Houseparty Is the Video Calling App We Need for the Coronavirus Lockdown

The Houseparty app — which offers games in group video calls and is available for download on Android, iOS, macOS, and Chrome — has been around for a while, but it’s seeing a sharp rise during the pandemic lockdown. Why? Because it’s just the kind of thing we need.

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Apple releases iPadSO 134 and iOS 134 with trackpad support and more

Apple has finally released iOS 13.4 and iPadOS 13.4 for the iPhone and iPad, bringing some hotly anticipated features. This particular version of iOS and iPadOS has been in beta testing through developer and public beta programs for well over a month and a half.

Perhaps the most notable feature of the new OS update is the trackpad support for the iPad and iPad Pro. With your iPad or iPad Pro updated to iPadOS 13.4, you will be able to pair external mice or trackpads to your iPad and use the new cursor to not only navigate the iPad but also work your way through apps. Instead of implementing the cursor in the traditional way, Apple has designed the new navigational feature in a very intuitive manner. The cursor appears and disappears as and when needed and if you use a trackpad, you can also use gestures to control various aspects of the iPad and the iPadPro.

While trackpad support for the iPad is a huge deal for a host of reasons, other features making iOS 13.4 and iPadOS 13.4 a notable update is the iCloud Drive folder sharing. The feature was supposed to roll out with iOS 13 but was delayed. Thankfully, its finally here and allows users to share files and folders stored in iCloud Drive with others, in a fashion very similar to how other cloud storage works.

Perhaps the biggest update to iOS 13.4 is the universal app purchase between iOS and macOS. What that means is that if a developer has an app for macOS and iOS, purchasing one version will unlock all versions of the app. Essentially, if you buy an app on macOS, its iOS version will also be unlocked for the user and vice versa.

iOS 13.4 and iPadOS 13.4 is available for the below devices. In case you haven’t received the update yet, you can check for it by going to Settings > General > Software Update

iPhone 11 Pro iPhone 11 Pro Max iPhone 11 iPhone XS iPhone XS Max iPhone XR iPhone X iPhone 8 iPhone 8 Plus iPhone 7 iPhone 7 Plus iPhone 6s iPhone 6s Plus iPhone SE 12.9-inch iPad Pro 3rd generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro 2nd generation 12.9-inch iPad Pro 1st generation 10.5-inch iPad Pro 9.7-inch iPad Pro iPad Air 3rd generation iPad Air 2 iPad 6th generation iPad 5th generation iPad mini 5th generation iPad mini 4 iPod touch 7th generation

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Coronavirus effect: Two of Apples key manufacturing partners suspend operations in India amidst lockdown

Due to supply chain and logistical constraints rising out of the 21-day lockdown imposed to curb the spread of coronavirus, two of Apple’s key manufacturing partners have suspended operations in India. With more than 1.3 billion Indians facing an unprecedented lockdown, smartphone manufacturers like Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, Realme and Motorola have all suspended manufacturing operations with employees in corporate offices being asked to work from home.

Two of Apple’s manufacturing partners, Foxconn and Wistron Corp. that manufacture iPhones in India have stopped operations. Foxconn confirmed the suspension of operations via a statement to Bloomberg, noting that production will be suspended till April 14, when the 21-day lockdown period ends.

Wistron also confirmed it is adhering to the lockdown orders and has shuttered its factories in India. However, it didn’t say when it plans to resume operations again.

Both Foxconn and Wistron are headquartered in Taiwan. As a result, it’s safe to say that the majority of the manufacturing happens out of the South Asian territory. As early as next week, there were reports that the iPhone 12 was going into production, but with the latest updates around the world regarding the COVID-19 menace and subsequent shutdowns, it’s difficult to say whether everything is going as planned for Apple. Apple, for one, has not spoken about manufacturing disruptions, but it did mandate a two iPhone per purchase policy when purchased from Apple’s website in China. Notably, it did scrap the two iPhone policy three days back.

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OnePlus 8, OnePlus 8 Pro full specs leaked: Heres everything you need to know

OnePlus might be launching its next flagship, the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro in the upcoming months. However, ahead of the launch, the full specifications of the duo have leaked online. It reiterates the previously leaked specifications of the handsets. While there are still probably weeks to go before the launch event takes place, we already know almost everything regarding the phones. The leak comes from noted tipster Ishan Agarwal, who took to Twitter to reveal the specifications of the upcoming duo.

OnePlus 8 Pro specifications

According to the tipster, OnePlus 8 Pro will feature a 6.78-inch Super AMOLED display with support for a 120Hz refresh rate. It will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 SoC. Further, the smartphone is likely to come with 8GB/12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 128GB/256GB of UFS 3.0 internal storage. 

Coming to the optics, the leak reveals it will sport a quad rear camera setup of 48MP + 48MP + 8MP + 5MP. On the front will lie a 16MP selfie shooter. The smartphone will pack a 4510mAh battery with support for 30W fast charging. This time around OnePlus is likely to add 30W wireless fast charging support as well as 3W reverse wireless charging. The phone will be IP68 rated and come in blue, black and green colour options.

On the AI Benchmark, the OnePlus 8 Pro is listed below the Honor 9X Pro, Nova 5, Nova 5i Pro, Xiaomi Mi 10 5G and a couple of other models. Moreover, it is listed above the Google Pixel 4, ASUS ROG 2, Mi 10 Pro 5G and the Realme X2 Pro. 

OnePlus 8 specifications

According to the latest development, OnePlus 8 will feature a 6.55-inch Super AMOLED display. Interestingly, it is said to support a 90Hz refresh rate, instead of 120Hz on the OnePlus 8 Pro. Further, the phone will be powered by the Snapdragon 865 chipset. It will come with 8GB/12GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB/256GB of UFS 3.0 internal storage. 

As for the optics, it is said to sport a triple rear camera setup of 48MP + 16MP + 2MP with a 16MP selfie shooter. It is likely to pack a 4300mAh battery with support for 30W fast charging. Further, there’s no IP rating or wireless charging here. It will be made available in “glow”, black and green colour options.

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Coronavirus effect: Microsoft not worried about Xbox Series X production but worried about demand

In a recent interview with CNBC, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said, “On the supply side we are getting back on rails.” He said this in response to the question “whether Microsoft would be able to deliver later this year certain products it had promised before COVID-19 took hold, like new Surface devices and a revamped Xbox gaming console”. The new Xbox Series X will be manufactured in China, a country that has started recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there are many countries all over the world, where the virus is gravely affecting the economy. What will affect Microsoft's hardware including the upcoming surface devices and the Xbox Series X is the demand. He says, "what happens in the United States, in Europe, in other developed markets around the demand side of this going forward." Put simply, Microsoft may be able to produce enough hardware, but will the demand be enough?

The COVID-19 pandemic has put the global economy on a backfoot and while the governments of various nations are doing the best they can to maintain economic sustenance, there is no denying that that business, profits, consumer spending, etc. will be gravely affected. Since the upcoming console is expected to be priced higher than the industry norm due to the hardware under the hood, it is possible that the console may not sell as well as Microsoft hopes, initially at least. 

Another thing to note is that Microsoft has committed its exclusive games to be on both the Series X and Xbox One family of consoles for 1 year at least. So there is little reason for one to invest in the new hardware on day 1. 

Microsoft may need to come up with some enticing offers to make the new console a must-have, this is apart from the specifications, where we know the console is a beast. Microsoft has not only revealed the look of the console and the controller that one will get with it, but has also given us a deep dive into the hardware specifications of the console. You can read about the specifications of the console here. 

Sony has also given gamers a deep dive into the specifications of the console and the new controller that will come with it but hasn’t revealed the look of the console yet. You can see how the PS5 compares to the Xbox Series X here. 

According to analysts, the Coronavirus would need to "last through June" in order to affect the launch of the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5. You can read more about that here.

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Realme CEO Madhav Sheth seen wearing upcoming Realme smartwatch, confirms purple Realme 6 Pro variant

Realme CEO Madhav Sheth has a penchant of showing off unreleased Realme products in his public appearances. This time around, Sheth was seen wearing an unreleased smartwatch during an #AskMadhav session on YouTube where the Realme CEO answers questions from fans.

Sheth also spoke about upcoming products from Realme including a purple colour variant of the Realme 6 Pro which had surfaced online previously. Sheth essentially confirmed its existence. The variant is called Lightnirealng Purple and will be coming soon to the markets.

In the same session, Sheth also said the Realme Band will get more straps with different colours and designs. Realme also plans to bring more watch faces and possibly a music control feature.

Sheth further confirmed Realme is working on a Bluetooth Speaker as another product from Realme that’s in the pipeline. Realme jumped into the accessories bandwagon this year and started calling itself a tech-lifestyle brand. The company also launched its Airpods-lookalike called Realme Buds Wireless and fitness tracker called Realme Band.

Throughout the session, Sheth was seen wearing an unreleased smartphone which a lot of folks are saying is the upcoming Realme smartwatch. 5 minutes 35 seconds into the session, we get a close up look at the watch. It does look like any other square-shaped smartwatch, possibly crafted after the Apple Watch. He did not divulge any details about the product during the session.

Apart from this, Sheth spoke about the new Narzo series, claiming the devices will offer best in class performance and battery endurance in their price segments. The Narzo series launch had to be called off because of the nationwide lockdown imposed by the Government of India to tackle the spread of coronavirus.

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Coronavirus effect: Motorola stops manufacturing, shuts offices, closes service centers till April 14

With India under total lockdown and major districts of the country showing COVID-19 positive cases, the smartphone industry has come to a staggering stop at least for the time being. It will get difficult to buy a new smartphone or even get it repaired since most OEMs have halted production in their factories and closed service centres.

Motorola is the latest brand to issue a statement regarding the same. The Lenovo-owned smartphone brand introduced the Moto Razr, it’s first foldable smartphone a week or so back. However, obeying government directives, Motorola has stopped operations at its manufacturing plants in Tamil Nadu starting March 23rd. The company has also mandated all its employees across multiple offices in India to work from home till April 14.

"Safety of our employees and their families is of utmost importance to us and we are 100% compliant with all relevant guidelines issued by the various state governments. We have stopped operations at our manufacturing facility in Tamil Nadu, starting March 23rd. Further, all employees across our various offices in India have been advised to exercise a mandatory ‘Work From Home’ policy till 14th April. Along with this, we have issued strict guidelines and advisory for all precautions to be taken by them and their respective families,” Motorola said in a statement.

Furthermore, Motorola has also shut operations in its service centres and retail stores. However, Motorola said they have enough stocks of the newly announced Moto Razr, but the delivery of the smartphone might get delayed since Flipkart and other e-commerce companies are prioritising deliveries of essentials only. Flipkart is still listing most Motorola smartphones to be available to buy but delivery may happen at a later date, possibly after the lockdown lifts.

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