Author: Sandesh Bhosle

Vivo Reportedly Plans To Release A Rollable, Slidable & Foldable NEX Series Phones

People were and still are crazy about foldable smartphones, which is why top smartphone manufacturers are risking to join the segment. The latest one comes from the Chinese smartphone brand Vivo, which reportedly plans to release a rollable, slidable, and foldable smartphone by the end of 2021, under the trademark NEX Roll, NEX Slide, and NEX Fold.

Earlier, Samsung kicked off the foldable smartphone segment with the Galaxy Fold, and the Korean brand is now on the third generation of its foldable smartphones. Along with Vivo, 2021 is expected to witness the launch of Xiaomi, Oppo and Google’s foldable smartphone. LG was also preparing a rollable smartphone, but it failed to survive in the smartphone market, and the company shuts down its smartphone manufacturing section.

On May 24, Vivo has trademarked these three NEX devices, but the real journey began when Vivo launched the world’s first smartphone, Vivo APEX, with a full-screen design and a pop-up camera mechanism. Later on, APEX turned into Vivo NEX, which marked the trend of smartphones with a full-screen design and pop-up cameras. 

The upcoming NEX smartphone lineup will bring cutting-edge design and innovative features. Last year, OPPO showcased it’s Oppo X 2021 as the world’s first rollable smartphone, and we all know how Oppo and Vivo are linked to each other as they’re part of BBK electronics. So, it’s not hard to presume that they both are working together to create more innovative smartphones somewhere down the line.

Earlier, a report said that Vivo filed a design patent with the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Office), where the company registered a patent for a new foldable smartphone design with a stylus. Also, the report said, the smartphone will feature an inward folding screen that unfolds into a tablet. Unfortunately, there’s no official statement from Vivo, but hopefully, more details will appear soon.

Instagram Will Soon Allow Users To Post Through Desktop

One of the most searched questions on the internet is can we post pictures on Instagram from the desktop? Earlier, we’re only authorised to view Instagram posts through a desktop website and used to get alternative options as an answer, where we could use third-party tools to create posts on desktops, but now, to do it directly, Instagram is testing on a long-requested functionality of publishing posts through desktop, and soon, we all could post pictures through the desktop as a post, with the help of plus icon.

The new trial feature for the desktop website was first spotted by social media expert Matt Navarra, who shared several screengrabs on his Twitter feed. The screengrabs manifest now we’re allowed to create more on Instagram through the desktop website. Unfortunately, the trial feature is not accessible for everyone, but Instagram could roll it out soon for all the users only if it works smoothly.

Alongside Matt Navarra, Facebook’s spokesperson Christine Pai has confirmed regarding the test in a statement, “We know that many people access Instagram from their computer, and to improve that experience, we’re now testing the ability to create a Feed post on Instagram with their desktop browser.”

The in-browser experience advances many of the same features which we see on a mobile app: a plus icon to upload a photo as a post, various filters, primary editing tools and an option to choose an aspect ratio where they can choose from Original, Square (1:1), Portrait (4:5), and Landscape (16:9). Along with an option to post pictures, users are also entitled to add a caption, location, tag people, and most of the advanced features like turning off comments, hiding likes-views and more. 

When it comes to posting a video through a desktop browser, the process is a little different, where users can select any specific frame from the desired video to put it as a cover or thumbnail. The new feature also offers an option for turning the sound off or on. Instagram has always been slow to implement features, especially on desktop, but the problem is solved now, and now we can post our favourite cat and food pictures on Instagram with the comfort of a desktop.

What’s New In Windows 11?

Windows OS is where many of us wrote our first email and played our first PC game; it’s always been a part of our lives. Yesterday, Microsoft officially introduced its latest operating system Windows 11, to bring you closer to what you love and the people you love.

The new update promises a simplified design and user experience to empower your productivity and inspire your creativity. The new operating system is set to arrive as an update to Windows 10 users this holiday season, but before installing one in your system, you should know what’s new in Windows 11? and here comes the answer.

First of all, before installing a new operating system, you should look for the specific requirements because without fulfilling them, you can’t just go ahead. To run Windows 11 smoothly on your PC or Laptop, you need to fulfil the following system requirements.

Processor: 1 GHz or faster with two or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or System on a Chip (SoC)

RAM: 4 GB or more

Storage: 64 GB or larger storage device

System firmware: UEFI, Secure Boot capable

TPM: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0

Graphics card: Compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver

Display: 720p (HD) display that is greater than 9-inches diagonally

Furthermore, machines running Intel’s 6th and 7th generation processors and AMD-based systems, the A-series and FX-series, along with Ryzen 1000 and most Ryzen 2000 chips, will not be able to run Windows 11.

The first thing you’ll notice about Windows 11 is that it includes a new Start menu and an updated Start button centered on the taskbar, just like macOS and Chrome OS, to find what you need quickly. The Live Tiles are now gone, and instead, we have a grid of icons that can be rearranged and pinned to the new Start Menu. 

Windows 11 is built on the familiar Windows 10 foundation, focusing on a new UI, similar to what we first witnessed in Windows 10X. Windows 11 is also secured by built-in security technologies and provides a Zero Trust-ready operating system to protect data and access across devices. Windows 11 also includes the rounded corners we’ve seen in Android and iOS, which include things like your calendar, weather and sports leaderboard.

Microsoft has introduced a Chat function, especially integrated into the taskbar to connect you instantly through text, chat, voice or video with all of your contacts, anywhere, no matter the platform or device they’re on, across Windows, Android or iOS.

If you’re a gamer, Windows 11 is made for you as it unlocks the full potential of your system’s hardware, putting some of the latest gaming technology to work for you. Auto HDR, a feature in Xbox Series X/S, will be part of Windows 11 which adds high dynamic range (HDR) to many DirectX 11 and DirectX 12 games. 

Windows 11 also brings the new store and support for Android apps on Windows. The redesigned Microsoft Store will support apps that haven’t been available in the Windows app store yet, including Android apps like TikTok and Instagram. The latest OS from Microsoft is expected to arrive around October, and the company has promised to make Windows 11 a free upgrade, as long as you have Windows 10 and the minimum system requirements.

Realme Sub-brand DIZO Will Launch It’s First-ever Product On July 1

Back in late May, Chinese smartphone manufacturer Realme unveiled its first AIoT sub-brand, DIZO, focusing on smart home gadgets, accessories, lifestyle, and entertainment products. Now the company is gearing up to launch its first product under its all-new DIZO sub-brand on July 1. DIZO is expected to launch new wireless earbuds, headphones, smartwatches, and feature phones in India, but their first product could be TWS headphones as the brand is teasing us with all the music-related tweets.

The Vietnamese e-commerce website Shoppe has been teasing the upcoming products from the Realme sub-brand, which are claimed to be called the DIZO GoPods, DIZO GoPods D, and DIZO Watch for weeks now, and all these leaked products are similar to Realme Buds Air 2, Buds Q2 and Watch 2, respectively, with a few exterior changes. As per the leaks, along with these products, the brand is also planning to bring a Bluetooth speaker and a vacuum robot.

The feature phones have come a long way and a number of people, mostly old-age people still prefer them first. Most of them can now support WhatsApp, Google, YouTube, and Gmail apps. DIZO is expected to launch two feature phones allegedly called DIZO Star 500 and DIZO Star 300. 

The launch of these feature phones will mark the debut of Realme in the feature phone segment. DIZO feature phones have already created hype around the Indian market, and once they launch, they would surely offer a decent fight to the old bosses of the feature phone market, Jio, Samsung, and Nokia. 

The company aims to launch over 100 new AIoT and lifestyle products in 2021; the long list includes TWS products, affordable smart TVs, smart plugs, trimmers, smart bulbs and more. All the recent leaks and speculations hinted that DIZO would be rebadging some of the existing Realme products and will share more teasers about the products to build the hype.

What Is Lossless & Spatial Audio In Apple Music?

Audiophiles were excited when Apple announced its lossless audio option and industry-leading high-resolution sound quality to subscribers with the addition of Spatial Audio that support Dolby Atmos, but how many of us truly know about its actual definition and purpose? How much better is it than what you’re currently listening to? The answers are a little more involved.

Lossless Audio:

Music in modern times has often been all about innovation, and with every other launch, it offers sharper results. Apple has developed its own lossless audio compression technology called Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC), which helps preserve every bit of the original audio file. 

The lossless format can compress the silences to almost zero space while maintaining all sound data as their name implies, making them smaller than uncompressed files and offers Apple Music subscribers the exact same thing that the artists created in the studio. The higher bitrate will help the digital audio file to sound more reliable and accurate. The bitrate of a standard lossless audio track is around 1,411 kbps which is more than four times the audio quality of an MP3 file with a bitrate of 320 kbps.

Lossless audio is available on the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV 4K. The company will add an entire Apple Music catalogue of over 75 million tracks available in Lossless Audio by the end of 2021.

How to use Lossless Audio service on your iPhone or iPad:

  1. Go to Settings > Music
  2. Tap Audio Quality
  3. Tap Lossless to switch it on or off. You can choose the audio quality for streaming and downloading audio from here.
  • Choose Lossless for a maximum resolution of 24-bit/48 kHz
  • Choose Hi-Res Lossless for a maximum resolution of 24-bit/192 kHz

How to use Lossless Audio service on your Mac:

  1. Open the Apple Music app.
  2. Choose Music > Preferences.
  3. Click the Playback tab.
  4. Under Audio Quality, select or unselect Lossless to switch it on or off. You can also change the settings for streaming and downloading lossless from here.
  • Choose Lossless for a maximum resolution of 24-bit/48 kHz
  • Choose Hi-Res Lossless for a maximum resolution of 24-bit/192 kHz

Apple becomes the latest one to join the Lossless club along with companies like Spotify, Amazon, Tidal, Deezer, and Qobuz, who have already launched a lossless audio feature for their subscribers. Amazon Music HD offers its subscribers the experience to listen to “Ultra HD” (up to 24-bit/192kHz), while Tidal gives its HiFi subscribers the choice of listening to Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) certified tracks (up to 24-bit/96kHz).

Apple’s Spatial Audio:

Apple’s Spatial Audio was first introduced on its AirPods Pro earbuds in September 2020 with iOS 14 and has evolved tremendously over time. Recently, at WWDC, Apple brought Spatial Audio with support for Dolby Atmos to Apple Music and made its greatest advancement ever in sound quality as listening to a song in Dolby Atmos is like travelling to another world.

Spatial audio is a 360-degree sound format that takes 5.1, 7.1 and Dolby Atmos signals and virtualises them into directional audio filters that surround you, making it seem you are in the heart of the action. Spatial audio recreates the audio experience of a cinema and makes watching movies with Apple products more immersive. 

Apple Music and Dolby are making it easy for musicians, producers, and mix engineers to create songs in Dolby Atmos by transforming the boundary of music. Apple Music is also collaborating with artists and labels to add new releases and create music specifically for the Spatial Audio experience.

Currently, the service is supported in Apple TV 4K, Airpods & headphones with H1 or W1 chip and built-in speakers of the latest iPhone, iPad and Macs with M1 chips. However, Apple Music isn’t the first to introduce spatial audio service on Apple devices, as Tidal launched Atmos Music to Apple TV 4K back in May 2020.

How to listen to Dolby Atmos on your iPhone or iPad:

  1. Update your iPhone or iPad to iOS or iPadOS 14.6. 
  2. Go to Settings.
  3. Tap Music.
  4. Under Audio, tap Dolby Atmos. 
  5. Choose Automatic, Always-On, or turn Dolby Atmos off.

How to listen to Dolby Atmos on your Mac:

  1. Update your Mac to macOS 11.4.
  2. Open the Apple Music app.
  3. Choose Music > Preferences.
  4. Click the Playback tab. 
  5. Choose Automatic, Always-On, or turn Dolby Atmos off.

The company is also bringing the Spatial Audio experience to FaceTime, its video conferencing app. Apple’s Spatial audio feature is yet to be available for its headphones as Apple is still working on the technology needs that’ll support head tracking. Still, at the same time, Sony’s Reality Audio 360 is available on its own headphones and high-end speakers.

The Cupertino based company loves music and always tries to offer the latest innovations to its consumers. Once Apple revolutionised the music experience by putting a thousand songs in your pocket with the launch of the iPod and iTunes, and now they are taking your music experience to another world with Lossless & Spatial Audio.

Top 5 Things You Should Consider Before Buying A Gaming Smartphone

Technology has evolved the phone gaming experience from the slow-moving snake on the initial keypad phones to hitting the high-definition screens with AAA titles games such as PUBG and Call of Duty on smartphones.

Over the years, the craze of smartphone gaming reaches the high-top, and people started considering a smartphone as a primary gaming device which ultimately creates concerns and confusions while buying a smartphone. So, to avoid more such situations, we have created a list of things you should consider when looking for a gaming smartphone.

Performance:

If you’re looking for a gaming smartphone that will run the latest games in the best way possible, you should consider and prioritize the processor, at least 8GB RAM, and other internals first, along with the latest and greatest chipset currently available in the market. On the other hand, if you’re a heavy user who uses smartphones most for gaming purposes and streaming videos, buy smartphones with the Qualcomm, Snapdragon 700-series or an 800-series that promises better CPU and GPU performance with fluid multitasking.

Battery & Fast Charging:

One cannot play fast-intense games for a long time or whenever they want without having a robust and efficient battery backup. So, the larger battery becomes an ultimate factor, as it provides you with the freedom to play for extended periods of time. Along with the battery, the fast charging function plays a vital role in gaming smartphones. The fast charging allows you to top up your phone without waiting for an hour-long time and helps you to get back into the business instantly.

Cooling System:

Gaming is an intensive task that consumes a lot of power when you play, even for a short period, and all this results in your phone raising the temperature and getting hot, which without a doubt affects the performance of your processor. Gamers usually need to hold their phone for elongated periods, which makes checking the cooling system of the gaming phone is also one of the necessary factors to consider, as a better cooling system would help reduce the phone’s temperature and offer a decent playtime.

Display:

The display and size of the screen matter the most when you’re buying a gaming smartphone. The bigger screen can automatically enrich the gaming experience. Nowadays, most flagship smartphones available in the market come with an AMOLED display that gives deeper black levels than IPS LCD panels and offers more vibrant looking colours. 

Refresh Rate:

Along with the display, the screen refresh rate also helps to enhance the gaming experience in smartphones. Consider buying a phone with a higher refresh rate as it provides advancement to the gamer while playing. For instance, If a phone has a 120 Hz refresh rate, it means that an image has been refreshed in one second for 120 times.

Samsung & Vivo Emerged As The Worlds Fastest-Growing 5G Smartphone Brands In Q1-2021

Samsung and Vivo emerged as the world’s fastest-growing 5G smartphone brands in the first quarter (January to March) of 2021, with 17 million and 19.4 million shipments, respectively. The latest research done by Strategy Analytics shows that Samsung grew by 79%, and Vivo grew by 62% in 5G smartphone shipments compared to the last quarter (Q4 2020), which includes a cycle from October to December.

Vendor Q4 2020 shipments (million) Q4 2020 Market share Q1 2021 shipments (million) Q1 2021 Market share Quarterly growth
Apple 52.2 40.7 40.4 29.8% -23%
Oppo 13.9 10.9% 21.5 15.8% 55%
Vivo 12.0 9.4% 19.4 14.3% 62%
Samsung 9.5 7.4% 17.0 12.5% 79%
Xiaomi 11.8 9.2% 16.6 12.2% 41%
Others 28.7 22.4% 20.8 15.3% -28%
Total 128.1 100.00% 135.7 100.00% 6%

 

“Global 5G smartphone shipments grew a healthy 6% quarter-on-quarter and hit a record 136 million units during the first quarter of 2021.” quoted Ken Hyers, Director at Strategy Analytics, during a statement. The demand for 5G smartphones is on another level, particularly in China, United States, and Western Europe and by the end of 2021, the shipments will reach a record 624 million units, Hyers added further.

Samsung’s growth was pushed by significant demand for the Galaxy S21 series across South Korea, the US, and Europe. At the same time, Vivo emerges as the second fastest-growing 5G brand, with strongholds over China and Europe. The success of Vivo was driven by its iQOO U3 5G and U7 5G smartphones. 

Oppo, with a 55% increase and Xiaomi with a 41% increase, complete the top-four makers’ list; both of these companies grew dramatically due to solid hold in China. There’s no doubt, Samsung and Vivo have topped the Quarterly growth based on shipment percentage, but Apple still holds the lead with total shipments of 40.4 million.

Apple dipped with -23% quarter-on-quarter, following a spree during last quarter’s holiday period where the new 5G iPhone was wildly popular. However, the American tech giant still stands strong with a 29.8% market share in Q1 2021, and it will soon bounce back in the percentage of the shipment.

OnePlus Announces Its Official Integration With Oppo

Everyone knows that OnePlus has always been associated with Oppo behind the curtains, and to make the grip tighter, OnePlus is now officially merging with Oppo after working together on some level for the last one year. OnePlus and Oppo are popular smartphone brands in India, both owned by the Chinese parent group BBK Electronics that also owns brands such as Vivo and Realme. 

Earlier, both the companies collaborated closely for a while, and now OnePlus has announced that it will further integrate with its sister smartphone brand Oppo, with OnePlus becoming an Oppo sub-brand; however, it will continue to operate independently. 

The dramatic move appears after premium smartphone maker OnePlus CEO Pete Lau took on additional responsibility as Oppo’s chief product officer to develop a product strategy for both OnePlus and Oppo. Lau said in the forum post, “Since then, we have integrated a number of our teams with Oppo to streamline our operations better and capitalise on additional shared resources”.

The formal integration will give OnePlus additional resources to develop and create even better products for the consumers. “We’re at a turning point for the future of OnePlus, and I’m confident that this change will be positive for our community and our users. It will also allow us to be more efficient, for example, bringing faster and more stable software updates for OnePlus users,” he wrote further in the post titled “A New Journey for OnePlus”.

Furthermore, Lau said in the post; the OnePlus brand will continue to operate its events and customer feedback channels independently. The move might also merge the mid-premium segment play of both brands, the Nord and Reno series. Also, the OnePlus spokesperson for the company confirmed that OnePlus products and regional markets would run the business as usual and continue to compete in the markets the same way they previously did.

Top 10 iPad Tips & Tricks

Apple’s iPad and iPad Pro models have evolved into incredibly flexible devices since their first generation. With every other launch, they’ve pushed mobile working and entertainment to the limits and managed to take the place of your laptops but are you making the most of your new iPad? If yes, that’s brilliant; otherwise, just go through the following tips.

Multitasking:

You can switch from one app to another in a brief span and have one floating app window on top of your main app in iPadOS. Just slowly slide up from the bottom of your iPad’s screen until the Dock appears > Take your finger off the screen > Tap and hold the app icon you want to load > Drag and drop it from the Dock onto the screen, and the secondary app will appear on top of the main app you were already on.

Say No To notifications:

Almost every app wants you to enable notifications, and some of them go even further to take advantage of your trust by using your personal information without even asking for permission, but with iPads, you can have control over them by going onto Settings > Notifications, where you can customize app notifications and silence specific apps.

Password Warnings:

If the date of your last password update is older than the date when the site was pwned, then you’ll see a warning from Safari. In such cases, you can skip login details on sites that support Sign in with Apple, which lets you set up an account without sharing personal data and offer to log you in using Face ID or Touch ID directly.

Text Shortcuts:

iPads care about your valuable time and offer you a feature that will help you when you’re in a hurry or running out of time. The text shortcuts feature works like a customized message; if you prefer to repeatedly use the same blocks of text, be it for a workgroup or any other place. Just set the text as Text Replacement items in Settings > General > Keyboards, enabling you to create shortcuts.

Floating Keyboard:

The default iPad keyboard takes a lot of space, especially in landscape mode. If you want to make it smaller, press and hold on to the keyboard icon at the lower left of the keyboard and then slide your finger over Float, and the keyboard will turn smaller, and you can reposition it by moving its bottom edge. You can restore it to the default size by pinching it out with two fingers.

Change The Accent:

If you’re getting bored with Siri’s default voice and don’t want to hear it anymore, you can change her accent by tapping in Settings > Siri & Search. Here, you’ll see several other accent options, Depending on where you live.

Create PDFs:

We often find something important while reading random articles over breakfast time and save or bookmark the pages in a browser but do you know you can now save or share such articles as a PDF right on your iPad. Just bring up the Share menu in Safari: it includes a Make PDF option. It’s handy for online articles that might not stay available, such as things you’re reading as part of a subscription. You can also take a screenshot of an entire webpage by tapping on the thumbnail after taking a normal screenshot and opening it in editing mode.

Finding A Lost iPad:

You can find your lost iPad easily if you have another Apple device; just open the Find My app > Tap on Devices at the bottom > Tap on your iPad from the list > You can then choose several options. For example, you can play a sound if you think you have lost your iPad in close vicinity or get directions to its last known location.

Mail Notifications Only For VIPs:

We all receive unnecessary mails, most of them are spam, and their notifications somehow distract us, but now on iPad, you can ask Mail to notify you only when a message comes from a Very Important Person and to have an inbox folder that only shows messages from those VIP persons. You can make someone a VIP by adding them to your Contact list and then to the VIP mail list.

Open Safari Tabs Across Mac, iPhone & iPad:

You can share open Safari tabs with your other devices, be it a Mac, iPhone or iPad. To do it from a Mac, go into System Preferences > iCloud and make sure Safari is switched on, and to do it from iOS devices, go into Settings > Your name > iCloud and again, check Safari is switched on.

Spice Up Your iPhone With A New Look

Creating a customized iPhone home screen is always in trend as people use the same few apps every day and seem visually bored, which is obvious for every individual, but not everyone’s aware of it and if you’re one of them, then take a look at the following article.

Personalizing things according to your intelligence or individualized style has its magic, and when you have an opportunity to do the same with your iPhone or iPad where you can change nearly any app icon on your iPhone or iPad using the built-in Shortcuts app, then why not go ahead and do it? 

Here’s how to customize your iPhone’s app icons using the Shortcuts app? But before you go ahead, make sure you have got the following things.

  • Updated device to at least iOS 14 or iPadOS 14
  • The pre-installed Shortcuts app
  • The pictures that you want to use for new icons

Once you confirm the above three things, follow these steps:

  • Open the Shortcuts app and tap the plus sign in the top-right corner. If you’re unable to find the app instantly on your home screen, swipe left till you reach the app library and type Shortcuts into the top search bar.

 

  • Select Add Action

 

  • Then search for the Open app, and tap on it.

 

  • Tap Choose, and you’ll see a list of apps. Select the app you want to customize.

 

  • Select the three dots in the top-right corner to open an options menu and give the shortcut a name; you can make this the app’s actual name or a nickname. Lastly, tap Add to Home Screen. 

 

  • Tap the default icon next to the name to choose your new app icon. You can choose to Take Photo to snap a new picture, or Choose Photo to use an image you’ve saved to your Photos app, or Choose File to pick a picture in your device’s Files app and tap Add in the top-right.

Congrats! You’ve now got a new and fully functional app icon on your home screen. You might see two different icons for the same app. You can also hide the original app icon, so you’ll just have the new one visible.

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