Archives 2023

OnePlus Ace 3, said to succeed the OnePlus Ace 2, will arrive in China soon. The company recently announced that the phone will be available in a gold colour option. The model is expected to be introduced globally as the OnePlus 12R, which is confirmed to be unveiled on January 23 globally. The phone had previously been speculated to launch in the first week of January 2024. OnePlus has now confirmed the smartphone’s launch date and revealed the phone’s colour options.

A microsite for the launch of the OnePlus Ace 3 is live on the official OnePlus China website. It confirms that the phone will be unveiled on January 4 at 2:30pm local time (12pm IST). The page reveals that the phone will be offered in three colour options – black, blue, and gold. Also included is a teaser for the launch of the OnePlus Buds 3 TWS earbuds, which are expected to come in Clear Sea Blue and Space Grey colourways.

OnePlus also announced that the OnePlus Ace 3 will be available for early sale in 20 select cities in China via flagship retail stores starting January 6, from 2pm to 9pm local time (11:30am to 6:30pm IST). Registration for the early sale is currently open. The company added that customers making on-site purchases may be eligible to win Oppo Enco R2 headphones worth CNY 349 (roughly Rs. 4,100).

Meanwhile, OnePlus China President Louis Li shared a couple of marketing images on Weibo for the OnePlus Ace 3 that also showcases the colour options.

Previous leaks have suggested that the OnePlus Ace 3 is likely to come with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC and a 5,500mAh battery with 100W wired fast charging support. It is said to sport a 6.78-inch BOE X1 Oriental OLED LTPO screen with 1.5K (2,780 x 1,264 pixels) resolution, global peak brightness of 1,600 nits, peak local brightness of 4,500 nits, and PWM dimming rate of 2,160Hz.

The rumoured dual camera unit of the OnePlus Ace 3 is expected to include a 50-megapixel primary sensor with optical image stabilisation (OIS) support and an 8-megapixel sensor with an ultra-wide-angle lens. The front camera is said to be equipped with a 16-megapixel sensor. The phone is expected to be a mid-range offering with a glass body and metallic middle frame.

---

After announcing its brand-new Vision Pro mixed reality headset, we have yet to hear from Apple about a proper release date. At its announcement that took place during Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference 2023 (WWDC 2023) event, Apple showcased the product, announced a launch price of $3,499 but did not seem confident enough to give out a proper release date like many of its other products. Apple simply left us with an ‘early next year’, which left a lot of fans wondering whether such a product would actually arrive on time or get delayed.

However, a more recent report had shed light on the topic, revealing that Apple’s Vision Pro headset is seeing ramped up production in China. The same report claimed that units would be ready by as soon as January and these would be ready to ship by February. Now, a more recent research note by noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, states that Apple’s mixed reality headset would be available for purchase by February.

In his research note, Kuo among other details, mentions that the Vision Pro headset would be Apple’s “most important product of 2024”. He goes on to state that Apple is expected to ship as many as 5,00,000 units in 2024. These units are currently in mass production and they will begin mass shipping by the first week of January 2024, as per Kuo.

As for the release date that Apple is yet to confirm or reveal, Kuo estimates that the Vision Pro will reach stores by late January or early February. Indeed, this is a smaller window than the vague one Apple provided. While production seems to be on track, Apple is also said to be training its store employees on how to operate and demo its new Vision Pro headset.

The Apple Vision Pro is said to be available to US customers in the first wave, followed by a wider release in more countries later. Given that it is one of Apple’s most expensive devices yet, the ‘spatial computer’ basically lets users interact with a virtual UI that is laid over the real world, which is physically in front of them. The device runs visionOS, which can control a user’s eyes, hands, and voice and an ultra-high-resolution dual display system. The headset is intended for use not just for entertainment but also for work. When available, the Vision Pro is expected to pack in its own App Store that should hopefully come loaded with plenty of apps for users to try out. The headset can be plugged into a power source or can be used with an external battery pack for a more untethered experience, which is said to power the headset for up to 2 hours.

---

The days of clutching a designer handbag with lingering doubts about its authenticity might be numbered. Tech company Entrupy is wielding the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to combat the booming counterfeit market, offering a service that can definitively declare if it is a real Louis Vuitton or Gucci or a fake one. According to a report by Elle, Entrupy, a company founded in 2012 and backed by Louis Vuitton, claims to identify fake designer bags with great accuracy, thanks to AI.
How does the identification happen?
According to the report, Entrupy operates through its innovative software, initiating the process by prompting users to submit comprehensive images of the products from various angles. When dealing with bags, the technology employs high-resolution microscopic lenses, enabling a detailed examination of elements such as the designer plaque’s curved edge, logo intricacies, leather grains, and the serial number.
These specific details are then cross-referenced with accumulated information, linking them to a specific factory or batch number for authentication purposes. In the case of sneakers, a macro lens captures the shoes, cross-referencing them with authentic styles and high-quality duplicates stored in the Entrupy database to verify their authenticity.
After scanning the item and inputting all the required details into the Entrupy system, the authenticity verdict for your item is swiftly delivered within minutes. Although, for certain styles or rare items, the process may take a little longer. Upon confirmation of authenticity, a certificate is promptly issued and sent to you via email.
“The whole point of doing this is to add trust and make it verifiable as a third party,” Entrupy co-founder Vidyuth Srinivasan told Elle. “It’s the consumer having the certainty that this is not just [one] person saying that it’s authentic, there’s also a third party that’s not invested in the transaction, certifying it. It’s all verifiable and trackable over time.”
As of now, Entrupy is working on designer handbags and sneakers from a select brands. For sneakers, it is just Adidas and Nike whereas for bags it is Louis Vuitton and Chanel among others.

Samsung’s Galaxy S24 lineup is anticipated to be one of the first major flagship launches next year. The entire family is said to come with new chipsets and designs. Amid the upgrades, the vanilla Galaxy S24 is tipped to feature relatively slower UFS 3.1 (Universal Flash Storage). This could be part of the cost-cutting measure by Samsung as the South Korean smartphone brand is highly speculated to keep the prices of the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra phones the same as its Galaxy S23 counterparts.

A new post by the South Korean blog Naver suggests that the 128GB version of the Galaxy S24 will ship with UFS 3.1 storage. The rest of the lineup is said to come with UFS 4.0 storage. The UFS 3.1 storage is slower than UFS 4.0 that is based on Samsung’s 7 V-NAND memory. Samsung introduced UFS 4.0 with faster speeds and power efficiency in May last year. It has sequential read speeds of up to 4,200MB per second and sequential write speeds of up to 2,800MB per second. Most flagships nowadays use either UFS 3.1 or UFS 4.0 storage.

The 128GB variant of the Samsung Galaxy S23 uses UFS 3.1. Except for this model, the other Galaxy S23 variants pack UFS 4.0 storage. 

This move could be aimed at preserving the pricing structure of the previous Galaxy S23 lineup for the new models. Recent reports indicated that the Galaxy S24 series will carry the same price tag as the Galaxy S23 range.

Samsung Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, and Galaxy S23 Ultra were introduced with a price of $799 (roughly Rs. 65,500), $999 (roughly Rs. 81,900), and $1199 (roughly Rs. 98,300), respectively in the US.

The upcoming Galaxy S24 series is expected to go official on January 17. They are said to offer integrated AI features and minor changes in design. The handsets could be powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC and Exynos 2400 SoC based on the region.

---

Data security concerns are proving to be a substantial impediment to the widespread deployment of AI. Consequently, companies are unsurprisingly leveraging AI itself to tackle these apprehensions. As businesses in various sectors increasingly adopt AI to enhance processes and ensure more precise decision-making, the utilisation of AI-powered security technologies becomes crucial.These technologies can rapidly identify threats through the analysis of extensive datasets.
“Anomaly detection is a technique used by AI-driven security solutions to identify out-of-the-ordinary application behaviuor patterns that can point to vulnerabilities or breaches. Further strengthening data security, AI also aids in fraud detection, data encryption, and access management,” said Nalin Agrawal, director, solutions engineering at Dynatrace, a unified observability and security platform that empowers businesses to automate operations, enhance software delivery, improve security, and optimise user experiences.
Numerous companies, including Dynatrace, are actively addressing the imperative of providing real-time insights and continuous runtime application security. They leverage advanced AI and automation capabilities to assist organisations in optimising their IT operations, improving software delivery, enhancing security measures, and ultimately achieving superior business outcomes.
The intelligent automation market in India is being propelled by key factors such as the swift adoption of cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), and Automated Workflow Management (AWM). Various sectors in India, including banking and finance, e-commerce, healthcare, manufacturing, and IT services, are witnessing substantial investments in intelligent automation solutions.
The Indian government is also fostering the adoption of automation technologies, pushing initiatives like “Make in India” and “Digital India.” These efforts contribute significantly to the market’s expansion. As organisations increasingly prioritise operational efficiency and competitiveness, there is an optimistic outlook for the intelligent automation market in the years to come.
“Businesses across all industries are progressively starting to use AI to streamline their processes for better and more accurate decision making. AI-powered security technologies can swiftly discover dangers by analysing a large amount of data,” said Agrawal.

The global citizenry, this year, seemingly remained very dazzled by all things AI (Artificial Intelligence) — the Search trends on Google has indicated. Throughout the course of the year of 2023, Google searches around crypto, Bitcoin, and related-Web3 keywords did not rank high, losing spots particularly to AI-related keywords like ChatGPT. This dip in people’s interest around Web3 in 2023 could be attributed to last year’s back-to-back market crashing events like the downfall of FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried, Terra, and Luna among others.

Between 2020 and 2022, crypto-related searches were flooding Google from all over the world. Around August 2022, these crypto searches gradually tumbled and were replaced by searches around AI, a CoinTelegraph report said, citing data from Google Trends.

To put the situation in perspective, AI-related Google searches bagged a score of 91 on Google Trends, whereas searches around Bitcoin only scored 22 out of 100.

For Bitcoin, the most traction was generated this year from El Salvador – the first nation in the world that recognised BTC as a legal tender alongside its fiat currency. Other nations that contributed to crypto-related searches on Google this year includes Nigeria, Netherlands, Brazil, and Switzerland.

The graphical representation of crypto’s downfall on Google Searches this year have been floating on X. Many members of the crypto community are not showing any hysteria around this turn of events however. They believe, AI is a newer point of interest for the masses whereas a lot about crypto is already known and understood by those interested, which could explain the drop in search counts. In fact, some crypto supporters even posted that AI should indeed be on the top, interest-wise.

Crypto’s descent on Google Search does not come as quite the shock. Back in June this year, Google searches for cryptocurrency related keywords had sunk to a 29-month low. Multiple hack attacks on crypto protocols and global regulatory uncertainty around crypto were touted among reasons for this dip at the time.

As for AI, most interest was generated from Vietnam, China, the Philippines and Myanmar. Google Bard, Meta AI, and GrokAI, and fears about AI taking up people’s jobs emerged among top AI-related searches.

---

Oppo Find X7 series is expected to launch in China soon. The company has not yet confirmed any details regarding the launch of the lineup but several leaks about the Oppo Find X7 phones have surfaced online recently. The series was initially expected to include three models, however, a recent report suggested that the lineup will come with the Oppo Find X7, Find X7 Ultra, and a Find X7 Ultra variant with ‘Satellite Communication’. Another report now suggests that all Oppo Find X7 models are expected to offer improved mobile gaming experiences for users.

A Gizomochina report citing a screenshot circulating on Weibo, a Chinese microblogging platform, stated that the Oppo Find X7 handsets will enhance gaming experiences for users by supporting high frame rates of up to 120 fps (frames per second). This is said to increase the display responsiveness and smoothness during gaming.

The screenshot shared shows the ZTE Axon 50 Ultra 5G, Oppo Find X7, and Find X7 Pro models as being optimised for ‘Honor of Kings,’ a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game. The phones are expected to support ultra-high frame rate modes, extremely high frame rate options, and an extreme image quality setting alongside extremely high frame rate settings, according to the report.

Previous leaks have suggested that the base Oppo Find X7 could be powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 9300 chipset, while the Ultra models may get the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. The phones are expected to boot Android 14-based ColorOS 14 out-of-the-box and support LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 4.0 onboard storage. All models in the lineup are said to pack 5,000mAh batteries each with 100W wired fast charging support.

The vanilla Oppo Find X7 is said to get a 6.78-inch 1.5K display with BOE 8T OLED LTPO panel, 120Hz refresh rate, and 2,160Hz PWM dimming rate. The Ultra models, on the other hand, are expected to arrive with 6.82-inch 2K displays with a similar refresh rate and PWM dimming rate as the base model.

In the camera department, the Oppo Find X7 is expected to include a 50-megapixel LYT-808 primary rear sensor with optical image stabilisation (OIS), a 50-megapixel Samsung JN1 sensor with an ultrawide lens, and a 64-megapixel Omnivision OV64B periscope telephoto shooter with 3x zoom and OIS support. Meanwhile, the Ultra models are tipped to get a quad rear camera unit with a 50-megapixel LYT-900 main sensor with OIS, a 50-megapixel LYT800 sensor with an ultrawide lens, an OIS-supported 50-megapixel IMX890 sensor with telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, and a 50-megapixel OIS-supported IMX858 sensor with telephoto lens with 6x optical zoom.

---

Samsung Galaxy A15 is now official. Samsung has launched its new A-series smartphone in India — Galaxy A15 5G. The 5G-enabled smartphone is powered by MediaTek chipset and it runs Android 14 operating system. It comes with an FHD+ display and comes with 25W fast charging support.
Price and availability
Samsung Galaxy A15 5G comes in two variants — 8GB+128GB and 8GB+256GB. The company has priced the 128GB variant at Rs 19,499, whereas the 256GB version cost Rs 22,499. The smartphone comes in three colour options — blue, light blue and blue black. Customers purchasing the Galaxy A15 smartphone can avail cashback of Rs 1,500 on SBI bank cards. The smartphone will be available online on Samsung e-store and authorised retails stores starting January 1, 2024.
Samsung Galaxy A15 5G specifications
Samsung Galaxy A15 5G is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ chipset paired with 8GB of RAM. The smartphone offers two storage options — 128GB and 256GB. The 5G smartphone also comes with microSD card support.
Samsung Galaxy A15 5G sports a glastic back panel with haze finish and it features a 6.5-inch FHD+ display with 1080×2340 pixel resolution. The display comes with 90Hz refresh rate and up to 800 nits of peak brightness.
The smartphone comes equipped with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and runs Android 14 operating system. Galaxy A15 5G sports a 50MP triple camera setup with VDIS to reduce blur or distortion in videos from unsteady or shaky movements. The triple rear camera also includes a 5MP ultra wide angle lens and 2MP macro shooter. The users will also get a 13MP front camera for selfies.
Samsung Galaxy A15 5G is backed by a 5000 mAh battery with 25W fast charging support.

Samsung Galaxy A25 is here. Samsung has added a new smartphone to its Galaxy A-series of smartphones with the launch of Galaxy A25 in India. The smartphone sports an FHD+ display and is powered by an Exynos chipset. The mid-range smartphone houses a 50MP main camera.
Price and availability
Samsung Galaxy A25 comes in two variants — 8GB+128GB and 8GB+256GB priced at Rs 26,999 and Rs 29,999 respectively.The smartphone can be purchased in blue, yellow and blue black colour options. The smartphone is available online on Samsung e-store and offline on authorised retails stores in the country. The company has also announced cashback of Rs 3,000 for SBI card holders on the purchase of Samsung Galaxy A25.
Samsung Galaxy A25 specifications
Samsung Galaxy A25 sports a glossy prism pattern back panel and it has a new key island design on the side panel and the flat linear camera housing.
The mid-range Samsung smartphone comes with Knox Security platform, built at the chip level, ensuring users are in full control of their data with features like Auto Blocker, Privacy Dashboard, Samsung Passkey and others.
Samsung Galaxy A25 features a 6.5-inch FHD+ display with 1080×2340 pixel resolution. The display offers 120Hz refresh rate and up to 1000 nits of peak brightness. The smartphone is powered by an octa-core Exynos 1280 chipset paired with 8GB of RAM.
Samsung Galaxy A25 comes in two storage options — 128GB and 256GB. Users can further expand the storage by adding a microSD card. The dual SIM smartphone runs Android 14 operating system topped with the company’s own layer of One UI 6.0 on top.
Samsung Galaxy A25 houses a triple rear camera with 50MP main sensor, 8MP ultra wide angle lens and 2MP macro shooter. Front is home to a 13MP selfie camera.
The smartphone comes equipped with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and is backed by a 5000 mAh battery with 25W fast charging support.

A WhatsApp scam is a fraudulent attempt to trick users into revealing personal information, sending money, or downloading malware. Common types of scams include impersonation, phishing, investment, loan, and charity scams. To stay safe, be wary of unfamiliar numbers, avoid clicking on suspicious links, be cautious about sharing personal information, and be skeptical of urgent requests. If you receive a scam message, report it to WhatsApp.