Apple plans on shipping the Made in India iPhone XR to international markets

While Apple has been manufacturing smartphones in India for a couple of years now, the latest development has been the manufacturing of the iPhone XR in India as well. When the “Made in India” iPhone XR began selling in stores, the phone also saw a price drop to accompany it. The newest update in the production cycle is that the Made in India iPhone XR will now be shipped to countries outside of India as well.

The news comes from India’s I.T. Minister, Pandit Ravi Prasad. He also said that Salcomp, a major supplier of chargers to Apple for the iPhone, will be reviving the now-defunct Nokia manufacturing facility. Closed more than 10 years ago, the Nokia plant used to at one point be the biggest manufacturing facility of its kind in India. Salcomp will be taking over the facility and beginning production of charges and other equipment. “The big SEZ of Nokia which was closed for 10 years will get into life again. As many as 10,000 people will get jobs directly and 50,000 jobs will be generated indirectly,” Prasad said.

The current Indian Government had instituted a Phased Manufacturing Programme, a 5-year plan to significantly boost the manufacturing of smartphones and their associated sub-components in India. Right now, most smartphone companies that boast of “made in India” smartphones, are only assembling them here. The companies usually import most of the parts from China, assembling the devices here in their factories. This is one of the key reasons why device prices wont see a significant drop, since here is still a tax being levied on the import of these components. Additionally, given the rough trade relations between American and China, India stands to notably benefit as American corporations try and avoid the taxation they would be hit with for continued manufacturing in China.

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WhatsApp reportedly testing Snapchat like self-destructing messages, Facebook app spotted running dark mode

It seems like Facebook is readying some new features for its Android app, and the popular online messaging platform WhatsApp. As per a new WABetainfo report, WhatsApp developers are now testing self-deleting messages on the platform that was previously called Disappearing Messages. Now renamed simply to Delete Messages, we have already seen a similar feature on Snapchat and Telegram. In a separate report, some on Twitter posted screenshots of the Facebook app with a dark theme. It seems like the social media platform is finally testing dark mode for the Facebook app. However, the test might be happening with a limited batch of users. 

The Delete Messages option is apparently available in Contact Info or Group Settings and can only be enabled by group admins. However, updating to the latest WhatsApp beta version doesn’t enable the option, since it is said to be currently under development. The feature is said to enable users to select how long their sent message will be available before being deleted. Currently, the time periods for the delayed deletion of messages include one hour, one day, one week, one month, and one year. Since the feature is still in testing, it could be changed. 

Coming to the dark mode sighting on the Facebook app, Jane Manchun Wong, ṭhe well-known reverse engineer, first spotted the option. Initially reported back in August this year, the dark mode option was said to be in an early stage of development and only certain areas of the app were painted black. The new screenshots posted by some Twitter users suggest that the dark mode development has progressed quite a bit. It remains to be known when the option will be rolled out for standard users. 

facebook tengah test dark mode ke tu? pic.twitter.com/VsLhjarGB0

— Lock (@locknain) November 17, 2019

Speaking of dark mode, WhatsApp is also testing the dark scheme on its app. The option is available for beta users right now and is expected to soon roll out for all users. 

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Samsung Galaxy S11+ leaked renders surface, revealing five cameras at the back, Infinity-O display and more

The Samsung Galaxy S11+ is real. As always, Samsung will be launching a plus variant of the S11 flagship next year along with the Galaxy S11 and the S11e, and renders for the larger flagship have just surfaced online. The renders reveal the S11+ will move to the Infinity-O display of the Note10+ and sport the rectangular camera module leaked in previous renders of the Galaxy S11 series. Only, the S11+ will likely come with five cameras at the back.

The renders, courtesy OnLeaks and CashKaro, reveal a metal build measuring 166.9x76x8.8mm. If this is indeed true, the S11+ will be larger and thicker than the S10+. The camera bump at the back brings the thickness to 10.2mm. The rectangular module houses five sensors along with laser autofocus and a flash. Two of the sensors are smaller than the other three.

On the front, the S11+ will stick to the curved display. Previous leaks suggests the display will be as large as 6.9-inches while the panel itself will be Samsung’s own Dynamic AMOLED display. It’s rumoured Samsung will infuse 120Hz refresh rate in the display and an in-display fingerprint sensor like last time.

Aside from that, Samsung is also rumoured to introduce 108MP cameras to the lineup. Another sensor will likely allow the phone to zoom to 5x optical. As for video, the S11+ can reportedly shoot 8K videos.

The renders also reveal the Galaxy S11+ will have a single punch-hole camera instead of the dual-camera stack in the S10+. At the bottom, there is a USB-C port and the speaker grill. The primary microphone is also visible and we’re guessing there will be another one on top.

The Galaxy S11+ was also recently spotted on Geekbench running on the Samsung Exynos 9830 SoC along with 12GB RAM.

Samsung will likely launch the Galaxy S11 series in three different sizes and five different variants since the regular S11 is also likely to get a 5G variant. The phones are also supposed to get 25W fast charging while the S11+ will likely get 45W fast charging like the Galaxy Note 10+.

The phones will reportedly launch in the third week of February. Last year, Samsung announced the S10 and the Galaxy Fold at an Unpacked event in San Francisco. It’s likely to be the same, next year as well.

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Vodafone-Idea and Airtel might face more difficulties as committee for telecom relief package reportedly disbanded

Considering the current state of the telecom industry, saying that the top telecom operators Vodafone-Idea and Airtel are in a pickle wouldn’t be incorrect. The two operators need to pay over Rs 89,000 crore in combined AGR (Adjusted Gross Revenue) dues to the government and it seems like the scenario is going to get even more difficult. ET apparently had a conversation with a “a top government official” who says that the (CoS) Committee of Secretaries that was formed to help the telcos with some relief measures is now disbanded. If the report can be believed, it means even tougher times could be in store for the telcos. 

The government official also reveals that the telcos have received a two-year moratorium for spectrum payment dues, along with a relief of Rs 42,000 crores. However, the report mentions that the telco should not expect anything more than this. It is unclear if a new committee will be formed to help the telcos with their struggling dues and provide relief for the still remaining Rs 1.47 lakh crore adjusted gross revenues but the official said this won’t be happening since it is an “SC-defined matter.” This report comes after the government decided not to reduce the 8 percent AGR telcos need to pay license fees. Telecom carriers have less than three months to clear their dues. 

The mounting due for telecom operators due to AGR is apparently making things too difficult in times of cutthroat competition. One of the leading telcos has also expressed concerns over continuing its operations in the country if some relief is not provided.  Rajan Mathews, director-general of Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) reportedly says, “We trust this does not mean the government has ceased to look at the long-term relief and sustainability of the industry. We hope these issues will continue to be looked at and decided upon by DoT through existing channels of decision making. 

There's also a report stating 5G deployment in India might be pushed by five years. You can read the full report here. 

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Twitter plans on shutting down accounts that have been inactive for 6 months

Lurkers and stalkers beware as Twitter is planning on removing accounts that haven’t signed in for six months or more. So, if you have not been using the social media application, you’ll relinquish the right to your username to someone else. Don’t be surprised to see someone else with your username posting on Twitter. From what we know, the plan will start taking effect on December 11 but a Twitter spokesperson has said that the closing of these accounts will take place over a period of months. Don’t expect to have thousands of new usernames available on December 12. Just know that you don’t have to post to retain your account, just make sure you log in, once in a while. 

Twitter is taking this step in an effort to clean up the social media platform. They want to present more accurate, credible information that is rather reliable. This essentially means that it’ll be easier for users to find exactly the accounts they’re looking for. It also makes it much harder for porn accounts and more to hijack your accounts for spam. If you missed out on your username of choice, back in the day, there is a chance that you may be able to grab the coveted username of your choice. 

This could pose a problem for a few people, though. For users who’ve not been able to access their accounts because of medical reasons and such, there is no real plan as of yet, but we can be sure that Twitter has something up its sleeve. Twitter has also said that it will find a way to memorialise accounts of people who have died but didn’t really say anything beyond that. 

 

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Tesla Cybertruck pre-orders cross 2,50,000 within a week after unveiling

The Cybertruck is arguably Tesla’s maddest EV yet, in terms of how it looks and what it can do. Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the Cybertruck at an event in Los Angeles, California late last week with a great deal of enthusiasm. And while some of that enthusiasm may have been blunted by the Tesla Armor Glass mishap, the Cybertruck has managed to get away with some impressive initial sales numbers. According to a recent tweet by Musk, the Cybertruck has received over 2,50,000 pre-orders online.

Since its global unveiling on November 22, the Tesla Cybertruck has been available for pre-order in selected regions across the globe, including Canada, Australia, France, Hong Kong, the UK, and the US. In its home country of the US, the Cybertruck can be bought in three different variants starting at $39,900 (Rs 28.61 lakh approx). Interested customers will have to put down a fully refundable sum of $100 (Rs 7,130 approx) to place their order. Deliveries of the Tesla Cybertruck will start in late 2021.

According to Musk’s tweets, pre-orders for the Tesla Cybertruck crossed 1,46,000 just a couple of days after its unveiling, with 42 per cent of the customers going for the dual-motor variant, 41 per cent choosing the tri-motor variant, and 17 per cent picking the single-motor variant. Musk later said in his tweet that that number was achieved with zero advertising and absolutely no paid endorsements. By Monday, pre-orders for the electric pickup truck crossed 1,87,000. And as of two hours ago, the Cybertruck has over 2,50,000 pre-orders.

According to Tesla, the top-end variant of the Cybertruck with triple motors can tow up to 6 tonnes of weight. The company recently demonstrated the EV’s maximum torque in a Twitter video in which the Cybertruck is seen pulling a high-revving Ford F-150 uphill. The triple-motor variant comes with a total range of 800 kilometres and can do 0-100 kilometres per hour in under 2.9 seconds. Tesla is selling all three variants with an optional self-driving package for $7000 (Rs 5 lakh approx). You can read more about the Tesla Cybertruck’s unveiling here.

Cybertruck pulls F-150 uphill pic.twitter.com/OfaqUkrDI3

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 24, 2019

 

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Honor V30 and V30 Pro 5G smartphones launched with 40MP triple rear camera

Honor has officially launched the Honor V30 and V30 Pro at an event in Beijing, China. Both the smartphone will be available for pre-order in China on December 5 and there is no information on when the devices will be available internationally. Both the V30 and V30 Pro boast of 5G connectivity and are the first Honor 5G phones to be launched. Both smartphones come with five cameras - 2 on the front and 3 on the back and are powered by the Kirin 990 chipset under the hood. 

The Honor V30 and V30 Pro sport a 6.57-inch LCD display with a Full HD+ resolution. The fingerprint sensor on the smartphones is on the side, much like the Samsung Galaxy S10e.  When it comes to optics, both smartphones have three cameras at the back. The cameras are housed in a slight bump. Both the V30 and V30 Pro house a 40MP Sony IMX600 sensor with Dual OIS and laser AF as the main sensor. However, it must be noted that the V30 Pro has a faster f/1.6 lens when compared to the f/1.8 lens on the V30. Next up is an 8MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, f/2.4 aperture and OIS. This module is identical between the two smartphones. Last but not least, is the ultrawide camera. The Honor V30 has a 12MP f/2.2 sensor whereas the V30 has an 8MP f/2.4 sensor. 

At the front, both the smartphones have a dual-camera setup. It is a punch hole camera design and because there are two sensors, it has an oval shape. The smartphones house a 32MP main selfie cam that boasts of Super Night Mode accompanied by an 8MP ultra wide-angle camera that has a 105-degree FoV.

Under the hood, both the smartphones have the Kirin 990 SoC, but there is a slight difference between the two. The Honor V30 sports the basic 7nm Kirin 990. This chipset is accompanied by the Balong 5000 modem. The V30 Pro, on the other hand, sports the 7nm+ Kirin 990 with an integrated modem. Both the devices support 5G and are the first smartphones from the house of Honor to do so. The devices will run on Android 10 out of the box with Honor’s Magic UI 3.0.1 overlaying it. The devices also have GPU Turbo and Kirin Gaming+ 2.0 to enhance the users gaming experience. 

Both V30 and V30 Pro will support 40W Honor SuperCharge. In addition, the V30 Pro also supports 27W Super Wireless Charge. When it comes to battery capacity, the Honor V30 has a 4,200mAh battery and the V30 Pro has 4,100mAh.

Coming to the pricing and availability, the Honor V30 will be priced at CNY 3,299 (Rs 33,500 approx. directly converted) for the 6/128 GB variant and the 8/128 GB variant is priced at CNY 3,699 (Rs 37,700 approx. directly converted).

The 8/128 GB variant of the Honor V30 Pro is priced at CNY 3,899 (Rs 40,000 approx. directly converted) whereas the 8/256GB variant is priced at CNY 4,199 (Rs 43,000 approx. directly converted).

As for availability, there is no word on when the devices will hit the international market. But they will go on pre-order in China starting December 5 with a flash sale taking place seven days later. The smartphones will be available in Orange, Pearl White, Blue and Black colour options.  

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