The Vivo Y95, which launched a few months back in November has made its way to Nepal. The Y95 is another latest extension to the company’s Y-series. Vivo’s Y-series were quite popular in Nepal too. So, here’s another one from Vivo, but I doubt it will be as popular as some others.
Overview
The Vivo Y95 looks very similar to the Vivo Y85, but of course, this one should be a successor to that one. This phone packs the same 6.22″ HD+ IPS LCD display and the same 19:9 aspect ratio. It packs a dual-camera setup, that comprises of a 13 MP primary camera and a 2 MP depth sensor. The selfie camera has been bumped up to 20 MP, so, selfies should look better on this one.
Under the hood, this phone is powered by a Snapdragon 439 chipset, which is a good upgrade over the Helio P22 of Y85. Also, it is backed by 4 GB RAM – which again is similar to the Y85. It has 64 GB internal storage and a large 4030 mAh battery. The storage is expandable via microSD for up to 256 GB as well.
So, by the looks of it, this phone appears very similar to the Y85. The considerable upgrades lie in the chipset and the selfie camera. Other than that…all else is the same, from the design to the display…except for its trendy water-drop notch up top!
The phone is priced at Rs.28,390…and at this price, it faces a lot of tough competition! Like, a lot… There’s MI A2, Huawei Y9 2019, and Realme 2 Pro! This doesn’t look like a bad phone, but will it be able to withstand the competition?
Lately, Samsung had been facing rants from tech bloggers and criticisms from the customer base for not bringing value for money devices and still sticking with the old processors. But the tech giants recently changed its antics. And they conceived the Galaxy M series devices targeting the millennials. They decided and made an effort to pack some decent specs into their latest devices and pricing them at relatively cheaper prices. And when they launched the Samsung Galaxy M10 and M20 in India, it stirred the smartphone world quite a bit. The smartphones are going on sale in India starting from today. And the good thing is Samsung has also given their words to launch the devices very soon in Nepal.
Samsung Galaxy M10
When it comes to the budget price segment, we do not really see compelling devices. Budget and entry-level devices are packed with a ton of compromises. And the budget-conscious populace is often trapped with laggy processors, average displays, fast-draining batteries, and whatnots. So to break that trend, Samsung launched the Galaxy M10 with somewhat decent specs for the price.
The phone comes with a 6.2-inch display with a 2.5D curved on the top. The display on the device has also been provided with a V-shaped notch. And the company’s proprietary names for such kind of displays is called as “Infinity V” display. On the resolution side, this infinity V display features HD+ resolution packing 269 pixels in every inch.
Talking about the performance, the phone is shepherded by an Exynos 7870 chipset. And the processor is coupled with 2/3GB of RAM to ensure fluidity in the performance. The device comes with 16/32GB of onboard storage to facilitate the users in storing files and photos. There is also a dedicated SD card slot to ease in expanding the storage further.
On the camera side of things, the phone boasts a dual camera setup at the back and a single selfie shooter on the front. The camera pair on the rear panel is a combination of 13MP and 5MP sensors: the primary is the wide-angle lens whereas the secondary one is an ultra-wide-angle. So you can already guess, the device has a somewhat wider scope of applications than the devices with a depth sensor on the secondary camera. With the secondary camera in action, users can expand the field-of-view up to 120-degrees in addition to taking portrait images.
On the front, there is a 5MP selfie shooter, which rests meticulously on the notch. In addition to taking normal pictures, the selfie cam on this device is also capable of taking portrait selfies.
Moving on to the battery, the phone comes equipped with a 3400mAh non-removable battery. With low-res display and power-efficient chipset on the board, we can expect the battery to provides a decent backup. Samsung has also said it has included optimization technics to enhance the battery life. So you may not have to plug the device to the charger every now and then.
Samsung Galaxy M10 Specifications:
Display: 6.2-inch IPS LCD display with 2.5D curved glass on the top
Resolution: HD+ (720 x 1520 pixels) @ 269PPI
Chipset: Samsung’s Exynos 7870
CPU: Octa-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A53
GPU: Mali-T830 MP1
RAM: 2/3GB
Storage: 16/32GB; Expandable via micro SD card (Dedicated slot)
OS: Android 8.1 (Oreo) with Experience UI 9.5 on the top
Rear Camera: Dual camera – 13MP wide-angle + 5MP ultra-wide-angle camera, LED flash
Front Camera: 5MP
Sensors: accelerometer, proximity, compass
Battery: 3400mAh non-removable battery
Samsung Galaxy M10 Price in Nepal: Rs. 13,790 (2+16)
Going by the specs, the phone comes with a tall 6.3-inch infinity V display. The screen on this device is capped with 2.5D curved glass and enriched with Full-HD+ resolution. Talking about the performance, the phone boots with Exynos 7904 chipset enjoying 3/4GB RAM and 32/64GB of storage alongside. Just like the Galaxy M10, the M20 also comes with a dedicated SD card slot for storage expansion.
On the camera front, the device flaunts a 13MP primary shooter backed by a 5MP ultra-wide-angle camera. There is an 8MP shooter on the front dedicated for the selfies.
Battery is the biggest selling point of the Galaxy M20. It comes with a whopping 5000mAh battery with 15-watt fast charging support. A 5000mAh battery is already capable of providing a prolong backup. On the top, there is Samsung’s extra intelligence to enhance the battery life further. So it may not be any surprise if the handset turns out to be the smartphone with best battery life for its price.
Talking about the software, the device comes with Android Oreo out of the box just like the Galaxy M10. The software is flavored with Samsung’s Experience UI on the top. Although the presence of an old version of the software is disappointing, Samsung has also promised to roll out Android Pie update with One UI on both the devices some time in August.
Samsung Galaxy M20 Specifications:
Display: 6.3-inch IPS LCD display with 2.5D curved glass on the top
Battery: 5000mAh with fast charging support (15W fast charging, takes 2 hours and 15 minutes for full charge)
Samsung Galaxy M20 Price in Nepal: Rs. 18,490 (3+32)
Samsung Galaxy M10 and M20 Price & Availability in Nepal
The Galaxy M10 and M20 are going on sale in India from today. And it will not take very long for the devices to land in Nepal. Samsung Nepal is striding to launch the device very soon in Nepal. Although Samsung Nepal officials hesitated to give a solid word on the date, they implied that the device will launch in the second week of February.
[Update: Samsung Galaxy M10 Price in Nepal: Rs. 13,790 & Galaxy M20 Price in Nepal: Rs. 18,490]
Talking about the pricing, unlike the other smartphone brands, Samsung has always managed to keep the pricing of the device close to the international market. Even this time, it will be no different. Samsung has promised to keep the price in Nepal as close as the price in India.
We all have our own perspective on Ncell’s data packs, we either love it or we hate it. Either way, they used to provide a good value for money on the packs that were getting cheaper and cheaper over time. However, the company’s new Gajjabko Data Pack that replaces the existing Daami Data pack with a newer tagline has a larger price tag for a lesser amount of data. It’s also nowhere close to the offerings from NTC and Smartcell, so the choice to buy the new pack is yours.
First, take a look at Ncell’s new Gajjabko Data pack:
Now take a look at the package it’s actually replacing:
Did you spot the difference? The Daami data pack was giving out 220MB of data for just Rs 24.26 which is Rs 0.11/MB. Compare that to the new Gajjabko data pack, you only get 75MB for Rs 19.15, and that equals to about Rs 0.25/MB. Both have a validity of one day, with Rs 1/MB after the volume is consumed and a standard PayG rate of Rs 3/MB. You will now have to pay more than twice per one MB than you used to before.
So, if you still want to subscribe to one of the above data packs, you can dial *17123#. Subscribing to one of those is pretty, let’s give them that, but is it really what you want? Just take a look at what SmartCell and NTC are offering.
SmartCell’s Smart Data Pack
Compared to Ncell’s existing data packs, this feels like a steal. Though its availability is not as good as NTC’s and Ncell’s, it’s a lot cheap.
If you happen to live out of Smart Cell’s existing sustaining regions, take a look at NTC’s data packs.
NTC All Time Data Pack
So, NTC and Smartcell are actually giving out more data at lesser prices. You can check out NTC’s 4G data packs as well, which are even cheaper than it’s all time data pack.
Coming back to Ncell, we don’t know if this is a temporary change or a permanent one. But it still doesn’t change the fact that Ncell just got more expensive which is definitely not good for customers. Tell us what you think of this in the comments below.
Samsung had to face a lot of criticism for opting for a notch on a couple of its recent smartphones. Yes, it’s a water drop one, but a notch is a notch, right? The newly launched Galaxy M10 and Galaxy M20 have embraced the notch trend, becoming the very first smartphones from Samsung to do so. While the M-series looks to continue that feature for a while, it looks like Samsung has a new set of plans for the A-series launching this year, more specifically for the A90.
In the previous years, Samsung’s devices of A-series had a name with a single digit number. That is set to change this year as the Korean giant is revamping the series to tackle its numerous competitors.
We recently reported a rumor that suggests the Galaxy A10, A90’s little brother, to feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chipset. And we expect the chipset to power the Galaxy A90 as well. However, the major talking point right now is certainly the new rumor that suggests the Samsung Galaxy A90 to come with a pop-up selfie camera. Yes, not a punch hole like on the Galaxy A8s or water drop notch, but a pop-up camera like the Vivo Nex. This step will let Samsung add a bezel-less display up-front on the device.
Why do I say that the A90 is perfect? The answer is that the Galaxy A90 will be Samsung's first pop-up front camera phone, so its screen is perfect, there is no Notch, no Hole. pic.twitter.com/j01WWtPzh8
With the new design, it might be difficult to make the Galaxy A90 water resistant. But the phone’s predecessor, the Galaxy A9 2018, skipped on the feature all together last year. So, it might not be that big of a problem.
Other than that, rumors suggest the Samsung Galaxy A90 to be powered by 6 and 8 GB of RAM that could be coupled with 128 GB of internal memory with a microSD card support. It will be available in three or four different color variants.
The Samsung Galaxy A9 2018 had made headlines last year due to the camera setup it sported on its back. The phone had four cameras, all meant for a different purpose. It was launched in October, last year. So, it will definitely take some time before we see the Galaxy A90 hit the market.
So…the Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 is creating a lot of buzz in the phone market. First, it was its whopping 48 MP camera with pixel binning. Then, we came to find out that the camera on it was not as good as the hype. And now, there are a few videos up on YouTube showing the Redmi Note 7 BendGate. Pointing out all the highs and lows of the phone, it is sure to create all the buzz it’s getting.
And then, there’s this another video in which the Redmi Note 7 survives the bend test! A video by Gupta Information Systems, which is another popular channel in India, does similar videos to JerryRigEverything, which you may have heard of. And so, in that video, he takes the phone through a scratch test, splash test, and bend test, and the phone survives through all three.
The video is a bit long as it goes through all the tests. You can also skip to the bend test and watch it there. And you can see that, when pressure is applied, the phone has a bit of flex to it, but does not break, as shown by Technical Guruji. That does raise some questions, doesn’t it?
I, myself, was quite confused about how this could be possible. For a phone to bend in one video and not in another. But if you notice the way these guys bend the smartphone, you might have the answer.
Technical Guruji, while bending the phone, does not apply uniform pressure on the center, but on two different points with his thumbs. However, in the other video, we can see that the guy applies uniform pressure at the center with his thumbs. That could very well, lead to all that difference in bending.
Now, we’re not going to speculate on whether who was paid or who was not by phone companies, or such. It can be very well, a slight difference in the techniques. Plus, I feel like one is slightly muscular than the other. That, too, could make some difference. Or, maybe, one unit was slightly faulty. But having gone through all the scratch and drop tests, Gupta Information Technology’s video looks a lot more convincing.
All I’m saying is there can be a lot of factors that come into play during such tests. And no matter what, Redmi Note 7 is a good mid-range phone after all. So, you decide whether you’d like to get this or not. And do let us know as well.
Last year, Panasonic had announced its plans to launch the LUMIX S1 and S1R cameras. Fast forward a year, the company has finally shared the specs and details of the devices that look quite promising. Just like a couple of its competitors, the company has developed the devices for two purposes, as one of the cameras takes videos seriously while the other one could arguably be the king of resolution and photography. In terms of design though, both models look similar.
The major talking point about the LUMIX S1R is definitely the sensor it houses. This device comes with a 47.3-megapixel camera that is the highest resolution on any full-frame mirrorless camera meant for consumers. It will be interesting to see how this sensor performs in real life. The S1, on the other hand, is a more video-focused camera that has a 24.2-megapixel camera with better dynamic range and night-time performance.
According to Panasonic, the S1R has a low-pass filter so that the 47.3-megapixel sensor can achieve the highest of the details. For stabilization purpose, the both the S1 and S1R have a 5-axis image stabilization built-in that works with the stabilization on the lenses for better and stable content. A number of devices these days move the sensors around for taking a high-res image, and the new cameras from Panasonic do the same. The sensors from the S1R and S1, with a stabilizer, of course, take a 187MP and a 96MP image respectively.
Panasonic has also included AI for detecting the subjects and to lock focus on the subject. In terms of autofocus, the devices have Panasonic’s contrast-based DFD autofocus system. On the video front, the models are equipped with a capability of shooting videos up to 4K in 60 frames-per-second. There is also the slow-motion feature that captures 1080p videos at 180 frames-per-second.
The company has included an OLED live viewfinder on the device that supports touch sensitivity. It has support for Bluetooth 4.2, Wifi 802.11ac, and USB-C connection.
The body-only variants of the LUMIX S1 and S1R are priced respectively at $2499 and $3699. With the 24-105mm F4 lens, their price will increase to $3399 and $4599.
If you, like, are a power hungry user, then, you probably don’t get all the hype with ultrabooks. But when you get your hands on something as light as the Acer Swift 5, you might easily change your mind. This compact laptop is very lightweight – to say the least. It is actually lighter than your notebook – the one that you write on. You can barely feel it in your backpack when you carry it. And if your dog was a good sport, you could probably play fetch with this thing!
Of course, all ultrabooks are not as light as this one. The Acer Swift 5 2018 is as light as they come. And it you’ll be forgiven for thinking this thing might be missing something on the inside when you hold it. And in a plethora of ultra-portable laptops, this one is even more portable. But what else does it pack beside its feather weight?
Acer Swift 5 Specifications:
Design and Build: Magnesium Alloy body, 13″ form factor, 970 grams
Display: 14″ Full HD (1920 x 1080) IPS Multi-Touch display, 91% SRGB & 60% Adobe RGB, 260 nits peak brightness with Anti-Glare
Keyboard: 1-level Soft white back-lighting
Processor: 8th gen i5-8250U processor, Boost Clock up to 3.4 GHz
RAM: 8 GB (not upgradeable)
Graphics: Intel UHD 620, 4 GB VRAM
Battery: 36 Watt-hour (up to 6 hours of backup)
Storage: 256 GB SSD
Connectivity: IEEE 802.11 ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0
Ports: 2 x USB-A, Audio port, USB-C 3.1 (no thunderbolt), HDMI,
Price: Rs.115,000 ($900 international)
Design and Build
The design on this laptop, though, is like any other ultra-book out there. It is very slim at 15 mm, sleek and has good looks. The soft rounded edges on a full matte texture make it look like your regular business notebook. The Royal Blue color looks good too, but the golden hinge looks a bit odd, though. The texture makes it prone to finger-prints and smudges, and they can be very difficult to clean. So, it is safe to say that this does look like any other ultra-book.
You’ll feel the real difference is when you lift it. At 970 grams, this laptop is only slightly heavier than the the 12-inch MacBook. And I’ve never carried any other laptop as carelessly as this one just because its super easy to carry. The lightweight is achieved by a Magnesium Alloy construction. With magnesium lithium on the lid and bottom and magnesium aluminum on the inner chassis, the build should be durable. But, there is also a bit of flimsiness, which is not clearly visible but can be felt.
There is a bit of flex on the keyboard area and the lid, but the amount is acceptable. Also, the display flexes easily, but does not really bend to the point of worrying, though. Also, the hinge appears a bit lose when the lid is open, as it can be seen while shaking the laptop. But by the overall looks and feel of it, it can probably handle small drops and impacts. Of course, I wouldn’t go so far as to test it.This laptop cannot be opened with one hand, the hinge seems very rigid at that point. But it does bend all the way up to 190 degrees, and being super compact, it can come in handy while lazying on the couch or so.
Ports
What ultra-books make up for in compactness, they lose in the choice of ports. The Acer Swift 5, too, packs enough ports except for an SDCard slot and an Ethernet port. With it’s thickness, it could have fit in an Ethernet port and it also has enough space for a card slot. But this laptop does not have either.Other than that, you get two USB As, one of which supports USB charging. There’s also a USB-C, an HDMI and the charging port beside it. On the left, there’s an audio jack, and two LED lights that denote whether the laptop is charging or in use.
Keyboard and Trackpad
The keyboard, overall, is good enough. The chiclet keyboard gives good feedback while typing and good tactility. It’s keyboard travel is not so deep, but the amount is okay for an ultra-book. Also, with enough spacing between keys, it is comfortable enough to type on for long sessions. It has Level-1 Soft White back-lighting, which is also easy on the eyes. So, it is pretty nice to work with in dark environments as well.
The only problem with the keyboard is the layout of the arrow keys, and the power button. The power button is on the top right corner, and it is easy to mistake it for the delete key. Similarly, the arrow keys are half sized and jumbled up with the Home and End keys. And it is easy to constantly make the mistake of pressing the End key while navigating, which can be pretty annoying whilst working on document or coding, or stuff like that. Another problem is that the Space bar is unresponsive at times when pressed on the side. However, that might not be as big of an issue. A fingerprint scanner on the right, with Windows Hello feature, under the keyboard is also a nice addition.
The trackpad is your regular one. It is a bit small on the width, but seems longer on the length. It has Windows Precision Drivers on it. While most gestures work very well, scrolling is sometimes a hassle, as it won’t register your two-finger scrolling at times. Tracking is also not that smooth, but the clicks register nicely, though.
Display
In terms of display, it has a standard 14-inch Full HD IPS display with glossy finish and Touch screen support. The bezels are also thin enough and compliments the screen just right. There’s a web-cam on top, which is again, pretty bad, by the way.
The glossy panel means that you will get a bit of reflection on the screen. And the touch sensitivity is also only okay at best. That’s because, sometimes, it won’t register your touch gestures or navigation.
But other aspects of the display are quite good. Colors are sharp, and look vivid on the screen. Viewing angles are also great, with no noticeable color shifts, even at sharp angles. It gives you about 96% of sRBG and some 60% of Adobe RGB. Which means, that it is not a bad choice for editing, but not an ideal machine, however.
Another disappointing thing about the display would be the low brightness. It can only reach up to a peak brightness of 260 nits, and that’s too low. Dark scenes in movies might be a bit difficult to grasp as well. And while it may not be that much of a problem, working outside or with a lot of artificial lighting around can be troublesome. A low brightness with a reflective surface – you get the point.
Performance
As for the performance, as far as Ultrabooks go, this one performs good. It packs the 1.6 GHz 8th-gen Intel i5-8250U processor, combined with 8 GB RAM, and that makes it fast enough. The U-series processor are known for power efficiency and compromise on the performance slightly, but this is to be expected from an Ultrabook. Nonetheless, it will handle most tasks you throw at it.
You can do most things you can do on a normal computer. Browsing the Internet with over 20 tabs open? Check. Adobe Photo-shop, or Light-room? Check. Have like 5 or 6 things running in the background while working? Double Check. Video Editing? Check. It only lags a bit if you’re editing large sized files, but that is to be expected from a power-efficient processor.
This ultra-book does not have any kind of dedicated graphics, though. It has the Intel UHD 620 graphics with 4 GB video memory. And that means you will not be able to play many games on it. Of course, it can handle light gaming, like Dota 2 or CS:GO on medium settings. I tried running GTA V on it, but it doesn’t even meet the specifications for that. So, needless to say, you cannot game on this thing. And it is not actually meant to be one either.
Storage
As for the storage, this one has a 256 GB NVMe SSD. If the storage is not enough, you have to opt for the i7 version with 512 GB storage, which of course, is more expensive. The SSD speeds are not very good though. On our test, it only obtained a read speed of 520 MBPS and a write speed of 445 MBPS.
Battery Life
The battery life on this laptop is again, only okay. You get a 36 Watt-hour battery, which Acer claims will last you up to 8 hours. But you can only get up to 6 hours of battery life with normal office work usage that includes light browsing and such.
Thermals
Now, this is an ultrabook. And I expected it to heat up during heavy work, just because the ventilation on this thing is scanty. A single vent at under the lid, and three small outlets at the back would not make for a very good air-flow. But to my surprise, it did not heat up that much.
When I was playing those light games or editing a video for some time, the fan would make some noise, but it was still cool enough to work with it on my lap. And I didn’t notice a lot of throttling on performance either. So, all good on that department.
Verdict
So, what can we make of the Acer Swift 5? Honestly, I was not a fan of ultrabooks until I used this one. I also used the ASUS Zenbook UX430U, but that did not appeal to me as much as this one. And I liked this one, mostly, for a single reason – its feather weight. But it is a also pretty capable work laptop and is one of the best option for those who are always running around. If you have a desktop at home, and want a small, compact, lightweight machine for normal workloads for on-the-go, this is something you can highly consider.
The things I didn’t like about this laptop are the keyboard issues, which is but a minor inconvenience. The brightness is a bit too low, and the location of the speakers make them sound not as good as the Stereo speakers should. The lack of dedicated graphics can be a bummer too, but seeing as how this is not a gaming laptop, that is not a deal breaker. Other than that, I have no complaints.
Ultrabooks mostly cost over a $1000, but this one, you can get for some $900 at present internationally. In Nepal, however, it will cost Rs.115,000, and for that…I think the price is easily justified. I mean, of course, this is not your usual heavy worker or a gaming machine. But what it is, is an ultra-light notebook that doesn’t fall short on performance. You can carry it around all day long, and not feel it either. We’ll probably get a 2019 version of this notebook in the coming months, but right now, this is still a great buy.
5G is already heating up the market right now. For those of you who have been leaving under a rock, 5G is the successor to 4G – the fourth generation of wireless connection. Although, the 4G networks is still not prevalent in most of the area in Nepal, engineers and scientists have already developed 5G, and it will come into being from 2019.
The most impressive feature about 4G was definitely the speed improvement it had over 3G, and like its predecessor, 5G hopes to do the same. Researchers claim that the technology will be able to replace the fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) connection, which is certainly a tough thing to do. However, that certainly makes 5G all the more interesting.
5G network is not just about being fast, but also about supporting tens of thousands of users simultaneously without any compromise. For e.g. tet us consider a scenario where over 50,000 people in a stadium are trying to use mobile data on their smartphones. The current 4G antennas (masts) cannot handle that number of simultaneous users and you cannot even upload a selfie on instagram at that instance. A deal breaker, right?
However, 5G could be the perfect solution for such cases. 5G’s innovative technology can allocate each users with their own antennas. A small Base Station (BTS) can have up to 256 antennas closely packed together. This is possible by using smaller millimeter wavelength (mmW) athat are operating at higher frequency, 10 times higher than current 4G frequencies resulting in vehement speed.
5G’s advanced antennas tech forms data beams that will track and focus on the devices at work only when needed. This results in enhanced spectral efficiency (data volume per area unit), less battery consumption, better coverage, and higher bit rates in larger portions of the coverage area.
All the contemporary mobile networks range between 800 MHz and 3500 MHz, but 5G uses spectrum above 6 GHz. The use of such high frequency not only improves data speed, but also offers ‘virtually zero’ latency (time taken by a packet of data to get from one designated point to another). Latency or Delay plays a big role in real-time response. This will help the online gamers who don’t want any delays in their gaming sessions.
Moreover, the new mobile communication system won’t just be used for human communication alone. Instead, we will see different types of devices talking to each other on their own [sometimes referred to as the ‘Internet of Things (IOTs)]. With 5G, the IOTs will have reliable communication links and will also lower transmission delays (latencies).
We are nearing the launch of the first commercial 5G enabled smartphones. This is quite exciting as we have been promised a lot of things with the arrival of the technology. However, it has already started to receive criticism online, and that because of its price. To come up with a new technology requires a lot of time and money.
A lot of companies have spent millions of dollars for 5G, and that will be reflected on the price the technology will carry. That will also be applied to the prices of the smartphones. Pete Lau, the CEO of OnePlus, has already stated that the 5G-enbled OnePlus smartphone will cost $200-$300 more than the ‘normal’ one. Likewise, lots of rumors have surfaced online regarding the high-pricing of Samsung’s 5G-supported device.
5G isn’t cheap, and it will take a lot of time before it becomes a household name. However, the technology is showing a lot of potential, and might be the next big thing in the world of internet.
OPPO just announced its newest virtual assistant in China, named Breeno. The 2018 Developer Conference saw it release this “system-wide capable” assistant, a hint on its deep integration with the host smartphone. The company claims it as “an intelligent assistant for the 5G era”, but it still remains unclear how they will integrate it with 5G.
“The cognitive technologies represented by natural language understanding, knowledge graph, context computing, and personalized recommendation enable Breeno to more comprehensively understand the world,” -OPPO
OPPO adds the assistant will integrate “sensing technology with natural multimodal interaction” allowing it to understand user’s demands. The assistant will also be available for developers and it’s partners, to better make it compatible with more devices. This will allow the assistant to learn new skills and improve itself.
The company also adds that its iteration of a virtual assistant is capable of understanding natural language, situational calculations, and customized suggestions. All of which basically allows it to understand the world in a more comprehensive manner.
Breeno is currently only available in China, rivaling the likes of Alibaba, Xiaomi and Baidu’s virtual assistants. The assistant will also need to compete with international rivals like Google’s Assistant, Alexa, and Cortana among others. While we are yet unsure of Breeno’s availability outside China, or if it will remain exclusive to OPPO devices.
We have seen multiple assistants fail thanks to them being brand-exclusive. Amazon’s Alexa has been trying it’s best to gain a sustainable presence, opening itself to more and more devices. Same cannot be said about Samsung’s Bixby, failing to gain any sizable momentum. Even Oppo’s own sister company Vivo and it’s Jovi assistant hasn’t really seen much success.
Still, that doesn’t change the fact that we really don’t need another virtual assistant right now, do we? I for one, do not use the available assistants on my phone, including the very capable Google Assistant.
Bros and broettes, valentines day is upon us. But worry not, Samsung is giving out cash backs on a total of ten smartphones. The discount amount ranges from as low as Rs 1,000 up to an impressive Rs 15,400. These once overpriced smartphones are now finally worth their asking price, or at least most of them. Seems like a perfect time to grab one up for your significant spouse, or even yourself, we don’t judge.
While price drops, or what Samsung calls “cash back”, are mostly good news, we are also nearing the launch of their much awaited Galaxy M series. Nevertheless, these smartphones (after the discounts) pack good hardware for the money, almost excellent build quality and definitely some of the best displays on the market. The most noticeable one being the Galaxy A6, originally launched for Rs 39,890, now available for Rs 24,490.
It was about time we started seeing price drops for the Galaxy S9 series, the Galaxy S10 is literally right around the corner. Smartphones like the A9, A7, A6 or just the A-series, in general, were deemed overpriced, by none other than us. But with these new prices, the Galaxy A7, A6+, and the A6 definitely seem worth it. To be fair, they were never bad phones, Samsung was just asking for a little more than what they were actually worth.
There is a bit of flex on the keyboard area and the lid, but the amount is acceptable. Also, the display flexes easily, but does not really bend to the point of worrying, though. Also, the hinge appears a bit lose when the lid is open, as it can be seen while shaking the laptop. But by the overall looks and feel of it, it can probably handle small drops and impacts. Of course, I wouldn’t go so far as to test it.
This laptop cannot be opened with one hand, the hinge seems very rigid at that point. But it does bend all the way up to 190 degrees, and being super compact, it can come in handy while lazying on the couch or so.
Other than that, you get two USB As, one of which supports USB charging. There’s also a USB-C, an HDMI and the charging port beside it. On the left, there’s an audio jack, and two LED lights that denote whether the laptop is charging or in use.
The keyboard, overall, is good enough. The chiclet keyboard gives good feedback while typing and good tactility. It’s keyboard travel is not so deep, but the amount is okay for an ultra-book. Also, with enough spacing between keys, it is comfortable enough to type on for long sessions. It has Level-1 Soft White back-lighting, which is also easy on the eyes. So, it is pretty nice to work with in dark environments as well.
The only problem with the keyboard is the layout of the arrow keys, and the power button. The power button is on the top right corner, and it is easy to mistake it for the delete key. Similarly, the arrow keys are half sized and jumbled up with the Home and End keys. And it is easy to constantly make the mistake of pressing the End key while navigating, which can be pretty annoying whilst working on document or coding, or stuff like that. Another problem is that the Space bar is unresponsive at times when pressed on the side. However, that might not be as big of an issue. A fingerprint scanner on the right, with Windows Hello feature, under the keyboard is also a nice addition.
The trackpad is your regular one. It is a bit small on the width, but seems longer on the length. It has Windows Precision Drivers on it. While most gestures work very well, scrolling is sometimes a hassle, as it won’t register your two-finger scrolling at times. Tracking is also not that smooth, but the clicks register nicely, though.
