In the past one week, there have been a number of game-changing announcements in the tech world. Karan Bajaj rounds up the most important ones that will impact the consumers in their day to day usage and the ones that pave the way for next generation products.
iPhones Go Dual SIM At the iPhone event this year, Apple announced that all three phones (XS, XS Max and XR) have an eSIM and physical SIM slot. This meant that the iPhone finally went dual SIM but the feature was not enabled by default. It was to be added via software update. With the iOS 12.1 update that rolled out this past week, Apple has finally enabled this feature for all users. Once you upgrade, you can contact your telecom operator to convert your existing SIM to an eSIM. Airtel and Jio are the only operators offering eSIM at the moment. By default, the physical SIM is the primary for calls, texts and mobile data but you can make the eSIM primary in the Settings menu. Then your phone will continue to work without a SIM card in it — you can choose to add a second number with a physical SIM card anytime you like.
The First Phone With Flexible Display Samsung was the name normally associated with rumors of phones with flexible displays. However, a Californian company called Royole has just trumped everyone — they’re the first to officially launch a smartphone with a flexible, folding screen. It’s called the Royole FlexPai and it features a 7.8-inch amoled display (1920 x 1440 pixels) which converts to 4-inch display when folded. Specifications include an octa-core Snapdragon processor, 6/8GB RAM, 128/256/512GB storage and a 3,800mAh battery. It also has a 16MP + 20MP dual camera with f1.8 aperture and optical image stabilization, dual SIM slots, dedicated microSD slot and runs a custom interface based on Android 9.0. Priced at US$ 1,300, the phone is available only in China currently. For other countries, the device is expected to ship in December 2018. WhatsApp Will Show Ads Soon Facebook owned WhatsApp is one of the few apps that has been completely ad free since launch. They did have a paid model after a year of free service but abandoned that model early in in the interests of massive expansion. Earlier this year, Facebook announced that they now have over 1.5billion active users on WhatsApp. And in the final confirmed push for monetisation, the app will soon start showing ads in the ‘Status’ section . Chris Daniels, WhatsApp VP, told guests at an event: “We are going to be putting ads in the status section. That is going to be the primary method of monetisation for the company as well as an opportunity for businesses to reach people on WhatsApp.” While he did not announce a clear time-frame, we expect the ads to be fairly unobtrusive and to roll-out sometime early next year.
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Phone With Dual Colour Display Launched While other brands like Xiaomi and Lenovo are exploring full screen form factors with mechanical slider designs, Nubia is taking a different approach. The company’s latest smartphone has two colour touchscreens — one up front and a secondary one on the back. The primary screen is a 6.26-inch, 19:9 display on the front with a screen to body ratio of 93.6% and 0.8mm thick bezels. On the rear has a 5.1-inch OLED touchscreen with always-on functionality. You can choose to have the same content on both displays — but why would you do that. The idea behind putting a second display is to eliminate the front camera completely. For selfies and video calls, you just turn the phone around and use the secondary screen. Another interesting feature is that the Nubia X has fingerprint scanners on both sides of the phone — makes it easy for both right and left-handed users. It is powered by a Snapdragon 845 processor, has up to 8GB RAM and up to 256GB storage with a 3,800mAH battery. You get 16MP + 24MP dual rear camera, dual SIM slot and USB Type-C port.
From WhatsApp To YouTube, Tech Updates That Will Impact Your Digital Life
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Everyone knows about the big product launches and global news. However, there are a number of small but significant updates that slip under the radar. Here's a round-up of some of the announcements that will possibly have an impact on your digital life.
Everyone knows about the big product launches and global news. However, there are a number of small but significant updates that slip under the radar. Here's a round-up of some of the announcements t..
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Almost every smartphone user knows about Corning’s Gorilla Glass — chemically strengthened glass that is used for protection on the front and even on the rear of some phones. This is tough to do because this glass also has to be optically perfect — any small imperfections will be visible.
Corning just announced the latest version called Gorilla Glass 6 which they claim can survive multiple drops without breaking. They also say it is twice as strong as Gorilla Glass 5 with enhanced scratch resistance to boot. It will not exactly be shatterproof but you can expect your smartphone to be able to withstand a few drops before the glass breaks. The glass is already in production so you can expect premium devices to get this added protection within the next few months.
(Image: corning.com)
Almost every smartphone user knows about Corning’s Gorilla Glass — chemically strengthened glass that is used for protection on the front and even on the rear of some phones. This is tough to do beca..
Read More
Call recording is one of the most requested features in a smartphone. Some smartphones have this feature built-in (which is ideal) and there are some paid apps that offer it (performance varies across devices). Truecaller has come to the rescue by adding call recording option to the latest update. Note that call recording is only available for Android phones. Tap on the profile icon on top left corner to access the menu and you will see the recording option. A floating button appears when the call is connected and a simple tap starts recording the conversation. Recordings are saved directly to your phone’s internal storage and not on the cloud. You can get free call recording for 14 days and after that you have to upgrade to a premium account to use it.
Call recording is one of the most requested features in a smartphone. Some smartphones have this feature built-in (which is ideal) and there are some paid apps that offer it (performance varies acros..
