The Xiaomi Mi A1 smartphone has undergone a permanent price cut in India, pushing the device’s price down to Rs. 13,999. The Android One smartphone was launched for Rs. 14,999 in September this year. The price cut of the Mi A1 (Review) in India applies to both Mi.com and Flipkart. This price cut comes shortly after the Honox 7X launched in the country at a starting price of Rs. 12,999; incidentally, the Mi A1 was also available for Rs. 12,999 last week as part of an online sale. The Xiaomi handset has a 5.5-inch full-HD display, stock Android 7.1.2 Nougat software, Snapdragon 625 SoC with 4 GB RAM, 64 GB internal storage, microSD support up to 128 GB, dual rear cameras, 5-megapixel front camera, and a 3080mAh battery.
The Mi A1 was not the only smartphone to receive a price cut in India today, as the market price of the Vivo V5s was slashed by Rs. 2,000. The smartphone was available at Rs. 17,990 as of July this year but can now be purchased for Rs. 15,990. While Flipkart still lists the old price, a Vivo representative has confirmed the new price for Gadgets 360. The Vivo V5s (Review) has a 5.5-inch HD display, Android 6.0-based custom UI, 1.5GHz octa-core MT6750 chipset, 4GB RAM, 64GB internal storage, microSD expansion up to 256GB, 13-megapixel rear camera, 20-megapixel front camera, and 3000 mAh battery.
India’s average 4G internet speed is the slowest. According to a new Ookla report, India was ranked 109th for mobile internet speeds and 76th for fixed broadband rates in November. However, the country’s average mobile download speed increased by 15 percent between January and November, from 7.65 Mbps to 8.80 Mbps. With wired broadband, the rate has risen from 12.12 Mbps to 18.82 Mbps, an increase of about 50 percent. Nevertheless, according to the report, India lags behind the likes of Nepal and Sri Lanka in terms of mobile internet speeds.
Another list, compiled by OpenSignal, says India’s average 4G speed is 6.1 Mbps, which is 10 Mbps below the global average. It is noted that network congestion is the main reason behind the slow speeds in the country. The same report also says Reliance Jio — credited with providing LTE signals to consumers 95.6 percent of the time — could increase its data rates in 2018. If this does indeed happen, it will end the cheap data consumers have been enjoying for over a year.
Flipkart New Pinch Days Sale Date AnnouncedFlipkart is hosting its next big sale, New Pinch Days, from December 15 to December 17. In the field of electronics, Flipkart sale offers LED TVs, laptops, digital cameras, headphones, mobile accessories, and power banks. Online sales staples, such as free EMIs and exchange discounts, are also part of the sale, and consumers get an additional 10 percent off HDFC debit and credit cards. The e-commerce brand has also teased an “offer of the year” on Samsung On Nxt 64GB. More details on the Flipkart sale are expected to trickle out as it gets closer.
Idea launches Rs. 309 plan with 1 GB data per day, roaming outgoing calls. Idea Cellular has an Rs. 309 plan with 1 GB daily data and free walking outgoing calls for 28 days. Apart from this, the plan comes with bundled local and STD calls and 100 texts per day. The bundled calls are limited to 250 minutes per day and 1,000 minutes per week; once these limits are exceeded, the consumer will be charged one paisa per second. Subscribers who purchase the upgrade through the Idea website or app will receive 1 GB of additional data for the validity period.
Vodafone has also launched a Rs. 176 plan with 1 GB 2G data per day, bundled calls, and free outgoing calls via roaming. The Vodafone plan is only available in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh circles and has access to the Vodafone Play app. The bundled calls are limited here to 250 minutes per day and here to 1,000 minutes per week, and if exceeded, the rate will be 30 paise per minute. If you buy the package through the MyVodafone app, you get 5 percent cashback.
WhatsApp Web May Get Picture-in-Picture Mode Soon WhatsApp seems to be looking to bring Picture-in-Picture mode to the web client, along with the option to reply to messages in group chats privately. The features have not been rolled out, and the company has only submitted version 0.2.7315 of its web client, which includes the two new features. The PiP mode creates a separate video pop-up window with a play/pause button, volume slider, and timeline slider. It allows WhatsApp users to continue their chats while watching videos.
OnePlus 5T does not support HD video streaming on most platforms. Much to buyers’ surprise, it turns out that the OnePlus 5T doesn’t support HD video streaming on platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. A user pointed out that the smartphone does not currently support the Widevine L1 certification, which is required to access HD streams from DRM-protected websites such as Netflix. However, users of the OnePlus 5T (Review) can still stream content in SD (standard definition) from these platforms and HD YouTube videos. The company reportedly said it plans to fix the issue via a future software update but has not provided a timeline for that so far.
Nokia December 3 security update released Nokia 3 now gets the December security update, based on Android 7.1.1 Nougat. The security patches provide an enhanced level of security for the Nokia 3 (Review) and are part of the company’s promise of monthly updates. In addition to the security patch, this 345.4 MB OTA update provides improved stability and UI improvements. Most high-end smartphones of all brands have yet to receive this update. For those waiting for Oreo, the handset will skip the Android 7.1.2 build and go straight to Android 8.0, though there’s no set timeline yet.
Harman Kardon Allure speaker with Alexa integration launched in IndiaHarman Kardon Allure speaker with hands-free, voice-activated Alexa access has launched in India for Rs. 22,490. The new speaker gives users access to the 11,000 skills Amazon’s Alexa can do, including playing music, ordering goods from Amazon, hailing taxis, and reading the news. It delivers the 360-degree sound and has 360-degree multicolor lighting that can adapt to the environment. The new Allure speaker is only available to Prime members through Amazon India.
Acer Windows Mixed Reality headset launched in India In the final of the Predator League event, Acer launched the Windows Mixed Reality headset in India. However, the price has not yet been announced. The new headset offers both Augment Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) functions and is the first such headset in the country. It features two front-hinged high-resolution 2.89-inch LCD screens that provide a 95-degree field view. With a resolution of 1440×1440 on each panel and a refresh rate of 90Hz, these screens claim to offer an immersive VR experience. Acer Mixed Reality headset comes with a 3-meter cable and offers connection ports such as HDMI 2.0 and USB 3.0.
