Category: Tech

Xiaomi Band 8 Pro Launch Set Alongside Mix Fold 3 on August 14, Teased to Feature 1.74-Inch 60Hz Display

Xiaomi Band 8 Pro is all set to go official in China on August 14 alongside the Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 and Xiaomi Pad 6 Max. The new wearable comes as a successor to last year’s Xiaomi Smart Band 7 Pro. Ahead of the official launch, the Chinese brand is actively teasing the design and specifications of the wearable. It is confirmed to pack a square-shaped display dial and will have a 1.74-inch screen. The device will support several sport features. 

Xiaomi Smart Ecosystem, via its official Weibo handle, announced the arrival of Xiaomi Band 8 Pro on August 14. The launch event will begin at 7:00pm local time (4:30pm IST). The Xiaomi Mix Fold 3 and Xiaomi Pad 6 Max will also make their debut at the same event on August 14 in China. The company revealed more details about the design and display of the wearable through the social media platform.

The Xiaomi Band 8 Pro is teased to come with a square-shaped display, resembling the design language of recent Apple Watch units. It is shown in different band options with a black dial. It will sport a 1.74-inch display with 60Hz refresh rate, 336ppi pixel density and 16.7 million colours. This would be larger compared to a 1.64-inch screen on the Xiaomi Mi Band 7 Pro. Further, the upcoming wearable is teased to support fitness features including heart rate monitoring and step counts. It will also allow users to play music directly on the watch.

The Xiaomi Band 8 Pro is likely to be positioned above the Xiaomi Band 8 in the market. The vanilla model went official in April with a starting price tag of CNY 239 (roughly Rs. 2,800).

The Xiaomi Band 8 has a 1.62-inch AMOLED display with 192 x 490 pixels resolution, a pixel density of 326 ppi, and a maximum brightness of 600nits. It supports more than 150 training modes and has SpO2 monitoring, heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and menstrual cycle tracking. It has a 5 ATM water resistance rating and is backed by a 190mAh battery.

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Canadian Space Tech Firm MDA Gets Deal to Build 198 Satellites for Telesat

Satellite operator Telesat has given space tech firm MDA a CAD 2.1 billion (nearly Rs. 12,950 crore) contract to build 198 satellites for its low-earth orbit program.

The deal announced on Friday sparked a more than 45 percent surge in both Telesat’s Canadian and US shares, putting them on track for their best day ever. MDA, meanwhile, rose about 29 percent.

Telesat said it had earmarked $3.5 billion (nearly Rs. 29,020 crore) as capital expenditure for the Lightspeed project and that the MDA deal had helped it save $2 billion (nearly Rs. 16,580 crore).

The launches are scheduled to commence in mid-2026, with polar and global services scheduled to begin in late 2027.

By using MDA’s beam-forming array antennas and integrated regenerative processor, the redesigned Telesat Lightspeed network will achieve increased network efficiency and enhanced flexibility to focus and deliver capacity to users, the company said in a statement.

The technology would also allow each satellite to be slightly smaller than the ones Telesat was previously considering.

Telesat’s Lightspeed network is designed to serve the connectivity requirements of enterprise and government users, with highly secure, resilient, low-latency broadband connectivity anywhere in the world.

The company launched its first LEO 3 demonstration satellite aboard Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket in July.

Telesat earlier on Friday also reported second-quarter results. The company posted a profit of CAD 519.9 million (nearly Rs. 3,210 crore), compared with a year-ago loss of CAD 4.38 million (nearly Rs. 27 crore). Revenue fell 4 percent. 

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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Offshore Online Gaming Companies in India Mandated to Register Their Business



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Offshore Online Gaming Companies in India Mandated to Register Their Business

The Indian government has mandated offshore online gaming companies operating in the country to register the business locally or appoint a representative to pay tax on funds collected from customers.

Last week, India decided to levy a 28 percent tax on total funds collected by online gaming companies from gamers, and not on every bet.

Overseas online gaming companies operating in India will be blocked if they fail to register or appoint a representative or a proxy to pay tax in the country, according to amendments moved in Parliament on Friday.

“Offshore online gaming companies will not enjoy any tax arbitrage, and would be treated at par with their domestic counterparts,” said Rajat Mohan, a partner at AMRG & Associates.

The move to tax online gaming companies has shocked the nascent $1.5 billion (nearly Rs. 12,430 crore) industry, which is backed by global investors. Over 100 gaming companies and top investors such as Tiger Global and Peak XV have written to the government, asking it to reconsider the decision.

“The decision (has been) taken after elaborate deliberations spanning over a period of about 3 years,” said a source.

On Wednesday, Indian gaming app Mobile Premier League said it would lay off 350 employees as it takes steps to “survive” the tax imposed by the government.

India’s finance minister and state ministers considered the negative impact of online money gaming “on the society and the youth in particular, in form of Internet Gaming Disorder due to addiction to online gaming,” the source said.

The move “is not a ban, it is just a tax on online money gaming which is nothing but gambling by any name, and it deserves to be taxed at the highest rate,” the source said.

The tax will not be applicable on online games that do not involve money.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 alongside the Galaxy Tab S9 series and Galaxy Watch 6 series at its first Galaxy Unpacked event in South Korea. We discuss the company’s new devices and more 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.
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Indian EV Charging Startup Exponent Eyes Funding to Grow Rapid Business

Exponent Energy, an Indian rapid charging startup, is in talks with new and existing investors to raise money to expand its energy services business to three-wheeled passenger vehicles and buses, its chief executive told Reuters in an interview. 

The maker of electric vehicle batteries that can be fully charged in 15 minutes using its rapid charger, expects to close the round by end of 2023, its Chief Executive Arun Vinayak said.

He declined to give details of the amount but said it would be bigger than the $13 million (nearly Rs. 107 crore) Exponent raised last year from investors including venture capital firm Lightspeed Venture Partners.

India wants to electrify its road transport including buses, commercial vehicles, cars and scooters in an effort to reduce pollution and cut fuel imports. Meanwhile, clean delivery fleets help e-commerce and consumer goods companies meet their own emission targets.

This is giving a boost to Indian startups, such as Exponent, which currently makes electric vehicle batteries and provides a network of fast chargers for cargo company Altigreen, with its batteries now fitted in over 200 three-wheeled cargo vehicles.

Exponent has an order book for another 400 cargo vehicles and 30 buses, Vinayak said. 

By the end of 2025 it expects to power a total of 25,000 vehicles and become profitable with revenues of around Rs. 6 billion, he added. 

Exponent’s 15-minute charging means vehicles can be fitted with a smaller battery — the most expensive component — making the EVs cheaper and more accessible, Vinayak said. It also makes the charging business more viable because of faster turnaround times. Altigreen’s three-wheelers have a range of 70 to 95km on a single battery charge, he said.

“Because the battery is almost 30 percent smaller, the vehicle price comes down significantly. That’s the one big advantage,” he said.

Exponent uses water-based technology to cool the battery while charging which prevents overheating.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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India’s Wearable Devices Market Grew 53.3 Percent in First Half of 2023: IDC

Wearable devices market in India saw a robust 53.3 percent yearly growth in the first half of 2023, with shipping of 57.8 million units, according to data released by International Data Corporation (IDC).

International Data Corporation (IDC) is a global market intelligence and advisory services provider.

During the quarter of 2023, 32.8 million wearables were shipped in, a growth of 37.2 percent year-on-year and 30.6 percent quarter-on-quarter.

Smartwatch shipments almost doubled to 12.8 million in the second quarter, while earwear shipments grew by 15.2 percent year-on-year.

Notably, the average selling price of smartwatches declined by 44.9 percent, dropping to $25.6 (roughly Rs. 2,120) from $46.6 (roughly Rs. 3,860) in the second quarter. The overall wearable prices during the quarter dropped to $21.0 (roughly Rs. 1,739) from $26.7 (roughly Rs. 2,211) a year ago.

Brands launched several smartwatch models in different shapes, designs, materials, finishes and with new features.

“The high-end capabilities that have been exclusive to premium products are now gradually making their way into affordable models. These include features like advanced ANC (active noise cancellation), multiple microphones, minimal delay or low latency, simultaneous dual device connection, and advanced sound chipsets,” said Vikas Sharma, Senior Market Analyst, Wearable Devices, IDC India.

Online channels like e-tailers remained the main driver with a 73.9 percent share in the second quarter. However, IDC said it is witnessing leading brands beginning to explore offline avenues to deepen their reach and expand their presence in Tier 3/4/5 towns.

“The first half of 2023 saw hundreds of smartwatch model launches with premium finishing, sporty appearances, rugged builds, and a variety of strap finishes like metal, silicon, leather, etc,” said Upasana Joshi, Research Manager, Client Devices, IDC India.

“The second half of 2023 will see aggressive festive offers and discounts, while brands remain cautious for supplies. Furthermore, we should expect more launches in the smart ring category at affordable pricing,” said Joshi.

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Instagram Testing Group-Tagging Feature via Single Mention on Stories: Report

Instagram may have some new features up its sleeves for its users within the coming days. The social media platform is testing a feature that will let users tag a group of people on Instagram Stories via just a single mention. With the creator economy booming on Instagram at an international level, the platform keeps updating its feature palette to cater to a diverse range of user requirements. As of August, this year, the platform is estimated to have over 2.3 billion active users from around the world.

Adam Mosseri, the head of Instagram, disclosed some information about this upcoming feature on his broadcast channel titled ‘IG Updates’. Describing the feature, Mosseri said users would soon be able to add multiple followers to create one group, and instead of having to tag people individually on Stories, they would be able to just tag the group.

Mention notifications, as part of the group tag, will be sent to all the members of the group and they will be able to re-share the post on their Stories as well.

“We’re testing a way to tag a group of people in a Story using a single mention. Once you create a group mention, it can be reused by anyone in the group to automatically tag everyone in any new Stories,” Techlusive quoted Mosseri as saying on his broadcast.

For now, the timeline for the arrival of this feature remains undisclosed. The feature could be rolled out in the US before it reaches other regions, the Techlusive report added.

Last month, the Meta-owned platform rolled out a Twitter-like application called ‘Threads’. Threads, which is integrated with users’ Instagram accounts, quickly racked up 100 million sign-ups, posing a serious threat to Elon Musk’s X, formerly Twitter. Threads has been rolling out new features for its userbase, including a chronological ‘Following’ feed on iOS and Android. Mosseri has also said that a Web version of the platform is in the works.

Meta, in its stride towards adopting Metaverse features on its platforms and services, is allowing Meta avatars of users to be used during video calls on Instagram and Messenger.

The company is also reportedly testing in-app AI chatbots that would give users at least 30 personalities to choose from.

Instagram will turn 13 years old this year in October.

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Battle Stars: Battle Royale to Celebrate Independence Day With Delhi-Inspired Map, Surpasses 5 Million Players

Battle Stars: Battle Royale, the made-in-India mobile multiplayer shooter, has crossed five million players since its launch in June, becoming developer SuperGaming’s fastest-growing game. To celebrate the milestone, and with Independence Day fast approaching, it’s getting a new map inspired by the city of New Delhi, available as a free update. Just like the Mumbai-based map — which was well received in the first two seasons — this new arena will feature familiar locations such as the India Gate, Red Fort, and Connaught Place. The map is now live across Android and iOS, and on August 15, you’ll be able to spot the Indian national flag hoisted atop key structures.

“Season 2 of Battle Stars saw a staggering 20 million matches played, we wanted to take the experience further by bringing Delhi to the game,” Christelle D’cruz, Founder, SuperGaming said in a prepared statement. “To do this, we visited Delhi to capture its vibe and culture to bring it in-game as well as taking inputs from the community. Our new Squad BR features are also based on community feedback.” It’s not just the aesthetics though, as the update brings some location-specific sound effects such as the chatter among the crowds and some new emotes conveying the local slang used in Delhi.

Originally, Battle Stars was a small game mode within SuperGaming’s popular social deduction game Silly Royale, which then expanded into a standalone shooter — essentially riding on the latter’s success. Another contributing factor to its popularity was its collaboration with YouTuber Techno Gamerz aka Ujjwal Chaurasia — 34.9 million subscribers — whose likeness was added to the game as a playable character named Techno Quest. For the uninitiated, Battle Stars comes with both TDM (Team Deathmatch) and battle royale modes, with the latter now receiving a Squad BR update that lets you team up with up to two other players — trios — and hop into the arena to survive and emerge as the last team standing.

Some power-ups have been added, in addition to the ability to loot items off carcasses. Battle Stars recently ended its four-week-long season 2 multiplayer run, during which players recorded 20 million matches with 41 million kills. These achievements aside, SuperGaming’s main goal is to get its standalone Indo-futuristic battle royale Indus out of the gate, wherein you drop into the floating island map of Virlok to scavenge for supplies, survive, and kill anyone who stands in your way to emerge as the last man standing. At a certain interval, a rare resource called Cosmium will spawn at a random spot on the map, which upon collection, grants the player instant victory.

More recently, the team partnered with Google to add support for Project Gameface in Indus, allowing players to control in-game actions using head movements and facial expressions — aimed at those suffering from cognitive and motor challenges. Back in March, Bandai Namco Entertainment — publishers of Dark Souls and Elden Ring games — invested in SuperGaming to build out its ‘IP metaverse.’

Battle Stars’ Delhi map is now available to download on Android and iOS.

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Redmi Pad SE Price, Renders, Specifications Leaked; May Get Snapdragon 680 SoC, 8,000mAh Battery

Redmi Pad SE could be inching towards its launch as pricing details, key specifications, and renders on the tablet have surfaced online. The leaked renders suggest three colour options for the tablet with a metallic build. The Redmi Pad SE is said to run on the Snapdragon 680 SoC, paired with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of onboard storage. It is tipped to feature 90Hz refresh rate display and could come equipped with quad speakers that support Dolby Atmos. It is expected to be backed by an 8,000mAh battery with support for 10W fast charging. The new tablet could succeed the Redmi Pad launched in October last year.

Tipster Sudhanshu Ambhore, in a report by Appuals (via Kimovil), has leaked the price, renders, and specifications of the Redmi Pad SE. As per the report, the tablet will be priced at EUR 190 (roughly Rs. 17,200) for the 4GB RAM + 64GB storage model.

Redmi Pad was launched in October last year at Rs. 14,999 for the base 3GB + 64GB storage model. The 4GB + 128GB storage variant is priced at Rs. Rs. 17,999, while the 6GB + 128GB model costs Rs. 19,999.

The alleged renders show the Redmi Pad SE in grey, green, and purple shades with thick display bezels and rounded corners. It has a similar design language as of the original Redmi Pad.

Redmi Pad SE specifications (leaked)

The Redmi Pad SE is said to run on Android 13-based MIUI 14 and feature an 11-inch (1,200×1,920 pixels) LCD display with 90Hz refresh rate, 400 nits of peak brightness, and a pixel density of 207ppi. The tablet is tipped to be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 SoC, coupled with 4GB RAM and 64GB of onboard storage.

For optics, the Redmi Pad SE is said to feature a single 8-megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 aperture. For selfies and video calls, there could be a 5-megapixel front camera with an f/2.2 aperture. It is said to come with quad speakers with support for Dolby Atmos.

Connectivity options are said to include Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5, a USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It might include an ambient light sensor, an accelerometer, and a hall sensor. The tablet is likely to come with support for a Face unlock feature, but may lack a fingerprint scanner. The tablet could support inputs through Redmi Stylus as well.

The Redmi Pad SE is tipped to pack an 8,000mAh battery with support for 10W charging. The battery is said to deliver up to 21 hours of video playback time and up to 12 hours of continuous gaming. It is said to measure 255.53 x 167.08 x 7.36mm in dimensions and could weigh 478 grams.

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Tecno Pova 5, Pova 5 Pro With Arc LED Lights Announced in India; Price to Be Revealed on August 14

Tecno Pova 5 series has been announced in India on Friday at the company’s World of TECNOlogy event. The smartphone lineup, which includes the Tecno Pova 5 and the Tecno Pova 5 Pro, will launch in India on August 14. Both smartphones have a number of similar features, including a 6.78-inch display on with a full-HD+ resolution that supports refresh rate of 120Hz. With dual camera rear units, the Tecno Pova 5 and Pova 5 Pro run Android 13-based HiOS skin. As hyped earlier, the Pro variant in the series gets an Arc interface that includes LED lights.

The Tecno Pova 5 and Pova 5 Pro were only showcased today at the event, with an actual launch scheduled to take place on August 14. The company will announce the price of the handsets during the launch. The smartphones will be available for purchase via Amazon.

Tecno Pova 5 is available in Mecha Black, Hurricane Blue, and Amber Gold colour options. On the other hand, the Pova 5 Pro will debut in Silver Fantasy and Dark Illusion colourways. 

Tecno Pova 5 specifications

The vanilla Tecno Pova 5 sports a 6.78-inch full-HD+ display with support for 120Hz refresh rate and 240Hz touch sampling rate. It is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio G99 SoC, with 16GB RAM and 128GB UFS 2.2 internal storage, which can be extended up to 256GB using a microSD card.

For optics, the Tecno Pova 5 gets a dual camera unit, led by a 50-megapixel primary sensor and an AI lens, along with LED Flash. At the front, the smartphone sports an 8-megapixel selfie camera.

The smartphone features a side-mounted fingerprint sensor. For connectivity, it offers dual 4G VoLTE, WiFi, Bluetooth 5.0, GPS, USB Type-C, NFC, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The Tecno Pova 5 is backed by a 6,000mAh battery with 45W fast charging support.

Tecno Pova 5 Pro specifications

The Tecno Pova 5 Pro comes with an ARC interface at the back, that is claimed to the first from the company. It features LED lights that can be used for notifications, and other alerts. The rear camera unit and display features are similar to Tecno Pova 5 model. 

However, the Tecno Pova 5 Pro is powered by an octa-core Dimensity 6080 SoC, coupled with a Mali-G57 MC2 CPU. The front-facing camera on the smartphone sports a 16-megapixel sensor. The smartphone also packs a smaller 5,000mAh battery, but with faster 68W charging support.

 

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.
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Parliament Passes Bill to Levy 28 Percent GST on Online Games; Offshore Gaming Firms to Need Registration

Parliament on Friday approved amendments to the Central and Integrated GST laws to levy 28 percent tax on the full face value of bets in online gaming, casinos, and horse race clubs.

The Central GST (Amendment) Bill, 2023, and the Integrated GST (Amendment) Bill, 2023, piloted by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, also make registration mandatory for offshore e-gaming companies operating in India. It also provides for blocking of access in case offshore platforms fail to comply with GST registration and tax payment norms.

The CGST amendment bill defines ‘online gaming’ as a game on the internet or an electronic network.

‘Online money gaming’ means online gaming in which players pay or deposit money, including virtual digital assets (VDAs), in the expectation of winning money or VDAs, in any event including game, scheme, competition, or any other activity, whether or not its outcome or performance is based on skill, chance or both.

With the amendment to GST law, horse racing, casinos, and online money gaming will be treated as actionable claims similar to lottery, betting, and gambling.

Sources said casual online gaming, which does not involve money or any consideration, will not be taxable under GST.

The amendments will aid in combating money laundering, illegal income, black money, and other illegal activities associated with online gaming and curb evasion, they added.

The bill was approved by both Houses of Parliament without any discussion.

With the passage of CGST and IGST amendments, states will now have to effect similar changes in their state GST laws in their respective assemblies.

The amendments were approved by the GST Council, chaired by Sitharaman and comprising state ministers, last week.

The amendments pertain to the insertion of a provision in the Schedule III of the CGST Act, 2017 to provide clarity on the taxation of supplies in casinos, horse racing, and online gaming.

The amendment in IGST Act relates to inserting a provision to impose GST liability on online money gaming provided by offshore entities. Such entities would be required to get GST registration in India.

In its meeting on July 11, the Council approved a levy of 28 percent GST on the full face value of bets in online gaming, casinos, and horse racing. Following that in its August 2 meeting, the Council met and decided that GST will be levied at the face value of entry-level bets placed in gaming platforms and casinos, even though three states — Delhi, Goa, and Sikkim — expressed dissent.

For example, if a bet is placed for say Rs 1,000, and the player wins Rs 300, and if the player redeploys the winning amount or Rs 300 into the game then GST will not be levied on the winning amount.

Currently, the online gaming industry is paying GST at the rate of 18 percent on platform fees/commissions. Such commission varies from 5 to 20 percent of the full face value of bets.

With regard to horse race clubs, some are paying 18 percent GST on platform fees, while few are paying 28 percent on the full face value.

These industries are disputing the 28 percent levy on actionable claims in the form of betting and gambling at various legal fora.

Casinos too are currently paying 28 percent GST on Gross Gaming Revenue (GGR).

Levying 28 percent GST on the full face value of entry-level bets would result in increased GST revenues.

The amendments seek to establish a robust legal framework to avoid legal ambiguities and also to address various concerns of stakeholders, sources said.

The online gaming industry grew by 28 percent in 2021 to reach USD 1.9 billion, as per NITI Aayog estimates.

Sources said while making its recommendations, the GST Council duly considered the negative impact of online money gaming on society and the youth in particular, in the form of ‘Internet Gaming Disorder’ due to addiction to online gaming.

Over the past week since GST Council’s recommendations were announced, the online gaming industry has expressed serious concerns about the implications of the decision on the sector. They said that the move will have negative ramifications for the sector.

On Wednesday, Mobile Premier League (MPL) laid off about half of its India team, or close to 350 people to cut down the cost burden due to the increase in GST rate to 28 percent.

On Thursday, Kavin Bharti Mittal-founded Hike, which owns Rush Gaming Universe, laid off about 55 people — more than one-fifth of its total workforce — to absorb the impact of the GST hike on online gaming.

A couple of small-size gaming startups like Quizy too have announced shutting down of business. 

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