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May 2019

Apple has surprisingly increased the cellular download limit for iPhone and iPad users that prevent them from downloading large files from the App Store.

As noted in a report by 9To5Mac, the download limit over cellular networks is now 200 MB for iPhones and iPads, up from the 150 MB limit Apple had set back in September 2017.

But why does Apple have this limit n the first place? Well, the file size limit is designed to prevent iOS users from accidentally downloading a large app over cellular and using up all their data allowance or running up data charges.

Apple increases cellular download limit for iPhones, iPad on the App Store to 200 MB

A customer looks at the Apple iPhone XS after it went on sale at the Apple Store in Tokyo. Image: Reuters

But, even if you do have an unlimited data pack and you’re willing to incur the data charges of downloading an app, video or podcast with a large file size – there is no working around this limit.

The limit has been upped from 150 MB to 200 MB. Image: 9To5Mac

The limit has been upped from 150 MB to 200 MB. Image: 9To5Mac

There’s also no way to opt out of the limit, which can be frustrating for most users.

As noted by CNET, the last time Apple decided to up the cellular download limit was back in 2017 when it was raised from 100 MB to 150 MB. But Apple has been consistently increasing this limit as cellular data services improve across the world, but if you wish to download an app (which is larger than 200 MB) or game as an impulse, you’ll still have to wait to connect to WiFi.

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Amazon is giving 10.5-inch iPad Air and iPad Pro users the chance to get the Apple Smart Keyboard at a 50% discount. This means that the smart keyboard, normally priced at $159 is now $79.50 on Amazon.

It’s the lowest price the Apple product has ever been, something that iPad users may want to take advantage of while the deal is still available. The $79.50 price off is the largest recorded discount for the official full-sized 10.5-inch iPad Pro and iPad Air variant on Amazon.

The accessory was made for the older 10.5-inch iPad Pro, but it fits the newer iPad Air just as well. The hardware connects the Smart Connector port on the iPad whenever the user needs a physical keyboard for better typing accuracy and efficiency.

Users can also fold the accessory with the iPad attached for protecting the iPad’s display. The Apple Smart Keyboard is full-sized and does not require pairing via Bluetooth or batteries to work. Just attach and begin typing.

Apple is all set to unveil the software that will power its range of devices for the next year. The company’s annual developer conference, WWDC aka World Wide Developer Conference, kicks off on the 3 June and will continue to run till the 7 June. But while, as always, Apple will introduce new updates for its various products, it will have a  broader and paramount job to do this time — make its PC direction clear.

The industry has come a long way since Steve Jobs laid the foundation for a third consumer computing category — Tablets. Such devices, Jobs reasoned, were designed to plug the gap between a traditional computer and a smartphone.

Apples most important task at WWDC 2019 will be to make its PC direction clear

Apple WWDC 2019 invite

What’s a computer?

As our workflow evolved over the last ten years, that gap has shrunk and today, it’s barely visible. Notebooks are no longer the clunky machines they used to be. With the growing demand for versatility in modern lifestyles, PC makers have been forced to rethink what a computer is. For most, as it turned out, the answer was to simply merge tablets and laptops.

Not Apple, however.

The company has continued to push two separate product lines. The iPad and the Mac. While that’s understandable given Apple generally waits before hopping on to a new trend, the strategy has begun to falter off late. Not because tablets have gone irrelevant. It’s due to how Apple is approaching this new kind of user.

On one hand, you have the iPad Pro series that Apple pitches as a computer replacement. In an advert, it even goes as far as to envision an age where no one would be familiar with the word “computer”. In spite of that, though, the iPad doesn’t have any desktop-grade apps and restricts you with an OS built for mobile devices, not computers, which as a matter of fact, are still needed for developing the iPad’s software and apps.  

Apple iPad Pro 2018 comes with a revamped design. Image: tech2/Omkar Patne

Apple iPad Pro 2018 comes with a revamped design. Image: tech2/Omkar Patne

On the other hand, there’s the MacBook, which almost seems like it’s stuck in the past. It doesn’t have a touchscreen, only comes in one form factor, and still doesn’t run mobile apps. The only functional difference you’d find between the first MacBook Pro and the latest one is the addition of the Touch Bar.

(Also Read: MacBook Air or MacBook Pro? Making sense of Apple’s confusing laptop lineup)

The most critical drawback of extending a tablet to behave like a computer instead of the other way round is that the user ends up compromising significantly on the latter end. Neither the MacBook nor the iPad ticks all the boxes. You will have to determine which portion you value more. Do you want a tablet that can do a few computer tasks or a standard notebook that doesn’t have any mobile functionality? Unless, of course, you are comfortable spending a premium for two devices.

“Touchscreen laptops are just experiments”

And it seems like that won’t change anytime soon. Last year, Apple addressed growing concerns by denying that it’s merging macOS and iOS. What it did announce was that it’s allowing iOS developers to easily port their apps to macOS. On top of that, in an interview, Craig Federighi, Apple’s SVP of Software Engineering, said he finds using a touchscreen on laptops “a pretty fatiguing thing to do.”

Even if that were true, wouldn’t a two-in-one laptop overcome the conundrum and still offer a flexible experience?

In addition, without a touchscreen, you will have to employ a keyboard and mouse to operate apps which are clearly built for touch-enabled devices with big, blocky buttons, like Apple’s own Home app. Mind you, this project is in the early stages and could still be a year or two from a public release.

(Also Read: Apple WWDC 2018 was about playing catch up with Android, improvements with ARKit, and making a statement on digital wellbeing)

Microsoft’s Surface lineup, for comparison, has a machine for every type of user. Take the Surface Pro. Despite its few limitations, it offers a much less restricted environment than the iPad or the Mac. For instance, say you’re going on a business trip. With a Surface Pro, you can watch movies offline on a tablet and still get work done with a traditional trackpad and keyboard. If you’re an Apple user, on the other hand, you might have to carry both the iPad and Mac or live with some impediments. In today’s age, the computer should adapt to your workflow, not the opposite.

Apple’s PC future hangs in the balance

It’s uncertain where Apple’s PC business is headed. Upgrades such as the Touch Bar suggest the company might just be overthinking the future of computers. But the reality is that that future has already arrived. Versatile Windows PCs and computers have been met with a positive reception and successfully made their way into people’s ever-progressing lives.

One obvious reason why Apple might not want to embark on that path is, I believe, revenue. iPad and Mac both pulled about the same amount of sales for the company. In Q2 2019, the Mac category made about $5.5 billion, while the iPad line yielded $4.8 billion. Both of those markets are on a decline and this lets Apple produce more profits than it possibly would by unifying the two segments.  

Apple MacBook Pro 13 720.1

Apple’s vision for the iPad and Mac are plagued by critical flaws. On top of that, its new MacBooks are struggling with dust and are smeared with controversies leaving users looking for an upgrade stranded.

Meanwhile, Windows computers have begun to capitalise. Since January 2019, Windows’ share has grown from 86.23 percent to 88.22 percent. In the same period, the share of macOS devices has plummeted to 9.38 percent from 10.59 percent.

(Also Read: MacBook Air (2018) is a great device, but it doesn’t fill any gaps in Apple’s line up)

At WWDC next month, Apple’s executives will take the stage to showcase a host of new software updates. Whether they will answer any of these concerns, remains to be seen. Even if Apple decides to overhaul its PC strategy, it won’t come into effect overnight. So people hoping for a more versatile Mac or an iPad with desktop-grade apps may have to wait for ages.

The author is a freelance technology journalist from Ahmedabad. He tweets from @phonesoldier.

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Apple has recently released version 83 of their experimental browser called Safari Technology Preview. The May 29 update contains performance improvements and bug fixes on CSS, Web Inspector, Web API, WebDriver, WebRTC, Service Workers, Rendering and Storage Access API.

The release is only available to macOS Mojave and macOS High Sierra users. To those who have downloaded Safari Technology Preview, they may update to the new Preview build by heading to the Software Update section in the App Store. Release notes may be viewed in full at the Safari Technology Preview website.

Safari Technology Preview was first created in 2016 as a way to test features that may or may not be introduced in official release versions of the Safari browser. Apple hopes that developers and users of the software can test out the new features and provide invaluable feedback. Opening the Preview browser will not interfere with official release versions, and the app won’t require a developer account to access or download.

Apple’s annual developer conference — Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) — kicks off on 3 June, at the McEnery Convention Center in San Jose, California. There are plenty of reasons to be excited — especially since the Cupertino giant’s focus on hardware has been slowly diminishing, making software and its services more vital.

WWDC 2019: iOS 13, MacOS 10.15, Marzipan, and everything else to expect from Apple

Apple WWDC 2019 invite

While WWDC still remains a developer focussed event, the opening keynote has always been more about Apple’s annual public software refreshes, one that touches upon all of Apple’s latest developments. Now, the spotlight will continue to be iOS 13 and macOS 10.15 but there a few other major announcements expected which, at least as far as leaks go, appear interesting, and here’s all we know about them.

iOS 13

The next iOS update is clearly going to be the most important topic at the conference. From a Bloomberg report, iOS 13 is codenamed ‘Yukon’ and it’s going to revamp the majority of its default apps including its keyboard, Health, Reminders, Apple Books, iMessage, Mail, etc. iOS’ default keyboard could get a swipe typing function where users can simply swipe across the keyboard’s letters to type. This is like the feature that already existed on Android and other third-party apps on iOS.

Another feature that is probably going to be huge is Dark Mode. The screenshots of this upcoming feature had already leaked out that showed full black backgrounds and grey interfaces. It will be accessible from the Control Center for quick switching between the standard and dark mode.

Apple will likely use true black backgrounds for better battery life on OLED iPhones. Image: 9To5Mac

Apple will likely use true black backgrounds for better battery life on OLED iPhones. Image: 9To5Mac

An interesting feature that’s available on third-party apps like Duet Display will allow users to use an iPad as a secondary Mac screen. This second screen will also bring Apple Pencil support to the Mac (indirectly). Apple’s Health app is again getting a revamp and just like last year, it’s going to be the company’s focus as well, of course working in conjunction with the Apple Watch.

Apple is reportedly already working on iOS 14, codenamed as ‘Azul’. And it’s planned for a 2020 release with support for 5G and some new AR functionality.

macOS 10.15

In the upcoming version of macOS, Apple should start rolling out a feature for developers that will allow them to develop iPad apps, or rather, rework existing ones to run natively on the Mac. Codenamed ‘Marzipan’, it will not only simplify app development in the Apple ecosystem, but also open up an entirely new market for iOS developers.

For now, this feature is only for iPad apps, but Apple is planning to allow iPhone apps to be ported as well. Ultimately, the company plans to merge iPad, iPhone and Mac apps to run on any Apple device and maybe even merge the App Stores into a one-stop-shop for all devices.

macOS Mojave with the Dark Mode on. Image: Apple

macOS Mojave with the Dark Mode on. Image: Apple

A native Apple Music app is being developed along with more iPad apps coming to the Mac such as Podcasts and the merged Find My iPhone and Find my Friends app from iOS 13.

watchOS 6

As already mentioned in the report, it appears that health is going to be a highlight at the event. The App Store will be directly accessible from the Apple Watch, it seems, and users won’t have to rely on A connected iPhone to download apps anymore.

A few iPhone, iPad and Mac apps are coming to the Watch, according to the report. These include Voice Memos, Apple Books and Calculator. Some features such as Dose, which remind users to take their pills, and Cycles, which help in tracking menstrual cycles, are also coming, it seems. And finally, of course, new watchfaces should be making their way in to the Watch.

Other rumoured announcements include new things about Apple TV’s tvOS 13, a new Mac Pro desktop, and 31.6-inch 6K “pro” display.

We will be running a WWDC 2019 live blog on Monday night (3 June) to bring you all the updates as they are announced at the event, so do check back in for more updates at that time.

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In May, Trump and his administration has enforced a trade blacklist on Huawei, thereby forbidding US-based companies to do business with the Chinese firm.

Some have suggested that Huawei try to retaliate on the move against them by blacklisting a US company such as Apple, but Ren Zhengfei, Huawei founder, stated that he wouldn’t think of doing such a thing.

In a Bloomberg interview, Ren attributed to Apple as his “teacher” and “world’s leading company”. Goldman Sachs speculate that Apple shares could tumble down to as much as 29% if China stops importing the Cupertino company’s products.

The Huawei founder is confident that his company can prevail even with the trade ban in place, and has stated that in-house technology may be ramped up to replace components that are unavailable to them.

Chinese media have started reporting that local consumers are ditching iPhones for Huawei devices to show their support. Social media campaigns have also started urging Chinese consumers to get Huawei products instead of Apple goods.

Indian YouTube channel T-series has become first channel to cross 100 million subscriber mark on the video-sharing platform. The music channel beat its competitor PewDiePie who has a subscriber base of 96 million.

Launched in 2006, the T-series YouTube channel features film songs and trailers. It has been associated with the music industry for the past three decades, having an exhaustive catalog of music across languages and genres. T-series announced the feat through a social media post, writing “World’s biggest YouTube Channel, T-Series has achieved another YouTube milestone by being the first one to cross an astonishing.”

Check out the announcement here

PewDiePie and T-Series have been battling it out since October 2018 for the YouTube crown. PewDiePie, who maintained his lead for five years, was threatened with the increasingly fast subscriber growth of T-Series. The online battle has also increased subscriber count for both channels, with them crossing 90 million subscriber mark within hours of each other in March. PewDiePie’s reign as the world’s most popular YouTube channel finally ended by the end of March.

However, conceding his defeat Felix Kjellberg aka PewDiePie posted a video titled ‘Congratulations‘ while taking a one last jab at his arch rival. It featured multiple accusations against T-Series and its owner Bhushan Kumar, as well as a few personal confessions. Complaints against the Swedish YouTuber’s diss videos led to the Delhi High Court blocking them in India.

Later, in March, Bhushan Kumar, the chairman and managing director of T-Series, posted a video on Twitter, appealing the Indian crowd to subscribe to its channel with the #BharatWinsYouTube campaign.

Many Bollywood personalities, including Varun Dhawan, Sonakshi Sinha, Salman Khan as well as singers like Neha Kakkar and Armaan Mallik, have shared their support for T-Series.

Meanwhile, among those that joined the #SubscribeToPewDiePie campaign were Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who finally delivered on his promise to host the channel’s Meme review.

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Apple has launched a new iPod Touch with 32, 128 and 256GB storage options priced as low as $199. This is the 7th-gen iPod Touch the company has released, and on the same day May 28th, the iPod Touch 6 was officially discontinued.

Apple touts that the device is built with the A10 Fusion Chip, making the device up to 3 times faster in the graphical processing department and 2 times faster in performance aspects. The A10 Fusion is the same component as with the iPhone 7 Plus, the iPhone 7 and the 6th gen iPad.

iPod Touch 2019

Rounding out the specs are a 4-inch Retina display housed in a 6.1mm thick and 3-ounce shell, Touch ID features, a speaker, mic and a 3.5mm jack. It can play music for 40 hours and videos for up to 8 hours. Also, the new iPod Touch will have the same 2MP front and 8MP rear cameras as its predecessor.

You can buy the new iPod Touch straight at Apple.com and the Apple Store app today with the following price schemes:

  • $199 for iPod Touch with 32GB storage
  • $299 for 128GB storage
  • $399 for 256GB storage

You can also choose from six colors, including Red, Pink, Blue, Gold, Silver, and Gray.

Buy The Latest iPod Touch on Amazon

Xiaomi had recently launched the Redmi Note 7S smartphone in India and it would appear that another launch is imminent. The company has confirmed the device in the form of a tweet which states that the “Mi 9T is coming soon! Guess what the T stands for?”

Xiaomi Mi 9T to be announced soon confirms company official tweet

Xiaomi Mi 9.

While it is not clear what the T might stand for, rumours say it could refer to a 5G variant of the Mi 9 smartphone. Other rumours, as per a Polish blog, suggest that the Mi 9T will be the rebranded Redmi K20 smartphone in European countries like Poland and Russia. It may also be that the Mi 9T and Mi 9T Pro could be respectively priced around RUB 25,000 (approx. Rs 26,000) and RUB 35,000 (approx. Rs 36,000).

Recently the Mi 9T was certified in Thailand, Taiwan, and Singapore which makes the launch imminent. As for the specs, we can only guess what the Mi 9T will pack inside. Seeing that the Mi 9 was rocking a triple-camera setup along with Snapdragon 855, we can expect the 9T to come with similar internals.

The Mi 9 comes with a 6.39-inch Samsung-made Super AMOLED display panel with a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels and an aspect ratio of 19.5:9. The Mi 9 features a triple-camera setup for the first time with a 48 MP primary camera, a 12 MP telephoto lens with 2X optical zoom and a 16 MP ultra-wide angle camera with a field-of-view of 117 degrees.

The Mi 9 also has a 3,300 mAh battery along with a 27-Watt fast charging adapter supplied in the box.

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The dual wireless charger from Choetech answers the question, “what would the AirPower be if it existed?” The accessory’s greatest feature is its ability to charge two phones at once.

Choetech’s mat has five coils with wireless charging capability, including 7.5W fast charge support for iPhones and 10W fast charge support for Samsung phones. Other Qi-enabled devices can get in on the action at 5W wireless charge speeds.

Choetech dual wireless charger can charge two smartphones simultaneously without the need for two separate adapters. You can swap out the extra phone in favor of your AirPods if you have the wireless charging case. The product includes a USB-C cable and an 18W wall adapter.

Right now, you can get the dual wireless gadget at $31.99 from its normal price of $49.99. Clip a coupon to get $4 off from the Amazon listing, then insert the code T6TBGWO8 at the checkout counter.

While Oppo unveiled its Reno smartphone in India on 29 May, it seems to have quietly announced a new device in the Reno lineup called as the Oppo Reno Z in China. The device is being priced at CNY 2,499 (approx Rs 25,000) and will be available for sale starting from 6 June.

Oppo silently announces the Reno Z with Helio P90 in China starting at CNY 2,499

Oppo Reno Z.

Coming to the specs of the device, the Oppo Reno Z will sport a 6.4-inch AMOLED screen with FHD+ resolution. The device does not have the trademark Sharkfin pop-up camera but instead opts for a drop-notch display which houses a 32 MP selfie camera.

Inside the phone comes with an Helio P90 chipset paired with up to 8 GB RAM and 256 GB storage. In terms of software, we see that the device will run on Android 9.0 Pie, based on Oppo’s proprietary ColorOS skin.

Oppo Reno Z.

Oppo Reno Z.

The optics of the phone include a 48 MP Sony IMX586 main sensor and a 5 MP depth sensor and lacks the 10X Hybrid zoom introduced in the Reno variant. The setup is powered by 4035mAh battery with OPPO’s 20W VOOC 3.0 fast charging support. The Reno Z also has NFC capabilities and Dolby Atmos support for immersive sound quality.

Colour options of the phone include Night Black, Star Purple, Bead White and Coral Orange. There is no word on whether the device will make it to the Indian markets.

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The US Patent & Trademark Office has approved several patents for Apple Inc., including a possible future folding display and a smart keyboard folio for the iPad.

In 2018, the tech giant submitted a patent labeled “Single and Multi-fold Forms For Future iDevices”, relating to devices that have bendable or flexible sections. Embodiments outline a cover and display layer that could bend or fold, with the flexible material being possibly made of ceramics such as sapphire, zirconia or strengthened glass. The cover layer provides structural support on both foldable and non-foldable areas.

Foldable iPad

In 2012, Apple submitted a patent application for smart connectors and fabric-layered keyboards for their iPad devices, bringing the idea of Smart Keyboard to fruition. Notable form factors and improvements in the patent include an added trackpad and a designated space on top of the keyboard for Apple Pencil input.

Foldable iPad Image

Patents show rough sketches of what companies are working on, as seen at Patently Apple and can still change. We’ll just have to wait for official announcements from Apple regarding future updates and device features.

Google is officially shutting down its independent YouTube Gaming app and closing its dedicated gaming portal today.

The Mountain View giant had stated in a blog post back in September last year that the popular standalone app created confusion among various gaming fans.

YouTube also realised that its standalone Gaming app, though popular, still has a much smaller user base as compared to that of the main app, which has some 200 million people visiting the app on daily basis.

Google is pulling the plug on its YouTube Gaming app once and for all today

YouTube Gaming

Google and YouTube are therefore killing the standalone Gaming app, but adding a new Gaming section within the core YouTube app — youtube.com/gaming.

YouTube has been recommending that subscribers merge their YouTube Gaming and their regular YouTube Subscriptions. However, losing the list of subscriptions may just be a minimal loss compared to what creators are going to experience. Some YouTube Gaming app users who have been working with the app as early as 2009 fear that the changes could hinder discoverability.

Additionally, YouTube had also announced that after the shift from the Gaming app to the main app, there would be a push from the platform’s end to promote smaller creators. YouTube will begin highlighting gaming creators who are “On The Rise” on the Gaming destination and in Trending.

Every week YouTube will showcase a new upcoming gaming creator to help more fans discover their content.

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Today’s power banks come in all shapes and sizes. Some prefer to have theirs integrated in their phone cases, while others want to get the biggest one available so they can charge all their devices on the go.

There’s no doubt that power banks should be a part of what you bring everyday because they’re indispensable in a number of ways. They’re worth carrying around simply because they allow us to continue using our gadgets for the most important tasks.

High-capacity powerbanks are big and heavy but there are products that are smaller, lighter and better suited for on-the-go backup purposes. You can look forward to a long-lasting portable power solution as long as you follow some power bank tips.

For Travel

When traveling, you can’t always count on an available wall socket charge your smartphone. A powerbank can prove to be a lifesaver, especially when you’re trying to call emergency services, hailing an Uber or contacting your point person without worrying about getting the dreaded “low battery” icon.

For Gaming

Since Pokemon Go became popular, power banks have become a mobile gamer’s best friend. No matter how high your mobile phone’s battery capacity, you’ll eventually run out after a few hours. A powerbank ensures that your phone goes beyond its stored energy limitations so you can extend your gaming session.

On Commute

Powerbanks can prevent commuter boredom from setting in when you’re waiting for that flight or in transit. Simply plug the right charger cable in and you can continue playing games, watching YouTube or Netflix and chatting with your friends on social media.

The Great Outdoors

Strike a balance between nature and technology when you bring your smartphone for GPS, taking photos and keeping a safety line to civilization. Of course, that phone will be useless without a charge but taking a powerbank with you should solve that problem.

Samsung is launching yet another M-Series smartphone in India and the company has confirmed that the wait for it won’t be too long.

Samsung via a teaser posted on the company’s official Twitter account has confirmed the launch of the Galaxy M40 in India on 11 June. Separately, Amazon India has also launched a dedicated microsite for the Galaxy M40, which confirms that the device will be sold exclusively on Amazon.

Both teasers reveal that Samsung isn’t trying to be discrete about the design of the Galaxy M40. The images reveal that the M40 will feature an Infinity-O display, making it the most affordable Samsung phone in the market to sport a punch-hole screen.

Samsung Galaxy M40 featuring an Infinity-O display to arrive in India on 11 June

Samsung Galaxy M40

While not a lot about the display has been mentioned in the teasers, we could expect Samsung to throw in an AMOLED panel in there, in line with the Galaxy M30 (review) that launched earlier this year.

The teasers also confirm that the Galaxy M40 will be powered by a Snapdragon 600 Series processor. The RAM and storage configurations are unknown for now, but the phone is tipped to arrive in India with up to 6 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage on offer.

The back of the Galaxy M40 also confirms that the phone will feature a triple camera setup. It is unclear what sensors Samsung will be going with, but we do expect to see a setup similar to the one on the Galaxy M30, which feature an ultra wide-angle lens and a depth sensor along with the primary camera. Some reports also suggest that the Galaxy M40 may sport a 48 MP camera, which is quickly becoming a popular trend this year.

As for the Galaxy M40’s price in India is concerned, it is speculated that the phone will be priced around Rs 20,000.

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There is so much design software for Mac users to get creative with out there. Here are 10 of our favourites.

It’s a mixed bag, that’s for sure! We are truly spoilt with some cutting-edge software solutions, but the ten we have chosen cover a range of bases.

Essentially, no stone has been left unturned. Of course, we’ve got some graphic design and prototyping tools on the list. However, expect to see some fantastic 3D sculpting mastery and some home design solutions too!

There's some great design software for Mac users out there... Credit: Free-Photos/ Pixabay

There’s some great design software for Mac users out there… Credit: Free-Photos/ Pixabay

So, we hope that we’ve included something for every one of our readers to get excited about.

Without further ado, let’s take a look at ten top pieces of design software for Mac.

DrawPad Free Graphic and Logo Designer

First of all – DrawPad allows you to easily create graphic images, all from the comfort of your Mac. This free graphic and logo designer specialises in image composition and manipulation.

So, it’s a top tool for all types of graphic design projects. These can range from creating invitations, sketches and paintings, to diagrams, icons and other web graphics, including banner ads.

Key Features include:

  • Pencil and brush tools for drawing, sketching and painting.
  • Work with both raster and vector images.
  • Image layers allow for non-destructive editing.
  • Add effects such as bevels and shadows.
  • Editing features including crop, rotate, resize and flip.
  • Insert shape objects, including circles, rectangles, polygons, stars, word/thought bubbles etc.
  • Supports .PNG, BMP, JPG, GIF, PDF, and SVG formats.

Moreover, DrawPad has a good range of pencil and brush tools, and raster and vector images. You can also access image layers for non-destructive editing, and effects, like bevels and shadows. It has a selection of basic editing features to choose from including crop, rotate, resize, and flip.

Therefore, DrawPad Free Graphic and Logo Designer for Mac is a top image manipulation app. The interface is easy to navigate, with standard toolbars to access the various tools on offer.




Active traders of currency want to have full access to anything that can help them stay updated – their trading accounts, charts, quotes, market news, and almost everything that can help them in keeping the trading accounts owned by them at their fingertips. The idea or the reason behind that is to have access to them whenever and wherever they want. This made the demand for smartphone software or apps more with time and today such apps and software are extremely popular. You can actively trade the major or important currency pairs and they usually remain volatile during the sessions of trading. The currency pairs will react to the events and you will notice that their prices are moving during economic news releases! Therefore, as a trader you should have access to your accounts, charts, news feeds, and most importantly you should be able to access the market quotes.

If you are an iPhone user, then you would know that you will get certain mobile apps for forex trading that may or may not be compatible with android handsets. So, we took the two most popular iPhone mobile apps for forex trading and compare them with all the necessary details so that you can get a better understanding and choose wisely. Let’s understand the difference of MetaTrader 4 vs. MetaTrader 5 iPhone app, with this apps you can start forex trading on the iPhone to make money or investing.

  • MetaTrader 4

Commonly known as MT4, the MetaTrader 4 is an e-trading platform that is used widely by the speculative traders of online foreign exchange. MT4 or MetaTrader 4 was developed and introduced by MetaQuotes Software in the year 2005. MetaTrader is licensed to the foreign exchange brokers and these brokers offer the software to the clients they have. MT4 consists of server as well as client component. The broker runs the component of the server. On the other hand, the client software is offered to the customers of the broker and they use the software to view charts and streaming prices live, manage their own accounts, and place orders.

The MetaTrader or MT4 iPhone app lets you choose from a large number of servers and brokers to trade with. You will get every kind of trading order and more than 50 technical analysis tools. In addition to that, you can chat with other traders and enable or receive push or audio notifications in your iPhone, which will help you in continuous trading anytime and anywhere.

  • MetaTrader 5

You can get one of the most popular and trusted forex trading platforms of the world today, MetaTrader 5 on iPhone and it’s absolutely free. MetaTrader 5 lets you have full control of your account, make the most of technical indicators for better market analysis, and trade in financial markets. The MetaTrader 5 is an upgraded version and offers many more benefits as compared to the MetaTrader 4. It helps you greatly with your trading – you can get a full history of your trading, enjoy every type of trade execution, get the entire set of pending orders as well as the trade orders, and have the real time quotes of financial instruments.

Further, MetaTracker offers 30 most trusted and popular technical indicators – For example: Stochastic Oscillator, Standard Deviation, Oscillator’s Moving Average, Force Index, MACD, Envelopes, Momentum, etc. In addition to that you will also get 3 chart types – Broken line, Japanese Candlesticks, and Bars. The MetaTrader 5 is also known for its user-friendly interface and ease of use. You can trade anytime and from anywhere with the state-of-the-art popular trading platform. In addition to that, you can access your entire trading history, prices, charts, and current trade positions even when you are offline.

Another great trading app from MetaQuotes, MetaTrader, helps you trade anywhere with ease and with the features, this app is one of the best trading apps that you will find on iPhone. MetaTrader 5 lets you the access to every kind of trading order that is available in desktop. In addition to that you will also get the option of Market Execution and Instant Execution, which will make your trading much more convenient and time-saving. You can also monitor trade history, account balance, and open position with MetaTrader 5.

Final words

If you are looking for an excellent forex trading app for iPhones, then both MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 can be excellent options. However, MetaTrader 5 comes with a lot more options and is much easier to use compared to MT4. Looking at all the benefits and features of MetaTrader 5, we can safely conclude that it is the smart option for forex trading for you today.

Google has announced that Google Search will now be moving to ‘mobile-first indexing’ starting from 1 July. It means that Google will be evaluating and ranking domains based on its mobile-version website by default rather than indexing the desktop-version.

Google Search changes will index mobile-first websites higher from 1 July

To display search results on its search engine, Google crawls and indexes websites. Although it started off with desktop-first indexing, Google announced back in 2016 that it was experimenting with mobile-first indexing. It means the Googlebot crawled the mobile version of a website first instead of the desktop version. It was more like a priority and it didn’t mean that the bot wasn’t crawling desktop-first websites.

The Google Webmaster blog post points out that only new websites that were “previously unknown to Google Search” are going to be indexed by default. For domains that have desktop websites and have already been recognised by Google Search, nothing changes. They will undergo desktop-first indexing and the desktop version will be considered as the mobile version. This means that such websites will adjust based on the smartphone’s display size.

Google said, “For older websites, we’ll continue monitoring and evaluating pages for their readiness for mobile first indexing and will notify them through Search Console once they’re seen as being ready.”

While this is more relevant to website owners and webmasters, it also means that the search results users see, starting from 1 July, are going to be from mobile-friendly websites. Although Google says that it will continue showing appropriate websites whether they are mobile or desktop, however, from the specified date onwards, users can expect more relevant search results on mobile devices.

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Canadian users will start getting the ECG feature for their Apple Watch Series 4, but the exact date is yet to be disclosed.

An Apple spokeswoman recently issued a statement to Canadian Press regarding the ECG feature in Apple Watch Series 4s, saying that the company is working “as quickly as possible” to implement the feature to Canadian Apple Watch users.

The news came shortly after Health Canada issued the tech giant licenses for their ECG Apple Watch functions. License 102866 and 102864 referred to Irregular Rhythm Notification and ECG app respectively. It’s worthy to note that irregular heart rhythm is a feature that’s available in older Apple Watch models.

Previous reports state that Apple had been trying to secure regulatory permission in Canada, but Health Canada denied any claims, saying they haven’t received any applications for the Apple Watch Series 4.

The ECG feature launched December 2018, several months after the Watch Series 4 was released to the public.

Asus Announces ZenBook Pro Duo With 4K Screens

  • 9th Generation Intel Core i9 eight-core processor
  • 15.6-inch 4K UHD OLED HDR supporting touch screen
  • NumberPad with dual-function touchpad
  • Drag apps or in-app toolbars onto ScreenPad Plus 
The Trade show on computer and technology, Computex event in Taiwan and we might see some superb PC products. Asus was the first to take the stage by announcing a dual screen stylish laptop called ZenBook Pro Duo with two 4K screens.

The laptop has a 15.6-inch 4K UHD OLED HDR supporting touch screen, using which you can drag the window to the 14-inch 4K second screen and vice versa. The main display makes use of Asus’ NanoEdge design with slim bezels on all four sides.

It also has a NumberPad dual-function touchpad. The device also come with a stylus for performing various tasks such as drawing, writing and many more. There is a palm rest that makes typing on the laptop easier.

A series of handy built-in apps help boost your productivity. Quick Key allows one-tap automation of complex keyboard sequences, and Handwriting lets you input text intuitively. There are also useful quick controls such as App Switcher, ViewMax and Task Swap for intuitive interactions between the main display and ScreenPad Plus.

Task Group lets you lock into work mode by opening multiple tasks with a single touch. And now you can drag apps or in-app toolbars onto ScreenPad Plus to give you more room to work on the main display, wherever you are.

ZenBook Pro Duo is powered by Intel Core i9 eight-core processor, the latest gaming-grade NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 graphics and blisteringly fast storage with a 5GHz Turbo Boost frequency and 32GB of DDR4 RAM.

This ultrapowerful combination ensures that ZenBook Pro Duo takes professional-quality tasks in its stride, such as multi-layer photo or video editing, 3D graphics endering or even game live-streaming. With its unprecedented 5GHz Turbo Boost frequency, ZenBook Pro Duo can effortlessly handle all the apps on your main screen and ScreenPad Plus, for the most fluid cross-screen workflow ever.

There are four far-field microphones designed for use with Alexa and Cortana, and there’s an Echo-style blue light at the bottom edge that activates with voice commands. It has a Thunderbolt 3 port, two USB-A ports, a headphone jack, and a full-sized HDMI port.

To display the most vivid, most realistic colors possible, ZenBook Pro Duo supports an exceptionally wide color gamut with 100% DCI-P3 coverage. The DCI-P3 color space widely used in the motion picture industry is increasingly the preferred choice of creative professionals for its increased range of possible colors, and makes images on ZenBook Pro Duo look simply stunning.

ZenBook Pro Duo features the latest version of the ASUS NumberPad, an LED-illuminated numeric keypad integrated into the touchpad. Tap on the top-right NumberPad icon for one second to switch the function on and off, and tap on the top-left icon to choose one of two brightness levels. Even when the NumberPad is activated, the touchpad can be used for cursor control thanks to its intelligent software.

You can also enjoy hands-free login on your laptop, using the infrared camera with Windows Hello to login with just a glance even in the dark. The ASUS Golden Ear team worked with renowned home and automotive audio experts Harman Kardon to ensure the best audio experience. A tailored mix of superior hardware including smart amplifier technology that delivers louder sound with no distortion and finely tuned software gives you sound like no other laptop.


Watch Video

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Source: ASUS

In the recent report by Gartner, the global sale of smartphones has declined by 2.7 percent in the first quarter of the year which turns out to be approximately 373 million units. According to the company, Huawei, the smartphone brand that has been banned in the US, has managed to be in second place in the smartphone vendor charts after Samsung.

Samsung has still retained its place at the top of the list in this quarter as well with 19.2 percent global market share, as per the report by Gartner. Huawei, on the other hand, has the highest year-over-year growth amongst the world’s top five, with a 44.5 percent increase in sales which translates to 58.4 million units.

Samsung remains the biggest global smartphone vendor in Q1 2019: Gartner

Image: Reuters

Due to the slow innovations and the high price of flagship smartphones the sales have come down for flagship devices. As per the first quarter of 2019, China and the US are reportedly the two countries that witnessed the decline in the sale by 15.8 percent and 3.2 percent, respectively.

As per the reports, sales of Huawei units have spiked in several units and the two biggest regions are Europe and Greater China where the growth went up to 69 percent and 35 percent respectively. In Greater China, Huawei has a market share of 29.5 percent.

“Demand for premium smartphones remained lower than for basic smartphones, which affected brands such as Samsung and Apple that have significant stakes in high-end smartphones,” said Anshul Gupta, senior research director at Gartner. “In addition, demand for utility smartphones declined as the rate of upgrading from feature phones to smartphones has slowed, given that 4G feature phones give users great advantages at a lower cost.”

Worldwide Smartphone Sales to End Users by Vendor in 1Q19 (Thousands of Units)

Vendor 1Q19

Units

1Q19 Market Share (%) 1Q18

Units

1Q18 Market Share (%)
Samsung 71,621.1 19.2 78,564.8 20.5
Huawei 58,436.2 15.7 40,426.7 10.5
Apple 44,568.6 11.9 54,058.9 14.1
OPPO 29,602.1 7.9 28,173.1 7.3
Vivo 27,368.2 7.3 23,243.2 6.1
Others 141,405.2 37.9 159,037.1 41.5
Total 373,001.4 100.0 383,503.9 100.0

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Apple AirPods are the revolutionary headphones created according to the latest technologies. They are convenient, modern and have excellent sound quality. These stunning wireless smart headphones have an incredibly futuristic design and wide functionality – this little miracle has something to surprise you. This is the simple answer to why people like them. However, despite all the visible advantages, they are still not so affordable for everyone. That is why many people are looking for cheaper analogs of AirPods on the market. There is still the question if these analogs can replace Apple gadget in quality of sound and design. Let’s figure it out.

wireless smart headphones

Before to start, we should say that technologies are going far in many spheres of life including medicine, education, entertainment, etc. For example, most gambling enterprises as casinos have already migrated online and have an incredibly huge variety of slots, card games, and classic roulette with bright visual effects. Follow casinos online for real money to try your chances. Meanwhile, we are moving forward.

The general characteristics

Apple AirPods have huge popularity worldwide. This is not a trend when it comes to Apple gadgets as they have highly competitive characteristics. For example, developers enriched the Airpods with the following features:

1)     The modern design of the airpods is made of high-quality white plastic.

2)     Apple has got rid of annoying wires.

3)     Repeats all forms of the auricle.

4)     Excellent sound.

5)     Docking station case.

6)     Compatible with any device that supports Bluetooth.

7)     Two dual microphones included.

All these features make airpods so popular. Of course, cheaper analogs couldn’t satisfy all the mentioned advantages of Apple gadgets. Nevertheless, we will try to find them.

1)     HOCO ES20

If not to look closely, you can hardly distinguish these headphones from the original: an identical plastic charging case of perfect white color with a tightly closed lid, the same Lightning port for charging, the small size of the liners, a minimalistic design. A pretty good option for almost half the price of the original, and you can definitely say that this is the best copy of AirPods.

AirPods

2)     WIWU AirBuds

WIWU has expanded our selection with a low-cost analog of AirPods. A great option for Chinese headphones, which has won its consumer segment, because they are almost three times cheaper than AirPods. The design is practically the same and has a function button for managing calls and music tracks.

3)     Xiaomi Mi Airdots Pro

The perfect alternative to Apple AirPods. There is also a charging case, which, by the way, has an unusual rectangular shape. The pods are securely held inside the case by a magnet, so they definitely will not be dropped. From all the considered headphones, Xiaomi Mi AirDots Pro is distinguished by one very important detail – they are vacuum and for fans of the traditional headset will be a good solution.

So, answering the question if the AirPods analogs exist we will definitely say yes. Which one to choose – you decide. Leave your feedback in comments.

Xiaomi very recently unveiled the much-awaited Redmi K20 Pro at an event in China and while we know that the new Redmi flagship is headed to India, we’re still not sure when.

Meanwhile, the company’s recently launched Redmi Note 7S, which is an upgrade over the Redmi Note 7 is going to sale yet again. The Redmi Note 7S along with its elder sibling — the Redmi Note 7 Pro will be going on sale at 12.00 pm today on Flipkart and Mi.com.

Redmi Note 7S and Redmi Note 7 Pro: Prices and variants

The Redmi Note 7S price starts at a price of Rs 10,999 for the base variant with 3 GB RAM and 32 GB storage while the 4 GB RAM variant with 64 GB of storage has been priced at Rs 12,999. The phone comes in three colours which include Onyx Black, Ruby Red, and Sapphire Blue options.

Redmi Note 7S and Note 7 Pro to go on sale at 12 pm today on Flipkart and Mi.com

Redmi Note 7S. Image: tech2

The Redmi Note 7 Pro, on the other hand, starts at Rs 13,999 for the 4 GB RAM + 64 GB storage variant, while the higher-end 6 GB RAM variant with 128 GB storage is priced at Rs 16,999. Both variants come in Neptune Blue, Nebula Red, and Space Black colour options.

Redmi Note 7S: Specifications and features

Speaking about the specifications, this newly launched device, Redmi Note 7S, features 6.3-inch Full HD+ and a resolution of 2340 × 1080 pixels with a Dot Notch Display. The phone is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5, both front and back. Redmi Note 7S allows the users to unlock the phone with both the fingerprint sensor and AI Face unlock option.

On the camera front, the smartphone is equipped with 13 MP selfie camera and 48 MP + 5 MP dual rear camera that features PDAF and EIS. Both the rear camera and front camera come with AI Portrait Mode.

Redmi Note 7S comes with a 48 MP+ 5 MP rear camera setup. Image: tech2

Redmi Note 7S comes with a 48 MP+ 5 MP rear camera setup. Image: tech2

Redmi Note 7S also comes with P2i splash-resistant coating and an IR blaster.

(Also Read: Redmi Note 7S vs Oppo A5S vs Realme 3 vs Samsung Galaxy M20: A budget spec comparison)

The Redmi Note 7S runs on octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 clocked at 2.2 GHz. It comes with a battery capacity of 4,000 mAh with type-C and Quick Charge 4 support. It will feature a hybrid dual SIM/microSD slot.

Interested in the Redmi Note 7S? You might want to head over here and check out our first impressions of the phone.

Redmi Note 7 Pro: Specifications and features

Coming now to the specifications, the phone has a 6.3-inch FHD+ Dot Notch LTPS in-cell display. The Redmi Note 7 Pro is powered by the all-new Snapdragon 675 SoC from Qualcomm.

In the optics department, the phone comes with a dual rear camera system equipped with a 48 MP Sony IMX586 sensor and 5 MP secondary sensor.

A 3.5 mm headphone jack, type-C port, IR blaster and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 on front and back are present. Also, for the first time, a smartphone from the Redmi series will feature a USB-C port.

The phone features a massive 4,000 mAh battery offering 20 percent longer standby time than before and it supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 4.

(Here’s a link to our detailed review of the Redmi Note 7 Pro)

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