OnePlus 5 Now Available in Croma Stores: All You Need to Know

With the likes of Xiaomi, Moto and others boosting their offline presence, Chinese startup OnePlus has partnered with electronics retail chain Croma. Starting September 19, all OnePlus products will be available for sale at same price as online channels and would include consumer offers as available on all other authorized channels. Additionally, customers will benefit from promotion campaigns run by respective Croma stores.

OnePlus 5 devices will be available in 10 Croma stores, across major cities in India. These locations are Devarc Mall in Ahmedabad; Belapur, Lower Parel Phoenix Mall and Vasundhara (Juhu) in Mumbai, Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad, Pimpri in Pune, South Ex and DLF Mega Mall in Delhi NCR, Phoenix Market City in Chennai and Indraprastha in Bangalore. Later, the OnePlus products will gradually be launched to 100s of other premium Croma stores in a phased manner.

with thanks : News 18 : LINK : for more details

India's first bullet train project: 350 km/hr top speed, 7 km tunnel under sea, Rs 1.08 lakh crore cost

The high-speed bullet train in India is expected to bring a paradigm shift in how the world views transport system in India. The bullet trains, besides running at unbelievable speeds, are also known for their punctuality and safety features.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe today laid the foundation stone for the much-hyped Ahmedabad-Mumbai high-speed bullet train project.

"If technology is used to empower the poor, we can win the fight against poverty," said Narendra Modi.

The Prime Minister and Shinzo Abe inspected a model of the project as well before taking to the dais to inaugurate the billion dollar bullet train project.

Newly appointed Railways Minister Piyush Goyal pitched bullet train as the train for the future and said that "many people criticised the introduction of Rajdhani but now it is the train everyone wants to travel in".

"With laying foundation of the bullet train, we are also laying foundation of a New India," said Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at the inauguration ceremony in Ahmedabad.

HERE IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE HIGH-SPEED BULLET TRAIN PROJECT:

HOW MUCH DOES THE BULLET TRAIN PROJECT COST?

The ambitious Ahmedabad-Mumbai high-speed bullet train project will cost an estimated Rs 1.08 lakh crore or USD 17 billion. The project is expected to be completed by 2022.

WHAT WILL BE THE TICKET FARE FOR BULLET TRAIN?

According to Railway officials, the bullet trains would have two categories of seats, executive and economy, and the ticket fares will be comparable to that of AC-2 tier fare for Rajdhani Express.

with thanks : Yahoo News : LINK : for more details

Google’s Pixel 2 is being launched on October 4

Google is all set to launch the successor to its Pixel smartphone on October 4. Please view the video embedded below, which clearly shows the Launch date of 4th October. It asks for your E mail ID as well your country. Once submitted, it asks to wait for the 4th October, for a lot more. It's new advertising campaign and official landing page, asks that if you are “thinking about changing phones”, wait and tune in, for more information, that will be coming on October 4.

 


Pic used with thanks to Google Pixel2. Link of the Landing page above.

Amazon launches ‘Blink’ fashion imaging studio in India

In order to support its fast growing fashion retail business, Amazon has launched its largest standalong fashion imaging studio in Gurugram, India.

The facility, which is named ‘Blink’, offers solutions for photo shoots, editing as well as catering to sellers and manufacturers to better display their products on Amazon India.

This is the third such facility from Amazon in the world. Apart from India, the other two such facilities are located in London and New York.

The 44,000 sq. ft. studio in India has 16 photography bays, a ramp and a presentation area along with enclosed workspaces for Amazon teams and fashion sellers to collaborate.

Arun Sirdeshmukh, Head of Amazon Fashion India, said,

At Amazon, we are always thinking about how we will raise the bar, how we will redefine the way the customer discovers, engages with, and shops for fashion online. All our efforts that we have made for this studio in terms of technology, scale and talent are designed to deliver high-quality imagery that inspires and educates our customers.

The new facility is like an extension to Amazon’s imaging and cataloguing services, which gives retailers access to low-cost photography solutions. Amazon operates 35 photo studios across 14 countries, with four out of five of those in India housed in fulfilment centres.

With thanks : theindianwire : LINK : for detailed news report

Spike in sales of dual SIM phones following Reliance Jio launch: Study

New Delhi: Velocity MR a new age market research agency, unveiled their latest study report conducted among mobile users in the country. One of the trends that the study discovered was that two thirds of the respondents had purchased a dual SIM phone to take advantage of the Reliance offer in the past year.

The study was conducted among over 2000 respondents to understand user sentiment and their views about Reliance Jio and other players in this volatile market segment.

The study was conducted across the cities of Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Hyderabad, Pune Ahmadabad and Kochi through an online Panel Poll of respondents in the age group of 18 to 45 with a male to female ratio of 70:30.

Jio's free offer stayed for a year before they announced their monthly plans. As a result, the customers are still purchasing a new dual SIM phone to continue using their Jio connection; in fact, two of the three respondents purchased a dual SIM phone. This would have definitely helped drive sales of dual SIM handsets.

"We at Velocity MR felt that it has now been a year since Reliance announced Jio and their free network services which shook-up the telecom industry and forced the rivals to consolidate to take on the freebies offered by Jio. Dual SIM phones were selling like hot cakes following this offer and we believe it also opened up the handset market in the process to accommodate more players," said Jasal Shah, Managing Director and CEO of Velocity MR.

with thanks : EconomicTimes : LINK : for more details

Jio effect: Aircel rolls out Rs 419 plan, offers 168 GB data and free voice calls to any network

Reliance Jio has changed the dynamics of the telecom market and spurred a price war which seems to be never-ending. After Airtel, Vodafone, Idea and BSNL, it is now Aircel that has finally joined this war by launching a new pan to beat Jio.

The company has launched a 2GB data per day plan at Rs 419. The plan offers 2GB data per day for 84 days, meaning 168GB data in total along with free voce calls on any network.  However, the plan is only available in North eastern states of the country.

The plan competes against the Jio's Rs 509 plan. However, the Jio plan offers free SMS also which is missing in Aircel's plan. Also Jio is available in all states while the Aircel plan is limited to only North east states only. An another important difference between the two plans is that the Jio offers 4G data while Aircel will offer 2G or 3G(depending on the area) data to its subscribers.

Meanwhile, Vodafone which is the second largest telecom operator in India has launched an unlimited international plan across the UK and Europe for Rs 180 a day for international travellers. They can activate the plan for Rs 180  and use their number overseas from the UK and other travel destinations in Europe like Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, and Turkey. The plan is available at different price points starting from Rs 5,000 for 28 days to Rs 500 for every 24 hours usage.

with thanks : IndiaToday : LINK : for more details

The best Android alternatives to the iPhone 8 and iPhone X

Apple has revealed its new flagship iPhone X smartphone, its premium device that will be available for pre-order on October 27 and includes a host of new features including wireless charging, an edge-to-edge display and facial recognition.

The company has also released the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, two upgraded smartphones which start at £699 and £799.

But the new premium Apple device is set to cost users as much as £1,149, and there are many fantastic smartphones out there that rival the iPhone at a lower cost.

And yet, while the iPhone X's features have got Apple fans excited, several of the best ones are present on devices already on the market. 

Here's a rundown of some of the best alternatives to the iPhone X and how they stack up against the new flagship's specs and features.

Samsung Galaxy S8, Samsung Galaxy Note 8, OnePlus 5, HTC U11, Nokia 8, Sony Xperia XZ Premium, Google Pixel XL

with thanks : Yahoo Finance : LINK : for more details & pics

32kmpl Maruti Suzuki Swift hybrid spotted in India

Maruti's all-new Swift was spotted on Indian soil for the first time. This is the same car that was unveiled globally earlier this year. However, there is a minor difference to the car that was spotted here. This is the Suzuki Swift Hybrid and the full blown one with an electric motor. This car was showcased a month ago in Japan. It's no secret that Maruti Suzuki will launch the all-new Swift in India during the Auto Expo 2018. From the look of it, Maruti may be interested in launching it here as well.

The new Maruti Suzuki Swift looks upmarket and has LED DRLs and projector headlamps

The Maruti Suzuki Swift hybrid will combine a 10kW electric motor generator and a 1.2-litre 91PS engine. It is mated to a 5-speed AMT. In the Japanese cycle, this 2-wheel drive model is claimed to deliver 32kmpl. Essentially the motor shuts off the internal combustion engine when it detects that the vehicle is coasting with a relatively lower road and in heavy traffic conditions. Suzuki also says that the Swift hybrid can travel a few kilometres on electric power only before needing assistance from the internal combustion engine.

with thanks : Yahoo Finance : LINK : for more details & pics

#RyanMustAnswer - IndiaToday TV - B S Vohra

Unveiling the mystery behind iPhone X

It’s that time of the year, and this time, it’s also that time of the decade. Yes, the new iPhone is about to be launched, and this time, the stakes are huge. It’s the 10th anniversary for this small bundle of super profits and maximum revenue for Apple. For the last few years, almost anything and everything that Apple has done has got leaked in a steady flow of spy pictures, rumours and leaks. This time, the leaks and rumours are many, but confirmations are few and far between. That’s because the 10th year of the iPhone will be celebrated by having more than one phone released. And Apple seems to have toyed, experimented and discarded a number of things, leading to absolute confusion. So, let’s try and bury a few rumours by playing my annual game of ‘Let’s test how much I get right’. I shall make some predictions and two days later you can mark me on how much egg I got on my face.

The Apple event for the launch of the new iPhones is on September 12, and according to India time, all shall be revealed by late night that day. This is the first ever event being held inside their massive spaceship-like new campus in Cupertino. The actual stage event will happen inside the Steve Jobs Theatre. Even the invitation card says, ‘Let’s meet up at our Place’. And now, for the actual products itself.

The X

There will be three of them, and the first one to celebrate the 10th year of the iconic phone will be called the iPhone X. Look, this is where I may get the most egg smothered all over my mug, but I’ve been predicting this now for more than a year. Apple usually doesn’t play around with names and monikers, and tends to avoid being over dramatic. But, this is a very dramatic occasion and must be marked and underlined as such. Many have said that it will be called the iPhone Edition or iPhone 8 or even the iPhone SJ (for Steve Jobs; never going to happen!), but I’m going to stick to my guns on this one. Thus, the celebratory phone will be called the X, as in the Roman numeral for 10. It will have a radical change of design and looks, acquire some serious curves on the sides, have an extraordinary 5.8- inch OLED display that is completely edge-to-edge on all sides. Due to this display, despite having the bigger screen, the phone will be much smaller than the Plus iPhones. It will have a much faster processor, an all-glass back, an all new form of facial recognition for security and access, no physical home button on the front, a new touch ID system integrated elsewhere and full wireless charging with a dock right in the box. There will be some other bells and whistles in the camera and optics department as well as the graphics engine, but, in essence the big deal will be the above. This may well be the most expensive iPhone ever sold. Get ready to celebrate with Apple with a bit of a sticker shock.

with thanks : Hindustan Times : LINK : for detailed news report