Realme C1 review: A capable budget smartphone that gives bang for your buck

Priced at Rs 6,999, the Realme C1 has strengths in almost all areas - good looks, solid build quality, big notch-based screen, capable processor and a powerful battery, to name a few

Chinese smartphone maker Realme is known for its value-for-money offerings in the budget smartphone segment. However, marking its foray in the entry-level segment, the company recently introduced its C-series, with the launch of the Realme C1. Priced at Rs 6,999, this Flipkart-exclusive smartphone has a notch-based display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor and a dual-rear-camera module.

Business Standard reviewed the Realme C1 on several parameters to see how it fares in comparison to competition in the same segment. Here are our observations:

Design and display

Realme was among the first smartphone brands to experiment with the gradient design in their budget offerings. However, the Realme C1 has traded off the gradient design to keep the price in check. It has a plastic build, but the glossy appearance makes it look close to a glass design. The glossy plastic body has both benefits and disadvantages — it makes the phone light but also attracts fingerprints easily.

The phone’s front is dominated by a 6.2-inch screen of an HD+ resolution, stretched in a 19:9 aspect ratio. The screen has a notch on top, accommodating the front camera, earpiece and sensors. For its price, the mammoth screen size with a notch makes it an interesting product. The display quality is also top-notch, viewing angles are above average, and the colour rendition is decent. However, the sunlight legibility could have been better. As with other Realme phones, there is no option to hide the notch permanently.

Performance

The Realme C1 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 processor, paired with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage, expandable up to 256 GB with a microSD card.

The phone boots Android 8.1 Oreo covered under the Colour OS 5.2 user interface, which is similar to Oppo smartphones' interface. The phone supports face unlock, which is quick and works well. And the gesture-based navigation makes it the only entry-level device to have such controls.

Speaking of performance, the phone handles day-to-day operations quite easily. The processor is not tuned to handle heavy applications such as games, and the built-in 2GB RAM falls short at times. But, the phone works smoothly when used for apps like YouTube, Facebook and WhatsApp. (more)

Are wireless chargers really useful or just a marketing gimmick?

When both types of chargers - wireless and wired- were on the same wattage, wireless was about 15 per cent slower

wireless chargers Besides getting bigger, smartphones keep getting — for lack of a better word — glassier. From front to back, the bodies of many of the newest smartphones are composed of glass.

The trend is not part of a broad conspiracy to make you shatter your phone so that you buy a new one. Instead, glass lets energy pass through the phone so that it can be charged wirelessly. The technology relies on magnetic induction, which involves using an electrical current to generate a magnetic field, creating voltage that powers the phone without your plugging a wire into it.

Many people are excited about charging without cords. A study by SurveyMonkey found that wireless charging was the most anticipated feature in last year’s new iPhones. Yet in a survey by the research firm IHS, only 29 per cent said they used wireless charging last year.

That may be because wireless charging isn’t truly wireless. People typically need accessories from companies like Samsung, Mophie and Anker — which generally look like mats and stands that you can set your phone on — to wirelessly power up. And while you don’t have to plug a cable into the phone, the accessories themselves have to be hooked up to a power outlet.

There’s a trade-off, too: Wireless charging is less efficient at transferring energy than a wire, and is thus slower at refilling a battery. (Mophie said that generally, when both types of chargers were on the same wattage, wireless was about 15 per cent slower.)

So what’s the point?

Charlie Quong, vice president of product development for Mophie, said placing wireless chargers in areas where people spent a lot of time — like their bedroom, car and office — could enable them to top off their phones more frequently by removing the hassle of plugging in.

The products help people “get charged throughout their day without having to deliberately park their phone down,” Mr. Quong said. “It’s really, really convenient.”

As a longtime skeptic of wireless chargers, I was eager to find a useful application for the technology. So I scattered the chargers around the focal points of my daily routine: on my nightstand, in my car, in my briefcase, on my office desk and on a living room table.

In the end, I would consider keeping a wireless charger only in the bedroom or in a briefcase. Here’s what I found.

In the Bedroom

Two types of wireless chargers can be placed on a bedside table: pads and stands.

The pad is a disc, and you lay your phone down on it. The stand keeps your phone upright so that the screen faces you while it charges. I tested a Mophie charging pad and Anker’s PowerWave stand. (more)

Sony 'Master Series' A9F Bravia OLED TV launched in India for Rs 399,990

Sony 'Master Series' A9F Bravia OLED TVs comes with with features like Netflix calibrated mode, hands-free voice search and TV centre speaker mode to work with home theatre systems

Taking its popular Bravia OLED TV line-up to a new level, Sony India on Monday launched "A9F" under its "Master Series" with features like Netflix calibrated mode, hands-free voice search and TV centre speaker mode to work with home theatre systems.

Running Android TV 8.0 Oreo operating system (OS), the new television series -- "KD-55A9F" (55-inch) that costs Rs 399,990 while "KD-65A9F" (65-inch) is priced at Rs 559,990 -- will be available in India from September 20.

Equipped with "X1 Ultimate" picture processor and "pixel contrast booster" -- which is Sony's original panel controller for OLED -- the TVs would deliver 4K HDR picture quality and better contrast, the company said in a statement.

Sony has incorporated "single slate design" in its new TV offering with only one stand in the back to hold it up.

The TVs also come with "Acoustic Surface Audio+" technology to facilitate multi-dimensional sounds.

"The TVs would provide a faster, easier and more intuitive interface for the consumers to use," the company claimed.

Additionally, the TVs also come with multi-lingual support, accommodating 11 Indian languages and over 14 international dialects.

The "X1 Ultimate Picture Processor" can intelligently detect and analyse each object in the picture through Sony's new object-based super-resolution mechanism - pixel contrast booster- for exceptional accuracy and detail.

The object-based HDR remaster has been updated and allows each object to be remastered individually for better depth and accurate texture.

With this recent launch, Sony will continue to enhance its premium line-up in its Bravia TV range to cater the niche customers and chase more value and strong foothold, Sony India Managing Director Sunil Nayyar told Press Trust of India.

Besides, Sony would also continue to have its affordable range to cater the entry-level customers in 32-inch and 40-inch screen size as per its "twin strategy" in the segment.

Sony, which is strengthening its premium image here, would also enhance the domestic manufacturing of the TV units through its local partner.

"Our contribution of the premium sales is increasing rapidly.

OnePlus: How midrange flagship brand is discreetly inching towards premium

With smartphone prices gradually increasing with every new generation, the midrange flagship brand OnePlus has turned into a premium brand. Here is a look at the company's journey so far

In 2014, Chinese smartphone manufacturer OnePlus debuted in the smartphone space with the launch of the OnePlus One, which was termed a flagship but had the price of a midrange device. Thanks to its top-notch specifications and brilliant build quality, the phone famously became the first midrange flagship, giving birth to a smartphone segment that had never before been explored or experimented with but had a huge potential in India’s price-conscious smartphone market.

Over the years, the company has continued to offer value-for-money products in the midrange segment, redefining the flagship smartphone segment and proving that a flagship need not be costly. However, with every consecutive launch, the company has raised the price substantially and moved closer to the premium smartphone segment. OnePlus still continues to offer value-for-money smartphones when compared with premium flagships. However, with the premium edition of its current-generation flagship priced at nearly Rs 44,000, OnePlus does not look like a midrange flagship brand any more.

ALSO READ : OxygenOS makes OnePlus 5T faster, smarter: An Android Oreo on steroids

OnePlus journey so far

OnePlus One

Launched in 2014, the OnePlus featured a premium design and top of the line innards. However, it was the launch price of Rs 21,999, almost half of other premium smartphones' cost that changed the notion of flagship smartphones, making this the first midrange flagship. The OnePlus One redefined the flagship smartphone segment and showed that a flagship need not be costly.

OnePlus 2

Riding on the success of the OnePlus One, the company launched the OnePlus 2 in 2015. Priced at Rs 24,999, the second-generation OnePlus smartphone featured top-tier specifications, coupled with a top-notch build quality which made it a value-for-money product that was hard to beat at its price.

OnePlus 3 and OnePlus 3T

Launched in 2016, the OnePlus 3 was a game-changer for the company. With the OnePlus 3, the company not only plugged the shortcoming of its predecessor, but also brought a new operating system that made it a robust flagship with an all-round performance. That justified its price tag of Rs 27,999.

Later that year, the company upgraded the model with a new processor, camera and improved user interface. Named the OnePlus 3T, the phone was an all-rounder. Launched at Rs 29,999, the phone had everything you expect from a premium flagship, but it had the price of a midrange. It is this smartphone that set the benchmark for the company’s future smartphones. (more)

Even after sluggish sales, iPhone X becomes most profitable phone for Apple

Meanwhile, India contributed to just one per cent of the total iPhone X shipments so far but the device was well received in the US market

Riding on 63 million shipments till August 2018, Apple's iPhone X is on track to be the most successful revenue and profit-generating iPhone ever, a Counterpoint Research report has said.

However, cumulative shipments of the iPhone X are lower than iPhone 6, which was its most-successful device, for a similar period since launch.

iPhone 6 shipped 30 million more units than iPhone X during its first 10 months of sales, so it missed the "Volume Super Cycle" but drove the Cupertino-headquartered giant's "Revenue Super Cycle".

According to Counterpoint's "Market Monitor" report, by comparison, during the iPhone 6 Super Cycle, Apple took only six months to achieve similar volume, post its launch in 2014.

"iPhone X drove a completely radical new design language that helped Apple to command a significantly higher Average Selling Price (ASP) at a point when the overall smartphone market was beginning to saturate," the market reseach firm said in a statement.

Apple has actually delivered a revenue super-cycle, posting record iPhone revenues and ASPs since the iPhone X launch.

"iPhone X is therefore also a factor in Apple becoming the first trillion-dollar company," Counterpoint added.

Meanwhile, India contributed to just one per cent of the total iPhone X shipments so far but the device was well received in the US market with demand reaching an all-time high during the initial months of launch.

"This shows in these large volumes' emerging markets, Apple needs to recheck its strategy if it wants to grow its user base or top-line," Counterpoint noted.

Apple iPhone XS, iPhone XC, MacBook, iPad Pro price and specs leaked

The iPhone 2018 model is expected to come in two variants - iPhone XS and iPhone XC. These models would be launched along with a new iPad Pro 2018, MacBook and Apple smart Watch

Apple is gearing up for its September 12 event where the Cupertino, US-based technology giant is expected to announce iPhone 2018, iPad Pro 2018, MacBook and Apple Watch. Reports around what to expect from Apple’s event has been making rounds of the internet since the beginning of this year. However, a recent leak on Chinese social media platform Weibo claims to know final price, specifications and names of the upcoming products, according to technology portal Mysmartprice.

According to the portal, the iPhone 2018 model would have at least two variants – iPhone XS and iPhone XC. These models would be launched along with a new iPad Pro 2018, MacBook and Apple smart Watch.

Here are the details of the upcoming products based on the recent leak on Weibo:

Apple iPhone XS

The iPhone XS is expected to be the premium-edition model with an OLED screen in the upcoming range of iPhone 2018. According to the leak, the phone would come in two screen sizes – 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch. The leak does not reveal if the phone would be based on the iPhone X concept, therefore there is no confirmation on the screen notch. The phone, however, is said to feature a glass-metal-glass design that Apple introduced with the iPhone 8 series.

terms of specifications, the phone would be powered by the Apple A12 chipset, mated with 4GB of RAM and three different storage variants – 64GB, 256GB and 512GB. Imaging is expected to be taken care of by a dual-lens setup with FaceID on the front. Details on the primary camera are missing. The iPhone XS is tipped to be priced at $899 and $999 for the 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch screen variants, respectively. The phone would be available in space grey, silver, and gold colour options.

Apple iPhone XC

The iPhone XC, on the other hand, is tipped to use an LCD screen instead of the OLED panel. It would sport a 6.1-inch screen and feature a glass and aluminium design. The phone is also expected to be powered by the A12 processor. However, it would get a 3GB RAM, mated with two storage configurations -- 64GB and 256GB. The iPhone XC is tipped to feature a single-lens camera on the back, and would also feature FaceID and 3D Touch. The iPhone XC is tipped to be priced at $749 and would be available in grey, red, blue, orange and white colour options. (more)

Apple shelving UPI shows how foreign giants trip over Indian regulations

The first of the issues is the data localisation recommended by RBI; then there are Justice Srikrishna panel's draft privacy Bill, health ministry guidelines, and even the national e-commerce policy

It is an oft-repeated, well known story, only the actors keep changing. For more than a year, Facebook-owned instant messaging giant WhatsApp has been looking to foray into India’s thriving digital payments industry but has moved little beyond a beta launch. Now, it is the $1-trillion US tech giant Apple that cannot find it in itself to launch a proprietary payments product using the country’s flagship Unified Payments Interface (UPI), suggest reports.

Apple’s move to shelve its UPI plan comes at a time when Google has placed massive bets on the Indian payments ecosystem, especially with its Google Tez app, recently rebranded to Google Pay, which allows people to pay, collect and request payments using UPI. However, Google isn’t too sure of its own future, either. The company is known to be assessing its plans in India, considering strict data localisation norms.

If the UPI values are rising at a breakneck speed each month – they have eclipsed credit card spends in the country – what could possibly be the reason for the three big giants in India’s digital story remaining largely out of the race? Regulations!

Also Read : HyperX Alloy Elite RGB Keyboard: Breathtaking add-on to your gaming console

The first of the lot is data localisation as recommended by the Reserve Bank of India. Then there are Justice Srikrishna panel’s draft privacy Bill, guidelines of the health ministry, and even the national e-commerce policy. Data localisation simply means storing specific data related to individuals inside the geographic boundaries of the country. However, to different departments it means different things, and it can get confusing for companies.

For instance, earlier this year, RBI issued its master directions and gave companies six months to move to the country all payments and financial data related to Indian cities. RBI also used the phrase “only in India”, implying none of this data could be taken outside of the country for processing.

India’s payment industry has traditionally depended on giants like Mastercard, Visa and American Express, which brought a plastic money boom to the country. These three companies are known to process data at their master data centres outside India, so setting up new data centres just to satisfy RBI’s conditions did not go down too well with these players. (more)

Planning to buy Samsung Note 9? Here's what it will cost in India

The Note 9 smartphone would be available in India in three colours Midnight Black, Ocean Blue and Metallic Copper

Electronics major Samsung has said it will start shipping its premium flagship ' Samsung Note 9 ' in the Indian market, priced Rs 67,900 onwards.

The device, which was unveiled on Thursday at the Barclays Centre in New York, is available for pre-booking in India with availability expected to begin later this month.

"Galaxy Note 9 will be available in 128GB and 512GB variants and will be priced at Rs 67,900 and Rs 84,900, respectively," Samsung said in a statement. It, however, did not disclose the date of availability.

The Note 9 smartphone would be available in India in three colours Midnight Black, Ocean Blue and Metallic Copper, it added.

The Note 9 will be available in select markets from August 24, 2018, it had announced on Thursday.

In a separate statement, telecom operator Bharti Airtel said the Note 9 (128 GB) will be available through its online store.

"Customers can pre-order the smartphone on the Airtel Online Store starting August 11, 2018 and Airtel will begin the delivery of the device starting August 22, 2018," it added.

The Note 9 will compete head-on with Apple's iPhones as well as OnePlus' smartphone among other smartphones in the premium smartphone category in the Indian market.

ALSO READ: Better than iPhone? Samsung Galaxy Note 9 creates flutters in Apple camp

The premium smartphone segment in India is niche but mirrors global trends in terms of growth. While the category accounts for less than 10 per cent of the Indian market in terms of shipment, the value contribution is higher. Estimate suggest that quarterly smartphone shipments in the category range between 1-1.5 million units.

Earlier this year, Samsung had unveiled the latest edition of its other flagship Galaxy S9, priced at Rs 57,900 onwards.

According to market watchers, Samsung is betting heavily on the success of its flagship devices in India, which is among the largest smartphone markets.

Globally, the premium smartphone market accounts for almost one-fifth of the total market. According to Counterpoint Research, Samsung's Note series contributes to roughly one-tenth of the global premium smartphone market.

It features 6.4-inch display, 12MP dual rear and 8MP front camera and 4,000 mAh battery. It will have two variants -- 6GB RAM/128GB internal memory (expandable up to 512GB) and 8GB RAM/512GB internal memory (expandable up to 512GB).

Samsung has incorporated bluetooth capability in its signature S Pen stylus, which can be used to control music playback and camera shutter. Besides, the company has also added artificial intelligence (AI) features to enhance camera capabilities.

Reliance Jio GigaFiber with GigaTV may cost Rs 500 a month; launch in Nov

Pre-registrations for the Reliance Jio GigaFiber service would begin from August 15 on Jio.com and My Jio app. However, the service is not expected to launch before the last quarter of this month

Reliance Jio, the telecommunication service provider promoted by Mukesh Ambani, is gearing up to foray into the home broadband segment with the launch of Jio GigaFiber fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) internet service, which was announced at Reliance Industries' 41st Annual General Meeting. The pre-registrations for the service would begin from August 15 on Jio 4G LTE Network and My Jio app. However, the service is not expected to launch before the last quarter of this month.

At the RIL AGM, Ambani had announced that the Reliance Jio GigaFiber had already been under testing in several cities and it would launch simultaneously in around 1,100 cities for homes, small and medium businesses and big corporate houses. He had also announced that the pre-registration for Jio GigaFiber home broadband would open from August 15, and a location that receives most users’ interest would be among the first locations to get the service.

With the Reliance Jio GigaFiber service, the company is promising internet speed of up to 1Gbps. However, the company did not share some information like the preliminary connection cost, security deposit and details of monthly plans. But a recent news report in the Economic Times hints that the company would focus on volumes to drive demand. Therefore, it would offer broadband services bundled with DTH services at about Rs 500 a month, or effectively half the price of what other cable operators charge for similar services.

ALSO READ: Reliance Jio Phone 2, Jio GigaFiber pre-bookings start on Aug 15: Know more

As for add-on features of the Jio GigaFiber, unlike most other broadband services, this would not be limited only to internet connection. The FTTH internet service would act as an underlying technology that would allow the company to foray into home automation, home surveillance, landline and cable television services. However, in the beginning, the broadband connection would have only internet services and Jio GigaTV service, which was also announced during the RIL AGM 2018.

The GigaTV set-top-box would offer internet-based digital content services, along with access to Jio’s app suite. Interestingly, the set-top-box would also support a video calling feature, allowing users to make video calls from their televisions. It is to be seen how the feature would work as the televisions currently do not support camera, in-build or external. The GigaTV remote would be voice-enabled, which would make it work with voice commands – something similar to how Amazon’s Fire Stick remote works.

Waiting for Xiaomi flagship smartphone? Won't take long, says India MD Jain

The phone would not be the one currently available as part of the Xiaomi product portfolio in its home country, China. Instead, it will be a brand new product designed specifically for Indian users

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi has a healthy presence in the budget and midrange segment of India's smartphone market. However, the company’s flagship segment has not seen new products for a long time. In the company's early days in India, it brought its premium Mi-series, which it updates almost every year. However, the Mi 5, launched in 2016, was the last iteration. Similar is the story for the company’s bezel-less smartphones of the Mi Mix-series.

Many say the company’s focus is more on the sub-Rs 20,000 smartphone segment. But Xiaomi India Managing Director Manu Kumar Jain begs to differ. In an interview, Jain confirmed the company had plans to launch a flagship smartphone for India very soon. He also clarified that the phone would not be the one currently available as part of Xiaomi's product portfolio in its home country of China. Instead, it would be a brand new product specifically designed for the Indian consumer.

Though Jain did not share the specifics, he did make an interesting remark when asked if the upcoming flagship would be a competitor to the Samsung Galaxy S-series or the OnePlus. According to Jain, there are two aspects based on which consumers define a flagship device — a prestige symbol or a top-notch specification-heavy device. According to Jain, the company is working on a product that could have the best of both worlds and yet have a price point that could cater to the masses.

Apart from sharing his thoughts on the upcoming Xiaomi flagship smartphonefor India, Jain also spoke about the company’s current manufacturing capacity and how it plans to expand in future, the flash sale model and after-sales service.

According to Jain, the company was manufacturing close to 3.5 million units in early 2017. To address the demand-supply issue, it ramped up the production and now manufactures almost 10 million units. Stating the risks involved in maintaining a huge stock inventory, Jain said the company would definitely increase the manufacturing capacity further, but with a caution.

As for the flash-sale model, Jain said the company knew there were demand-supply issues and was working to plug the gaps. Citing the current range of Xiaomi smartphones, of which only the Redmi Note 5 Pro and Redmi Y2 are on flash sales, Jain said the idea was to push out all the devices through open sale and that meeting the aim was a work in progress.

Jain also spoke about after-sales service. The company’s focus is not just to draw sales but to provide its customers end-to-end service, he said. According to him, Xiaomi’s service centre services had improved significantly over the years, making the company a leader in customer satisfaction. According to Jain, over 80 per cent of the devices received at Xiaomi service centres got repaired within four hours, an incredible feat to achieve. Speaking of relatively high price of spare parts, Jain assured the company did not generate its revenues from service centres.

Article Source : BS

From AI to enhanced security, here is what's new in Google Android 9 Pie OS

The Android 9 Pie also brings native gesture-based navigation control that would allow phone manufacturers to remove aged old key-based navigation

Search engine and technology giant Google on August 6 announced the Android 9 Pie, a next iteration of its operating system for smart devices. The new OS is currently rolling out as an update to Google Pixel phones and other phones from brands such as OnePlus, Nokia, Xiaomi, Sony, Oppo, Vivo and Essential would get it by this fall.

The Android 9 Pie brings major improvements in terms of usability and user interface. Importantly, it brings native support for artificial intelligence, which learns usage patterns to predict tasks, optimise battery consumption by apps and show relevant information. The new OS also bring native gesture-based navigation control that would allow phone manufacturers to remove aged old key-based navigation.

Here are the key features of the Android 9 Pie:

Artificial Intelligence

The Android 9 gets native AI support that learns usage patterns to adapt phone’s settings. The operating system comes with features such as adaptive battery, which learns the apps you use most and prioritises battery for them, and adaptive brightness, which learns how you like to set the brightness in different

The Android 9 also helps you get things done faster with App Actions, which predicts what you would want to do next based on your context and displays that action right on your phone. For an example, on early weekdays for an office goes, the OS would suggest actions like navigating to work on Google Maps or resuming an audiobook with Google Play Books.

Gestures support

The Android 9 Pie introduces a new system navigation featuring a single home button. This is helpful as phones grow taller and becoming difficult to operate using with one hand. With new gesture-based navigation, you can swipe up to see a newly designed overview, the spot where at a glance you have full-screen previews of your recently used apps.

The Android P also brings a redesigned quick settings, a better way to take and edit screenshots, simplified volume controls, an easier way to manage notifications and more.

App dashboard

The Android 9 Pie would also get new features in future that would allow users control the time they spend on different apps. These features include a new dashboard, which shows how much time you spend on each app; an app timer that lets you set time limits on apps and greys out the icon on your home screen when the time is up; the new Do Not Disturb, which silences all the visual interruptions that pop up on your screen; and wind down, which switches on night mode and Do Not Disturb and fades the screen to grayscale before bedtime. These features were first introduced at the Google I/O 2018 and would roll out as a part of Android 9 Pie add-on features later this year. Read more

Fake news crackdown: Modi govt wants WhatsApp, Facebook to be responsible

The government is more concerned with Telegram, fast becoming the preferred medium for many people

The government has said it expects popular social media applications such as WhatsApp and Facebook, which have large user bases in the country, to be responsible.

In a bid to check the spread of fake news through social media and messaging platforms — leading to mob lynching in some cases — the government is exploring the possibility of blocking WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram. The government is also trying to curb child abuse and pornography spread through these platforms.

The government has already issued notices on WhatsApp to keep a check on content. But, it is more concerned with Telegram, fast becoming the preferred medium for many people.

Sources said the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had expressed concerns about Telegram to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). Based on the letter from MeitY, DoT had asked the telecom and internet service providers to provide inputs about blocking mobile apps.

ALSO READ: Social media with large user base should behave responsibly: IT Secretary

Asked about the blocking of mobile apps, Information Technology (IT) Secretary Ajay P Sawhney said, “We are always in touch, and anytime we have a concern we flag it. We expect all platforms to behave in a responsible manner, especially those with a large user base.” He, however, said whenever the need arises, the government acts according to the IT Act in order to remove contentious content.

Sources told Business Standard it was very difficult for the government to ensure content had been blocked or taken down. In case of Telegram, which does not have a huge user base in India yet, the government wants to strengthen its enforcement mechanism.

Telegram claims its cloud chat data is stored in multiple data centres around the globe that are controlled by different legal entities spread across different jurisdictions. The relevant decryption keys are split into parts and are never kept in the same place as the data they protect. As a result, several court orders from different jurisdictions are required to force them to give up any data.

“Thanks to this structure, we can ensure no single government or block of like-minded countries can intrude on people’s privacy and freedom of expression,” Telegram explained on its website. Read more

Honor 9N sale starts today on Flipkart: Where to buy the smartphone

The smartphone with 3GB RAM+32GB storage variant is priced at Rs 11,999, 4GB RAM+64GB at Rs 13,999 and 4GB RAM+128GB variant at Rs 17,999

Honor, the online subsidiary of Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei, on July 24 launched the Honor 9N in India. The Flipkart-exclusive smartphone will be available in three RAM and storage configurations -- 3GB/32GB, 4GB/64GB and 4GB/128GB. It will go on sale from July 31 by 12 noon and will be available in lavender purple, sapphire blue, midnight black and robin egg blue colours.

When and where to buy:

The Honor 9N will on sale starting 12 PM on July 31. The 3 GB | 32 GB variant will go on sale at Rs 11,999. The 4 GB | 64 GB is priced at Rs 13,999 and the 4 GB | 128 GB variant will be launched at Rs 17,999. Here's the link to where you can buy the mobile.

The rise of Honor: A bried review

With 188 per cent growth, Honor was one of the fastest growing brands in India in the second quarter of 2018 -- registering a three per cent market share and grabbing fifth spot.

Sensing the right momentum, the Chinese smartphone maker has brought notch "Honor 9N" with "Full View" display and 19:9 aspect ratio in the sub-Rs 15,000 category to the country.

The smartphone with 3GB RAM+32GB storage variant

priced at Rs 11,999, 4GB RAM+64GB at Rs 13,999 and 4GB RAM+128GB variant at Rs 17,999.

"Honor 9N" (we reviewed 4GB RAM+64GB variant) can help the brand further cement its position.

The 5.84-inch Full HD+ device has 79 per cent screen-to-body ratio. There's a speaker grille and the front camera on the notch. You can also enable or disable the notch as per wish.

At this affordable range, the display quality was great with good amount of saturation, deep blacks and sunlight legibility. A 2.5D curved glass design with 12 layers of glass with nano-coating finish gave mirror-like effect.

The device is perfect in size as navigating it with a single hand hardly posed any obstacle.

Powered by the Kirin 659 processor and equipped with a dedicated i5 Co-processor, the device comes with hybrid-dual SIM support.

On the software front, the smartphone runs latest Android 8.0 (Oreo) operating system (OS) topped with Honor's custom EMUI 8.0. The UI also comes with a gaming mode that will let you play games without much distraction.

The device that houses 3,000mAh battery performed reasonably. On a single charge, it lasted for around 12 hours with moderate use, including surfing and video data consumption. Read more

Apple iPad Pro 2018 to get Face ID, gesture-based UI, lose 3.5mm audio jack

The next-generation iPad Pro models are also reported to have trimmed-down dimensions when compared with the current generation models, according to a report on Japanese technology portal Macotakara

US-based technology giant Apple is working on the iPad Pro 2018, which is reported to get some of its features from the iPhone X. These include the advanced facial recognition and gesture-controlled user interface. The next-generation iPad Pro models are also reported to have trimmed-down dimensions when compared with the current-generation models, according to a report on the Japanese technology portal Macotakara.The iPad Pro 2018 models are reported to come in 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch screen formats with edge-to-edge screen. Both the models would feature Apple’s advanced facial recognition biometric set-up, which uses an infrared camera, dot projector, flood illuminator, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor and front camera to 3D-map the user's face. In terms of dimensions, the iPad Pro 2018 with a 10.5-inch screen is reported to have a compact profile with dimensions measuring 247.5 x 178.7 x 6 mm, compared with 250.6 x 174.1 x 6.1mm for the current-generation model. Similarly, the 12.9-inch model would also have a trimmed dimension of 280 x 215 x 6.4mm, compared with 305.7 x 220.6 x 6.9mm in the current model.

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The iPad Pro 2018 models are also reported to lose the 3.5mm headphone jack, which has been missing in the iPhone models of the past few generations.The recent information around the upcoming Apple iPad Pro 2018 stands in line with the predictions of Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at TF International Securities who has seldom been wrong. The analyst had earlier predicted that there would be two new iPad Pro models, the 11-inch model to replace the 10.5-inch model and a 12.9-inch model. Though the report on the Japanese technology portal still bets on a 10.5-inch screen, there are chances that we see an 11-inch model eventually.

Kuo also predicted that the new iPad Pro models would have Face ID, which has been reaffirmed in the recent report. The all-screen display with gesture-based navigation also hints at no Home Button on the front and iPhone X-like user interface, which was also predicted by Kuo earlier.