CTC BLOG

Ameya DalviNov 01, 2021 09:50:39 IST

Not too long ago, Realme launched two budget wireless earphones in different form factors under Rs 2,500. What’s special about them is the presence of active noise cancellation (ANC) at that price point. Over the past year or so, Realme has been on a mission to democratise ANC and make it available at lower cost. They brought it to wireless earbuds under Rs 3,500 via their Buds Air 2 that we are quite fond of.

The next target was to breach the Rs 2,500 barrier, and that’s what the Realme Buds Q2 TWS earbuds and Realme Buds Wireless 2 neckband make happen. I had the opportunity to test these two products for over a month and also to experience the effect of a couple of firmware updates. Time to tell you all you need to know about them.

Before we move on to the individual products, let me address a few features that are common to both. For starters, both the earphones have an IPX5 rating for splash resistance. So wearing them during workouts or for a walk in a light drizzle should cause them no harm. The wireless range is also similar with both products maintaining a strong connection at 10 metres with clear line of sight, and a little over half of that with a concrete wall in between. Both earphones support 88 ms (claimed) low latency gaming mode.

As I touched upon earlier, they flaunt ANC as well as Transparency mode (to let background noise through when you need to be aware of your surroundings). Their sound profiles and button configuration can be modified in the Realme Link app. As is typical on Realme, you get three sound pre-sets — “Bass Boost+”, “Dynamic” and “Bright”. It’s best to choose “Dynamic” for better balance. The “Bright” option makes it sound sibilant, while “Bass Boost+” profile makes the sound bass-heavy despite being tuned by The Chainsmokers.

I believe it’s time for Realme to add two more sound profiles, one between Dynamic and Bass Boost+ and the other between Dynamic and Bright. That’s where the sweet spot lies for most of their audio products. The last of the similarities was incidental; I got grey coloured variants of both products for review. The company prefers to call it Calm Grey for the Buds Q2 and Bass Grey for the Buds Wireless 2. It is more or less the same shade — not very striking but a little different from the competition. What is striking is a glossy area at the back of the buds that reflects different colours from different angles.

Realme Buds Q2 TWS Earbuds Review

The Realme Buds Q2 look a lot like the Dizo GoPods D and also have the same egg-shaped charging case. The buds sit nicely in the ears and do not stick out much, however, the fit isn’t as snug as that of the GoPods D. While they don’t cause any discomfort in the ears even after using them for a couple of hours at a stretch, I had to readjust them at times during jogs. They offer decent passive noise isolation with the preinstalled medium-sized silicone tips in my case. There are two more pairs in the bundle. Spend some time choosing the right one for you as it will help improve the quality of ANC.

The aforementioned reflective areas at the back of the buds are zones for touch input and they are fairly responsive. Once you sync the Buds Q2 with the Realme Link app, you can configure the touch controls and assign functions like play/pause, previous/next tracks, ANC toggle, voice assistant etc. to double-tap, triple-tap or touch+hold gestures. An option to assign volume control is still missing. The Bluetooth 5.2 compliant Realme Buds Q2 support AAC and SBC codecs.

Each earbud is fitted with a 10 mm dynamic driver and they are perfectly audible at 50 percent volume, and I don’t remember going beyond 70 percent even outdoors. The default sound out of the Realme Buds Q2 is a little warm. While the lows are boosted, the bass isn’t overbearing and the mids have a good presence. The vocal clarity is good, but lower mids do sound a little subdued. There is ample sparkle in the highs, and they are generally well-tempered. However, at high volume beyond 80 percent, they tend to sound a bit too bright for my liking.

There is surprisingly good detail in audio for the segment, and the instrument separation is decent too. The soundstage isn’t one of its strengths and it feels a little narrow. But let’s not forget that this is a pair of TWS earbuds priced under Rs 2,500, and their overall sound quality is quite impressive. And of course, they support ANC too. Realme claims that the Buds Q2 can reduce ambient noise by up to 25 decibels. While I couldn’t measure that, there was a significant reduction in background buzz when I switched on ANC on a busy road. Of course, some noise seeps through but the reduction is mighty impressive for a budget pair.

The battery backup is pretty good. The company claims 28 hours of playback time with ANC off and 20 hours with ANC on for buds and case combined. Though not exact, the real-world figures weren’t way off either. The buds lasted a little over four and a half hours with ANC on and about six hours with ANC off at 60 percent loudness. The charging case can replenish them thrice more, thus taking the battery figures to 18 hours with ANC on and 24 hours with ANC off for buds and case combined.

With intermittent use of ANC, the Realme Buds Q2 should easily last you for more than 20 hours, which is good. The charging case has a USB-C port, which is good to see. That’s not all, you also get fast charging support, with 10 minutes of charge providing a little under 3 hours of play time with ANC off. It takes about 90 minutes to charge the case and buds fully. The call quality is average at best. It is fine indoors, but the microphones pick up a lot of ambient noise when outdoors.

The Realme Buds Q2 is priced at Rs. 2,499 with a one-year warranty, and are currently selling for as low as Rs. 1,999 on Amazon India in the ongoing sale. For that price, you get a pair of TWS earbuds with fairly balanced and enjoyable sound, functional ANC and good battery backup. If call quality is your top priority, avoid this pair. For everything else, it’s hard to find anything better at its current selling price.

As for alternatives, you have the more affordable Oppo Enco W11 for a few hundred less, but it misses out on ANC and customizable controls. For a few hundred more, you get the OnePlus Buds Z with a little better sound quality sans ANC and barely customisable controls. The biggest competition for the Buds Q2 is probably in-house in the form of Realme Buds Air 2. For Rs 800 more you get slightly more detailed sound, nicer design, snug in-ear fit, wear detection sensors and better call quality, along with all the features available on the Q2.

Pros:
– Impressive sound quality for the segment
– Functional ANC in this budget
– Comfortable to wear
– Programmable touch controls
– Good battery life, fast charging, USB-C port
– IPX5 splash resistant
– Well priced

Cons:
– Average call quality
– No volume control option
– Sounds bright at very high volume

Rating: 4.2/5

Price: Rs 2,499

Realme Buds Wireless 2 Wireless Neckband Review

In many ways, the Buds Wireless 2 are nothing but the Realme Buds Wireless Pro with most of the bugs fixed, better ingress protection and more affordable. Though grey is not my favourite colour, the build quality of the product is pretty good and so is the finish. Weighing under 30 grams, it sits comfortably around your neck, and you barely feel its presence. The buttons are tactile, and each earbud hosts a large 13.6 mm driver. The in-ear fit is very good with the default silicone ear tips, causes absolutely no discomfort and offers good passive noise isolation.

The back of the buds have magnetic tips that double up as a power switch – off when stuck together and on when separated. Barring the volume rocker, the other two buttons are programmable using the Realme Link app. You can configure single, double and triple click gestures along with press-and-hold to perform tasks like play/pause, previous/next tracks, ANC toggle, switch between paired devices etc. Unlike the Buds Wireless Pro, the sound profile doesn’t change when you turn on ANC, which is a big relief.

The app also gives you options to increase the loudness and battery life by switching on ‘Volume enhancer’ and ‘Power saving’ modes respectively. However, the latter simply switches off LDAC codec support, so I wouldn’t recommend it as the earphones sound better on LDAC as compared to AAC. Since we are on the topic of battery, let me go into more details. The battery backup here is dictated by a combination of two things – use of ANC and the codec.

Realme claims a battery life of 18 hours and 22 hours with AAC codecs with ANC on and off respectively, and similarly 10 and 11 hours with LDAC codec, both at 50 percent loudness. In real world tests at around 70 percent volume, the earphones managed to last for about 9 hours on LDAC and 18 hours on AAC with ANC switched on 25 percent of the time. While the number is acceptable for AAC, it needs to be much better for LDAC, maybe closer to 14 hours.

Despite the lower battery backup, I would advise you to use the LDAC codec (if your phone supports it) as these Bluetooth 5.0 earphones sound noticeably better on that codec as compared to AAC. I am not one to trade sound quality for battery life. On the bright side, the Realme Buds Wireless 2 takes a little over 45 minutes to charge fully through their USB type-C port. Even better, they support fast charging, and just 10 minutes of charging can give you anything between 7 to 10 hours of playback with ANC off, which is great.

The overall sound signature of the Realme Buds Wireless 2 is warm and generally enjoyable across various genres of music, barring instrument-heavy tracks. The lows are boosted, and the larger drivers produce more bass than the Buds Q2. It is fairly tight as long as you use the LDAC codec, but feels a little excessive when using AAC. The highs are sharp enough without sounding harsh. The mids are a notch below those of the Buds Q2. The vocal clarity is fine, but the instrument separation is average. The soundstage is slightly broader here than its TWS sibling. There was a slight stutter in connectivity when outdoors in crowded areas. It may be specific to my unit, but it did happen on more than a few occasions.

ANC works well here and reduces the background chatter noticeably without impacting the audio quality. Not perfect, but more than acceptable for the segment. The “Transparency mode” here has a bit of constant hiss when outdoors, with the microphones not able to suppress the wind noise, I suppose. Thankfully, no such issue during calls, and those microphones do a good job. People on either end of the call were perfectly audible to each other with very little background noise seeping through even when outdoors.

The Realme Buds Wireless 2 are priced at Rs 2,299 with a one-year warranty and can be found for Rs 400 less in online sales. At that price, this is quite a feature-rich product that offers good sound for the segment. It is hard to find a better-sounding wireless neckband with ANC around Rs 2,000. Not to forget, customisable controls and sound profiles, along with clean call quality. If ANC is not needed, and sound quality is the only thing that matters, you should consider the Oppo Enco M31 that’s available for a similar price. And lastly, you have the Realme Buds Q2 that offers slightly better sound and the convenience of true wireless earbuds in this budget.

Pros:
– Good sound quality for the segment
– Sturdy build quality and comfortable to wear
– Functional ANC, Sony LDAC codec support
– Programmable controls and sound profiles, magnetic On/Off switch
– Good call quality, dual pairing support
– IPX5 splash resistance
– USB Type-C charging port, quick charge support

Cons:
– Below par battery life on LDAC codecs
– Excessive bass when using AAC codes
– Constant wind noise in Transparency mode
– Occasional stutter in connection when outdoors

Rating: 3.8/5

Price: Rs 2,299

tech2 News StaffOct 29, 2021 10:47:12 IST

Unpacking

The box contains:
• Charging box with earbuds
• Earbud silicone tips: M size pre-installed on earbuds; S/L sizes separate
• Type-C charging cable
• User guide/manual with warranty card

First impressions

The DIZO Buds Z review unit featured a light mint Leaf colour that is easy on the eye. Other colour options are Onyx and Pearl.

The charging case is well-designed and resembles a smooth oval pebble; it has good build quality with a brushed matte finish. With a physical size of just 6.4 x 5.1 x 2.6 cm, it’s small enough to carry around in your pocket comfortably. It flicks open easily and snaps shut reassuringly – all in a one-handed operation.

The earbuds also have an eye-catching design, with the stems coated in a piano-finish shiny reflective layer along the outer length. The makers call it a ‘Natural Light’ design that reflects light in multiple colours.

The earbuds are securely held in place inside the charging case with a reasonably strong magnetic latching system; they didn’t fall out even when held upside down and shaken vigorously.

Connectivity

The DIZO Earbuds Z offer Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity. Pairing with the phone was a breeze. Flicking open the charging case activates pairing mode, and the buds were immediately detected and quickly paired with the phone. Once paired, they subsequently always connected near-instantly with the phone upon opening the charging case.

Fit

The earbuds fit surprisingly well in the ear and stay securely in place with just a little twist – this feels like good ergonomic design. With a weight of just 3.7 grams (per earbud), even with continuous usage over a couple of hours, the buds did not feel uncomfortable in the ears. Another thing we liked about the DIZO Buds Z was that the small, tapered stems do not protrude far out and look quite decent when worn. The DIZO Buds Z have a IPX4 water resistance rating, which means they should do well in sweaty conditions and survive occasional light water splashes, too.

Performance

The earbuds pack 10 mm dynamic drivers, and have a decent, balanced sound profile, with a somewhat boosted bass. While you can’t expect any audiophile quality at this price range, overall music and video playback was a largely enjoyable and immersive experience. While not tested, the ‘Game Mode’ feature claims to offer a low latency of 88ms for smooth sync and eliminating audio lag with the visuals while gaming.

The snug fit of the in-ear design also offered passive noise cancellation, and did a relatively reasonable job of blocking out ambient noises and sounds while listening to music or making calls.

The DIZO Buds Z seemed to punch above their weight when it came to call sound quality. The built-in ENC (Environmental Noise Cancellation) feature works well at keeping ambient sounds at bay for the person at the other end of the call. Over a series of calls (including with some who make clear their displeasure with headsets tending to make one’s voice somewhat distant, as if on speakerphone), most said voice quality was fairly clear. Reception at our end was quite clear too, on most calls. The buds work much better indoors than in noisier outdoor environments, but performed adequately outdoors, too.

The capacitive touch controls allow one to play/pause music, answer/reject/end calls with various single, double, and triple-tap combinations. This worked largely well and responsively, but with occasional hits and misses. There is no option for volume control.

Using the realme Link app (Android and iOS), the sound profile can be somewhat customised with ‘Bass Boost’, ‘Dynamic’ and ‘Bright’ EQ pre-sets. The app features a volume enhancer and options for auto-answer, touch controls, checking battery levels, and some other functions, too.

Each earbud has a rated battery capacity of 43 mAh with a claimed usage time of 4.5 hours. Together with the supplemental juice from the charging case (380 mAh), the overall claimed battery life of the DIZO Buds Z is 16 hours. Basis what we saw over the course of our usage, you could expect decent battery life up to about 60-80 percent of this, depending on your specific usage, of course.

One good feature of the DIZO Buds Z is the Type-C USB port on the charging case that supports fast charging, while also claiming a mileage of 1.5 hours of listening with just a 10-minute quick charge.

Verdict

With its overall build quality and design, comfortable earbud ergonomics and decent sound and call performance, the DIZO Buds Z certainly offer good value for their sub-2K price range.

The Dizo Buds Z were listed at Rs 1,499 on Flipkart, at the time of publication.

FP TrendingOct 29, 2021 11:41:37 IST

Snap Inc., which houses the social media app Snapchat, reached 100 million monthly users in India, as announced in the second edition of the ‘Snap in India’ event hosted on 27 October. While celebrating the achievement, Snap also announced strategic brand partnerships with a host of companies, including Flipkart and Zomato.

Snap CEO and co-founder Evan Spiegel said the company will continue to anchor “efforts around celebrating local culture and talent,” apart from providing resources and empowerment to the community of Indian creators.

Snap will partner with Flipkart to develop ‘innovative AR experiences’ for online shopping. This will be the first e-commerce partnership for Snap in the country, with the company’s Camera Kit being an integral part of the “Camera Storefront” of Flipkart.

The co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Snap,  Bobby Murphy, said AR is at the “core of Snapchat’s offerings in India”, adding that the company aims to partner with more local creators in the country to increase the number of “incredible experiences available to Snapchatters”.

The company is also partnering with Zomato to launch the first Snap Map in the country, which will allow users to order food from their personal map on Snapchat.

Snap is also extending its partnership with Samsung Mobiles for the company’s ‘Made in India’ M series smartphones, with the mobile company launching a unique ‘Fun Mode’ to include some of Snap’s AR-powered lenses in Samsung’s native camera app.

MyGlamm and Sugar Cosmetics have adopted Snap’s AR shopping beta program to provide virtual try-on experiences to users.

Snapchat has established distribution partnerships with all the top Android Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), with a total of over 100 million devices in the country.

Snap says it has seen an increase of 70 percent in net advertisers last year, with e-commerce, FMCG, video streaming, mobile wallets, entertainment and tech OEMs being the top sectors.

In terms of content partnerships, Snap has increased local content options for the Indian community by partnering with leading channels. The company’s ‘Discover’ content section has over 70 local Indian channels with fitness, news, entertainment, comedy and fashion content.

For the year 2022, the company has also commissioned over 120 episodes of new content.

Mojiworks and Snap will be collaborating once again to include India-themed trivia in their hit game Trivia Party. The two had previously collaborated for a localised challenge, Dosa Dash, for Snap’s Ready Chef Go! game.

Snap launched the Creator Marketplace recently, allowing brands to connect directly with creators and pay them for production of branded content, with 100 percent of the money going to the creators. AR Lens Creators in the country are presently participating, and Snap Stars in India is set to roll out soon.

tech2 News StaffOct 29, 2021 12:39:53 IST

After Mercedes-Benz, Audi and Jaguar, BMW is all set to become the latest luxury carmaker to launch an all-electric vehicle in India next year. Mini – which is part of the BMW Group – will see its India portfolio grow with the launch of the Mini Electric – or the Mini Cooper SE, to be precise – at the start of 2022. The three-door Mini Electric’s price is set to be announced at the start of January, and BMW Group India has commenced bookings for the all-electric hatchback online, with the booking amount set at Rs 1 lakh.

Replacing the rorty turbo-petrol engine of the standard Mini is a floor-mounted 32.6 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that powers an electric motor making 187 hp and 270 Nm of torque. The addition of a large battery pack means the Mini Cooper SE weighs 145 kg more than the combustion engine, and that ground clearance had to be increased by 18 mm. That said, the instant torque delivery means the Mini Cooper SE can do the 0-100 kph dash in just 7.3 seconds, and top speed is rated at 150 kph.

With a 50 kW DC fast charger, the Mini Cooper SE can regain 80 percent charge in just 35 minutes. Using an 11 kW AC wall box, the same amount of charge can be regained in in 3.5 hours. The Mini Cooper SE has a range of up to 270 kilometres on a single charge (WLTP cycle).

To differentiate it from the standard model, the Mini Cooper SE features yellow highlights on the sealed ‘grille’ and ORVM housings and funky 17-inch aero-focused wheels.

Expect the Mini Electric to cost around Rs 50 lakh (ex-showroom) when it is launched early next year. At that price point, it won’t have any direct rivals whatsoever, and will most likely be the most affordable EV from a luxury carmaker in India. The EV closest to it in price terms will be the Volvo XC40 Recharge, which is also set for an early 2022 launch.

The world’s leaders will gather in Glasgow, Scotland from 31 October to discuss climate change and its impact at the COP26 conference

FP TrendingOct 29, 2021 13:25:20 IST

GoPro has introduced a firmware update for its latest HERO10 camera. According to the company’s statement, the update brings improvements to battery life and recording time. Here’s a look at the details.

GoPro HERO10 gets new update

Starting with the performance, the update has introduced three new Video Performance modes to further improve the camera’s capabilities, as per the use case.

The Maximum Video Performance IV mode enables maximum resolution and frame rates for high-quality images and ultra slow-motion videos. The Extended Battery IV mode is said to enable optimal use of resolution and frame rates for a longer video recording time, while maintaining battery life.

The Tripod/Stationary Video IX mode is meant for long video recording with high resolution and frame rates. This is meant for situations when the camera is still without motion and without airflow to cool the camera. One thing worth noting is the GPS and HyperSmooth video stabilisation function are both switched off when this mode is enabled.

For the third mode, GoPro says users can expect the following results, considering the temperature is 77F/25C in still situations without movement or airflow to cool the camera:

5.3K60 IV 47 percent more runtime than previous for an average of 29 minute-long clips

5.3K30 IV 11 percent more runtime than previous for an average of 44 minute-long clips

4K120 IV 52 percent more runtime than previous for an average of 26 minute-long clips

4K60 IV 154 percent more runtime than previous for an average of 63 minute-long clips

4K30 IV 35 percent more runtime than previous for an average of 50 minute-long clips

It is further suggested that a future update will allow for even longer videos in 5.3K30 and 4K30. It will also introduce 2.7K and 1080p for longer video clip recording in either Extended Battery or Maximum Video Performance modes.

The GoPro HERO10 Black firmware update will be available by the end of October, and users will be able to download it via the Quik app.

To recap, the GoPro HERO10 Black comes with a new GP2 processor, HyperSmooth 4.0 video stabilisation in all modes, water resistance, better low-light performance, and more. It is currently priced at $399.98.

From allowing a flexible attendance schedule to reducing workload and developing an emotional support plan, schools can help kids manage long haul COVID symptoms while they resume studies from school

tech2 News StaffOct 29, 2021 13:19:29 IST

It’s official: the Skoda Slavia will make its world premiere in India on 18 November. The Skoda Slavia will be the third model to use the Volkswagen Group’s tailored-for-India MQB A0 IN platform – the first two being the Skoda Kushaq and the Volkswagen Taigun midsize SUVs – and is likely to be launched early in 2022. A few days ago, Skoda revealed the Slavia will measure 4,541 mm in length, 1,752 mm in width and 1,487 mm in height, making it one of the biggest sedans in its class. The Slavia’s 2,651 mm wheelbase is also among the largest in the midsize sedan segment.

The Slavia name, says Skoda, has been chosen as an ode to its past, as company founders Václav Laurin and Václav Klement had marketed their own bicycles under the same name in 1896. While the company has refrained from giving too much away at this point, it says the Slavia will be ‘an elegant, powerful and safe saloon car’ that will follow in the footsteps of the bigger, more powerful and more luxurious Skoda Octavia and Skoda Superb sedans. Tech2 understands that with the Slavia, Skoda will focus equally on driving pleasure as well as rear seat comfort, with space for rear passengers being among the top priorities for the company.

Expect to see an interior similar to that of the Kushaq with several elements – such as the 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system two-spoke steering wheel, a touch-sensitive climate control panel and vital control switches – to be carried over from the midsize SUV, but Skoda is likely to add some more feel-good features to the Slavia. Six airbags will be offered on the top-spec trims of the Slavia.

Just like the Kushaq, the Skoda Slavia, too, will be offered will be two turbo-petrol engine options – a 1.0-litre, three-cylinder TSI that makes 110 hp and 175 Nm of torque, and a 1.5-litre, four-cylinder TSI producing 150 hp and 250 Nm of torque. A six-speed manual will be available with both engines; the 1.0 TSI will have the option of a six-speed torque convertor automatic, while the 1.5 TSI – aimed at driving enthusiasts – will be available with a seven-speed DSG automatic (with paddle shifters). There will be no diesel engine on offer, but the 1.5-litre TSI will feature active cylinder deactivation tech, which will help boost fuel efficiency.

Expect Skoda Slavia prices to range from Rs 10-17 lakh (ex-showroom), which will enable it to go head-on against the fifth-generation Honda City, Hyundai Verna, Maruti Suzuki Ciaz and the upcoming Toyota Belta. It will also compete against its cousin from Volkswagen, which will be based on the same platform, and will be launched a little after the Slavia.

FP TrendingOct 29, 2021 14:20:25 IST

Hours after Facebook CEO and founder, Mark Zuckerberg announced that the company is rebranding itself as ‘Meta’, the internet, especially Twitter, was flooded with memes and jokes on Facebook’s name change. Co-founder and CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey joined the banter and took a jibe at the rebranding.

Dorsey took a dig at the name ‘meta’ after Facebook’s announcement. On his Twitter account, Dorsey tweeted the Oxford dictionary definition of the term ‘meta’, saying that it refers. He said that it refers to the conventions of its genre and it is self-referential.

https://twitter.com/jack/status/1453789734791090189?s=20

While a tweet on Dorsey’s social media platform reads, “BIG NEWS lol jk still Twitter”.

https://twitter.com/Twitter/status/1453847172794003473?s=20

The post has garnered over 1.8 lakh likes and more than 27,000 retweets. Food chain McDonald’s is among those who have commented on the post. McDonald’s wrote, “You never picked up your 59.6 million McNuggets”.

https://twitter.com/McDonalds/status/1453851725543137284

Popular food chain Wendy’s official Twitter handle too made fun of Facebook’s name change in a post. The tweet reads, “Changing name to meat”.

https://twitter.com/Wendys/status/1453805031463993346?t=AOxskceU33PovRwmOcyxlw&s=08

Facebook has said that the new name will be an attempt to focus on the metaverse which the company feels will be the future of social networking. Zuckerberg said that the blue app will be known as Facebook but its branding will be removed from other places such as WhatsApp and Instagram. He also added that all other apps will now function under the brand ‘Meta’ and Facebook will be one of the many different apps.

The Facebook CEO said that the word meta originates from the Greek word meaning ‘beyond’ and for him, it is a symbol of the fact that there is always more to build and a next chapter to the story. At the company’s annual Connect conference on Thursday, he said that his brand was linked to one product so tightly that it could not represent all the things they were doing today, let alone the future, hence the decision to rebrand with a different name that symbolizes the future has been taken.

FP TrendingOct 29, 2021 15:20:22 IST

Data obtained by the Juno spacecraft of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has revealed new facts about Jupiter recently. According to the latest research, the Great Red Spot, a circular storm that has been raging on the planet for centuries, extends into the planet itself.

According to a report in The Verge, the Great Red Spot is about 300 and 500 kilometres. While the figure seems small compared to the diameter of the circular storm, which is over 16,000 kilometres wide, if we imagine the storm on Earth, “it would extend all the way to the space station,” according to Yohai Kaspi, a Juno co-investigator at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel. The research has been published recently in the journal Science.

In 2011, NASA had launched its spacecraft Juno to get closer to the gas giant. It took the craft five years to reach the vicinity of the planet and insert itself into a wide orbit around it. The orbit took the spacecraft close to Jupiter every 53 days and even passed over the planet’s poles, which had never been seen before by scientists.

In January this year, NASA declared that Juno’s mission of orbiting the gas giant has been extended till September 2025.
According to data gathered by Juno passing over the Great Red Spot twice in 2019, the Great Red Spot is deep but not as much as the jet streams surrounding the storm, which extend up to 3,000 kilometres.

According to Marzia Parisi, a research scientist on the spacecraft’s team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the data reveals how much more still left to learn about Jupiter, adding that “now we have a complete three-dimensional view,” instead of the earlier 2D view from telescopes.

According to CNN, the size of the Great Red Spot is shrinking, even as the storm continues. Since 1979, the storm, which was twice the diameter of the Earth at that time, has shrunk by at least one-third.
The data gathered about Jupiter’s poles has revealed that the planet as five cyclonic storms in the shape of a pentagon at the south pole as well as eight cyclonic storms forming an octagon at the north pole.
The cyclones have remained in place as cyclones on top of each pole push back the storms trying to move towards the poles.

FP TrendingOct 28, 2021 20:27:33 IST

Realme’s TechLife brand Dizo has announced discounts on its products as part of the Dizo Wali Diwali sale for customers in India. According to the company, the sale is part of the Flipkart Big Diwali Sale, which has commenced in the country today, 28 October. For the uninitiated, the sale went live for Flipkart Plus members yesterday. Here’s a look at Dizo’s offers.

Dizo Wali Diwali Sale offers

Starting with the audio products, the Dizo Buds Z will be available for Rs 1,499 after a discount of Rs 500. The GoPods can be purchased for Rs 2,499, a Rs 800 drop compared to their original price of Rs 3,299.

The GoPods Neo has also received a discount and can be bought for Rs 1,899 after a discount of Rs 600. The GoPods D, which is claimed to be the bestseller in the series, can be purchased for Rs 899 after a discount of Rs 700. Its original price is Rs 1,599.

The Dizo Wireless earbuds are also a part of the sale and can be purchased for Rs 999 after receiving a discount of Rs 500.

As for the brand’s smartwatches. the Dizo Watch is priced at Rs 2,899 as part of the sale, down from its original price of 3,499 (discount of Rs 600). The Dizo Watch 2 has received a discount of Rs 700, and is now priced at Rs 2,299. The Watch Pro has been discounted by just Rs 500, and is priced at Rs 4,499.

Additionally, the Dizo Beard Trimmer Plus is now priced at Rs 1,599 after a discount of Rs 400, and the Dizo Hair Dryer is priced at Rs 1,299 after a discount of Rs 700.

In addition to the discounts offered by Dizo, buyers can get a discount of 10 percent on the use of SBI banking options.

Most travelers these days use their phones to navigate. Perform a simple Google search on an address, and a detailed map with voice directions, nearby attractions, gas stations, restaurants, hotels and more is just a tap away. Still, there are companies that build additional features into mapping to try to stand apart from the reliable, but maybe not-so-sexy Google Maps. Wayze and Tripit are two examples, while Roadtrippers is still another. So is it worth adding Roadtrippers to your crowded app drawer? Maybe.

The major benefit of Roadtrippers is its friendly, easy-to-navigate interface. When opening the app, you can tap the “Nearby” button and you’ll be presented with large icons ranging from “Breakfast” to “Take a Walk.” Tap one of those and you’ll see what’s in your location in that category on a map. Tap further and you’ll get a description of the destination along with reviews and hours of operation, if available. In our tests, the app provided useful information just about 40 percent of the time. 

Once you have your destination chosen, you can choose to “Start Trip,” which will take you to your phone’s mapping app, or “Navigate,” which leads to a screen asking you to download Roadtripper’s beta turn-by-turn navigation system. We can’t imagine why you’d do that when your native mapping app should be just fine.

Where Roadtrippers really shines is through the use of its “Start A Trip” function. Here you simply enter a destination and choose which attractions you’d like to highlight along your route. You can choose to focus on pretty much anything you’d find on a road trip from national parks to nightlife. You can add and remove different categories to suit the focus of your trip, and the “nearby” function is still available to show you what’s in your immediate area as you drive.

Roadtripper allows you to add up to seven destinations along your route in the free version; any more than that and you’ll need to upgrade to Roadtrippers Plus, which costs $29.99 per year. 

Another standout feature of Roadtrippers is the free guide section. These are articles built around a theme such as “48 Hours in New York City,” or “007’s America.” They can help you plan a unique vacation or you can just enjoy them as fun armchair travel adventures.

Roadtrippers is available online and as an iOS and Android app.

Download The Roadtrippers App Here

tech2 News StaffOct 28, 2021 20:19:26 IST

Becoming the latest made-in-India Suzuki model to receive a disappointing assessment from a global safety watchdog, the Suzuki Baleno has been handed a dismal zero-star rating by the Latin New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP). The Baleno – manufactured at Suzuki’s plant in Gujarat – follows the Swift in being rated zero stars in the Latin NCAP crash tests, with the latter having been tested in August this year.

The Baleno received a score of 20.03 percent on adult occupant protection, 17.06 percent on child occupant protection, 64.06 percent on pedestrian protection and 6.98 percent on safety assists. The model tested by Latin NCAP had just two front airbags, as the Baleno for Latin American markets only gets two front airbags as standard.

In the frontal impact test, Latin NCAP says the Baleno ‘showed stable structure performance’. In its detailed report, Latin NCAP noted that protection offered to the driver and passenger head and neck was good. Chest protection was rated adequate, and protection for both the driver and front passenger’s tibias was noted to be sufficient, with the footwell area deemed stable. The Baleno’s bodyshell was also rated stable, and deemed capable of withstanding further loadings.

However, the Baleno lost points as Latin NCAP said the knees of both front occupants can ‘impact with dangerous structures behind the fascia’.

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It was in the side impact test that the Baleno lost the most ground. The side impact test revealed a high amount of door intrusion, and while head, pelvis and abdomen protection levels were sufficient, the high degree of door intrusion resulted in ‘poor’ protection for the chest of the passenger. Neck protection for Baleno occupants in the whiplash test was deemed marginal.

Latin NCAP attributed the zero-star rating for the Baleno to its poor side impact protection, marginal whiplash protection, lack of standard side body and head protection airbags, lack of standard Electronic Stability Control (ESC) and the decision of Suzuki of not recommending Child Restraint Systems (CRS) for the tests.

It must be noted here that Suzuki does offer the option of six airbags and electronic stability control (ESC) on the Baleno in Latin America, but not as standard. What’s also worth noting is the Maruti Suzuki Baleno on sale in India only gets two airbags, even on the top-spec variant – six airbags and ESC aren’t available as even an option.

In its statement, Latin NCAP shared that Suzuki refused to test the version with optional safety equipment, which the safety watchdog says raises questions about the ‘effectiveness of those extra safety elements.’

Commenting on the Baleno’s performance in the tests, Alejandro Furas, Secretary General of the Latin NCAP, said, “Baleno’s zero-star rating is part of an ongoing disappointment, after the Swift’s zero star rating some weeks ago. With specially poor safety performance in adult and child occupant protection on offer from Suzuki as standard to Latin American consumers. Latin NCAP calls on Toyota and Suzuki to significantly improve the standard safety equipment on these models as soon as possible and for them to be tested to demonstrate the improvements. Basic vehicle safety, which is taken for granted in mature markets, is a right that Latin American consumers should claim without having to pay extra for them.”

It’s worth remembering at this point that Latin NCAP’s crash tests are more comprehensive than the Global NCAP tests India is familiar with, as it takes into account several aspects of a vehicle pertaining to safety, including pedestrian protection and safety assist systems. Global NCAP hasn’t yet tested the Baleno, which is now well over six years old, having been launched in India all the way back in October 2015.

Also read: Top 10 safest cars in India as rated by Global NCAP – Tata Punch tops the list

There are almost as many travel apps out there as there are travel destinations. In general, they all do some things well, and some things not so well. WikiCamps is certainly in the same, erm, camp. With a focus on – you guessed it – camping, the app can help you find nearby places to pitch your tent, park your RV, or take in some local sites. And while it can certainly be helpful, the app also suffers from so not-so-great features that might make it not worth paying to own it.

Like many apps, WikiCamps comes with a 14-day free trial. After that, it costs a one-time payment of $1.99 for lifetime access. The free trial period is well worth it because you can try out different destinations to see just how well it will work for you. Many users report a lack of data on local attractions and campsites, while our tests were data rich, so it might just depend on where you’re looking. It seems WikiCamps has a strong following in Australia, so the crowd-sourced information it relies on might just take some time to fill in around the rest of the world.

Beyond the actual data it contains (or doesn’t contain), WikiCamps has a wealth of smart features. Tap the hamburger button in the top-left of the screen, and you’re presented with a list of nearby attractions, campgrounds, hotels and more. Or you can enter a destination to see what might be in the area where you intend to travel.

Tap on any one attraction and, if available, you’ll find contact details, photos, web links, user ratings and a mapping button that lets you load directions into your favorite mapping app such as Wayze, Google Maps or TomTom Go. You also get a week-long weather forecast for the site. Plus, because this is a Wiki built by members, you can edit the site if you notice that something is wrong or if you want to add additional information or photos, and you can also leave and read reviews from other users.

A filter button lets you sort sites according to what you’re looking for and helps clear the clutter. You can for example, switch the toggles to include only free campgrounds that accept pets and have water facilities. You can see results either on the map or the list. One unfortunate thing is that the app seems to use Google Maps, so you wind up seeing all of the destinations that Google provides, but they aren’t all clickable so things can get a bit confusing. 

Another nice aspect of WikiCamps is the ability to download offline data on a state-by-state basis, so you can access sites even in remote areas where you might not be able to get online. Also, there is a travel forum where you can ask others any questions you might have about destinations.

While the app offers a trip-planning function, we found it difficult and confusing to use. You can search on your destination, but there seems to be no easy way to indicate that you want to add it as the end point in your trip. Instead, you can try to build a trip by tapping on sites and tapping “Add To Planner,” but it’s a cumbersome way to go about things. 

Because WikiTrips is built by the community, it can be hit or miss in terms of the information it provides. Some spots have lots of entries, while others are fairly bare. And the Trip Planner doesn’t seem to have much utility. But, for just $1.99 it might be a worthwhile tool to add to a frequent-camper’s resources, and it’s certainly worth taking the two-week free trial out for a spin.

Download WikiCamps Here

About 50 percent of breast cancer cases occur in women with no prior identifiable cause or hereditary basis.

Siddhartha SharmaOct 27, 2021 17:12:08 IST

Editor’s Note: As COP26 looms, we are sharing articles authored by Indian youth leaders who have been selected as part of the United Nations India’s We The Change campaign. They are all working towards various Sustainable Development Goals as prescribed by the UN. 

Flooding of the Brahmaputra has shaped the land in most of Northeast India for thousands of years. In the recent past, the region has been grappling with the devastating impacts of the changing climatic conditions. Changing rainfall patterns are one of the primary causes of concern for residents of many of the villages in rural Assam. Major floods in the Brahmaputra are known to cause inundation for several days.

Today, the floods present challenges in many ways. Sometimes it worries dam officials and forces them to release water late at night, artificially flooding many villages. At other times, it is the changing course of the rivers and its tributaries that uproots entire villages.

The Kumutiya river, in Dhemaji, floods every year, destroying crops and houses. It has shifted nearly three kilometres since 1960 and villages have had to shift with it. It has a huge human cost and often has a very asymmetric impact on the lives of the villages, affecting the most vulnerable sections of society and pushing them back to poverty. There are times when families have to leave their houses in the middle of the night, never to come back again. Not only do they leave behind items of sentimental value, the sudden rise of water — from both natural and artificial floods — give them no option of collecting valuables or important documents. 

Unlike in the past, floodwaters no longer recede fast enough to resume agricultural activities. It often stays back much longer, impacting farming and harming the livelihoods of those already affected by floods. The pre-monsoon and monsoon rainfall period that usually begins in April and lasts till the end of August now extends into September. Severe rainfall in Arunachal Pradesh, where illegal timber logging is rampant, brings in more silt from the mountains than ever before. The deposition of silt is reducing the water carrying capacity of the river and is causing frequent and unpredictable shifting in the course of the rivers.

Flooding in India is not an issue of the Northeast alone. It affects every corner of the country. After 43 years since the first and the last commission on floods was constituted, India is yet to have a national-level flood control authority.

One of the key observations of the 1976 Rashtriya Barh Ayog (RBA), or the National Flood Commission was that the increase in floods was due to anthropogenic factors such as deforestation, drainage congestion and badly planned development works. In the 1980s, it was appropriate for the commission to rule out natural causes, which is no longer the case.

Today, large-scale (anthropogenically induced) glacial melting in the Himalayas exacerbates flooding. The commission in its report questioned the effectiveness of embankments and reservoirs. As receding floodwater gets blocked by embankments, the efficacy of its use is once again in question.

How do we deal with flooding?

With varying geographical features, a country as large as India cannot have fit-for-all master plans that can be effective in flood control. Every state and the Center must coordinate closely and put consolidated efforts to take up research and policy initiatives to control floods and use common water resources smartly. Going deep into the problem, one could begin to understand the origins of the problem in estimating flood-prone areas of the country, which is why research initiatives are required to facilitate the creation of a dynamic strategy suitable to cope with the changing nature of floods. Each state in such an effort can build its appropriate plan to suit the unique needs.

One of the alarming highlights of the 2017 CAG report was the lack of working telemetry stations for flood forecasts in India. The majority of flood forecast systems deployed are either washed away or have had their parts stolen. As a result, despite decades of modernisation efforts, the Central Water Commission (CWC) does not have ‘real-time data’ on floods and depends on manual data for its policymaking. Many frontier technologies in our reach should be used to design economical technologies that can be deployed, repaired, and upgraded with quick turnarounds. Alongside that, renewed efforts are also required in creating open-source GIS-based flood models.

Today, it is undeniable that humans are causing the glaciers to melt faster than ever, hence the key to the solution is in understanding what we can.

About 15 percent of India own vehicles and the entire country is dependent on power that is 70 percent generated from coal. Vehicles and coal-based power plants are the largest emitters of greenhouse gases that heat the planet. Electricity generation, transportation activities and Indian kitchens are responsible for two-thirds of man-made carbon emissions in India. Also, 20 percent of this total man-made emission comes from road transport alone. Each of us can contribute to reducing the footprint from transportation and our kitchen and we discuss that below.

If each of us chooses to walk, cycle or carpool, whenever convenient, we could reduce emissions by at least one percent. The heavy SUVs and sporty cars are highest on emissions, and if we pick a compact car for travel, we can contribute to reducing our footprint. The roof-top box or a tow increases the drag on the vehicle and requires more power, meaning decreased fuel economy and more emissions. India should create policies to limit such carriages.

Unnecessary acceleration and braking reduce mileage by over 30 percent and increase your carbon footprint. Speeding often puts pressure on the engine for more output and it starts burning more fuel leading to more emissions. If we avoid speeding, and use the ‘eco’ mode, with properly inflated tires and the correct grade of fuel, our footprint per ride can be significantly reduced.

Another noteworthy point is to keep a tab on the oxygen sensors of the engine and other industrial equipment. The correctly calibrated oxygen sensors increase fuel efficiency by 40 percent and massively reduce emissions.

Climate change is an exponential phenomenon and in our fight against it, the key is to aggressively use technologies, and use prescriptive analytics to counteract the industrial impacts of planet-damaging behaviours.

Join the We The Change movement by logging on and sharing your climate action story using #WeTheChangeNOW

The author is a Sustainability and Climate Risk practitioner within the financial risk management domain. He is also the founder of the investech company CredFIC and has founded the Global Shapers Guwahati Hub.

tech2 News StaffOct 27, 2021 17:00:01 IST

Having introduced the limited-edition Street Twin Gold Line earlier this year – all units of which have since been sold – Triumph Motorcycles has now rolled out similar Gold Line editions of other motorcycles from its Modern Classics range, including the Bonneville T100 and T120, Street Scrambler, Speedmaster, Bonneville Bobber and the Scrambler 1200 XE and XC.

Triumph says these special editions will feature a hand-applied gold line, using a soft-bristled sword-liner brush. The company says the paints used for the gold lining are specially formulated by mixing a powered colour with a cellulose lacquer for exactly the right consistency, as normal automotive paint is too thin for brush work. The artist adds the finishing detail to each Gold Line Edition by signing their work with their initials.

Based on the updated versions of these motorcycles launched this year, all of these editions – save for the Scrambler 1200 twins – will be launched in India early in 2022, and will be priced at a premium over the regular models. These won’t be limited by number, but will only be available for a period of one year. Let’s take a closer look at each of these Gold Line editions.

Triumph Bonneville T100 Gold Line Edition

Specific to the Triumph Bonneville T100 Gold Line Edition are a ‘Silver Ice’ fuel tank, mudguards and side panels, with a ‘Competition Green’ tank infill, hand-painted gold lining and a ‘gold line’ logo. There’s a new white and gold Bonneville T100 logo and a Silver Ice flyscreen is available as an accessory.

Triumph Street Scrambler Gold Line Edition

Exclusive to the Triumph Street Scrambler Gold Edition is a ‘Matt Pacific Blue’ tank with a graphite stripe, gold Triumph tank logos and a gold line logo. There’s gold lining alongside the tank stripe and around the brushed foil knee pads. The mudguards are finished in ‘Matt Jet Black’, there’s a new gold Street Scrambler logo and a ‘Matt Pacific Blue’ fly screen and high-level mudguard will be offered as accessories.

Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster Gold Line Edition

The livery of the Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster Gold Line Edition combines a ‘Silver Ice’ fuel tank with a ‘Sapphire Black’ twin stripe design and brushed foil knee pads, all edged with hand-painted gold lining and the ‘gold line’ logo. The headlight bowl, mudguards and side panels are finished in Sapphire Black with gold and silver Bonneville Speedmaster logos and hand-painted gold lining. A shorter front mudguard finished in Sapphire Black will be offered as an accessory.

Triumph Bonneville Bobber Gold Line Edition

Helping the Triumph Bonneville Bobber Gold Line Edition stand out is the ‘Carnival Red’ paint for the fuel tank and mudguards, gold Triumph tank logos, Sapphire Black paint for the side panels, twin-stripe design and brushed foil knee pads, edged with hand-painted gold lining.

Triumph Bonneville T120 Gold Line Edition

Just like the T100, the Triumph Bonneville T120 Gold Line Edition also features ‘Silver Ice’ fuel tank, mudguards and side panels, with a ‘Competition Green’ tank infill, hand-painted gold lining and a ‘gold line’ logo. There’s a new white and gold Bonneville T100 logo and a Silver Ice fly screen is available as an accessory.

Triumph Bonneville T120 Black Gold Line Edition

For a stealthier appearance, the Triumph Bonneville T120 Black Gold Line Edition gets a ‘Matt Sapphire Black’ finish for the fuel tank, front and rear mudguards, headlight bowl and side panels. There’s a ‘Matt Silver Ice’ fuel tank infill, ‘Matt Silver Ice’ side panel stripe graphics with black and gold Bonneville T120 Black logos and hand-painted gold lining.

If you found this article, you likely already know what a VPN is and what it’s used for, but just in case you need a brief refresher, here’s a rundown. VPNs are essentially a server that you connect to before you do most of your online activity so that any services, sites, or networks that you connect to see the IP of the VPN, not your own. It’s useful for things like avoiding firewalls, geographical barriers and keeping your personal IP address from falling into the hands of suspicious sites.

Now that that’s out of the way, we can get to the real meat and potatoes of all of this. Which VPN should you be looking into?

In this article, we’re taking a look at two big contenders among the very best VPN services on the market: IPVanish vs ExpressVPN. Both of them fulfill just about every standard requirement of your typical VPN service, but they both have their strong suits, and they both offer unique features that might just make them a more attractive choice for you than the other, depending on how you plan to use them.

IPVanish

IPVanish started in 2012 as nothing but a few dozen servers with some windows software. Now, it has grown into a powerhouse of the VPN market and is consistently rated one of the best VPNs out there. This is why it’s such a shame that IPVanish isn’t talked about nearly as much as certain other names.

IPVanish has grown exponentially as a service in recent years, and its features are now in line with all the other top dogs on the VPN market. It’s consistently rated in the top 10 available VPNs.

ExpressVPN

Starting all the way back in 2009, ExpressVPN is now one of the world’s most extensive VPN services out there. It typically fights with the other prominent heads of the game and has made efforts to offer more features, better service, and more reliability as a result.

Because of this, ExpressVPN is able to contend year after year for the spot of top VPN, and while it can be debated whether it’s the one true king (or queen) of the VPNs, it’s undeniable that its quality certainly earns it the recognition and high placement that it holds on most lists.

The Comparison

Both of these VPN services are clearly pretty impressive. If you’re on the market for a VPN, it’s very unlikely you’d be dissatisfied with either choice. However, we’re writing this article to help you pick the BEST choice for you, not a good choice. So buckle in because here comes the comparison. Let the battle between these two VPN titans commence.

Speed

One of the first factors worth looking into is data speed. No matter which service you use, your download and upload speed are going to take at least a minor hit when you connect to a VPN. In short, this is because when you’re connecting to a website, you don’t just make a direct connection. You access the VPN, which then has to connect to that site. This creates an extra barrier that will add some delay no matter how quick the service is.

The goal is simply to keep that delay as low as possible, and some VPNs do this better than others. While speeds will vary heavily depending on what area you’re trying to connect from and whether or not the VPN has servers around that region, we can still compare the average overall speeds.

Unfortunately for IPVanish, ExpressVPN has them pretty heavily beat in the speed department.

While this gap between the two has certainly diminished in recent years as IPVanish has expanded their server count, ExpressVPN still commonly gets speeds much faster than IPVanish in most regions, especially areas such as the UK.

While your circumstance will vary depending on your location and original internet speed, most users report their original download speed decreasing by about 40-50% with ExpressVPN, and about 50-60% with IPVanish.

That isn’t to say IPVanish is slow. It’s still one of the faster VPNs on the market. But when it’s directly compared with ExpressVPN, the Mbps speeds begin to show a pretty drastic difference.

ExpressVPN wins this one.

Base Location

While this part isn’t exactly a competition, it’s still an essential piece of knowledge to know. Every VPN service has a location that they are based from; their main hub. While this doesn’t tend to affect the service too much, it does play a part in where most of their servers would likely be to offer the fastest and most reliable connections and what country’s laws dictate the services that VPN can provide.

ExpressVPN’s home base enjoys the warm sun of the Caribbean, stationed in the British Virgin Islands.

IPVanish, on the other hand, is based in Orlando, Florida, in the United States.

This round doesn’t really have a winner.

Supported Platforms

VPN services typically offer software to make using their servers easy for customers. Most big names on the market make this software compatible with all major systems, but some cover more than others.

IPVanish’s software is compatible with Windows, Mac OS, iOS, Linux, Android, Chrome OS, and Fire TV.

It’s a wide, versatile range that would suit a majority of users’ needs. However, the app itself has been reported to have problems occasionally. Crashing and timing out, unfortunately, isn’t all too uncommon when attempting to connect to a server. 

The software even occasionally tends to mess with your network settings. Reddit user B_Wease, for example, stated that when they turned the service off, they couldn’t connect to their own internet on that device.

The app does show a lot of information and helps check every detail about your connection, but some users might find it a bit cluttered, especially if you don’t know what a lot of that info is even for.

You can download IPVanish’s software here.

ExpressVPN’s software is compatible with Windows, Mac OS, iOS, Linux, Android, Chrome OS, Fire TV, Firestick, Kindle Fire, and Chromebook. ExpressVPN covers an even greater range of devices, impressively enough. Not only that, but most report their service to be far more reliable, as complete crashes are infrequent when connecting to various servers. With their software, usually, the worst you’ll experience is a short delay.

You can find download ExpressVPN’s here.

This round goes to ExpressVPN.

Servers & Countries

The following criteria will be the number of countries each service spans and how many servers each has. We’ll be upfront about this one. ExpressVPN takes this round as well, hands down.

That is, of course, due in part to them having been in the game longer than IPVanish. Every service slowly expands its arsenal and reaches further across the globe to suit the needs of their customers as they grow. ExpressVPN has had more time to do that and has been more successful in doing so.

That isn’t to say IPVanish is struggling in this department. Covering 57 countries with a server count of over 1,900, it has one of the bigger server counts on the VPN market.

Unfortunately, it just doesn’t compare to ExpressVPN’s 3,000+ servers over a total of 95 countries.

ExpressVPN takes this round as well for a hat-trick.

Simultaneous Connections

While things may be looking grim for IPVanish as our underdogs, things might just turn around for them here. All VPN services have a limit on how many connections you can make with their VPN at once. This keeps customers from overloading their servers with too many requests at once and slowing things down for themselves and others. However, the hard limit that services put on their VPNs vary.

ExpressVPN has its limit at five. Five simultaneous connections are relatively standard for most VPNs, and most customers wouldn’t struggle too much with that limit.

IPVanish, however, has its limit at ten. This is actually fairly generous, as most VPNs don’t allow nearly as many simultaneous connections, especially for a standard package. This limit would hardly be a problem for most people to ever wrestle with, as it’s pretty rare for a room to be filled with more than ten computers that all desperately need to access the VPN right this instant.

IPVanish is on the board with a win!

Privacy

This next comparison will be one of the more important ones for many people looking into a VPN service. It’s the main reason why VPNs have become so popular recently. As the digital world grows, people want to feel secure, and knowing your personal IP can be tracked at any time leaves people with an uneasy feeling. This is what has led to the success of the VPN.

So how do you compare privacy? Well, there are two main factors that we’re going to be looking at. The first is the encryption system that each service uses.

Both ExpressVPN and IPVanish use something known as AES 256-bit encryption for their services. AES, or Advanced Encryption Standard, is an encryption method that supports the largest possible bit size and encrypts data to the point where it’s essentially impossible for hackers or anyone who comes across that data to use brute force to access the information. It was initially created for use by the federal government, so yes, it’s pretty secure.

So if your connections are unreadable when you make them, what about after they’ve already been made? What about the logs and records of each connection you’ve made to a VPN?

That’s a significant factor that most people look into for VPN services. Since the whole point of a VPN is to let customers be secure on the internet, the last thing they want is to know that a log of every connection they make is kept somewhere. What would happen in the event of a data breach of their logs? If a record is held somewhere, a hacker could find out even more information from someone using a VPN than if someone wasn’t!

Luckily, neither service keeps logs or records of any kind of traffic. This is one of the features that make both VPNs so popular. It’s quite rare to find services that keep no logs on their user activity whatsoever. ExpressVPN and IPVanish, however, both state that they maintain no data or records of connections from their customers.

This round is a tie!

Customer Support

In a perfect world, it wouldn’t matter what the customer support is for each service, as the product itself would work flawlessly. But until VPNs start singing and butterflies come out of our routers when we connect to them, yes, we will occasionally need customer support.

Both services offer live chat service on their websites, available 24/7. They also both have email support if you prefer to get your help the old-school way.

We have ourselves another tie!

Pricing

Last but certainly not least, we have the price for a plan in our ExpressVPN vs. IPVanish battle. Both of these services offer multiple payment plan options, where you will receive a discount for buying longer-term plans. However, for this, we’ll be looking purely at the monthly plan for each.

Both of these services have prices that put them right at about the average for most VPNs. For a monthly plan, ExpressVPN will cost you $12.95, whereas IPVanish costs a cool $9.99, making it actually on the lower end of average VPN costs.

IPVanish takes this last round.

ExpressVPN vs. IPVanish, which is better?

While both of these services are excellent, there’s a reason why ExpressVPN is fighting to take the crown. Under most circumstances, ExpressVPN does offer a higher quality service. Its speeds are superior, it has higher server counts, and it’s frequently rated as one of the best VPNs out there.

However, there are a few places where IPVanish takes the lead, such as the generous ten simultaneous connections that it allows you to have at one time. The cheaper pricing all makes it a serious contender. If ExpressVPN’s prices feel a little steep to you, IPVanish offers a genuinely excellent service for a reduced plan cost.

Here is a visual of everything to keep in mind between the two.

	IPVanish	ExpressVPN
General Rating	4.8 / 5	4.9 / 5
Based In	United States	British Virgin Islands
Unlimited Bandwidth	Yes	Yes
Unlimited Server Switching	Yes	Yes
Country Count	57	95
Server Count	1,900+	3,000+
Encryption	AES 256-bit	AES 256-bit
Logging	No	No
Simultaneous Connections	10	5
Customer Support	24/7 Live Chat + Email	24/7 Live Chat + Email

Just remember, if you choose either of these, rest assured that you will be getting a quality service no matter what. Both are trusted, both are reliable, and both are high-end VPNs.

In the end, it comes down to customer preference.