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Microsoft has taken to Twitter to announce their next Xbox Series X event. The event, which will be a digital-only event, will take place on May 7 at 8:30 PM India time. Microsoft has tweeted, “You want to see games for the Xbox Series X? We want to show you games for the Xbox Series X. Check out First Look next-gen gameplay from our global developer's partners within #InsideXbox on Thursday, May 7 at 8am PT.” Since the tweet reads, “gameplay from our global developer's partners”, we think this will be the platform where Microsoft will show off what other developers are working on that will make an appearance on the next-generation consoles. As for first-party games, we think the reveal will be down the line for what Microsoft’s 16 first-party Xbox studios have to offer. It has been confirmed that gameplay for the recently revealed Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will be shown off at Microsoft’s May event. Speaking of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, the game saw the official unveiling of

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Photo by MARK RALSTON/AFP via Getty Images The organization that oversees internet domain names has rejected a proposal to transfer management of the .org top-level domain from a nonprofit to a private equity group. ICANN said it wouldn’t approve the sale of .org operator Public Interest Registry because it would create “unacceptable uncertainty” for the domain, citing concerns about debt and the intentions of the for-profit firm Ethos Capital. In a blog post , ICANN’s board said the sale would have given up the current focus of PIR in favor of “an entity that is bound to serve the interests of its corporate stakeholders, and which has no meaningful plan to protect or serve the .org community.” It also noted that the sale would leave PIR with a $360 million debt that could... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2SlCnnp

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge The coronavirus pandemic has caused the smartphone market to suffer its fastest ever first-quarter year-on-year decline, according to new data from analyst firms. Counterpoint Research and Canalys both put the overall drop in global shipments at 13 percent, though Counterpoint says the drop in China alone was 27 percent while Canalys calculates it at 18 percent. Whichever numbers you look at, the situation is clear: it’s the first time shipments have come under 300 million since 2014, with a precipitous collapse in China preceding falling demand around the world. “By the end of the quarter, as COVID-19 started to spread to other regions, and lockdowns of varying severity were imposed, the pendulum of disruption started to swing from... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2KLk1Z7

SoloCoin is an app that encourages people to stay at home during the pandemic, with reward tokens, which can be exchanged for discounts on services that are useful during the lockdown, such as Netflix and Swiggy. The app came in third at the CODE19 hackathon organised in India on April 10, with the winners announced 4 days ago. The CODE19 hackathon was an effort to quickly find technological solutions for the challenges faced by the Covid-19 outbreak and the following nationwide lockdown. On April 30, there was more good news for the app, as it went on to win first place in the “other” subcategory of the “Social & Political Cohesion” category of the pan European EUvsVirus hackathon.  The founder of the app is India based Arbob Mehmood, a 22 year old who has previously founded Bramble. The main product of Bramble is an API that allows developers to reward gamers in cryptocurrencies for playing their games. The experience Mehmood gained from working with Bramble was used to work on

Walmart store Walmart is launching a new delivery service, called Express Delivery, that will get purchased items to a customers’ home in less than two hours, the company announced on Thursday . The new service could be helpful if you need to get items in a hurry while respecting shelter-in-place orders during the COVID-19 pandemic. You’ll be able to use Express Delivery for more 160,000 items, including “groceries, everyday essentials, toys and electronics,” Walmart says. Express Delivery will cost $10 in addition to the regular charge for delivery unless you’re a member of the company’s Delivery Unlimited subscription service, in which case you’ll just pay $10 for Express Delivery. (Similar to Amazon Prime, Delivery Unlimited costs $98 annually or... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2KPyaEI

You can now use your Sonos speaker to listen to free audiobooks from your local library, thanks to a new integration with OverDrive’s Libby app . After downloading the Libby app, you’ll be prompted to register with a valid library card. Then, the app can be connected to a Sonos system and used to play any available audiobooks. Progress syncs across devices, so you’ll be able to pick up where you left off if you’ve been listening elsewhere. Libby isn’t the only source of audiobooks on Sonos (we’re looking at you Audible ), but unlike other services, it’s available completely free. The downside is that your choice of audiobooks will be limited by what your local library has available. OverDrive says that Libby works with 90 percent of public... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2yWga8K

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Twitter usage spiked to 166 million daily users in the first quarter of 2020, as more people flocked to the site to keep up with news on the coronavirus pandemic. The usage growth is the largest Twitter has ever reported year-over-year, up from 134 million during this same quarter last year (and up from 152 million daily users at the end of 2019). But the growth wasn’t enough to offset the sudden advertising decline caused by the pandemic — and it could pose problems for Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who’s on shaky ground with a group of activist investors. Advertising fell apart in March Twitter’s ad revenue started to fall apart in March. From March 11th on, Twitter saw a 27 percent drop in year-over-year ad revenue. This led to Twitter... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2YiI2yt

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The process Quibi used to verify new users’ email addresses sent them to multiple third-party advertising and analytics companies including Google, Facebook, and Twitter, a new report has claimed. When a new user signed up to the streaming service, they received an email with a verification link. Clicking that link appended their address to the URL and sent it in plain text to multiple other companies. Quibi is not the only company whose practices have been called out in the report, which was put together by Zach Edwards at the digital strategy firm Victory Medium. JetBlue, Wish, and the Washington Post were also found to be leaking addresses. But Edwards says that Quibi’s actions are especially egregious because the service launched... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3bRr4va

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OnePlus Z a.k.a Oneplus 8 Lite has been rumoured to launch sometime in July but a new image has surfaced which shows the much-anticipated phone from the front. The leaked image shows-off the phone’s centred punch-hole cutout with minimal bezels on all the sides. The OnePlus Z image in question was posted by TrueTech and confirms the presence of an in-display fingerprint reader as well. Earlier this week, the phone was revealed to launch in July 2020 as it was postponed due to the Coronavirus outbreak. Regardless, OnePlus went ahead and launched it’s OnePlus 8 series in an online event on April 14. The phones went up for pre-orders just days ago and now we have a leaked image that showcases the upcoming OnePlus phone. No other details can be made out from the leaked pictures however, the phone has been subject to numerous leaks in the past with several key specifications out in the open. OnePlus Z leaked specifications OnePlus Z could feature a 6.4-inch Full HD+ display that uses an

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Programming note: The Interface will be off on Thursday. Today Apple and Google released an initial version of the API that represents the first phase of their joint effort to enable public health authorities to quickly identify people who may have been exposed to new cases of COVID-19. By mid-May it should be available to most health agencies. And so it’s time to revisit a question we first asked here three weeks ago: will Americans actually use these apps ? That’s the question posed in a new survey conducted by the University of Maryland and the Washington Post . The findings are mixed, report Craig Timberg, Drew Harwell and Alauna Safarpour : Nearly 3 in 5 Americans say they are either unable or unwilling to use the infection-alert... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3aMWhOF

Image: Facebook Facebook is rolling out a new tool today allowing users in the US and Canada to transfer their photos and videos to Google Photos. The tool can be accessed by heading to your Facebook settings, then heading to the tab that reads “Your Facebook Information.” There you’ll find the option to transfer your photos and videos. You’ll need to connect your Google account before you can transfer your files. Facebook plans to roll the tool out to more services later this year The photo transfer tool initially launched in early December last year as part of the Data Transfer Project, with Facebook vowing to expand the tool to more countries in early 2020. As of March, the tool started becoming available around the globe, including countries in... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2xmeiG3

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced a new camera board that should dramatically improve the photographic capabilities available to the popular DIY computer’s enthusiasts and hobbyists. It’s called the High Quality Camera , and it’s built around a 12.3-megapixel backside-illuminated Sony IMX477 sensor with 1.55-micron pixels. There have been official Raspberry Pi camera boards before, but they used much smaller, lower resolution sensors and relied on fixed-focus lenses. The High Quality Camera, however, supports interchangeable C- and CS-mount lenses and offers adjustable back focus. The first options to be available through approved resellers include a $25 6mm CS-mount lens and a $50 16mm C-mount lens. The board has a CS mount but... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2Wb4MOm

Google has announced that its premium video conferencing platform, Google Meet, will be free for all users. The platform will be available from early May onwards and anyone with an email address will be able to use features like real-time captions, and layouts that have been available to business and education users.  Google Meet Availability The company notes that Google Meet will start becoming available to users from next week onwards and availability will expand to everyone over the following weeks, Users can sign up to be notified when it becomes available to them.       Before this, Google Meet was exclusively a part of G Suite, which is its productivity solution for businesses, organisations and schools. However, once it becomes available to everyone, users will be able to partake by heading over to meet.google.com or the mobile apps for iOS and Android. The company also notes that Meetings were limited to 60 minutes for the free product, but it will not enforce this time limi

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge DisplayPort Alt Mode 2.0 is a new standard from the Video Electronics Standards Association that allows USB 4 to offer all the bells and whistles of the DisplayPort 2.0 standard as well as transmitting USB data. That means support for 8K displays at 60Hz with HDR, 4K displays at 144Hz with HDR, or even 16K (15360x8460) displays at 60Hz with compression. It’s a big step towards USB Type-C becoming a true jack-of-all trades connector. The USB 4 spec can already transmit DisplayPort data, but AnandTech reports that the new standard remaps USB-C’s high speed data pins to unlock more bandwidth for video. USB 4 is bidirectional, meaning it can carry up to 40Gbps of data in either direction. However, video doesn’t need to go both ways — you... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2W56znS

LG’s entry-level offering, the Premier Pro Plus, has been spotted on the Google Play Console listing bearing the model number LG L455DL. The Korean smartphone manufacturer hasn’t teased the Premier Pro Plus as it seems to be exclusive to Tracfone telecom. The images of the phone were shared by Evan Blass on Twitter while a separate post on MyLGPhones revealed the user manual of the LG Premier Pro Plus. Both the leaks confirm the existence of the yet unannounced smartphone as the company is currently focused on the LG Velvet that’s due out on May 7. LG Premier Pro Plus leaked specifications Being an entry-level phone, the Premier Pro Plus could feature an HD+ (1560 x 720 pixels) resolution display. It is said to be powered by a MediaTek Helio P22 chipset with an octa-core CPU and runs on Android 9 Pie-based LG UX.  The phone is expected to feature a dual-camera setup that consists of an ultra-wide-angle lens along with an LED flash on the back and a front-facing camera that’s housed

Well, fans of the watered-down mediocrity that was the Arrowverse now have more bad news coming their way. After shows like Arrow, The Flash and Legends of Tomorrow drifted into superhero parody and stopped being fun, it now looks like these shows are disappearing from streaming platforms as well. The shows were part of a tie-up between Hooq and Disney+Hotstar and were available on both platforms. But as Hooq is now shutting down operations, it seems that these DC shows have also been taken off Disney+Hotstar. And, it does not seem like these shows are being picked up by any other streaming service although Arrow and Black Lightning are still available on Netflix, but who knows for how long? DC Arrowverse comes to an end on Hooq One main reason for this is that Disney owns Marvel, DC comics biggest competitor in both comic books and film. It could have been a conflict of interest having your competitor’s shows on your platform while your characters shows are on some other streaming pl

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Zoom has admitted it doesn’t have 300 million daily active users. The admission came after The Verge noticed the company had quietly edited a blog post making the claim earlier this month. Zoom originally stated it had “more than 300 million daily users” and that “more than 300 million people around the world are using Zoom during this challenging time.” Zoom later deleted these references from the original blog post, and now claims “300 million daily Zoom meeting participants.” The difference between a daily active user (DAU) and “meeting participant” is significant. Daily meeting participants can be counted multiple times: if you have five Zoom meetings in a day then you’re counted five times. A DAU is counted once per day, and is... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2KO1USm

It looks like the popularity of TikTok isn’t going to slow down any time soon. According to a report by research and analytics firm, Sensor Tower, the app has been downloaded over 2 billion times globally on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. This news comes a few months after the firm last reported that the app has been downloaded over 1.5 billion times. The report also notes that in Q1 2020, TikTok generated the most downloads for any app ever in a quarter with 315 million installs across Android and iOS. In fact, Google Play accounts for a majority of TikTok app downloads with 1.5 billion installs, or 75.5% of the total number. The Apple app Store generated 495.2 million downloads or 24.5%.  Of course, a lot of this has to do with the fact that most of the world is currently under lockdown due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic. As such, many people are turning to their smartphones for entertainment as well as connecting with others.  “While TikTok was on the ascent befo

Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 series, alongside the Mi Note 10 Lite is scheduled for a global launch in just a few hours from now. One part of the Redmi Note 9 series, the Note 9 Pro and Pro Max have already been announced in India but due to the Coronavirus outbreak and the subsequent nation-wide lockdown, the phones are yet to go on sale. The Indian government also currently prohibits e-commerce companies from shipping non-essential goods like mobile phones and laptops to consumers. The Mi Note 10 Lite is a pared-down version of the Mi Note 10 that was launched back in November 2019 with a 108MP penta-camera setup. However, the latest rumours indicate that the Note 10 Lite could come with a 64MP primary camera. The Redmi Note 9 has also been leaked just hours before the official launch. How to watch Xiaomi Redmi Note 9 series launch event Xiaomi is hosting an online launch event for the Redmi Note 9 series and the Mi 10 Lite due to the COVID-19 crisis that has forced people to stay at home.

If you are rocking a Nokia 9 PureView smartphone then there is good news for you. The smartphone has started receiving the Android 10 update. If you haven't received the update on your device, you can go into the settings and manually check for the update. When the Nokia 9 PureView launched, customers were promised two years of OS updates. As of today, Nokia 9 PureView, Nokia 8 Sirocco, Nokia 8.1, Nokia 7.2, Nokia 7 Plus, Nokia 7.1, Nokia 6.2, Nokia 6.1 Plus, Nokia 6.1, Nokia 4.2, Nokia 3.2, Nokia 2.3 and Nokia 2.2 are all upgraded to Android 10.  Nokia 9 PureView Android 10 update features The update on the Nokia 9 PureView brings with it a bunch of new features as well. Users get access to gesture navigation and smart reply which are a part of Android 10. Users also get access to better privacy controls all in one place along with the ability to control location access to apps – be that always, just while in use, or never. Focus mode is also available in Beta. This lets users bl

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The Nintendo Switch may not have a proper Virtual Console, but it’s still a great system for classic games , and today sees one of its most unusual retro releases in a while. To celebrate the Neo Geo’s 30th anniversary this week, SNK is re-releasing Neo Geo Pocket Color title SNK Gals’ Fighters for the first time since it came out in 2000. That’s sort of an odd way to pay homage to the Neo Geo arcade system, if you ask me, but the results are certainly cool. By default, the Switch screen shows a scaled Neo Geo Pocket Color console running the game — you can even play it by pressing the console’s buttons on the touchscreen, though I wouldn’t recommend it. The clicky joystick is not quite going to be the same. The Neo Geo... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2y3N2wt

It looks like the Fire TV Stick will finally have some stiff competition. If information circulating the internet is to be believed, then a new Chromecast Ultra has appeared on the Taiwanese certification agency NCC. This Chromecast Ultra comes with a remote control. The new information about the device was first spotted by MySmartPrice. In the certification, Google details a device that has two components - the Chromecast Ultra and a remote control. Information circulating the internet suggested that the device has a codename “sabrina”. The new device is said to have the same features as the current Chromecast Ultra but will bring with it a remote control. It will support 4K and HDR, but it isn’t clear if it will support other formats like Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos, both of which are supported on the 4K Fire TV Stick available in India. It looks like the remote control which will come with the new Chromecast Ultra will be a cross between the Daydream remote control and the Apple T

Google Pixel 4a is a much-anticipated smartphone that has often been leaked with pictures of retail boxes being spotted on the internet recently. As per the latest piece of information, the Pixel 4a is slated to go on sale from May 22 in Germany. The phone was earlier set to be unveiled during Google I/O 2020, the company’s annual developers conference but the event was called off due to the Coronavirus outbreak across the world. The successor to last year’s Pixel 3a, the 4a is expected to be a slightly trimmed down version of the Pixel 4 and is aimed at markets like India where the Pixel 4 didn’t launch. According to a German report, the 4a will likely go on sale from May 22 and will be offered by Vodafone under contract. The phone is reportedly priced starting at 399 Euros which roughly translates to around Rs 32,000 by direct conversion. Google Pixel 4a comes after Apple announced an affordable iPhone SE 2020 and OnePlus launched its latest OnePlus 8 series of smartphones earlier

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AT&T , T-Mobile , and Verizon have all partnered with iHeartMedia to deliver thousands of phone chargers to hospitals so that COVID-19 patients can charge their phones. The companies will donate nearly 40,000 phone chargers, according to T-Mobile’s press release. T-Mobile says it has already donated 20,000 chargers to hospitals in Seattle, New York City, Los Angeles, New Orleans and San Diego. Verizon says it’s providing thousands of chargers to healthcare providers in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, New Orleans, Detroit and Philadelphia, and more. AT&T says it will donate thousands of chargers to “hospitals in cities across the country that have been hit the hardest by the virus.” The donation efforts by the wireless... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3c1rGy8

Illustration by Grayson Blackmon We’ve got to be ready for the long haul Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2y9sUsD

Image: Google Google’s Area 120 incubator is shutting down Shoelace, a local event organizing app that it’s been trialing in New York City for the past year , 9to5Google reports . The company said the service will be shutting down on May 12th in an email sent out to users yesterday. “While we’re very proud of what we have built and learned, the team has decided that now doesn’t feel like the right time to continue investing in this project,” the email read. Launched last July, Shoelace was an app that allowed people to organize local events called “Loops.” The app then listed these events for other users based on their interests, allowing them to RSVP if they wished to attend. It’s not surprising that Google has chosen to wind down the app after it was... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2Si2kEm

Illustration by William Joel / The Verge As schools go remote, so do tests and so does surveillance Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2zH1ryZ

The race to respond to Zoom’s popularity is well and truly on Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2yTdqJg

Google is rolling out an update for Drive, Docs, Sheets, Slides and Forms app on the web with a major redesign in the way you share the documents with people. The redesign will give you more control over what’s being shared and to whom. There’s also a new way to see who currently has access to the document, making it easier to audit and change permissions. “These changes will make it easier to share files only with specific people without expanding access beyond what’s needed,” Google wrote in the Gsuite blog. Google docs sharing settings made easier The new design brings a new task-focused interface with new sharing dialogue options that highlight essential user tasks like sharing a file, changing permissions or giving access. The new interface also separates users who are shared in a group versus those that got a link. You can also clearly see who currently has access to the document. The changes will take place by default for Gsuite users and will roll out gradually starting Apri

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge People are changing how they listen to Spotify as a result of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the company announced in its latest earnings release today. Spotify says that it has met its forecasts in the three-month period ending March 31st, but noted that people’s daily routines are changing. “Morning routines have changed significantly,” says Spotify. “Every day now looks like the weekend.” It makes sense. As more people work and study at home, people don’t have a morning commute to spend listening to Spotify, and there’s less listening occurring through the service’s car and wearable apps. Spotify says this has had a more significant impact on podcasts than music. However, other devices appear to be picking up some of the slack. The... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2SgvmEu

Google is opening up its Google Meet videoconferencing service to anybody who wants to use it, instead of just offering it to enterprise and education customers via G Suite. The company says anybody with a Google account will now be able to create free meetings of up to 100 people that can last any amount of time — though after September 30th it may restrict meeting length to 60 minutes. That Google account requirement is a hard one, however. People won’t be able to just click a link and join a meeting — they’ll need to be logged in. That is so meetings can be better controlled by their hosts, hopefully eliminating the possibility of Zoombombing . Google will also introduce other safety measures: people not explicitly added to a meeting... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/35gDSsD

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Oh hey, today is our 500th issue! Thanks to everyone who has been with us from the beginning, and each of you who has joined along the way. We can’t imagine a better use of our time during this weird era than bringing you news and analysis of the day’s big moments in tech, democracy, and the pandemic. One result of the COVID-19 pandemic has been that big tech companies, which long have been reluctant to intervene in questions of content moderation, have quickly become much more aggressive . At Google, for example, the company began showing news stories from trusted sources to anyone who searched for information about the virus. It stepped up efforts to remove videos containing misinformation about the pandemic from YouTube. YouTube also... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2Ynd8VA

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Samsung and LG just reported their first quarter results for the three-month period ending in March, with earnings largely unaffected by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, both companies warn that the impact will be felt over the current quarter ending in June. Namely, Samsung and LG expect customers to cut back significantly on TV and smartphone purchases. In Q1, Samsung’s net profit was down slightly compared to the same quarter last year, but revenue was up 5.6 percent overall thanks to strong demand for its server and mobile components. The company said that some of its customers are restocking their chip supplies because of supply uncertainty, Reuters notes . Mobile profitability was also up, although shipments were down. Meanwhile,... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2VKLFvm

Amazon has launched a new service called ‘Amazon Pay Later’ that aims to offer instant credit to eligible customers shopping on Amazon.in. The service lets people sign up digitally and allows customers to get instant credit that can be used to purchase any product. The credit can also be used to pay off bills. They can then repay the amount in the subsequent month at no additional cost, or in EMIs for up to 12 months with added interest.  The service aims to help customers extend their budgets for the purchase of goods like home appliances, electronic gadgets, groceries and even bill payment. The e-tailer has partnered with Capital Float and the Karur Vysya Bank (KVB) to make the service possible. In its official blog, the company notes that customers will have the option to setup auto-repayment for recurring bills. Based on the usage as well as repayment behaviour, customers will also be able to increase their credit limit.  Mahendra Nerurkar, CEO Amazon Pay India stated, “we are al

Xiaomi will announce the Mi Note 10 Lite globally on April 30 alongside the Redmi Note 9 series. The company has revealed that a slightly toned-down version of the Mi Note 10 will be introduced at the online event that starts from 20:00 GMT (5:30 PM IST) on April 30. The Mi Note 10 was announced back in November 2019 with a 108MP penta-camera setup and the Lite version is expected to be an affordable version of the same, save for the 108MP camera. It’s very likely that given the affordable nature of the Mi Note 10 Lite, it could feature a 48MP or 64MP primary camera. Going by the poster that has been revealed by Xiaomi, the phone features a u-shaped notch cutout on the front with quad cameras arranged in an array on the back accompanied by a dual-LED flash. During its event, Xiaomi will also launch the Redmi Note 9 series globally. Xiaomi already announced the Redmi Note 9 Pro and Note 9 Pro Max recently in India but due to the Coronavirus outbreak, the Redmi Note 9 series is yet to

Realme has been pivoting beyond smartphones and becoming a tech-lifestyle brand this year. Realme launched truly-wireless earphones, a smart wristband and there’s even a TV on the cards. Realme CEO Madhav Sheth was also spotted wearing what looked like an Apple-Watch clone, and could very well be Realme’s next wearable device — The Realme Watch. Its existence is no secret, with a recent video even offering a glimpse of the smartwatch. But nothing more was officially revealed. Now, a big leak originating from the XDA Developers forums gives more than just a glimpse of the Realme Watch. XDA member @deletescape obtained renders of the Realme Watch, which reveals the upcoming smartwatch looks familiar but has its own quirks. Realme Watch expected specs and features The renders show the watch has a square panel with rounded corners and thick bezels. The Realme branding is at the bottom bezel and there is a single push button on the right. You can also spot the charging pins on the watch o

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The Government of India had earlier released the Aarogya Setu app for contact tracing of people who may have been infected with COVID-19, however, the app is currently available only for smartphones. The IT Minister Sri Ravishankar Prasad has now announced that a version of the app is also being developed for feature phones. The Aargoya Setup app was released on Android and iOS in order to alert a user if he/she has come in contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. The only problem with this approach was that it relied on the user owning a smartphone for the app to work. However, given the massive rural population in India, and the fact that we still have a major chunk of the population using feature phones, the lack of an app for them was a major hole in the strategy of combating the Coronavirus. According to Business Standard, the Minister had tweeted that, "Every state highly appreciated the #AarogyaSetu app and shared their thoughts on it. I have assured the

CODE19, a 72-hour long online hackathon aimed at finding immediate solutions to India’s challenges against the COVID-19 Coronavirus has ended and the winners have been announced. The event was held on April 10 and total prize money of $34,000 has been awarded to the winners. Ms Asha Jadeja Motwani, the Founder of Motwani Jadeja Family Foundation, stated, “We have been overwhelmed by the quality of entries at CODE19 online hackathon and the deep enthusiasm shown by all the participants. A community of hackers and mentors, especially young students from all parts of the country and around the world, came together to enable India’s fight against Coronavirus. I believe that the qualitative, open-source projects created at this hackathon would help mitigate the impending Corona-inflicted challenges in India. I am also hopeful that the total prize money of $34,000 that was awarded to winning teams will enable them to realize their solutions and bring them to market.”  The first prize was a

OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro are up for pre-orders on Amazon India after the company announced the phones globally in a virtual event on April 14. Due to the Coronavirus outbreak, smartphone sales in many countries including India have been suspended as the government prohibited e-commerce companies from accepting orders of mobile phones, laptops and more. However, OnePlus has started accepting pre-orders of its latest smartphone line-up and could go on an open sale from May 11 in India. The company has also announced the Bullets Wireless Z and Warp Charge 30 wireless charging dock priced at Rs 1,990 and Rs 3,990 respectively by there’s currently no word around the availability of these in India. In case you need a new phone and you have had your eyes set on the OnePlus 8 or OnePlus 8 Pro since their launch, here’s how to pre-book the phone on Amazon India. How to pre-order OnePlus 8 or OnePlus 8 Pro on Amazon India The OnePlus 8 series of smartphones are up for pre-booking on Amazon

The past two months saw no activity whatsoever in the smartphone market because of the ongoing lockdown in India. Counterpoint Research data indicates that the smartphone market in India grew at 4% YoY in Q1 2020. Shipments surged in January and February as compared to last year, and then came crashing with a 19% drop due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Xiaomi, Vivo and Samsung now command the top three positions in the market, while Realme, Oppo and Apple are the fastest-growing OEMs. Despite stiff competition from Xiaomi and other Chinese brands, strong sales of the iPhone 11 and multiple pricing promotions saw Apple’s market share surge in Q1 2020. The analyst firm claims, Apple was third-fastest growing brand in India with a whopping 79% growth. In the second position is Oppo with 83% YoY growth while Realme is the fastest growing with a 119% growth in shipments, YoY in Q1 2020. How did the Indian smartphone market perform in Q1 2020? Apple also topped the charts in the ‘ultra-premium

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If you use WhatsApp to stay in touch with family and friends, then there is good news for you. The recently announced feature, that increases the number of people you can video call simultaneously is now live. The previous maximum limit on a video call was 4 and that has now increased to 8. On its official blog, WhatsApp says, “The COVID-19 pandemic has meant that many of us are isolated from friends and family. As a result, we see that people all over the world are turning to voice and video calling on WhatsApp more than ever before. Group calling has been particularly useful and our users have asked to connect with more people at once. Starting today, we’re doubling the number of participants you can have on a WhatsApp video or voice call from 4 to 8 people at a time. Over the last month, people on average are spending over 15 billion minutes talking each day on WhatsApp calls, well above a typical day before the pandemic. And just like written messages, all those calls are protected

OnePlus 8 series was announced on April 14 but the much-rumoured OnePlus 8 Lite a.k.a OnePlus Z was a no-show. In the heads up to the launch, we heard whispers about the phone being postponed due to the Coronavirus outbreak in various parts of the world. However, the latest piece of information suggests that the OnePlus Z might just not be alive and kicking but could be eyeing a launch in July. pic.twitter.com/wcD3wH4bVb — Max J. (@MaxJmb) April 28, 2020 Earlier, popular leakster OnLeaks had hinted that the OnePlus Z launch has been pushed back to “upcoming summer”. Moreover, the latest information falls in line with the previous speculations and it seems like we’ll get an affordable OnePlus 8 Lite or OnePlus Z after all. OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro are up for pre-orders in India on Amazon and are scheduled to go on open sale starting May 11. That is if the government lifts the on-going nation-wide lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19 in the country. Currently, the government has

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Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Apple Maps will now show COVID-19 testing sites in all 50 states and Puerto Rico ( via TechCrunch ). When you search using terms like “COVID-19 test” or “coronavirus test,” places that offer COVID-19 tests will be marked on your map. If you start typing COVID-19 into the search bar, you’ll also see the “COVID-19 Testing” search term appear at the top of your search bar, like what you’d see if you started typing something like “groceries” or “coffee shops.” Apple’s information cards for the testing sites include the site’s hours, address, and phone number, as well as a warning that “COVID-19 testing may require a doctor’s referral and an appointment at the testing center” and a link to the website of the healthcare provider offering the... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3eYVgGA

AMC Theatres will no longer play Universal films effective immediately after “unacceptable” comments were made from NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell on its decision to bypass a traditional theatrical release for Trolls World Tour and make it a digital exclusive, according to The Hollywood Reporter . In a new interview with the Wall Street Journal , Jeff Shell noted that Trolls World Tour succeeded their expectations, pulling in nearly $100 million in revenue through digital sales alone and more than five million copies sold. As a result, Shell noted that as “soon as theaters reopen, we expect to release movies on both formats,” meaning some movies would continue with theatrical releases while others would go directly to digital retailers or... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3d1iFFH