The telecom company, Bharti Airtel, will launch 5G services this month. The service will be implemented gradually and will be available in all towns and rural areas by March 2024, announced the managing director and CEO, Gopal Vittal, on Tuesday.
Vittal said, “We intend to launch 5G starting August and extend to a Pan India roll out very soon. By March 2024 we believe we will be able to cover every town and key rural areas as well with 5G.”
Bharti Airtel purchased 19,867.8 MHz frequencies in the recently completed spectrum auction by securing a pan-India footprint of the 3.5 GHz and 26 GHz bands and making selective purchases of radiowaves in the low and mid-band spectrum for a total of Rs 43,040 crore.
Airtel will be providing this service in collaboration with Ericsson, Nokia, and Samsung. It will be able to roll out 5G services with ultra-high speeds, low latency, and large data handling capabilities due to the company’s choice of multiple partners. This will result in an improved user experience and allow the company to pursue new, creative use cases with enterprise and industry customers.
Airtel will rely on the “state-of-the-art” O-RAN based Radio and NSA/SA Core technologies from Tata Group for its made-in-India 5G network.
While the telco hasn’t revealed the exact details yet, CTO Randeep Sekhon has hinted that the 5G tariffs will be on par with 4G plans. Randeep said, “If you see globally, there’s not a major difference between 5G and 4G tariffs. We expect 5G plans in India to be similar to 4G tariffs.”
Airtel 5G SIMs are not currently present in the market and won’t be until the nationwide launch of the service. However, it appears that high-speed internet will be available without a 5G SIM. In the nations where 5G has already been announced, 4G LTE SIMs can also use the services. This will continue to be the case until standalone 5G is achieved, which won’t be anytime soon. However, in order to use 5G, you must have a compatible device and an active 5G plan.
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has notified that 5G services will initially be offered in 13 cities, including Delhi, Gurugram, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chandigarh, Jamnagar, Ahmedabad, Chennai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Pune, and Gandhi Nagar. Airtel, along with Jio and Vi, has already set up 5G trial sites in these cities.
Google always comes out with ingenious ways to tackle problems with the help of a relevant solution for all its devices be it smartphone, tablet, earphones, and many others with the latest one being for pixel smartphones.
The tech giant has many aces up its sleeve as it rolled out Android 13 for these smartphones on August 15, 2022 and went further with the announcement that this new OS version will be available on Nokia, Samsung, Xiaomi, and other smartphones as well in the latter half of 2022.
Users that are well versed in many languages (multilingual) will now be able to assign specific languages to individual apps along with an updated media player that frequently changes its appearance based on music or podcast that users can alter at will.
This new version will allow Android users to mirror a messaging app from their device to the Chromebook. The smartphones that are getting updated are Google Pixel 4a 5G, Pixel 5a 5G, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 5, along with a few others.
New Updates
There are several bug fixes that come with the Android 13 update for Pixel smartphones that can be used for fixing app issues, which are Google Audio, Google Assistant, and some more but one significant fix is Biometrics.
There are issues that concern updates on a regular basis when the apps crash during fingerprint unlock that Google can fix easily with the help of this update. It is due to this error that users were unable to use fingerprint scanner whenever the notification shade was down but now things have been sorted out.
This wasn’t the only problem at hand as even the Face unlock wouldn’t work but now, again, due to this update there will be no further hindrances of any kind as now you can get improved performance, reliability and stability of the fingerprint scanner.
These aren’t the only problems that the Android 13 update has sorted out as it has also enabled NFC payments in secondary and miscellaneous profiles with a strong Bluetooth connectivity and camera features.
The touchscreen palm detection and response too has seen significant improvement with the OIS update while the user interface is done through gesture navigation support with the help of third party launchers.
Third party apps can be customized by users so that they match with the colour theme of the wallpaper and they can choose any image or video of their choice that they want their apps to access.
The apps no longer have the liberty to send notifications to the user as they will now have to seek their permission for doing so. Moving on, we also have the HDR video support for third party camera apps through which copy-paste content can be done easily from phone to table and vice versa.
For tablet computers, users can get an updated taskbar that eases out multitasking activities so that they can be completed on time and users can now login using their palm and a stylus pen.
Price
The official website of Google Play Services has announced that Android 13 roll out for Google Pixel 6 will cost Rs.44,150 while Pixel 6a and Pixel 6 Pro contain a bootloader update that increments the anti-roll back version.
Once this update is complete, users can no longer roll back to Android 12 as the process to work on Android 13 is over. Google has also announced that smartphones from other brandswill also be allotted this new update like Vivo, Samsung, Asus, HMD, Motorola, iQOO, Oppo, OnePlus, Sharp, Sony, Realme, Xiaomi, Tecno, along with many others.
Android 13 update is going to bring many changes that will allow Android users to manage things out easily regarding any of the aforementioned issues.
Reddit is an online forum where people pose questions and give their opinions on topics of different fields. It is more or less similar to Quora in this sense where you can rate content, discuss on numerous topics and learn about social news circulating in media.
The latest buzz is that Reddit has come up with a unique way to accept cryptocurrency payments with the help of Community Points and has now partnered with FTX, which is a well known crypto exchange that help unlock crypto-enabled perks for Reddit Community Points.
It is these community points that act as a measure of reputation in many users’ communities and are displayed next to usernames in subreddits but since they are on the Arbitrum Nova Blockchain, it allows users to take their reputation anywhere in the internet world.
Reddit has been quite popular with many users and one of their main aims is to empower communities through which they can use Reddit wherever and whenever they please, which can be done with the help of a decentralized and self-sustaining blockchain technology.
In Brief
Reddit Community Points are essential for any user to have as they can create Special Memberships in the Community that they can purchase with points and unlock multiple features on the site like badges.
It allows users to personalize their presence on subreddit apart from adding a highlighted colour of their choice on their username. They can also add Emojis, embed GIFs, and run weighted polls to make decisions.
Users that make a comment or post will get a tip while crypto vault is the tool through which you can send community points to the redditors. So with such an excellent feature added, it will make cryptocurrency transactions easy to manage in the long run and encourage other cryptocurrency users to try it out.
When it comes to the best action adventure games, there are few to match Garena Free Fire Max that has taken the fancy of almost every action adventure aficionado big time where you get almost get something new to learn about.
In the last 5 years of its launch, it has only gone better and better with the passage of time what with weapons, arms, machinery, gold, silver, and other treasures to cherish but the problem is that there are certain levels that aren’t easy to crack for obvious reasons.
As the levels increase, the going gets tougher and tougher as the enemies are stronger than the hero, which is why it becomes important to tackle them in a strategic manner. However, Garena has come out with redeem codes to solve the issue that it releases everyday on its official website.
The redeem codes are 12 to 16 digit codes that feature a number of random letters and numbers where you can directly go to the reward redemption website to acquire them. Here are the codes that have come out for August 16, 2022.
FFICJGW9NKYT
YXY3EGTLHGJX
FFAC2YXE6RF2
FFBBCVQZ4MW
W0JJAFV3TU5E
FU9CGS4Q9P4E
B6IYCTNH4PV3
X99TK56XDJ4X
FF10HXQBBH2J
WLSGJXS5KFYR
Vivo V25 Pro 5G to release on August 17
A massive tech giant like Vivo has a lot to live up to in order to match the expectations of its users whenever a new device is launched because their loyal fanbase wants it to be bigger and better than its predecessors.
However, one thing is for sure that most of its devices have been largely successful in the market and the latest buzz doing the rounds is that it will be expanding in on its V series of smartphones by releasing Vivo V25 Pro 5G on August 17, 2022 in India.
It will be available on Flipkart and other e-commerce websites but the company wants to release its premium features to its users for which it is going to host a virtual event following which it will begin the shipping sales via Flipkart.
Features
Vivo V25 Pro 5G will be a premium smartphone that will feature a colour changing Flourite AG Glass rear panel and will have a 3D design, punch-hole cut out display, and rounded edges to give it a different feel.
It will be powered by a Mediatek Dimensity 1300 processor with an 8GB RAM and support virtual expansion while the battery will be 4830mAh that will have a 66W fast charging support. Coming to the cameras, it will come with major upgrades like a 64MP triple-camera setup with EIS, Super Night Mode, and hybrid image stabilization support.
Its starting price will be Rs.40,000, which is the same as the previous model while the rest of the specifications will come directly from official confirmation that the company will roll out as and when it releases.
iPhone 14 Pro storage news leak
Apple and iPhone series are so synonymous with each other that they’re virtually two sides of the same coin and it impossible to see them as separate identities. The tech giant is soon to launch its new iPhone 14 series that has set rumour mills buzzing about its price, features and specifications.
Users are expecting some brand new changes in this regard and have made their demands quite high while the rumours and speculations have led to a lot of confusion regarding what all you can expect.
The latest news leak about the device is regarding its expected storage variant that suggests that the iPhone 14 Pro Model will start its base model variant from 128GB storage, which was the same with iPhone 13 but this time we have strong speculations that it will get a storage booster with base model starting from 256GB.
These far-fetched speculations were laid to rest when Jeff Pu, an international analyst of repute from Haitong, stated that the upcoming Pro models will continue with 128GB storage for base model.
The tipster has also revealed that the pro models will have a 15% price hike but refused to comment on the exact starting price. Therefore, one has to wait to find out the necessary details surrounding the smartphone.
WhatsApp Profile Photo feature coming soon
You’ve got to hand it to WhatsApp to come out with new features every now and when with the latest being the Avatar Profile Photo feature that will be available in beta format for all users.
As of now, it is available for WhatsApp beta update on Android, iOS and Desktop, which means that users will now be able to enhance the overall user interface but the new avatar feature will be something to watch out for.
With this new feature, WhatsApp users will now allow users to set a personalized avatar as their profile image but as of now it is under development following which it will begin its testing phase and users can get a future update on the matter soon.
Even though the feature is available on iOS and desktop WhatsApp versions, it won’t be there for stable build as of now considering that WhatsApp hasn’t, yet, revealed any specific details about the feature be it launch or release date.
This new feature is highly anticipated by the users who would like to gain more information about it but with no official news regarding update in the pipeline, they have no choice but to wait until they get any substantial news from the horses’ mouth.
When it comes to streaming devices, Netflix and Amazon Prime are the top two that instantly come to mind that has billions of subscribers worldwide but there is something new coming up regarding Disney Plus Hotstar.
Disney Plus Hotstar too is right up there when it comes to streaming platforms although it is not used as frequently in conversations as the other two but that doesn’t take away from its significance but the latest news coming up is that Disney has decided to increase subscription prices for Disney Plus Hotstar subscribers.
This is after Netflix decided to go for an add-supporting tier to the platform and Disney looks like this is going to one up on its rival and there has always been a great battle between these companies for one-upmanship.
Disney has been on an ad-supported tier called Disney Plus Basic where the monthly subscription that is priced at $7.99 per month while Hulu itself has increased at $7.99 per month thereby bringing it on par with Disney.
Music is the one gift of nature that stirs the soul of all living beings in many ways, which is why it is impossible to point out how, where and when it originated. Music changes with each passing decade and now in the 21st century there are so many music stations and options to choose from.
Airtel too has come up with an excellent way to give a platform to budding singers and musicians by launching the Wynk Studio where more than 5000 music artists will be able to showcase their talent.
Even though there are so many online platforms for singers to try out, this is going to be something different where they can monetize and launch videos on many of these online platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Spotify and others.
There is no dearth to online platforms but Wynk Studio is owned by Airtel where it can get the liberty to hire anyone they feel like as long as they have the talent and potential to prove their worth.
Brief Up
It was found out in a recent survey that most Indians spend more than 22 hours a week listening to music when compared to the global average of 18 hours, which prompted Airtel to use the situation to their advantage and convert it into an opportunity to achieve two ends.
One is where, as mentioned above, they could provide an excellent platform for singers and musicians to showcase their talent and the second to increase the listening pleasure of all those that are totally loyal to their music idols and spend most of their time listening to music.
Wynk Studio is well aware of the problems that artists face like monetization issue, discovery and data analysis because the creative economy for music is at a nascent stage but the studio has confidence that it will continue to grow at a slow and steady pace.
Wynk Studio is an opportunity to present such a platform for musicians to pursue their passion and earn a steady income simultaneously so that their talent reaches far and wide as it will be circulated from one platform to another.
Wynk is reported to have spent more than Rs.100 crore so as to bring more than 5000 independent music artists from all over India by the end of 2023 where around 100 artists have been assembled on the platform in India, US and Singapore.
Apple has been the number one tech giant for many decades and for very good reason so one can understand the immense pressure they have to live up to the expectations of their users who want their new device to be far superior than the previous one.
Apple, more often than not, does live up to expectations despite receiving stiff competition from other tech giants but the news doing the rounds is that it is stepping up on original podcasts and has signed up an agreement with a reputed studio and no less than a Pulitzer prize winning one at that.
Apple has always spent lavishly on original podcasts but has stepped up a few notches this time by getting into contract with a big studio along with getting into talks with other companies about more deals.
Podcasts app is one of the best features one can hope for in an iPhone and with Apple getting even more particular about original content and is very hopeful that it will turn into many a show on its Apple TV+ Service.
Futuro Studios, which is well known for making the crime justice series ‘Suave’, is the one that is putting all the money behind all the development and production of the podcasts, which will provide Apple a big opportunity to turn any podcast into a movie or TV show.
This isn’t the end of it as Apple has made arrangements with other reputed studios as well and spent more than $10 million as of now and announced podcasts with the likes of Campsite Media, Jigsaw Productions, Pineapple Street Studios, and many of their ilk.
Apple’s podcasting unit does not want to spend on individual shows and has avoided it doing so or purchasing networks as it wants to be seen and acknowledged as a neutral platform and is working well on it.
The tech giant has already financed amply on Jigsaw’s The Line, a multiple award winning podcast about Navy Seal Eddie Gallagher along with Campside’s ‘Hooked’, an excellent series where the story revolved around an engineer who turns into a bank robber due to circumstances.
When it comes to original podcasts as Spotify Technology and Amazon, Apple has avoided spending as much but the two companies have come $1 billion each acquiring programming an d companies with Spotify making some of the best podcasts on the planet that have attained global popularity despite being a hot rival for Apple’s music streaming service.
Despite a global pandemic, it doesn’t stop these big tech giants from bringing out a brand new device at regular intervals and Google, being one of the big guns, can never be left out of the conversation as it has come out with a new update for its Pixel 6 Series.
The latest update is good news for gaming aficionados called the Game Dashboard update that will include a range of in-game menu options on smartphones supported by Google although the company had initially introduced it with Android 12 so it was exclusively to Pixel devices.
Now with updated features on Android 13 along with Google Pixel 6, it can now be seen on Pixel 6a as well, which is welcoming news for its users who wanted to try out this new feature as well and now it is readily available on Google Play Services in version 22.30.
Users can go through the settings menu to check the availability of game dashboard menu, which once enabled will allow users to when they launch a game. The players will find a small arrow on the left-hand or right-hand side of the display screen that they have to tap and go to the game controller icon that appears, which when clicked will fire up the game dashboard menu.
The menu will have a do not disturb, frame rate counter, screen recording and a screenshot button, which will be accessible to the users when they enable the options through the Game Dashboard button.
Another option is where you can stream directly to YouTube live and game optimization tool but users are not allowed to tweak the dashboard settings with the menus but the tool will make it easier for them to gain access to other gaming tools.
It was being speculated that Google wanted the Game dashboard option on those devices that don’t belong to the Pixel lineup and the company has to bring Game dashboard into Google Play Services to accomplish their goals.
This tool will prove to be a game changing feature in the literal sense as users can now search for games of their choice while the above mentioned points will help them to understand on how things are to be done.
The game dashboard option will definitely increase the popularity of Google Pixel 6 series especially with people fond of playing games as they can not only play to their heart’s content but can stream YouTube live sessions as well.
Nowadays it has become quite easy to chat online with others when earlier it was simply limited to SMSs and messages but WhatsApp was the first application that changed everything where you could not only send and receive messages but audio and video clips as well.
Online interviews have become possible through live video calls and with the latest news that has been doing the rounds, things are only getting better and better for which the entire credit has to go to Google Meet.
Google Meet has come out with a brand new feature called live sharing through which you can enable meeting other participants and co-watch different kinds of content in real-time, which means that you can now watch YouTube videos with your friends, listen to music via Spotify, play games and create your own playlists or music library.
Although Duo made live sharing available in the early half of 2022 once Duo and Meet merged into one entity, Google Meet adding this new feature will enliven things up as it arguably has more users than Duo.
Brief Summary
You can find this new feature in the new Activities Tab found in the three dot menu where you can also find other icons like YouTube, Spotify and others through which they’ll be redirected to the application that is selected for the group session.
Google Meet has mentioned in a recent news report that it has upgraded many things in this live sharing application as they’ve been working on it since the past few weeks and revealed that the app will have a green icon that will be renamed as Google Meet (original).
The new updates will be available on smartphones and tablets through the month although for other devices it might take some time as the makers want to make sure that it passes all the tests before installing it in other electronic devices.
Now users will be able to initiate instant video calls with friends and colleagues or other groups at a fixed time along with changing the background and visual effects before starting the meeting.
Google has advised users to upgrade their apps to the latest versions in order to avail the new features as early as possible as they cannot be used with the old application. You can update an Android app via Google Play Store while YouTube live sharing was enabled on Google Meet in July 2022 itself.
Whenever a new device is set for launch in the market, there is a great deal of buzzing anticipation on what all new features it is going to have. The tech giants are doing a great deal to make this a grand sort of event so that the users get their money’s worth.
Xiaomi is one such tech giant that launches new devices every now and then but now it is ready with its new smartphone models- Xiaomi 12T and Xiaomi 12T Pro. However, its details have been leaked to the public even before the company could make any official confirmation regarding its launch.
Xiaomi 12T Pro is set to come out in October 2022 in the global market although the exact date is yet to be specified. If certain reports are to be believed, another device will be launched alongside it called Xiaomi 12T, which will be a vanilla model.
There are rumours and speculations floating around every device in the days and weeks prior to its launch and Xiaomi 12T Pro and Xiaomi 12T is no different as there is a strong buzz regarding its features and specifications that are been talked about in not-so-hushed tones.
According to a tipster, Xiaomi 12T will come with an 8GB RAM + 256GB internal storage configuration with a starting price of Rs.53,036 along with three colour options- Black, Blue and Silver while Xiaomi 12T Pro will have the same configuration and colour variants.
The designs may be inspired or even borrowed from the recently launched Redmi K50 Ultra and its features will include a 6.67 inch AMOLED FHD along with 144Hz display where you also get a fingerprint scanner at the back.
Then we have the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset that will power the handset with LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 3.1 storage along with a 5000mAh battery that comes with a 120W fast charging support.
You also get a 20 megapixel front camera and a main 108 megapixel + 8 mega-pixel ultra-wide + 2 mega-pixel macro triple camera unit. Xiaomi 12T will also have the same features and specifications but with the added Mediatek Dimensity 8100 ultra chip in place of Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.
The above features will give a clear idea to users as to what all they can expect from the device but the exact details will only be confirmed from official sources as and when the company itself reveals some new information.
