Category: Tech

Will face unlock come to Pixel 6 Pro?

Google recently launched its highly anticipated Pixel 7 lineup. The new Pixel 7 and 7 Pto devices come with the face unlock feature which was missing from Google phones up till now. Besides the usual PIN, password, or pattern screen lock methods, people using the Pixel 7 devices can simply unlock the device using their faces. As the Pixel 7 received this feature, several reports started surfacing around the internet that the last-gen Pixel 6 pro will also be receiving this feature via software update. So, will the face unlock feature come soon to the Pixel 6 Pro? The answer is no.

No face unlock for the Pixel 6 Pro

According to Caschys Blog, Google Germany has now confirmed that the face unlock feature will not be trickling down to the Pixel 6 Pro or any older Pixel devices. This will marl the first time Google has officially declined the possibility of this feature coming to previous Pixel devices. The blog further down states that the meaning behind Google’s answer remains unclear. While it is possible that the company is not planning to roll out the face unlock feature to the Pixel 6 Pro now, it might do so in the future. All Pixel 6 pro users can do is hope!

This is a surprising development as several reports in the past have noted that the feature was indeed going to make its way to the Pixel 6 Pro. Many leaks and pieces of code present in the deep corners of Android had previously mentioned the face unlock feature for the Pixel 6 Pro. Since the device did not come equipped with the hardware capabilities to enable 3D face unlock, it was expected that Google would implement the 2D face unlock which was less secure. Well, now it looks like the Pixel 6 Pro ultimately will not be receiving this detail.

 

Meta reveals next generation Quest Pro VR Headset

It is not a secret that in the past years, Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been pushing VR technology to make it mainstream. Meta surely believes that its metaverse is the next big breakthrough in technology that can allow our virtual lives to easily integrate with our real lives. While many feel skeptical about how mainstream the metaverse could become, Zuckerberg is doubling down on his vision to make it a success. Recently, at an online event held for developers, Meta Connect 2022, Mark revealed a new VR headset, the Quest Pro.

Quest Pro VR Headset

Meta has launched its new Quest Pro VR Headset which comes at a whopping price of $1499. This is almost four times the price of the company’s current headset the Quest 2 which starts at $399. The VR headset boasts thinner lenses, a curved battery, and also controllers equipped with self-track. The ‘Pro’ part of Meta’s new VR Headset is that it can allow users to see their real environment around the periphery of the screen. It comes with mixed capabilities, which means that digital content can be viewed overlaid in the real world.

Do you remember Google Lens which also had a similar functionality? Makes you think…

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also made an appearance at the event where he announced that the Office 365 platform will also be available on it. Meta has placed the mixed reality platform as not only a form of entertainment but also a work tool. Meta has also joined hands with Zoom to integrate its metaverse avatars into the video call platform. Meta Boss Mark Zuckerberg has touted the mixed reality approach to be the next major step for VR.  The push for VR and the metaverse by the company is surely aggressive, however, the adoption of this new virtual world has been at a slower rate. The future of the metaverse depends upon how advanced the virtual world can get to stimulate people’s imaginations. My only reference point to the metaverse is the film Ready Player One, and we are nowhere near how good the technology was in that Spielberg flick!

 

iPhone 5c to officially become outdated on November 1

Are you an iPhone fanatic who is still holding on to your beloved iPhone 5c? I can surely picture some Apple users holding back on the iPhone 5c to use it as an iPod replacement or straight up as their primary device even after nine years after its launch. Outlandish but possible! Well, it looks like now is the time to bid your iPhone 5c goodbye as Apple is all set to declare it as ‘obsolete’.

Goodbye iPhone 5c

Several reports suggest that the iPhone 5c will soon be declared obsolete by Apple. The device was previously declared ‘vintage’ by the company in 2020. By turning the device Apple obsolete, the company has basically concluded the iPhone 5c’s repairs and other services. This means, if your beloved 5c ends up with a cracked screen, Apple won’t fix it as it will no longer have hardware support for it. The budget iPhone 5c can now be put to rest!

The device was previously listed as vintage by Apple which meant that the company and its service providers could only provide certain repairs for the product, subject to availability. Apple’s official page about such products states, “Products are considered obsolete when Apple stopped distributing them for sale more than 7 years ago. Apple discontinues all hardware service for obsolete products, Service providers cannot order parts for obsolete products.” The iPhone 5c was the first offering from Apple to come in a colorful plastic form factor. It featured colors like blue, green, pink, and yellow which were new to iPhone back then! Besides this, the 2014 version of the 15-inch MacBook Pro is also reported to hit the vintage mark soon.

Is Google Pixel 7’s Tensor G2 a 4nm chip?

Google’s latest launches the Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro have become the talk of the town. The devices promise the best Android experience as they come straight from Google; the house of Android. The Pixel 7 lineup is also going head-to-head against the iPhone 14 lineup as they have launched just under a month apart. As one would expect from flagship devices, the Pixel 7 was also said on the internet to come with 4nm chips, which is standard for Samsung and Apple’s flagship devices. However, the truth is something else!

Google Pixel 7’s chip size

There were many articles floating around on the internet claiming that Google’s Tensor G2 chip is a 4nm chip. However, Android Authority has now jumped on and cleared out any doubts by reaching out to Google. A spokesperson from Google has told Android Authority that the chip is indeed based on 5nm. This might come as a shocker to tech enthusiasts who were expecting Google to keep up with all the latest hardware trends in the smartphone arena. Be it Apple’s latest A16 Bionic chipset or Samsung’s Exynos 2200 processor, both are based on 4nm form factors. Is this a big deal? for some yes, for others, not so much! The average user may not even care about the size of their mobile processor chip as long as the device provides good performance.

 

 

Even before Google’s confirmation about the Pixel 7 chipset size, there were a lot of hints that it was based on 5nm. There was a lack of a major clock-speed increase as the Tensor G2 runs at 2.85Ghz Arm Cortex-X1 cores. This is only a 50Hz increase from the original Tensor’s 2.80Ghz. One would expect a bigger bump in power from a new processor but that was not the case here.

WhatsApp debuts paid plan for business users

WhatsApp has released a subscription service titled WhatsApp Premium and is currently available for beta business users. The instant messaging app has also been an effective way for businesses to communicate with its customers and the premium subscription is targetted only for business users. WhatsApp has not made an official statement about it yet so the pricing and the launch date of the same remains under the wraps. However, users who have enrolled in the beta program can take advantage of all the new features present in the new Premium model. The new plan was long under speculations and has only now been made available as a beta tester in some countries. A wider rollout is expected in some time. Check out the new features with WhatsApp Preimum service below:

WhatsApp Premium custom business links

The first feature in the WhatsApp Premium service is the business links. It is a short custom business link which is unique to a certain business. This link can be shared with customers to find the business’ landing page on WhatsApp thus making it easier to initiate a conversation. The link name is customizable and can be changed every 90 days. It expires once the subscription is cancelled. It is to be noted that once a custom link is expired, it may be claimed by another company. Any business having a custom link can make it easier for customers to reach out to them.

Multi-device connectivity

Another new feature under the WhatsApp Premium service is improved multi-device connectivity. Any business under WhatsApp Premium can use the same account on up to 10 devices simultaneously. This can prove helpful for businesses to form a chain of communication amongst multiple employees and the customer base. This feature can also allow Premium users to initiate video calls with max 32 participants.

The availability of WhatsApp Premium is currently scarce. It is currently available to only a certain business accounts under beta testing only. Details regarding its roll out in India have not yet surfaced on the internet. Users can unsubscribe from the service anytime they wish.

iPhone SE 4 might feature a 6.1-inch notched LCD screen and dynamic island

Apple launched the much-awaited iPhone 14 series in the previous month, and if the rumours are true, the company is planning to come up with a new smartphone, the iPhone SE 4th Generation. The upcoming budget smartphone from the house of Apple is expected to arrive with a 6.1-inch LCD and a notch placed in the centre.

Apple will introduce its next SE model in 2024, and the phone is rumoured to have a similar look to the iPhone XR. The latest predictions about the iPhone SE 4th generation as been made by Ross Young, Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) analyst, who has a great history of accurate predictions about Apple’s plans.

Also, according to some reports, the 4th generation of the iPhone SE will feature Dynamic Island as it is expected to be launched in 2024, when almost all of the new iPhones will feature Dynamic Island. As of now, the dynamic island is only featured on the pro devices of the iPhone 14 series – iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.

iPhone 14’s crash detection feature triggered by roller coasters?

During its ‘Far Out’ event last month, Apple unveiled a number of new devices and features. zone of the key feature coming to the latest iPhone 14 series was the ‘Crash Detection’. This new feature is designed by Apple to detect severe car crashes like front impact, side-impact, rear-end collisions and rollovers in vehicles like sedans, minivans, SUVs, pickup trucks, and other passenger cars. However, the crash detection feature had a little accident of its own when it detected a crash when the iPhone user was enjoying his ride on a roller coaster!

iPhone 14 Pro detects roller coaster ride as car crash

As reported in Wall Street Journal, a 39-year-old dentist safely placed her iPhone 14 Pro in her fanny pack before hopping on a roller coaster. She went on the ride getting whipped around in the roller coaster at over 50 mph. However, once she got down from the ride and looked at her phone, she was surprised to see a number of missed calls and voice mails form an emergency dispatcher eager to know if she was safe.

The crash detection feature triggered on the roller coaster and automatically dialled 911 to drop in an automated message. The message read “The owner of this iPhone was in a severe car crash and is not responding to their phone”. According to the 911 report, a dispatch team was sent to the ride but did not notice any emergency situation.

The crash detection feature is quickly becoming an issue for amusement rides. Theme park specialist Coaster101 also reported this same issue sharing that Dollywood amusement park has now put up signboards outside their roller coasters warning riders that Apple watches and similar products may trigger the crash detection feature. Whether this issue will be persistent or will be resolved via an update is to be seen. Apple has not officially issued a statement about the same yet.

 

Madlad builds the universe in Minecraft!

Minecraft players often take the internet by storm. The exceptional game allows players to build to their imagination with the help of an unlimited supply of blocks and space. Players create mega structures inside the game be it on land, water, or sky. However, this time around a crazy Minecraft player has taken it to the next level. YouTuber/Minecraft player ChrisDaCow has created the ‘entire universe’ inside the game!

Universe in Minecraft

If the internet has proven anything in the past decade it is that dedicated Minecraft players hold the power to create just about anything. Be it depicting the middle heart or creating a working computer that can be used to play Tetris (Game-Ception!) Minecraft players surely do not lack creativity! Now, Minecraft player ChrisDaCow has pushed the envelope on what can be built in the game by building a universe. Check out the video below –

Sure, the astonishing build does not encompass the ‘entire universe’, but surely provides a look at some key elements of outer space. The most noteworthy wonder here is the Sun and the planets in our solar system. The Pillars of Creation can also be seen in the Minecraft universe. The best part about this build for me is the black hole which looks exactly like Nolan’s space adventure film Interstellar. The creator shared that it took around two months of constant work for him to build the universe in the game. However, he is not new to the game with an experience of over 9 years.

 

OPPO F21s Pro Review: Shimmers Like Gold!

The 20-25K price segment when choosing a smartphone is definitely difficult. The price segment is saturated and has a lot to offer. However, the OPPO F21s Pro definitely stands out. OPPO is one of the brands which places an emphasis on the style factor of a design and that is where this device excels. But that’s not all as it also has a strong spec sheet backing it with a solid camera setup! Let’s see what the OPPO F21s Pro has to offer: 

Display

When buying a phone in the 20-25K segments, what you expect is a vibrant AMOLED display with a high refresh rate. This is exactly what you get here. The OPPO F21s Pro comes with a 6.43-inch FHD+ AMOLED punch-hole display with 2400x1080P resolution. During my extensive testing of the device, watching Netflix/YouTube videos was pleasing to the eyes as the punchy display produced some great colors! You also get an under-display fingerprint sensor here which is accurate and fast. 

Design

This is where the device has its cake and eats it too! For my review, I was handed the ‘Dawnlight Gold’ variant of the F21s Pro and it was a treat to look at. With the dawnlight gold edition, it is difficult to make out what color is the back panel exactly as it shimmers and changes colors like a chameleon. People not looking for an eye-catching device can opt for a much more serious-looking ‘Starlight Black’ variant which has a classy black finish. OPPO is known to make stylish devices and this one is on par with the brand’s history. 

Camera

The OPPO F21s Pro comes with a triple-camera setup featuring a 64MP rear camera coupled with a 2MP depth sensor and a 2MP Microscopic lens. Now, that’s new! We’re used to a triple camera setup featuring an ultra-wide camera to click wider images but OPPO decided to go the opposite route to utilize the lens to click detailed microscopic images. The microscopic lens is a throwback to school days when you’d look down the microscope in the biology lab! The microscopic lens offers 15X and 30X magnification capabilities. But that is not all as it also features a stunning Sony IMX709 32MP selfie sensor which clicks some crisp photos. Another interesting feature here is the Orbit Light at the back of the camera module which acts like a notification light. The Orbit Light looks beautiful when lit!

15x microscopic view at a cricket bat grip with the OPPO F21s Pro

 

Performance

Under the hood, you get Qualcomm’s trusted and powerful Snapdragon 680. The processor has proved its might in many midrange devices in the past and it is surely integrated well here! The device features a large 4500mAh battery here with 33W SUPERVOOC fast charging. The F21s Pro comes with 8GB RAM with expansion up to 5GB via virtual RAM. It features ample storage with 128GB onboard which can be extended via microSD Card up to 1TB.

Verdict

The OPPO F21s Pro is a solid device that packs a punch at a decent price of Rs 22,999. The device scores good marks with its display and long battery life. An extra point for its unique design! While am not a fan of the bloatware apps present on the device, they can prove helpful to some. Overall, this is a decent device at a decent price point. This could be the device you go for this festive design!

You can buy the OPPO F21s Pro from Amazon – HERE

Pixel 7 & Pixel 7 Pro launched by Google: Everything you need to know

Google has officially launched the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro at an event in New York. The new phones will be making their way to India this time around with pre-orders already kicking off on Flipkart. People keen on getting their hands on the latest Pixel devices will have to shell out Rs84,999 for the Pixel 7 Pro. However, several bank offers can bring the effective price down to Rs69,999. Whereas, the standard Pixel 7 will cost Rs 59,999 in India. Check out all the details about Google’s Pixel 7 series below:

Pixel 7 & 7 Pro details

The standard Pixel 7 comes with a 6.3-inch 1080P screen, slightly smaller than Pixel 6’s 6.4-inch display; Google mentioned that the bezels on the latest device are slimmer than the Pixel 6 but the 90Hz refresh rate remains the same. The 7 Pro on the other hand comes with a hearty 1440P LTPO display with a 6.7-inch form factor and 120HZ refresh rate. Google claims that both these devices’ displays now come with 25% higher brightness than their predecessors.

Under the hood, we have Google’s very own Tensor G2 chipset powering the Pixel 7 series. While the standard Pixel 7 comes with 8GB RAM, the Pixel 7 Pro is coupled with a powerful 12GB RAM. Both devices come with face unlock features on top of an under-display fingerprint sensor. Google has cut some corners with the Pixel 7 as it comes with a 4,355mAh battery, smaller than Pixel 6’s 4,600mAh battery capacity. The Pixel 7 Pro on the other hand houses a big 5,000mAh battery capacity. Both devices offer 128/256GB storage respectively.

Both Pixel 7 devices come with a 50MP primary lens and a 12MP ultra-wide lens. While the Pixel 7 comes with a dual camera setup, the Pixel 7 Pro sports a triple camera. The only differentiating factor in the camera setup here is the Pixel 7 Pro’s 48MP telephoto lens which is missing in the Pixel 7. The front of the device is a 10.8MP lens for selfies and video calls.

One pretty obvious change here in the Pixel 7 series is the camera bar. While Pixel 6 and 6 Pro used glass to cover the device’s cameras coupled with a metal outline, the Pixel 7 series features 100% recycled aluminum with a matte finish. Finally, on the software side, Google has brought some monumental changes. With the special optimization of the Tensor G2 chipset, users can now unblur older/existing photos to improve their quality. The company claims that Night Sight is now twice as fast as the Pixel 6. Real Tone has been integrated into the Portrait and Night Sight modes. A new accessibility feature has also been added to the selfie camera which allows visually impaired people to stay in frame with the help of haptic and audio signals.

Pre-order the Google Pixel 7/7 Pro from Flipkart – HERE

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