HTC has launched its new U12 Life smartphone at an event today in Berlin. In line with the previous reports and rumours, the phone features a dual-rear camera setup and features an 18:9 display, sans a notch. The company has highlighted the cameras, design and the battery life of the handset saying that it “captures eye-catching photos and videos. A remarkable dual finish that offers a stunningly fresh take on design. A big battery that keeps up with your life.“ HTC U12 Life Price and Variants The HTC U12 Life comes in only one variant with 4GB RAM and 64GB of internal storage, which can be expanded via a microSD card. It will be launched in Europe, Asia and the Middle East in late September and in the UK, it will cost £300 (Rs 24,800 approx). It has been launched in moonlight Blue and Twilight Purple colour models. There is no information on whether the device will be launched in India or not but if it does, we expect it to be priced slightly lower. HTC U12 Life Specifications The HTC U12 Life comes with a glass rear panel that features two different textures. Its upper area, from the top edge to slightly below the fingerprint sensor, is smooth while the rest of rear panel sports horizontally etched lines. The pattern sort of reminds reminds us of the Google Pixel smartphones, while its camera module is quite like iPhone X. The U12 Life features a 6-inch Full HD+ display with a resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels and an 18:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by the octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 platform and is backed by a 3600mAh battery. Sadly, there’s no fast charging support but it comes equipped with a USB Type-C port. The device runs on HTC Sense, which is based on Android 8.1 Oreo. Coming to the optics, the company has equipped the dual-SIM smartphone with a vertically stacked 16MP + 5MP dual camera setup on the back. The main sensors are behind an f/2.0 aperture lens and come with Phase Detection Auto Focus. On the front, it sports a 13MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture lens and fixed focus. The main camera can record 2160p and 1080p videos at 30fps and 60fps respectively, while the front facing sensor is capable of shooting videos with a max resolution of 1080p. It comes with the usual set of connectivity options like Wi-Fi ac, Bluetooth 5, NFC and GPS/GLONASS.
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Xiaomi may launch the next generation of its affordable, Redmi series of smartphones, the Redmi 6, the Redmi 6A and the Redmi 6 Pro on September 5 in India. The Chinese conglomerate unveiled these smartphones in June in China. Manu Kumar Jain, Managing Director of Xiaomi India, teased the launch of the smartphones in a tweet, but did not mention the date of the event. The tweet has a GIF image attached that shows the number ‘6’ and three smartphones in the background. Later the company sent out invites for a September 5 event, which has the same design that the company executive shared on the microblogging website. The silhouettes of three smartphones in the background revealed that Xiaomi will launch two phones with the regular bezel design and one with a notch. This falls in line with the design of the variants that were launched in China. The Redmi 6 and the Redmi 6A have thick bezels on the top and bottom while the Redmi 6 Pro sports a notch. Let’s refresh your memories and see what these smartphone are expected to offer. Xiaomi launched the Redmi 6 and Redmi 6A smartphone in China in the first half of June. These smartphones are the successors to the Redmi 5 and Redmi 5A. The Redmi 6 is being offered in a 3GB RAM/32GB storage variant and a 4GB RAM/64GB storage version, priced at RMB 799 (Rs 8,410 approx) and RMB 999 (Rs 10,517 approx) respectively. The Redmi 6A launched in a single 2GB RAM variant with 16GB internal storage, is priced at RMB 599 (Rs 6,306 approx). The Redmi 6 and Redmi 6A feature 18:9 aspect ratio display. The smartphones are equipped with a polycarbonate rear panel with a brushed metal surface. The Redmi 6 features a 5.45-inch HD+ display with an 80.5% screen-to-body ratio. It is powered by the MediaTek Helio P22 octa-core SoC. The device also makes use of AI for face unlock and comes with the company’s XiaoAI voice assistant. In India, the company may not bring the voice assistant. In terms of optics, the smartphone features a 12MP + 5MP dual-rear camera setup that supports Phase-Detection Autofocus. On the front is a 5MP sensor that supports Xiaomi’s AI Portrait mode, which is said to render images with a “realistic bokeh effect”, even though there is only a single lens. The Redmi 6A shares the same design and screen size as the Redmi 6, but differs when it comes to the processor. It runs on the MediaTek Helio A22 SoC, which is also built on the 12nm process. It sports a 13MP single rear camera with f/2.2 aperture and PDAF support. There is a 5MP sensor on the front with an f/2.2 aperture lens, which is includes supports for Face Unlock. The Redmi 6A is backed by a 3000mAh battery. Xiaomi Redmi 6 The high-end variant, the Redmi 6 Pro, was unveiled in the second half of June. The device features a notch on top of its display but apart from that, it looks similar to the Redmi Note 5 Pro. The rear panel is near identical with a vertically stacked dual rear camera setup, a fingerprint reader and the Mi logo on the lower back. The Redmi 6 Pro features a 5.84-inch display with a 19:9 display aspect ratio. It is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 625 SoC and is backed by a 4000mAh battery. The Redmi 6 Pro is equipped with a dual rear camera setup, where one is a 12MP primary sensor with a f/2.2 aperture and 1.25-micron pixels. It also supports PDAF and comes with an LED flash. On the front is a 5MP secondary sensor that can capture images in an ‘AI’ Portrait mode and HDR. The handset supports face unlock and retains a 3.5mm headphone jack. It comes in Black, Blue, Gold, Pink, and Red colour variants. The smartphone comes in a base variant of 3GB RAM/32GB storage, which is priced at CNY 999 (Rs 10,400 approx). There is also a 4GB RAM model with options of 32GB and 64GB of onboard storage, priced at CNY 1,199 (Rs 12,500 approx) and CNY 1,299 (Rs 13,600 approx) respectively.
Google has announced a new update for Wear OS, which brings new UI changes. The update makes it easier for users to access information such as notifications, and Google Assistant as well as smarter health coaching. The company noted in its blog that the new update will be rolling out to users over the coming month. However, the company says that some features may vary by phone OS, watch or country. With the new update, swiping up lets users access their notifications and tapping on any message brings up Smart Replies. Swiping down will enable users to access features like Google Pay or ‘Find My Phone’. As per Google, users will now receive proactive and personalised help from the Assistant. For example, if the user receives an update for their flight status, tapping on the update will show them the weather at their destination, and give them options for hotel reservations. Google also announced that it would be adding two new activity goals with this update, namely Heart points and Move Minutes. The new activities are designed in partnership with the American Heart Association and the World Health Organisation. Users can swipe left to access the new activity goals and tap on one to start an activity. Back in July, Google had rolled out an update for WearOS that introduced new functionalities such as a ‘glanceable design’ for events and appointments. After the update, the Google Pay app is said to boot faster and contactless payments using cards or smartphones should also be quicker than before. It fixes a time zone sync bug as well. 
Asus has announced an updated range of ZenBook Flip convertible laptops at IFA 2018 in Berlin, Germany. The updated range consists of the ZenBook Flip 13 (UX362) and the ZenBook Flip 15(UX562). The former features a 13.3-inch display, while the latter features a 15.6-inch display. What’s interesting is the way Asus has managed to carry on using the same screen sizes seen on previous models on a newer, more compact frame. To be specific, Asus has managed to reduce the laptop’s frame size by 10 percent. As the name suggests, this ZenBook’s display flips completely backwards to become a tablet. It can be placed in a laptop, tablet, and tent modes. What’s special about this convertible laptop is that it retains the ErgoLift hinge technology: it lifts and tilts the keyboard towards the user to offer a more comfortable typing angle when the display is opened beyond 135 degrees. The hinge has been torture-tested for up to 20,000 open-close cycles. Taking a look at the ports on the device, it’s got a full-size card reader slot, a USB port, and the power button on the left. On the right, it has the power port, a USB port, the audio jack, and a USB Type-C port. The top-end variant of the ZenBook Flip 15 is powered by an eighth-gen Intel Core i7 CPU and a Nvidia GeForce 1050 Max-Q GPU. You can choose between 8GB and 16GB of RAM. The screen is a 4K PANTONE-validated unit that has support for face login and a stylus. It also covers 100 percent of the colours in the sRGB colour space. The speakers are certified by Harman Kardon. The ZenBook Flip 13 comes with a new feature called NumberPad, which is essentially a touchpad that doubles up as a soft numeric keypad. The NumberPad sits inside the glass-covered Windows precision touchpad with support for multi-finger gestures and can be enabled or disabled with a touch of a soft key on the touchpad. According to Asus, the NumberPad can be used in “cruise” mode (to move the mouse pointer around) even without disabling the soft numeric keypad on the NumberPad as the firmware inside is capable of understanding the context of the user’s activities on the surface of the NumberPad. The ZenBook Flip 15, on the other hand, gives the innovative new NumberPad a miss as its frame is large enough to support a physical numeric keypad as a part of its keyboard. According to Asus, the NumberPad is a novel solution to the lack of a dedicated numeric keypad on small laptops.
The Ocean Cleanup is a non-profit organisation funded in 2013 by the then 18 year old Boyan Slat. The purpose of the company is to tackle the plastic waste in the oceans. Now, they are on the verge of launching one of the most ambitious attempts to cleanup the great Pacific garbage patch. The patch is a giant vortex of garbage that spans the largest ocean on the planet, from the west coast of North America to the east coast of Japan. The floating litter accumulates here because of a system of cyclic ocean currents - or gyres. The plastic litter can stay in the oceans practically forever. In the gyres, the plastic does break up into smaller and smaller pieces though. Millimeter sized pieces of plastic gets consumed by the marine life forms. These toxic plastic particles make their way up the food chain, and even ends up in seafood restaurants around the world - which are then consumed by humans. Conventional approaches of cleaning the patch involves using fleets of vessels tugging nets in their wakes to capture the garbage. Such an effort would take thousands of years, and would cost billions of dollars. The 600 meter long floater The solution? The System 001. It is a 600 meter long floater, with a skirt underneath it for the entire length. The skirt tapers over its three meter length. The floater follows the currents in the ocean, and captures any litter in its way. This is essentially sending an artificial coastline into the ocean, where there is none to stop the floating garbage. The floater is shaped like a U so that all the garbage gets concentrated in its center. The floater juts out of the water just enough to prevent plastic from going over it. The skirt below captures the bulk of the plastic, which floats just beneath the surface. The skirt is continuous, and not a net. This ensures that even small pieces of plastic is trapped. At the same time, the skirt prevents marine life from getting entangled or tagged, they can simply swim under or around it. Additionally, it ensures that the current flows beneath the skirt, on which the tiny marine life without the ability to swim, can hitch a ride. There is no artificial propulsion on board, and the floater makes its way through the oceans riding on the natural currents, the wind, and the waves. The trajectory of the floater is calculated by algorithms ahead of the deployment. There is an energy system on board to capture solar energy for the lights and on board Automatic Identification System - a satellite based system to keep track of vessels in the ocean. There are also two high definition 360 degrees cameras in the middle of the floater, for remote real time monitoring. There are lanterns and navigational beacons to alert any vehicles in the area. There is not much traffic in the great Pacific garbage patch anyway. The floater and the skirt are built to be long lasting and robust, to endure any conditions that the sea can throw at it. The engineers considered extreme cases that occur only once in a hundred years. The main reason for the hardiness of the floater, is how flexible it is. Even when faced with five meter high waves, the floater simply floats over these waves. A system of sensors along the entire length of the floater makes sure that it is functioning as expected at all times. The garbage is cleaned up periodically by oceanic “garbage trucks” - ships that visit the floater and collect the garbage trapped by the floater. The actual collection is a manual process, which ensures that there is no marine life that is picked up along with the garbage. The collected plastic waste is brought back to land, and sold to recyclers. Time Magazine called the “ocean vacuum cleaner” one of the best inventions of 2015. The Impact The System 001 is the first operation by the Ocean Cleanup. The initial plan was to create a moored barrier, permanently anchored in the ocean. A feasibility study showed that a moving floater would allow the ocean to clean itself up. The next step was to raise funds through crowdfunding on the ABN Amro’s Seeds platform. A total of US $2,154,282 was raised, making it one of the most successful non-profit fundings. There was a number of tests in the North Atlantic and the North Sea, and the design was improved over these iterations. On September 8, the first cleanup operation of the System 001, nicknamed “Wilson” will launch from the San Francisco Bay. Wilson will make its way towards the Pacific garbage patch on its own from there. The launch will be livestreamed. More information is available on the launch page. The September 8 launch is just the beginning of the cleanup operation of the Pacific garbage patch. The floater is scalable, and eventually the organisation wants to deploy 100 kilometer long floaters. The skirts on these floaters will continue to have a length of 3 meters. In 2020, the team plans to move up to tackling garbage in the oceans worldwide. The eventual aim is to reduce up to 90 percent of the plastic waste in the ocean by the year 2040, and completely remove the plastic by 2050. Going by simulations, a rollout of the 100 kilometer long floaters would clean up 50 percent of the plastic in the Pacific Garbage patch as early as 2023. 
Aiming to take on Xiaomi in the affordable smartphone range, Micromax’s sub-brand YU has is back from a sabbatical to launch its latest device, the YU Ace. The Flipkart exclusive smartphone's highlight is its massive 4,000 mAh battery and the 5.45-inch 18:9 display. YU Ace Price and Availability The Yu Ace is priced at Rs 5,999 for the 2GB RAM + 16GB storage variant and the company says that it will also launch its 3GB RAM + 32GB storage version by the end of September. The YU Ace will be available via open sale from September 6. The phone will be available in three colours: Charcoal Grey, Elektric Blue and Rose Gold. YU Ace specifications The YU Ace features a 5.45-inch HD+ Full Vision screen with an 18:9 display aspect ratio. The rear panel sports a glossy finish and comes with rounded edges. It features a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and on the back is a horizontally aligned single camera setup with an LED flash, on the top-left corner. The smartphone is powered by the MediaTek 6739 Quad Core Processor. The camera housing is designed such that it gives an impression of a dual-camera setup. In the camera department, the smartphone features a 13MP camera on the rear and on the front is a 5MP sensor. It runs on Android Oreo 8.1 and the company has promised the Android 9.0 Pie update for it in November. The YU Ace supports dual LTE and the face unlock feature. “We are excited to launch a phone that we believe is a gamechanger in the sub-6K category. The YU Ace is a product that speaks for itself and with features and specifications that are the best in this category, it gives consumers a chance to ‘Play God’ by making themselves experience the best of technology. At Micromax, we have always stood for demanding technology for the masses and that is exactly the aim with which we constantly innovate and create products that truly understand the need of pour consumers,” Shubhodip Pal, Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer Micromax Informatics, said in a statement. 
OnePlus is rolling out the new OxygenOS Open Beta 17 and the Open Beta 15 update for the OnePlus 5 and 5T smartphones respectively. The new patch brings a slew of optimisations for the two smartphones and enables Gaming Mode 3.0 and the front-facing portrait mode, which was only available on the OnePlus 6 (review) till now. Alongside these changes, the changelog of the new Open Beta lists many system level changes, updates to the Weather, Note apps and more. The Android security patch has also been updated to August, 2018. Starting with the most notable features brought along in the new Open Beta, the smartphones now support capturing images in portrait mode while using the front-facing camera. The Gaming Mode 3.0 is rolled out for the OnePlus 5/5T with this update. The feature is aimed at users who don’t want to be disturbed by any other activities on the device while gaming. It suspends all incoming app notifications and boosts data priority for the apps that are set to run under the Gaming Mode. Coming to system optimisations, the handsets get Toast message source that can be helpful to find out applications that send Toast messages, while running in the background. Background power consumption control has also been optimised and a call recording issue that was plaguing uses in India has been fixed. OnePlus’ suite of pre-installed apps like Weather, Note and the OnePlus Switch app also get some new functionalities. The Weather app can now send out hourly weather forecasts and shows 8 units of meteorological data including precipitation probability and perceived temperature. The overall weather data accuracy is also said to have been improved. The Note app gets its UI revamped along with an optimised process for sharing notes as an image, while the UI on the OnePlus Switch app has been optimised. OnePlus' previous Open Beta 16 update for devices that added some camera improvements and reduced the “oil painting effect” in photos captured using the smartphones. Some OnePlus users have previously complained that the device’s camera captured softer images which looked like oil paintings. While some may like the artistic images that are produced due to the issue, it is a hindrance for those who want to capture true-to-life images. The update also added Google Lens support for the smartphone from within the stock camera app. You can read more about it here.
