Google Nest Audio smart speaker to go on sale from October 5 in India

The Google Nest Audio smart speaker has officially launched alongside the Google Pixel 5, Pixel 4a (5G) and the Google Chromecast. The Nest Audio is an upgrade to the Google Home smart speaker from 2018 and is 75 per cent louder than the latter. Google Nest Audio will be available in India starting October 5, the company has confirmed. The Nest Audio features an all-new design and is made from a combination of sustainable fabrics and recycled plastic.

Meet #NestAudio from Google. With its woofer, tweeter, and tuning software, crisp vocals and powerful bass, #NestAudio delivers your music the way it should sound.#LaunchNightIn https://t.co/E75uqzHuGv pic.twitter.com/locTr9fB1D

— Made By Google (@madebygoogle) September 30, 2020 Google Nest Audio pricing and availability

Google Nest Audio is set to go on sale from October 5 in India and will be available to purchase from Flipkart. The smart speaker also goes on sale in the US and Canada on the same day with 21 more countries getting it October 15 onwards. The Flipkart listing for the Nest Audio is already live and you can check it out here.

Google has confirmed that the Nest Audio will sell in India on Flipkart and soon in retail outlets, however, the company is yet to reveal the India pricing for the smart speaker. The Nest Audio is priced at $99.99 which translates to around Rs 7,300 by direct conversion, and we expect the India pricing to be around the same ballpark figure. 

Google Nest Audio features

Google’s new Nest Audio is a smart speaker that comes pre-loaded with Google Assistant allowing users to control it via voice commands. The Nest Audio is fairly slim in size and is covered in the same sustainable fabric that we saw on the Google Nest Mini. The enclosure is made from 70 per cent recycled plastic. The smart speaker weighs 1.2 kilograms and measures around 4 inches in thickness. It will be available in two colours, Chalk and Charcoal.

The Nest Audio powers a 75mm mid-woofer and a 19mm tweeter along with being equipped with three far-field microphones and a physical microphone disable button on the back. There are no control buttons on the devices as it has three touch-sensitive capacitive areas so users can just tap the left side for lowering the volume. The Nest Audio is powered by a quad-core processor running at 1.8GHz and an ML (machine learning) hardware engine with support for built-in Chromecast.

Google claims that the Nest Audio is capable of delivering a clear and natural audio experience as it has been tuned for over 500 hours for a range of settings. The smart speaker also has a Media EQ that automatically optimises the playback depending on what’s playing. The speaker can also self-adjust the volume of news, podcasts and Google Assistant results based on the background noise. Two Nest Audio smart speakers can also be paired together to get a stereo sound.

 

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Garena Free Fire to introduces Elite Pass Challenge for October, Halloween-themed event coming soon

Garena Free Fire’s next Elite Pass is almost here and the developers have announced their Elite Pass Challenge details as well as teased some events that players can expect in October. We already know that the next Elite Pass will be called Anubis Legends II and feature an Ancient Egyptian-theme. As the name would suggest, the new Elite Pass continues the story of the first Anubis Legends Pass that was released in February 2019. 

The new Elite Pass Challenge will start from October 1, and will go on till October 7. However, the challenge itself is pretty straightforward. All players have to do is log in daily and complete missions to acquire Weapons Crates that contain weapon skins. 

There are a bunch more events that Garena has planned for the month of October. The developers note that it will be celebrating Halloween this month as such, they will release some Halloween-themed event at some point. Details of the same are not yet known. On Reddit, teased players by asking them to make “preparations” and “steel” their hearts.  

Aside from this, there are also new sets of outfits available via the Heist Mastermind bundle and the King Boxer Bundle. The former is available till October 4 and can be obtained from the Faded Wheel. The King Boxer can be obtained by spinning the wheel to acquire tokens and then spending the tokens to get the set.

Last week, Garena Free Fire released a new update that finally allowed players to play the game in Hindi. This should have come as good news for Free Fire players in India as they will get to play the game in a localised language. Besides this, the game will also receive a new PARAFAL assault rifle and a new spawn island called The Arena.

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PlayStation Plus Free Games Announced for October: Need for Speed Payback, Vampyr

Need For Speed Payback and Vampyr will be available for free for PlayStation Plus members for the month of October. The company announced that the games will be available starting October 6 until November 2.

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Google Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G announced: Heres what you will be missing out on

At its #LaunchNightIn virtual event, Google announced a bunch of new hardware including the Pixel 5 and the Pixel 4a (5G), and a new Chromecast and Nest Audio speakers. Unfortunately, neither of the new smartphones will be making their way to India. However, the 4G variant of the Pixel 4(a) will go on sale from October 17 on Flipkart. You won’t be missing much, except for an improved and upgraded camera setup, and a showcase of “all that you love about Google”. The Pixel 5 is not a flagship smartphone any more by the usual standards, but it’s surely a lot more interesting in other ways. Too bad, you won’t be able to get their hands on it easily.

Google Pixel 5 and 4a (5G): What will you be missing out on?

The Pixel 5 would perhaps now be the most exciting compact smartphone to use. At least, till the iPhone 12 arrives. It is IP68-rated water and dust resistant, and sports a 6-inch FHD+ OLED display with 90Hz refresh rate and HDR10+ support, which is tiny compared to what most Android flagships offer. And the bezels seem to be almost non-existent, so this definitely would have been a treat for compact smartphone lovers, myself included. But don’t be too worried. The regular Pixel 4a is even more compact with a 5.82-inch OLED display with equally thin bezels.

Performance enthusiasts needn’t worry at all. The Snapdragon 765G is the brains behind the Pixel 5, just like the OnePlus Nord and the Vivo X50 Pro in India. Along with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage. That’s almost mid-range in India. There’s also no mention of the Google Neural Core chip in the spec-sheet, so we’re guessing even that’s out. Even the Soli chip, the gesture recognition sensors and the pressure sensitive active-edge buttons have been booted out. The Pixel 4a 5G is also powered by the same chipset, but there’s 6GB RAM here. The batteries are larger than before, with the Pixel 5 using a 4080mAh battery, the Pixel 4a (5G) a 3885mAh battery, while the regular Pixel 4a uses a 3140mAh battery. All of them can only support 18W fast charging with USB PD 2.0. Only the Pixel 5 retains wireless charging. The Pixel 5 also adds a 16MP ultrawide lens to the mix, finally moving to a multi-camera setup despite Google dissing ultrawide photos at last year’s Pixel 4 launch.

Without even using the Pixel 4 or the Pixel 4 XL last year, I would agree toning down the spec-sheet was a good decision. For one, it allows Google to become a lot more accessible to markets that have 5G, but not too many affordable smartphones to choose from. It gives Google the first mover’s advantage, by offering everything it holds back in the hardware, through its mighty software prowess.

That’s right. The Pixel 5, and even the Pixel 4a are not flagships, from the spec-sheet point of view. Yet, it seems they can do far more than the usual smartphone. Through software and machine learning. Few examples —

Night Sight in Portrait Mode

The Pixel 5 combines the multi-frame processing of the Night Mode with the AI-enabled Portrait Mode to make low-light portraits just as good as their daytime counterparts. It turns on automatically when you are taking a portrait shot in low-light. But it’s likely that the subject needs to be still for longer for the camera to capture the multiple shots.

Cinematic pan in videos

Google has also added three levels of stabilisation for videos, and both the Pixel 4a (5G) and the Pixel 5 come with Cinematic Pan, that smoothens and slows down a panning shot to make it look Hollywoodesque.

Hold For Me

Outside the camera, Google’s Duplex AI and Google Assistant comes together to hold the line for you when you are calling a toll-free number or a call centre puts you on hold. Google will listen to the elevator music for you, and alert you when there’s some activity on the other end. Google claims the entire processing happens on the device itself, and data is kept private.

Screen-sharing in Google Duo

Duo, which is Google’s one of many video chatting app, can now share the phone screen in HD, that may let you watch movies, sports and even collaborate on work together, much like how our Zoom meetings are these days.

Most affordable Pixel phones

The price is where the gamble should pay off for Google. The Pixel 5 starts at $699 (roughly Rs 51,000) while the Pixel 4a (5G) starts at $499 (roughly Rs 37,000). Opting out of the pricey Snapdragon 865 and the additional sensors and chips helped keep the price on the down low, and makes them the most advanced and affordable Pixel smartphones at the same time.

Google will make the Pixel 5 and the Pixel 4a (5G) available only in 5G markets like Canada, France, Australia, Japan, Ireland, Germany, Taiwan, UK and US. The Pixel 4a (5G) and the Pixel 5 will be rolling out from Japan from October 15, and reach other countries by November. Google is bundling 3 months of free access to Google Stadia Pro and YouTube Premium, and 100GB of Google One cloud storage along with Play Pass and Play Points.

Neither of the devices will come to India, as Google had already announced in August. The Pixel 4a will be the only one launching in India, on October 17. The price will be revealed closer to the sale. Flipkart already has the banners out.

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Spider-Man Remastered on PS5 Recasts Peter Parker, Upsets Fans

Spider-Man Remastered on the PS5 is replacing Peter Parker. Insomniac Games have revealed that the Spider-Man role has been recast with Ben Jordan. Fans aren’t happy with the move though, because they believe the new version looks suspiciously similar to Tom Holland, who plays Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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Google Pixel 4a launching in India on October 17: Everything you need to know

The Google Pixel 4a is now launching in India on October 17, the company has confirmed after it launched the Google Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a (5G) globally on Wednesday. The Pixel 4a was announced in India on August 3 with a launch date set for sometime in October. The Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a (5G) won’t be launched in India, Google confirmed previously and the Pixel 4a is the only phone by the company that is planned for India.

As per a post by the official Twitter handle of Google, the company confirmed that the Pixel 4a is set to launch on October 17 in India and will go on sale on Flipkart. The price of the phone has not been revealed yet and it is expected to be announced closer to the day of the availability. The Pixel 4a is already listed on Flipkart as its specifications and features have been revealed during the last announcement.

Hi Roger, we appreciate your interest in our Pixel devices. The Pixel 4a launches in India on October 17th and will be available for purchase on Flipkart. To learn more about the Pixel 4a check out the official blog post here: https://t.co/EOgWtQ7NMg Appreciate it.

— Made By Google (@madebygoogle) October 1, 2020 Google Pixel 4a expected pricing in India

Google Pixel 4a is priced at $349 in the US which roughly translates to around Rs 25,000 by direct conversion. The India pricing is expected to be around the same ballpark figure and it will go up against the likes of OnePlus Nord, Apple iPhone SE 2020, Realme X3 and more.

Google Pixel 4a specifications

The Google Pixel 4a has a new design with a soft-to-touch plastic back but without the dual-tone style as on the Pixel 3a. It measures 8.2 millimetres in thickness and is fairly lightweight, weighing 143 grams, due to the polycarbonate built. There is a square camera module on the back with the fingerprint reader placed in the middle for faster unlock speeds. The phone doesn’t go for an in-display sensor as is the trend these days likely to keep the price down.

The 4a features a 5.8-inch Full HD+ (2340 x 1080 pixels) resolution display that uses an OLED panel. The screen has a punch-hole cutout in the top-left corner for housing the selfie camera and has minimal bezels on the sides. This gives it a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. Additionally, the display is HDR+ certified which should enhance the video-viewing experience on the phone while the audio is expected to be decent with stereo speakers.

The Pixel 4a is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G with an octa-core CPU clocked at upto 2.2GHz and Adreno 618 GPU. This is paired with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage. Being a Pixel phone, Google offers unlimited photo and video storage in Google Photos in high quality for free. The Pixel 4a is a slightly toned-down version of the Pixel 4 that debuted late last year. It doesn’t come with the Soli radar chip or Pixel Neural Core but does come with the Titan M security chip which helps in keeping your data safe along with assured updates for three years.

Google Pixel 4a comes with a single 12MP camera which uses the same Sony IMX363 sensor as the Pixel 4 with support for OIS and EIS. Google claims that the camera of the Pixel 4a is capable of producing Pixel 4-like images from its camera with features like Live HDR+, Night Sight, Astrophotography, Super Res Zoom and more. The phone’s rear camera is capable of recording in 4K at 30fps, 1080p at 30/60/120fps and 720p at up to 240fps while the selfie camera can shoot Full HD videos at 30fps. The front camera on the phone is the same as the Pixel 3a with an 8MP camera with an 84-degree field-of-view.

The 4a does not lose out on the 3.5mm headphone jack and comes pre-loaded with Google Assistant along with a slew of new features like the new Recorder app which transcribes speech to text using AI and machine learning algorithms. In addition, the phone has accessibility features like live Transcribe and Live Caption as well.

The Pixel 4a is equipped with a 3,140mAh battery with support for 18W fast charging. Google claims that the 4a can provide a 24-hour battery backup and comes with Adaptive Battery feature that manages the battery life based on how you use your phone.

 

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Xiaomi Mi 10T, Mi 10T Pro and Mi 10T Lite launched globally: Price and specifications

Xiaomi Mi 10T, Mi 10T Pro and Mi 10T Lite have officially launched as the company’s latest flagship and mid-range smartphones under the Mi 10T series that succeeds the Mi 9T lineup from 2019. The Mi 10T series is also rumoured to launch in India sometime in October. Xiaomi also announced the Mi Watch that was recently launched in India as the Mi Watch Revolve alongside a 65W fast charger.

Xiaomi Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro have a lot in common including a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor, 144Hz high refresh rate display and a large capacity battery that supports fast charging out-of-the-box. The Mi 10T Lite, on the other hand, is the world’s first phone to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor that was announced last week. Let’s take a look at the price, specifications and features of the Mi 10T series.

Xiaomi Mi 10T, Mi 10T Pro, Mi 10T Lite pricing

Xiaomi Mi 10T is priced starting at Euro 499 for the base variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage and Euro 549 for the 8GB RAM variant. The Mi 10T Pro starts at Euro 599 for the base 8GB+128GB variant and Euro 649 for the 8GB+256GB variant.

The Mi 10T Lite is priced at Euro 279 for the base variant with 6GB RAM and 64GB storage and Euro 329 for the 6GB+128GB storage variant.

Xiaomi Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro specifications

Xiaomi Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro feature a 6.67-inch Full HD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels) resolution display with a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera up front. The screen supports 144Hz high refresh rate and is HDR10+ certified as well. The display is also topped by a layer of Gorilla Glass 5 as is the back panel. The phone is made using an aluminium frame and measures 9.3 millimetres in thickness. The Mi 10T weighs 216 grams while the Mi 10T Pro weighs 218 grams. 

The Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor with an octa-core CPU and Adreno 650 GPU. This is paired with upto 8GB RAM and upto 256GB storage options to choose from. The phones run on MIUI 12 based on Android 10, out-of-the-box.

Both the Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro come with a triple camera setup but the primary camera on the Mi 10T uses a 64MP sensor while the Mi 10T Pro uses a 108MP primary camera. There is a 13MP ultra-wide-angle camera with 123-degree field-of-view and a 5MP depth sensor on the Mi 10T and 10T Pro. The rear cameras are capable of recording 8K UHD videos at 30FPS and 4K UHD at upto 60FPS. On the front, there is a 20MP selfie camera housed within the punch-hole cutout. 

The Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro have a side-mounted fingerprint reader and the phones come equipped with a 5,000mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging out-of-the-box. Xiaomi claims that the phone can go from 0-100% in 59 minutes.

Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite specifications

The Mi 10T Lite is a mid-range phone in the lineup and the world’s first phone to be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor. The Mi 10T Lite features a 6.67-inch display with a Full HD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels) resolution and a punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera. The screen supports a 120Hz high refresh rate and supports AdaptiveSync that optimizes the refresh rate of the phone automatically between 30Hz to 120Hz. The display is also topped with a layer of Gorilla Glass 5. The Mi 10T Lite measures 9 millimetres in thickness and weighs 214 grams.

The Mi 10T Lite is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 750G processor with an octa-core CPU and Adreno 650 GPU. This is paired with upto 6GB RAM and 128GB storage options to choose from. Like the other two phones in the series, the Mi 10T Lite also runs on MIUI 12.

The phone has a quad-camera setup on the back that consists of a primary 64MP camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera with 120-degree field-of-view, a 2MP macro camera and a 2MP depth sensor. The rear cameras can record in 4K UHD at 30FPS and 960FPS slow-motion videos. There’s a 16MP selfie camera housed within the punch-hole cutout.

Xiaomi Mi 10T Lite comes equipped with a 4,820mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging out-of-the-box.

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