<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/huawei-in-early-talks-with-united-states-firms-to-licence-5g-platform-256876">Huawei Technologies</a>&nbsp;captured a record 42 per cent&nbsp;of China's smartphone market in the third quarter as local consumers rallied behind it after United States&nbsp;sanctions, leaving Apple to languish towards the bottom of the pile, market data showed.

Apple's market share in China slipped to 5 per cent&nbsp;from 7 per cent&nbsp;in the year-ago quarter, according to a report that market research firm Canalys released on Wednesday, hours before the Cupertino, California-based company was to report quarterly results.

The July-September quarter marked the iPhone's weakest sales in China in five years, said Nicole Peng, vice president of mobility at Canalys, with shipments likely down more than a quarter.

Concerns about slowing iPhone sales in China have dogged Apple for many quarters even as the global smartphone market has slowed and a resurgent Huawei has hit record sales in the country.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/nine-month-revenue-up-despite-us-pressure-huawei-256217">Huawei</a>, the world's Number 2 maker of smartphones, was all but banned by the United States in May from doing business with American companies, significantly disrupting its ability to source key parts.

The company was then granted a reprieve until November but the blacklisting pushed up patriotic purchases of its smartphones in China, helping it more than offset a shipments slump in the global market.

With the expected rollout of the super-fast 5G network in China in the coming months, Huawei's advantage is expected to grow further.

"Huawei is in a strong position to consolidate its dominance further amid 5G network rollout, given its tight operator relationships in 5G network deployment, and control over key components such as local network-compatible 5G chipsets," Peng said.

"This puts significant pressure on Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi, which find it very hard to make any breakthrough."

Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi and Apple together accounted for 50 per cent&nbsp;of the market in the third quarter, down from 64 per cent&nbsp;a year earlier.

Huawei said last week it had sold more than 200 million phones globally in 2019, 64 days earlier than in 2018. The company's profits have remained resilient and revenue jumped 27 per cent&nbsp;in the third quarter.

The Chinese smartphone market contracted by 3 per cent in the third quarter, and Huawei smartphones made up 41.5 million of the 97.8 million shipped in the period, Canalys said.

Apple and Xiaomi did not have an immediate comment on the Canalys data. Huawei and Oppo declined to comment, while Vivo said it does not comment on third-party reports. 
 
iPhone 11 hopes

Apple launched its latest iPhone 11 range in China in September to tepid responses on social media, but shoppers have warmed to the model's additional cameras and cheaper pricing.

"Apple is more prepared than previous years to face strong headwinds in China," said Canalys analyst Louis Liu, noting the iPhone 11's camera improvements and lower launch price "were critical market stimuli".

The company's quarterly results likely received a boost from the launch and accounted for 40 per cent&nbsp;of its shipments, with customers willing to wait two to three weeks to receive shipments of the newer models, Peng said.

"But it faces a looming challenge, as Chinese vendors and operators are set to drive heavy marketing and promotions around 5G in the next two quarters," Liu added. "This could steal its thunder."

The US tech giant is expected to report flat revenue and a dip in earnings in the September quarter, based on Refinitiv data.

Huawei Technologies captured a record 42 per cent of China's smartphone market in the third quarter as local consumers rallied behind it after United States sanctions, leaving Apple to languish towards the bottom of the pile, market data showed.

Huawei Technologies captured a record 42 per cent of China's smartphone market in the third quarter as local consumers rallied behind it after United States sanctions, leaving Apple to languish towards the bottom of the pile, market data showed. Apple's market share in China slipped to 5 per cent from 7 per cent in the year-ago quarter, according to a report that market research firm Canalys released on Wednesday, hours before the Cupertino, California-based company was to report quarterly results. The July-September quarter marked the iPhone's weakest sales in China in five years, said Nicole Peng, vice president of mobility at Canalys, with shipments likely down more than a quarter. Concerns about slowing iPhone sales in China have dogged Apple for many quarters even as the global smartphone market has slowed and a resurgent Huawei has hit record sales in the country. Huawei, the world's Number 2 maker of smartphones, was all but banned by the United States in May from doing business with American companies, significantly disrupting its ability to source key parts. The company was then granted a reprieve until November but the blacklisting pushed up patriotic purchases of its smartphones in China, helping it more than offset a shipments slump in the global market. With the expected rollout of the super-fast 5G network in China in the coming months, Huawei's advantage is expected to grow further. "Huawei is in a strong position to consolidate its dominance further amid 5G network rollout, given its tight operator relationships in 5G network deployment, and control over key components such as local network-compatible 5G chipsets," Peng said. "This puts significant pressure on Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi, which find it very hard to make any breakthrough." Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi and Apple together accounted for 50 per cent of the market in the third quarter, down from 64 per cent a year earlier. Huawei said last week it had sold more than 200 million phones globally in 2019, 64 days earlier than in 2018. The company's profits have remained resilient and revenue jumped 27 per cent in the third quarter. The Chinese smartphone market contracted by 3 per cent in the third quarter, and Huawei smartphones made up 41.5 million of the 97.8 million shipped in the period, Canalys said. Apple and Xiaomi did not have an immediate comment on the Canalys data. Huawei and Oppo declined to comment, while Vivo said it does not comment on third-party reports. iPhone 11 hopes Apple launched its latest iPhone 11 range in China in September to tepid responses on social media, but shoppers have warmed to the model's additional cameras and cheaper pricing. "Apple is more prepared than previous years to face strong headwinds in China," said Canalys analyst Louis Liu, noting the iPhone 11's camera improvements and lower launch price "were critical market stimuli". The company's quarterly results likely received a boost from the launch and accounted for 40 per cent of its shipments, with customers willing to wait two to three weeks to receive shipments of the newer models, Peng said. "But it faces a looming challenge, as Chinese vendors and operators are set to drive heavy marketing and promotions around 5G in the next two quarters," Liu added. "This could steal its thunder." The US tech giant is expected to report flat revenue and a dip in earnings in the September quarter, based on Refinitiv data.

Huawei tightens China market hold with 42% share at expense of iPhones: Report

Strong sales of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/samsung-electronics-ends-mobile-phone-production-in-china-253273">Samsung Electronics</a>'&nbsp;Galaxy Note 10 smartphone series are limiting forecast profit falls at the South Korean tech giant, raising hopes it is getting back on a growth track after years of moribund sales.

Samsung, the world's largest smartphone maker, is powering ahead with the launch of 5G phones and $2,000 foldable handsets as it heats up the competition with rivals US&nbsp;Apple and China's Huawei following a battery explosion scandal in 2017 that hurt sales.

Analysts said the strategy may be paying off as the company on Tuesday flagged a smaller-than-expected fall in third-quarter operating profit, saying at the same time that sales of the Note 10 both at home and in Europe had been strong since the August&nbsp;23 launch.

There are also early signs that the global memory chip business, a key driver of Samsung's profit, will stabilise next year after prices were eroded by a weak global economy and slower spending by key data centre customers.

"With its foldable smartphone that no other competitors have yet launched, Samsung will likely lead the high-end smartphone market as it would mass-produce foldable smartphones next year," said Song Myung-sup, an analyst at HI Investment &amp; Securities.

"Also, a growing number of data centre customers are ordering more memory chips ... possibly slowing down the drop in prices," Song added.

Samsung said it has sold more than one million of the 5G Note 10 handsets in South Korea, making it the company's fastest-selling flagship model at home, and sales in Europe were also strong.

Analysts credit Samsung with receiving a boost from US&nbsp;sanctions on Huawei that effectively bar US&nbsp;firms from supplying the Chinese competitor.

Huawei's new high-end Mate 30 smartphones are being shipped to Europe this month, but the sanctions mean the product lacks access to a licensed version of US&nbsp;Google’s Android operating system, as well as mobile services that include its Play Store and popular apps like Gmail, Youtube or Maps.

Jene Park, a senior analyst at market tracker Counterpoint Research, said Samsung was also moving in on Huawei at the lower end of the market in Europe and Latin America.

Sales of Huawei's Honor smartphones, which are mainly in the $180-$249 price band and accounted for a large portion of sales outside of China, had dropped significantly since March, allowing Samsung to boost sales volumes of its new A-series, according to Counterpoint.

Chip recovery?

But Huawei's woes also present problems for Samsung as the&nbsp;world's biggest semiconductor firm by revenue, with the Chinese firm a major buyer of its memory chips.

Some analysts are more cautious about the outlook for the global memory chip business, which remains clouded by US-Sino trade conflict and provides two-thirds of Samsung's profit.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/priced-at-2000-samsung-to-launch-galaxy-fold-in-south-korea-on-september-6-247663">Samsung's profit has been slumping every quarter</a> since the year-end holiday quarter last year and is expected to fall again in the current quarter year-on-year.

In a limited trading update ahead of full earnings later this month, Samsung on Tuesday said operating profit for the July to September quarter would likely tumble 56 per cent&nbsp;to&nbsp;$6.44 billion.

"The strong smartphone sales has limited ability to fix all Samsung's issues," said Park Sung-soon, an analyst at Cape Investment &amp; Securities. "Data centre customers, a major driver for memory chip business, are pursuing conservative investment for the time being, not particularly uplifting news for Samsung."

Shares in Samsung were up about 1.5 per cent, just slightly ahead of an 0.8 per cent&nbsp;rise in the wider market in afternoon trade.

Strong sales of Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note 10 smartphone series are limiting forecast profit falls at the South Korean tech giant, raising hopes it is getting back on a growth track after years of moribund sales.

Strong sales of Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note 10 smartphone series are limiting forecast profit falls at the South Korean tech giant, raising hopes it is getting back on a growth track after years of moribund sales. Samsung, the world's largest smartphone maker, is powering ahead with the launch of 5G phones and $2,000 foldable handsets as it heats up the competition with rivals US Apple and China's Huawei following a battery explosion scandal in 2017 that hurt sales. Analysts said the strategy may be paying off as the company on Tuesday flagged a smaller-than-expected fall in third-quarter operating profit, saying at the same time that sales of the Note 10 both at home and in Europe had been strong since the August 23 launch. There are also early signs that the global memory chip business, a key driver of Samsung's profit, will stabilise next year after prices were eroded by a weak global economy and slower spending by key data centre customers. "With its foldable smartphone that no other competitors have yet launched, Samsung will likely lead the high-end smartphone market as it would mass-produce foldable smartphones next year," said Song Myung-sup, an analyst at HI Investment & Securities. "Also, a growing number of data centre customers are ordering more memory chips ... possibly slowing down the drop in prices," Song added. Samsung said it has sold more than one million of the 5G Note 10 handsets in South Korea, making it the company's fastest-selling flagship model at home, and sales in Europe were also strong. Analysts credit Samsung with receiving a boost from US sanctions on Huawei that effectively bar US firms from supplying the Chinese competitor. Huawei's new high-end Mate 30 smartphones are being shipped to Europe this month, but the sanctions mean the product lacks access to a licensed version of US Google’s Android operating system, as well as mobile services that include its Play Store and popular apps like Gmail, Youtube or Maps. Jene Park, a senior analyst at market tracker Counterpoint Research, said Samsung was also moving in on Huawei at the lower end of the market in Europe and Latin America. Sales of Huawei's Honor smartphones, which are mainly in the $180-$249 price band and accounted for a large portion of sales outside of China, had dropped significantly since March, allowing Samsung to boost sales volumes of its new A-series, according to Counterpoint. Chip recovery? But Huawei's woes also present problems for Samsung as the world's biggest semiconductor firm by revenue, with the Chinese firm a major buyer of its memory chips. Some analysts are more cautious about the outlook for the global memory chip business, which remains clouded by US-Sino trade conflict and provides two-thirds of Samsung's profit. Samsung's profit has been slumping every quarter since the year-end holiday quarter last year and is expected to fall again in the current quarter year-on-year. In a limited trading update ahead of full earnings later this month, Samsung on Tuesday said operating profit for the July to September quarter would likely tumble 56 per cent to $6.44 billion. "The strong smartphone sales has limited ability to fix all Samsung's issues," said Park Sung-soon, an analyst at Cape Investment & Securities. "Data centre customers, a major driver for memory chip business, are pursuing conservative investment for the time being, not particularly uplifting news for Samsung." Shares in Samsung were up about 1.5 per cent, just slightly ahead of an 0.8 per cent rise in the wider market in afternoon trade.

Strong smartphone sales raise hopes of Samsung turnaround

By Pushan Dutt

Japan and South Korea are showing no signs of resolving an escalating trade dispute, which traces back to 1910. It now poses a threat to the world’s tech supply chain and has potentially severe consequences for the global economy. And the dispute is being played out within a complex confluence of historical grievances, domestic politics, the ongoing US-China trade war and a looming global recession.

Japan has officially removed South Korea from its list of trusted trade partners that receive preferential treatment for importing sensitive Japanese-made goods, as of August 28. The list of goods includes chemicals that are crucial to producing the semiconductor memory chips found in most modern electronic devices.

This means that Japanese companies will now have to apply for a licence to export the chemicals to South Korean companies, a process that could take up to 90 days. Semiconductors are South Korea’s top export item. With manufacturers reliant on the chemicals from Japan, any delay in their production could pose a significant threat to the country’s economy and the South Korean currency, the won, which has already dropped 8 per cent against the US dollar this year.

From a global perspective, South Korea semiconductor giants Samsung and SK Hynix, which supply 60 per cent&nbsp;of the world’s memory chips, have warned that they can’t rule out production disruption if the Japanese export restrictions remain in place. Any delay to supply could cause serious disruption to global tech supply chains and significantly impact other tech giants, like Apple and Huawei, who use memory chips and displays from Samsung.

A conflict with deep roots 
 
Japan has given no indication that it will change its mind. It claims the restrictions are a response to a national security concern, alluding to leaks to North Korea.

With no evidence put forward to support this, the likely scenario is that Japan’s action is part of an escalating and ongoing dispute involving historic grievances that date back to Japan’s colonisation of the Korean peninsula more than a century ago. During World War II, Japan conscripted more than 670,000 Koreans as forced labourers to support its military ambitions.

The recent decision to remove South Korea from trusted trade partner status originates with a South Korean high court ruling in October 2018. The court ordered Japanese companies to compensate individual victims of forced labour including the “comfort women” – Korean women taken as sex slaves and forced to work in war-time brothels.

Japan insists that most of the necessary compensation was settled as part of a $500m payout under a treaty signed in 1965 and then a new agreement that was reached in 2015. But the current South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, created a taskforce in 2018 which concluded that the 2015 agreement did not reflect the opinions of the victims, especially their demand that Japan admit direct responsibility. Tokyo refuses further discussion of this issue and the bilateral relationship has continued to deteriorate.

The dispute is an emotional one for both countries. Thousands of South Korean protesters have marched on the Japanese embassy in Seoul, to express their displeasure at being downgraded as a trading partner. Many South Koreans have also vowed to boycott Japanese products, and there are reports that petrol station operators have been urged to stop refuelling Japanese cars.

Global slowdown

Both Japan and South Korea are integral to the world economy and disruptions will have spillovers that will go beyond the two antagonists. The most immediate threat is to the global tech supply chain, but any slowdown increases the likelihood of a worldwide recession.

The dispute has come at a particularly bad time. Major economies are currently experiencing weak growth with negative numbers coming out of the UK and Germany and a general slowdown in the US, China and India. With the world’s two largest economies, the US and China, involved in an escalating tariff war that is chilling business investment, confidence and trade flows across the world, the Japan/Korean trade spat will only add to business uncertainty.

There is little indication as to when these disputes will be resolved, or in whose favour. Add to this the chaos surrounding Brexit and businesses are left wondering what will happen next. Not surprisingly, firms are already adopting a wait and see attitude, postponing investment and waiting for clarity amid increasing uncertainty, as bond markets &nbsp;send alarming signals of a looming recession.

Shifting power, weaponising trade

In the past, the US would have stepped in to prevent any flare up between its two South-east Asian allies from getting going out of hand. But the Trump administration has been hesitant to get involved, despite the important role both countries play in monitoring North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.

In a telling sign of shifting power in the region, China has already offered to step in and help mediate the dispute. The foreign ministers of the three countries met recently but failed to set a date for the annual meeting of their leaders.

China considers stability a priority and has been actively seeking to bolster regional economic integration as its relationship with the US sours. It will also be worried about the impact the Japan-South Korea trade spat could have on large Chinese technology companies like ZTE and Huawei, which rely on US suppliers like Qualcomm for chips and semiconductors. But if the US trade sanctions cut off this source of supply, they will be looking to South Korea for the vital components.

Another concern globally is Japan’s use of national security to justify its trade policy. This weaponising of trade follows Donald Trump’s citing of security concerns when putting tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. China sees the trade war as an attempt to disrupt its core development strategy, the Made in China 2025 plan, prevent it’s reemergence as a world power and views the trade dispute through the lens of security and sovereignty.

World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules which govern trade between countries are, to a large extent, based on norms. They include a national security exemption clause which relies on members applying it in good faith. Once member states start taking advantage of the provision, there is likely to be a cascading effect, tempting more countries to weaponise this exemption in a tit-for-tat trade war.

(Pushan Dutt is Professor of Economics, INSEAD) 
 
(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-a-century-old-dispute-between-japan-and-south-korea-threatens-the-global-supply-of-smartphones-122502">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

 
&nbsp;

&nbsp;

By Pushan Dutt Japan and South Korea are showing no signs of resolving an escalating trade dispute, which traces back to 1910. It now poses a threat to the world’s tech supply chain and has potentially severe consequences for the global economy.

By Pushan Dutt Japan and South Korea are showing no signs of resolving an escalating trade dispute, which traces back to 1910. It now poses a threat to the world’s tech supply chain and has potentially severe consequences for the global economy. And the dispute is being played out within a complex confluence of historical grievances, domestic politics, the ongoing US-China trade war and a looming global recession. Japan has officially removed South Korea from its list of trusted trade partners that receive preferential treatment for importing sensitive Japanese-made goods, as of August 28. The list of goods includes chemicals that are crucial to producing the semiconductor memory chips found in most modern electronic devices. This means that Japanese companies will now have to apply for a licence to export the chemicals to South Korean companies, a process that could take up to 90 days. Semiconductors are South Korea’s top export item. With manufacturers reliant on the chemicals from Japan, any delay in their production could pose a significant threat to the country’s economy and the South Korean currency, the won, which has already dropped 8 per cent against the US dollar this year. From a global perspective, South Korea semiconductor giants Samsung and SK Hynix, which supply 60 per cent of the world’s memory chips, have warned that they can’t rule out production disruption if the Japanese export restrictions remain in place. Any delay to supply could cause serious disruption to global tech supply chains and significantly impact other tech giants, like Apple and Huawei, who use memory chips and displays from Samsung. A conflict with deep roots Japan has given no indication that it will change its mind. It claims the restrictions are a response to a national security concern, alluding to leaks to North Korea. With no evidence put forward to support this, the likely scenario is that Japan’s action is part of an escalating and ongoing dispute involving historic grievances that date back to Japan’s colonisation of the Korean peninsula more than a century ago. During World War II, Japan conscripted more than 670,000 Koreans as forced labourers to support its military ambitions. The recent decision to remove South Korea from trusted trade partner status originates with a South Korean high court ruling in October 2018. The court ordered Japanese companies to compensate individual victims of forced labour including the “comfort women” – Korean women taken as sex slaves and forced to work in war-time brothels. Japan insists that most of the necessary compensation was settled as part of a $500m payout under a treaty signed in 1965 and then a new agreement that was reached in 2015. But the current South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, created a taskforce in 2018 which concluded that the 2015 agreement did not reflect the opinions of the victims, especially their demand that Japan admit direct responsibility. Tokyo refuses further discussion of this issue and the bilateral relationship has continued to deteriorate. The dispute is an emotional one for both countries. Thousands of South Korean protesters have marched on the Japanese embassy in Seoul, to express their displeasure at being downgraded as a trading partner. Many South Koreans have also vowed to boycott Japanese products, and there are reports that petrol station operators have been urged to stop refuelling Japanese cars. Global slowdown Both Japan and South Korea are integral to the world economy and disruptions will have spillovers that will go beyond the two antagonists. The most immediate threat is to the global tech supply chain, but any slowdown increases the likelihood of a worldwide recession. The dispute has come at a particularly bad time. Major economies are currently experiencing weak growth with negative numbers coming out of the UK and Germany and a general slowdown in the US, China and India. With the world’s two largest economies, the US and China, involved in an escalating tariff war that is chilling business investment, confidence and trade flows across the world, the Japan/Korean trade spat will only add to business uncertainty. There is little indication as to when these disputes will be resolved, or in whose favour. Add to this the chaos surrounding Brexit and businesses are left wondering what will happen next. Not surprisingly, firms are already adopting a wait and see attitude, postponing investment and waiting for clarity amid increasing uncertainty, as bond markets send alarming signals of a looming recession. Shifting power, weaponising trade In the past, the US would have stepped in to prevent any flare up between its two South-east Asian allies from getting going out of hand. But the Trump administration has been hesitant to get involved, despite the important role both countries play in monitoring North Korea’s nuclear ambitions. In a telling sign of shifting power in the region, China has already offered to step in and help mediate the dispute. The foreign ministers of the three countries met recently but failed to set a date for the annual meeting of their leaders. China considers stability a priority and has been actively seeking to bolster regional economic integration as its relationship with the US sours. It will also be worried about the impact the Japan-South Korea trade spat could have on large Chinese technology companies like ZTE and Huawei, which rely on US suppliers like Qualcomm for chips and semiconductors. But if the US trade sanctions cut off this source of supply, they will be looking to South Korea for the vital components. Another concern globally is Japan’s use of national security to justify its trade policy. This weaponising of trade follows Donald Trump’s citing of security concerns when putting tariffs on steel and aluminium imports. China sees the trade war as an attempt to disrupt its core development strategy, the Made in China 2025 plan, prevent it’s reemergence as a world power and views the trade dispute through the lens of security and sovereignty. World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules which govern trade between countries are, to a large extent, based on norms. They include a national security exemption clause which relies on members applying it in good faith. Once member states start taking advantage of the provision, there is likely to be a cascading effect, tempting more countries to weaponise this exemption in a tit-for-tat trade war. (Pushan Dutt is Professor of Economics, INSEAD) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

How a century-old dispute between Japan and South Korea adds to global trade uncertainty

The world is getting technologically advanced. From China to the US to India, Tech It Out gets you all latest trends from across the globe. This time, we decided to travel to the world’s most wired city - Seoul. Check out the most-exciting inventions from South Korea where technology is at play literally everywhere.

Tech It Out visits South Korea

ESports star Myint was on the cusp of victory when the screens went dark in the Yangon cafe where he competes, costing him thousands of dollars in missed prize-money and denting his reputation.&nbsp;

Myanmar's gaming scene is mushrooming, but frequent power cuts are holding players back in the emerging democracy.&nbsp;

"Every time a black-out happens, we curse out the electricity corporation -- and it happens often," he told AFP.

More than 60 per cent of people in Myanmar still live without reliable electricity after a political transition in 2010 that sought to pull in foreign investment after decades of junta rule.

That includes getting in on the global explosion in eSports, a billion-dollar industry that will be a medal event in the Southeast Asian Games in November for the first time.

But Myanmar is at risk of missing out with power cuts, few personal computers and a dearth of resources to support travel and competition abroad holding homegrown champions back.

Myint Myat Zaw, a 21-year-old player also known as "Insane", said he has lost about 40 matches due to blackouts, making it difficult to earn a slot abroad where cash prizes are now in the tens of millions of dollars.&nbsp;

He plays Dota 2, which in Shanghai hosted its equivalent of the champions league this weekend, boasting a record $34.3 million prize pool.

But Dota 2 tournaments are rare in Myanmar, he said, making it difficult for him to earn a living from the game.&nbsp;

"The last three years was the hardest period of my career...I lived in a game shop and was also short on food," he told AFP.

Anywhere, anytime

For gamers, a dingy internet cafe has long been the typical venue to battle it out with players from other countries.

But that has started to change as cheap SIM cards hit the markets and smartphone use soars.

Mobile penetration stood at just seven per cent in 2012, but demand has skyrocketed and the figure now sits at more than 80 per cent.

Players competing on mobiles can stay logged on when local grids go dark.

"We can play anywhere, anytime," said Myint Myat Aung, a mobile gamer who competes on PlayerUnknown's Battleground (PUBG) for Singapore-based eSports team Impunity. &nbsp;

It is also cheaper.

"We only have phone bills which don't cost very much," he told AFP.

Last month, Impunity, with more than 400 other teams, took part in a PUBG tournament hosted by Samsung Galaxy at a Yangon mall.

Staring into smartphones, players took down their opponents with sniper rifles, the action projected onto a large screen as spectators cheered.&nbsp;

The prize pool for the tournament was around $7,000, an immense sum in a country where the average income is less than $1,300 a year.

Impunity's country manager Brian Min Sett said the increasing value of winnings was a sign of growth as "our country doesn't have many high-prize tournaments."

Myanmar, like other developing countries, is at "a serious disadvantage" compared to its neighbours, said Jeremy Jackson, market analyst for eSports research firm NewZoo.&nbsp;

"Access to stable electricity and internet are crucial when it comes to competitive gaming," Jackson told AFP.&nbsp;

"Undoubtedly, greater smartphone penetration will allow more people access to the mobile competitive gaming landscape."

Myanmar legends?

In a country that has produced few international athletic stars, eSports offers players away into a global community and a chance to make a steady salary, especially for those competing in ultra-popular mobile games.

"They can make their own living just by competing in tournaments," said Kaung Myat San, co-founder of the HOG e-sports centre in Yangon.&nbsp;

Myanmar's sporting authorities lack funding, so HOG plans to send 16 athletes to represent Myanmar in the Southeast Asia games -- including Myint Myat Zaw, who was scooped up as a salaried player earlier this year.&nbsp;

Both Dota 2 and Mobile Legend - a fantasy battle game designed for smartphones with more than 3 million users in Myanmar - will be part of the competition.

After years of struggling to eke out a living playing for people wishing to boost their scores, Myint Myat Zaw said he was "proud" to now be representing Myanmar.&nbsp;

"Although there is more pressure, it makes me keen to do better," he said.

ESports star Myint was on the cusp of victory when the screens went dark in the Yangon cafe where he competes, costing him thousands of dollars in missed prize-money and denting his reputation.

ESports star Myint was on the cusp of victory when the screens went dark in the Yangon cafe where he competes, costing him thousands of dollars in missed prize-money and denting his reputation. Myanmar's gaming scene is mushrooming, but frequent power cuts are holding players back in the emerging democracy. "Every time a black-out happens, we curse out the electricity corporation -- and it happens often," he told AFP. More than 60 per cent of people in Myanmar still live without reliable electricity after a political transition in 2010 that sought to pull in foreign investment after decades of junta rule. That includes getting in on the global explosion in eSports, a billion-dollar industry that will be a medal event in the Southeast Asian Games in November for the first time. But Myanmar is at risk of missing out with power cuts, few personal computers and a dearth of resources to support travel and competition abroad holding homegrown champions back. Myint Myat Zaw, a 21-year-old player also known as "Insane", said he has lost about 40 matches due to blackouts, making it difficult to earn a slot abroad where cash prizes are now in the tens of millions of dollars. He plays Dota 2, which in Shanghai hosted its equivalent of the champions league this weekend, boasting a record $34.3 million prize pool. But Dota 2 tournaments are rare in Myanmar, he said, making it difficult for him to earn a living from the game. "The last three years was the hardest period of my career...I lived in a game shop and was also short on food," he told AFP. Anywhere, anytime For gamers, a dingy internet cafe has long been the typical venue to battle it out with players from other countries. But that has started to change as cheap SIM cards hit the markets and smartphone use soars. Mobile penetration stood at just seven per cent in 2012, but demand has skyrocketed and the figure now sits at more than 80 per cent. Players competing on mobiles can stay logged on when local grids go dark. "We can play anywhere, anytime," said Myint Myat Aung, a mobile gamer who competes on PlayerUnknown's Battleground (PUBG) for Singapore-based eSports team Impunity. It is also cheaper. "We only have phone bills which don't cost very much," he told AFP. Last month, Impunity, with more than 400 other teams, took part in a PUBG tournament hosted by Samsung Galaxy at a Yangon mall. Staring into smartphones, players took down their opponents with sniper rifles, the action projected onto a large screen as spectators cheered. The prize pool for the tournament was around $7,000, an immense sum in a country where the average income is less than $1,300 a year. Impunity's country manager Brian Min Sett said the increasing value of winnings was a sign of growth as "our country doesn't have many high-prize tournaments." Myanmar, like other developing countries, is at "a serious disadvantage" compared to its neighbours, said Jeremy Jackson, market analyst for eSports research firm NewZoo. "Access to stable electricity and internet are crucial when it comes to competitive gaming," Jackson told AFP. "Undoubtedly, greater smartphone penetration will allow more people access to the mobile competitive gaming landscape." Myanmar legends? In a country that has produced few international athletic stars, eSports offers players away into a global community and a chance to make a steady salary, especially for those competing in ultra-popular mobile games. "They can make their own living just by competing in tournaments," said Kaung Myat San, co-founder of the HOG e-sports centre in Yangon. Myanmar's sporting authorities lack funding, so HOG plans to send 16 athletes to represent Myanmar in the Southeast Asia games -- including Myint Myat Zaw, who was scooped up as a salaried player earlier this year. Both Dota 2 and Mobile Legend - a fantasy battle game designed for smartphones with more than 3 million users in Myanmar - will be part of the competition. After years of struggling to eke out a living playing for people wishing to boost their scores, Myint Myat Zaw said he was "proud" to now be representing Myanmar. "Although there is more pressure, it makes me keen to do better," he said.

Armed with smartphones, Myanmar e-sports players battle power outages

Is a peek into the future worth your privacy in the present? That concern was pushed to the spotlight this week with the resurgence of a smartphone app that uses artificial intelligence to transform your current face into your younger and older selves. People raised fears on Twitter and other social media sites that on iPhones, FaceApp would be able to see and upload all your photos, including screenshots with sensitive financial or health information or photos of children with the names of their schools in the background. That's not actually true, but the scuttle serves as a good reminder to think twice before downloading new apps. Even large, mainstream apps routinely collect user data.

Myths and risks seen in FaceApp use

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Friday it was heading for its lowest quarterly profit in more than two years as a glut in memory chips, slowing panel sales and rising competition in smartphones hit margins.

The South Korean tech giant said first-quarter operating profit likely slid 60 per cent from a year earlier, missing market expectations and putting it on track for its weakest quarterly profit since late 2016.

Shares in Samsung rose briefly before paring gains to trade flat following the guidance, as many investors are already looking ahead to an earnings recovery on the back an improvement in chip prices in the second half of the year.

Samsung supplies memory chips and screens for its own smartphones and Apple Inc, and server chips for cloud companies such as Amazon. Its semiconductor business is the main profit driver.

"In the second half, memory chip prices will have a soft landing, so falls will slow, and the release of new iPhones later seems like a good sign for Samsung's display and memory chips," said Kim Yang-Jae, an analyst at KTB Investment and Securities.

The world's biggest maker of smartphones and memory chips said in a filing January-March profit was likely 6.2 trillion won ($5.5 billion), missing the 6.8 trillion won estimate from analysts according to Definitive SmartEstimate.

Revenue likely fell 14 per cent from a year earlier to 52 trillion won. The firm will disclose detailed earnings in late April.

Samsung shares were flat as of 0120 GMT, while the broader market up 0.2 per cent.

The firm earlier had warned the quarter could be disappointing due to falls in memory prices, and slowing demand for display panels used in Apple's iPhones.

Samsung's premium Galaxy smartphones meanwhile are struggling to be profitable due to rising costs of innovation, competition from Chinese rivals and the reluctance of consumers to upgrade, analysts have said.

HIT BOTTOM

Samsung's share price has leapt more than 25 per cent since sinking to a two-year low in early January as some investors bet on a recovery in chip demand.

SK Hynix Inc, Micron Technology Inc and Samsung - which dominate the global market for dynamic random access memory, or DRAM, chips used in personal computers, smartphones and servers - recently have issued upbeat assessments of the prospects for a recovery in chip prices.

Hopes were buoyed further when data showed the manufacturing sector in China, the world's biggest smartphone market, unexpectedly returned to growth for the first time in four months in March.

Samsung is betting a new line-up of smartphones including a foldable handset and a 5G-enabled model will help boost its market share in China, which crashed with the advent of cheaper Chinese rivals like Huawei Technologies Co Ltd.

But its latest phones are expensive to make, weighing on profitability even as it sells faster than its predecessor, analysts say.

"New smartphones coming out in the second half won't necessarily help its smartphone business, but will be a plus for Samsung's chip side as those phones require high-density chip adoptions," said Park Sung-soon, an analyst at BNK Securities.

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Friday it was heading for its lowest quarterly profit in more than two years as a glut in memory chips, slowing panel sales and rising competition in smartphones hit margins.

Samsung Electronics Co Ltd said on Friday it was heading for its lowest quarterly profit in more than two years as a glut in memory chips, slowing panel sales and rising competition in smartphones hit margins. The South Korean tech giant said first-quarter operating profit likely slid 60 per cent from a year earlier, missing market expectations and putting it on track for its weakest quarterly profit since late 2016. Shares in Samsung rose briefly before paring gains to trade flat following the guidance, as many investors are already looking ahead to an earnings recovery on the back an improvement in chip prices in the second half of the year. Samsung supplies memory chips and screens for its own smartphones and Apple Inc, and server chips for cloud companies such as Amazon. Its semiconductor business is the main profit driver. "In the second half, memory chip prices will have a soft landing, so falls will slow, and the release of new iPhones later seems like a good sign for Samsung's display and memory chips," said Kim Yang-Jae, an analyst at KTB Investment and Securities. The world's biggest maker of smartphones and memory chips said in a filing January-March profit was likely 6.2 trillion won ($5.5 billion), missing the 6.8 trillion won estimate from analysts according to Definitive SmartEstimate. Revenue likely fell 14 per cent from a year earlier to 52 trillion won. The firm will disclose detailed earnings in late April. Samsung shares were flat as of 0120 GMT, while the broader market up 0.2 per cent. The firm earlier had warned the quarter could be disappointing due to falls in memory prices, and slowing demand for display panels used in Apple's iPhones. Samsung's premium Galaxy smartphones meanwhile are struggling to be profitable due to rising costs of innovation, competition from Chinese rivals and the reluctance of consumers to upgrade, analysts have said. HIT BOTTOM Samsung's share price has leapt more than 25 per cent since sinking to a two-year low in early January as some investors bet on a recovery in chip demand. SK Hynix Inc, Micron Technology Inc and Samsung - which dominate the global market for dynamic random access memory, or DRAM, chips used in personal computers, smartphones and servers - recently have issued upbeat assessments of the prospects for a recovery in chip prices. Hopes were buoyed further when data showed the manufacturing sector in China, the world's biggest smartphone market, unexpectedly returned to growth for the first time in four months in March. Samsung is betting a new line-up of smartphones including a foldable handset and a 5G-enabled model will help boost its market share in China, which crashed with the advent of cheaper Chinese rivals like Huawei Technologies Co Ltd. But its latest phones are expensive to make, weighing on profitability even as it sells faster than its predecessor, analysts say. "New smartphones coming out in the second half won't necessarily help its smartphone business, but will be a plus for Samsung's chip side as those phones require high-density chip adoptions," said Park Sung-soon, an analyst at BNK Securities.

Samsung sees lowest quarterly profit in more than two years

Global smartphone giant and appliance-maker Samsung, on Wednesday at a grand event, unveiled its latest flagship phone Galaxy S10 in New Delhi.&nbsp;

DJ Koh, President and CEO of Samsung's IT and Mobile Communications Division, graced the launch event and emphasised the 'Make in India' quality of Samsung phones.

"We are the only device maker that is truly ‘Made in India’. We have been making phones here locally since 2007 at the World’s Largest Mobile Factory in Noida," Koh told a packed audience comprising media, partners and Samsung fans, at the event which was also live-streamed around the world.

"Samsung is partnering India to fulfil its promise of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Make for India’,"&nbsp;Koh said. "With the inauguration of the Noida factory, the World’s Largest Mobile Factory, Samsung has set its eyes to ‘Make for the World’," he added.&nbsp;

“In India, we are excited by the opportunities, as more and more consumers are embracing the age of digital transformation,” he said.

Koh was thrilled to share that this year marks the tenth year of the Galaxy S series.&nbsp;

With prices starting at Rs 55,900, Samsung S10 comes in three versions -- S10, S10+ and S10e -- and is slated to lock horns with the likes of Apple's iPhone and Google's Pixel in the premium smartphone market in India. These devices were unveiled in San Francisco on February 20.

Here's taking a quick look at some of the salient features of the flagship device:

- Galaxy S10+ will be available in 1 TB, 512GB and 128 GB storage variants and will be priced at Rs 1,17,900, Rs 91,900 and Rs 73,900, respectively.

- The Galaxy S10, on the other hand, will retail for Rs 84,900 (512 GB variant) and Rs 66,900 (128 GB). S10e would be available in only 128 GB storage variant and will be priced at Rs 55,900.

- Galaxy S10+ will be available in 1 TB, 512GB and 128 GB storage variants and will be priced at Rs 1,17,900, Rs 91,900 and Rs 73,900, respectively.

- The Galaxy S10, on the other hand, will retail for Rs 84,900 (512 GB variant) and Rs 66,900 (128 GB). S10e would be available in only 128 GB storage variant and will be priced at Rs 55,900.

- Galaxy S10e comes with only 128GB storage variant for Rs 55,900.

- Galaxy S10e comes with a&nbsp;5.8-inch display whereas S10 boasts of a 6.1-inch display and Galaxy S10+ bears a 6.4-inch display.

- The devices&nbsp;feature the world's first "Dynamic AMOLED" display.

- The new phones include features like cinematic Infinity-O display, enhanced camera capabilities and in-display fingerprint scanner among others, news agency PTI reported.&nbsp;

(With inputs from PTI)&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

&nbsp; &nbsp;

Global smartphone giant and appliance-maker Samsung, on Wednesday at a grand event, unveiled its latest flagship phone Galaxy S10 in New Delhi. DJ Koh, President and CEO of Samsung's IT and Mobile Communications Division, graced the launch event and emphasised the 'Make in India' quality of Samsung phones.

Global smartphone giant and appliance-maker Samsung, on Wednesday at a grand event, unveiled its latest flagship phone Galaxy S10 in New Delhi. DJ Koh, President and CEO of Samsung's IT and Mobile Communications Division, graced the launch event and emphasised the 'Make in India' quality of Samsung phones. "We are the only device maker that is truly ‘Made in India’. We have been making phones here locally since 2007 at the World’s Largest Mobile Factory in Noida," Koh told a packed audience comprising media, partners and Samsung fans, at the event which was also live-streamed around the world. "Samsung is partnering India to fulfil its promise of ‘Make in India’ and ‘Make for India’," Koh said. "With the inauguration of the Noida factory, the World’s Largest Mobile Factory, Samsung has set its eyes to ‘Make for the World’," he added. “In India, we are excited by the opportunities, as more and more consumers are embracing the age of digital transformation,” he said. Koh was thrilled to share that this year marks the tenth year of the Galaxy S series. With prices starting at Rs 55,900, Samsung S10 comes in three versions -- S10, S10+ and S10e -- and is slated to lock horns with the likes of Apple's iPhone and Google's Pixel in the premium smartphone market in India. These devices were unveiled in San Francisco on February 20. Here's taking a quick look at some of the salient features of the flagship device: - Galaxy S10+ will be available in 1 TB, 512GB and 128 GB storage variants and will be priced at Rs 1,17,900, Rs 91,900 and Rs 73,900, respectively. - The Galaxy S10, on the other hand, will retail for Rs 84,900 (512 GB variant) and Rs 66,900 (128 GB). S10e would be available in only 128 GB storage variant and will be priced at Rs 55,900. - Galaxy S10+ will be available in 1 TB, 512GB and 128 GB storage variants and will be priced at Rs 1,17,900, Rs 91,900 and Rs 73,900, respectively. - The Galaxy S10, on the other hand, will retail for Rs 84,900 (512 GB variant) and Rs 66,900 (128 GB). S10e would be available in only 128 GB storage variant and will be priced at Rs 55,900. - Galaxy S10e comes with only 128GB storage variant for Rs 55,900. - Galaxy S10e comes with a 5.8-inch display whereas S10 boasts of a 6.1-inch display and Galaxy S10+ bears a 6.4-inch display. - The devices feature the world's first "Dynamic AMOLED" display. - The new phones include features like cinematic Infinity-O display, enhanced camera capabilities and in-display fingerprint scanner among others, news agency PTI reported. (With inputs from PTI)

Samsung launches next-generation flagship Galaxy S10 smartphones in India starting at Rs 55,990

Russian lawmakers on Tuesday backed a bill that would ban soldiers from using smartphones while on duty to post online or give information to media.

The move comes after journalists have used photos and videos posted on social media by troops to gain information on Russia's military involvement in Syria and in Ukraine -- where Kiev and its Western allies say Moscow gives military backing to pro-Russian separatists.&nbsp;

The Russian military has long sought to limit troops' use of social media to avoid information leaks.

The Meduza independent news site wrote that with the bill "we will know less about hazing and the military in Ukraine."

The defence committee of the State Duma lower house of parliament, which wrote the legislation, said it aimed to ensure "national security" in the "sphere of information" and to cover information that is not classed as a military secret.

The bill bans troops from carrying "electronic devices" that can post video and photos online or reveal their geo-locations.

It bans troops, conscripts and reservists from informing media or putting information online that reveals they or others are in the military, describes their duties or gives their location.&nbsp;

It also bans giving out information about the actions of military commanders or the locations of military headquarters.

MPs in the State Duma voted on the key second reading of the bill, which will be followed by a final reading, a Senate vote and then a signing by President Vladimir Putin.&nbsp;

The bill warns that foreign secret services and "terrorist" organisations are interested in the activities of Russian troops, particularly those serving in Syria, where Russia has been carrying out a military intervention since 2015 to back President Bashar al-Assad.

It says that information posted online or given to media could be used to form a "prejudiced view of Russia's government policies."

Soldiers who broke the law could be given early discharge.

Basic mobile phones without cameras will not be banned, and troops will still be able to use smartphones while off-duty, the first deputy chief of the defence committee, Andrei Krasov told TASS state news agency.

Russian lawmakers on Tuesday backed a bill that would ban soldiers from using smartphones while on duty to post online or give information to media. The move comes after journalists have used photos and videos posted on social media by troops to gain information on Russia's military involvement in Syria and in Ukraine -- where Kiev and its Western allies say Moscow gives military backing to pro-Russian separatists.

Russian lawmakers on Tuesday backed a bill that would ban soldiers from using smartphones while on duty to post online or give information to media. The move comes after journalists have used photos and videos posted on social media by troops to gain information on Russia's military involvement in Syria and in Ukraine -- where Kiev and its Western allies say Moscow gives military backing to pro-Russian separatists. The Russian military has long sought to limit troops' use of social media to avoid information leaks. The Meduza independent news site wrote that with the bill "we will know less about hazing and the military in Ukraine." The defence committee of the State Duma lower house of parliament, which wrote the legislation, said it aimed to ensure "national security" in the "sphere of information" and to cover information that is not classed as a military secret. The bill bans troops from carrying "electronic devices" that can post video and photos online or reveal their geo-locations. It bans troops, conscripts and reservists from informing media or putting information online that reveals they or others are in the military, describes their duties or gives their location. It also bans giving out information about the actions of military commanders or the locations of military headquarters. MPs in the State Duma voted on the key second reading of the bill, which will be followed by a final reading, a Senate vote and then a signing by President Vladimir Putin. The bill warns that foreign secret services and "terrorist" organisations are interested in the activities of Russian troops, particularly those serving in Syria, where Russia has been carrying out a military intervention since 2015 to back President Bashar al-Assad. It says that information posted online or given to media could be used to form a "prejudiced view of Russia's government policies." Soldiers who broke the law could be given early discharge. Basic mobile phones without cameras will not be banned, and troops will still be able to use smartphones while off-duty, the first deputy chief of the defence committee, Andrei Krasov told TASS state news agency.

Russia moves to ban troops from using smartphones

Smartphone-maker Lava is a small player in India's booming mobile communications industry, but it has become a poster child for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious effort to make India a global hub for electronics manufacturing.

Just a few years ago, Lava imported cheap phones from China. Now it builds its own devices at two factories on the outskirts of New Delhi that employ about 3,500 people, and expansion plans are in the works.

Modi's vow to create tens of millions of new jobs has stuttered on many fronts, but domestic smartphone production has emerged as a bright spot for Asia's third-largest economy. Along with local firms such as Lava, global smartphone giants including Samsung, Oppo and Xiaomi are expanding rapidly in India, and starting to bring along components suppliers while driving contract manufacturers like Foxconn to ramp up.

More than 120 new manufacturing units have created about 450,000 jobs in the mobile phone industry over the past four years, according to the Indian Cellular and Electronics Association, thanks largely to the 'Make In India' campaign and a phased plan featuring stiff duties on imported devices and parts.

That growth has made India the world's second-biggest mobile phone maker and positioned it for further growth as trade tensions and rising costs hobble China's world-leading electronics manufacturing sector.

"India has an opportunity to become a major player in the global supply chain because we have a very strong domestic economy," Vikas Agarwal, the India head of Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus, told Reuters.

The country still needs to encourage the production of high-value components as well as research and development, Agarwal added, "but at least we are off to a very good start."

The Indian industry's emergence is especially visible in Noida, where Lava is based. Once a suburb for tech outsourcing firms, Noida is now bursting with companies making everything from headphones and chargers to high-end smartphones.

Sanjeev Agarwal, Lava's head of manufacturing, says local production is helping it reduce costs and build high-quality devices that can sell for less than $150.

Much of the company's product design is still done in China, Agarwal said, but the company plans to bring that work to India over the next few years.

The local presence allows quicker innovation, he said, as well as lower, tariff-free costs.

Lava has some big neighbours in Noida. Samsung this year opened what it said was the world's biggest mobile phone plant there. The South Korean giant last year said it will spend 49.2 billion rupees ($672.45 million) to expand capacity at the plant over three years.

Not far from Samsung's factory, China's Oppo, one of India's top smartphone players, is building a massive plant too. It is expected to open soon.

ALTERNATIVE TO CHINA

Modi's so-called phased manufacturing plan, introduced in 2016, aims to take advantage of India's huge domestic smartphone market to promote local production. India has more than a billion wireless subscribers, and about 380 million of them do not yet have a smartphone.

The manufacturing plan includes import duties not only on phones, but also on accessories such as phone chargers, batteries and headphones, as well as components including pre-assembled printed circuit boards.

Xiaomi, which competes with Samsung for the top spot in India's smartphone market, makes many of its phones using Foxconn's plants in southern India, with a total of six facilities producing its devices.

Just as important, Xiaomi said this year that it wants its component suppliers to set up shop in India too, a move that could bring as much as $2.5 billion of investment and create as many as 50,000 jobs.

Xiaomi supplier Holitech Technology has committed to investing about $200 million in India over three years in India, with plans to begin manufacturing in early 2019. It will make components such as camera and touch screen modules and fingerprint sensors, Muralikrishnan B, Xiaomi's chief operating officer for India, said in an email.

The big prize for India, local industry officials say, is to become a full-fledged alternative to China as a manufacturing hub.

More and more companies are realising they need a "China plus one strategy," one manufacturing industry source said.

In China, "there is the Trump risk and there are other risks - currency risks, overall wage appreciation risk and so on," the source said, declining to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.

"Today it's the trade-tariff war, tomorrow it may be something else, a natural disaster," the source added. "The question is then - how do I use India strategically?"

Samsung has said it plans to use its Noida plant as an export hub, but it is unclear whether other manufacturers will follow suit.

To become a true global centre for high-value mobile phone manufacturing, India still needs a more stable, business-friendly policy regime in a country known for heavy-handed regulation and abrupt shifts in industrial strategy, industry executives say. The country also needs better workforce training, said Tarun Pathak, associate director at tech researcher Counterpoint.

"Import taxes kick-started local assembly, but now we need to look beyond just duties," Pathak said.

Xiaomi's Muralikrishnan said bringing the entire electronics manufacturing ecosystem to India would be a big challenge. He added: "Building the expertise to manufacture high-end design flagships locally would also be a big step for the local industry."

Apple, for example, assembles two low-cost models through Wistron in the southern tech hub of Bengaluru. But with little domestic demand for its high-end phones, the company has resisted government pressure to move more of its work from China.

Smartphone-maker Lava is a small player in India's booming mobile communications industry, but it has become a poster child for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious effort to make India a global hub for electronics manufacturing.

Smartphone-maker Lava is a small player in India's booming mobile communications industry, but it has become a poster child for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ambitious effort to make India a global hub for electronics manufacturing. Just a few years ago, Lava imported cheap phones from China. Now it builds its own devices at two factories on the outskirts of New Delhi that employ about 3,500 people, and expansion plans are in the works. Modi's vow to create tens of millions of new jobs has stuttered on many fronts, but domestic smartphone production has emerged as a bright spot for Asia's third-largest economy. Along with local firms such as Lava, global smartphone giants including Samsung, Oppo and Xiaomi are expanding rapidly in India, and starting to bring along components suppliers while driving contract manufacturers like Foxconn to ramp up. More than 120 new manufacturing units have created about 450,000 jobs in the mobile phone industry over the past four years, according to the Indian Cellular and Electronics Association, thanks largely to the 'Make In India' campaign and a phased plan featuring stiff duties on imported devices and parts. That growth has made India the world's second-biggest mobile phone maker and positioned it for further growth as trade tensions and rising costs hobble China's world-leading electronics manufacturing sector. "India has an opportunity to become a major player in the global supply chain because we have a very strong domestic economy," Vikas Agarwal, the India head of Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus, told Reuters. The country still needs to encourage the production of high-value components as well as research and development, Agarwal added, "but at least we are off to a very good start." The Indian industry's emergence is especially visible in Noida, where Lava is based. Once a suburb for tech outsourcing firms, Noida is now bursting with companies making everything from headphones and chargers to high-end smartphones. Sanjeev Agarwal, Lava's head of manufacturing, says local production is helping it reduce costs and build high-quality devices that can sell for less than $150. Much of the company's product design is still done in China, Agarwal said, but the company plans to bring that work to India over the next few years. The local presence allows quicker innovation, he said, as well as lower, tariff-free costs. Lava has some big neighbours in Noida. Samsung this year opened what it said was the world's biggest mobile phone plant there. The South Korean giant last year said it will spend 49.2 billion rupees ($672.45 million) to expand capacity at the plant over three years. Not far from Samsung's factory, China's Oppo, one of India's top smartphone players, is building a massive plant too. It is expected to open soon. ALTERNATIVE TO CHINA Modi's so-called phased manufacturing plan, introduced in 2016, aims to take advantage of India's huge domestic smartphone market to promote local production. India has more than a billion wireless subscribers, and about 380 million of them do not yet have a smartphone. The manufacturing plan includes import duties not only on phones, but also on accessories such as phone chargers, batteries and headphones, as well as components including pre-assembled printed circuit boards. Xiaomi, which competes with Samsung for the top spot in India's smartphone market, makes many of its phones using Foxconn's plants in southern India, with a total of six facilities producing its devices. Just as important, Xiaomi said this year that it wants its component suppliers to set up shop in India too, a move that could bring as much as $2.5 billion of investment and create as many as 50,000 jobs. Xiaomi supplier Holitech Technology has committed to investing about $200 million in India over three years in India, with plans to begin manufacturing in early 2019. It will make components such as camera and touch screen modules and fingerprint sensors, Muralikrishnan B, Xiaomi's chief operating officer for India, said in an email. The big prize for India, local industry officials say, is to become a full-fledged alternative to China as a manufacturing hub. More and more companies are realising they need a "China plus one strategy," one manufacturing industry source said. In China, "there is the Trump risk and there are other risks - currency risks, overall wage appreciation risk and so on," the source said, declining to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter. "Today it's the trade-tariff war, tomorrow it may be something else, a natural disaster," the source added. "The question is then - how do I use India strategically?" Samsung has said it plans to use its Noida plant as an export hub, but it is unclear whether other manufacturers will follow suit. To become a true global centre for high-value mobile phone manufacturing, India still needs a more stable, business-friendly policy regime in a country known for heavy-handed regulation and abrupt shifts in industrial strategy, industry executives say. The country also needs better workforce training, said Tarun Pathak, associate director at tech researcher Counterpoint. "Import taxes kick-started local assembly, but now we need to look beyond just duties," Pathak said. Xiaomi's Muralikrishnan said bringing the entire electronics manufacturing ecosystem to India would be a big challenge. He added: "Building the expertise to manufacture high-end design flagships locally would also be a big step for the local industry." Apple, for example, assembles two low-cost models through Wistron in the southern tech hub of Bengaluru. But with little domestic demand for its high-end phones, the company has resisted government pressure to move more of its work from China.

Smartphones booming India's electronics manufacturing sector

Smartphone manufacturing company Nokia has been sued by a salesman in Britain for 1 million pounds as he claimed that he developed a brain tumour by his mobile phone.

In the filed lawsuit, 60-year-old Neil Whitefield has claimed that while due to the excessive use of his Nokia cellphone during his salesman job in the later 1990s he developed an acoustic neuroma tumour.

He has claimed that his&nbsp;tumour saw a deadly growth due to the nature of his job in which he was always glued to his phone. He would even use his phone while driving.&nbsp;

Neil developed an acoustic neuroma tumour on a nerve between his inner ear and brain over a span of five years.

Neil also got an operation done in 2001 after which he got deaf in one year eventually leading him to leave his job.

According to reports he also claimed in his lawsuit that he often&nbsp;noticed heat coming from his phone. Neil has claimed that a tumour became as big as golf ball due to which his inner ear organs had to be removed following which&nbsp;he is can't even wear a hearing aid.

Neil used to have Nokia 5510 and a team of experts is carrying out radiation tests on various phones including Niel's Nokia 5510.

Media reports quoted Neil saying that he filed this suit for the betterment of his children and future generations.

Coming amid the long-running reports stating mobile use can cause cancer, Neil's lawsuit has triggered a fear for other mobile companies as well as many others can also be encouraged by this to file a similar lawsuit.

In the filed lawsuit, 60-year-old Neil Whitefield has claimed that while due to the excessive use of his Nokia cellphone during his salesman job in the later 1990s he developed an acoustic neuroma tumour

Smartphone manufacturing company Nokia has been sued by a salesman in Britain for 1 million pounds as he claimed that he developed a brain tumour by his mobile phone. In the filed lawsuit, 60-year-old Neil Whitefield has claimed that while due to the excessive use of his Nokia cellphone during his salesman job in the later 1990s he developed an acoustic neuroma tumour. He has claimed that his tumour saw a deadly growth due to the nature of his job in which he was always glued to his phone. He would even use his phone while driving. Neil developed an acoustic neuroma tumour on a nerve between his inner ear and brain over a span of five years. Neil also got an operation done in 2001 after which he got deaf in one year eventually leading him to leave his job. According to reports he also claimed in his lawsuit that he often noticed heat coming from his phone. Neil has claimed that a tumour became as big as golf ball due to which his inner ear organs had to be removed following which he is can't even wear a hearing aid. Neil used to have Nokia 5510 and a team of experts is carrying out radiation tests on various phones including Niel's Nokia 5510. Media reports quoted Neil saying that he filed this suit for the betterment of his children and future generations. Coming amid the long-running reports stating mobile use can cause cancer, Neil's lawsuit has triggered a fear for other mobile companies as well as many others can also be encouraged by this to file a similar lawsuit.

Britain: Salesman sues Nokia for 1 million pounds; claims phone gave him brain tumour

Receiving morning greeting can surely lift up your mood and make you happy, but is surely not proving to be good for your phone&#39;s health.

These streams of morning greetings pouring in your handset on a daily basis can cause your phones to slow down over time.

&nbsp;According to a recent research by Google, one in three smartphone users in India run out of space on their phones daily, due to the &quot;Good Morning&rdquo; messages received from people.

The glitch was an overabundance of sun-dappled flowers, adorable toddlers, birds and sunsets sent along with a cheery message.

Indians are like nothing better than to begin the day by sending greetings from their phones. Starting before sunrise and reaching a crescendo before 8 a.m., internet newbies post millions of good-morning images to friends, family and strangers.

All that good cheer is driving a 10-fold increase in the number of Google searches for &ldquo;Good Morning images&rdquo; over the past five years.

It saw a ninefold increase over the past year in the number of people in India downloading such pictures.

However, this number is pretty high when you compare it with the US, where one in ten users face the low-storage issue on their phones.&nbsp;

But, there is nothing to fear as the search engine has also provided a solution for it. You can download Google&#39;s Files Go application and can easily get rid of irrelevant messages and content within seconds.&nbsp;

Google uses artificial intelligence tools to programme the application which helps prompt users to delete unnecessary content.

According to a report by Google, with this app, it has managed to clear up more than 1 gigabyte of data per user. 
&nbsp;

One in three smartphone users in India run out of space on their phones daily

Receiving morning greeting can surely lift up your mood and make you happy, but is surely not proving to be good for your phone's health. These streams of morning greetings pouring in your handset on a daily basis can cause your phones to slow down over time. According to a recent research by Google, one in three smartphone users in India run out of space on their phones daily, due to the "Good Morning” messages received from people. The glitch was an overabundance of sun-dappled flowers, adorable toddlers, birds and sunsets sent along with a cheery message. Indians are like nothing better than to begin the day by sending greetings from their phones. Starting before sunrise and reaching a crescendo before 8 a.m., internet newbies post millions of good-morning images to friends, family and strangers. All that good cheer is driving a 10-fold increase in the number of Google searches for “Good Morning images” over the past five years. It saw a ninefold increase over the past year in the number of people in India downloading such pictures. However, this number is pretty high when you compare it with the US, where one in ten users face the low-storage issue on their phones. But, there is nothing to fear as the search engine has also provided a solution for it. You can download Google's Files Go application and can easily get rid of irrelevant messages and content within seconds. Google uses artificial intelligence tools to programme the application which helps prompt users to delete unnecessary content. According to a report by Google, with this app, it has managed to clear up more than 1 gigabyte of data per user.

'Good morning' messages slowing down smartphones: Survey

In a bid to boost sales of its Pixel smartphones, Google may soon open stores in India.

After receiving a positive response on its Pixel pop-up stores stationed in malls across the country, the company is now giving thought to open offline stores for selling Pixel devices.&nbsp;

India is home to world&#39;s second-biggest wireless market with 1.2 billion mobile subscribers.

The Indian wireless market is currently dominated by South Korea&#39;s Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, and Chinese players such as Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo, noted a Reuters report.&nbsp;

Google Pixel, as a brand, may use measures to improve brand visibility and reach among consumers.&nbsp;

In such circumstances, Google&#39;s move to promote &#39;brand Pixel&#39; via offline stores seems like a viable option.&nbsp;

In a bid to boost sales of its Pixel smartphones, Google may open stores in India

In a bid to boost sales of its Pixel smartphones, Google may soon open stores in India. After receiving a positive response on its Pixel pop-up stores stationed in malls across the country, the company is now giving thought to open offline stores for selling Pixel devices. India is home to world's second-biggest wireless market with 1.2 billion mobile subscribers. The Indian wireless market is currently dominated by South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, and Chinese players such as Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo, noted a Reuters report. Google Pixel, as a brand, may use measures to improve brand visibility and reach among consumers. In such circumstances, Google's move to promote 'brand Pixel' via offline stores seems like a viable option.

Google likely to open stores in India to sell Pixel devices

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/google-releases-list-of-top-searches-in-2017-hurricane-irma-iphone-x-feature-on-top-26657">iPhone X and 8 might be the most searched</a> smartphones according to Google trends data but that doesn&#39;t even give a glimpse of what the majority of the smartphone using population was hooked on to throughout 2017.

A recent <a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/indians-spend-most-internet-data-on-communication-apps-social-media-study-27153">study conducted by the Omidyar Network</a> notes a sizeable increase in the chunk of Indian population using smartphones. Quite evidently, more and more people are switching to hi-technology handsets from their basic, old-school precursors.

Interestingly, the number of people with basic cellphone devices continues to shrink, thanks to more and more handset-manufacturing giants rolling out premium smartphones that don&#39;t burn consumers pockets anymore.

According to the Omidyar report, the number of people using cellphones is expected to shoot up to a whopping 875 million by 2020 from 581 million reported in the year 2014.

Smartphones users --- versus basic handset users -- will grow to 54% by 2020 from meagre 28% reported in the year 2014.

Easy and cheaper availability of multi-featured smartphones has created a boom in the cellphone industry, also giving a significant boost to data service providers. More and more customers now get affordable plans to access data on their budget smartphones.&nbsp;

Identifying and celebrating the indispensability of budget phones in the Indian cellphone market, we bring to you five devices that caught our attention this year under the 15k category.&nbsp;

Moto G5 Plus&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/moto.g5plus-20171220104459.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
The device came with Android 7.0 (Nougat), upgradable to Android 8.0 (Oreo). Image via official website. (Others)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Undeniably, the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/topic/moto-g">Moto G series</a> has been one of the most popular ones unveiled by Motorola. Moto G5 and G5 Plus were launched earlier this year and emerged as hot contenders in a fight to disrupt the budget smartphone market in the country.&nbsp;

The device comes with a fingerprint sensor, located in front; a 12-megapixel front camera with phase detection autofocus, dual-LED dual-tone flash and a 5-megapixel secondary camera.

Moto G5 Plus comes in two variants 32/64 GB, 2/4 GB RAM and 32 GB, 3 GB RAM with expandable memory up to 256 GB via microSD.

The handset was launched at a competitive price of Rs. 14,999 and is currently available for an online purchase for around Rs. 13,999 (32 GB variant).

The device came with Android 7.0 (Nougat), upgradable to Android 8.0 (Oreo) and runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 625.

&nbsp;

Honor 7X

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/honor-representation-20171130044340.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
Honor 7X was recently launched in China. Representational image, Honor smartphone (WION)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Huawei&#39;s much-anticipated budget smartphone <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/huaweis-honor-7x-will-be-on-sale-via-amazon-india-on-december-7-25585">launched earlier this month</a> and also went on an exclusive Amazon sale on December 7.&nbsp;

Honor 7X succeeds the popular Honor 6X and runs on Huawei&#39;s exclusive Kirin 659 processor. The device is available with 4GB/3GB RAM in variants offering 32GB/64GB internal storage expandable to 256 GB via microSD.&nbsp;

The handset boasts of a 3340 mAh battery and runs on Android 7.0 Nougat. Honor 7X comes with a 16-megapixel primary camera with phase detection, autofocus, LED flash and an 8-megapixel secondary camera.&nbsp;

The 4GB/32GB variant of the device is available online for around Rs. 12,999.

&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/topic/xiaomi-mi-a1">Xiaomi</a> Mi A1

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/xiaomi%20phones-20170705081822.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
The illustration showing Xiaomi handsets (Reuters)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

The budget-bet from this year&#39;s Xiaomi kitty comes with a full-HD 5.5-inch display, 4GB RAM, and 64GB storage expandable to 128 GB, and a 3080 mAh battery.

The handset runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 and boasts of dual cameras -- 5-megapixel in the front and dual 12-megapixel on the back.&nbsp;

The Mi A1 comes with Android 7.1.2 (Nougat) with a planned upgrade to Android 8.0 (Oreo) and <a href="http://www.wionews.com/science-tech/android-o-google-teases-next-version-of-its-operating-system-15725">Android One</a>.&nbsp;

The device was released in September this year and can now be bought online for around Rs. 12,999/13,999. &nbsp;

Xiaomi has also launched a Special Edition Red variant in India priced at Rs. 13,999. The limited edition device will be available from December 20 through the official Mi website, Flipkart, Mi Home and partner stores.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/k8-plus-lenovo-launches-its-second-smartphone-in-india-19997">Lenovo K8 Plus</a>&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/lenovo-20171220103948.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
The device boasts of a massive 4000 mAh battery and runs on Helio P25 2.5GHz octa-core processor. Image via the official website. (Others)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

A strong contender in the budget phone market, the Lenovo K8 Plus was launched in September and currently available online for as low as ten thousand rupees.&nbsp;

The device boasts of a massive 4000 mAh battery and runs on Helio P25 2.5GHz octa-core processor.

On the camera front, the device comes with 13 MP + 5 MP rear dual cameras with dual CCT LED flash and 8 MP front camera with party flash.

Lenovo K8 Plus comes with 3/4 GB RAM and 32 GB internal storage expandable up to 128 GB with the help of a microSD

&nbsp;

Moto G5

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false"><img alt="" draggable="false" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/motog5-20171220103644.jpg" />
<div class="media-description">
The device runs on Android Nougat with a planned update for Android Oreo. Image via Moto official website. (Others)
</div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="javascript:void(0)" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

Another one from the Moto family, this device is a classic bet for people wanting to buy a budget phone.

Although not recommended for data-heavy use, this one is ideal for those looking for premium smartphone features packed in an affordable avatar.&nbsp;

The device comes in 3 GB/16 GB (expandable to 256 GB) variants with 1.4 GHz octa-core processor, Qualcomm Snapdragon 430; 13 MP front and 5 MP rear camera.

On the battery front, Moto G lags behind with 2800 mAH.&nbsp;

The device runs on Android Nougat with a planned update for <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/google-for-india-2017-heres-taking-a-look-at-the-highlights-of-todays-event-25924">Android Oreo</a>.&nbsp;

Moto G was launched in February this year and can be bought for as low as Rs. 9999 online.

Identifying and celebrating the indispensability of budget phones in the Indian cellphone market, we bring to you five devices that caught our attention this year

iPhone X and 8 might be the most searched smartphones according to Google trends data but that doesn't even give a glimpse of what the majority of the smartphone using population was hooked on to throughout 2017. A recent study conducted by the Omidyar Network notes a sizeable increase in the chunk of Indian population using smartphones. Quite evidently, more and more people are switching to hi-technology handsets from their basic, old-school precursors. Interestingly, the number of people with basic cellphone devices continues to shrink, thanks to more and more handset-manufacturing giants rolling out premium smartphones that don't burn consumers pockets anymore. According to the Omidyar report, the number of people using cellphones is expected to shoot up to a whopping 875 million by 2020 from 581 million reported in the year 2014. Smartphones users --- versus basic handset users -- will grow to 54% by 2020 from meagre 28% reported in the year 2014. Easy and cheaper availability of multi-featured smartphones has created a boom in the cellphone industry, also giving a significant boost to data service providers. More and more customers now get affordable plans to access data on their budget smartphones. Identifying and celebrating the indispensability of budget phones in the Indian cellphone market, we bring to you five devices that caught our attention this year under the 15k category. Moto G5 Plus The device came with Android 7.0 (Nougat), upgradable to Android 8.0 (Oreo). Image via official website. (Others) × Undeniably, the Moto G series has been one of the most popular ones unveiled by Motorola. Moto G5 and G5 Plus were launched earlier this year and emerged as hot contenders in a fight to disrupt the budget smartphone market in the country. The device comes with a fingerprint sensor, located in front; a 12-megapixel front camera with phase detection autofocus, dual-LED dual-tone flash and a 5-megapixel secondary camera. Moto G5 Plus comes in two variants 32/64 GB, 2/4 GB RAM and 32 GB, 3 GB RAM with expandable memory up to 256 GB via microSD. The handset was launched at a competitive price of Rs. 14,999 and is currently available for an online purchase for around Rs. 13,999 (32 GB variant). The device came with Android 7.0 (Nougat), upgradable to Android 8.0 (Oreo) and runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 625. Honor 7X Honor 7X was recently launched in China. Representational image, Honor smartphone (WION) × Huawei's much-anticipated budget smartphone launched earlier this month and also went on an exclusive Amazon sale on December 7. Honor 7X succeeds the popular Honor 6X and runs on Huawei's exclusive Kirin 659 processor. The device is available with 4GB/3GB RAM in variants offering 32GB/64GB internal storage expandable to 256 GB via microSD. The handset boasts of a 3340 mAh battery and runs on Android 7.0 Nougat. Honor 7X comes with a 16-megapixel primary camera with phase detection, autofocus, LED flash and an 8-megapixel secondary camera. The 4GB/32GB variant of the device is available online for around Rs. 12,999. Xiaomi Mi A1 The illustration showing Xiaomi handsets (Reuters) × The budget-bet from this year's Xiaomi kitty comes with a full-HD 5.5-inch display, 4GB RAM, and 64GB storage expandable to 128 GB, and a 3080 mAh battery. The handset runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 625 and boasts of dual cameras -- 5-megapixel in the front and dual 12-megapixel on the back. The Mi A1 comes with Android 7.1.2 (Nougat) with a planned upgrade to Android 8.0 (Oreo) and Android One. The device was released in September this year and can now be bought online for around Rs. 12,999/13,999. Xiaomi has also launched a Special Edition Red variant in India priced at Rs. 13,999. The limited edition device will be available from December 20 through the official Mi website, Flipkart, Mi Home and partner stores. Lenovo K8 Plus The device boasts of a massive 4000 mAh battery and runs on Helio P25 2.5GHz octa-core processor. Image via the official website. (Others) × A strong contender in the budget phone market, the Lenovo K8 Plus was launched in September and currently available online for as low as ten thousand rupees. The device boasts of a massive 4000 mAh battery and runs on Helio P25 2.5GHz octa-core processor. On the camera front, the device comes with 13 MP + 5 MP rear dual cameras with dual CCT LED flash and 8 MP front camera with party flash. Lenovo K8 Plus comes with 3/4 GB RAM and 32 GB internal storage expandable up to 128 GB with the help of a microSD Moto G5 The device runs on Android Nougat with a planned update for Android Oreo. Image via Moto official website. (Others) × Another one from the Moto family, this device is a classic bet for people wanting to buy a budget phone. Although not recommended for data-heavy use, this one is ideal for those looking for premium smartphone features packed in an affordable avatar. The device comes in 3 GB/16 GB (expandable to 256 GB) variants with 1.4 GHz octa-core processor, Qualcomm Snapdragon 430; 13 MP front and 5 MP rear camera. On the battery front, Moto G lags behind with 2800 mAH. The device runs on Android Nougat with a planned update for Android Oreo. Moto G was launched in February this year and can be bought for as low as Rs. 9999 online.

Yearender 2017: Top Budget Smartphones of 2017 under Rs. 15,000

LG&#39;s much-awaited flagship smartphone of the year, the V30+, was launched in India today at an event in New Delhi.

LG V30+, successor to LG V30, will be available in India December 18 onward via Amazon India.

The premium smartphone was previously launched at LG&rsquo;s press conference at IFA 2017, Berlin.

LG V30+ comes with a large 6-inch 18:9 OLED FullVision display. The main camera on the rear features an F1.6 aperture that facilitates clearer and brighter shots.

&quot;The second lens in the V30+ dual camera is an upgraded 13MP wide-angle lens,&quot; notes the press release.&nbsp;

LG&#39;s new Cine Video mode lets a user take high-quality videos. The camera is capable of zooming in on any subject and not just zoom in on the centre of the frame.

LG V30+ runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and Android 7.1.2 Nougat.

The dual-camera smartphone boasts of 16MP Standard Angle and 13MP Wide-Angle rear cameras and 5MP Wide Angle camera in front.

The smartphone is backed by a 3,300 mAh battery with QuickCharge 3.0 support. The handset will be available in two exciting colours - Aurora Black and Cloud Silver.&nbsp;

On the storage front, the handset comes with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage which is also expandable to 2TB with the help of a micro-SD card.

The smartphone also features Google Assistant, voice and face recognition and a fingerprint sensor which doubles up as the power button.&nbsp;

The device is dust resistant and &quot;can be immersed in up to 1.5 meters of water for as long as 30 minutes without impacting the function,&quot; noted the media release. The V30+ also offers wireless charging.&nbsp;

With respect to the &#39;second screen&#39; feature, unlike its predecessors, the LG V30+ comes with a modified version. The AOD replaces the Second Screen when the display is off. It provides shortcuts to Quick Tools and Music Player without letting a user switch on the display.

LG V30+ is priced at Rs 44,990 and is set to compete with other flagship competitors in the market like Google Pixel 2, Samsung Galaxy S8 and OnePlus 5T.&nbsp;

 
&nbsp;

LG V30+ will be available exclusively via Amazon India

LG's much-awaited flagship smartphone of the year, the V30+, was launched in India today at an event in New Delhi. LG V30+, successor to LG V30, will be available in India December 18 onward via Amazon India. The premium smartphone was previously launched at LG’s press conference at IFA 2017, Berlin. LG V30+ comes with a large 6-inch 18:9 OLED FullVision display. The main camera on the rear features an F1.6 aperture that facilitates clearer and brighter shots. "The second lens in the V30+ dual camera is an upgraded 13MP wide-angle lens," notes the press release. LG's new Cine Video mode lets a user take high-quality videos. The camera is capable of zooming in on any subject and not just zoom in on the centre of the frame. LG V30+ runs on Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and Android 7.1.2 Nougat. The dual-camera smartphone boasts of 16MP Standard Angle and 13MP Wide-Angle rear cameras and 5MP Wide Angle camera in front. The smartphone is backed by a 3,300 mAh battery with QuickCharge 3.0 support. The handset will be available in two exciting colours - Aurora Black and Cloud Silver. On the storage front, the handset comes with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage which is also expandable to 2TB with the help of a micro-SD card. The smartphone also features Google Assistant, voice and face recognition and a fingerprint sensor which doubles up as the power button. The device is dust resistant and "can be immersed in up to 1.5 meters of water for as long as 30 minutes without impacting the function," noted the media release. The V30+ also offers wireless charging. With respect to the 'second screen' feature, unlike its predecessors, the LG V30+ comes with a modified version. The AOD replaces the Second Screen when the display is off. It provides shortcuts to Quick Tools and Music Player without letting a user switch on the display. LG V30+ is priced at Rs 44,990 and is set to compete with other flagship competitors in the market like Google Pixel 2, Samsung Galaxy S8 and OnePlus 5T.

LG V30+ launches in India at Rs 44,990, comes with modified secondary display

The nature and ethics of &ldquo;fake news&rdquo; have become a subject of widespread concern. But, for many of us, the issue is much more personal: What are we to do when a cranky uncle or an otherwise pleasant old friend persists in populating our news feeds with a stream of posts that can run deeply contrary to our own values?

One option is to unfriend people who share material that conflicts with our values. But a siloed environment where people self-select into echo chambers could also be worrisome. As a researcher working on the ethics of social technologies, I start with what might seem like an unlikely source: Aristotle.

Classical Greece may bear little resemblance to today&rsquo;s world of smartphones and social media. But Aristotle was no stranger to the struggle to build and maintain social connections in a contentious political climate.

Value of friendship

The first issue is what should real friendships look like. Aristotle argues that a

&ldquo;perfect friendship is the friendship of men who are good, and alike in virtue.&quot;

On the face of it, it would appear then that friendships are essentially about similarities, arising where like-minded people group together. This could be a problem if you thought that a good friendship involved respecting difference. It would also be a reason for people to unfriend those who disagreed with us politically.

But Aristotle doesn&rsquo;t say friends should be &quot;alike.&rdquo; What he says is that best friend can be different and yet share good lives together so long as each is virtuous in his or her own way. In other words, the only similarity necessary is that they both be virtuous.

By &ldquo;virtuous,&rdquo; he means the features of excellent people, those character traits like courage and kindness that help individuals be good to others, their own selves and live good lives. Such traits help people flourish as rational, social animals.

Appreciating Differences

Again, if you thought that these characteristics looked the same for every individual, you might worry that this still means that friends should be very similar. But that is not what he says about the nature of virtue.

A virtuous character trait, he says, consists of having the right amount of common human disposition &ndash; not too much and not too little. Courage, for example, is the middle ground between an excess and a deficit of fear. Too much fear would keep people from defending what they valued, while too little would make them vulnerable to unnecessary injury.

But what counts as the middle ground is relative to the individual, not an absolute.

Consider how what counts as the right amount of food is different for an accomplished athlete than a novice. Likewise for courage and other virtues. What counts as the right amount of fear depends on what needs defending, and what resources are available for defense.

So courage can look very different for different people, in different contexts. In other words, each individual could have his or her own moral style. This seems to leave room for appreciating friends&rsquo; differences on social media. It should also give individuals reason to be cautious in exercising the &ldquo;unfriend&rdquo; option.

Living together

For Aristotle, shared lives are key to explaining both why friendship matters to us and why good character matters to friendship. Friends, he says,

&hellip; do and share in those things which give them the sense of living together. Thus the friendship of bad men turns out an evil thing (for because of their instability they unite in bad pursuits, and besides they become evil by becoming like each other), while the friendship of good men is good, being augmented by their companionship&hellip; 
For Aristotle, virtues are by definition those traits that help you to flourish as a rational, social animal. Being your best self-helps you to live a good life.

The opposite, he says, is true of vices. What he means by a vice is the wrong amount of a characteristic: For example, too much fear or too little concern for others. Vices can make people&rsquo;s lives worse overall, even if more enjoyable in the short term. The coward cannot stand up for what she values and so harms herself and not just those she ought to protect. The selfish person makes himself incapable of close friendship and deprives himself of an important human good.

The difference isn&rsquo;t bad, and can even enrich our lives. But having vicious people as friends make us worse off, both because we care about them and want them to live well and because of their influence on us.

How can we use Facebook wisely and well?

What I take from this is that we ought not to think that friends&rsquo; differences, political or otherwise, pose a problem for friendship. But at the same time, character matters. Repeated interactions, even on social media, can shape our character over time.

So, in considering the question, should you disconnect from that Facebook &ldquo;friend,&rdquo; the short but unsatisfying answer is, &ldquo;It depends.&rdquo;

Facebook connects people, but it imposes both physical and psychological distance. One could argue that this makes it easier both to share our thoughts (even those that many wouldn&rsquo;t air in person) and to disconnect from others, even when social pressures might make it harder to do so when face to face.

Figuring out when to exercise these different abilities could require individuals to exercise the virtues. But as I have explained, they do not give anyone a uniform guide to action. What counts as a virtue depends on the details of the circumstance.

Landmarks for navigating

Several factors look relevant. Social media makes people happier when they use it to interact rather than passively observe. Diverse connections and conversations can enrich people&rsquo;s lives. On Facebook, we have an opportunity to experience &ldquo;ideologically diverse news and opinions.&rdquo;

Sure, sometimes unfriending an obnoxious co-worker or relative helps keep the peace&hellip; but this can be cowardly. And sometimes arguing with someone online just reinforces our own belligerence, making us worse in the long run. What we want to do is have good conversations that strengthen good connections.

But here, too, we need to remain sensitive to details of context. Some conversations are better had at a distance and others face to face.

In the end, some reasons to connect or disconnect are rooted in concerns about our own character, and some revolve around others&rsquo; characters. We have reason to foster a courageous and compassionate willingness to consider others&rsquo; worldviews and to be mindful of our own tendency to vilify posts (and people) because we disagree with them. But we also want our friends to be good people.

What we need to remember is that the devil is in the details. I think the reason we grapple with this issue is that it resists easy or uniform answers. But using the tools Aristotle provided to reflect on where we want to end up, we can find ways to connect that make us better off, both singly and together.

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/when-should-you-unfriend-someone-on-facebook-85363" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Facebook connects people, but it imposes both physical and psychological distance. One could argue that this makes it easier both to share our thoughts and to disconnect from others

The nature and ethics of “fake news” have become a subject of widespread concern. But, for many of us, the issue is much more personal: What are we to do when a cranky uncle or an otherwise pleasant old friend persists in populating our news feeds with a stream of posts that can run deeply contrary to our own values? One option is to unfriend people who share material that conflicts with our values. But a siloed environment where people self-select into echo chambers could also be worrisome. As a researcher working on the ethics of social technologies, I start with what might seem like an unlikely source: Aristotle. Classical Greece may bear little resemblance to today’s world of smartphones and social media. But Aristotle was no stranger to the struggle to build and maintain social connections in a contentious political climate. Value of friendship The first issue is what should real friendships look like. Aristotle argues that a “perfect friendship is the friendship of men who are good, and alike in virtue." On the face of it, it would appear then that friendships are essentially about similarities, arising where like-minded people group together. This could be a problem if you thought that a good friendship involved respecting difference. It would also be a reason for people to unfriend those who disagreed with us politically. But Aristotle doesn’t say friends should be "alike.” What he says is that best friend can be different and yet share good lives together so long as each is virtuous in his or her own way. In other words, the only similarity necessary is that they both be virtuous. By “virtuous,” he means the features of excellent people, those character traits like courage and kindness that help individuals be good to others, their own selves and live good lives. Such traits help people flourish as rational, social animals. Appreciating Differences Again, if you thought that these characteristics looked the same for every individual, you might worry that this still means that friends should be very similar. But that is not what he says about the nature of virtue. A virtuous character trait, he says, consists of having the right amount of common human disposition – not too much and not too little. Courage, for example, is the middle ground between an excess and a deficit of fear. Too much fear would keep people from defending what they valued, while too little would make them vulnerable to unnecessary injury. But what counts as the middle ground is relative to the individual, not an absolute. Consider how what counts as the right amount of food is different for an accomplished athlete than a novice. Likewise for courage and other virtues. What counts as the right amount of fear depends on what needs defending, and what resources are available for defense. So courage can look very different for different people, in different contexts. In other words, each individual could have his or her own moral style. This seems to leave room for appreciating friends’ differences on social media. It should also give individuals reason to be cautious in exercising the “unfriend” option. Living together For Aristotle, shared lives are key to explaining both why friendship matters to us and why good character matters to friendship. Friends, he says, … do and share in those things which give them the sense of living together. Thus the friendship of bad men turns out an evil thing (for because of their instability they unite in bad pursuits, and besides they become evil by becoming like each other), while the friendship of good men is good, being augmented by their companionship… For Aristotle, virtues are by definition those traits that help you to flourish as a rational, social animal. Being your best self-helps you to live a good life. The opposite, he says, is true of vices. What he means by a vice is the wrong amount of a characteristic: For example, too much fear or too little concern for others. Vices can make people’s lives worse overall, even if more enjoyable in the short term. The coward cannot stand up for what she values and so harms herself and not just those she ought to protect. The selfish person makes himself incapable of close friendship and deprives himself of an important human good. The difference isn’t bad, and can even enrich our lives. But having vicious people as friends make us worse off, both because we care about them and want them to live well and because of their influence on us. How can we use Facebook wisely and well? What I take from this is that we ought not to think that friends’ differences, political or otherwise, pose a problem for friendship. But at the same time, character matters. Repeated interactions, even on social media, can shape our character over time. So, in considering the question, should you disconnect from that Facebook “friend,” the short but unsatisfying answer is, “It depends.” Facebook connects people, but it imposes both physical and psychological distance. One could argue that this makes it easier both to share our thoughts (even those that many wouldn’t air in person) and to disconnect from others, even when social pressures might make it harder to do so when face to face. Figuring out when to exercise these different abilities could require individuals to exercise the virtues. But as I have explained, they do not give anyone a uniform guide to action. What counts as a virtue depends on the details of the circumstance. Landmarks for navigating Several factors look relevant. Social media makes people happier when they use it to interact rather than passively observe. Diverse connections and conversations can enrich people’s lives. On Facebook, we have an opportunity to experience “ideologically diverse news and opinions.” Sure, sometimes unfriending an obnoxious co-worker or relative helps keep the peace… but this can be cowardly. And sometimes arguing with someone online just reinforces our own belligerence, making us worse in the long run. What we want to do is have good conversations that strengthen good connections. But here, too, we need to remain sensitive to details of context. Some conversations are better had at a distance and others face to face. In the end, some reasons to connect or disconnect are rooted in concerns about our own character, and some revolve around others’ characters. We have reason to foster a courageous and compassionate willingness to consider others’ worldviews and to be mindful of our own tendency to vilify posts (and people) because we disagree with them. But we also want our friends to be good people. What we need to remember is that the devil is in the details. I think the reason we grapple with this issue is that it resists easy or uniform answers. But using the tools Aristotle provided to reflect on where we want to end up, we can find ways to connect that make us better off, both singly and together. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: When should you unfriend someone on Facebook?

Fans and loyalists of the Star Wars series have another reason to rejoice! The upcoming release of the latest in the franchise, Star Wars: The Last Jedi will also coincide with the release of the exclusive <a href="http://www.wionews.com/topic/oneplus" target="_blank">OnePlus</a> 5T Star Wars Limited Edition phone in India.&nbsp;

OnePlus&#39;s flagship handset OnePlus 5T was previously launched only in black colour after which it was also released in attractive &#39;Lava Red&#39; for Chinese users last week. The launch of Star Wars Limited Edition handsets is another move for the company to spur sales of its flagship device of the year. The handset will sport an all-white back and black exteriors on the front. A fingerprint sensor is located at the back, right above the standard OnePlus logo.&nbsp;

OnePlus 5T launched in India a month back with specifications like 6.01-inch full optic AMOLED display with full-HD+ (1080 x 2160) resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. The Star Wars Edition will retain all specifications similar to the standard version, it will runs on 2.5GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC and shall come in two variants -- 6GB RAM/64GB of internal storage and 8GB RAM/128GB storage. The handset also boasts of a rear-facing fingerprint scanner and a pre-installed Face Unlock feature.

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It is not known if the Limited Edition smartphone will be exclusive to India. There is no word on the pricing of the feature phone as well. Amazon India has been chosen by the Chinese smartphone making giant make the Star Wars handset available in the country, besides this, the phone will also be available on oneplustsore.in and select experience stores.&nbsp;

The official website states that the phone will be launched at 7 pm on December 14 at Carnival Cinemas Wadala - Mumbai. Ticket sale for the official launch event will start on the official website on December 7th, 10 am. Customers attending the event will get free popcorn and soft drinks on the house; an official Star Wars T-shirt (worth Rs.999) and a OnePlus Star Wars Laptop bag (worth Rs.1999) at the launch venue.

OnePlus 5T was launched in India along with its international release on November 16.

The phone will be launched at 7 pm on December 14

Fans and loyalists of the Star Wars series have another reason to rejoice! The upcoming release of the latest in the franchise, Star Wars: The Last Jedi will also coincide with the release of the exclusive OnePlus 5T Star Wars Limited Edition phone in India. OnePlus's flagship handset OnePlus 5T was previously launched only in black colour after which it was also released in attractive 'Lava Red' for Chinese users last week. The launch of Star Wars Limited Edition handsets is another move for the company to spur sales of its flagship device of the year. The handset will sport an all-white back and black exteriors on the front. A fingerprint sensor is located at the back, right above the standard OnePlus logo. OnePlus 5T launched in India a month back with specifications like 6.01-inch full optic AMOLED display with full-HD+ (1080 x 2160) resolution and 18:9 aspect ratio. The Star Wars Edition will retain all specifications similar to the standard version, it will runs on 2.5GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC and shall come in two variants -- 6GB RAM/64GB of internal storage and 8GB RAM/128GB storage. The handset also boasts of a rear-facing fingerprint scanner and a pre-installed Face Unlock feature. It is not known if the Limited Edition smartphone will be exclusive to India. There is no word on the pricing of the feature phone as well. Amazon India has been chosen by the Chinese smartphone making giant make the Star Wars handset available in the country, besides this, the phone will also be available on oneplustsore.in and select experience stores. The official website states that the phone will be launched at 7 pm on December 14 at Carnival Cinemas Wadala - Mumbai. Ticket sale for the official launch event will start on the official website on December 7th, 10 am. Customers attending the event will get free popcorn and soft drinks on the house; an official Star Wars T-shirt (worth Rs.999) and a OnePlus Star Wars Laptop bag (worth Rs.1999) at the launch venue. OnePlus 5T was launched in India along with its international release on November 16.

Ready for the Limited Edition OnePlus 5T Star Wars device? Amazon to make it available in India

Huawei&#39;s much-anticipated device Honor 7X will be made available in India through an all-exclusive Amazon sale that will start at 12 pm on December 7. The Chinese smartphone making giant will announce the release of Honor 7X in the country on December 5 at an Honor event in London. The event will also mark the global release of Huawei&#39;s flagship device, <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/huawei-launches-honor-v10-in-china-global-release-to-happen-in-london-on-december-5-25487" target="_blank">Honor V10</a>, which was released in China this Tuesday.&nbsp;

Honor 7X succeeds the popular Honor 6X and is expected to run on Huawei&#39;s exclusive Kirin 659 processor. The device will be available with 4GB RAM and 32GB/128GB internal storage which will also be expandable with the help of a memory card. Honor 7X will boasts&nbsp;of a 3,340 mAh battery and will run on Android 7.0 Nougat.&nbsp;

Some other noticeable features of the device would include an edge-to-edge 5.9-inch FullHD+ display with 18:9 aspect ratio and a dual rear camera - a 16MP primary along with a 2MP secondary. The device will come with a single 8MP sensor on the front.

Honor 7X was recently launched in China at competitive prices ranging between CNY 1,299 (Rs 12,900) and CNY 1,999 (around Rs 19,800) depending on the variant.&nbsp;

Amazon India&nbsp;had already started with the registration process for the device earlier this month. Customers can stand a chance to win exciting prizes, including paid trips, headphones, power banks, smartphones, on pre-registering. Over 1,000 prizes will be given out to the winners who will be announced on January 8.

Huawei's much-anticipated device Honor 7X will be made available in India through an all-exclusive Amazon sale

Huawei's much-anticipated device Honor 7X will be made available in India through an all-exclusive Amazon sale that will start at 12 pm on December 7. The Chinese smartphone making giant will announce the release of Honor 7X in the country on December 5 at an Honor event in London. The event will also mark the global release of Huawei's flagship device, Honor V10, which was released in China this Tuesday. Honor 7X succeeds the popular Honor 6X and is expected to run on Huawei's exclusive Kirin 659 processor. The device will be available with 4GB RAM and 32GB/128GB internal storage which will also be expandable with the help of a memory card. Honor 7X will boasts of a 3,340 mAh battery and will run on Android 7.0 Nougat. Some other noticeable features of the device would include an edge-to-edge 5.9-inch FullHD+ display with 18:9 aspect ratio and a dual rear camera - a 16MP primary along with a 2MP secondary. The device will come with a single 8MP sensor on the front. Honor 7X was recently launched in China at competitive prices ranging between CNY 1,299 (Rs 12,900) and CNY 1,999 (around Rs 19,800) depending on the variant. Amazon India had already started with the registration process for the device earlier this month. Customers can stand a chance to win exciting prizes, including paid trips, headphones, power banks, smartphones, on pre-registering. Over 1,000 prizes will be given out to the winners who will be announced on January 8.

Huawei's Honor 7X will be on sale via Amazon India on December 7

As self-driving cars come closer to being common on American roads, much of the rhetoric promoting them has to do with safety. About 40,000 people die on U.S. roads every year, and driver errors are linked to more than 90 per cent of crashes. But many of the biggest advocates of autonomous vehicles aren&rsquo;t car companies looking to improve the safety of their existing products. Huge backing for self-driving technologies is coming from Silicon Valley giants like Google and Apple.

Those of us who have studied the relationship between technology and society tend to look more carefully at the motivations behind any technological push. In this case, it&rsquo;s clear that in addition to addressing safety concerns, Silicon Valley firms have a strong incentive to create a new venue for increasing the use of their digital devices. Every minute people spend on their mobile phones provides data &ndash; and often money &ndash; to tech companies.

At present, digital devices and driving are in conflict: There are serious, often fatal, consequences when drivers use smartphones to talk or to text. Regulators and safety advocates look to resolve that conflict by banning phone use while driving &ndash; as has happened in virtually every state. But the tech companies are taking a different approach. The obvious answer for Silicon Valley is creating an automobile in which continuous cellphone use no longer poses a threat to anyone.

Not a new idea

The idea of a car so capable a driver is not needed isn&rsquo;t new. As far back as the 1950s, the Saturday Evening Post ran an illustration imagining a family playing a board game (in a convertible!) as the car conducts itself down the road. When self-driving cars actually take to the streets in large numbers, today&rsquo;s families likely won&rsquo;t be playing Scrabble &ndash; though Words With Friends and other mobile games are a near certainty. Every passenger is likely to be using a mobile device.

In recent years, the amount of time adults spend on their mobile devices (beyond actual phone calls) has grown rapidly. At the moment, it&rsquo;s around four hours a day for the average adult in the U.S. However, that rapid growth is likely to slow down as people run out of time that&rsquo;s available for them to use their devices.

Unless, of course, there&rsquo;s a new block of time that suddenly opens up. The average American now spends about 48 minutes in a car every day, a sizable opportunity for increased cellphone use.

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Chris Urmson, former director of Google&rsquo;s self-driving car project, made this interest clear in a 2016 talk, saying that autonomous vehicles offer the &ldquo;exciting&rdquo; possibility of creating &ldquo;another room for you&rdquo; where, among other activities, you can watch videos. The investment analysts at Morgan Stanley have talked about autonomous cars becoming a &ldquo;fourth screen&rdquo; in Americans&rsquo; lives (in addition to the home TV, personal computer and mobile phones or tablets).

Perhaps the most explicit declaration of this interest came from Jia Yueting, co-founder of the budding Chinese automaker LeEco, when he said, &ldquo;We see the car in the future as an extension of the internet, another entry point for us to sell web-based content and services.&rdquo;

So as the public conversation around autonomous cars highlights the safety advantages, don&rsquo;t forget the tech industry&rsquo;s powerful desire for more profits, which goes well beyond simply saving us from ourselves.

This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" rel="nofollow" target="blank">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-silicon-valley-wants-you-to-text-and-drive-87972" rel="nofollow" target="blank">original article</a>.

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Image Credit:&nbsp;Shutterstock

Why do tech companies care so much about self-driving cars? If drivers no longer need to pay attention to the road, they can use their mobile devices even more

As self-driving cars come closer to being common on American roads, much of the rhetoric promoting them has to do with safety. About 40,000 people die on U.S. roads every year, and driver errors are linked to more than 90 per cent of crashes. But many of the biggest advocates of autonomous vehicles aren’t car companies looking to improve the safety of their existing products. Huge backing for self-driving technologies is coming from Silicon Valley giants like Google and Apple. Those of us who have studied the relationship between technology and society tend to look more carefully at the motivations behind any technological push. In this case, it’s clear that in addition to addressing safety concerns, Silicon Valley firms have a strong incentive to create a new venue for increasing the use of their digital devices. Every minute people spend on their mobile phones provides data – and often money – to tech companies. At present, digital devices and driving are in conflict: There are serious, often fatal, consequences when drivers use smartphones to talk or to text. Regulators and safety advocates look to resolve that conflict by banning phone use while driving – as has happened in virtually every state. But the tech companies are taking a different approach. The obvious answer for Silicon Valley is creating an automobile in which continuous cellphone use no longer poses a threat to anyone. Not a new idea The idea of a car so capable a driver is not needed isn’t new. As far back as the 1950s, the Saturday Evening Post ran an illustration imagining a family playing a board game (in a convertible!) as the car conducts itself down the road. When self-driving cars actually take to the streets in large numbers, today’s families likely won’t be playing Scrabble – though Words With Friends and other mobile games are a near certainty. Every passenger is likely to be using a mobile device. In recent years, the amount of time adults spend on their mobile devices (beyond actual phone calls) has grown rapidly. At the moment, it’s around four hours a day for the average adult in the U.S. However, that rapid growth is likely to slow down as people run out of time that’s available for them to use their devices. Unless, of course, there’s a new block of time that suddenly opens up. The average American now spends about 48 minutes in a car every day, a sizable opportunity for increased cellphone use. × Chris Urmson, former director of Google’s self-driving car project, made this interest clear in a 2016 talk, saying that autonomous vehicles offer the “exciting” possibility of creating “another room for you” where, among other activities, you can watch videos. The investment analysts at Morgan Stanley have talked about autonomous cars becoming a “fourth screen” in Americans’ lives (in addition to the home TV, personal computer and mobile phones or tablets). Perhaps the most explicit declaration of this interest came from Jia Yueting, co-founder of the budding Chinese automaker LeEco, when he said, “We see the car in the future as an extension of the internet, another entry point for us to sell web-based content and services.” So as the public conversation around autonomous cars highlights the safety advantages, don’t forget the tech industry’s powerful desire for more profits, which goes well beyond simply saving us from ourselves. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity). Image Credit: Shutterstock

Opinion: Why Google & Apple want you to text and drive

Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus announced the sale of its recently launched second flagship device of the year, &#39;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/business-economy/oneplus-5t-oneplus-to-launch-new-model-under-its-flagship-23915" target="_blank">OnePlus 5T</a>&#39;. &quot;We are happy to announce that OnePlus 5T will go live for open sale, starting November 28, across all channels which include Amazon.in and oneplusstore.in,&quot; Vikas Agarwal, General Manager, OnePlus India was quoted by PTI.&nbsp;

The flagship device was launched in India along with its international release on November 16 and has garnered huge interest among smartphone enthusiasts and OnePlus loyalists all across. &quot;The OnePlus 5T is our way of giving our community the latest and greatest technology, in form of a premium flagship smartphone. Chandigarh is one of the key markets for OnePlus in India,&quot; Mr. Agarwal noted.&nbsp;

OnePlus 5T is available at the starting price of Rs 32,999 and boasts of a full optic AMOLED display. It also comes with a powerful dual camera optimized for low light performance. The hansdset comes with one of the fastest facial recognition technologies available in the market. While the 6GB variant comes at a competetitive price of Rs 32,999 and 64GB internal storage, the 8GB version is available at Rs 37,999 promising a whopping 128GB internal strorage. OnePlus 5T supports dual-SIM cards and runs on Android 7.1.1 Nougat. There is also a fingerprint scanner located at the back panel of the device.&nbsp;

As mentioned earlier, the flagship smartphone is available in India via Amazon and the OnePlus online store with similar offers for the customers. If you plan to make the most of the online offer, here are key points to keep in mind:

- The handset will be available in &#39;Midnight Black&#39; colour 
- HDFC Bank credit and debit card holders can enjoy a cashback of Rs. 1500 
- 1,000GB 4G mobile data offer to Idea users for 18 months 
- 1-year free membership to Zomato Gold customers 
- A complimentary 12-month accidental damage insurance plan by Servify&nbsp; 
- Rs. 500 credit on the Kindle store&nbsp; 
- Rs. 300 Amazon Pay balance cashback to new Amazon Prime customers;&nbsp;Rs. 250 Amazon Pay balance on video streaming via the Prime Video app.

OnePlus 5T first went on an sale exclusively for Amazon Prime members on November 21 which was followed by sales open to all.&nbsp;

The flagship device was launched in India along with its international release on November 16

Chinese smartphone maker OnePlus announced the sale of its recently launched second flagship device of the year, 'OnePlus 5T'. "We are happy to announce that OnePlus 5T will go live for open sale, starting November 28, across all channels which include Amazon.in and oneplusstore.in," Vikas Agarwal, General Manager, OnePlus India was quoted by PTI. The flagship device was launched in India along with its international release on November 16 and has garnered huge interest among smartphone enthusiasts and OnePlus loyalists all across. "The OnePlus 5T is our way of giving our community the latest and greatest technology, in form of a premium flagship smartphone. Chandigarh is one of the key markets for OnePlus in India," Mr. Agarwal noted. OnePlus 5T is available at the starting price of Rs 32,999 and boasts of a full optic AMOLED display. It also comes with a powerful dual camera optimized for low light performance. The hansdset comes with one of the fastest facial recognition technologies available in the market. While the 6GB variant comes at a competetitive price of Rs 32,999 and 64GB internal storage, the 8GB version is available at Rs 37,999 promising a whopping 128GB internal strorage. OnePlus 5T supports dual-SIM cards and runs on Android 7.1.1 Nougat. There is also a fingerprint scanner located at the back panel of the device. As mentioned earlier, the flagship smartphone is available in India via Amazon and the OnePlus online store with similar offers for the customers. If you plan to make the most of the online offer, here are key points to keep in mind: - The handset will be available in 'Midnight Black' colour - HDFC Bank credit and debit card holders can enjoy a cashback of Rs. 1500 - 1,000GB 4G mobile data offer to Idea users for 18 months - 1-year free membership to Zomato Gold customers - A complimentary 12-month accidental damage insurance plan by Servify - Rs. 500 credit on the Kindle store - Rs. 300 Amazon Pay balance cashback to new Amazon Prime customers; Rs. 250 Amazon Pay balance on video streaming via the Prime Video app. OnePlus 5T first went on an sale exclusively for Amazon Prime members on November 21 which was followed by sales open to all.

OnePlus 5T sale begins in India, available via Amazon and OnePlus online store

HMD Global, the Finnish start-up looking to reinvigorate the Nokia phone brand, unveiled the Nokia 8 on Wednesday, hoping to cash in on rising consumer demand for high-quality audio and video features.

The Android device, due out in September, will potentially beat rivals on price but will still face fierce competition, with Apple&#39;s highly anticipated 10th anniversary iPhone also expected next month and Samsung&#39;s&nbsp;Galaxy Note 8 set to hit the market next week.

With a suggested price tag of around 599 euros ($703), the Nokia 8 undercuts Apple, which typically offers a stripped down version of its latest phones for a similar price but charges hundreds of euros more for memory and key features.

The new top-of-the-line Nokia sports a dual-sight video feature which enables simultaneous live-streaming on social media networks from both front and rear cameras on a split screen. It has licensed lens technology from camera maker Zeiss.

It is the most high-end phone so far from HMD, which was set up late last year and made a splash in May when it revived Nokia&#39;s classic 3310 feature handset in new brightly coloured versions.

Other features of the Nokia 8, which will also compete with Huawei&#39;s recently launched&nbsp;P10, include surround-sound audio technology made for Nokia&#39;s own virtual reality camera OZO for Hollywood professionals.

&quot;This is especially meant for millennial creators, people who want to share what&#39;s happening every day,&quot; HMD&#39;s chief marketing officer Pekka Rantala said.

HMD products are built by a unit of Foxconn, which acquired the manufacturing and distribution assets of the former Nokia phone business from Microsoft&nbsp;last year.

Once the world&#39;s dominant phonemaker, Nokia Oyj sold its handset operations to Microsoft&nbsp;in 2014, leaving it to focus on telecoms network equipment.

HMD is owned by Smart Connect LP, a private equity fund managed by Jean-Francois Baril, a long-serving former senior vice president of Nokia. It took over the Nokia feature phones business in December and has a licensing deal giving it sole use of the Nokia brand on all phones and tablets.

It has so far launched four smartphones and five feature phones, including the 3310.

Rantala said he was happy with initial sales of the previous smartphones, but declined to disclose any sales figures yet.

HMD will pay Nokia royalties for the brand and patents.

Last month, HMD announced that its CEO Arto Nummela, a former Nokia executive, was leaving the company for personal reasons, without elaborating.

With a suggested price tag of around 599 euros ($703), the Nokia 8 undercuts Apple, which typically offers a stripped down version of its latest phones for a similar price but charges hundreds of euros more for memory and key features

HMD Global, the Finnish start-up looking to reinvigorate the Nokia phone brand, unveiled the Nokia 8 on Wednesday, hoping to cash in on rising consumer demand for high-quality audio and video features. The Android device, due out in September, will potentially beat rivals on price but will still face fierce competition, with Apple's highly anticipated 10th anniversary iPhone also expected next month and Samsung's Galaxy Note 8 set to hit the market next week. With a suggested price tag of around 599 euros ($703), the Nokia 8 undercuts Apple, which typically offers a stripped down version of its latest phones for a similar price but charges hundreds of euros more for memory and key features. The new top-of-the-line Nokia sports a dual-sight video feature which enables simultaneous live-streaming on social media networks from both front and rear cameras on a split screen. It has licensed lens technology from camera maker Zeiss. It is the most high-end phone so far from HMD, which was set up late last year and made a splash in May when it revived Nokia's classic 3310 feature handset in new brightly coloured versions. Other features of the Nokia 8, which will also compete with Huawei's recently launched P10, include surround-sound audio technology made for Nokia's own virtual reality camera OZO for Hollywood professionals. "This is especially meant for millennial creators, people who want to share what's happening every day," HMD's chief marketing officer Pekka Rantala said. HMD products are built by a unit of Foxconn, which acquired the manufacturing and distribution assets of the former Nokia phone business from Microsoft last year. Once the world's dominant phonemaker, Nokia Oyj sold its handset operations to Microsoft in 2014, leaving it to focus on telecoms network equipment. HMD is owned by Smart Connect LP, a private equity fund managed by Jean-Francois Baril, a long-serving former senior vice president of Nokia. It took over the Nokia feature phones business in December and has a licensing deal giving it sole use of the Nokia brand on all phones and tablets. It has so far launched four smartphones and five feature phones, including the 3310. Rantala said he was happy with initial sales of the previous smartphones, but declined to disclose any sales figures yet. HMD will pay Nokia royalties for the brand and patents. Last month, HMD announced that its CEO Arto Nummela, a former Nokia executive, was leaving the company for personal reasons, without elaborating.

New Nokia 8 phone targets surging demand for video-streaming

It&rsquo;s not everyday the smartphone world offers you value-for-money flagship offerings. But when it happens, it becomes really difficult for a lot of consumers to make a choice. The launch of the OnePlus 5 and the Honor 8 Pro has led to one such situation, and it is leaving prospective buyers wondering which one to go for. But we suggest you to not worry as we are here to make that buying decision easier for you.

Read on to know which one is more worth your hard-earned money.

Design &amp; Display

Let&rsquo;s begin with what catches the attention first. From the looks alone, both the phones look pretty nice. They feature nice design, metallic finish, and a slim profile. While the OnePlus 5 in black carries a classic look, the Honor 8 in this shade of blue has a royal appeal. No wonder, both the phones tick the beauty box, but when it comes to the form factor, it&rsquo;s the OnePlus 5 that has a slight edge over the Honor 8 Pro. The OnePlus 5 feels light in hand and offers easy handling.

While many of you might be okay with the build of the Honor 8 Pro, the fact is that it is slightly bulkier and heavier than the OnePlus 5. We wish it carried a compact body.

Well, looks and form factor are all fine, after all, it&rsquo;s mostly cosmetic, but which one of the two has a more pleasing screen to the eyes? Both the 5.5-inch 1080p display on the OnePlus 5 and the 5.7-inch 2k display on the Honor 8 Pro produce great colours and offer excellent viewing angles. But the OnePlus 5 scores a little more, when it comes to the contrast ratio. Put it against the Honor 8 Pro, and you would find the whites are whiter and the blacks are blacker on the OnePlus 5.

All in all, the OnePlus 5 gets a little better of the Honor 8 Pro when it comes to the aesthetics and display appeal. And not to forget, the OnePlus 5 might remind you of the iPhone 7 plus, but take a closer look and you would realise that it is actually not a blatant rip-off.

Camera

As we always say, camera is an integral part of the smartphone. And therefore, we can&rsquo;t leave this department without checking every room it houses.

We tested their cameras, clicked in daylight, snapped in indoors and tested them in different lighting conditions, to ascertain which of the two cameras has an edge over the other. But before we begin, we must tell you that a dual-camera setup is slowly becoming a mainstream feature on flagship devices. And in line with the trend, both the Honor 8 Pro and the OnePlus 5 come with dual lenses at the back. While in the OnePlus 5, the primary camera has a 16 megapixel sensor and the secondary 20 megapixel, the Honor 8 includes two 12 megapixel sensors. Both the phones have a dual-camera setup, but how they work is pretty different.

Without leaving you stranded in the world of technicalities, we would like to take you straight to which has a better camera and why.

Both the rear cameras generate sharp details, capture good amount of light and produce bright images, but on comparing the results of two cameras, you realise that the OnePlus 5 reproduces more vivid colours than the Honor 8 Pro. But when it comes to low-light environments, the Honor 8 Pro handles it a bit better. And you must know that the focus on both the phones sets really fast.

And how can we miss the selfie camera. After all, self love is the best love, no? (Don&rsquo;t mistake it for narcissism, please).

While front cameras on both the phones capture fair enough photos, even in room-light conditions, but it&rsquo;s the OnePlus 5 that is slightly more sensitive to light than the Honor 8 Pro. But at the same time, the Honor 8&rsquo;s front camera gets one better of the OnePlus 5 by clicking relatively sharper images. And taking about their other capabilities, both the cameras are almost at par and offer a host of customisations options to make the most of the smartphone camera.

But the disappointment here is that the camera in both the Honor 8 Pro and the OnePlus 5 lack the much-needed optical image stabilisation.

The bottomline is that it&rsquo;s a neck-and-neck fight between the two cameras. But considering everything right from detailing to light sensitivity to colour reproduction, the Honor 8 Pro wins the camera battle by a few points.

Performance

In the end, everything just comes down to speed and power. So, now the question that pops up is which one of the two scores more on the performance front?

No wonder both the phones are packed with powerful features. If the Oneplus 5 has top-of-the-line Snapdragon 835 processor with an option of 6GB and 8GB RAM, the Honor 8 Pro comes with the cutting-edge Kirin 960 chipset paired with 6GB of RAM. But again, numbers can only be an indicator - and not a true reflector.

But having used both the phones, we can say that we didn&rsquo;t have to struggle with any of them. Our experience with both the phones was pretty smooth. Whether it was multitasking, watching high-definition videos or killing time by playing heavy games, it was a great experience. And another good part is that even after hours of usage, none of the phone actually heats up abnormally.

While both the phones are based on Android nougat, it&rsquo;s the OnePlus 5 that offers a much neater interface. I think Honor should just pay a little more heed to that.

Also, the speaker on the OnePlus 5 blares noticeably loud audio results than the Honor 8 Pro. And it&rsquo;s just not the loudness, the quality of the audio is also better on the OnePlus 5 when you pit it against the Honor 8 Pro.

While the battery in the Honor 8 Pro is bigger than that in the OnePlus 5, both the phones lasted for almost the same amount of time. Like with moderate usage, they easily survived for a day on a single charge. And the fast charging on the OnePlus 5 actually gives around 75 per cent of juice in just half-an-hour.

Verdict

And here comes the final question -&nbsp; which one to buy?

The Honor 8 is a good phone. In fact, at Rs 29,999, it gives you 128GB of storage with 6GB of RAM. The OnePlus 5, on the other hand, offers 64GB of onboard memory with the same amount of RAM at Rs 32,999.&nbsp; The 128 GB OnePlus 5 with 8GB of RAM, however, costs Rs 37,999. No wonder, the Honor 8 Pro comes across as a better value-for-money deal, but using a phone is about having a great overall experience. And this is where the OnePlus 5 is ahead of the Honor 8 Pro as it offers a better mix of hardware and software than the Honor 8 Pro. And therefore, we would say, spend a couple of thousands more and opt for the OnePlus 5.

If you are confused between the two new value-for-money premium smartphones, we are here to help you out

It’s not everyday the smartphone world offers you value-for-money flagship offerings. But when it happens, it becomes really difficult for a lot of consumers to make a choice. The launch of the OnePlus 5 and the Honor 8 Pro has led to one such situation, and it is leaving prospective buyers wondering which one to go for. But we suggest you to not worry as we are here to make that buying decision easier for you. Read on to know which one is more worth your hard-earned money. Design & Display Let’s begin with what catches the attention first. From the looks alone, both the phones look pretty nice. They feature nice design, metallic finish, and a slim profile. While the OnePlus 5 in black carries a classic look, the Honor 8 in this shade of blue has a royal appeal. No wonder, both the phones tick the beauty box, but when it comes to the form factor, it’s the OnePlus 5 that has a slight edge over the Honor 8 Pro. The OnePlus 5 feels light in hand and offers easy handling. While many of you might be okay with the build of the Honor 8 Pro, the fact is that it is slightly bulkier and heavier than the OnePlus 5. We wish it carried a compact body. Well, looks and form factor are all fine, after all, it’s mostly cosmetic, but which one of the two has a more pleasing screen to the eyes? Both the 5.5-inch 1080p display on the OnePlus 5 and the 5.7-inch 2k display on the Honor 8 Pro produce great colours and offer excellent viewing angles. But the OnePlus 5 scores a little more, when it comes to the contrast ratio. Put it against the Honor 8 Pro, and you would find the whites are whiter and the blacks are blacker on the OnePlus 5. All in all, the OnePlus 5 gets a little better of the Honor 8 Pro when it comes to the aesthetics and display appeal. And not to forget, the OnePlus 5 might remind you of the iPhone 7 plus, but take a closer look and you would realise that it is actually not a blatant rip-off. Camera As we always say, camera is an integral part of the smartphone. And therefore, we can’t leave this department without checking every room it houses. We tested their cameras, clicked in daylight, snapped in indoors and tested them in different lighting conditions, to ascertain which of the two cameras has an edge over the other. But before we begin, we must tell you that a dual-camera setup is slowly becoming a mainstream feature on flagship devices. And in line with the trend, both the Honor 8 Pro and the OnePlus 5 come with dual lenses at the back. While in the OnePlus 5, the primary camera has a 16 megapixel sensor and the secondary 20 megapixel, the Honor 8 includes two 12 megapixel sensors. Both the phones have a dual-camera setup, but how they work is pretty different. Without leaving you stranded in the world of technicalities, we would like to take you straight to which has a better camera and why. Both the rear cameras generate sharp details, capture good amount of light and produce bright images, but on comparing the results of two cameras, you realise that the OnePlus 5 reproduces more vivid colours than the Honor 8 Pro. But when it comes to low-light environments, the Honor 8 Pro handles it a bit better. And you must know that the focus on both the phones sets really fast. And how can we miss the selfie camera. After all, self love is the best love, no? (Don’t mistake it for narcissism, please). While front cameras on both the phones capture fair enough photos, even in room-light conditions, but it’s the OnePlus 5 that is slightly more sensitive to light than the Honor 8 Pro. But at the same time, the Honor 8’s front camera gets one better of the OnePlus 5 by clicking relatively sharper images. And taking about their other capabilities, both the cameras are almost at par and offer a host of customisations options to make the most of the smartphone camera. But the disappointment here is that the camera in both the Honor 8 Pro and the OnePlus 5 lack the much-needed optical image stabilisation. The bottomline is that it’s a neck-and-neck fight between the two cameras. But considering everything right from detailing to light sensitivity to colour reproduction, the Honor 8 Pro wins the camera battle by a few points. Performance In the end, everything just comes down to speed and power. So, now the question that pops up is which one of the two scores more on the performance front? No wonder both the phones are packed with powerful features. If the Oneplus 5 has top-of-the-line Snapdragon 835 processor with an option of 6GB and 8GB RAM, the Honor 8 Pro comes with the cutting-edge Kirin 960 chipset paired with 6GB of RAM. But again, numbers can only be an indicator - and not a true reflector. But having used both the phones, we can say that we didn’t have to struggle with any of them. Our experience with both the phones was pretty smooth. Whether it was multitasking, watching high-definition videos or killing time by playing heavy games, it was a great experience. And another good part is that even after hours of usage, none of the phone actually heats up abnormally. While both the phones are based on Android nougat, it’s the OnePlus 5 that offers a much neater interface. I think Honor should just pay a little more heed to that. Also, the speaker on the OnePlus 5 blares noticeably loud audio results than the Honor 8 Pro. And it’s just not the loudness, the quality of the audio is also better on the OnePlus 5 when you pit it against the Honor 8 Pro. While the battery in the Honor 8 Pro is bigger than that in the OnePlus 5, both the phones lasted for almost the same amount of time. Like with moderate usage, they easily survived for a day on a single charge. And the fast charging on the OnePlus 5 actually gives around 75 per cent of juice in just half-an-hour. Verdict And here comes the final question - which one to buy? The Honor 8 is a good phone. In fact, at Rs 29,999, it gives you 128GB of storage with 6GB of RAM. The OnePlus 5, on the other hand, offers 64GB of onboard memory with the same amount of RAM at Rs 32,999. The 128 GB OnePlus 5 with 8GB of RAM, however, costs Rs 37,999. No wonder, the Honor 8 Pro comes across as a better value-for-money deal, but using a phone is about having a great overall experience. And this is where the OnePlus 5 is ahead of the Honor 8 Pro as it offers a better mix of hardware and software than the Honor 8 Pro. And therefore, we would say, spend a couple of thousands more and opt for the OnePlus 5.

Rs 30K battle: OnePlus 5 vs Honor 8 Pro

A school in UK has planned to restrict the access of technology to safeguard its students physical and mental health. Stroud High School in England has&nbsp;prohibited the use of Fitbit activity trackers and smartphones for its students.&nbsp;

An entire day ban will apply to 7-9 years old. The 10-11 age will be allowed to use it during the lunch time, whereas from sixth grade onwards the students&nbsp;will be restricted the access to phones&nbsp;only during the class hours.&nbsp;

Restrictions were imposed after the school referred to a research that showed results on how social media can lead to a &quot; decline in wellbeing&quot; of youngsters.

The school conducted rigorous research on the consequences of mobile phones on young people. The results showed a link between the decline in the health conditions of teenagers and the excessive use of mobile phone&nbsp;and social media.&nbsp;

Head teacher&nbsp;said that girls in the school were skipping their meals to balance their calorie consumption.&nbsp;

The school wrote a letter to parents saying that &quot;tight control&quot; over the use of mobile phones and smart technology will be introduced in September.&nbsp;

The headmaster added that the issue needs urgent recognition or else it will cause significant problems to the younger generation impacting their physical and mental health. He also acknowledged the importance of technology and said, &quot; we must be confident that it is making our lives better.&quot;

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Stroud High School will prohibit the use of Fitbit activity trackers and smartphones for its students to prevent physical and mental health problems

A school in UK has planned to restrict the access of technology to safeguard its students physical and mental health. Stroud High School in England has prohibited the use of Fitbit activity trackers and smartphones for its students. An entire day ban will apply to 7-9 years old. The 10-11 age will be allowed to use it during the lunch time, whereas from sixth grade onwards the students will be restricted the access to phones only during the class hours. Restrictions were imposed after the school referred to a research that showed results on how social media can lead to a " decline in wellbeing" of youngsters. The school conducted rigorous research on the consequences of mobile phones on young people. The results showed a link between the decline in the health conditions of teenagers and the excessive use of mobile phone and social media. Head teacher said that girls in the school were skipping their meals to balance their calorie consumption. The school wrote a letter to parents saying that "tight control" over the use of mobile phones and smart technology will be introduced in September. The headmaster added that the issue needs urgent recognition or else it will cause significant problems to the younger generation impacting their physical and mental health. He also acknowledged the importance of technology and said, " we must be confident that it is making our lives better."

UK school restricts use of Fitbit activity trackers

The smartphone industry is not innovating as aggressively as they would do in the recent past. As a result, all phones today look and offer pretty much the same - something that has been bothering consumers, tech pundits, enthusiasts and critics, alike. And therefore, to understand the change in the way the mobile industry is progressing, where it stands today and where it is actually heading, we spoke with former Motorola India head Amit Boni - who is now serving Smartron India as VP for sales and marketing. Serving the mobile industry for a long time, Amit shared with us some interesting insights on the innovation lull in the smartphone arena and what is going to be the next defining factor in the mobile world.

WION: How far do you think the smartphone market has come ever since the introduction of the first iPhone in 2007 and where does it actually stand today?

Amit: Well, if you are talking specifically in India context, I think, we are still a long way to go. If you see, the per capita smartphone penetration in India is still low. The TAM (Total Addressable Market) in India on the phones is probably upwards of 200 million units, probably a little more than that. But if you see the number of smartphones only, we are still looking at 120-125 million as the Total Addressable Market for the year.

So, fundamentally there is still a lot of people out there who are going for feature phones. And then you have a bunch of people, who are really buying not-so-great-quality smartphones in entry-level price tiers. So from purely India context, there is still a long way to go before we say everyone in India has a smartphone in hand. So the prospects out here, the transition out here, it will still unravel over the next 4-5 years.

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<h5>You can practically accuse the industry of lack of innovation. There is very limited work happening in terms of hardware innovation.</h5>
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WION: But Amit given that every phone today has something similar to offer, what do you think is holding the phone companies back from standing out - lack of innovation or market saturation or something else?

Amit: From my perspective, that is definitely not market saturation. You can practically accuse the industry of lack of innovation. There is very limited work happening in terms of hardware innovation. Most of the work that is being done is happening at the chipset level. Those guys are doing some really good work; let&rsquo;s say, Quick Charge from Qualcomm and so on and so forth.

So, there is a lot of good stuff that is coming on that side. But otherwise, from a pure hardware side, very limited work has happened over the last 5-8 years - in terms of innovation. I think, a lot of it has got to do with how the industry is structured, how a lot of people essentially look at success - not necessarily in terms of innovation, but in terms of how they do market shares.

If you see even in India, there are these articles that come out every three months saying now this is number 1, that is number 2 and that is number 3. And there is a huge hyperbolic conversation that starts happening around that, which tells you the mindset that a lot of companies come out with. They think about how do I make the numbers, how do I sell more rather than thinking how do I generate tremendous amount of intellectual property, how do I innovate and what makes me come out with some great products for end consumers.

WION: So where do you see the mobile industry going, or rather, say what do you think is going to be the next defining factor in the smartphone space?

Amit: Before I answer that, let&rsquo;s take a step back. If you see fundamentally phones, we look at them as a standalone product. So, over time, there is a good device or there is not such a good device, it&rsquo;s essentially spec-to-spec comparisons. People will say, there is more RAM, this is a bigger display, there is more internal storage. This is what people generally talk about.

As long as that stays, there is not much that is going to happen. But I think there is a growing understanding and I can tell you from Smartron perspective that when we are doing a bunch of devices, we are focusing on mobile ecosystem, because we understand that it&rsquo;s not only about putting in great hardware, what consumers are looking for is great use cases.

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<h5>The future of smartphones or, may be, a lot of other consumer electronics will be modularity.</h5>
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WION: Amit, having said that there is lack of innovation in the smartphone space, there are still companies that have been striving to make things better and coming up with new concepts, and one such is the modular concept. But how do you see this concept emerging, how far can it make as an approach or do you think if it has the potential to appeal to masses out there?

Amit: I think modularity is a phenomenally good concept. Unfortunately, I don&rsquo;t think companies so far have been able to come out with something that truly does justice to that thought process. As a concept, if somebody tells you that you don&rsquo;t have to replace your overall device but you can go, and for example, replace a camera if there is a new camera sensor coming in or you can just replace the speaker with a better speaker, it&rsquo;s interesting.

I think, at an eclectic level, there are some really interesting thoughts out there, but it also need to be seamless for end consumers. It cannot be either highly priced so much so that your modular solutions are, at times, costing as high as your device itself or that the use cases are difficult to do.

There have been various attempts by a multitude of companies. They have tried to do modularity in one form or the other. But I think there is some way to go on that. I think the future of smartphones or may be, a lot of other consumer electronics will be modularity. Are we there yet? No. I think it&rsquo;s going to be another 4-5 years down the line till you see modular use cases coming, which will be more widespread.

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<h5>I don&rsquo;t see GST changing anything with respect to manufacturing strategies. But what GST will interestingly do is it will alter the dynamics of last 3-4 years as you have seen between online and offline.</h5>
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WION: And talking about innovation, how promising do you find the concept of Augmented Reality-ready smartphones?

Amit: From a pure tech-next step, I see innovation in 2-3 different facets. I see innovation in terms of use cases. I see innovation in terms of business models. And then you see innovation purely in terms of technology additions. From a pure technology addition perspective, your Internet of Things, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) are next steps where your devices and technology will become a lot more connected.

There is a bunch of work that can happen - right from as simple thing as sports-themed cafes to actually doing a lot of education work. I think, AR and VR could play really interesting work. In next year or two, they will start becoming a lot more mainstream in a lot of ways.

But, as I said, a lot of this is dependent on your players in the market. If somebody thinks, you are not important enough as a country to get a flavour of AR and VR or IOT, then people are not going to do that. One of the problems that we have in India is that a lot of people think of market share as their primary driver. They want a run on those musical chairs.

As a result, nobody focuses on what consumers really want out there. They give them products that they believe are going to sell more without realising how you could make a user&rsquo;s life better. But I think if there are a bunch of people, who take that stance saying that this has use cases for Indian consumers, I think, you will see it becoming more mainstream over next 12-18 months.

WION: As we all know, India is one of the sought-after markets when it comes to smartphones, and a lot of companies are setting up their manufacturing units in India, but now with GST into the picture, how do you see the game is going to be like for manufacturers out there?

Amit: I don&rsquo;t see it changing anything for the manufacturing , because I am sure that the government is cognisant of the investments that have been made&nbsp; in terms of having a better manufacturing ecosystem in the country. I am pretty sure that they are going to be supportive of that. I don&rsquo;t see GST changing anything with respect to manufacturing strategies. But what GST will interestingly do is it will alter the dynamics of last 3-4 years as you have seen between online and offline. Because suddenly now there is no arbitrage in terms of VAT that existed earlier for online players. It&rsquo;s a much more better-level playing field. I think it needs to be seen how the market shifts.

WION: And Amit, there is one trend that I have been observing for a long time. A lot of companies enter the the high-end segment of the Indian mobile market at attractive prices. They keep the pricing really competitive for a couple of years and then eventually, they move to the price brackets where premium phones from top-notch players compete. I first noticed this trend with Motorola, then Google&rsquo;s Nexus lineup and now OnePlus is on the same path. What is the thought or better say, strategy behind it?

Amit: There are two things. So, a lot of players, when they enter the market, see pricing as an entry strategy. If you can increase the value for an end-consumer without spending that much money in marketing and brand building, you are probably going to have a much better price point. And those price points are interesting to consumers and they come in hoards to buy that.

In terms of really taking the price points up, I think it&rsquo;s singularly focused on pricing as a strategy. It&rsquo;s not a sustainable strategy, because supply chains globally in the phone industry give you a limited leverage - in terms of one&rsquo;s cost structure better than somebody else&rsquo;s. But I think there is not a lot of difference in those cost structures. So, if you keep on harping on those same price points, as a company, you are not going to survive.

So, companies need to make sure that they have a portfolio that spans a few product price points. May be, then they want to do a pricing play on a couple of products, which is plausible. But anyone, whose focus clearly is on pricing to begin with and then wants to move up, that doesn&rsquo;t work. But why they are forced is because sometimes, the economics come to bite back and say, a company cannot keep on doing those price points because they are not sustainable.

WION: We all know that how you played an instrumental role in Motorola India&rsquo;s business. So what is your plan for Smartron, a company which is yet to hold some grounds in the market? What is the way forward?

Amit: Smartron, essentially, is not a smartphone company. We are an Internet of Things company. We have multiple areas of interest in terms of hardware as well as software. We have multiple categories - we have phones, wearables, computing and smart homes, to name a few. We will have play on the enterprise and infrastructure side of it. so, there is a bunch of things that we are looking at doing at Smartron.

<h3>You can watch the full interview here: 
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Smartron India VP Amit Boni explains why all phones today look and offer pretty much the same - something that has been bothering consumers, tech pundits, enthusiasts and critics, alike.

The smartphone industry is not innovating as aggressively as they would do in the recent past. As a result, all phones today look and offer pretty much the same - something that has been bothering consumers, tech pundits, enthusiasts and critics, alike. And therefore, to understand the change in the way the mobile industry is progressing, where it stands today and where it is actually heading, we spoke with former Motorola India head Amit Boni - who is now serving Smartron India as VP for sales and marketing. Serving the mobile industry for a long time, Amit shared with us some interesting insights on the innovation lull in the smartphone arena and what is going to be the next defining factor in the mobile world. WION: How far do you think the smartphone market has come ever since the introduction of the first iPhone in 2007 and where does it actually stand today? Amit: Well, if you are talking specifically in India context, I think, we are still a long way to go. If you see, the per capita smartphone penetration in India is still low. The TAM (Total Addressable Market) in India on the phones is probably upwards of 200 million units, probably a little more than that. But if you see the number of smartphones only, we are still looking at 120-125 million as the Total Addressable Market for the year. So, fundamentally there is still a lot of people out there who are going for feature phones. And then you have a bunch of people, who are really buying not-so-great-quality smartphones in entry-level price tiers. So from purely India context, there is still a long way to go before we say everyone in India has a smartphone in hand. So the prospects out here, the transition out here, it will still unravel over the next 4-5 years. You can practically accuse the industry of lack of innovation. There is very limited work happening in terms of hardware innovation. × WION: But Amit given that every phone today has something similar to offer, what do you think is holding the phone companies back from standing out - lack of innovation or market saturation or something else? Amit: From my perspective, that is definitely not market saturation. You can practically accuse the industry of lack of innovation. There is very limited work happening in terms of hardware innovation. Most of the work that is being done is happening at the chipset level. Those guys are doing some really good work; let’s say, Quick Charge from Qualcomm and so on and so forth. So, there is a lot of good stuff that is coming on that side. But otherwise, from a pure hardware side, very limited work has happened over the last 5-8 years - in terms of innovation. I think, a lot of it has got to do with how the industry is structured, how a lot of people essentially look at success - not necessarily in terms of innovation, but in terms of how they do market shares. If you see even in India, there are these articles that come out every three months saying now this is number 1, that is number 2 and that is number 3. And there is a huge hyperbolic conversation that starts happening around that, which tells you the mindset that a lot of companies come out with. They think about how do I make the numbers, how do I sell more rather than thinking how do I generate tremendous amount of intellectual property, how do I innovate and what makes me come out with some great products for end consumers. WION: So where do you see the mobile industry going, or rather, say what do you think is going to be the next defining factor in the smartphone space? Amit: Before I answer that, let’s take a step back. If you see fundamentally phones, we look at them as a standalone product. So, over time, there is a good device or there is not such a good device, it’s essentially spec-to-spec comparisons. People will say, there is more RAM, this is a bigger display, there is more internal storage. This is what people generally talk about. As long as that stays, there is not much that is going to happen. But I think there is a growing understanding and I can tell you from Smartron perspective that when we are doing a bunch of devices, we are focusing on mobile ecosystem, because we understand that it’s not only about putting in great hardware, what consumers are looking for is great use cases. The future of smartphones or, may be, a lot of other consumer electronics will be modularity. × WION: Amit, having said that there is lack of innovation in the smartphone space, there are still companies that have been striving to make things better and coming up with new concepts, and one such is the modular concept. But how do you see this concept emerging, how far can it make as an approach or do you think if it has the potential to appeal to masses out there? Amit: I think modularity is a phenomenally good concept. Unfortunately, I don’t think companies so far have been able to come out with something that truly does justice to that thought process. As a concept, if somebody tells you that you don’t have to replace your overall device but you can go, and for example, replace a camera if there is a new camera sensor coming in or you can just replace the speaker with a better speaker, it’s interesting. I think, at an eclectic level, there are some really interesting thoughts out there, but it also need to be seamless for end consumers. It cannot be either highly priced so much so that your modular solutions are, at times, costing as high as your device itself or that the use cases are difficult to do. There have been various attempts by a multitude of companies. They have tried to do modularity in one form or the other. But I think there is some way to go on that. I think the future of smartphones or may be, a lot of other consumer electronics will be modularity. Are we there yet? No. I think it’s going to be another 4-5 years down the line till you see modular use cases coming, which will be more widespread. I don’t see GST changing anything with respect to manufacturing strategies. But what GST will interestingly do is it will alter the dynamics of last 3-4 years as you have seen between online and offline. × WION: And talking about innovation, how promising do you find the concept of Augmented Reality-ready smartphones? Amit: From a pure tech-next step, I see innovation in 2-3 different facets. I see innovation in terms of use cases. I see innovation in terms of business models. And then you see innovation purely in terms of technology additions. From a pure technology addition perspective, your Internet of Things, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) are next steps where your devices and technology will become a lot more connected. There is a bunch of work that can happen - right from as simple thing as sports-themed cafes to actually doing a lot of education work. I think, AR and VR could play really interesting work. In next year or two, they will start becoming a lot more mainstream in a lot of ways. But, as I said, a lot of this is dependent on your players in the market. If somebody thinks, you are not important enough as a country to get a flavour of AR and VR or IOT, then people are not going to do that. One of the problems that we have in India is that a lot of people think of market share as their primary driver. They want a run on those musical chairs. As a result, nobody focuses on what consumers really want out there. They give them products that they believe are going to sell more without realising how you could make a user’s life better. But I think if there are a bunch of people, who take that stance saying that this has use cases for Indian consumers, I think, you will see it becoming more mainstream over next 12-18 months. WION: As we all know, India is one of the sought-after markets when it comes to smartphones, and a lot of companies are setting up their manufacturing units in India, but now with GST into the picture, how do you see the game is going to be like for manufacturers out there? Amit: I don’t see it changing anything for the manufacturing , because I am sure that the government is cognisant of the investments that have been made in terms of having a better manufacturing ecosystem in the country. I am pretty sure that they are going to be supportive of that. I don’t see GST changing anything with respect to manufacturing strategies. But what GST will interestingly do is it will alter the dynamics of last 3-4 years as you have seen between online and offline. Because suddenly now there is no arbitrage in terms of VAT that existed earlier for online players. It’s a much more better-level playing field. I think it needs to be seen how the market shifts. WION: And Amit, there is one trend that I have been observing for a long time. A lot of companies enter the the high-end segment of the Indian mobile market at attractive prices. They keep the pricing really competitive for a couple of years and then eventually, they move to the price brackets where premium phones from top-notch players compete. I first noticed this trend with Motorola, then Google’s Nexus lineup and now OnePlus is on the same path. What is the thought or better say, strategy behind it? Amit: There are two things. So, a lot of players, when they enter the market, see pricing as an entry strategy. If you can increase the value for an end-consumer without spending that much money in marketing and brand building, you are probably going to have a much better price point. And those price points are interesting to consumers and they come in hoards to buy that. In terms of really taking the price points up, I think it’s singularly focused on pricing as a strategy. It’s not a sustainable strategy, because supply chains globally in the phone industry give you a limited leverage - in terms of one’s cost structure better than somebody else’s. But I think there is not a lot of difference in those cost structures. So, if you keep on harping on those same price points, as a company, you are not going to survive. So, companies need to make sure that they have a portfolio that spans a few product price points. May be, then they want to do a pricing play on a couple of products, which is plausible. But anyone, whose focus clearly is on pricing to begin with and then wants to move up, that doesn’t work. But why they are forced is because sometimes, the economics come to bite back and say, a company cannot keep on doing those price points because they are not sustainable. WION: We all know that how you played an instrumental role in Motorola India’s business. So what is your plan for Smartron, a company which is yet to hold some grounds in the market? What is the way forward? Amit: Smartron, essentially, is not a smartphone company. We are an Internet of Things company. We have multiple areas of interest in terms of hardware as well as software. We have multiple categories - we have phones, wearables, computing and smart homes, to name a few. We will have play on the enterprise and infrastructure side of it. so, there is a bunch of things that we are looking at doing at Smartron. You can watch the full interview here:

Q&A: Former Moto India head Amit Boni on innovation lull & next step in smartphone space

After a string of leaks and rumours, OnePlus has finally unveiled its much-awaited OnePlus 5 smartphone. The new flagship phone comes in two variants - Slate Gray (64GB) and Midnight Black (128GB). The phone is priced at $479 onwards.

The phone will be launched in India at an event in Mumbai on June 22. The company will announce the price for the Indian market on Thursday.

The OnePlus 5 is claimed to feature the highest resolution dual camera on the planet. It includes a 16 megapixel dual camera with dual LED flash at the back, and a 16 megapixel front camera.
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According to the company, its &ldquo;dual-camera technology lets you focus on your subject, progressively blurring the background for a gentle, yet powerful effect.&rdquo; Also, focusing on the OnePlus 5 is 40 per cent faster than the OnePlus 3T.

At 7.25 mm, the OnePlus 5 is the thinnest OnePlus flagship, yet its battery has been improved by 20 per cent over the last-generation OnePlus 3T.

Running OxygenOS, which is built on Android Nougat, the OnePlus 5 is powered by Qualcomm&rsquo;s Snapdragon 835 chipset.

Other features of the phone include a 5.5-inch full HD display, 3300 mAh battery with the company&rsquo;s proprietary Dash Charging, Adreno 540 GPU, dual nano-SIM slot and a bottom-facing speaker.

The OnePlus 5 will be introduced in India on June 22

After a string of leaks and rumours, OnePlus has finally unveiled its much-awaited OnePlus 5 smartphone. The new flagship phone comes in two variants - Slate Gray (64GB) and Midnight Black (128GB). The phone is priced at $479 onwards. The phone will be launched in India at an event in Mumbai on June 22. The company will announce the price for the Indian market on Thursday. The OnePlus 5 is claimed to feature the highest resolution dual camera on the planet. It includes a 16 megapixel dual camera with dual LED flash at the back, and a 16 megapixel front camera. According to the company, its “dual-camera technology lets you focus on your subject, progressively blurring the background for a gentle, yet powerful effect.” Also, focusing on the OnePlus 5 is 40 per cent faster than the OnePlus 3T. At 7.25 mm, the OnePlus 5 is the thinnest OnePlus flagship, yet its battery has been improved by 20 per cent over the last-generation OnePlus 3T. Running OxygenOS, which is built on Android Nougat, the OnePlus 5 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 835 chipset. Other features of the phone include a 5.5-inch full HD display, 3300 mAh battery with the company’s proprietary Dash Charging, Adreno 540 GPU, dual nano-SIM slot and a bottom-facing speaker.

OnePlus 5: The much-awaited flagship smartphone is officially out

It is not everyday that you get to sit with a senior executive of a tech giant, who doesn&rsquo;t mince his words and, instead, sounds pretty vocal in his responses - even when prodded. Meet Jai Mani, product lead, Xiaomi India. We threw at Jai questions ranging from why Redmi phones slow down eventually to what kinds of setbacks has Hugo Barra&rsquo;s exit led to for the company that has ambitious plans globally, and he took on all pretty gracefully - without attempting to evade any. Here is a read for you: 
&nbsp; 
WION: Finally, India has got Mi Home stores - something that people here had been eyeing for a long time. So, what finally drove the company to come up with retail stores in India and what are the expansion plans? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: Mi Home has a few goals. There are a number of people who want to see the product before they buy it. Recently, I have been going to smaller towns to see what the smartphone market is like there. Actually, I have been surprised about how many people know about Xiaomi even if they don&#39;t use the internet really. But still, some people do like seeing the phone, and especially, for ecosystem products such as the Mi Purifier 2. People like to see it, people want to touch it. So I think that&#39;s one component. Also, offline is still the biggest chain for people to buy phones here in India. 
&nbsp; 
WION: Coming to the product side of the business, Xiaomi is one of the few companies making their own chipsets. We believe, the company eventually would intend to drop the reliance on outside suppliers. The Surge S1 for mid-range phones is out there already. When can we see the company coming up with chipsets for premium phones? And how you are going to set up your own chipset business in China? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: We are investing in a lot of core technology areas, and that&#39;s just not hardware, but across the board. We have made a lot of investment in artificial intelligence and, I think, hardware is a huge focus. So, now we have the processor company. We have also been investing in things like displays and it&#39;s not necessarily about reducing reliance on other companies. It&#39;s more about what innovation can we drive. What new things can we bring about. I think for our first effort, the Surge S1 is really good. So, certainly, we will see what kind of stuff we can push through it - if we can figure out ways to improve battery life and keep the performance great. You know in India, things like thermal performance are really important. I think, it&#39;s more about innovation. We are trying to see what we can do to push the boundaries. 
&nbsp; 
WION: What kind of innovation can we expect the company to bring to the chipset market?

Jai: It&#39;s very early. Initially, we are just trying to get off the ground so that we can build a business. So I think, it&#39;s kind of in the early stages. 
&nbsp; 
WION: Do you have any plans to come up with the next chipset sometime soon?

Jai: I know they are working on new chipsets, but nothing to really talk about. 
&nbsp; 
WION: The next question is purely from the consumer point of view. I have been hearing it from a lot of people that no wonder the company is making great, value-for-money phones, but their Redmi phones start to stutter after a point. And it has become a pretty common feedback. How would you comment on this? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: I have heard this kind of thing. People typically say this about Android devices. I think, for us, we put a lot of focus on this because we are a software company. We are not a hardware company unlike other manufacturers. Most manufacturers make money when they sell you the phone. So, all they really care about is the phone and the point of sale. For us, as a software company, we care about what happens after you buy the phone. 
&nbsp; 
As you know, our margins on hardware are much lower than other manufacturers. And so, you will see us update a device once a month or once every two months. And we have very high benchmarks for those updates. They don&#39;t only add new features, but we test them very vigorously. We make sure that there are no changes in battery life, no changes in performance - ideally, we make all these things better. 
&nbsp; 
So, I have heard this statement a lot in general, but I think, for us, more so than any manufacturer - because we update our phones more than anybody. It is like our imperative. It&#39;s the way our business model is manufactured that we need to make the phones better. So, I think our incentives are more aligned to making the phones better. 
&nbsp; 
A lot of times, by the way, it is because people have installed 120 apps and some of those apps do bad stuff. But yes, I have heard this before and you know, personally, I think that we are more focused on it than anybody. 
&nbsp; 
WION: Given that you have heard that before, have you been able to identify a key problem that is actually creating a bad behaviour - say in terms of performance? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: In terms of MIUI, every update is as good or better as the previous update. So, if we find a bug, we fix it. And we fix within a month. And so, we take feedback from the fans. We make sure the software gets better all the time. And I think, the stuff that I see on people&#39;s phones, most of the time, it&#39;s the third party apps. Like some app that is doing something to slow the phone down, takes up a lot of RAM and uses a lot of memory. 
&nbsp; 
And, another really common thing is SD cards. A lot of people use really slow, bad SD cards. They put more stuff on the SD card. The system slows down or the SD card performance degrades over the time. So, I think, SD card is another big reason. It&#39;s one of the reasons why we try to increase the memory on our phones. 
&nbsp; 
From our perspective, the MIUI updates make the phone better. And we have been doing it for a long time. We support phones longer than anybody. For that matter, Google&#39;s official support for their devices is two years. 
&nbsp; 
WION: No doubt, Xiaomi has a good portfolio in the Indian market, but still a lot of products don&#39;t make to the country, say a thing as basic as a rice cooker. So, why didn&rsquo;t the company introduce it in India? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: Our rice cooker is designed for a very different market. Our rice cooker is priced at $150 and the top model is somewhere around $200. So, most people in India wouldn&#39;t pay $200 for a rice cooker. 
&nbsp; 
WION: I understand that some of the products are designed for specific markets, but some products could have made to India. So, what was actually holding the company back? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: So, one of the things that actually makes my job so fun is that there are very few companies where people actually know everything that has not been launched in India. Think about any other company, you won&#39;t know all the products. Whereas for us, people know everything. And that&#39;s kind of awesome. So, how we choose what thing should get launched. I think there is a kind of the way I look at it. 
&nbsp; 
There is a sort of two lists. There is a list of things we want to launch and that is based on the feedback we get from fans. We take polls, we talk to them all. Probably on top of the list, it would be TVs, may be laptops on the second spot, and third could be routers and down and down and down. 
&nbsp; 
And then there is a list of things that we can and should launch. So like TVs, for example, you have to get a lot of stuff right. We have to get the software right. We have to get the content right. We have to get the service right. Because all those things are very different from phones. So, that&#39;s one of the reasons why we have taken a long time. Because we want to ensure that when we do it, if we do it, we do a good job. 
&nbsp; 
I think, one of the other concerns is to do with things like stock inventory. Every additional product you launch, you need to make sure the inventory is good enough. So, right now, we want to focus on making sure that the experience of our existing products is good and then figure out how we can make our expansion into new businesses successful. 
&nbsp; 
So last year, we just did air-purifier. This year we are going to try to bring a few more of our ecosystem products. And again, it&#39;s trying to match those two lists - what is highest on the want list and what we think we can do a good job at. And when I say good job, I mean in software, in service, in stock, customisation for India, and everything. Each product is different and each product requires a different set of challenges. 
&nbsp; 
WION: What next Mi product, other than the phones, can we see coming to India? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: Which ones do you want? 
&nbsp; 
WION (with laughter): Does it matter? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: It does matter a lot. 
&nbsp; 
WION: Like one person&#39;s feedback? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: Everybody&#39;s feedback matters. It matters a lot because we can&#39;t launch everything overnight. That would be a disaster. So, we, in addition to deciding which things we can do, well, we have to pick the order. I think the rice cooker could be great because Indians eat a lot of rice. But, is it the right thing to launch now? First, probably not. I think if we could do TVs, laptops, routers - those kind of things - before rice cooker, I think that would make more sense. You know, I think you wanted air purifier, we are definitely committed to that. Honestly, we still haven&#39;t decided everything. So, it is helpful to get feedback from people on what they want us to launch. 
&nbsp; 
WION: Can we see rice cooker in the near future in India? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: I don&#39;t know. I mean, I think, right now, the current product is not really ideal for India. We have to do a lot of work to convince people. There is a traditional way for making rice. People have their recipes. Trying to convince them to use a new product (a completely different style of rice cooker) would be a little bit challenging. Whereas in China, that market exists. We just made a better product. So it&#39;s much easier thing to do there. 
&nbsp; 
WION: Coming to the most-anticipated question. The Mi 6 India launch. When is it coming? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: So, last year, we did Mi 5. So, we have done one flagship device every year. So the first flagship product in India was the Mi 3, then followed by the Mi 4, and then the last year we did the Mi 5. 
&nbsp; 
I think, with our Redmi devices, we have done a really good job. Between like Rs 6000-Rs 15000, we are doing a really awesome job. Each of those products is better than any other product in its category. I think, in flagships, each year we kind of learn from each launch and improve every year. Like in the Mi 4, one of the things that people complained about was it came too late (like 5-6 months after the launch in China). The Mi 5 India launch, however, was within a month of the launch in China. So, that I think, we did a good job. The Mi 5, I think, where we made a mistake was we should have launched the higher storage variants. We didn&#39;t launch the 64GB version. That was a mistake. 
&nbsp; 
So, in all, we are definitely going to launch one flagship device in India. But I guess, it sounds like I am saying the same thing every time. But it is, honestly, the way product companies work. We are going to pick the one that we think we can do the best job in. So, we need to make sure things are really good whatever device we bring. So, yes, with each flagship device, we made mistakes. I think we have gone better each time. But, this year, as to which specific flagship or Mi 6, I am not going to say anything. But that&#39;s our philosophy. 
&nbsp; 
WION: But it&#39;s coming soon. Can it be said? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: I can&#39;t say anything on that except that we will look at it in a holistic way. We take a look at all the flagship devices and try to figure out which one do we think has the best shot. 
&nbsp; 
WION: And in terms of strategy, when it comes to launching the flagships, what are you going to revise for the Mi 6 launch? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: Well, I never said anything about the Mi 6 launch. I think, we will try to improve upon everything. I think, certainly, we won&#39;t make the mistake of variants - which was one of the problems we had with the Mi 5. I think, we will definitely try to keep things quick. And then, yes, I think, as far as this specific product, it actually has nothing to do with price. If we had launched the Mi Mix, I think, it could have been really successful here. Now, I think it&#39;s too late to launch it. But yes, we are making sure that we launch the product that people want is probably on top of the list. We know how to sell phones, we just need to sell the right phone. 
&nbsp; 
WION: By 2014, Xiaomi had grabbed the largest share of the smartphone market in China, but in 2016, it came down to the no. 5 position. Like the company lost the game to Huawei and Oppo. What do you think have been the reasons that the company, despite such a good performance, is going down in the number game? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: I am not the best person to talk about the China market. But you know, I think the smartphone industry, arguably, is the most competitive industry in the world. And it is very quick. Fortunes can change overnight. Like Nokia was a huge company and ran out of business overnight. I think, we have done a good job in staying competitive. If you have seen our global expansion, especially in India, it has been really good. So, I think, obviously, things change each year and I certainly wouldn&#39;t count this out anymore. We are definitely still making really great products, which in my opinion, is what matters the most. 
&nbsp; 
WION: Coming to my last question, Hugo Barra&#39;s exit from Xiaomi happened at the time when the company was trying to make inroads into global markets. So has that exit led to any change in the way Xiaomi devised its strategy? Or has it been a setback for the company in anyway? 
&nbsp; 
Jai: Hugo focused on the global business. And our global business is in a really good position in India. I think we feel in a very good place. And I think, nothing is a result of a single person. Hugo was very famous for his presentations and his sort of public persona. And those of us who worked with him know that that&#39;s actually not the thing he is best at. The thing he is really best at is really building a great team. I mean anything that we do is not done by a single person. Just because he is on stage doesn&#39;t mean that he is the one person who did everything. There is a huge team behind it and he built a great team. And I think we are in a good place globally - everywhere actually. 
&nbsp; 
As far as the US is concerned, you know, we certainly have no plans to launch phones right now in the US. We are trying to go global in the sense that at CES we didn&#39;t launch any products there. But by being there gave us a lot of exposure. 
&nbsp; 
We would love to launch in the US. But it is a very different market. People don&#39;t buy unlocked phones like they do here typically. Like the carrier requirements are very different. Even technically, the bands are very different. So I would argue that many companies that have launched in the US, not many of them have been really successful. So, we want to get the right pieces in place.

A sneak peek into Xiaomi's upcoming plans for the Indian market and much more

It is not everyday that you get to sit with a senior executive of a tech giant, who doesn’t mince his words and, instead, sounds pretty vocal in his responses - even when prodded. Meet Jai Mani, product lead, Xiaomi India. We threw at Jai questions ranging from why Redmi phones slow down eventually to what kinds of setbacks has Hugo Barra’s exit led to for the company that has ambitious plans globally, and he took on all pretty gracefully - without attempting to evade any. Here is a read for you: WION: Finally, India has got Mi Home stores - something that people here had been eyeing for a long time. So, what finally drove the company to come up with retail stores in India and what are the expansion plans? Jai: Mi Home has a few goals. There are a number of people who want to see the product before they buy it. Recently, I have been going to smaller towns to see what the smartphone market is like there. Actually, I have been surprised about how many people know about Xiaomi even if they don't use the internet really. But still, some people do like seeing the phone, and especially, for ecosystem products such as the Mi Purifier 2. People like to see it, people want to touch it. So I think that's one component. Also, offline is still the biggest chain for people to buy phones here in India. WION: Coming to the product side of the business, Xiaomi is one of the few companies making their own chipsets. We believe, the company eventually would intend to drop the reliance on outside suppliers. The Surge S1 for mid-range phones is out there already. When can we see the company coming up with chipsets for premium phones? And how you are going to set up your own chipset business in China? Jai: We are investing in a lot of core technology areas, and that's just not hardware, but across the board. We have made a lot of investment in artificial intelligence and, I think, hardware is a huge focus. So, now we have the processor company. We have also been investing in things like displays and it's not necessarily about reducing reliance on other companies. It's more about what innovation can we drive. What new things can we bring about. I think for our first effort, the Surge S1 is really good. So, certainly, we will see what kind of stuff we can push through it - if we can figure out ways to improve battery life and keep the performance great. You know in India, things like thermal performance are really important. I think, it's more about innovation. We are trying to see what we can do to push the boundaries. WION: What kind of innovation can we expect the company to bring to the chipset market? Jai: It's very early. Initially, we are just trying to get off the ground so that we can build a business. So I think, it's kind of in the early stages. WION: Do you have any plans to come up with the next chipset sometime soon? Jai: I know they are working on new chipsets, but nothing to really talk about. WION: The next question is purely from the consumer point of view. I have been hearing it from a lot of people that no wonder the company is making great, value-for-money phones, but their Redmi phones start to stutter after a point. And it has become a pretty common feedback. How would you comment on this? Jai: I have heard this kind of thing. People typically say this about Android devices. I think, for us, we put a lot of focus on this because we are a software company. We are not a hardware company unlike other manufacturers. Most manufacturers make money when they sell you the phone. So, all they really care about is the phone and the point of sale. For us, as a software company, we care about what happens after you buy the phone. As you know, our margins on hardware are much lower than other manufacturers. And so, you will see us update a device once a month or once every two months. And we have very high benchmarks for those updates. They don't only add new features, but we test them very vigorously. We make sure that there are no changes in battery life, no changes in performance - ideally, we make all these things better. So, I have heard this statement a lot in general, but I think, for us, more so than any manufacturer - because we update our phones more than anybody. It is like our imperative. It's the way our business model is manufactured that we need to make the phones better. So, I think our incentives are more aligned to making the phones better. A lot of times, by the way, it is because people have installed 120 apps and some of those apps do bad stuff. But yes, I have heard this before and you know, personally, I think that we are more focused on it than anybody. WION: Given that you have heard that before, have you been able to identify a key problem that is actually creating a bad behaviour - say in terms of performance? Jai: In terms of MIUI, every update is as good or better as the previous update. So, if we find a bug, we fix it. And we fix within a month. And so, we take feedback from the fans. We make sure the software gets better all the time. And I think, the stuff that I see on people's phones, most of the time, it's the third party apps. Like some app that is doing something to slow the phone down, takes up a lot of RAM and uses a lot of memory. And, another really common thing is SD cards. A lot of people use really slow, bad SD cards. They put more stuff on the SD card. The system slows down or the SD card performance degrades over the time. So, I think, SD card is another big reason. It's one of the reasons why we try to increase the memory on our phones. From our perspective, the MIUI updates make the phone better. And we have been doing it for a long time. We support phones longer than anybody. For that matter, Google's official support for their devices is two years. WION: No doubt, Xiaomi has a good portfolio in the Indian market, but still a lot of products don't make to the country, say a thing as basic as a rice cooker. So, why didn’t the company introduce it in India? Jai: Our rice cooker is designed for a very different market. Our rice cooker is priced at $150 and the top model is somewhere around $200. So, most people in India wouldn't pay $200 for a rice cooker. WION: I understand that some of the products are designed for specific markets, but some products could have made to India. So, what was actually holding the company back? Jai: So, one of the things that actually makes my job so fun is that there are very few companies where people actually know everything that has not been launched in India. Think about any other company, you won't know all the products. Whereas for us, people know everything. And that's kind of awesome. So, how we choose what thing should get launched. I think there is a kind of the way I look at it. There is a sort of two lists. There is a list of things we want to launch and that is based on the feedback we get from fans. We take polls, we talk to them all. Probably on top of the list, it would be TVs, may be laptops on the second spot, and third could be routers and down and down and down. And then there is a list of things that we can and should launch. So like TVs, for example, you have to get a lot of stuff right. We have to get the software right. We have to get the content right. We have to get the service right. Because all those things are very different from phones. So, that's one of the reasons why we have taken a long time. Because we want to ensure that when we do it, if we do it, we do a good job. I think, one of the other concerns is to do with things like stock inventory. Every additional product you launch, you need to make sure the inventory is good enough. So, right now, we want to focus on making sure that the experience of our existing products is good and then figure out how we can make our expansion into new businesses successful. So last year, we just did air-purifier. This year we are going to try to bring a few more of our ecosystem products. And again, it's trying to match those two lists - what is highest on the want list and what we think we can do a good job at. And when I say good job, I mean in software, in service, in stock, customisation for India, and everything. Each product is different and each product requires a different set of challenges. WION: What next Mi product, other than the phones, can we see coming to India? Jai: Which ones do you want? WION (with laughter): Does it matter? Jai: It does matter a lot. WION: Like one person's feedback? Jai: Everybody's feedback matters. It matters a lot because we can't launch everything overnight. That would be a disaster. So, we, in addition to deciding which things we can do, well, we have to pick the order. I think the rice cooker could be great because Indians eat a lot of rice. But, is it the right thing to launch now? First, probably not. I think if we could do TVs, laptops, routers - those kind of things - before rice cooker, I think that would make more sense. You know, I think you wanted air purifier, we are definitely committed to that. Honestly, we still haven't decided everything. So, it is helpful to get feedback from people on what they want us to launch. WION: Can we see rice cooker in the near future in India? Jai: I don't know. I mean, I think, right now, the current product is not really ideal for India. We have to do a lot of work to convince people. There is a traditional way for making rice. People have their recipes. Trying to convince them to use a new product (a completely different style of rice cooker) would be a little bit challenging. Whereas in China, that market exists. We just made a better product. So it's much easier thing to do there. WION: Coming to the most-anticipated question. The Mi 6 India launch. When is it coming? Jai: So, last year, we did Mi 5. So, we have done one flagship device every year. So the first flagship product in India was the Mi 3, then followed by the Mi 4, and then the last year we did the Mi 5. I think, with our Redmi devices, we have done a really good job. Between like Rs 6000-Rs 15000, we are doing a really awesome job. Each of those products is better than any other product in its category. I think, in flagships, each year we kind of learn from each launch and improve every year. Like in the Mi 4, one of the things that people complained about was it came too late (like 5-6 months after the launch in China). The Mi 5 India launch, however, was within a month of the launch in China. So, that I think, we did a good job. The Mi 5, I think, where we made a mistake was we should have launched the higher storage variants. We didn't launch the 64GB version. That was a mistake. So, in all, we are definitely going to launch one flagship device in India. But I guess, it sounds like I am saying the same thing every time. But it is, honestly, the way product companies work. We are going to pick the one that we think we can do the best job in. So, we need to make sure things are really good whatever device we bring. So, yes, with each flagship device, we made mistakes. I think we have gone better each time. But, this year, as to which specific flagship or Mi 6, I am not going to say anything. But that's our philosophy. WION: But it's coming soon. Can it be said? Jai: I can't say anything on that except that we will look at it in a holistic way. We take a look at all the flagship devices and try to figure out which one do we think has the best shot. WION: And in terms of strategy, when it comes to launching the flagships, what are you going to revise for the Mi 6 launch? Jai: Well, I never said anything about the Mi 6 launch. I think, we will try to improve upon everything. I think, certainly, we won't make the mistake of variants - which was one of the problems we had with the Mi 5. I think, we will definitely try to keep things quick. And then, yes, I think, as far as this specific product, it actually has nothing to do with price. If we had launched the Mi Mix, I think, it could have been really successful here. Now, I think it's too late to launch it. But yes, we are making sure that we launch the product that people want is probably on top of the list. We know how to sell phones, we just need to sell the right phone. WION: By 2014, Xiaomi had grabbed the largest share of the smartphone market in China, but in 2016, it came down to the no. 5 position. Like the company lost the game to Huawei and Oppo. What do you think have been the reasons that the company, despite such a good performance, is going down in the number game? Jai: I am not the best person to talk about the China market. But you know, I think the smartphone industry, arguably, is the most competitive industry in the world. And it is very quick. Fortunes can change overnight. Like Nokia was a huge company and ran out of business overnight. I think, we have done a good job in staying competitive. If you have seen our global expansion, especially in India, it has been really good. So, I think, obviously, things change each year and I certainly wouldn't count this out anymore. We are definitely still making really great products, which in my opinion, is what matters the most. WION: Coming to my last question, Hugo Barra's exit from Xiaomi happened at the time when the company was trying to make inroads into global markets. So has that exit led to any change in the way Xiaomi devised its strategy? Or has it been a setback for the company in anyway? Jai: Hugo focused on the global business. And our global business is in a really good position in India. I think we feel in a very good place. And I think, nothing is a result of a single person. Hugo was very famous for his presentations and his sort of public persona. And those of us who worked with him know that that's actually not the thing he is best at. The thing he is really best at is really building a great team. I mean anything that we do is not done by a single person. Just because he is on stage doesn't mean that he is the one person who did everything. There is a huge team behind it and he built a great team. And I think we are in a good place globally - everywhere actually. As far as the US is concerned, you know, we certainly have no plans to launch phones right now in the US. We are trying to go global in the sense that at CES we didn't launch any products there. But by being there gave us a lot of exposure. We would love to launch in the US. But it is a very different market. People don't buy unlocked phones like they do here typically. Like the carrier requirements are very different. Even technically, the bands are very different. So I would argue that many companies that have launched in the US, not many of them have been really successful. So, we want to get the right pieces in place.

Exclusive: Xiaomi?s Jai Mani on Mi 6 India launch, Hugo Barra's exit & Redmi phones slowdown complaints

Lenovo India has launched the Moto C Plus with a 4000 mAh battery which the company claims will last for 30 hours on a single charge. The phone will be available for Rs 6,999 exclusively on Flipkart from June 20.

The Moto C Plus has a 64-bit quad-core processor at its heart - paired with 2 GB of RAM. The phone features an 8 megapixel auto focus rear camera and a 2 megapixel front-facing camera.

The new handset features a 5-inch HD display and will be available in Pearl White, Starry Black and Fine Gold colour options. It has an internal storage space of 16 GB with an option to expand memory up to 32 GB using a microSD card.

The dual-SIM Moto C Plus runs on Android 7.0 Nougat.

Lenovo&#39;s new Moto C Plus will compete with the recently-announced Redmi 4 in India.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

The phone will be available for Rs 6,999 exclusively on Flipkart from June 20

Lenovo India has launched the Moto C Plus with a 4000 mAh battery which the company claims will last for 30 hours on a single charge. The phone will be available for Rs 6,999 exclusively on Flipkart from June 20. The Moto C Plus has a 64-bit quad-core processor at its heart - paired with 2 GB of RAM. The phone features an 8 megapixel auto focus rear camera and a 2 megapixel front-facing camera. The new handset features a 5-inch HD display and will be available in Pearl White, Starry Black and Fine Gold colour options. It has an internal storage space of 16 GB with an option to expand memory up to 32 GB using a microSD card. The dual-SIM Moto C Plus runs on Android 7.0 Nougat. Lenovo's new Moto C Plus will compete with the recently-announced Redmi 4 in India.

Moto C Plus: Lenovo launches new affordable phone in India

After introducing its first set of modular phones in India last year, Lenovo has now brought the Moto Z2 Play to the country. The new modular phone is the successor to the last-gen Moto Z Play and will be available for Rs 27,999. The phone will go on sale after June 14 on Flipkart and across all retail stores. People, however, can pre-book the device till then.

Lenovo has released four Moto Mods for the Moto Z2 Play - JBL SoundBoost 2, Moto Turbopower Pack, Moto Game Pad and Moto Style Shell with Wireless Charging. According to the company, more Moto Mods will be launched in India later this year.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/videos/are-modular-phones-the-next-big-thing-in-smartphone-space-1075">Watch: Are modular phones the next big thing in smartphone space?</a>

Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 processor with up to 2.2 GHz octa-core CPU, the Moto Z2 Play features a&nbsp; 5.5-inch full HD display. The phone runs on Android 7.1.1 Nougat.

It has a 12 megapixel dual-autofocus rear camera and a 5 megapixel rear camera. Available in two colours - Lunar Gray and Fine Gold, the Moto Z2 Play has an internal storage of 64 GB with microSD card support of up to 2TB.

The phone was first unveiled to the world on June 1, 2017.
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Priced at Rs 27,999, the Moto Z2 Play is the successor to the last-gen Moto Z Play.

After introducing its first set of modular phones in India last year, Lenovo has now brought the Moto Z2 Play to the country. The new modular phone is the successor to the last-gen Moto Z Play and will be available for Rs 27,999. The phone will go on sale after June 14 on Flipkart and across all retail stores. People, however, can pre-book the device till then. Lenovo has released four Moto Mods for the Moto Z2 Play - JBL SoundBoost 2, Moto Turbopower Pack, Moto Game Pad and Moto Style Shell with Wireless Charging. According to the company, more Moto Mods will be launched in India later this year. Watch: Are modular phones the next big thing in smartphone space? Powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 626 processor with up to 2.2 GHz octa-core CPU, the Moto Z2 Play features a 5.5-inch full HD display. The phone runs on Android 7.1.1 Nougat. It has a 12 megapixel dual-autofocus rear camera and a 5 megapixel rear camera. Available in two colours - Lunar Gray and Fine Gold, the Moto Z2 Play has an internal storage of 64 GB with microSD card support of up to 2TB. The phone was first unveiled to the world on June 1, 2017.

Moto Z2 Play: Lenovo launches new modular phone in India

Asus may not be among top players in the Indian smartphone market, but that is not holding the company from bringing new innovations to the country. Having brought the Zenfone Live, which is designed to stream live videos better, to India, the company is said to have more plans to give Indian customers a taste of new smartphone innovation in the months to come. Asus India&rsquo;s Dinesh Sharma, director - mobile product centre, shares with WION the company&rsquo;s ambitious plans to gain a healthy share of the smartphone market in India.

WION: To begin with your recent phone,&nbsp;who are you actually targeting in India with the Zenfone Live?

Dinesh: We are actually targeting all those millennials and young customers, who are today going live on their social media - whether it&rsquo;s Facebook, Instagram or YouTube. They want to just move beyond posting pictures to actually sharing their life experiences. And going live is a great medium to do that.

Today, these consumers lack the right kind of optimal software as well as hardware in their smartphones to help them actually go live beautifully. So, what we have done is that we have brought a new smartphone (Zenfone Live) to the market, which is really customised to this kind of consumer. With the Zenfone Live, we are giving them the best technology in terms of both camera and audio. For instance, the Zenfone Live has the dual MEMS microphone that gives excellent voice output when you are going live. And then the software part, which helps you to actually beautify yourself while you are actually doing your live video.

That&#39;s something which is unique and for the first time in the world, Asus is bringing to the Indian consumer the live beautification technology. 
&nbsp; 
WION:&nbsp;The market already has a good range of budget phones with great front camera. What chance do you think the Zenfone Live has to stand in the already competitive smartphone market?

Dinesh: Basically when it comes to front cameras, its not only just about the megapixels. What we have done in the Zenfone Live is that we have actually integrated a front camera with a 1.4 micrometre pixel size which is 25 per cent larger than your regular front camera pixels. It is actually 2X light-sensitive, and captures videos as well as photographs much more clearer and brighter - with greater clarity as compared to other front cameras.

The other thing that we have done is that we have also built in a soft LED flash, which, even in low light conditions, would get natural skin tones rather than a lot of white skin tones, which you typically get. 
&nbsp; 
Apart from that, it&#39;s just not only about the video, it&#39;s also about the audio. When you are doing a livestream, you also need great audio - say, you wouldn&rsquo;t want the background/ambient noise to be transmitted. And to do that we have got this dual MEMS microphone. Again it is a combination of various hardware technologies which work together along with the software (live beautification), which gives the great live experience. 
&nbsp; 
WION: It&rsquo;s been a couple of years since Asus entered the Indian smartphone market, but the company still holds under 3 per cent of the Indian smartphone market. What do you think is the reason that is holding the company back from making big inroads in the Indian smartphone market?

Dinesh: I think we have grown pretty well in terms of volume. What is actually important for us is to now expand our distribution channel, which we are already working on, and having an availability across the country. 
&nbsp; 
The second important part is that we&rsquo;ll also be creating more awareness among consumers about our products and technology, which will help us gain a better market share.

We have got amazing products.&nbsp;We have actually got best-in-class quality, best-in-class design. We have got a very strong service centre set up in India. So there&rsquo;s nothing that holds us back now from reaching out to larger numbers and making them aware of the great technology and cutting-edge products, which Asus brings to the table. 
&nbsp; 
WION: What is the market share in India that you are aiming to achieve in the years to come?

Dinesh: I think the first milestone for any brand in this highly competitive space (which is there in India) is to reach a 5% market share milestone and that&#39;s something that we are actually working towards as a first step.

WION: By when can we expect you to achieve that target? 
&nbsp; 
Dinesh: Soon. As soon as possible. Actually, earlier, we used to have a few models. Today we have got 7-8 models which are very well positioned in terms of its competitive advantage. I mean if a consumer goes and evaluates an Asus product in the market in any price segment today, he would find it the best-in-class, offering him benefits which are very holistic, differentiated and cutting-edge as compared to the competition. So it&#39;s a question of discoverability, which matters a lot more for us right now. And with this larger range, every price segment in the market can be addressed, which will help us to gain more market share as we move forward. 
&nbsp; 
WION: Smartphone market today has actually reached a saturation point. So what new innovation can we see from Asus next?

Dinesh: I think you&rsquo;ll see some cutting-edge innovations coming in. Asus is going to be launching its Zenfone AR shortly. It is the world&#39;s first phone which combines Tango and Daydream together and takes the whole experience of a smartphone to a completely different level. In other words, it brings in virtual reality and augmented reality in a very different, new realistic way. And there are many more innovations, which are there in the pipeline which would be coming and delighting the consumers the world over. 
&nbsp; 
WION: When can we see the Asus Zenfone AR coming to India?

Dinesh: Very soon, very soon.

WION: Does Asus have any plans to come up with modular phones? 
&nbsp; 
Dinesh: Even if we have right now, I cannot talk about it. Because it&rsquo;s not something we would like to discuss in this particular session. We work with the core concept of design thinking where consumer is at the centre of our focus. And depending upon the changing needs of the consumer and his lifestyle, we are actually evolving products and technology, which would meet the evolving needs. We are trying to be proactive where we anticipate the consumer&rsquo;s need in advance and give them technologies which would delight them. 
&nbsp; 
WION: What are the company&rsquo;s future plans for the Indian market - in terms of both new launches and market share?

Dinesh: I think, first of all, we will give you the globally best product range, which is available and suitable for the Indian customer. When we are designing products at Asus Global, we are pretty much taking into account every need of the Indian consumer as well. For example, let&#39;s talk about the Max series, which gives the best-in-class battery life along with a host of great other technologies to the consumers. And it&rsquo;s something which is very relevant to India, where your phone would last in terms of charge for two days or more. And no other competitor gives that with a combination of both the hardware and the software. It&rsquo;s pretty much optimised for the Indian conditions.

So, the more we are able to meet the needs of consumers for whom we exist, I think, the faster we&rsquo;ll grow and get acceptance in the market. And that&rsquo;s what we are working towards.

(WION)

Asus India?s Dinesh Sharma, director - mobile product centre, shares with WION the company?s ambitious plans to gain a healthy share of the smartphone market in India

Asus may not be among top players in the Indian smartphone market, but that is not holding the company from bringing new innovations to the country. Having brought the Zenfone Live, which is designed to stream live videos better, to India, the company is said to have more plans to give Indian customers a taste of new smartphone innovation in the months to come. Asus India’s Dinesh Sharma, director - mobile product centre, shares with WION the company’s ambitious plans to gain a healthy share of the smartphone market in India. WION: To begin with your recent phone, who are you actually targeting in India with the Zenfone Live? Dinesh: We are actually targeting all those millennials and young customers, who are today going live on their social media - whether it’s Facebook, Instagram or YouTube. They want to just move beyond posting pictures to actually sharing their life experiences. And going live is a great medium to do that. Today, these consumers lack the right kind of optimal software as well as hardware in their smartphones to help them actually go live beautifully. So, what we have done is that we have brought a new smartphone (Zenfone Live) to the market, which is really customised to this kind of consumer. With the Zenfone Live, we are giving them the best technology in terms of both camera and audio. For instance, the Zenfone Live has the dual MEMS microphone that gives excellent voice output when you are going live. And then the software part, which helps you to actually beautify yourself while you are actually doing your live video. That's something which is unique and for the first time in the world, Asus is bringing to the Indian consumer the live beautification technology. WION: The market already has a good range of budget phones with great front camera. What chance do you think the Zenfone Live has to stand in the already competitive smartphone market? Dinesh: Basically when it comes to front cameras, its not only just about the megapixels. What we have done in the Zenfone Live is that we have actually integrated a front camera with a 1.4 micrometre pixel size which is 25 per cent larger than your regular front camera pixels. It is actually 2X light-sensitive, and captures videos as well as photographs much more clearer and brighter - with greater clarity as compared to other front cameras. The other thing that we have done is that we have also built in a soft LED flash, which, even in low light conditions, would get natural skin tones rather than a lot of white skin tones, which you typically get. Apart from that, it's just not only about the video, it's also about the audio. When you are doing a livestream, you also need great audio - say, you wouldn’t want the background/ambient noise to be transmitted. And to do that we have got this dual MEMS microphone. Again it is a combination of various hardware technologies which work together along with the software (live beautification), which gives the great live experience. WION: It’s been a couple of years since Asus entered the Indian smartphone market, but the company still holds under 3 per cent of the Indian smartphone market. What do you think is the reason that is holding the company back from making big inroads in the Indian smartphone market? Dinesh: I think we have grown pretty well in terms of volume. What is actually important for us is to now expand our distribution channel, which we are already working on, and having an availability across the country. The second important part is that we’ll also be creating more awareness among consumers about our products and technology, which will help us gain a better market share. We have got amazing products. We have actually got best-in-class quality, best-in-class design. We have got a very strong service centre set up in India. So there’s nothing that holds us back now from reaching out to larger numbers and making them aware of the great technology and cutting-edge products, which Asus brings to the table. WION: What is the market share in India that you are aiming to achieve in the years to come? Dinesh: I think the first milestone for any brand in this highly competitive space (which is there in India) is to reach a 5% market share milestone and that's something that we are actually working towards as a first step. WION: By when can we expect you to achieve that target? Dinesh: Soon. As soon as possible. Actually, earlier, we used to have a few models. Today we have got 7-8 models which are very well positioned in terms of its competitive advantage. I mean if a consumer goes and evaluates an Asus product in the market in any price segment today, he would find it the best-in-class, offering him benefits which are very holistic, differentiated and cutting-edge as compared to the competition. So it's a question of discoverability, which matters a lot more for us right now. And with this larger range, every price segment in the market can be addressed, which will help us to gain more market share as we move forward. WION: Smartphone market today has actually reached a saturation point. So what new innovation can we see from Asus next? Dinesh: I think you’ll see some cutting-edge innovations coming in. Asus is going to be launching its Zenfone AR shortly. It is the world's first phone which combines Tango and Daydream together and takes the whole experience of a smartphone to a completely different level. In other words, it brings in virtual reality and augmented reality in a very different, new realistic way. And there are many more innovations, which are there in the pipeline which would be coming and delighting the consumers the world over. WION: When can we see the Asus Zenfone AR coming to India? Dinesh: Very soon, very soon. WION: Does Asus have any plans to come up with modular phones? Dinesh: Even if we have right now, I cannot talk about it. Because it’s not something we would like to discuss in this particular session. We work with the core concept of design thinking where consumer is at the centre of our focus. And depending upon the changing needs of the consumer and his lifestyle, we are actually evolving products and technology, which would meet the evolving needs. We are trying to be proactive where we anticipate the consumer’s need in advance and give them technologies which would delight them. WION: What are the company’s future plans for the Indian market - in terms of both new launches and market share? Dinesh: I think, first of all, we will give you the globally best product range, which is available and suitable for the Indian customer. When we are designing products at Asus Global, we are pretty much taking into account every need of the Indian consumer as well. For example, let's talk about the Max series, which gives the best-in-class battery life along with a host of great other technologies to the consumers. And it’s something which is very relevant to India, where your phone would last in terms of charge for two days or more. And no other competitor gives that with a combination of both the hardware and the software. It’s pretty much optimised for the Indian conditions. So, the more we are able to meet the needs of consumers for whom we exist, I think, the faster we’ll grow and get acceptance in the market. And that’s what we are working towards. (WION)

Interview: Asus Zenfone AR coming 'very soon' to India, says country's director for mobile

The upcoming version of Android, referred to simply as &quot;O&quot; for the time being, will have boosted artificial intelligence features along with enhanced security, executives showed at&nbsp;Google&#39;s annual&nbsp;developers conference, Google IO.

Google is also crafting a lighter version of Android, referred to as &quot;Go,&quot; designed for maximum performance on low-cost, entry-level smartphones in developing countries where internet bandwidth is lean or expensive.

Google said that while it is happy with the momentum of its Daydream virtual reality platform based on using smartphone as screens in headsets, it is working with partners on stand-alone virtual reality gear.

Partners in the endeavor include Vive-maker HTC and Lenovo, according to Google virtual reality team vice president Clay Bavor.

The gathering, which attracted some 7,000 developers on site and had thousands more watching online, focused on software with little mention of hardware, noted analyst Blau.

&quot;There is a continuing trend where devices are becoming devalued and what is on the screen is becoming more valuable,&quot; Blau said. &quot;With AI, all the apps are getting upgraded so they don&#39;t need new hardware.&quot;

Google announced that more than two billion devices powered by Android software are used monthly in a freshly passed milestone.

(AFP)

The upcoming version of Android will have boosted artificial intelligence features along with enhanced security, says Google

The upcoming version of Android, referred to simply as "O" for the time being, will have boosted artificial intelligence features along with enhanced security, executives showed at Google's annual developers conference, Google IO. Google is also crafting a lighter version of Android, referred to as "Go," designed for maximum performance on low-cost, entry-level smartphones in developing countries where internet bandwidth is lean or expensive. Google said that while it is happy with the momentum of its Daydream virtual reality platform based on using smartphone as screens in headsets, it is working with partners on stand-alone virtual reality gear. Partners in the endeavor include Vive-maker HTC and Lenovo, according to Google virtual reality team vice president Clay Bavor. The gathering, which attracted some 7,000 developers on site and had thousands more watching online, focused on software with little mention of hardware, noted analyst Blau. "There is a continuing trend where devices are becoming devalued and what is on the screen is becoming more valuable," Blau said. "With AI, all the apps are getting upgraded so they don't need new hardware." Google announced that more than two billion devices powered by Android software are used monthly in a freshly passed milestone. (AFP)

Android O: Google teases next version of its operating system

Mobile phone apps took centre stage at Google&rsquo;s annual developer conference on Wednesday as the search giant announced new features for its digital assistant and its popular photo app while devoting little time to the Android mobile operating system.

Addressing an audience of thousands of developers in Mountain View, California, Google executives delivered a broad-based update to their product portfolio which also included a slate of new features for the Google Home speaker, a job search tool and even a set of new virtual reality headsets.

In a sign of the ongoing strategic importance of Google Assistant, the company&#39;s artificial intelligence-driven, voice-controlled digital assistant, Google announced it would make the product available on Apple&rsquo;s iPhone, making a play for the higher end of the smartphone market and challenging Apple&#39;s Siri feature on its own devices.

What&rsquo;s more, the assistant will soon be able to complete transactions and supply information about objects captured by the smartphone&rsquo;s camera, executives said.

But several analysts noted that the emphasis on the assistant and other apps like photos and maps, which run on many types of devices, resulted in the company&rsquo;s Android operating system -&nbsp;long the cornerstone of Google&#39;s mobile strategy -&nbsp;getting relatively little attention during the presentation.

That reflects a recognition by the search giant that the assistant and other apps will be increasingly important to its future, said analyst Jan Dawson of Jackdaw Research. The strategy helps the company sidestep some of the complications of developing new features for the vast Android ecosystem, where only a fraction of devices are running on the latest version of the operating system, he noted.

&ldquo;This is partly a concession to the fact that whatever they put into Android, most users don&rsquo;t see it for a couple years ... and a lot of their best, most attractive, most valuable users are going to be on other platforms,&rdquo; Dawson said. &ldquo;They need to put that functionality where users are.&rdquo;

The Google Assistant debuted last year on the company&#39;s own hardware, and Google has gradually extended the tool to devices from other manufacturers running on its Android operating system.

Google, Microsoft, Apple and Amazon are competing to establish the dominant voice-powered digital assistant, which many in the industry believe will supplant keyboards and touch screens as a primary way that users interact with technology.

&quot;Humans are interacting with computing in more natural and immersive ways,&quot; Google CEO Sundar Pichai told the audience. &quot;We&rsquo;ve been using voice as an input across many of our products. We&rsquo;ve had significant breakthroughs.&quot;

The company is also gaining traction with its photo app, which now reaches 500 million users regularly, Pichai said. To drive greater usage of the app, Google will now make suggestions to prod users to share images and allow them to order physical photo albums.

Pichai also announced the company will expand its search engine with a new jobs tab that will allow candidates to filter postings by criteria such as wages and commute time.

Google, which gets most of its revenue from its dominant search engine, also released a host of new features for Google Home, a speaker released last year. Users will soon be able to make phone calls using the device, and the HBO Now streaming service, owned by Time Warner Inc, will be integrated as well.

While Amazon&rsquo;s Echo speaker has emerged as the most popular device in the category, Google repeatedly touted its ability to use artificial intelligence to identify multiple users, an edge it has over Amazon.

&ldquo;Google was putting forward a message about artificial intelligence and how they are including the technology in virtually every aspect of their products and services,&rdquo; said analyst Brian Blau of Gartner. &ldquo;They really pushed that message hard.&rdquo;

(Reuters)

Google executives delivered a broad-based update to their product portfolio which also included a slate of new features for the Google Home speaker, a job search tool and even a set of new virtual reality headsets.

Mobile phone apps took centre stage at Google’s annual developer conference on Wednesday as the search giant announced new features for its digital assistant and its popular photo app while devoting little time to the Android mobile operating system. Addressing an audience of thousands of developers in Mountain View, California, Google executives delivered a broad-based update to their product portfolio which also included a slate of new features for the Google Home speaker, a job search tool and even a set of new virtual reality headsets. In a sign of the ongoing strategic importance of Google Assistant, the company's artificial intelligence-driven, voice-controlled digital assistant, Google announced it would make the product available on Apple’s iPhone, making a play for the higher end of the smartphone market and challenging Apple's Siri feature on its own devices. What’s more, the assistant will soon be able to complete transactions and supply information about objects captured by the smartphone’s camera, executives said. But several analysts noted that the emphasis on the assistant and other apps like photos and maps, which run on many types of devices, resulted in the company’s Android operating system - long the cornerstone of Google's mobile strategy - getting relatively little attention during the presentation. That reflects a recognition by the search giant that the assistant and other apps will be increasingly important to its future, said analyst Jan Dawson of Jackdaw Research. The strategy helps the company sidestep some of the complications of developing new features for the vast Android ecosystem, where only a fraction of devices are running on the latest version of the operating system, he noted. “This is partly a concession to the fact that whatever they put into Android, most users don’t see it for a couple years ... and a lot of their best, most attractive, most valuable users are going to be on other platforms,” Dawson said. “They need to put that functionality where users are.” The Google Assistant debuted last year on the company's own hardware, and Google has gradually extended the tool to devices from other manufacturers running on its Android operating system. Google, Microsoft, Apple and Amazon are competing to establish the dominant voice-powered digital assistant, which many in the industry believe will supplant keyboards and touch screens as a primary way that users interact with technology. "Humans are interacting with computing in more natural and immersive ways," Google CEO Sundar Pichai told the audience. "We’ve been using voice as an input across many of our products. We’ve had significant breakthroughs." The company is also gaining traction with its photo app, which now reaches 500 million users regularly, Pichai said. To drive greater usage of the app, Google will now make suggestions to prod users to share images and allow them to order physical photo albums. Pichai also announced the company will expand its search engine with a new jobs tab that will allow candidates to filter postings by criteria such as wages and commute time. Google, which gets most of its revenue from its dominant search engine, also released a host of new features for Google Home, a speaker released last year. Users will soon be able to make phone calls using the device, and the HBO Now streaming service, owned by Time Warner Inc, will be integrated as well. While Amazon’s Echo speaker has emerged as the most popular device in the category, Google repeatedly touted its ability to use artificial intelligence to identify multiple users, an edge it has over Amazon. “Google was putting forward a message about artificial intelligence and how they are including the technology in virtually every aspect of their products and services,” said analyst Brian Blau of Gartner. “They really pushed that message hard.” (Reuters)

Google I/O 2017: Here's everything announced at the annual conference

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