The Jio Phone, unveiled at the Reliance AGM, is currently the talk of the town, even if much of the hardware remains shrouded in mystery. Qualcomm and Spreadtrum have announced that their chips will power the new Jio phone. The device will use a Qualcomm 205 processor that launched in March and will come with LTE support – including 4G VoLTE, while Spreadtrum didn’t reveal much about the nature of its partnership.
In addition, investment bank Jeffries believes the Jio Phone will present a substantial challenge to the competition. Jefferies said in a report, “The monthly plan compares favorably with the mixed ARPU (average unit revenue) of the top three incumbents, but it does offer a cap. While the pricing isn’t as disruptive as feared, it will still be a tough challenge for incumbents to protect their market share as subscribers.”
In addition, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has labeled the launch of JioPhone as “smart marketing” and said that Jio’s sale of the device at an effective zero price is an attempt to cut government fees such as licensing fees charged by the company.
“Previously, if you bundled handsets together with services, the 14 or 11 percent an operator paid was imposed as a license fee on handsets. So as an operator, you can’t compete with a handset seller because the handset seller doesn’t have to pay these extra fees. levy of 11-14 percent to be paid,” said COAI Director General Rajan S Mathews. He said a bundled offering would have increased service costs for operators. ““Reliance Jio’s offering is a smart marketing position … they say that the handset price is zero. So no license fees to pay for that, spectrum usage fees. The government will have to look at what selling the price for zero means,” Mathews said.
Flipkart Grand Gadget Day Sale Goes Live; Samsung Mobiles Fest Sale on Amazon IndiaSales from e-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart see no signs of slowing down. The first hosts three days of discounts, known as the Flipkart Grand Gadget Days. Offers include gaming laptops for Rs. 20,000 discount on exchange, Moto headphones free with Canon EOS 700D DSLR camera, and the Chromecast 2 on sale for Rs. 3.199. As for Amazon, it has the Samsung Mobiles Fest Sale where the Samsung Galaxy On7 Pro is for Rs. 8,490 instead of Rs. 9,490, the Samsung Galaxy On8 for Rs. 11,490 instead of Rs. 11,490, and the Gear S3 Frontier costs Rs. 26,500 (originally Rs. 28,500).
Xiaomi Mi 5X with dual rear cameras teased; Redmi Note 4 explodes in flames on video in a post-iPhone 7 Plus world, Android smartphone manufacturers seem to use dual cameras, like fish in the water. The latest is Xiaomi. A video teaser for the Xiaomi Mi 5X reveals a horizontal dual camera setup alongside a fingerprint scanner on the back. The teaser also indicates that it will be offered in three variants: gold, black, and rose gold (pink).
While Xiaomi is looking forward to an explosive response to the device, let’s hope it doesn’t explode like the Redmi Note 4 that went up in flames at a store in Bengaluru. In this case, no charger or other accessory was involved – the device caught fire when the retailer inserted the SIM card into the handset.
Update: Redmi Note 4 Blast Video ‘fake’, says Xiaomi; Blames faulty external charger for customer’s woes
Nokia 8 leaked images show a copper-gold color option and dual camera setup. In other leaks, photos of the Nokia 8 have been made public via the Chinese social site Baidu, showing the back, front, and dual camera setup in copper-gold color. Previously, the smartphone was spotted in Blue and Steel colors. The flagship smartphone has been spotted with a 3.5mm jack and Micro USB, meaning fast charging may not be part of the Nokia 8’s features.
Samsung Galaxy Note 8’s S Pen Stylus leaked in photos, may come with Bixby-powered Apple AirPods rival Samsung has been in the news for more than just discounts as the Samsung Galaxy Note 8’s S Pen stylus leaked ahead of the phablet’s August 23 launch event. It retains the same proven design with potential improvements in terms of accuracy and responsiveness. According to a separate leak, it is also slated to arrive in Deep Blue along with Orchid Gray and Midnight Black variants. Another leak claims that the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 may launch with its version of Apple’s AirPods powered by Bixby.
This is Uber’s answer to Ola Play, coming soon in a taxi near you. Ride-sharing app Uber plans to launch its infotainment system in its taxis in India. Sources close to the case have informed Gadgets 360. It started testing Android tablets loaded with a suite of services in cities across the country. It plans to install the tablets at premium tiers like the Uber X range and will be available in select circles later this year. Ola has a similar device called Ola Play installed in Prime booths.
Sony A1 Bravia 4K OLED HDR TVs launched in India From screens on the go to screens at home. Sony launched the A1 OLED 4K HDR TV for India. With a monolithic design, Dolby Vision HDR, and the new Sony X1 Extreme image processor, it starts at Rs. 3,64,900 for the KD-55A1 55-inch version and Rs. 4,64,900 for the 65-inch KD-65A1. If you book before August 15, you’ll get a PS4 with your purchase.
Samsung Galaxy J7 Nxt with 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display launched in India Samsung may be making headlines for its Note 8 leaks and discounts on Amazon India. Still, the company secretly made the Samsung Galaxy J7 Nxt available in the country over the weekend. Priced at Rs. 11,490, it has a 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display, Android Nougat, 13-megapixel rear camera, selfie camera with flash, 3000mAh battery, 16GB storage, and 2GB RAM. The Samsung Galaxy J7 Nxt is available in black and gold colors and can be purchased through Samsung’s website and offline stores.
Yu Yunique 2 India Launch Set for Tuesday 2015 Micromax’s Yu Yunique sees its successor, the Yu Yunique 2, launched on Tuesday. Specifications and features have not been teased before the event. All the company has said over the phone is a tweet that says, “Be brave, be different, be #YU. #Yunique2 – Launched tomorrow.” We don’t have to wait too long to find out.
Google Maps will get real-time bus information in India, starting with Kolkata. Google Maps will get another new feature for India: real-time bus information. The Mountain View-based company has partnered with the West Bengal Transport Corporation (WBTC) to provide real-time data for key transit routes. Commuters from Kolkata can view transit information as it happens through Google Maps in India. More courses will be added in the future, although it is not stated when this can be expected for other parts of the country.
Microsoft discontinues Paint after 32 years with Windows 10 Fall Creators Update Microsoft Paint, a staple of Microsoft’s operating systems since 1985, is not supported in Windows 10 with the Fall Creators Update. It joins Outlook Express, Reader App, and Reader List as “features removed or deprecated in Windows 10 Fall Creators Update”. With the arrival of Paint 3D, it seems that Microsoft wants users to flock there instead of an app that’s been around as long as Windows 1.0.
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