Page 580 – GadgetByte Nepal

Android Bulk SMS: Save money by using your own phone and network provider

Featured

GadgetByte

-

September 10, 2020

If you are a local small business or even a freelancer who can’t fund a big advertisement campaign, an SMS campaign can be a great alternative to reach out to a wide audience of potential customers. However, the service itself is a little expensive in the Nepalese market. To improve the situation and to add other options for the customers, HuluHive Technology has announced an application called Android Bulk SMS. Find out the kind of services the Android Bulk SMS provides and the price associated to determine if it is the one for you.

Android Bulk SMS Overview

Android Bulk SMS is a web-based application that intends to help growing businesses and freelancers with SMS marketing. It is a product of HuluHive Technology Pvt. Ltd. The company is co-founded by Buddha Man Nepali, Nabin KC, and Sandesh KC.

The app provides a platform where users can buy data packages from different network providers and use them to send bulk SMS to their customers themselves. By default, Android Bulk SMS sorts contact numbers of customers based on the network providers and use the same network provider to send SMS. However, users can also manually choose one. The SMS are sent through mobile phones utilizing SMS packages provided by network providers.

How does this work?

In the present context, if one has to send bulk SMS s/he has to get it done through the SMS providers. SMS service providers deal with network providers. The process is expensive as both parties have to make money. With the Android Bulk SMS app, users can send bulk SMS using their own phone and SMS packages provided by network providers (bought separately).

By eliminating the SMS service providers from the process, the company claims that the customers will be able to send SMS for a price as low as Rs. 0.0085. You can take a look at the table given below to know about the cost involved per 15,000 SMS.

Network Provider	Network Charge	App Charge	Total	Expected Saving
Smart to Smart	Rs. 127.7	Rs. 350	Rs. 477.7	96.9%
Ncell to Ncell	Rs. 363.9	Rs. 350	Rs. 713.9	95.7%
NTC to NTC	Rs. 3,000	Rs. 350	Rs. 3,350	81.6%
Smart to All	Rs. 9,609	Rs. 350	Rs. 9,959	46.4%

Also Read: Best telecom service providers in Nepal [Updated]

Android Bulk SMS: Plans and Pricing

To enjoy the services, you will have to register for the app first. Once registered, users can buy SMS packages from different network providers. As of now, this process has to be completed outside of the app but the company says a feature to let users buy SMS packages within the app is coming soon. Android Bulk SMS offers three different plans for users to choose the best fit for them.

Freemium Plan: Under the free plan, users can send up to 100 SMS using one SMS device. Users can create and maintain unlimited contacts but only four contact groups using CSV and Excel files.
Business Plan: One can subscribe to the Business plan for Rs. 150 or 7500 in-app credit points. Under the business plan, users can register two SMS devices and send up to 5,000 SMS. It facilitates the creation and maintenance of unlimited contacts and contact groups. The company will also provide online and offline support from 9 am to 5 pm.
Enterprise Plan: The premium plan is targeted towards medium and large businesses. For Rs. 250 or 12500 in-app credit points, users can register up to 3 SMS devices and send up to 10,000 SMS. Additionally, the company is also providing 24/7 online and offline support.

Features and Benefits

Automatic Follow-up SMS: If the SMS contains simple questions like the ones that can be answered using Yes or No, the app can follow-up to the recipient response using pre-determined SMS. The company claims that it can help local businesses increase their sales.
OTP Verifications: The app also offers OTP verification to growing startups and businesses.
Referral Offer: The company is also planning on introducing a referral offer.

Check out our long-term review of the iPhone SE 2020.

Huawei Developer Conference 2020: HarmonyOS 2.0, EMUI 11 announced

Huawei

Nikhil Shrestha

-

September 10, 2020

0

Huawei Developer Conference 2020: HarmonyOS 2.0, EMUI 11 announced

The past couple of years has probably been the biggest challenge Huawei’s faced during its entire journey. Being enlisted in the US’ “Entity List” meant it had to completely cut off its ties with practically every US-owned company. As a result, Huawei was forced to replace Google’s suite of applications (GMS) with its own HMS – Huawei Mobile Services; although the company can still legally use the open-source version of Android. These troubles may be a little worrying now as made evident by the announcements during the Huawei Developer Conference 2020.

Well, Huawei had been working hard to develop its own ecosystem – one that is independent of the US, and more importantly Google. The company showcased all the new tech & progress it’s made during the Huawei Developer Conference (HDC) 2020. This 3-day event will span between September 10 & 12. Let’s take a look at what the company announced on the first day.

Huawei Developer Conference 2020

HarmonyOS 2.0

Huawei is going against the entire Android community with the HarmonyOS 2.0. Also known as “HongMeng OS”, this is Huawei’s own operating system that debuted on Honor Smart TVs. And now, it’s time to go big! HarmonyOS 2.0 will now be available across a much wider range of home automation, lifestyle, and other devices; most importantly, smartphones. Besides multi-device compatibility, the company is promising a whole lot of major upgrades that Android and iOS should be on the lookout for.

HarmonyOS 2.0 has been built on 5 core principles: cross-device, versatile, responsive, immersive & interactive, and private & secure. Huawei especially focused on the “cross-device ecosystem” through its OS during the presentation. Here, the newest version of HarmonyOS boasts 10ms of E2E (End-to-End) latency, 2.4 Gbps throughput, and a 30% anti packet loss rate via a distributed virtual bus pools between devices in the network. Under the multi-device mess connection, it also facilitates self-discovery & self-networking between devices.

Data management

Data management on HarmonyOS 2.0 sees a dramatic leap as well. Compared to Microsoft’s Samba, it manages to achieve 4x remote read/write performance. Plus 1.3x database OPS performance than ContentProvider used in Android; and 1.2x better search performance than iOS Core Spotlight. Huawei is also going big on security with this iteration of its operating system. Wang Chenglu (President: Software Engineering, Consumer Business Group, Huawei) pointed out that HarmonyOS 2.0 managed to secure CC EAL 5+ certification which is the “highest level of security certification in the industry”.

This kernel-level security enhancement on the OS can effectively define and delegate different categories of security authentication; to different types of requests depending upon their nature. I’m obviously skimming way too much compared to what Huawei presented during its almost 4-hour long conference today; so thank you for understanding. Using AI detection, smart devices like routers, fans, TVs, etc. running HarmonyOS 2.0 will also be significantly less vulnerable to external attacks. Huawei claims it is the first company to roll out this feature in the industry.

Layers of security for your data & device

Finally, your data and devices are also categorized under different security levels depending upon their sensitivity. For instance, information like device model, software version, and wallpaper fall under S0 (lowest) while your passwords, health data are categorized at S4 (highest) level of data protection. On the other hand, devices like smart fans, irons, etc. belong in SL0 while smartphones, tablets, and laptops get the SL3 layer of protection. Additionally, only devices with the same security level can access each other’s data.

Huawei has also worked with appliance manufacturers like Midea, Joyoung, and Robam. These OEMs are also putting their own little spin on HarmonyOS 2.0 for their devices. Huawei demoed how seamlessly Huawei/Honor smartphones running this operating system can monitor and control their home appliances like a microwave oven.

Those features are great and all. But what Huawei desperately needs right now is a large influx of developers; from all over the world into its ecosystem. That’s definitely not an easy task. Besides monetary incentives under the “Shining Star Program” announced last year, there also should be a well-documented and easy-to-adopt resource for developers to get into the Huawei ecosystem. Here, the company is releasing 13000+ APIs for smart TVs, wearables, head units, and smartphones under various categories like basic software services, hardware services, enhanced software services, etc.

Once again “Cross-device”

Similarly, tools like the HarmonyOS application framework, DevEco IDE, and OpenArk compiler (with multi-language compilation) are also up for grabs to the developers. Let’s once again come back to the “cross-device” principle that I talked about earlier. One of the biggest perks of developing HarmonyOS apps is that you only need to write, compile, and distribute the app once which could then be easily deployed across different devices without further needing any extensive rework. At a time when wearables and similar devices are gaining so much traction, this will definitely be one of the key talking points for Huawei’s vision.

Huawei also discussed its “OpenHarmony” project which is open-source just like AOSP. What this means is that other OEMs can use this for free into their products. According to the revealed roadmap for the project, it will initially support devices with 128 KB – 128 MB RAM starting today, with support added for devices with 128 MB – 4 GB RAM by April 2021, and with 4+ GB RAM by October 2021.

Now, the tech community has been eager to see Huawei implement HarmonyOS in its smartphones ever since the announcement of the project. And it looks like 2021 is finally going to make that dream come true. Richard Yu (Executive Director, CEO of Consumer Business Group, Huawei) revealed that the company will be making the beta version of HarmonyOS 2.0 SDK available to developers today. But this will only support wearables and other devices like smartwatches, TVs, etc. Likewise, the beta version of HarmonyOS 2.0 will be heading to smartphones in December 2020.

HarmonyOS powered smartphones arriving in 2021!

While Mr. Yu hinted at HarmonyOS smartphones starting next year, @R_A_F_A_L (Global PR for Huawei Mobile) tweeted out confirming the tease that the company will be launching phones with HarmonyOS starting 2021. Exciting! However, those phones may not be flagship-level seeing the current scenario.

You see, with the ban imposed by the US, Huawei won’t be able to order chipsets from TSMC. And its final remaining batch of flagship Kirin SoCs will be used up by the upcoming Mate 40 series; leaving the Chinese giant scarce for chips. So, unless some big change happens (and pretty soon at that), things are already starting to look a little bleak.

EMUI 11

During the Huawei Developer Conference 2020, the company also showcased its latest iteration of Huawei’s custom skin to Android. Although EMUI 11 invokes the general idea that it’s based on the latest Android 11, it is not so. In fact, it is just another spin on top of Android 10. Despite this, EMUI 11 brings a bunch of new exciting visual changes, feature updates, and more.

While EMUI 10 introduced Always-on Display (AoD) on Huawei/Honor smartphones, it is now customizable starting EMUI 11. You can choose between different themes, clockfaces, and more. It even allows users to set custom images, live video, GIF under Dynamic AoD. Huawei has also “optimized” system-wide animations (at least in its native applications) on EMUI 11. Instead of strict and sudden shifts, the transitions will now be much more subtle; something your eyes can follow more easily. Huawei is calling it “animation in one-take”.

“Smart multi-window” on EMUI 11 you to quickly switch between apps, minimize them, or resize the floating apps with the help of a little floating orb called “quick ball”. In large screen devices like the foldables and tablets from Huawei, it will also allow users to simultaneously open two floating window apps at once. Huawei is also doubling down on privacy and security under EMUI 11. Now, anytime an app uses the device’s camera, microphone, or location permission, you’ll be notified of it via the respective icon at the status bar.

Besides this, there are a few other new features on EMUI 11 as well. The “Multi-screen Collaboration 3.0” lets users control up to 3 phone apps on a connected PC. It also allows you to share documents, watch videos, and play games from your phone on Huawei/Honor laptops.

EMUI 11: Eligible devices and release date

As of now, Huawei hasn’t disclosed the release window for EMUI 11. We expect the stable release of EMUI for Huawei P40, Mate 30, Honor V30 series, and few other flagship smartphones to begin starting October 2020.

AMD announces date for unveiling its Zen 3 and RDNA 2 microarchitecture

AMD

GadgetByte

-

September 10, 2020

0

AMD announces date for unveiling its Zen 3 and RDNA 2 microarchitecture

Last week, we witnessed NVIDIA announce the RTX 30-series graphic cards with some major upgrades and astonishing pricing. NVIDIA’s only competition in the GPU market is the Radeon cards from AMD. AMD has now officially announced that it will be unveiling the RDNA 2 based Big Navi graphic cards next month. In a separate tweet, the company also confirmed that it will unveil the Ryzen Zen 3 CPU architecture before the RDNA 2. Let’s learn more about the AMD’s upcoming Ryzen Zen 3 and RDNA 2 architecture along with the launch date.

AMD Ryzen Zen 3 Rumor Roundup

AMD’s Ryzen has proven to be a game-changer in the computer chipset market. It has been so successful that AMD Ryzen is now the first choice for anyone looking for a higher price to performance ratio. The processors based on the Ryzen Zen 3 architecture is expected to help the company solidify the company’s position in the chipset market.

AMD’s Ryzen Zen 3 architecture will be based on one of TSMC’s 7nm. There are three major versions of TSMC’s 7nm process and the one used for the Zen 3 based Ryzen 4000 “Vermeer” desktop processors will be an improvement over the 7nm process used in the Zen 2.

According to a report by NotebookCheck, the Zen 3 architecture will feature an updated CTR overclocker, Curve Optimizer, and Infinity Fabric dividers. All these features are related to overclocking and the information comes from Yuri Bubliy, the man behind the ClockTuner application. It is also expected that AMD will improve the IPC performance by up to 20% making some changes to the cache memory.

Also Read: AMD Ryzen C7 mobile SoC rumors.

AMD RDNA 2 Rumor Roundup

Competing against NVIDIA’s RTX 30-series will be AMD’s Big Navi graphics card. Well, maybe not head-to-head on every grounds, but still. These graphic cards will be based on AMD’s RDNA 2 architecture. The RDNA 2 architecture is also going to be featured in upcoming consoles such as Xbox Series X and Series S and Sony’s PlayStation 5.

RDNA 2 architecture will be compatible with Microsoft’s DirectX 12 Ultimate. Similarly, it will bring ray tracing, variable-rate shading, and other features to the Big Navi GPUs. The company has also hinted that the RDNA 2 will have up to 50% better performance per watt ratio than its predecessor.

AMD Ryzen 3 and RDNA 2 Official Launch Date

AMD will unveil the Ryzen Zen 3 architecture on October 8. Similarly, AMD will reveal its RDNA 2 architecture on October 28.

CPU/GPU Architecture	Official Unveiling
AMD Ryzen Zen 3	October 8
AMD RDNA 2	October 28

Also, check out our review of Asus Zephyrus G14.

Motorola Razr 5G brings some much-needed upgrades over its predecessor

GadgetByte

-

September 10, 2020

0

Motorola Razr 5G brings some much-needed upgrades over its predecessor

Motorola has launched the 2020 iteration of the Razr. With the latest foldable smartphone, the company is trying to solve all the problems of the last year’s Razr. Let’s check out the specs, features, expected price, and availability of Motorola Razr 5G (2020) in Nepal.

Motorola Razr 5G Overview

Design and Display

From the outside, the new Razr 5G looks similar to last year’s Razr. However, on a closer look, you can notice some minor differences. For instance, Motorola has moved the physical fingerprint sensor from the chin to the back of the device. Also, the edges and corners are more rounded and curved on the new Razr 5G. The frames are made up of aluminum while the hinges are built from stainless steel. Similarly, the body of the device is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5.

Moto Razr 5G sports a 6.2-inch foldable pOLED panel with an HD+ resolution. It has a tall aspect ratio of 21:9. Similarly, it also has an external display that can be used to quickly access notifications. The gOLED “Quick View” display measures 2.7-inch and sports a 4:3 aspect ratio.

Performance and Memory

Under the hood, it packs Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765G. Not only does the new processor bring improvement in the raw power, but it also has an integrated modem for 5G connectivity. It is to be noted that the device will only support the slower sub-6GHz 5G band. The inclusion of the latest processor will definitely help Motorola in the sales pitch.

Motorola has also installed a bigger memory on the device. Compared to the 6GB of RAM on the Razr, the 5G variant now comes with 8GB of RAM. Similarly, the brand has doubled the internal storage to 256GB. Similarly, there is now a dedicated slot for a physical SIM card while the original Razr from 2019 only supported eSIM.

Camera

Motorola has also improved the camera. The main rear camera now uses a 48MP sensor instead of 16MP. It now has a laser autofocus ToF sensor and OIS support. On the front, the company has bumped the size of the camera sensor from 5MP to 20MP.

Other than the change in the hardware, the new Moto Razr 5G also sees some improvement in the camera UI. It is the first device to feature Moto Camera 3.0. Similarly, the native camera app also supports new features such as Instant Review, External Review, and Camera Cartoon. To sum it up, the camera app on the Moto Razr 5G is optimized to make better use of the external Quick View display.

Rest of the Specs

Motorola has installed a slightly bigger battery of 2,800mAh battery on the new Razr 5G. A 15W charger will be included in the box. At first glance, the battery may seem insufficient for a 5G phone but the device is designed in a way that the user will be interacting with the smaller external display most of the time.

Thus, Motorola has improved the functionality of the Quick View Display. The device ships with Android 10. Motorola has promised at least two major Android updates.

Motorola Razr 5G Specifications:

Body: Unfolded (72.6 x 169.2 x 7.9mm); Folded (72.6 x 91.7 x 16mm); 192 gm
Display: Main (6.2-inches “Flex View” foldable pOLED); External (2.7-inches “Quick View” gOLED)
Resolution: Main (HD: 2142 x 876 pixels; 21:9 “Cinemavision” aspect ratio); External (600 x 800 pixels; 4:3 aspect ratio)
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G; 7nm Mobile Platform
CPU: Octa-core (2×2.2 GHz 360 Gold & 6×1.7 GHz Kryo 360 Silver)
GPU: Adreno 620
RAM: 8GB
Storage: 256GB (non-expandable)
Software & UI: Android 10
Rear Camera: 48MP f/1.7. 1/6um, OIS, Laser autofocus (ToF)
Front Camera: 20MP, f/2.2
Fingerprint sensor: Physical
Connectivity: Dual-sim (eSIM + Nano-SIM), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band (2.4 & 5GHz), Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, GPS/AGPS/Galileo/GLONASS, USB 3.1 Type-C
Battery: 2,800 mAh battery with 15W TurboPower Charging

Motorola Razr 5G Price in Nepal and Availability

Motorola Razr 5G will first be available in the US where its price is $1,399.99. Though it won’t be launching officially in Nepal, Motorola Razr 5G could arrive here through unofficial channels for a price of around NPR 165,000.

Smartphone Model	Price (US)	Price in Nepal (Converted)
Motorola Razr 5G	$1,399.99	NPR 164,030

Also, check out our review of Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra.

Android 11 update status: Is your device eligible?

GadgetByte

-

September 10, 2020

0

Android 11 update status: Is your device eligible?

Android 11 is finally here. Google has started rolling out the stable Android update for its Pixel devices. However, not every Android smartphone comes with a near-stock Android software. Different OEMs put their custom skin on top of Android making it challenging to roll out the latest update immediately after Google does. In this post, we are going to cover how far the popular smartphone brands are from releasing their own version of the stable Android 11 update. We have sorted out the smartphones that are eligible for the stable and beta versions of Android 11 based on the brand.

Google

It’s no brainer here. Google Pixel devices are always going to be the first in the race for the Android OS update. The company already rolled out the stable version of Android 11 for all the eligible Pixel devices.

Google Pixel Smartphones with Stable Android 11:

Pixel 2, 2 XL, 3, 3 XL, 3a, 3a XL, 4, 4XL, 4a

OnePlus

OnePlus was the first smartphone brand other than Google that promised at least three years (or three major OS updates) for its smartphones. The company has also worked closely with Google to bring the Android Beta 11 to its smartphones on the day as the launch of Android 11. The company is yet to release a stable version of the latest OS. But the latest OnePlus 8 series is eligible for the Android 11 OxygenOS 11 Open Beta Program.

OnePlus Smartphones Eligible for Android 11 Beta:

OnePlus 8, 8 Pro

Samsung

Earlier in August, Samsung announced it will be offering up to three years of software update support. The South Korean brand joined the party late but is expected to have the biggest impact. Regardless of the recent sales drop, it ranks among the biggest supplier of Android smartphones. Galaxy S20 series will get the One UI 3 update first. Right now, Samsung has announced the One UI 3 Beta Program for Developers for users in South Korea and the US. The company says it will soon be rolling out Public Beta Program for people in other regions as well.

Country	Service Provider	Device Model
South Korea	KT LGU+ SKT Unlocked	Galaxy S20 (SM-G981N), S20+ (SM-G986N), S20 Ultra (SM-G988N)
United States	Sprint T-Mobile	Galaxy S20 (SM-G981U), S20+ (SM-G986U), S20 Ultra (SM-G988U)
United States	Unlocked	Galaxy S20 (SM-G981U1), S20+ (SM-G986U1), S20 Ultra (SM-G988U1)

Also Read: The complete list of Samsung devices receiving One UI 3 update.

Xiaomi

Xiaomi is a brand that is really known for its budget and mid-range devices under the Redmi and Poco brand. However, it will be the premium Mi lineup that will receive the taste of Android 11 first. The Chinese brand has made the Android 11 Preview available for the Mi 10 lineup. Users with Mi 10, Mi 10 Pro, and Poco F2 Pro can apply for the Android R Pilot Tester.

Xiaomi Smartphones Eligible for Android 11 Preview:

Oppo

ColorOS 7.2 Beta based on Android 11 is available for limited devices. Oppo will be unveiling the ColorOS 11 based on Android 11 via an online event on September 14.

Oppo Smartphones Eligible for ColorOS 7.2 Beta:

Realme

Realme UI Android 11 Preview if available for only for the X50 Pro. We are yet to hear bout the launch of the stable version or the inclusion of other devices in the Preview program.

Realme Smartphones Eligible for Android 11 Preview:

X50 Pro

Check out our long-term review of the iPhone SE (2020).

Android 11 launched: What’s new, what’s improved

Nikhil Shrestha

-

September 9, 2020

2

Android 11 launched: What’s new, what’s improved

It just feels like yesterday that Google released Android 10. But in fact, it’s already been a year since the company abandoned its traditional naming scheme after a dessert, and came up with Android 10 in September 2019. The latest data from Statcounter shows that Android 10.0 has been installed in 29.04% of Android tablets and smartphones making it slightly ahead of 9.0 (Pie) at 28.19%. And just yesterday, Google rolled out the newest Android 11 update. Let’s check out what’s in store on the latest version of Android.

Android 11 Overview

As expected, Android 11 doesn’t bring a major visual overhaul (well, maybe in one area but more on that later). Instead, it’s more about under-the-hood and quality-of-life changes and some genuinely helpful new features I can’t wait to try out. Google is highlighting the upgrades to Android 11 into 6 different categories.

#1. Conversations

Google has baked Facebook Messenger’s “Chat Heads”-like feature directly into Android 11 and is calling it “Bubbles”. Personally, I’ve never been a fan of Messenger’s Chat Heads so I’m not sure how I feel about Bubbles yet. Here, different messaging apps like Messages, Telegram, Messenger, etc. are bundled into a little bubble that floats on your screen. As of now, not every chat app supports this feature but that should happen pretty soon. For people using multiple messaging platforms simultaneously, this multitasking feature is definitely going to be handy.

Google is calling Android 11 “the OS that gets to what’s important.” In this bid towards keeping a tight check on your precedence, the notification center now has a dedicated “Conversations” area for all your messaging apps. You can also mark certain contacts as priorities which will also show up on your lock screen in case there’s a new development in your chat history. This one’s a really well-thought-out feature I’d say.

Although Android 10 already introduced the option to enable/disable different categories of notification from installed apps, many people are still annoyed when a swarm of app notifications hit their device. In this horde of primarily unimportant alerts, one could easily miss out on new messages from someone. So, Google has found an ingenious solution against that with the separate Conversations tab.

#2. Content Capture

One of the most requested features on any Android update has been the built-in screen recording. Although Google had already attempted to bring this in Android 10 as spotted in many of its Developer Previews, the company ultimately couldn’t. However, Android 11 is finally including a fully-functional screen record function, eliminating the need for a third-party app. Here, you can easily record the content on your phone’s screen, including audio (from the mic, device, or both) and screen touches for visual cues. It also has a separate quick settings tile for quick access.

Android 11 also allows you to select. copy text and images from different apps with ease. Something exclusive to Pixel phones (at least for now) is that you can copy, save, and share the selected info between apps. Another new area where you can select, copy, search, and share the selected text is the recent/multitasking menu. Users can drag text from apps even when they’re on the “recent apps” screen. Similarly, the recents menu sees a minor visual overhaul as well.

Starting with Android 10, Google ditched the idea of vertical recents layout. Instead, it switched to a horizontal look. Frankly, I wasn’t a fan of this change. The card of the apps open in the memory would take up a majority of the screen with a maximum of two apps being accessible at a time. Android 11 takes it a step further. The cards are now much larger, and you’ll still have to swipe to the far left to access the “Clear All” option. Additionally, it also adds “Screenshot” and “Share” on the bottom portion of the screen.

#3. Predictive Tools

Before getting into this, I should tell you that most of the features under “Predictive Tools” in Android 11 are exclusive to Pixel devices. Predictive texting has been a thing in Android for a while now. Yet in the latest update, Google has worked to make it a lot better, and thus, Gboard now gives much better suggestions including both text and emojis so that you don’t have to type out/speak the whole thing.

Another Pixel-exclusive feature is app suggestions. Depending on your usage pattern and routine, Android 11 will automatically suggest you apps on the bottom row of the home screen that you may want to use. Finally, the “Smart Folders” feature gives users the name suggestion for folders based on the type of apps included in them.

#4. Accessibility

Under this, Google says that it has greatly improved “Voice Access” in terms of ease and speed in Android 11. Using this, people can access menus, make selections using their voice instead of physical interaction with the phone. Available in English, Spanish, German, Italian, and French language, this feature now works in offline mode too.

Furthermore, Android 11 also includes a talkback braille keyboard using which you can type braille without requiring any additional software. Further assisting the visually impaired on the new version of Android is “Lookout” that has two new modes – Scan Document and Food Label. With this, people with low vision or blindness can still know what their document or food entails.

#5. Device Controls

Seamless control of all the AIoT products in your home using just your phone is another exciting new feature on Android 11. For this reason, Google has entirely revamped the power menu. The now drab-looking panel for powering off or restarting your phone has been replaced with a new design that takes up the entire screen. Accessing it is the same as it always has been (by long-pressing the power button) but you get a whole lot of options to play with.

The top portion includes the regular Emergency, Restart, and Power menus while the middle area is the home to Google Pay and other NFC bank cards that you’ve added. Finally, the bottom portion holds an easy control center for your smart home devices like a lamp, thermostats, etc. Moving on, media controls have been tweaked on Android 11 too.

Instead of taking up a large screen real-estate on the notification center, all the media playback apps now sit on the Quick Settings menu. You can also swipe through these apps for better control. On top of this, there’s also an easy way to switch between different audio output devices like Bluetooth speakers, TWS earphones, etc. to control the device that your phone’s media plays on. Android Auto is also fully wireless starting on Android 11 (but requires 5GHz WiFi connection). Bluetooth airplane mode also sees a quality-of-life improvement as BT headphones or hearing aids will now remain connected to the phone even when you enable Airplane mode.

#6. Privacy & Security

Google doubled down on user privacy starting Android 10 with stricter and more transparent privacy policies. It introduced options where users can specify how and when different apps can access the phone’s resources like camera, storage, microphone, etc. The company is introducing “One-time permissions” in Android 11 on top of “while in use” access in Android 10. With this, an app would have to ask for the required permission every single time it is launched. And when you deny certain permission several times, that app will be blocked from asking for it altogether.

Your phone will also automatically reset previously granted sensitive permissions, in case the apps haven’t been used in a while. “Project Mainline” for shipping security updates and privacy fixes via Google Play Store was introduced in Android 10 with 13 Mainline modules. Here, Google has mandated 12 additional Mainline modules taking the total to 25. Google Play System Update (GPSU) is downloaded & installed simultaneously and the phone will resume right after boot after rebooting for the update. Furthermore, apps with storage permission will only have limited access to the shared storage for better data protection.

Other assorted updates

Besides these major updates, there a lot of smaller improvements too.

The new 5G detection API recognizes if your device is connected to a 5G network and improves the phone’s performance.
Android 11 is also introducing “Wireless debugging” meaning you can run ADB commands on the device from your PC without having to use any wires. But, as one would imagine, both devices should be connected to the same network.
There is a subtle transition upgrade to keyboards on how they appear and minimize back – it’s a lot less janky than what we’ve been seeing so far.
There are also 117 new emojis including the wildly meme’d stereotypical Italian hand gesture.
Excitingly, Android 11 also has native support for variable refresh rates.

Android 11: Easter Egg

As far as I can remember (which is Android 2.3 Gingerbread), Google has sneaked in a certain easter egg in every forthcoming iteration of Android. Android 10 had “Nonogram” which I still haven’t figured out completely, to be honest. Now, Android 11 brings a familiar easter egg which is the “Neko Atsume”-like mini-game we first saw in Android 7 (Nougat).

To access this, select the “About Phone” menu under the settings and tap the “Android version” menu repeatedly (I’m assuming 8 times based on past trend). This will take you to the Android 11 dial that you’re gonna have to switch up a couple of times to unlock the “11” logo. Then, head on down to your power menu and from the three-dot cog, select “Add controls” then “See other apps”. This is where you should see the “Cat Controls” option. Kinda elaborate, but I don’t mind.

Android 11: Availability and eligible devices

Google has already started rolling out the Android 11 update for the entirety of its Pixel phone lineup excluding the first-gen Pixel and Pixel XL from 2016. Similarly, it is also available (but in Beta stage) to select OnePlus, OPPO, Realme, and Xiaomi smartphones. These include:

OnePlus	8, 8 Pro
OPPO	Find X2, Find X2 Pro, Ace2, Reno3 4G, Reno3 Pro 4G
Realme	X50 Pro
Xiaomi	Mi 10, Mi 10 Pro

Watch our review of the OnePlus Nord!

Samsung announces One UI Beta Program for Galaxy S20 series

Samsung

GadgetByte

-

September 9, 2020

0

Samsung announces One UI Beta Program for Galaxy S20 series

Samsung first announced its decision to extend software support for the Galaxy devices during the Unpacked Event in August. The Galaxy S20 lineup was announced to be the first Galaxy device to receive the Android 11 update. Samsung has now announced the One UI 3 Beta Program for the S20 series. Let’s learn more about the One UI 3 (based on Android 11), One UI Beta program, and devices that are eligible for the Android 11 update.

One UI 3 Beta Program

One UI 3 is available for select devices under Samsung’s One UI Beta Program. Developers from South Korea and the United States can apply for the program. Users who own devices under the S20 lineup can apply using the link. Each application will be processed within 5 business days. The following requirements have to be fulfilled or one to be eligible for the pre-beta program.

Country	Service Provider	Device Model
South Korea	KT LGU+ SKT Unlocked	Galaxy S20 (SM-G981N), S20+ (SM-G986N), S20 Ultra (SM-G988N)
United States	Sprint T-Mobile	Galaxy S20 (SM-G981U), S20+ (SM-G986U), S20 Ultra (SM-G988U)
United States	Unlocked	Galaxy S20 (SM-G981U1), S20+ (SM-G986U1), S20 Ultra (SM-G988U1)

People outside the two countries will have to wait for the One UI Beta Program. In addition to the US and South Korea, it will be available to users in China, Germany, India, Poland, and the United Kingdom.

Eligible Devices

Given below is the list of Galaxy devices that will be receiving the Android 11 update sometime in the future.

A-series: A01, A10, A10e, A10s, A11, A20, A20e, A20s, A21, A21s, A30, A30s, A31, A40, A41, A42 5G, A50, A50s, A51, A51 5G, A60, A70, A70s, A71, A71 5G, A80, A8s, A90 5G
M-series: M01, M11, M21, M30s, M31, M40, M51
X-cover: X-cover 4s, X-cover Field Pro, X-cover Pro
S-series: Galaxy S10e, S10, S10+, S10 5G, S10 Lite, S20, S20+, S20 Ultra
Note-series: Note 10, Note 10+, Note 10 Lite, Note 20, Note 20 Ultra
X-series: Fold, Z Flip, Z Fold 2
Tab lineup: Tab S5e, Tab S6, Tab S6 Lite, Tab S7, Tab S7+, Tab A 10.1 2019, Tab A 8.0 2019, Tab A 7, Tab Active Pro

Has Samsung included your device in its plan for One UI 3 (Android 11)? Do let us know in the comment section.

Watch our review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra review!

Nokia 8.3 5G: A “truly global 5G smartphone” now up for pre-order in Belgium

5G
Nokia

GadgetByte

-

September 9, 2020

0

Nokia 8.3 5G: A “truly global 5G smartphone” now up for pre-order in Belgium

At the end of 2019, Nokia promised its users a 5G phone powered by Snapdragon 765/G, and the Nokia 8.3 was finally announced back in March. However, the phone did not hit the market right away. The smartphone is now available for pre-order in Belgium. We do have an official distributor of Nokia in Nepal and they have been pretty good with the pricing as compared to the global market, so let’s hope the Nokia 8.3 5G arrives in Nepal at an aggressive price.

Nokia 8.3 5G Overview

When Juho Sarviaks, Nokia’s Chief Product Officer, said that the company’s priority for 2020 was to make 5G technology more accessible, he really meant it. Nokia 8.3 is the company’s first 5G phone and it is calling it the first Truly Global 5G smartphone. The device supports a wider range of 5G bands than any other smartphone out there in the market.

5G Connectivity

Nokia 8.3 5G is powered by Snapdragon 765G mobile processor, which is not a flagship-grade chipset but is an excellent mid-range SoC regardless. But what makes the device special is that Nokia has partnered with Qualcomm and as a result, Nokia 8.3 supports 5G bands starting from as low as 600Mhz to up to 3.8Ghz. This is more than what the current smartphones are providing. Even in the countries where 5G isn’t available, Nokia believes this phone will futureproof you from the upcoming technology.

Design and Display

Moving on, the device features a 6.8-inch punch-hole display. The circular cutout for the front camera is on the top right corner of the screen. The panel here is FullHD+ and packs in a total of 2400 x 1080 pixels. Nokia claims that the display can upscale SDR content to HDR for a better viewing experience.

The bezel on the chin is quite big compared to the other three edges as it houses the Nokia branding. At the back, there is a quad-camera setup housed inside a circular camera bump and the dual high CRI flash resides on the side of it. Similarly, the fingerprint scanner is integrated into the power button.

Camera

The Pureview quad-camera setup on the back of the Nokia 8.3 consists of a 64MP primary sensor together with a 12MP ultra-wide sensor, a 2MP macro lens, and a 2MP depth sensor. The primary lens promises detailed images using the pixel binning technique. However, the star of the show is the ultra-wide angle sensor which promises a better low light experience thanks to the 2.8-micron pixel size.

It also supports Video HDR and 4K Ultra HD. On the software side, Nokia 8.3 comes with Zeiss Cinema Experience which supports shooting at 21:9, blue flare effects among many others. For selfies, there is a 20MP camera inside the punch-hole on the front of the device.

Others

Nokia 8.3 comes with a 4,000mAh battery and supports 18W fast charging technology. It has a dedicated microSD card slot and supports WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac and Bluetooth 5.0. There is also a 3.5mm headphone jack and support for OZO audio, which results in a better audio experience. The device retains the Google Assistant button that we have been seen in other Nokia devices like the Nokia 2.3 and Nokia 7.2. It runs on Android 10 and Nokia has promised 2 years of Android update alongside 3 years of monthly security update under the Android One program.

Nokia 8.3 5G Specifications:

Body: 171.90 x 78.56 x 8.99-mm; 220gm
Display: 6.81-inch Pure Display
Resolution: FHD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels); 20:9
Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G (7nm mobile platform)
GPU: Adreno 620
RAM: 6/8GB LPDDR4x RAM
Storage: 64/128GB (expandable)
Software & UI: Android 10
Rear Camera: Quad-camera;
– 64MP primary shooter
– 12MP ultra-wide lens
– 2MP depth sensor
– 2MP macro sensor
– Dual high CRI flash
Front Camera: 20MP
Security: Physical Fingerprint Scanner (side-mounted)
Audio: 3.5mm headphone jack, FM radio audio, OZO Audio
Connectivity: Dual Nano-Sim, WiFi 802.11 b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/AGPS, NFC, USB Type-C,
Sensors: Ambient light, Proximity, Accelerometer, Gyro
Battery: 4000mAh with 18W (9V/2A) charging
Others: Google Assistant button
Color: Colors Polar Night

Nokia 8.3 5G Price in Nepal and Availability

Nokia 8.3 5G is available for pre-order in Belgium where its price is €579 for the 6/64GB and €649 for the 8/128GB variant. We expect Nokia 8.3 to launch a bit later at a starting price of around NPR 78,000 for the 6/64GB variant.

Model Name	Price in Nepal (Expected)
Nokia 8.3 5G (6/64GB)	NPR 78,000
Nokia 8.3 5G (8/128GB)	NPR 84,000

Watch our review of the Nokia C2!

Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5 finally goes official in Nepal

GadgetByte

-

September 9, 2020

0

Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5 finally goes official in Nepal

The Mi Band series needs no introduction. Like its smartphones, Xiaomi’s Mi Band lineup is known for being feature-packed yet affordable. Xiaomi adds a new band every year to the lineup. This time it has launched the Mi Smart Band 5 which is finally here in Nepal. Let’s check out the specs, features, official price, and availability of Mi Smart Band 5 in Nepal.

Mi Smart Band 5 Overview

Bigger Display

Compared to last year’s Mi Band 4, the Mi Smart Band 5 has a bigger screen. Xiaomi has included a 1.1-inch AMOLED display. The new fitness band has five different brightness levels. Its brightness can reach up to 450 nits. There is a 2.5D glass on top of the screen for its protection.

Users can choose from over a hundred watch faces. Some of these watch faces are inspired by famous cartoons such as SpongeBob, Hatsune Miku, Case Closed, and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Users can also choose between a wide range of colored wristbands, all of which are made up of TPU.

Also Read: Mi Band 4 Review

Added Trackers

Xiaomi has added five new fitness activities – yoga, elliptical machine, indoor cycling, rope jumping, and a row machine. Mi Smart Band 5 supports a total of 11 different activities.

Xiaomi also claims that the PPG sensor used on the new Mi Smart Band 5 will result in 50% more accurate heart-rate monitoring. However, the new infrared detection is only supported in the NFC variant. Similarly, the Sleep Tracking feature has also been improved with added features such as REM eye movement detection. The new Band is also capable of evaluating PAI (Personal Activity Intelligence). With this, you can reflect on your lifestyle and make the necessary changes to make it more active. It also has female health monitoring features.

NFC and Remote Shutter and other feature

Mi Band has two variants – one that supports NFC and one that doesn’t. Up until now, global versions of Mi Band lacked NFC support, making the feature exclusive to the Chinese audience.

Mi Smart Band 5 can also be used as a remote shutter. Now you can click photos from your phone with a click on the band. The NFC variant can also be used to control other Mi AIoT products. Yet, the one that’s launching in Nepal won’t have an NFC connection.

Charge at your convenience

Xiaomi has changed the way you would charge the band. Up until now, you needed to detach the band from the strap to charge the band. But now, you can dock the new magnetic charger directly onto the back of the band.

Mi Smart Band 5 comes with a 125mAh battery that the company claims can last up to 14 days of normal usage.

Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5 Specifications:

Weight: 11.9g (Standard) / 12.1g (NFC)
Display: 1.1″ AMOLED display, touchscreen, 126 x 294 resolution, 450 nit
Wrist Band: TPU
Wrist Buckle: Aluminium
Sensors: PPG Optical Heart-rate monitors, 6-axis-motion-control-sensor (3-axis accelerometer + 3-axis gyroscope motion sensor)
Features: Sleep tracker, 24/7 activity tracker, music playback controls, notifications, alarms, reminders, etc.
Water Resistance: 5ATM (50m/164ft for 10 minutes)
Compatibility: Android 5.0+ or iOS 10.0+
Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0
Battery: 125 mAh
Charger: Magnetic

Mi Smart Band 5 Price in Nepal and Availability

Xiaomi Mi Smart Band 5 has been launched in Nepal for the price of NPR 4,499. Mi Smart Band 5 will soon be available in Nepal across various Mi stores and the company’s online partners.

Fitness Band	Price in Nepal (Official)
Mi Smart Band 5 (Standard)	NPR 4,499

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra now available for purchase in Nepal

Samsung

Nikhil Shrestha

-

September 9, 2020

0

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra now available for purchase in Nepal

Samsung concluded its Unpacked event last week unveiling 5 new products in total. While the standard Galaxy Note 20 feels like a hot mess (at least for the price), its Ultra sibling is something to look out for. Featuring a new design language, a proper flagship spec-sheet, and an unsurprisingly hefty asking price, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra represents Samsung’s premium Note experience for this year. And the good news is, it is available for purchase in Nepal officially with 1 year of breakage insurance.

Read our full review of Note 20 Ultra here

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Overview

Design

The regular Note 20 left a lot to be desired and thankfully, that’s not the case in terms of the Note 20 Ultra. It features a full-fledged glass body with metal frames, so you need not worry about an inexpensive feel at all. As always, it is IP68 dust/water resistant too. But what’s exciting is that this phone also marks the debut of the all-new Corning Gorilla Glass Victus. The successor to the Gorilla Glass 6, this new technology ensures more fall safety and scratch resistance than ever.

Precisely, it can survive a 2-meter drop while simultaneously also being impervious to various kinds of scratches. Moving on, the back of the phone has a matte finish and is available in three color options: Mystic Bronze, Mystic White, and Mystic Black. Similarly, there’s a huge rectangular camera bump housing the triple rear lenses. And the cutouts, yeah they’re more pronounced than ever with the backplate colored in a matching aesthetics of the rear panel itself.

Here, the new IP68-certified S Pen is now positioned to the left, which brings a couple of exciting features with it. Samsung has managed to reduce the input latency by nearly five times from 42ms to just 9ms on this stylus. With this, the writing experience should be near paper-like. It also supports new “Air Actions” using which you can navigate the phone, take screenshots, etc. without physically connecting the phone’s screen with the S Pen.

Display

Coming to the front, you get a giant 6.9-inches WQHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X Infinity-O display. Unlike the Note 20, it is curved a bit though not excessively like we’ve seen in phones from companies like Huawei, OPPO, Xiaomi, and Vivo with their “Waterfall Display”. In fact, its curvature is the same as in the Galaxy S20 series.

More importantly, Note 20 Ultra’s display has a 120Hz refresh rate and a 240Hz touch sampling rate. It also utilizes LTPO (Low-Temperature Polycrystalline Oxide) technology using which the display can dynamically change its refresh rate. This should definitely help in maintaining good battery health. Just like the back of the phone, the display is also protected by Gorilla Glass Victus.

The Infinity-O display houses a front-facing camera inside a small punch-hole cutout. Its diameter is noticeably smaller than the one on Note 20. Moreover, it is also HDR10+ certified and has a terrific 496 PPI of sharpness. All in all, the Note 20 Ultra is well on its way to bag the “best smartphone display” award for the year.

Performance & Memory

Note fanatics on North America and a couple of Asian markets like China and South Korea will definitely be delighted to know that the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is powered by the new & mighty Snapdragon 865+. On the contrary, the rest of the market will have to make do with the objectively inferior Exynos 990.

Memory-wise, you’re getting 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM with either 128, 256, or 512GB of UFS 3.1 storage in the 5G variant. Similarly, the LTE models will pack in 8GB of LPDDR5 RAM with 256 or 512GB of storage. But unlike Note 20, you do get an SD card support which can take in up to 1TB of external storage. Note 20 Ultra also brings UWB (Ultra WideBand) technology that we first saw in Apple’s iPhone 11 Pro. Using this, this phone can be used as a digital key. Google’s latest Nearby Share data transfer feature also becomes much faster between UWB-enabled Galaxy devices.

Microsoft-integration

Samsung’s partnership with Microsoft has become more intimate than ever. You can run your Samsung phone’s app in a Windows PC, pin them to the taskbar, and more. Your documents inside the “Samsung Notes” will also sync to OneNote feed on Outlook; but not the other way around. The company is also offering 3 months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for free with the Note 20 series. Here, you can also opt for a bundle that offers a game controller and a clip with it.

Cameras

Moving to the cameras, Note 20 Ultra comes with a better triple-lens system compared to the standard Note 20. It has a massive 108MP main sensor with a small 0.8μm pixel size with PDAF and OIS, a 12MP ultrawide camera with 120˚ FOV, and finally a 12MP telephoto camera that is capable of 5x lossless optical zoom and 50X digital Space Zoom. The rear camera arrangement is also aided by a dedicated Laser AF (AutoFocus) sensor. On the front, it has a 10MP selfie camera with Dual Pixel AF.

Seeing how the 108MP sensor on the S20 Ultra had focusing issues, it’s nice to see Samsung double-down on its performance by pairing in a Laser AF sensor. Toning down the unuseable 100X zoom to its half is also something to note. Since the new 12MP telephoto lens has a larger pixel size and a tighter focal length, it should theoretically give out good-looking telephoto images. As always, you can also record 8K videos at 24fps and Samsung has also worked on improving Live focus video.

Battery

Finally, the battery on the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra is a sizeable 4500mAh unit that supports 25W fast wired, 15W wireless, and reverse wireless charging. At a time when triple-digit charging is getting more common, it is quite surprising to see Samsung shy away from its own 45W fast charging.

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Specifications:

Body: 6.49 x 3.04 x 0.32-inches; 208gm; IP68 certification
Display: 6.9-inches Dynamic AMOLED 2X “Infinity-O” panel; HDR10+; Always-on Display; 496 PPI; 120Hz Refresh Rate; 240Hz Touch Sampling Rate; Corning Gorilla Glass Victus; Curved
Resolution: WQHD+ (3088 x 1440 pixels); 19.3:9 aspect ratio
Chipset: Exynos 990 (Global) / Snapdragon 865+ (USA, China, South Korea); 7nm+ Mobile Platform
CPU:
- Octa-core (2×2.73 GHz Mongoose M5 & 2×2.50 GHz Cortex-A76 & 4×2.0 GHz Cortex-A55) – Global including Nepal
- Octa-core (1×3.0 GHz Kryo 585 & 3×2.42 GHz Kryo 585 & 4×1.8 GHz Kryo 585) – USA, China, South Korea
GPU: Mali-G77 MP11 (Global) / Adreno 650 (USA, China, South Korea)
RAM: 12GB (5G) / 8GB (LTE); LPDDR5
Storage: 128/256/512GB (5G) / 256/512GB (LTE); UFS 3.1 (expandable up to 1TB using micro SD card)
Software & UI: One UI 2.5 on top of Android 10
Rear Camera: Triple-camera;
– 108MP, f/1.8 primary shooter; 0.8µm; PDAF, OIS
– 12MP, f/2.2 ultra-wide lens; 1.4µm; 120˚ FOV
– 12MP, f/3.0 telephoto lens; 5x optical zoom; 50X Space Zoom
– Laser AF sensor
– LED flash
Front Camera: 10MP, f/2.2 lens; 1.22µm; Dual Pixel PDAF
Security: In-display Fingerprint Scanner (Ultrasonic)
Audio: Stereo Speakers (Tuned by AKG); aptX codec
Connectivity: Hybrid Dual-SIM (Nano-SIM and/or eSIM), WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/GALILEO/BDS, USB 3.2 Type-C, UWB, Samsung Wireless DeX, sub-6GHz/mmWave 5G, 4G LTE
Battery: 4500mAh with 25W fast charging; 15W wireless charging
Colors: Mystic White, Mystic Bronze, Mystic Gray

Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra Price in Nepal

The official price of Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra in Nepal is Rs. 139,999. This price is for the 4G variant with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage.

Model name	Price in Nepal (official)
Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra	NPR. 139,999

Check out our review of the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra here: