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Xiaomi is looking at launching more of value added services, after Mi Music and Mi Video Leading smartphone entity Xiaomi has entered the digital lending space in India, with the launch of a ‘Mi Credit’ product. The company is offering instant personal loans to its users, through offers that appear on their lock screen while they are using the phone. The company launched this in partnership with KreditBee, a lending platform aimed at students and young professionals. Xiaomi’s loans are also aimed at young professionals -they cater to short-term needs for cash. The company says the loans can be initiated in 10 minutes through a simple KYC (Know Your Customer) verification. Xiaomi’s partner is responsible for disbursing the loan; its platform functions as a loan aggregator. More partners are to be added but KreditBee is offering loans from Rs 1,000 to Rs 100,000 on Mi Credit to Xiaomi users at an interest rate of three per cent a month, translating to 36 per cent annually — in ...

Motorola today launched the fifth generation of its best-selling Moto G series - Moto G5 Plus Motorola today launched the fifth generation of its best-selling Moto G series --   Moto G5 Plus   -- in the Indian market at a price of Rs 14,999 onwards. Motorola will make available two versions -- 3GB RAM/16GB memory and 4GB RAM/32GB memory -- for Rs 14,999 and Rs 16,999 respectively. These will go on sale from tonight on Flipkart. Equipped with a full metal design, faster processor and better camera functionality, the Moto G5 will compete with handsets from Xiaomi, Micromax as well as those from the stable of its parent -- Lenovo. "This is our biggest franchise and the fastest selling as well. India is one of the first markets globally where we are launching the Moto G5 Plus," Motorola Mobility India Managing Director, Sudhin Mathur, told reporters here. The Moto G series cumulatively has so far sold 6 million units in India, he added. He said that the company wi...

Now watch 3D videos on smartphones without special eyewear You could soon watch   3D videos   on your smartphone without any special eyewear, thanks to scientists who have developed a way to make displays for small screen devices that offer both 2D and 3D imaging. For eyewear-free displays, the only action is behind the screen where the image's pixels and optics are layered together to produce the stereoscopic effect. The two primary ways of producing these optically illusive effects are by using either an array of micro-lenses, called lenticular lenses, or an array of micro-filters, called parallax barriers, in front of the image to make its appearance depend on the angle at which it is being seen. The simplest example of this effect is found on a movie poster whose image appears to change as you walk by. Two or more images are interlaced and printed behind a plastic layer with grooves matching the interlaced pattern. The grooves act as distinct, interlaced ar...

Plane evacuated at Louisville airport after replaced Samsung phone starts smoking An overheating, smoking   Samsung smartphone   forced the evacuation of a Southwest Airlines jet that was preparing to take off from the Louisville airport. The incident raised fresh trouble for Samsung, which saw its new Galaxy Note 7 device recalled last month because of overheating batteries. Samsung, Southwest and federal aviation-safety officials declined to say what model of Samsung phone was involved, saying they were still investigating. But an Indiana woman, Sarah Green, told The Courier-Journal of Louisville that it was her husband’s   Samsung Galaxy Note 7   that made popping noises and started to smoke after he powered it down while the plane sat at the gate. Green told the newspaper that her husband, Brian, received the Galaxy Note 7 about two weeks ago as a replacement for his recalled phone. He called her from someone else’s phone to tell her what happened. ...

Asus India eyes 1 crore smartphone sales in 2 years Asus India is eyeing to secure seven per cent market share with sales of around one crore smartphones in the next two years, a top company executive said on Tuesday. "The company has seen good performance in Indian market and hopes to secure seven per cent market share with sales of around one crore smartphones in next two years," the company's Regional Head (South Asia and Country Manager) Peter Chang told reporters here. Chang was in the city to unveil and showcase   Asus ' largest range of premium products in Bengaluru market. In the next one year, the company hopes to secure five per cent of India's smartphone market, Chang said but declined to divulge the five-year long-term goal. The company has had a good start and been growing at a good pace by securing 2.5 per cent since its inception in 2014, inspite of facing tough competition, with around 20 to 30 brands operating to get customers' a...

Chinese   smartphone   maker   OnePlus   might manufacture its latest device   OnePlus 3   in India. The company last month suspended local production of its   OnePlus X   smartphone within five months of launch, due to tepid demand. But, demand for its latest OnePlus 3 model is outstripping supply and the Chinese company could make the handsets at the Foxconn factory in India. “We are facing a supply crunch. Since we dropped the invite-only approach, demand is higher than expected,” said Vikas Agarwal, general manager, India, OnePlus. “We are importing handsets from China but are looking to start assembling in India by the end of this year. We are searching for component suppliers for OnePlus 3,” he added. “We ceased production of OnePlus X recently,” Agarwal said. “The demand was not enough to justify production,” he added. According to a CMR report published in June, OnePlus became one of the top five in the high-end smartphone ma...

Samsung unveils Galaxy Note 7 with iris scanner for Rs 59,900 Giving a refreshing look to its Note series, South Korean giant   Samsung   on Thursday launched its flagship device   Galaxy Note 7   in India with iris biometric scanner for enhanced security, upgraded S Pen and a dual-curved screen. "Galaxy Note 7 is the combination of all our learnings to take   smartphone   experience to a whole new level and I am confident that the new edition will help Samsung Note loyalists to achieve more in life," H.C. Hong, President and CEO, Samsung Southwest Asia, told reporters here. The company also launched a new wearable portfolio with new Gear VR, Gear Fit2 fitness tracker and Gear IconX earplugs. "Our wearable portfolio comprising Gear Fit2, Gear IconX and Gear VR will further strengthen Samsung's commitment to a connected ecosystem strategy," added Manu Sharma, Vice President, Mobile Business, Samsung India Electronics. Samsung Galaxy Note 7 ...

Samsung profit rises on new smartphone technology Six months after it warned that 2016 would be a tough year,   Samsung   Electronics is showing that new technology and new phones are beginning to pay off. The South Korean technology conglomerate said on Thursday that its operating profit for the three months that ended in June rose 17 per cent over the same period a year ago. The jump in growth beat analysts' expectations and led to the company's best quarterly profit figure in two years. At the heart of the recovery is the sustained popularity of Samsung's flagship S7 phone, which analysts say has sold well despite the competitive pressures from Apple. Bolstering that success are steady sales of the company's lower-end phones. If Samsung's profit growth in the first half of 2016 comes from weathering difficult conditions in the global   smartphone   markets, analysts say the rest of the year will be more dependent on its lesser-known products: memory c...

Samsung Electronics set for best quarter in over 2 years on second quarter smartphone boost Tech giant   Samsung Electronics   Co Ltd <005930.KS> is poised to issue guidance for its best quarterly profit in more than two years, propelled by a surge in mobile earnings on the back of robust sales of its flagship   Galaxy S7   smartphones. The South Korean giant will disclose its estimates for second-quarter earnings on Thursday, with analysts predicting a strong mobile division contributed to a 13% jump in operating profit from the same period a year earlier. The average forecast from a Thomson Reuters survey of 16 analysts tips Samsung to report April-June operating profit of 7.8 trillion won ($6.8 billion), the highest since an 8.5 trillion won profit in January-March of 2014. The mobile division of the world's top maker of smartphones and memory   chips   was likely its top earner for the second straight quarter with a 4.3 trillion won pr...

Moto G4: Dynamite for your budget Ever since Motorola came back into the fray of the   smartphone   segment, it has made a strong user base in India. Most of its launches have been a success. And, the latest one to enter the market is the Moto G4. Having a simple body design with smooth edges, the phone might give good competition to players in the budget smartphone segment. The phone has a big 5.5-inch screen, a great move for those who like watching movies and streaming videos; you can even watch the ongoing Euro competition in France. It doesn't try to look premium though it is designed in a neat and compact manner. However, it does not have an IPX7 water-resistant screen unlike the Moto G (third generation). The   Moto G4   is a mere 9.8-mm thick, weighs 155g (seriously light for a 5.5-inch phone), and to top it all, it feels sturdy with a curved metal frame surrounding the screen adding to the high-quality feel.   Read More

Samsung may release phones with bendable screens by 2017 Samsung Electronics   Co is considering introducing two new smartphone models that will feature bendable screens, including a version that folds in half like a cosmetic compact, people familiar with the matter said. The devices using organic light-emitting diodes could be unveiled as soon as early 2017, the people said, asking not to be identified because the matter is private. That would likely give it a head start on new Apple Inc iPhones. The second Samsung model will have a 5-inch screen when used as a handset, that unfurls into a display that's as large as 8 inches, similar to a tablet, the people said. Samsung , the biggest supplier of OLED panels for mobile products, has pioneered the development of new screen formats with its multi-sided Edge smartphones. Using advanced display technology may help the company recapture customers from Apple and boost earnings that have slumped for the past two years. ...