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Showing posts from 2018

Vine Successor Byte App to Launch Spring 2019, Creator Confirms

Vine, the short-form video looping app was acquired by Twitter in 2012, was converted into a pared-down camera app last year, after Twitter decided that it didn't want to invest more money into it. The app enjoyed many loyal fans, who then moved to other services - Instagram, YouTube, and Tik Tok. Now, creator Dom Hoffman has confirmed that its successor is on its way, and will be launched in Spring 2019. He has also confirmed that it will call the successor as Byte. Hoffman even shared the logo of the upcoming app on Twitter. Byte is expected to arrive with new features to entice users back to that forgotten 'Vine' culture. Hoffman  published  on Twitter that the new looping video app will arrive in Spring 2019, and will be called Byte. The website for the app is also live, and is taking registrations for interested customers to get notified regularly on updates. It has also started a Byte creators programme, and to become a part of it, creators will have to fill up th...

Overwatch PS4, Xbox One, and PC Crossplay: Blizzard 'Following the Situation Very Closely'

With Sony opening the floodgates for crossplay with Fortnite, Overwatch is one of the games that the community would like to see playable across PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Speaking to Gadgets 360 at BlizzCon 2018, Overwatch Production Director Chacko Sonny stated that Blizzard is of the same opinion as well. "We're following the situation very closely," Sonny said. "Anything that's good for the players we're supportive of. We love the idea of Overwatch in as many places as it can go." Although Sonny didn't have anything to announce at the moment, it appears that Blizzard is hopeful of a positive outcome eventually. Considering that  Rocket League  has cross-platform play slated for 2018, perhaps  Overwatch could see it implemented sooner rather than later. That being said, Gadgets 360 also asked Sonny on the possibility of Overwatch cross-progression and the likelihood of it appearing. What this could mean is, cosmetic unlocks, credits, and ach...

Xbox Game Pass Coming to Windows 10 PC: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella

Xbox Game Pass  is coming to Windows 10 PC. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella stated that the company has plans to bring the Netflix-styled game subscription service to Windows 10 PC. At the moment, Xbox Game Pass is restricted to the Xbox One. Though this could change soon enough. While Nadella didn't outline concrete plans for this to happen, we won't be surprised to see more information at  XO18 , a Microsoft Xbox fan event slated for November 7. "Bringing Game Pass to even the PC is going to be a big element of [increasing the strength of our gaming community]," said Nadella during a conference call after Microsoft's earnings call ( via  Gaming Bolt). It will be interesting to see how Xbox Game Pass would work on Windows 10 PC. Reason being, Xbox Game Pass has helped the company bolster its  Xbox One ₹ 4,999  sales and bringing it to PC may simply give consumers less of a reason to bother with the company's hardware. That being said, we won't be surpri...

Jio, Ericsson Showcase Their Own 5G Use Cases at IMC 2018

Swedish communication services company  Ericsson  and Indian telecom major  Reliance Jio  on Friday showcased their jointly developed 5G use case demos at the  India Mobile Congress 2018  (IMC). The demonstrations include 5G connected car and VR-enabled driving using 5G, Ericsson said in a statement. "The use cases demonstrated at the event over the live 5G network in Navi Mumbai and in Delhi leveraged the gigabit speed and ultra-low latency capabilities of 5G to exemplify key benefits such as the remote operation of machines (robotic arms, vehicles) and possibilities enabled through virtual reality (VR)," the statement said. "It demonstrates remote operation and control of a car that is connected over a live 5G network on 3.5 GHz (gigahertz) band at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. The use case was made accessible at the IMC for remote driving and showcasing assistance through 5G edge computing." The 5G connected car showcased "5G's rel...

Google Tipped to Be Working on 'Play Pass' App and Games Subscription Service for Play Store

Google  is said to be working on an app subscription service for  Google Play . According to compelling evidence discovered in a report, Google Play may soon introduce a subscription service called 'Play Pass' that offers users paid apps and games for a monthly fee. As per the latest information, the new service may let  Android  users subscribe to paid apps on Google Play by paying a monthly fee. The potential feature was reportedly first spotted in a Play Store APK teardown back in June, while this week a Google survey about a subscription service for apps was also discovered. Notably, Google is yet to confirm its plans for the Play Pass subscription service. Folks at XDA Developers had the  first sign  of the service when they discovered the potential feature called 'Play Pass' in a Play Store APK teardown in June this year. At the time, noted developer Kieron Quinn of MightyQuinnApps had suggested that the feature could be a subscription service. He...

Spider-Man PS4 Collector's Edition Now Available in India

Spider-Man PS4  has been out since September 7 and while the standard edition of the game had made it to India on time, the Spider-Man PS4 Special and Collector's Editions were missing in action. Thanks to logistical issues the Spider-Man PS4 Special Edition never made it to India and Gadgets 360 exclusively reported that while the  Spider-Man PS4 Special Edition was cancelled for the country , the Spider-Man PS4 Collector's Edition would make it to India at a later date. And that date is today. Several retailers speaking to Gadgets 360 have confirmed that Sony India has sent them stock of the Spider-Man PS4 Collector's Edition and we even managed to pick one up ourselves. That said, it's in limited supply with Sony India more than happy to cancel orders of stores that no longer want it in order to meet demand at other outlets. The  Spider-Man PS4 Collector's Edition price  is Rs. 9,999. Here's what you get in the Spider-Man PS4 Collector's Edition. Sp...

Facebook Working on Lasso App to Take on Tik Tok, Musical.ly: Report

Facebook  is reportedly working on a new standalone app that looks to directly give competition to  Tik Tok / Musical.ly . This standalone app will be called Lasso, and a dedicated team is working behind it to make it a reality. This app will have features similar to Tik Tok, and will largely be an app-version of the Lip Sync Live feature  launched in June this year . The Lip Sync Live feature was recently opened up for Pages as well. TechCrunch  reports  that Facebook is working on a standalone product that can record and share videos of users lip syncing and dancing to songs. Citing current and former Facebook employees as sources, the report states that the app is being developed by members of the video and Watch team, which is being led by Brady Voss, Facebook's Principal Lead Product Designer. This app will go head to head with Musical.ly,  now acquired by Tik Tok . "It's basically TikTok/Musically. It's full-screen, built for teens, fun and funn...

Facebook Confirms It's Working on AR Glasses

Revving up its hardware efforts, social networking giant   Facebook   is now planning to build its own Augmented Reality (AR) glasses, TechCrunch   reported . "Yeah! Well of course we're working on it," Facebook's AR Head Ficus Kirkpatrick was quoted as saying on Thursday at TechCrunch's AR/VR (virtual reality) event in Los Angeles. "We are building hardware products. We're going forward on this . . . We want to see those glasses come into reality, and I think we want to play our part in helping to bring them there," Kirkpatrick said. The announcement follows Facebook's launch of its first self-branded hardware - a pair of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered smart video chat devices,  Portal  and Portal +. Some of the other American tech giants have already ventured into the AR space already. While  Microsoft  has its  HoloLens ,  Google Glass  is being developed for the enterprise. Apple has been talking about the pote...

PUBG Xbox One Update 2 Brings Training Mode, Halloween Skins, and More

Much like  PUBG Mobile ,  PUBG for Xbox One  has seen an update to bring Halloween-themed items into the game such as masks, cords, and even new weapons. Furthermore, the PUBG Halloween skins are available from October 25 to November 21. PUBG Xbox One also gets the Training Mode. This allows you to practice PUBG without the fear of dying as your heath does not drop below one in Training Mode. Developer PUBG Corp announced this in addition to changes to the BP (Battle Points) system. BP is earned while playing and allows you to gain new items. "Previously, we offered BP rewards based only on your ranking," a post from PUBG Corp  reads . "Now, we've restructured the system to take into account both play time and ranking. Rewards have been restructured to equalise the differences in BP efficiency based on playing time for each Map and Mode. We've changed team rewards to be shared: You will no longer receive four times the BP because you were playing alone in a s...

Ericsson Commences Exports of 5G-Ready Telecom Equipment From India

In line with the "Make in India" programme, Swedish communication services giant  Ericsson  on Thursday commenced the export of 5G-ready telecom equipment from its manufacturing facility in Pune, Maharashtra, to markets in Southeast Asia. The initial shipments consisting of Ericsson's 5G-ready radio base stations and microwave equipment for 2G, 3G and 4G technologies have been delivered to Indonesia, Singapore and Thailand, the company announced at the India Mobile Congress 2018, here. Ericsson is looking to add more Southeast Asian markets to its list of countries to which its facility in India exports products from the Ericsson Radio System portfolio. Ericsson has been in India for well over 100 years and we were the first company to start manufacturing telecom equipment in the country in 1994. Our state-of-the-art facility will continue to cater to the domestic market even as we commence exports to other markets in Southeast Asia," Nunzio Mirtillo, Head of...

Nearly 90 Percent of Free Android Apps Share Data With Google: Report

In the age of Internet and smartphones, discussions upon user data collection and exploitation are taking the forefront. While tech companies are under the scanner for data collection without user permission, new policies are being introduced by them to ensure permission-based data usage by developers, apps, and its own services. Now, a new report claims that 88 percent of free apps on  Google Play share data with  Google , thereby offering a huge pool of important data to the tech giant. This huge wealth of data can then be used by Google for targeted online advertising, and making revenues. A Financial Times  report  suggests that nearly 90 percent of free apps on Google Play share data with firms owned by Google's parent company, Alphabet, without the knowledge of the user. Furthermore, the report states that nearly 43 percent of apps share data with Facebook, and a significant percent of apps share data with firms like Twitter, Verizon, Microsoft, and Amazon....

Google Maps Now Has a Follow Button to Get Updates From Businesses; Google Lens Comes to Mobile Web

Google Maps  on Android is getting a couple of new features that will help make the navigational platform slightly more interactive. Firstly, a new Follow button is being introduced which can be used to keep yourself updated on the news, events, and other updates from certain businesses around you. The app is also getting the ability to list businesses before launch and show you their opening dates. Separately,  Google Lens  has now been released on mobile Web with integration in the Google Images section. “With more than 150 million places on Google Maps and millions of people looking for places to go, we made two updates so it's even easier for you to keep up with the places you care about and find out about places coming soon,” said Paul Cole, Product Manager, Google Maps  announcing  the updates. A new 'Follow' button will appear on the listing of businesses. Once clicked, you will be able to get all the latest updates so that you don't miss out on lat...

Reliance Jio Now Holds 51 Percent of Wireless Broadband Market Share in India: TRAI

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI)  August data has been published, and it shows a monthly increase of telephone subscribers to 1,189.08 million at the end of August from 1,179.32 million at the end of July, thereby showing a monthly growth rate of 0.83 percent.  Reliance Jio  continued its momentum with the most amounts of wireless subscriber additions in August, but it also now holds more than half of the wireless broadband market share in India. As of August, Reliance Jio now holds more than 51 percent of the wireless broadband market share, with the second in command being  Bharti Airtel  with 21.21 percent market share in India. Talking about broadband first, Jio in August was found to have a 239.23 million wireless subscriber base and a 51.60 percent market share. In the month of July,  Jio had a wireless broadband subscriber base  of 227.05 million and a market share of 49.33 percent market share. Notably, since Jio operates a 4G...

LG Electronics Posts Higher Quarterly Profit as Its Mobile Losses Narrow

South Korea's  LG Electronics  said on Thursday third-quarter operating profit jumped 45 percent as its mobile phone division narrowed losses. A focus on sales of mid-range mobile phones and cost-reduction plans contributed to smaller losses in its mobile division, LG said in a statement. Operating profit reached KRW 749 billion ($657.83 million) in the July-September quarter, in line with the company's guidance. Quarterly revenue rose 1 percent to KRW 15.4 trillion, also in line with the company's estimate. The new  V40  smartphone is expected to "boost sales in the fourth quarter" and help the loss-making mobile business as it seeks to return to profit, LG Electronics said. Meanwhile, sales of high-end OLED TV products have been a big hit for the home entertainment business after it cut prices to improve their competitiveness. However, increasing competition in the high-end television set market complicated the company's earnings outlook, analy...

Samsung Galaxy A6s, Galaxy A9s With Snapdragon 660, 6GB RAM Launched: Price, Specifications, Features

Samsung Galaxy A6s  and  Galaxy A9s are the latest smartphones to  make their way  into the Chinese market. These phone have been  launched  in the country and are powered by the Snapdragon 660 SoC. The A6s is said to be the first Samsung smartphone manufactured by another company - or its first ODM (original design manufacturer) phone. Notably, the Galaxy A9s appears to be the Chinese variant of the newly launched  Galaxy A9 , with a similar quadruple camera setup at the back. Both phones come with 6GB of RAM, up to 128GB of inbuilt storage, and Samsung's Super AMOLED Infinity Display design. Let's check out the Samsung Galaxy A6s, Galaxy A9s price and specifications. Samsung Galaxy A6s, Galaxy A9s price, availability Samsung Galaxy A6s price has been set at CNY 1,799 (roughly Rs. 19,000) for the 6GB RAM/ 64GB storage variant and CNY 2,199 (around Rs. 23,200) for the 6GB RAM/ 128GB storage model. On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy A9s gets a ...

AMD Revenue Forecast Disappoints as Crypto Demand Subsides

Advanced Micro Devices  on Wednesday forecast fourth-quarter revenue below estimates as the chipmaker faces dwindling demand from cryptocurrency miners for its high-margin graphic processors and excess inventory, sending its shares down 22 percent. AMD shares, which have more than doubled this year, were trading at $17.84 (roughly  Rs.1,300) after the bell. AMD and  Nvidia , its main rival in the gaming chip market, were the biggest beneficiaries of a cryptocurrency boom last year as miners invested in new networks to keep up with demand. However, with cryptocurrency prices in free fall, mainly due to regulatory worries, demand for the chips have declined. Graphic Processing Units like AMD's Radeon provide the high computing abilities required for cryptocurrency mining. Nvidia shares were down 2.5 percent at $194.98 (roughly Rs. 14,300). AMD said it now expects revenue of about $1.45 billion (roughly Rs. 10,600 crores), plus or minus $50 million, below analy...

Amazon India Brings 'Faster Than Same Day Delivery' for Smartphones to Delhi-NCR Customers

Alongside  giving attractive deals and offers  during the ongoing  Great Indian Festival sale ,  Amazon India  on Wednesday launched a "faster than same day delivery" model for smartphones. The new model, which is initially live in select locations of Delhi-NCR, is designed to deliver doorstep delivery of orders within three to five hours. It is applicable to a wide selection of smartphones and is available free for  Amazon Prime members. Non-Prime members can also get the faster than same delivery as the delivery option for their orders with a delivery fee of Rs. 150. Alternatively, they can opt for the monthly Prime membership at a charge of Rs. 129 to avail the new delivery option for free, Amazon says. Amazon says that customers in eligible locations will prominently see the delivery option on the product detail pages with a banner that reads "Get this phone even faster. Delivery within 5 hours." Among other smartphone models, the  Honor 8X ₹ 1...

Fortnite Update 6.20 to Introduce Glider Re-Deploy for Week-Long Test in All Game Modes

With the new  Fortnite  update 6.20 due later on Wednesday, players will be able to re-deploy their glider at any time in any game mode, as long as they are at least three stories high, developer Epic Games has  announced . The feature was originally introduced to the Soaring 50's game mode, Epic Games noted, but it's now coming to the full game, be it solo, duo, or squad games. Since this can be a big change in a few ways, the Fortnite team will test it for a week to see how “a singular mobility mechanic that all players can use will affect regular gameplay”. That means the glider re-deploy option will be available till next Wednesday, October 31. Earlier this week, Epic Games  revealed that the original Fortnite – the cooperative campaign mode now known as Save the World – won't become free-to-play in 2018 as originally planned. It has been pushed out of this year, as the developer is “working on a broad set of features, reworks, and backend system scaling [it be...

Google Chromecast 3 With Faster Performance, New Design Launched in India

Google Chromecast 3  that was  unveiled earlier this month with an all-new design has now been launched in India. The new Chromecast model comes as the successor to the  Chromecast 2  that  debuted  back in September 2015 and was  launched  in the country in April 2016. Being a refresh in the Chromecast family that was introduced back in July 2013, the third-generation Chromecast has a design that matches the aesthetics of the rest of the Made by Google family that comprises  Google Home  speakers, Pixel phones and computing devices, and  Daydream View  headset. There is also new hardware under the hood that is touted to perform 15 percent faster than the previous Chromecast. The Chromecast 3 additionally supports 60fps video streaming at full-HD (1080p) resolution. Google Chromecast 3 price in India Google Chromecast 3 price in India has been set at Rs. 3,499, and it is available in its Charcoal colour variant. It is cur...