Now that Apple lead designer Jony Ive has left the company, what will its future products look like

It looks like it’s the end of an important era over at Apple as renowned designer Jony Ive has been removed from the Apple Leadership page. This could mean that Ive has left the San Cupertino giant. Ive was crucial in the design of the Apple products since he joined the company in 1992 and started leading the design team from 1996 onward. 

Most industry insiders knew that Jony was going to leave Apple ‘later this year’ as per a June press release. It has been suspected that Ive was not involved in the design of Apple products for a long time as he was distracted by the construction of Apple’s futuristic headquarters. Not all is gloom and doom though as Apple will still retain the services of LoveFrom, Jony’s design firm that he started with his collaborator Marc Newson. It will be interesting to see what Apple and LoveFrom can come up with. 

Apple CEO Tim Cook, said that, “Apple will continue to benefit from Jony’s talents by working directly with him on exclusive projects, and through the ongoing work of the brilliant and passionate design team he has built.” COO Jeff Williams will be taking over the software and hardware design teams going forward. 

 

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Black Friday 2019: Apple Devices, Gaming Products Hit Among Shoppers in the US

Black Friday shopping frenzy caught up with people across the globe after Thanksgiving Day and deal shopping was so intense that Costco's website and app in the US went down.

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Samsung, Realme, Vivo, and Nokia smartphones discounted as part of Anniversary or Black Friday Sales

Black Friday is a shopping spree event in the west but smartphone companies are not shying away from banking on it in India. Many smartphone companies have announced Black Friday Deals on their devices in India and the list includes Xiaomi, Vivo, Realme, among others. We are covering all the best deals and discounts being offered by these companies and in case you are wondering where Xiaomi is, we have covered all the deals from the company in a separate article, which you can go through here. Coming to the offers we are covering in this article, it consists mostly of smartphones, which range across various price segments. Apart from price cuts, there are additional discounts that we have mentioned along with the device’s offer description. 

Samsung Anniversary Sale best offers 

Samsung is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Galaxy lineup of devices. The company has announced a slew of offers for the Galaxy Note10 and Galaxy S10 lineup. One can avail benefits of up to Rs 21,000 by purchasing the Galaxy Note10 and Note10+, and benefits of up to Rs 29,000 on the Galaxy S10, S10+ and S10e smartphones. Galaxy Note10 and Galaxy Note10+ buyers who pay via an HDFC debit or credit card will be eligible for a cashback of Rs 6,000. In addition, Samsung is bundling the new Galaxy Watch Active for Rs 4,990, within the offer period. 

The same Galaxy Watch Active bundle is also available for consumers who buy the Galaxy S10 series of devices. They will also get a cashback of Rs 6,000 if they use an HDFC debit or credit card. These offers are available from November 28 till December 31, 2019 via the Samsung e-store, Flipkart, Amazon, Paytm, Tata CliQ and select retail outlets across the country. Head over to the link here to avail the offers. 

Realme Black Friday Sale best deals

Realme has announced a Black Friday sale on Flipkart, which goes live today. While the Realme 5S is not discounted, it will available during a flash sale today. Discounted handsets include the Realme X, which will be available starting at Rs 14,999, which includes a prepaid offer. There’s also up to Rs 3,000 off on the Realme 5 Pro and it is now priced starting at Rs 11,999 after a Rs 1,000 prepaid offer. A discount of up to Rs 2,000 on the Realme C2 will also be available so that it’s listed price comes down to Rs 5,999. 

Realme 5, Realme 3 Pro and Realme XT will also be available for purchase with some notable discounts. The Realm 5 is receiving up to Rs 2,000 off and will be available from Rs 8,999, while the Realme XT is getting a discount of Rs 1,000 to be listed starting at Rs 15,999. The Realme 3 Pro has up to Rs 6,000 discount and starts from Rs 9,999. Realme 3 and Realme 3i are also receiving discounts of up to Rs 4,000 and Rs 2,000 respectively. The handsets are now priced starting at Rs Rs 7,999 and Rs 6,999 respectively. 

Do note that Realme has marked these discounts as ‘up to’ the specified value. It is highly probable that the max discount benefits can only be availed by clubbing various offers together like exchange deal and card offers. Head over to the link here to avail the offers. 

Nokia Annual ‘Salebration’ best deals

It’s been three years since Nokia started shipping phones running on Android, RIP Windows Phone OS, and the manufacturer is celebrating it with a ‘‘Salebration’.  While there aren’t any discounts on Nokia handsets, one can get a gift card worth up to Rs 5,000 on select Nokia smartphones by using the code GIFTCARD during checkout. Do note that the offer is valid till December 1 or till stocks last.

The gift card value differs for different handsets as with the 4GB and 6GB RAM options of the Nokia 7.2, one will get a gift card worth Rs 5,000. The same value gift card is available with the Nokia 6.1 Plus, and the Nokia 5.2 Plus. With the Nokia 6.2, one can get a gift card worth Rs 4,000. However, with Nokia 8.1, Nokia 4.2, Nokia 3.1, Nokia 3.2, and Nokia 2.2, the gift card value is Rs 2,000. There’s also no-cost EMI and telco offer on some phones. Head over to the link here to avail the offers. 

Vivo Anniversary Sale best offers 

Vivo is also celebrating its fifth anniversary in India, which means more offers for consumers. While the company is not discounting its phones, there are multiple offers. A 10 percent cashback is applicable for HDFC bank credit and debit card EMI users. Only on the Vivo V17 Pro, there’s up to 10 percent discount with ICICI CC/DC EMI. Additionally, there’s an additional Rs 1,000 on exchange or upgrade to any Vivo handset. Buyers will also be eligible for Bluetooth headphones worth Rs 2,999 when they go for an exchange or upgrade. Head over to the link here to avail the offers. 

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Researchers develop solid-state battery that doesnt catch fire when heated

In the last few years, the only notable update to battery technology in smartphones has been the boosting of charging speed. After the Samsung Galaxy Note7 fiasco, one would think that we’d have seen newer battery technologies start trickling into the market, but that has not yet been the case. Hopefully, this may change very soon thanks to a research team at Australia’s Deakin University, who’ve managed to use common industrial polymers to create a solid-state battery with double the density. If that wasn’t enough to get you excited, what’s more, is that the researchers have concluded that the battery of their design won’t explode or catch fire if overheated.

Batteries in general, if you think about it, are just miniature explosives waiting to go off with one wrong move. Lithium, as an element, in its pure form is so volatile that it catches fire even when it comes in contact with air. Thankfully, manufacturers use a less reactive version of lithium, usually Lithium Cobalt Oxide. However, the liquid electrolyte that serves as the medium for electron-flow, is the most prone to catching fire. The liquid electrolyte has been a part of the battery structure since the very beginning and not much has changed with regards to it.

There has been a lot of research into solid-state electrolytes in the last few years. A solid-state electrolyte would allow for a much higher density of charge, effectively increasing the capacity of the battery, without increasing its overall size. Second, batteries with solid state electrolytes have been shown to have a much-reduced self-discharge rate, meaning they retain their charge longer when not in use. However, their biggest advantage is in the form of safety, as the solid-state electrolyte does not catch fire when heated.

The research paper published by the researchers outlines how their solid-state electrolyte is not only safer, but would also work with a lithium anode, the only thing that’s causing the energy-density bottleneck. The team has already tested out the new material in button cells and will be moving onto pouch-type batteries found in smartphones. If that goes well, the team says they will be reaching out to investors in order to manufacture bigger batteries that could be used in electric vehicles and even airplanes. The fact that the team has used existing polymers to create the electrolyte means there is no special manufacturing process, meaning it should be relatively easy to make the electrolyte available commercially.

The implications for solid-state electrolytes in batteries would be huge. For starters, it would be safe again to put batteries into check-in luggage, atleast theoretically. Electric vehicles would become safer, besides also offering longer range on a single charge. However, while the electrolyte itself isn’t a fire risk, we still don’t know how the battery would react in the event of physical damage or worse, a puncture. Regardless, this is a very exciting development, one that we hope makes its way into commercial devices soon.

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Reliance JioFiber introduces Rs 351 and Rs 199 broadband plans: Everything you need to know

JioFiber broadband customers now have two new plans to choose from. Both the plans are prepaid and offer the same benefits that other JioFiber customers get including unlimited voice calls and complimentary TV video calling. The plans are priced at Rs 351 and Rs 199 respectively. Starting with the Rs 351 plan, it brings with it a data cap of 50GB data per month. The speed is limited to 10Mbps. After the applicable taxes, customers will pay Rs 414.18 for the Rs 351 plan. The Rs 199 plan, on the other hand, has a validity of seven days and offers unlimited data at 100Mbps. 

Both plans are available for "customers possessing a compatible Customer Premise Equipment". The Customer Premise Equipment (CPE) is available in two variants. The price of the two is Rs. 3,500 and Rs. 1,500. Remember that the Rs 3,500 and Rs 1,500 are refundable deposits. With the addition of the Rs 351 plan, Reliance Jio has reduced the minimum monthly expenditure required to avail the features of JioFiber. 

If you are wondering whether to go for a JioFiber connection or an Airtel Xstream fiber connection, then know that we have compared the Airtel Xstream Fiber Rs 999 plan with the JioFiber Rs 849 plan. You can check out our comparison here. 

If you are fortunate to have multiple broadband service providers in your area and are confused as to which one to choose, then you can check out the Ookla Report which talks about different broadband service provider speeds here.

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Samsung to start manufacturing 14nm CPUs for Intel: Report

Samsung could soon be manufacturing PC CPUs for Intel. According to a report by SamMobile, Samsung may have acquired the contract to build 14nm Rocket Lake CPUs for Intel, after it was reported that the negotiation were in its final stages. Intel has been looking for contractors to keep up with a surge in PC demand.

Intel has been facing a shortage in 14nm CPU supply since the second half of 2019, so much so, that the company’s Executive Vice President Michelle Johnson had to publicly apologise for the shortage in a letter last week stating that growth in the PC market has outpaced Intel’s efforts to manufacture CPUs.

The reason for the supply crunch is primarily because of the company’s efforts to set up new assembly lines and upgrading existing ones for 10nm production. It will also take a few years for Intel to complete the upgrade. In the meantime, the US-based company has been looking for contractors so ensure a smooth supply of 14nm CPUs.

Samsung was perhaps the only one to take up the challenge. Since there aren’t many foundries in the world capable of CPU manufacturing, and TSMC was already making chips for AMD, Samsung may have been the default option for Intel to outsource its production. Samsung is also big enough to meet Intel’s demand.

Samsung is the world’s largest maker of semiconductors by revenue. The most important contributor has been memory chips, which contributes 40 percent of the global DRAM market and one-third of the NAND market. But the memory chip market also has a tendency to be quite volatile and with China also speeding up its readiness to manufacture memory chips on its own, Samsung has been looking to divest its interest more towards non-memory chips. That’s where Intel fits in, essentially making the deal a win-win for both parties.

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Tesla Cybertruck could be added to Dubai Polices fleet of supercars

Everybody knows that the Dubai police force has some of the coolest, most expensive luxury and high-performance cars in its fleet. It’s why it comes as no surprise to us that it could get the recently unveiled Tesla Cybertruck when it goes on sale in late 2021. Dubai Police, which recently added a Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S to its fleet, hinted that they might acquire a Tesla Cybertruck on their official Twitter account by posting an image of it with the force’s green-white livery.

The Tesla Cybertruck is set to go on sale in late 2021 but Dubai Police’s tweet reads simply, “#CyberTruck Dubai Police - 2020” with a Photoshopped image of Tesla’s new all-electric pickup truck. The truck in the image sports the force’s official green-white livery. Apart from that one indicative tweet, Dubai Police have not sent out any official confirmation on the early acquisition of the Cybertruck from Tesla. For this reason, we feel the force could well have cashed in on the trend last week by posting that eye-grabbing image.

The Dubai police force deploys several high-performance cars in tourist areas in part for promotional purposes. If the Dubai police force does indeed incorporate the new Tesla Cybertruck—whenever that is—the EV will join the fleet of supercars that includes models like the Aston Martin One-77, Nissan GT-R, Pagani Huayra, Ferrari LaFerrari, Rolls-Royce Wraith, and BMW i8. According to a recent press release sent out by the Dubai police force, the most recent car to join its fleet was the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S. Powered by a V8 4.0-litre twin-turbo petrol motor, the GT 63 S can do 0-100 in 3.2 seconds and reach a top speed of 315 kilometres per hour.

Currently available for pre-order, the Tesla Cybertruck is an electric pickup truck with up to three motors on board. The top-of-the-line tri-motor all-wheel-drive variant costs $69,900 (Rs 50.17 lakh approx). It has a driving range of over 800 kilometres and can do 0-100 kilometres per hour in under 2.9 seconds. According to Tesla, the Cybertruck can supply power to power tools without needing a portable generator. It also packs an air compressor for pneumatic tools. Optional cabin features include bulletproofed doors and windows along with complete cabin pressurisation for amphibious use.

 

شرطة دبي - 2020 - Dubai Police #CyberTruck pic.twitter.com/V9rMPLgjS4

— Dubai Policeشرطة دبي (@DubaiPoliceHQ) November 26, 2019

 

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