Airtel customers could pay Rs 100 for every GB consumed: Report

Airtel customers could soon witness a tariff price hike as hinted by Bharti Airtel chairman Sunil Mittal. As per Mittal, Airtel users should get 1.6GB of data for Rs 160 instead of receiving 16GB data for the same price. Currently, Airtel offers 1GB data per day for 24 days at Rs 199. This translates to around 24 GB data at Rs 199 and if Mittal has his way, users will possibly receive just 2.4 GB data for the price.

According to a report in PTI, Sunil Mittal, Chairman at Airtel said, “You either consume 1.6 GB of capacity per month either at this price point or you may prepare to pay a lot more. We are not wanting USD 50-60 like the US or Europe but certainly USD 2 for 16 GB a month is not sustainable.”

The Airtel chief also said that the ARPU (average revenue per user) is slated to cross Rs 200/monthly in the next six months or so. Interestingly, Airtel considers watching TV, movies and entertainment to be part of “special services” for which it expects users to pay. “We need a Rs 300 ARPU in which you will still have a lower end at Rs 100 a month with decent amount of data. But if your consumption is largely around watching TV, movies, entertainment and depriving other vital special services networks, then you need to pay for that,” Mittal added.

Back in December 2019, Airtel, Jio and Vodafone raised the prices of their respective tariff plans by upto 40 per cent and as a result, Airtel was able to witness an increase in the ARPU to Rs 157 by the end of June 2020. Though it is not currently known whether Jio and Vodafone-Idea are also going to increase the prices of its tariff plans. Reliance Jio’s ARPU recorded an increase to Rs 130 by the end of March 2020.

In comparison to Airtel, Jio offers 1GB data every day for 24 days at Rs 149 and Vodafone-Idea offers the same benefits but at Rs 199, the same as Airtel.

 

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OnePlus Nord is certified as a YouTube Signature Device

The OnePlus Nord has been certified as a YouTube Signature Device by Google, meaning you'll get one of the best YouTube binging experience from the mid-range OnePlus Nord. The program certifies smartphones, which, according to Google, are capable of supporting all YouTube features for the best experience.

While every Android smartphone with Google services enabled comes with YouTube pre-installed, and can stream videos from the platform without much issue, the smartphones certified by YouTube Signature Device basically checks all the boxes — HDR Video, 4K videos decoding, 360-degree videos, High Frame Rate playback, DRM support and VP9 Codec support are among the things required for a smartphone to become an YouTube Signature Device.

The OnePlus Nord (review) is certainly not the first smartphone from OnePlus to be rated as YouTube Signature Device. Nearly all OnePlus flagships, including this year’s OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro, last year’s OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7T series and even the OnePlus 6T before that received the same accolade. And with the OnePlus Nord being a more affordable offering from the company, it’s heartening to see the company has retained the same support it extends to its flagships, when it comes to display certifications.

So, if you have purchased the OnePlus Nord, or plan on getting it, rest assured that your YouTube experience will have no issues whatsoever. The Nord also supports HDR streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, which is really rare to find in mid-range smartphones these days. The smartphone will go on sale again on August 31st on Amazon.in and OnePlus.com.

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Facebook News could launch in India in the next few months

After launching the service in US as a pilot program, Facebook now plans on expanding Facebook news to more countries starting with India, Brazil, France, Germany and UK in the coming months. The social media giant said it would pay publishers to “ensure their content is available in the new product”.

Facebook said it looked at the progress made by the product in the US, and planned to expand the service to more users in the next 6 to 12 months. Facebook assured that they would be paying publishers in each country it launches the service. Facebook currently pays more than 200 US media outlets for content including original reporting from thousands of local news organisations. Facebook said it plans to turn Facebook news a “valuable asset” in the long term by remaining committed to the partnerships it has developed with publishers.

With over 2.7 billion active users, Facebook commands perhaps the largest reach for any social network, and has increasingly come under the radar of authorities and regulators for spreading misinformation and fake news among readers, as well as for stifling competition. Following such criticism, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had promised to ensure Facebook offers trustworthy information from high-quality news outlets. Facebook News seems to be culmination of that promise.

How does Facebook News work?

For the end users, Facebook News shows up as a dedicated tab in the Facebook app. Here, users have control to hide articles, publishers and sections they’re not interested in, and discover new topics and stories based on the news they read, share and follow. Facebook News also presents the top headlines and stories of the day along with personalised content to the user. Currently, Facebook has over 200 news outlets in the US, including a lot of local news organisations which enable local news delivered to the concerned users living nearby.

After launch, Facebook news can be accessed by selecting the News section from the menu, or by searching Facebook News in the Search Bar in the Facebook app. The service is only available on Android and iOS devices in the US presently. There’s no word on a web version for it though.

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Asus Zenfone 7 and Zenfone 7 Pro launched: Pricing and specifications

Asus Zenfone 7 and Zenfone 7 Pro have launched officially in Taiwan. Successors to last year’s Asus Zenfone 6 (Asus 6Z in India), the Zenfone 7 series takes the flip camera system forward, this time with three cameras on the back. The Zenfone 7 series is as flagship as it gets with the regular Zenfone 7 rocking a Snapdragon 865 chip while the 7 Pro comes with a Snapdragon 865 Plus processor.

Asus has also worked on its flip camera mechanism and the new Zenfone 7 series is equipped with a more powerful stepping motor than the Zenfone 6 with upto twice the torque and a new angle sensor that controls the flip angle accurately. Let’s take a brief look at the specifications and pricing of the Zenfone 7 series.

Asus Zenfone 7 series pricing

Asus Zenfone 7 is priced at NT$ 21,990 for the 6GB+128GB variant while the Zenfone 7 Pro will be up for grabs at NT$ 27,990 for the 8GB+256GB variant.

These prices roughly translate to a starting price of around Rs 55,000 for the Zenfone 7 and Rs 70,000 for the Zenfone 7 Pro. Though, there’s currently no word on the launch of Asus Zenfone 7 in India. Global availability is also slated to be announced later this week.

Asus Zenfone 7 and Zenfone 7 Pro specifications

Asus Zenfone 7 and 7 Pro largely share the same set of specifications and features. The only differentiating factor is that the Zenfone 7 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 and the Zenfone 7 Pro comes with Snapdragon 865 Plus. The new Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset has an improved 10 per cent performance over the Snapdragon 865 which means that the prime core can now run at up to 3.1GHz clock speeds with 10% boost in graphics rendering.

Both phones have the same aluminium built and a design that measures 9.6 millimetres in thickness and 230 grams in weight. The rear panel is coated with a layer of Gorilla Glass 3. The Zenfone 7 series features a 6.67-inch Full HD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels) resolution display that uses an AMOLED panel with a 90Hz high-refresh-rate and is topped with a layer of Gorilla Glass 6.

The Zenfone 7 is paired with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage while there is another variant that comes with 8GB RAM. As for the Zenfone 7 Pro, it comes in a single variant with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. The phones support microSD card expansion by upto 2TB. The Zenfone 7 series runs on Android 10 based ZenUI 7 out-of-the-box.

The Zenfone 7 and Zenfone 7 Pro comes with a triple camera setup housed within the flip camera mechanism. It has a 64MP primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture, an 8MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom and a 12MP ultra-wide-angle camera with 113-degree field-of-view. The cameras can record in 8K UHD at 30FPS and 4K UHD in upto 120FPS. The Zenfone 7 comes with support for 3-axis electronic image stabilization while the Zenfone 7 Pro comes with 4-axis optical image stabilization.

The phones come with the basic set of sensors and connectivity features like Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0 and a side-mounted fingerprint reader. The Zenfone 7 series is fitted with a 5,000mAh battery with support for 30W fast charging. Asus claims that its fast charging standard can fill the battery from 0-100% in 93 minutes.

 

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FitBit Sense, Versa 3 and Inspire 2 officially announced

FitBit has today announced three new wearable devices globally, and also announced their availability in India. This would be FitBit’s first portfolio of devices after they were bought out by Google in November of last year for $2.1 Billion. The three devices in question had had their press renders leaked, revealing the devices to the world. What the leak didn’t include is an exhaustive list of features, which we now have.

FitBit Sense Features and Specifications

FitBit Sense is the new flagship tracker from the company, potentially a replacement for last year’s Ionic (Review). The new FitBit Sense comes with a number of new features, both hardware and software. The FitBit Sense comes with an EDA sensor that is used to track and manage user stress. FitBit claims this is the first for any wearable device, a tall claim given that most flagship wearables like the Apple Watch (Review), Samsung Galaxy Watch and even wearables by Garmin like the Instinct (Review) offer fairly robust stress tracking. It would be interesting to see how FitBit’s implementation will be different from others. In addition to the EDA sensor for stress tracking, the FitBit Sense also comes with the ability to record ECG. FitBit claims that its PurePulse 2.0 technology which makes up the new heart-rate sensor should be able to detect atrial fibrillation. Last of the new features includes a skin temperature sensor which is capable of detecting early onset of fever or the beginning of the menstrual cycle.

FitBit Versa 3 Features and Specifications

The third generation Versa sees improvements in the form of sensors it comes packing as well. The Versa 3’s heart rate sensor is based on the new PurePulse 2.0. The Versa 3 also features built-in GPS, which should be great for runners who don’t want the added stress of carrying their smartphones with them. There’s also speakers on board the Versa 3 so that you can take calls on the watch, but the watch doesn’t feature cellular connectivity.

FitBit Inspire 2 Features and Specifications

The Inspire 2 is a fitness band in the affordable segment. The band is capable of monitoring over 20 exercises, thanks to the onboard heart rate sensor. FitBit claims that users can expect up to 20 days of battery life from the Inspire 2.

FitBit Sense, Versa 3 and Inspire 2 Pricing and Availability

The three wearables from FitBit are going to be available starting September in international markets, but India will see the devices coming in at some point in the fourth quarter of 2020. The FitBit sense will retail for a price of Rs 34,999 while the Versa 3 will cost Rs 26,999. The Inspire 2 has been priced at Rs 10,999.

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Dual-screen LG Wing surfaces in live video, shows a second screen perpendicular to the main display

There have been ongoing rumours about a certain dual-display LG ‘Wing’ smartphone that allegedly relies on a swivelling second display. And thanks to folks over at Android Authority, the smartphone has made a live appearance showing its superpowers. You can watch the video below —

The publication claims this is a near-final build and shows the LG Wing’s dual displays can be used in portrait orientation, or in a T-shape where one screen is in portrait, and another in landscape orientation. In the video, the LG Wing is being used for full-screen navigation on the main screen with music playback controls in the second screen. An incoming call also comes to the second screen without interrupting the contents on the primary display.

Interestingly, the second display is much smaller in size due to engineering constraints and it flips out from the bottom of the primary display, sitting perpendicular to it. As a result, what you see is a traditional 20:9 display with a secondary 1:1 display on the side. This is information claimed by the publication, but not shown in the video.

LG Wing Rumoured Specs

The LG Wing is rumoured to come with a 6.8-inch primary display and a 4-inch secondary display, and could be powered by the Snapdragon 765 or the 765G. And the new design raises new use cases, but it remains to be how useful LG makes it. There are possibilities of shifting notifications entirely to the second screen, or use it as a gamepad, or as shown in the video, become a nice mounted unit for the car. Either way, it is clearly one of the most exciting smartphone designs we have seen in action this year. LG has been pursuing dual-display smartphone designs for the past few years, even as its domestic rival is still bullish on foldable displays. Using a hinge setup, LG brought a dual-screen smartphone in the form of the LG G8X in India, while the LG V50 (first impressions) had come out before that. So it's clear where the inspiration is coming from, and with the LG Wing, the company isn't shying away from experimenting with new form factors, something we direly need for the smartphone market. 

Image credits: Android Authority

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Oppo F17, F17 Pro confirmed to launch in India on September 2

Oppo F17 and Oppo F17 Pro are confirmed to launch in India on September 2 in an online launch event that starts from 7 PM IST. The launch invites for media are being sent out and alternatively, Oppo’s official Twitter handle confirmed the launch date.

Oppo claims that the F17 series is the sleekest phone of 2020 and has also confirmed several key specifications of the two phones along with sharing how the phones will look like. Oppo has scheduled an online music launch event which will see “performances by some of our favourite artists”. Oppo also recently confirmed that the F17 and F17 Pro will be priced under Rs 25,000 at launch.

The most flauntastic moment is finally here!  Presenting the First Ever Flauntastic Online Music Launch of #OPPOF17Pro, with performances by some of our favourite artists!  Join us LIVE on September 2, 7PM. #FlauntItYourWay pic.twitter.com/teGluzkS6V

— OPPO India (@oppomobileindia) August 26, 2020

The company also launched its budget phone, the revamped Oppo A53 2020 in India just the other day. Let’s take a brief look at all the confirmed specifications of the F17 and F17 Pro.

Oppo F17 Pro specifications

Oppo F17 Pro has a thin and lightweight design measuring 7.48 in thickness and 164 grams in weight. The phone is expected to feature a 6.4-inch Full HD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels) resolution AMOLED screen with a dual punch-hole cutout for the two selfie cameras. The phone will likely be offered in Matte Black, Magic Blue and Metallic White colour options.

The F17 Pro is slated to be powered by MediaTek Helio P95 chipset which is paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. It runs on Android 10-based ColorOS 7.2 out-of-the-box.

Oppo F17 Pro comes with a quad-camera setup on the back and according to a recent leak, it is expected to be a 48MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera, a 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth sensor. On the front, there’s a 16MP primary selfie camera and a 2MP depth sensor. The rear cameras can record in up to 4K UHD at 30FPS.

The phone could come with a 4,000mAh battery with support for 30W charging courtesy of VOOC 4.0.

Oppo F17 specifications

Oppo F17 could feature a 6.44-inch Full HD+ display that uses an AMOLED panel with a waterdrop notch cutout for the selfie camera.

It is expected to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 processor and paired with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. The regular F17 also comes with a quad-camera setup on the back that likely consists of a primary 16MP camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera, a 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth sensor. On the front, there’s a 16MP selfie camera.

The F17 comes equipped with a 4,000mAh battery with support for 30W fast charging out-of-the-box. The Oppo F17 could come in Dynamic Orange, Navy Blue and Classic Silver colours.

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