weighs 193 grams and will be available in single as well as dual-SIM options. The biggest change is that the XZ3 has a P-OLED display instead of the IPS LCD found on the XZ2. The XZ3 has a 6-inch 18:9 HDR display with a resolution of 2880x1440. The display is protected with Gorilla Glass 5. Under the hood, the XZ3 has the tried and tested Snapdragon 845 SoC coupled with 4GB RAM. It has 64GB built in storage which is expandable, and the smartphone runs on Android P out of the box. The rear houses a single 19MP shooter that can record video in 4K at 30fps. The front of the smartphone has a 13MP shooter. The smartphone supports Bluetooth 5 and is powered by a 3300mAh battery. Sony Xperia XZ3 price, availability and colour options At IFA 2018, Sony didn’t announce the price of the Xperia XZ3, but the smartphone is expected to start shipping in September. It will also be one of the first devices to ship with Android P out of the box. The smartphone will be available in a bunch of colours including Black, White Silver, Forest Green, and Bordeaux Red. Sony hasn’t announced when the smartphones will launch in India and with which colour options. 
A slow laptop is a nightmare for all of us as it can terribly affect our productivity. If you’re looking for an upgrade then this might be the best time to grab a new laptop. Today, Paytm Mall has a lot of cashback offers on laptops from well-known manufacturers like Lenovo, HP, Dell and more. Lenovo ThinkPad E480 Price: Rs 40,990 Deal price: Rs 36,480 (inclusive of cashback) The Lenovo ThinkPad E480 is powered by an Intel Core i3 7th Gen processor, which is paired with 4GB DDR4 RAM and 1TB hard drive. The laptop is Bluetooth 4.1 enabled and comes with installed Windows 10, which means one does not need to install an OS separately. Click here to buy. Dell Inspiron 15-3567 Price: Rs 37,611 Deal price: Rs 29,967 (inclusive of cashback) The Dell Inspiron 15-3567 comes with an Intel Core i3 6th Gen processor. The device packs a 4GB DDR4 RAM and 1TB hard drive. It also has an Intel HD 520 DDR4 graphics card. The laptop is installed with Windows 10, Hence you do not need to worry about installing one separately. Click here to buy. Asus Vivobook X507UA-EJ180T Price: Rs 35,990 Deal price: Rs 27,990 The Asus Vivobook X507UA-EJ180T is powered by an Intel Core i3 6th Gen processor, which is paired with 4GB DDR4 RAM and 1TB hard drive. It sports a 15.6-inch FHD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The laptop also features a fingerprint sensor with Windows Hello. Click here to buy. HP 15 BS662TU Price: Rs 35,364 Deal price: Rs 28,190 (inclusive of cashback) The HP 15 BS662TU sports a 15.6-inch FHD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. The machine is backed by an Intel Core i3 7th Gen processor, which is paired with 4GB DDR4 RAM and 1TB hard drive. it also features Intel HD 620 graphics. The laptop comes with installed Windows 10 OS. Click here to buy. Apple MacBook Air Price: Rs 77,200 Deal price: Rs 58,890 (inclusive of cashback) The Apple MacBook Air is powered by an Intel Core i5 5th Gen processor, which is paired with 8GB DDR3 RAM and 128GB hard drive. The laptop is equipped with an Intel HD 6000 graphics and comes with macOS Sierra operating system. Click here to buy.
If you are looking for a Bluetooth Speaker within a limited budget then we got your back. Today, Amazon is offering a considerable amount of discount on BT speakers. Without adding further, let's take a look at it. AmazonBasics Ultra-Portable Bluetooth Speaker Price: Rs 1,295 Deal price: Rs 569 The AmazonBasics Ultra-Portable Bluetooth Speaker works within a range of 10m from a connected device. The speaker comes with a built-in mic that lets you talk on call even when the phone is connected to the speaker. The device is splash-resistant and offers a battery life of six hours. Click here to buy. Aeylight Wireless Portable Bluetooth Speaker Price: Rs 2,499 Deal price: Rs 849 The Aeylight Wireless Portable Bluetooth Speaker sports an LED light that comes with seven color variants. The speaker has a built-in mic as well as control buttons to manage audio tracks and volume. The speaker is also equipped with a TF card slot and an AUX port. Click here to buy. Kewl S207 Multifunction Bluetooth Speaker Price: Rs 2,499 Deal price: Rs 899 The Kewl S207 is a compact Bluetooth speaker that also supports AUX input, which means you can also connect the speaker to those devices which has a 3.5mm audio jack. Other than that, the speaker also comes with a TF card slot to stream music via a microSD card or a flash drive. The device has a built-in speaker as well that lets you talk on calls even when the phone is connected to the speaker. Click here to buy. Artis BT08 Wireless Portable Bluetooth Speaker Price: Rs 699 Deal price: Rs 539 The Artis BT08 Wireless Portable Bluetooth Speaker features an AUX port as well as a TF card slot for streaming music. It also has an LED indicators that let you know whenever the charging of the speaker is low. According to the company, the speaker can provide up to four hours of music streaming on a single charge. Click here to buy. Konark Wireless Bluetooth Speaker Price: Rs 6,999 Deal price: Rs 499 The Konark Wireless Bluetooth Speaker comes with a built-in noise-canceling microphone, which lets you answer calls without worrying about surround noises. The device is also equipped with an AUX port and a TF card slot for streaming music via a pen drive or a memory card. According to the company, it has a battery life of up to four hours. Click here to buy.
If you’re thinking of purchasing a smartphone and not yet decided which one to buy, then we’ve got you covered. We have picked out some of the best smartphones, which are currently available on Amazon. The list has products like RealMe 1, Redmi Y2, Huawei P20 Lite and more. RealMe 1 (64GB) Amazon Price: Rs 10,999 The RealMe 1 sports a 6-inch FHD+ display, which offers a resolution of 2160 x 1080 pixels. The smartphone runs on Android 8.0 operating system and is powered by a MediaTek Helio P60 octa-core processor, which is clocked at 2.0GHz. The smartphone packs a 4GB RAM and 64GB internal memory that is expandable up to 256GB via a microSD card. At the back, the device has a 13MP camera with features like Beautify, and Panorama, while the front is equipped with an 8MP unit. Click here to buy. Samsung Galaxy J6 (32GB) Amazon price: Rs 12,990 The Samsung Galaxy J6 features a 5.6-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 720 x 1480 pixels. The smartphone is powered by a 1.6GHz Exynos 7870 octa-core processor, which is paired with 3GB RAM and 32GB internal memory. As far as the cameras are concerned, the smartphone has a 13MP sensor at the back and an 8MP unit on the front. Click here to buy. Xiaomi Redmi 5 (32GB) Amazon price: Rs 8,999 The Redmi 5 sports a 5.7-inch display with a resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels. The device runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 octa-core processor, which is clocked at 1.8GHz. The smartphone packs a 3GB RAM and 32GB internal memory. Coming to the cameras, it has a 12MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera with Beautify 3.0. It also has an LED selfie light that helps in capturing clear photos even in a low light. Click here to buy. Huawei P20 Lite (64GB) Amazon price: Rs 8,999 The Huawei P20 Lite sports a 5.84-inch FHD+ display, which comes with a notch on top at the front. The smartphone is backed by Huawei’s own Kirin 659 octa-core processor, which is paired with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal memory. When it comes to the cameras, it has a dual 16MP + 2MP rear camera with the Bokeh effect. The front has a 24MP unit, which comes with an F2.0 wide aperture and a 3D retouching feature that uses artificial intelligence to adjust lighting and shadows. Click here to buy. Xiaomi Redmi Y2 (32GB) Amazon price: Rs 12,999 The Redmi Y2 sports a 5.99-inch HD+ display with a resolution of 1440 x 780 pixels. The device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 octa-core processor, which is clocked at 2.0GHz. The device has a dual 12MP + 5MP rear camera at the back with Bokeh effect and Al portrait mode. On the other hand, the front features a 16MP camera and an LED selfie light. Click here to buy.
macOS is quite streamlined and clutter-free with its neat Dashboard and slick touchpad gestures. However, in this OCD satisfying OS, there’s been a slight oversight as app icons on the Menu Bar keep cluttering the upper-right corner of the screen. The more apps you install, the more of these little icons keep accumulating there and unlike Windows’ System Tray, there is no functionality that groups unused icons into a group to keep the taskbar tidy. Those who want to get a minimalist look, they can install the Vanilla utility. So, here’s how to clean up your Mac Menu Bar. Downloading and Installing Vanilla To install Vanilla, simply visit this website and click on the ‘Download Vanilla for free’ button. Once it downloads, move the downloaded .dmg file to your Applications folder and boot it up. How it works Once booted, the Vanilla cleanup tool will add a carrot symbol and a dot to your Menu Bar. The app icons that are between the two new symbols will be hidden. One can drag icons between them by holding down the command key and the ones outside of it will show up on the right. The app is free but one can also pay $4.99 (Rs 350 approx) for upgrading to its pro version. The pro version is compatible with light and dark menu bars and automatically hides icons again after five seconds. One nifty trick that the pro users will get is the keyboard shortcut to toggle the hidden icons. 
Audio equipment pioneer Bose has launched a new wireless smart speaker, the Bose Home Speaker 500, and two new smart soundbars, the Bose Soundbar 700 and Soundbar 500. The company says that each device deliver a “size-defying performance with superior voice pickup and the power of Amazon Alexa now, other voice assistants to follow, and AirPlay 2 for simple streaming from Apple devices added in early 2019.” The Bose smart speaker and new soundbars use the proprietary mic technology found in Bose headsets and headphones. With Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and Alexa built in, they can work together together as a multi-room system. The Home Speaker 500 is priced at £399.95 and the Soundbar 500 and 700 will be available for £499.95 and £799.95, respectively. The speakers will be sold at Bose retail stores, Bose.co.uk, and all authorised Bose dealers from October. Bose Soundbar 500 “Voice-controlled speakers aren’t new, and there are plenty of great options to choose from. But we had a different vision for ours, inspired by what we could uniquely do to make the experience better. All of our new smart speakers double up on functionality. It takes just one Home Speaker 500 to deliver true stereo separation — there’s no need to pair two. Our Soundbar 700 and 500 are thin and discreet with jaw-dropping surround sound — whether you’re streaming Spotify, or watching a movie. They combine Bluetooth and Wi-Fi for unbeatable ease of use, can be mixed and matched to play in sync or separately, and with new Alexa functionality and more VPAs on the way, they’ll only get better over time,” Doug Cunningham, category manager in the Bose Consumer Electronics Division, said in a statement. Bose Home Speaker 500 Bose claims that the Home Speaker 500 has the widest soundstage of any smart speaker available today. Wrapped in anodised aluminium, the speaker uses two custom drivers pointed in opposite directions resulting in a surround sound. The smart speaker comes with touch controls which are located on the top of it. The new Bose Home Speaker and Soundbars use advanced Bose mic technology and feature a custom-designed eight-microphone array precisely positioned for accurate near-field and far-field voice pickup in different situations. Bose Soundbar 700 Bose Soundbar 700 and Soundbar 500 The Bose Soundbar 700 has curved lines, a wraparound metal grille and a tempered glass top. It features Bose PhaseGuides, Bose DSP, custom low-profile transducers, and QuietPort technology to deliver depth to the sound which is being played on it. The Soundbar 500 is smaller and thinner than the Soundbar 700 and features a matte finish. Both new soundbars use proprietary ADAPTiQ — a technology by Bose to acoustically adjust to their surroundings, and HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) for compatibility with future technology. They also can be wall-mounted or expanded with a wireless bass module and rear speakers for a full 5.1 experience.
