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Waterproof Tech Gadgets

It’s summertime and for most people, this season represents trips to lakes, beaches, pools, or even running through sprinklers- after all, we don’t judge. You wouldn’t want your beautiful day ruined by a drink spill or your clumsy hands. I’m well aware of how bad things get when gadgets and water meet. Growing up, I always heard one thing constantly- don’t let the devices near water. This was true for a long time until companies started making tech gadgets that could last even in a thunderstorm.

The durability of most tech gadgets is measured on the IP(Ingress Protection) scale, which indicates its resistance to water and dust. Most high-end smartphones and watches come with an IP67 or IP68 rating, but what does that mean?

The International Electrotechnical Commission sets the IP ratings, which tell you the level of protection a device offers against solids and liquids. The first number ranges from one to six and tells you the device’s level of protection against solid particles(dust, dirt, etc.). The second number goes from one to eight and tells you how much water a device can handle. The rubber seals that protect the high-rated IP phones from damage usually get eroded with time when met with coffee, champagne, or soft drinks, and this is why all gadgets must be handled with care despite their IP ratings to last long.

Here are the gadgets that perform best against water:

JBL Flip 5

Pool party? Perfect. Sudden cloudburst? Covered. Bash on the beach? It couldn’t get any better. JBL Flip 5 is an IPX7 waterproof portable device three feet deep and provides fearless outdoor entertainment.

You get 12 hours of playtime to keep the music going longer and louder. The device also uses a new driver designed to create better-sounding bass, and the PartyBoost feature allows you to pair two speakers together for stereo sound to pump up your party.

Apple Watch Series 7

In line with Apple’s commitment to the environment, Apple Watch 7 is made entirely of recycled rare earth elements in all magnets, including the taptic engine. Also, Watch 7 is made without harmful chemicals like mercury, PVC, beryllium, and BFRs.

Apple says that the watch was designed with swimmers in mind and is water-resistant up to 50 meters. This means you can take the watch with you in pools and, in some cases, even in the ocean. However, you cannot use it for diving purposes where it may encounter higher pressures or low temperatures than it’s rated for under the ISO.

Insta360 GO2

There has been a surge in 360-degree cameras, which use two lenses to capture the entire scene. Insta360 GO2 has a stunning IP8 4 rating, which means it can go down to 4m without a case. You can take this camera underwater, take immersive videos of yourself at the beach and pop it into the app, and even colour correct it.

Insta360 can record videos at 1440p and take up to 150 minutes of video per charge, and its internal battery can be recharged by plugging the USB cable into the adapter.

Samsung Galaxy S22

Your smartphone goes almost everywhere you go. Cooking dinner? There’s a high chance your phone will get to see the recipe too. At the beach? You can use it to listen to good music. At a park? You’ll likely read a book on your smartphone screen. You do not worry about your PC getting all wet in the rain, but it is a genuine concern with smartphones.

The Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, and S22 Ultra come with an IP68 resistance rating. This does not necessarily mean that they are waterproof, but they are water-resistant and durable. This translates to Galaxy surviving up to 1.5 meters of water submersion for 30 minutes.

If your S22 falls in the sink, gets submerged in the pool, or gets caught in a rainstorm, it would do fine.

GoPro Hero Session

GoPro has become synonymous with adventure, so much so that you can never plan on doing a sport and not miss the GoPro. The GoPro Hero Session can capture 1440p footage at 30fps and 1080p footage at 60 frames per second. It is very lightweight and can go underwater up to 33 feet.

GoPro camera bodies have a rugged, waterproof design, making them an amazing camera for underwater sports. You can attach the Hero Session to your helmet or bike and get the first view of the adventure that you are in.

Conclusion

Look, you should not let terms like ‘waterproof’ and ‘water resistant’ fool you when it comes to technology. All tech devices are electronic devices and should be avoided against water except for devices specifically made for the purpose. The good part is that waterproof devices have helped people get a little more relaxed when buying expensive devices.

5 Ways To Do Tech And Digital Detox

We are currently living in a digital era where most of the things happening to us are online. We are possibly in the best-connected period in human history where even the people farthest away are just one FaceTime session away, and even the most confidential information can be accessed through the internet.

However, as much as technology comes in handy, it has side effects, some that are obvious but are rather ignored, and some that build up in our consciousness and creep through us without us knowing. Too much technology- whether it’s spending time on smartphones, social media, or in front of a digital screen – can have unintended consequences.

Dialogue in Clinical Neuroscience, in June 2020, published a review which suggested that frequent use of technology has been linked to heightened attention-deficit symptoms, impaired social and emotional intelligence, technology addiction, social isolation, and disrupted sleep.

Why is digital detox necessary? Well, if something is consuming a lot of your thoughts or conditioning your behaviour and interfering with your personal life, it might be a good time to cut back its usage. A study published by the Libyan Journal of Medicine in 2022 found that people who complete digital detox reported positive changes in their mood, sleep, and anxiety.

5 Ways To Do Digital Detox

Honestly, ditching technology isn’t going to happen anytime soon but cutting it down to a certain extent seems like a sane approach. Here are a few strategies to help you manage your technology use and experiment with your digital detox.

Take Periodic Breaks

Breaks can reduce stress, particularly among heavy tech users. Supposedly, if you are a working professional or a student whose most of the time goes in front of the laptop screen, you need to take periodic breaks to save your eyes and sanity. Try to take a 15-minute walk and see at a distance to give your mind and eyes a quick relaxation. And remember to leave your phone behind.

Downgrade your Phone

If you cannot help but check your phone every 2 minutes, you can buy a phone that does not support apps. That might be extreme, but how about cleaning your smartphone a little? Try deleting the apps that consume most of your time. Also, checking the screen time regularly would eventually make you feel guilty about the choices that you have been making.

Consume digital information mindfully and not passively. Keep your notifications off most of the time, and do not let them get to you while you should be the one that goes to them once in a while intentionally.

We should understand that the world will not stop without us. You can schedule an hour or two per day to read what’s new.

Make a Schedule

It takes time to get over your habits, but slowly and gradually, you get there. The best way to handle a digital addiction is to make a schedule and stick to it. You can start with making a schedule for a day and then eventually for the week and then for the whole month.

When you make a schedule, you start prioritizing things that keep you healthy and happy. Rest becomes secondary. Your priority list can contain your family time, games, work schedule, study schedule, walking outside, or simply lying down and doing nothing.

Try to keep your phone away and put your focus and energy that makes you feel fulfilled and keeps you happy.

Digital Sabbatical

Constantly being online and communicating can be unhealthy, and it is essential to recognize when it’s time to break from the digital world. A digital sabbatical is when you take leave from the internet for an extended period. It can range between 2 hours to a week and, in extreme cases, for a month, depending upon your plans.

What’s even more insidious is our habit of focusing on work while leaving the digital apps running in our background. One whistle from this app, and bam! We are off course. The purpose of a digital sabbatical is to switch off from the world for some time. When you disconnect from the external world, you understand that you did not miss much while you were gone. You learn that everything can wait, and things follow their course even if you do not reply to an Instagram text.

Take time off work, visit the place you have wanted to visit for a very long time, or go back to your hometown and spend time with your family and friends.

Reach Out To a Mental Health Professional

No, it’s not weird to talk it out. A survey done in 2017 associated Instagram with negative attributes and low self-esteem, causing depression and anxiety in young adults. Most people feel bullied or go through Fear of Missing Out(FOMO) when they see pictures of their connections living the ”fairy-tale life”.

Most teenagers, especially girls, feel that they do not have the perfect face and body that the world thinks is ”desirable”. If you are going through a similar phase, it is necessary to talk to a professional and take help. You can also reach out to your friends and family, for they understand you better than anyone else.

OnePlus 10R-R stands for rapid charging or rebranded?

It doesn’t look like a OnePlus phone!

The OnePlus 10R feels like it was rebranded, and maybe that’s true. The new age, flat edge design looks neat, but the sharp design with more contemporary looks does feel a stark departure from the traditional curved configurations of the past from OnePlus. It feels relatively lightweight for a 6.7-inch display phone with plastic sides and back along with Gorilla Glass 5 protection up front, weighing 186gms. Buttons are tactile, and the overall sharp edge feels like a love or hate situation. Available in two colours – Forest Green and Sierra Black, we test the latter but opine the former as a choice.

Top-tier hardware but lacklustre software

Our unit features a mind-blowing 160W charger inside the box and a 4500mAh battery. This device’s highlight must be that insane combination of blazing-fast 150W SuperVOOC charging. The phone juices up in less than 10 mins when it comes to charging up to 70+% and thus eliminates charge anxiety in a weird way. A full charge comes in less than 18 minutes, which is mighty impressive. The phone is no slouch either, with Dimensity 8100 Max (custom SOC), 12GB RAM and 256GB UFS 3.1, an in-display fast fingerprint sensor and relatively long-lasting battery life.

The AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate feels fast, but the Oxygen OS 12.1 is based on Android 12. Yes, the usual customisations, simplicity, and speed prevail, but there are glitches, and we faced quite a few. For instance, the YouTube app would randomly hang and display over all other apps, including system UI. A long press on the power button triggered the power menu but was not accessible thanks to YouTube recommendations scrolling endlessly on display. This also happened with other apps like GPay and thus was not limited by one app misbehaving.

We did receive two updates during our usage with the phone, but none seemed stable. That said, the hardware and the triple-camera setup are an excellent package. The 50MP primary shooter with f/1.8 and OIS can capture good images and videos even in low light. The 8MP ultrawide manages to match colours, and FOV is quite broad. There’s a 2MP macro shooter lacking details, but weirdly enough, all the rear sensors are capable of shooting in 4K! The front 16MP camera with f/2.4 is wide and clear but can only do EIS 1080p recordings. Mics and connectivity are spot-on, and there were no issues. There is dual-SIM 5G support, with no spectrum to test.

The phone was stable after four non-stop battle-royale games, which was undoubtedly impressive with an astounding 720Hz touch-sampling rate. None of the games supports 90fps yet, but they all easily ran at their max settings. WiFi 6 support is icing on a rather tasty yet simple-looking cake. All OTT apps support FHD resolution and HDR10+ content.

A sleeper phone?

The OnePlus 10R blazed through our tests only to get stuck on any random app requiring a soft reboot. The phone is not only capable of handling this generation of usage but charges faster than most of our bath times. As much as we loved it, we do not wish random software glitches on anyone. If the software experience improves with OTA updates, and you can look past the relatively simple generic look of the OnePlus 10R, it is a great all-around phone.

Good – Insanely fast charging, good hardware

Bad – Generic looks

Ugly – Software glitches

3.5/5

Processor – Dimensity 8100 Max

RAM – 12GB + UFS expandable

ROM – UFS 3.1 256GB

Charge – SuperVOOC 150W Charging

Charge time – 0-100% – 18 Mins

Touch sampling rate – 720Hz

Display – 6.7-inch AMOLED 120Hz

Cameras – Rear – 50MP OIS, 8MP Ultrawide, 2MP Macro, 16MP front camera

Google Launches ChromeOS 103 for Chromebooks: Top New Features

Back in CES 2022 in January, Google demonstrated new features to improve their “Better Together” ecosystem experience. Today, with the latest instalment of ChromeOS 103, users can finally experience features such as viewing the camera roll from your phone on your ChromeOS device through the Phone Hub interface, as well as Android’s reply to AirDrop, nearby-share to share Wi-Fi information between supported Google devices.

Beginning with the camera roll sharing, as it stands, the Phone Hub (pretty much the equivalent of the Your Phone app available on Microsoft’s Windows products) can allow the user to keep up with notifications sent to the phone, view recent Chrome tabs, and execute actions such as pinging the phone to locate it, turning on and off the hotspot, and changing the ringer settings on the android device.

Now, however, the application allows users to see their phone’s camera roll through the Chromebook. Sure, you might be thinking photos.google.com does the same thing? However, Google claims that this feature works completely offline as well. Tapping a photo will allow users to download the selected image to the Chromebook.

Google also announced Chromebook support for Google Fast Pair, which is a proprietary device pairing standard using Bluetooth Low Energy to enable the iconic “AirPods Pairing” window to make wireless accessories easier to use, but for a much larger range of devices that can be experienced on modern Bluetooth earphones and accessories on Android.

Furthermore, Google also claims that with the latest iteration of Nearby Share, “sharing is up to 10 times faster.” Finally, Nearby Share also adds a minor yet meaningful feature in the form of Wi-Fi credentials sharing, making sharing Wi-Fi passwords much faster and also much more secure between supported devices.

POCO F4 – Is the Legendary Series Back With a Bang?

POCO is back with its disruptive F series with an addition of POCO F4. Here I have a 6.67-inch F4 smartphone which comes under the category of budget smartphone, and I used this device for quite some time to have a say on it, so here we go.

On the front, you get a 120Hz Super AMOLED display with corning gorilla glass 5 protection. The colour contrast is lovely, and the image reproduction is impressive compared to other AMOLED display phones. Poco F4 has a glass back, and for the ports and buttons, you have speakers on both ends, a type-c charging port, a sim card tray and no headphone jack. Also, you get an IR blaster, which works as a universal remote.

Getting to the technical stuff, this one has a 12GB RAM plus 3 GB expandable, with a 256Gb storage space and runs on Android 12. Poco F4 packs a Snapdragon 870 octa-core processor, so it’s quite good for heavy gaming. I played BGMI on this, and I have no complaints at all. It runs without lags and gives minimum heating issues. You can play BGMI at the highest setting, i.e. HDR with extreme frame rates. This is one of the best phones for gaming at this price range, hands down.

The camera has a triple camera setup with a 64MP primary sensor and a 20Mp front camera. You can record 4K videos at 60fps, which is quite incredible. The camera setup is very similar to Redmi Note 11T pro plus, which was launched in China.

The battery of the Poco F4 is a bit average at 4500mAh, but the 67W fast charging makes up for it. The battery will last long for a day with a single charge if you’re using it for calling and social media.

Overall, F4 is a performance-oriented smartphone that does not disappoint. It will be priced below 30,000. Games are good, the camera is good, performance is good. For a detailed review, you have to read our magazine. Yes, please switch to Exhibit Magazine and know tech closely.

OnePlus 10T reportedly sports improved gaming performance

Likely launching next month in India, the OnePlus 10T has been spotted on Benchmark sites reportedly performing with the latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 at the helm. Frame rates, along with operating temperature have been reported on Twitter by leaker Yogesh Brar, claiming that in the popular and graphically demanding game Genshin Impact, the newly identified OnePlus smartphone boasted 57FPS on average, at 43-46˚C on Extreme graphics settings. This is in comparison to the existing OnePlus 10 Pro which currently performs at 55FPS running at 45-49˚C. A common complaint with the 10 Pro is that the phone runs too hot. Although this is not entirely fixed, OnePlus has partially internalised this problem with the new chip.

Another leaker Mukul Sharma revealed that the OnePlus 10T is currently undergoing Research and Development testing in India, revealing variants with 8GB/128GB and12GB/256GB, attesting that 150W charging is quite likely. Two supposed finishes are a Green and Grey shade, while he further confirms that the smartphone will be offered as an upper mid-range device.

In other news, the smartphone is expected to come with a 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED panel with second-generation LTPO technology allowing the display to refresh between 1hz and 120hz. The phone might come with a 360hz touch sampling rate to improve responsiveness and gaming. On the back of the phone, the phone is rumoured to come with a triple camera setup yet again, with the now popular 50MP IMX766 sensor on the primary shooter, an 8MP sensor for the ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2MP macro camera. The phone would feature anything between 4500-5000mAh battery as there is no real clarification on the same.

Everything on the Upcoming Smartphones of July 2022

Nothing Phone(1) – July 12th

The upcoming Nothing Phone(1)’s design was recently revealed to a private audience at Art Basel, finally lifting the covers on the long-anticipated unique transparent phone design. The phone is expected to come with the new Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 at the helm, with up to 8GB of RAM and a dual-camera setup on the back, housing a 50MP shooter with an ultrawide second camera with no confirmation on the lens or sensor. The device is expected to come with a centre hole punch design and a 6.55-inch 90hz FHD+ OLED panel. Interestingly enough, with the open back of the phone, wireless charging is confirmed, along with a standard USB C port. Lastly, the phone will come with Android 12 based on the all-new NothingOS.

The product is expected to launch in the under $500 (39k INR) range.

Realme GT Neo 3T 5G – July 7th [unofficial]

Realme’s latest instalment of the GT series, the Neo 3T 5G, will come with the Snapdragon 870 platform, with up to 8GB RAM, featuring a 6.62 inch 120hz AMOLED panel. On the back is a triple camera setup with a 64-megapixel primary shooter, 8-megapixel ultrawide and 2-megapixel Macro camera. With a whopping 80W charger, the phone is expected to top out the 5000mAh cell in 36 minutes.

The Realme GT Neo 3T 5G is expected to launch at about 36,599 INR.

Moto G62 5G – July 20th [unofficial]

The Moto G62 is a mid-range offering from the Lenovo-based brand for about 20k INR. The phone features a slightly upsetting Snapdragon 480+. The phone will feature up to 4GB of RAM, which is considerably less, slightly made up by the fact that the phone sports a 120hz IPS FHD+ panel. The product also comes with a 15W charger. The phone comes in two colourways – Midnight Gray and Frosted Blue, shipping with a close-to-stock Android 12 experience of Moto’s MyUX.

Oppo Reno 8 Pro [Early July]

After the success of the Reno 7 Pro, the 8 Pro carries heavy excitement, and so far, it seems to be delivered. Along with a unique curved class camera module design, the phone will feature the MediaTek Dimensity 8100 Max with up to 12GB of RAM onboard. Furthermore, the phone will be packed with a 4500 mAh cell with up to 80W of fast charging. The phone is expected to be priced at about 35K INR and ship with RealmeUI over Android 12.

Oppo Reno 8 [Early July]

The Oppo Reno 8 is the younger sibling of the aforementioned 8 Pro, featuring a slightly clunkier display, featuring the MediaTek Dimensity 1300 instead, and up to 8GB RAM, with a 50MP primary shooter, but a disappointing dual 2MP setup for the Macro and Depth cameras. The phone will feature a 4500 mAh cell with their VOOC standard charging for up to 80W going from 0-100 in 26 minutes. The price of this phone is expected to be around 25k INR, 10K less than its Pro variant.

Enabling the Smartphone Future

The global pandemic has triggered digitization at an unprecedented rate in India, with the country becoming a leading mobile-first consumer economy1. As smartphone prices cease to be prohibitive, the smartphone user base is expected to reach 829 million in 2022, accounting for 60% of the population, which will represent 38% of all networked devices in India this year2. Today, India ranks second in the world for the number of smartphone users.6

Smartphones are playing a pivotal role in bridging the divide between urban and rural India and improving digital literacy- they are offering access to education, healthcare, banking, and other vital services. In fact, during the most severe lockdowns, smartphones and internet access were central to keeping children connected and educated, especially in rural and remote parts of the country. People are turning to their phones both for enrichment as well as entertainment.

The Photographer in Us

Smartphones have dramatically changed our lifestyles and have become our go-to devices. People in India spend around five hours a day on these devices on average, and are one of the world’s highest data consumers per day—even surpassing China3. After all, digital natives turn to smartphones for work, play, and nurturing hobbies. Phone cameras offer rich 4K resolution today, and several new devices bring 8K video recording. These innovations have turned many people into amateur photographers and content creators, capturing and documenting our lives. However, at the same time, this means that unless we have the right level of storage, we have to make the debilitating decision of deleting our memories in order to create new ones.

Today, dedicated storage devices are developed especially for mobile content creators, such as SanDisk® Dual Drives, which can be used to enhance mobile storage by up to 1TB5 and offer ease of moving content between various compatible devices. Moreover, dedicated storage is available both for AndroidTM and iOS devices. This simple plug-and-play device allows us to continue the pursuit of the best picture and capture our precious moments without worrying about the lack of storage space. Other options are available too, such as microSDTM cards and external SSDs, that offer phenomenal transfer speed and can be plugged directly into smartphones that feature a card slot.

1 InMobi’s Annual Mobile Marketing Handbook 2021

2 https://www.cisco.com/c/dam/m/en_us/solutions/service-provider/vni-forecast-highlights/pdf/India_Device_Growth_Traffic_Profiles.pdf

3https://www.nokia.com/about-us/company/worldwide-presence/india/mbit-index-2021/

4 https://go.inmobi.com/gaming-report-2021-india/

5 Add footnote: 1TB = 1 trillion bytes. Actual user storage less

6 https://newzoohq.medium.com/the-india-opportunity-tapping-into-one-tenth-of-the-worlds-gamers-3d9248f6fea9

Booming Mobile Gaming

Thanks to the smartphone penetration in the country, mobile gaming has also become a mass phenomenon and is competing with other popular entertainment categories, such as short-form video, streaming services, and social networks for user attention. With one out of ten gamers across the globe being in India, it is the fifth-largest mobile gaming market globally4. Even an entry-level smartphone today comes packed with more power and features. As a result, affordable yet powerful smartphones are one of the critical enablers of this massive boom in mobile gaming. Additionally, easy access to various game titles has also aided the popularity of mobile gaming. For example, many casual games are ‘Pick Up and Play’, usually available as a free download and monetized by ads. These also attract casual gamers looking for no-obligation games to pass the time.

Hardcore gamers can easily access the games of their choice from almost unlimited title options and play immersive multiplayer games, which are gaining traction. While immersive and graphically taxing titles are becoming popular, these take up a lot of space on the device, which can hamper the gameplay in the absence of the right storage. The storage should be designed to avoid the lagging graphics that can slow the game down. For example, the microSDTM card, in addition to offering ample space, should also offer high-performance speeds to support demanding game graphics and 4K ultra-HD video.

Smartphones have changed our world and have become a crucial part of our lives. However, these devices will become inhibited without storage.

Film Vs Digital: Comparing The Technology Behind Shooting Movies

We’ve been debating on ‘film vs digital’ for about 15 years but haven’t concluded yet. Some filmmakers and cinematographers are inclined toward shooting their movies in film format at any cost, while others favor shooting in digital format. Luckily, they all agree that motion picture form and digital cinematography have their own perks and drawbacks.

The Difference

Let’s understand the basics first. The fundamental difference between film and digital moviemaking is the technology and media used to shoot a movie. However, according to industry experts and a few old-school filmmakers (yes, the list includes celebrated film directors like Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino), shooting on a film camera is the purest form of making a movie.

Yes, of course! The film is superior to digital as it is more pleasing to the eye of the audience, but not when you’re making an independent cinema which involves a relatively small amount of money. Shooting digital saves a lot of money compared to shooting on a film camera, and you can view the shots immediately, which makes it an easier way to shoot a movie.

Quentin Tarantino, a filmmaker who has taken a clear stand in the “film or digital” discussion, once said, “If I can’t shoot on film, I’ll stop making movies”, and he has his reasons for the same. While Robert Rodriguez, an independent filmmaker famous for co-directing the 2005 neo-noir crime thriller Sin City, loves the digital moviemaking process as it involves less hassle.

Fun Fact: Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez are real-life best friends and have worked together on multiple projects.

The Quality

While making a movie, amateur filmmakers might compromise on the quality side, but professional filmmakers will not take such a huge risk. Quality-wise, the film captures photos at a higher resolution than most digital cameras, thanks to the large film prints. Also, shooting on a film camera delivers a higher dynamic range, especially in darker scenes.

However, a large number of professionals believe digital cameras offer very decent quality and are the future of cinema. They are very portable, foolproof and can be created in many forms. A 35mm film has a digital resolution equivalent to 4K, a 35mm Imax film correlates to 6K, and the famous 70mm Imax is closer to 12K – a dream to catch up for a digital camera as it is still wandering around 8K sensors.

The Investment

We all are aware of how shooting something on a film camera works and how much time it consumes but do you know how much expenses you have to bear to develop film prints from negatives? Let’s not go into that lane as it’s only going to hurt you (be a professional filmmaker first), especially when you’re planning to produce a movie by shooting it on a film camera.

When it comes to investment, digital cameras hit back at film cameras at some levels. First of all, they offer easy and seamless data transfer of files from device to computer hard drive or cloud computing platforms. However, a high-end digital camera can be more expensive than its film counterparts. Basically, shooting a movie on a film camera will cost you more money than shooting digitally.