9 Archives - Triadoro

The 9 Travel Stores With the Best Gear

Once the plane tickets and hotel reservations are booked, it’s time to make sure your gear arsenal is up to the trip.

To help, we’re sharing some of our favorite places to find smart travel accessories and gadgets online. For all things luggage, for example, we always head to eBags, which seems to offer every type of bags and suitcase from brands we love. And speaking of brands, Tumi’s online store is also a favorite of ours, mainly because standard shipping is free and we can find every single item from their collections as opposed to only a curated selection in their physical stores.

There are a few more unconventional retailers where we always seem to find our new favorite travel essentials, too. Ahalife is a go-to for stylish packing accessories while the The Container Store is where we uncover the true organizational life-savers.

And of course, there’s always Amazon — which has everything from healthy snacks to take on a plane to cute sunglasses for your next beach getaway — and we highlight a way to weed through the immense amount of product available to find the true gems.

Here we rounded up the 9 best online stores to shop for all things travel.

Courtesy of L.L.Bean

L.L.Bean

L.L.Bean may be famous for its iconic duck boots, but the Maine-based brand has also become a go-to for any and all essentials you might need while exploring the Great Outdoors. From camping and hiking equipment to apparel made for adventurers, it’s the perfect one-stop-shop to stock up before your next trip into nature.

What We’re Shopping for: classic totes and toiletry bags

Courtesy of eBags

eBags

Colorado-based eBags has been around for almost 20 years and was acquired by Samsonite in 2017. The e-retailer specializes, as its name suggests, in all things travel bags and accessories — think: wallets, cosmetic bags, handbags, even diaper bags and specialized bags for golf and other sports activities. It has an in-house brand that makes quite popular suitcases and backpacks and carries hundreds of top travel brands like Briggs & Riley, Patagonia, and Eagle Creek, often at discounted prices. You can sign up for their emails to get 25 percent off your purchase and make sure to check out the Steals of the Week sale section for more great savings.

What We’re Shopping for: portable electronics and packing cubes

Courtesy of Tumi

Tumi

Celebrities love Tumi and so do we. The company has been producing high-end luggage and accessories since 1975, and while its products are available in brick-and-mortar stores around the world, its website offers an incredible selection of its latest collections — as well as a great sale section where you can shop the brand’s signature suitcases and bags for a fraction of the original price.

What We’re Shopping for: lightweight luggage and backpacks

Courtesy of The Container Store

The Container Store

You may shop at The Container Store for bins and baskets whenever you run out of storage space in your closet, but the company also offers clever storage and organizations solutions for travelers. From toiletry bags to packing cubes to tech organizers, The Container Store has a ton of clever finds that will help to keep your belongings sorted and easy to find when you hit the road.

What We’re Shopping for: cord organizers and jewelry storage

Courtesy of Columbia

Columbia Sportswear

Columbia has been keeping outdoor enthusiasts warm and dry for 80 years. The company produces everything from clothing and footwear for women, men, and kids to specialized gear for sports. We are fans for its made-to-last performance apparel, which is also sustainable in intention. After all, extending the life of a garment by making sure it’s produced with high-quality materials means consumers will buy fewer pieces in the future.

What We’re Shopping for: packable outerwear

Courtesy of Zappos

Zappos

Zappos launched as — and continues to be — the premier online source for all things footwear. And while it’s still offering a wide variety of shoes, the site also has an excellent selection of luggage, handbags, travel accessories, and apparel from respected brands — all with free shipping and returns.

What We’re Shopping for: hiking shoes and RFID-blocking accessories

Courtesy of Ahalife

Ahalife

Ahalife curates finds from small businesses around the globe and has an extensive travel category that’s stocked with truly unique accessories and gear. You’ll discover new favorites that you can’t wait to tell people about, like a perfume that repels mosquitoes or an alarm clock that doubles as a Bluetooth speaker and reading light.

What We’re Shopping for: small leather goods and travel-ready beauty

Courtesy of Amazon

Amazon

We’re sure Amazon doesn’t need an introduction, but the reason why we often shop there for travel accessories and gadgets is because you can find a large variety of items for any budget. Oh, and let’s not forget the feedback for each product in the reviews section makes for easy research. You can use the Best-sellers section, which is updated every hour and separated by category, to discover popular products that are making thousands of travelers’ trips easier and more comfortable.

What we’re shopping for: travel pillows and luggage scales

Courtesy of The Grommet

The Grommet

Looking to learn about new products that can make your travels smarter? The Grommetwill absolutely come through. The site tests innovative tech and accessories and then adds the most impressive innovations to its inventory. Expect solutions to your most annoying travel issues: blister-prevention spray, a light-blocking, weighted sleep mask and so much more.

[“source=travelandleisure”]

9 Ways to Be More Creative in 2019

If your New Year’s resolutions include improving your fitness routine or diet, being more creative should be on your list, too. With advantages ranging from greater brain function and productivity to better mood and memory, creativity can help improve your life at work and home. Anyone can benefit from the nine exercises listed below, whether you’re seeking fresh inspiration for your art practice or just looking to improve your problem-solving skills in 2019.

Take a free online art class

It’s never been easier to take an art class. From your phone or computer, you can dive into lessons and videos covering everything from the basics of analog photography to the history of Egyptian art. Free online classes and MOOCs (massive open online courses)—which you can find through websites like Class Central, Skillshare, and Coursera—allow you to access weeks- or months-long courses in various creative fields. Many of these curricula allow you to work at your own pace, and some are even offered by prestigious universities.

Stop procrastinating

It’s a common misconception that all people who routinely put off their work are procrastinators—and that creative geniuses like

Leonardo da Vinci

and

Frank Lloyd Wright

were famous for this type of behavior. However, if you leave an assignment until the last minute knowing full well that you’ll still be able to get your work done—and done well—your actions are more accurately described as “purposeful delaying.” True procrastinators, on the other hand, end up producing work that’s worse not just in quality, but in terms of creativity, as well.

Some helpful strategies for kicking your procrastination habits include working during the times of day when you’re naturally most productive, breaking down big assignments into more manageable tasks, and minimizing distractions while you’re working, like turning off your phone.

Start a drawing routine

Drawing is not only an accessible means of creative expression, it can also help you process emotions and enhance your memory—in fact, a new studyfound that drawing is more effective than writing for memory retention. Like anything, you’ll need to make it part of your routine in order to stick with it and improve your skills.

One way to start is to keep a sketchbook, which you may choose to fill with depictions of your surroundings, travels, friends, or simple

still lifes

you can assemble from household items. The beauty of a sketchbook is that you don’t have to worry about making mistakes, and you can keep it to yourself, like a diary.

Meditate

Meditation has long been utilized as a means to tame anxiety and tap into creativity—and countless artists and other creatives have caught on. Take, for instance, filmmaker

David Lynch

, who is largely responsible for growing enthusiasm around Transcendental Meditation (TM), and performance artist

Marina Abramović

, who follows a form of focused-attention meditation (FA).

In its various forms, meditation has been found to improve skills that are key to creativity, including observation skills, divergent thinking (the ability to come up with many novel ideas or solutions to a problem), and convergent thinking (the ability to find connections between different things). If you don’t know where to begin, consider a meditation app, like Headspace or Calm.

Eat more fish and walnuts

Researchers believe that you can optimize your diet for greater creativity—and unsurprisingly, the recommended foods are staples of a healthy diet. They include fruits and vegetables, which contain creativity-boosting flavonoids; fish, walnuts, and other foods that are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which heighten brain performance; as well as bananas, almonds, and seaweed, which contain tyrosine, an amino acid that’s been linked to convergent thinking. To be clear, this approach won’t work overnight, but rather through a long-term diet.

Broaden your dating pool

A recent research study found that the deep learning that occurs during a romantic relationship with someone from another country may contribute to creativity. For one experiment, researchers worked with a group of students enrolled in an international MBA program over the course of 10 months, and tested their creativity at the beginning and end of the program; those who had dated someone from another culture had “superior creative performance.” Other experiments supported these findings, showing that the depth of a relationship correlates with a person’s convergent and divergent thinking.

Sleep smarter

While some studies have found that creative people don’t sleep well, adequate sleep is recommended for boosting the cognitive functioning that creativity requires. Both a full night’s sleep and power naps have been shown to help with idea generation;

Salvador Dalí

and Thomas Edison were known to regularly nap for this reason.

Getting enough sleep at night, however, is particularly important for creative problem-solving. A study published in June 2018 suggested that both REM and non-REM sleep play a role in enhancing a person’s creative thinking. A previous study found that when people had a full eight hours of sleep before trying to solve a problem, as opposed to staying awake, nearly triple the number of participants were able to solve the problem. One of the easiest ways to become a better sleeper is to develop “sleep stability,” meaning going to bed and waking up at the same time every day (even on weekends).

Take more museum trips

Researchers working at the intersection of arts and medicine have proven that the seemingly dissimilar fields are mutually beneficial—even when it comes to the simple act of viewing an artwork in person. This year, studies reported findings that patients stand to benefit from doctor-prescribed museum visits, and likewise, doctors can learn crucial observation skillsthrough carefully examining art. If you’re wary of a fatigue-inducing museum trip, make a plan to visit one exhibition or gallery, or even just one work of art—this approach is also a good one if you’re planning on seeing art with children.

Spice up your cooking or baking rituals

If making art is not your cup of tea, perhaps you find food more accessible. Cooking invites just as much room for experimentation as art, and for many artists, like Olafur Eliasson, the ingredients, science, and ethics of food can spur fresh ideas and lead to fruitful, communal meals. While the alchemy of baking may seem to leave less room for improvisation, devotees of The Great British Bake Off and Instagram users will know well that there’s no shortage of innovative bakers and pastry chefs pushing confections into the realms of art.

[“source=artsy.net”]

9 Takeaways You Need To Know About Education And Tuesday’s Election

With the midterms on Tuesday, we’ve devoted our weekly roundup to focus on education’s role in the election. Here are our nine takeaways of key issues and trends to watch:

1. Teachers are flexing their (political) muscles

With just days to go, both of the major teachers’ unions have devoted their considerable resources to the election.

The American Federation of Teachers has its members on the ground, making calls and knocking on doors, for more than 100 key Senate, House and gubernatorial races.

‘We Simply Can’t Take It Any Longer’: Teacher Protests Sweep Arizona, Colorado

Teacher Walkouts: A State By State Guide

While the AFT is focused more on national races, the National Education Association (the largest U.S. teachers’ union with nearly 3 million members) is primarily targeting state and local races.

This shouldn’t be a surprise. This has been a year packed with teacher activism. There were walkouts and demonstrations in five states. What did they want? Their main concerns were better pay and working conditions. Arizona, West Virginia, Colorado, Kentucky and Oklahoma are also states with some of the lowest education funding rates in the nation, as well as very low rates of teacher pay.

Why Teachers Are Going From Classrooms To Campaign Trails

For education advocates, conversations on funding education are long overdue.

In a report, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities called the last 10 years, “A Punishing Decade for School Funding.” Twenty-five states are still providing less total school funding per student than they were in 2008, according to this report by the AFT.

2. Keep an eye on the governor’s races

Education is the No. 2 issue in campaign ads for governors, according to the Wesleyan Media Project. It falls to 15th when you look at federal races, says Travis N. Ridout, the project’s co-director. This, he explains, is reflective of the importance of states vs. the federal government in setting education policy.

National

In Governors’ Elections This Year, Republicans Have A Lot To Lose

There are 36 gubernatorial races on Tuesday. Seventeen of those, because of retirements and term limits, will see a new governor in office. And 12 states will elect governors who appoint the state school chief (often called a superintendent).

New Mexico and Maryland are two states where the governor will have to make tough choices right away: rewriting the formula used to determine how funds are distributed to schools.

3. Follow the money

Voters in Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Colorado, Missouri and Utah will see education funding measures on the ballot. All told, these could add $2.6 billion for early childhood, K-12 and higher education. That’s according to the Center for American Progress.

“We’re seeing voters are looking to find ways to increase state funding for public education,” says Jessica Yin of CAP. (You can read the full report here.)

Colorado is considering the biggest increase in education funding: $1.6 billion. Amendment 73 proposes to create a Quality Public Education Fund through tax hikes for corporations and individuals who earn more than $150,000 a year.

4. ‘Non-traditional’ funding sources

Three states are looking at new sources of education revenue.

Michigan is mulling whether to legalize recreational marijuana. If approved, 35 percent of excise taxes on weed in the state would go towards K-12 education, with the rest of the revenue devoted to local governments and road repairs. Voters in Missouri are considering a similar measure. If passed, the proposal would legalize medical marijuana and funnel tax revenue towards veteran healthcare and early childhood education.

(The idea to fund education by taxing marijuana sales has appeared on state ballots before. Voters in Nevada, Oregon and Colorado approved similar measures, since as early as 2012.)

Maryland, meanwhile, is looking at casino revenue to support early education, career and technical education, dual enrollment programs and more. The measure is anticipated to generate at least $750 million in supplemental funding from 2020 to 2022.

5. A “blue wave?”

Many Democrats are predicting an anti-Trump blue wave that will lead their party to take the House. Democrats only need 23 seats to take control. The numbers, however, seem less favorable to Democrats when it comes to taking over the Senate.

So what does that mean for education policy?

Democratic control of the House could bring a new push to update the Higher Education Act. This is the main federal law governing approximately $120 billion in annual federal financial aid spending through grants, loans and work-study. It also covers anti-sex discrimination rules found under Title IX. The legislation was first passed in 1965 and last updated in 2008.

In the past year, both parties submitted their own bills with — wait for it — major differences. The two sides are currently are at an impasse, particularly on guidelines for federal student aid and regulations of for-profit colleges. A Democratic majority in the House could allow for enough bipartisan cooperation to pass a renewal, says Bethany Little, a principal of the Education Counsel, an educational consulting firm.

6. The DeVos factor

The controversial U.S. Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, has been mentioned in $3 million worth of political TV ads and dozens of Facebook ads, overwhelmingly Democratic, according to a new analysis by Politico.

In races and states where public education is a big issue, her work advocating for vouchers and charter schools, scaling back civil rights protections for students, and siding with loan servicing companies over student borrowers could motivate many voters, even though DeVos’ name isn’t on the ballot.

7. Key Race: Arizona governor

David Garcia, a professor at Arizona State University, is running on the Democratic ticket against incumbent Republican Gov. Doug Ducey.

Ducey is campaigning on how he ended the teacher walkouts this spring: by signing a bill that promised a 20 percent raise to teacher salaries. NPR has reported that the legislation does not require that every teacher get a 20 percent raise.

National

3 Ways Education Is Influencing Arizona’s Midterms

The race could be a nailbiter. Garcia has attacked Ducey’s record on education but has faced a “crush of spending from incumbent Ducey and his allies,” reports Bret Jaspers of member station KJZZ.

Arizona will also be voting on the future of school vouchers. Proposition 305 will try to expand the state’s voucher program from special-needs students to all students in the state.

Republican Ducey is a firm supporter of charter schools in the state, saying he’s skeptical of the “profit motive” of charter institutions.

8. Key Race: Wisconsin governor

Democrat Tony Evers, the current superintendent of public instruction, is up against Republican incumbent Gov. Scott Walker, with education as the spotlight issue of the race.

About 40 percent of voters there put K-12 education as one of their top two issues, according to polling by Marquette University Law School.

Public education has experienced a bumpy road in Wisconsin since Walker took office in 2011. Funding for K-12 schools saw a $749 million cut during Walker’s first two years in office. Last year, the state boosted funding by $649 million, a figure Walker has frequently cited in his campaign ads.

Although Wisconsin wasn’t a part of the 2018 wave of teacher walkouts, teachers there did express their brooding discontent in 2011. Teacher unions in the state lost collective bargaining rights when Walker passed an anti-union act.

(Following its passage, median salaries dropped by 2.6 percent and median benefits by 18.6 percent, and many teachers left their jobs, according to the left-leaning Center for American Progress.)

Evers is proposing increased investment in all levels of education, from early childhood through higher ed. Polling suggests Evers has an edge with independents, but according to Shawn Johnson of Wisconsin Public Radio, “Wisconsin’s Republican Party has a proven record of getting its voters to turn out.”

9. One key congressional race

Keep an eye on this one: West Virginia’s 3rd Congressional district. It’s an open seat in an impressively red district that’s currently held by a Republican, and yet Democrats see a chance to flip it blue.

Polls suggest a competitive race between two state lawmakers: Democrat Richard Ojeda and Republican Carol Miller.

Ojeda is a state senator, army veteran and former high school teacher. Miller is a member of the state House of Delegates and a small business owner.

The Two-Way

‘We Have Reached A Deal’: West Virginia Teacher Strike Set To End With Pay Raise

As state senator, Ojeda has been a fierce advocate for education, including better pay for teachers. He became the face of teacher walkouts in the state earlier this year, to the point where some protesters chanted his name, reported Politico.

For her part, Miller has focused her campaign on economic growth, particularly for the coal industry, gun rights and combating the opioid epidemic.

Miller is a pro-Trump candidate, riding on the tailcoat of the president’s success in the region. Ojeda, on the other hand, has vocalized regret for voting for Trump in 2016. (In 2016, 73 percent of voters in the district voted for President Trump.)

[“source=ndtv”]

Xiaomi Mi A2 in India, Galaxy Note 9 Launched, Amazon and Flipkart Sales, Fortnite on Android, and More News This Week

Xiaomi Mi A2 price in India starts from Rs. 16,999

HIGHLIGHTS

Xiaomi price in India starts at Rs. 16,999
The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 features a Bluetooth-powered S Pen stylus
Amazon and Flipkart both held their Independence Day sales this week

Xiaomi Mi A2 (Review) arrived in India this week, while Samsung unveiled its much-anticipated new phablet flagship – the Galaxy Note 9. Online marketplaces Amazon India and Flipkart had their ‘Freedom’ sales ahead of India’s Independence Day, while Google launched the stable version of Android 9.0 – and called it Pie. Huaweisub-brand Honor brought its gaming focused Play smartphone to Indian shores, and Epic Games finally revealed when and how the Android version of its popular Fortnite game will first become available. Microsoft also brought the Surface Book 2 and Surface Laptop to India. These were just some of the tech news highlights of the week past, so stick around, we’ve got more for you in this weekly roundup.

As we mentioned, Chinese electronics firm Xiaomi launched its second generation Android One smartphone – the Mi A2 – in India on Wednesday. The Xiaomi Mi A2 is the successor to the Mi A1, which as a part of Google’s Android One initiative was certified to feature an optimised stock Android experience and to receive timely updates. It is a variant of the Mi 6X, which launched with MIUI 9 earlier this year. Xiaomi has launched both the 4GB RAM/ 64GB storage and 6GB RAM/ 128GB storage variants in the country, however, the latter doesn’t yet have a price or exact release date yet. The Mi A2 price in India starts at Rs. 16,999 for the aforementioned base model in the country.

To recall, Gadgets 360 had reported ahead of the launch that for India, Xiaomi would be skipping the 4GB/ 32GB base model it had launched in Europe. The India variant also features a 3000mAh battery that supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 4+, rather than the 3010mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0 support that the EU model came with. The Xiaomi Mi A2 is currently up for pre-orders in the country on Amazon India and Mi.com, and will go on sale on August 16 via the above-mentioned online sale channels, apart from Mi Home and Mi Preferred Partner Stores.

The dual-SIM (Nano) Mi A2 runs stock Android 8.1 Oreo and sports a 5.99-inch full-HD+ (1080×2160 pixels) display with an 18:9 aspect ratio – protected by 2.5D curved Gorilla Glass 5. It is powered by a Snapdragon 660 SoC, and sports a dual rear camera setup, with a 12-megapixel primary sensor and a 20-megapixel secondary sensor. On the front, the Xiaomi Mi A2 has a 20-megapixel camera and a soft-light flash module. Notably, the smartphone sports a USB Type-C (v2.0) port, and Xiaomi has decided not to include a 3.5mm headphone jack. It features a fingerprint sensor on the rear panel.

On Thursday, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Note 9 at an event in Brooklyn, New York City. The latest phablet flagship from the company, the Galaxy Note 9 comes with an improved S Pen, a bigger 4,000mAh battery, and a massive 6.4-inch bezel-less display. The company has decided to go with a horizontal dual camera setup, and offers some top-end specifications – up to 8GB of RAM and 512GB of inbuilt storage. This is further expandable up to 1TB, with a 512GB microSD card.

Samsung has also revealed the Galaxy Note 9’s price in India, which starts at Rs. 67,900 for the 6GB RAM/ 128GB inbuilt storage variant, and goes up to Rs. 84,900 for the 8GB RAM/ 512GB inbuilt storage variant. The smartphone is up for pre-orders in the country via Amazon, Flipkart, and Samsung’s online store, with pre-booking offers including a discount on the Gear Sport, cashbacks, and exchange discounts. Pre-orders last till August 21, which indicates that regular sales will begin the next day. Airtelhas also announced a contract plan for the smartphone, with a downpayment of Rs. 7,900.

ALSO SEESamsung Galaxy Note 9 First Impressions

The dual-SIM (Nano, hybrid) Samsung Galaxy Note 9 runs Android 8.1 Oreo with the Samsung Experience UX – it bears a 6.4-inch Quad HD+ (1440×2960 pixels) Super AMOLED Infinity Display, and in India, it runs on the Samsung Exynos 9810 SoC instead of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC that’s available in regions like the US. The rear dual camera setup is identical to the Galaxy S9+, apart from a change in orientation, featuring with a 12-megapixel wide-angle camera and a 12-megapixel telephoto lens. On the front too, the Galaxy Note 9’s identical to the Galaxy S9+, with a 8-megapixel autofocus camera. The company is touting features like a scene optimiser, flaw detection, HDR and live focus modes, and an AR Emoji feature. A fingerprint sensor sits below the rear cameras, and the smartphone supports wireless charging. The Galaxy Note 9 also has an AKG-tuned embedded street speaker, and features a Bluetooth-powered S Pen stylus with new features like remote control camera shutter and presentation control, amongst others.

At the New York event, Samsung also launched the Galaxy Watch smartwatch, which runs its Tizen-based Wearable OS 4.0. It will be available in both Bluetooth and LTE variants, and two sizes – 42mm and 46mm. The company is touting up to 80 hours of battery life, MIL-STD-810 rating for durability, and an IP68-rating for dust and water resistance. The Galaxy Home – a smart speaker competitor to the Apple HomePod, Google Home, and Amazon Echo was also shown off.

This week also saw several sales thanks to the occasion of India’s Independence Day next week. Apart from the usual suspects, Amazon and Flipkart, Chinese smartphone manufacturer Vivo also held its own sale, offering the Vivo Nex and the Vivo V9 for as little as Rs. 1,947 during a flash sale. The sale was from August 7 to August 9, and also offered discounts on its more affordable handsets, as well as offers on its accessories.

The Amazon Freedom Sale lasts from August 9 to August 12. Top deals on the site included discounts on Huawei P20 Pro, Huawei P20 Lite, Honor 7X, Honor View 10, Samsung Galaxy Note 8, 10.or G, Sennheiser HD 4.50 SE wireless headphones, TCL 55-inch 4K smart LED TV, Sony 55-inch Bravia KD-55A1 4K OLED smart TV, Kindle Paperwhite Wi-Fi, Amazon Fire TV Stick, GoPro Hero action camera, GoPro Hero 5 action camera, JBL Cinema SB250 soundbar, Samsung 27-inch curved LED monitor, and the Acer Nitro AN515-51 gaming laptop.

The Flipkart Big Freedom Sale, which is from August 10 to August 12, had several deals, including discounts on the Honor 7A, Google Pixel 2 (64GB), Honor 9 Lite, Honor 10, Honor 9i, Asus ZenFone Max Pro M1, ZenFone 5Z, Apple iPhone SE, Samsung Galaxy On6, Lenovo K8 Plus (3GB/32GB), Vivo V9, Oppo A83, LG G7+ ThinQ 128GB, Apple iPad (sixth-generation) 32GB with Wi-Fi, Lenovo Legion K200 gaming keyboard, Kodak XSMART 55-inch 4K smart LED TV, VU Iconium 55-inch 4K smart LED TV, Acer Predator Helios 300 15.6-inch gaming laptop, MSI GF Series 15.6-inch gaming laptop, Apple Watch Series 3 42mm with an aluminium case, Google Home Mini, Google Home, and Chromecast 2. Xiaomi’s Redmi Note 5 Pro, Mi TV 4, and Mi TV 4A had also gone up for sale on Flipkart, without flash sales.

Things were unusually quiet on the telecom front this week, with only two major plans being launched. Airtel]( unveiled its new Rs. 399 postpaid plan that offers 20GB of additional data for a year. The plan features 20GB 3G/ 4G data per month, with data rollover support up to 200GB. It also offers unlimited local, STD, and roaming calls as well as 100 SMS messages per day for the entire billing cycle. Subscribers can avail the plan by visiting the official Airtel website or through the My Airtel app.

State-owned telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) launched two new ‘Freedom Offer’ recharges ahead of Independence Day . The first is the Rs. 29 BSNL recharge for a week, which offers unlimited voice calls to any network (except Delhi and Mumbai), unlimited data, 100 SMS messages per day, and free PRBT (Personalised Ringback Tone). There is a data FUP to 2GB data per day, post which, speeds will drop to 80Kbps. The BSNL Rs. 9 recharge is a daily pack, with a validity of 1 day, and offers the same benefits as the BSNL Rs. 29 recharge.

Apart from these two offers, it was learnt that DoT had sought views from telecom operators, Internet Service Providers Association of India (ISPAI), Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI), and others about blocking apps under Section 69A of the IT Act. COAI later in the week reacted to the plan, and said the government should look for “more effective” steps to curb fake news and maintain public order, saying blocking apps is very difficult and may hamper the routine of regular people. Later in the week, TRAI Chairman RS Sharma received a 2-year extension to his post, a day before his term was due to end. His tenure has been extended to September 30, 2020.

Let’s get back to major mobile phone launches and announcements this week. HMD Global launched the Nokia 2.1 Android Go smartphone, and the Nokia 5.1 Android One smartphone in India this week. Alongside, it also launched the 3GB RAM/ 32GB storage variant of the Nokia 3.1 – to recall, the 2GB/ 16GB storage was launched last month. The Nokia 2.1 is priced at Rs. 6,999 in India for its lone 1GB RAM/ 8GB storage variant, while the Nokia 3.1’s 3GB RAM/ 32GB storage variant is priced at Rs. 11,999, and the Nokia 5.1’s lone 3GB RAM/ 32GB storage.

Separately, HMD Global sent India launch invites on August 21. The company is expected to launch the Nokia 6.1 Plus, which is the global variant of the Nokia X6 that had been launched in China in May.

The Honor Play was launched in China in June, and has now been launched in India. The smartphone’s 4GB RAM variant is priced at Rs. 19,999, while the 6GB RAM dxdvariant is priced at Rs. 23,999. Both went on sale in India on Monday itself, via Amazon India and the HiHonorStore.

Xiaomi also teased the launch of a new Poco brand, which it claims will concentrate on innovation. The first model, expected to be called the Pocophone F1 as per previous leaks, in the new brand will be focused on speed.

Samsung Galaxy On8, which was launched earlier this month, went on sale for the first time this week. The smartphone is priced at Rs. 16,990, and is available via Flipkart and Samsung’s own online store.

In Samsung related news, the company this week cut the price of its Galaxy J7 Duo handset in the country for the second time since its launch. It is now priced at Rs. 12,990, down from its Rs. 16,990 launch price from April. To recall, the smartphone first saw a price cut to Rs. 13,990 earlier this month.

The Huawei Nova 3i went on sale for the first time in India this week. The smartphone was launched in India last month alongside the Nova 3, and is now available to purchase via Amazon India. The Huawei Nova 3i price in India has been set at Rs. 20,990.

Google this week release the stable version of Android P, called Android 9.0 Pie. The Mountain View firm released the latest version of Android for its Pixel devices, while Essential Phone also got its stable Android 9 Pie update on the same day. Separately, HMD Global announced the final build of Android P Developer Preview 5 (Beta 4) for the Nokia 7 Plus, its smartphone in the Android P Beta programme. HTC announced its list of smartphones that will be receiving the Android P update, as did Sony, and Vivo.

Related to the launch of Android 9.0 Pie was news that Google will use its gesture based navigation feature as its default navigation method, and offer no onscreen navigation controls – though they will remain an option.

Meizu this week launched its new flagship smartphones, the Meizu 16 and the Meizu 16 Plus. The Meizu 16 price starts at CNY 2,698 (roughly Rs. 27,100), while the Meizu 16 Plus price starts at CNY 3,198. Both smartphones run Flyme OS based on Android 8.0 Oreo, and feature 6-inch and a 6.5-inch Super AMOLED panels respectively. They are both powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, with up to 8GB of RAM, a dual rear camera setup with a 12-megapixel primary camera and a 20-megapixel secondary camera, apart from a 20-megapixel front camera. The smartphones also sport 3010mAh and 3640mAh batteries respectively, supports mCharge fast charge technology.

OnePlus this week announced that it will fix a display flickering issue faced by OnePlus 6 users after updating to OxygenOS 5.1.8, with the next update for the smartphone. The issue was seen when adaptive brightness was turned on.

Qualcomm this week launched the Snapdragon 670 SoC that comes as the successor to the Snapdragon 660 SoC. It bears two high performance Kryo 360 CPUs clocked at 2GHz and six efficiency cores of up to 1.7GHz. The SoC also has Adreno 615 GPU and the Spectra 250 ISP that supports up to 25-megapixel resolution for single camera sensors and 16-megapixel for dual camera sensors.

There were several major leaks this week, including the Oppo F9 Pro specifications leak. The Oppo F9 Pro is set to launch in India on August 21, and it is said to a variant of the Oppo F9 – which this week got listed on the company’s official Vietnam site.

The Nokia 5.1 Plus received its Bluetooth SIG certification, which implies an imminent launch. The smartphone expected to be the global variant of the Nokia X5, similar to how the Nokia 6.1 Plus is the global variant of the Nokia X6.

The Google Pixel 3 XL also made its way into the leaks this week, with multiple little reveals that showed the smartphone from all sides, and tipped a 6.7-inch QHD+ display, Snapdragon 845 SoC, 4GB of RAM, a 3,430mAh battery, a 12.2-megapixel rear camera, and an 8.1-megapixel front camera. Wireless charging capabilities were also tipped.

The much-anticipated iPhone trio that is due to launch this September was this week leaked into hands-on videos, as well as what appears to be an advertorial leak, tipping that they will be called the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Plus, and iPhone 9. Both the ‘X’ models are said to sport dual rear camera setups, while the iPhone 9 is said to sport a single camera setup. All three smartphones feature display notches, though of course, the cheaper iPhone 9 is expected to come with a 6.1-inch LCD display instead of the 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch OLED displays that the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Pus are expected to sport respectively.

This week, Xiaomi launched the Mi Sports Bluetooth Headset Youth Edition in China, priced at just CNY 99 (roughly Rs. 1,000). Available in both Black and White colour variants, the headset has a 120mAh battery and weighs in at 13.6 grams.

Microsoft this week launched the Surface Book 2 and Surface Laptop in India. Both models were originally unveiled globally in 2017, and run the Windows 10 in S Mode. The price of the Surface Book 2 in India starts at Rs. 1,37,999, and that of the Surface Laptop begins at Rs. 86,999.

Asus launched new variants of its TUF Gaming FX504 gaming laptop in India, featuring up to Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 graphics. The price in India of the new Asus TUG Gaming FX504 model with is set at Rs. 84,990 for the 8th gen Intel Core i5 variant and Rs. 95,990 for the 8th gen Intel Core i7 model. There is a new model that comes with GTX 1050 that is priced at Rs. 63,990.

Samsung this week also launched the Galaxy Tab A 10.5 in its LTE variant, priced a Rs. 29,990. It features a 10.5-inch display, quad speakers powered by Dolby Atmos, and a 7,300mAh battery that promises up to 14.5 hours of video playback.

In other news this week, WhatsApp officially completed the rollout of its newly instated forward messaging limits in India, in a bid to curb fake news – something the company has been battling in country, with the messaging service seen to be used as a conduit to propagate mass violence. The limit earlier this week made it to iPhone users.

The Facebook-owned messaging service also began testing a revamped reporting layout for Android beta users, giving users more options to deal with unwanted messages. The company’s new Report dialogue now contains the option to directly block the reported party, and delete all messages from the contact. The same feature extends to when users are reporting groups. The feature is being tested in Android beta v2.18.246, and can be expected to make its way to stable Android and iPhone versions after testing is complete.

Separately, Israel-based security research firm CheckPoint this week said it had found a vulnerability in WhatsApp that would allow hackers to modify and send fake messages, in both groups and private conversations. WhatsApp however played down the concern, saying, “We carefully reviewed this issue and it’s the equivalent of altering an email to make it look like something a person never wrote.”

Fortnite – the outrageously popular game from Epic Games that is available on iPhone, PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC – this week finally made its way to Android. After revealing last week that the game would not be made available via Google Play, Epic Games this week made the closed Android beta of the app available, starting exclusively for Samsung Galaxy users – something it announced at the Galaxy Note 9 launch event. The exclusivity has expired already, and users of other eligible smartphones can now install the game – though they still need the invite to play it.

Popular football simulator franchise, Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer (PES), released the demo of its latest instalment – PES 2019. We reviewed the demo, and found it showed the franchise was leaning back towards realism, lacked all the right tools as it makes those steps. We do however look forward to seeing how the other aspects of the game – those not available in the demo – stack up.

Flipkart’s acquisition by Walmart received the approval of Competition Commission of India (CCI) this week. The move was opposed by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), which said the acquisition would create unfair competition and drive local convenience stores out of business. CAIT said it would move the court against CCI’s decision.

[“Source-gadgets.ndtv”]