Valentine week has begun, and the couples are already making plans to celebrate the special day, but what about those who are not in a relationship? Well, those guys can always try their best on dating apps, and this is the best time to install a few of the dating apps on your phone because somebody’s out there waiting for your text. You know, like that dialogue from The Green Book, “The world is full of lonely people afraid to make the first move”. So, be the change and make the first move with our list of top 5 dating apps.
Tinder
Every time someone thinks of online dating, Tinder is the first app that strikes their minds. The easy-to-use dating app from the house of Match Group is best for casual dating, hook-ups and whatnot. Tinder was the first one who introduced the swiping sensation that we do today on almost every single dating app, and it has one of the best algorithms in dating apps.
Bumble
Bumble is a women-centric dating app where men are not allowed to initiate a conversation with women, as the app only permits women to have the leverage to make the first move. The app has various options from which you can choose what you want to try, such as you want to go on a date, looking for a BFF or trying to work on your networking.
OkCupid
OkCupid is a better dating app than Tinder, especially if you’re looking for a long-term relationship. The question-based matching of OkCupid takes a lot of information from you to help you with precise matches, making the app one of the most liked. The popular dating app has lost its indie charm since Match Group acquired it, but it still has enough components to awe you.
Hinge
Hinge is another big name on the list of dating apps where starting a conversation is an easy task to do as it lets you like specific parts of someone’s profile instead of the whole thing. The follow-up system – after exchanging phone numbers, unique branding, in-depth profile, and integration with Facebook set the app apart from the rest of the dating apps.
Happn
Have you ever crossed paths with a cute-attractive person and imagined how it would look like walking with them hand-in-hand? Well, the french-born app Happn lets you do this as it shows you the people you cross paths with, but they must have to be on the app to make things work. Also, make sure you fill up all the necessary details to get matches with similar interests.
The world we live in now is completely different from then. Though it’s just a matter of 16 years, it brought many advancements in the world of technology. When Steve Jobs launched the first iPhone on 29th June 2007, he defined it as a ”revolutionary mobile phone” and ”breakthrough internet communications device” as it helped put the internet in everyone’s pocket. Besides iPhones, a lot more happened over the last 16 years, let’s take a brief look at it.
E-Commerce
Earlier, when the concept of e-commerce was introduced in India, people were a little hesitant towards it. Then, in December 2012, Google India partnered with e-commerce companies including Flipkart, HomeShop18, and Snapdeal to launch the Great Online Shopping Festival. The rest is history as nowadays 10 out of 7 people prefer online shopping over offline and the e-commerce market in India is expected to reach US$ 111 billion by 2024 and US$ 200 billion by 2026.
Smart Home Assistants
Gone are the days when people used to depend on alarms to wake up early in the morning. At first, alarms were replaced by phones and, in the last few years, everything has changed, mainly due to smart home assistants. The smart speakers such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant acts as virtual assistants and help us to update with the current traffic, weather, latest headlines, play your music and lots more.
Ride Apps
We all have dealt with ignorant cab and auto drivers at least once in our lives, and some of us who were tired of dealing with their pristine attitude developed ride apps. The launch of apps like Ola in 2010 and Uber in 2013 transformed the public transportation industry. The app-based service allows people to book a private or shared car using an app. The concept has set the stage for many other ride apps, such as Savaari and ZoomCar.
UPI Payments
Earlier in the 2000s, people used to stand in a queue to deposit and withdraw money from the bank. Though ATMs were already there yet people were not satisfied with payment options. In India, PhonePe became the first payment based app when it was launched in 2015, and soon, a number of other apps joined the lineup, such as GooglePay, and PayTM. The arrival of several apps helped people to transfer and receive the money within a few seconds.
Smart Wearables
The first Apple Watch turned 7 last September, and over the last few years, smart wearables have replaced the century-old wristwatches. There was a time when people were obsessed with buying expensive wristwatches, but in the modern world, people are more obsessed with their health/fitness, and the thing that keeps them updated with it is smart wearables. No doubt, the smart wearable market is valued at USD 40+ billion.
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.
Micromax made its comeback to the Indian smartphone market with Micromax IN Note 1 in the second half of 2020. The comeback turned out to be a successful one for Micromax as it helped them reach its highest market share in the last six quarters and get featured in a list of the top-5 companies of the Indian feature phone market in the first quarter of 2020.
The Made in India smartphone company is set to launch Note 1’s successor in India on January 25, dubbed Micromax IN Note 2. A dedicated micro-site on Flipkart is already live, which displays some of the top features of the upcoming smartphone, such as glass finish, 6.43-inch AMOLED display, MediaTek Helio G95 SoC, side-mounted fingerprint sensor, and 30W fast charging.
The rear panel of the Micromax IN Note 2 has a Dazzling Glass finish, and it sports a quad rear camera setup, highlighted by a 48-megapixel primary sensor. The phone’s battery size is not confirmed yet, but it is expected to come up with a 30W charger, which will charge the phone from 50% in 25 minutes.
The phone is expected to come with Android 11 out of the box, and it will be offered in 6GB and 8GB RAM options, paired with either 64GB or 128GB storage. The company hasn’t revealed the exact price of the phone, but it is expected to come in the price range of rupees 10,000 to 15,000.
We throw some light on the purpose of various kinds of headlights and know how they perform. In order to keep safe behind the wheel, a driver must remain attentive at all times, constantly taking note of their surroundings. While this tends to be a rather straightforward affair when driving during the day, the main complications tend to arise as the sun sets and darkness falls.
Poor visibility often casts doubt when making crucial decisions from the driver’s seat, posing several potential hazards. Luckily, many such limitations can be nullified through the use of upgraded headlights, which are now widely available even in the aftermarket segment. These headlights are designed to cast far more light into your travel path than that produced by standard Halogen bulbs. Among the most pertinent of these options are HID, LED, and Laser headlights.
In many cases, consumers encounter a certain amount of difficulty when attempting to differentiate between these headlight configurations. This often leads to confusion, especially when determining which speciality of a headlight offers the best value in any given situation. In recent years, the automotive market has seen a significant incursion of new headlight options that threaten to end the dominance of halogen lights.
If you wonder about the advantages of LED vs HID headlights for cars or the differences between HID and LED headlights in an effort to sort out these equally tempting options, we can understand why. So what are HID headlights, and how do they trump halogen bulbs? What are LED headlights, and how do they compare to HIDs? All of these questions deserve to be explored in detail, but let’s start with understanding what all these actually are.
Halogen Headlights
Halogen light is formed from a combination of argon and nitrogen gases that are trapped within a heat-resistant envelope that also contains tungsten filament. When an electrical charge is sent to the tungsten by the battery of the vehicle, the filament heats to about 2,500 degrees Celsius, and this ignites the glow (light) you can see from outside the bulb. In short, this is what’s known as the incandescence process, which is similar to any electric bulb found in any household. These lights are not very efficient as most of the energy is wasted in heat generation rather than illumination.
Advantages:
Low Cost and easily accessible
Simple to replace and durable
Emits warm, bright light
Disadvantages:
Produces more heat
Energy-intensive
Extra sensitive
HID Headlights
HID stands for High-Intensity Discharge. When used in an automotive headlight bulb, this technology lights up in a manner that isn’t possible with the use of standard halogen bulbs.HID headlights forgo the use of a traditional filament strand. Instead, bulbs of this configuration rely upon the use of xenon gas as their source of illumination and hence can be termed as Xenon lights also.
Xenon, in high-pressure form, is charged through electrical inputs from an HID headlight’s high-voltage electrodes. Once charged, this supply of xenon is superheated into a plasma state, which eventually produces a rich light-blue or white illumination. Most HID headlight units are used in conjunction with projector-beam assemblies, which are intended to concentrate the light and direct the beam onto a predefined path. This maximizes the effectiveness of HID headlights while also minimizing the chance of inadvertently blinding fellow motorists at the same time.
HID headlights have now been around for quite some time, and they generate over 3000 lumens. They first appeared in the 1991 BMW 7-Series. Over the course of 30-years since they rose to prominence, HID headlights have become known for their long service life, which averages more than 30,000 hours in most of the applications. Overall, HID headlights serve as a better & viable alternative to the standard bulbs. In the majority of instances, properly installed HID headlights produce 2-3 times more light than halogen bulbs while accounting for less draw on the vehicle’s battery and alternators.
Advantages:
Less power consumption than Halogens
Brighter than Halogen lights
Longer lifespan with greater efficiency
Disadvantages:
Intense glare can blind the oncoming traffic
Relatively expensive than Halogen
LED Headlights
LED stands for Light-Emitting Diode. While LED technology has been used in various applications over the past decades, lighting of this type within the automotive industry has recently gained substantial popularity. Out of all the headlights on the market, LED undergoes the most unusual process to generate light. Inside a LED headlamp, negative electrons run against holes in a semiconductor to produce a light-emitting diode, hence the light’s name. When the electron enters a low-energy hole, a photon is released. The process is also known as electroluminescence. The frequency at which this process occurs — thousands of times per second — is what produces LED light.
LED headlights do not make use of pressurized gases within their design, as is the case in both Halogen and HID headlights. Instead, LED headlights discharge light through semiconductors or diodes. However, LED headlights also come in a number of different individual colours. These varying colours are created through the use of coloured lenses, which, when applied over a bulb’s individual diodes, emits the colour of preference. The legality of non-standard coloured LED headlights generally differs by state.
Advantages:
Brighter than the lot
It does Not glare like HID
Energy efficient
Disadvantages:
Produce much heat and hence require a more complex cooling system.
Expensive than the rest
Laser Headlights
The most recent of innovations in the headlight segment is the laser light, which debuted in the early 2010s and has since then been aggressively promoted by Audi and BMW in the European market. Out of all the headlight types we have covered so far, laser lights are the closest thing to prophesy fulfilment for the futuristic Sci-Fi of decades long past. While lasers are considered dangerous, actual lasers play a minuscule role in the luminescence of laser lights as they actually rely more on phosphor to create the light.
Looking at something like the Laser Headlight found in the BMW I8 – three blue lasers shoot through tiny mirrors, which in turn point the energy onto a phosphor plate or lens. When interacting with lasers, phosphor generates white light. This light is then relayed onto a reflector and then, of course, onto the road. As a result, laser headlights project with far more clarity than any other type of vehicle lighting solution available on the market. This can prove quite helpful while navigating through winding hazardous roads during low visibility.
NFTs have been in trend for over the last couple of months, and every company wants to be a part of it. The latest company joining the lineage of NFTs is Lamborghini, which just unveiled its first NFT dubbed Lamborghini Space Key. The artist behind the space-themed artwork is not disclosed yet, and it is limited to five units.
What is NFT?
NFT stands for Non Fungible Tokens, and they can be traded or exchanged but only with an equivalent item. NFTs are unique identifiers recorded on a distributed ledger known as Blockchain and tied to a digital asset such as pictures, videos, music, or other records.
Technically all NFTs are collectibles and allow their buyers to own the original copy of a digital file, which means you do not own or receive anything physically. Each token is unique, allowing its owners to guarantee asset authenticity, scarcity, programmability and trackability over the internet.
The artwork is a piece of advanced carbon fiber composite material that Lamborghini sent to the International Space Station (ISS) in 2019 as part of a joint research project. After returning from space, the carbon fiber composite becomes a part of the Space Key. These materials mark yet another milestone for the company, this time as a gateway into the NFT world.
We love to get out of our comfort zone and discover new spaces. We are glad to announce Lamborghini Space Key. A space-themed artwork, consisting of five units created by a secret artist with the carbon fiber material we sent to ISS in 2019.#Lamborghini#ToTheMoon
Each of the five Space Keys is linked to an exclusive and purely digital artwork by the same artist through the QR code on the backside of the carbon fiber. Stephan Winkelmann, Chairman and CEO of Automobili Lamborghini, said, Being a leading company for carbon fiber composite materials within the automotive sector, Lamborghini pushed boundaries two and a half years ago with the joint research project in space.
He further added, “the NFT world has been calling to us, and we are excited about engaging with this very passionate and innovative community.” The company has entered the NFT world in cooperation with NFT PRO™, and soon the company will share further details, including the name of the artist of the Space Key and the link to the auction registration.
NFT PRO™
NFT Pro™ is the top-notch enterprise white-label NFT solution for global brands, making NFT campaigns seamless, easily executed, and on-brand. They offer an enterprise-grade platform, proprietary methodology and enterprise-level support. They help global enterprises with strategies, creations, sales, and the distribution of NFT-based digital authentic assets.
Nobody desires to go out these days, and you know why, but what if you want to renew your license or ask for permission for festivals or register a complaint? You must have to get out, right? Until last Friday, we didn’t have an option, but now we have a platform to do all of these things online, at least in Mumbai, where BMC (BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation) launched a WhatsApp chatbot to digitize citizen engagement.
Last Friday, Chief Minister of Maharashtra Uddhav Thackeray launched a dedicated WhatsApp chatbot – MyBMC Assist – and became India’s first city administration to launch a helpline on WhatsApp. Well, they said it right – Politicians and ruling bodies never disappoint you whenever the elections are nearby, and BMC is no different. Nevertheless, whatever it is, it will surely help Mumbai residents, especially during these hard to go out times.
The Chatbot has been developed by Infobip technologies and is available for free. It will provide information about over 80 services/facilities provided by the civic body and allow people to use WhatsApp to reach out to the administration. Mumbai Residents and tourists can directly avail themselves of the benefits of Chatbot services through WhatsApp number 8999228999. The services are available in two languages, English and Marathi.
WhatsApp is the most widely used application, and by launching such services through WhatsApp, BMS has done a tremendous job. To access the bot, WhatsApp users simply need to send ‘Hi’ or ‘Namaste’ to the number https://wa.me/918999228999. While launching the application virtually, CM Uddhav Thackeray praised the civic body and said, “This day is written in golden letters. It can be described as a revolutionary day.”
CES is the most influential tech event globally, and just like ordinary people await 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 2022 edition unveiled numerous out of the box products for which it has been known since its inception. Due to the ongoing Covid situation and fear of new variants like Omicron, many publications (including us) were unable to attend the CES 2022 physically.
However, the technology came in as a rescuer, as most of the publications preferred to participate in the world’s largest electronics expo remotely, making the show kind of Hybrid. The event was vast like always, but we’ve mustered up the things in categories and top picks to make things easier for you. The 52nd edition of the event spotlighted the latest innovations from leading companies such as Google, Qualcomm, Sony, Samsung, LG, BMW, and many more.
Top TVs at CES 2022
CES is known as a battleground for TV makers, and every year the show floor looks packed with several top-notch TVs, and this year was no different. Amongst the top TVs revealed at CES, the one that grabbed our attention was the Sony A95K QD-OLED, world’s first consumer QD-OLED TV which can display the full spectrum of colours even in the brightest settings.
Though, the display panel of A95K is made by none other than Samsung. We expected Samsung might come up with QD-OLED 4K TV, but the South Korean tech giant had other plans. Samsung launched its 65″ QD-Display TV with quantum dots that combines a groundbreaking new QD-OLED display. The decision went well as the TV won the Best of Innovation award at CES 2022.
Besides Sony and Samsung, LG TVs were the ones that held our attention. The company presented a number of 8K and 4K OLEDs, several new QNED mini-LED TVs, and even a MicroLED TV at CES 2022 to compete with its rivals. Along with these companies, Panasonic announces a sound-focused OLED TV to attract all the audiophiles out there.
Top Laptops at CES 2022
CES 2022 introduced several new top-notch laptops, which means the year is going to be a busy one in terms of laptop launches. The 2022 event of CES witnessed a vast number of laptops with full-HD (1080p) webcams, thanks to the work-from-home culture. The event also became a launching platform for new components like Intel (12th Gen CPUs) and Nvidia (GeForce RTX 3070 Ti and 3080 Ti laptop GPUs).
Design is the first thing we notice when looking at the techie things, and Dell XPS 13Plus is something else in terms of design. The futuristic laptop has a remarkable design, decent specs, and it directly competes with the MacBook Air lineup. The minimalist laptop comes with the OLED touchscreen option and offers snappy performance, making it more premium than ever.
The next one on the list is Acer Predator Triton 500 SE, which has a roomy 16-inch high-refresh display, and it comes with 12th Generation Intel Core i9 processors and Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GPU. The top tier gaming laptop offers a 2,560 by 1,600 pixel resolution, a 240Hz refresh rate and a wide-colour-gamut panel with 550 nits of brightness.
TCL, a company known for its TV’s launched itself in the laptop industry with its first laptop called the TCL Book 14 Go. The Windows 11 laptop is packed with 12-hour battery life, 4G LTE connectivity, and a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c platform. The entry-level laptop offers a 720p video camera, 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of built-in storage and stereo speakers, along with a built-in microphone.
Top Audio Gears at CES 2022
CES is not all about big players; sometimes, a few underdogs create hype and amaze everyone. One such company is Noveto, which launched the N1 3D Audio Smart Speaker, a device with built-in Alexa intelligence and Noveto’s proprietary innovative audio beaming technology. The speciality of N1 soundbar is that it offers spatial 3D audio, and only the listener can hear the music.
HyperX Cloud Alpha is one of the most favourite headphones of gamers, and CES 2022 unveiled the wireless version of it with a massive battery said to last for a whopping 300 hours of use, which means you don’t have to worry about charging anymore. We’re not sure whether 300-hours is a marketing strategy or not, but even if it works 50% of what is promised, it would be a great move.
If you’re one of such people who own an iPhone and an Android phone but find it challenging to carry different earbuds for each of them, Belkin has something for you in-store to make your life easier. Belkin launched Belkin SOUNDFORM Immerse Noise-Cancelling Earbuds at CES 2022, which has three mics to shush the world and 8 hours of playtime for the earbuds plus 28 hours in the charging case.
Top Car-tech at CES 2022
BMW knows how to cure boredom, and that’s why they created a colour-changing car, to keep us 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. The vehicle comes with luxurious features, an elegant design, and an impressive estimated 450-480 km range.
Following the footsteps of EV culture, Sony introduced their all-electric vehicle, Sony Vision-S-02. 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 car allows you to play PlayStation games through a remote connection to a console at home; what more could you ask for in a car?
Top Wearable at CES 2022
CES 2022 was marked as a launching platform for many wearables, but only a few exciting launches stayed with us even after the event. The subtle looking Garmin Venu 2 Plus was launched at the event, an updated version of the Venu 2. The watch is compatible with Siri, Google Assistant, Bixby, and it is the first Garmin watch with a microphone, allowing you to make and take calls from the wrist.
Along with the Venu 2 Plus, Garmin launched a minimalist looking Garmin Vivomove Sport, which comes in various colours, has a five-day battery life, and offers plenty of fitness and health tracking features. Besides Garmin, Skagen launched a special limited edition version of Fossil gen 6 X Razer with three unique watch faces. It has a 1.28-inch AMOLED display, Snapdragon Wear 4100+ and 8GB of storage.
We’re in the first month of the year, and it’s gonna be a busy month as many tech giants are waiting to launch their best smartphones and have already lined up in the queue. Due to the pandemic, the previous two years were one of the worst years for tech launches, particularly for smartphones. Nevertheless, the companies managed to launch their smartphones, but they dealt with some losses too, which they would like to detour in 2022.
Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G
Set to launch today in India, Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G, the successor to the Galaxy S20 FE 5G, has been available for pre-order in India through Samsung India’s official website. The exact pricing details of the phone are not available yet, but it could be priced around 48k-52k. The smartphone sports a 6.4-inch full-HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display with a 120Hz refresh rate and runs on Android 12-based One UI 4. Galaxy S21 FE 5G arrives with the Snapdragon 888/Exynos 2100 SoC and is available in four colours- Graphite, Lavender, Olive, and White. The phone is available in up to 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of storage, and if you pre-order it now, you’ll get a Galaxy SmartTag free.
Xiaomi 11i Series 5G
This week another smartphone set to be available in India is the Xiaomi 11i Series 5G, whose Hypercharge variant offers a full charge in just 15 minutes and is advertised as Indias fastest charging smartphone. The regular variant, Xiaomi 11i, has 67W fast charging support, not bad, but you can get 120W fast charging if you’re ready to put a few more thousands. The series has a 6.67-inch full HD+ display with 1080×2400 pixel resolution and offers a 120Hz refresh rate. In terms of camera, it has a triple camera setup with a 108MP primary sensor, 8MP ultra-wide shooter and 2MP macro shooter. The sale of the 11i Series smartphones will begin on 12th Jan at 12 PM on Flipkart.
OnePlus 10 Pro
Whenever discussing the upcoming launches, we should always begin with the one who’s confirmed or at least have vast chances to appear soon, which makes us put the OnePlus 10 Pro on top of the list. The flagship smartphone is expected to arrive in January 2022, with an LTPO OLED display, a 120Hz refresh rate, and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset. A recently launched teaser of the phone shows it will have a redesigned camera module but in a new layout.
Xiaomi 12 & Xiaomi 12 Pro
Nobody likes to stay behind, especially in terms of business and to tackle the situation, Xiaomi has decided to launch their flagship smartphone Xiaomi 12, a little later in 2022, possibly in March 2022. Along with Xiaomi 12, the Chinese smartphone making giant also plans to launch Xiaomi 12 Pro, with a 2K AMOLED display. Both the smartphones would be a few of the first smartphones to come up with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset.
Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra
Samsung’s upcoming flagship smartphone series, Galaxy S22, is already the talk of the town, but the one device that is grabbing the most attention is Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. The upcoming smartphone S22 Ultra is expected to have a minimum of 12GB RAM, while the other 2-phone from the series will start from 8GB of RAM. As per the insiders, the S22 Ultra will include an S Pen slot, while some reports also suggest the S22 models will come with two variant options, an Exynos 2200 chip and the new Qualcomm 8 Gen 1.
Apple iPhone SE 3rd-Gen
Apple launched one of the most awaited smartphones of the company, the iPhone SE, in 2020, and the phone gained a lot of praise from critics and audiences, which made sure Apple would come up with the next generation. According to industry analysts, Apple might launch the third-gen iPhone SE by March 2022. The affordable smartphone will have Apple’s speedy A15 chip, but again, it might arrive with the home button and bezel styling of the 2nd-gen SE or with a notched display. Let’s hope for the best.
Asus ROG Phone 6
Asus ROG Phone 5 was launched in India somewhere around the last week of March 2021, and it created a lot of hype. Since then, the hardcore gamers have been dreaming about experiencing Asus ROG Phone 6, which has been stimulating rumours all over the internet. The recent hypotheses showcased the possible design of the ROG Phone 6, and according to them, the handset flaunts the prominent gamer-esque look, similar to Asus ROG Phone 5. The sketch also reveals that it might feature a small display at the back and is expected to come with the latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC.
Realme GT 2 & GT 2 Pro
Realme recently launched its flagship smartphones, Realme GT 2 and GT 2 Pro, in China with the Snapdragon 888 5G Processor and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, respectively. The GT 2 Pro arrives with a 2K LTPO AMOLED screen, runs on pre-installed realme UI 3.0 based on Android 12 OS, and is backed by a 5000mAh battery. On the other hand, the GT 2 comes with almost similar features to GT 2 Pro, including design, battery, realme UI 3.0 and RAM. The GT 2-series handsets are available in four colour variants- Paper White, Paper Green, Steel Black and Titanium Blue.
Vivo X80 Series
Being one of the most trusted brands in the world, Vivo has entered a game of flagship smartphones in the last couple of years and wants to expand a little more into it. The Chinese smartphone giant is expected to launch three devices- X80, X80 Pro and X80 Pro Plus, as part of the X80 series in the first quarter of 2022. The X80 series smartphones will guarantee a faster and lag-free performance while watching videos and playing intense graphics games, thanks to the Octa-core Processor.
Apple iPhone 14
Now, it’s been like a tradition that Apple will unwrap a fresh batch of next-generation iPhones every year around the third quarter of the year and we’re addicted to it. We’re only in the first month of the year, and the buzz around iPhone 14 has already begun. The upcoming flagship iPhone 14 will bring an iOS 16 chipset, and it is also expected to come up with a 120Hz refresh rate and hole-punch display. Also, the iPhone 14 family is likely to drop the mini version because people didn’t show much interest in buying the mini versions of the previous iPhones.
Google Pixel 6a
In the world of the smartphone industry, Google phones are best known for their cameras as they’re unmatchable. Google launched their anticipated smartphones, Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, back in October 2021, but unfortunately, they didn’t launch these phones in India due to chip shortage, which disappointed their Indian fan base. But according to the recent rumours, Google is planning to launch Pixel 6a in India, and that too with a few exciting changes in design, chipset, and other specs. The upcoming Pixel 6a might have a 90Hz or 120Hz refresh rate along with a 4800mAh battery and similar camera specs like Pixel 5a.
iQOO 9 & iQOO 9 Pro
The Chinese smartphone brand recently launched the iQOO 9 Series lineup in China. It is powered by the recently launched Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset, the same chipset that powers devices like the Xiaomi 12 Pro and Realme GT 2 Pro. The lineup has two devices – the iQOO 9 and the iQOO 9 Pro, paired with up to 12GB RAM and 512GB inbuilt storage. iQOO 9 sports a 6.78-inch full-HD+ (1,080×2,400 pixels), while the pro model features 6.78-inch Quad-HD+ (3,200×1,440 pixels) display with a refresh rate of 120Hz.
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?
