Reliance Jio is reportedly gearing up to launch a 4G VoLTE compatible feature phone that will cost just Rs. 500. Rumors of such a device have been circulating for some time; according to a research note from a financial analyst, it could be unveiled at Reliance Industries Ltd’s annual shareholder meeting on July 21. the phone may not go on sale until August 15. In addition, the company may also launch a new pricing plan targeting feature phone users priced below Rs. 100. Reliance Jio may hope to convert a large number of 2G feature phone users.
The low price requires Reliance Jio to subsidize more than 50 percent of the cost of each unit. According to the research report, the company may have already ordered up to 20 million phones from Chinese suppliers. There could be multiple variants of the Jio feature phone, and according to previous rumors, there could be different versions with Qualcomm and Spreadtrum processors. Other likely specs for the 4G VoLTE phone include a 2.4-inch display, 512MB of RAM, 4GB of storage, a 2-megapixel rear camera and VGA front-facing camera, Wi-Fi, and GPS. Naturally, Jio’s apps and services are integrated.
Related to this, Reliance Jio has managed to maintain its lead in 4G download speeds for six consecutive months. Data from TRAI’s MySpeed app for June shows it still leads the way with Vodafone, Idea Cellular, and Airtel, although average speeds have dropped for all four. Reliance Jio’s average download speed in June was 18.809 Mbps, with Vodafone at 12.297 Mbps, Idea Cellular at 11.685 Mbps, and Airtel at 8.233 Mbps. Jio is still in third place in terms of upload speed, where it is beaten by Idea and Vodafone, with Airtel again in last.
Ola sees international expansion Gadgets 360 has been informed that India’s largest ride-hailing service Ola is planning an expansion into global markets, starting with Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh, with plans to expand to other Asian markets at a later stage and North Africa. This would allow Ola to take on rival Uber in more markets as the latter continues mired in controversy and leadership issues.
Motorola and Asus announce new model launch dates. Motorola will bring its new Moto E4 Plus model to India on July 12, and Asus will finally launch ZenFone AR on July 13. The budget-friendly Moto phone offers a large 5000mAh battery and a 5.5-inch HD display. There may be more than one variant with varying amounts of RAM and storage, and exact prices won’t be known until launch. The Moto E4 Plus should be placed above the Moto E4, which hit retail without any fanfare earlier this week.
On the other hand, the Asus ZenFone AR, which will be launched the next day, is a premium device with 8 GB of RAM, 256 GB of storage, a specially tuned Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 SoC, and a vapor cooling system. It was first shown at CES 2017, where the company boasted that it was the first phone to support Google’s Daydream and Tango platforms for VR and AR applications, respectively, powered by a cluster of cameras and sensors that provide depth maps and enable spatial awareness. There is a 23-megapixel camera on the back, an 8-megapixel camera on the front, and a 3300mAh battery.
Snapdeal Reportedly Rejects Flipkart’s Takeover Offer Flipkart’s negotiations to acquire Snapdeal have reportedly suffered a setback, with the latter turning down an offer worth between $700 and $ 800 million. Once the investors of both companies allegedly approved the deal, Snapdeal’s valuation would be closer to $1 billion. Flipkart would only be interested in buying the Snapdeal marketplace, not its logistics arm, Vulcan Express, or its digital payments subsidiary, Freecharge. However, the two companies would not have called off their negotiations despite the setback, so Flipkart could have come back with a higher offer or decided to call it off later.
Nubia N2 with 16MP front camera launched in IndiaZTE subsidiary Nubia has launched the selfie-focused N2 smartphone in India, priced at Rs. 15,999. It features a 16-megapixel front camera and a 5000mAh battery. The Nubia N2 has a 5.5-inch 720×1280-pixel screen, octa-core MediaTek MT6750 SoC, 4GB RAM, and 64GB storage. It can work with two Nano-SIMs in a hybrid dual-SIM configuration and supports 4G with VoLTE. The Nubia N2 also has the Nubia UI 4.0 skin on top of Android 6.0. The rear camera has a 13-megapixel sensor, while the front one goes up to 16 megapixels, with an f/2.0 aperture and an 80-degree field of view.
Samsung launches new color for Galaxy S8 and S8+ Building on the success of the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+, Samsung has introduced a new color option called Orchid Gray. Both phones will be available in this new option from July 5 online and July 12 in select offline stores, priced at Rs. 57,900 and Rs. 64,900, respectively. Samsung calls this new color a style statement. All specifications and features remain identical to those of the Galaxy S8 and S8+ launched earlier this year. Samsung offers a free wireless charger and money back on HDFC credit cards.
Xiaomi Redmi Note 5 and HTC ‘Ocean Life’ rumors are starting to swirl. Xiaomi is reportedly working on its next-gen Redmi Note 5, and according to leaks, it could be powered by Qualcomm’s recently announced Snapdragon 630 SoC. There may be two variants, one with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage and one with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. The display is also expected to be a 5.5-inch full-HD panel. There could be a 16-megapixel camera on the back and a 13-megapixel camera on the front. Unlike previous Redmi models, the fingerprint scanner is said to be located on the front of the alleged Redmi Note 5. It could run MIUI 9.0 based on Android Nougat when it is released.
HTC is also preparing a new model, codenamed “Ocean Life,” which will reportedly support the same Edge Sense pinch sensors as the flagship U11. The rumored model is a scaled-down version of the U11, with a 5.2-inch full-HD display, Snapdragon 660 SoC, and 16-megapixel cameras on the front and back. Little else is known, but more leaks will likely appear before the launch.
Samsung was rumored to be developing a Bixby speaker; Samsung is reportedly working on a Bixby-powered home speaker along the lines of Amazon’s Echo series, the Google Home, and the Apple HomePod. However, the company has so far had to postpone the launch of speech features for Bixby outside of South Korea for unspecified reasons, most likely problems with natural language processing. Bixby launched earlier this year with the Galaxy S8 to take on Google Assistant and Siri. Bixby is expected to become a feature of multiple Samsung products, including home appliances.
Samsung has also unveiled a new variant of the Galaxy J5, the Galaxy J5 Pro. So the device has only been launched in Thailand. It has 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage compared to 2 GB and 16 GB, respectively, but all other specs remain the same.
India ranks 25th for cybersecurity preparedness. The UN International Telecommunications Union has ranked India 25th in a countries’ cybersecurity preparedness survey. Singapore tops the list, with the US in second place. Malaysia, Oman, Estonia, Mauritius, Australia, Georgia, France, and Canada follow this. Germany is a step behind India in 26th place, while China is in 34th place. More than 50 percent of countries don’t even have national cybersecurity policies, according to the ITU. Equatorial Guinea ranks last out of 195 countries, with a zero score. The scores were calculated considering countries’ legal, technical, and organizational settings, educational and research capacities, and cooperation in information-sharing networks.
Skype Lite Aadhaar integration goes live Microsoft launched its Skype Lite app for low-end Android smartphones in February this year, specifically for the Indian market. At the time, the company was demonstrating the upcoming Aadhaar verification feature. On Wednesday, the company added Aadhaar integration to the app with the latest update.
Indus OS, Yes Bank launches OS-integrated UPI payment platform Indus OS, the Indian-language-focused smartphone operating system based on Android, will soon have an integrated UPI payment function. The company of the same name is collaborating with Yes Bank to develop the UPI integration that allows users to send and receive money via text messages, the dialer interface, and third-party apps. Indus OS is also working on Adhaar integration features. The company hopes that this will stimulate the use of digital services in India. According to the company, the part will be rolled out in the third quarter of this year.
Energizer and Motorola launch accessories in IndiaEnergizer, best known for its batteries, has licensed its name to Avenir Telecom for a range of mobile accessories that have now been launched in India. The range includes screen protectors, cases, tempered glass covers, cables, car kits, chargers, and USB hubs. The products are priced between Rs. 399 and Rs. 2,999 and will be on sale July 17 through online and offline channels. The company plans to expand into other product categories over time.
Motorola has also launched two wired headsets, the Earbuds Metal and Earbuds Sports. Both are priced at Rs. 999 and will be available across India. Both models are water-resistant and will each be available in four colors. The Motorola Earbuds Metal is ultra-lightweight, while the Earbuds Sport is plastic but comes with removable ear hooks to keep the earbuds in place during exercise.
