Rumors are circulating that Apple won’t be including a charger or earbuds in this year’s iPhones. As annoying as this is—since I doubt Apple will be dropping the price of the phone to match—the fact of the matter is that the bundled chargers weren’t that great anyway. If you have to buy another charger, skip Apple’s…
As part of a continuing series exploring the wide world of sex toy storage options, today we’ll take a look at lockboxes that can house your collection—and keep prying eyes away 👀—when it’s not in use.
Trading app Robinhood has announced major changes to its service after a 20-year-old trader on the platform committed suicide.
Alexander Kearns committed suicide after an options trade resulted in an apparent negative $730,000 balance in his trading account. Although the negative number referred to available buying power rather than to debt, Kearns left a note effectively blaming Robinhood for his death. “How was a 20 year old with no income able to get assigned almost a million dollars worth of leverage?” Kearns’ message asked.
Robinhood, which has around 13 million users worldwide, quickly responded to the tragedy, with founders Vlad Tenev and Baiju Bhatt noting that they were “personally devastated” in a statement.
The company also immediately pledged $250,000 to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
The founders also promised more lasting changes on Robinhood, specifically at modifying options trading, which carries extremely high risk and yet is largely unrestricted for novice traders using the platform.
To start, the app will make changes to the way that users see their balance and buying power. In doing so, the company hopes to avoid future misinterpretations like the one that led to Kearns’ death.
The app will also focus on the execution and assignment of multi-leg options orders. While specific changes have not yet been laid out, Robinhood will likely modify the way that traders enter orders and receive information during early assignment. The company also stated that it will hire an Options Education Specialist to add more educational content around options trading.
Perhaps most significant, Robinhood will tighten eligibility requirements for traders to gain options trading accounts. The platform could require additional trading experience or an educational curriculum to ensure that options traders fully understand the risks they are taking.
A good pair of earphones is very important to get a nice audio experience, be it a song, movie, or binge-watching your favourite shows online. With smartphone manufacturers getting rid of the 3.5mm headphone jack and also not providing earphones in the box, as a user your next purchase will be a good poor of earphones.
Since you’d have already spent a lot on a smartphone, sometimes it’s hard to spend a premium on a pair of headphones. There are a lot of good options under Rs 2,000 in India but, often too many options makes it hard to come to a decision. This is also a very popular segment with tons of options. In this post, we will be listing out the best headphones under Rs 2,000 in India.
The list consists of wired earphones for those who have 3.5mm headphone jack, wireless earphones, headphones and even a TWS. Most products in this range typically offer punchy bass which is preferred by the masses. However, if you’re an audiophile with very specific tastes, you might have to look beyond this range. It’s also worth noting that the best headphones under Rs 2,000 available in India also come with some trade-offs because of that aggressive price tag.
See also
Best noise-cancelling headphones available in India 
Design : In-Ear | Weight: 28 grams | Battery life: Up to 20 hours | Drivers: Dynamic 9.2mm | Wireless range: 10 m | Connection: Bluetooth
The newly launched OnePlus Wireless Z is the third-gen OnePlus wireless. The Bullet Wireless Z is significantly cheaper than its predecessors and offers very similar specs, at least on paper. They come in four colour options - black, blue, oat, and mint.
You get up to 20 hours of playback with a single charge and a quick 10 minutes will last up to 10 minutes, thanks to the Warp charge. They come with a 9.2mm dynamic driver and they’re also IP55 rated for dust and water resistance.
Priced at Rs 1,999, the Bullet Wireless Z is available on Amazon and OnePlus.in
Design: In-Ear | Weight: 30 grams | Cable length: n/a | Connection: bluetooth | Frequency response: 20-20,000Hz | Drivers: Dynamic (11.2 mm neodymium magnet) | Sensitivity: 100 dB | Impedance: 32 Ω | Battery life: 12 hours | Wireless range: 10 m
As with smartphones, Realme's Buds are significantly cheaper than the rest of the wireless competition. It brings a bunch of features that are rare at this price, such as seamless connectivity in seconds, magnetic locks that double as the power buttons and long battery life.
Tuned by DJ Alan Walker, these excel in playing back Electro or EDM music with a strong bass. The battery life is rated for 12 hours which is also on the higher side. All of that in a package that weighs only 30g makes the Realme Buds Wireless a no-brainer.
Design: In-Ear | Weight: 27.2 grams | Connection: Bluetooth | Wireles Range: 10
The successor to one of the most popular budget Bluetooth headset, Boat Rockerz 255 Pro offers everything that Boat Rockerz 255 offered with a couple for additional features. They are available in 4 colour options - yellow, blue, red, and green.
The Boat Rockerz 255 Pro features Bluetooth 5.0 QCC3003 chipset to produce HD sound and deep bass. It comes with 10mm dynamic drivers and is also IPX5 rated for water and sweat resistance. A quick 20 minutes charge can last up to 4 hours of playback.
The Boat Rockerz 255 Pro is priced at Rs 1,599 and is available on Amazon and Flipkart.
Design: On-Ear | Weight: 165 grams | Cable length: 1.2 metres | Connection: 3.5mm jack | Frequency response: 5-22,000Hz | Drivers: Dynamic (30 mm neodymium magnet) | Sensitivity: 102 dB | Impedance: 24 Ω | Battery life: N/A | Wireless range: N/A
If you are a bass lover, the Sony MDR-XB450 on-ear headphones could be the perfect option for you under Rs 2,000. Powered by the huge 30 mm drivers, the Sony MDR-XB450 can produce bass levels that are unmatched in this price range.
Although the MDR-XB450 focus primarily on bass, they deliver great output in the mids and the highs too.
The MDR-XB450 has well-cushioned ear pads and the metal casing adds to the looks, but the build quality may not be up there if you’re thinking long term. Still, it is a great on-ear option, especially if you’re a basshead.
Design: Over-Ear | Weight: 272 grams | Cable length: 1.2 metres | Connection: 3.5mm jack | Frequency response: 15-22,000Hz | Drivers: Dynamic (36 mm neodymium magnet) | Sensitivity: 100 dB | Impedance: 40 Ω | Battery life: N/A | Wireless range: N/A
Audio-Technica is another reputed name when it comes to audio products. The ATH-AX1iS offers a well-balanced audio output, but it is conservative when it comes to bass.
Although the ATH-AX1iS are durable, the build quality leaves something to be desired. They also fit really well on the ears with well-cushioned ear pads. You also get an in-line mic along with volume controls that makes it easy to manage your music on the go.
Design: In-Ear | Weight: 14.0 grams | Cable length: 1.25 metres | Connection: 3.5mm jack | Frequency response: 20-20,000Hz | Drivers: Dynamic (9 mm neodymium magnet) | Sensitivity: 100 dB | Impedance: 32 Ω | Battery life: N/A | Wireless range: N/A
Although 1More is not a very popular audio company in India yet, it does make some high-quality headphones that offer a great bang for your buck. If you are looking for a very affordable yet high-quality headphone, the 1More Piston Fit could the right fit for your needs.
Depending on the shape of the insides of your ears, you can choose between different sized tips on the 1More Piston Fit. The 45-degree angled design also helps in getting that feeling of a snug fit.
The 1More Piston Fit are slightly biased in favour of details over bass, so keep this in mind while making your decision.
Design: In-Ear | Weight: 15 grams | Cable length: 1.2 meters | Connection: 3.5mm jack | Frequency response: 17-23,000Hz | Drivers: Dynamic | Sensitivity: 121 dB | Impedance: 16 Ω | Battery life: N/A | Wireless range: N/A
Sennheiser is a well-known brand when it comes to premium audio accessories. However, keeping the budget consumers in mind, Sennheiser launched the CX 275S in-ear headphones. These headphones offer decent sound output which is a bit more inclined towards the treble.
The Sennheiser CX 275 S fits quite well in the ears and features a composed yet premium build quality.
Design: In-Ear | Weight: 18 grams | Cable length: 1.2 metres | Connection: 3.5mm jack | Frequency response: 5-25,000Hz | Drivers: Dynamic (9 mm neodymium magnet) | Sensitivity: 106 dB | Impedance: 16 Ω | Battery life: N/A | Wireless range: N/A
Sony is another well-known name when it comes to audio products. The MDR-EX255AP in-ear headphones try to strike a good balance between bass, treble and other acoustics. You can also improve the overall quality to suit your needs by fiddling with the equalizer settings.
The semi-braided wires along with the metal casing give the headphones a premium look. With real-silicon earbuds, the Sony MDR-EX255AP fits quite well in the ears.
Design: In-Ear | Weight: 15.8 grams | Cable length: 1.2 meters | Connection: 3.5mm jack | Frequency response: 20-22,000Hz | Drivers: Dynamic (9 mm neodymium magnet) | Sensitivity: 100 dB | Impedance: 12 Ω | Battery life: N/A | Wireless range: N/A
SoundMagic is yet another reputed audio accessory maker. The SoundMagic PL30+ C is well-known for its perfectly balanced audio output. You don’t have to worry about playing with the equalizer settings to get the best out of the PL30+ C. However if you are inclined towards a certain acoustic, you can always customize it the way you like it.
In terms of looks and build quality, the SoundMagic PL30+ C is right up there with the best in this price range. They come in an attractive packaging which consists of a hard case, 5 sets of earbuds and a couple of hooks.
No jack, no problem
Design: In-ear | Weight: 14g | Cable length: 1.15m | Connection: USB Type-C | Frequency response: 20-20,000Hz | Sensitivity: 107dB | Impedance: 24 Ω
The OnePlus Type-C Bullets came alongside the 6T when the company abandoned the headphone jack. Over time, this has become the de facto pair for those not wanting to opt for wireless solutions, in favour of better latency and quality. The tangle-free cables and inbuilt DAC are great additions.
Some older phones will need turning on OTG functionality in order to use them.
Design: In-Ear | Weight: 28.2 gram | Connection: Bluetooth 5 | Frequency response: 20Hz-20000Hz | Drivers: 10mm Dynamic Bass Boost | Battery life: 20hours with case | Wireless range: 10 m
Ending our list with a bouns. The only TWS in the list, Realme TWS is one of th best truly wireless earbuds available in India right now in this segment. It has an in-ear design without a stem. It features a 10mm bass boost drivers, with support for 119ms low latency. It functions over Bluetooth 5.0 with R1Q chipset and also brings instant pairing feature onboard.
The battery life is rated for 4 hours on a single charge, with the case it can last up to 20 hours. The buds also offer capacitive touch controls. You also get realme link app support for more customizations. Colour options include black, white and yellow. It is targeted at people who are looking for their first pair of TWS.
Buy Realme Buds Q on Amazon.
Shortly after launching the Redmi 9, Xiaomi has launched its modified versions in Malaysia today. The lineup which includes the Redmi 9A, and 9C, start under 100 bucks and has become the first smartphones to sport the budget range of MediaTek’s Helio G35 series of processors.
Measuring in exactly at 164.9x77.09x9.0mm, both the Redmi 9A and 9C seem to have a similar 6.53-inch HD+ display with a resolution of 1600x720 pixels and a dot-drop notch. The displays are certified by TUV Rheinland for low Blue light and have max brightness of 400 nits.
The big differences, however, lie inside the chassis. Mediatek’s Helio G35 SoC powers the Redmi 9C while the Redmi 9A has a slightly lowered clocked G25 SoC onboard.
As for the optics, the Redmi 9C has a triple camera setup inside a matrix styled square housing similar to the Realme C11. There is a 13MP f/2.2 sensor with a 75.2° FOV, a 2MP macro with a 4cm focal distance and a 2MP depth sensor. The Redmi 9A, on the other hand, has a single 13MP sensor.
The selfie sensor on both the smartphones is a 5MP shooter. However, there is a difference of FOV with the 9C and 9A having 77.8° and 83° respectively. There is a single flashlight on the rear of both the devices.
Xiaomi says both the devices will have camera effects like the Kaleidoscope video on the back while selfies will have features like portrait selfies and palm shutter.
Connectivity options on both the devices include Dual SIM 4G LTE, while there is also an expandable slot for expansion up to 512GB. There is 3.5mm audio jack, and a Micro USB port to charge the humongous 5,000mAh battery with support for 10W charging. Both the smartphones come with LPDDR4x RAM and eMMC 5.1 storage.
The Redmi 9C comes in Midnight Grey, Sunrise Orange, and Twilight Blue and starts at RM429 (~$100) for the 2/32GB, while the same will cost RM359 (~$83) for the Redmi 9A. Coming in Midnight Grey, Peacock Green, and Twilight Blue, the Redmi 9A will be up for sale starting July 7th via Lazda while the 9C will be available later in July.
Crysis Remastered looks set to launch on July 23 for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC, thanks to a premature Microsoft Store listing.
Developer Crytek is set to debut the first gameplay trailer for the upcoming remaster on July 1 at 9am PT / 12pm ET / 5pm BST, and would have likely announced the release date then, but it looks like the Microsoft Store has robbed Crytek of that opportunity.
The page provides an overview of the game and confirms that the game will support 4K and HDR on Xbox One X. It also includes three new screenshots of the game in action.
“The classic first-person shooter from Crytek is back with the action-packed gameplay, sandbox world, and thrilling epic battles you loved the first time around now with remastered graphics optimized for a new generation of hardware,” the listing says.
Interestingly, the game only weighs in at 7.01GB, which means it won't take up too much space on your hard drive.
Check out the screenshots below.
It seems like stealth just isn’t an option for Crysis Remastered, as the game’s initial announcement was also leaked ahead of time. Still, we're looking forward to playing Crytek's magnum opus and notoriously graphically-intensive game on Nintendo Switch.
After all, back in 2007, the strength of PC hardware was often judged by one simple question: "can it run Crysis?". To see the game running on what is essentially a handheld will be quite the feat, then, particularly as the game promises to take advantage of Crytek's full suite of technological improvements.
Huawei’s smartphone division is going through a rough time. After having its software rights taken away, the ban now also puts its hardware division in a frenzy. If matters don’t improve, it will be forced to abandon its HiSilicon chipsets and look at third-party alternatives.
All Huawei flagships are powered by inhouse Kirin chipsets that are designed by its HiSilicon subsidiary and contract manufactured by TSMC. However, additional sanctions imposed in May prohibited the two companies from having trade relations going forward. While existing orders will be honoured (such as the Kirin 1020 chipset), Huawei will be left without a chip supplier soon. Reports suggest that the upcoming Huawei Mate 40 flagship might be unaffected, but its 2021 flagships might not be.
A notable industry insider (@Mobile Chip Expert) took to Weibo to share that its next wave of flagships with a 5nm chipset will not have processors designed by HiSilicon. If this turns out to be true, the Huawei P50 series will be the first high-end smartphone to not implement a Kirin SoC.
Potential alternative chipset suppliers include Qualcomm, Samsung and MediaTek. Qualcomm being an American company rules out the possibility of a Snapdragon-powered Huawei device. The others, however, do use chipset designs based on American schematics and their production lines also have US equipment, so it remains to be seen what workaround is opted for.
Looking at the current scenario, MediaTek is the most likely solution for Huawei’s future flagships. Moreover, a spokesperson recently went on record to state that Huawei and MediaTek will be working closely together for future products, which could be another hint at this partnership. MediaTek’s recent offerings have redefined the price-to-performance ratio for smartphones as well as brought 5G capabilities to new price points.
At a local press conference, Wang Yonggang, general manager of Huawei’s P series products, talked about how the next smartphone in the series is already in development. We should hear more about this partnership in the future.
OnePlus’s entry into the true wireless earbuds segmented is a much-awaited one. With the launch expected in a few weeks, we might finally have a clear look at what the ‘OnePlus Buds’ could look like.
Max J., a notable OnePlus leakster shared sketches of what seems like the OnePlus Buds in a black colourway, giving us an idea about what design and features to expect. They are expected to be unveiled in July, presumably alongside the OnePlus Nord.
pic.twitter.com/uzGyPuGd8UJune 29, 2020
As you can see from the image, the black variant of the OnePlus Pods has been shared by the tipster. White is expected to be the other colour option. The earbuds have an iconic metallic finish at the rear with red colour accent, as seen on other audio products from OnePlus.
The design is very similar to other TWS such as the Apple AirPods with an in-ear bud followed by a stem. The stem is likely to be capacitive for touch controls and gestures. Oppo and Vivo, companies that OnePlus has close ties with, also have wireless earphones in the market with similar functionality. The lack of any visible buttons on the buds corroborates that.
The buds seem to follow a premium design, and will reside in a circular charging case with an LED light that will act as the status indicator. They might bring some sort of noise cancellation too.
The official name of OnePlus’s first TWS is yet to be confirmed, but it is expected to either be ‘Buds’ or ‘Pods’ The Android 11 beta for the OnePlus 8 series mention the latter while the source mentions the former WIth the launch expected in July, we should hear more about them very soon.
OnePlus will be launching new smart TVs in India on July 2. The company is expected to launch three smart TVs: 32-inch, 43-inch, and 55-inch.
Samsung appears to be keen on expanding its 5G lineup to the lower mid-range segment. And, a new report now suggests that the Korean company is reportedly getting ready to launch smartphones like the Galaxy A42 with 5G in 2021. And, this fits rather well into rumours already flying around of how the company is bringing affordable foldable phones next year.
Reports coming in from Sammobile point to early buzz about the Galaxy A series of smartphones in 2021. According to them, a device with the model number SM-A426B could be an international variant of the Galaxy A42 5G. Readers may recall that it’s predecessor, Galaxy A41 had a model number of SM-A415F with a mediocre Mediatek’s Helio P65 SoC and triple cameras.
Further, the Galaxy A42 is expected to come with a storage of 128GB which is an upgrade from the base 64GB on the Galaxy A41. The device will also come in Grey, White and Black colors.
While there is no evidence of an LTE variant of the Galaxy A42 as of yet, we can expect the company to launch one as it did previously for the Galaxy A51 and A71 in markets like India, where 5G is out of reach right now. That being said, Samsung could be planning to capture more markets by bringing 5G to the A series of smartphones.
The reason for this could be the results of the first quarter of 2021 according to which, the Galaxy A51 was the world’s best selling smartphone. Amidst growing sentiments against China, Companies like Samsung can very well capitalize the situation by attracting potential buyers across the world.
Previous reports of Samsung planning to bring wireless charging technology to the A series falls in line with this and might land in the A42 as well. That being said, these are early claims and we need to wait for more pages of the company’s secrets to hit the radar of leaks.
The Realme C11 is now official. The device was launched in Malaysia recently with MediaTek Helio G35 chipset, making it the world’s first phone to feature the new chipset.
The Realme C11 comes with new geometric art design and is available in two new colour options: Mint Green and Pepper Grey. It also features a curved back design.
The Realme C11 comes with a 6.5-inch screen with 1,600 x 720 HD+resolution. It features a dew-drop design which houses the front camera. Powering the device is the MediaTek Helio G35 chipset. It is an octa-core chipset with cortex A53 CPU and max clock speed of 2.3GHz. It is coupled with IMG PowerVR GE8320 GPU clocked at 680MHz.
The handset comes in only one configuration, with 2GBs of RAM with 32GB internal storage along with a dedicated microSD card slot. On the camera front, the Realme C11 comes with 13MP f/2.2 primary shooter with 2MP f/2.4 portrait lens and over at the front, you get a 5MP selfie camera with f/2.4 aperture. The Realme C11 misses out on the fingerprint scanner and instead gets only the face unlock feature.
Powering the device is a 5000mAh battery with 10W charging support via micro USB slot. It is running on Realme UI based on Android 10. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 5.0, and Dual SIM slot. On the sensors front, you get Magnetic induction sensor, light sensor, proximity sensor, and acceleration sensor. The device weighs around 196 grams and is thick at 91.mm.
The Realme C11 is priced at RM 429 in Malaysia which is around Rs 7,600. It will go on sale from July 7th. There is no word on the Indian launch yet.
Today is officially the last day of the end-of-financial-year sales, and it should come as no surprise that eBay has once again supplied us with the discounted goods by cutting the cost of Apple’s Powerbeats Pro by an outlandish 43%.
The Powerbeats Pro deliver a powerful, balanced sound with dynamic range and noise isolation. Built for athletes, the totally wireless earbuds are sweat and water-resistant and feature adjustable, secure-fit ear hooks for lightweight, all-day comfort.
The headphones provide an impressive nine hours of battery life, and each earbud has full volume and track controls, so you don't need your device to adjust your music.
Similar to last week's offer, there's a total of 300 units up for grabs in the eBay Plus-exclusive deal, which are unlocked in batches of 100 at 10am, 2pm and 6pm. If you’re not an eBay Plus member, signing up is easy and is well worth it for the incredible price of these earbuds.
If you’ve missed out on the earlier drop times, don’t panic – a new batch of units will be dropped at 6pm – make sure to use the code PF7R30 at checkout to receive your full discount.
Beats Powerbeats Pro | AU$199 (RRP AU$349.95; save AU$151)
Are you getting back into fitness and on the lookout for a decent pair of earbuds to get you through your next training session? Look no further than the Powerbeats Pro as they've been discounted by 43% on eBay – that’s a massive saving of AU$151. Though these earbuds lack noise cancelling, they have fantastic comfort and an ear grip design that ensures your 'buds will never slip out during even the most intense of workouts. Only available to eBay Plus members, the next drop time on these prime 'buds is 6pm. Make sure you’ve got your mouse at the ready and use discount code PF7R30 to knock down the price to only AU$199.View Deal
MediaTek has announced two new gaming-centric chipsets, the Helio G35 and Helio G25. They are the company’s latest offerings in the G series after unveiling G90, G85, G80, and G70, but destined for the budget segment.
With the new chipset, MediaTek is set to capture the lower-end market with gaming-centric chipset and therefore, both the chipsets come with HyperEngine game technology for smoother gaming performance.
Both the processors sport an octa-core configuration, with a Cortex A53 acting as the prime core. On the Helio G35, it is clocked at 2.3GHz while it is has a max frequency of 2GHz on the Helio G25. The same IMG PowerVR GE8320 GPU handles graphical duties, with speeds of up to 650MHz and 680MHz. They are built on a 12nm fabrication process for the right balance between performance and efficiency.
Gaming on a budget phone has never been a good experience but, MediaTek is looking to up its game in the budget segment with their new Chipsets. Both the G35 and G25 feature HyperEngine that will ensure sustained and smooth performance by managing the resources. It is also capable of triggering Wi-Fi and LTE concurrently when you’re getting weak Wi-Fi signal. It also ensures management of the CPU, GPU, and memory.
The MediaTek Helio G35 supports up to 25MP single camera module and 13+13MP dual-camera module. Similarly, the G25 supports up to 21MP single camera module or 13+8MP dual-camera module. They support up to 1080P @ 30fps video recording with H.264 encoding and H.264, H.265 / HEVC video playback. They also support electronic image stabilization, AI camera features, and bokeh capture.
Both support up to 6GB of LPDDR4x RAM and eMMC 5.1 storage. The G35 supports up to Full HD+ and the G25 supports only HD+ resolution. On the connectivity front, they come with 4G dual SIM, VoLTE/ViLTE, dual-band Wi-Fi (b/g/n/ac), Bluetooth 5.0, and FM radio.
The Realme C11 is the first phone to feature the Helio G35 chipset and will be followed by other smartphones soon in the coming weeks.
| Paramaters | Helio G35 | Helio G25 |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | 12nm 64-bit Arm Cortex-A53 | 12nm 64-bit Arm Cortex-A53 |
| Cores | 8 | 8 |
| Max clock speed | 2.3GHz | 2.0GHz |
| GPU | IMG PowerVR GE8320 | IMG PowerVR GE8320 |
| Max display res | 2400 x 1080 | 1600 x 720 |
| RAM | 4GB/6GB | 4GB/6GB |
| Memory Type | LPDDR3, LPDDR4X | LPDDR3, LPDDR4X |
| Storage Type | eMMC 5.1 | eMMC 5.1 |
| Camera | 13MP+13MP, 25MP | 13+8MP, 21MP |
| Connectivity | Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5, FM Radio | Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5, FM Radio |
| Navigation | Beidou/Galileo/Glonass/GPS/QZSS | Beidou/Galileo/Glonass/GPS/QZSS |
The Realme X3 along with the Realme X3 SuperZoom will go on their first sale in India today at 12 noon on Flipkart. These phones under the Realme X3 series were released last week in India and are the successors to the Realme X2 series that was introduced last year.
As the name suggests, the Realme X3 SuperZoom comes with a 5x optical and 60x hybrid zoom similar to what we’ve seen in Huawei P30 Pro and a few other devices, however, at a much lower price point. The Realme X3, though, is the base variant in the series and sports 2x zoom.
Apart from hardware specifications, pricing of the Realme X3 series is another highlight. The starting price of close to Rs. 25,000 is good enough to give some other premium devices jittery moments.
Both the phones can be bought via Flipkart as well as from Realme's site from a sale starting at 12 noon today. The price of Realme X3 and Realme X3 SuperZoom in India can be found as under:
| Product | Configutaion | Price (INR) |
|---|---|---|
| Realme X3 SuperZoom | 12 + 256 | Rs 32,999 |
| Realme X3 SuperZoom | 8 + 128 | Rs 27,999 |
| Realme X3 | 8 + 128 | Rs 25,999 |
| Realme X3 | 6 + 128 | Rs 24,999 |
The Realme X3 SuperZoom comes with a Snapdragon 855 Plus SoC coupled with 8/12 GB of RAM. It has a 6.6-inch Full HD+ LCD display that comes with a 120 Hz refresh rate. This dual-sim phone runs on Realme UI on top of Android 10 out of the box.
The X3 SuperZoom houses a quad-camera setup at the back with the 64-megapixel primary Samsung GW1 sensor and an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor. Additionally, there is a 2-megapixel camera for macro shots along with an 8-megapixel sensor that comes equipped with Periscope-style lens setup that lends the phone 5x optical zoom as well as 60x hybrid zoom capabilities.
On the front, the phone has a dual selfie camera setup house in a hole-punch display. This setup includes a primary 32-megapixel sensor and a secondary 8-megapixel sensor for ultra-wide-angle shots.
In terms of storage, the X3 SuperZoom comes with 256GB of onboard storage and is powered by a 4,200mAh battery that supports the 30W Dart Flash Charge technology.
In terms of features and specifications, the Realme X3 is almost identical to the SuperZoom and is sans the mouthful name apart from some marquee features.
It has the same 6.6-inch Full HD+ LCD display with 120 Hz refresh rate, up to 8GB of RAM, 128 GB of onboard storage and up to 8 GB of RAM.
There is a quad rear camera setup present on the Realme X3 that includes the same primary 64-megapixel Samsung GW1 sensor, an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle shooter along with a 2-megapixel sensor for macro photos. Where the X3 differs from its SuperZoom variant is the fourth sensor that offers for 2x optical zoom and the front dual camera setup which houses a 16-megapixel Sony sensor coupled with an 8-megapixel ultra-wide-angle snapper.
The Realme X3 is powered by a 4,200mAh battery that supports Realme's 30W Dart Flash Charge fast charging technology.
Apple is serious about its decision to guard against monopolies around its supply chain involving the iPhone 12. The company was more than willing to look beyond China as a production base during the Covid-19 pandemic. Now, it has decided not to risk having a single supplier for OLED displays and added LG to the existing Samsung.
There were two reports doing the rounds about how displays for the iPhone 12 would not be left with Samsung, which has been a supplier for some years now. These reports categorically announced that LG would join Samsung in supplying OLED displays for the upcoming smartphones.
Looks like the iPhone 11 series (buy it on Amazon) and the iPhone SE 2020 could well be the last devices from Apple to sport LCD displays.
A report published on DigiTimes said Samsung had obtained a larger chunk of the AMOLED panel orders required for the iPhone lineup during 2020. LG Display and BOE Technology were sharing the smaller parts.
The report in the Korean website Elec said LG Display would be supplying up to 20 million OLEd panels for the iPhone 12 series this year while Samsung Display will get to produce 55 million units. In other words, we can safely state that Apple is hoping to sell 75 million units of its upcoming flagship when it launches later this fall.
Rumours around the iPhone 12 have suggested four models, that includes three of varying sizes. This time it appears as though Apple is bidding adieu to the long-serving LCD panels for all its upcoming iPhones, preferring the jazzier OLED displays.
In November last year, rumours surfaced about Samsung being the sole supplier of the improved Y-OCTA technology that includes the touch sensor within the display. This, the reports said, would render the iPhone thinner, lighter and possibly cheaper to manufacture and sell.
Let's get one thing straight – Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is not a satire, and representing it as such is not only a misunderstanding of the film's intention, but of the spirit of Eurovision in general.
It would be easy to assume that a comedy about Eurovision starring Will Ferrell would be a mockery in the vein of Talladega Nights or Blades of Glory, however, it's clear that the filmmakers behind Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga genuinely love the event and what it represents.
For those who aren't super familiar with the world's biggest song contest, Eurovision is an annual competition that sees musical representatives from a wide number of (mostly) European countries perform an original, unreleased song for a chance to win the highly coveted glass microphone trophy.
The winning country is also given the honor of hosting the next Eurovision Song Contest, which is seen as a massive tourism boon, as the event traditionally brings tens of thousands of overseas visitors and televised exposure to millions more.
Apart from the music, a large part of Eurovision's appeal is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. Everyone (from the event's organizers, to the musicians themselves) is in on the joke, with much of the show's extravagance coming from each act trying to put on the most outrageous performance possible – within the bounds of good taste, of course.
What Will Ferrell, his co-writer Andrew Steele and director David Dobkin understand all too well, is that you can't really make fun of something that already makes fun of itself. Doing so would not only be pointless, but mean-spirited, too.
Instead, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga's creative team approach the material with complete and utter sincerity, with much of the film's humor coming from the larger-than-life characters that inhabit its story.
Never once crossing over into ridicule, Ferrell and co. indulge in some gentle ribbing at Eurovision's expense, which is no different from what the show's own commentators (in this instance, the wonderful Graham Norton) do every year – much to the delight of the audience watching at home.
In fact, Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is made with the participation of the contest itself, and is officially backed by the European Broadcasting Union –this alone should act as a dead giveaway that the film comes from a place of love, and not contempt.
Honestly, it's hard to understand how anyone could feel that Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is out to deride the event in any way, particularly after the show-stopping "song-along" that occurs mid-film, bringing together several of the competition's more famous past contestants to mash up a number of classic songs in joyous celebration.
As the title would suggest, Netflix's film tells the underdog story of Fire Saga, a pub band from Iceland who, due to unforeseen circumstances, ends up being the country's only eligible submission to the Eurovision Song Contest.
Fire Saga consists of Lars Erickssong (Will Ferrell) and Sigrit Ericksdottir (Rachel McAdams) – a pair who (probably) aren't brother and sister. Driven by Lars' childhood dream of winning Eurovision, the frontman is seen as delusional by everyone in his and Sigrit's small hometown of HúsavÃk.
Although no one in the band's own community believes in the pair's musical talents, stemming for the most part from the disapproval of Lars' extremely handsome father, Erick (Pierce Brosnan), the town comes together in support of Fire Saga anyway in one of the film's most heartwarming moments.
As one character in the film so eloquently puts it, "We know they're awful, but they're our awful", brilliantly summing up the pride each country feels for its Eurovision contestants in a single sentence, regardless of how good they actually are.
And while a lesser film would simply be content in making Fire Saga genuinely terrible, the movie doesn't take the cheap route. Instead, the band is actually quite good (well, as far as Eurovision acts go), if a little misguided in that it tries to win the contest by singing what they think the audience wants to hear, rather than singing from the heart.
It's in this lesson that the film reveals its true intentions, stating unequivocally that no matter what happens, you've already won if you stay true to yourself. This message is doubled down once again by the character of Alexander Lemtov (Dan Stevens), the Russian contestant who is obviously gay but pursues Sigrit for the sake of his image and what's expected of him by Mother Russia.
Aside from this, the film is ultimately a celebration of how Eurovision brings people from all walks of life together, regardless of their political affiliations and beliefs. At a time when the world is more divided than ever – compounded by a global pandemic that has seen this year's Eurovision cancelled and any overseas travel indefinitely postponed – Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is exactly the film we need right now.
The Indian government has announced a ban on 59 Chinese apps, including hugely popular social media platform TikTok, over data and privacy concerns.
The decision was made to prevent Indian users installing a number of popular Chinese apps and services such as WeChat, Weibo, Baidu Translate, UC Browser and more on both mobile and desktop as tensions between the two countries continue to rise.
India's Ministry of Information Technology announced the ban in a press release in which it explained that stealing the data of its citizens poses a risk to the country's security, saying:
“The Ministry of Information Technology has received many complaints from various sources including several reports about misuse of some mobile apps available on Android and iOS platforms for stealing and surreptitiously transmitting users’ data in an unauthorized manner to servers which have locations outside India. The compilation of these data, its mining and profiling by elements hostile to national security and defence of India, which ultimately impinges upon the sovereignty and integrity of India, is a matter of very deep and immediate concern which requires emergency measures.”
The Indian Ministry of Information Technology also revealed that it had received an “exhaustive recommendation for blocking these malicious apps” from both the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Center and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The ban on the 59 apps is aimed at safeguarding the privacy of 1.3bn Indians though the move comes during a nationwide call to boycott Chinese products and services following the recent border clash between the two countries.
The Indian government also recently made it mandatory for sellers to list the “Country of Origin” when listing their products on the country's e-Marketplace which could deter customers from purchasing goods made in China. Other e-commerce companies including Amazon and Flipkart have decided to follow in the government's footsteps by requiring sellers to include the country of origin in their listings.
While the ban itself has yet to be enforced in India, it could have a major impact on China's Digital Silk Road ambitions and even lead other countries to ban apps such as TikTok and WeChat. In fact, US senators have already called for an investigation into how TikTok collects user data and censors certain topics.
Seagate BarraCuda 6TB internal hard disk drive, $102.99
This is an exceptionally good deal from Newegg. You won't find anything cheaper anywhere. This 6TB hard disk drive from Seagate will provide plenty of storage space for users that want a HDD that runs 24x7 with plenty of read and write.
If you're hunting for a great deal on a new HDD and happen to have a SAS (Serial-attached SCSI) controller, Newegg is currently selling the Seagate Enterprise 6TB hard disk drive for $103 direct with free shipping.
This is the ST6000NM0034, part of the “Enterprise Capacity 3.5 HDD” family of drives destined for desktop storage, all-in-one storage, home servers, and enterprise RAID system.
Features include 128MB cache, a SAS 12Gbps interface, a 7200RPM spinning speed and, as mentioned before, a 6TB capacity with hardware-based data security and instant secure erase. At $17 per TB, it is the cheapest per-terabyte storage available on the market, at least as far as internal hard disk drives are concerned.
Just bear in mind that you will need a SAS controller to, well, make it work. This storage technology is prevalent in servers and data centers.
It comes with a one-year warranty as standard and has been engineered for 24x7 workloads of up to 550TB per year or about 10x that of desktop drives. That two million hours MTBF.
The deal may even make it cheaper for customers in other countries to buy it from Newegg than locally, even with taxes and shipping included.
The Seagate Enterprise Capacity 3.5" hard drive prevents unauthorized drive access and safeguards stored data with security features that include Secure Downloads & Diagnostics, TCG-compliant Self-Encrypting Drive and government-grade FIPS/Common Criteria tamper-resistant hard drive