Category: Tech

Amazon Great Indian Festival 2023: Smart TV Deals Live Ahead of Sale

Amazon Great Indian Festival 2023 Sale will begin on October 8 and ahead of it, the e-commerce company has made a few deals live. Smart TVs from top brands including Samsung, OnePlus, Sony, LG, and Xiaomi with OLED and QLED, and 4K displays are listed with up to 60 percent on Amazon right now. The e-commerce giant has teamed up with SBI Card to offer a 10 percent instant discount to its cardholders during the festival sale. Further, shoppers can avail of coupon-based discounts, payment-based offers, and no-cost EMI options.

The online marketplace has set up a landing page for this year’s Amazon Great Indian Festival sale to keep you updated on all the deals and offers on smart TVs. As mentioned, they are listed with up to a 60 percent discount. Not all models are showing discounted rates though.

The Redmi 43-inch 4K Ultra HD TV can be grabbed at Rs. 20,499, down from its MRP of 42,999. Customers can benefit from the additional exchange offer discount, which is capped at Rs. 5,500. Similarly, the OnePlus TV 43 Y1S Pro is listed for Rs. 26,999, instead of its original price of Rs. 39,999. The LED Android TV can be purchased with no-cost EMI options as well.

LG’s 50-inch 4K Ultra HD TV is available at a discounted rate of Rs. 40,990, down from MRP 60,990. Amazon will also offer a coupon-based discount of Rs. 1,000 for this model. The Vu 55-inch Masterpiece Glo QLED TV is currently listed for Rs. 62,999 (MRP 80,000) but it is teased to get a Rs. 3,000 discount via coupons.

Further, Samsung’s Crystal 4K iSmart UHD TV can be purchased for Rs. 32,990, down from the original retail price of Rs. 52,900. Amazon is further offering a coupon-based discount of Rs. 1,000 to sweeten the deal. Acer’s 50-inch V Series 4K Ultra HD QLED TV is listed at a discounted price of Rs. 32,499, instead of the original retail price of Rs. 59,999.

Amazon is offering the 65-inch Sony Bravia 4K Ultra HD TV at Rs. 82,990 (MRP Rs. 1,39,900). Meanwhile, the 55-inch Hisense U7H TV is listed for Rs. 25,999 instead of MRP 69,999 and TCL’s 40-inch S series TV can be purchased for Rs. 16,990, down from MRP 40,990.

All these TV models can be purchased with no-cost EMI options and exchange discounts. Further, Amazon Pay ICICI credit card users can avail cashback and welcome rewards on each purchase.

As the Amazon Great Indian Festival 2023 sale kicks off on October 8, the e-commerce giant might update all the deals and offers on the website. Customers with Amazon Prime membership will get early access to the Great Indian Festival sale.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Binance Crypto Exchange to Sell Its Russia Business to CommEX for Undisclosed Amount

Cryptocurrency exchange Binance said on Wednesday it will sell its Russia business to newly-launched exchange CommEX, becoming the latest company to pull out of Moscow since the country began its war against Ukraine.

Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, did not disclose financial details of the deal. The company said it will have no ongoing revenue split from the sale, nor will it maintain an option to buy back shares in the business.

“As we look toward the future, we recognise that operating in Russia is not compatible with Binance’s compliance strategy,” Chief Compliance Officer Noah Perlman said, without referring to the war in Ukraine, which Russia calls a “special military operation.”

Binance also said that all the assets of its existing Russian users were safe and that there will be an orderly process for the migration of users. The divestment process will take up to one year, it added.

CommEX is a centralized cryptocurrency exchange backed by crypto venture capitalists, according to its website. The company only launched its exchange on Tuesday. It did not respond to a request for comment on the Binance deal.

Many Western companies, including the likes of Renault, Shell, McDonald’s and others, have agreed to sell their Russian assets or hand them over to local managers to take action to comply with sanctions over the war in Ukraine and deal with threats from the Kremlin that foreign-owned assets may be seized.

Last month, Mastercard announced that the company and Binance exchange would end their four crypto card programmes in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Bahrain as of September 22. The Binance cards allow users to make payments in traditional currencies, funded by their cryptocurrency holdings on the exchange.

Binance is also facing legal and regulatory challenges. US regulators sued the crypto exchange and its CEO Changpeng Zhao in June for allegedly operating a “web of deception.” Binance has said it would defend itself “vigorously.”

© Thomson Reuters 2023

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Lava Z4 Plus With 4,000mAh Battery Reportedly Spotted on FCC Website, Design Tipped

Lava Z4 Plus could launch soon, as the phone has been reportedly spotted on the FCC certification website. The handset could succeed the Lava Z4, which was launched alongside the Lava Z1, Lava Z2, and Lava Z6 handsets in January 2021. The phone came with a 6.5-inch HD+ IPS display, a 13-megapixel triple rear camera setup, a MediaTek Helio G35 SoC, and a 5,000mAh battery. The Lava Z4 Plus is expected to be an upgrade over the base model. It being listed on the FCC site could suggest its imminent launch. The listing reportedly also includes the design renders of the phone.

According to a MySmartPrice report, the purported Lava Z4 Plus handset was spotted on the FCC certification website suggesting some of its key features along with design renders. The phone is seen in a black colour option.

It will reportedly feature a triple rear camera unit as per the listed design renders. The back panel of the Lava Z4 Plus is said to offer three slightly raised circular camera modules on the top left corner, arranged in a triangular fashion. It is said to be accompanied by an LED flash unit. The images also suggest that the phone could get a centre-aligned waterdrop notch at the top of the display to house the front camera, as per the report.

Meanwhile, the bottom edge of the Lava Z4 Plus is said to feature a speaker grille, a micro-USB port, a microphone, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The power button, which is said to double as a fingerprint sensor, along with the volume rockers, are placed on the right edge of the handset, according to the report. The SIM card slot will reportedly be on the left side of the handset. The phone is also likely to have a dedicated microSD card slot.

The report says that the listing shows the Lava Z4 Plus packs a 4,000mAh battery with 7.5W wired charging support. No further details about the smartphone are known as of now. The listing, although suggesting an imminent launch, did not specify a release date. It can be expected to arrive in the markets soon.

Lava Z4 was priced at Rs. 8,999 for the 4GB + 64GB model when it launched in India. It is offered in Aqua Blue and Flame Red colour options.

Is the iQoo Neo 7 Pro the best smartphone you can buy under Rs. 40,000 in India? We discuss the company’s recently launched handset and what it has to offer on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

HP Partners With Google to Manufacture Chromebooks in India Starting Next Month

HP is collaborating with Google to manufacture Chromebooks in India to meet local requirements, the PC maker said on Thursday (September 28). The Chromebooks will be manufactured at the company’s Flex Facility near Chennai, Tamil Nadu. HP has been producing a range of laptops and desktops in this facility since 2020. Companies including Samsung, and Apple already meet a majority of the domestic demand through local manufacturing. As the Indian government is pushing to boost domestic manufacturing capacity under its “Make in India” initiative, several global technology players are either setting up their own units in the country or forming joint ventures with Indian firms.

PC and printing major HP via a press release announced that it is reaffirming its commitment to the government’s Make in India initiative by manufacturing Chromebooks in the county with Google. The Chromebooks will be produced at HP’s Flex Facility near Chennai starting October 2 to meet the local requirements. The company says the new partnership will propel a joint vision to support the digital education ecosystem in India by providing affordable computing devices to education authorities, schools, and institutions.

HP has been manufacturing a range of laptops and desktops in its Flex Facility since August 2020. The company started producing models like HP EliteBooks, HP ProBooks, and HP G8 series notebooks in the country in December 2021.

“HP is committed to advancing digital equity, and we have been driving many initiatives to enable digital education across India. Manufacturing Chromebook laptops in India will allow Indian students to get easy access to affordable PCs. By further expanding our manufacturing operations, we continue to support the Make in India initiative of the Government” said Vickram Bedi, Senior Director – Personal Systems, HP India.

“The local production of Chromebooks with HP marks an important step in our efforts to continue supporting the digital transformation of education in India,” said Bani Dhawan Google’s Head of Education – South Asia.

The Union Cabinet earlier in May approved a Rs. 17,000 crore incentive to boost local manufacturing of IT hardware like tablets and laptops in India and HP is one of the applicants under the latest production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme. Dell Technologies, Asus, Acer, and Lenovo have also applied to make laptops and other products in India

HP would be the latest global technology player to expand its production footprint in India. Apple has used the PLI programme to widen its supplier base in India, while Samsung is starting a new laptop manufacturing unit at its Greater Noida facility. Google is also looking for Pixel phone assemblers in the country

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

PlayStation Boss Jim Ryan Is Retiring After Almost 30 Years at Sony

Jim Ryan, PlayStation head and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, is leaving the company after an almost 30-year stint. In a press release, Sony confirmed that he will be retiring in March 2024, with COO Hiroki Totoki being appointed as the interim CEO of the company from April 1, 2024. Ryan merely served four years as CEO, having replaced John Kodera in 2019, and most notably oversaw the launch of the PS5, which has sold over 40 million units worldwide, as of July. It’s unclear who will eventually be taking over as the new CEO, but for the time being, Totoki will assume the role of SIE chairman in October.

“As you will have seen today in the news, I have announced my retirement after nearly 30 years at Sony Interactive Entertainment,” Ryan said in a prepared statement. “I did not take this decision lightly and I absolutely love SIE and our community, but of late I’ve been finding it increasingly difficult to strike the right balance between having my home in the UK and my job in the United States.” Prior to Sony’s press release, Bloomberg games reporter Jason Schreier broke the news about the exit, causing some to wonder if it had something to do with Ryan not being able to block the Microsoft x Activision Blizzard deal. As it turns out, he’s simply retiring and is thankful for what the company has achieved across generations.

Meanwhile, Totoki will ‘work closely’ with Sony Group Corporation Chairman and CEO Kenichiro Yoshida to navigate the future of PlayStation and even decide who will take over the CEO role. Personally, I think it’d be interesting to see if Herman Hulst, Head of PlayStation Studios and co-founder of Guerilla Games (Horizon Zero Dawn), takes on the position, considering he has hands-on experience with games and their development. Meanwhile, Ryan’s approach was more business-oriented, as depicted by his push for live-service games, restructuring seminal developers like Japan Studio, introducing a cloud-based handheld game streaming device, and raising base prices of the PS5 console and more recently, the 12-month plans of PS Plus service.

That said, some important acquisitions were made under his leadership as well, ranging from Returnal maker Housemarque, Destiny creator Bungie, Bluepoint Games, and porting veterans Nixxes Software amongst others. The last of them was crucial in bringing PlayStation exclusives like Spider-Man Remastered over to PC, allowing more gamers to experience quality AAA titles from some of the best narrative game developers in the world. He also oversaw the launches of blockbuster first-party titles like God of War Ragnarök and Horizon Forbidden West, in addition to launching the PS VR2. On the side, Ryan has been in the headlines for trying to prevent Microsoft’s $69 billion (about Rs. 5,74,142 crore) buyout of Activision Blizzard.

There seems to have been no bad blood between the two companies, however, as Xbox chief Phil Spencer conveyed his best wishes to Ryan on Thursday in a post on X. “Jim Ryan has been a great contributor to our industry and a fierce leader for PlayStation. I wish him the best in what he does next. Thank you for all you’ve done for the community over the last 30 years, Jim,” Spencer said.

Soon-to-be interim CEO Totoki also lauded Ryan’s career at Sony, praising the PS5 launch in particular. “I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Jim Ryan for his outstanding achievements and contributions over his 30-year career at Sony, including the great success of launching the PlayStation 5,” Totoki said in a statement. “I will work with Jim and the senior management team closely to ensure our continued success and further growth.”

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Oppo Find N3 Flip Live Image Tips Google Apps on Cover Screen, Suggests a Launch in India

Oppo Find N3 Flip with MediaTek Dimensity 9200 SoC was launched in China in August last week. Now, the clamshell foldable smartphone could be heading to the global markets including India soon. Ahead of any official announcement from Oppo, an alleged live image of the handset has appeared online, showing a few global apps on the cover screen of the Find N3 Flip. Smartphones in China don’t come with Google Apps. The leak indicates apps like Gmail, YouTube, and WhatsApp on the cover display, hinting at an imminent launch outside of China.

91Mobiles published an alleged live shot of the Oppo Find N3 Flip. As mentioned, the render shows apps like Gmail, Google News, GPay, Google Maps, YouTube, and WhatsApp on the cover screen of the handset, suggesting that it supports Google services and therefore hinting at a global launch. Additionally, the report also includes an image listing of supported apps for the cover screen that includes Indian apps like Zomato, Swiggy, Wynk Music, JioSaavn, BookMyShow, mAadhar, Zerodha, and more suggesting its imminent arrival in India.

However, there is no clarity on when the Oppo Find N3 Flip will launch in India. Oppo has not yet announced any details regarding the launch of the foldable phone outside China.

The Oppo Find N3 Flip was unveiled in August last week with a price tag of CNY 6,799 (roughly Rs. 77,000) for the 12GB RAM + 256GB storage variant. It is priced at CNY 7,599 (roughly Rs. 86,100) for the 12GB RAM + 512GB storage model. It is sold in Mirror Night, Mist Rose, and Moonlight Muse (translated from Chinese) colour options.

Oppo Find N3 Flip sports a 6.80-inch AMOLED main display with a 120Hz refresh rate as well as a 3.26-inch cover display. It features an octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 9200 SoC, paired with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of inbuilt storage. The handset has a triple rear camera setup comprising a 50-megapixel Sony IMX890 primary sensor with OIS support, an 48-megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 32-megapixel telephoto sensor. For selfies and video calls, it gets a 32-megapixel front camera. The handset comes with an Alert Slider and is backed by a 4,300mAh battery with 44W wired charging support.

The newly launched Oppo Find N2 Flip is the first foldable from the company to debut in India. But does it have what it takes to compete with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Oppo A18 With 6.56-Inch HD+ Display and 5,000mAh Battery Launched: Specifications

Oppo A18 was launched in the UAE on Thursday. The smartphone shares similar specifications to the Oppo A38, which was unveiled earlier this month and is now available in the UAE and also in India. The Oppo A18 comes with a MediaTek Helio G85 SoC and a 5,000mAh non-removable battery. The company has launched this budget handset in a single storage variant and in black and blue colour options. However, Oppo is yet to confirm the price of the phone in the UAE. In other news, the Chinese manufacturer was recently tipped to offer free battery replacement service to its users soon, starting with the upcoming Oppo A2 Pro.

Oppo A18 specifications, features

Sporting a 6.56-inch HD+ (1,612 x 720 pixels) IPS LCD display, the Oppo A18 comes with a refresh rate of 90Hz, peak brightness level of 720nits, and a screen to body ratio of 89.90 percent. The dual-SIM supported handset ships with Android 13-based ColorOS 13.1.

The Oppo A18 is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio G85 SoC paired with Mali G52 MC2 GPU, 4GB of LPDDR4x RAM, and 128GB of EMMC5.1 inbuilt storage. The storage is expandable up to 1TB via microSD card and the handset also offers virtual RAM extension of up to another 4GB.

In the camera department, a vertically placed pill shaped module is available on the top left corner of the Oppo A18, that features an 8-megapixel primary sensor and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. For selfies and video calling, a 5-megapixel front camera is available at the front house in a centre-aligned waterdrop notch at the top of the display.

Oppo has packed a 5,000mAh battery on the Oppo A18. For security, the handset is equipped with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. It supports 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS and USB Type-C for connectivity. The handset also has a 3.5mm audio jack, weighs 188 grams, and measures 163.74mm x 75.03mm x 8.16mm in size.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

ChatGPT Users Can Now Browse the Web as OpenAI Expands Data Access Beyond 2021 Cutoff

ChatGPT users will now be able to surf the Web, Microsoft-backed OpenAI said on Wednesday, expanding the data the viral chatbot can access beyond its earlier September 2021 cutoff.

The artificial intelligence startup said its latest browsing feature would allow websites to control how ChatGPT can interact with them.

“Browsing is available to Plus and Enterprise users today, and we’ll expand to all users soon. To enable, choose Browse with Bing in the selector under GPT-4,” OpenAI said in a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

The startup also announced a major update earlier this week that would enable ChatGPT to have voice conversations with users and interact with them using images, moving it closer to popular AI assistants like Apple’s Siri.

OpenAI had earlier tested a feature that allowed users to access the latest information through the Bing search engine within its premium ChatGPT Plus offering. But it later disabled it because of fears that it could allow users to bypass paywalls.

ChatGPT became the fastest-growing consumer application in history earlier this year, reaching 100 million monthly active users in January, before being supplanted by Meta’s Threads app.

Its rise has driven up investor interest in OpenAI, with media including Reuters reporting on Tuesday that the startup is talking to shareholders about a possible sale of existing shares at a much higher valuation than a few months ago.

Last week, OpenAI also unveiled Dall-E 3, the latest version of its text-to-image tool that uses ChatGPT to help fill in prompts. Dall-E 3 will also be available to ChatGPT Plus and Enterprise customers in October via the API, the company said. Users can type in a request for an image and tweak the prompt through conversations with ChatGPT.

OpenAI said creators could opt out of using some or all of their work used to train future text-to-image tools.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.



Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

PlayStation Plus October 2023 Free Games: The Callisto Protocol, Farming Simulator 22, and Weird West

PlayStation Plus’ monthly free games for October 2023 have been announced. The three titles will be available to members of PS Plus Essential, Extra, and Deluxe/ Premium plans, starting October 3. PS Plus members can sneak their way through the horrifying confines of a gory space prison in The Callisto Protocol, build out large-scale prosperous lands in Farming Simulator 22, and dive into the world of Weird West, which throws gunslingers on an unforgiving land teeming with dark fantastical creatures. These games can be added to your PS4 and PS5 games library until November 6, after which you’ll need to hold on to your PS Plus subscription for continued access.

Alternatively, if you enjoy any of the said titles, you can buy them for permanent access — all progression will carry over, of course. Sony confirmed the additions on the PlayStation Blog late Wednesday, reminding that PS Plus members have until October 2 to add September’s free games to their library, which include the poorly-received Saints Row reboot, the sandbox MMO Black Desert, and the machine-battler Generation Zero.

PS Plus October 2023: The Callisto Protocol

Serving as a spiritual successor to Dead Space, The Callisto Protocol pits you in the futuristic maximum security Black Iron Prison, which has been overtaken by bloodthirsty parasitic aliens. Assuming the role of an inmate Jacob Lee, players must fight their way through endless hordes by navigating through blood-soaked claustrophobic passageways, and in the process, uncover a larger conspiracy. Hack off limbs, blast them into fleshy bits, or use your telekinetic powers to grab foes from a distance and chuck them into razors. The game launched to mixed reception for not being inventive and sticking way too close to Dead Space’s roots.

Game director Glen Schofield recently left Striking Distance Studios to ‘pursue new opportunities,’ which could partly be attributed to The Callisto Protocol’s poor sales. It will be available to play on both PS4 and PS5.

PS Plus October 2023: Farming Simulator 22

Push through the challenging conditions of the four seasons to grow a prosperous farm and in time, an agricultural empire in Farming Simulator 22. You can choose to create a lush vineyard, breed cattle on hillside landscapes, or cultivate produce ranging from wheat, potatoes, and more. Experiment with over 400 tools and machinery — named after real-life brands — to gain the best results and enhance the farming experience by checking out free community-created equipment. The game also has a massive expansion planned for November, which adds an entirely new Central European map for your growing needs.

Farming Simulator 22 will be available to play on both PS4 and PS5, with support for cross-platform multiplayer.

PS Plus October 2023: Weird West

In a dark fantastical reimagining of the Wild West, this isometric RPG has you switch between the roles of five unique characters, ranging from a bounty hunter, a pigman, a shapeshifting entity, and more to uncover the supernatural secrets that reside in its sandbox universe. Locations and the acts you perform for a faction are totally reactive to player choices, with permadeath being one of them. While it largely follows an explore-loot-kill gameplay loop, there are some crafty stealth options mixed in there for good measure, which is to be expected with the involvement of Raphaël Colantonio, who previously helmed Dishonored.

Weird West will be available to play on both PS4 and PS5.

Earlier this month, PlayStation also announced the set of games coming to its September Game Catalog, available to PS Plus Extra and Deluxe/ Premium tier subscribers. Standouts are NieR Replicant ver.1.22474487139…, Civilization VI, Unpacking, and a lot more.

PlayStation Plus subscription in India starts at Rs. 499 per month for Essential, Rs. 749 per month for the Extra plan, and Rs. 849 per month for the top-tier Deluxe. The monthly free games are included with all three tiers.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated – see our ethics statement for details.

Check out our Latest News and Follow us at Facebook

Original Source

Exit mobile version