Planning to buy Samsung Note 9? Here's what it will cost in India

The Note 9 smartphone would be available in India in three colours Midnight Black, Ocean Blue and Metallic Copper

Electronics major Samsung has said it will start shipping its premium flagship ' Samsung Note 9 ' in the Indian market, priced Rs 67,900 onwards.

The device, which was unveiled on Thursday at the Barclays Centre in New York, is available for pre-booking in India with availability expected to begin later this month.

"Galaxy Note 9 will be available in 128GB and 512GB variants and will be priced at Rs 67,900 and Rs 84,900, respectively," Samsung said in a statement. It, however, did not disclose the date of availability.

The Note 9 smartphone would be available in India in three colours Midnight Black, Ocean Blue and Metallic Copper, it added.

The Note 9 will be available in select markets from August 24, 2018, it had announced on Thursday.

In a separate statement, telecom operator Bharti Airtel said the Note 9 (128 GB) will be available through its online store.

"Customers can pre-order the smartphone on the Airtel Online Store starting August 11, 2018 and Airtel will begin the delivery of the device starting August 22, 2018," it added.

The Note 9 will compete head-on with Apple's iPhones as well as OnePlus' smartphone among other smartphones in the premium smartphone category in the Indian market.

ALSO READ: Better than iPhone? Samsung Galaxy Note 9 creates flutters in Apple camp

The premium smartphone segment in India is niche but mirrors global trends in terms of growth. While the category accounts for less than 10 per cent of the Indian market in terms of shipment, the value contribution is higher. Estimate suggest that quarterly smartphone shipments in the category range between 1-1.5 million units.

Earlier this year, Samsung had unveiled the latest edition of its other flagship Galaxy S9, priced at Rs 57,900 onwards.

According to market watchers, Samsung is betting heavily on the success of its flagship devices in India, which is among the largest smartphone markets.

Globally, the premium smartphone market accounts for almost one-fifth of the total market. According to Counterpoint Research, Samsung's Note series contributes to roughly one-tenth of the global premium smartphone market.

It features 6.4-inch display, 12MP dual rear and 8MP front camera and 4,000 mAh battery. It will have two variants -- 6GB RAM/128GB internal memory (expandable up to 512GB) and 8GB RAM/512GB internal memory (expandable up to 512GB).

Samsung has incorporated bluetooth capability in its signature S Pen stylus, which can be used to control music playback and camera shutter. Besides, the company has also added artificial intelligence (AI) features to enhance camera capabilities.

Reliance Jio GigaFiber with GigaTV may cost Rs 500 a month; launch in Nov

Pre-registrations for the Reliance Jio GigaFiber service would begin from August 15 on Jio.com and My Jio app. However, the service is not expected to launch before the last quarter of this month

Reliance Jio, the telecommunication service provider promoted by Mukesh Ambani, is gearing up to foray into the home broadband segment with the launch of Jio GigaFiber fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) internet service, which was announced at Reliance Industries' 41st Annual General Meeting. The pre-registrations for the service would begin from August 15 on Jio 4G LTE Network and My Jio app. However, the service is not expected to launch before the last quarter of this month.

At the RIL AGM, Ambani had announced that the Reliance Jio GigaFiber had already been under testing in several cities and it would launch simultaneously in around 1,100 cities for homes, small and medium businesses and big corporate houses. He had also announced that the pre-registration for Jio GigaFiber home broadband would open from August 15, and a location that receives most users’ interest would be among the first locations to get the service.

With the Reliance Jio GigaFiber service, the company is promising internet speed of up to 1Gbps. However, the company did not share some information like the preliminary connection cost, security deposit and details of monthly plans. But a recent news report in the Economic Times hints that the company would focus on volumes to drive demand. Therefore, it would offer broadband services bundled with DTH services at about Rs 500 a month, or effectively half the price of what other cable operators charge for similar services.

ALSO READ: Reliance Jio Phone 2, Jio GigaFiber pre-bookings start on Aug 15: Know more

As for add-on features of the Jio GigaFiber, unlike most other broadband services, this would not be limited only to internet connection. The FTTH internet service would act as an underlying technology that would allow the company to foray into home automation, home surveillance, landline and cable television services. However, in the beginning, the broadband connection would have only internet services and Jio GigaTV service, which was also announced during the RIL AGM 2018.

The GigaTV set-top-box would offer internet-based digital content services, along with access to Jio’s app suite. Interestingly, the set-top-box would also support a video calling feature, allowing users to make video calls from their televisions. It is to be seen how the feature would work as the televisions currently do not support camera, in-build or external. The GigaTV remote would be voice-enabled, which would make it work with voice commands – something similar to how Amazon’s Fire Stick remote works.

Waiting for Xiaomi flagship smartphone? Won't take long, says India MD Jain

The phone would not be the one currently available as part of the Xiaomi product portfolio in its home country, China. Instead, it will be a brand new product designed specifically for Indian users

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi has a healthy presence in the budget and midrange segment of India's smartphone market. However, the company’s flagship segment has not seen new products for a long time. In the company's early days in India, it brought its premium Mi-series, which it updates almost every year. However, the Mi 5, launched in 2016, was the last iteration. Similar is the story for the company’s bezel-less smartphones of the Mi Mix-series.

Many say the company’s focus is more on the sub-Rs 20,000 smartphone segment. But Xiaomi India Managing Director Manu Kumar Jain begs to differ. In an interview, Jain confirmed the company had plans to launch a flagship smartphone for India very soon. He also clarified that the phone would not be the one currently available as part of Xiaomi's product portfolio in its home country of China. Instead, it would be a brand new product specifically designed for the Indian consumer.

Though Jain did not share the specifics, he did make an interesting remark when asked if the upcoming flagship would be a competitor to the Samsung Galaxy S-series or the OnePlus. According to Jain, there are two aspects based on which consumers define a flagship device — a prestige symbol or a top-notch specification-heavy device. According to Jain, the company is working on a product that could have the best of both worlds and yet have a price point that could cater to the masses.

Apart from sharing his thoughts on the upcoming Xiaomi flagship smartphonefor India, Jain also spoke about the company’s current manufacturing capacity and how it plans to expand in future, the flash sale model and after-sales service.

According to Jain, the company was manufacturing close to 3.5 million units in early 2017. To address the demand-supply issue, it ramped up the production and now manufactures almost 10 million units. Stating the risks involved in maintaining a huge stock inventory, Jain said the company would definitely increase the manufacturing capacity further, but with a caution.

As for the flash-sale model, Jain said the company knew there were demand-supply issues and was working to plug the gaps. Citing the current range of Xiaomi smartphones, of which only the Redmi Note 5 Pro and Redmi Y2 are on flash sales, Jain said the idea was to push out all the devices through open sale and that meeting the aim was a work in progress.

Jain also spoke about after-sales service. The company’s focus is not just to draw sales but to provide its customers end-to-end service, he said. According to him, Xiaomi’s service centre services had improved significantly over the years, making the company a leader in customer satisfaction. According to Jain, over 80 per cent of the devices received at Xiaomi service centres got repaired within four hours, an incredible feat to achieve. Speaking of relatively high price of spare parts, Jain assured the company did not generate its revenues from service centres.

Article Source : BS

From AI to enhanced security, here is what's new in Google Android 9 Pie OS

The Android 9 Pie also brings native gesture-based navigation control that would allow phone manufacturers to remove aged old key-based navigation

Search engine and technology giant Google on August 6 announced the Android 9 Pie, a next iteration of its operating system for smart devices. The new OS is currently rolling out as an update to Google Pixel phones and other phones from brands such as OnePlus, Nokia, Xiaomi, Sony, Oppo, Vivo and Essential would get it by this fall.

The Android 9 Pie brings major improvements in terms of usability and user interface. Importantly, it brings native support for artificial intelligence, which learns usage patterns to predict tasks, optimise battery consumption by apps and show relevant information. The new OS also bring native gesture-based navigation control that would allow phone manufacturers to remove aged old key-based navigation.

Here are the key features of the Android 9 Pie:

Artificial Intelligence

The Android 9 gets native AI support that learns usage patterns to adapt phone’s settings. The operating system comes with features such as adaptive battery, which learns the apps you use most and prioritises battery for them, and adaptive brightness, which learns how you like to set the brightness in different

The Android 9 also helps you get things done faster with App Actions, which predicts what you would want to do next based on your context and displays that action right on your phone. For an example, on early weekdays for an office goes, the OS would suggest actions like navigating to work on Google Maps or resuming an audiobook with Google Play Books.

Gestures support

The Android 9 Pie introduces a new system navigation featuring a single home button. This is helpful as phones grow taller and becoming difficult to operate using with one hand. With new gesture-based navigation, you can swipe up to see a newly designed overview, the spot where at a glance you have full-screen previews of your recently used apps.

The Android P also brings a redesigned quick settings, a better way to take and edit screenshots, simplified volume controls, an easier way to manage notifications and more.

App dashboard

The Android 9 Pie would also get new features in future that would allow users control the time they spend on different apps. These features include a new dashboard, which shows how much time you spend on each app; an app timer that lets you set time limits on apps and greys out the icon on your home screen when the time is up; the new Do Not Disturb, which silences all the visual interruptions that pop up on your screen; and wind down, which switches on night mode and Do Not Disturb and fades the screen to grayscale before bedtime. These features were first introduced at the Google I/O 2018 and would roll out as a part of Android 9 Pie add-on features later this year. Read more

Fake news crackdown: Modi govt wants WhatsApp, Facebook to be responsible

The government is more concerned with Telegram, fast becoming the preferred medium for many people

The government has said it expects popular social media applications such as WhatsApp and Facebook, which have large user bases in the country, to be responsible.

In a bid to check the spread of fake news through social media and messaging platforms — leading to mob lynching in some cases — the government is exploring the possibility of blocking WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram. The government is also trying to curb child abuse and pornography spread through these platforms.

The government has already issued notices on WhatsApp to keep a check on content. But, it is more concerned with Telegram, fast becoming the preferred medium for many people.

Sources said the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) had expressed concerns about Telegram to the Department of Telecommunications (DoT). Based on the letter from MeitY, DoT had asked the telecom and internet service providers to provide inputs about blocking mobile apps.

ALSO READ: Social media with large user base should behave responsibly: IT Secretary

Asked about the blocking of mobile apps, Information Technology (IT) Secretary Ajay P Sawhney said, “We are always in touch, and anytime we have a concern we flag it. We expect all platforms to behave in a responsible manner, especially those with a large user base.” He, however, said whenever the need arises, the government acts according to the IT Act in order to remove contentious content.

Sources told Business Standard it was very difficult for the government to ensure content had been blocked or taken down. In case of Telegram, which does not have a huge user base in India yet, the government wants to strengthen its enforcement mechanism.

Telegram claims its cloud chat data is stored in multiple data centres around the globe that are controlled by different legal entities spread across different jurisdictions. The relevant decryption keys are split into parts and are never kept in the same place as the data they protect. As a result, several court orders from different jurisdictions are required to force them to give up any data.

“Thanks to this structure, we can ensure no single government or block of like-minded countries can intrude on people’s privacy and freedom of expression,” Telegram explained on its website. Read more

Asphalt 9: Legends review: This game is much improved and refreshingly new

The game brings a host of improvements over previous version in terms of visual effects, game playback, cars, tracks, etc

French video game publisher Gameloft recently launched the ‘Asphalt 9: Legends’, a successor to its famous 2013 mobile racing game ‘Asphalt 8: Airborne’. The new game brings a host of improvements in visual effects, playback, cars, tracks, etc, to the previous one. It is available for Android, iOS and Windows 10 devices.

‘Asphalt 9: Legends’ has an average download size of 1.5GB on Android, almost the same as the previous game. But it brings a new storyline, seasons and controls. There are two gaming modes – online multiplayer and career. The career mode has different seasons with events and tasks. The multiplayer one can be played only after you have 20 successfully completed career flags.

player earns rewards for crossing the finish line first in each season. But the gameplay is not limited to mad rush for the finish line. There are events like elimination and best-timing that need more acumen. In elimination, you need to never have been last so as not to get force-eliminated. In the best-timing round, you have no opponents but there is limited time within which to complete the lap. There are several interesting events, each with a set of additional tasks like perfect nitro or airtime. These are not mandatory but add to the overall rating of the event when achieved.

Speaking of visuals, graphics and controls, ‘Asphalt 9: Legends’ is better than the predecessor. The graphic detailing is more vivid – raindrops, snowflakes, tires marks on road and locations look immersive. The game is supported by many devices, but it is best played on one not more than two generations old, such as the LG G6, Apple iPhone 7, Samsung Galaxy S7, OnePlus 3T, etc.

There is a new gaming control that lets you focus on actions more than the car, which moves and turns automatically. However, you need to manage controls like nitro, directions and drifts. Also, you decide the direction of the car by swiping the screen; this makes the gameplay more refreshing. The swiping gesture makes jumping the racks, beating opponents and taking nitro more fun.

Overall, it is good to see Gameloft moving to a new title rather than updating the old one with new cars or controls. The Asphalt 9: Legends has everything that the predecessor had, and some more. The game is graphic-intensive, so it heats up some phones. Importantly, the game is free to download and play.

Article Source : BS

Honor 9N sale starts today on Flipkart: Where to buy the smartphone

The smartphone with 3GB RAM+32GB storage variant is priced at Rs 11,999, 4GB RAM+64GB at Rs 13,999 and 4GB RAM+128GB variant at Rs 17,999

Honor, the online subsidiary of Chinese smartphone manufacturer Huawei, on July 24 launched the Honor 9N in India. The Flipkart-exclusive smartphone will be available in three RAM and storage configurations -- 3GB/32GB, 4GB/64GB and 4GB/128GB. It will go on sale from July 31 by 12 noon and will be available in lavender purple, sapphire blue, midnight black and robin egg blue colours.

When and where to buy:

The Honor 9N will on sale starting 12 PM on July 31. The 3 GB | 32 GB variant will go on sale at Rs 11,999. The 4 GB | 64 GB is priced at Rs 13,999 and the 4 GB | 128 GB variant will be launched at Rs 17,999. Here's the link to where you can buy the mobile.

The rise of Honor: A bried review

With 188 per cent growth, Honor was one of the fastest growing brands in India in the second quarter of 2018 -- registering a three per cent market share and grabbing fifth spot.

Sensing the right momentum, the Chinese smartphone maker has brought notch "Honor 9N" with "Full View" display and 19:9 aspect ratio in the sub-Rs 15,000 category to the country.

The smartphone with 3GB RAM+32GB storage variant

priced at Rs 11,999, 4GB RAM+64GB at Rs 13,999 and 4GB RAM+128GB variant at Rs 17,999.

"Honor 9N" (we reviewed 4GB RAM+64GB variant) can help the brand further cement its position.

The 5.84-inch Full HD+ device has 79 per cent screen-to-body ratio. There's a speaker grille and the front camera on the notch. You can also enable or disable the notch as per wish.

At this affordable range, the display quality was great with good amount of saturation, deep blacks and sunlight legibility. A 2.5D curved glass design with 12 layers of glass with nano-coating finish gave mirror-like effect.

The device is perfect in size as navigating it with a single hand hardly posed any obstacle.

Powered by the Kirin 659 processor and equipped with a dedicated i5 Co-processor, the device comes with hybrid-dual SIM support.

On the software front, the smartphone runs latest Android 8.0 (Oreo) operating system (OS) topped with Honor's custom EMUI 8.0. The UI also comes with a gaming mode that will let you play games without much distraction.

The device that houses 3,000mAh battery performed reasonably. On a single charge, it lasted for around 12 hours with moderate use, including surfing and video data consumption. Read more

Apple iPad Pro 2018 to get Face ID, gesture-based UI, lose 3.5mm audio jack

The next-generation iPad Pro models are also reported to have trimmed-down dimensions when compared with the current generation models, according to a report on Japanese technology portal Macotakara

US-based technology giant Apple is working on the iPad Pro 2018, which is reported to get some of its features from the iPhone X. These include the advanced facial recognition and gesture-controlled user interface. The next-generation iPad Pro models are also reported to have trimmed-down dimensions when compared with the current-generation models, according to a report on the Japanese technology portal Macotakara.The iPad Pro 2018 models are reported to come in 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch screen formats with edge-to-edge screen. Both the models would feature Apple’s advanced facial recognition biometric set-up, which uses an infrared camera, dot projector, flood illuminator, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor and front camera to 3D-map the user's face. In terms of dimensions, the iPad Pro 2018 with a 10.5-inch screen is reported to have a compact profile with dimensions measuring 247.5 x 178.7 x 6 mm, compared with 250.6 x 174.1 x 6.1mm for the current-generation model. Similarly, the 12.9-inch model would also have a trimmed dimension of 280 x 215 x 6.4mm, compared with 305.7 x 220.6 x 6.9mm in the current model.

ALSO READ: Apple developing app to comply with DND rules, end stand-off with Trai

The iPad Pro 2018 models are also reported to lose the 3.5mm headphone jack, which has been missing in the iPhone models of the past few generations.The recent information around the upcoming Apple iPad Pro 2018 stands in line with the predictions of Ming-Chi Kuo, an analyst at TF International Securities who has seldom been wrong. The analyst had earlier predicted that there would be two new iPad Pro models, the 11-inch model to replace the 10.5-inch model and a 12.9-inch model. Though the report on the Japanese technology portal still bets on a 10.5-inch screen, there are chances that we see an 11-inch model eventually.

Kuo also predicted that the new iPad Pro models would have Face ID, which has been reaffirmed in the recent report. The all-screen display with gesture-based navigation also hints at no Home Button on the front and iPhone X-like user interface, which was also predicted by Kuo earlier.

Here is how Samsung regained market leadership title from Xiaomi in Q2 2018

After falling short of Xiaomi's market share in last two quarters, Samsung regained the lead spot by capturing 29% market share, one per cent more than that of Xiaomi in the second quarter of 2018

South Korean electronics giant Samsung has toppled Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi as the leading smartphone brand in India, according to the Hong Kong-based Counterpoint report. After falling short of Xiaomi’s market share in last two quarters, Samsung regained the lead spot by capturing 29 per cent market share, one per cent more than Xiaomi’s 28 per cent market share in the second quarter of 2018.

“The success of Samsung during the quarter can be attributed to its refreshed J-series; it launched more models than any other brand across multiple price points during the quarter. These new launches have some of the most popular and sought-after features like dual cameras, 18.5:9 aspect ratio display and facial unlock. Additionally, the strong offline distribution and aggressive marketing campaign around its J-series helped Samsung to gain not only market share but also mindshare during the quarter,” said Karn Chauhan, a research analyst at Counterpoint.

ALSO READ: Apple's iPhones trail Samsung, Google devices in internet speeds

The report also highlights that Apple managed to capture only a mere one per cent market share during the quarter, its lowest in recent history. The OnePlus, on the other hand, became the fastest growing premium smartphone brand with the growth of a whopping 284 per cent in the quarter. It also became the top premium smartphone brand in more than Rs 30,000 segment.

Here are the key highlights of the report:

• In the smartphone segment, Samsung regained its lead in Q2 2018 with 29 per cent market share -- thanks to strong performance of models such as the Galaxy J6, Galaxy J2 2018 and Galaxy J4 focusing on the budget segment.
• Xiaomi recorded its highest ever shipments in India during the same quarter.
• Vivo shipments increased sequentially driven by new launches, celebrity endorsement and aggressive campaign around IPL 2018.Its V9 model became its most popular V-series smartphone ever.
• During the quarter, OPPO launched its sub-brand Realme in a bid to increase its online presence. Realme, which debuted in partnership with Amazon, quickly managed to grab 1 per cent market share of the total smartphone market due to strong-perceived value-for-money, unique industrial design and positive customer feedback for its initial model.
• OnePlus (284 per cent), Honor (188 per cent) and Xiaomi (112 per cent) were the fastest growing smartphone brands during the quarter. Honor continues to retain its share among top five brands while OnePlus led the premium (more than Rs 30,000) segment for the first time ever.

Article Source : BS