Apple’s annual developer conference, WWDC 2017, takes place on Monday at 10 a.m. PDT (10:30 a.m. IST). It is expected to talk about the next iteration of its software — iOS 11 and macOS 10.13, among others — and possibly launch a launch. Range of new hardware products, judging by rumors and reports. Topping the list is a Siri-enabled speaker, which will compete with Amazon’s Echo range and the Google Home, plus new iPad models and a refresh of MacBook specs.
Some of it has also been confirmed by a leak from alleged “Foxconn insiders” in a Reddit thread, where the user confirmed that an “Apple home speaker” was in the works but produced by a different manufacturer. They also said Apple was looking at a 32GB RAM variant of the MacBook Pro 15-inch, said the design of the next iPhone — which it dubbed the “iPhone X” — was the closest thing to the one with a vertical glass-back dual camera setup, and that there are also plans for an AR headset, codenamed Project Mirrorshades.
In the news much more likely to happen at WWDC 2017, a developer has spotted two new apps in the App Store: Files and Activity. There are no details about the apps other than the obvious naming convention, other than their compatibility is limited to iOS 11. That’s just as much a hint as you need. You can watch the live stream for WWDC 2017 here.
Reliance Jio 4G download speed hits record high According to the latest available TRAI data from its MySpeed app, Reliance Jio reached an all-time high in 4G download speeds in May, with an average download speed of 19.123 Mbps for its customers across India. Next in the rankings were Idea (13,709 Mbps), Vodafone (13,387 Mbps), and Airtel (10,153 Mbps). The rankings were different if you care more about upload speeds on 4G. The idea took first place (8.459 Mbps), followed by Vodafone (7.333 Mbps), Jio (5.275 Mbps), and Airtel (4.641 Mbps).
ISRO Launches GSLV-Mk III Rocket With Heaviest Communications Satellite Onboard The rocket was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, which has historically served as one of two key locations for India’s space missions. The rocket, weighing 640 tons and measuring 43.43 meters in height, traveled 179 km in just under 16 minutes and launched the GSAT-19 into orbit, where it will have a lifespan of ten years.
Moto Z2 Play India launched on ThursdayMoto Z2 Play, unveiled last week in the US for $499 (approximately Rs. 32,200), is set to launch in the Indian market on Thursday, June 8. Pre-orders for the smartphone will start the same day, Lenovo has confirmed. The Metro Z2 Play India launch event will be live-streamed on Thursday at noon. The company has also announced pre-order offers for the smartphone, such as the option to pay Rs. 2,000 for the booking and the remainder over ten months at zero interest; those who pre-order the smartphone will get the Moto Armor package, which includes protective accessories for the device. More such offers will be announced as the launch approaches.
As for the specs, the Android 7.1.1 Nougat-based Moto Z2 Play has a 5.5-inch full-HD display, a 2.2GHz octa-core Snapdragon 626 processor, microSD card support up to 2TB, a 12-megapixel rear camera with dual LED flash, 5-megapixel front camera with dual LED flash and 3000mAh battery. It comes in two variants: 3 GB RAM + 32 GB internal storage and 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage.
The New OnePlus 5 leak reveals dual camera horizontal orientation. With OnePlus 5 launching this month, a new Weibo leak has again turned the debate over dual rear camera orientation on its head. While multiple previous leaks have suggested a vertical setup, the latest teaser image points to a horizontal one, similar to the one on the iPhone 7 Plus. A second set of leaks suggests that one of the cameras could have a monochrome sensor, following the approach Huawei is taking for its dual-camera phones.
Meanwhile, OnePlus offers free mobile coverage worth Rs. 1,499 if you buy the OnePlus 3T from the online store. If you missed the earlier news, you should know that the seven-month-old phone is on its way out, so keep that in mind before jumping on this offer.
Amazon may have come up with low-budget ‘Ice’ phones. Amazon may have failed with the launch of the Fire smartphone in 2015, but it doesn’t seem to be giving up completely just yet. According to sources familiar with the matter, Amazon wants to enter emerging markets like India with phones that would run Android with all of the Google apps present instead of its own Fire OS. Internally, the phones are referred to as ‘Ice’, a hinge you can do with something previously called ‘Fire’.
One of the planned Amazon Ice phones will have a screen size of between 5.2 and 5.5 inches and will be powered by the Snapdragon 435. It will have a 13-megapixel rear camera, 2GB RAM, 16GB internal storage, include a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. It is expected to cost around Rs. 6,000.
Moto E4 Plus may cost around Rs. 13,300. Lenovo’s upcoming Moto E4 Plus has been leaked on Twitter, with a press release and price, adding to all the information we already had. The image shows a home button on the front with a fingerprint scanner and thinner bezels than the E4. The SIM-free unlocked variant starts from GBP 159.95 (about Rs. 13,300), although those prices will differ worldwide given the import costs.
Huawei has launched an 8-inch version of MediaPad M3 LiteHuawei has launched a new tablet for the Chinese market, the MediaPad M3 Lite 8.0. Since Samsung owns the Harmon audio brand, the tablet comes with Harmon Kardon-tuned speakers, with options to buy Wi-Fi only or Wi-Fi + LTE. Furthermore, the MediaPad M3 Lite has an 8-inch 16:10 full-HD display powered by a 1.4GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 435, 8-megapixel cameras on the front and back, and runs on Android 7.0 Nougat.
It will be available in two memory and storage variants: 3 GB and 32 GB and 4 GB and 64 GB, respectively. Both have a 4,800 mAh battery inside. There doesn’t seem to be any information about the release date or pricing.
Samsung’s 2017 model of Galax5 appears for German pre-orders. Ahead of its possible imminent launch, Samsung’s mid-budget Galaxy J5 (2017) has appeared on German retail websites, listed for pre-orders with its specifications now official. The dual-SIM phone has a 5.2-inch HD Super AMOLED display, an octa-core Exynos 7870 processor, 2 GB of RAM, and 16 GB of internal storage, the latter of which can be expanded up to 256 GB with a microSD card. Map.
The Galaxy J5 (2017) will also have 13-megapixel camera sensors on both the front and back, with the latter having an aperture of f/1.7. It has a 3000 mAh battery and a headphone jack and runs on Android 7.0 Nougat with the new TouchWiz experience. It is listed on the website for EUR 279 (approximately Rs. 20,200).
