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SamSung Galaxy S8 and Xiaomi's Mi 6 are pretty high-end phones. Both the phones boast of top-tier looks and top-tier hardware. But while the Galaxy S8 costs a bomb to own, the Xiaomi Mi 6 is a lot more mainstream in comparison. While the Galaxy S8 offers a one-of-its-kind bezel-less design, the Mi 6 offers dual rear cameras in line with the iPhone 7 Plus. Here's a closer look.

Both the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Xiaomi Mi 6 boast of an-glass and metal body and yet both the phones look like they don't even belong in the same universe. The Galaxy S8, with its near edge-to-edge screen, looks like a phone straight out of the future. The Mi 6, on the other hand, has a more generic design. In fact, it looks a lot like Huawei's Honor 8 especially from the behind. The Mi 6, although it is much smaller than the Galaxy S8, is heavier. In Xiaomi's defense, the Mi 6 packs in a slightly bigger battery in comparison.

While the Galaxy S8 has a rear mounted fingerprint scanner, the Mi 6 has a front-mounted solution. Xiaomi has incorporated an under-glass - ultrasonic - fingerprint scanner in the Mi 6 which means you'll be touching a barren area of glass to unlock the phone. The Mi 6, but, comes with wide chunky bezels on the top as well as on the bottom. The front, in the case of the Galaxy S8, is meanwhile clean and sans any buttons. The phone, because it has a nearly bezel-less screen, offers as much as 83 per cent of real estate to work upon. In spite of the toned down bezels, the Galaxy S8 still has a home button upfront. It is software-based though. The invisible home button, as Samsung calls it, also offers tactile feedback.
The Galaxy S8, in addition to the rear mounted fingerprint scanner, also comes with an iris scanner and facial recognition for added security. Samsung Knox and Samsung Pay are also built-in.
The Galaxy S8 is IP68-certified for water and dust resistance. The Mi 6, on the contrary, offers splash-resistance which is a first for any Xiaomi phone. The front and back in the case of the Galaxy S8 is carved out of Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Whether or not the Mi 6 has some kind of protective covering on-board is unknown for now. The Mi 6 does have a limited ceramic edition which is supposed to be harder than the standard Black, White, Blue and Silver versions.
The Galaxy S8 comes with what Samsung calls as an Infinity display. It boasts of an edge-to-edge screen and an unusual 18.5:9 aspect ratio instead of a regular 16:9. The Galaxy S8 is a 5.8-inch phone with a 2960x1440 pixel (WQHD+) resolution and Super AMOLED panel. It also comes with Samsung's trademark always-on functionality. The Xiaomi Mi 6, meanwhile, comes with a 5.15-inch 1080p display "with reduced glare and 0.15-nit adjustments (total 4096 brightness levels)."
The Galaxy S8 available in India is powered by a 2.3GHz octa-core Exynos 8895 processor clubbed with Mali-G71 MP20 GPU and 4GB of RAM. It comes with 64GB of internal memory which is also expandable (by up to 256GB) via a micro-SD card. The Mi 6, on the other hand, is powered by a 2.45GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor clubbed with Adreno 540 GPU and 6GB of RAM. It comes with 64GB/128GB internal memory which is non-expandable.
Both the Galaxy S8 and Mi 6 offer dual-SIM, 4G LTE and USB Type-C port for charging and data syncing. While the Mi 6 runs Android Nougat-based MIUI 8, the Galaxy S8 comes with Nougat-based Samsung Experience UX.
The Galaxy S8 comes with a 12-megapixel (Dual Pixel) rear camera with f/1.7 aperture and optical image stabilisation. While the rear camera is largely the same as the one in last year's Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, Samsung has made software tweaks to enhance post-processing that should result in slightly better results. At the same time, the camera app now houses a barrage of fancy new animations to add AR effects to photos. The S8 further comes with an 8-megapixel camera with autofocus on the front. The Mi 6, on the other hand, comes with a dual camera setup on the rear - 12-megapixel+12-megapixel - where one lens is wide-angle while the other is telephoto. The Mi 6 offers 2X optic zoom and 10X digital zoom and should technically result in clearer distant shots and professional bokeh effects in portraits. On the front the Mi 6 comes with an 8-megapixel camera.
The Mi 6 comes with a stereo speaker setup, while the Galaxy S8 comes with a bottom firing mono speaker. The Mi 6, however, doesn't ship with a 3.5mm audio jack.
While the Galaxy S8 is backed by a 3,000mAh battery, the Mi 6 offers a bigger 3,350mAh battery. The Galaxy S8, in addition to fast charging, also supports wireless charging.

The Mi 6 has been priced at RMB 2,499 (roughly Rs 23,463) for the 6GB RAM/64GB memory version, RMB 2,899 (roughly Rs 27,219) for the 6GB RAM/128GB memory version and RMB 2,999 (roughly Rs 28,152) for the limited ceramic edition. The Samsung Galaxy S8 has been launched in India at a price of Rs 57,900.
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Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ have been launched in India carrying price tags of Rs. 57,900 and Rs. 64,900, respectively. Pre-orders for the two smartphones have begun, and Reliance Jio and Samsung have joined hands to provide a 'Double Data' offer to Jio users who buy the Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+.
Jio Double Data Offer details

As part of this offer, Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ buyers on Jio network will get 448GB of 4G data over 8 months on a monthly recharge of Rs. 309; this amounts to 2GB data per day. Effectively, the Jio Double Data offer on purchase of Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ doubles what Reliance Jio was offering in its Jio Dhan Dhana Dhan plan.

To recall, under the Jio Dhan Dhana Dhan offer, Prime members could enjoy free Reliance Jio services at Rs. 309 or Rs. 509 for three months. While the Dhan Dhana Dhan offer only gives 28GB of data per month for three months, the offer with Samsung doubles that to 56GB per month provided users recharge for Rs. 309 every month for the next 8 months.

The offer starts from May 5 when the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ go on sale and will last for 8 months, which is till January. Additionally, the Double Data offer will only be available for Jio users who have enrolled for Prime membership.

Samsung Galaxy S8, Galaxy S8+ specifications

The Galaxy S8 sports a 5.8-inch QHD+ (1440x2960 pixels) Super AMOLED display, while the Galaxy S8+ sports a 6.2-inch display with the same resolution and display technology. The variants coming to India will get Samsung's Exynos 8895 SoC. The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smartphones feature 12-megapixel 'Dual Pixel' rear cameras with optical image stabilisation and an f/1.7 aperture. On the front, the smartphones bear 8-megapixel front cameras with autofocus, and also bear an f/1.7 aperture. Both smartphones feature 64GB of inbuilt storage that's expandable via microSD card (up to 256GB) in a hybrid dual-SIM configuration.

Connectivity options on the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ include 4G LTE (Cat. 16), Wi-Fi 802.11ac (2.4GHz, 5GHz), Bluetooth v5.0, USB Type-C, NFC, and GPS. Sensors on board include an accelerometer, ambient light sensor, barometer, gyroscope, heart rate sensor, magnetometer, and proximity sensor. They both support Samsung Pay, with NFC and MST connectivity. The two smartphones come with iris scanner, fingerprint scanner, and facial recognition.

The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ support wireless charging as well as fast charging. The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ pack 3000mAh and 3500mAh batteries respectively. The Galaxy S8 measures 148.9x68.1x8mm and weighs 155 grams. The Galaxy S8+ measures 159.5x73.4x8.1mm and weighs 173 grams.
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Mobile operator Bharti Airtel is handing out free high-speed data to its postpaid subscribers for the next three months to counter aggressive offerings by newcomer Reliance Jio. 

Airtel is offering up to 30 GB of free data for the next three months for postpaid subscribers logging onto the 'My Airtel' app by April 30.



For those who have already availed a similar offer by the company last month, 10 GB free data (one month validity) will be up for grabs, a company spokesperson said. 


"Now enjoy some free data every month for the next three months...That should cover any long vacation you may have planned," Bharti Airtel CEO Gopal Vittal said in an email to subscribers. 


In addition, Airtel has said that it will offer the value to customers who have not activated the right international roaming pack, before their travel abroad. 


Citing an example, Airtel said if a subscriber has not activated a pack before travelling abroad and in case the daily usage exceeds Rs 499, Airtel will automatically activate the Rs 499 pack (that includes unlimited incoming calls, free data, SMS) at no added cost. 


If the usage charges are less than Rs 499, the users will only be charged on the rates that are applicable, the email added. Airtel said the move will protect consumers from bill shocks while travelling abroad. 


The company is sending out mails in batches to inform all its postpaid customers about the offers. 


Over the last few months, Reliance Jio's disruptive positioning in the market has forced other operators to respond with generous counter-offers to retain customers, turning up the competitive heat in a market of over 1.12 billion mobile subscribers. 


Jio, which debuted last year with free data and voice offering, now has 72 million paid subscribers (as on March 31, 2017). 


After regulator TRAI nixed its three-month complimentary offer, Reliance Jio recently announced a new plan of 1 GB high speed data daily for three months at Rs 309 for its Prime members. 


Under the 309 plan, billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Jio is providing unlimited SMS, calling and data (1 GB per day at 4G speeds) for three months on first recharge. Analysts tracking the Indian telecom market -- the world's second largest after China -- expect the competitive intensity to remain high even in the coming quarters.
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A little over 10 years ago Nintendo changed the game with the release of the original Wii console. Featuring motion controllers that allowed users’ arm and body movements to control their video games, the system was wildly successful going on to sell more than 100 million unitsworldwide
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This was followed by 2012’s Wii U console, which didn’t fare as well. With a large “second screen” controller packed in, part of Wii U’s goal was to provide asymmetric gaming, where the player with the larger GamePad had more or different options to those who might be playing with more traditional controllers.

Despite these grand plans and a steady diet of Nintendo staples, including numerous Mario and Zelda games, the Wii U failed to take off in the same way the Wii had. It still managed to sell around 14 million units by the start of 2017, with the last Wii U console rolling off the production line in November 2016.


Never one to shy away from innovation, 2017 brings the release of Nintendo’s newest console: Switch. And true to form, Nintendo has done things a little differently yet again, while using some of the same strategies they’ve employed previously.

As with previous generations, it’s likely that Nintendo’s console will be less powerful than its Sony and Microsoft peers. But that’s not the battleground Nintendo has chosen. It has gone for mobility and “out-and-about” connectivity in a similar vein to its DS line of portables, or perhaps more closely, to a Sony PS Vita. The goal here is to connect people in person through gaming. And it could pay off in spades.

In betweener

The Switch itself has a “phablet” sized 6.2 inch touchscreen with controllers that snap onto the sides when in portable mode. But it also has a portable multiplayer trick up its sleeve.

Sliding off the controllers allows them to connect around a central connecting block as a single traditional controller. They both also contain an analogue stick and the regular diamond of buttons, so each side can be used by a different player.

While on the road, the console will try to conserve battery life where possible, with a claimed life of between 2 and 6.5 hours based on usage. Plugging the Switch into its dock allows it to charge and boost it’s processing power to act more like a traditional console with the action displayed on your TV.

While there is only a handful of games at launch, including the excellent The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, further titles can be purchased on the eShop app-store. These will require installation on the device’s built in 32GB of memory, while titles bought on cartridges don’t require installation at all.

Although 32GB isn’t a great deal of space to work with when referring to modern games, a MicroSD expansion slot allows for up to a planned further 2TB of storage to be added. The largest current MicroSD UHS card is presently 1TB, but it’s expected that 2TB cards will arrive in time.

With additional features like HD Rumble, which uses multiple haptic activators per controller, and the ability to connect up to eight Switches together for multiplayer gaming, Nintendo has a chance to do things no other console can.

But what it doesn’t have is its one social “killer app”, such as Pokémon Go, which drove millions of people out into their local parks, or Super Smash Brothers, which draws large crowds to tournaments around the world.

The game 1-2-Switch currently comes closest as a party game, with its large collection of mini-games that have you doing everything from racing to eating sandwiches, having old-west style quick-draw competitions and milking virtual cows. But it remains to be seen how long these kinds of silly diversions will hold peoples’ attention.

And if it turns out that they don’t, then Nintendo’s recent love of indy gaming and a planned roster of 60 titles in 2017 can still step in to shore up the wait between larger AAA releases.

The Nintendo Switch offers a lot of flexibility and potential, especially in its multiplayer aspects. But by choosing gameplay over hardware specifications, it may ultimately fail or succeed
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Known for launching affordable smartphones and tablets, Swipe Technologies has again come up with a new cheapest device of its segment, Swipe Elite Sense. The handset is available for sale with a price tag of Rs. 7,499 at all major online and offline outlets throughout the country.

Commenting on the launch, Shripal Gandhi, CEO of Swipe Technologies said, “India might be the world’s fastest growing smartphone market but one of the biggest problems that many users face is that the user interface of most smartphones is English. Google says that Hindi content consumption, for instance, has increased five times when compared to English content in India, and even local language search queries have increased 10 times over the last 18 months alone.”


The company claims that its Swipe Elite Sense is a powerful smartphone with a sleek design, super fast and functional features, caters to regional needs, and affordable too. The smartphone is fronted with a 5-inch (1280 x 720 pixels) HD IPS display which is paired with a fixed focused 8-megapixel of secondary camera for selfies. While the handset is backed with a 13-megapixel of autofocus primary camera at its back. The Elite sense is fueled with a 2500mAh of battery, placed under the hood.Running on Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Indus OS on top, the Swipe Elite Sense is powered by a 1.4GHz quad-core Snapdragon 425 processor which is coupled with 3GB of RAM. On storage front, Swipe offers 16GB of internal memory with a microSD card support up to 64GB.As far connectivity is concerned, the Elite Sense smartphone comes with several standard options such as 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, 3.5mm Audio port, and a MicroUSB port.
Swipe Elite Sense Specs:
Display: 5-inch 720p screen
Processor: 1.4GHz quad-core Snapdragon 425 processor
RAM: 3GB
Primary Camera: 13 Megapixel rear camera with LED flash
Front camera: 8 Megapixel
Battery :2,500mAh
Internal Storage: 16GB Internal Storage which can be expanded upto 64GB using MicroSD card
Operating System: Android 6.0 Marshmallow
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Further expanding its line-up in India, Italian supercar marque Lamborghini has now launched the new Aventador S LP 740-4 Coupe priced at ₹ 5.01 crore (ex-showroom). Essentially a meaner version of the standard Aventador, the 'S' suffix also signifies that the car comes with an improved design, sharper styling, better aerodynamics and a retuned V12 engine that now churns out over 40 bhp of additional power. The most interesting bit is that the car has arrived in India within a couple of months of its global launch, also this is the second launch from Lamborghini after the Huracan RWD Spyder. This shows how aggressive the carmaker is getting in terms of product strategies for India

Powering this new raging bull is a 6.5 litre V12 engine that churns out 730bhp at 8400 rpm and develops a peak torque of 690Nm at 5500 rpm. The motor comes mated to a 7-speed dual clutch automatic transmission that sends power to all four wheels. Also, the addition 40 bhp power allows this beautiful beast to go from 0-100 kmph in flat 2.9 seconds before the car reaches a top speed of 350 kmph. Dropping the anchor on this bull is also equally efficient and the 100-0 kmph can be achieved with 30 metres.

To handle all that power Lamborghini has also fortified the new Aventador S with monocoque in carbon fibre chassis. As for the body, the engine bonnet, rear air inlets and spoiler are also made of carbon fibre, while the other panels are made of aluminium and synthetic material. The electronically operated spoiler at the rear comes with 3 positions. Braking duties are handled by carbon-ceramic brakes with fixed calipers monoblock in aluminium with 6 pistons (front) and 4 pistons (rear). The 2017 Aventador S also gets vertical fins like the Super Veloce that improves downforce and reduces drag. The Aventador S runs on new multi-spoke alloys shod in Pirelli P Zero tyres that help improve steering and traction and braking efficiency.


When it comes to design and styling, the Lamborghini Aventador S surely kicks things a notch higher. The car gets a sleeker profile accentuated by sharper and more pronounced muscular lines. Up front, the car gets a new chiselled face that features a new front bumper with redesigned air intakes and a new design element at the centre that together gives the impression of horns and the sharp bumper lip adds to the aggressive stance. The minimalistic design of the LED headlamps and LED taillamp come are also in line with the overall design of the car.


The cabin, on the other hand, comes with a new digital instrument cluster that gets multiple layouts based on the mode you are driving on - Strada, Corsa, Sport and the new configurable Ego. You also get the very lucrative Apple CarPlay that can be added as optional with a telemetry system.
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At MWC 2017, Google has announced plans to make its Google Assistant - the AI-powered virtual assistant that made its debut with the Google Pixel smartphones - available on a wider range of devices. Smartphones such as LG G6, Moto G5 and Moto G5 Plus will come preloaded with the digital assistant, those with other Android Nougat and Android Marshmallow devices with not have to wait too long either as the official Google Assistant rollout has started.

The search giant has announced that Google Assistant has been made available on "eligible Android devices" starting Thursday. Google Assistant will be made available first for users in the US followed by Australia, Canada, and the UK.

"Your Google Assistant helps you get more done, in your world. And starting today, it's rolling out to Android 7.0 Nougat and Android 6.0 Marshmallow devices with Google Play Services. To get started, touch and hold the Home button," Google said in its official blog post.

Notably, users will not have to download an app for the feature as Google Assistant will automatically show up on the eligible devices and will essentially replace Google Search. In order to launch Google Assistant, users just need to long-press the home button.

Google Assistant had been long tipped to come to the non-Pixel smartphones before it eventually made it in the alpha release alpha release of version 6.13 of the Google Search app (aka Google app) last month.

Considering that Google Assistant has received positive feedback from critics and users alike, it might end up making a strong case in favour of Google's mobile platform. Google Assistant's ability to make contextual conversations and improve over time has provided it with favour from certain critics even on comparison with Apple's Siri, which can be considered a veteran player in this field.
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