Sunday, June 7, 2020

Latest Games News

Every day, 90-year-old Japanese grandma Hamako Mori flexes her fingers to keep them nimble. Not for knitting or needlepoint, but to keep them in shape for playing video games.

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Latest Gadgets News

Reliance Industries said on Sunday that the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) will buy 1.16 percent of its digital unit Jio Platforms for Rs. 5,683.50 crores rupees ($752 million).

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Adventure Time returns on HBO Max: 6 reasons you don't want to miss it - CNET

Commentary: I love Finn, Jake and all their freaky pals because they know how to have fun even during the hardest of times.

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Latest Tech News

In a surprise announcement, OnePlus will announce a more affordable variant of its smart TV in India next month.

Last September, the OnePlus TV Q1 and Q1 Pro made their global debut in India, alongside the 7T, marking the company’s foray into the smart television market. However, at a base price of Rs 69,900, it was one of the more premium options in the market. A new development will delight consumers who were looking for something a little more affordable — an “accessible” variant of the smart TV will launch in India on July 2.

No further details were mentioned, but with the announcement almost a month away, we expect OnePlus to slowly start teasing more aspects of the TV. The call to fame for the Q1 series was the smart software implementation, along with class-leading panel quality and a cool set of slide-down speakers. It’s unclear how many of those will make it to the new OnePlus TV, but we expect smaller sizes to be available, likely to be 43-inch and a 32-inch model.

Some of the high-end features such as the 4K QLED panel, Dolby Atmos speakers and the fancy design might not make the cut, in an attempt to bring the prices lower. However, Oxygen OS features for Android TV 9.0 should make an appearance once again.

The name of the TV has not been mentioned. It could be a model in the Q1 family, or if the recent trends are any indication, a “OnePlus TV Z” isn’t too farfetched either. It will join the Bullets Wireless Z and the upcoming OnePlus Z as an affordable alternative of its flagship offerings.

The budget smart TV space has seen a lot of new players off-late, primarily from Xiaomi, Realme, Nokia and other manufacturers. While OnePlus may not be able to match their price, it will try to bring a feature set that is yet to be seen in this segment. 

For context, the OnePlus TV Q1 Pro was priced at Rs 99,900, and sported a 50W eight-speaker array, four of which would slide down when needed. Even the OnePlus Z was earlier said to launch in India in July, but that could’ve been delayed now.



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Latest Tech News

The Greater Noida manufactiring unit of Chinese smartphone maker Oppo opened for work from today after having been shut down for various Covid-19-related issues. And this should come as great relief for the operations of not only Oppo but also Realme and OnePlus in India.

Well, the Chinese smartphone maker is resuming work in its factory at Greater Noida that had to be shuttered down early May after a few workers tested positive for Covid-19. 

Technically, the factory got going after the break yesterday. But full operations resume today, as per a report in Mint.

But sources in the know said that the operations would not go in full steam straightaway as stipulated government norms have it that only 33% of the workers can be present inside the factories at any given time.

And in any case, Oppo has to be doubly careful, as the manufacturig unit actually reopened in early May after general lockdown, but quickly closed down in mid-May after nine workers from the facility tested positive for the dreaded coronavirus.

The operations could not be resumed immediately due to various reasons, including typical bureaucratic issues.

But eventually the factory has got the government go-ahead, and is now hoping to get going witthout any untoward hassle from today.

Sigh of relief for Realme, OnePlus

The thing about the closure of Oppo factory was that it affected Realme, OnePlus the most. For, Oppo is the contract manufacturer of OnePlus and Realme smartphones for India. Chinese BBK Electronics owns the brands Oppo, Realme, OnePlus and Vivo. As a matter of fact, Oppo, Vivo, and Realme together account for 43 per cent in the Indian market --- the largest combined slice of the Indiam mobile market pie. 

As per this report the closure of Oppo's manufacturing unit had affected the sales for OnePlus and Realme phones in India. All devices sold by these two brands in the country are made at Oppo's facilities.

The resumption of operations at Oppo will particularly be welcomed by OnePlus whose campaign for its newly released OnePlus 8 series had been hampered by the hiccups at the manufacturing unit. 

(Read our OnePlus 8 India review here.)

"Due to unforeseen circumstances, our production was temporarily halted earlier in May, and had altered our sales plan. Having said that, production has already resumed. We have been bringing the OnePlus 8 Series 5G to our Indian users as quickly as possible, and also recently held special limited sale for the OnePlus 8 5G across online and offline channels, garnering great initial response from our customers. The new schedule for the full OnePlus 8 Series 5G will be out soon," Vikas Agarwal, General Manager of OnePlus India had said in a statement.

Mobile-makers gung-ho on demand

Mobile phone makers in the country seem to be okay with the public response since the lockdown norms have been eased. A spokesperson for Vivo has been quoted in the media as saying "we can be optimistic since the sale is getting back on track. In the last 10 days, we have seen 50,000 retailers have started contributing towards our overall sales. These are encouraging signs for the smartphone industry." 

Another big player in Indian market Xiaomi said it was expecting to bounce back during Q3 and Q4 this year. Laptops and accessory makers have also seen healthy demand since the lockdown has been lifted in a staggered manner.



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The best healthy food delivery services for 2020: Blue Apron, Sun Basket, Home Chef and more - CNET

For vegetarian, keto, organic, low-calorie and more diets.

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Latest Tech News

So, imagine you could upgrade your laptop every year or every time you get a new smartphone, that’s possible thanks to the Nexdock Touch, the followup to the Nexdock 2 which was unveiled a few years ago on Kickstarter. You can preorder it directly from Nexdock for $249 excluding P&P; the first units are expected to be shipped on August 31st.

In a nutshell, it is a touch-capable computer screen with a keyboard, battery, a touchpad and a docking station all combined into a laptop form factor. You plug in your computer, tablet, base unit, laptop, smartphone (basically anything with a HDMI port) and presto! You have a working computer that charges your phone..

The screen is a 14-inch full HD IPS model with narrow bezels, a huge 60WHr battery, better speakers (four of them) and a bigger touchpad compared to the previous generation. The webcam is also placed bang in the middle of the hinge that connects the display to the keyboard.

All other ports and features of NexDock Touch are exactly the same with NexDock 2; there’s a HDMI in, three Type-C connectors (one for smartphones, one for charging), a microSD card slot, a Type-A connector and a headphone jack. 

The most exciting use case is with smartphones that support Android’s desktop mode; that includes all the Samsung Galaxy models from the S8 and the Note 8, all Huawei flagship smartphones since the Mate 10 and the P20 plus the Honor Note 10 and the Honor View 20.

Technically, all smartphones that come with Android 10 and support video output over USB Type-C should be able to do that trick.



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Black Lives Matter street mural in Washington, D.C. spotted from space - CNET

The bold yellow letters spelling Black Lives Matter in Washington, D.C. can be seen in a satellite image.

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Best portable car battery chargers for jump-starting your car - Roadshow

Having a reliable portable car battery charger is important for vehicles with older batteries, inclement weather and unforeseen circumstances that might require a jump start.

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Latest Gadgets News

OnePlus 8 is all set to go on sale once again today via Amazon and OnePlus website in India. The new OnePlus smartphone that was launched alongside OnePlus 8 Pro was supposed to go on open sale late-last month.

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Latest Gadgets News

Realme Narzo 10 will be up for grabs once again in India today at 12pm (noon) via Flipkart and Realme website. The phone that was launched almost a month ago is still being offered via flash sales in the country.

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June rent payment: Will you be evicted and when do benefits end? What to know and do - CNET

If you haven't paid rent this month or worry about making rent in the future, learn when eviction protections and other financial resources are set to expire.

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Cast and mirror an Android screen to your TV in three easy steps - CNET

Whether you're streaming a movie, taking part in a video call or playing a game on your TV, mirroring your Android phone's display to your television set is a step worth taking.

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Latest Tech News

Rumors of the Sony WH-1000XM4 – the successors to the best headphones we've ever tested – have been ramping up in recent months, coming to a head when a Walmart listing that appears to describe all the specs of the new headphones was leaked. 

While the existence of the XM4s is yet to be confirmed by Sony, the Walmart listing revealed the kind of changes (or lack thereof) we can expect over the Sony WH-1000XM3.

Now, normally we would expect a brand to make some significant changes when bringing out a successor to its last pair of headphones. In this instance, however, we’re relieved that Sony hasn’t tinkered too much with its class-leading noise-cancelling headphones.

Instead, it looks like the company is making some very considered tweaks to the XM3, which could genuinely improve the user experience without detracting from a winning design. As they say, ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. 

What’s new with the Sony WH-1000XM4?

According to the leaked listing, one of these tweaks is the ability to connect more than one audio source to the headphones at once; multipoint pairing is something users of the XM3s have been calling out for, and it will allow you to pair the WH-1000XM4s with your laptop and your smartphone at the same time. 

There should also be a slight improvement to the sound quality. A feature known as  “Edge-AI” can restore the detail lost in highly compressed audio files by upscaling them in real time, which Sony says delivers sound “as close as possible to that of a wired connection.”

Wireless headphones have long been considered inferior to their wired counterparts in terms of audio fidelity, so this tweak will likely appease audiophiles who haven’t yet committed to cutting the cord.

Connectivity in general should be improved too, as Sony makes the leap from Bluetooth 4.2 to Bluetooth 5, which brings faster pairing times, connectivity over longer distances, and stronger pairing in high traffic areas.

sony wh-1000xm3

The Sony WH-1000XM3.

Anyone who has used the Sony WH-1000XM3s to make phone calls should notice an improvement in the sound quality as well, with a feature called Precise Voice Pickup that uses the headphones’ five microphones and advanced audio signal processing to make your voice sound clearer.

The noise cancellation that made the Sony WH-1000XM3s so popular is also due an upgrade. According to the leaked listing, a feature called Adaptive Sound Control will “learn to recognize locations you frequently visit, such as your workplace or your favorite cafe.”

“In addition it automatically detects what you’re up to – for example, walking, waiting, or traveling – and then adjusts ambient sound settings to best suit the situation,” says Sony. This is a feature that’s already been brought to the XM3s via a firmware update, so we've had a bit of a preview already. 

These are all smart tweaks to already-great features. So what’s staying the same with the Sony WH-1000XM4?

What’s staying the same?

Aside from these little tweaks and upgrades, the new XM4s seem to be very similar to their predecessors.

It looks like there won’t be any material changes to the design of the Sony WH-1000XM4s, which we think is a great thing. We loved how comfortable the XM3s felt, with big padded earcups and a soft headband.

They also looked great, with a sleek, minimalist build that appeals to a wide range of people, and we liked the touchpad controls – another feature that will be making a return. 

The sound quality shouldn’t change substantially either, aside from that AI upscaling feature that will help to curb the data loss from highly compressed files. Judging from the leaked listing, the XM4s will use the same 40mm drivers as their predecessors and support for Sony’s LDAC transmission technology – and as the XM3s are among the best-sounding headphones on the planet, we’re happy to see that the audio profile hasn’t been tweaked too much.

Some may be disappointed to find that there’s no improvement to battery life – but with 30 hours of juice, the Sony WH-1000XM3 weren’t exactly short-lived. Plus, with a return of USB-C fast charging, the XM4s shouldn’t take too long to top up. 

A considered approach

Sony has a history of making careful tweaks to its products with each upgrade, and it’s something we’ve seen with the brand’s noise-cancelling 1000X range before. 

It’s a great way of instilling a sense of trust in the products, and it makes us feel confident that each new upgrade will bring genuinely useful updates, rather than skin-deep design changes that don’t really improve the experience of using the headphones. 

Sony wouldn’t be able to be subtle with its upgrades to the 1000X series if the original product wasn’t so good – and in a market where every company is trying to outdo one and other with headline-grabbing features like gesture controls and built-in AI (like the TicPods Pro 2), it’s a risky move to let the sound, feel, and look of the headphones speak for itself. That's especially true with the first-ever Apple over-ear headphones looking like they're going to launch in a matter of weeks and shake up the headphones market.

Trends (or gimmicks, if you prefer) like virtual 3D audio, bone conduction, and crazy form factors (see: the Bose Frames) may come and go – but we don’t think there will ever be a time when people won’t want a great-sounding pair of noise-cancelling headphones that do their job with minimal fuss. 

Hopefully, that’s exactly what the Sony WH-1000XM4 will do when they’re finally released – and with this recent leak, it’s only a matter of time before we can get our hands on them and find out for ourselves.

Can't wait until then? Check out the best Sony WH-1000XM3 deals we've found today:



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Need to buy a new face mask? You can get one from any of these online stores - CNET

Face masks come in dozens of patterns to choose from to fit your style, from customizable designs and fashion-forward masks from name brands to coverings with a homemade touch.

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Latest Tech News

Some TV shows are like comfort food, and for me, there’s no show more comforting than Peep Show. The British sitcom from the early 2000s h...