by Shivendra | Nov 27, 2018 | Laptops
Apple Announced New MacBook Air: Specifications, Features, And Pricing
After a long overdue Apple finally announced an update to the beloved MacBook Air. The new MacBook Air has been updated both inside and outside. In fact, the new MacBook Air now looks similar to the MacBook Pro 13-inch without touch bar. So here’s everything you need to know about the new MacBook Air.
MacBook Air: Specifications And Features
The major highlight of the new MacBook Air is the 13.3-inch IPS LED-backlit retina display. MacBook Air has been completely redesigned and this compact notebook now feels more premium. As for security, the MacBook Air now has the TouchID sensor integrated within the keyboard and powered by the T2 security chip.
The new MacBook Air is powered by a 1.6GHz dual-core Intel i5 8th Gen processor coupled with Intel UHD Graphics 617. MacBook Air offers 8GB of 2133MHz LPDDR3 RAM and comes with 128GB and 256GB PCIe-based SSD storage options. Furthermore, the new MacBook Air has two USB Type-C ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack.
The new MacBook Air has improved speakers that enhance the overall experience while consuming media. In addition to that, the butterfly switch keyboard and new Force Touch trackpad make interacting with MacBook much easier.
MacBook Air is a perfect and reliable MacOS laptop for casual users that can be used for all sorts of productivity tasks like checking emails, word processing, and much more. Retina display on the MacBook Air also makes it a portable and ideal media consumption device that offers great battery life. That said, the MacBook Air isn’t perfect for professional uses like video editing and gaming.
MacBook Air: Pricing
The base variant of the new MacBook Air with 128GB storage is priced at Rs. 1,14,900 in India. While the variant with 256GB storage will retail for Rs. 1,34,900.
by Shivendra | Nov 27, 2018 | Technology
Samsung W2019 Flip Phone Announced: The $2700 Flagship
Samsung is possibly the only brand that offers futuristic foldable smartphones and the good old flip phones. The South Korean tech giant recently announced its new flagship flip phone the Samsung W2019.
Apart from its form-factor this flip phone packs flagship grade specs and it’s almost double in price compared to any other flagship smartphone. So here’s everything you need to know about the Samsung W2019.
Samsung W2019: Specifications And Features
Samsung W2019 is a premium flagship flip phone that sports two 4.2-inch AMOLED displays. These two displays have an aspect ratio of 16:9 and a resolution of 1920×1080. Similar to other flagship devices the Samsung W2019 is powered by the Snapdragon 845 processor and Adreno 630 GPU. The flip phone comes with 6GB RAM coupled with either 128GB or 256GB storage.
As for cameras, the Samsung W2019 features a dual camera setup consisting of a 12MP variable aperture wide-angle lens and a 12MP telephoto lens. It is worth noting that the Samsung W2019 features the same dual-camera setup as on the Galaxy Note 9. The Samsung W2019 is backed up by a 3700mAh battery.
The phone has a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and it runs on Android 8.1 Oreo out of the box. Lastly, Samsung W2019 comes with a USB Type-C port but it lacks a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Samsung W2019: Pricing And Availability
Samsung W2019 is available in Rose Gold and Platinum color variants. Presently, this premium flip phone only retails in China and will be exclusively available through China Unicom. The sales for this smartphone will begin on 11th November. The Samsung W2019 is priced for 18,999 CNY which roughly translates into $2270 or Rs. 1,95,000. Samsung offers free screen and battery replacements for this flip phone twice a year.
by Shivendra | Nov 27, 2018 | Technology
Next Apple iPhone may have a hole in its display, patent reveals
Apple who started the “notch” design standard that saw every other Android OEM incorporating in its smartphone is looking to trend set another legacy.
The Cupertino giant who had filed a patent back in June for a camera cut-out in the display has finally been approved. The patent titled “Integrated Camera Window” was approved by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) on November 8.
The folks at LetsGoDigital who discovered Apple’s new patent shows an iPhone with a hole for the camera in the display. In other words, Apple is looking to place the iPhone’s front camera under the device’s screen in its future phones, thereby killing the notch design.
“Apparatus, systems, and methods for camera integration with a cover glass and for processing cover glass to provide a camera window for an electronic device are disclosed. A camera window can be integrated into the cover glass. The apparatus, systems, and methods are especially suitable for cover glasses, or displays (e.g., LCD displays), assembled in small form factor electronic devices such as handheld electronic devices (e.g., mobile phones, media players, personal digital assistants, remote controls, etc.,” the patent description read.
Besides iPhones, other electronic devices such as portable computers, tablet computers, displays, monitors, televisions as well as iPads, MacBooks, and iMacs could see in-display camera technology soon.
While patents are filed all the time, it is not necessary that every patent is converted into a finished commercial product or even a prototype. Whether or not, Apple will go ahead and implement the display technology in its future devices, only time will tell.
With this patent, Apple joins the list of companies such as Samsung, Asus, and LG who have filed similar patents in the past. However, Apple’s patent is a bit different from its contemporaries.According to the patent, Apple wants to fit the camera window with a ‘cover glass’ where cover glass refers to the display. This display technology is presently applicable only to the LCD screen.
by Shivendra | Nov 27, 2018 | Technology
Google still allows third-party developers to scan your Gmail accounts
In July this year, we had reported how Google is allowing third-party app developers access to user’s private messages in Gmail.
Now, the search giant has officially admitted in a letter to US lawmakers that it allows third-party apps to access and share data from Gmail accounts, even though Google itself has stopped the practice for the purpose of ad targeting last year.
“Developers may share data with third parties so long as they are transparent with the users about how they are using the data,” wrote Susan Molinari, Vice President of Public Policy and Government Affairs for the Americas at Google in the letter sent to the US Senators in July, which was made public on Tuesday.
Molinari also reiterated that Google employees can read Gmail users’ email content only in cases where a user has given consent, or where the content is required to be inspected by the company for security purposes, such as investigating a bug or abuse.
She wrote that the company ensures that the relevant privacy policy is “easily accessible to users to review before deciding whether to grant access.”
In the letter, the company said that it thoroughly vets any third parties that are granted 9access, and also manually reviews privacy policies and uses computer tools to detect any significant changes to the behavior of the apps.
Suzanne Frey, Google’s director of security, trust, and privacy explained in a blog post in July that Google grants certain permissions to third-party apps and services in order to enhance the experience for Gmail users.
“We make it possible for applications from other developers to integrate with Gmail – like email clients, trip planners and customer relationship management (CRM) systems – so that you have options around how you access and use your email.” Ms Frey wrote.
Any non-Google app first goes through a “multi-step review process” before accessing a person’s Gmail messages that includes assessing the app’s privacy policy to ensure that it’s a legitimate app, Ms Frey said.
“We strongly encourage you to review the permissions screen before granting access to any non-Google application,” she added.
Those who do not wish third-party apps scan your emails, then it is suggested that you can either uninstall extensions that you don’t trust and use apps from reputed developers or choose not to install the apps at all.
by Shivendra | Nov 27, 2018 | Technology
Real-time Google Translate available on all Google Assistant headphones
When Google launched the Google Assistant-enabled Pixel Buds last year, one of the highlighted features of the headphone was its ability to translate in real-time using Google Translate. However, until now this feature was exclusive only to Pixel Buds paired with a Google Pixel smartphone.
Google is now opening up the feature to more users and bringing real-time translation capabilities to all Google Assistant-powered headphones, according to a report from Droid-Life.
Google has updated the support page for the Pixel Buds that reads “Google Translate is available on all Assistant-optimised headphones and Android phones. The Google Assistant on Google Pixel Buds is only available on Android and requires an Assistant-optimised Android device and data connection.”
Some of the few headphones that are equipped with the Google Assistant include the Pixel Buds, Bose Quiet Control 35 II, Sony WI-1000X, Sony WH-1000XM2, Sony WH-1000XM3, JBL Everest 710GA, JBL Everest 110GA, OnePlus Bullets and a few more come with built-in Google Assistant.
If you are interested in trying out the feature, all you need to do is say “Hey Google, help me speak (name of the language)” to the Google Assistant on your earphone or device.
