Heena Sharma Blog

  With 14,348 people testing positive for coronavirus in a day, India's total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 3,42,46,157, while the active cases were recorded at 1,61,334, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday. The death toll climbed to 4,57,191 with 805 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am. The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 30,000 for 35 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 124 consecutive days now. The active cases comprise 0.47 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.19 per cent, the ministry said. An increase of 345 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70...

  American tech giant Google released Android 12 last week, and now it's announcing the next feature drop which it's calling Android 12L. The L stands for Large screens, as the focus of this release will be all about better adapting the OS to tablets, foldables, and ChromeOS devices. As per GSM Arena, Android 12L will become available early next year, in time for the next wave of Android 12 tablets and foldables. A developer preview of Android 12L is now out for emulator use, and it will be available soon for Lenovo's Tab P12 Pro. Later a public beta for Pixel devices will be opened too, as Android 12L will also arrive as an update for phones, even though most of its features won't be visible on smaller screens. The UI has been refined for use on large screens. This includes notifications, quick settings, the lock screen, the home screen, the overview/recent apps panel, and so on. On large screens, the notification shade, lock screen, and other system surfaces al...

  India logged 13,451 new coronavirus infections, taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,42,15,653, while the active cases declined to 1,62,661, the lowest in 242 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday. The death toll climbed to 4,55,653 with 585 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am. The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 30,000 for 33 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 122 consecutive days. The active cases comprise 0.48 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.19 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said. A decrease of 1,155 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. Read More

  It hasn't been long since Vivo launched its X60 series (review) that placed the Chinese smartphone maker at a fine spot in the cluttered smartphone market in India. And Vivo did not take long to launch its X70 series , yet again in collaboration with lens major Zeiss. The X70 series is geared towards content creators as imaging remains a focus here, not just that, the new series also features Vivo’s V1 imaging chip, which the company claims took almost two years to develop. That said, Vivo’s X60 Pro and X60 Pro+ had already set the bar so high for rivals and now with a new iteration in the X series, it remains to be seen if Vivo lives up to the expectation. I took the X70 Pro+ for a spin—from photography to gaming, I put the phone to a stiff test to see what’s on offer. I’ll talk about everything this phone has to offer in this review: Vivo X70 Pro+: Design and build quality Vivo X70 Pro+ The very first thing one notices in the X70 Pro+ is the rear camera module that...

  India logged 14,306 new COVID-19 cases , taking the virus tally to 3,41,89,774, while the active cases declined to 1,67,695, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Monday. The death toll climbed to 4,54,712 with 443 daily fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am. The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 30,000 for 31 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 120 consecutive days now. The active cases comprise 0.49 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.18 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said. A decrease of 4,899 cases has been recorded in the total active number of COVID-19 cases in a span of 24 hours. Read More

  A 30-year-old man succumbed to injuries in a fire that broke out at a multi-story building in Mumbai's Parel area on Friday, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials said. As per the Mumbai Fire Department , the man jumped from the 19th floor of the building. The deceased has been identified as Arun Tiwari. Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar and other officials arrived at the spot. The Level Three fire broke out at Avighna park apartment, Curry Road around 12 noon the Mumbai Fire Department. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Read More

  Amazfit GTR 3 , the successor to the Amazfit GTR 2 , seems a promising entry in this year’s smartwatch line-up, bringing several upgrades such as a brighter screen, better battery life, and more. Amazfit has been good value for money, but the only issue, as we have seen earlier, is weak software support that spoils the experience. Has Amazfit managed to cross the barrier with GTR 3? Let’s find out this and more about in this review: Amazfit GTR 3: Build and design Amazfit GTR 3 Straight out of the box, I set my eyes on this sleek smartwatch with a large round screen curved at the edges meeting aluminum alloy case giving this watch a pristine look. The GTR 3 has a 1.39-inch AMOLED HD touch display (454x454 pixels) with 326ppi pixel density. it offers crisp and bright colorus even in direct sunlight. The display has a 1,000nits peak brightness and features tempered glass with an anti-fingerprint coating. The display feels really good in daily use and clearly, this is one ...

  India logged 14,623 new coronavirus infections , taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,41,08,996, while the active cases declined to 1,78,098, the lowest in 229 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday. The death toll climbed to 4,52,651 with 197 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am. The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 30,000 for 26 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 115 consecutive days now. The active cases comprise 0.52 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.15 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said. A decrease of 5,020 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It wen...

  India logged 13,058 new coronavirus infections , the lowest in 231 days, taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,40,94,373, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday. The death toll climbed to 4,52,454 with 164 fresh fatalities, while the active cases have declined to 1,83,118, the lowest in 227 days, according to the data updated at 8 am. The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 30,000 for 25 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 114 consecutive days now. The active cases comprise 0.54 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.14 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said. A decrease of 6,576 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 l...

  The iPad Mini has been through five cycles of generational refreshes, yet its design has not been as radically improved as it has in the recently launched sixth-generation upgrade. Called the iPad Mini 6 or iPad Mini 2021 by technology enthusiasts, the new iPad Mini looks modern and in line with Apple’s most other big-screen tablets. The design refresh boasts trimmed display bezel areas, which allowed Apple to accommodate a tad bigger screen than the last-generation model, without compromising on the compact ergonomics the iPad Mini is known for. Other design changes include flat sides and back, both of which aid handling and improve overall usability. Speaking of handling, the iPad Mini has a fingerprint scanner (Touch ID) embedded in its power button mounted on the top side. It takes some time to get comfortable with it, especially if you are a user of the iPhone X or higher models. Once accustomed, the Touch ID feels natural to use for unlocking the device, logging in to a...

  Short video platform TikTok emerged as the most downloaded non-gaming app worldwide for September 2021 with more than 59 million installs. According to Sensor Tower, the countries with the largest number installs were from Douyin in China at 16 per cent, followed by the US at 12 per cent. Facebook was the second most installed non-gaming app worldwide last month with more than 51 million installs. The countries with the largest number of Facebook installs were from India at 29 per cent, followed by Indonesia at 7 per cent. Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger rounded out the top five most installed non-gaming apps worldwide for the month. Meanwhile, PUBG Mobile from Tencent was the top grossing mobile game worldwide for August 2021 with approximately $270 million in player spending, which represented 4.7 per cent growth from August 2020. About 61.4 per cent of PUBG Mobile's revenue was from China, where it has been localized as Game For Peace, followed by 9 per cent from...

  Samsung has announced that it will hold a second Galaxy Unpacked event on October 20. The event will be livestreamed on the company's YouTube channel beginning at 7 a.m. PT. The new invitation for the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked Event Part 2 says that it will "open up new experiences for self-expression through technology." Leaks suggest that the smartphone maker may launch the often-rumoured Galaxy S21 FE at the event or possibly new mid-range devices. The Galaxy S21 FE will be reportedly powered by the Snapdragon 888 processor from Qualcomm Inc. But due to supply issues, the South Korean tech giant may also use in-house Exynos chips. The world's largest smartphone maker was first expected to unveil the Galaxy S21 FE with its new foldable smartphones at the Galaxy Unpacked online event in August. But market watchers now predict that the Galaxy S21 FE is likely to be introduced separately this month. Read More

  Apple has released iOS 15.0.2 , the second update to the iOS 15 operating system that was released in September. According to Apple's release notes, the updates address several issues, including bugs in the Find My app that prevented the iPhone Leather Wallet with MagSafe as well as AirTag from connecting or appearing in the app. The update also adds fix for a CarPlay bug that could cause CarPlay to fail to open audio apps, and an issue that could cause device restore or updates to fail on iPhone 13 models. In addition, there is also a fix for a glitch that saw photos saved to your library from Messages deleted after removing the associated thread or message. One can update an iPhone or iPad right now by going to Settings > General > Software Update and following the prompts. Read More

  The Galaxy Watch4 Classic is among the first smartwatches to come out from the partnership between South Korean electronics maker Samsung and American technology giant Google. Based on the WearOS platform, the smartwatch gains capabilities that the previous iteration of Samsung Galaxy-series smartwatches lacked simply because they were running on its proprietary operating system, Tizen. But how big are these gains and what else is new in the Galaxy Watch4 Classic? Let’s find out. Design Some radical changes in design would have been in order to mark the beginning of new era for Google WearOS platform-based Samsung Galaxy smartwatches, but Samsung chose to stick to its classic design language. That said, the Galaxy Watch4 Classic looks identical to its predecessor. The existing Galaxy Watch users might find that boring. First-time users, however, would appreciate the classic design with a rotating ring on the bezel and stainless steel case (46mm review unit). While the watch’...

  The certainty and uncertainty abounding Apple’s September launches are constant. Nearly everyone knows that the new phone would look and feel like the older one — as they say, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it — still, there’s always the expectation that Apple might throw a surprise with a feature or two. This year’s Apple iPhone 13 launch has been no different. Apple was consistent with its design and presentation style, promising 20 per cent more something and 30 per cent higher another thing. Consumers demand a new model every year, and if a company were innovative every year, it would also be forever out of the market. Design A common feature of Apple’s announcements is that the new iPhone is the fastest, newest and “more adjectives” ever. While that is indeed true, one of the things that can be surely attested to is that the new iPhone 13 is certainly the prettiest ever. While it looks much like the Apple iPhone 12, the colour selection this year is much better. Pink, the...

  The World Health Organization (WHO) said that it has begun the shipment of COVID-19 medical supplies to North Korea through the Chinese port of Dalian, raising the possibility that the North might be easing its long-enforced tight border controls amid the global pandemic. North Korea has tightened border controls since the outbreak of the coronavirus in China, which has meant key materials and medical supplies could not be shipped to the North, Yonhap news agency reported. The North closed off a major shipping route linking Dalian to its western port of Nampo in July, as it heightened its anti-epidemic emergency status to the highest level. "To support DPR Korea (North Korea) with essential Covid-19 medical supplies, the WHO started the shipment through Dalian," the organization said in its weekly report that provides updates on situations about infections and preventive measures in the world. Read More

  India added 18,833 new coronavirus infections taking the country's tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,38,71,881, while the active cases declined to 2,46,687, the lowest in 203 days, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Wednesday. The death toll climbed to 4,49,538 with 278 fresh fatalities, according to the data updated at 8 am. The daily rise in new coronavirus infections remained below 30,000 for the 12th straight day. The active cases comprise 0.73 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 97.94 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said. A decrease of 6,215 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16. It went past 60 lakh on September 28, 70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on O...

  Cupertino based tech giant Apple is reportedly planning to launch two new iPad Pro models with low-power LTPO OLED displays for release in 2023 or 2024. LTPO OLED display technology for upcoming iPad Pro models could pave the way to support a wider range of refresh rates between 10Hz and 120Hz, reports MacRumors. OLED technology is expensive, which is a factor that has thus far limited it to smaller devices like iPhones and Apple Watches. When adopted in the iPad, it will bring improved brightness, higher contrast, deeper blacks, and wider viewing angles too. Apple will allegedly release both an 11-inch OLED iPad and a 12.9-inch OLED one in 2023, bringing more credibility to the speculation that its first OLED tablets will be in the Pro series. Read More

  India recorded 18,346 fresh COVID-19 infections in the last 24 hours, the lowest in over 6 months, the Union Health Ministry informed on Tuesday. With this, the active caseload of the country stands at 2,52,902; accounting for less than 1 per cent of the total cases. As per the ministry, the recovery rate of India is at its highest since March 2020 and currently stands at 97.93 per cent. As many as 29,639 recoveries were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total recoveries to 3,31,50,886. A total number of 57,53,94,042 tests have been conducted so far. Read More

  A drug supplier has been taken into custody by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) following a series of raids in Bandra, Andheri, and Lokhandwala, late on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday. Earlier on Sunday, the NCB arrested all eight persons who were detained in connection with the Mumbai cruise party raid. Three accused including Aryan Khan, Arbaz Seth Merchant, and Munmun Dhamecha were remanded to NCB custody by the Esplanade Court in Mumbai till today. The next hearing will be held today afternoon. Other accused Nupur Satija, Ishmeet Singh Chadha, Mohak Jaiswal, Gomit Chopra and Vikrant Chhokar were arrested and will be produced before the court today after their medical tests. On Saturday evening, an NCB team busted an alleged drugs party on the Cordelia Cruise ship which was on its way to Goa at mid-sea. Eight persons were detained for questioning by the NCB allegedly in connection with the drug seizure on the cruise ship, according to NCB Mumbai Director...

  India reported 20,799 new COVID-19 infections and 180 deaths in the last 24 hours, informed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday. India's active caseload stands at 2,64,458 which is the lowest in the last 200 days. The active cases account for less than 1 per cent of total cases, currently at 0.78 per cent, the lowest since March 2020. The recovery rate presently stands at 97.89 per cent, the highest since March 2020. With 180 deaths, the cumulative death toll has mounted to 4,48,997. According to the health ministry, the recovery of 26,718 patients in the last 24 hours has taken the cumulative tally of recovered patients since the beginning of the pandemic to 3,31,21,247. The country reported a weekly positivity rate of 1.63 per cent which is less than 3 per cent for the last 101 days. The daily positivity rate in the country stands at 2.10 per cent, less than 3 per cent for the last 35 days. Read More

  The national capital recorded a minimum temperature of 26.5 degrees Celsius, four notches above the season's average with the weather department predicting rains during the day. The relative humidity was recorded at 80 per cent. The maximum temperature will hover around 35 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department said. It has predicted generally cloudy sky with very light rain or drizzle in the afternoon or evening. The air quality index was recorded in the "moderate" category at 104, real-time data of the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) showed. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe". Read More