Showing posts with label Latest Technology News. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Latest Technology News. Show all posts

Friday, June 1, 2018

Apple will reportedly launch 4 new iPhones this year, pricing details revealed

We’re nearly halfway into the year and haven’t laid eyes on a single 2018 Apple iPhone yet. But that’s all about to change, because according to an exclusive report by Forbes, we’re going to see four new iPhones in the coming months, starting with a new iPhone SE in June. That’s right, the iPhone SE is indeed getting a second generation model, if the report is to be believed. Despite rumours that it’ll look like a mini version of the iPhone X, Forbes reports that it will retain the same design and even the name, but introduce upgraded internal components. Whether it will borrow them the iPhone 7 or iPhone 8, we don’t know yet. But we know that the price will no longer be the modest $350 (Rs 23,500 approx) it was. The iPhone SE itself, to refresh your memory, is a re-engineered version of the original iPhone 5, which was released in September 2012. Joining the second-generation club in September is the new iPhone X, accompanied by a larger iPhone X Plus and a cheaper but larger version of the iPhone X. The ‘Budget iPhone X’, if we may call it that,  will have a 6-inch display and not a 5-inch one, as many expected. Sporting a metal chassis, single rear camera, and Face ID, the Budget iPhone X is expected to retail for $550 (Rs 37,000 approx), a price that’s touching the boundaries of the current iPhone 8’s price of $699 (Rs 47,000 approx). Apple is expected to price the iPhone X Plus at just under $1000 (Rs 67,000 approx), and make lower end iPhones costlier to buy. Apple is also reportedly going to include fast chargers with all models, which should translate to a savings of about $200 (Rs 13,400 approx) on the outgoing iPhone X. 

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/2LPDabF
via

Samsung launches 18 AR emojis, dual-VoLTE for Galaxy S9, S9 Plus

Samsung has launched a new set of 18 AR Emojis, the customisable animated stickers that can be used in messages to express emotions, for the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus smartphones. With the launch, the total number of AR Emojis available on the Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus has gone up to 36. To get the new AR Emojis, users will need to update the smartphones’ camera app which is now available in the ‘My apps’ section of the Galaxy Apps store. “Samsung has made it even easier for users to express their inner selves by doubling the number of animated stickers that are automatically generated whenever an AR Emoji is created,” the South Korean electronics giant said in a blog post. The company said it also plans to add 18 more expressions in the coming months, “which will bring the feature’s total number of emotion-capturing sticker options to 54.” As a part of its India-centric innovation, Samsung also rolled out two other features to the Galaxy S9 duo. These include - dual-VoLTE feature and a new one-time screen replacement offer. Consumers will receive the dual-VoLTE feature through an over the air (OTA) update. With this feature, Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus users will have an option to be connected to two VoLTE networks simultaneously and can further choose the data network that most suits their need. To avail the one-time screen replacement offer, Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus consumers will need to pay Rs 1,999 to get their screens replaced for a period of nine months. The offer is valid from June 1 to June 30. Samsung launched this year’s flagship devices in India a week after it launched the smartphones at Mobile World Congress in February in Barcelona. Although the design of the phones remained largely the same, they boasted of new camera innovations with variable aperture lenses that switches between f/1.5 and f/2.4, depending upon the lighting conditions. The 64GB version of Galaxy S9 was launched at a price of Rs 57,900, while Galaxy S9 Plus 64GB version was made available for Rs 64,900. The Galaxy S9 and S9 Plus also come in 128GB and 256GB storage variants, respectively. According to market research firm Gartner, Samsung shipped 78,564.8 devices and captured 20.5 percent of the market share in the first quarter of 2018. Although its market share dropped by 0.3 percent, it still lead the market. Samsung's mid-tier smartphones faced continued competition from Chinese brands, which led to unit sales contraction year on year, Gartner said.

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/2xwt8ci
via

All-new seventh generation BMW 3 Series: What we know so far

The BMW 3 Series is, was and possibly will be one of the best-selling entry-level luxury sedans globally. Of late, though, the company's hot model has lost out on a bit of its exuberance, because of the particularly brilliant Mercedes-Benz C-Class. To combat all of that, the Munich-based company is presently at the final stages of road-testing the 2019 BMW 3 Series, which is expected to feature both petrol and diesel powertrains, and come in multiple variants. While we have only seen the car under heavy camouflage till now, they've all hinted at a more aerodynamic, sportier design. The coefficient of drag is now 0.22, with an overall sleek body that looks quite fast, and very like the BMW 5 Series. The overall dimensions, while remaining reasonably compact, are expected to be on the stubbier side to follow the family's design language. Autocar UK has also quoted BMW officials as saying that the Mercedes-Benz C-Class is the clear competitor and benchmark for the BMW 3 Series, and also suggests that the new 3 Series has a bunch of elements from the BMW X2 SUV. The new BMW 3 Series is being built on the company's CLAR architecture, and the possible larger dimensions are 4703mm length, and 2830mm wheelbase, both larger than before. The new platform will also reportedly help the seventh generation BMW 3 Series to lose up to 50 kg over the present BMW 3 Series, hence also increasing rigidity and potential quality of handling. BMW is reportedly looking to increase the overall comfort proposition of the 3 Series to match the smoothness and refinement of the C-Class. While BMWs have always been hailed for the sporty appeal, the general consensus of buyers in the executive sedan category seems to have veered towards comfort as a priority factor. It is this that BMW is aiming with its new 3 Series. The car is also expected to get iDrive 7.0, with an smoother physical controller, and a larger touch-enabled display running on smoother new firmware. The overall design and layout of the interiors, however, is possibly going to remain the same, as seen from Car Magazine UK's spy shots so far. Source

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/2JhIczd
via

Samsung expands J series, launches Galaxy J4 in India starting at Rs 9,990

After launching the Galaxy J6, J8, A6 and A6+ in India just last week (Read First Impressions), Samsung has now launched the Galaxy J4 in the country. The smartphone is aimed at selfie enthusiasts and comes with an adjustable front LED flash which accompanies a 5MP front camera. Unlike the J6 and J8, the Galaxy J4 does not feature an Infinity Display design. Instead, it comes with a 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display, with a 720 x 1280 pixels resolution and a 16:9 aspect ratio. For its processing needs, the Galaxy J4 uses an Exynos 7570 quad-core platform clocked at 1.4GHz. At the back is a 13MP camera with an F1.9 aperture. This entire package is powered by a 3,000 mAh battery. The Galaxy J4 is available in two storage and RAM variants - 2GB RAM + 16GB ROM and 3GB RAM + 32GB ROM. Although both variants have the exact same specs, albeit storage and RAM, the Galaxy J4 with 3GB RAM and 32GB storage is priced higher at Rs 11,990. The base variant of the J4 with 2GB RAM/16GB ROM is prices at Rs 9,990. In a press release announcing the new device, Samsung added that it includes a ‘Made In India’ feature for memory management. Called ‘Advanced Memory Management’, the feature helps users save space by automatically redirecting images and videos from social media applications to the external memory card. Advanced Memory Management also helps in keeping the device memory clean by deleting duplicate images received on social media messengers. Further, the Galaxy J4 comes preloaded with Samsung Mall, a service that lets users shop by clicking a picture of the desired product and automatically getting results for the item across popular e-commerce platforms. There’s also an 'App Pair' feature, which opens a consumer defined pair of apps simultaneously in two multi windows for faster multitasking. Another 'Adaptive Wi-Fi' feature helps the Galaxy J4 turn Wi-Fi on and off automatically depending on the location. With the Galaxy J4, Samsung aims to offer an affordable device within its “best-selling” J series range of devices in India. “With 60 million plus devices sold & counting, Galaxy J series is India’s most popular smartphone series owing to the millennial focused meaningful innovation. Galaxy J4 comes packed with a host of new innovations like Advanced Memory Management, Adjustable Front LED Flash & Samsung Mall that makes it perfect for millennials,” said Sumit Walia, Director, Mobile Business, Samsung India.

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/2soynpf
via

Mahindra, Tata Motors to supply 1,000 EVs each to Maharashtra government

Tata Motors and Mahindra have signed individual memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with the government of Maharashtra to supply 1,000 electric vehicles each. The move comes on the back of the government's push to boost electric mobility in the state, which is seeing an increasing amount of interest from different players in this category. Under this MoU, Mahindra Electric will be seeing deployment of their EVs in a range of fields, including taxi services, logistics operators and more. Furthermore, Mahindra will also be investing Rs. 500 crore into its plant in Chakan, Pune for building EVs and electric car components, which should see the company ramp their presence up in the electric car segment. Meanwhile, Tata Motors, in partnership with its parent group company Tata Power, is being tasked with expanding the network of electric car charging stations, beginning with Mumbai. Tata Power inaugurated its first public EV charging station in Vikhroli, following which it has expanded to other areas within Mumbai. The two companies have also been the joint suppliers of electric vehicles to government-undertaken body Energy Efficiency Services Ltd. (EESL)'s tender for 10,000 electric vehicles. The EESL has so far sourced a total of 500 Tata Tigor EV and Mahindra e-Verito sedans from the two companies, and aims to procure the rest by Q1 2019. Tata Motors has also spoken at length about its focus on smart cities and the role that electric and electrified vehicles will play in such situations, and this is one of the first steps towards the company's eventual goal.

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/2svfdNW
via

Smartphone sales in 2019 will be driven by 5G, 6-inch displays, and India: IDC Report

The smartphone market around the globe took a 0.3% beating in sales last year. It is expected to reoccur this year with a 0.2% drop before rising again in 2019. According to American market research company International Data Corporation (IDC), 2017 and 2018 saw sales of 1.462 billion units and 1.465 billion units respectively.  With 2019 though, and the years leading up to 2022, the number is expected to climb to 1.654 billion units. IDC has identified three key elements that will bring about this rise in smartphone sales in 2019: 5G: The technology that could speed things up IDC predicts that consumers will start seeing 5G on their smartphones sometime in the second half of 2019, with a steady rise in regional availability all the way till 2020. IDC also predicts that roughly 7 percent of all smartphones will be 5G-enabled by 2020. 5G, as a technology standard, should offer faster internet speeds and more reliable connections. We expect to see an average download speed of 1Gbps. 6-inch displays: The spec that could become the norm IDC reckons that by 2022, 98% of Android phones will feature screens with a size larger than 6 inches. Though some of these will be premium flagship models, the average selling price of Android phones with a 6-inch screen or larger is estimated to be $414 (Rs 27,781 approx). It’s the same case with iPhones as well. The overall sales of iPhones is expected to grow by 2.6% this year, and Apple too is expected to move towards a screen size equal to or larger than 6 inches for the iPhone. India: The country that will see more internet IDC expects the sale of smartphones in China to drop by 7.1 percent this year before stabilising in 2019. In India, however, IDC expects the sale of smartphones to grow by 14 percent this year and by 16 percent in 2019. It also predicts the growth and proliferation of Chinese smartphone OEMs in India with focus still retained on low-end devices. Ryan Reith, Program Vice President for IDC’s Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Device Trackers, is quoted in the report saying, “Even though it declined 5% in 2017, China remains the focal point for many given that it consumes roughly 30% of the world's smartphones. But plenty of pockets of growth can be found beyond China. India is now grabbing headlines and the market itself is going through some rapid transformation. Local India manufacturing continues to ramp up, despite still having a heavy dependence on China for components. The boom in India is likely to continue in the years to come, but the move toward building up local production has certainly caught the eye of many in the industry.” With major Chinese players like OnePlus, Xiaomi, and Lenovo all releasing new phones at regular intervals, it’s not hard to believe that we’ll see more and more China-based models in India in the years to come.

from Latest Technology News https://ift.tt/2HaRQhR
via