iQOO 9 series India launch confirmed; But the iQOO 9 for India could be the iQOO 8 China variant

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Jan 7, 2022

The Chinese autonomous driving company WeRide has recently announced that it has officially begun unmanned minibus Robobus service at Guangzhou International Bio Island. However, different from the electric autonomous vehicles till now, this minibus gets rid of all traditional controls like the steering wheels, throttles, or brakes pedals.

According to a report by Pandaily, WeRide has officially begun operations of their unmanned Robobus service at Guangzhou International Bio Island. WeRide has introduced the new service after two years of successful operations of their Robotaxi commercial service (China’s first) in the region.

The Robobus is a pure electric vehicle and has a top speed of 40 kilometers per hour. It can achieve safe and stable unmanned driving services along urban roads, expressways, and tunnels in rush hours and under inclement weather conditions.

After thorough research and investigation of the daily traffic on Guangzhou International Bio Island, Robobus has opened two operating routes in its first phase and will further offer services throughout the entire island.

Robobus operates 7 days a week, from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., Monday to Friday. On Saturday and Sunday however, the bus operates from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Additionally, Passengers can view real-time locations and the running status of the vehicles on their “WeRide Go” app.

Robobus vehicles will initially have volunteers who will help first-time passengers to understand and familiarize themselves with the autonomous vehicle’s workings. And WeRide support center will monitor the vehicles in real-time. The bus also has a brake button located inside for emergency situations.

The concept of the pure electric Robobus seems genuinely intriguing and is sure to be a better, eco-friendly alternative to fossil fule based public travel. However, the absence of manual controls is a bold step by the company and thus WeRide will have to uphold high safety standards to gain public trust.

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Sony Xperia 1 III, Xperia 5 III get Android 12 stable update in Russia

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Jan 7, 2022

Sony has officially pushed a stable Android 12 update to its Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III. The update is only available to the dual-SIM variants of the phone, at least for now.

Those owning the Sony Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III possessing model numbers XQ-BC72 and XQ-BQ72 have started receiving the new Android 12 OS. But it is currently only pushed to devices in Russia. It is an OTA update with build number 61.1.A.1.149.

The update brings new features like the long screenshots, one-handed mode, and Nearby Share. It also has a feature called Extra Dim where it allows the phone’s display to go even dimmer than the lowest brightness setting.

It also brings another useful feature where it tells users if any app is using the microphone or camera without you knowing. It will immediately drop a notification in case there’s actually some app accessing the camera or mic.

As said earlier, the Android 12 OTA is currently only available in Russia, but we expect it to be available to devices in other markets soon. If you own one of these phones and haven’t received an update notification, go to the Settings app and check the Software Update tab for updates.

Coming to the phones, the Sony Xperia 1 III and Xperia 5 III were launched in Q3 last year with specs like Snapdragon 888 SoC and OLED panel. The Xperia 1 III has a 4k resolution and boasts a 12MP + 12MP+ 12MP + ToF quadruple-camera setup, while the Xperia 5 III has an FHD+ resolution and 12MP + 12MP + 12MP triple camera system. The phones were launched running on Android 12 packing a 4,500mAh battery.

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Google Pixel January update fixes bug preventing emergency calls

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Jan 7, 2022

Google has recently released the January update for multiple Pixel devices which surprisingly includes the Pixel 3 and 3XL. However, the update is still on hold for Pixel 6 series devices which will receive multiple bug fixes later in January. So, let’s take a look at what the new update carries.

According to an official post made on Google’s support forums, The update is rolling out this week with build number SP1A.210812.016.A2. The update brings the January security patch and a whole host of bug fixes. The most notable fix mentioned in the changelog is that Google is finally getting rid of the bug that prevents users from making emergency calls when certain third-party apps are installed on their pixel devices.

One of these culprits is the Microsoft Teams app, for which the company recently has released a patch. However, Google is making changes on a firmware level to prevent this issue from happening again in the future.

Pixel 3a to Pixel 6 series devices also receive a bug fix that was causing an issue where phones would unlock by themselves after a missed call. Other than that, a whole host of fixes and changes have been made all across the board for multiple devices, which you can check by reading the complete changelog.

You can see if the update has hit your phone by going to Settings > System> System update. This update is being sent out to the Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, Pixel 4a, Pixel 4a (5G), Pixel 5, Pixel 5a (5G), Pixel 6, and Pixel 6 Pro. However, keep in mind that the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are not expected to receive the update until later this month.

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Realme GT Neo2 Dragon Ball Z Limited Edition could soon launch in India and Europe

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Jan 7, 2022

A few days back, Realme announced the Dragon Ball Z limited edition model of the GT Neo2 in China. The smartphone comes with an Orange and Blue paint job referring to the protagonist from the series Goku. Now, the limited edition model seems to launch in Indian and European markets soon, as the company CMO has teased its release outside China.

Realme’s CMO Francis Wong on Twitter asked the community whether they want the Dragon Ball Z Edition of the phone in India and Europe. While he seems to be genuinely questioning about the fan’s interest in the special edition phone, it is none other than a clever teasing of the phone’s launch.

Have you watched Dragonball and should we launch it in India & Europe? #DragonBallGT #realmeGT pic.twitter.com/0VzbaEHeN1

— Francis Wong (@FrancisRealme) January 7, 2022

In the past, we’ve seen companies teasing the phone by asking questions about the device, later just to realise that it was nothing but a teaser for the phone’s arrival. This tweet from Wong seems to be the same.

Having said that, it’s time for Realme India and Europe fans to gear up for the launch of the Realme GT Neo2 Dragon Ball Z limited edition phone. Although there’s no exact date of its launch, we can anticipate its arrival in the coming weeks.

Realme GT Neo2 Dragon Ball Design — Realme GT Neo2 Dragon Ball Z Limited Edition

The Realme GT Neo2 was launched back in September in India with specs like a 6.62-inch FHD+ AMOLED display. It sports a 120Hz refresh rate and Corning Gorilla Glass protection. It has a triple camera system with a 64MP main lens, an 8MP ultra-wide sensor, and lastly a 2MP macro sensor. Upfront, it has a 16MP selfie shooter.

Under the hood, the GT Neo2 is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 870 octa-core SoC paired with up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage. It packs a 5,000mAh battery and has a 65W fast charging support.

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Truke BTG 3 & Air Buds Lite with auto in-ear detection sensor, up to 48-hour playback time launched in India

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Jan 7, 2022

Truke has launched two classy-looking TWS gaming earbuds as the successor to the BTG 2 model. The Truke BTG 3 and Air Buds Lite earbuds both have similar features although the Air Buds Lite has a different design. The two new earbuds have 55 ms low-latency and are capable of automatic in-ear detection of audio via a dedicated sensor. The two Truke gaming earbuds offer excellent gaming excellent and they have just been launched in India for Rs. 1,399 (~$19).

The Truke Air Buds Lite offers Bluetooth 5.1 connectivity, AI-powered noise cancellation with deep neural network noise cancellation, AAC codec, and 10mm, titanium drivers. The earbuds support dual-mode configurations for seamless switching between gaming and music modes. The ultra-low latency of the device, together with its special tuning technology, enhances the audio in gaming applications for positional accuracy and audio effects including gunshots. Both the BTG 3 and Air Buds Lite are lightweight (weighing just 4g) and offer up to 10 hours of activity on a single charge, which can be scaled up to 48 hours with their 300mAh charging case.

Truke will hope to build on its successful run in 2021 with the launch of the two earbuds. They are quite affordable and feature some premium noise-canceling functionality not available with earbuds in the same price range as the two products.

Two-color variants are available for both earbuds and they can be gotten from Amazon India or Flipkart from January 7th.

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ASUS ExpertBook B3 Detachable is a 2-in-1 tablet with Snapdragon 7C Gen 2 SoC, Windows 11 Pro

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Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Jan 7, 2022

ASUS announced a bunch of computers at CES 2022. The main star of the show was Zenbook 17 Fold, a foldable device, which can be used as a desktop, a laptop, or a tablet at will. Whereas, most others were updates to existing lineups. That being said, it appears the company did unveil yet another interesting device in the form of ExpertBook B3 Detachable.

According to Tom’s Hardware, the ASUS ExpertBook B3 Detachable is a 2-in-1 tablet with an ARM processor and Microsoft Windows 11 Pro. Specifically, it is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7C Gen 2 SoC paired with 8GB LPDDR4 RAM and 128GB eMMC storage.

The aforementioned chipset is not a beast. Nevertheless, it is enough for light tasks. Unfortunately, ASUS hasn’t revealed the entire specs nor price and availability. But we do know a thing or two about this device.

For starters, it is similar to the ASUS Chromebook Detachable CM3. This means it comes with a magnetic keyboard accessory and a magnetic kickstand. These accessories are officially called ExpertBoard and ExpertStand respectively.

The tablet also has a built-in stylus. The company claims that the pen will offer up to 45 minutes of usage with just 15 minutes of charging.

Last but not least, the MIL-STD 810H-certified tablet features a 16:10 display, a power button, a volume rocker, a USB Type-C port, and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Razer showcases its modular workstation concept with a 65-inch OLED at CES 2022

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Jan 7, 2022

Razer has displayed its prototype modular workstation concept with a 65-inch OLED during the ongoing CES 2022 in Las Vegas. Razer, in line with its tradition of always serenading its followers with a signature product during CES, has continued this year with the Project Sophia. The Project Sophia prototype is a modular gaming desk that includes room for 13 separate modules which can be used to add several components. These include touchscreen hotkeys panel, external capture cards, audio mixers, and other components to customize the workstation to your needs. According to Razer, the reconfiguration of Project Sophia could be accomplished within a few seconds.

The Project Sophia gaming desk has an in-built computer that is housed in a chassis that magnetically snaps underneath the glass tabletop surface of the device. The case is detachable so the latest components can easily be updated or upgraded.

Project Sophia offers lots of RGB lighting which can be controlled using the installed Chroma software application in the workstation. The Project Sophia may come with either a 65-inch OLED or a 77-inch display if it eventually makes its way to the market.

Project Sophia looks really like a concept that may be far away from the market in its present form. The device looks quite rigid on the ergonomics side, as it lacks adjustable stands and it remains to be seen how a gamer will sit comfortably on the workstation. The release date for Project Sophia was not disclosed by Razer and pricing is still far off to discuss.

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Realme GT 2 Pro Unboxing & First Impressions: Flagship tech wrapped in paper-like design

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Jan 7, 2022

Realme recently released their first premium flagship device, the Realme GT 2 Pro, which is the current holder of multiple smartphone records. And now, the Gizmochina team has managed to get its hands on one of these devices. So without further delay, this is our unboxing and first impressions of the GT 2 Pro.

The Realme GT 2 Pro comes in a clean white packaging box. Inside you can find the device, documentation, and surprisingly a 65W charging brick, a USB-C cable, and a protection case that have almost gone extinct in the recent premium flagships due to the eco-friendly initiative.

However, Realme takes a different approach to be eco-friendly as the packaging they offer contains less than 0.3% plastic. Additionally, the back of the phone is made of Biopolymers that have been sourced from paper, soybeans, and other materials. These solutions combine to reduce the total carbon emotions of the production process by up to 60%.

But that’s not all, as the paper-inspired Biopolymers back felt a lot like leather when we first held the device in our hand. Combined with the slim, ergonomic design, it makes for a pleasant and comfortable holding experience. The camera bump felt non-intrusive and the chrome plating made for a pretty looking contrast between the rear panel and the camera module.

Realme GT 2 Pro design

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One concern we have about the back panel is its practicality. Will it get dirty easily? how will it handle scratches? and how long will the back design last without wearing out? we don’t know the answers at the moment but will surely shed a light on these questions in our upcoming full review.

Moving on to the device’s specs and performance, the device felt smooth to operate thanks to its 2K LTPO AMOLED 120Hz display and Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC. The device features the world’s largest internal cooling system that Realme calls Diamond ice Core Cooling System, 5000mAh battery, and 65W Fast charging that we will test in the upcoming review. For now, we stepped outside to get a taste of this Realme flagship’s camera performance.

The camera features multiple modes like movie mode, dual-view video, portrait, microscope among others. But what had us most interested was the 50MP 150 degrees ultra-wide camera, which holds the record for widest ever ultrawide camera. And we were quite surprised by the additional field of view it provides compared to other flagship ultra-wides. We clicked a couple of shots with the ultra-wide as well as the 2MP microscopic lens which came out to be crisp and detail-rich.

The 50MP main camera performance along with the overall performance of the device will be elaborated upon our upcoming full review of the device, so stay tuned.

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China Mobile’s NZONE S7 is likely manufactured by Huawei, now on sale on its JD flagship store

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Jan 7, 2022

China Mobile’s subsidiary NZONE recently launched the NZONE S7 5G phone powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 700 chipset. Apparently, the device bears similarity to the Huawei Nova 8 SE smartphone fuelling speculations that it was indeed manufactured by Huawei. To add credence to these speculations, Huawei has now started selling the 5G smartphone via its official flagship store on Jingdong (JD.com).

The NZONE S7 has a retail price of 1,699 yuan but is on offer from Huawei’s flagship store for 1,649 yuan representing a 50 yuan discount for the base variant with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage.

That said, the NZONE S7 features a similar waterdrop notch design as the Nova 8 SE. The major difference is that while the base variant of the Nova 8 SE only have support for 4G connectivity while the higher variant supports 5G, the entire NZONE S7 lineup supports 5G connectivity.

In terms of the specifications, the NZONE S7 packs a 6.5-inch display with an HD+ resolution and a waterdrop notch design. The notch houses an 8MP selfie camera. At the rear aspect, there is a triple camera setup made up of a 13MP main shooter, a 2MP depth sensor and a 2MP macro lens. Keeping the lights on is a 5000mAh battery which supports 22.5W fast charge.

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BMW’s 31-inch Theatre Screen brings cinematic experience for backseat passengers

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Jan 7, 2022

The German automotive giant BMW has recently unveiled BMW Theatre Screen, a new in-car entertainment system. The entertainment system consists of a 31-inch 8K screen that turns the back seat area of the car into a personal theater. So let’s take a closer look at this new feature and everything that comes along with it.

According to a report by The Verge, at CES 2022, BMW has revealed their new Theatre Screen prototype. The entertainment system was built into a car which appeared to be their luxury Electric 7 Series.

The screen is fitted into the ceiling of the car which descends to give a comfortable viewing experience. The screen has an 8K resolution of 8000 x 2000 and supports aspect ratios of 16:9, 21:9, and 32:9. The system runs Fire OS which grants access to most modern video streaming services and other Fire TV apps and has 5G connectivity support.

The 31-inch panel is a touch screen and additionally, small touchpad controls are built into the rear doors of the car. The BMW Theatre Screen offers surround sound using 30 speakers from Bowers & Wilkins. BMW describes the sound as “4D” as it also utilizes the speakers built into the rear seats to provide audio vibrations and high emersion during intense moments.

The German automaker takes the emersion aspect even further as they stated that ” When the screen descends from the ceiling, the roller sunblinds for the side windows and the rear window are closed and the ambient lighting in the rear of the vehicle is dimmed.”

The company is yet to provide any information regarding the availability and cost of this Theatre Screen entertainment system but BMW officials have stated that the features “look quite similar to what will be launched very soon in series production.”

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ColorOS 12 stable update rolling out for OPPO Reno5 Pro+ 5G, Reno5 5G in China

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Sudarshan Ravichandran

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Jan 7, 2022

OPPO is rolling out the Android 12-based ColorOS 12 stable update for multiple devices worldwide. The latest phones to receive the said update are OPPO Reno5 5G and OPPO Reno5 Pro+ 5G in China.

OPPO Reno 5 Pro Plus Artist Limited Edition 02 — OPPO Reno5 Pro+ Artist Limited Edition 5G

According to official announcement posts on OPPO Community, the Chinese smartphone maker has begun to seed ColorOS 12 stable update for the following handsets.

OPPO Reno5 Pro+ Artist Limited Edition 5G
- Required Firmware: A.28
- Region: China

OPPO Reno5 Pro+ 5G
- Required Firmware: A.29
- Region: China

OPPO Reno5 5G
- Required Firmware: A.34
- Region: China

If you own the Chinese variant of the aforementioned devices and are on the required firmware, then head over to Settings > Software Updates > Gear Icon > Trial Version and follow the on-screen instructions to download and install the fresh system update.

As far as international versions of these phones are concerned, the update is already live for them in some markets. The Reno5 5G is known by its original name outside mainland China, while the Reno5 Pro+ 5G is called Reno5 Pro 5G in certain regions.

Lastly, the original OPPO Reno5 Pro 5G is scheduled to receive the update from January 18.

Like any other OTA software update, OPPO is also seeding the ColorOS 12 builds in a batched manner. Hence, the update will take some to reach every user.

Samsung reveals all its TVs and chargers will use near-zero standby power by 2025

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Zohaib Ahmed

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Jan 7, 2022

Samsung Electronics, with its pre-show keynote at CES 2022, pledged to build a green and sustainable future, announcing that it had last year produced Carbon Trust Standard-compliant chips that helped cut carbon dioxide emissions by nearly 700,000 metric tons. The initiative is part of the Samsung ‘Together for Tomorrow’ Vision.

Samsung’s Visual Display Business plans to use 30 times more recycled plastics than it did in 2021. Also revealed were plans to expand its use of recycled materials over the next three years, including all mobile products and home appliances.

In addition, the company plans to make all of its TVs and phone chargers use near-zero standby power by 2025, meaning they’ll not be consuming any energy when not in use.

Samsung also revealed that in 2021, all of the packaging for its TVs used recyclable materials. In 2022, it will expand the application of recycled materials to cover the inner packaging of cartons. The company also promised to use similar packaging material with its home appliances in the future.

E-waste is another major challenge for the tech industry and Samsung says it has done its bit by actively recycling e-waste since 2009. Today, the collection stands at 5 million metric tons.

Last but not the least, Samsung Electronics dropped some profitability figures for Q4 2021, stating with a press release revealing that its consolidated operating profit stood at approximately 13.8 trillion Korean won or around $11.5 billion. Consolidated sales, on the other hand, totaled 76 trillion Korean won approx. or around $63 billion. Detailed earnings will be made available on January 27th.

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Bajaj Chetak 2022 may launch soon at an affordable price

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Jan 7, 2022

Last month, Bajaj announced Rs. 300 crore investment for its new electric vehicle plant in Akurdi, Pune, India. The company has planned to manufacture over 5 lakh EVs per year at full capacity. It will indeed reduce the manufacturing costs, as the EVs will be built with local components, hence reducing the price. Now, following up with this news, a report reveals that the upcoming Bajaj Chetak 2022 could launch soon and might be an affordable option in the market.

Bajaj is said to completely manufacture its upcoming electric vehicles in India. The report cites that the new Bajaj Chetak will be able to deliver a 4.2kW peak power and a continuous output of 4.0kW. This is improved over the existing Chetak’s peak power of 4.08kW and continuous output of 3.8kW.

Reportedly, this time around the company may launch the Chetak 2022 with localized components which may reduce its price. To recall, the Bajaj Chetak is priced at Rs. 1.48 lakhs, while other EV manufacturers in India are selling their EVs at around Rs. 1 lakh.

In related news, a report cited that Indian vehicle sales have seen a year-on-year growth of 240%. A total of over 50,800 EVs were bought in December 2021, which is a 21% increase from the 42,055 EVs in November. That said, this year, we expect the Indian EV market to grow even further.

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Planet Astro Slide 5G with a Dimensity 800 & slider keyboard will start shipping in March

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Jan 7, 2022

London-based computer firm Planet Computers first unveiled the Astro Slide 5G with a slider keyboard design in March 2020 under crowdfunding on Indiegogo. The crowdfunding exercise was a huge success with the company officially launching the device in January 2021. Despite the official launch, the device was still not ready to ship. Planet Computers has yet again unveiled the Astro Slide 5G during CES 2022.

The company equally hinted that the device will start shipping in March this year after the long wait. The device which is offered in a single blue color carries a retail price of £862. However, there is a 30% discount on Indiegogo for the device and it is still active, bringing down the price to around $650.

In an era where premium phones with physical keyboards are almost out of the market, the Astro Slide comes as a perfect fit for those who would like to own a device with a physical keyboard.

The device is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 800 chipset which brings 5G connectivity to the mix. The processor is backed by 8GB RAM while there is 128GB of internal storage onboard as well as option for storage expansion via a microSD card. It also features a backlit mechanical keyboard which can be hidden when not in use via the slider mechanism. The slider mechanism in use is said to be the recently patented RockUp slider hinge which converts the device to a palm top computer.

The device features a 6.39-inch AMOLED screen with an FHD+ resolution of 2340 x 1080 pixels. The display is also protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3. The device also comes with a 4,000mAh battery with support for 30W fast wired charging and 10W Qi Wireless charging.

Other features onboard the slider phone includes a 48MP rear camera as well as a 13MP front camera. There is also stereo speakers, NFC support, a 3.5 mm audio jack, two USB-C ports with OTG and DP support. The device boots Android 11 out of the box. The device also supports multi-boot with various Linux distributions.

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TCL unveils NxtWear Air and Leiniao Air smart glasses at CES 2022

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Zohaib Ahmed

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Jan 7, 2022

TCL, on Thursday at CES 2022, lifted the curtains on a couple of new smart glasses called TCL NxtWear Air and TCL Leiniao Air. Both products have been developed independently by TCL-backed Thunderbird Innovation.

TCL NxtWear Air

The TCL NxtWear Air comes with MicroOLED 1080p displays embedded into its frame, and is a successor of sorts to the NxtWear G launched last year. Compared to the older model, it weighs 30% less with a weight of 130g.

The embedded displays offer ample detail and punchy and vibrant colors paired with deep shadows and blacks. An expansive viewing environment is also created, equivalent to watching a 140-inch screen, 4 meters away – similar to being in a movie theatre.

Clarity is quite impressive too with 47 pixels-per-degree resolution. The audio is fired through dual speakers with support spatial effects. You can even connect your own wired or wireless headphones for a more private viewing experience.

Use cases include a secondary screen for professionals and students when paired with a laptop and a way to manage projects in public or during travel.

NxtWear Air will be available worldwide sometime in Q1 2022 but TCL has not revealed the prices yet.

TCL Leiniao Air

The TCL Leiniao Air is the industry’s first binocular full-color MicroLED holographic optical waveguide AR glasses with a display engine that balances efficiency and dispersion (via Pandaily).

The full-color MicroLED + optical waveguide tech featured on the glasses is nothing short of a technological breakthrough, as it has been a challenge the industry has been trying to overcome for years. It is also presently recognized as the best technology to achieve AR.

The TCL Leiniao Air will also be gaining a number of new functions like information prompts, photo sharing, smart connection controls, multi-screen presentation, and interoperability with automobiles in the future.

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AirPods Pro 2 to launch in Q3 2022 as suppliers increase output: Report

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Jan 7, 2022

Earlier this week we reported that the next-gen Apple AirPods Pro 2 said to launch around Q3 of 2022. Now, a report has surfaced suggesting the same.

According to a new report by Digitimes (via MacRumors), Apple suppliers are getting ready for shipments of the new high-end AirPods by scaling up their output capacity. This new information comes just days after credible Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo revealed the launch timeline of the AirPods Pro 2, which according to him will hit the markets somewhere around October and December 2022.

Ming-Chi Kuo also expects the AirPods Pro 2 to come with Apple Lossless Audio Codec (ALAC) and if that happens, then it would be the first TWS earphones from the Cupertino-based tech giant to support lossless audio.

For those unaware, Lossless audio basically preserves all of the data in the original audio file which results in higher quality sound. All AirPods from the company launched so far use Bluetooth to deliver audio, which is limited to using Advanced Audio Codec (AAC), a loss-prone form of audio delivery. Apple‘s vice president of acoustics Gary Geaves also discussed this bandwidth problem in detail in a recent interview.

Additionally, the charging case of the AirPods Pro 2 could have support for emitting sound. This is to help find the charging case if it’s separated from the AirPods or has been misplaced by the user.

Currently, the AirPods themselves make a noise when trying to locate them via the Find My app. Further, Kuo adds that the earphones may undergo a redesign to focus more on fitness which could include a more rounded shape.

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China bans digital music platforms from signing exclusive copyright deals

By

Sean

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Jan 7, 2022

The copyright authority in China has just announced that digital music platforms are no longer allowed to sign exclusive copyright deals, apart from certain exceptions. The announcement was shared earlier this week and arrives as the latest efforts from Beijing to crackdown on digital companies.

According to a Reuters report, the National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC) shared the order on Thursday during a meeting in Beijing. Notably, this meeting included some major digital music platforms, along with other known record and songwriting copyright based firms. The move from the copyright authority is the latest efforts of Chinese regulators in cracking down on the nation’s tech industry. The steps from the Chinese government seek to address growing issues like monopolistic behavior, unfair competition and consumer rights, which has also been widely debated in western regions like Europe.

Just last year, Tencent Holdings announced that it had ended all exclusive music copyright deals following an order from the Chinese regulator. The intervention from the authorities arrived due to Tencent reportedly holding access to more than 80 percent of exclusive music libraries. In other words, it held an almost complete monopoly in the market and could leverage upstream copyright parties to restrict the entry of new players in the market.

Unfortunately, it is unknown which companies were involved in this recent meeting, although, known brands like Xiaomi, China Mobile, and even Netease own popular streaming services in the Asian country, since global streaming services like Spotify are banned in Mainland China. NCAC added that “The talks emphasized that record companies, songwriting copyright companies and digital music platforms should … settle payment according to a guaranteed sum plus a share of actual usage, and should not sign exclusive copyright agreements except under special circumstances.”

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New Realme Book (2022) to come with 12th Gen Intel Core processor

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Jan 7, 2022

At CES 2022, Intel unveiled its 12th generation Core CPUs, which are aimed at this year’s laptop notebooks. Following it, Realme’s VP Madhav Sheth has announced that the company will be one of the first brands to introduce 12th Gen Intel Core laptops to the market.

Sheth on Twitter said, “We are excited to be one of the first brands to introduce the 12th Gen Intel Core Processor in our Next-Gen #realmeBook.” It could mean that the upcoming Realme Book (2022 edition) with the 12th Gen Intel CPUs may launch anytime this year in markets like China, India, and others.

We are excited to be one of the first brands to introduce the 12th Gen Intel Core Processor in our Next-Gen #realmeBook.

Are you all ready to experience it? #CES2022 #DesignedToEmpower https://t.co/LjYZFYJxPN

— Madhav Sheth (@MadhavSheth1) January 5, 2022

Earlier, Intel announced three new series’ – the H, P, and U-series. The P and U-series are mainly for the thin and light ultrabooks launching this year. Although Realme has not confirmed it, we speculate either of these two chipsets to be used in the upcoming Realme Book. If it will be the case, then the upcoming notebook from Realme will be way faster in comparison to the predecessor.

As of now, we aren’t aware of any of its specs, hence we’d have to wait for some concrete leaks to arrive on the Internet.

In related news, Realme recently launched the Enhanced Edition of the Realme Book. It comes at a price tag of CNY 4,699(~$737) and has a couple of improvements. The notebook comes with a 14-inch LCD display with a 2K resolution. It has 11th gen Intel Core i5-11320 SoC and 16GB of RAM. It packs a 54Whr battery that offers up to 11 hours of backup. The laptop comes with Windows 11 pre-installed and has Realme’s Super VC cooling system.

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Honor Magic V renders and specs surfaced ahead of Jan 10 launch

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