The Nokia 130 (2017) and Nokia 105 (2017) join the iconic Nokia 3310 as HMD Global reboots two more feature phones to bolster its portfolio. The Nokia 130 and the Nokia 105 have a 1.8-inch QVGA screen and run on the Nokia Series 30+ software platform. The Nokia 105 (2017) will be available in all retail stores starting July 19 for Rs. 999 for the single SIM version, while a dual SIM edition will cost you Rs. 1.149. No price or release date for the Nokia 130 (2017) has yet been given.
In addition, Nokia has launched the Nokia 5 in Germany. The single SIM version of this Android smartphone costs EUR 190 (approximately Rs. 14,023), and the dual SIM Nokia 5 costs EUR 209 (roughly Rs. 15,425). As for India, HMD Global Global had previously told Gadgets 360 that it has tentative plans to begin sales around August 15, Independence Day, with Nokia 5 pre-booking for Rs. 12,899.
And if you’re looking for something a lot more powerful, the Nokia 8 could launch as early as July 31, a new report shows. The phone is said to have a 5.3-inch QHD display and is powered by the Snapdragon 835 SoC. The Nokia 8 is tipped to have a 13-megapixel dual camera setup on the back and a 13-megapixel front camera. The Nokia 8 may cost EUR 589 (about Rs. 43,400) and will also have 4GB, 6GB, and 8GB RAM variants if the leaks are to be believed.
Hotstar’s ‘Hours Before Torrents’ Game of Thrones Promise Fails Game of Thrones season 7 claimed its first victim, and it wasn’t a character on the show. The Indian streaming service Hotstar had technical problems that prevented the avid fans of the series Episode 1 of Season 7 of Game of Thrones. Before Season 7 of Game of Thrones, Hotstar campaigned quite aggressively against torrents and promised to get you the episode before the torrents. Ironically, many die-hard fans had to resort to torrents for their GoT solution due to these technical issues. In a statement to Gadgets 360, Hotstar confirmed the service was having issues earlier in the day but said it was “all set now”.
WhatsApp for iPhone is catching up with the Android version of WhatsApp; everyone’s favorite messages got some new features on iPhone. These include pinned chats – where you can pin up to three contacts over the rest of your conversations – the ability to send any document, and you can now delete a group of photos by tapping and holding them. In addition, WhatsApp seems to be experimenting with in-app playback for YouTube videos, meaning you don’t have to leave the app to watch videos on YouTube. Be warned that the feature is not yet generally available in the latest WhatsApp update as it is in the testing phase.
Moto G5S Plus and Xiaomi Mi 5X specs leaked. The Moto G5S Plus has yet to be announced by Lenovo, but that hasn’t stopped another leak. It could have a dual camera setup, flash underneath, and a round metal frame. This is in stark contrast to the Moto G5 Plus, which had a single camera on the back. Other details of the Moto G5S Plus, such as a front flash on top of the display and a home button on the front, are similar to the Moto G5 Plus. A previous leak suggests that we could see the Moto G5 Plus powered by a Snapdragon 625 SoC with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage.
Also leaked is the Xiaomi Mi 5X. Before an official announcement, promotional materials for the smartphone hit the internet. The design of the Xiaomi Mi 5X is inspired by the iPhone 7 Plus, albeit with a Snapdragon 625 SoC and 4 GB of RAM. It is rumored to have a dual-camera setup as well. The Xiaomi Mi 5X is expected to cost CNY 1,999 (approximately Rs. 19,000), and may come in Black and gold.
Google Maps now tells you the best time of day to travel to your destination Google Maps now tells you the best time of day to travel to your destination. Unlike most feature rollouts for the service, which will take some time to appear on various devices, this one is already available for Android users. This addition is visible when you search for a destination and ask Google Maps for directions, giving you a graph showing the duration of your trip at the time of day. However, don’t expect exact information about the time saved by starting your journey at a specific time; it’s just a rough estimate. Nevertheless, it is better than no data at all.
TRAI to discuss ‘minimum floor price’ with telcos Aircel’s new 333 pack. The free offers from Reliance Jio and other telcos could end. On 21 July, TRAI will meet with all telecom providers to look at a ‘minimum floor price’ for voice and data tariffs. This comes months after Reliance Jio stormed the telecom market with aggressive data pricing, saying voice calls will always be free on its network. With incumbents blaming Jio for their financial troubles and blaming the industry at Rs. 4.6 lakh crores, it will be interesting to see how this plays out.
In the midst of this, Aircel has announced a new Rs. 333 package called RC 333 data plan. Described by the company as its ‘best’, the Aircel 333 package provides users with 30GB of 3G data for 30 days with no daily usage limits of Rs. 333. Although announced for the Karnataka region, Aircel customers with 2G, 3G, and 4G handsets can use it, but it is limited to 3G speeds.
Panasonic P55 Max, Intex Aqua Selfie, Xolo Era 1X Pro, Kodak Ektra, and Kodak TV Speaker Launched The Moto E4 Plus and Nubia N2 aren’t the only 5,000mAh Android smartphones launched recently in India. The Panasonic P55 Max also joins that list when it launches today. The Panasonic P55 Max has similar specs to the Moto E4 Plus and costs Rs. 8,499. It is available exclusively on Flipkart in Matte Black and Champagne Gold colors.
Intex has also released a new smartphone in, the Intex Aqua Selfie. Priced at Rs. 6,649, it has a 5.5-inch HD-IPS display, a 1.3 GHz quad-core processor, 2 GB RAM, and 16 GB internal storage (expandable to 64 GB). The Intex Aqua Selfies come with Android 7.0 Nougat, support for 4G VoLTE, a 5-megapixel front camera with LED flash, and comes preloaded with Gaana and Amazon Prime Video. It is available from offline stores.
Unbeatable is the Xolo Era 1X Pro. Priced at Rs. 5,888, the dual-sim Xolo Era 1X Pro has a 5-inch HD (720×1280 pixels) display and is powered by a 1.5GHz quad-core processor coupled with 2GB of RAM. It has an 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash apart from a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with dual-LED flash. The company also touts smart camera features like time-lapse videos, live photos, and beauty mode. It’s a Snapdeal exclusive, with the first flash sale coming Wednesday, and registrations are now open.
And that’s not all; Bullitt Group’s Kodak Ektra will be available in India for Rs. 19,990 via Flipkart from Tuesday. It has a 21-megapixel fast-focus camera sensor with f/2.0 aperture and a 13-megapixel front camera with Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF) and f/2.2 aperture. The custom camera app on the smartphone comes with DSLR-like Scene Selection Dial’ where adjustments are made in real-time.
Finally, Super Plastronics Pvt. Ltd. (SPPL) has announced a Bluetooth speaker called Kodak TV Speaker. The speaker comes with Bluetooth 4.0+ EDR connectivity and a range of up to 10 meters. The company claims a battery life of “more than 5 hours” on the 10W speaker. It is also available through Flipkart for Rs. 3.290.
Paytm now offers refunds for movie tickets for a small fee. Paytm is in the process of launching a feature called Cancellation Protect. It allows you to cancel ticket purchases up to three hours before the scheduled show time if you pay the nominal amount of Rs. 9 per ticket. It is not available to all users yet, and your full refund will be a Paytm cashback. Please note that there is also no partial cancellation, which means you can’t cancel just one ticket from an entire order – you have to cancel them all.
HTC users are complaining that the keyboard app is showing ads; the company says it’s a ‘fault’. HTC smartphone users have reported that TouchPal, HTC’s built-in keyboard app, is showing ads. While the company claims it is working on a software update to fix the issue, it has not prevented reports of devices, including the HTC 10, being circulating across the internet.
“Due to a bug, some HTC customers have reported seeing ads on their phone’s keyboards,” a spokesperson told Gadgets 360. “This is not the experience we intended, and we’re working to fix the bug immediately. And remove the ads as soon as possible.”
Amazon’s ‘Anytime’ messaging service is reportedly in the works. E-commerce giant Amazon appears to be working on a new messaging app called Anytime. It is said to be aimed at end users and intended as a messaging service that allows video chats and text messages. It has been reported that the company has surveyed consumers to get an idea of what matters to them in a chat app with a leaked image emphasizing privacy and encryption.
Disclosure: Paytm’s parent company, One97, is an investor in NDTV’s Gadgets 360.
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