MG ZS EV with 8-inch touchscreen, iSMART EV 20 to be announced on December 5

Following the success of the MG Hector SUV, MG Motor is poised to announce its second car for India. It's called the MG ZS EV and, as you can probably tell from the name, it's an all-electric model this time around. It will feature an extended version of the iSMART mobile connectivity system that's available on the MG Hector. The new system is called iSMART EV 2.0. According to a press release sent by the British automotive marque, the official announcement for the upcoming MG ZS EV will happen on December 5.

The MG Hector was introduced in India earlier this year with MG Motor's proprietary iSMART mobile connectivity system. The system on the MG ZS EV is called iSMART EV 2.0, and it comes with a few model-specific enhancements. For example, it will display relevant EV information such as vehicle charging information, driving range, battery status (with an alarm going off at 30 per cent), carbon dioxide emissions saved, and a list of the nearest public charging stations (called 360 Spider). It will even show the type of chargers (AC/DC) and connectors (CCS2, ChadeMO, etc.) available.

Information provided by the iSMART EV 2.0 system can be accessed either from the My MG smartphone app or the ZS EV's on-board 8-inch HD touchscreen display. The hardware unit on the ZS EV is powered by a six-core processor. The on-board infotainment unit comes with support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay along with the latest pre-loaded entertainment content. Like the unit on the MG Hector, it can receive over-the-air software updates.

Like the original iSMART connectivity system on the MG Hector, the iSMART EV 2.0 system on the MG ZS EV comes with 4G connectivity through a bundled, pre-activated Airtel eSIM. It includes relevant on-road apps such as TomTom (for navigation), Gaana (for music), and AccuWeather (for weather forecasts). In addition, it will allow the user to connect the system to a local Wi-Fi network for a richer content consumption experience. However, it cannot act as a Wi-Fi hotspot for other devices owing to strict regulations imposed by the Indian government. Learn more about the MG ZS EV here.

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VPN downloads saw a 405 rise in 12 months since the porn ban by the Indian government

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Exclusive: Intelligent dimming, Dolby Vision and Wide Colour Gamut support confirmed for the Nokia Smart TV

The launch of the Nokia Smart TV is just around the corner and before the launch, Flipkart has confirmed information about the features and design of the TV to Digit. Starting with the features, the Nokia Smart TV has been confirmed to feature Intelligent Dimming. Put simply, Intelligent Dimming understands the picture on the screen and optimises the contrast to enhance the image. Intelligent Dimming is said to process the image information in real-time and dims LEDs accordingly in darker areas of the image, giving you darker blacks and whiter whites in the same picture. All this results in an enhanced viewing experience. 

Next up, we have Wide Colour Gamut (WCG) which has also been confirmed for the TV. Flipkart has told us that in comparison to non-WCG TVs that only use 40-50% of the 1billion colours, the upcoming Nokia TV with WCG uses more than 85% of the available 1 billion colours. Put simply, WCG enables the TV to display more colours. Because of WCG, the colour palette on display is wider which helps the image show deeper and richer colours. The WCG also helps increase the bit depth. This allows more shades to be available between turquoise blue and dark blue. 

Last but not least, the Nokia Smart TV is also confirmed to support Dolby Vision. Dolby Vision is Dolby’s HDR standard and a feature usually found on high-end flagship TVs. A large catalogue of Netflix’s content is available in Dolby Vision. Also, a lot of 4K HDR Blu-rays support the feature. So, to make the most of the fidelity on offer, having a Dolby Vision enabled TV adds to the immersion. 

Moving away from the features and coming to the design, today we have with us an image that shows off the slim bezels that surround the TV giving it a nearly bezel-free design. The TV is also confirmed to have a premium metallic frame.

We recently reported that the Nokia Smart TV would be powered by JBL speakers and you can read more about that here.

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Airtel, Vodafone-Idea announce increased plan pricing, Reliance Jio to increase All-In-One plans trarrif from December 6

As was expected, the three top telcos, Airtel, Vodafone-Idea and Reliance Jio, have announced their new increased tariff plans. While the new plan pricing from Airtel and Vodafone-Idea will come into effect from 12AM on December 3, Reliance Jio has only announced that it will increase the prices of its All-In-One plans tariff from December 6. The revised hiked pricing ranges between 10 and 45 percent, and it is worth noting that only select prepaid plans, vouchers, sachet recharges and first recharge options are getting more expensive. Here’s are the complete details. 

Revised Airtel prepaid recharge plans

Airtel is increasing the tariff on its Rs 35 and Rs 65 prepaid recharge plans by 50 paise per day, which means one now needs to shell out Rs 49 and Rs 79 respectively. Both recharge options have a 28-day validity but the benefits are also increased. The Rs 35 pack now, which is now priced at Rs 49, offers talk time of Rs 38.52 with 100MB data instead of Rs 26.99 talk time. However, the new Rs 79 plan has a talk time of Rs 63.95 instead of Rs 130 talk time. 

The Rs 129 prepaid plan that offers Rs 130 talk time and 2GB data for 28 days will now cost Rs 148 and comes with exact same benefits. The plan still retains Airtel Thanks benefits like free access to Airtel Xstream, Wynk and Hello Tunes. The prices of Rs 169 and Rs 199 plans are being merged and the new plan replacing them is priced at Rs 248. With a 28 day validity, the prepaid pack offers unlimited calling 1.5GB data per day, along with 100 daily SMS. The Rs 249 plan is now priced at Rs 298 and it comes with a 28-day validity, along with unlimited calls, 2GB daily data and 100SMS per day. 

Airtel’s Rs 448 and Rs 499 plans are now priced at Rs 598 and Rs 698 respectively. The two plans offer unlimited calls, 100SMS per day, 1.5GB and 2GB data respectively. The telco is also increasing the validity of both plans by 2 days and they will now be valid for 84 days. Airtel’s long-term validity plans priced at Rs 998 and Rs 1699 are also getting a price increase and will now be priced at Rs 1498 and Rs 2398 respectively. The two plans come with 365 days of validity and offer unlimited calls. With the former recharge, one gets 3600 SMS, along with 24GB data, instead of 12GB. The latter plan also offers unlimited calling, along with 100 SMS per day and 1.5GB daily data. 

Revised Vodafone-Idea recharge plans

Vodafone is increasing the price of its combo vouchers, first recharge options, unlimited plans with 28, 84 and 365-day validity and one unlimited sachet. First off, the new combo vouchers are priced at Rs 49 and Rs 79 and they credit Rs 38 and Rs 64 talk time for 28 days, along with 100MB and 200MB data validity respectively. 

Coming to the unlimited packs with 28 days validity, the telco has four new plans, all of which come with unlimited voice calling. The Rs 149 plan offers 2GB data with 300SMS, while the Rs 249 pack comes with 1.5GB daily data and 100 SMS per day. Plans priced at Rs 299 and Rs 399 will credit 2GB and 3GB data per day, along with 100 daily SMS. Do note that all of these plans have an FUP of 1000 minutes for off-net calls, which is consumed while calling users on other networks. 

In the 84-day validity plan options, there’s Rs 379 pack, which comes with unlimited calls and 3000 minutes of off-net calls, along with 6GB data and 1000SMS. There are also plans priced at Rs 599 and Rs 699, which offer 3000 minutes of calls to other networks, 1.5GB and 2GB of daily data, along with 100SMS of SMS per day. Two plans with 365 days of validity are also available for Rs 1499 and Rs 2399, which come with 12000 off-net call minutes. The former option credits 24GB data and 3600SMS, while the latter has 1.5GB daily data wiṭh 100 SMS. 

First recharge options have also changed and are now priced starting at Rs 97. The plan comes with Rs 45 talk time, 100MB data and 1p/second tariff rates for 28 days. There’s are also new 28-day validity plans priced at Rs 197 and Rs 297 that offer 1000 off-net call minutes, 2GB data and 1.5GB data per day respectively. There’s also a Rs 647 FRC plan that credits 3000 minutes of calling to other networks, along with 1.5GB data per day, 100 SMS and 84-day validity. 

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Samsung reveals Android 10 update roadmap for its smartphones

Samsung has revealed the Android 10 upgrade roadmap for its devices and turns out, the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Note 8 are not a part of the upgrade plan. The news comes indirectly from Samsung themselves as the Android Q update roadmap issued by Samsung does not include the Samsung Galaxy S8 or the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.

The updated roadmap was revealed through a software update pushed to a Samsung device in Israel and lists all the devices that will receive the Android 10 based updates along with their tentative timeline. While Samsung has prioritized the flagships in terms of how soon the update would be rolled out, the company has also included a healthy mix of their other product lines as well. Devices in the Galaxy M, A, On, J, and Galaxy Tab product lines are also included in the update roadmap and will be receiving the Android 10 based OS update in 2020. In case you’re wondering about the specific timeline, here’s the full update roadmap.

January

Galaxy S9 series Samsung Galaxy Note 9 Samsung Galaxy M20 Samsung Galaxy M30 Samsung Galaxy A30 Samsung Galaxy S10 series Samsung Galaxy Note 10 series

March

Samsung Galaxy M40

April

Samsung Galaxy A6 Samsung Galaxy A6+ Samsung Galaxy A7 (2018) Samsung Galaxy A9 (2018) Samsung Galaxy A50 Samsung Galaxy A50s Samsung Galaxy A70 Samsung Galaxy A70s Samsung Galaxy A80 Samsung Galaxy M30s Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Samsung Galaxy Fold

May

Samsung Galaxy A8 Star Samsung Galaxy A10 Samsung Galaxy A10s Samsung Galaxy A20 Samsung Galaxy A30s Samsung Galaxy M10s

June

Samsung Galaxy On6 Samsung Galaxy J6 Samsung Galaxy A20s

July

Samsung Galaxy Galaxy S6+ Samsung Galaxy J7 Duo Samsung Galaxy On8 Samsung Galaxy J8 Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e

August

Samsung Galaxy Tab A8

September

Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.5 (2018) Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1

Interestingly, the Galaxy Fold has its Android 10 based update scheduled for the end of April. This is most likely due to the extensive work that is required on the OS in order to make the OS a seamless experience on a folding form-factor.

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New wireless skin for VR will give users actual feedback using wireless motors

It looks like VR gaming may get a new shot in the arm courtesy of a team of researchers from City University of Hong Kong and Northwestern University. They’ve developed a sort of ‘wearable skin’ that will give users a sense of touch and feeling through vibrations. Currently, it is being used in the rehabilitation of prosthetic users. The device is controlled wirelessly and powered using the same tech as well. 

This technology could be game changing in many ways. People who have lost the use of their limbs and require prosthetics can greatly benefit from such technology as well. Earlier, the technology to achieve this effect used actuators that required batteries and wires and was quite a bit of a headache to get working. Now, though, the technology has caught up and we’re finally at the stage where smaller actuators are able to be powered wirelessly. 

First reported on Medgadget.com, this new tech comes in a sort of skin-like material that is draped over a users skin. The device comes with a bunch of small chips and antennae that make it less cumbersome that its predecessor. A researcher on the team, Dr. Yo Xinge says,”The haptic actuators can harvest radio frequency power through the large flexible antenna within a certain distance, so the user wearing the device can move freely without the trouble of wires. Thus, we solved the difficult problem of transmission by low-power wireless function and significantly increased the distance of the operation for our system. This system not only saves power but also allows users to move more freely without the trouble of wires.”

This tech could make its way to VR gaming as well, giving gamers actual feedback when playing games. Imagine playing a shooter and feeling a small vibration whenever you’re shot. This would give gamers another layer of intense feedback, immersing us further. 

As of now, the tech is only being used in helping prosthetic users but the applications of something like this are truly unimaginable. Check out the video below for a more visual representation of how the technology actually works. 

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China introduces mandatory face scans for mobile users: Report

It looks like China will be implementing a new rule that will require users to have their faces scanned when registering for new mobile phone services. According to a report by the BBC, the new rules were announced in September, and came into effect from December 1 onwards. 

As per the report, citizens signing up for new mobile or mobile data contracts are already required to show their National ID card. But with the new rules, they will have to have their faces scanned in order to verify that they match the ID that they have provided. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of People’s Republic of China has also posted the notice on its official website. 

Jeffrey Ding, a researcher on Chinese artificial intelligence at Oxford University told the BBC that one of the reasons why China wants to apply face scanning is to get rid of anonymous phone numbers and internet accounts, thereby boosting cyber-security and reduce internet fraud. However, he also noted that it could also be in place to better track the population.

This news comes about a month after China announced that its was imposing restrictions on minors playing online games. The notice issued by the government noted that minors were not allowed to play from 10pm to 8am and they can only play for 90 minutes during weekdays and three hours during weekends. There were also restrictions made on the amount minors were allowed to spend on microtransactions. Those under the age of 16 were no longer allowed to spend over CNY 200 (about Rs 2,000) in a single month and no more than CNY 50 (about Rs 500) on a single transactions. Those aged between 16 and 18 were not allowed to spend over CNT 400 (about Rs 4000) a month and over CNY 100 (about Rs 1,000) on a single transaction.

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