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Top 10 new games announced at Gamescom 2022

Gamescom 2022 had a lot of announcements. We are not including the Lies of P, Callisto Protocol, or Outlast trials, as these were announced way before the show. Nonetheless, the number of games teased is plenty to desire a current-gen console or upgrade one’s PC for that crisp detailed game plays.

Dune Awakening

The trailer that we got for dune awakening doesn’t give us anything in terms of gameplay, we do know it’s an open-world survival MMO, and apparently, that’s going to put thousands of players on every instance of the planet. the trailer showcases a hero taking on a giant sandworm. it was a pretty impressive piece of, well, probably CGI, to be completely frank. Still, Dune Awakening could be an intriguing title if it indicates what it may look like. We don’t have an official release date for this game; we do know it’s coming to pretty much all major platforms, so we will keep our eyes open.

Everywhere

The ex-GTA producer Leslie Benzies’s new company announced a game called Everywhere. Everywhere is a pretty vague concept, isn’t it? So, of course, they would issue a press release clarifying what the game is! Everywhere seamlessly blends gameplay, adventure, creativity and discovery in an all-new multi-world gaming experience that redefines how players connect in the digital world around them, which is crystal clear now. In the course of the trailer, you see a large number of different things that seem like third-person shooting, a lot of sci-fi, and maybe even a little racing. There’s a lot when they say Everywhere. Let’s not get hyped over something vague. There’s a lot of top-notch talent on top of Leslie Benzies, a former GTA producer, and it seems like they’re not shying away from colour and possibly genre.

Moonbreaker

A new miniature building turn-based digital tabletop strategy game. this one comes to us from Unknown Worlds, the developers behind Subnautica. It’s a tabletop game like Warhammer 40k, and you get to make miniatures and paint them. And the painting is a big part of Moonbreaker like there’s some element that is just weird in a good way. Somebody interested in that would be more attracted to building miniatures, so there’s a kind of tactile inertia or life that they give the figurines in a battle. Which is appealing, but again it’s quite weird. It’s got a different charm and is landing in early access on September 29th.

7. Atlas Fallen

The gameplay actually kind of reminded me of final fantasy xv. I don’t know if the entire game will take place in a desert, but I do like the desert setting combined with the characters. The character design is just fantastic it reminds me of old-school final fantasy; that’s probably why, obviously with a completely different, more modern style sensibility. What we saw within this little CGI movie is something that could play out within the game. It could end up being a really interesting take on a sort of fast-paced magical action game where you’re holding up bridges and fighting big monsters.

6. Lords of the Fallen

A kind of soft reboot sequel to the 2014 Lords of the Fallen. The original was a pretty successful game, and you’d think it’d be a sequel. It’s kind of been up in the air, so it’s also probably not the project that was announced as Lords of the Fallen two back in 2014. The Lords of the Fallen takes place a thousand years after the original, so it’s an effective reboot for the most part. It’s definitely got the look of a souls/borne type game. The story will involve exploring interconnected realms. Umbrella and axiom, apparently the realms of the living and the dead, the original was also a souls-born souls-like type. It looks like we’ll have to wait to find out when the game hits all major platforms sometime in 2023.

Killer Clowns from outer space

The producer of Friday the 13th, the game it’s a multiplayer horror game. First, Killer Clowns, outer space is a silly franchise. It’s a horror franchise but a silly one, and it should, in all actuality, make for a silly horror experience. Let’s be clear: the weapons in Killer Clowns from outer space could be a lot more fun than the weapons on Friday the 13th. it’s going to land on all major platforms in early 2023.

4. Destiny 2 – Lightfall

To be frank, now we know what the next expansion for destiny will be; it’s a cyberpunk one. The final battle in the light versus dark saga has Kallus coming back, fighting side by side with the witness attempting to destroy the traveller, and apparently, it’s on Neptune in a cyberpunk city. There is also the addition of a grappling hook in the strand subclass. It seems like an attempt to breathe a little bit of life into Destiny 2 after it’s been going on for a long time.

Where winds meet

This looks like a game looking to compete with the ghosts of Tsushima. It is a very different-looking game like it evokes the idea of the ghost of Tsushima, but the aesthetic is also very Chinese. You can actually choose occupations in this game. Like becoming a doctor, or an architect, you can even become a very good orator, a public speaker who can convince NPCs to follow them. These are intriguing additions to an open-world stealth combat game. it sounds like there’s a lot of freedom, and that’s what the developers kept emphasizing when various other people interviewed them. If this turns out to be something where you can do a whole bunch of stuff, and the combat turns out to be as good as it looks in the trailer, take my money!

Phantom Hellcat

An absolutely fantastic-looking hack-and-slash. There’s a ton of visual style here in phantom hellcat. It’s a 2d platformer that transitions into this 3d really close quarters, almost like platinum games looking hack and slash stuff, and that sounds fantastic to me. That is a combination of two types of games, and again it’s something that looks absolutely great.

Dead Island 2 and High on Life

This game was announced almost eight years ago. It would be easy to assume that a game announced eight years ago wasn’t happening, even though there have been few clues that it’s still being developed throughout the years. It looks like a hack-and-slashy type of first-person shooter with zombies. We know what Dead Island is at this point, and if they managed to wow us with Dead Island 2, nothing like it.

Sharing the number one spot is High on Life, a Rick and Morty-voiced and world-based Sci-Fi first-person shooter. The world is filled with interactive sarcasm, and the most intriguing part of the gameplay is talking weapons with a personality of their own. For instance, the starting pistol is based on Morty, while the crazy knife, which does multiple other things like grappling, etc., has a personality like a death-crazed Rick. Great to see this level of interactive madness getting one High on Life.

Shubman Gill: Aggressive, Flawless & Flamboyant

Ex: How was your first experience while playing international-level cricket?

Shubman: I was in New Zealand, and the first experience of playing international cricket was great, except for the fact that we, as a team, got all out for 90 odd runs while playing against New Zealand. The game was very short as they chased down the target very quickly. We lost the match, but the experience was definitely worth it.

Ex: At what age did you start playing cricket? And what is your best memory of playing cricket in your childhood?

Shubman: I started playing cricket when I was three, and my father saw me while I was playing the game, and that’s when he realized my potential and decided to work on my game. About my favourite memory – there was this game called BEAT where you play in a net and don’t need any ground. When I was a kid, I used to play that a lot with my friends.

Ex: What kind of struggles did you have while growing up as a budding cricketer?

Shubman: The struggles that I had while growing up were mostly about facilities, and that’s when my dad decided to shift along with me to Chandigarh, which was predominantly a much better city in terms of facilities. I was very young when we moved to Chandigarh, and I used to play most of my cricket in older groups. The struggle didn’t end here; sometimes, I had to travel by bus alone, going to different cities, and when you don’t have your friends on the team, it gets a bit intimidating. Also, there weren’t many places where I could practice on my own, so I usually used to wake up at three in the morning and practice for a couple of hours from 4-6 in the morning before the academy hit the ground.

Ex: What is your opinion about the current bench strength of the Indian cricket team?

Shubman: I think the current bench strength of the Indian cricket team is magnificent. We have almost two to three players competing for the same position, which makes us one of the strongest cricket teams in the world. However, for a player, it is a very challenging scenario because if you don’t perform well in a couple of games, or a series, there are always two to three players waiting for their chance. I think that keeps you on your toes all the time, and you don’t take any game lightly. You play with all you have and give your everything every time you play for the nation.

Ex: What sort of a relationship do you have with Rahul Dravid? And how would you describe the team culture since he joined as a coach?

Shubman: I have a special bond with Rahul Dravid sir, and my relationship with him has been quite honest and splendid because he’s been with me from my U19 days. He is someone that doesn’t hesitate to tell me anything, be it about my cricket or anything off the field. Since he’s taken over as a coach, the team culture is more communicative regarding what he wants from the players and what players want from themselves.

Ex: You recently won your first one-day international man of the series award; how was that feeling? And in the last couple of years, where exactly do you think you have improved as a batsman overall?

Shubman: The feeling was quite good when I won the man of the series against West Indies, and talking about my improvement as a batsman, I would say I have gained a lot of experience over the past couple of years while playing international cricket and it has helped me a lot.

Ex: What do you do to motivate yourself when you go through a bad patch?

Shubman: I try to stick to the process, and I try to think about things, what I was doing when I was performing well, and try to go back to the basics and get back into the process.

Ex: What is it like opening with and playing under Shikhar Dhawan, with whom you’ve had a 119-run opening stand?

Shubman: Shikar Bhai has a flamboyant personality and is very encouraging. No matter the situation, he would tell the other person or the other batsman to be patient, and there’s always more time than you think there is. So in terms of that, it’s very helpful when you are under the pump sometimes.

Ex: How would you describe the importance of tech in modern-day cricket?

Shubman: I think it’s helpful if you want to see anyone’s recent performances, what they’ve been doing, and where they have been bowling. In terms of that, it’s pretty useful — me as a player and a batter, I don’t go too much into it, but it is definitely worthwhile.

Ex: I believe you’re strict about your diet. What do you eat to stay fit and fine?

Shubman: I don’t have a set plan, but there are certain things that I definitely avoid. Like, when I’m at home, I prefer Bajra rotis over Wheat. Then, I don’t eat anything gluten and try to eat as many vegetables and fibres. I would probably eat red meat, grilled vegetables or fish twice or thrice a week.

Ex: How much consistency is required to be on top of your game? And do you think being a sportsperson has changed your life?

Shubman: Yeah, I think being a sports person has definitely changed my life in terms of discipline. About consistency, you can never really be on top of your game. So, it’s all about being consistent, even if it’s your diet, even if it’s your performance, your process, or your practice. If you’re consistent, you will get the results sooner or later.

Ex: Do you have any advice for young people who want to start a sports career, particularly cricket?

Shubman: I feel hard work and being consistent in that hard work is one thing that gives you an edge over others who are not as consistent. I don’t consider practising too much as hard work because it’s something that I love doing and want to do. So, if you are willing to put in a lot of effort and like something from your heart, the sky’s the limit.

Quickies:

What’s your favourite shot? – Pull
Three gadgets you can’t live without? – iPad, my phone and my smartwatch
A historic cricket match you would have loved to play in? – 2011 World Cup final
How would you describe your batting style in three words? – Aggressive, Flawless and Flamboyant
One app you can’t live without? – Whatsapp

An iconic luxury sedan, a priceless experience God’s own country explored in the lap of luxury Featuring the Lexus ES 300h

Lexus ES 300h, a self-charging hybrid electric luxury sedan, is one of many electrified cars from the luxury car maker Lexus, a pioneer in the field of hybrid electric technology. Lexus has over 2.3 million electrified vehicles on the roads globally as of today. Powered by Lexus Hybrid Drive, a seamless, optimal combination of electric power and fuel, this luxurious sedan was our abode on wheels on the beautiful roads of Kovalam, Kerala, where the Exhibit InfluencEX Awards 2022 was held to felicitate the best of best influencers across India.

Kerala, well known as God’s Own Country, is one of India’s most beautiful states with lush, scenic landscapes and a rich culture that befits the title. Adding inimitable charm to the experience was the Lexus ES 300h, which took us in luxurious comfort through picturesque Kovalam, stopping at the arts and crafts village, Shiva Stupa and finishing off with a magnificent Sadya feast at Taj Green Cove Resort and Spa, Kovalam. As we found out, the Lexus ES 300h was indeed a refined companion to explore this stunning city.

A Masterpiece of Craftsmanship

Kovalam is an idyllic destination, the perfect setting for the elegant Lexus ES 300h. Starting in absolute silence in pure EV mode, the car is capable of unleashing all its power with a simple toggle of the drive selector. Courtesy of the MacPherson Strut suspensions upfront and rigid rear double-wishbone suspension-member braces on the ES 300h, changing direction while on the highway or in the streets of Kovalam was a breeze. Add to that, the signature Lexus spindle grille design, and slender and beautiful silhouette, made the ES 300h a true head turner.

Our first destination was the Kovalam arts and crafts village, an 8-acre sustainable property dedicated to showcasing the vibrant art and skilled craftsmanship of the state. The Lexus ES 300h felt right at home as it cruised silently, enhancing the sense of serenity in the tranquil village. If you are yet to visit this place, the craftsmanship offered here is second to none – recycled wood, metals, textile, and many other elements of nature are beautifully carved into striking art pieces created by skilled and traditional craftsmen. Lexus draws a great parallel as the craftsmanship is at the brand’s heart. Consider the Lexus Takumi masters, the skilled craftsmen behind every Lexus. Takumi dedicates their lives to the perfection of an individual skill set, and precisely apply their highly trained senses to refining every detail.

“THE ARTISTIC ELEMENT & CLASS-LEADING JAPANESE CRAFTSMANSHIP MAKE THE LEXUS ES300h A PIECE OF ART ON WHEELS.”

This is apparent in the design of the ES, from the subtle touches of crafted luxury in the interiors to the distinctive and refined styling of the exteriors. This class-leading Japanese craftsmanship makes the ES 300h a perfect blend of elegance with luxury.
The Perfect Drive Partner

Our next stop took us across Kovalam to Kerala’s tallest Shiva sculpture, which stands at 58 feet in the form of Gangadeshwara on the cliff of Azhimala beach in Kovalam. This massive statue, which took six years to create, dwarfs the Azhimala temple and is visible across Kovalam’s expansive beaches from miles away.

The Lexus was a perfect partner for the journey, with a quality of excellence and a finish that stands tall. Everything in the ES 300h, including the extensive 12.3-inch widescreen crisp touch infotainment system with wireless Android Auto & Apple CarPlay, is oriented towards the owner’s comfort and within arm’s length for efficient operation. The multiple tones of pure luxury inside the cabin add to the experience cocooning you in comfort. The wireless charger and 17-speaker Mark Levinson premium surround sound system amp the cabin experience to even greater heights.

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, there’s more: the three-eye bi-beam LED headlamps, stylish rear L-shaped LED lamps, panoramic sunroof, acoustic glass on the windows which insulates the cabin from outside sounds along with active noise cancellation which further adds to the Lexus ES 300h experience. The engaging driver’s 7-inch MID and an even more astonishing heads-up display provide all the necessary information required by one in the driver’s seat. Pairing this opulence with active noise cancellation inside the cabin made the drive a truly serene experience that only a Lexus could deliver.

Luxury Made Personal

From Azhimala beach, our drive continued to the Taj resort consolidating further the driving pleasure the ES 300h is capable of. A dedicated drive mode selector features Eco, Normal and Sport modes for enhanced driving options making the most of both powertrains. The silhouette is not just attractive but also functional, with underbody and rear fins optimizing aerodynamics. The improved engine paired with batteries and motors makes for an unprecedented experience of instant acceleration and dynamic performance at all speed levels without any compromise on the fuel efficiency – along with a step towards a carbon neutral drive.

Along with our co-passengers, we were entranced by the Lexus climate concierge, 3-zone climate control with rear door and window shades for added privacy and luxury made personal. Further enhancing the back seat experience is an integrated central console, which lets you control the audio system, 8-degree rear seat recline, ambient illumination and other settings neatly integrated for a seamless experience. Reaching our destination, we were just in time to relish Kerala’s famous Sadya feast with multiple authentic signature delicacies served on a banana leaf.

IT’S ASTONISHING TO WITNESS A SELF-CHARGING HYBRID ELECTRIC LUXURY VEHICLE SEDAN AS POWERFUL AND YET EFFICIENT

The ES 300h offers the best of the best driving pleasure and excitement served in a sustainable package. Kerala was a great destination to test the Lexus ES 300h, and a beautiful hybrid-electric sedan explored the best each had to offer. Kerala’s lush greenery, beautiful clean beaches, and great food and culture are mesmerizing. The ES 300h reflects that ethos and class perfectly, the absolute partner to wow your senses in a tranquil, luxurious experience. Brilliant and trusted by millions, the hybrid-electric technology makes this car a joyous driving experience while contributing toward carbon neutrality.

Lexus is redefining the meaning of abundance with comfort, technology and a sustainable approach to crafting a better tomorrow. Lexus plans to go carbon neutral by 2050, and if the ES 300h is the starting point of that journey, we are very excited to see what the future holds.

Time Machine-James Webb Space Telescope

Time machines exist! They’re popularly known as telescopes. NASA’s new space telescope can see through time, and we just got our first images from billions of years ago. These are the very first images captured by the James Webb space telescope, the deepest we’ve seen into the universe with alien planets, far-off galaxies, and the birth and death of distant stars, but this is just the start. We are going to break down everything you need to know about the James Webb space telescope. From those first images to how it uses infrared light to see the past and what it could teach us about the universe? On the 12th of July NASA released the first five images from the James Webb space telescope showing us the most profound and most detailed look into our universe ever. The first big reveal was Webb’s first deep field, an image of thousands of galaxies 4.6 billion light years away. This is the furthest into our universe we’ve ever seen, and all that detail is in an area of sky as big as a grain of sand. Next up, we saw science data spectroscopy from an exoplanet captured when it passed in front of a distant star. This data shows us evidence of water on an alien planet a thousand light years away. Our third image was the stunning southern ring nebula. A dying star 2500 light years away captured by two instruments on the telescope NIRcam and MIRI (Mid-infrared instrument). It shows shells of gas and dust ejected from a dying star. Next was a group of five galaxies called Stephan’s Quintet. This is Webb’s largest image yet, with more than 150 million pixels showing us what NASA calls a cosmic dance of galaxies, stars being born and even outflows from a black hole. And finally, the most phenomenal image of them all, the cosmic cliffs of the Carina nebula. This stunning vista reveals new details about this vast stellar nursery for the first time.

We’re seeing brand-new stars that were previously completely hidden from our view. In this view, we see some great examples, of the hundreds of new stars that we’ve never seen before. We see examples of bubbles and cavities and jets that are being blown out by these newborn stars. We even see some galaxies sort of lurking in the background. Up here, we see examples of structures that, honestly, we don’t even know what they are! What’s going on here? The data is just so rich! These spectacular images really represent the dawn of a new scientific era, one powered by the world’s most powerful telescope.

What is the James Webb space telescope?

Well, it’s essentially a giant observatory orbiting the sun a million miles away from earth that examines space through infrared light after decades of development by NASA’s Goddard space flight centre, the Canadian space agency and the European space agency. It was launched from French Guiana on Christmas day in 2021. It’s on a decades-long mission to look at our whole universe. This telescope was initially designed to look back in time and see the very first galaxies that were born after the big bang. We’re talking about looking back in time over thirteen and half billion years into the past. It will study how galaxies change throughout cosmic history. We’ll learn more about how stars and planets are born. We’ll learn about exoplanets, planets orbiting other stars, and then we’ll also learn about objects within our own solar system. This fantastic new telescope is really going to be able to study our universe from our sort of own cosmic backyard of the solar system all the way out to the most distant objects in the universe and everything in between space and time.

The telescope orbits the earth around the sun in a fixed position on the dark side of our planet; staying away from the sun which is very important for its mission. Its sensitive instruments are on the hunt for infrared light, which is essentially heat energy; that’s the reason behind that massive diamond-shaped sun shield the size of a tennis court. The telescope collects infrared light from space using its giant honeycomb-shaped mirror, which is covered in actual gold! Why infrared light? Well, infrared is the key to seeing distant parts of our universe, and that’s because of the way those light waves travel through space. The fact that the universe is expanding all the time and accelerating, thereby as light travels through space, that expansion of the universe literally stretches the light waves. Light waves that are longer in length stretched out show different waves and so are the most distant galaxies, the ones we’ve never seen at all. They’re so far away, their light has been stretched so much that it no longer appears in the optical at all. It’s all in the infrared. Hence, to see into deep space we need to observe those infrared light waves. The light waves that James Webb can see have travelled a long way from 13.6 billion light years away, to be exact in deep, deep space.

This is where it starts to get very cool because the universe is so large by the time this light reaches us from that distance, it’s taken billions of years to get here. When we see the light from that far away, we actually see 13.6 billion years into the past. As astronomers often say, telescopes are time machines, and that’s actually true. We’re able to see into the past with telescopes, and the reason for that sounds very dramatic and sci-fi, but it’s actually based on the straightforward fact that light takes time to travel through space in the same sense light from the sun takes about eight minutes to get to the earth. So you’re seeing the sun as it was about eight minutes ago, and it’s because of this simple nature of the way light works that we’re able to look back in time and see how the universe was in the distant past. And by that, we can sort of put together a story of how the universe has changed over the last 14 billion years of cosmic history.

How far can we look back into our past?

How does this telescope time machine actually capture this ancient light? Well, the primary way is with the near-infrared camera or NIRcam built by Lockheed Martin Space in silicon valley. It’s like any other camera, except it’s way more complex and it sees invisible light. The whole optics to collect that light is quite a bit of departure from a little lens that we would have on a regular camera. It’s more based on lenses that let the light through and then modify the light in a particular way. Navcam has several different filters. So it doesn’t look at just infrared or just one wavelength; it is a range. We have a number of filters that allow you to look at the different regions of this spectrum to extract even more information than just a simple image. One of the big benefits of measuring infrared light is that NIRcam can see through clouds of dust and space things that would normally block visible light from reaching us. This helps scientists find whole galaxies that might otherwise be hidden.

We saw that with James Webb’s predecessor, the Hubble space telescope, and now we’ll be able to see even more. NIRcam can also do what’s known as Coronography. Essentially blocking light from bright stars to get a better view of the planets orbiting them, and it can measure the way the light from stars passes through the atmospheres of alien planets. All of this could potentially help us find habitable planets. Coronography is all about what’s the composition of these planets, and what’s in their atmosphere. Potentially can we find carbon or water traces and so on, which don’t prove that there’s light, but these are the building blocks for life. There are three other instruments alongside NIRcam on the telescope – MIRI captures longer wavelengths of infrared light. Then there’s NIRspec (Near-infrared spectrograph) which has tiny mechanical shutters that open and close to collect data on things like the temperature composition and mass of distant objects. Finally, there’s NIRISS (Near-infrared imager and slitless spectrograph) and the FGS (Fine guidance sensor). NIRISS observes planets around bright stars by diffusing the light of the stars over a lot of pixels while the fine guidance sensor keeps Webb perfectly steady in space.

Game changer?

The big question is, why is the James Webb space telescope such a game changer? Well, unlike Hubble JWST can see further and dig deeper into the origins of space. Its light-collecting mirror is six and a half meters wide compared to Hubble’s two and a half meters. All that light collecting power means it can look further back in time seeing fainter and more distant objects capturing more data, and taking us closer to the very origins of our universe. As for what’s next, well, the first batch of images took just five days to capture, and NASA says the telescope could have enough fuel to last for 20 years.

So, this is just the beginning. We can expect more discoveries, more unknown galaxies and more beautiful images, letting us peek deeper into the universe and learn more about the very dawn of time. This first look data that we’re getting shows us the power of this incredible instrument in terms of really our next big step in our search for life in the universe. We think the most exciting thing about this incredible new telescope is the idea that there are surprises in the universe. To say that this is a pivotal moment in the history of science is an absolute understatement. We are about to look into the past further than we’ve ever seen before and that thrill itself makes up for this $10 billion gold-clad space telescope.

How does Instagram influence music trends?Trending reel music starts trending on music streaming platforms

Instagram is an addictive yet entertaining app. TikTok and other apps popularised the vertical short-form video format. Instagram soon followed as an update to keep up with the consumer demands of our generation. Instagram calls this feature Reels. Reels are arguably one of Instagram’s most consumed forms of video content. Long-term Instagram users may know that Instagram was a picture-sharing platform, but as nerds call it, each video is either 24/30/60 frames of pictures per second.

Instagram influences music trends

Instagram reels are all about trending music and music suitable for content uploading. Adhering to the needs of Instagram users, reels have a built-in music selection for your video content on Instagram. TikTok is no longer available in India, so many content creators have switched to what is available, Instagram. A new trend is emerging involving music consumed by the masses in the form of short video content on Instagram.

Maximum reach is achieved when one selects music on the Instagram app for reels. Reels allow user content audio to play alongwith trending music for the reels, followed by many people hopping on the latest trending music to make their content. A new trend witnessed due to this approach is how the selection of music on trending reels influences consumption of that particular song or music on other streaming and download platforms.

Anatomy of music trends

The song that trends on Instagram as a story or reels directly impacts the song’s consumption in other apps like Spotify, Gaana, Saawan, YT Music, etc. This is a recent phenomenon and is genuinely impacting the music industry. What was once possible for products and services as a form of entertainment through influencer marketing now applies to the music industry. For example, Duke & Jones, Louis Theroux – Jiggle Jiggle song was released on 13th May 2022 and was introduced by the duo as a form of music on TikTok on 14th May 2022. Thanks to the platform, this music saw 2.6 million views on just one platform by 17th May 2022. As the world trend followed, it was soon popularised on Instagram, and millions of views are pouring in as you read this article. A direct influence has this song trending on top charts across music streaming platforms. We believe that as the short form of video consumption popularises new and old music, it will shape and transform the music industry.

July 2022 – Top 10 releases of the month

Rocketry: The Nambi Effect

Madhavan has risen from being a cute romantic hero of the early 2000s to being the first A-list actor to make an OTT debut, and now he has added one more star on his shoulder by writing and directing the upcoming film Rocketry: The Nambi Effect. The biographical film is based on the life of Nambi Narayanan, a former scientist and aerospace engineer of the ISRO, who was falsely charged with espionage and arrested.

Release: 1st July (in theatres)

Genre: Biography

Directed by: R. Madhavan

Stranger Things S4 Volume 2

Stranger Things S4V1 revealed a few new characters, two of whom are quite brutal, the villains of the story – Vecna in the upside-down and number ONE in the laboratory. At the end of the S4V1, we saw Nancy fall into a new dimension while trying to climb the rope of the new world. Volume 2 of the Season 4 consists of two episodes of about 2 hours each called ‘Chapter 8 – Papa’ and ‘Chapter 9 – The Piggyback’, respectively.

Release: 1st July (Netflix)

Genre: Science Fiction Horror

Created by: The Duffer Brothers

Thor: Love and Thunder

The Marvel Cinematic Universe fans are going crazy over the release of Thor: Love and Thunder. The 29th superhero film in the MCU is based on the Marvel Comics character Thor and is the direct sequel to Thor: Ragnarok (2017). The film shows the story of Thor returning to action after spending a brief time looking for inner peace. In the process, he recruits Valkyrie, Korg, and Jane Foster to stop Gorr the God Butcher from eliminating all gods.

Release: 8th July (in theatres)

Genre: Superhero

Directed by: Taika Waititi

Boo, Bitch

We have seen Lana Condor as Lara Jean Covey in the To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before trilogy, and now she’s returning with yet another mind-boggling character. Her upcoming mini-series – Boo, Bitch is a supernatural comedy which depicts the story of a high school student who lives a life of a wallflower and wakes up one morning only to find out she’s a ghost. The series is labelled as a mini-series, and it will have eight episodes.

Release: 8th July (Netflix)

Genre: Comedy

Created by: Tim Schauer, Kuba Soltysiak, Erin Ehrlich and Lauren Iungerich

Jaadugar

Jeetu Bhaiyya is back again with another movie, and this time he plays the magician’s character. His recent release, Panchayat 2, is already breaking the records and the audience across genres appreciates his performance. With Jaadugar, the actor is looking forward to expanding his movie resume. In the film, Jitendra Kumar plays a role of a Jaadugar with no athletic skill and must win a football trophy to marry his love interest.

Release: 15th July (Netflix)

Genre: Sports Comedy

Directed by: Sameer Saxena

Shabaash Mithu

We have seen films/documentaries based on many cricketers, be it an MS Dhoni or Sachin Tendulkar or the most recent one, Kabir Khan’s 83, but what about the female cricketers? Yes, we have two films in the pipeline based on the female cricketer’s life journey, and one of them is Shabaash Mithu, based on the life of former Test and ODI captain of the India women’s national cricket team, Mithali Raj, and it stars Taapsee Pannu in the titular role.

Release: 15th July (in theatres)

Genre: Biographical Sports Drama

Directed by: Srijit Mukherji

Hit: The First Case

The remake of 2020 released Telugu-language action-thriller film with the same name, which starred Vishwak Sen and Ruhani Sharma in the lead role. The Bollywood remake of the movie stars Rajkummar Rao and Sanya Malhotra in the lead role and follows the same plot where the lead character Vikram Rudraraju (Rao), a police officer of the Homicide Intervention Team (HIT) who is tasked to investigate the missing case of a young girl.

Release: 15th July (in theatres)

Genre: Action Thriller

Directed by: Dr Sailesh Kolanu

Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi

Recently, Netflix India declared they are on the other side of the success and trying to rise from their current situation in India. However, the company has done great homework over the course and observed what the Indian audience wants to watch! After “House of Secrets – The Burari Deaths”, now they’re all set to release their next true-crime documentary “Indian Predator: The Butcher of Delhi.” In the end, Netflix realised good documentaries could prevent them from drowning.

Release: 20th July (Netflix)

Genre: True Crime Documentary

Directed by: Ayesha Sood

Shamshera

June was all about Ranbir Kapoor. We witnessed the actor being the part of the two trailer launches (Brahmastra and Shamshera) and, of course, the pregnancy announcement with his wife, Alia Bhatt. When people experienced the trailer for Brahmastra, they were in awe, but when they saw the trailer for Shamshera, they hailed him like a king. The period drama film is set in the 1800s and tells the story of a dacoit tribe and their fight for independence against British rule.

Release: 22nd July (in theatres)

Genre: Period Drama

Directed by: Karan Malhotra

Vikrant Rona

Since the theatres opened after the pandemic South Indian movies are going on another level. With every new release, they’re coming up with a masterpiece, be it a Pushpa, KGF, Vikram or 777 Charlie. Vikrant Rona is a fantasy action-adventure film which stars Sudeep in the title role alongside Nirup Bhandari and Neetha Ashok. The movie is based on incidents in which people from a remote village start witnessing a series of unexplainable supernatural events.

Release: 28th July (in theatres)

Genre: Fantasy Action

Directed by: Anup Bhandari

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

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.