The Lenovo K8 Note (Review) went on sale for the first time in India today, following its unveiling last week. The K8 Note is available exclusively on Amazon in India, and if you manage to buy one, you can choose between black and gold color options. The next sale will take place on August 25. The Lenovo K8 Note variant with 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage costs Rs. 12,999, but you can spend only Rs. 1,000 extra for 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. During the launch sale, buyers got a discount on Moto Sports headphones, up to 80 percent off Kindle ebooks, and a special Idea tariff package from Idea with 64GB 4G data and unlimited calls for 56 days for Rs. 343.
The Lenovo K8 note has a 5.5-inch full-HD display and dual cameras on the back. It is powered by a deca-core MediaTek MT6797 SoC and has a 4000mAh battery. It is a dual SIM phone with a separate microSD card slot and supports both 4G VoLTE and Wi-Fi ac. It also runs Android 7.1.1 with no custom UI, a first for Lenovo.
Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) and Galaxy A7 (2017) get price cuts in India Samsung has officially slashed the prices of its recently launched Galaxy A5 (2017) and Galaxy A7 (2017) smartphones. The Galaxy A5 is discounted from Rs. 26,900 to Rs. 22,900, while the Galaxy A7 starts at Rs. 30,900 to Rs. 25,900. Samsung hopes this move will boost sales during the Indian festival season. The two phones were launched in India in March this year, originally priced at Rs. 28,990 and Rs. 33,490, respectively. The phones sit well below Samsung’s premium Galaxy S8 models but offer relatively premium specs and designs.
Xiaomi claims the exploding Redmi Note 4 was damaged by the impactXiaomi has released preliminary findings from its investigation into an incident where a Redmi Note 4 allegedly caught fire in a man’s pocket in East Godavari, Andhra Pradesh, causing burns to his thigh caused. According to the company, the fire was most likely the result of an “extreme force from outside” exerted on the device. According to initial reports, the man was cycling when he felt the phone burning in his pocket, and he immediately stopped and threw it away. Xiaomi says it retrieved the device from the affected man after a week of negotiations, and damage to the back cover, battery, and screen indicates that such force was applied.
BSNL launches its own mobile wallet State-owned telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd (BSNL) has launched its own mobile wallet, developed and co-branded with Mobikwik. The company hopes its 100 million customers will use it to pay bills and transact online, expanding the reach of mobile commerce to rural and semi-urban parts of the country. Users can book bus tickets, make purchases and pay bills through the wallet app without using cash. The public sector telco has stated that more than 1.5 million merchants can already receive payments using the BSNL wallet.
Infosys CEO resigns under pressure from co-founder Vishal Sikka has resigned from Infosys with immediate effect, just over three years after taking office as CEO and MD. However, he remains the company’s Executive Vice Chairman, while COO UB Pravin Rao takes over as interim CEO. Sikka is said to have resigned over “false, baseless, malicious and increasingly personal attacks” he has undergone over several months, which he believes undermine all the good work that has been done and take all the passion and excitement out of his career. The Infosys board released a statement expressing regret and sadness over Sikka’s decision, calling the attacks unfounded and demonstrably false. On March 31, 2018, the board of directors will appoint a new CEO.
Asus promises Android O updates for ZenFone 4 and ZenFone 3 series smartphones. Asus has announced that it will bring Android O support for last year’s ZenFone 3 smartphones, along with the new ZenFone 4 models that were recently released. Smartphones of both series will receive the update in the first half of 2018, the company reports. ZenFone 3 models with older versions of the ZenUI skin will also be upgraded to ZenUI 4.0, which is reportedly lighter and has less bloatware but still adds new features like the ability to run two instances of some apps.
Micromax launches Evok Dual Note, continues to tease Infinity series Micromax has launched a new model, the Evok Dual Note. The device is exclusive to Flipkart and features dual cameras on the back and a flash on the front. It is priced at Rs. 9,999 and has a 5.5-inch full-HD display, MediaTek MT6750 SoC, 3 GB of RAM, and 32 GB of storage. A variant with 4 GB of RAM has also been announced, but the price and availability are unknown. The device supports 4G with VoLTE and runs on Android 7.0.
Micromax continues to tease its upcoming Canvas Infinity smartphone, which will likely have a larger 18:9 display and narrow bezels. The new model will be launched on Tuesday. No prices or other specifications have been announced yet. Anyone interested in the launch can register for updates on the Micromax website.
Coolpad Cool M7 Launched, India’s New Flagship Is Coming Coolpad has launched its Cool M7 model in China. The device has a slim body with a single rear camera, a 5.5-inch full-HD display with curved glass, support for two SIM cards, a Snapdragon 625 SoC, 4 GB of RAM, and 64 GB of storage. The company has not said anything about plans to launch this device in India. However, the company will unveil an unknown “flagship” device in India on Sunday. Teasers suggest it will have a metal body and 6GB of RAM. Coolpad promises “solid sophistication” and will likely target style-conscious buyers with this new device.
Xiaomi’s upcoming Mi Mix 2 will improve on its predecessor in several ways, including addingD facial recognition feature. It is rumored that Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 will include 3D facial recognition. Screenshots purportedly of this device have surfaced online and indicate that a head-shaped silhouette appears on the screen when the phone attempts to verify users’ faces. The device could be launched next month and is expected to have a 6.4-inch bezel-less display, a Snapdragon 835 SoC, a 4500 mAh battery, and up to 8 GB of RAM with 256 GB of storage.
Google’s Project Treble is coming to older phones. Project Treble, Google’s attempt to solve the fragmentation of the Android ecosystem, is coming to existing smartphones later this year. The software framework was initially pitched as a feature for Android O devices, but it has not been disclosed that smartphone manufacturers are working to support existing models. Google’s own Pixel devices will benefit from Project Treble, but no third-party names have been confirmed yet. With Project Treble, Android updates can be delivered quickly without much disruption and should allow for simpler and more frequent updates, solving the problem of lagging relatively modern phones.
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