Apple iPhone X: Issues with FaceID? Apple could replace your device

According to the Daily Telegraph, the tech giant admitted the problem that reportedly lies in the rear camera of the device

iPhone X owners who are facing problem with the FaceID unlock scanner may get a new device if their smartphone cannot be repaired, a report has claimed.

According to a report in MacRumors, the Cupertino-based company "updated its service policy for a limited number of iPhone X units that might be experiencing issues with Face ID".

The policy said that the support personnel must first try to fix the rear camera if Face ID problems are present. If the issue is not resolved, Apple would replace the whole unit instead of repairing the same device.

"In order to provide the best customer experience, if a customer reports that their iPhone X is having Face ID issues, you may be able to resolve the issue with a rear camera repair," MacRumors quoted Apple as saying.

"Run AST 2 on the customer's device to check the camera. If the diagnostics find issue with the camera, perform the repair to see if the issue is resolved. If the issue is not resolved, perform a whole unit replacement instead of a same-unit display repair," the company has said.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the tech giant admitted the problem that reportedly lies in the rear camera of the device.

The report mentioned that the TrueDepth camera at the front and the telephoto lens at the back are linked.

iPhone X sports a unique "FaceID" facial recognition system to unlock the device. The feature is enabled by a 'True Depth' camera system in the A11 neural engine.

It is basically a 3D face scanner that uses several components to analyse a person's face and verify identity. It is also expensive to fix.

Apple rides iPhone profits to become the most profitable global brand in Q4

Apple iPhone X generated 35% of the total handset industry profit in Q4 2017. In smartphone segment, Apple achieved 86% of global profits. Latest news on Apple iPhone X, its pricing and market control

US-based technology giant Apple remained the most profitable brand in the fourth quarter of 2017-17, capturing 86 per cent of total handset market profits, according to a report by Counterpoint Research.

According to the report, Apple’s anniversary-edition smartphone iPhoneX alone generated 35 per cent of the total handset industry profits. This is a significant landmark, as the model was available in the market for only two months during Q4 2017. The premium flagship smartphone with notch-based screen generated five times more profits than the combined profits of 600-plus Android original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) during Q4 2017.

Apple iPhones, including the current flagships like the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus, along with yesteryear’s flagships iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, led the list of top 10 smartphones that captured 90 per cent of the total handset profits. Other than iPhones, only Samsung’s Galaxy Note 8 and Galaxy S8 Plus managed to feature in the top 10, at the sixth and eighth positions, respectively.

The report highlights that the older-generation iPhones like the iPhone 7 and iPhone 6 generated more profits than some of the more recent Android flagships from key Chinese OEMs. Chinese electronics giant and the world’s third-largest smartphone manufacturer Huawei became the leading brand among all Chinese brands, with its profit increasing 59 per cent year-on-year.

After its international unveiling on September 12, 2017, the Apple iPhone X was launched in India and other international markets on November 3. The anniversary-edition smartphone was priced at a premium – Rs 89,000 for the base model with 64GB storage and Rs 1,02,000 for 256GB storage variant.

Soon, Whatsapp will allow you to 'recall' messages

Company News : The users will be able to edit only recent messages and not the old ones

Next time you send a message intended for your girlfriend mistakenly to someone else on WhatsApp , just chill. You may have soon a five-minute window to revoke such misdirected messages.

According to WABetaInfo, a fan site that tests new WhatsApp features early, the mobile messaging platform has moved closer towards introducing a 'Recall' feature.

With this feature, the users will be able to recall or unsent texts, images, videos, GIFs, documents, quoted messages and even status replies within a five-minute window, The Independent reported on Tuesday.

The messaging app will enable 'Recall' in version "2.17.30+" of the app. The current version of WhatsApp is 2.17.190.

"WhatsApp has added in beta the possibility to edit messages that you already sent. It is actually disabled by default and it's under development," an earlier WABetaInfo's tweet read.

The users will be able to edit only recent messages and not the old ones.

With 1.2 billion monthly active users, WhatsApp is available in more than 50 different languages around the world and in 10 Indian languages.

WhatsApp currently has 200 million monthly active users in India.

The Facebook-owned platform is also believed to be considering bringing back the old contacts list that vanished with the arrival of 'Status' but only for iPhone users.

India rise to 101 in FIFA rankings, best ever since 1996

India have jumped 31 places from its last rank of 132nd in the previous month

The Indian football team achieved its best-ever FIFA ranking in over two decades as it jumped to 101 in the latest list released on Thursday.

This is the team's best-ever ranking since May 1996 - it was ranked 101 then also.

India have jumped 31 places from its last rank of 132nd in the previous month.

Following a couple of wins in recent times, India are now ranked 11th in Asia.

The highest FIFA ranking achieved by India ever is 94, which was attained in February 1996. India were ranked 99 in November 1993 and 100 in October 1993, December 1993 and April 1996.

The last couple of years had been fruitful for India as they won 11 of their 13 matches, including an unofficial game against Bhutan, while scoring a total of 31 goals.

India recently posted a 1-0 victory over Myanmar in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers — their first-ever in Myanmar in over 64 years.

Before that India's first win in an away encounter in over a decade came when they beat Cambodia 3-2 in an International Friendly.

The 4-1 win at home for India last year against Puerto Rico was also commendable.

"It has been a difficult road. Bringing in new blood and creating competition for places in the team has been a process, and I'm pleased we are moving in the right direction," India coach Stephen Constantine said. (more)

• Apple takes on Samsung, iPhone 8 to start at $850-900
• Microsoft Windows 10 update: New privacy tools to offer more transparency
• Google Launches Google Play Music subscription in India at Rs 89 per month

Check out the latest Breaking Apple Updates

Apple releases red iPhones, cuts prices on lower-end iPads

Red iPhone : Apple is refreshing and cutting prices on two of its iPads, but held back on updating its higher-end tablets.

A much-speculated 10.5-inch iPad didn't materialise, nor did new versions of iPad Pros aimed at businesses and creative professionals.

Apple unveiled the new iPads through a press release rather than a staged event, the opposite of the process reserved for bigger product releases, which typically are unveiled in September or October, in time for the holiday shopping season.

Apple AirPods review: Seamless connectivity without wires

Apple AirPods : I've been using Apple’s EarPods as my primary mobile headset for more than four years. Thankfully, they fit my ear and are quite comfortable, thus I’m able to fall asleep wearing them. And I do so nearly every night, when they are connected to my iPod.

Thus, after the jokes about losing one’s AirPods (Rs 15,400) died down, I was interested in taking it through its paces. Popping them out of the charging case, the AirPods paired very easily and very fast with my iPhone; and all my other Apple devices. Next, I went out for a run, wearing as bandana for fear of losing the AirPods.

Also Read : Gionee launches A1 smartphone in India with selfie-focused 16 MP camera

Apple unveils its cheapest iPad

Apple cheapest iPad : Apple introduced a revamped version of its most popular-sized iPad at the cheapest price ever, and a shiny red iPhone 7, whose sales will help to combat AIDS.

Apple unveiled a new 9.7-inch iPad with a brighter Retina display starting at $329, and a special edition red-aluminum finish iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, part of the company’s decade-long partnership with (RED), which contributes to the Global Fund to fight HIV and AIDS.

Apple's next big thing: Augmented reality

Tim Cook has talked up a lot of technologies since becoming Apple Inc’s chief executive in 2011. Driverless cars. Artificial intelligence. Streaming television. But no technology has fired up Cook quite like augmented reality (AR), which overlays images, video and games on the real world. Cook has likened AR’s game-changing potential to that of the smartphone. At some point, he said last year, we will all “have AR experiences every day, almost like eating three meals a day. It will become that much a part of you”.

Apple to start India manufacturing in coming months with iPhone SE: Report

Apple's move comes as it seeks to boost its share in the world's fastest growing major mobile market

Apple Inc will in the coming months start assembling its lower-priced iPhone SE models at a contract manufacturer's plant in the technology hub of Bengaluru, an industry source with direct knowledge of the matter said on Friday.

Apple's Taiwanese manufacturing partner Wistron Corp is setting up a plant in Bengaluru to focus solely on assembling iPhones, a separate source told Reuters earlier this month.

Apple's move comes as it seeks to boost its share in the world's fastest growing major mobile market, where handsets far cheaper than Apple's iPhones dominate. It also comes as smartphone sales growth is slowing in Asia's other massive market, China.

To lower prices, Apple has been seeking to set up local production and has been in talks with the Indian federal government regarding issues such as tax concessions.

The industry source told Reuters the initial manufacturing of the iPhone SE model was not contingent on those concessions.

Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Economic Times newspaper earlier on Friday reported Apple planned to initially assemble 300,000 to 400,000 iPhone SE handsets in India. The industry source told Reuters the numbers would be substantially lower to begin with.

The source also said it was too early to say what other phone models Apple would assemble at the Bengaluru plant. Read more

Apple is bringing Siri to Mac & third-party apps, says WSJ

Apple is bringing Siri to Mac & third-party apps, says WSJ

Tech giant Apple is likely to bring Siri, its computer programme that works as an intelligent personal assistant and knowledge navigator, to the Mac.

The company will also give developers access to Siri so that they can incorporate it into their apps.

The announcement is likely to be made during the week-long Worldwide Developers Conference, which kicks off Monday, the Verge quoted the Wall Street Journal as saying.

Apple introduced Siri as an iPhone feature in 2011, creating a way to find information or complete tasks by speaking to the phone instead of typing or tapping.

Siri uses a natural language user interface to answer questions, make recommendations and perform actions by delegating requests to a set of Web services. The software, both in its original version and as an iOS feature, adapts to the user's individual language usage and individual searches with continuing use and returns results that are individualised. Read more.

HTC One X9: Looks sturdy, works great

HTC One X9: Looks sturdy, works great

If there is one smartphone brand that has always been in the limelight for its looks, undoubtedly it is HTC. And the company has lived up to the benchmark it has set over the years with the launch of its new One X9. Available for Rs 25,990, the smartphone has the premium look to woo the audience along with the power-packed performance it delivers.

The latest launch from the Taiwan-based smartphone maker will take on the likes of the Xiaomi Mi 5, Google Nexus 5X, Moto X Style and Coolpad Max, which are priced under Rs 28,000. The price is a little on the higher side, but then, good things don't come cheap, do they?

The phone comes with a 5.5-inch liquid crystal display (LCD) along with a screen resolution of 1,920x1,080 pixels. The screen is coated with scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass. To top it all, the phone has the ability to customise the display option. This includes the ability to manually adjust the colour tint of the display. Now your eyes wont hurt in the dark.

It weighs only 175 g despite having an all-metal exterior which also adds to the sturdiness of the phone. One very trivial yet important quality that the phone boasts of is the amazing grip quality it has because of its oblique edges and a non-slippery back cover. Read more

New technology in mobile phones.

Android at its best

Android at its best

Nexus phones are known to provide the optimal Android experience. Perhaps, the only range of phones which can give an iPhone a run for its money. With the Nexus 6P, Google aims to do just that.

The 6P, where P stands for 'premium', is manufactured by Huawei - a first for Google. With a full metal unibody design and flat sides, the phone undoubtedly looks like a premium one. It's easy to hold especially since all the buttons are lined up on the right side. It has a 5.7-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440p. The colours are vibrant and sharp. It also houses a fingerprint scanner at the back. The phone protrudes at the back but not enough to make it uncomfortable to use.Read More.

Vivo V3 Max: Performance to the max

Vivo recently launched the Vivo V3 and V3 Max, boasting of a super-fast fingerprint scanner and overall a powerful phone. I got my hands on the V3 Max. The rose gold metal back and stylish finish makes it look similar to the iPhone 6S plus. So, in terms of appearance the phone is a looker.

The Vivo V3 Max comes with a 5.5-inch full HD display. The colours are sharp and watching videos on the phone is a delight. The phone runs the Funtouch OS based on Android 5.1 Lollipop. Usually, I have a problem with custom OSes, but Vivo's Funtouch managed not to get on my nerves. The phone has a feature called 'Dynamic Sliding Effects', which basically animates the way you scroll through your app drawer. Swiping up on the home screen brings up the control centre. And though it seems novel on Androids, it is a standard feature in iPhones. So one can't help but think, whether Vivo is just trying to knock off iOS at places where its own design lacunae exist.

The phone houses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor with 4 GB of RAM. This is hands down my favourite part - testing a phone's performance. 4 GB of RAM is more than enough for a heavy smartphone user. So, I installed as many as apps as I could and took the phone out for a spin. First, I tried opening the camera app - which is slow to load in most phones - but to my surprise, there was no lag. Next, I played Order and Chaos - a RAM-heavy online game - the phone didn't lag or heat up. So far, so good.

Next on my list was its camera - a 13-megapixel (MP) primary and an 8MP secondary. The photos are clear and sharp; there is no colour loss evident. Low-light photos are better than most but still not the best. The front camera clicks decent selfies and its beauty mode has a hilarious feature called 'Makeup'. Basically, after you select the beauty mode, the 'Makeup' feature will let you choose from different filters called 'Candy', 'Cool', 'Social', etc. Once selected, these filters will make your face appear as if you were wearing make-up. At the risk of sounding sexist, it is safe to say that this feature will attract a lot of attention from women.

The phone has a more-than-enough 3,000-mAh battery which lasted for about one-and-a-half days on a full charge and with heavy usage. It has a battery saver mode which is pretty effective. It supports Qualcomm's Quick Charge 2.0 which boasts of two hours of music playback on a five-minute charge. I tested it out and went through my entire music collection. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised.

The Vivo V3 Max takes multitasking quite literally. It has a split-screen feature which lets you use two apps simultaneously. I tried it out by watching a video and chatting with a friend on WhatsApp.

But the showstealer is the fingerprint sensor. Located at the back of the phone, the sensor is lightning fast. Once your fingerprint is registered, it wakes your phone the moment your skin makes contact with the phone. I've used and reviewed various phones with fast fingerprint sensors, but the V3 Max is hands down the fastest.

Priced at Rs 23,980, the Vivo V3 Max is a pretty good phone with decent specifications. But it may lose out to competitors such as OnePlus which offer similar specifications at a lower price.