X, the research arm of Google's parent company, Alphabet is working with Indian internet service provider AP State FiberNet to deliver internet service to millions of customers in the state of Andhra Pradesh, without cable. Instead X is using Free Space Optical Communication (FSOC) links to deploy internet services, a solution that was used in Project Loon. For the unaware, X's Project Loon used hot air balloons to deliver internet access to remote areas in developing countries. According to X, FSOC is just like "fiber optic cable, but without the cable" and uses light beams to deliver high speed, high capacity connectivity over long distance. And because there’s no cable, this will save time, cost, and hassle involved in digging trenches or stringing cable along poles. The FSOC boxes can simply be placed on roofs or towers, and beam signal between the boxes across rivers, roads and railways. The FSOC links are said to provide connections of up to 20Gbps over long distances, which is enough bandwidth to connect major access points, like cell-towers and WiFi hotspots, that support thousands of people in rural and remote areas across the state, without spending much. X says AP State Fibernet will roll out two thousand FSOC links to connect 12 million households and thousands of government organizations and businesses in Andhra Pradesh by 2019. Source
Qualcomm on the second day of its annual Snapdragon Technology summit in Hawaii has revealed full details of its next flagship processor, the Snapdragon 845, which will be faster than Snapdragon 835 chip. The Snapdragon 845 is said to be 30 percent more power efficient than Snapdragon 835 and comes with Adreno 630 GPU, which offers 30 percent improved graphics, video rendering and power reduction compared to the previous generation. It uses Kyro 385 CPU with four cores handling powerful tasks, and the rest four are power-efficient cores to handle day-to-day activities. The four powerful cores are clocked at up to 2.8GHz and offers 25 percent better performance that Snapdragon 835's Kyro 280 CPU. The four power efficient cores are clocked at 1.8GHz, and promises 15 percent improved performance. The chipset is manufactured using Samsung 10n FinFET process technology. The chipset also houses a spectra 280 ISP (image signal processor), a Hexagon 685 DSP (digital signal processor), AQustic Audio, as well as Qualcomm's fastest model X20 Gigabit LTE radio. The Spectra 280 ISP enables "Ultra HD premium capture", which means phone equipped with the chipset is capable of capturing 4K HDR videos at 60fps (frames per second) with support for up to 480fps slow-mo recording at 720p. As for connectivity, the Snapdragon 845’s X20 LTE modem supports LTE Category 18 peak download speeds of 1.2 Gbps, Dual SIM-Dual VoLTE as well as 4×4 MIMO on up to 3 aggregated carriers. It has support for the latest Wi-Fi 802.11 ad. For security, Snapdragon 845 supports fingerprint, iris, voice and face technology, while Qualcomm's new Aqstic audio codec promises to deliver improved wake-word recognition, as well as improved playback and record features. The chipset also support Qualcomm's Quick Charge 4+ technology, that is 30 percent more power efficient and can charge up to 15 percent faster than Quick Charge 4 Check out the complete specs and features of Snapdragon 845 below: Qualcomm Spectra 280 ISP
Ultra HD premium capture
Qualcomm Spectra Module Program, featuring Active Depth Sensing
MCTF video capture
Multi-frame noise reduction
High-performance capture up to 16MP @60FPS
Slow motion video capture (720p @480 fps)
ImMotion computational photography
Adreno 630 Visual Processing Subsystem
30% improved graphics/video rendering and power reduction compared to the previous generation
Integrated use-cases such as integrated SIM, Payments, and more
Qualcomm Aqstic Audio
Qualcomm Aqstic audio codec(WCD934x):
Playback ㄧDynamic range: 130dB, THD+N: -109dB; Native DSD support (DSD64/DSD128), PCM up to 384kHz/32bit; Low power voice activation: 0.65mA
Record ㄧDynamic range: 109dB, THD+N: -103dB; Sampling: Up to 192kHz/24bit
Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+ Kryo 385 CPU
Four performance cores up to 2.8GHz (25 percent performance uplift compared to the previous generation)
Four efficiency cores up to 1.8GHz
2MB shared L3 cache (new)
3MB system cache (new)
10-nanometer (nm) LPP FinFET process technology Qualcomm says first smartphone utilizing the Snapdragon 845 chip will be unveiled in early 2018. Xiaomi has already confirmed that its upcoming flagship Mi 7 will use Snapdragon 835 chip, and other OEM such as Samsung, LG, HTC, Sony, OnePlus among others will also bring Snapdragon 845 powered flagship device to the market. Source | Via
In-app advertisements are not uncommon these days, but there are some apps that infest ads on the lock screen. However, now Google is taking necessary steps to crack down such apps, and has implemented measures, which prohibits select apps from displaying ad on your phone's lock screen, unless the app is related to lock screen. According to Google's updated developer monetisation page, "Unless the exclusive purpose of the app is that of a lockscreen, apps may not introduce ads or features that monetize the locked display of a device." In simple words, developers of lockscreen apps can show ads on the lock screen. Others developers are not allowed to display ads on lock screen. So if the app is a file manager, VPN or photo editor and has nothing to do with lock screen, the app cannot show lockscreen ads. If the app is exclusively designed to be used as lockscreen app, for instance lock screen widgets, wallpaper, can monetize the app by displaying ads. Source
The Indian Defence Ministry has directed troops posted on the China border to delete a number of apps and format their smartphone. According to a report by The Print Indian soldiers posted on LAC (Line of Actual Control) have been ordered to delete 42 apps, that intelligence agencies have found to be threat to national security, due to possible links to hackers in China. The list of banned apps include popular apps (both Android and iOS) such as Weibo, WeChat, SHAREit, Truecaller, Clean Master, UC Browser, 360 Security, ES File Explorer and Xiaomi's Mi Store and Mi Community. These apps are said to be transmitting sensitive personal data to the Chinese authorities, and have the potential to carry out cyber attacks against Indians. You can check out the list below. 1. Weibo, 2. WeChat, 3. SHAREit, 4. Truecaller, 5. UC News, 6. UC Browser, 7. BeautyPlus, 8. NewsDog, 9. VivaVideo- QU Video Inc, 10. Parallel Space, 11. APUS Browser, 12. Perfect Corp, 13. Virus Cleaner (Hi Security Lab), 14. CM Browser, 15. Mi Community, 16. DU recorder, 17. Vault-Hide, 18. YouCam Makeup, 19. Mi Store, 20. CacheClear DU apps studio, 21. DU Battery Saver, 22. DU Cleaner, 23. DU Privacy, 24. 360 Security, 25. DU Browser, 26. Clean Master - Cheetah Mobile, 27. Baidu Translate, 28. Baidu Map, 29. Wonder Camera, 30. ES File Explorer 31. Photo Wonder, 32. QQ International, 33. QQ Music, 34. QQ Mail, 35. QQ Player, 36. QQ NewsFeed, 37. WeSync, 38. QQ Security Centre, 39. SelfieCity, 40. Mail Master, 41. Mi Video call-Xiaomi, 42. QQ Launcher Officers using any of the listed apps should immediately uninstall them and format/cleanup both their personal and official smartphones to guard against online espionage attempts from across the border. “According to reliable inputs, a number of Android/IOS apps developed by Chinese firms or having Chinese links are reportedly either spyware or other malicious ware. Use of these apps by our personnel can be detrimental to…national security,” the instructions sent to troops on November 24th read. Meanwhile, Truecaller has issued a statement responding to the accusation "In response to certain reports, we would like to clarify that we are a Sweden-based company. We are not sure why the app is on this list, but we're investigating. Truecaller is not a malware, and all our features are permission based and are disabled by default," The news comes at a time when troops from India and China maintain high alertness levels along the LAC after the resolution of a bitter border stand-off over Doklam. Also several Indian cybersecurity experts have raised concerns about the possible espionage attempts by Chinese hackers and various military intelligence agencies of China. This is not the first time such a case has arised. Back in December 2015 defense ministry had restricted internet access and stopped the use of WiFi and Bluetooth enabled devices in South Block due to fear of attack from Chinese hackers. Source | Via
The HDMI Forum has released version 2.1 of HDMI Specifications which is now available to all HDMI 2.0 adopters. HDMI V2.1 supports a range of higher video resolutions and faster refresh rates including 8K 60 fps and 4k 120fps and resolutions up to 10K for immersive viewing. It also supports Dynamic HDR formats and thanks to the new Ultra High Speed HDMI Cable, the bandwidth capability is increased up to 48Gbps. The cable ensures high-bandwidth dependent features are delivered including uncompressed 8K video with HDR. It offers exceptionally low EMI (electro-magnetic interference) emission which reduces interference with nearby wireless devices. The cable is backwards compatible and can be used with the existing HDMI devices. HDMI V2.1 also features eARC that supports the most advance audio formats and highest quality audio to ensure full compatibility between audio devices and upcoming HDMI 2.1 products. It also boasts enhanced refresh rate which delivers smooth and seamless motion and transitions while gaming or watching videos. They include:
Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) reduces or eliminates lag, stutter and frame tearing for more fluid and better detailed gameplay.
Quick Media Switching (QMS) for movies and video eliminates the delay that can result in blank screens before content is displayed.
Quick Frame Transport (QFT) reduces latency for smoother no-lag gaming, and real-time interactive virtual reality.
Lastly, there's Auto Low Latency mode (ALLM) that will automatically set the best latency setting to provide smooth, lag-free and uninterrupted viewing and interactivity. The HDMI Forum says that the HDMI 2.1 Compliance Test Specification (CTS) will be published in stages during Q1-Q3 2018, and HDMI adopters will be notified when it is available. For those unaware, HDMI Forum is a non profit, mutual benefit corporation comprised of world's leading manufacturers such as Bose, NVIDIA, Dolby, Panasonic, Philips, Sharp, Qualcomm and Sony among others, whose aim is to develop and test the future version of HDMI.
Lithium-ion batteries are widely applied to markets for mobile devices and electric vehicles since 1991. However these type of batteries requires charging time of at least an hour to fully charge, even with quick charging technology. Also they have reached their limit for capacity expansion. Having said that, it appears that Samsung is working on a new solution. A team of researchers at the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) developed a 'graphene ball' battery material that enables a 45 percent increase in capacity and five time charging speed than lithium-ion batteries. In theory, a battery based on 'graphene ball' material requires only 12 minute to fully charge, and can maintain high stability even at 60 degree celsius temperature. This battery material promises for the second generation battery market related to mobile devices and electric vehicles. SAIT also sought for an approach to apply graphene to batteries and discovered a mechanism to mass synthesize graphene into a 3D form like popcorn using affordable silica (SiO2). This graphene ball was utilized for both the anode protective layer and cathode material in lithium-ion batteries, which ensured an increase of charging capacity, and decrease of charging time as well as stable temperatures. In its research, SAIT collaborated closely with Samsung SDI as well as a team from Seoul National University’s School of Chemical and Biological Engineering. SAIT has also filed two applications for the “graphene ball” technology patent in the US and Korea. Source
Last month, a report from research firm Canalys suggested that its just a matter of time for Xiaomi to take the top spot in the Indian smartphone market, dethroning Samsung. And it has almost happened. According to IDC, Xiaomi was the top smartphone maker in India in Q3 2017, however it is yet to dethrone Samsung as it has tied with the South Korean tech giant at 23.5 percent share each. Just yesterday, Xiaomi announced that it shipped a whooping 9.2 million smartphone in the country in Q3 2017. The IDC report suggests that Xiaomi almost tripled its smartphone shipments year-on-year (YOY) and doubled quarter-on-quarter (QOQ) in Q3 2017. The growth is mainly due to the brand's aggressive pricing stratergy, for instance the Redmi Note, which is still the best selling smartphone (4 million units shipped, which is almost half of Xiaomi's total devices shipped); and rapid expansion of offline platform through preferred partner program and Mi Home stores. As for Samsung, the South Korean tech giant registered 39 percent sequential growth QoQ and 23 percent year-on-year (YoY). The Galaxy J2, Galaxy J7 NXT and Galaxy J7 Max models contributed to almost 60 percent of the brand’s volume. Lenovo (including Motorola) jumped up two spots, making a comeback to the third position after two quarters capturing nine percent of the market share. The company's shipments increased 83 percent from the previous quarter. The report mentions that a "couple of new launches under the Motorola brand reversed its internal brand share and now Motorola contributes to two-third of its portfolio." The selfie focused device makers slipped to fourth and fifth spot respectively. vivo held 8.5 percent market share, while Oppo had a market share of 7.9 percent. Speaking of the Indian smartphone market scenario during Q3 2017, a total of 39 million smartphones were shipped in the country, showing a 40 percent substantial growth quarter on quarter (QoQ) and a healthy 21 percent growth year-on-year (YOY). Moreover, Indian smartphone shipment accounted for 10 percent of the global smartphone shipment during the quarter. The record sales figure can be attributed to the festive season sales, during which various smartphone brand launch new devices, and etailer provide enticing deals and easy finance option on popular existing smartphones.
Samsung has silently made the high-end Exynos 9 series 9810 chip official that is likely to power the South Korean tech giant's next premium flagship the Galaxy S9. The new chip will succeed Exynos 9 series 8895 SoC, that was utilized by Galaxy S8/S8+ and Galaxy Note8. The Exynos 9 series 9810 chip will be based on the second generation 10nm FinFET processor technology and use Samsung's third generation custom designed CPU core to deliver improved performance over its predecessor.
It will also get an upgraded graphics processor, likely to be called Mali G72 CPU, and will be based on Bifrost architecture resulting in up to 40 percent performance improvement than Mali G71 GPU. The chip will be integrated with LTE Cat.18 6CA-supported modem that offers maximum download speed of up to 1.2Ghps (Cat.18). Samsung is already working closely with Anritsu, a telecommunication measuring instrument providers for the LTE modem that offers 20 percent improvement in the maximum download link speed. As a result, users will be able to download a full length HD movie within 10 seconds. Unfortunately other details are scarce. Samsung says the Exynos 9 series 9810 SoC will go in mass production in early 2018. As mentioned earlier the chip will be used in Samsung's next flagship Galaxy S9 that will be released in Q1 2018. Via
In September Twitter started testing 280 character limit per tweet with few users. Now Twitter is finally ending the iconic 140-character limit, and giving everyone 280 characters. The 280 character limit is aimed at drawing more user engagement on Twitter. According to Twitter nine percent of tweet written in English hit 140 character limit, and people end up spending more time editing and modifying the tweet or don't tweet them at all. During the 280 character limit test, this problem was reduced, that, number dropped from nine percent to only one percent of tweets running up against the limit. Talking about brevity, Twitter says only five percent of tweets sent were longer than 140 characters, and only two percent were over 190 characters, As a result, your timeline reading experience won't change substantially, and you'll see about the same amount of tweets in your timeline. That being said, users tweeting in Japanese, Korean and Chinese will continue to have 140 characters, because space limitation is not an issue in these languages. Via | Source
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) earlier this week issued draft regulation on civil use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Drone) in India. This will enable commercial use of drones for tasks such as photography, doorstep delivery, medical uses and even passenger transport. The usage of drones will also help sectors such as agriculture, oil and gas. The draft regulation will be placed on DGCA's public domain for a month to seek comments and suggestions, including for commercial purposes after which the rules will be finalized. That said, various restrictions have been proposed as well to ensure that the drones are used only for valid and legal purposes, and not be a security threat. The highlights of the draft issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are mentioned below:
Drones have been classified into five categories based on maximum take-off weight: nano (up to 250g), micro (251g to two kg), mini (2kg to 25kg), small (25kg to 150kg) and large (over 150kg).
Drones under 250g (nano) won't need security clearance
Micro category (251g to 2kg) will get approvals in two day
Except for nano category and those operated by government security agencies, all other commercial categories of drones will be registered by the DGCA, which will issue it a Unique Identification Number
Whenever you operate a drone, you will need different approval. Apart from nano drones, all other categories will need an air defence clearance so that aviation as well as security authorities are aware of the flight path.
Remote pilots of the drones will have to undergo requisite training, except in case of nano and micro categories
There will be no-drone zones such as above operational aerodromes and within 5 km of Vijay Chowk in Delhi, within 500 metres from strategic locations, from mobile platforms such as car, ship or air craft, over eco-sensitive zones like national parks and wildlife sanctuaries (unless approved by Environment Ministry).
Drones less than 2kg and operating under 200 feet of height, once registered, can be flown without nods.
Drones could be used for tasks like wildlife photography, delivering medical supplies, e-commerce deliveries, inspection of pipelines, and even passenger transport
The final regulatory framework for the use of drones is expected by December 31. Source 1 | IANS
According to a report by Singapore-based research firm Canalys, India has overtaken the U.S to become the second larget smartphone market in the globe after China. To remind you China overtook U.S in 2013 to become the biggest smartphone market. The report further said that after a 'wobble' in Q2, 2017, India's smartphone market recovered with shipments growing 23 percent YoY in Q3 2017 to reach just over 40 million units. "Low smartphone penetration and the explosion of LTE" are the main drivers for the growth, and going forward, the shipments are expected to grow. “This growth comes as a relief to the smartphone industry. Doubts about India’s market potential are clearly dispelled by this result,” said Canalys Research Analyst Ishan Dutt. Despite posting excellent results, the market continues to concentrate, with the top five vendors: Samsung, Xiaomi, vivo, Oppo and Lenovo/Motorola, accounting for 75 percent of market share.
Samsung again lead the market with over 9.4 million smartphone shipments, which is 30 percent more than Q3 last year. While Xiaomi on the other hand is inching closer to overtake Samsung, and is likely to take the top spot next quarter. It shipped 9.2 million smartphones which is 290 percent increase YoY. Both Samsung and Xiaomi accounted for almost half of the shipments in the Q3 2017. vivo, Oppo and Lenovo/Motorola, on the other hand also posted strong growth in Q3, 2017. Meanwhile, iPhone shipments were doubled YoY. Apple shipped 900,000 units in Q3, 2017, compared with Q3 2016, thanks to Apple's local production of iPhone.
Samsung's voice assistant Bixby made its debut with the launch of company's flagship Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ to take on rivals such as Alexa, Cortana, Google Assistant and Apple Siri. That said, the availability of Bixby was limited to Samsung's premium flagship devices. But that is changing now as the South Korean tech giant is gearing up to bring Bixby to a number of different devices and services, especially to the Internet of Things (IoT) platform. Samsung promises that Bixby's new advanced version dubbed as Bixby 2.0 will be ubiquitous and available on any and all devices. Any devices means that Bixby will be powered by cloud and will act as the control hub to your home ecosystem which includes mobile phones, TVs, refrigerators, home speakers, or any other smart device and appliances. According to Samsung Bixby 2.0 will be more personal with enhanced natural language capabilities for more natural commands and complex processing, which means it can recognize your voice easily. Samsung is also making Bixby 2.0 an open platform. This means third party developers can integrate Bixby into their services, devices or apps. Additionally Samsung also released first private beta program of Bixby SDK, which can only be accessed by select developers, but it will eventually roll out to all developers in the near future.
A year ago Qualcomm announced that it was developing its first 5G-capable mobile modem, Snapdragon X50. And today the chip maker announced that it has completed the first successful test of Snapdragon X50 5G modem. Qualcomm demoed the 5G technology on a 5G modem chipset for mobile devices in Qualcomm's Technologies laboratories in San Diego using several 100MHz carriers; Qualcomm's SDR051 mmWave RF transceiver integrated circuit (IC); and Keysight Technologies' new 5G Protocol R&D Toolset, and UXM 5G wireless Test Platform. The Snapdragon X50 modem was able to achieve gigabit speeds and a data connection in the 28GHz mmWave rado frequency band, driving a new generation of cellular technology forward while accelerating the delivery of 5G NR enabled mobile devices to consumers. In addition Qualcomm previewed its first 5G smartphone reference design to help phone makers test and optimize 5G technology to use on future 5G-compatible phones. Qualcomm says Snapdragon X50 5G NR modem family is expected to support commercial launches of 5G smartphones and networks in the first half of 2019.
Qualcomm is upgrading its mid-tier Snapdragon 630 chip with the new Snapdragon 636 Mobile Platform, which delivers improved performance and graphics, as well as better display technology. The chip is designed for use in mid-range and upper mid-range devices. The Snapdragon 636 is manufactured using the same 14nm FinFet process technology, as the Snapdragon 630 chip, but packs eight Kyro 260 CPUs instead of A53 CPUs, which is capable of delivering 40 percent more performance over the Snapdragon 630 mobile platform. The chip is paired with a new Adreno 509 GPU, which supports effective rendering of advance 3D graphic and boosts gaming performance by 10 percent as compared to Snapdragon 630. The chip also supports the modern ultra-wide FHD+ displays and Assetive display, which optimizes the visibility of the display in all lighting conditions. For superior viewing angles, the chip is integrated with Qualcomm TruPlallete and Qualcomm EcoPix in the Adreno Visual Processing Subsystem. For connectivity, the Snapdragon 636 chip features X12 LTE modem, with download speeds of 600mbps. It also comes with 14-bit Qualcomm Spectra 160 IPS which supports capture of up to 24MP photos with zero shutter lag, smooth zoom, fast auto-focus and true-to-life colors. For audio, the chip has Qualcomm Aqstic audio codec, which supports Hi-Fi audio with up to 192kHz/24bit, and has the ability to playback lossless audio filers with low distortion and high dynamic range. The Snapdragon 636 Mobile Platform is expected to ship to customers in November 2017. You can check out the full specs sheet here. Source
Singapore based video on demand streaming platform Hooq launched its services in India in 2015, and now it is revising its strategy. The company says India market is seeing growing demand for Hollywood content, so it will purely focus on Hollywood movies and TV show. Hooq is also adding over 1,000 Hollywood movies and TV shows to its library. The service's library include popular contents from Sony, Warner Bros., such as Wonder Woman, The Da Vinci Code, Flash, Arrow, Gotham and more. Hooq customers will also be able to to enjoy exclusive titles like Lucifier, Super Girl, DC Legends of Tomorrow, The Bing Bang Theory and more. Customers can download or stream contents from its refreshed library at an introductory price of Rs. 89, which offers three month of service. After three months you'll have to pay Rs. 89 per month. Additionally Hooq is also offering TVOD (transactional video on demand), which means customer can rent contents on a pay-per-view basis.
Hooq's video-streaming service can be accessed via their app or from their website. The app is available for iOS and Android platforms.
Chinese smartphone maker continue to dominate the Indian smartphone market, posing a threat to top player Samsung, while making things more worse for domestic vendors like Micromax, YU, Intex, Lava and Karbonn. According to research firm Canalys, Four of the top five leading smartphone brand in India in Q2 2017, are from China, and not a single domestic manufacturer was able to make it to the top five spot. That said, Indian smartphone market declined for the first time in history, as shipments fell four percent year on year to just under 27 million devices shipping in Q2 2017. According to the research firm, the implementation of GST (Goods and Service taxes), that came into effect from July 1 across all products adversely affected the market this year. Samsung continued to lead the smartphone market in Q2 2017 with 25 percent share and sold nearly 6.5 million units during the period. For now, the South Korean tech giant's, low-end Galaxy J line is helping it to sustain lead in the country, while the positive response to Galaxy S8 & S8+ have helped Samsung to get back some of its premium customers. However, Samsung is under immense pressure from Chinese player in the mid-tier segment. Speaking of Chinese smartphone brand, Xiaomi is rising at a rapid rate, and is inching closer towards Samsung in terms of number of smartphone shipped. It held the second spot during Q2, 2017, and quadrupled its shipment to 4.8 million units this year. vivo took third place shipping an all-time high of 3.4 , followed by Oppo at fourth and Lenovo at fifth with 1.9 million smartphones shipped during the period. The report adds that "collectively, Xiaomi, Oppo, vivo, Gionee and Lenovo control over 50 percent of India's smartphone market."
The USB 3.0 Promoter Group that comprises of Apple, HP, Intel, Microsoft, Texas Instruments, Renesas Electronics and ST Microelectronics has announced the latest USB Type-C specification: USB 3.2. The USB 3.1 specification was announced back in 2013, and offered transfer speed of up to 10gGbps using two lanes (5Gbps per lane). The newest specification USB 3.2 boasts increased performance through multi-lane operation, and doubles the transfer speed to up to 20Gbps. However to get the full 20gbps speed, a new USB 3.2 host must be used with a new USB 3.2 device, using the appropriate certified USB Type-C cable. The USB 3.2 will also work with USB 3.0 and earlier devices, and requires a minor hub update to assure seamless transitions between single and two lanes operations. The USB 3.2 specifications is now in a final draft review and will be released at USB Developer Days North America event in September 2017. We will have to wait until 2018 end or 2019 to experience it, as OEM still have to implement it in their future products. Source
MediaTek in collaboration with China Mobile has introduced 'Dual 4G VoLTE solution'. Currently 4G smartphones allow only the primary SIM card to support VoLTE, while the secondary SIM card can only use 2G/3G. But the Dual 4G VoLTE solution will allow dual-SIM smartphones to support 4G VoLTE with both primary and secondary SIM card, instead of just primary. MediaTek's Helio X30 will be the first chipset to utilize the Dual 4G VoLTE solution, and it is highly integrated and optimized within the chip. For those unaware, VoLTE is a 4G LTE net-work based HD voice technology for high-speed wireless voice and video calling over 4G network. Compared to 2G/3G networks, VoLTE calls and video calling offer higher audio and visual quality. MediaTek says, Dual 4G VoLTE solution will maximize the usability of dual VoLTE with stable calling quality and high data transfers to deliver a better Internet and calling experiences. Source
Unicode Consortium is releasing version 10.0 of the Unicode Standard that include 56 new emoji, 8,518 characters and four new scripts. The new Unicode standard also gets a set of Typicon Marks and symbols and a Bitcoin sign. Theses additions will be adopted by major vendors including Apple, Google, Samsung and Windows on their devices in second half of 2017. The Unicode Standard now includes two dinosaurs, the Bitcoin symbol, and the long-awaited Colbert Emoji. Other emojis are shushing face, face vomiting, star-stuck, bearded man, palms up together, exploding head, genie, hijab, T-Rex and more. You can check out the full list of all the new emoji over at Emojipedia. These will be most welcomed by emoji fans in social media platforms and chat apps.
Apart from new emoji, Unicode 10.0 now adds support for Bitcoin currency symbol, that looks like a capital letter 'B' with two vertical lines. The four new language scripts supported are:
Masaram Gondi, used to write Gondi in Central and Southeast India,
Nüshu, used by women in China to write poetry and other discourses until the late twentieth century,
Soyombo and Zanabazar Square, used in historic Buddhist texts to write Sanskrit, Tibetan, and Mongolian.
Twitter and Facebook (testing) have already added support for Unicode 10, while Google added the new characters to the Android O preview, Apple's iOS devices are likely to get the new emoji with iOS 11.1 or iOS 11.2, scheduled to roll out between September and December. Via
It’s not a sequel of Robocop movie nor any other Sci-Fi movie. Robots will be common in the streets of Dubai. Yes, Dubai is all set to introduce robots in their police force by 2030. This is not something new, there has been a huge innovation in the field of Robotics. Take the case of Hanson Robotics’ latest and most advanced robot- ‘Sophia’ for that matter, a social robot with artificial intelligence. Having given numerous media interviews and also to have appeared in one of the leading fashion magazines, she has become celebrated robot today. Whats Blazing ?
Nicknamed Robocop
5.5 inches height and weighing about 222 pounds (100kg)
Equipped with Camera with facial recognition technology
Speaks in six languages
Built-in tablet that can be used to pay fines and report crimes.
Robots are already being used as prison guards, for bomb-diffusing, counter terrorism, and for training purpose in countries like America, Israel, and South Korea. Though Dubai is not the first to use robots in police force, it will definitely be the first to make arrests and have the responsibilities of a regular cop eventually.
“With an aim to assist and help people in the malls or on the streets, the robocop is the latest smart addition to the force and has been designed to help us fight crime, keep the city safe and improve happiness levels” said Brigadier-General Khalid Nasser Al Razouqi, Director of the Smart Services Department for the Dubai Police. This automaton with 5.5 inches height and weighing about 222 pounds (100kg), nicknamed Robocop, can speak in six different languages and is equipped with facial recognition technology. Cladded in the colors of the Dubai Police uniform, it can read vehicle license plates, transmit and receive message from police, has a built-in tablet that can be used to pay fines and report crimes. These kinds of robots can work 24/7, working around the clock without sick leave or maternity leave. The Brigadier has also confirmed that the department will replace 25% of the police force to robots by 2030, if successful. And that the roll will happen over the next decade, giving it ample of time to work on its flaw if any.
