Garmin Venu 2 Plus launched in India with up to 9 days of battery life and advanced health tracking
At CES 2022 earlier this month, Garmin unveiled a new smartwatch called the Garmin Venu 2 Plus. An upgraded version of the Garmin Venu 2, the new smartwatch retains all the best features from the last year’s model while also adding a built-in microphone for calls, animated on-screen workouts, and an additional navigation button. While the Venu 2 Plus was initially limited to markets like the US, the company has now officially launched its latest smartphone in India.
The Garmin Venu 2 Plus comes in three colorways: Graphite Black, Cream Gold, and Powder Grey. It’s priced at ₹46,990 (~$632) in India and will be available from leading online retailers including Amazon India, Flipkart, Tata CLiQ, and synergizer.co.in. It’ll also be available from offline channels like Croma, Just in Time, Helios, and GBS stores.
From XDA
Oppo Reno7 series is coming to India soon
The Reno7 series consists of the Reno7 SE, Reno7, and Reno7 Pro. Oppo hasn’t explicitly confirmed if all three smartphones will be launched in India, but since the promo page for the series on its official Indian website only includes the SE and Pro variants, it appears the vanilla model won’t be launched in India. At least not alongside the other two phones.
A media report from last November claimed Oppo will skip the Reno7 SE in India, so we’ll have to wait for more information to be certain which devices are launching in India.
The same report also claimed that the Reno7 will be priced between INR28,000 ($375/€330) and INR31,000 ($415/€365) in India, while the Pro will cost between INR41,000 ($550/€485) and INR43,000 ($580/€510).
From Gsmarena
Microsoft makes available Surface Pro 8 in India – models, pricing and more
Microsoft India today announced that the new Surface Pro 8 and the Surface Pro 7+ will be available in the country from February 15. The pre-orders for the new Surface Pro 8 commenced today via select retail and online partners.
The devices will be available via commercial authorized resellers and authorized retail and online partners like Amazon and Reliance Digital.
Microsoft had launched Surface Pro X in India a few days back.
Surface Pro 8, the latest flagship device in years from Microsoft, comes with a lot of design improvements like thinner bezels, rounded edges, and the inclusion of the Thunderbolt 4.
From Techradar
OnePlus might be working on a cheap Nord for India
According to a new rumor from a generally reliable tipster, that may change later this year. OnePlus is said to be considering launching a Nord phone that will retail for under INR 20,000 in the subcontinent. The company is apparently going to decide whether to go ahead or not “by the middle of Q2”, which can be translated as “by May”.
If OnePlus decides to bring this handset to India, then it will arrive on the market after the Nord 3 launches. That means sometime after July, and not any sooner, unfortunately. If this pans out, it means OnePlus is planning at least three Nords for India this year – the Nord 2 CE is expected to debut first, in February.
The cheapest Nord, if it does materialize, will reportedly feature a 90 Hz AMOLED display, a 50 MP main rear camera, and a MediaTek 5G chipset. No other specs are known at the moment.
From Gsmarena
Oppo outlines battery-free future powered by cellular, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi signals
Batteries are important, often unnoticed components in modern technology, but one company is considering a future beyond them. Oppo has published a new whitepaper that envisions a battery-free, “zero-power communication” system for small, low-powered IoT devices.
The paper leans into the idea of ambient radio frequency (RF) wave-powered electronics that needn’t rely on onboard power sources to function. “In the near future, IoT devices will be able to harvest energy directly from Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and cellphone signals, resulting in excellent features such as smaller size, better durability, and lower cost,” explains Oppo.
The company believes that this system would reduce battery usage and, therefore, lower maintenance costs and decrease the impact on the environment.
From Android Authority
Google Brings Android Apps to Windows For a Select Few
During the 2021 Game Awards, the Google Play team wandered on stage to announce Google Play Games for Windows PCs. The standalone application, which is separate from the Microsoft app store, will let you download Android games from Google Play and share purchased games between all your devices. Now, Google Play Games for Windows is entering an extremely limited beta.
Gamers in Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan can now request beta access to Google Play Games for Windows. If you live outside of these countries, you’ll have to wait for Google to open beta access in your region.
From Review Geek
Google is taking all your old free G Suite accounts as hostages
It’s been a long time coming, but Google has finally rung the death knell for G Suite legacy free edition users. Launched back in 2006, the service allowed businesses and schools to set up custom domains for use with Google’s popular Gmail services. Being a free service, Google Apps gained significant popularity amongst enthusiasts as well as businesses.
As part of its G Suite rebrand in 2012, Google shut down the free Google Apps tier. However, it allowed existing users to continue using custom domains without charge. Now, as G Suite gets further integrated into Google Workspaces, Google is finally shutting down G Suite’s legacy free edition.
From Android Authority
Instagram is testing paid subscriptions with a small group of creators
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US Instagram users will soon be able to subscribe to a small number of creators and influencers to access exclusive content and features. In a blog post, the company says it’s launching a test of subscriptions today, with more creators being added in the coming weeks.
Fans will pay a monthly fee to access subscriber-only content from creators they follow, like exclusive Lives and Stories. Subscribers will also get a purple badge by their username that signals their status to the creator. Price tiers will range from $0.99 to $99.99 per month, and creators can select the price point for their subscriptions. Co-head of product Ashley Yuki told TechCrunch that Instagram will not take a cut of creators’ subscription revenues “until at least 2023.”
From The Verge
Apple is the world’s biggest smartphone seller once again
Apple has regained top spot as the world’s largest phone maker after the success of the iPhone 13 pushed shipments to a new high last quarter, new figures have shown.
The latest shipment figures from Canalys found that Apple took a 22% market share in overall sales during Q4 2021, ahead of its great rival Samsung with 20%.
This was despite of facing supply chain issues and chipset shortage that forced the Cupertino giant to reorganise its sales plans and divert chipsets from iPads to the iPhone 13 series.
From Techradar
Amazon is opening its first physical clothing store
Amazon is opening its first-ever Amazon Style physical clothing store with the promise of a high-tech shopping experience, confirming a rumor from last year. It will offer brands consumers “know and love,” according to Amazon, and an app will let you choose an item, size and color and send it directly to a fitting room or pickup counter. The first store is coming to The Americana at Brand in Los Angeles sometime “later this year,” the company said.
Amazon said it will offer “hundreds of brands” chosen by fashion creators and “feedback provided by millions of customers shopping on Amazon.com.” It didn’t specify which, but its online store currently carries products from designers like Oscar de la Renta, Altuzarra and La Perla. However, many luxury and high-end brands have resisted listing goods online with Amazon.
From Techcrunch
