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Oops and Wows in Smartphone Technology (2017 Edition)

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GadgetByte

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January 4, 2018

Oops and Wows in Smartphone Technology (2017 Edition)

We already bid farewell to the year 2017. However, the year had brought some cheerful and some disappointing innovations in the smartphone system, which cannot be ignored or forgotten simply. So, in this article, we have tried to recollect such oops and wows in smartphone technology, which affected the smartphone community and had been the talk of the town throughout the year. Let’s get started.

Wows of 2017

Bezel-less display

Xiaomi MI Mix, the smartphone, which came as an edgeless concept phone last year lacked bezels on three of its sides. On that phone, the bezels were located only at the bottom to house the front camera and proximity sensor. Later, LG conducted a survey to know the display size and smartphone size preferred by the smartphone users. The survey concluded that the users loved to have a big display without a corresponding increase in the smartphone size. The only way to meet such demand was to ditch the bezels and LG applied that formula on LG G6. The smartphone embraced univisium display with 18:9 aspect ratio and 78.6% screen-to-body ratio.

Samsung appreciated the concept of bezel-less display and applied the formula on Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+. However, a little bit uniqueness on Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ was a weird and unfamiliar 18.5:9 aspect ratio.

Since then a large number of smartphone manufacturers implemented the concept and even made the 18:9 aspect ratio trendy. The Samsung Galaxy Note 8, Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ comes with 18.5:9 aspect ratio and iPhone X with 19.5:9. Except for these smartphones, all the bezel-less smartphones come with 18:9 aspect ratio.

Also Read: Smartphones with bezel-less display in Nepal

Cameras getting better

Since the beginning, the cameras on smartphones are getting better in every iteration. And in this year too, the trend continued. Coming towards the end of the year 2016, different manufacturers had adopted the concept of the dual camera. And this year the concept grew like a wildfire in the smartphone community. From the budget smartphones to the flagship ones, all (almost) smartphone brands had been touched by the concept of dual cameras. And almost all smartphone manufacturers brought at least one smartphone of such type in their lineup.

Huawei stuck to the idea and brought some fancy smartphones with top-notch cameras like Huawei P10 Plus, Honor V10, Mate 10 Series, Honor 9, etc. this year. The dual camera setup on the high-end Huawei devices is the combination of Monochrome and RGB sensor. And Leica is the collaborated vendor for supplying the required optical products. However, in the mid-range section, there is a different story. The mid-tier smartphones lack the optics from the Leica and the lenses used is basically for the depth sensing and to deliver Bokeh effect. Still, Huawei seems to satisfy its customers as it gained the second position in the sales beating its archrival Apple. And Nepali customers might also fall among the happy ones as Huawei brought Huawei Nova 2i, the first smartphone in Nepal with four cameras.

iPhone brought iPhone X, iPhone 8 and 8 Plus this year. Apple gained a lot of applause this year for the innovations brought in the tech world and for the specs packed in its devices. And one of the reasons for the appraisal is its camera. iPhone X, the anniversary edition iPhone score an astounding 97 score on the reputed camera benchmark, DxOmark. The iPhone 8 and 8 Plus are not much far behind. iPhone 8 possesses DxoMark benchmark score of 92, whereas the iPhone 8 Plus has 94.

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 had been persistent all along with the single camera setup. Even on the Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+, Samsung hesitated to include an additional camera. Probably Apple could be the motivation here, but Samsung finally stepped-up to include a dual camera on its smartphone and Samsung Galaxy Note 8 had been the first and lucky one. And probably, the dual camera is to be credited for the increase in DxoMark score from 88 (in S8) to 94 (in Note 8).

Despite the endeavors of smartphone manufacturers to provide a dual camera to mimic the shots of DSLRs and to produce Bokeh effect, the smartphones have failed in one or more scenario. However, just with a mere presence of a single camera, Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL produced Bokeh shots with a close resemblance (than others) to that of DSLRs. And outperforming all the flagship smartphones of 2017, Google Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL scored the highest DxOmark score (for smartphones’ camera) of 98.

New security options

This year, new security options were seen on the smartphones. Iris scanner on Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+ and Note 8 was absolutely remarkable. The technology was developed by Samsung earlier and had incorporated it on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7. However, because of the exploding issues of the Note 7, the smartphone discontinued and the tech community was not quite able to experience the new biometric security.

Every person has unique patterns in the irises and such patterns are virtually impossible to replicate. This uniqueness has made the iris authentication one of the safest ways to keep the phone locked and the contents invulnerable.

Also Read: Hackers tricked Samsung Galaxy S8’s Iris Scanner

Apple also brought the new security option on the iPhone X. Namely known as FaceID, the technology uses a combination of the infrared emitter and TrueDepth sensor to mask 30,000 points of infrared light on and around the face. After the masking process, it generates flat infrared snapshots like the photos (2D).While registering the face; the depth sensor measures the depth on the face accounting the reflection of infrared light on each point and hence constructs a depth map of the face. On the launch ceremony, CEO of the Apple boasted that the technology is extremely secure. Putting forward as the proof Apple’s CEO mentioned that the odds to unlock a smartphone with someone else’s fingerprint is 1in 50,000, however, similar chances of unlocking the iPhone X with other’s face is 1 in 1,000,000.

Also Read: iPhone X facial recognition shows mixed results in identifying twins

Nokia and Blackberry Revival

Company of the Nokia with Microsoft was not quite fruitful. Before the acquisition by Microsoft, Nokia was the most popular and most selling mobile brand. However, with the emergence of iOS and Android platform and with the decision of the Nokia phones to adopt Windows OS ecosystem, the market share of Nokia mobiles fell at an unprecedented rate. With the downfall getting intolerable, Nokia freed itself from the clutches of Nokia and collaborated with HMD Global to bring Android smartphones. And in MWC 2017, Nokia announced its revival in the smartphone market launching Nokia 3, Nokia 5 and Nokia 6 smartphones as the proof. And the comeback was a pretty exhilarating one because the new Nokia smartphones sold out in minutes on more than one occasion.

Blackberry smartphones were renowned for their iconic keypad and remarkable security. But as the Android and iOS smartphones marked their presence in the smartphone arena, the hunger for the Blackberry smartphones amongst the people simply started to fade away. And later, the sales and shares climbed a downhill. A little later, Blackberry ditched their home-baked BB10 OS and brought an Android smartphone but keeping the iconic keypad intact. The smartphone was dubbed as Blackberry Priv, which had a sliding QWERTY keyboard, remarkable 5.4-inch AMOLED display featuring Quad-HD resolution and 18MP rear camera with OIS. However, in the tech society lured with the screen-touch smartphones, the smartphone was unable to gain the customers. With all the endeavors turning futile, Blackberry decided to quit the smartphone manufacture business. In the October 2016, Blackberry officially announced to discontinue making smartphones by itself.

However, with this remark, Blackberry has not been lost in the oblivion. Blackberry is now just the licensing partner while TCL is now manufacturing the Blackberry smartphones. TCL is keeping the name of the Blackberry alive and taking credits for launching the Blackberry smartphones. Till the date, TCL has launched three Blackberry smartphones, namely Blackberry Mercury, Blackberry KeyOne, and Blackberry Motion. And how will the TCL go with the Blackberry, there is more yet to be seen.

Growth of AI Assistants

Since 2011, iPhones always seem to be upper hand over the Android smartphones because of Siri, the AI assistant. However, in 2017, many AI assistants were released. In 2017, Google Assistant got better and the most interesting thing is Google brought the Google Assistant app for the iOS posing an open threat to the Siri. Samsung also brought a new AI assistant named Bixby. Amazon’s Alexa and HTC’s home-baked AI HTC Sense Companion were also quite heard in 2017. However, Samsung’s Bixby, Amazon Alexa and HTC Sense companion were barely comparable to the Google Assistant and the Siri during the time being. But how they will perform in 2018, there is more yet to see.

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Capability of the Chipsets

Apple brought the new A11 chipset in the iPhone X, iPhone 8 and 8 Plus. Fabricated using 10nm technology, the chipset packs 4.3 billion transistors and has embraced six cores CPU and three core GPU. However, the exciting addition to the chipset is Neural Engine, which can perform up to 600 billion operations per seconds. Apple claims that the Neural Engine is used for FaceID, Animojis, and Machine learning tasks. Similarly, improving the AI capabilities, Qualcomm released Snapdragon 845 with the visual processing unit and Huawei released the Kirin 970 with the Neural processing unit. The chipset seems to be exceptionally superior, however, to get the closer glimpse of the AI capabilities of the chipsets, in-depth review of the smartphones equipped with aforementioned chipsets is highly essential.

Also Read: Has Machine Learning become a part of our life?

120Hz Refresh Rate on Smartphone

Razer is a familiar name amongst the gamers. Razer had been providing superior and reliable gaming performance in its laptops and Ultrabooks all along. However, in 2017, Razer expanded its horizon stepping its feet in the smartphone arena. Dubbed as Razer Phone, the smartphone comes with some nifty set of hardware with gaming touch by the Razer. The most exciting touch by the maker is the astounding 120Hz refresh rate on its display. Razer has named it a UltraMotion display and Razer Phone is the first smartphone to be equipped with such fast refresh rate. With such high refresh rate, one can enjoy smooth graphics on the use. The UltraMotion display also has an adaptive refresh technology that synchronizes the GPU and display, which removes image tearing or lag.

Also Read: Is 120Hz Refresh Rate on display the future of Smartphone?

Oops of 2017

Struggle of the fingerprint sensors

Fingerprint recognition is the biometric security means and is more reliable to the pin, password and pattern recognition. In 2017, this security means was widely adopted in the smartphones. It was difficult to find smartphones without fingerprint sensor even on the lower-midrange and budget segments. However, some big names had been notorious throughout 2017 because of the way they treated the fingerprint sensor in their premium handsets.

Samsung had been persistent on keeping the sensor in the home button of their smartphones. However, in Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+, and Note 8, the bezels were minimized making it impossible to fit the sensor on the chin. Shifting the sensor to the back was the alternative left and Samsung embraced the alternative without a second thought. The fingerprint sensors provided on the smartphones were sensitive and unlocking the devices was abrupt. However, the placement was not quite accessible to the hands on the use. Despite the alluring symmetry, because of the awkward placement, one would always end up smudging the camera placed in the proximity.

The archrival to the Samsung, the Apple had also been talk of the town because of the fingerprint sensor. But unlike the Samsung flagships, Apple completely uprooted the sensor from its anniversary edition iPhone, the iPhone X. Adopting the trendy bezel-less display and because of its resistant to shift the sensor to the back, iPhone X was obliged to bid farewell its infamous TouchID.

Death of Windows Phones

With Cortana AI assistant and Windows OS in the system, Windows Phones looked cool and lucrative. However, with the Android and iOS devices rising in the tech community, the craze of the Windows Phones fell at an exponential rate. Because of the increased functionalities and appealing hardware and software capabilities of the iOS and Android devices, Windows Phones suffocated in the smartphone market. And in 2017, Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore officially announced the death of the Windows Phones. Despite the announced death, Microsoft promised to continue the support for the platform, bug fixes, security updates, etc. However, they will completely halt the production of new features and hardware and will bring nothing new to the Windows Phones.

If you have any more things to add to this oops and wows in smartphone technology, let us know in the comment section. And if you are unaware of our YouTube Channel, Please check it here and subscribe it. The GadgetByte Nepal team also requests you for your generous and valuable feedbacks.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 with bezel-less display and 6 GB RAM to launch next week

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January 4, 2018

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Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 with bezel-less display and 6 GB RAM to launch next week

Xiaomi launched the successor of the Mi Mix, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2, last September amid much fanfare. The device’s predecessor was one of the earlier smartphones to ditch traditional bezels. While the device is priced at Rs. 32,999 in India, we expect it to be available for approximately Rs. 72,000 for the baseline model. We can finally confirm that this device will launch here in a week.

Don’t Miss: Xiaomi Mobiles Price in Nepal

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 is a bezel-less device with an 18:9 aspect ratio. It has a 5.99-inch IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1080 x 2160 pixels. This display is cloaked by Corning Gorilla Glass 4 for that extra protection. The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 basically has the specifications a proper flagship of 2017 comes with. So, it’s rocking an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor under the hood. 6 or 8 GB of RAM pair up with Adreno 540 GPU to go alongside the processor. Only the special edition unibody ceramic design houses 8 GB of RAM on the inside. All other variants have 6 GB of RAM. The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 offers consumers 64 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB storage variants.

As far as the optics are concerned, the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 has a single 12-megapixel rear-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture, dual tone LED flash and OIS. At a time when even a smartphone under Rs. 10,000 has dual real cameras, Xiaomi’s choice to opt for a single lens might turn off some buyers here in Nepal. The front-facing selfie shooter has a 5-megapixel lens with f/2.0 aperture.

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 runs on Android v7.1 Nougat with MIUI 9 on the top right out of the box. Xiaomi has already provided its users with the BETA version of Android v8.0 Oreo.

In terms of power, the Mi Mix 2 is supported by a 3,400 mAh Li-Ion battery. This battery can be charged up via a Type-C reversible connector which is supported by Quick Charge 3.0.

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 Specifications:

5.99-inch full HD IPS LCD display, Corning Gorilla Glass 4
Bezel-less display with 18:9 aspect ratio
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC
Octa-core processor
Android v7.1 Nougat
Adreno 54 GPU
6 GB or 8 GB RAM
64/128/256 GB internal storage
Dual SIM
12 MP rear-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture, dual tone LED flash
5MP front-facing camera with f/2.0 aperture
Rear-mounted fingerprint sensor
USB Type-C connector
3,400 mAh Li-ion battery with Quick Charge 3.0

Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 Price in Nepal (Rumored): Rs. 72,000

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Meizu smartphone with bezel-less display and 18:9 aspect ratio launching tomorrow

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January 3, 2018

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Meizu smartphone with bezel-less display and 18:9 aspect ratio launching tomorrow

Meizu, the brand that needs an introduction for some reason is about to introduce a new smartphone. And they are about to introduce it tomorrow, which for one, we know will feature a bezel-less display with 18:9 aspect ratio screen. And talking about Meizu, they did just return to the Nepali market again, thanks to Chaudhary Group (CG).

Also Read: Meizu’s come back to Nepal

Getting back to the smartphone that is about to launch tomorrow. The phone in talks here is most probably the Meizu M6S or Blue Charm S in China.

The things we know about the phone is it’s 18:9 aspect ratio display. Also, according to a leak a few days back, the phone will feature a 5.7-inch display. The battery life is also expected to be at an exact 2630 mAh.

The smartphone could also feature a Samsung Exynos chipset and a fingerprint reader at the right side. Meizu plans to launch 6 new phone in the first half of 2018. And looks like the M6S is the first in line among all of them.

So, are you one of the Meizu fans out there? Lets us know how you feel about it in the comments below.

Samsung Nepal set to launch Galaxy A8 and A8 Plus (2018)

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January 3, 2018

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Samsung Nepal set to launch Galaxy A8 and A8 Plus (2018)

Not many days since 2018 has started and Samsung is all set to launch two mobile phones in the galaxy series i.e. Galaxy A8 and A8 plus. The phones are expected to release in the third week of January. Smartphones of the A-series are always premium but compromise on the performance front. Over the years, they have always featured some top of the line specifications all while compromising with the performance.

Also Read: Samsung Mobiles Price in Nepal

With not many days before the launch, let’s get into the what and why’s of the phones. As the model of the phones themselves signify, these phones are similar to a great extent but with slightest of dissimilarities.

The glass front and back with aluminum body makes it a trendy phone as glass is being preferred these days. On the weight department, the A8 and A8 Plus have 172 and 191 grams of weight respectively. The A8 Plus has a taller screen i.e. 6 inches for the people who like big screens. The phones are IP68 certified which means these are dust and water resistant for 30 minutes and 1.5 meters which is an advancement.

Starting with the display, the phones have Super AMOLED display which means sharper blacks and saving of battery to a great extent which, we can barely find in phones like this as of 2017. As per the size of the screen is concerned, the phones have 18.5:9 ratio which is really good. On top of that, the phones have Corning Gorilla Glass which is again great to have on a phone.

The phones run on Android 7.1.1 Nougat version which is comparatively not as impressive as Oreo version of Android is already available. These have Octa-core Exynos 7885 which is Samsung’s own development alongside Mali G71 GPU. Faster and smoother performance can be expected with 8 cores on work. These also have a dedicated slot for micro SD card of up to 256 GB.

The Samsung Galaxy A8 Plus has 4GB of RAM for the phone with 32 GB storage whereas 6 GB of RAM for the variant with 64 GB storage, whereas, A8 has 4GB of RAM for both 32 GB and 64GB variants.

We don’t find as much of difference in the camera department as well. With 3 cameras on each, we can find 1 rear camera with 16 MP and two front cameras with 16 and 8 MP each. The aperture is also the same as the rear camera has f/1.7 and the front-facing cameras have f/1.9. With full HD quality video with 30fps, the videos will have good quality along with smooth video experience. Touch focus, face detection, panorama and HDR functions add extra oomph to the photo taking experiences.

The Samsung Galaxy A8 and A8 Plus (2018) support 3.5 mm headphone jack with a single speaker that makes it loud but probably not loud enough. Type C 1.0 reversible connector makes the charging experience faster and convenient. Radio FM option is also available for the ones who need some infotainment with all their concentration to work. The one thing that these phones have better is the rear-mounted fingerprint scanner which is below the camera rather than beside the camera which keeps the camera free from fingerprints. The Li-ion 3500 mAh battery provides the phone with a longer battery.

The phones are available in black, orchid grey, blue and gold. According to rumors, the A8 could be priced approximately Rs. 56,000 while the A8 Plus might run you Rs. 64,000. With the mentioned details both the phones look pretty promising. One of the things which I found the downside is the size of the phones as both are bigger phones that can’t be easily carried in pockets. Had one of these been smaller in size, they would be more convenient.

Deal Alert: Colors P85+ Selfie Pro & P70 Selfie U Price Drop

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January 3, 2018

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On the occasion of New Year, Colors Mobile Nepal has announced a price drop on two of its devices, namely, Colors P85+ Selfie Pro and Colors P70 Selfie U. Both of these phones are selfie centered and comes with LED flash up front. If you have been longing to buy a phone with a good selfie shooter then this might be the right time to do so.

Colors P85+ Selfie Pro

Colors P85+ Selfie Pro is the flagship phone from Colors. It is one of the few phones under Rs.15,000 that sports a 5.5-inch display and a reliable fingerprint sensor. Design-wise the phone is much more compact and looks premium compared to other phones at the same price tag. It comes with an 8MP shooter up front. Colors P85+ Selfie Pro was priced at Rs.14,995 and with the recent price drop, it’s price has been set to Rs.12,995.

Colors P85+ Selfie Pro Specifications

Display: 5.5-inch HD IPS LCD with 2.5D glass on the top; Dragontrail Glass Protection
Chipset: MediaTek MT6735
CPU: Quad-core 1.3GHz (ARM Cortex-A53)
GPU: Mali-T720
RAM: 2GB
Storage: 16GB internal storage, expandable up to 128GB via MicroSD
Front Camera: 8 MP (Hynix HI846 COB6 Sensor), f/2.2, LED flash
Rear Camera: 13 MP (Samsung’s 3L8 Sensor), f/2.0, 1.12µm pixel size, Auto Focus and LED Flash
Connectivity: Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, A-GPS, 3G, 4G LTE, OTG supported
Android Version: 7.0 Nougat
Sensors: Fingerprint, Accelerometer, Proximity, Ambient Light sensor
Battery: 3000mAh (non-removable)
Colors: Golden White

Colors P70 Selfie U

Colors P70 Selfie U is an affordable option compared to the P85+ Selfie Pro. This phone also comes with a similar 8MP Camera up front. 3 months back, this phone has already got a price drop for a certain time. The phone was priced at Rs.10,995 from its MRP Rs.12,595 now with the recent price drop it’s even cheaper at Rs.9,995.

Colors P70 Selfie U Specification

Display: 5-inch 2.5D 720P IPS LCD display with a pixel density of 294ppi
Chipset: MediaTek MT6737
CPU: Quad Cortex A53 1.3GHz
GPU: ARM Mali-T720 MP1 650MHZ
RAM: 2GB RAM
Storage: 16GB internal storage with microSD up to 128GB
Rear Camera: 8MP autofocus rear camera with F/2.2 aperture, LED flash, 1080P video recording
Front Camera: 8MP fixed focus front camera with LED flash
Connectivity: Wi-Fi b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, A-GPS, 3G, 4G LTE, OTG supported
Dimension: 144.1×72.2×9.15 ; Weight: 157.4g
Android Version: 7.0 Nougat
Sensors: Fingerprint, Accelerometer, Proximity, Ambient Light sensor
Battery: 2250mAh battery
Colors: Gold, White

Kathmandu University Computer Club set to conduct IT Meet 2018

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January 2, 2018

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Kathmandu University Computer Club set to conduct IT Meet 2018

Kathmandu University Computer Club (KUCC) is set to organize IT Meet with the slogan Discover | Develop | Deploy for the 7^th time. The event will run for two days in total – January 5 and January 6. The IT Meet 2018 has been organized to touch all the aspects of innovations regarding technology and to develop Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Nepal.

This year, KUCC is conducting the Meet with the theme “ICT for SDG”. According to the United Nations (UN), Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity. While the Global Goals are getting a lot of attention from the stakeholders, it still needs an acknowledgment from people of all parts of life. And the IT Meet aims to do just that-aware the crowd about SDG.

The KUCC IT Meet 2018 has a wide range of events up its sleeve like Hackathon, Yomari Code Camp to Python Meetup and Photography Competition. Here is a list of events that KUCC will organize:

Hackathon
Yomari Code Camp
Python Meetup
Linux Terminal Server Project (LTSP)
Project Demonstration
Software Competition
Hardware Competition
Coding Tournament and Competition
Datathon and Localization
Clean Code Talk
Career Fair
NepHack
IT Quiz
Idea Hunt
Virtual Reality Meetup
Googling
Blood Donation Event
Designing Competition
Photography Competition
Endeavor IT Meet 2018 Selfie Contest
Movie Screening
Gaming Events

KUCC will be conducting the event in Nepal’s only IT Park, which is located at Banepa-Panauti Road, Kavre. If you wish to know more about the event, do visit KUCC’s website.

Sony α7RIII launching soon in Nepal: Exciting freebies for the Pre-bookers

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January 2, 2018

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Sony α7RIII launching soon in Nepal: Exciting freebies for the Pre-bookers

Nepa Hima Trade Link Pvt. Ltd., the authorized distributor of Sony products in Nepal started taking pre-orders for their most anticipated mirrorless camera, the Sony α7RIII. Priced at Rs. 3,76,950, Sony α7RIII comes with freebies worth Rs. 23,100 if ordered within January 5, 2018.

Also Read: TOP 3 Entry Level DSLRs in Nepal

Sony a7RIII is the latest device in the arsenal of Sony cameras, which is the successor of infamous Sony A7RII. The Sony Alpha 7RII was already pleasing in terms of design and with its overwhelming potential. Now with the improved and added functionalities, Sony Alpha 7RIII has been irresistible in the photographers’ community. With the light and compact body, featuring prolific high-resolution capabilities, Sony a7RIII has raised the temptation even to the Nikon and Canon fans.

Also Read: Nepa Hima launches Sony a9 in Nepal

Nepa Hima started taking pre-orders since the late November and offering a 64GB Ultra HighSpeed SD Card, and an extra NPFZ100 Battery worth Rs. 23100 free. Interested ones can order the device until January 5, 2018 at Rs. 3,76,950 and grab the freebies.

Sony α7RIII Specs in a Nutshell

35mm Full-Frame 42.4 MP Back-Illuminated Exmor CMOS Image Sensor with Evolved Image Processing
Pixel Size: 4.51 microns
Continuous Shooting at up to 10 fps
35.9mm x 24.0mm Sensor Size
399 phase-detection AF points covering 68% of the image area, 425 contrast AF points
5-axis optical in-body image stabilization with a 5.5 step shutter speed advantage
High-Resolution 4K Movie Shooting with full pixel readout and no pixel binning7
Shutter Speed range: 30-1/8000 seconds
ISO Rating: AUTO (ISO 100-12800; selectable lower limit and upper limit), ISO 100 – 32000, expandable to ISO 50 – 102400
Image file format: JPEG, RAW (14-bit ARW 2.3), RAW+JPEG
Movie file format: XAVC S / AVCHD 2.0 / MP4; Audio: LPCM / Dolby Digital (AC-3) / MPEG-4 AAC-LC, stereo
DxOMark Sensor score: 100
Weight: 657 grams (includes batteries)
Battery life: Approx. 530 still shots, 100 minutes videos
Built-In Viewfinder
Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth, Microphone jack, Headphone jack, remote control
Price: Rs. 3,76,950

Apple Addresses the Issue of Slowing down Old iPhone

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January 1, 2018

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Apple Addresses the Issue of Slowing down Old iPhone

It’s all over the news and it’s real. Apple finally confirms that they have been slowing down the older versions of iPhones to make improvisation on the battery life. So what has been the case? Why has Apple done so and what consequences are they facing?

Some Reddit users noticed that their phones were slowing down after they got iOS updates. When tested with Geekbench, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6s performed poorly than expected after the iOS update however it started functioning fine when it got it’s battery replaced. An iPhone user tweeted:

After numerous complaints, Apple finally admitted that they started slowing down older iPhones with lower-capacity batteries, mainly to prevent accidental shutdowns since last year. Apple made following comment on the issue:

“Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices. Lithium-ion batteries become less capable of supplying peak current demands when in cold conditions, have a low battery charge or as they age over time, which can result in the device unexpectedly shutting down to protect its electronic components.”

Last year we released a feature for iPhone 6, iPhone 6s and iPhone SE to smooth out the instantaneous peaks only when needed to prevent the device from unexpectedly shutting down during these conditions. We’ve now extended that feature to iPhone 7 with iOS 11.2, and plan to add support for other products in the future.”

After this incident, many lawsuits were filed against Apple. iPhone users got furious with Apple’s move. It was always a controversy that Apple would slow down iPhones to force the customers to buy a new one but after they themselves confirmed this, there was no stopping by. Apple really has hardcore fans which most other companies hardly manage to have but this incident has created a lot of trust issues among iPhone users and the company.

What does Apple plan to regain the trust of their consumers? Apple wrote to its customers an apology about the issue. To address our customers’ concerns, to recognize their loyalty and to regain their trust,

Apple decided to take the following steps:

Apple reduced the price of an out-of-warranty iPhone battery replacement by $50 — from $79 to $29, for anyone with an iPhone 6 or later whose battery needs to be replaced, available worldwide through December 2018.
Also, Apple will issue an iOS software update with new features that give users more visibility into the health of their iPhone’s battery, so they can see for themselves if its condition is affecting performance.
Apple is working on ways to make the user experience even better, including improving how to manage performance and avoid unexpected shutdowns as batteries age.

In its letter, Apple also says “we’ve always wanted our customers to be able to use their iPhones as long as possible.” If Apple is serious about that and equally serious about the battery being a consumable, these few steps are just the beginning of a major reset in the way we think about maintaining the most important devices in our lives. In any event, Apple has a long way to go rebuilding trust with its customers.

Official Oreo Update Rolling Out for Mi A1

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January 1, 2018

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Official Oreo Update Rolling Out for Mi A1

Mi A1 is the first phone from Xiaomi to come with Stock Android ditching the MIUI ROM. We recently did the review of Mi A1 where we opted for the Public Oreo Beta of the device. The update was really smooth for day to day operation and we couldn’t found any noticeable bugs whatsover. Now, A1’s oreo update is out of beta and is available to all the owners of the phone.

Xiaomi promised to provide the Oreo update before the end of 2017 and they are right on time keeping their promise at the very end of the year. So if you own a Mi A1 phone then you should be getting that Software Update Available notification pretty soon. The update is 1107MB in size and also contains the December Security update. It’ll upgrade your phone to 8.0, not the latest 8.1. But it is certain that this phone will get that update in the future as well. Xiaomi has even promised the update for Andorid P. The best thing about the phone is probably the constant security updates it gets. The phone supports fast charging but it was disabled in Nougat for some reason. With the new update, however, fast charging has been unlocked.

Since it’s stock Android, it gets all the goodness that Oreo has to offer. This includes:

Picture in Picture Mode:

Picture-in-Picture-Mi-A1-Oreo — Image: Tom’s Guide

Minimize video window on YouTube and other media to continue using the phone with a floating video window.

Notification Dots:

Notification Dots is a minimal approach to make the notifications less intrusive. Whenever you had a notification, there used to be notification count on top of the app but now that has changed with a subtle dot. This shows that the app has some notification.

New Emojis:

The Oreo update has removed the blob emojis and replaced it with more expressive and colorful emojis. It has also introduced few new emojis.

Smart Text Selection:

With smart text selection, whenever you copy something, Google will identify what that text is and provide you with the option for that text. Like if you select an address, then the popup menu will suggest you the Google Maps app to look for that location.

Bundled Notifications and Redesigned Settings Menu:

Notifications are much more organized on the Oreo. You have all the notifications from a single app bundled as one on much minimal design. The best thing is, you can now snooze your notification and make it appear after some time.

The settings menu has been redesigned and bundled to make it easier to find the options you are looking for.

There’s so much more the new Oreo has to offer. This includes faster app opening time, better memory management, faster boot time and so on.

Umidigi G Review: Good Budget Option, But its Not Perfect

GadgetByte

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December 30, 2017

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Umidigi G Review: Good Budget Option, But its Not Perfect

Umidigi is another brand that entered the Nepali smartphone market in 2017. And even though the name “Umidigi” is itself a new name, the cellphone maker seems pretty determined to make a stamp in the chaotic offline dominated market of Nepal.

Umidigi, previously known as Umi entered Nepal with 5 new devices with the hopes of providing good smartphones in a pocket-friendly budget. The Umidigi G is one of their offerings on a budget of just under Rs 15,000, which will see it compete with the likes of Nokia 3, Moto E4, Colors P85+ selfie pro and a few others.

Specifications of Umidigi G

5.0-inch (720 x 1280 pixels) HD SHARP 2.5D curved display
Corning Gorilla Glass 4 protection
1.3Ghz Quad-core MediaTek MT6737 processor
2GB RAM; 16 GB internal memory, expandable microSD up to 256GB
Android v7.0 (Nougat)
8MP rear camera with LED flash
2MP front camera
Dual Hybrid SIM (Nano+Nano/TF Card) with 4G LTE
Front-mounted fingerprint sensor
2000 mAh battery
Full Metal Body
UMIDIGI G Price in Nepal: Rs. 14,900

Build and Design

The phone is pretty sturdy, with a plastic body on all sides except the front, which is protected by a Gorilla Glass 4. The phone definitely looks a lot like an iPhone 7, with the antenna lines and the unibody look-a-like back. There is even a small camera bump on the back along with a home button at the front.

The volume and power buttons have a tactile feel to them. The fingerprint is located at the front, which doesn’t double as a home button for some reason. The charging port and headphone jack are at the top along and the bottom covers the loudspeakers and the mic. And finally, the left has the lonely SIM tray.

Display

The smartphone has a 5-inch display with a resolution of 1280*720. It has a 2.5D curved glass with Gorilla Glass 4 protection. This display is good at an acceptable 294ppi but with washed out color reproduction. It is also pretty dim under direct sunlight and pretty bright for night time usage too, which does reduce its usability by a little.

Camera

This phone has, at most, an average camera. The colors look washed out and out of focus for the most part. The rear camera with a resolution of 8MP aided by a flash felt uninspiring, especially in low light. You really need a steady hand to take even the least decent shot.

Umidigi G gadgetbyte nepal Sample — Front Camera

This phone has a 2MP sensor at the front, which is usable. Although the selfies did come a bit washed out, they were far from bad.

Performance

The phone runs on a 1.3Ghz Quad-core MediaTek MT6737 processor with 2GB of RAM and 16GB of expandable storage. It is a pretty mediocre processor, but thanks to the stock Android the phone does run relatively well. Basic tasks like calls and social media run well, with a few lags here and there.

The RAM is sufficient and the internal storage is also pretty adequate. It’s a hybrid expandable storage option, so consider that before your purchase. The phone does support up to a staggering 256GB of addable storage, which is nice as well.

Software/UI

Software, on the other hand, is a hit. Even with a mediocre performing spec sheet, the software played a huge role in the user experience of the device. The phone runs on a pure version of Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box, which is nice considering you get no bloatware, no unnecessary lags, and just a simple smooth UI.

The drawback here is, even though it runs on the latest Android Nougat, the UI seems to be a bit outdated. But that by no means is a deal breaker.

Connectivity

The phone supports either two SIM cards or one SIM and another MicroSD card for storage expansion. The maximum expandable storage capacity is 256GB and both the SIM slots support 4G at the same time. The call quality and strenght was average as expected in budget phones like this.

The Umidigi G also features a fingerprint scanner which is accurate most of the times, but it takes about 1 sec which is slightly slower than what I expected.

Battery

A 5-inch 1280*720 resolution display paired with a 2000mAh battery is the weakest point of the Umidigi G. In my day to day usage, I got a screen on time of around 2-3 hours which is not enough for a full day usage.

The worst part is it takes a little over two hours to completely go from 0 to 100%. So, if you are anyone who values battery life on a smartphone, you should probably stay away from this phone.

Conclusion

If you are in a market for a Rs.15,000 smartphone, you will be confused with a lots of option. But, among all the bunch, Umidigi G offers better design and excellent user experience. At Rs.14,900, it is a good option and puts up a decent challenge against the competition. However, it is not perfect as it lacks to compete against phones like Gionee X1 and Xiaomi Mi A1 in the camera and battery department.

[/su_table]

Pros	Cons
720P display with Gorilla Glass 4 protection	Lack luster Camera
Decent Performance	Below Average Battery Life
Good Looks

Also Read: Top Smartphones Below Rs. 15,000 in Nepal