Apple is now offering the worlds costliest duster at Rs 1,900

Apple has always displayed remarkable talent when it comes to getting people to shell out the big bucks for their products. If you’re a proud owner of an iPhone or MacBook, you know that these special devices can’t be wiped down with any old duster. Oh no, what you need is an equally special cloth priced at Rs 1,900 to keep these devices spic and span.

Apple Cloth: More expensive than the average t-shirt

The Apple Cloth is made of microfibres, and though this may sound fancy, let’s put it in perspective - you can buy decent microfibre cloths for around Rs 200-300. Of course, this won’t just be any microfibre cloth - it will have the uber coveted Apple logo on it, a design element that warrants the price hike to Rs 1,900.

According to Apple, the cloth is "made with soft, non-abrasive material", and it "cleans any Apple display, including nano-texture glass, safely and effectively.". Granted that nano-textured glass is more susceptible to scratches, it certainly doesn’t warrant a price tag so high that you may have to choose between shopping for groceries and buying the cloth.

On the other hand, the Pro Display XDR with nano-texture glass costs Rs 529,900 in India, and if you can spend that without breaking a sweat, then this polishing cloth’s price probably isn’t a big deal for you.    

Ultimately, the Apple Cloth is a status object aimed at those who purchase things for the pure pleasure of flaunting them. If that sounds exciting to you, go for it. 

Also Read: Apple announces new MacBook Pro 14, MacBook Pro 16-inch models with all-new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips

Video Source: Apple

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Lenovo Tab K10 with Full HD+ display, 7700mAh battery launched in India

Lenovo Tab K10 has officially launched in India after its debut back in June. It is an affordable tablet that is powered by the MediaTek Helio P22T chip and is being offered in both WiFi and 4G LTE variants. The Lenovo Tab K10 also supports a stylus which is available as a separate accessory. Here are all the details you should know about the Lenovo Tab K10 in India.

Lenovo Tab K10 pricing and availability

The Lenovo Tab K10 is priced starting at Rs 25,000 but the company has listed the Tab K10 starting at Rs 13,999 for the base LTE variant with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage and Rs 15,999 for WiFi-only model with 4GB+64GB storage. The LTE variant with 4GB RAM is priced at Rs 16,999.

Lenovo Tab K10 specifications

The Lenovo Tab K10 features a 10.3-inch Full HD+ (1920x1200 pixels) resolution display that is surrounded by thin bezels. The K10 measures 8.2mm in thickness and weighs 460 grams. The Tab K10 is available in one colour: Abyss Blue.

The Lenovo Tab K10 is powered by the MediaTek Helio P22T chip that has an octa-core CPU and PowerVR graphics. This is paired with upto 4GB RAM and 64GB storage with an option to expand the storage via micro SD card. It runs on Android 11 out-of-the-box.

There is an 8MP camera on the back and a 5MP selfie camera on the front. The Tab K10 also has stereo speakers, a 3.5mm audio jack and a Type-C port to charge the massive 7,700mAh battery.

 

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Get your Adrian ShepherdPyro cosplay on with the Razer Zephyr facemask

Earlier this year, Razer revealed its plans to develop and ship Smart face masks by the end of this year. The brand has made good on its promise and has finally revealed the Zephyr, a Smart RGB face mask designed for gamers to use during the pandemic. 

What is Razer’s Zephyr?

Zephyr is Razer’s newest offering. The Smart mask has replaceable N95 filters and a dual fan active air filtration system that’s claimed to not only protect the user, but also those around them. The transparent front cover has silicone edges so that the mask can create a secure seal around the mouth and nose, ensuring protection from germs and viruses. Additionally, it has anti-fog coating and interior lights, along with the exterior RGB lights that you can control via your smartphone. The interior lights have been added to the product to ensure that the wearer’s face is visible in the dark.

How much does Razer’s Smart Face Mask Cost?

Razer’s Smart Face Mask reportedly costs $100 (Rs 7,485 approx converted) for the mask itself, or $150 for the starter kit, which includes three replaceable N95 filters. Each filter is priced at $30 if you plan to buy them individually. 

The masks are already out of stock on Razer’s website, and it may be a while before everyone can get their hands on them. 

Also Read: Razer Is Now A Part Of The 'Custom Mechanical Keyboard' Gang

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Now everyone can create Spaces on Twitter

Clubhouse has disrupted the social media world with its audio-only chat rooms, demonstrating that valuable content still has a space online. In an effort to emulate the same, Twitter launched its own version known as Spaces in November 2020. Users who had over 600 followers could host a space anytime. Now, Twitter has introduced two new developments, the ability to hold Ticketed Spaces, and the ability to host a Space irrespective of your follower count. 

Twitter is investing heavily in Spaces

Ever since the launch of spaces, Twitter has demonstrated a keen interest in growing the platform. Over the course of a year, Twitter has added new functionalities to Spaces, including the ability to add co-hosts, up to 10 speakers (to create a panel), and a separate fund for creators leveraging Spaces, known as the Spark Program.

Now, it wants everyone to use Spaces to grow their Twitter following. It will even help creators develop a new revenue stream with the help of its Ticketed Spaces. 

Clubhouse initially began as an invite-only platform, perhaps to create the same hype that OnePlus smartphones had when they initially launched with their invite-only sales. The new social media platform abandoned the invite-only mode in July this year, believing it had garnered as much as it could out of it. Twitter, on the other hand, is a little late in making Spaces available to everyone and it will be interesting to see whether this gap will impact customer adoption. 

Also Read: Twitter’s Ticketed Spaces will give users a new way to make some cash

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Nischal Shetty, founder & CEO of WazirX gives us an insider view of the world of cryptocurrency

Cryptocurrency is cooking up a massive storm in India. What started as the buzzword a few years ago is now a household phenomenon with everyone wanting a piece of it, with most of them wanting to ride the wave in anticipation of handsome profits. With more than a dozen cryptocurrency exchanges in play, one can get into the cryptocurrency world of crypto trading in just a few clicks.

What does an average joe need to know about Cryptocurrency trading? How secure is it? Is the investor protected by any government norms and regulations? What governs the valuation of a cryptocurrency token/coin? What is the investment time frame horizon that one should have in mind? What are hot and cold cryptocurrency wallets? Find answers to all these questions and more in our video interaction with Nischal Shetty, founder & CEO of WazirX.

Are you looking to invest in cryptocurrency? Do you have questions about security and other investor-safety related aspects around cryptocurrency trading? Drop in your questions in the comments section of the Youtube video (above) and we shall try to get them answered, straight from the experts.

 

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Boult Audio Airbass Soulpods Review: ANC TWS that struggles to stand out

Priced at Rs 2,999, the Boult Audio Airbass Soulpods are a decent option for those who want to immerse themselves in the world of ANC without breaking the bank. However, with many brands offering the same and more at under 3K, the Boult Audio Airbass Soulpods struggles to stand out in this segment. 

Boult Audio is a home-grown audio company that has a vast portfolio of affordable audio products including wireless headphones, speakers, and TWS earbuds. The latest TWS offering from the company is the Boult Audio Airbass Soulpods, an Active Noise Cancelling pair of truly wireless earbuds priced at Rs 2,999. The earbuds compete against the likes of devices such as the Realme Buds Q2, the Redmi Earbuds 3 Pro, and a few more ANC-enabled TWS under 3K. Although the earbuds are officially priced at 3K, they are available at Rs 2,499 on Flipkart for a limited period. But how do these earphones perform and should you consider them over other competitors in this price range? We're going to find out. 

Boult Audio Airbass Soulpods: Build and comfort

Sporting a rectangular-shaped charging case with a matte texture, the Boult Audio Airbass Soulpods have a mediocre build and design. These earphones are available in two simple colours - White and Black. We got the latter for review and it looked pretty ordinary. There's nothing eye-catching about the case, there's a simple Boult Audio logo on top. 

The matte texture is resistant to fingerprints but can get smudged and scratched. There's an LED indicator on the front, a USB-C charging port on the left and a pairing button inside the case. The case has a pretty sizable footprint but is slim enough to fit in pockets easily. The case's hinge feels very rickety and we're worried if it will stand the test of time. 

As for the earbuds, they also sport a larger footprint than what we usually see these days. The buds have very long stems with the Boult Audio logo on the back. The top part of the stems is a touch-sensitive surface for gesture input for music and call controls. The touch controls work decently well but there are some misreadings every now and then. 

The earbuds' have an angled design for better fit and comfort. The buds fit moderately well but if you have smaller ears than usual, you may have difficultly finding the perfect fit with the provided ear tips. They are comfortable to wear but the long stems add some heft to the buds, so you may feel some discomfort after a few hours.

Boult Audio Airbass Soulpods: Features

The Boult Audio Airbass Soulpods comes packing features such as Active Noise Cancellation, Ambient Mode, IPX7 water resistance and USB Type-C connectivity. The earbuds' do a mediocre job cancelling out ambient sounds when on the ANC mode but they don't match up to the performance of the Realme Buds Air 2 which cancels some ambient sounds more effectively.

The Soulpods can cancel low, constant sounds such as an AC drone, flight rumble, and more but has a hard time with anything else. The Ambient Mode on these earbuds work well and amplify surrounding sounds. 

There's no companion app support, so you cannot customise these earbuds at all. You get an excellent companion app with Realme earbuds, so if you like tweaking your earbuds' controls, look elsewhere. The earbuds have touch controls that can be used to pause or play music, skip tracks, activate voice assistant and change noise cancellation modes. There are no volume controls, which is disappointing. 

There's also mono bud use where you can use either bud independently of each other which is convenient. There's no in-ear detection feature or gaming mode present on these buds, which is present in competitors such as the Realme Buds Air 2 and Redmi Earbuds 3 Pro. The IPX7 rating means that you can use these earbuds when working out or in light rain.

Boult Audio Airbass Soulpods: Performance

The Boult Audio Airbass Soulpods feature 10mm drivers and support the SBC and AAC codecs. The earbuds can get pretty loud, although we wouldn't advise you to listen at over 80 percent volume since the sound begins to distort past this level. The Airbass Soulpods come with a bass-boosted, dark sound profile with boosted bass, decent mids, and underemphasised highs. 

Uncompensated frequency response graph of Boult Audio Airbass Soulpods (Orange) vs Flat Response (Blue)

In the frequency graph generated for the Airbass Soulpods, the range up to 250Hz is massively boosted. This means the bass response has a lot of heft to it, so much so that it ends up sounding a bit muddy at times. The exaggerated bass response may appeal to bassheads especially when listening to genres such as rap, pop, hip hop, EDM, and Bollywood. However, we wish Boult Audio had tuned this part of the frequency range more conservatively as the boosted nature of the bass shrouds the details in the mids and highs. This happens since the mid-range and highs are muted in comparison to the lows. 

On its own, the mid-range sounds full-bodied and energetic and the highs sound pretty decent as well, but the lows simply overpower them both in most instances, especially in genres with a lot of bass presence. Even in rock tracks, the drums overpower the lead vocals and instruments. 

However, these earbuds aren't as dark and muddy sounding as the Redmi Earbuds 3 Pro that is priced the same. The Realme Buds Air 2 and the cheaper Realme Q2 do have a more balanced sound signature though while still sounding dynamic and fun and we prefer that over the Airbass Soulpods' sound profile.

Uncompensated frequency response graph of Boult Audio Airbass Soulpods (Orange) vs Realme Buds Q2 (Yellow)

As for microphone performance, the Boult Audio Airbass Soulpods really surprised us with its performance here. The microphone picks up sound well and produces natural-sounding voices during calls with minimal distortion. This is possibly due to the long stem design of the earbuds and the lower positioning of the mics. You won't have any problem making calls with these buds. 

Moving on to wireless connectivity, the Boult Audio Airbass Soulpods is powered by Bluetooth version 5.0 which is a step down from competitors such as the Realme Buds Q2 and Redmi Earbuds 3 Pro that come with Bluetooth 5.2. We faced a lot of issues when pairing this device and with subsequent connections. At times, when you try to connect the earbuds only one side turns on and connects to your paired device, and this can get frustrating very quickly. 

Also, the buds would sometimes disconnect from the source device and we would have to put them in the charging case and remove them to connect again. This didn't happen too often, but pairing the buds to a device for the first time is a hassle since it doesn't happen as seamlessly as we'd hoped. The buds also have a slight delay between video and audio and there's no gaming or low latency mode, so you'll have to make do with the delay. It isn't too jarring, but it's present nonetheless.

Boult Audio Airbass Soulpods: Battery life

The Boult Audio Airbass Soulpods' battery life is rated at 24 hours, earbuds and charging case combined. The buds themselves at rated at 6 hours of wireless playback time on a single charge. If you turn the ANC feature on, the earbuds' battery life drops lower. 

In our testing, we recorded 4.5 hours of playtime on the buds alone with ANC turned on. The case provided 3-4 additional charges. There's no fast charging support on these earbuds and they charge up to full in about 2 hours. The battery life is mediocre and competitors like the Realme Buds Q2 with its 28-hour battery life and Redmi Earbuds 3 Pro with a whopping 30 hours of total battery life easily outperform the Airbass Soulpods.

Boult Audio Airbass Soulpods: Verdict

Priced at Rs 2,999, the Boult Audio Airbass Soulpods are a decent option for those who want to immerse themselves in the world of ANC without breaking the bank. However, with many brands offering the same and more at under 3K, the Boult Audio Airbass Soulpods struggles to stand out in this segment. While the earbuds have a bass-boosted sound signature that would be liked by bass lovers and a great microphone, the sound signature is a bit too dark and muddy, the wireless connectivity is unreliable, and the battery life is nothing to write home about. Options such as the Realme Buds Q2, The Realme Buds Air 2, and the Redmi Earbuds 3 Pro offer more value for money be it with an excellent companion app or with aptX adaptive Bluetooth codec support. It is hard to recommend the Airbass Soulpods over those earphones simply because they provide more bang for your buck.

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Apple iPhone 13 Review: A refined upgrade

The iPhone 13 takes the best from the iPhone 12 and adds new and advanced features making it a very refined upgrade over its predecessor. At its asking price of Rs 79,900, the iPhone 13 is a no-brainer for someone who is looking to upgrade from the iPhone 11 or older.

Apple iPhone 13 is a refined upgrade to last year’s iPhone 12 bringing in all-around improvements with a new camera system, faster chip, larger battery and thankfully, a smaller notch. It has also put on some weight but remains more durable and powerful than ever setting a benchmark for Android phones. We took the iPhone 13 for a spin through our test process to see how it delivers on its upgrades and whether it’s the most value for money iPhone in 2021.

Apple iPhone 13 specifications and features

The iPhone 13 gets a brighter Super Retina XDR OLED display over the iPhone 12 but the size remains the same at 6.1 inches. The notch cutout is now 20% smaller than before giving you slightly more screen estate.  It weighs 174 grams and is 7.7mm thick which is still quite lightweight given it is made from aerospace-grade aluminium and is perfect for one-handed use.

The iPhone 13 is powered by the A15 Bionic chip made on 5nm architecture with two high-performance cores and four power-efficient cores that offer performance gains across the board and in different workloads. The base storage is also doubled from 64GB on the iPhone 12 to 128GB on the iPhone 13.

Apple has used new camera sensors on the iPhone 13 placed in a diagonal arrangement headlined by a 12MP camera with f/1.6 aperture and sensor-shift OIS followed by a 12MP ultra-wide camera with 120-degree FOV. The new cameras support Deep Fusion, Smart HDR 4, photographic styles and Cinematic mode with Dolby Vision HDR.

Apple iPhone 13 Performance

Every year the iPhone sets a new benchmark in performance and there’s always an uptick in everything that you can get done on a phone. The iPhone 13 follows the tradition and tops the charts in performance, gaming, battery and ease of use.

This year we have the A15 Bionic chip with a hexa-core CPU, quad-core GPU and 16-core neural engine for machine learning tasks, all powering the iOS 15 experience. Using the iPhone 13 feels very refreshing and iOS ensures that you get stable and fluid performance at all times. Even though Apple reserved high refresh rate displays for the Pro models, the iPhone 13 does not let you feel it's running on a 60Hz refresh rate. The reason for that is the close synergy between the hardware and iOS 15 which optimizes the system for a smooth performance.

The iPhone 13 demonstrates superiority in synthetic benchmarks over its Android counterparts. In AnTuTu tests, the iPhone 13 received high scores leaving behind phones like the OnePlus 9 Pro and ROG Phone 5 in the dust. It also topped the charts with impressive numbers in Geekbench CPU tests which simulates real-world tasks in both single-core and multi-core computing.

The iPhone 13 aced GPU tests like 3DMark Wildlife and GFXBench Metal with top scores that prove its mettle in running graphic-intensive games like Call of Duty Mobile, Battlegrounds Mobile India and more. Even with a quad-core GPU, gaming on the iPhone 13 is a great experience but you will get better performance with the 5-core GPU on the iPhone 13 Pro models that compliments it with 120Hz refresh rate displays.

We used Gamebench to record gameplay metrics where the iPhone 13 runs COD Mobile at 59 FPS at 100% stability. It was able to run BGMI in Ultra HD graphics at Ultra frame rates where Gamebench recorded 39FPS at 100% stability. We also lowered down the graphics to HDR which is when we got a toggle for enabling Extreme frame rates where Gamebench recorded 59FPS at 100% stability. 

All of this just goes on to highlight the great gaming performance that you can expect from the iPhone 13. When it comes to daily tasks like replying to an email, sending a message on WhatsApp, playing music or switching between those apps, it's a cakewalk for the latest iPhone. Even with heavier workloads like editing a picture or a video, the iPhone 13 is able to offer a consistent and polished experience that shows no signs of slowdowns. And given Apple’s track record of supporting over 5 years of iOS updates, the iPhone 13 will feel fresh as new every year.

Apple iPhone 13 Battery Life

The iPhone 13 is equipped with a larger 3227mAh battery than the last generation and supports 20W fast wired charging and 15W MagSafe wireless charging. Now, these are not some really great specs to go by considering 50W charging speeds and bigger batteries are now relatively common on the Android side of things.

That being said, the battery life of the iPhone 13 has improved from the last generation and depending on your use you can get over 7+ hours of screen-on time from this phone. Of course, the battery will start depleting rapidly if you play games or record videos regularly. When it comes to charging, the iPhone 13 tops up in around 1 hour 40 minutes using the standard Type-C to  Lightning adapter.

Apple iPhone 13 Camera review

For the iPhone 13, Apple has upgraded the camera sensors from the previous generation that makes the pictures brighter and sharper. Sensor-shift OIS brings much more stability to videos and it’s great that this feature got trickled down from the Pro models to standard iPhone as well. There’s also Smart HDR 4 and new Photographic styles that are essentially preset and optimize pictures for colours and contrast.

iPhone 13 main camera OnePlus 9 Pro main camera

Unlike its Android counterparts, Apple has not jumped on the bandwagon to use high-resolution sensors on the iPhone 13 and instead relies on ML algorithms and optimizations to produce the most natural-looking pictures. There is a minute jump in the picture quality over the iPhone 12 but it is a jump nonetheless. 

iPhone 13 main camera OnePlus 9 Pro main camera

The camera on the iPhone 13 really does come close to replicating what you see with your eyes and you get pictures that are bright, colourful and sharp. However, because a phone like the OnePlus 9 Pro uses a high-resolution sensor, you get much better detail retention and sharpness which is something you realize as you zoom into the picture.

The daytime shots from the iPhone 13, both outdoor and indoors have a good dynamic range and colour tones and keep the highlights and saturation levels in check. The natural bokeh looks very good in pictures from the main camera and it is also very adept in retaining accurate details in areas with shadow.

iPhone 13 main camera OnePlus 9 Pro main camera

The ultra-wide camera is also great for taking some good landscape pictures but they often lack focus towards the edges. The colours from the ultra-wide camera are in sync with the colours you get from the main camera and there’s only very little difference in how both sensors perceive dynamic range and contrast which is great as you get near-identical colours from both cameras.

iPhone 13 main camera OnePlus 9 Pro main camera

The portrait mode on the phone is capable of taking some great pictures with a bokeh effect. There’s also Portrait Lighting that gives a unique look to your portraits with six different effects.

iPhone 13 main camera night mode iPhone 13 main camera night mode

One of the big highlights of the cameras this year is the Cinematic Mode which brings depth-of-field and rack focus to videos. The camera is automatically able to shift focus between two subjects in a frame and also adds a subtle bokeh in the background. This mode records in Dolby Vision HDR and also lets you edit the focus post-recording.

iPhone 13 main camera iPhone 13 ultra-wide camera

Talking about videos, iPhone cameras have always remained at the top of the game and the iPhone 13 is no different and records 4K HDR videos in Dolby Vision. The videos from the iPhone 13 look very good and the colours are closer to natural colour tones which is great for people who produce videos regularly. The sensor-shift OIS also works well and reduces shakes and jitters from the video. 

At night, however, the iPhone cameras have a lot to catch up with Android phones as the pictures often lack sharpness and sadly the night mode doesn’t live up to its potential. 

The selfie camera gets the same features as the rear cameras and remains one of the best in the business with accurate skin tones and details. The phone also misses out on a macro camera (reserved for the Pro models) which is commonplace with Android phones in this price range.

Apple iPhone 13 Display

The iPhone 13 features a 6.1-inch XDR OLED display which is just perfect for watching videos and movies. The display is vibrant and gets pretty bright with good sunlight legibility and the Face ID notch is now smaller than before.

While the Android ecosystem has moved from large notch cutouts to punch-hole and in-screen selfie camera, the iPhone 13 still has a wide notch, and for good reason. The selfie camera along with 3D biometric sensors enables facial recognition which remains one of the most advanced ways for unlocking the phone. 

We used the Calman and SpectraCal C6 colorimeter to test the display of the iPhone 13. As per the data obtained from Calman, the display on the iPhone 13 has a normal peak brightness of 536 nits. Further testing revealed that the iPhone 13’s display has an average deltaE of 1.9 in the sRGB colour space and has better RGB balance over the iPhone 13 Pro’s display which is pretty good. The display offers a wide colour gamut, something that is corroborated in Calman tests. 

In daily use, the iPhone 13 offers a superior viewing experience and is very well tuned to reproduce different colours. While the refresh rate is locked at 60Hz, it also means that you will get more battery life and the system-level optimizations anyway make the whole experience smooth and fluid.

You can watch our detailed display comparison video of the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro here.

Apple iPhone 13 Build and Design

Even though the iPhone 13 is slightly thicker and heftier than the iPhone 12, it follows the same design principle as the latter. The iPhone 13 has a flat aluminium frame with a Ceramic shield glass, making it quite tough and protecting it against drops.

While I didn’t intend to test the durability of the new iPhone, it has dropped 5+ times during my use and neither the screen nor the rear glass has shown any signs of damage, save for a mark or two on the frame. The iPhone 13 is also IP68 rated which means that it is protected against dust and water which is great for day-to-day use.

The iPhone 13 feels very premium when you hold it in your hand and has an ergonomic build that makes for one-handed use easily. While gaming, the edges of the phone do not make things uncomfortable and you can play games on it for hours at a stretch without any unwanted strain.

Verdict

The iPhone 13 takes the best from the iPhone 12 and adds new and advanced features making it a very refined upgrade this year. The phone uses new camera sensors, a brighter display, faster than ever A15 Bionic chip and offers stellar improvements in battery life. The cameras take some brilliant pictures in daylight but leave you wanting for more when it comes to pictures taken at night. The Cinematic mode opens up new ways for you to make shallow depth-of-field videos and it will only get better at recognizing edges over time. 

At its asking price of Rs 79,900, the iPhone 13 is a no-brainer for someone who is looking to upgrade from the iPhone 11 or before. For people looking to upgrade their iPhone 12, the iPhone 13 is only but an incremental update and does not warrant a switch, especially since the iPhone 12 is now available at a lower price. If you are someone who’s looking to get into the Apple ecosystem, then too, the iPhone 13 is a very dependable starting point as it is packed with all the latest bells and whistles, save for some features like a high refresh rate screen.

 

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