Heena Sharma Blog

  Google on Tuesday announced several initiatives for Indian news industry under its Google News Initiative (GNI), including the launch of Google News Showcase , a programme to train 50,000 journalists in digital skills, and training 800 small and mid sized news organisations grow their digital ad revenue. The Google New Showcase, launched late last year, and currently active in several other countries, will show content from Indian publisher partners in English and Hindi in dedicated News Showcase panels in Google News and on Discover. Showcase will have add support for more Indian languages in the future. As part of the licensing agreements with publishers, Google will also pay participating news organizations to give readers access to a limited amount of paywalled content. From today, Google News Showcase will roll out in India with 30 news publishers including national, regional and local news organizations like The Hindu Group, HT Digital Streams Ltd, Indian Express Gro...

  Parents, take it easy if your kids are spending more time on various screens. New research claims that parental restrictions on tech use have little lasting effect into adulthood and fears of widespread and long-lasting tech addiction may be overblown. The study is among the firsts to examine how digital technology use evolves from childhood to adulthood in the mobile Internet era. The data were gathered prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, which has resulted in dramatic increases in the use of technology as millions of students have been forced to attend school and socialise online. But the study authors said the findings should come as some comfort to parents worried about all that extra screen time. Read More

  Alphabet Inc's Google said on Thursday it plans to launch a VPN service for consumers, which would be available with certain subscription plans for its Google One cloud storage services. Designed for secure internet usage, virtual private networks (VPNs) are used by individuals in countries where access to certain sites and services have been barred by governments. Google said the VPN service will roll out in the U.S. in the coming weeks through the Google One app for Android users, with plans to expand to more countries and to iOS, Windows and Mac operating systems in the coming months. Read More

The upcoming mid-range OnePlus TV in India will be so burdenless that even the display of OnePlus 8 smartphone will look bulkier when it comes to the screen-to-body ratio, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau said on Friday. In terms of screen-to-body ratio, the new mid-range segment OnePlus TV is up to 95 per cent, one of the highest if not the highest at this price point, Lau said in a statement. "By optimizing the internal design, we got rid of the conventional four-sided frame and covered the entire front with a sheet of matte black glass. When the screen is dark, it fades into the background of your room, and never calls attention to itself," he informed. The design is different from the rounded corners used in most TVs. This one has four, nearly 90 degree corners to match the screen. Read More

Apple has added a few smart features to the latest version - iOS 14 - intended for use by people with vision and hearing impairments. According to TechCrunch, though the new features are intended to help specially-abled people, some of them could be helpful to everyone. A striking feature is that of sound recognition which notifies the user whenever the iPhone detects any of the long lists of common noises that the user wants to be aware of. The notifications of the new feature can also go to the Apple Watch of the user connected to the phone. Read More

The upcoming Oppo Reno3 Pro 5G would come with a curved edged screen with a punch hole in the top left corner. Besides, the smartphone's screen would have a refresh rate of 90Hz, according to its promo. The Reno3 Pro 5G will be joined by a non-5G variant as well as the vanilla Reno3 and its 5G version. The Chinese handset maker has already revealed the designs of these models, and now the company has confirmed they will come in four colours -- Misty White, Moon Night Black, Blue Starry Night, and Sunrise Impression (machine translated from Chinese), GSMArena reported on Saturday. The handset maker has already confirmed that the Reno3 will pack in a 4,035 mAh battery, which is 10 mAh bigger than the battery on the Pro variant. Both the models will support the company's proprietary VOOC 4.0 fast charging support. Read More

With technology evolving every day, smartphones are becoming power-packed performers capable of handling with ease even the most daunting jobs like multimedia editing, high-resolution video recording and gaming. Speaking of gaming on mobile phones, most current generation smartphones come with the hardware to run graphic-intensive gaming titles. Even so, there are some smartphones designed specifically for gamers. These come with top-notch specifications and gaming-centric value-added features for intuitive gaming experience. Though mobile phone gaming is still nascent in India, the launch of several gaming-centric smartphones in the country this year bear testimony to its huge growth potential. Asus ROG Phone II Asus ROG Phone II Taiwanese electronics maker Asus, widely considered the pioneer of gaming smartphones, had launched its first gaming phone, the ROG Phone (review), in 2018. This phone came with top-notch specifications, enhanced cooling system to sustain perfor...

Refreshing its V series in India, Chinese handset maker Vivo on Monday launched its Vivo V17 smartphone in India with a quad-camera set up for Rs 22,990. The smartphone houses a 32MP front camera which is placed into the "iView" display with E3 super AMOLED screen. "V17 is the latest addition to our flagship V series which has been phenomenal for Vivo's success in the Indian market. Centered on innovation and customer-first philosophy, Vivo's V series has introduced quite a few industry-first features and we continue to bring the best for our customers at best price points," Nipun Marya, Director of Brand Strategy, Vivo India, said in a statement. The smartphone packs 8GB RAM+128GB storage and will be available in Midnight Ocean and Glacier Ice colors. It will be available starting December 17 on Vivo India E-store, Amazon India, Flipkart, Paytm mall, Tatacliq, and Bajaj Finserv EMI Store, and across all partner retail stores. Read More

Lenovo-owned Motorola introduced a new mid-range smartphone, the One Hyper , with a 6.5-inch near bezel-less display and 32-megapixel pop-up selfie camera. It further features a 64-megapixel rear camera with Night Vision mode and Quad Pixel tech and a 118-degree ultra-wide-angle lens with a laser system for enhanced images even in dark environment, Engadget reports. Other features include Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 SoC, 4GB RAM, 128GB expandable internal storage, and bloatware-free version of Android 10. Motorola One Hyper is available in Deepsea Blue, Dark Amber, and Fresh Orchid colour choices, with a price of $400 i.e in indian rupees 28,585. Read More

Chinese smartphone brand Vivo on Friday launched in India the Vivo U20 . Second in the company’s budget U-series smartphones, the Vivo U20 boasts waterdrop-shaped notch screen, big capacity battery with fast charge support, triple rear cameras and capacitive fingerprint sensor on the back. The phone comes in 4GB RAM + 64GB storage and 6GB RAM + 64GB storage configurations, priced at Rs 10,990 and Rs 11,990, respectively. Both the variants will go on sale from November 28 on Amazon India and Vivo e-Store. Vivo U20 specifications The Vivo U20 has a 6.53 waterdrop-shaped notch screen of fullHD+ resolution. The screen is covered under Panda Panda MN228, which is a protective glass just like the Corning Gorilla Glass. The phone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 665 system-on-chip, paired with up to 6GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. The dualSIM phone has a storage expansion slot, which supports up to 512GB microSD card. The phone boots Android Pie operating system, covered under ...

To many, the name Alienware might invoke beautiful childhood memories of a blue alien logo on laptops that meant serious business for gamers around the world. After a merger between Dell and Alienware in 2006, the gaming laptops coming out of Dell's stable adapted to the Alienware theme, an exciting combination for serious enthusiasts looking for affordable yet powerful machines. The Dell G3 15 laptop is a product of the same marriage. A laptop built on Dell's platform but with the soul of an Alienware. This gaming laptop sheds the gimmicky red and moves on to a new baby-blue themes. While it seems to be an attractive package, can the Dell G3 15 make a lasting mark like the Alienware? Let's have a look: Design and build quality The Dell G3 15 is a laptop built to last. A compact form factor that feels sturdy but lightweight, the laptop comes in matte finish and has a minimalist design stamped with Dell's glossy blue logo in the middle. The laptop comes with su...

Chinese electronics manufacturer OnePlus on Thursday (October 10) launched the OnePlus 7T Pro at a global event in London. A successor to the OnePlus 7 Pro, the OnePlus 7T Pro is a premium flagship that comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage configuration, priced at Rs 53,999. Along with the OnePlus 7T, the company also launched the phone's McLaren edition, which comes with 12GB RAM and 256GB internal storage, priced at Rs 58,999. The OnePlus 7T Pro will be available for early access sale on October 11 at the company's exclusive experience stores in Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Jaipur. The OnePlus 7T Pro is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ mobile processor, which also powers the company’s recently launched OnePlus 7T. The phone's vanilla edition comes in matte frosted glass design, which the company introduced in the OnePlus 7T. The McLaren edition, on the other hand, has orange accent, inspired from McLa...

The camera-backed midrange smartphone space had never been so interesting. On Realme has spiced up the game with the launch of the Realme XT (review), which has a whopping 64-megapixel camera, Vivo’s new offering in the Z-series, with a 48-megapixel camera, has only added to delight and confusion. Design Gradients have become common these days, but the Z1x, thankfully, is an exception. It reflects various shades of the same colour. We had the Phantom Purple variant and the colour scheme looked fine. Its glossy finish made it shine but also attracted fingerprints and smudges. Vivo Z1x The frame is polycarbonate; a glass back would have been better. The panel is flat, making the phone easy to hold. Even though single-handed operation is a bit difficult, the phone still fits in the hand easily. The volume and power buttons are on the right, and a dedicated button for Google Assistant and dual nano-SIM card tray is on the left. All the buttons are within reach of your fingers...

Realme has been on a launching spree, especially in the budget and midrange smartphone category. Last month, it launched Realme 5 and Realme 5 Pro with quad cameras. It's new product is called Realme XT , which has has the first 64MP camera in smartphones. Design Realme has shed polycarbonate back for a glass body (Corning Gorilla Glass 5) to improve its looks and avoid fingerprints, too. The quad camera setup sits on the left and a metal frame around it highlights it well. The phone features a 6.4-inch full-screen AMOLED display with 16-megapixel camera housed under dew-drop notch. The bezels on the sides are minimal but the bottom bezel is slightly thick. There is an in-display optical fingerprint scanner. The speaker grille, USB-C port, microphone and headphone jack sits on the bottom. The SIM tray and the volume buttons are on the left while the right of the phone has the power button. The buttons are accessible to fingers and make one-handed operation a bit easy. ...

South Korean tech giant Samsung on Wednesday launched two new smartphones Galaxy A50s and Galaxy A30s with triple camera system in India. The new smartphones are the upgraded versions of the Galaxy A50 and Galaxy A30 that were launched in India earlier this year. The Galaxy A50s is to be priced at Rs 24,999 for 6/128GB and Rs 22,999 for 4/128GB RAM and memory variants. Whereas, the Galaxy A30s will be available for Rs 16,999 for 4/64GB variant. The devices will be available starting September 11, across offline channel, Samsung Opera House, Samsung e-shop and leading online portals. "Our coolest new Galaxy A50s and A30s have been designed to elevate the smartphone experience of young millennials and Gen Z to the next level as they are equipped with premium features such as Night Mode, Super Steady video and Samsung pay," said Ranjivjit Singh, Senior Vice President and Head of Marketing, Mobile Business, Samsung India in a statement. Samsung Galaxy A50s feature...

Jack Ma believes artificial intelligence poses no threat to humanity, but Elon Musk called that "famous last words" as the billionaire tech tycoons faced off Thursday in an occasionally animated debate on futurism in Shanghai. The Chinese co-founder of Alibaba and the maverick industrialist behind Tesla and SpaceX frequently pulled pained expressions and raised eyebrows as they kicked off an AI conference with a dialogue that challenged attendees to keep up, veering from technology to Mars, death, and jobs. However, the hot topic in the hour-long talk was AI, which has provoked increasing concern among scientists such as late British cosmologist Stephen Hawking who warned that it will eventually turn on and "annihilate" humanity. "Computers may be clever, but human beings are much smarter," Ma said. "We invented the computer -- I've never seen a computer invent a human being." While insisting that he is "not a tech guy,...

Realme, and not Xiaomi , is pacing ahead to launch the world's first smartphone with a 64-megapixel camera. The company provided a glimpse of the Realme XT featuring Samsung's new 64-megapixel primary sensor, the first smartphone offering such high camera resolution. Meanwhile, Xiaomi is also said to release the Redmi Note 8 Pro - its first phone with the same 64-megapixel camera later this week. However, the company is yet to announce price and launch date. The Realme XT will be available in Pearl White and Pearl Blue The Realme XT was first announced at the Realme 5 event just over a week ago with a few details about the camera. Company CEO Madhav Sheth hinted that the upcoming Realme XT would launch somewhere in late September or possibly early October. The rest of the sensors are similar to that on the Realme 5 series – 8MP ultra-wide lens, 2MP depth sensor, and 2MP ultra macro lens. The XT will also get a 16-megapixel Sony IMX471 sensor on the front, so, I...

I have used a number of fitness wearables over the years, but each left something to be desired as a companion for fitness tracking. That was until I used the Garmin Forerunner 245 Music . This WiFi- and GPS-enabled sports smartwatch is geared for those fitness aficionados who take their data seriously. That, however, is not to say that it won’t appeal to fancy or casual runners. It indeed comes across as a complete smartwatch with something for all fitness enthusiasts. Priced at Rs 34,990, the Forerunner 245 offers a slew of performance-monitoring features. In addition, it has widgets for heart rate, step count, workout, notifications, music, maps, etc. The feature that really excited me was that I could sync my music with the smartwatch and finally leave my phone behind while running, cycling or doing any other such activity. You can choose a music service from either Spotify or Deezer but you would need a premium account on these platforms. I used the 245 Music with Blaup...

Samsung's first foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Fold , will go on sale from September in selected markets after the launch was delayed by screen problems earlier this year, the company said on Thursday. Samsung is hoping its highly anticipated foldable phone will revive flagging smartphone sales but its rollout has been hampered by defects in samples reported in April, when it was originally due to hit the US market. The delays cost the South Korean tech giant sales that could have provided a decent bump in revenue during the slow summer season. Samsung said in a statement it had made improvements to the nearly $2,000 phone and was conducting final tests. Changes included strengthening hinges which early reviewers had found to be problematic. Analysts said headlines about glitches with sample Folds would dampen consumer excitement around the launch. "Consumer confidence in Galaxy Fold has significantly deteriorated. If Samsung manages to sell 300,000 devices thi...

Following the footsteps of its competitor Samsung, South Korean electronics major LG recently announced its India-centric W-series smartphones. The first batch of smartphones in the series include an entry-level LG W10 and an affordable feature-rich proposition the LGW30 . The latter brings V-shaped notch screen, triple rear cameras, big capacity battery and a redesigned operating system that looks almost stock Android to the sub-Rs 10,000 segment. The phone seems to be a balanced proposition in its segment, but how does it fare in real life scenarios? Let’s find out: Design The LG W30 looks premium and has a lightweight build. It has a V-shaped waterdrop notch display with limited bezels on the sides and top, and a thick chin at the bottom. The phone’s back is made up of polycarbonate with a glossy profile which gives the impression that it is made of glass. Like other phones with similar build, the phone’s glossy body is a fingerprint magnet and gets easily smudged. However,...