Micromax, Karbonn and Lava are preparing to announce new smartphones in India that will be launched between entry-level to mid-range segment. All the three brands have either confirmed or have shown an intention to make a comeback in the smartphone market amidst growing anti-China sentiments in India.
The official Twitter handle of Micromax, while replying to a users tweet revealed that the company is “working hard” and will soon “come up with something big”. In response to another user’s query, the handle tweeted that the company is preparing a “device with premium features” that’s budget-friendly as well. Interestingly, the last phone from the company remains the iOne Note that was launched in October 2019.
According to a report by Gadgets360 that cites a “person familiar with company’s plans”, Micromax is going to launch three new smartphones in India as a part of “soft launches” that will likely be held in July. It further states that these smartphones would be priced under Rs 10,000 in India.
Notably, the company has been notorious when it comes to rebranding a phone, something it has been known to do in the past. It remains to be seen when Micromax announces the new smartphones officially and how it manages to offer value for money phones to the Indian consumer.
Karbonn to launch two new smartphones in India by September
Karbonn Mobiles has been catering the feature phone category from a while now, but in a recent interview to The Mobile Indian, Sashin Devsarre, Executive Director of Karbonn Mobiles revealed the company’s plan to launch two new smartphones in India between by September. He went on the confirm that both these smartphones will be priced well under Rs 10,000.
The company has been developing a new UI for its smartphones that will be turned to the Indian preferences with a reinforced focus on data security and privacy. While there is currently no information about these phones, the new smartphones by Karbonn have been confirmed to come with a clean and robust UI which indicates a focus shift in the way manufacturers are now prioritizing user experience for the consumers.
Upcoming Lava phone spotted on Geekbench
A GeekBench listing for an upcoming Lava Z66 has been spotted hinting at an imminent launch. As per the listing, the phone has 3GB of RAM and runs on Android 10. It is powered by a Unisoc (formerly Spreadtrum) processor with a 1.20Ghz clock speed. The Z66 has been awarded a single-core score of 153 points and a multi-core score of 809 points, indicating it could be an entry-level phone.
Lava Mobiles had launched the Lava Z53 with Android Pie (Go Edition) back in February and it looks like the Z66 will follow suit.
We’ll know more about the launch details of smartphones by these Indian smartphone manufacturers as we near the official announcement.
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A big, crucial update for Windows 10 was rolled out last month. Called the Windows 10 May 2020 update or the Windows 10 20H1 update, it brings some much-anticipated features and fixes to the popular operating system for PCs. The update is still rolling out in phases, so if you haven’t received it, it’s best to wait for a while.
Among the many features that the Windows 10 20H1 update offers, including changes to Settings, Cortana and more, the update also apparently reduces Google Chrome’s memory consumption.
Chrome is notorious for hogging system resources, causing the PC to slow down after long usage. The new update, as noted by Windows Latest, introduces a new useful value called “SegmentHead”, which reduces the memory consumption of some apps, including Google Chrome.
“Segment heap is a modern heap implementation that will generally reduce your overall memory usage,” according to Microsoft. The company said in a blog post, the new Chromium-based Edge browser also uses SegmentHeap, and as a result, the memory usage has been reduced by 27%.
Google has also made changes to Chrome to make use of SegmentHeap, and PCs running Windows 10, version 2004 and later will see a reduction in memory usage. “Experiments with per-machine opting-in to the segment heap for chrome.exe suggests that this could save hundreds of MB in the browser and Network Service utility processes, among others, on some machines,” a Google engineer noted in a commit.
However, even with the new change, both Google and Microsoft said the experience will ultimately depend on the configuration and usage of the device. But then again, a reduction of 27 per cent in memory usage will surely show good results. We expect Google to release an update to Chrome to incorporate the changes.
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The Last of Us: Part II, a highly anticipated game, has finally launched for the PlayStation 4. It is a sequel to The Last of Us from 2013 that came out for the PlayStation 3 in 2013 and the PlayStation 4 in 2014. Developed by Naughty Dog, the just released sequel retails for Rs. 3,999 for the standard edition and Rs. 4,799 for the Digital Deluxe E...
Amidst big changes coming to the Apple ecosystem that includes ARM-powered MacBooks, Apple is also reportedly mulling a name change from iOS to iPhoneOS at WWDC 2020. Presently, iPhones and the iPod Touch run on the iOS operating system while last year, Apple diverged it into iPadOS, with features exclusive to iPads.
The move will bring a longstanding tradition to naming software products by Apple. Apple usually names its software the same as the hardware it powers. MacOS powers the Mac. watchOS powers the Apple Watch. iOS was the exception, which may soon be corrected at WWDC 2020 slated to begin on June 22 this year, as an online-only event.
Popular Apple tipster Jon Prosseur put out a cryptic tweet which hinted the possibility of a rechristening to iPhoneOS. Considering how WWDC is used as a platform to launch new software by Apple, announcing the change in name wouldn’t be surprising.
The claim also received more mileage after tipster Max Weinbach also claiming of having heard something similar, replying to Prosseur’s tweet.
However, with the change in name to iPhoneOS, it remains to be seen what happens to the iPod Touch, which also runs on the same operating system sans the telephony. Apple is also expected to unveil new versions of its operating systems, namely iPadOS 14, tvOS 14, watchOS 7 and macOS 10.16. With a LiDAR sensor being offered in the new iPad Pro and tipped in the upcoming iPhone 12 series, we may see some AR-centric developments as well
But the most widely anticipated announcement would be the transition to ARM-based MacBooks. Apple has not shied away from launching new hardware at WWDC, having launched the HomePod and the Mac Pro in 2017 and 2019.
The announcements will be made at a keynote address scheduled for June 22, 10 AM PDT (10:30 PM IST).
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India joined hands with nations like USA, UK, EU and Australia as a founding member to launch a Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence. The alliance is aimed at developing responsible use of AI which is grounded in human rights, inclusion, diversity, innovation and economic growth.
The global body will work as a guide to evolve a better understanding of the challenges and opportunities around AI and utilise the experience and diversity of the participating countries. The initiative will also support AI-related research and applied activities.
Union Minister for Electronics and IT, Ravi Shankar Prasad tweeted on Monday, "Delighted to announce that India has joined the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence or #GPAI today as a founding member. This multi-stakeholder international partnership will promote responsible and human-centric development and use of AI. #ResponsibleAI."
The Global Partnership on AI also comprises Canada, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Republic of Korea, and Singapore among other nations.
“By joining GPAI as a founding member, India will actively participate in the global development of Artificial Intelligence, leveraging its experience around use of digital technologies for inclusive growth," the statement from Indian government said.
India also announced a National AI Strategy with the Indian Government launching a first of its kind National AI Portal that brings together the best minds and ideas along with resources to tackle the subject of artificial intelligence across sectors and industries.
The GPAI will be supported by a secretariat, which will be hosted by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris, along with two Centers of Expertise, one in Montreal and another in Paris.
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Electronic Arts just presented their digital event, EA Play Live, showcasing the upcoming titles from them. The overall event was lacklustre. Instead of revealing a plethora of new titles, what we got was a mere handful of games to look out for. There was more talking than reveals, including a bunch of announcements, both old and new. Most of the announcements were in regards to the newly formed alliance between EA and Steam, leading to a bunch of titles coming to the new platform including, SIMS 4 and Command & Conquer: Remastered Collection. The event which was held in association with Geoff Keighley’s Summer Game Fest showcased a couple of decent looking indie titles, some teasers and some “gameplay” footage from an upcoming AAA title. Without further ado, let us now take a look at those game reveals:
Apex Legends: Season 5 Lost Treasures Collection Event
The first reveal came from the first-person free-to-play battle royale game from Respawn Entertainment, Apex Legends, announcing their new event for season 5, Lost Treasures. The new event comes with a bunch of new features including a new limited-time mode - Armed and Dangerous Evolved which is a sniper and shotgun only mode. We were also introduced to the new mobile respawn beacon, which allows you to bring your dead teammates back into the battle whenever and wherever you want. It also introduces a new town takeover - Crypto’s map room and a bunch of exclusive cosmetic items and content which can be attained through completing challenges. Lost Treasures event drops on 23 June 2020 and will be coming to Steam and Nintendo Switch as well along with cross-play enabled.
It Takes Two
The second reveal is an EA Originals reveal coming from Hazelight, creators of the coop story games, A Way Out and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. The reveal started out with Josef Fares, Lebanese-Swedish film director and founder of Hazelight shedding some light on his love for game development and giving an introduction for his new game, It Takes Two. Similar to his other titles, It Takes Two is a coop action-adventure game. It is a platformer that follows the story of two dolls created by a child of divorce, who come alive magically. The player is supposed to control those dolls and complete objectives that align with the child’s emotions. It Takes Two is set to come out in 2021.
Lost in Random
The third reveal is also an EA Originals reveal coming from Zoink Games, creators of Fe. Lost in Random follows the story of a little girl with a big heart and an even bigger temper. A tragic event in her life leads her to embark on a journey in the dark, mysterious and ominous world of Random filled with mystical creatures and elements. The game has a Tim Burton vibe to it and allows you to change the course of life with the roll of a dice(her trusted companion, Dicey). But the game provides the player with a choice to either play it safe or take a chance and face the odds. There is no release window for this game yet.
Rocket Arena
Rocket Arena is the first project developed by Final Strike Games and is also an EA Originals title. The game is a rockets-only 3v3 third-person multiplayer shooter with competitive elements added to it. The game features a roster of 10 unique and colourful heroes with distinct abilities that assist in battle and a bunch of cool-looking maps including an island, a train map and some other exotic locations as well. The game also has an upgrade system that lets you fine-tune the heroes’ unique abilities with 100 levels of progression that unlocks new cosmetics and rewards. Rocket Arena is set to come out on PC and consoles on 14 July 2020 with cross-play support enabled right at launch-day.
Star Wars: Squadrons
Earlier this week, EA had released the first official trailer for their new Star Wars game, Star Wars: Squadrons. The game is a first-person space combat title with both single and multiplayer experiences. In this event, they showcased some “gameplay” footage or rather, some cutscene and menu footage from the game. The first-person pilot game will be featuring 5v5 multiplayer dogfights, fleet battles and a single-player campaign featuring a completely original story set after the events of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. The game will be providing tons of customization options for your Starfighter, both in terms of combat value and aesthetic features. And it is all attainable via gameplay only. Other than that, the game will be coming with VR support as well. Star Wars: Squadrons is set to come out on 2 October 2020 on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC via Steam, Origin and the Epic Games Store.
EA Sports Montage
For the sports section of EA Games, they revealed a montage trailer for their annual fan service, FIFA 21 and Madden 21. Yeah, that was about it.
Next-gen Tech Teaser
This section showcases the cutting edge technology being implemented in projects EA is currently working on. The teaser showcases some footage from Criterion’s upcoming Need for Speed title, DICE’s next Battlefield iteration, Bioware’s upcoming Dragon Age title and an unannounced third-person action title from Motive Studios, all coming on the next-gen consoles.
Skate Announcement
After years of rumours floating around on the internet, Cuz Parry, Creative Director and Deran Chung, Game Director of Skate finally announced the new iteration of the beloved skateboarding videogame. The new Skate game is still in its early stages and we have still got a long way to go before we see any in-game art, footage or an official title.
Overall, the event was pretty bland. It left a weird impression. The best way to describe it would be that EA showcased a bunch of upcoming titles, but at the same time, they did not. The sports category did not get much limelight, some of the most anticipated titles were only teased and there was just a whole lot of talking instead of actual game footage in terms of reveals and gameplay. As you could guess, this led to a barrage of dislikes on their YouTube stream. You can check out the entire EA Play Live event stream at the end of this article.
Similarly, Microsoft had also held a conference for the Xbox Series X last month, showcasing a bunch of new game titles for their upcoming next-gen console. The event had received a ton of backlash for false advertising gameplay footage for Ubisoft’s upcoming title, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, which you can check out here. Despite all that, we could say without a doubt that the Xbox event was definitely better than EA Play Live. Some leaks suggest that Microsoft will be doing another Xbox event sometime in July, where they would be showcasing even more titles. PlayStation had also presented their PS5: The Future of Gaming event, revealing the new console and a set of upcoming titles, which was a massive success. Additionally, feel free to sign up to the Summer Game Fest here, to keep up to date with new gaming events as and when they pop up.
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Respawn Entertainment and Electronic Arts announced that Apex Legends is going to get cross-play later this year, allowing players to compete with those who may be on a different platform. The good news continued to flow during the EA Play Live 2020, with EA announcing that Apex Legends would also be available on Steam and the Nintendo Switch in Fall this year.
When Apex Legends launched back in 2019, users have been asking for a number of essential features. At the launch, people clamoured for cross-play, along with the game being available on platforms other than EA Origins. The other loud demand has been to bring Apex Legends to the mobile, something that Respawn categorically denied at the time, but later, EA hinted at the possibility of it happening. Since the game’s launch, it's only been available on PC (through Origin), the Xbox and PlayStation 4. Today’s announcement brings Apex Legends to another platform, the Nintendo Switch, but surprisingly there was no mention for the next generation consoles.
In addition to the expansion to other platforms, EA also announced new content coming to the Season 5 of Apex Legends, which Respawn calls one of its most successful during the EA Play Broadcast. Fans also got their first glimpse at the Lost Treasures even which is expected to kick off on June 23. “The event features a new mode, limited-time exclusives and a new Town Takeover — Crypto’s Map Room,” EA explained in a press release. “Players can see the return of the game’s sniper and shotgun only mode – Armed and Dangerous – with a few twists such as Evo Armor and an all-new piece of loot, Mobile Respawn Beacons.”
Apex Legends launched rather quickly, post the success of PUBG, becoming a very popular option for those who wanted a different experience than what PUBG has to offer. The game saw a rapid ballooning of its audience at the launch, but the growth slowed down over a period of time. Despite the slowdown, Respawn still boasted 70 million registered players in October 2019.
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