Windows 10 to get Fluid Framework, improved Windows Terminal, full Linux kernel

On the first day of its Build 2019 developer conference in Seattle, Washington, software giant Microsoft announced a whole bunch of changes it intends to make to its products, including Windows, Cortana, Office, and Azure. The updates it plans to bring to its popular PC operating system Windows 10 are quite interesting. Here’s a quick rundown of what will change:

Fluid Framework

According to Microsoft, Fluid Framework is a developer technology for building a new class of shared, interactive experiences on the web. It consists of three key features: simultaneous multi-user co-authoring of documents on the web, a componentised document model that allows authors to deconstruct content into collaborative building blocks to use them across applications and create new types of documents, and space for intelligent agents to work alongside humans to do things like translate text, fetch content, suggest edits, perform compliance checks, etc.

In an animated demonstration Microsoft shared in one of its blog posts, a user is seen typing text into a document in English. But the same text appears in other languages (like French and Spanish) in the screens of other collaborators as and when it’s being typed. If executed right, Microsoft’s final product employing its new Fluid Framework could be a potential threat to Google Docs, its most immediate competitor.

Improved Windows Terminal

According to Microsoft, the new Windows Terminal is “new, modern, fast, efficient, powerful, and productive”. Something that has been a part of the operating system since its earliest version, Windows Terminal will soon be delivered via the Microsoft Store with regular updates. The improved Windows Terminal comes with multiple tab support, just like most modern browsers. It uses a GPU accelerated DirectWrite/DirectX-based text rendering engine, which is capable of displaying text characters, symbols within fonts, CJK ideograms, icons, and even emoji.

“You will now be able to open any number of tabs, each connected to a command-line shell or app of your choice, e.g. Command Prompt, PowerShell, Ubuntu on WSL, a Raspberry Pi via SSH, etc.” writes Program Manager Kayla Cinnamon in a blog post on the matter. Microsoft has also decided to make the Windows Terminal and Windows Console open source, leaving its code free for building, testing, and cloning on GitHub.

Full Linux kernel

For the first time ever Windows 10 will ship with a full Linux kernel. Microsoft will “include an in-house custom-built Linux kernel to underpin the newest version of the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).” The Microsoft kernel will interface with a userspace chosen by the user and can be installed through the Microsoft Store or sideloaded. According to Microsoft, the WSL kernel will be built using Microsoft’s own continuous integration and continuous delivery systems and updated through Windows Update. It will soon be available on Windows Insider builds.

“The kernel itself will initially be based on version 4.19, the latest long-term stable release of Linux. The kernel will be rebased at the designation of new long-term stable releases to ensure that the WSL kernel always has the latest Linux goodness,” writes Program Manager Jack Hammons in a blog post on the matter. “This is the culmination of years of effort from the Linux Systems Group as well as multiple other teams across Microsoft."

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OnePlus 7 Pro specs, price, release date and everything else you need to know

The OnePlus 7 Pro launch is in a week and quite expectedly, the company is revealing bits and pieces of information about the upcoming flagship. However, despite taking responsibility of making certain information official, the company still couldn’t put a stop to leaks. Over the weekend, the entire spec-sheet and even the alleged pricing of the phone was leaked out on Twitter. We take a close look at the leaked specs and figure out just what's new and exciting in the OnePlus 7 Pro  —

An A+ rated display

Even before the specs of the phone was leaked out, OnePlus revealed the display of the OnePlus 7 Pro snagged an A+ rating from DisplayMate which is usually reserved for the flagships like the Galaxy Note and the iPhones. It certainly got our interests piqued. Now, the leaked specs reveal the OnePlus 7 Pro will sport a 6.67-inch panel, what the company calls “Fluid AMOLED” display. The ‘Fluid’ here refers to a higher 90Hz refresh rate, which effectively means OnePlus will be the first major smartphone brand embrace a high refresh-rate display screen after the Razer Phone came out with a 120Hz LCD panel. Furthermore, this could be the first time OnePlus will offer a panel with 2K resolution. Rumours state the phone can even cycle between multiple resolutions to save battery. 2K displays are actually common in premium flagships. In fact, the LG G7+ ThinQ managed to offer a 2K LCD display at the same price as the OnePlus 6 last year. What’s even more interesting is that the 6.67-inch display of the OnePlus 7 Pro is HDR10+ certified, as confirmed by the company. HDR10+ is a relatively newer standard that debuted with the Samsung Galaxy S10 phones earlier this year.

Curved design

The Horizon Line design that had become a OnePlus signature might be in for a change. Earlier design renders of the OnePlus 7 Pro had revealed the flagship will come with a curved screen this time. We could make out that the AMOLED display curves to wrap around the edges, like the Galaxy S10 offering even more screen real-estate. This will be complemented with a full-glass design with Gorilla Glass protection likely present on both sides. Furthermore, a new colour variant of the OnePlus 7 Pro was recently leaked. Called Nebula Blue, it might offer subtle gradient shades of blue that, based on the leaked renders, looks quite rad! There’s also another almond-coloured variant that leaked earlier today as well as a more conservative mirror grey colour.

Triple cameras on the back

The earlier OnePlus 6 and the OnePlus 6T received a lot of flak for not doing much to improve the camera from previous generations. OnePlus stuck to a secondary camera that did little, but that’s in for a big change in the OnePlus 7 Pro. Multiple design renders had revealed the OnePlus 7 Pro will sport a triple-camera module on the back. Now, the leaked specs tell us exactly what those cameras will do —

Based on the leaked specs, the 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor will be the primary camera fitted with an f/1.6 aperture lens and OIS. Then there will be an 8MP telephoto sensor with f/2.2 aperture and OIS. The telephoto sensor will apparently offer 3X optical zoom. Finally, there will be a third 16MP ultra-wide angle camera with PDAF.

The camera setup alone can be regarded as a big upgrade over the OnePlus 6T, but triple-cameras are nothing new anymore. The Huawei P20 Pro (read our review here) is credited with that feat, but it’s probably Samsung’s blitzkrieg of A-series phones with multi-camera setups on the back, that prompted OnePlus to come out with its own triple-camera phone.

Pop-up selfie camera

Pop-up cameras are now fairly common even in mid-range phones. We have Oppo and Vivo to thank for that. The design itself can be credited to finally make displays stretch all the way to the edges. The OnePlus 7 Pro, according to the leaked specs, will also sport a similar pop-up camera module housing a 16MP selfie shooter, positioned slightly offset from the centre. That’s what is allowing OnePlus to offer a giant 6.67-inch screen without increasing the dimensions of the phone by much. However, we have reservations against the design choice. For one, a pop-up module is a movable part in the design which could attract dust and over time, might stop working. There’s also the fear of the pop-up module rising up when the phone is in the pocket which could damage the camera. It’s only after a long-term use that we can be sure this is the right approach to making displays bezel-less.

Snapdragon 855-powered performance

One thing that was confirmed even before the bevvy of leaks started flooding in was the fact that the OnePlus 7 Pro will be powered by the Snapdragon 855. That’s now more or less expected from the company as every other flagship phone from OnePlus has been paired with Qualcomm’s flagship 8-series processors.  What will make users go wow this time is a 12GB RAM variant that the OnePlus 7 Pro will apparently be offered with. Leaked Geekbench scores peg the OnePlus 7 Pro right on top with 3551 in single-core performance and 11012 in multi-core performance. Based on the leaked specs, the OnePlus 7 Pro will be offered in 6GB, 8GB and a whopping 12GB RAM variant. The OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition came in a 10GB RAM variant, but that seems to have fallen short of OnePlus’ expectation and hence, a 12GB RAM variant. What will you do with a 12GB RAM phone is beyond us presently. However, what’s even more interesting is the fact that the OnePlus 7 Pro will be the first to offer UFS 3.0 storage which was supposed to debut with the Samsung Galaxy Fold. Well, Samsung’s foldable phone is not coming out anytime soon after it got into production issues making OnePlus the first to offer the latest generation of high-speed flash storage. Furthermore, the OnePlus 7 Pro will sport a 4,000mAh battery which will be charged by the Warp 30 charger that debuted with the OnePlus 6T McLaren Edition.

Water resistant

OnePlus took to Twitter to say that "Waterproof ratings for phones cost you money. We just bought a bucket". This isn't the first time OnePlus has highlighted that water resistance certification costs money and that leads to an increase in the price of the smartphone. This time, however, the company has taken to Twitter to show that the upcoming OnePlus 7 Pro is water resistant but isn't IP certified. The Tweeted video shows the smartphone being submerged in water but there is a disclaimer in the video which says that water damage isn't covered by warranty. So we advise you not to take this phone in the shower with you. However, having water resistance at some level is better than not having it at all. At least it can survive those accidental brushes with water.

Price

When it comes to the price of the smartphone, information circulating the internet suggests that the 6GB+128GB variant of the OnePlus 7 Pro could cost Rs 49,999, the 8GB+256GB could cost Rs 52,999 whereas the top of the line 12GB+256GB could cost about Rs 57,999. This makes the OnePlus 7 Pro a premium device competing with what the best in the world of smartphones have to offer. Granted, it costs half of a new iPhone, but the top of the line variant is close to the Samsung Galaxy S10e price range. It remains to be seen how the upcoming Pixel 3a and 3a XL are priced keeping in mind that the new pixels are expected to house some of the prowess of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL.

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2019 iPhones, new iPad Pro models to adopt new antenna technology: Analyst

Apple plans to use modified-PI (MPI) material for antennas in 2019 iPhones, as well as in the new iPad Pros expected to launch in late 2019 or in early 2020 rather than the liquid crystal polymer (LCP) material, which it used for making antennas for the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR antennas, famous analyst Ming-Chi Kuo has claimed. According to him (via MacRumors), LCP limits the RF performance of the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR antennas because of current technology limitations and production issues.

This is not the first time that Kuo has made this prediction. In December last year, he outlined several reasons for Apple to make this change. Firstly, he said that Apple reportedly had “lower bargaining power” against LCP material suppliers and that it was also difficult to introduce additional LCP suppliers because of the “complicated production process” of the material. Secondly, LCP is more “brittle” than its alternatives and, hence, has issues with yield rate.

As mentioned about the limitations, improving the yield rate could potentially lower the antenna’s performance. Hence, Modified PI antenna’s performance “can be as good as LCP” because of the improved fluoride formula. He also said that the 2019 iPhone models would adopt four MPI antennae and two LCP antennae, and expects that LCP will still be the primary material for 5G antennas in 2020 iPhones.

In a separate research note last month, which has reportedly been seen by Taiwanese media so far, Kuo said that two new iPad Pro models “with the same 11-inch and 12.9-inch display sizes as the current models will enter mass production between the fourth quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020.” He reportedly claims that those new iPad Pro models will feature flexible circuit boards using LCP. Kuo had also predicted that Apple might also launch a 10 to 12-inch screen iPad in late 2020 or early 2021.

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Airtel postpaid plans updated to start at Rs 499 with 75GB data and go up to Rs 1,599 to offer unlimited data

With the competition heating up in the telecom sector, Airtel has revamped its postpaid offerings. The company reportedly slipped from being the second largest telecom operator to the third spot as Jio took over. Airtel is now revamping its postpaid offerings to make its services more attractive to users. As per its website, Airtel now offers only four postpaid plans, which start at Rs 499 and goes up to Rs 1,599. All of the four plans offer unlimited calling with SMS and some amount of data with rollover. However, the top-most plan that is priced at Rs 1,599 comes with unlimited data, calls and SMS messages. Here’s what all the plans offer:

Rs 499 postpaid plan

With the Rs 499 postpaid plan, a user will be credited with 75GB data for a month, who is eligible for data rollover. There’s also unlimited calling, 100 free daily SMSes and free three months of Netflix subscription. Additionally, a user will get to avail one year of free Amazon Prime subscription, access to Airtel TV Premium, Airtel Handset Protection, and free access to ZEE5 shows and movies. 

Rs 749 postpaid plan

The Rs 749 postpaid plan offers 125GB of high speed data access for a month, along with unlimited free calls and 100 daily SMS. This plan can be opted for three connections, two for regular ones and another one for data add-on. One will get the same free Netflix, Amazon Prime, Airtel TV Premium, Airtel Handset Protection, and ZEE5 access with this plan. There is also a data rollover facility that will credit any remaining data to a user’s data balance next month. 

Rs 999 postpaid plan

The penultimate postpaid plan by Airtel is priced at Rs 999 and comes with 150 GB data per month, along with data rollover facility. This plan is eligible for a total of five connections, which include four regular and one data add-on connection. There’s 100 SMS per day, along with unlimited calls and all the additional benefits mentioned in the previous plans. 

Rs 1,599 postpaid plan

The highest priced Rs 1,599 postpaid plan by Airtel offers a great deal with unlimited free data and calls for a month. One also gets 100 free SMS per day. This plan is eligible for two regular connections and comes with all the aforementioned benefits like free Netflix and Amazon Prime subscription, Airtel TV Premium, Handset Protection, and ZEE5 access. 

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