OnePlus Buds Z2 may come with noise cancellation, Dolby Atmos support and 38 hours of playback time

 

Before OnePlus can even confirm the existence of its Buds Z2, rumours are aplenty about the upcoming TWS earphones and a new one shares some insights onto its specifications. Here is a look.

OnePlus Buds Z2 are the next set of highly anticipated true wireless stereo (TWS) earphones in India. From what has been speculated so far, OnePlus might launch the Buds Z2 sometime in October. Rumours around the earphones are thus aplenty and a new one suggests that they will come with active noise cancellation and Dolby Atmos support.

The new tip has come from Max Jambor, known for such leaks around OnePlus and other consumer technology products. Earlier this year, he hinted that OnePlus will skip the OnePlus 9T model this year, a move that was only recently confirmed by OnePlus CEO Pete Lau. So we can expect the information by Jambor to be true as well.

About the Buds Z2, the tipster suggests that new OnePlus TWS earphones will come with Bluetooth 5.2 for connectivity, an upgrade over the Bluetooth 5.0 seen on the Buds Z. The new model will also feature the IP 55 rating for water and sweat resistance, just like the last year's TWS earphones.

A big upgrade will be the active noise cancellation (ANC) on the OnePlus Buds Z2. In addition, the new TWS earphones will also feature Dolby Atmos support, so these are the two big features that the OnePlus Buds Z missed out on.

In his tweet sharing the specifications in a rather fancy image, Jambor also hints at the battery performance of the OnePlus Buds Z2. According to him, the TWS earphones will have a playback time of up to 38 hours, accounting the battery within the charging case. As for the earbuds, they will last up to 7 hours on one full charge. Charging the Buds Z2 for 10 minutes will give a playback time of around 5 hours. This battery capacity is understandably for the use of the earphones without ANC.

Jambor mentions that the new OnePlus earphones will be available in Black and White colour options. The Black would be a new colour choice as the OnePlus Buds Z came in a White and a Silver finish instead. It is possible that OnePlus launches another special edition variant for the Buds Z2 like last time.

Previous speculations have suggested that the OnePlus Buds Z2 will come with slight design changes over the OnePlus Buds Z. There is no hint at the price though, nor the exact launch date for the OnePlus TWS earphones. Expect an announcement from OnePlus some time later in October

Xiaomi launched TWS 3 Pro as world’s first TWS earbuds with LDHC 4.0

Xiaomi has finally unveiled the new Civi smartphone and Watch Color 2 but what remained at the center of the stage is the Xiaomi TWS 3 Pro. Even though they appear to be Apple AirPod knock-offs, there are some new elements added to the design that makes it stand out from the crowd.

With this, Xiaomi TWS 3 Pro, as what the brand claims, becomes the world’s first TWS earbuds to feature LHDC 4.0 codec that’d boost audio quality to “HiFi-level”. Xiaomi has also opted for Adaptive ANC on its TWS for the first time. There is a 3-stage noise reduction, an ambient mode, and a human voice-enhancing mode involved in the entire Adaptive ANC process. The numbers suggest it can clip off noises up to 40dB which is decent for a TWS.

The new earbuds also feature spatial (or 360°) audio and come with Type-C charging. Though the company claims it to last up to 6 hours alone with ANC off, we may see these numbers varying in real-life scenarios.  There are 3 color options that are on offer, black, white, and deep forest green. The brand asserts that the buds have also been kept lighter and smaller than their predecessors, to offer increased comfort and decreased obtrusiveness.

Pricing

Xiaomi True Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones 3 Pro starts at 699 yuan (~US$92).

The sale has already gone live to pre-book the buds in China. General orders begin on October 9, 2021.

Top iOS 15 Features and Devices Supported

 

Which iPhones get iOS 15?

Here are all the devices that can install iOS 15:

• iPhone 6s
• iPhone 6s Plus
• iPhone SE (2016)
• iPhone 7
• iPhone 7 Plus
• iPhone 8
• iPhone 8 Plus
• iPhone X
• iPhone XS
• iPhone XS Max
• iPhone XR
• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone SE (2020)
• iPhone 12 mini
• iPhone 12
• iPhone 12 Pro
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• All iPhone 13 models
• Also the current iPod touch and the new iPod touch if and when it eventually launches.

New iPhone features in iOS 15

The iOS 15 segment of the WWDC presentation earlier this year was phenomenally dense, with dozens of upgrades and new features to cover. Here are the highlights.

FaceTime

Lots of changes are coming to FaceTime, Apple's video-calling service.

Apple is adding Spatial Audio to FaceTime, which will make each participant's audio contributions appear to come from the appropriate location on the screen. It's also working to improve audio clarity with Voice Isolation, a mode which will use machine learning to identify and remove ambient noise - although you will also have the option to instead activate Wide Spectrum audio, to deliberately include background noise.

You get some new interface options, too. You can opt for Portrait mode, which as on stills photography will blur the background and draw attention to the subject. Or use the new grid view, for a better way of seeing all the participants in a group chat rather than foregrounding the speaker.

Apple is also responding, perhaps a little belatedly, to the world's increasing reliance on video calling for work meetings. The company is letting iPhone users create FaceTime 'meetings' by generating a link that can be shared via email, iMessage and so on, or entering it as a Calendar entry.

SharePlay

SharePlay is a fascinating new feature that's connected to FaceTime but deserves its own section. It's essentially designed to let you flip out of a FaceTime chat using picture-in-picture, activate another app, and then have that app effect everyone on the call.

The most obvious application is music. You hop into the Music app without actually leaving the chat, pick a song, and then have that song plays for everyone. You can create a shared playlist and have everyone contribute tracks.

This also works for video - Apple said HBO Max, Disney+, Hulu, Twitch and TikTok are all on board - and extend the video you're watching to your Apple TV for a larger screen. And SharePlay can be used for screen-sharing, for troubleshooting or showing off gameplay.

There's a SharePlay API, so we're fascinated to see what third-party app developers come up with for this intriguing feature.

Focus

We knew a little about this feature before the event, although we didn't know it was going to be called Focus.

This allows you to create multiple bundles of settings for segments of your life. So you can create a work Focus status, and your availability, notification settings, and arrangement of apps and widgets on your Home screen will all be tailored to suit your work life. You can create another for when you're sleeping, or for your recreational time. It's the same sort of idea as Do Not Disturb While Driving, but extended to more contexts.

Another feature that could help you focus is Background Noise. This feature will deliberately generate background noise, including Ocean, Rain and River sounds. Read how to use Background Noise and play these sounds on your iPhone here: How to play Background Noise in iOS 15.

Photos

Photo search continues to improve. Spotlight search will pop up photos now, including searching for text displayed in the images.

This is connected to a feature called Live Text. If you look at a photo - either through the viewfinder, live, or in your photo library - a button will appear at the bottom right allowing your to activate Live Text. This will search for and highlight text in the image, allowing you to select, copy or interact with it - if it's a phone number, for example, you can tap and then choose to call it.

Live Text will understand seven languages at launch.

The expanded intelligence of Photos is not limited to text, however. There will also be non-textual Visual Look Up, allowing you to query the breed of a pictured dog, for example, or the identity of a work of art or landmark.

None of this is new to the tech industry, of course, and Google Photos has proved itself adept at such computational feats in the past. But it's a step forward for iOS.

Wallet

Wallet is expanding its scope to include keys - this seems particularly handy for hotel keys and workplaces - and a general-use identity card which Apple says will be accepted in airports.

Weather

Weather gets a new design, lots of attractive new animations, and new climate maps.

Maps

Talking of maps, Apple's Maps app is looking extremely appealing. It's getting lots of additional road details in cities, such as turn lanes, bus, taxi and bike lanes, and pedestrian crossings. There's an attractive nighttime view, too.

Transit directions will be more helpful, with notifications telling you when it's time to disembark and an AR feature that reorients you when you come out of a station and don't know which direction to walk.

AirPods features

Last but not least, iOS 15 brings a few features for AirPods owners, such as improved performance in the Find My app, a separation alert and the ability to read out high-priority notifications that are applicable to the context.

iPhone 13 launched

 Apple Inc unveiled the iPhone 13 and a new iPad mini on Tuesday, expanding 5G connectivity and showing off faster chips and sharper cameras without raising the phone's price.

The Cupertino-based company's annual event was keenly watched as users and software developers expected major upgrades to the product. Though Apple did not announce any blockbuster features or products, but analysts expect customers hanging onto older models like the iPhone X will be eager to upgrade.

In the United States, participating wireless carriers are offering incentives ahead of the year-end holiday season to encourage trade-ins.

The company has been launching multiple models of the iPhone to give users more options to choose from, thereby helping in its overall sales.

Here is a look at prices of some popular iPhone models.

iPhone X series

iPhone XS	₹59,999
iPhone XS Max	₹69,586
iPhone XR	₹42,999

iPhone 11 series

iPhone 11	₹56,900
iPhone 11 Pro	₹79,999
iPhone 11 Pro Max	₹94,900

iPhone 12 series

iPhone 12 Mini	₹59,990
iPhone 12	₹78,950
iPhone 12 Pro	₹1,06,900
iPhone 12 Pro Max	₹1,15,900

iPhone 13 series

iPhone 13 Mini	₹69,900
iPhone 13	₹79,900
iPhone 13 Pro	₹1,19,900
iPhone 13 Pro Max	₹1,29,900

Though iPhone 13 is not available in stores yet, but Apple has released its prices on its website. The iPhone is Apple's most important product, but Apple has rolled out a web of service and other products that are seen as locking customers into a system they enjoy - and would find expensive to leave.

Flipkart extends credit limit for Pay Later feature to Rs 70,000 from Rs 10,000

Flipkart Pay Later EMI facility has extended its credit limit to Rs 70,000 from the earlier Rs 10,000. The credit can be paid back till up to 12 months, tenures such as 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and a year. The credit limit has been extended to increase affordability and convenience of purchases on the platform during the festive season.

The product will also be opened to all. So far, 100 million pre-approved consumers have access to Flipkart Pay Later. After the expansion, consumers beyond this 100 million will also be able to apply for the product after furnishing relevant information.

To access this EMI facility of the e-commerce giant, users will have to provide details such as PAN and Aadhaar numbers, verify the Aadhaar number with OTP, and verify their bank account details. While making purchases, all a buyer needs to do is select ‘Flipkart Pay Later EMI’ as their payment option and choose their preferred tenure.

“Customer choices are fuelled by aspirations. Our endeavour is to make products accessible and affordable so that customers can fulfill these aspirations. Many high-value purchases are made during the festive season and we have strengthened our EMI offerings to ensure that customers can manage finances and expenses judiciously during this period,” said Ranjith Boyanapalli, Head of Fintech and Payments Group at Flipkart.

                                                                                                      

Wonder why Apple stopped giving chargers with iPhones? Here's the reason

 Apple had tackled the criticism it faced by stating that this move was for the benefit of the environment. The firm has now released some figures which showcase the impact made by its decision to stop giving out charging adapter with iPhones

Apple had announced in 2020 that the firm will no longer be giving out charging adapters along with iPhones upon purchase. This decision by the technology giant had caused a furore among buyers. The common outcry was that iPhones are expensive and the least Apple could do is provide a charging adapter along with the smartphone.

Apple had tackled the criticism it faced by stating that this move was for the benefit of the environment. The firm has now released some figures which showcase the impact made by its decision to stop giving out charging adapter with iPhones.

Apple has stated that that power adapters use large amount of materials such as plastic, copper, and zinc for manufacturing. Apple was able to conserve 8.61 lakh tons of copper, zinc and metal by not giving out charging adapters with its iPhones, the firm stated in its Environmental Progress Report.

Apple explained that by not giving out a charger it was able to reduce the size of the iPhone box thus making the packaging process more efficient. "Leaving out those adapters was a bold change for Apple, and a necessary one for our planet," said Apple on the environment page of its website.

"Since removing them from iPhone and Apple Watch packaging last year, we've avoided mining a significant amount of materials from the earth, and we've eliminated the emissions that come from processing and transporting them," stated Apple.

In its Environmental Progress Report, Apple states that it was able to reduce CO2 emissions to 22.6 million tons from 25.1 million tons in 2019. The firm claims that by introducing the M1 chip for its Mac devices, the firm was able to reduce its overall carbon footprint by 34 per cent.

Do Not Click WhatsApp Message For Changing To Pink Colour, Phone Can Be Hacked

New Delhi, 19th April 2021: These days a Whatsapp viral message is becoming very viral. It claims to change WhatsApp to pink colour. A link is also given in the message. Cyber experts have advised not to click on the link given in the message.

If you click on the link your phone will be hacked and you may not be able to use WhatsApp. Let’s know how to avoid it.

In the viral message, it is being claimed that clicking on the link will make WhatsApp pink and add new features to it. It is said to be the official update of WhatsApp.

Cybersecurity expert Rajasekhar Rajhariya has written on social media, “Be careful about Whatsapp Pink! Attempting to spread the virus in WhatsApp group with APK download link.”

Rajaharia has advised not to click on any link in the name of WhatsApp Pink. Clicking on the link will make it difficult to use the phone.

At the same time, Jiten Jain, director of cybersecurity company Voyager InfoSec, said that users are advised not to install APK or other mobile apps other than Google or Apple’s official App Store. He said that with this type of app, your phone can get penetrated and information like photos, SMS, contacts, etc. can be stolen.

When contacted, WhatsApp said, “Anyone can get an unusual, uncharacteristic or suspicious message on any service, including email, and anytime that happens we strongly encourage everyone to use caution before responding or engaging. On WhatsApp in particular, we also recommend that people use the tools that we provide within the app to send us a report, report a contact or block contact.”

8 iPhone Battery Saving Tips That You Must Know

 Because of the way charge cycles work, keeping your battery from being depleted too fast can lengthen its lifespan.

In other words, battery saving tips will help. Here are a few of our favorites that you should keep in mind.

• Keep your brightness as low as you can stand.
• Make sure you always have the latest up-to-date version of iOS installed on your device.
• Use Safari instead of third-party browsers like Google Chrome or Firefox.
• Background App Refresh, which lets an app automatically update content in the background, is a notorious battery killer. Try going into Settings > General > Background App Refresh and disabling it for apps that don’t need it.
• Location Services is a similar story. Go to Settings > Privacy > Location Services and disable it for apps that don’t need to know where you are. At the very least, set it to While Using for apps that do need your location.
• Go to Settings > Mail > Accounts > Fetch New Data. Set Fetch to a longer time interval, or alternatively, set it to Manual to save the most battery life.
• Navigate to the Battery menu to figure out which apps are eating up the most battery life. Deal with them accordingly.
• If you use Spotify or Apple Music, try listening to music via Wi-FI instead of over cellular. Or, better yet, download songs to your device for offline listening.

What happens if battery degrade?

Apple defines an officially degraded battery as any one that contains less than 80 percent of its original battery capacity.

A degraded battery will no longer be able to pump out the same amount of power as a fresh one. That can cause problems during times of peak power draw, such as when you’re running CPU-intensive applications.

In some cases, hitting that peak power threshold will cause an iPhone to randomly shut down.

Of course, Apple has baked in a failsafe to prevent random shutdowns: power throttling. By slowing down the performance of your iPhone, there’s less demand on the battery and less chance of a random shutdown.

In recent versions of iOS, Apple has given users the option of turning off power management. This will result in more random shutdowns in severely degraded batteries. Users will need to weigh the pros and cons of each themselves.

Put simply, it’s nearly impossible to track what’s a “normal” rate of battery decay.

That’s largely because battery degradation depends on how often you use your smartphone and what you use your smartphone for, among other factors.

Apple says that it should take about 500 complete charge cycles for a fresh battery to degrade to 80 percent.

A charge cycle is defined as a device that’s completely charged being depleted to 0 percent.

Of course, partially charging your iPhone from whatever point it’s at will eventually add up to complete charge cycles.

Based on some rudimentary math, a degradation of 1 percent of battery capacity per month may be normal. That’s if you frequently use, deplete and charge your smartphone.

But, again, so much of this is variable that it’s hard to give a concrete number. Your mileage may vary drastically.

What makes your battery degrade

Essentially, anything that will run through your iPhone’s battery quickly can degrade it, since you’ll be using up your charge cycles.

Power-hungry apps like those that use Background App Refresh and Location Services are common culprits.

As far as other factors, they’re pretty varied, too.

For example, if your smartphone gets too hot while charging, it can irreparably damage your battery — in turn, reducing your battery’s overall lifespan and capacity.

A good tip is to take off any case on your iPhone before charging and to ensure that you never charge your iPhone in the sun or in hot ambient temperatures.

Some users report faster battery degradation when using USB-C fast charging, while others claim leaving your iPhone on the charger for too long can sap battery capacity.

OnePlus Band teased on Amazon, launch date, price in India leaked ahead of launch

 

HIGHLIGHTS

• OnePlus Band has been teased ahead of launch.
• OnePlus Band is tipped for January 11 launch.
• The OnePlus Band could be priced at Rs 2,499.

OnePlus looks all set to launch its first wearable, the OnePlus Band, later this month. The rumoured fitness tracker has been tipped to first launch in India and then make way to markets across the world. Ahead of its launch, information about the OnePlus Band has been shared by tipster Ishan Agarwal on Twitter where he has revealed the date, price and other features of the device.

Agarwal has claimed that the OnePlus Band will launch in India on January 11, and the fitness Band will be launched in India at a price of Rs 2,499 which will enable it to take on Xiaomi and other device makers.

Additionally, the OnePlus Band has also been listed on Amazon, where it has been revealed that the fitness wearable will be an exclusive to the e-commerce portal and as such will be going on sale on Amazon. To create hype for the device, the phone maker has also set-up a dedicated microsite for the product which reveals that the fitness band will come with sleep tracking, real-time heart rate tracking, and water resistance.

As far as the features of the band are concerned, it is suggested that it will come with sleep tracking, real-time heart rate monitoring, and water resistance. Additionally, the OnePlus Band will also come with blood saturation monitoring features. All of this will be accessed through a 1.1-inch touch display, and the band will be kept alive using a battery that offers a 14-day battery life, and 13 exercise modes including Outdoor Run, Cycling, Cricket, Pool Swim, Yoga, and more.

Earlier, OnePlus Band's existence was also tipped by Android Central. In its report, the publication had claimed that the fitness tracker will be called the OnePlus Band and that it will precede the smartwatch that the company plans to launch in the coming months. The OnePlus Band is expected to serve as a competitor to the Xiaomi Mi Band series which is one of the most popular products in the segment.

As per the report, OnePlus Band will come with an affordable price of around $40 and in exchange bring with itself an OLED display, water resistance, and multi-day battery life as well as support for tracking basic fitness stats.

Dell launches PCs, laptops targeted at users working from home

Laptop maker Dell has launched a line up of desktops and laptops

 to suit professionals working from home.

The 5G-enabled ‘Latitude 9420’ comes with a built-in speakerphone 

and camera enhancements that provide automatic light correction

 and background blur for video calls.

It is said to be the world’s first personal computer that uses Intel’s 

Visual Sensing technology to offer auto-wake and lock features,

 according to a company statement.

The announcements come ahead of CES 2021, a tech event scheduled 

to be held virtually next week.

The ‘Latitude 7520’ comes with a 15-inch screen and offers a 

4K ultra-high definition display and full high definition camera.

The Latitude line of PCs also include an automatic webcam shutter 

that knows when to open or close the camera by syncing 

with webcam applications.

The Texas-based technology firm is said to have launched the world’s 

first 40-inch ultrawide 5K2K monitor called Dell UltraSharp 40 

Curved WUHD Monitor. The new line of PCs also reduce low blue 

light for users constantly in front of screens, Dell said.

The Dell 34 Curved Video Conferencing Monitors are specially 

designed for video-conferencing and certified by Microsoft Teams. 

They also offer facial recognition and hands-free commands for convenience.