Sony HT-S350 Soundbar launched in India at Rs 17,990

Sony has launched a new 2.1 channel Soundbar named HT-S350 in India. The new Soundbar succeeds Sony’s HT-CT290 2.1 Soundbar and is priced lower than its predecessor. The HT-CT290 is available in India for Rs 18,999, whereas the new Sony HT-S350 is priced at Rs 17,990. The affordable Soundbar is aimed at those who want a quick home-theater setup, without having to invest lakhs into it. The HT-S350 gets a 6.30-inch speaker unit, accompanied by a wireless subwoofer with a total output of 320W, designed to deliver deeper bass.

Sony says that the soundbar features its proprietary S-Force PRO Front Surround sound, which “delivers a wider, more enveloping and accurate surround sound.” It can play 5.1 channel content as well. Users can select from a range of different sound modes: Cinema, Music, Game, News and Sports Mode.

The HT-S350 is created in a metal finish and can be wall-mounted for space enhancement. Sony says that the Soundbar matches well with the design of its Bravia range of TVs.

For connectivity, the Sony HT-S350 Soundbar features Bluetooth to pair to devices like smartphones and tablets in order to play music. It connects to TVs via HDMI ARC.

The Sony HT-S350 will be available in India starting June 10, 2019 across all Sony Center, major electronic stores and e-commerce portals.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2HYmjDC

Nokia 22 renders leak ahead of expected launch today

Nokia is holding an event in Italy later in the day, and the Finnish company is expected to launch the Nokia 2.2 there. Just a few hours ahead of the unveiling, the renders of the phone have surfaced online. Shared by famous tipster Evan Blass (via GSMArena), the renders show the alleged phone with a waterdrop notch and Android One written on the back. The images also show the display with thin bezels on the sides and a thick chin with Nokia branding.

A closer look at the image shows the phone has an additional button which is likely to be used to summon the Google Assistant. We have already seen these in phones like the Nokia 3.2 and the Nokia 4.2 that were launched earlier this year. Further, the back panel of the phone seems to be made out of glass. The phone houses a single camera on the back with an LED flash. We can also see a speaker sitting just besides the Android One branding.

As far as specs are concerned, there is no information what hardware does the phone packs under the hood. Reportedly, the phone is codenamed “Nokia Wasp” and has already emerged on the US FCC certification site as well as received BIS certification with model number TA-1183. The Nokia 2.2 is likely to be available under Rs 7,000. HMD Global's other Android One Nokia models, the Nokia 3.2 and the Nokia 4.2, are priced at Rs 8,990 and Rs 10,990, respectively. Both these phones were launched at MWC in February, and you can read the first impressions of the phones here.

Earlier it was reported that Nokia is likely to launch the Nokia 9 PureView, Nokia 6.2 and the Nokia 5.2 in India, however, it seems that Indians have to wait a little more to get their hands on the flagship device.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2IlyR6W

YouTube updates policy to tackle hate videos

As a part of its combing operation against harmful content on the platform, YouTube has been updating its policies, and investing in resources to protect the community. The Google-owned company has once again updated its policies to keep a check on hateful and supremacist content on YouTube. This adds to the 2017 rules that were introduced to limit recommendations, comments and the ability to share controversial videos. Google says that this step dramatically reduced about 80 percent views to these videos.

“Today, we're taking another step in our hate speech policy by specifically prohibiting videos alleging that a group is superior in order to justify discrimination, segregation or exclusion based on qualities like age, gender, race, caste, religion, sexual orientation or veteran status. This would include, for example, videos that promote or glorify Nazi ideology, which is inherently discriminatory. Finally, we will remove content denying that well-documented violent events, like the Holocaust or the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, took place,” YouTube said in a statement.

YouTube says it will be enforcing the updated policy today and clears that its systems will take some time to fully ramp up. YouTube will gradually “expand the coverage over the next several months.” In addition, the company notes that it is aware of the fact that some of this content has value to researchers and NGOs to plan out a strategy to combat hate, hence it is exploring options to make it available to them in the future. It also clarifies that the context of a video also matters, so it is possible that some of the videos with hate content may be allowed to remain on the platform “because they discuss topics like pending legislation, aim to condemn or expose hate, or provide analysis of current events.”

YouTube also gave an update on the policies it piloted in the US in January this year. According to those policies, YouTube would limit recommendations of borderline content and harmful misinformation, such as videos promoting a phony miracle cure for a serious illness, or claiming the earth is flat. “We’re looking to bring this updated system to more countries by the end of 2019,” the company added. It says that it was due to these policies that the number of views this type of content gets from recommendations has dropped by over 50 percent in the US.

For those who are unaware, YouTube relies on a combination of people and technology to flag inappropriate content like pornography, incitement to violence, harassment, or hate speech, and enforce guidelines. “Our systems are also getting smarter about what types of videos should get this treatment, and we’ll be able to apply it to even more borderline videos moving forward. As we do this, we’ll also start raising up more authoritative content in recommendations, building on the changes we made to news last year,” YouTube noted.

When it comes to the monetization on the platform, YouTube rewards those trusted creators who add value to the company. It has advertiser-friendly guidelines that prohibit ads from running on videos that include hateful content. In the case of the videos which contain hate speech, YouTube is strengthening enforcement of its existing YouTube Partner Program policies. Channels that repeatedly flout the company’s hate speech policies will be suspended from the YouTube Partner programme, which means they won’t be able to run ads on their channel or use other monetization features.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2IgJAzi

Reliance Jio announces new Jio Cricket Season data plan, subscribers can watch ICC World Cup for free on Hotstar

Vodafone-idea, Jio and Airtel are the three top telecom operators that keep announcing new plans and offerings to get a leg up against each other. Jio has now announced new benefits for its subscribers, aimed at those who are following the ICC cricket World Cup. Jio users can watch all world cup matches live for free via Hotstar or JioTV. Jio subscribers will automatically log in and won’t need to buy a Hotstar subscription to watch the ongoing cricket matches. JioTV users will also be redirected ‘seamlessly’ to Hotstar to access the matches. Do note that while viewing the matches is free, data used for streaming the event will be counted against a user’s current plan. 

Speaking of data consumption, watching a cricket match that lasts a couple of hours or more in good quality will surely burn through one’s data pack. Keeping this in mind, Jio has also announced a Cricket Season special data pack that is priced at Rs 251 which credits 102 GB of high-speed data for 51 days. While this data can be used to watch matches, the pack is also a good option for users who consume high amounts of data. Alongside access to Hotstar and the new Jio Cricket Season data plan, the telco has also announced a Cricket Play Along game. 

Jio Cricket Play Along is said to be an interactive concept that enables users to test their knowledge of cricket in real-time as the matches are being played. The game can be accessed via the MyJio app on mobile phones and is available for both Jio and Non-Jio subscribers. “Players can test their knowledge of cricket while predicting real-time outcomes and accumulate points for every correct prediction,” says Jio. The Jio Cricket Play Along will also display match scores, schedules, results and other information. 

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2HWhlHg

Jaguar Land Rover and BMW join hands to make electric powertrains together

It appears two widely-known automotive marques from Britain and Germany have decided to team up and develop powertrains for electric cars in the future. According to a press release sent out by Jaguar Land Rover yesterday, the Tata-owned company will team up with BMW to develop next-generation Electric Drive Units (EDUs) in an attempt to move ahead in the ACES automotive game. ACES stands for "Autonomous, Connected, Electric, Shared".

“We’ve proven we can build world beating electric cars but now we need to scale the technology to support the next generation of Jaguar and Land Rover products. It was clear from discussions with BMW Group that both companies’ requirements for next generation EDUs to support this transition have significant overlap making for a mutually beneficial collaboration,” commented Nick Rogers, Engineering Director at Jaguar Land Rover. The collaboration is expected to take advantage of the efficiencies arising from shared R&D and production planning.

According to the press release, the EDUs will be designed together by Jaguar Land Rover and BMW, but manufactured individually and separately in their respective production facilities. Jaguar Land Rover will manufacture its EDUs at its Wolverhampton-based Engine Manufacturing Centre (EMC), which employs 1,600 workers currently. The EMC is also set to be complemented by a Battery Assembly Centre at Hams Hall near Birmingham.

In a manner of speaking, this collaboration between Jaguar Land Rover and BMW can be seen as a joint technological strike against the likes of Tesla, which delivered approximately 90,700 electric vehicles in the fourth quarter of last year. Tesla’s stable includes the likes of the Model S, Model 3, Model X, and the recently announced Model Y. BMW’s EV line-up includes the i3 hatchback and i8 two-door coupé. Jaguar Land Rover, on the other hand, pushes the Jaguar I-PACE performance SUV as its most advanced EV offering yet.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2WhPYLC

PUBG Mobile Club Open 2019 India semi-final rankings revealed, regional finals will be held in Delhi

PUBG Mobile has announced the Indian semi-final rankings of teams participating in the PUBG Mobile Club Open 2019 (PCMO 2019) tournament. The competition was announced in May this year with a total prize pool of $2.5 million (Rs 17.3 crores approx). A list of 16 teams has now been announced by PUBG Mobile that have qualified from each region to compete in regional finals. In addition, the PMCO Spring Split India Finals will be held at the Thyagaraj Sports Complex in New Delhi on June 14-15. Teams that win at this event will get a chance to represent India in the PMCO Global Spring Split Finals in Berlin, Germany. 

As per the latest PMCO 2019 India semi-final rankings, Team Brawlers overtook Team Insidious for the number one spot with 382 total points, while the latter stood second with 331 points. Hydra bagged the third spot with 326 points and was followed by Teams Soul and Orb, which scored 271 and 259 points each. To recall, Team Soul barely made it into the top 16 teams last time when PMCO India semi-finals week 1 standings were announced, however, the team has upped its pace and grabbed the fourth spot. Other well-known PUBG Mobile teams like RIP Official, Pain Retribution and others have also made it to the top 16 teams. Those who are interested in catching the regional finals can watch the broadcast live on the PUBG Mobile Esports YouTube channel starting 1 p.m. on June 14 and 15. 

PUBG Mobile quickly rose up the ranks to become one of the most popular online battle royale games. It has over 100 million monthly active users and to add new players and retain the interest of existing ones, it is gearing up to introduce new elements to the gameplay like a new Team Deathmatch mode and Godzilla-themed events. The Team Deathmatch option is expected to roll out for players with version 0.13.0 of the game. The option is available on the Beta version and you can read more about it here.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2QQcN84

Motorola E6 Plus with MediaTek Helio P22 SoC spotted on Geekbench

Motorola seems to be working on its entry-level E-Series smartphones. Last month, there were reports about the Moto E6 in the making, and now, the Plus variant of the phone has been spotted on the Geekbench website. According to the listing on the benchmarking platform, the Moto E6 Plus is equipped with the MediaTek Helio P22 octa-core mobile platform under the hood. It uses eight ARM Cortex-A53 cores and an IMG PowerVR GE8320 GPU. The processor, which is clocked at 2.0 GHz, is manufactured using TSMC’s 12nm fabrication process. Apart from this information, the listing also shows that the Moto E6 Plus will be equipped with 2GB of RAM, and run the Android 9.0 Pie operating system. The phone scores 829 points in the single-core and 3,687 points in the multi-core tests.

As mentioned, there are reports about the Moto E6 going around the web. This phone is expected to run on an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 processor. Reportedly, the smartphone will have 2GB RAM and 16GB/32GB storage options. On the back, the phone is expected to sport a 13MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture. For selfies, the handset will likely feature a 5MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture. The phone is tipped to come equipped with a 5.45-inch HD+ display panel with a resolution of 720 x 1440 pixels.

This development follows rumours of the launch of the Motorola One Vision in India. The Lenovo-owned company has already announced the Android One smartphone in Brazil. The company has sent media invitations for an event that is being hosted on June 20. Highlights of the phone include a punch-hole display design, which is basically a hole in the display to fit in the camera. The handset sports a 6.3-inch Full HD+ LCD display which offers an aspect ratio of 21:9 like in the Sony Xperia 10 and the Xperia 10 Plus.

from Latest Technology News http://bit.ly/2EVhyc1