Xiaomi is launching a number of products under the Redmi banner on February 9, including Redmi Smart TV X43, Redmi Note 11S smartphone, and Redmi Smart Band Pro. The company already have several X series TVs in their portfolio, such as Redmi Smart TV X50, X55, and X65 models, but the upcoming X43 would be the smallest TV in the line-up.
The official teaser page suggests it will sport a 43″ display with 4K resolution that features support for HDR and Dolby Vision. The smart HDR TV will support powerful Dolby 30W speakers with Dolby audio for better sound output. The company hasn’t revealed the processor of the smart TV yet, but the page shows it will have a future-ready flagship performance to provide a seamless experience.
The previously launched X-Series smart TVs, such as Redmi Smart TV X55, sport quad-core MediaTek SoC with Mali G52 GPU, paired with 2GB of RAM. Besides powerful processors, the X-Series TVs also feature e-ARC and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), which makes us expect almost the same features from the upcoming 43″ smart TV.
The upcoming smart TV will feature the company’s latest PatchWall software and IMDb integration. The PatchWall is the company’s unique launcher which sits on top of the core Android TV software, which acts as an alternate user interface and helps you access over-the-top (OTT) platforms. It also supports controlling smart home devices like smart lights and Mi Air Purifier.
The price of the upcoming Redmi X43 smart TV hasn’t been unveiled yet, but it is expected to be priced below the cost of the Redmi Smart TV X50, which is currently priced at Rs. 37,999 and available on Amazon for sale. The Redmi X43 TV will be available for sale on Xiaomi official website, and it might be going on for sale on Amazon too.
Good sound or good music has the ability to delight your soul. A good audio system in your car is pure eargasm while on the move. If you’re new to the world of car audio systems, check out our article on how the in-car infotainment system evolved with time here and they seem to have become more sophisticated with each passing year.
Almost everyone has different opinions on car audio systems, and some people love the look of their factory stereo. If you have a late model car with an integrated infotainment system, upgrading the stereo can be difficult. In either case, there are several ways to improve a factory sound system.
One interesting thing about upgrading your car audio is that there’s no right way or wrong way to go about it, in fact, the best thing about upgrading factory audio systems is that almost any component you replace will at least represent a marginal improvement.
The guide to “car audio” starts with an understanding of what each component contributes to the overall audio experience you have. But it’s important to be able to identify the pitfalls that you notice in your car audio, then know the right fix for each problem.
However, no matter how many complexities arise in the technological aspect, a car audio system only has three basic components. So if you’re considering upgrading your car’s audio system, keep in mind that the components listed below are the ones you must include.
If you are going by the budget-conscious piecemeal route, then you must plan on how you want the final system to look and sound like. If you do that, you’ll end up with components that work pretty well together.
There are many options when you build a car infotainment system from the ground up, so people who have never performed this task may shy away from that sort of drastic change.
Now, if you dive in, consider the types of features you want your car to sound like.
If you’re working on a tight budget, you can do some things to improve the sound quality. You can even replace components one at a time, depending on what your speculated budget permits, and eventually, you’ll have a completely custom car sound system.
Know the main components!
Head Units
This is the brain behind everything. In the beginning, head units were simply radio tuners which, as time went by, became proficient in providing audio signals from cassette tapes and CD players. In the modern-day vehicles, the head unit is often integrated into its entire “infotainment system”, which is the central console that also often houses climate controls and provides navigation.
Today, most head units have USB ports, Bluetooth connectivity, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, etc to connect other devices and play digital music, built-in satellite and Internet capabilities, and whatnot.
Now it is entirely up to you what you want in your car.
Either way, we advise you to end up with a head unit that is capable of powering the speakers. You can also go for a head unit with pre-amp outputs and an amplifier capable of fully powering the speakers.
Speakers
It’s an old rule of thumb, but it remains true: even the best car stereo won’t sound great on lousy speakers. If your car’s stock car audio system shows distortion, lacks clarity during high-frequency ranges, and blasts hollow bass notes, you may improve the sound system in your vehicle with a worthwhile speaker upgrade.
If your car only has two or four-speaker slots, they are probably coaxial speakers, which means a single speaker head features both the woofer and a tweeter. The easiest way to replace them is with better coaxial speakers, preferably made with more superior materials.
A decent set of front speakers might only set you back less than ten grand. Component speakers provide even better sound, but that’s a complicated upgrade that’s better paired with a new car stereo.
Discrete speaker components sound even better because the tweeters and woofers operate separately, producing greater sound clarity. But this upgrade often requires cutting new speaker mounts, complex rewiring, and other actions best performed by a technician, an experienced installer of sound systems for cars.
At least four speakers make up most car audio systems, although you can play with various configurations that will allow you to add more.
There are several types of speakers, including coaxial, component, and subwoofers. A coaxial speaker is one unit that houses both the tweeter, which takes care of the treble or higher range notes and the woofer, which deals with the Bass or the lower to mid-range frequencies. On the other hand, component speakers are simply a set of speakers that separate the woofer and the tweeters. Subwoofers, meanwhile, are designed to reproduce Bass and sub-bass that is typically lower than what a woofer can generate.
More often than not, car owners prefer upgrading the speakers that come with their car because its sound quality is often poor. Go for speakers that are constructed better and are usually made of cloth and foam. Some excellent speakers have rubber, metal, silk, and other synthetic materials. Car owners can enjoy full-bodied Bass, pristine sound in high-frequency ranges, and a lack of distortion with these speakers.
Amplifiers
Turning up the volume.
If you’re concerned about high volume, an amplifier is still an essential component you need to add to your system. You’ll probably need an amp with speaker-level inputs if you’re leaving the factory stereo in place, but some premium factory fitted head units come with line-level outputs.
It’s easy to overpower the speakers when you add a powerful amplifier to a factory sound system. With that in mind, consider upgrading the speakers first if you want to crank up the volume all the way blasting out of the windows.
As mentioned above, the speakers receive the audio signal from the amplifier and serve as the output devices that in turn convert the electrical energy of that signal into sound.
Despite what we said above about having great speakers, it’s also quite true that great speakers only sound as good as their amplifier. You may get an uplift in quality with new speakers alone. Still, discrete car audio systems will require more sophisticated amplifiers that can output to multiple, distinct speaker channels. A good amp can output well to tweeters and woofers, for example, and even subwoofers, for that matter.
An amplifier does precisely what its name implies; it takes the audio signal that the head unit sends out and amplifies it on its way to the speakers. Not only does an amplifier increase the power of that audio signal from the head unit, but it also improves the quality of the sound. With speakers hooked up to an amplifier, you should be able to turn up the volume without it producing crackling sounds and distorting the audio quality. The sound is cleaner, more unmistakable, all making your listening experience much much better.
Not all amplifiers are created equal, though, so you can vastly improve your car audio by simply upgrading your amplifier to superior ones.
Adding more Bass
If the only thing you’re missing is Bass, add a subwoofer to your factory system in either of the two ways:
Add an amplifier and a subwoofer.
Add a powered subwoofer. Subwoofer in a car trunk
Powered subwoofers are a more straightforward proposition, but adding an amplifier and a subwoofer allows you more flexibility. Either way, a subwoofer is the best way to get that bass thumping.
If you want to go by the easiest way to add more bass to your car audio system, a powered amplifier with speaker-level inputs is the way to go. These units combine an amplifier and a subwoofer into one unit, and they can be hooked up to any factory or aftermarket head unit.
Doing it right
The most important thing to look for is a good wiring harness specifically designed for your vehicle requirements. This harness plugs into the factory wiring, so you won’t have to cut into any of your car stereo system wires and mess up with the electricals.
Some of these wiring harnesses are even designed to plug into a new head unit altogether, which means there’s no wiring involved at all. This is the easiest way to install a new head unit, and it ensures that you can pop the factory stereo back to stock any time you want.
What Does Your System Lack?
While many other components can affect the overall audio quality, those are the top three pieces of every car audio system. Now, consider the fact that your vehicle’s sound isn’t up to your expectations. What complaints do you have?
Your Speakers Buzz
Factory-installed speakers aren’t of the best quality, but you can easily upgrade to an aftermarket set that provides a broader range of sound. If you want an upgrade, particularly in the speaker department, install a separate woofer and tweeters along with component speakers for a good midrange sound.
There Is Not Enough Power
If the sound quality simply feels like it could need more “oomph”, your amplifier is likely the culprit in this scenario. Since it delivers more power to your new speakers, you should get more clarity without any kind of distortion.
There Isn’t Enough Detail.
If you’re a music-head audiophile, you know that layers of audio are very much essential to the full sound experience. An upgraded head unit could help enhance your jazz or classical listening, taking your hearing experience to another level.
Evaluating Your Car Audio System
If your car stereo sounds OK to you, that’s exactly what all the OEMs are looking for. Even factory-installed premium sound systems usually aren’t up to mark. So how can you tell if your factory audio needs a little tender loving care?
Here’s a test that anyone can do:
Sit in your car and close all the doors and windows.
Play your favourite music and turn up the volume.
Don’t be afraid to go higher than you usually would, but try avoiding blasting the sound and go blow-out-your-eardrums high.
Listen to the music and start noticing the drawbacks.
If you need to turn up the treble due to lack of clarity, that’s something that a speaker upgrade can fix.
If you turn up the bass figure, you have the Bass sounding hollow or empty, that’s also something an upgrade can fix.
If the music sounds distorted when the volume is up really high, that’s another thing you can take care of with a bit of tinkering with the amplifying system mentioned.
So, where do you start from? There are different ways to dig into a factory sound system upgrade. Answering a handful of questions can set you on the right path:
How important is your budget? Do you have much money to spend on upgrades?
Do you want to improve the sound while keeping your factory stereo?
Would you instead ditch the factory stereo and start fresh?
How important is Bass?
Do you like listening to your music loud?
You might be surprised at how the simple act of pondering those five questions sets you on the road to building a great car audio system.
CES is the most influential tech event globally, and just like ordinary people awaits a new year, tech enthusiasts wait for the CES event, which offers them a head start to begin the new year on a good note. The event is underway and has unveiled numerous out of the box products for which it is known. Due to the ongoing pandemic and fear of new variants like Omicron, many publications, including us, are not physically attending the CES 2022, making the show kind of Hybrid. However, after spending many months in lockdown, we’re now getting used to the new normal.
BMW iX – The Color Changing Car
Invention arises directly from idleness, sometimes out of laziness to save oneself from troubles, and that’s human nature, which BMW grasped and created a colour-changing car, which will keep you sane from the boredom of having one coloured vehicle. The BMX iX fully electric car debuted at CES 2022, and it has body panels made from E Ink displays, similar to the ones we find on the screen of a Kindle e-reader. The demo version only allows two colour-changing patterns, Black and White, but more colours will be added to excite the customers in the future.
Freestyle TV Projector by Samsung
Drive-in theatres were one of the fascinating approaches towards entertainment as they allowed people to enjoy the cinema from the comfort of their car. Unfortunately, it lapsed out from our lives, but if you’re one of those people who likes to stay on the road and enjoy movies on the go, particularly on big screens, then Samsung has launched something for you, the all-new Freestyle TV projector, which weighs less than a kilogram and comes with a 180-degree cradle stand. Get an additional USB-C battery, a waterproof case, lens caps, and the projector allows you to project anything onto walls, screens or anywhere else from 30 to 100 inches.
LG Omnipod – World on Wheels
LG has always been a company that introduced humanity to many unbelievable products and ensured we would stay on the line of innovation. Micro apartments are already creating hype worldwide due to the shortage of space and ever-rising prices. And now, to make things easier for us, LG has introduced an Omnipod – a connected car concept that blurs the distinction between home and car. Fundamentally, it is an entire world on wheels with lights, windows and even seems to have a driver’s seat. The Omnipod has a refrigerator, drink dispensers, TV panels, a virtual assistant “Reah” to help you and access Metaverse via the giant floor-to-ceiling screen.
Noveto N1 – Invisible headphones
We often find people exaggerating the size of the headphones or even earbuds, and to cure that problem, Noveto has launched N1, an audio device with built-in Alexa intelligence and Noveto’s proprietary innovative audio beaming technology. The premium soundbar works on ultrasonic waves and offers a headphone-like experience with spatial 3D audio, and the speciality of N1 is only the listener can hear the music. The company has recorded up to 90% (20dB) audio drop when it is 1 meter away from the listener means only 10 per cent of the N1’s audio can be heard beyond 1 metre, more like a whisper.
Sony Vision-S-02 EV
The one conference that surprised everyone was Sony, as they bring a reasonable interest in their electric vehicle, the Vision-S, and its further development and production. The company stated in a blog post that they will establish an operating company, ‘Sony Mobility Inc.’ in the spring of 2022, which means Sony could take on Tesla with its EV’s. The newly introduced all-electric SUV model, Sony Vision-S-02, is definitely for a future commercial release. Along with advanced sensors and safety systems, it allows you to play PlayStation games through a remote connection to a console at home; what more you could ask for in a car?
Gone are the days when fans would fill their room with posters of Shah Rukh Khan, or girls writing letters to Rajesh Khanna with their blood, or people just resorting to any level of insanity to meet their icons. The euphoria around a star has watered down. Now, we have online superstars.
Today, almost every actor is omnipresent; they are in our bedrooms, dinner tables, workspaces, and bathrooms(well, not quite literally). The ‘I wonder’ factor of the actors that we once frowned upon went in absolute absentia when their daily-life updates got conveniently displayed on our smartphones. We became aware that these superstars, whom we considered Demi-Gods, sit, walk, and talk like us.
It feels like yesterday when everyone was just too invested in Vines, and Dubsmash, a lip-syncing platform, gave birth to a new generation of content creators. And boom! There was TikTok. The lip-sync platform magnetized the whole of Generation-Z in creating feature skits and dance videos lasting for 15 seconds.
Today everyone has become fair game, with the rise of new products germinating around the contemporary cultural landscape – the social media influencers.
This relationship of the rising generation with these creative platforms is very telling of what they stand for. Across different socio-economic backgrounds, the present generation reject prejudices, stereotypes and gender-norms, and practice identity expressions with pragmatism. They are open to changes and are much more aware of the world around them.
What I have noticed being on social media for a while is that while millennials prefer consuming feeds, it is the Gen-Z who are more actively creating the content.
15 Seconds of Fame
Tik-Tok introduced the concept of showing your creativity in 15 seconds, and the world went bananas. Why should I wait for a film so eagerly if I could conveniently swipe through raw and more authentic short videos of people who look like you and me?
A while back, a man from rural India, who lives in a small hut with his wife and other family members, went viral for his extraordinary dance moves. This story is just a wave in an ocean of opportunities that these ‘nobodies have been provided through this platform. The thing is, you never know what clicks among the audience until one day you turn your life upside down with millions of followers.
TikTok’s ‘cringe-including’ content is a potential meme material for Internet inhabitants, but it is a source of liberation and a confidence booster for millions of users. So mocking TikTok is alright and quite fashionable, but dismissing the platform is just plain foolish.
When TikTok got banned in India due to the rising tension between India and China, Instagram saw an opportunity there and cloned the concept in their Reels that now allows you to create content over up to a minute.
Cashing it Out
Instagram and TikTok have enabled everyone to be a creator. You don’t need high-end equipment anymore to bring your creativity out in front of the lens. You might be an actor, artist, dancer, doctor, financial advisor, student, or anything under the sun; you could be a star on Tik-Tok if you know the art of connecting with the audience.
I will be lying if I say I do not get covetous of the influencer’s ability to produce easy money through brands and advertisements while I work my ass off to afford the basic necessities. But there’s no hate here; infact, there’s a sense of understanding that they are moulding themselves to what today’s ‘social media generation’ needs, while individuals like are satisfied with just consuming or disdaining it.
The present generation has lost a sense of attentiveness when it comes to consuming content. The attention span has seemingly gone down with the introduction of the Internet. We now want to jump from one content to another without even trying to find any sense in what we have just watched. We do not know what it is to wait and think about what we just witnessed. In a sense, we are leeches in a human skull, which are harmless to none but to our own intelligence.
Now coming back to the content creators, have you ever wondered how much do influencers earn? These influencers can be 17 years old or can go up to 50, but their pay is directly related to their number of followers. Depending on the followers and their niche, they can charge from Rs 15,000 to over a lakh for a post. Moreover, a lot of people pay them for collaborations and appearances. I kid you not; there was a whole reality show on some streaming platform based on these social influencers’ lives. Such is the height of success, they get to taste.
Brands have understood that in order to connect directly with their customers, they need to give up the traditional way of advertising their products through television and instead use the tool of social media, which is much more convenient and cost-friendly.
Conclusion
It doesn’t matter whether you hate the content or love to make or consume it, you cannot ignore the fact that platforms like Instagram, Youtube, TikTok have given a chance to young minds from all nooks and corners of the world to make a universe for their own self and get to be a hero in it. Isn’t that all we want deep inside or something we dream of with our eyes wide open?
The past two pandemic years have exposed our vulnerability and dependence towards technology, while revealing many seams and holes in the system. As we slide down to 2022, here’s five of the disasters we witnessed in the digital and technology world in the year 2021:
JioPhone Next
JioPhone Next was problematic to start with. The device offered PragatiOS, a rebranded version of Android Go, and was expensive for the audience that it intended to serve. Jio has a known history of undercutting competitors on mobile data packs at low prices. But when it came to the JioPhone, the company had a hard time convincing the first-time smartphone users to buy the device at a whopping price of Rs 6,499. It’s safe to say that the phone did not create any buzz and went away as silently as it came.
Meta
Facebook’s name change came after a whistleblower dropped a trove of documents, exposing the company’s misdeeds and its obsession with growth. Facebook tried to rebrand itself as a metta-verse company that is probably going to shape the future. Metaverse as a whole is not a failed concept, but rather, scary and disastrous, since it will put everyone in a simulation. I really can’t understand why anyone would want to create a virtual version of themselves and buy things that just don’t ‘exist’?
NFT
NFT or Non Fungible Token are intended to be unique digital identifiers. It’s main objective is to make digital art scarce by making one copy the ‘original copy’. The digital copy is then sold like a traditional art piece at a way higher price than what a copy would have been sold for. In many cases, artist’s work gets used without their permission and this blockchain oriented transaction is quite hard to follow.
5G
5G is hailed as the next big thing and promises to deliver data at breakneck speeds to all our devices. The problem is, it doesn’t do a lot right now. There are companies that are promising to deliver the 5G network and mobile phones now come with bands supporting 5G, we have a long way to go before we finally start witnessing the speed that 5G promises.
Grand Theft Auto Definitive Edition
For us, GTA means childhood. We have grown up on this game and have got exceptional love for the same. But when studios pick up old games and make them compatible with new consoles for quick cash, it often falls flat. When Rockstar dropped the ‘definitive edition’, things seemed more than a little off. Gamers were expecting modernized graphics with increased realism, but what they got was a bizarre fusion of high-gloss textures and awkward, ugly character models. It was filled with so many bugs and glitches and was so disappointing that the company was forced to publicly apologize.
After what seems like an eternity, Exhibit hosted Exhibit Tech Awards 8.0 at Sofitel, BKC, Mumbai, on 16th December 2021. We started with selecting our nominations over two months ago. Our office is filled with ringing phones and endless mail trails—technology brands connected with our entire team to nominate their best products across all the categories.
When we spread the word on social media, we were suggested by many tech brands and their products by our trusted followers. The criteria were simple; the product should be available on sale in 2021 and ideally should be launched in the same year, matching our award categories. The pandemic had many brands slowing their launches last year, and thus some categories saw little to no launches in the past year. We aren’t the government, and hence we bent some rules to allow these products to be nominated in their respective categories.
Before we knew it, our team sorted products bombarding our office premises. From TWS earbuds to 85-inch televisions, the mix of products never fails to get our dopamine flowing. This is the eighth time we are hosting Tech Awards, but every time feels like the first time. Thanks to technology changing its pace in an ever-changing tech world. Newer products, newer brands and many unique products were just the start of the process.
A week of what seemed like a decade went by sorting the products that met our criteria. Finally, our nominations were in place, and the rest of the products were returned to their respective brands. Some categories like wearables and TWS earbuds had more entries than we anticipated. We had the best of our techies listen to the earbuds, test the wearables, and further shortlist the ones worth being the best of the rest.
Our web, social media, editors and marketing team came together as a total unit to make these nominations live on our website. We spread the word through many posts on social media, articles on the web and several emails to the respective brands. Exhibit.tech hosted a dedicated page for all the nominations, with the ability to vote for all our visitors.
The rules were simple, sign up and vote. Voters were restricted to vote only once through each IP, email ID and phone number. We wanted the voting process to be as fair as possible. And, so it was. Although some companies did opt to share the voting links among their employees and tried to increase their probability, voters across the globe are a number hard to beat. We saw an overwhelming response, and our servers were clogged for a few minutes. Votings were kept live till 10th December 2021. We witnessed IPs from across the globe voting across categories.
While the people of this world were busy voting their preferred products under each category, we had the best of professionals joining our jury panel. Meet our Jury – (Jury team and a few lines about each Eg. Arun Prabhudesai, a famous youtube tech celebrity in India with over 10.5 million followers) Our Jury brainstormed on the products nominated for a month. It was not an easy task with most Jury members located in other cities across India. Jury members risked their lives travelling, meeting and brainstorming the winners under each category.
Criteria for winning under each nomination was 60% decided by public voting and 40% by jury members. Many categories had nominees battling in a neck to neck competition, and the Jury had a hard time choosing one over the other. The Jury finalised their decisions on 8th December after hours of deliberation. Votes from the public and the Jury were counted, and our winners were decided.
Exhibit Tech Awards – The Event
Sofitel, BKC, Mumbai, was looking ready on 16th December 2021 to host the Exhibit Tech Awards 8.0. Being an invite-only event had the registration personnel scrutinising the attendees with invites, masks, vaccine certifications and everything else to ensure that the event attendees and awardees were in a safe place. Thanks to management at Sofitel, BKC, Mumbai, everyone was accommodated on their respective seats under proper social distancing guidelines. Attendees from the world of technology, Bollywood, social media influencers, bloggers and many more brought liveliness to the event. After being seated, Exhibit Tech Awards 8.0 commenced on time, adhering to strict state guidelines.
The open lawn at Sofitel, BKC, Mumbai, was our choice for the event, considering that temperatures are pleasant in Mumbai during this time of the year. Red carpet attendees were greeted and interviewed by Miss Nashpreet Singh. Before we knew it, our attendees included Mr Arjun Kapoor, Miss Tanisha Mukherjee, Miss Sanya Malhotra, Miss Ekta Maru, Mr Aryan Bajwa, Miss Claudia Cecelia and many more. A beautifully displayed Volkswagen Tiguan stood amongst the stars adding zeal to the event. The bar was open before the event started, and spirits were high. We started the show by greeting the audience, attendees, personnel, partners, and Exhibit group to arrange an outdoor event. The audience was filled with known faces across technology brands anticipating their brand and products to win.
The event started with introducing the hosts, followed by Jury introductions. Before we move further, here is our Jury – Chief executive, Reliance Digital – Mr Brian Bade, fashion and style himself – Mr Shane Peacock, a popular youtube tech and auto celebrity – Mr Arun Prabhudesai, additional DG of police and cyber security expert – Mr Brijesh Singh, ace photographer – Avinash Gowariker, joint MD at Future Retail Ltd and a tech enthusiast – Mr Rakesh Biyani, the man behind timeless tunes – DJ Aqeel, tech and gaming youtube celebrity with over 22million followers and counting – Mr Ujjwal Chaurasia and last but not the least the founder and CEO of Exhibit group – Mr Ramesh Somani.
Mr Ramesh Somani facilitated the Jury members with their gift hampers. We also started by thanking our presenting partner – Reliance Digital, which has been our pillar since Exhibit tech awards 1.0; A big shout out to Volkswagen for coming back as our driven-by partner and the all-new beautiful Tiguan parked in all its glory, our celebration partner 100 pipers and gifting partner – Carerra for making this event possible in an ongoing pandemic. This was soon followed by a sneak peek of our past Exhibit Tech Awards mashup video featuring prominent brands and celebrities.
Nominations and Winners
We started the event with Mr Shane Peacock announcing the winner of smart wearable of the year. The nominations for this category were Apple Watch Series 7, Realme Watch 2 Pro, OPPO Band Style and Noise ColorFit Pro 3. The winner for smart wearable of the year was the Apple Watch Series 7.
Second up were the nominations for Home Theatre of the Year. The competitors were JBL Cinesystem 500SI, Sony HT-S40R, Yamaha YHT-3072, Zebronics – Zeb-Juke Bar 9800DWS Pro Dolby Atmos, and Samsung’s Premiere. Mr Brijesh Singh, our honourable Jury member, presented the award to the winner for Home Theatre of the Year – Sony HT-S40R.
Before we knew it, Mr Arjun Kapoor informed us that he had to be at another event. Thus, Mr Ramesh Somani and Mr Kaushal Neverekar – President & Chief Business Officer – Reliance Digital and Mr Ashish Gupta – Brand Director, Volkswagen India, awarded Mr Arjun Kapoor – the Techy Celeb of the Year award. Mr Arjun Kapoor was honoured to receive the award and thanked the Exhibit group for the same.
The next category to announce their nominations was Gaming Gear of the Year. Nominations included – HyperX Pulsefire Haste Mouse, Predator XB3 Monitor, Logitech G Pro Wireless Mouse, Seagate FireCuda 530 with Heatsink. Mr Arun Prabhudesai, a youtube influencer, announced Seagate FireCuda 530 with Heatsink as the winner.
The headphone of the year was our next category in the queue. Nominations included – Jabra Evolve2 75, Apple Airpods Max, Sennheiser IE 300 and Bose Quietcomfort 45. Mr Avinash Gowariker presented this award to the winner – Jabra Evolve2 75.
As a breather, the event shone lights on an audio-visual spectacle of Tech Fashion tour, an exciting amalgamation of Tech and Fashion from the past six years.
Soon we ventured into the category of Premium TV of the Year. The nominations for the same were The Frame by Samsung, LG OLED G1, VU Masterpiece 85″, Mi QLED TV 75″ and Hisense 55-inch QLED TV (55U6G). Mr Kaushal Neverekar, President and Chief Business Officer, Reliance Digital, presented this award to LG OLED G1.
One of the most popular and strenuous to judge categories was TWS earbuds of the year. There were numerous nominations – Jabra Elite 7 Pro, Jabra Elite 7 Active, AIWA 80X FANC, Realme Buds Air 2, OPPO Enco X, Devialet Gemini and Galaxy Buds Pro. Mr Ashish Gupta, Brand Director Volkswagen India, announced the Galaxy Buds Pro winner.
Gaming laptop of the year had most of our voters and judges brainstorming to choose one as a winner. The result was a tie, and the nominations for the same included Acer Predator Helios 300 11th Gen, Victus by HP 16″, Lenovo Legion 5 Pro and MSI GP76 Leopard 11UG. The tie winners Acer Predator Helios 300 11th Gen and Victus by HP 16″ were presented their awards by the beautiful Miss Ekta Maru.
The most popular gadget that is least thought of in our daily use was the next category – Wireless router of the year. Nominations under this category were DLink – R15, Linksys Max-Stream Mesh WiFi 6, Tenda AC10 and Motorola MH7022 Whole Home WiFi Mesh System. The winner was DLink – R15, and the handsome Mr Arjan Bajwa presented the award.
With the growing versatility of televisions, our unique product category was 4K TV of the year. Nominations included VU Cinema TV Action Series, Realme Smart TV 4K 50″, LG C1 Series, Samsung Crystal 4K UHD and Mi TV 5X 55″. The gorgeous saree Miss Tanisha Mukherjee presented the award to Miss Devita Saraf, CEO of VU Televisions for VU Cinema TV Action Series as the winner under this category.
We all love automobiles. The audience was presented with a glimpse of all the madness we as a team witnessed riding and driving at our sister concern BBC Top gear India. It was an insane rush of some of the best beauties on wheels. Bikes, cars, roads and their exhaust notes were the perfect audio-visual nirvana for automobile enthusiasts.
One of the most talked-about categories of Exhibit Tech Awards was the Budget Smartphone of the Year (Below 20k). Nominations were tough competitors, namely Moto G60, Redmi Note 10 Pro Max and Nokia G10. Our Jury member Mr Arun Prabhudesai announced Motorola G60 as the winner.
Moving on from budget smartphones, the next category and one of the most selling ones across Indian markets is Budget Television of the Year. The nominations – Hisense 55A73F (Tornado Series), Acer Boundless Series 43-inch, Intex LED 5012, Xiaomi Mi 5x and Samsung Crystal 4k UHD. The winner of this category – Xiaomi Mi 5x was a crowd and Jury favourite for the value proposition it brings to the table.
The professional camera of the year is one category that sees the same players in the industry. Nominations here were pretty new products from the camera giants of this realm – Canon EOS M50 Mark II, Nikon Z7 II, Panasonic Lumix and Fujifilm GFX 50S II. Looking stunning, Miss Claudia Ciesla presented the award to our winner – Canon EOS M50 Mark II.
Tech Leader of the Year is another category at Exhibit Tech Awards, witnessing loads of competition. Competing against the best among the best, Mr Madhav Sheth, CEO, Realme India, was awarded this honour. Due to travel and covid reasons addressed the attendees via an audio-visual presentation and thanking note.
Our next category was Storage Device of the Year with nominators SanDisk Expand Wireless Charger Sync, Toshiba Canvio Flex 4TB Portable External HDD and Seagate One Touch with Password and WD My Passport SSD. Presenting the winner WD My Passport SSD was our Jury member Mr Arun Prabhudesai.
Luxury Tech of the Year saw many products that made no sense together apart from their price tag and target audience. Nominations ranged from Acer Concept D, Lenovo Yoga Slim 7i Carbon, Sennheiser IE 900, Apple Watch Series 7 Hermes, Galaxy Z Fold3 5G and Samsung Neo QLED TV. Mr Krissan Barretto presented the award to Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3 5G.
Our founder and CEO, Mr Ramesh Somani, presented our awardees starting with Innovative Tech of the Year. Nominations were a mixed bag, including Jabra PanaCast 50, Hypervolt GO, Zhiyun Weebill 2 Pro, Apple Macbook Air M1 and Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 5G. The winner for this category was Jabra PanaCast 50 for its exciting innovations.
Following the innovations in the tech industry was the award for Innovative Tech in the Auto industry. Mr Ramesh Somani presented this award to JK Tyres for their Smart Tyre technology.
We have been A-1 since Day-1 when it comes to recognising influencer talent. The Exhibit group has recognised talent all across India for the past three years, and everyone present at the event was given a little glimpse of our IP – InfluencEX Awards
Lenovo ideapad slim 51 was awarded the winner for WFH Laptop of the Year. It was a tough competition among the nominations – HP Pavillion Aero 13, Acer Swift 3, Realme Book (slim) and the winner of this category. This category was introduced thanks to the new working habits during an ongoing pandemic.
Our next category is for workaholics around the globe. A machine that will work tirelessly irrespective of your work, flight and sleep schedules. The nominations for the Business Laptop of the Year included Dell Latitude 9520, Acer TravelMate P2, Lenovo ThinkPad T14 and MSI Summit E16 Flip A11UCT. Being a crowd favourite and aligning with Jury votes, the winner for this category was Dell Latitude 9520.
Camera Smartphone of the Year is one category with numerous nominations. Our top picks nominated were Motorola Edge 20 Pro, Vivo X70 PRO+, Oppo Reno 6 Pro 5G, Mi 11 Ultra 5G and Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G. Vivo X70 PRO+ was awarded the best among the rest in this category by Mr Kaushal Neverekar, President and Chief Business Officer, Reliance Digital.
With the gaming craze hitting the youth and young at heart in India, our next category was interesting – Gaming Smartphone of the Year. Nominations included Realme GT 5G, Motorola Edge 20 Pro, Oppo Find X3 Pro, Asus ROG 5, iQOO 7 Legend and Galaxy Z Fold3 5G. Mr Vijay Mahar presented the winner – Asus ROG 5 as the best gaming smartphone of the year.
The A+ tier is the Premium Smartphone of the Year award. Nominations were heavy hitters like the OnePlus 9 Pro, Realme GT NEO2 5G, Oppo Reno 6 Pro 5G, Apple iPhone 13 Pro and Vivo X70 Pro+. Miss Ekta Maru presented the award to Apple iPhone 13 pro as the year’s premium smartphone.
All the winners were called on stage alongside our founder and CEO, Mr Ramesh Somani, Mr Kaushal Neverekar – President & Chief Business Officer – Reliance Digital and Mr Ashish Gupta – Brand Director, Volkswagen India, for a group photo. The awardees were in plenty and filled the stage from one end to the other.
Last but not least, the dynamic trio of Mr Ramesh Somani, Founder and CEO, Exhibit group, Mr Kaushal Neverekar – President & Chief Business Officer – Reliance Digital and Mr Ashish Gupta – Brand Director, Volkswagen India presented the stunning in red Miss Sanya Malhotra as the disruptive talent of the year awardee.
Exhibit Tech Awards
After months of public and jury voting, Mr Ramesh Somani thanked the attendees and the awardees for winning their awards. The event ended on a high with a bar and dining open to all present. Our partners were thanked for their association, and the 8th edition of Exhibit Tech Awards was a great success with happy smiling faces all across the open lawns at Sofitel, BKC, Mumbai.
Since the last couple of years, we have witnessed many top-notch companies launching their audio sunglasses, which ultimately helped the audio sunglasses section to grow and have a category of their own. The original Bose Frames delivered surprisingly pure sound, and with the arrival of three new models, Tempo, Tenor, and Soprano, Bose stands tall in the audio sunglasses market. Bose Tempo is a sporty looking gadget, while the other two, Rectangular shaped Tenor and Cat Eye shaped Soprano, are best for everyday use. The company has done a lot to improve the sound quality, which helps the sunglasses to deliver crisp and clear sound. The audio sunglasses are the best gift option for the person who likes listening to music while riding a bike, resting by the pool/beach, walking, running, or hiking.
Apple MagSafe Battery Pack – Price: ₹10,900
Apple is one of the top-ranked smartphone manufacturing companies in the world, but at the same time, it is infamous for its battery backup. However, the company has understood the issue and has come up with a solution in the form of an Apple MagSafe battery pack. The rectangle-shaped and white coloured MagSafe battery pack fits perfectly on the back and is compatible with iPhone 12 series and iPhone 13 series. The slim and sturdy battery pack is small enough to slide into a pocket or bag. The MagSafe Battery Pack offers a 1,460mAh capacity which sounds low, but the numbers are deceiving as the battery pack easily adds a few hours of use to your iPhone. If you have experienced frequent cries related to battery backup from your loved one who uses an iPhone, then the MagSafe battery pack is a must-buy gift option.
Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) – Price: ₹13,999
Amazon has been a leading company in manufacturing smart speaker displays over the years, and its recent launch, the Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen), is the best smart display in the lineup. The 2nd gen Echo Show 8 offers a superior 13-megapixel wide-angle camera for enhanced video calls along with a faster processor and an auto-framing feature, which lets the device pan and zoom automatically to adjust the frame while making video calls. The Echo Show 8’s sound output is way better than the top trim Echo Show 10, but the flagship smart home device Echo Show 10 steals the show when it comes to other features. If the person you’re planning to gift this Christmas is a newcomer to the smart home space, then Amazon Echo Show 8 (2nd Gen) would be a great gift choice.
Ember Mug² –
Price: Various options available from ₹16,000* on amazon.in or get it from ember.com for $129.95 USD
The winter is coming, and all we need to survive the chilliness is a cup of hot tea or coffee by the table, but every time we plan to enjoy the hot drink, it turns cold before we finish it and ruins our mood. Well, if you know someone who is a big-time hot tea or coffee lover, then gift them the Ember Mug² temperature control smart mug, and it will never let their tea or coffee go cold again, at least for up to 1.5 hours with Ember Mug² 10 oz and up to 80 minutes with the Ember Mug² 14 oz. The smart mug is designed for home or office use, and it allows you to set an exact drinking temperature so your coffee is never too hot or cold. The washable smart mug allows you to set and control your prefered temperature with your smartphone via the dedicated Ember app.
Beats Studio Buds Wireless Earbuds – Price: ₹14,499
Apple purchased Beats in 2014, and since then, every product Beats launched was somehow tied up with the Apple ecosystem. Then Beats decided to ditch the traditional Apple H1 and W1 chips and launched Studio Buds Wireless Earbuds with MediaTek chipset. The change in the chip helped Beats to go beyond its competitors and suit Android phones along with Apple devices. The Beats Studio Buds are Beats’ smallest earbuds to date and the best-sounding earbuds Beats has ever manufactured. The wireless noise-cancelling earbuds fit perfectly in the ear, and the solid grip makes sure they’ll not fall out even during intense workouts. So, if you’re looking for a gadget to gift your gym-addict friend, then these stand-out earbuds are the perfect little thing.
GoPro Hero10 Black Action Camera – Price: ₹54,500
GoPro recently launched the new Hero10 Black, with a new faster custom processor. The Hero10 Black sports a 2.27-inch touch screen main display on the back and a 1.4-inch display on the front. It arrives with Incredible video stabilization and a new GP2 chipset, enabling new slow-motion frame rates, faster transfer speeds, and improved image quality. The camera can record smoother videos up to 5.3K @ 60fps, and for slow-mo videos, it can go up to 4K @ 120fps and 2.7K @ 240fps. The waterproof Hero 10 Black is powered by a GP2 sensor and packs a 1,720mAh battery. The GoPro Hero10 Black could be the best gift option if your loved ones are travel enthusiasts, vloggers or into adventure sports.
WD My Passport Go Portable SSD – Price: ₹11,469* (for 1TB on flipkart.com)
SSDs (Solid State Drives) are faster and more power-efficient than HDDs (Hard Disk Drives), and that’s the reason they’re always in demand. WD is one of the most popular SSD and HDD-making companies globally, and their recent addition, WD My Passport Go portable SSD, is one in a million kinds of devices. The My Passport Go portable drive has a shock-absorbing rubber bumper and no moving parts, making it drop-resistant up to 2 meters. The square-shaped, rugged SSD is 2 times faster than typical portable hard disk drives and compatible with both Windows PC and Mac computers. The Pocket-sized drive has a built-in cable for convenient portability and is available in three variants, 500GB, 1TB and 2TB. You can gift the SSD to the person who never feels satisfied with the in-built storage of their respective devices.
Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro – Price: ₹10,990*
Samsung has tasted success with the launch of exceptionally built Galaxy Buds Plus and failure with the launch of not so excellent Galaxy Buds Live, which helped the South Korean tech giant analyse the segment well and come back hard with the Galaxy Buds Pro, the best true wireless earbuds that the company has ever made. The Buds Pro includes active noise cancellation, wireless charging, speech detection mode, and support for the Scalable advanced Bluetooth codec. When paired with a Samsung smartphone or tablet, the earbuds offer the best sound quality and go beyond these key features. The Buds Pro also offers IPX7 water and sweat resistance features along with improved mic performance. So, if you’ve someone who owns a Samsung smartphone or tablet and likes to play along with music and calls, then go for these earbuds and make your loved ones happy.
E-book readers are reliable and handy instead of the traditional paper-based books because e-book readers offer thousands of books in one gadget, and when it comes to choosing the best e-book reader in the market, you’ll never find anything better than Amazon Kindle Paperwhite (10th Gen). The waterproof e-reader has a 6-inch e-ink display, and it is available in different variants that range from 8GB to 32GB of storage. The Kindle Paperwhite is one of the most popular e-readers on the market with good battery life, and if you have someone in your friend circle who’s an avid book reader, then this 10th Gen Kindle Paperwhite could easily replace your place in your friend’s life.
Budget Gifts (Below ₹10,000)
LG XBOOM Go PL2 Water Resistant Wireless Bluetooth Speaker – Price: ₹7,990
The LG XBOOM Go PL2 is the smallest and least expensive portable Bluetooth speaker from the PL range of speakers. The IPX5 water-resistant portable speaker offers a Sound Boost mode, USB-C charging, stereo pairing, and up to 10 hours of battery life. The PL2 speaker can be controlled with your smartphone’s voice assistant and can make any party fun in no time. The rounded design, compact and lightweight speaker has a good build quality and is best suited for travel enthusiasts. If you know someone who is a travel addict and likes to do weekend campaigning by the lake or hill, then LG XBOOM Go PL2 portable speakers can be a good companion for such personalities.
Oral-B Pro 2 2000N Electric Rechargeable Toothbrush – Price: ₹4,199
Technology has evolved our daily needs from smart home devices to electric toothbrushes. A decade ago, Oral-B was making regular manual toothbrushes, but then the company decided to take a look at the big picture and started manufacturing electric toothbrushes to cope up with the new age of connected tech. The Oral-B Pro 2 2000 electric rechargeable toothbrush offers only the necessary features for your dental health and works without any app support. The electric toothbrush helps you to remove more plaque and leave gums healthier than a manual toothbrush. The Oral-B Pro 2 200 electric toothbrush features two brushing modes and a pressure sensor, making it the simplest yet elegant electric toothbrush. It can be an excellent gift for people with sensitive teeth who have never experimented with an electric toothbrush.
Razer Kishi Mobile Game Controller – Price: ₹9,321* on amazon.in
Everyone has their own choice, and not all people want a regular PlayStation or Xbox controller. Some people go beyond the ordinary world and prefer exciting gadgets such as Razer Kishi Mobile Game Controller, which offers a seemingly lag-free gaming experience on the phone. The go-to mobile gaming controller has a split apart design, and it can connect directly through the USB-C charging port. The Razer Kishi Mobile Game Controller fits most smartphone devices and offers a solid grip that lets the gamer have great control over a device. If you’re friends with someone who follows mobile gaming like a devotion, in that case, you should consider gifting Razer Kishi Mobile Game Controller to them this Christmas as this killer gadget will not only please them mentally but will permanently change their mobile gaming experience.
Fire TV Stick 4K Streaming Device with Alexa Voice Remote – Price: ₹5,999
Amazon has acquired almost all crucial markets, from online shopping to smart house gadgets to streaming services and even streaming devices. The business strategies and tough competition in the market have made consumers’ lives easy as many widgets are available at affordable prices, and the list includes 4K streaming devices. Since the Fire TV Stick 4K launch, Amazon has emerged in this market, and the latest Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K includes the Alexa voice remote in the box. The latest 4K stick offers improved performance and is slightly larger than the standard Fire TV Stick but has the same colour and texture. The latest 4K stick features a guide button that can quickly take you to live TV and offer Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG like the standard stick. If you’re looking for a budget gift this Christmas, then the Fire TV Stick 4K streaming device with Alexa Voice Remote could be a perfect one.
Bellroy 3 Card iPhone Wallet Case – Price: from $68 to $88 (including $9 express shipping charges)
We often see people, mainly Indians having a 50 or 100 rupees/dollars note on the back of their smartphone cover. Some even put their credit or debit cards on the back of their smartphone cover, and when asked, they defend themselves in the name of emergency needs. Well, Australian accessories making brand Bellroy decided to provide a stylish look to the regular habit and created a multi-functional smartphone wallet case that holds up to 3 cards, slots devoted to a SIM tool and SIM card. The professional-looking case has a smooth, barely textured premium leather sheath covering the back panel, and you can even use the card compartment door as a kickstand to watch videos. So, if you know someone who prefers a luxury lifestyle and owns an iPhone from 12-series or 13-series, then Bellroy 3 Card iPhone Wallet Case will be a great gift and add a style statement to their life. Though the case is only available on the official website of Bellroy, if you want to purchase one, hurry up because it will take a few days or even a week to ship in India.
Noise ColorFit Pro 3 – Price: ₹3,999
Noise, India’s homegrown brand, has already acquired the top position in India’s wearables market. The budget smartwatch, Noise Colorfit 3 Pro, comes with many features and specifications, such as a SpO2 monitor for blood oxygen monitoring, a stress level monitor, and a bigger-better display. The lightweight smartwatch sports a 1.5-inch HD touchscreen colour display and follows the subtle design language like an Apple watch. The water-resistant smartwatch features about 14 workout modes, including Outdoor Walking, Outdoor Running, Outdoor Cycling, Pool Swimming, Open Water Swimming, Cricket, Hiking, Yoga and Workout. The Noise Colorfit Pro 3 comes in 6 colours and offers several high-end features, which we usually find on Apple & Samsung smartwatches. So, if you’re looking for a budget Christmas or new year gift, then Noise Colorfit 3 Pro could do the math.
Wagr’s GPS & Fitness Tracker for Dogs – Price: ₹3,499
The world is getting smarter with smart wearables, and along with us, our very canine best friend also needs smart wearables because about 6 lacs dogs get lost every year in India. The pain of losing our pooch friend can cause severe sickness to dog parents, and this thought made IIT alumnus Advaith Mohan and two of his friends, Siddharth Darbha and Ajith Kochery, come up with a solution. The trio created a dog wearable Wagr, India’s first GPS tracker for dogs which tracks the dog using high-precision GPS and even allows you to create safe zones. Once you attach the Wagr tracker to your pup’s collar, it will help you track your dog’s activity, walks, safe zones, and it will also alert you when they leave the safe zone you’ve created. If you have a dog of your own or someone from your friend’s circle who owns a dog, then Wagr’s location & fitness tracker is a must-have gadget.
One of the top smartphone manufacturers in the world, Apple, has been hooked due to a supply chain crisis and forced to halt the production of its iPhone lineup. According to a Nikkei report, who always digs deeper into the index calculation, Foxconn, Pegatron, and other Apple suppliers halted the production for the first time in more than 10 years, and that too ahead of the Christmas festive season.
Fortunately, the production ramped down only for a few days, mostly due to supply chain constraints and, of course, due to China’s ongoing power restriction. The company was planning to add additional work hours to meet global demand for the holiday shopping season, but workers are getting time off instead of overtime. The unwanted happenings made Apple miss their latest iPhone 13 lineup targets.
The Nikkei report further mentioned that Apple halted iPhone and iPad production for several days in September and October, which shocked the world. The Cupertino-California headquartered company’s initial goal was to manufacture 95 million iPhone 13 models in 2021, but due to the shortage of components and chips, the company made changes in its plans and decided to go with at least 83-85 million units.
Apple CEO Tim Cook recently said the supply chain issues are expected to continue till December, which would cost the company more than $7 billion of loss. At the same time, the company is pressuring its suppliers to reaccelerate their production development of the iPhone for December and January. Along with China’s ongoing power restriction, Malaysian and Vietnamese lockdown measures are also the leading components to halt the production.
Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and Amazon Prime Instant Video are just some of the clear examples of successful OTT content delivery services. DirectTV’s lucrative sports package and HBO’s popular Game of Thrones series are just some of the top OTT streaming content that can be streamed across multiple screens and portable devices. As Ott content is delivered over a broadband connection to the Internet, consumers also have more options.
The dramatic rise of nimble (OTT) content providers like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video challenges this dominance, reduces revenue, and threatens growth. Consider how OTT services have changed the way we consume television and the media in a very short space of time. If the network-wide and communications-wide transformation is to deliver anything, we could see a similar revolution with the arrival of over-the-top service providers (OTTs), a cocktail of innovative services, the widespread popularity of smart devices, and a hint of widespread and widely available broadband.
As network operators develop home technologies to unlock the low latency and high capacity of 5G, OTT providers and broadcasters will have the opportunity to offer their viewers services ranging from live sports, 4K and 360 videos, headcam recording, virtual reality, and other immersive experiences. Shortly, 5G is expected to disrupt the way we consume content and global OTT operators are aware of this well. It will pave the way for the fourth industrial revolution with high-speed wireless connectivity, AR and VR apps, autonomous vehicles, personalization based on consumer preferences, access to continuous health monitoring through IoT and Smart City devices, and the development of exciting and innovative services.
The Internet of Things ( IoT ) is an emerging network of smart devices and sensors including many everyday items that begin to send and receive data. New York, 2020 – Analysts predict that the Internet of Things will eventually connect 20 billion devices, and these devices will generate data that can be managed and analyzed. The Internet is part of a broader challenge to America’s network infrastructure, which is likely to see a surge in traffic, owing to the increasing use of virtual reality, machine learning, and other emerging data-intensive technologies.
The latest trend in the OTT video streaming arena is the introduction of the Internet of Things (IoT). In this scenario, OTT and video platform players compete with each other to increase their subscriber base through monetization to the IoT and since OTT enables data sharing between IoT devices and OTT services there is attractive potential. In a highly competitive OTT/video platform landscape, the skilled use of data is critical to success and requires the full deployment of technologies such as AI, machine learning, automation, and IoT.
The phenomenal growth of OTT applications is largely due to improved accessibility of content via high-speed Internet, the high-quality streaming capacity of devices, and advances in technology analysis and artificial intelligence. This outbreak has led to an increase in content consumption across devices, with consumers switching from using Amazon Fire Stick and Google Chromecast to the new era of smart TVs for OTT consumption. There are new monetization opportunities for existing networks and OTT service providers to take advantage of performance improvements and cost reductions.
While we use IoT (Internet of Things) technologies, consumers will use voice shopping in the future to maintain an effortless lifestyle. The first hurdle for OTT streaming is that other technology providers will continue to meet consumer expectations. The relationship between OTT service providers and network operators will be more akin to a merger and acquisition.
In recent years, major internet companies such as Google, Facebook, and Microsoft, as well as leading OTT content providers such as Netflix have heavily invested in infrastructure such as data center space and network capacity. Digital natives and OTT competitors can piggyback on this expansive infrastructure, including the last mile services that connect consumers to the content they want to see, and they can benefit from it in a variety of ways. In the Internet of Things (IoT), there are huge untapped opportunities to bring content to portable devices like this, Miller says.
The answer is to use the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, and other self-service technologies to interact with customers on a personal level. The IoT is a hybrid network with optical fiber in new locations and many, many wireless connections, according to network infrastructure experts, which increases data capacity and coverage density with small cells and distributed antenna systems. OTT and IT mobile networks are not the only areas to be affected by the IoT.
Digital Home Services (DHS) combines emerging technologies such as Oracle, IoT, AI, mobile chatbots, and remote video to support advanced digital customer management and deliver the next-generation digital home services. Replay consists of pre-integrated OTT back-end components (CMS, SMS, OTT Middleware, engagement, usage analysis, content discovery, and ad tech solutions) together with world-class UI / UX design and application development to enable our customers to experience satisfaction and grow their business.
It changes the way we consume media, underpins the business case for new services, and offers attractive prices that reach end consumers. Market forces such as exponential growth in content and a realignment of distribution models are forcing a realignment and investigating how industry technologies such as AI, immersive reality, IoT, and 5G can be leveraged.
The FCC, major pay-TV providers, and technology startups are engaged in a multi-party dispute over the future of broadcasting television content via set-top boxes and TV app ecosystems. OTT is a media service or streaming media service offered to viewers via the Internet. The term over the top (OTT) refers to the provision of audio and video content to users over the Internet without subscribing to traditional satellite providers.
The integration of Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant into OTT platforms and streaming services will provide more user-friendly and easier search options for content, voice commands, and an enhanced customer experience through artificial intelligence. Part of the OTT model is generally an IoT experience that breaks the shackles that bind us to our old approach, with each iteration enriching the user experience and expanding the possibilities of the service.
Also read : How are Utility Tokens different from Security Tokens?
The penetration and outreach of cyber threats are incomparable. You don’t know the vulnerability every application brings with itself. And Google has come up with the same alert and alarm signals. Android smartphone users, this news is for you! Recently Google announced that it is banning almost 150 mobile apps due to the security risks of these platforms and applications. To get more information on this scoop, pump up your patience and read more from this piece.
More About News
Zimperium, a top-notch and renowned mobile security provider, alerted Google about various mobile applications floating in Google’s flagship product, Play Store. Zimperium stated that they discovered a particular kind of malware called GriftHorse. Once infecting the device, this malware is encroaching their privacy by making unauthorized subscriptions in the user’s name. For example, you have installed one of the apps banned by Google recently. Now such an app may sign you up for a Netflix account and avail of a subscription.
Working of GriftHorse
The Trojan GriftHorse gets attached with harmless applications which a user like you installs. Once entered into the system, this GriftHorse starts sending messages related to cashback, prize money, and other lucrative offers. The frequency of such messages is no less than 5 in an hour. Users who fall into this trap are redirected to a web page where they are only asked for their mobile number to claim the prize money. After obtaining user’s mobile numbers, the hackers submit these details to let users avail themselves of premium SMS services. The value of these subscriptions starts at €30 (£25) per month (around 2.588k INR /-).
Names of Some of the Banned Apps
The Exhibit team is exclusively providing the names of some of the apps as following:
Handy Translator Pro
Fingerprint Changer
Heart Rate and Pulse Tracker
Amazing Video Editor
OFFRoaders
Bus Metrolis 2021
SnapLens
Bus Driving Simulator
For other names, you can directly check the blog section of the Zimperium website, where all apps are listed.
Final Conclusion
Considering the subscription pricing, it seems like the malware is currently hovering in and around Europe and North America. However, it is necessary for regulating authorities like CERT-In to take steps and deter such digital attacks. Also, as a responsible citizen, Exhibit will request not to install any of these mobile apps on your smartphone.
