Xiaomi Redmi 5 and Redmi Plus were again in the news as the prices of the handsets leaked online through AliExpress listings. Posted by a seller called Xiaomi Online Store, the listings say that the cost of Redmi 5 will be $199.99 (approx. Rs. 12,900) for the 2GB RAM + 16GB storage variant, while Redmi 5 Plus will be $249.99 (approx. Rs. 16,100) will cost for the 3GB RAM + 32GB storage option. We won’t have to wait too long to find the official prices of the two Xiaomi smartphones, as they will be officially launched on Thursday.
Qualcomm unveils Snapdragon 845 for Android devices and Windows 10 notebooks. The company has announced that next year’s Xiaomi M7 will be the first smartphone with Snapdragon 845, while phones from LG, Samsung, and others will get it soon after. The new Qualcomm chip can also power windows ten notebooks based on ARM architecture. It will feature the latest X20 LTE modem that supports gigabit connectivity on compatible networks and will be manufactured in conjunction with Samsung Foundry.
Airtel revises Rs. 349 and Rs. 549 prepaid plans. Airtel has updated its Rs. 349 and Rs. 549 plans to offer customers more data and free outgoing calls over roaming. The Airtel Rs. 349 charging package for prepaid users until recently offered 1.5 GB of data per day, but has been revised to provide 2 GB of data per day. Likewise, the Rs. 549 pack now offers 3 GB of data per day instead of 2.5 GB. The other details of the two plans will remain the same, including the 28-day validity and free perks like free calls and 100 text messages per day. Interestingly, my airtel app and the official Airtel website still list the old data allocation for the two packs but show the new daily limits when added to the cart.
Android 8.1 Oreo update released for Google Pixel, Nexus devices Google has released the Android 8.1 Oreo update for compatible Pixel and Nexus devices, a week after the final developer preview for this version became available. The new features of Android 8.1 Oreo – available via OTA update and factory images – include the new search bar at the bottom of Pixel Launcher, adaptive light/dark themes, and adaptive tint on the lock screen and home screen depending on the wallpaper. Other features that users can look forward to including the transparent Quick Settings menu, third-party access to Pixel Visual Core on Pixel 2, new Neural Network API, and autofill improvements. Apart from this, the Android 8.1 build comes with the December security patch, which has over 50 fixes.
Airtel partners with Intex through Mera Pehla Smartphone initiative Airtel, in partnership with Intex, has added three more handsets to its Mera Pehla Smartphone initiative. The program aims to lower the effective prices of Android phones (in the form of cashbacks) to make them more affordable to lure new buyers away from Jio Phone to its network. With this partnership, Intex Aqua Lions N1 (MRP Rs. 3,799), Aqua A4 (MRP Rs. 4,999), and Aqua S3 (MRP Rs. 6,649) will see their effective prices drop by Rs. 1,500 over three years. As part of the offer, buyers must purchase Airtel recharges worth Rs. 3,000 in the first 18 months and another Rs. 3,000 over the next 18 months at Rs. 1,500 cashback from the operator.
LG V30+ India launch slated for December 13 LG V30+ will launch in India on December 13, the South Korean company has announced. Like other V-series phones, this model has a floating bar that displays app shortcuts and can be turned off when not needed. The flagship LG V30+ has a 6-inch OLED FullVision display with QHD+ resolution, Android 7.1.2 Nougat-based custom skin, Snapdragon 835 chipset, 4GB RAM, 128GB storage, 16-megapixel + 13-megapixel dual rear camera on the rear, 5-megapixel selfie shooter in the front and a 3300mAh battery. It was unveiled at IFA 2017 in August and is virtually identical to the V30 except for storage capacity.
Xiaomi invites Android 8.0 Oreo beta testers for Mi A1 Xiaomi has asked Mi A1 buyers to sign up for beta testing of the Android 8.0 Oreo build for the handset. All Mi A1 buyers are eligible to sign up for the beta test. The company says they should ideally be active on the MIUI Global Forum, have an interest in testing beta versions, and have some knowledge of ROMs. Interested buyers need the IEMI number of their handsets and the MIUI Global Forum app on their phones to sign up. Once selected, they must share bug reports and answer questions on the Mi forum. As a reminder, Mi A1 is the first Xiaomi smartphone with stock Android.
Microsoft unveils Always Connected PCs with LTE chip, 20-hour battery life. Microsoft unveiled the first Always Connected PC with built-in 4G LTE connectivity and longer battery life. Made by Asus and HP, these PCs run on an ARM-based Snapdragon 835 chip and are being touted by Microsoft as the next big tech revolution. The Asus NovaGo will be the world’s first Gigabit LTE convertible laptop and offer 22 hours of active battery life, while the HP Envy x2 will deliver 20 hours of battery life and 4G LTE speeds. Both run on Microsoft’s watered-down Windows 10 S operating system. A third Always Connected PC model produced by Lenovo is also in the works.
Google pulls YouTube out of Amazon Echo Show, Fire TV; Prime Video app for Apple TV launched. Google has said it is blocking YouTube access on two of Amazon’s products, Echo Show and Fire TV. The internet search giant says it made the decision because the online retail titan doesn’t sell Google products like Chromecast and Google Home on its marketplace, stopped selling Nest’s new devices last month, and doesn’t have the Prime Video app available. It is made for Google Cast users. Amazon has stated that Echo Home and Fire TV users can access YouTube over the internet. Both companies hope to resolve the issue, but who knows when that will happen. If you own one of these devices, don’t hold your breath.
On the other hand, Amazon has released a special Prime Video app on tvOS App Store for Apple TV 3rd Generation and later devices. The release of the Prime Video app was expected to mean Amazon.com would also start stocking Apple TV, but the set-top box was not available in the market at the time of writing.
Instagram Stories Archive, Stories Highlights Features Announced Instagram has announced two new features that allow users to reuse their Stories. The Story Archive feature will enable users to automatically save Stories from being reshared as part of a new Story, shared as a post in a feed, or added to a Highlight. Stories Highlights is a unique space in the Instagram profile where archived photos are displayed in a horizontal grid above the photo grid. The new feature is rolling out to users from Instagram version 25 on Android and iOS.
