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Top 3 Misconceptions About Successful YouTube Channels That Millennials Often Overlook.

2022-05-24T14:21:00.010+05:30

Source: Royalty Free (Editorial Team)

The Web 2.0 era has provided every individual with a platform to express themselves without the fear of judgment. This notion has transcended gradually to video production. Because of accessibility, we all are glued to tiny screens on our smartphones, consuming content daily. May it be short-form or long-form content. Due to the monetary benefits of YouTube, most individuals are often here for the potential side income. However, many millennials tend to ignore the following key points, ultimately resulting in a negative outcome.

1. False Narrative Thinking - Easy Production:

It's relatively common to find millennials talking about starting a YouTube channel. However, a lot goes into maintaining it, as here you're not just a video creator but a lot more. You're solely responsible for creativity, scripting, documenting, video editing, social media leads & SEO. All these factors take a lot of time, and hence creating a schedule becomes essential to improve efficiency.

E.g., Follow:

· Scripting five videos at once.

· Document & edit over the weekend.

· Schedule content for an entire week.

Adopting this strategy helps improve efficiency and removes procrastination. However, millennials ignore these facts & end up quitting YouTube.

2. Failing to Recognize Power of Research:

You cannot beat the algorithm by posting regularly; the probability of success here is minute. Instead, research well by targetting the right keywords with less competition for better ranking. Tools such as Tubebuddy and vidIQ can provide better insights.

E.g., NBA Sports Cards.

· Assess Trends on vidIQ.

· Reverse engineer Top 10 channels.

· Figure areas of potential growth.

· Create a delineated plan.

Millennials instead focus on posting regularly by ignoring these facts. Hence, they fail to retain viewership blaming the algorithm.

3. Wrong Take Towards Earning (Ads):

Thanks to the sudden rise in " Social Influencers" on YouTube, most millennials are eventually here for the money. Individuals such as Garyvee and Casey Neistat have inspired a whole new generation of creators by demonstrating the perks of content creation. However, for that, you must follow the above two points.

E.g., NBA Sports Cards:

· Initial investments on trends.

· Videos per Deck.

· Resale: Sealed/Unsealed Box.

Advertisers bid higher for ad placements on trending videos; hence Cost-Per-Click Ads yield is higher based on different geographical locations. Whenever your audience interacts with them (Dey, 2020),. Therefore, to maximize earnings, it's evident that millennials concentrating on quality will potentially run a successful channel in the longer run

Source: Dey, A. (2020, September 30). YouTube CPM Rates in Canada: 2020-2021. Retrieved from Ad CPM Rates

Creative Stage V2 Soundbar With SubWoofer launched in India - 2.1 Channel Audio

2020-12-09T00:33:00.010+05:30

Image Credits: Creative

Creative Technology, an experienced veteran company famous among the audio heads today, announced the availability of their new "Creative Stage V2" Soundbar. The second iteration of the Creative Stage series brings a lot of improvements to your home entertainment, enhancing in the connectivity and soundstage department. The first iteration of the product had received positive feedback from the audio enthusiasts, which is why many have had their eyes locked-on to today's announcement. The Stage V2 not only retains a lot of nifty features from its predecessor, but it also brings in an enhanced Sound Blaster providing a wider surround soundstage at a pocket-friendly price.

Creative Stage V2 Soundbar With SubWoofer launched in India

The Creative Stage V2 is a 2.1 Channel 160W Soundbar(custom-tuned mid-range drivers) which can pair up with a wide variety of home entertainment accessories. Since the Stage V2 accompanies a subwoofer, it'll be a perfect match for your TV entertainment and Gaming experience needs. The company claims that the Soundbar provides a rich and thumpy bass experience, which will elevate your living room experience during content consumption. It also comes with Ambient effects, in which the Surround Sound technology will help you experience precise audio channel separation. The Stage V2 supports the new Clear Dialog audio technology, which allows understanding vocal notes better without affecting the highs.

Image Credits: Creative

One can easily pair the Creative Stage V2 to their favourite devices with the help of the following - TV ARC, optical, AUX, Bluetooth or Music Streaming via USB. The wide range of connectivity options offered are present on all our devices these days, may that be - TV Sets, Computers, Mobile Phones or even Gaming Consoles. In addition to that, you also get a remote control to control the audio experience separately. The users can tune the treble, bass, turn surround sound on/off, or even change the input sources to your Creative Stage V2. Whereas due to its compact nature, the Soundbar can be either wall-mounted or fit into any room.

Image Credits: Creative

Creative Stage V2 Soundbar With SubWoofer launched in India

Pricing & Availability:

The Creative Stage V2 will be available on both Amazon and Flipkart starting the third week of December 2020 at a launcher introductory offer of Rs.9,999/-. The MRP of the product is Rs.17,999/-

{"Ease Of Use" : 9, "Price" : 6, "Usefulness" : 7, "Score" : 7.3}

Source: Press Release.

Image Credits: Creative.

How To Choose Best Headphones For Yourself?

2019-04-06T18:30:00.000+05:30

Taking a decision when you have thousands of choices is always tough. Around 100 different Headphone Brands & Thousands of different models; but you get to choose “the only one” best for you…hmm, quite an arduous choice. Well if that’s the case, you have landed on the perfect page. Rest assured that you will be able to find the ideal match once you have gone through this article. For the record, we will not be considering the Professionals Headphones for the sake of this discussion, i.e. Classic studio monitoring headphones that are used for recording and mixing purposes. The next article we post would sum up the latter. For now, let's proceed.

How To Choose Best Headphones For Yourself?

Make sure to keep your Pen & Paper (Go green go digital) ready and Let’s Filter out things one by one.

1. Know your Budget:

Well, first thing's first, Money. “How much are you willing to/want to spend?” should be the first question you need to ask for yourself. Make sure to keep some flexible range so that you won’t have to compromise later on. Once your wallet is ready, then you can move on to the next question. Fun fact, If you feel like you are a true music lover, you wouldn't mind spending from your loaded wallet.

Image Source: Editorial Team

2. Wired or Wireless?

“Wireless”, catchy term eh? Well, there are some things you need to consider while taking this decision. Different technologies can be used for wireless audio transmissions like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and NFC. But NFC has only been used for the initial connection setup, as later-on it solely relies on the Bluetooth connectivity. If we talk about Wi-Fi, well it's not the preferred choice of technology, when it comes down to the theory of listening to your music as there will be a lot of interference.
Now let’s discuss some geeky tech-oriented stuff. Bluetooth operates at 2.4 GHz, and the range of Bluetooth is up to 10 meters. Though the Bluetooth 5.0 module extends its coverage to over 30-50 meters. So that all your BLE devices will also be on the same Frequency band, however frequency interference may become an issue while you are listening to music. To give an example, imagine that you are about to hear some nice beat drop, and then some distortion noise comes. We have been there; nobody likes that. So, to sum up, there are two disadvantages to choosing wireless headphones. You will experience a drop in the quality of the audio output when playing high bit rate audio files. Delay & interference will be the second drawback. To provide an example, if you play PUBG daily with your wireless earphones, by now, you must have experienced some numerous audio latency issues.
When we talk about Wired ones, the above-discussed drawbacks won't trouble you anymore as they fall back. All you have to do is plug and play, which in turn powers the copper cable inside the earphones thus resonating the optimal frequency response, which translates to a bye for all the audio latency issues.
So, in a nutshell, we would recommend using Wired headphones for obvious reasons that we have discussed so far. But if you prefer to stay on the wireless train, there isn't much which you're losing. Wireless earphones are a necessity when it comes to working out or for casual jogging and cardio activities. So if that suits you, go for it as they say, “Consumer is the god”. Many of the headphones nowadays provide both options wired/wireless to choose with the help of a detachable cable. E.g. the BoAt Rockerz series. You can use them in both ways- Wired/Wireless.

Image source: Editorial Team

3. Know your style of usage and then select the design (In ears, On ears, Over the ears):

Amongst all the confusion of whether to call them earbuds or earphones or in ears or what not, we can pretty much list them under three main categories. In-ear, On-ear and Over-ear. In-ears are the compact ones which are best for students. On-ears rest precisely on top of the ear with the help of some cushioning. On-ears are medium sized headphones which makes them portable. Over-the-ears are the largest ones which cover your ears completely. That translates isolation from the outer world and thus producing better audio output as it gets equipped with noise cancellation.
So depending upon your preferred mileage, go with the Wireless headphones for Portability & convenience or otherwise decide and grab the wired ones. Now, are you convinced by your decision? Then its time to jump to the next topic.

Image Source: Editorial Team.

4. Specifications and their importance:

Most of the time you only end up checking the battery life, bass, noise cancellation, good audio output etc. Which is correct, because those specifications are crucial. But apart from that, many other essential specifications provided with the headphones which we tend to ignore. Let’s understand what they are and how much they matter in-depth.
Driver Units: Ever wondered from where precisely the sound comes? The driver is the central element(part) in your headphones that produces sound. As while browsing the review websites you might have come across a variety of driver types. For beginners, there are about 4 to 5 technologies of driver units.

Dynamic: very common, cheap, prone to voice distortion at high volume.
Multiple/Balanced Armature: Good for listening to trebles, you won’t miss any details in sound but are costly.
Planar magnetic: more significant in volume, requires amplifier most of the times for them to work correctly, while even tho it's expensive, it will produce the best quality distortion-free sound.
Electrostatic: more advanced tech with even better sound output that Planar magnetic and hence even more expensive.
Bone conduction: This might sound fake, but these headphones will basically bypass your eardrum and directly send the vibrations to the inner ear. Seems like sci-fi movie tech prop, right?

Image source: Editorial Team.

Now does this driver type matter? Yes. Does the Driver Size Matter? Well, it too does. We can say that driver size is directly proportional to the loudness, but that's not the case always, as that can differ from one headphone to others as each one gets tuned differently. So, yes if you want headphones with enough volume, then make sure they have 30-50 mm drivers in case of over-the-ear headphones.

Impedance: Different headphones have different impedance rating written in specifications. What exactly is it and how does it matter? Mostly Headphones have impedance ranging from 15 to 35 ohms. So maximum audio output will be 1000mW. So, if you have purchased headphones with impedance higher than range mentioned above, then you will also need to buy a suitable Amplifier as your phone and laptop don’t have enough Juice (power) to power those headphones. But to avoid this if you select headphones with much lower impedance rating then it will hamper the volume of audio output. So, this trade-off will be there.
Frequency response: Well you don’t need to worry much about this feature. As we know that the human ear can only listen to frequencies between 20 Hz and 20 KHz. So, headphones manufacturers do consider this fact and make sure that their headphones will support these frequencies. The lower frequencies represent your Bass, the higher ones are nothing but the Treble, while the Mid-range lies in the between.
Sensitivity: Do check this once before selecting your pair. The unit to measure Sound sensitivity is Decibels(dB). Your headphones have been tuned to a range of Sound at which they are sensitive. The range which can be considered to be safe for the headphones lies between 75 dB to 110 dB.
Isolation: Any sound which is originating apart from the drivers of your headphone gets termed as ‘noise’. We always want to listen to music and music only. Would you enjoy your music if you can continuously hear the traffic and cars honking while you travel? No, right?. So, there are two options to deal with the noise. First, the Passive noise cancellation - which doesn’t cancel the noise, but reduces it to a great extent. It can be done by simply sound-proofing or isolation/insulation, Plush fitting earphones, over-the-ear headphones with heavily padded earpads are also permissible for it. Whereas the second one is the Active noise cancellation. Here, the headphone has a separate chip that ‘listens’ to noise and generates audio that is opposite to it in nature(Pink Noise) and cancels it. So to summarise, for regular use, you can use headphones which provide enough passive noise cancellation. The best way to find that out is by listening with those if you have the novelty to do so before you make the purchase.

Image Source: Editorial Team.

So there you go, you must have found the perfect match for yourself by now or at least have understood the primary factors for choosing the right pair fitting your requirements. Although with everything said, it's ultimately about the experience that you get. So, make sure to try or test them out before you buy them. Enjoy your new headphones & Happy listening.

Article By - Parag Sahasrabuddhe

Also See: Matrix announces the new Matrix Powerwatch 2 - Uses Body Heat For Charging & Solar Power.

Image Source: Editorial Team.

SYNOLOGY to expand its portfolio in India for 2019.

2019-03-01T17:05:00.002+05:30

Source: Synology

Earlier this week, Synology held a press meet in Mumbai where they presented their plans for expansion in India. Synology, if you don't know is a global market provider best known for their Network Attached Storage(NAS), Surveillance and Networking equipment. In the press brief, they emphasized topics regarding empowering individuals and SMEs with the help of streamlined smart solutions for this digital day and age. Apart from that, they presented the business achievements from 2018 with the plans for the investments in the coming year 2019.

Who is Synology?

Synology makes network attached storage devices, IP surveillance solutions having partners all around the globe and network equipment which helps in understanding the way users manage data, conducting surveillance and simultaneously in managing networks under the cloud computing segment. With the combined help of all these technologies, the company aims to provide uniform data storage and backup solutions by operating systems in a reliable and affordable format. One can access/share the files on the fly anywhere in the world with the help of Synology's products without doubting the security measures.

Source: Synology

SYNOLOGY to expand its portfolio in India for 2019.

Synology's Achievements from 2018 and Proposed Plan for 2019:

Synology has achieved a growth of about 90%, while it's about 20% in the global markets.
The company has introduced its new NAS models for the consumers as well as businesses.
In the past year, the company has received high demands for their NAS products. Hence for the coming year to keep the steadily increasing demand, Synology wants to release the following NAS products in India soon: Synology RS1619xs+, DS1019+, DS2419+ and the DS1819+. Thus by announcing these products, the company plans to extend its footprint in India on a significant scale.

Source: Synology

Following are few of the services offered by Synology which comes bundled with their NAS systems.

Synology Active Backup Suite: It helps in taking backups for VMware, Windows, Office 365 and Google G Suite, the best part is that you get to control all of these under a straightforward console. Fast recovery services with technical services are also available so that the VMs and files would be made readily available, as there is a massive amount of data that gets generated in various businesses.
Virtualization in the business environment: The Synology NAS is like a perfect storage system for virtualization as it gets certified by VMware, Windows, Citrix and OpenStack tools. Looking at the advancements in this field, Synology has introduced the Virtual Machine Manager which can turn their NAS into a VM server. VMM also has support for various operating systems and the user can use a maximum of 7 units of Synology NAS to build a cluster for load balancing. The VMM Pro, on the other hand, provides advanced features like Live Migration, Remote Replication, etc. However, to gain access for the VMM Pro, you need to get the respected licensing plan, although here the company offers a 30-day free trial.
Mobile & Hybrid Cloud(5G Trend): Looking at the fact that 5G is picking up quite fast, the company has been suitable arrangements already within their NAS systems, so that the users can efficiently manage their files and relevant data from their mobile phones. Looking at this sector the distance between Private and Public cloud has become fuzzy, the user experience must be quite enhanced. Thus to provide an extra layer of protection and enjoy a seamless user experience, Synology had introduced the Synology C2 when the user is on the move.
Synology's AI applications in surveillance, Storage & photo management.

“Synology has integrated artificial intelligence on the likes of its smart photo sorting app, Moment, hard drive failure prediction app, Storage Manager, & deep video analytics empowered app, Surveillance Station. The significant amount of resource that Synology allocated on developing artificial intelligence into Synology NAS is to ensure we turn your regular storage products into a smart device.” stated Mr.Mike Shay, Sales account manager of India, Synology Inc.

Also See: Matrix announces the new Matrix Powerwatch 2 - Uses Body Heat For Charging & Solar Power.

Image Source: Synology

Vivo V15 Pro Launched With The World's First 32MP Pop-up Front Camera.

2019-02-27T14:08:00.001+05:30

Image Source: Editorial Team

Last week, Vivo announced their newest offering the Vivo V15 Pro to the Indian market as a successor to the earlier iteration the Vivo V11 Pro. The new Vivo V15 Pro offers an innovative motorised pop-up selfie camera, a triple camera setup on the rear, an In-Display fingerprint scanner and a super AMOLED display for the first time in the V series. It also comes embedded with the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 AI Octacore processor which makes it the first device to be launched within the country. Let's find out more details about the Vivo V15 Pro in-depth in terms of specifications, pricing and availability.

Vivo V15 Pro Launched With The World's First 32MP Pop-up Front Camera.

Vivo V15 Pro Specifications:

It comes with a 6.39inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED display(2.5D Curved) with 2340x1080 resolution.
It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 Octacore Processor coupled with 6GB RAM and Adreno 612 GPU.
It comes with Triple Camera setup on the Rear with the following combination: 48MP Quad Pixel Sensor + 8MP + 5MP. There's an interesting addition of Super Night Mode here with takes superb photos at night, and it's an imitation of the Google's Night Sight mode found on the Pixel devices.
While on the front it houses a motorised pop-up 32MP Selfie Camera sensor with features such as AI face shaping, Retina Flash, AI Portrait Lvivo lighting
It has 128GB Internal storage.
Comes with 3700mAh Non-Removable Battery with support for Dual-Engine Fast Charging technology with Vivo claiming that the phone would charge up to 24% in just 15 mins.
It comes with a new improved 5th Gen In-Display Fingerprint Scanning Mechanism, and according to our tests at the event, the unlocking speeds felt faster than the OnePlus 6T.
Face Unlock feature is also available now, wherein the motorised front camera pops up scans the face and then unlocks the phone. This action is similar to the mechanism found on the Oppo Find X.
In terms of sensors, it has WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, Accelerometer, Proximity Sensor, Ambient Light Sensor, E-Compass and Gyroscope.
Sadly the phone still stands behind as the charging/connectivity port belongs to Micro USB 2.0 slot mechanism.
It runs on Funtouch OS 9 which has been based on Android Pie 9.0
It's made Available in the following two colour variants - Topaz Blue and Ruby Red.

Image Source: Editorial Team

Not only does the phone comes along with a feature proof set, but it makes sure to carry along that subtleness. Even though the phone has an impressive in-display fingerprint mechanism and a fast motorised pop-up face unlock, the company has been emphasising on the triple camera setup found on the rear side. The combination features the following feature set - An AI Enabled 48 MP Quad Pixel Sensor + 8MP Sensor(Wide Angle Camera) + 5MP Sensor(Depth Mapping Sensor) - 1/2.25 inch sensor. 48MP Quad Pixel Sensor essentially combines four adjacent pixels hence creating one single super pixel which delivers a high-quality 12MP photo, which also helps to attain a better shot under low lighting environment. With the help of the 8MP and 5MP sensor, it produces a 108-degree wide angle view to capture more subject into the frame. There's also an introduction of the "Super Night Mode" with which one can take sharper photos during the night without the help of the flashlight. As here the phone essentially captures multiple images at variable exposures and then stitches them to obtain a better shot. There are also a couple of AI methods embedded within the app for clicking better photos.

Image Source: Vivo

The consumers will also get several offers if they buy the new Vivo V15 Pro both online/offline.

5% Cashback on HDFC Debit/Credit Card and EMI options.
One time screen replacement for Rs.999 which will be valid up to 20th March 2019.
Up to 12 months of No Cost EMI option which includes Bajaj Finance. IDFC First "Zero Down Payment" with eight months EMI.
Loyalty benefits of about Rs.1000/- INR and exciting exchange offer on your old smartphones.

[post_ad]

Commenting on the launch, Mr Kent Cheng, CEO of Vivo India shared, “Innovation is one of our core values. Besides the industry’s first Elevating Front Camera that gave us the ultimate bezel-less display, we are always looking to introduce game-changing features, such as higher-quality cameras & smarter AI services that take the mobile experience to a new dimension." The V15 Pro is a clear example of our commitment to bring immersive advanced products to consumers from all walks of life. With the right technology & proposition, we are confident that V15 Pro will see success in India, the first market to launch the smartphone globally,” he then added.

Image Source: Editorial Team.

Vivo V15 Pro Launched With The World's First 32MP Pop-up Front Camera.

The new Vivo V15 Pro will be available in 6GB and 128 Internal storage variants at a price of Rs.28,990. It'll be available for pre-order both at online and offline channels which include Vivo India E-store, Amazon and Flipkart. The device will be available from 6th March in both the colour variants. Hence taking inspiration from the Vivo Nex and the Vivo Apex phone, this new Vivo V15 Pro marks its entry in the affordable pricing segment introducing various new form factors for the price. Although I still wish it had a USB Type-C port for that price, but judging more apart from that would be an understatement as we have not used the device extensively. According to our limited use of the device at the event, we can assure that the in-display fingerprint mechanism is wickedly fast, might be even faster than the Oneplus 6T. Face Unlock is quite fast as well, it's just pure joy to watch the front camera revealing itself to unlock the phone and then retracting immediately.

Links To Buy:

Amazon
Flipkart

Also See: Alexa Can Now Play Songs On Your Phone Via The New Hands-Free Feature In The Amazon Prime Music App.

How to Choose the Right Fonts for Image Captions

2019-01-30T16:31:00.002+05:30

Are you thinking about adding a caption to one of your images? It may seem easy to pick a font and type in the text that you want to add – but there is a bit more to it than that. If you want the captions that you add to your image to stand out and attract attention – you need to choose the ‘right’ fonts. And to do that you need to look at several aspects:

1. Make sure the font is readable
- The font that you use must be readable; otherwise, the caption will be wasted on the viewer. Some fonts aren’t very readable at smaller sizes, while others may not be readable when placed against some types of backgrounds.
- Because there are so many factors involved, the best way to make sure a font is readable is to place it on your image and see how it looks.

2. Let the font reflect the mood
- Ideally, the font should reflect the mood of your image, and complement it. For example, a rounded and casual font may fit a playful image, while a blocky and more format font may fit a business-oriented image instead.
- It may help to define the mood of the image, and the personality that you want for your font in advance – to make looking for the right font easier.

3. Think about the visual hierarchy
- The visual hierarchy is arguably the most critical factor to consider in image captions as it will affect the order in which the text is read, and also which parts are noticed first and given emphasis. It is essential to decide which information is vital and needs to be emphasised in advance, and work from there.
- While the font style does play a role in the visual hierarchy, its size and arrangement tend to be more important. The style can be used to contrast certain words or lines against the rest of the caption, however, to place them higher up in the visual hierarchy.

4. Avoid using fonts that are too conflicting or too similar
- Contrast is good, but the conflict is terrible – and you want the font in your caption to ‘fit’ together harmoniously. That being said using a font that is too similar isn’t ideal either, as the distinction may not be evident at a glance and that would defeat the purpose.
- Once you select the ‘right’ font (or fonts) to use in your caption, it should be relatively easy to add text to photo or any image. For example, you could use Movavi Photo Editor, as it will give you full control over the font style, size, colour, and other parameters.

All said and done the right caption, paired with the right image, and in the correct font could transform your image. That being said it may take a bit of trial and error on your part – so be prepared to have to experiment with different fonts before you land on the right one.

Note: This is an authored post.

Echo Input Now Available To Buy On Amazon India - Make Your Ordinary Speakers Smart.

2019-01-18T16:58:00.004+05:30

Image Source: Amazon

Yesterday Amazon launched their newest Amazon Echo Input for the Indian audience. Echo Input is essentially a small device which converts any of your ordinary set of speakers into a smart speaker giving them access to Amazon Web Services with the help of Alexa. You can connect your Echo Input to your speaker via the support of a 3.5mm audio connector(Cable has been included in the box), or via Bluetooth just in case you have a wireless speaker. After the connection is complete, you can keep yourselves entertained with the help of Alexa as you can utilise thousands of Alexa Skills from the Skills store. The Echo Input comes with a four-microphone array setup so voice detection would be good enough that you can invoke the Alexa Assistant from quite a distance.

Echo Input Now Available To Buy On Amazon India - Make Your Ordinary Speakers Smart.

Image Source: Amazon

Speaking about it's all around form factor, the Echo Input is 12.5mm thick which is practically less than a deck of cards as quoted by Amazon's spokesperson. So it's sleek form factor helps it blend easily into any room. To check the additional functionalities of the Echo Input, one can use the Alexa App by downloading it from your respective app stores(Android/iOS). With the help of the app, you can create multi-room pairs to add a twist to your existing audio setup. Here if you have not connected your Echo Input to any other proprietary speaker, you won't be able to listen to the audio played as there are no speakers present on the Echo Input, which is unlike the small speaker present on the Echo Dot. However, you can control the volume of your Echo Input with your voice, though still the output of the same would be reflected on the connected speaker. Speaking about Audio, we are familiar with the fact that Amazon Prime Music subscription was announced earlier with Echo Legacy devices, which later expanded to Saavn and TuneIn. Well now with the help of the new launch of Echo Input, you can now enjoy your favourite music from the additional streaming services such as Hungama and Gaana starting today on all of your Echo Devices.

“Our customers tell us that they love the convenience of being able to ask Alexa to play music, get information, control smart home devices, & much more,” commented Jayshree Gururaj, Director, Amazon Devices. “With Echo Input, we are giving users even more options to choose the best Echo device for their needs. Adding Echo Input to your existing speakers is the easiest way to begin your voice-first experience with Alexa.”

Image Source: Amazon

There is some early launch offers with the all-new Echo Input as well with the following brands - Bose, JBL and UE Boom. So when you purchase specific speakers from these earlier mentioned brands, you get up to Rs. 2,999 off. You can find the details listed here: Echo Input Offers. The Echo Input is available at a stand-alone price of Rs, 2,999 and it would be shipped immediately once the order gets placed. It'll also be available locally in Chroma, Vijay Sales and other offline retailers shortly. So the Echo Input finally joins the family of Echo devices in the Indian Smart home space adding the power of Alexa without disrupting your existing audio setup.

Image Source: Amazon
Also See: Amazon Announces New 2018 Edition - Echo Dot, Echo Plus & Echo Sub in India.

Alexa Can Now Play Songs On Your Phone Via The New Hands-Free Feature In The Amazon Prime Music App.

2019-01-17T13:43:00.001+05:30

Image Source: Amazon

If you're an Amazon Prime Member, you must be pretty familiar with the Amazon Prime Music services as it comes bundled with the membership. Not so long ago, they introduced Alexa integration within their Prime Music app. After which you could interact with Alexa to play your favourite song or control your smart home right within the Amazon Prime Music app on your phone. However, all the actions earlier were initiated by tapping the Alexa button inside the app. But yesterday Amazon announced that now you can control Alexa hands-free within the app to start listening to your favourite music. You don't need to type, search or select any song; everything is controlled purely via your Voice.

Alexa Can Now Play Songs On Your Phone Via The New Hands-Free Feature In The Amazon Prime Music App.

Image Source: Amazon

Amazon Prime Music subscribers can get a taste of hands-free music listening experience with the help of Alexa to play the music on the go inside the app, whereas yes it's readily made available on both Android & iOS platforms. So what are all the likely possibilities that we can verify via this hands-free Alexa update? Let's break it down.

So primarily, it can be used to listen to your favourite tracks, playlists or any particular song as per your demands. You can create new playlists, play/pause/repeat, increase/decrease volume, listen to the latest songs etc. with your Voice.
The Hands-free experience can be accessed only when the user is using the app, which translates to the app being in the foreground and being active. It also works when you're listening to your favourite songs on your earphones; you can activate Alexa just by speaking the keyword, "Alexa, play......etc.". It is going to be a lot more convenient during workout sessions or let's say during any other task where your hands might be occupied in something else.
If you like a song which is currently playing, you can ask Alexa to add that particular song to your existing playlist or create a new one.
You can tell Alexa to play songs which you might not have heard since a while or play songs from the recently played playlists, and it'll do the required job. Primarily if you had an Echo device, all these existing commands would work the same here on your phone as before.

Image Source: Amazon

Mr.Sahas Malhotra, Director, Amazon Prime Music shared his thoughts on the launch, “We want to make music listening as easy & enjoyable as possible. The launch of the Hands-Free feature on the Amazon Prime Music app eliminates yet another step between you & your music, giving you the freedom from tapping the Alexa icon & simply asking for your favourite music and since its initial launch in the US in 2018, providing Hands-Free listening in the app has been one of the top requests by our listeners for the music app. Also, today, Amazon Prime Music is making mobile music streaming even better by enabling this new functionality in our app for our listeners. This brings the voice-forward music listening experience that customers love on Echo devices to the rich, visual mobile app interface”.

Image Source: Amazon

Amazon Prime members can access all these newly announced features for free starting today, all they have to do is update their app from their respective app stores. If you're not a prime member, then you can readily become one by signing up for the subscription service at Rs.129/month. Alternatively, if the users wish to disable the hand's free feature, they can do the same by unchecking the Hands-Free With Alexa mode in the settings tab inside the Amazon Prime Music app.

Image Source: Amazon
Also See: How to setup Amazon Alexa as your default assistant on your Android Device.

LG Unveils The World's First Rollable OLED TV at CES 2019.

2019-01-09T19:42:00.004+05:30

Image Source: LG

LG is back with a bang by introducing the World's First Rollable OLED TV in a stunning, small form factor. The model name goes like LG Signature OLED TV R(Model 65R9), where the R stands for creating a revolution in the indoor entertainment systems with the help of the motorised sliding rollable TV mechanism, all accessible at a touch of a button. This new standard of a size variable form factor is quite the future, and that combined with the industry-leading OLED technology is cherry on the top of the cake. The new form factor produces better image quality thanks to the OLED panel, whereas it also boosts the sound output as compared to the earlier iterations of their products.

LG Unveils The World's First Rollable OLED TV at CES 2019.

Image Source: LG

So the first thing that might come to your mind is why the rollable TV approach? Well, ever since the beginning of the Television era we have all seen the boring old rectangular designs, as seen with the transition of CRT to LCD/LED displays, thus providing only one traditional way to interact with your boring old TV set. So even if you were using your TV set for listening to your favourite music, unnecessary pixels were being utilised thus ending up in consumption of more power. Whereas speaking about the general scenario, the TV set design takes up a lot of space when it's turned off & no it doesn't add any value to your living room in that state. So throughout the years, various manufacturers have tried their best to make slimmer more variable designs(Wallpaper) to make it look natural at times in your home. But this week, the company LG breaks the barriers in this space by introducing rollable designs by not only crushing the standard stereotype but by actually creating something meaningful in the form of multiple view prospects that we would shortly discuss.

Image Source: LG

So the design as you can see from the image above is created in such a way that the display can magically rise up/down with the help of a button. LG quotes that this innovation defies logic and is a real game-changer regarding future tech. The LG Signature OLED TV can change itself in three different viewing modes - Full view, Line View & Zero View. All of these advancements are possible due to the ThinQ AI and the Alpha 9 Gen 2 processor on board. Now let's understand these three different viewing mode one by one.

Full View:

Image Source: LG

The Full View as the name suggests is the FullScreen viewing mode which delivers the best performance ensuring that the contrast, colours, depth and all the minute details are to its fullest extent. It also comes embedded with AI Picture feature(composed with deep learning) and the sound quality on board is powered by the LG's Alpha 9 Processor which is a 2nd generation chipset. The users have the novelty to use Amazon Alexa and control the viewing experience, listen to songs or set up their smart home with the same. Surprisingly enough, even Apple Airplay 2 and HomeKit services are available for them to consume. With the help of Airplay 2, the iOS/Mac users can easily play videos from iTunes, and other related apps from the Apple App Store directly to the LG Signature OLED TV R. HomeKit integration allows users to directly control their smart home gadgets from their TV sets using the Home App or via Siri. Both of these services offered by Amazon and Apple are made available on all of the LG's AI TV Lineup for 2019.

Line View:

Image Source: LG

The Line View offers a viewing experience in which the display screen opens up partially, which allows the use of some critical tasks or operations which do not require the entire screen real estate. In this mode, the users can use features such as Music Player, Home Dashboard Panel, Frames, Clock and Mood. When the user has selected the Clock mode, he/she can check the time and weather at a glance. In the Frame mode, one can view the family photos shared from their smartphone, whereas turning on the mood mode creates a relaxing atmosphere.

Zero View:

Image Source: LG

In the Zero View mode, the entire 65 inch TV display remains tucked inside the base. Though in this mode, the users can enjoy their favourite music from the 4.2 channel 100W front firing Dolby Atmos audio bar system. Even when the entire display is tucked in, the soundbar beneath exudes excellent quality finish due to the brushed aluminum casing of the body.

Apart from these details mentioned above, the Availability and pricing details are yet to be announced. However do keep an eye on our blog for much more coverage from CES 2019.

Source: LG
Also See: Matrix Powerwatch 2 Charges Via Body Heat And Boasts A Colour Display.

Matrix announces the new Matrix Powerwatch 2 - Uses Body Heat For Charging & Solar Power.

2019-01-08T12:04:00.001+05:30

Image Source: Matrix

Even the thought of holding a gadget that doesn't even require any physical charging to operate is splendid, on top of that if the same doesn't include any power input for juicing up might seem a bit tangy at first, but it's quite exciting. By the topic of this post, you already know that we're talking about Smartwatches. Smartwatch - an extension to your smartphone for having a glance over your notifications and for tracking your fitness activities. This space is getting densely crowded thanks to the several smartwatch manufacturers. But the fact that there's one extra device to charge daily just annoys me, which is why I usually opt for either Smartbands or Hybrid Smartwatches wherein there's a novelty of charging the particular device once a week or more at the minimum. Well, the company Matrix was first to the rescue by solving this problem earlier this year by launching their Matrix Powerwatch which used to charge via the body heat. But it had few shortcomings, so to address those issues, the company Matrix is back this year announcing their newest offering - Matrix Powerwatch 2 at CES 2019. Let's find out more about its specifications, pricing and availability.

Matrix announces the new Matrix Powerwatch 2 - Uses Body Heat For Charging & Solar Power.

Image Source: Matrix

Matrix Powerwatch 2 Specifications & Features:

It sports a 1.2 inch LCD colour display than the earlier black and white. It's an always-on display; however, you can get an option to disable that feature. According to several publications featuring the story & covering the event live, the outdoor visibility on the watch is quite good.
Comes with GPS location tracking support, heart rate monitoring and Fitness Tracking features(pace, distance, steps, sleep, cadence, and more.).
It charges via thermometric charging technology which converts the heat emitted heat from your wrist & the ambient light into power. Also as an addition to the earlier iteration, it now comes with solar charging inbuilt. There is no port available for power input. The Powerwatch 2 is also able to tell, how much power it gets received from your body heat.
Its available in 42mm dial features an aluminium casing and has a rubber strap. The watch has a rugged built which is durable for outdoor activities on a stretch.
It's water resistant up to 200 meters, so you can easily take it out for a spin inside swimming pool.

Image Source: Matrix

The main headlining feature above all in this smartwatch is the thermometric charging technology, which makes it stand apart from its category. It is the same technology used by NASA for powering the Voyager Spacecraft and the Mars Rover. This charging principle is base on the Seebeck effect discovered back in 1821. Even the Solar Cell ring has been positioned inside the watch's bezels which is capable of storing power from either Indoor or Outdoor lighting conditions.

Matrix Powerwatch 2 - Above & Beyond Charging Approach.

Image Source: Matrix

Talking about the footprint, the PowerWatch 2 is a bit smaller when compared to it's earlier iterations, although you can still easily make out from the image above that it won't go well on smaller wrists. However that same big rugged built makes it suitable for wearing it on hiking & outdoor activities. But apart from that this won't be called as a smart - smartwatch, as there's an absence of an App Store; meaning you cannot install any third party apps, which means, in turn, there would be limited support for push notifications. That being said, the Powerwatch 2 is compatible with Apple Homekit and Google Fit, wherein you can easily sync your fitness activities to have an in-depth breakout of your workout sessions on the respective platforms. You cannot even place calls from the watch; however, I find this feature to be useless so I wouldn't complain about it. So put it into a bigger picture the Powerwatch 2 cannot be compared to the likes of Apple Watch of the Google's large Android Wear devices, but instead, it can be considered as a novelty for those who rather stick to outdoor hikes or runs. It has been made for the ones who aren't always nearby a power source. So we must appreciate the efforts made by Matrix to go above an beyond the traditional and conventional approach and creating a masterpiece. It could quite possibly be the future of how smartwatches rather smart gadgets could get charged. Although I wish they find a way to support 3rd party apps in the coming generations ahead.

Image Source: Matrix

The PowerWatch 2 is available for pre-order on Indiegogo at an early bird offer for $199. The expected retails price is going to be $499 as mentioned on the Indiegogo campaign page followed by the products to hit the market in June 2019.

Image Source: Matrix

Source: Matrix via The Verge

Also See: 7 Things You Should Know About The Google Pixel 3 Devices.

Nokia 106 Launched In India - Specifications & Price

2019-01-05T14:06:00.003+05:30

Image Source: Nokia

Two days ago, HMD Global - parent company of Nokia announced their newest offering to the feature phone segment - the Nokia 106. As expected from a feature phone category, the new Nokia 106 offers incredible battery life & a simple, reliable design at an affordable price point. Let's find out more details on it regarding its specifications and price.

During the launch, Mr Ajey Mehta, Vice President and Country Head – India, HMD Global commented, “India is an important feature phone market. Consumers here seek outstanding battery life, a simple to use interface, & great durability from a trusted brand like Nokia. Nokia phones are synonymous with these qualities & we’re delighted to introduce the Nokia 106 to our feature phone portfolio & hope to continue to drive connectivity for millions of consumers here.”

Image Source: Nokia

Nokia 106 Launched In India - Specifications & Price.

It comes with an 800 mAh battery which can provide up to 15.7 hours of talk time and standby time up to 21 days on a single charge. Whereas to juice it back up, it comes with a micro-USB port for charging.
It features a polycarbonate body, and the company quotes that they have made the design to be less prone to scratches. The colour blends smoothly into the phone design as well, the phone is compact(70.2g) making it easier for a perfect grip in your hands. The company even says that keypad on the phones is more comfortable to type even in the dark, due to the proper feedback.
Regarding internal storage capacity, you can store up to 2000 contacts & about 500 messages.
The Nokia 106 also features an LED torch, and you can listen to your favourite radio stations with the help of the inbuilt FM option.
While giving it a classic retro touch, it comes pre-loaded with the Classic Snake Xenzia game.
Available in Dark Grey colour variant.

Image Source: Nokia

Nokia 106 - Price.

The Nokia 106 will retail for the price of Rs.1,299/- INR, and it'll be available across all major retailers in the country. You can find the phone listed on Nokia's website as well.

Best Buy Links(Slightly Costly):
Amazon - Rs.1499
Flipkart - Rs.1335

Source: Press Release

Source: Press Release.
Image Source: Nokia's Website.

Also See: Google Maps now displays "Auto Rickshaw" mode for public transport in Delhi.

Google launches new Google My Business App.

2018-12-26T12:22:00.003+05:30

Source: Google My Business

In this day and age, being digitally present is a key and an important task. More importantly, if you own a business, then creating a personal brand and creating awareness surrounding it should be one's utmost priority. On the other hand, Google has been helping out small and medium enterprises to stand out from the crowd by listing them on Google Maps since a while now. Looking at the increasing demand of the users, yesterday Google released an entirely new and redesigned version of the Google My Business app. The new app extends the services catering free and straightforward tools for SMEs to begin their digital journey around the globe via listings on Google Maps and then expanding their online presence with Google Search.

The new app lets any business to update their profile, interact with the customers and find new ones in real time. The app now supports new features such as customer tab, new post button & bottom navigation bar. The latest update also lets SME's to connect with the customers and interact with them directly within the app. It is quite helpful as there's none other medium involved in the between, which is helpful in building trust factor between the customers and the SME's.

Source: Google My Business

The new post button provides an easy way for any SME's to post and create meaningful content revolving around their products/services. They can quickly post photos, share offers, organise events and let these things to be displayed directly on their profile on Google for anyone to see, as the profile is public. Any changes made here in respect to information on the profile will be reflected directly in real time on Google Maps and Google Search.
The customer tab, lets businesses connect with the customers by replying their posted reviews or in a one on one manner via messages option. Here the businesses also get an idea of their followers as whenever a customer follows them, they receive a notification about the same.
With the help of the navigation bar present on the bottom, businesses can track the search results/queries that are relevant to them, as this option provides one-tap access to Home, Customer & Profile tab.

Commenting on the launch, Shalini Girish, Director - Marketing Solutions, Google India said; “The new Google My Business app deepens our commitment to help businesses grow online. The new app will encourage businesses to manage their presence on Google in real time, make their profiles more appealing & interact with customers. For instance, if you’re a restaurant owner & have a packed house on a Friday night, the app allows you to create a post with a picture of the restaurant to engage with prospective customers on Maps and Search. It’s this real-time presence that we hope will go a long way in helping businesses attract new customers and bring back existing ones.”

Google launches new Google My Business App

The new Google My Business app can be downloaded from the respective app store platforms, ie. Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

Source: Google My Business

Throughout the years, Google India has been helping out small and medium enterprises to expand their business online through several initiatives. The SMEs who have a website associated with Google My Business get the benefit to create free and mobile-optimised sites immediately in 10 regional languages and more than 800,000 Indian businesses are already utilising these services. If anyone wants to learn any of the digital marketing services, Google offers the same in the form of a free app called primer which has also been downloaded more than 6.2 million times. Google even provides programs such as Digital Unlocked which has been designed to inject SMBs with digital skills via online and offline training modules. Google India has trained over 360,000 SMBs in the past two years.

Also See: Google Maps now displays "Auto Rickshaw" mode for public transport in Delhi.
Source: Google My Business

Google Maps now displays "Auto Rickshaw" mode for public transport in Delhi.

2018-12-18T16:24:00.003+05:30

Image Source: Google Post.

Remember those early mornings? Getting up late and then scrambling all of a sudden to get to your workplace on time? Almost everyone one of us faces these challenges on a daily basis. While we're on to that subject, we also cannot forget on the universal mode of transport - Auto Rickshaws. Though with the same topic, we also know the daily hassle to catch one, then helping in navigate and then negotiate with the drivers for the fare. So to merely solve this problem, Google has come up with a solution. Now, the commuters residing in Delhi will be able to use a new public transport mode in Google Maps with the tag - Auto Rickshaws. Hence while navigating from Point A to Point B, the commuters will now be able to view the respective routes according to their coordinates as well as the estimated Auto Rickshaw fares that would be charged by the drivers for the selected paths. It's going to be a lot helpful for the commuters residing in the town or maybe for the tourists, who are readily charged more in often cases. The same will also be beneficial in planning out on a trip promptly when a commuter might be on a tight budget inside the city. This new feature is available under the commute tab under the "Public Transport & Cab" modes in the Google Maps, whereas speaking about the accuracy regarding the Auto Rickshaw fares, Google has received the official fare model from the Delhi Traffic Police. This feature is rolled out in Google Maps on Android Devices.

Mr Vishal Dutta, Product Manager - Google Maps shared his thoughts on the launch, “The idea of this feature is to incorporate one of most commonly used modes of public transport in Google Maps & share transparent information about the price of the journey. Currently, for an unfamiliar journey, commuters often overpay & don't have an idea about the distance or best route. The feature will also help the users plan their journey better, so they could look at the expected cost of the auto-rickshaw ride & decide whether they want to take it all the way, or perhaps take a different mode of transport instead -- like a bus or the metro.”

If you're a commuter who resides in Delhi, you must update the Google Maps to the latest version(V.10.6 & above) from Google Play Store. Then to use the same, the user must tap on Directions followed by Public Transport tab. You will now find Auto Rickshaw result in the "Also Consider" section. Now after selecting the same, the commuter will be able to see the estimated fare of their journey along with the route's traffic information. This method is precisely the same used for booking cabs via Google Maps.

With the help of data accessed by the daily commuters, Google can help users with the real-time traffic worldwide. Google continues to evolve in this department by adding new partners very often. Many of these services regarding updates on real-time transit information would be soon announced and would be made readily available for the users. Just the Auto Rickshaw transit mode announced in Google Maps. It's still unclear whether when the company will be rolling out these updates to other cities. However, we will be sure to provide updates on the same.

Image Source: Google Blog.

Also See: 7 Things You Should Know About The Google Pixel 3 Devices.

7 Things You Should Know About The Google Pixel 3 Devices.

2018-10-13T21:43:00.004+05:30

Source: Press Release

The new Pixel devices are out & for the sake of the conversion, let's settle on the fact that the company has trolled us all with their last tweet. The tweet which essentially conveyed, did YouTubers knew everything? So after the most significant leak of all time, the new Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL is finally out. More than it hurts to see that Jaw-drop of a Notch, it seems at least for this year, we just got to accept it. Hence instead of covering the launch, we thought instead we should bring you the best seven things that you should know regarding the new Pixel 3 devices.

7 Things You Should Know About The Google Pixel 3 Devices.

Source: Press Release

1. Exclusive Features Of Google Lens:

Google Lens is a feature that allows you to find, interact and surf things better by just pointing your camera and letting Google's AI do its work. If you have never used this, you can now use it by downloading the Google Lens standalone app from the Play Store. Also as a tip, if your device is on Android Oreo and above, the Google Lens feature can be found integrated within the Google Assistant. Fire up your Google Assistant, and you can see the Google Lens logo on the lower left corner.
Now for Pixel 3 devices, the Google Lens feature has been enhanced to the core. The Google Lens feature can easily recognise Web URLs, E-Mail IDs, Phone Numbers, Local Addresses and QR Codes in real time just by pointing your camera towards it, while you're using this feature. This feature doesn't even require you to have an active internet connection, so in a hurry, this might be your time saviour.
All you have to do is point your camera to the subject, long press and hold on the object while you're in the viewfinder, then you can do things such as identify objects, plants, animals, copy text in real-time & search for the items that you've discovered via the camera lens. That is exquisite, and my most favourite part is the copy text option. Are you kidding me, copying text from the viewfinder? That's some nerdy thing.

2. New Updated Camera:

Source: Press Release

We all know that when it comes to smartphone photography, nothing comes nearby a Pixel smartphone. The Google Pixel 2 was already the benchmark in this category, now with the announcement of Pixel 3, that gets elevated to the extreme.
Top Shot & Night Sight mode announced with the new Pixel 3 are so astounding.
Top Shot: With the help of this feature, the user can stay at ease by never missing that point precision moment. As sometimes when we click a photo in an urgent moment, it's often.. that we blink. Whereas as that moment is gone we cannot retake that shot, but not with the new Top Shot feature. Due to the addition of this feature, Google's AI automatically takes few shots after and before you pressed the shutter button. Now you can revisit a clicked photo under photo settings and select the needed shot. Fun Fact, even here Google's AI suggests you 3-4 best shots out of the multiple shots taken by it.
Night Sight: This new mode makes the photos taken under low lighting conditions - bright and sharp. They even showed a comparison with iPhone XS Max and Pixel 3 using this mode, as expected the shot on the Pixel 3 was miles better. However, this mode will be soon available on the Pixel 3 via a software update.
With the help of a Dual Wide angle lens and Google's sorcery with image processing, the new Pixel 3 devices will be able to take Group selfies like never before. Precisely about 184% perfect more field of view than the usual selfie camera lens, as quoted by Google.
You can even shoot RAW photos now and later on play with your favourite photo editing app to extract details from the shot. All of this is again coupled with Google's unlimited Photos storage for free until 1/31/2022.

3. New Updated Google Assistant:

Source: Press Release

Call Screen Feature: This was probably the mode that blew everyone's mind as it was an extension of the Google Duplex AI, the weird call conversation that Google had showcased us during the Google IO 2018. Call Screen is a feature in which when the user receives a regular phone call he gets the option to either pick it up or else select Screen Call. When you select Screen Call, the Google AI speaks with the person on behalf of you getting the relevant questions as to who had called and what was the reason? You get to see the entire call conversation in real time on your phone's screen in a chat format. So that, if you feel that the person trying to call you is essential of any kind, then you have an option to pick up the call right away. This feature would be very much helpful for avoiding the useless telemarketing calls and maybe ignoring that less important person at ease. Although I'm now worried about the people, who are in relationships because that's going to hit hard.
You will now receive a snapshot of your day with things such as reminders, calendar events, traffic alerts, weather information etc. whenever you fire up your Google Assistant.

Note: Recently many new features have been introduced in Google Assistant, we have covered them in a separate post here.

4. Introduction of Playground:

Source: Press Release

So Playground is a new camera mode announced in the Pixel 3 devices, which is kind of similar to the AR Stickers mode currently present. However now you can interact with the Objects present in the Augmented World, so let's say if you're in a sad mood, the characters you choose will display similar behaviour. It's essentially predicted by the AI depending upon your facial expressions.
You can use the Playground mode to either click photos or shoot videos. Depending upon your background scenario, this mode will automatically suggest you captions and provide smart suggestions to amp up your shot.
Soon more characters will be included from the Marvel cinematic universe and with subjects like Sports, Weather, Signs etc.
This mode will be soon available to all older Pixel devices in the coming months.

5. Using Google Assistant while your phone is docked-in.

Source: Press Release

Along with the new Pixels, Google also announced an additional accessory, the Pixel Stand for the Pixel 3 devices. The Pixel stand is essentially a Wireless charger which with the help of software helps the Pixel 3 devices to act as a nightstand where in your Google Assistant can be triggered with your voice. You can also select the Google Assistant logo on the screen to trigger it.
Here when you set the alarm and let's say it gets triggered in the morning, the Alarm will wake you up with warm sunrise colours by slowly brightening the screen before turning off.
It also provides the novelty of displaying pictures from your favourite albums on your phone while it's getting charged and is docked on the Pixel Stand.

6. Digital Wellbeing:

Source: Press Release

Digital wellbeing has been announced with the launch of Android 9 Pie; however, it wasn't available to the masses due to the beta phase. However, with the new Pixels, that's not the case. Digital wellbeing is a place present under settings, wherein the AI will show you how frequently you're using the phone and on which apps are you consuming most of your time. All this data will be presented to you in a dashboard view.
Now you can keep your phone face down to turn on Do Not Disturb, and with the help of this, it'll trigger the new Shh mode. In this mode, your phone will ignore all the notifications.
You can also set timers on how much time you wish to use a specific app, upon which you will receive a pop-up after the timer goes off.
The Wind Down mode will automatically trigger up turning the screen grey after you have used the phone for a certain period.

7. Privacy and Security Layers:

The new Pixel 3 devices get a dedicated Titan M chipset that adds security features and which keeps track of all the sensitive data that's present on the phone. This new custom chipset adds a security layer by safeguarding your lock screen and strengthening disk encryption.
It also takes care of the vulnerable threats coming to the operating system and helps the critical transactions happening on your devices under security.

7 Things You Should Know About The Google Pixel 3 Devices.

Source: Press Release

Google Pixel 3 devices also come with Type-C earphones which is pre-included in the box, though without using it it's hard to provide any verdict on it. Pixel 3 and 3XL are currently available for pre-booking on Flipkart and would be open to buy from 31st October. Anyways, we hope that you enjoyed reading the top 7 things we have brought up regarding the new Pixel 3 devices. If you did, share it on twitter and let us know if we have missed any.

Also See: You Can Now Use Google Pay(Formerly Tez) To Pay For Your Uber Rides In India.
Image Courtesy: Press Release & Google(global).

Now You Can Book A Cab Ride With Google Assistant.

2018-10-05T13:49:00.007+05:30

Image Source: Google Press Kit

Remember those moments where you were in a hurry to rush over to the office to avoid the trouble of getting late, followed by the hassle to then getting in your car & again entering the details on your phone for navigation... A lot of time wasted right? This entire hassle reduces if you have let's a smart speaker like Google home, in such a case, you can easily say, "Hey Google, send me directions to XYZ on my phone", next thing you know while unlocking your phone is all you need to tap on start the navigation. Similarly, today Google is extending their services to book cab rides directly from your google assistant integrating the supported cab services from your area.

Now You Can Book A Cab Ride With Google Assistant.

Just pull out your phone and say, “Hey Google, book a ride to the Bluebird Cafe” or “Hey Google, get me a taxi to Indira Gandhi International Airport.” and it'll show relevant cab ride options with the estimated pricing, wait times and more from every option shown as a cab ride(Uber, OLA, Meru, etc.). If you want let's say a specific cab ride from a specific provider, ask for it. It will be something like, “Hey Google, get me an Ola ride to Gateway of India” or “Hey Google, get me an Uber ride to Gateway of India.”. The same services can be accessed when leaving to your commute via your Google Home, where the Google Assistant will show the relevant options on your phone, provided you're using the same Google account.

Image Source: Press Release

Once you have got your preferred cab service, select it, so that the corresponding app would open up to complete the later process. These features are rolling out in the English Language first and would be available in limited countries to begin wherever Google has one of their supported ride service partners. Google plans to expand these services to many more languages in the coming months. Convenient functions like these would be beneficial while heading out to anyone's party or family dinner where we usually are always in a rush.

Also See: You Can Now Use Google Pay(Formerly Tez) To Pay For Your Uber Rides In India.

Amazon India Announces The New Fire TV Stick 4K & The All New Alexa Voice Remote Supporting TV controls.

2018-10-04T13:48:00.002+05:30

Image Source: Press Release

Yesterday Amazon India announced its new Fire TV Stick 4K in India as a successor to the 2nd Generation Fire TV Stick. This new Fire TV Stick 4K comes with an all-new Alexa Voice Remote with dedicated voice controls buttons which were found to be missing on the earlier generation remote. The entire bundle is available for the price of Rs.5,999. However, if you wish to buy the new Alexa Remote, it's available for Rs.1,999 as it is backwards compatible with the 2nd Gen Fire TV Stick.

Amazon India Announces The New Fire TV Stick 4K & The All New Alexa Voice Remote Supporting TV controls.

The new Fire TV Stick 4K is the first streaming stick from Amazon to support Dolby Vision and HDR10+ for achieving the optimum viewing experience.
The new Alexa Voice Remote now houses a dedicated Volume, Power and Mute buttons with which you can now easily control your TV.
Fire Stick 4K comes with a quad-core processor which is clocked at 1.7GHz which in turn delivers faster loading times and provides a good streaming experience. There are also a vast number of 4K titles including 4K Ultra HD, Dolby Vision & HDR+ supported content. Just say, "Alexa show me 4K TV shows".
The users can also experience 3D surround sound with the compatible home theatre equipment systems.

Image Source: Amazon

Mr Marc Whitten, VP - Amazon Fire TV said, “We’ve listened to our customers and pushed to deliver a higher performance Fire TV. The new quad-core processor delivers a fast and fluid experience, and support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+ provides an amazing picture quality,” He then added, “It is a complete 4K solution our customers are looking for, all within a compact stick form factor. The team invented an entirely new antenna technology & combined that with a powerful 802.11ac Wi-Fi to optimize for the best possible 4K UHD streaming experience, even in congested network environments. Plus, the all-new Alexa Voice Remote lets you control your complete entertainment experience & use your voice to find the content you want quickly. Just say, ‘Alexa, find comedies’, or ‘Alexa, play The Grand Tour’.

Not to forget about the thousands of apps and Alexa Skills catered for the Fire Stick and Alexa Remote. Same goes for the vast amount of content which includes new and upcoming movies and TV episodes present on Prime Video, Netflix, Hotstar and others. Users can even get the glimpse of their social media channels with the supported FireFox or the preloaded Silk Browser. Not to mention the swift workaround to access the YouTube content. The users can also enjoy listening to their favourite music via several apps such as Amazon Prime Music, Saavn and TuneIn.

Image Source: Amazon

Finding anything on the Fire TV Stick 4K now becomes much easier with the help of the new Alexa Remote. Users can press and hold the microphone button to search Movies, TV shows, Apps, check sports scores and even order food, book a cab, view live camera feeds, control your smart home - all thanks to the Alexa integration in the Fire TV Stick. Users also have the novelty to enable the Far Field Voice control on their Fire TV Stick 4K with the help of their existing Echo devices. Now imagine integrating the recently announced Echo Plus and Echo Subdevices, that'll be like bringing a party to your home. Integration of Echo devices also translates to the fact that the user can now watch and enjoy movies & songs without even touching the Remote. Just say, "Alexa, play ******* on my Fire TV."

Amazon India Announces The New Fire TV Stick 4K & The All New Alexa Voice Remote Supporting TV controls.

Availability & Pricing:
The new Fire Stick 4K is available for pre-order on Amazon India at a price of Rs.5,999 including the new Alexa Remote. While the standalone Alexa Remote costs about Rs.1,999 only. Both of these devices will start shipping from starting November 14.

Fire TV Stick 4K: amazon.in/firetvstick4k
Alexa Voice Remote: amazon.in/alexavoiceremote

Image Source: Amazon

All the existing Fire TV devices in India will soon receive a software update starting from 14th November which will enable Alexa support on Fire TV which includes the Far Field Control support as well.

Also See: Amazon Announces New 2018 Edition - Echo Dot, Echo Plus & Echo Sub in India.

You Can Now Use Google Pay(Formerly Tez) To Pay For Your Uber Rides In India.

2018-09-27T17:56:00.004+05:30

Source: Google Blog

If you can recall, recently Google India renamed "Tez" app as "Google Pay" looking at its popularity, given the little time. Google even announced a lot of cashback schemes revolving around the app such as assured cashback. Today Google expanded their Google Pay services to be used for booking cabs on Uber in India. We all know the hassle of carrying extra cash or maybe fighting for that extra dime of change, whereas some of us even hate the fact to load money into digital wallets. Now the Google Pay integration immediately eradicates this problem as now the payment you make for your corresponding cab ride will be deducted directly from your bank account after the secure authentication.

The users will also be rewarded with assured cashback up to Rs.1000/- when the user takes a total of 10 rides, and he/she makes the payment via Google Pay. Again this assured cashback you receive will be deposited directly in your Google Pay associated Bank Account.

You Can Now Use Google Pay(Formerly Tez) To Pay For Your Uber Rides In India.

Image Source: Google Blog

Google is thoughtfully expanding their services in the country to onboard more users and make a good step towards cashless payments without the hassle of digital wallets. They're on the verge of integrating Google Pay with many apps, websites and even offline retail stores. Speaking about Online merchants, currently, you can use Google Pay at Goibibo, FreshMenu, BookMyShow, RedBus and over 2000+ other app & websites. Google hopes that extending their Google Pay payments services for Uber India is a step in the right direction for the customers and believes that the users would enjoy it.

Amazon Announces New 2018 Edition - Echo Dot, Echo Plus & Echo Sub in India.

2018-09-27T15:52:00.004+05:30

Source: Press Kit.

When it comes to competing in the Smart Home Speakers race with Google, Apple and Samsung, Amazon has instead stayed ahead of the curve due to the vast ecosystem of the skill-sets present on AWS store. Another strong point that remains in Amazon's repertoire is that they were the first to bring such a concept and suddenly with the boom of IOT, the idea of having a smart speaker in the house has taken off. Extending their portfolio today, Amazon introduced new Echo Dot and Echo Plus. Echo Sub was also introduced in the Echo Family, letting users add a sub-woofer to the compatible Echo devices.

Amazon Announces New 2018 Edition - Echo Dot, Echo Plus & Echo Sub In India.

The New Echo Dot:

Source: Press Kit

The new Echo Dot gets a wholly refreshed look, it looks a bit bulkier and if you could relate it seems much more like Homepod's Design due to the new Fabricated look and appeal. This new design brings the only biggest concern with the Echo Dot, which is the enhanced powerful sound support. While as always there's a 3.5mm audio jack present in the back so that the user has the novelty to add it to his home theatre or any music system supported. Besides you can also connect it to the Bluetooth supported audio devices. It's available in following colours - Charcoal, Heather Gray and Sandstone variants. It can perform all the functions any Echo Device can perform(including setting up alarms, playing music, set timers, alarms and controlling your smart home devices etc.); however, you might get the Audio Heavy performance as expected from its superior siblings. Despite this fact, the new Echo Dot gets priced at Rs.4,499 which is the same price the earlier generation Echo Dot received.

The New Echo Plus:

Source: Press Kit

The Echo plus is an upgrade to the existing Echo Plus, however in a much more bloated version, it seems as if the old version was cramped and squeezed to fit the new design. The new variant even comes with a built-in Zigbee smart hub just like the last generation Echo Plus. With the simple command, "Alexa, discover my devices,” you can connect the supported Zigbee router and end node devices without the need of any proprietary app. Still the integrated Smart Hub lacks the support for Z-Wave devices, as usual; however, it includes an integrated temperature sensor which will determine the temperature, but cannot control it stand alone. Though with the help of Alexa, you can create smart routines upon which if the temperature exceeds a certain threshold, your AC could turn on provided it's connected to a smart plug. Speaking about the aesthetics, the new Echo Plus features a large 3" Neodymium woofer which helps in increased volume, resulting in better bass output. It's available in Charcoal, Heather Gray and Sandstone variants. The all new Echo Plus still retains the same price tag, which is it gets priced at Rs.14,999.

The New Echo Sub: First Wireless SubWoofer.

Source: Press Kit

The Echo Sub is the newest addition to the Echo family. The Echo Sub is a wireless SubWoofer which connects to your existing Echo devices, with this one can create a 1.1 or 2.1 stereo surround sound setup with compatible devices. Besides, the user gets to adjust the Bass, Mid-Range and Treble with the equaliser feature via the command, "Alexa, turn up the Bass/Treble."

Jayshree Gururaj, Director of Amazon Devices, "We want you to have access to Alexa everywhere—in your living room, kitchen, bedroom or the office”. He added, “We are excited today to expand the number of ways customers can use Alexa in their homes to make their lives more convenient — whether it’s asking for the day’s highlights in the morning, listening to music in the evening, or simply saying ‘Alexa, good night,’ to turn the lights off & turn on the AC.”

Amazon Announces New 2018 Edition - Echo Dot, Echo Plus & Echo Sub in India.

Availability:
All the newly launched Echo devices are available to buy on Amazon India right at this moment, click here to visit. However the new Echo Dot and Echo Plus will start shipping next month, whereas the Echo Sub will be available later in the year.

Also Read: Fossil launches their 4th Gen Smartwatches dubbed under Fossil Q lineup.

Vivo V11 Pro Launched - A Fancier Halo Notch upgrade to the Vivo X21.

2018-09-06T12:58:00.000+05:30

Source: Press Release

Vivo has been catching a lot of heat lately ever so slightly after the introduction of the In-Display fingerprint scanning mechanism. Right from the concepts of Vivo Apex to the reality in the form of Vivo X21 and Vivo Nex S, the company has progressed a lot in the process. They managed to create vows in the mobile industry and fans have never been more excited about the recent launches. Right after progressing in the direction of a Motorized, Pop-up Front Camera module to the In-Display Fingerprint mechanism, Vivo is now introducing "Halo FullView Display" which is essentially introducing a cuter version of the not so fancy - "Notch." The internet called it the TearDrop/WaterDrop notch; however, it's getting termed as "Halo FullView Display" not so fancy name we guess. Let's find out more about the new Vivo V11 Pro regarding specifications, pricing, and availability. Although to the most part, the Vivo V11 Pro is merely a small upgrade to the Vivo X21.

Vivo V11 Pro Launched - A Fancier Halo Notch upgrade to the Vivo X21.

Vivo V11 Pro Specifications:

It houses a 2.2GHz Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660(4x2.2 GHz Kryo 260 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 260) chipset which is coupled with Adreno 512 GPU & 6GB RAM.
The V11 Pro comes with 128GB. Whereas expansion is available up to 256GB via a MicroSD memory card slot(Dedicated Slot).
It has 6.41-inch Full HD+(1080*2340) Super AMOLED panel which gives it about 402PPI pixel density. This design introduces a new type of Halo notch on the front, in turn, providing much more real estate to the user. It also comes with Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection.
The rear panel comes with a dual-lens camera setup with first a 12MP sensor having a F/1.8 aperture with Dual Pixel PDAF. While the second lens is a 5MP shooter with F/2.4 aperture. This configuration also includes a Dual LED Flash. While accompanying it is the Backlight HDR and Low Light photography modes for yielding better shots. Video can be shot at 2160p@30fps and 1080p@30fps.
The front camera setup is a single lens setup which houses a 25MP shooter with F/2.0 aperture; it comes with AI Stickers features. It shoots maximum at 1080p@30fps.
It supports Dual Nano SIMs(4G) having a hybrid slot setup.
It runs on FunTouch OS 4.5 which is built on top of Android 8.1 Oreo.
Regarding connectivity, it comes with 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac dual band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, Radio FM support, 3.5mm audio jack & A-GPS.
Concerning sensors there's the Proximity Sensor, Accelerometer, Compass and even an In-Display fingerprint sensor.
It houses a non-removable Li-Ion 3400 mAh battery with support for fast VOOC charging(5V=4A), however via a MicroUSB 2.0 connection port. Though it's reversible, so that's a bonus.
Comes in 2 different color variants - Starry Night & Dazzling Gold.
It weighs 156 gms.

Source: Editorial team

The Vivo V11 Pro houses a poly fibre body which is a mixture of both metal and plastic. All in all, the device looks and feels premium, those radiant colors make it look overall appealing. Now it might attract fingerprints; however, the radiant color might be able to hide the smudges more efficiently. The idea of a smaller notch is quite exciting but at the same time, it gets spooky if you think about the Facial Recognition features though Vivo has quoted that it scans 1,024 facial feature points to unlock instantly, even in the dark. It's hard to judge that based upon our first look at the device here at the event. If we get the review unit, we would be sure to put the device through its paces to find out more on it in in-depth. However, as an exception, the V11 Pro marches ahead in the fast charging department which was earlier a disappointment in Vivo X21 due to the lack of Fast Charging speeds(Not support). Recently Oppo was the first to bring the Halo Notch to the mobile market segment with their new Oppo F9 Pro. However, the V11 Pro looks much more appealing concerning being value for money due to the In-Display fingerprint scanning mechanism.

Pricing & Availability:

Vivo V11 Pro: 6GB/128GB ROM: Rs.25,990.

Speaking about the availability, it'll be available in the offline market throughout the chain of Vivo's official & partner retail stores. While it'll be exclusively available on Flipkart starting from Sept 2018 itself. There are several offers as well beginning with Free Screen Replacement, Extra Rs.2000/- for HDFC Card users. etc.

Vivo V11 Pro Launched - A Fancier Halo Notch upgrade to the Vivo X21.

Source: Editorial team

Do you think that the newly launched Vivo V11 Pro be able to compete with the recently announced Poco F1? Regarding cosmetics, the V11 Pro is our pick. However, we know that regarding specifications and benchmarks, the Poco F1 is the king. Would be compromising specifications for the aesthetics? I think we would. Stay tuned to our social channels for more coverage on the device, as our video will be live shortly on the YouTube channel.

Fossil launches their 4th Gen Smartwatches dubbed under Fossil Q lineup.

2018-08-09T17:12:00.004+05:30

Even though the smartwatch market might be pretty fragile when it comes to innovations, there are a couple of brands like Apple, Mobvoi, Huawei, Xiaomi & Samsung that like to stay ahead of the curve. Fossil as a brand has also stayed ahead in the competition however in terms of offering beautiful cosmetics. However today Fossil extended their portfolio by launching 4th Generation of their already popular smartwatches as an attempt to target the tech-savvy audience or let's even say they're no focusing on ergonomics. The key highlights of these smartwatches are that they feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon Wear 2100 processor, Heart Rate scanner, Untethered GPS, NFC, & more. These new smartwatches would allow the user to customize the straps & even help in personalizing the dial from the available collection of more than 36+ dials. Whereas the best part is that, it runs on Android Wear OS 2.0 powered by Google. Now let's find out in detail about the new Fossil Q Venture HR and Fossil Q Explorist HR.

Image Source: Press Release.

Fossil Q Venture HR and Fossil Q Explorist HR Features & Specifications:

It features a Stainless steel case (Venture HR: 40mm / Explorist HR: 45mm) with interchangeable straps and bracelets (Venture HR: 18mm / Explorist HR: 22mm).
Support Bluetooth, Wireless syncing & Magnetic charging.
Battery life is expected to be more than 24+ hrs.
Comes equipped with Heart Rate(Automatic tracking via Google Fit), NFC, GPS, Altimeter, Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Ambient Light & Microphone.
Has Qualcomm Snapdragon 2100 chipset onboard, while runs on Wear OS platform.
Compatibility: Android KitKat 4.4+ & iOS 9.3+.

Steve Evans, EVP of Fossil shared his thoughts on the launch, "Since our entry to the smartwatch market, it has always been our priority to be nimble & adapt quickly to innovations-both in technology & design. We know a lot of watch wearers have both a traditional watch & some activity tracker — by adding significant features regarding technology, without compromising our design standards, this new generation of smartwatch will provide consumers with one device that fits all of their needs. Ensuring the best possible experience for our customers has always been important, which drove the innovation of this product; we cannot wait to see the consumer response around the globe.’’

Fossil Q Venture HR and Fossil Q Explorist HR:

These new smartwatches will now have unique fossil dials that'll have heart rate tracking integrated so that users can get a glimpse of their health status without any additional taps. NFC unlocks the capabilities for wireless payments, which might be likely convenient during your daily office transit. Google Pay has been made exclusively available for the same. It also adds a security layer as it allows users to set up a unique lock code of their choice for privacy-related issues. Untethered GPS will enable users to tacks their steps, calories burnt via Google Fit app or any other 3rd party app available on Play Store. This feature is standalone and doesn't require the user to carry his phone along with himself during workouts. The new Venture and Explorist edition watches will also provide the user to track his swim workouts, hop in to shower or tap a dip in the pool as it's waterproof. Users can even save music offline on the internal storage to enjoy the music, whenever they're not carrying their phone around. These new generation watches retail for $255-$275 and would be soon available by the end of Q4 2018(October) in India. For it seems Fossil as a brand has been well aware that their customers shouldn't sacrifice productivity for novelty. If you want to learn more, visit here: Fossil Q

Image Source: Press Release.

Also See: Amazon Announces New 2018 Edition - Echo Dot, Echo Plus & Echo Sub in India.

Movavi Video Converter Review: Convert Video Formats Quickly and Easily

2018-08-01T17:30:00.002+05:30

If you’re watching videos on a computer you normally don’t have to worry much about the format, it is in – but the same can’t be said of many other devices. Often you’ll face compatibility issues when watching certain formats on mobile devices, DVD players, and set-top boxes, and may not be able to view some content. In some cases, you may be able to get around compatibility issues by downloading special players or apps, though that isn’t always possible. That is the main reason why a video format converter like Movavi Video Converter (http://www.movavi.com/videoconverter/) could be a big help – as it will let you convert videos to the formats you need and avoid any compatibility issues.

Movavi Video Converter Review: Convert Video Formats Quickly and Easily

Easily Convert Videos To Different Formats:

While there are numerous converters out there, Movavi Video Converter sets itself apart due to how easy it is to use. If you want to convert any video with it all you need to do is add the video, choose the format that you want, and click on the ‘Convert’ button. The simple and clean user interface will ensure that you have no problem doing any of that, and it should take a minute or so at most. If you aren’t sure what format you want to use you can try out the presets in Movavi Video Converter that will automatically use the best format and video settings for specific devices and platforms.

Important Features of Movavi Video Converter:

Aside from being able to convert videos into various formats, Movavi Video Converter has a lot of other important features that you should know about:

Convert media files including audio files and images between different formats.
Cross-convert files to different types of media to create animated GIFs from video clips, extract audio tracks from videos, or save screenshots of video frames.
Compress video file size by manually adjusting the bitrate or setting the desired output file size and automatically having the bitrate adjusted to match.
Resize the frame of videos and images by a percentage, to a specific size or to fit into a frame using several different methods.
Adjust and edit videos to enhance their quality, stabilize shaky videos, add customizable text elements, trim out unwanted parts, and more.

Overall it should be clear that the features in Movavi Video Converter aren’t limited to just converting video formats – but are designed to help prepare all types of media files. In short, it is more of an all-round utility to manage media files.

Final Verdict:

Considering how frequently most people watch videos and handle media files in general, having a format converter is definitely a good idea – and Movavi Video Converter will fulfill that role with gusto. It’s simple, and user-friendly approach will ensure that you’re able to convert videos and take advantage of all its other features without any difficulty. Suffice to say it is well worth trying it out and seeing just how much it could help you on a day to day basis.

Note: This is a sponsored post.

Here are all the Tech Deals of the Amazon Prime Day 2018!

2018-07-16T12:44:00.001+05:30

So Amazon is starting it's Prime Day bonanza offers by introducing a plethora of offers to begin with their "Amazon Prime Day 2018" exclusively for Prime members. Now's your chance to become an Amazon Prime Member to extract all the benefits in their Prime Day 2018. Today the company is planning to begin with over 200 exclusive product launches across all genres which includes Oneplus 6 Red edition launch, Intel's 8th Generation gaming laptops, Nestlé NesPlus breakfast cereals, Season’s Iconic Styles by Marks & Spencer, Bosch Microwave oven, ASICS shoes, LEGO Taj Mahal & much more exclusively to it's Prime members.

Here are all the Tech Deals of the Amazon Prime Day 2018!

So to make everything organized, we have made a list of all the available offers as follows which start today at 12:00 PM IST:

- OnePlus 6 Red Edition available in the 8GB RAM + 128GB Memory variant for INR 39,999; extra up to INR 2000 off on exchange.

- Moto E5 Plus is available for INR 11,999 with extra INR 1000 off on exchange.
- Members who buy a TCL 139.7 cm (55 inches) 4K Smart TV get a TCL 81.28 cm (32 inches) TV for INR 1.
- Activity Tracker with BP & Heart Rate monitor from GOQii, with personal coaching.
- Best-ever savings on Amazon Echo including a 45% discount on Echo Dot. Watch out for a flash sale on Echo Spot at 3 PM (IST) today. Also, save big on the latest smart home products such as Alexa enabled smart plugs, lights, cameras & more.
- Flat 25% off on the bestselling Kindle Paperwhite WiFi, 20% discount on the All-New Kindle, best discount of 15% on the Kindle Oasis.
- Best-ever savings on Fire TV with Amazon Pay discount of up to 100% cashback when purchased along with select TV brands. Or avail INR 300 cashback via Amazon Pay when bought with any TV during Prime Day. 30% discount on Fire TV Stick only.
- Prime members who use at least four skills will get INR 200 Amazon Pay Cashback. Alexa has over 15,000 skills. To explore a few ask, “Alexa, help me relax,” “Alexa, let’s play a game” or “Alexa, I want to meditate.” Skills excluded from the offer – Smart home, News & Flash briefing, Music (Prime Music, Saavn, and TuneIn). View complete T&Cs at www.amazon.in/alexaoffers.
- Alexa enabled devices Eufy and Jabra to offer a minimum INR 1500 discount for purchases made on Prime Day. Eufy to offer 40% discount, Jabra Elite 65T will be available at 11% discount and Jabra Elite 65T Active at 10% discount.
-Prime members get 50% back through Kindle Credits on purchasing of eBooks on Prime day, subject to max INR 100 worth of credits per customer.
- Subscription available for (INR (2388) 1388) only for Prime members on Prime Day.
- Samsung: Up to INR 10,700 off on Samsung smartphones; extra up to INR 10,000 off on exchange, first time on Amazon.in. no-cost EMI options up to 9 months
- Huawei: First time on discount, up to INR 5,000 off on Huawei smartphones; no-cost EMI options up to 12 months available.
- Moto G6 starting INR 13,999; extra up to INR 2,000 off on exchange; Moto E5 Plus (3GB + 32 GB) - INR12, 999 for INR 11,999; extra up to INR 1,000 off on exchange.
- Up to INR 3000 off on all Vivo smartphones; extra up to INR 6,000 off on the exchange.
- Up to INR 4000 off on all OPPO smartphones; extra up to INR 3,000 off on the exchange.
- Redmi Y2: Prime-only flash sales at 1 pm on 16th and 12 noon on 17th July.
- 10.Or smartphones start at INR 4,999.
- Mi 10,000 mAH Power bank for 1199 INR 899.
- Flat 50% off on select headphones from Bose and Sennheiser.
- Select deals on DSLRs from Canon and Nikon.
- Up to 55% off on hard drives from Seagate and WD.
- Select deals on i3 and i5 laptops from Dell, HP, and Lenovo.
- Premium TV (including OLED) offers from LG, Sony, and TCL.
- Up to 50% off on extension cords.
- Minimum INR 2,000 off on latest gaming consoles.
- Up to 40% off latest games and accessories.
- Up to 70% off on Kaspersky Antivirus Software.
- Minimum 25% off on Office and Tally.
- 50% off on select headphones from Bose and Sennheiser, Up to 40% off on air conditioners, Minimum 60% off on UCB, Lee and top fashion brands, Up to 45% off on toys and more Biggest discounts of the year on Amazon Devices including the lowest price ever on Amazon Echo Dot.

How to be prepared for the Amazon Prime by making the maximum savings:

10% cashback on loading Amazon Pay balance 10% instant discount on purchases made through HDFC Bank credit and debit cards, Up to INR 10,000 cashback on purchases above INR 50,000 made through HDFC Bank cards.
Prime members can collect & use over 4500 exclusive coupons to get additional discounts. Coupon discounts can be clubbed with deal discounts to get the lowest price ever on a particular product. Furthermore, Prime members who have watched a video on Primevideo.com between 3rd & 13th July for the first time are eligible for top discount coupons on brands like Fossil, Ustraa, Milton, Davidoff and more

On this auspicious day, Mr. Akshay Sahi, Director & Head of Prime, Amazon India shared, “With Prime Day, we are excited to bring to our members over 200 exclusive launches, great deals & blockbuster entertainment with new titles from Prime Video & playlists on Amazon Prime music. Our teams have been working for months to source these unique offers & we welcome members who will join us as we celebrate our biggest Prime Day ever!”

International deals (start at midnight)
- Up to 30% off on Seagate hard drives and Sandisk storage devices
- Up to 40% off on Tommy Hilfiger clothing & accessories
- Up to 30% off on Garmin wearables
- Up to 60% off on Invicta premium watches
- Up to 30% off on 3D printers by Flashforge
- Deals by start-ups on Amazon Launchpad
- Over 250 deals by 180 cool products listed under Amazon Launchpad
- Over 70% off on TAGG products
- Up to 65% off on CrossBeats Raga wireless Bluetooth earphones
- Over 25% off on Gods backpacks

Additionally Prime users in Delhi NCR, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Mumbai can enjoy ultra-fast 2-hour delivery.

TechGig Code Gladiators 2018 congratulates India's mightiest coders; discussions stick to IOT & AI.

2018-06-24T22:16:00.000+05:30

Source: Editorial Team

So on 9th June 2018, Mumbai witnessed a global phenomenon in the form of a programming contest formerly known as TechGig Code Gladiators. This year's event was the world's most significant coding event to be ever held in the country, and that to one of it's kind. Therefore TechGig Code Gladiators 2018 made headlines all over the world as the event concluded to felicitate the winners in the respective categories. India's tech community has been excited to witness the result of this competition ever since it's announcement back in February 2018 due to a considerable number of participants from across the country. Therefore 9th June 2018 marked the day; Winners got crowned at the TechGig Code Gladiators 2018 Awards Ceremony which was held JioTalks Auditorium at Reliance Corporate Park, Navi Mumbai. Not to be forgotten that this competition was a 110-day long journey for the participants who have made it to the top. Therefore to congratulate all the participants and winners, the ceremony hosted top global leaders from the technology forefront; so that they could share their experiences among the youth.

TechGig Code Gladiators 2018 congratulates India's mightiest coders; discussions stick to IoT & AI.

So let's first understand, what is TechGig?

So Techgig is necessarily a big technology platform which exposes IT Professionals to latest industry trends, facts, information and lets them showcase it to the world in a much more creative manner. Techgig, in a way, helps creators by providing them a platform to connect with like-minded individuals which could potentially help them out in getting their dream jobs & understanding cutting-edge technologies, insights from the current trends in the IT industry.

Source: TechGig

Just like every other year since it's inception, Techgig Code Gladiators has been making records to bring in a massive number of participants consistently every year. As a result of which last year, they managed to grab a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records. The year 2017 marks their victory in Guinness Book of World Records as the "TechGig Code Gladiators 2017" event was the world's largest programming event in the history. They managed to beat China's Baidu Online Network Technology event record by an 81,641 staggering unique entries. Baidu's Online Network Technology received just 30,634 entries. This year marks a step even further ahead as the participation count this year was even more significant than the earlier. The 2018 edition of the TechGig Code Gladiators event had been focused on new themes such as AI, IOT, Amazon Alexa SKills, Blockchain & Cloud computing. Best three teams got crowned as the winners in respective categories from the above themes.

Source: Techgig

Out of the total 2,28,880 India's best coders, "Vineet Paliwal" was crowned as the 'Code Champion' of the 2018 edition of the event. He received a massive amount of Rs. 2,50,000 followed by a certificate and a trophy. He is a based out of Noida and currently works as a director in a leading technology company heading a team of 160 individuals. Apart from Vineet, numerous awards have been given to the runner-ups, here are their names as follows:

First runners-up: Akashdeep Nain.
Second runners-up: Naveen Reddy.
Third runners-up: Vikram Singh Panwar.
Fourth runners-up: Aneesh D H.

Fun Fact, did you know that about 2,28,880 coders participated this year out of which merely 15,000 were selected for the semi-finals, while only 300 out of which made it to the finals?. Regarding the records, this year received by far the most substantial number of participants the contest has ever got. The participants included undergrad students, IT professionals and even mothers who were proficient at coding. It proves that Indian community is extremely passionate about programming and exploring new opportunities all the time. Mr. Ramathreya Krishnamurthi, Business Head of TechGig & TimesJobs commenced the event with a welcome speech.

Source: Editorial Team

During the awards ceremony, Mr. Sanjay Goyal, VP, and Head- Product & Tech at TimesJobs & TechGig congratulated the winners by quoting, “TechGig as a platform enables country’s young tech professionals to learn, compete & test their skills. Code Gladiators is a testament to that commitment. I believe technology can no longer be a discrete industry. So, we are planning to go international and create a global innovation exchange for the Indian & International coding fraternity. We would also like to create opportunities where Indian coders can partner with their global counterparts & explore innovations around new and emerging technologies.”

Source: Editorial Team

Even Mr. Vishal Sharma, Managing Director in Consulting at Deloitte Consulting India Private Ltd said, “At Deloitte, our focus is to provide an excellent growth opportunity to our professionals to cultivate their talent. We help them leverage their unique strengths to contribute, innovate, & unlock their potential while solving our client’s biggest challenges. TechGig Code Gladiators is one such platform for our professionals to innovate & hone their skills. Last year, we won the ‘Coding Powerhouse of India’ title & this year, we have come back with a much stronger participative spirit. This championship is a great way to assess & identify our caliber in an ever-evolving marketplace, especially for our professionals who can shine among their peers in the industry and be competitive.”

To get a detailed glimpse of the event visit the TechGig website, whereas you can even find the video below to get a small glimpse of the entire show.

TechGig Code Gladiators 2018 congratulates India's mightiest coders; discussions stick to IOT & AI.

Image Source: Editorial Team.
Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post. However views and opinions are our own.

Mi Band 3 Officially Launched, even NFC is now on-board.

2018-05-31T19:40:00.002+05:30

Source: Xiaomi

Xiaomi has been in talks due to the success they have achieved in the fitness wearable space, as a result of which more of their fitness products from the globe are now seen in their Mi-Home spaces present across India. It's been weeks that the officials have been teasing about the launch of their newest devices getting the fans hyped. Well, the hype is real, a total of 6 new products have been announced today. Some of which consists the announcement of Mi 8 SE, Mi 8 Explorer Edition, Mi VR Standalone, Mi Band 3 & Mi TV 4 75-inch. So let's focus on the Mi Band 3 for the moment, a successor to it's already popular Mi Band 2. It keeps all the bells and whistles of the original band and brings in more delicacies to the table. Now let's find out all the details about the Mi Band 3.

Mi Band 3 Officially Launched, even NFC is now on-board.

Specifications:

Features a 0.78 Inch OLED touch panel having 128 x 80 resolution.
Comes on-board Bluetooth 4.2 support.
There are two variants available - With/Without NFC support. The NFC variant will enable wireless payments, and this is going to be a significant hit.
Has 110 mAh Battery, which is almost double than the Mi Band 2. Battery life is expected to last around 20 days as quoted by Xiaomi.
50 meters waterproof which includes swimming.
Comes with Heart rate sensor, Step count support & Sleep monitoring.
Offer support for answering incoming calls.
WeChat messenger and other supported apps would show their notifications along with the content on display.
It would support interchangeable straps which would be available in different colors, and you can even expect some third party straps to join the league soon.

Source: Xiaomi

The Mi Band 3 overall looks promising and looking at the fact that it gets the most requested feature(NFC) is just icing on the top of the cake. The company even claims that they have improved the band straps to provide a secure fit on the wrist. For those who're fond of wireless payments may very well go for the NFC variant, which will cost for CNY 199 or 31.04$. While those who want an update to their existing smart bands, & want the essential features for the fitness tracking can go with the Non-NFC variant. That variant would be available for CNY 169 or 26.36$. It'll be available starting June 5, 2018, in China. There's no word yet on its availability worldwide.
Source: Xiaomi Chinese

Also See: 1More iBFree Earphones Review - Supports Qualcomm's AptX Sound Codec.

Vivo X21 - First Phone with In-Display Fingerprint Scanner Phone launched in India For Rs.35,990.

2018-05-29T13:06:00.000+05:30

Source: Editorial Team

So Vivo is a smartphone brand that quickly managed to grab media's attention worldwide at MWC 2018 by giving a quick glimpse of the future by showing their Vivo Apex Concept phone. The Apex Phone had no notch, the camera was hidden under a retracting mechanism, whereas the fingerprint scanner was present inside the display. Even though this concept was mind-blowing, the company stated that production of such devices wouldn't be possible on a large scale due to cost cutting problems & in general it won't be affordable. However bringing in some caveats the company launched Vivo V9 earlier this year, which gave them an entry into the so-called "Notch" ecosystem. It still wasn't groundbreaking up until now, today Vivo launched their new Vivo X21. It is the first commercial phone to be launched by the company in its entirety when it comes to the smartphone ecosystem. To be honest, I was surprised that it wasn't Apple, it wasn't Samsung, but it indeed was Vivo. Now instead of creating much more fuss, let's find out more about the specifications, availability, and pricing about the new Vivo X21.

Vivo X21 - First Phone with In-Display Fingerprint Scanner Phone launched in India For Rs.35,990/-

Specifications:

It comes with a 2.2GHz Octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660(4x2.2 GHz Kryo 260 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 260) chipset coupled with Adreno 512 GPU & 6GB RAM.
Internal storage available on-board is 128GB. Whereas expansion is available up to 256GB via MicroSD memory card slot(Hybrid layout).
It has 6.28-inch Full HD+ Super AMOLED panel which gives about 402PPI pixel density. The display provides up to 85% of the screen to body ratio.
The rear side has a dual lens setup with first a 12MP sensor having F/1.8 aperture with Dual Pixel PDAF. While the second lens is a 5MP shooter with F/2.4 aperture. The configuration also has a Dual LED Flash. The video quality maxes out to 4K@30fps. There's introduction of Shot Refocus & AI face beauty mode.
The front camera setup is a single lens setup which houses a 12MP shooter with F/2.0 aperture. It shoots maximum at 1080p@30fps.
It supports Dual Nano SIMs having a hybrid slot setup.
It runs on FunTouch OS 4.0 which is built on top of Android 8.1 Oreo.
In terms of connectivity, it has 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac dual band WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0 LE, Radio FM support, 3.5mm audio jack & A-GPS.
In terms of sensors there's the Proximity Sensor, Accelerometer, Compass and even an In-Display fingerprint sensor which we'll talk in a bit.
It has a non-removable Li-Ion 3200 mAh battery with support for fast charging however via a MicroUSB 2.0 connection port.
OTG is supported.
Comes in a single color variant - Black.
It weighs at 156.2 gms.

Design & Build:

Source: Editorial Team

The Vivo X21 features an aluminium built on the back, while on the front you've got an all-glass display. Then depending on the unit you have you can witness the glossy finish of the back, which is both attractive but at the same time messy with fingerprints. But nonetheless, if you keep the fingerprint smudges aside, it just looks gorgeous. The 19:9 aspect ratio speaks for itself, while equally providing the phone an almost bezel-less look. Now regarding one-handed usability, it's not a fair choice but then again all the phones that launch these days don't fit well in that criteria. The device screams quality, and I liked the way it looked. Though I wish that the phone had a USB Type-C port, I mean come-on Vivo it's 2018 already. Also if you observe the rear side of the Vivo X21 model, it looks like a beautiful, clean slate prop; courtesy to the In-Display fingerprint scanner.

In Display Fingerprint Scanner - What's the fuss about?

Source: Editorial Team

So Vivo X21 is currently the first phone to be commercially launched with a fingerprint sensor that resides beneath the front display. Now don't get your thoughts wrong, the scanner won't bother you at all as it's almost entirely invisible. I said almost because you can spot a glimpse of it under direct sunlight, according to various reports online. Though no matter what the pixels are residing-in, the fingerprint scanning area will always light up. That's readily applicable when the phone is being held after keeping it stationary for a while. This is primarily made so that the user gets a bright idea about the sensor's location. Upon using it for the first time, I was both surprised and intrigued by the fact of its accuracy and speed. It takes a split second to unlock, but trust me it won't bother anyone that much. It seems like Vivo together with Synaptics has finally opened a whole new dimension of possibilities. Even though the technology that gets implemented on this phone is first generation tech, there have been years of research that has taken place to achieve something incredible at this level. While the most surprising part is Vivo, a Chinese manufacturer is leading on this spot rather than the Tech giants. This excites the inner geek in me with the number of possibilities of how a future smartphone might look like and the fact that we're reaching that almost "bezel-less" look on the front.

Source: Editorial Team

Quick Note: There's no need of pressing harder on the screen for fingerprint detection, simply tap gently as we usually do while selecting any specific portion of the screen.

AR Stickers & IR Based Facial Scanning:

Source: Editorial Team

A whole range of AR Stickers has been introduced with the new Vivo X21, which is necessarily a rival ecosystem ripoff. I was expecting these all to work with the front camera, which I hoped might not be a pleasant experience, but to my surprise, these AR Stickers provided me with mixed feedback. Speaking about more wonders, I expected the face unlock to be based upon the front camera. However, I was shocked that a dedicated infrared scanner has been implemented here, which helped in unlocking the phone in a jiffy. So just in case if you might have untidy hands, the IR based face unlock is here to your rescue. I'll let you know more on that in my upcoming review.

Pricing & Availability:

Vivo X21 (In-Display FP):
6GB/128GB ROM: Rs. 35,990 (Flipkart)

Source: Editorial Team

Speaking about the availability, it'll be available in the offline market throughout the chain of Vivo's official & partner retail stores. While it'll be exclusively available on Flipkart starting from 29th May 2018 itself. There are several offers as well beginning with Extra Rs.3000/- off-exchange value over your regular device, Instant 5% cashback, while No Cost EMI for 12 months, etc.

Source: Editorial Team.

So overall it's a good start for the company launching something new going all in with a new concept. Would these specs be comparable when it comes down to the pricing, when compared to the OnePlus 6 or even the Honor 10? Would you instead comprise specifications for Novelty? Given the fact that the In-Display fingerprint variant of the Vivo X21 comes at Rs.35,990/- only? Let us know on our social channels, while stay tuned for our full coverage on this device coming shortly.

Also see: Fujifilm brings GFX50s and Fujinon GF Lenses to the Indian market