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• OnePlus Nord 2 5G Design Revealed via Instagram Handle Ahead of Launch
• Global Expansion Remains Top Priority for Streaming Players: PwC
• Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio Both Offer Rs 598 Prepaid Plan, Which One Should You Choose
• OnePlus TV U1s, Y1 Prices Hiked in India, Revised Pricing Revealed
• Realme Might Be Planning to Take on Apple’s MagSafe With MagDart
• OnePlus Band Steve Harrington Edition Might Launch Alongside Nord 2 5G
• Ericsson Chinese Business Sees Decline Contrary to Analyst Predictions
• Smartphone Shipments Expected to Reach 150 Million Units This Year
• WhatsApp Might Start Being Used By Banks to Share Pension Related Info
• Ericsson to Provide Verizon With 5G Telecom Equipment Under $8.3 Billion Deal
• BSNL Offering Google Nest Mini and Nest Hub With Its Broadband Plans
• Amazfit Zepp Z, a Premium Smartwatch Worth Rs 25,999 to Launch in India on July 20
• Bharti Airtel Is Doing Things Right as the Active Subscriber Data Points Out
• Apple Is Giving AirPods to Students Buying Macs, iPads for Free
• Tata Sky Is Offering This 4K HDR Service Free of Cost to Binge+ STB Users
• UPI System of India Has Become Role Model for Other Nations
• Latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Brings Acrylic Context Menus, Fresh Widgets
• Vodafone Idea Major Prepaid Plans Available at Reduced Rates
• Bharti Airtel Boosts Enterprise Offerings With Cisco
• MediaTek Helio G88, G96 4G Chips Launched for Budget Handsets

OnePlus Nord 2 5G Design Revealed via Instagram Handle Ahead of Launch Posted: 16 Jul 2021 08:27 AM PDT The OnePlus Nord 2 5G launch is slated for July 22 in India, with the company having created quite a bit of hype over the last couple of days in regards to the device’s specifications and features. OnePlus has been quick to confirm the key specifications and features, with intricacies like the camera optics and display already revealed to the public. The new handset from OnePlus will opt for a 6.43-inch AMOLED display with support for HDR10+. The Nord 2 is also going to use the  MediaTek Dimensity 1200 AI SoC. OnePlus Nord 2 5G Design Revealed! Today, however, the company decided to reveal the device's rear panel and camera module ahead of the launch. As mentioned above, the design of the handset has been revealed ahead of the July 22 launch, with the promo revealing the rear camera module’s layout and confirming one of the two rumoured colour options that might be launched for the next device of the Nord series of devices. It is quite evident that the triple-camera module design seems quite similar to the OnePlus 9. The module makes use of two large circular cutouts complete with a small sensor that is present within the rectangular module. The LED flash is placed inside the camera module, neatly finishing off the rear module. At the centre of the rear panel is the OnePlus logo, with the colour option being the Blue Haze, as per reports. When it comes to other features, OnePlus has confirmed the use of a  50MP Sony IMX766 primary sensor for the Nord 2 5G, which coincidentally is the same sensor that is being used for the ultrawide duties on the OnePlus 9 series. The primary camera offers support for Optical Image Stabilisation or OIS. The other two sensors will include an 8MP ultrawide complete with a 2MP sensor. Selfie duties will be handled by the 32MP Sony IMX616 sensor. Performance-wise, the phone will be dependent on the MediaTek Dimensity 1200 AI SoC, which could be coupled with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. The phone will be powered by a 4,500 mAh battery with Warp Charge 65 that can offer 65W fast charging.  The device will run Oxygen OS 11.3 running Android 11 out of the box. OnePlus might also launch a new variant of the company’s smart band, the OnePlus Band via a collaboration with Steve Harrington.

Global Expansion Remains Top Priority for Streaming Players: PwC Posted: 16 Jul 2021 07:15 AM PDT Cinedigm India division is set to "develop streaming services" for the Indian and South Asian markets, says Gary Loffredo, chief operating officer at Cinedigm. The independent streaming entertainment company in early March announced the creation of its India division, with Cinedigm highlighting that its team will "begin development and planning for a new, branded global 'umbrella' service." In its release, Cinedigm said that its new "umbrella service" will "showcase" the company "portfolio of more than 20 branded streaming channels and tens of thousands of hours of video content." Around 1000 Movie Screens Closed During Pandemic: PwC Besides creating a streaming services platform for the Indian market, Loffredo in the earnings call on Wednesday said that the Cinedigm India division will also be "powering Cinedigm's global portfolio of streaming services." Cinedigm is said to have a portfolio of over 50,000 movies and TV shows with its content said to be available across 650 partners including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and iTunes. The streaming channels operated by Cinedigm includes Dove Channel, a family-centric streaming platform and Fandor, a global independent film subscription streaming service hosting independent films, documentaries and international features. It has to be noted that Cinedigm acquired Fandor in January 2021. "We are really excited about Fandor, which we acquired in January of this year," Erik Opeka, chief strategy officer at Cinedigm Networks, said in the earnings call on Wednesday. "We think as with WarnerMedia having shut down FilmStruck a few years ago, we really think that that space is underserved and globally could be quite a substantial audience." Opeka said that the company is currently analyzing how Fandor would be received in South Asian and Latin American countries. "We think a premium blue-chip global cinema streaming service could have very significant potential if we were to enter into telco distribution deals and other deals in territories like India and Malaysia and others," Opeka said. “So we think that provides just a really significant growth opportunity.” In a report, Edelweiss Research said that the over-the-top (OTT) streaming services have "definitely received a push" in India "due to the pandemic." Similar sentiments were also shared by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) in early July, with the firm highlighting that the streaming video-on-demand revenues will grow at a 10.6% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through 2025. The firm said that a "top priority" for the streaming players is global expansion. PwC highlighted in its report that around 1000 of 8000 movie screens in India "closed" during the pandemic. Crucially, the firm also said that such "pandemic related theatre closures and lockdowns have been a revenue shift from the box office towards streaming platforms." Amazon, Disney, Netflix Competition at an "All-Time High" PwC highlighted that the American streaming giant Netflix in April, acquired Dhamaka, a Bollywood movie starring Kartik Aaryan for Rs 135 crores. Dhamaka is scheduled to release on Netflix "this summer" and was the "highest price paid to date for an Indian feature film by an OTT platform." "The intensity of the competition among the big players’ Amazon, Discovery, Disney, Netflix is at an all-time high," PwC said in its report. Further, the firm said that the streaming platforms acquiring live sporting events rights is a "proven way to get scale in content." PwC also said that major sporting events like Super Bowl and FIFA World Cup "retain their power to draw massive real-time audiences." Disney+ Hotstar, the over-the-top (OTT) streaming platform run by Walt Disney holds the broadcast rights for the domestic and international cricket matches held in India till 2023. Additionally, the platform also holds the broadcast rights for Cricket South Africa till 2024 and holds the rights for the International Cricket Council (ICC) events. "For the major streaming players, global expansion remains a top priority," PwC said in its report. "Almost two-thirds of Netflix subscribers are outside the US and China. In India, Disney+ is generating a major boost to its subscriber base through its ownership of Hotstar." However, PwC said that the industry "may be moving into a new phase of streaming growth" with more focus on enhancing the user experience. The firm said that the "new phase" may also put "more intent on retaining and creating value from the immense subscriber bases that have materialised." "The stacking of multiple OTT services has triggered much debate in the industry over the maximum number of subscriptions that a consumer may be willing to take on," PwC said. "But there is likely a limit to the number of streaming subscriptions a household is willing to buy and people can cancel their OTT services with relative ease."

Bharti Airtel, Reliance Jio Both Offer Rs 598 Prepaid Plan, Which One Should You Choose Posted: 16 Jul 2021 06:45 AM PDT Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel offer an array of prepaid plans to users. Since the telecom industry is in a tricky position and competition has hoisted in the recent period, the telcos have packed multiple benefits and services in their plans to intrigue the customers. Even though the prepaid plans of Reliance and Bharti Airtel are different, users can find a common plan of Rs 598. In this article, we will cover all the benefits that the telcos offer in their Rs 598 prepaid plan. Follow the article to the end for a short comparison between both the plans. Reliance Jio Rs 598 Prepaid Plan Reliance Jio has packed the Rs 598 prepaid plan with high-speed internet data. Under the plan, users will get 2GB of internet data per day for 56 days. Once the 2GB limit is finished, the internet speed will be reduced to 64 Kbps. Not only this, but users will also get unlimited voice calling benefits along with 100 SMSes per day. Since OTT subscriptions have become essential in modern prepaid plans, Reliance Jio has also teamed up with multiple OTT platforms to cater to the internet need of users. With the Rs 598 prepaid plan, users get one year of Disney+Hotstar subscription. The actual cost of the subscription is Rs 399, which Jio will offer for free. Apart from OTT benefits, users will also get subscriptions to Jio apps such as JioTV, JioCinema, Jiocloud and more. Bharti Airtel Rs 598 Prepaid Plan The prepaid plans offered by Bharti Airtel are packed with multiple benefits and directly competes with Reliance Jio prepaid plans. Under the Rs 598 prepaid plans, Airtel prepaid users get 1.5GB of data per day for 84 days. Once the data limit is finished, the internet speed is reduced to 64 Kbps. Airtel also offers truly unlimited calling benefits and 100 SMSes per day. Users also get one year of free courses at Upskill with Shaw Academy. Not only this, but Amazon Prime Video Mobile Edition free trial is also included in the prepaid plan. Other benefits of the plan include Apollo 24/7 Circle for 3 months, Rs 100 cashback on FASTag, free Hellotunes, Wynk music subscription and Airtel Xstream premium. One of the major differences between Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio Rs 598 prepaid plan is the OTT benefit and the extra 500MB data every day Jio offers. If users are satisfied with 1.5GB of data every day with no OTT benefit, they can opt for Bharti Airtel prepaid plan. However, if they wish to enjoy the OTT benefits and additional data, they can pick Reliance Jio prepaid plan.

OnePlus TV U1s, Y1 Prices Hiked in India, Revised Pricing Revealed Posted: 16 Jul 2021 06:19 AM PDT OnePlus had previously launched the U1s series of smart TVs in the Indian market, with the popular enthusiast brand having launched the device in three different sizes, namely 50-inch, 55-inch and the top-tier 65-inch size. The TVs were priced at Rs 40,000 and were topped off at Rs 62,999. It seems however that the company has changed its mind to some extent, as it has silently bumped up the price of the U-series of smart TVs soon after the official launch. Out of these three variants, the entry-level TV, which is a 50-inch model has received a severe hike of Rs 7,000, with OnePlus also increasing the prices for the Y-series of TVs in India. What are the New Prices of the OnePlus TVs? At the time of launch, the OnePlus TV 32Y1 was priced in India for Rs 16,999. This variant has now seen a Rs 2,000 price hike and now retails for Rs 18,999. In contrast, the 40-inch and 43-inch variants have both been subject to a Rs 2,500 price hike and are on offer for Rs 26,499 and Rs 29,499. When it comes to the U-series of models, all three of them have been subject to a price bump, with the entry-level 50-inch model having been subject to a major Rs 7,000 hike, as it was launched in India for Rs 40,000 and is now on offer for Rs 46,999. The 55-inch and 65-inch models have also been given a new price tag. The 55-inch OnePlus TV U-series is now priced at Rs 52,999, a decent hike from its launch price of Rs 47,999. This also means that this specific variant of the U-series TV has a Rs 5,000 hike. Finally, the 65-inch model has been given a Rs 6,000 hike. It now comes with a new price tag of Rs 68,999, up from the original price of Rs 62,999. In other OnePlus related news, the company is gearing up to launch the OnePlus Nord 2 5G and the OnePlus Buds Pro, but it seems that alongside these two products, the company may launch a new variant of its smart band, the OnePlus Band as has been revealed by recent leaks, that have surfaced via PriceBaba, which have showcased the design renders of the OnePlus Band Steven Harrington Edition. The company had previously been associated with the artist in order to launch the OnePlus Buds Z Steven Harrington Edition earbuds.

Realme Might Be Planning to Take on Apple’s MagSafe With MagDart Posted: 16 Jul 2021 05:45 AM PDT Realme on Friday filed a new trademark application which seems to be in relation to a ‘MagDart’ technology, which, going by the name could be the company’s take on Apple’s MagSafe, which is a wireless fast charging technology that is quite popular in most markets. In case you did not know, MagSafe was initially introduced in iPhones with the iPhone 12 series of devices in 2020, with the basic explanation being that it essentially attaches to the back of a specific device in order to charge the iPhone via magnets that are present under the rear panel of the device. What do We Know about MagDart? Now, the Chinese manufacturer could be working on its own take of this useful and innovative bit of technology. This specific application had been filed at the EUIPO or European Union Intellectual Property Office and was initially spotted by famed tipster Mukul Sharma, who also revealed the name of this technology. Going by the description of this trademark, it is obvious that the company is working on its own wireless charging solution, but the proper details in regards to the charging technology are unknown as of now, so we can assume that it might be similar to Apple’s MagSafe, but, given how Realme is yet to make any such announcement, we have no method of knowing as to whether or not the vendor might be working on this or it is just a bid to trademark a future innovation. Do note that MySmartPrice has spotted the MagDart trademark on India's CGPDTM website, which, in simpler terms hints at the charging technology’s probable arrival in India soon. Unfortunately, we have no way of confirming as to whether or not this news is indeed true, as of now. In the words of Apple, the MagSafe Charger will make wireless charging extremely easy. The perfectly aligned magnets can attach to your specific iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro in order to provide faster wireless charging rated at up to 15W. The MagSafe Charger also ensures compatibility with Qi charging, so it can be used to wirelessly charge the iPhone 8 or devices launched later, as well as AirPods models that feature a wireless charging case, as is the case with any Qi-certified charger. Do note that the alignment experience is on offer only on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro models.

OnePlus Band Steve Harrington Edition Might Launch Alongside Nord 2 5G Posted: 16 Jul 2021 05:27 AM PDT As many of you already might be knowing, OnePlus is prepping to launch the OnePlus Nord 2 5G in India, which will be accompanied by the company’s latest truly wireless earbuds or TWS offering, the OnePlus Buds Pro, at an event scheduled for July 22. The specifications of the former have been leaked quite a bit. It seems that alongside these two products, the company could launch a new variant of its smart band, the OnePlus Band. Recent leaks, courtesy of PriceBaba have showcased the design renders of the OnePlus Band Steven Harrington Edition. In case you missed it, the company had previously been associated with the artist in order to launch the OnePlus Buds Z Steven Harrington Edition earbuds. OnePlus Band Specifications As mentioned above, the OnePlus Band could soon come in a special variant. The company seems to be working on the Steven Harrington Edition of its smart band, evident by the recent design renders that showcased the OnePlus Band's Steven Harrington Edition. The PriceBaba report has revealed that the Band will come in a dual-tone shade consisting of purple and mint-green colours. It comes with a different set of sketches in contrast to the ones that are present on the OnePlus Buds Z. In addition to the redesign, the band will also come with custom watch faces that will opt for Harrington's art. The rest of the specifications should remain the same for the fitness band, but it could launch for a higher price in comparison to the standard band that is priced at Rs 2,499. When it comes to the specifications, the smart band opts for a  1.1-inch AMOLED display with 126 x 294 resolution. The OnePlus Band features a 24/7 heart-rate sensor and offers a SpO2 blood oxygen sensor. The fitness band can track your sleep as well. The fitness band offers 13 dedicated exercise modes, with some of the key ones being Indoor Run, Outdoor Run, Outdoor Walk, Outdoor Cycling, Fat Burn Run,  Indoor Cycling, Elliptical Trainer, Rowing Machine, Cricket, Pool Swimming, Badminton, Yoga, and Free Training. The band can be paired with the OnePlus Health app in order to check detailed health-based statistics and change the watch faces. The wearable sports a 5ATM and IP68 rating for water and dust resistance. Battery wise, the OnePlus Band makes use of a 100 mAh battery that can run for up to 14 days. The band also supports features such as camera shutter controls, music, call and message notifications. It also comes with Bluetooth 5.0 support.

Ericsson Chinese Business Sees Decline Contrary to Analyst Predictions Posted: 16 Jul 2021 05:00 AM PDT Ericsson is one of the biggest players when it comes to telecom equipment manufacturing. The company like its many other rivals has a presence all over the world, including in India, China, and the USA. In India and the USA, the growing concern over security has led to a ban on Chinese vendors. While it is not as stringent in India, the heat is more strongly felt in the USA. However, in a totally upturned situation, Ericsson, the Swedish manufacturer has reported falling earnings in its Chinese business. It is worth noting that Ericsson had been expected to perform well in its second core quarter, earning report. But, contrary to that, Ericsson has reported a fall in earnings. Which is a first in the last three years. Company Misses Out on Earnings from China The Swedish company, Ericsson reported earnings of 54.9 billion Swedish crowns as compared to the 57.2 billion crowns as the analysts had predicted for the company. But, it is also important to understand the reason for this happening. In China, the tenders which were to be rewarded for telecom equipment did not come out in the present quarters which meant that Ericsson could not finalise the sales in the mainland. This is also what Carl Mellander confirmed to Reuters, ET Telecom reported. As for the sales in the other areas, Ericsson reported that the sales had risen by 8% but in the Chinese mainland, the telecom equipment faced a decline of 2.5 billion crowns. Ericsson to See Lower Earnings in China from Now On Mellander also added that it is wise to expect lower earnings in the Chinese mainland from now on. It is worth noting that Ericsson makes around 10% of its revenue from its Asian branches. On the flipside, Nokia and Ericsson has surely grown leaps and bounds in the absence of ZTE and Huawei in the market. Ericsson has also inked a massive deal with Verizon to deploy 5G technologies in the USA.

Smartphone Shipments Expected to Reach 150 Million Units This Year Posted: 16 Jul 2021 04:45 AM PDT The demand for smartphones in India has witnessed new highs and lows due to the nationwide lockdown and change in consumer preferences. Since 5G is on the cliff, a major chunk of users are investing in 5G smartphones to be future-ready. However, smartphone sales in India have slumped by 15-20% sequentially in the April-June quarter because of inactiveness in offline and online sales channels. Not only this but, the renowned Chinese smartphone manufacturer Vivo has also elevated in the smartphone market and bagged the second position after replacing Samsung. Xiaomi continues to be the market leader in India. Smartphone Shipments Increased in June Tracing the development of the second quarter, smartphone shipments were nearly 32 million from first-quarter results, which recorded 38 million shipments. As per ET Telecom, the data was provided by leading market trackers like Counterpoint Research, International Data Corporation (IDC) and CyberMedia Research (CMR). However, the quarterly shipments elevated due to increased demand in June month. Also, the on-year smartphone sales increased 64% from 18.2 million in the second quarter of last year. Vivo has Surpassed Samsung by Nearly 300,000 Shipments Vivo overpowered the renowned rival Samsung by nearly 300,000 shipments to bag the second position in the smartphone market and sit right down below Xiaomi. Currently, Xiaomi and Vivo are dominating the smartphone market in India. Upasana Joshi, who is the associate research manager at IDC, stated that the market will witness degrowth in Q2 compared to the previous quarter supply since supply chains problems are yet to ease out and spends remained low. Prabhu Ram, who is the head-industry intelligence group at CMR, stated that a potential dip of 15-18% on-quarter in shipments is estimated. He also marked that the smartphone market will be back on track in H2 2021. Smartphone brands and online partners have already started offering ample benefits and discount schemes to consumers. The prime reason behind the incentives is to push consumer demand in the hype-up of the important festival season. Smartphone manufactures have also increased the prime of some offerings because of contracting margins caused by a shortage of chipsets, display panels and more. It is expected that the market will remain flat at nearly 150 million shipments for the whole year.

WhatsApp Might Start Being Used By Banks to Share Pension Related Info Posted: 16 Jul 2021 04:22 AM PDT WhatsApp is becoming more and more competition-proof as days roll by. Although no messaging application has been able to get to WhatsApp's level of popularity, but given the increasing competition with the app, there was certainly pressure on WhatsApp to innovate and improve and offer some of the features which were available on applications other than WhatsApp. Now it seems that WhatsApp might be levelling up from simply being a messaging application. Although the new privacy policy has stirred up some scepticism in the air, largely the app has been heavily relied on because of its end-to-end encryption. WhatsApp Support to Pensioners In the latest turn of events, it has come to our knowledge that WhatsApp might be used by Banks officially now. Centre, in a new intimation to the banks, has guided that WhatsApp is a medium that can be used besides SMS and emails to send information to the account holders about transactions and other activities. But, the main focus of the government was on pensioners as it noted that pensioners need to know the breakup of their pension for various needs like Income Tax payments, return filing, EPFO and other work. Hence, WhatsApp seems like the ideal platform to convey this information. Since it is used more as compared to email or SMS, the users will be able to instantly receive and review whatever information they need. If this happens, then the users will be saved from a lot of hassle, which they have to go through in order to get their pension details. This information came from the Department of Pension and Pensioners' Welfare, WhatsApp Introduces New Features In other news, WhatsApp has made some more upgrades to both its Web and mobile application. The users of WhatsApp will now be able to use WhatsApp Web without having the need to keep their phone connected at all times. Even if their phone dies, the WhatsApp Web window will keep on working. Besides, WhatsApp has also introduced a new archive chat box in which the chat remains archive regardless of new messages. However, these features have been rolled out only to beta users for now.

Ericsson to Provide Verizon With 5G Telecom Equipment Under $8.3 Billion Deal Posted: 16 Jul 2021 03:56 AM PDT Verizon has been making many leaps and bounds in the USA 5G network development scenario. The company had recently announced the launch of an expanded 4G network alongside a 5G network in many places in the country. In a new development, Verizon has now signed a hefty $8.3 billion contract with Ericsson to deploy 5G in a more intense and faster manner. Niklas Heuveldop, President and Head of Ericsson North America, remarked that this partnership will last for multiple years and is strategic in the interest of both the parties. Helped by Ericsson, Verizon will deploy many technologies like MassiveMIMO, Cloud RAN, Street Macro and others.  Kyle Malady, Chief Technology Officer for Verizon, also said that with this partnership, they would be able to drive innovation and widespread adoption of the 5G network. Verizon and Ericsson Ink Deal In 2020, Verizon became the first telecom operator to receive a commercial 5G mmWave Street Macro base station, which came from Ericsson’s award-winning new state-of-the-art U.S. smart factory in Lewisville, Texas. Ericsson has also been ahead in terms of deploying technologies like Cloud RAN, MassiveMIMO, mmWave, among others. Under this agreement, too, Verizon will work with the telecom gear manufacturer to provide these to the public with Ericsson’s 5G MIMO C-band. The Situation of 5G in Indian Telecom Industry In the Indian telecom industry, While Samsung has been working with Reliance Jio to deploy 4G and 5G networks in the country, the other parties like Nokia and Ericsson are fighting for the business of other telecom companies. The Chinese gear manufacturers like ZTE and Huawei have also been given licenses now to join the website, which the government made for telecom gear procurement. Under this website, now ZTE and Huawei, two companies which were under increased scrutiny, will also be able to provide telecom equipment to the buyers after due diligence and background check.

BSNL Offering Google Nest Mini and Nest Hub With Its Broadband Plans Posted: 16 Jul 2021 03:03 AM PDT Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) has been especially focusing on its broadband plans and offering tons of new offers to the customers of these wired broadband services. In a new revelation, BSNL has changed another new promotion for its subscribers wherein the users will be able to get the Google Nest Mini or the Google Nest Hub at an extremely discounted price if they are subscribed to select broadband plans. What's great about this new offer by BSNL is that it is available to both the DSL customers, or the old broadband plans and even to the new, Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH) customers. BSNL Google Nest Plans Explained In order to qualify for this offer, the subscribers of BSNL broadband of any plan will have to take a plan with FMC (Fixed Monthly Cost) of Rs 799 or above. In this bracket, the subscribers will get the Google Nest Mini for Rs 1,287 lower from the price of Rs 4,999 for which it retails in the market right now. In the upper bracket, the subscribers should have a broadband plan of minimum Rs 1,999 FMC under which they would be eligible for Google Nest Hub which will be available to them for Rs 2,587 for the FTTH customers. However, there are some caveats which the subscribers should keep in mind. The users will have to opt for the entire year subscription in which they get the 13th month of free subscription. In addition to this, they will have to pay Rs 99 per month for 13 months, as a one-time fee. Older BSNL Customers Have More Options The old DSL subscribers, BBoWiFi subscribers, or the fiber subscribers will get the offer in better terms as they can have the option of subscribing to annual, biennial, triennial payments and they will also get the Google Nest Mini and Nest Hub at a comparatively cheaper cost of Rs 1,188 and Rs 2,388 respectively. This means that the offer is different for the old and the new subscribers. As per Kerala Telecom, the subscribers in Kerala will be at an advantage, since they can also get the Google Nest Mini to offer on the Rs 777 plans as well. However, the Rs 99 per month extra fee applies to all the customers in this offer.

Amazfit Zepp Z, a Premium Smartwatch Worth Rs 25,999 to Launch in India on July 20 Posted: 16 Jul 2021 01:24 AM PDT Amazfit is soon going to complete its three years in the Indian market. The company first came to India in 2018 and has launched multiple successful products under its 'GT' and 'Bip' series. Now, on the occasion of its third anniversary, Amazfit will launch Zepp Z worth Rs 25,999 in India on July 20. The Zepp Z is a premium smartwatch that brings both class and high-quality technology into one frame and aims to offer users the best smartwatch experience they have ever had. Let's take a look at what makes the Amazfit Zepp Z an attractive watch. Amazfit Zepp Z Features The Amazfit Zepp Z comes with a 1.39-inch HD large AMOLED display with a 2.5D Corning Gorilla Glass 3 on top. It supports a pixel resolution of 454×454 and has over 50 different watch faces. The Amazfit Zepp Z comes with a host of premium and smart features. Firstly, the smartwatch comes with BioTracker 2.0 that can measure your heart rate and alert you whenever there's something unusual in your heart activity. Then there is the support for OxygenBeats which is the SpO2 sensor for measuring blood-oxygen saturation levels. The Zepp Z comes with support for Amazfit's PAI health assessment system which will let you know whether you are taking your health goals seriously or not. Then there are other useful features such as sleep, stress, and sports activities monitoring. The smartwatch comes with support for 90 different sports modes. Further, there is a built-in GPS and support for Alexa. The company claims that the smartwatch can run up to 15 days on a single charge and weighs only 40 grams. The Zepp Z will be available in India starting July 20 via Amazon. As mentioned above, it will be priced at Rs 25,999. The wristband material of the smartwatch will be leather to give a more premium feel to the users.

Bharti Airtel Is Doing Things Right as the Active Subscriber Data Points Out Posted: 16 Jul 2021 12:23 AM PDT The telecom industry is in a tricky position right now. There are a few telecom companies that are fighting for the top spot, whereas others are busy carving their name in the survival list of the companies. We need not go into details of who's who of this industry as that remains pretty much clear to anyone who's been following the news headlines. However, what seems to be happening between Bharti Airtel and Reliance Jio is not only a rigorous competition of numbers but also a competition of quality, service, and retention. The telecom industry is guided by a few numerics, which include the Average Revenue Per User, easily the topmost chased metric in the telecom world, followed by subscriber base. However, one metric that has been often overlooked is active subscribers. But, now it seems with small spikes in ARPU and subscribers creating a massive ripple effect, this metric is more important than ever. Top Spot of Active Subscribers Held by Bharti Airtel As per the latest data released by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the Mukesh Ambani-led telecom company leads in the subscriber numbers, but when it comes to active subscribers, Bharti Airtel is at the top spot. Bharti Airtel currently boasts of having 346.95 million active subscribers, whereas Reliance Jio has 335.17 million active subscribers, almost 11 million less than the Sunil Bharti Mittal led telco. The situation that both the telcos are in is not new but has been persisting since the December of 2020. Also, it should not be mistaken as a mere coincidence but a carefully crafted and desired position by Bharti Airtel. What Did Airtel Do Right? Sunil Bharti Mittal and other execs in many interviews since 2019 and in 2020 have expressed that Bharti Airtel has always been seeking "high paying" customers rather than a huge volume of subscribers, which were low paying. At the same time, Reliance Jio's strategy has been quite the opposite. With the launch of JioPhone, the Mukesh Ambani-led telco went after rural customers with cheap plans which were specifically targeted for this user base. Whereas, on the other hand, Bharti Airtel did not make any attempt to go this way. Rather, the telco focused on doubling down on its broadband business, Xstream Fiber, and also introduced prepaid plans which were bundled with OTT services like Amazon Prime and were thus priced higher as compared to the competition. Not only this, Reliance Jio, long after its foray into the industry, did not make any efforts to introduce postpaid offerings, and even now, that department remains lukewarm for the telco. The only effort by Reliance Jio in the matters of high-paying customers came with the launch of JioFiber. But given the pricing of the JioFiber plans, and the fact that it comes with a free month of usage for the subscribers and bundles DTH services in the same amount, points to a rinse and repeat in terms of strategy again geared towards numbers rather than weight and quality. Who Needs to Learn What? With all this being said, the picture is not all grim for Reliance Jio since it has still added more subscribers, around 19 million as compared to Bharti Airtel's approximately 18 million subscribers. This just points to the fact that while Reliance Jio is adept at adding new customers to its network, Bharti Airtel is surely better when it comes to making them stick around. It is obvious that both the telecom companies have little to learn from each other in some areas, but looking at the condition of the industry, which demands a higher ARPU, the path of Bharti Airtel looks more promising and resilient because the paying customers are going to be the active subscribers only. And, with a basket of premium goods in its portfolio, Bharti Airtel is likely to be pulling in more revenue numbers as Reliance Jio's pie will be distributed among a larger volume of subscribers.

Apple Is Giving AirPods to Students Buying Macs, iPads for Free Posted: 15 Jul 2021 11:36 PM PDT Apple is contributing to the education system of India in its own way. The Cupertino tech giant is offering customers; not just limited to students but also the parents buying for their children, teachers, and educational staff at all levels free AirPods. According to an IANS report, the offer is already live for customers in India. Any eligible student going to college or a university for higher education can get the benefit of the offer from Apple. So who are the eligible people who can take advantage of this offer? Apple's New Student Offer in India, Who is Eligible? Note that the offer is only available to users going to any university or a college. The offer can be directly provided to a student making the purchase, or the parents can purchase it for their child by verifying first. The offer is also available for the staff and teachers at all levels in the country. The IANS report says that the offer is live on the Apple Online Store of India under the 'special education section'. If the customer is buying a Mac or an iPad for college/university, he/she will be eligible to get a free AirPods (wired charging). In case the customer wants to upgrade to AirPods with wireless charging, he/she can pay Rs 4,000 and also get the AirPods Pro by paying Rs 10,000 extra. The eligible products under the offer are – MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac Pro, iMac, Mac mini, iPad Pro, and iPad Air. All the eligible customers will further get a 20% discount on AppleCare, education discount on Keyboard and Apple Pencil. Eligible users can also get Apple Music Student Plan for Rs 49 per month, which will include Apple Arcade free for 3 months and Apple TV+. This is a good time for the Indian students looking to upgrade to a new Mac or iPad, given the student offers that Apple just announced.

Tata Sky Is Offering This 4K HDR Service Free of Cost to Binge+ STB Users Posted: 15 Jul 2021 10:39 PM PDT Tata Sky is one of the largest Pay-TV platforms in the country. The Direct-to-Home (DTH) operator keeps introducing new services and offers to enhance the overall experience of watching content for the users. Just a few days back, we reported that Tata Sky has added Travelxp 4K HDR channel on its platform. Now, the company has announced that this channel/service will be available to the Tata Sky Binge+ Set-Top Box (STB) users without any additional cost. However, the channel/service will only be free for a limited time. Tata Sky Is Offering Travelxp 4K HDR Service for Free for Limited Period Tata Sky will be offering the 'Travelxp 4K HDR' service to the Binge+ STB users for free for 1-year from the date of the channel's launch. The channel can be directly streamed via the internet in 4K quality. For the unaware, the Travelxp 4K HDR is the world's first 4K HDR channel and is available in multiple nations across the globe (50+ countries). In addition to this, Tata Sky is also adding six new international internet streaming services for the users. These services include – Pet & Pal, Luxe & Life, Be Crazy, Wow, Health & Wellness, Outdoor Channel, and Sportyfy. All of these channels/services will also be available for the users without any additional cost for one year from the date of launch. All of these channels can be found under Guide > Internet TV. These channels will be itemised in the 'Home' section. Whenever a user will select one of the above-mentioned channels, he/she will be tuned into the service and the content playback will happen with the help of the Internet. If there's any service that's 4K in nature, it will be indicated using the '4K HDR' icon in the program information screen. These new services are all set to enhance and take the user experience of Tata Sky Binge+ STB customers to a new high.

UPI System of India Has Become Role Model for Other Nations Posted: 15 Jul 2021 10:02 PM PDT The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) system has made the life of Indians very easy. Post the launch of UPI; users didn't have to worry about recharging their e-wallets time and again. The UPI allowed users to transact directly from their bank accounts to another person's bank account. According to a PTI report, multiple nations now want to learn from India and replicate the UPI model. Especially in the pandemic, when people couldn't step out of their homes or didn't want to transact in cash, applications that support UPI payments saw major growth. Transactions Worth Rs 41 Lakh Crore Recorded Through UPI in One Year During the FY21 (2020-21), when the pandemic kicked in, UPI transactions witnessed a sharp increase in volume. The report highlights that transactions worth Rs 41 lakh crore were made during FY21 through UPI alone. Debashish Panda, Financial Services Secretary, said that India had become a role model for other countries through its UPI system and the other nations want to adopt the system as well. For the unaware, the Finance Minister of India, Nirmala Sitharaman, earlier this week launched the BHIM-UPI QR based payments system in Bhutan as well. Bhutan is one such destination where plenty of tourists go every year. In view of that, the recently launched BHIM UPI system in the country stands to benefit over 2,00,000 users from India who visit Bhutan every year. The UPI system has further helped the Indian economy a lot during the time of the pandemic. The cashless transactions could still happen, and that too in real-time. One of the best things about the UPI is that it doesn't charge users for any transaction. Major payment applications and banks within India all support the UPI system of payments. The UPI system is further expected to grow as the adoption rate of smartphones grow further in India.

Latest Windows 11 Insider Preview Brings Acrylic Context Menus, Fresh Widgets Posted: 15 Jul 2021 08:06 PM PDT On Friday, Microsoft released the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview build 22000.71 to the Dev channel. It seems that the company is not going to be offering lots of new features via the Windows Insider Program. It seems that there will be very few new features, with the only exceptions being the Teams integration and Android app support, both of which are yet to be released to the Dev channel. Within Windows 11 preview build 2000.71, there are certain small changes. There is a brand new entertainment widget that a user can put in the new Widgets section. What’s New with the Latest Windows 11 Insider Preview? They can select a movie from the same and it will redirect you to the Microsoft Store. Do note that no streaming boxes support Microsoft's platform as of now unless you own an Xbox, so don’t get too excited about purchasing on your PC and watching on your TV. Another change is in relation to the context menu, as they will now make use of acrylic material. To add to this, previews in the taskbar are finally being updated with the Windows 11 look, meaning that they will have rounded corners in comparison to the older, flatter look. That is all that is new with this build, going through with Microsoft’s standard medium of offering Windows Insider Previews that do not have anything interesting in them. But it is useful for the stability of the build. Certain bug fixes also accompany this update. In terms of how you can update your computer or PC, If you are part of the Dev channel, you can get Windows 11 Insider Preview build 22000.71 via Windows Update. In case you wish to enroll your Windows 10 based PC to Windows 11, you can go to Settings -> Update & security -> Windows Insider Program to get started. This comes after the launch of Windows 11 and the subsequent rollout for the Dev channel Insider preview, with Microsoft revealing that the brand would offer a free upgrade to Windows 11 for users running Windows 10 on their devices. An official release is expected later, but, for now, the only way to get the latest Windows 11 build is via the Dev channel, which necessitates the need for participation in the Windows Insider Program, which can be done in a couple of easy steps.

Vodafone Idea Major Prepaid Plans Available at Reduced Rates Posted: 15 Jul 2021 06:30 PM PDT Vodafone Idea (Vi) is struggling financially for a very long time now. The telco needs more revenues and a sure-shot way of getting more money from the customers is to motivate them to recharge with major prepaid plans. There are plenty of low average revenue per user (ARPU) customers in the telco's portfolio who either recharge with a very cheap plan or don't recharge it at all (keeping Vi SIM as secondary on their smartphone). As per @Bananaplant, one of the community members of TelecomTalk, Vi is offering major prepaid plans with considerable validities at discounted rates. Let's take a look at what these plans are. Vodafone Idea Prepaid Plans That Are Available at Discount Right Now Vodafone Idea is offering six major plans at discount right now. These plans are – Rs 449, Rs 699, Rs 399, Rs 801, Rs 401, Rs 1,197. All of these plans are available at a Rs 40 discount. The user who shared this with us has a Rs 40 discount voucher available from the company. Note that this might not be available for everyone. Vi might be offering these plans at a discount to low ARPU customers or the user might have received a Rs 40 discount voucher from the company based on an old transaction. Anyway, if the company is indeed giving out Rs 40 discount vouchers to select users, it might just result in more recharges. All of the plans mentioned above are major plans from the company. The Rs 449 plan is now available for Rs 409, Rs 699 plan for Rs 659, Rs 399 plan for Rs 359, Rs 801 plan for Rs 761, Rs 401 plan for Rs 361, and the Rs 1,197 plan for Rs 1,157. Note that the benefits of these plans remain unchanged. If there's an over-the-top (OTT) benefit that the user used to get earlier when purchasing the plan at the original price, he/she will get it at the discounted price as well. Further, the Binge All Night and Weekend Data Rollover offer with the Rs 449 (now Rs 409) and Rs 699 (now Rs 659) plans will still be available. This is a great way for Vodafone Idea to grab the attention of the customers. The low ARPU customers might recharge with the company's solid prepaid plans which come with industry-unique benefits at a discount. However, only time will tell if the move has any effect on Vi's revenues at all. However, this might also reduce the ARPU for the company in the short term which Vodafone Idea really can’t afford.

Bharti Airtel Boosts Enterprise Offerings With Cisco Posted: 15 Jul 2021 01:35 PM PDT Bharti Airtel, India's second-largest telecom operator, has launched new connectivity solutions for enterprises in the country. The new connectivity solution from the telco is based on Cisco's Software-Defined Wide Area Networking (SD-WAN) technology. This new solution announced by the telco will allow businesses, regardless of their size, to boost digital transformation for their customers. Further, this new solution from Airtel will enable organisations in delivering applications to users with better security, performance, and visibility. Organisations will be easily able to deploy, migrate, design, configure, and manage their WAN infrastructure while instantly adapting to the real-time demands of their mobility, cloud computing, and digitisation initiatives. Bharti Airtel's VPN Solution Available Across India Note that Bharti Airtel's intelligent Virtual Private Network (VPN) solution centrally managed and automated by SD-WAN is available all across the country. This solution packs the full functionality of Cisco SD-WAN, including optimised multi-cloud connectivity, intelligent dynamic routing, visibility into applications and performance along with integrated security, everything on a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE) architecture. The SD-WAN solution from Cisco can securely connect any user with any of the applications to provide the best user experience and helps in delivering secure access to the applications across multiple clouds. This new solution developed by Bharti Airtel and Cisco will enable businesses in India to deliver a better user experience to their customers. For the unaware, Bharti Airtel is serving over one million businesses throughout the country. There is no doubt that the telco's enterprise business is already very strong. With the addition of this new solution, Bharti Airtel will just add more ways of delivering services to enterprises. It is worth noting that this is not the first time Bharti Airtel has partnered up with or taking the help of Cisco. Both the companies have time and again launched new services and solutions that have changed the way enterprises, and end-users in India connect with each other today.

MediaTek Helio G88, G96 4G Chips Launched for Budget Handsets Posted: 15 Jul 2021 08:30 AM PDT Popular chipmaker MediaTek on Thursday announced two new chipsets, the MediaTek Helio G96 and MediaTek G88 SoC for future smartphones. The MediaTek Helio G96 can be coupled with up to  120Hz full-HD+ displays, and can be integrated with 108MP cameras and supports 4G LTE complete with dual 4G SIM cards. On the other hand, the MediaTek Helio G88 supports full-HD+ displays with a 90Hz refresh rate, 64MP camera and 4G VoLTE. Both of these SoCs have been equipped with MediaTek’s HyperEngine 2.0 Lite game technology and will likely be seen in the upcoming SoCs in upcoming Android handsets in the budget to mid-range segment. What do the MediaTek Helio G88, G96 Chips Offer? To go in-depth, in terms of the MediaTek Helio G96 SoC, the chip offers support for 120Hz displays with up to Full-HD+ resolution. The display supposedly lacks any sort of limitation when it comes to DDIC supply, C-phy or D-phy interface with the SoC coming with support for LCD and AMOLED displays. The Helio G96 also features two Arm Cortex-A76 CPUs that can operate at up to 2.05GHz. There is also  LPDDR4X memory and UFS 2.2 storage. It supports 108MP cameras so as to offer the most detailed images and fast Cat-13 4G LTE WorldMode modem integration, dual 4G SIM and VoLTE and ViLTE services, topped off with the MediaTek’s Intelligent Resource Management Engine and Networking Engine. On the other hand, the MediaTek Helio G88 SoC comes with support for 90Hz refresh rate displays, with the octa-core CPU featuring two Arm Cortex-A75 CPUs that can operate at up to 2.0GHz. The Helio G88 offers support for 64MP main cameras as well as a new hardware depth engine for dual-camera bokeh captures, Camera Control Unit or CCU, Electronic Image Stabilization or EIS and Rolling Shutter Compensation (RSC) technologies. The Helio G88 also offers integrated voice wakeup for voice assistants. The company has added that both SoCs offer support for MediaTek’s HyperEngine 2.0 generation technology that is said to intelligently manage CPU, GPU, and memory so as to enable a smooth gaming experience. It is also claimed to help in power saving matters in high FPS gameplay to extend battery life. The technology is rumoured to enable intelligent prediction of Wi-Fi and 4G connection. This launch comes at a time when most chipset makers have started focusing on 5G chipsets, so the launch of a 4G chip in this day and age seems welcome for budget handsets that might wait to launch 5G handsets for a bit longer.

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