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Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Fold

Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Fold With Folding 2k Display Now Available In India.

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On Tuesday, Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold, the company’s first flagship laptop with a folding display, was released in India. The folding design of the ThinkPad X1 Fold is enabled by a multilink torque hinge. Lenovo has also included a Bluetooth Mini Fold Keyboard, which nestles inside the fold and wireless charges when placed on top of the screen. When opened, the ThinkPad X1 Fold also functions as a tablet. When you want to browse the web, watch a video, or listen to a presentation, you can use it as a tablet by using the built-in kickstand or the optional easel to prop it up.

Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Fold Specifications

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold laptop has a 13.3-inch 2K (2,048×1,536 pixel) pOLED display from LG Display that can be folded to allow for a variety of use cases. The ThinkPad X1 Fold looks more like a sketchbook than a laptop thanks to its attractive leather folio. It is not only compact and stylish, but it is also functional. With a weight of only 2.2 pounds, it is small enough to fit into a jacket pocket or even a small handbag.

To enable the folding form factor, there is a mechanical hinge between the display. Users can use the ThinkPad X1 Fold as a regular laptop in landscape mode or as a notebook in portrait mode, taking notes or drawing sketches with Lenovo’s Active Pen. Lenovo has also included its Easel Stand, which allows for easy portrait or landscape placement on a desk, as well as the Bluetooth Mini Fold Keyboard, which allows the ThinkPad X1 Fold to function as a traditional laptop.

Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Fold
Image Source: gadgets.ndtv.com

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold runs Windows 10 Pro and comes preloaded with the Lenovo Mode Switcher app, which allows the machine to change orientation as needed. It quickly and easily splits the screen into two halves or uses full width for one large display. The ThinkPad X1 Fold, as the name implies, offers a split-screen experience. Fold it like a book for two side-by-side displays—ideal for comparing things, taking notes, reading, or simply multitasking. Turn it so that the split-screen appears from top to bottom, and you can sketch, jot notes, or type using the on-screen keyboard.

Unlike folding phones, which are fragile and easily damaged, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold is marketed as a rugged and tough device. MIL-STD 810H certification is claimed to have been obtained. Furthermore, Lenovo claims that the ThinkPad X1 Fold underwent additional testing to ensure that the screen could withstand the stresses of being opened and closed thousands of times. The ThinkPad X1 Fold encrypts data with a discrete Trusted Platform Module (dTPM), making it more difficult to hack and keeping your critical data more secure.

The ThinkPad X1 Fold is powered by an Intel Core i5 processor, Intel UHD graphics, 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM, and up to 1TB of PCIe-NVMe M.2 2242 SSD. Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth v5.1, and two USB Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 ports are among the connectivity options (one of which can be used as a DisplayPort). Optional 5G/ 4G LTE support is also available. For a better multimedia experience, Lenovo has included four microphones and a Dolby Atmos speaker system. The ThinkPad X1 Fold also has a Hybrid infrared (IR) and an HD webcam for Windows Hello facial recognition and video chat.

On a single charge, the ThinkPad X1 Fold can provide up to 10.4 hours of video playback. In addition, there is 50W Rapid Charge fast charging technology.

Price And Availability

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold is priced at Rs. 3,29,000. The laptop is currently available for purchase through the Lenovo India website for a starting price of Rs. 2,48,508. Gadgets 360 contacted the company and was told that the difference between the listed and official prices is due to limited-time offers that will end at the end of this month. Customers can also choose a no-cost EMI option that lasts up to six months. Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold was released in the United States in January of last year for $2,499 USD (roughly Rs. 1,85,700).

Xbox

Xbox June Update Brings Party Chat Features And XCloud Gaming Forward; along with many other features.

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Microsoft announced the new features included in the latest Xbox update in a blog post on the Xbox website. The Xbox June update is now available, and it improves Party Chat by introducing speech-to-text and text-to-speech features. Along with these enhancements, the update changes the Xbox app, which now displays official posts from games, allows you to reorder groups in the Guide, and makes it easier to review and approve family member requests to play with users on different platforms. In the future, Xbox One users will be able to play next-generation games via Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Xbox Party Chat

Gaming should be welcoming, approachable, and accessible to all. This includes making it simple for gamers to play and communicate with one another. Party chat, which is used by gamers all over the world to communicate with their friends while playing, now supports speech-to-text and text-to-speech conversion. Each of these features can be used to assist gamers who are deaf or hard of hearing and/or who are unable or unwilling to speak.

Xbox
Image Source: i2.wp.com
  • Speech-to-Text Transcription: By enabling speech-to-text transcription, gamers can have all words spoken by members of a party converted into text that appears in an adjustable overlay on top of gameplay.
  • Text-to-Speech Synthesis: By enabling text-to-speech synthesis, gamers can type into party text chat and have it read aloud to the rest of the party by a synthetic voice (with a choice of several voices per language).

Speech-to-text and text-to-speech functionality can both be enabled in Settings > Ease of Access > Game and chat transcription. When you’re at a party, you can also get to this screen by going to Options > Configure Ease of Access settings.

The Xbox Mobile App

The Xbox app for Android and iOS keeps you in touch with the rest of your gaming community. Gamers can use the app to easily share game clips and screenshots, chat with friends, track their achievements, and even play games from their console via remote play. Throughout this month, you will begin to see official posts from your favorite games. You can view the posts from the app’s homepage and like, share, or comment on them.

Reorder Groups in the Guide

Groups allow you to make lists in the guide for easy access to your favorite games and apps. There is now a new “Move groups” button built right into the guide’s “My games & apps” screen, allowing you to rearrange the order of your groups. To use it, open the guide, then select My games & apps, then Move groups to rearrange your groups.

Family’s Cross-Network Play Requests

The Xbox family settings allow you to control how people interact with your family’s gaming. We will continue to innovate family settings on Xbox in order to be as unique as families are today and to meet their needs. To that end, we’ve made it easier for you to review and approve your children’s requests to play with people on other game platforms and Windows PCs on your console. Children who use Xbox child accounts as part of a family group can now request permission from their parent or caregiver to play games like Minecraft with others who use other gaming services. Parents can approve or decline their children’s requests by using the Xbox Family Settings app for Android or iOS, or by using the console itself.

Xbox Cloud Gaming

In a separate post detailing the E3 exclusive game lineup, Microsoft revealed that in the future, Xbox One users will be able to play next-gen console games like Microsoft Flight Simulator, Redfall, Starfield, and others via Xbox Cloud Gaming (formerly called xCloud). These games are currently available only on the Xbox Series X/Series S and PC.

This is fantastic news for owners of previous-generation Xbox consoles because, while some upcoming games will not officially launch with Xbox One support, they will still be able to play them via cloud gaming. It makes sense because older generation consoles lack the power to run the new upcoming games as intended, but with Xbox Cloud Gaming, they won’t need the extra graphics and processing power, just a stable internet connection. Microsoft has stated that more information will be released soon.

Realme GT 5G

Realme GT 5G Launched Globally and Realme TechLife Robot Vacuum

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On Tuesday, the Realme GT 5G was officially unveiled at a virtual conference around the world. The new Realme phone features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC, 8GB or 12GB RAM, and a 120Hz AMOLED display. The Realme GT has up to 256GB of internal storage and features such as Dolby Atmos audio, a 64-megapixel primary camera, and a vapor cooling system made of stainless steel.

Along with the Realme GT 5G, the Chinese company unveiled the Realme TechLife Robot Vacuum cleaner as its new Internet of Things (IoT) product, which will compete with the iRobot Roomba 971 and Xiaomi’s Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop P. Realme also revealed the global prices for the Realme Watch 2 Pro and Realme Watch 2. Furthermore, the company teased its first tablet and laptop, dubbed the Realme Pad and Realme Book, respectively.

Realme GT 5G

The Realme GT 5G is priced at EUR 449 (approximately Rs. 39,900) for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage variant. The phone also comes with a 12GB RAM + 256GB storage option for EUR 599. (Rs. 53,200). The Realme GT 5G will first be available in Poland, Russia, Spain, and Thailand, before expanding to other markets. It will be available in three colors: Dashing Blue, Dashing Silver, and Racing Yellow (vegan leather).

Realme GT 5G
Image Source: explica.co

As an introductory offer, the Realme GT 5G will be available for as little as EUR 369 (Rs. 32,800) for the 8GB + 128GB variant between June 21–25. Customers in Europe and other regions will be able to purchase the 12GB + 256GB variant for EUR 499 (Rs. 44,300) during the Amazon Prime Day sale on June 21–22. The Realme GT 5G will not be available in India until further notice.

The Realme GT 5G was released in China for CNY 2,799 (approximately Rs. 32,100) for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage model. It was also available in a 12GB RAM + 256GB storage variant for CNY 3,299 (Rs. 37,800).

Realme TechLife Robot Vacuum

The Realme TechLife Robot Vacuum is priced at EUR 299. (roughly Rs. 26,600). It will be available for pre-order on AliExpress and Realme.com beginning June 16. Realme also announced the global pricing of the Realme Watch 2 Pro and Realme Watch 2 in addition to the Robot Vacuum.

The Realme Watch 2 Pro will cost EUR 74.99 (approximately Rs. 6,700) and EUR 54.99, respectively (Rs. 4,900). Both smartwatches will be available on Amazon and Realme.com beginning tomorrow. The Realme TechLife Robot Vacuum, as well as the Realme Watch 2 Pro and Realme Watch 2, have yet to make their India debut.

Specifications for the Realme GT 5G

The dual-SIM (Nano) Realme GT 5G runs Android 11 with Realme UI 2.0 and has a 6.43-inch full-HD+ AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz, a touch sampling rate of 360Hz, and a screen-to-body ratio of 91.7 percent. The octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 SoC is under the hood, along with up to 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM. A 64-megapixel Sony IMX682 primary sensor, an 8-megapixel secondary sensor with a wide-angle lens, and a 2-megapixel macro shooter are housed in the smartphone’s triple rear camera setup. The Realme GT has a 16-megapixel selfie camera sensor with an f/2.5 lens on the front for selfies and video chats.

The Realme GT 5G supports UFS 3.1 storage up to 256GB. 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth, GPS/ A-GPS, USB Type-C, and a 3.5mm headphone jack are among the connectivity options. There is a fingerprint sensor built into the display. The phone has a 4,500mAh battery with 65W SuperDart charging support. According to the manufacturer, the proprietary charging technology can charge the built-in battery from zero to 100 percent in 35 minutes. Furthermore, the Realme GT 5G is 8.4mm thick and weighs 186 grams.

Specifications for the Realme TechLife Robot Vacuum

Using a LiDAR-based navigation system, the Realme TechLife Robot Vacuum is intended to provide a 2-in-1 vacuum and mopping solution. According to the company, the new offering provides a precise cleaning experience to households. The robot vacuum cleaner stands 10 centimeters tall and has a tempered Gorilla Glass top cover. It also has 38 sensors, including a time-of-flight (ToF) wall sensor, a water tank detection sensor, a cliff sensor, and an infrared recharge sensor.

Realme claims that the preloaded LiDAR system on the TechLife Robot Vacuum is up to 12% more accurate than competitors’ systems. It is also said to be 98 percent accurate in mapping. The Realme device, like the Mi Robot Vacuum-Mop P and other similar vacuum cleaners, works with the Realme Link app, which allows users to create custom partitions, set cleaning modes, and schedule cleaning — all from their phones. You can also ask Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant for help.

The suction power of the Realme TechLife Robot Vacuum is 3,000 Pascals. It also has a 5,200mAh battery that is said to provide three times the cleaning power in a 100-square-meter room. Furthermore, the vacuum cleaner has a low noise level of 55 decibels.

Maxim Integrated

Maxim Integrated – Developers of Innovative Analog ICs

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Maxim Integrated is one of the largest manufacturers and suppliers of analog and mixed-signal integrated circuits. The company is over 38 years old and was established by a nine-member team following a two-page business plan. Today the company trades on Nasdaq as MXIM, NASDAQ-100 component, and S&P 500 component and has its headquarters located in San Jose, California, U.S. Based on the 2020 records, the number of employees working for Maxim is over 7000 people and recorded annual revenue of the company is US$2.191 billion.

Founding History of Maxim Integrated

Maxim was founded by a bunch of semiconductors design and sales experts in April 1993. The team included Jack Gifford, Fred Beck, Dave Bingham, Steve Combs, Lee Evans, Dave Fullagar, Roger Fuller, Rich Hood, and Dick Wilenken, Jack Gifford leading the team. All of these members were related to the semiconductor industry in terms of having contributed to the semiconductor industry on a major scale.

The nine-team members of the company represented a two pages plan in front of a local investor and raised a US$9 million capital in the venture to start the company. The company started by developing 24 second-source products, and later in 1985, it launched its first proprietary product MAX600, which won the company an industry award. This was the beginning of the innovative journey for the company.

Maxim Integrated
Image Source: successstory.com

In 1987, Maxim had its first IPO, and in the same year, the company introduced its first most successful product, MAX232, leading to the most successful fiscal year. In the second quarter of 1988, Maxim recorded sales worth 28.3 million. In 1989, after it acquired its first wafer fabrication plant from Saratoga Semiconductor, the company started the in-house manufacturing of the IC wafers.

In 1991, Maxim made a policy of working 24 hours a day, skipping all the holidays, leading to a hike in profits, from $7.6 million to $13.7 million, for that year. Maxim also made it to Business Week’s Top 100 Small Companies and Forbes’s Top 200 in both 1991 and 1992 for being a good place for work and having the best customer service. By the beginning of the 90s, Maxim had bagged contracts from companies like International Business Machines, Motorola, and Hitachi and had introduced more than 600 new chips. The acquisition of Tectronix in 1994 helped Maxim to enter the wireless and fiber-optics communications businesses.

The company recorded annual revenue worth $500 million in 1998, and in 2005, it was listed in the Fortune 1000 company. By 2008, the company had registered 50% more patents in its names, whereas in 2010, it built the first analog product on a 300mm wafer. Maxim’s total revenue for the fiscal year 2011 was over $2.47 billion, and as per 2019 records, Maxim Integrated was serving 35,000 global customers.

Acquisitions by Maxim

Maxim is known for the lucrative acquisitions that it made in the past 38 years. The company started off by acquiring the first wafer fabrication (fab) facility in Sunnyvale, California in 1990, The company then acquired the semiconductor division of Tektronix in 1994, followed by acquiring an additional wafer fab from IC Works in 1997 and Dallas Semiconductor in 2001. Later Maxim purchases the CMOS fab from Philips in 2003, a 0.18-micrometer fab from Atmel, and Vitesse Semiconductor’s Storage Products Division in 2007. In 2008 and 2009, Maxim acquired Mobilygen, Innova Card as well as two product lines from Zilog, Inc.

Starting from 2010, the next decade included the acquisitions of Teridian Semiconductor Corporation (2010), Trinity Convergence Limited (2010), Phyworks (2010), SensorDynamics (2011), Cambridge Analog Technologies, Inc. (2011), Genasic Design Systems Ltd. (2012), Volterra Semiconductor (2013), Icron Technologies (2018), and Trinamic (2020).

The CEO at Maxim Integrated

Tunç Doluca has been serving Maxim Integrated as the President and CEO since January 2007. He was born in Ankara, Turkey. He has a BSEE degree from Iowa State University and an MSEE degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Doluca joined Maxim Integrated in 1984 as a member of the technical staff. In 1993, he was appointed as the Vice President of R&D at Maxim, and the next year, he was named leader of the first vertical business unit for portable power-management products at Maxim. At the beginning of the 2000s, Doluca was heading seven business units in the company and became the Group President in 2005. Doluca has 11 patents under his name and has designed 40 products for Maxim. He has also designed the industry’s first high-integration, notebook power-supply IC (the MAX786).

Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound

Qualcomm launched Snapdragon Sound promising better quality and connectivity

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Qualcomm launches Snapdragon Sound as a new suite that can be connected to smartphones and well as wireless headphones and earphones. The first announcement regarding this suite for audio products was announced last year during the Qualcomm Summit in December. The Snapdragon Sounds claim to have improved interoperability between Qualcomm Snapdragon fueled smartphones and also with audio products such as headphones and earphones (Gadgets 360).

The new product suite by Qualcomm has promised better audio quality and efficient connectivity for its users. Apart from these two major improvements, it has also embedded additional features like active noise cancellation (ANC) and voice communication software. To enable and use the Snapdragon Sound, both source device and outfit should be supporting the particular technology.

Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound

This new suite is expected to roll out in the market within the next few weeks. The Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound can be enabled on smartphones powered by Snapdragon 888 which is going to roll out this year. This new product is targeting the electronics manufacturer who originally built smartphone and audio products. The Snapdragon Sound will be provided as a one-step solution for product makers working in ANC, Bluetooth, chipset, and other connectivity technologies.

Qualcomm Snapdragon Sound
Image Source: anandtech.com

If a user is using a compatible audio product along with supporting a smartphone such as one with Snapdragon 888, this will allow the activation of the entire audio suite experiencing every feature included in Snapdragon Sound. Some of the features of this new audio suite are ANC, Qualcomm FastConnect, aptX Bluetooth codec, etc.

Other companies working for Snapdragon Sound

Qualcomm worked with two other companies for developing the Snapdragon Sound, namely, Xiaomi and Audio Technica (Japanese headphone maker). The new audio suite will be embedded on some of the company’s new products which will broaden the scope for compatibility and attract more audiences. The users will understand that Snapdragon Sound has been enabled and it is operational when they will receive a new pop-up logo on the connected device. The Snapdragon Sound can be connected even in speakers but both the source and output device should support the technology.

The main technologies that are expected to make the Snapdragon Sound exceptional with enhanced audio quality and connectivity are Qualcomm FastConnect 6900 and the Snapdragon 8-series chipset range. The former technology will enable faster and stable Bluetooth connectivity. There is also Qualcomm active noise cancellation technology which will make the experience more real and authentic. The aptX adaptive codec will be used for high-quality audio transmission over Bluetooth and there will be an amplifier package and Qualcomm Aqstic DAC(Gadgets 360). 

Since Qualcomm has announced the rollout officially, the product makers can now license the entire audio suite for their new products. The company is also working with Amazon Music HD in order to certify the listening experience and reach out to more people. They want to convey all the purposes that will be provided by the new Snapdragon Sound.

Features of Snapdragon Sound

Snapdragon Sound is ensuring the best audio experience bringing the Qualcomm technologies altogether. The new Snapdragon Sound will provide the best audio paired with excellent connectivity and delivering high-resolution music. Using Snapdragon Sound, the voice calls will be clearer and it will ensure a lag-free gaming experience. The audio suite also ensures extended battery life. You can check out the official website of Snapdragon Sound to get a demo of what your music will sound like.

The Snapdragon Sound is compatible with both smartphones as well as wireless earbuds to headphones. This is the kind of technology aspired by every gamer and those attending business calls 24/7 across the globe. If you don’t choose to connect to earphones or headphones, Snapdragon Sound will play the music extra loud from your phone’s speaker using Aqstic technology. This will not damage the phone speakers.

The audio quality will be uncompressed 24-bit 96 kHz. For Bluetooth connectivity, the audio will be compressed and delivered in quality up to 16-bit 44kHz. Snapdragon Sound uses the aptX voice technology to make calls clearer by improving the sound quality. The background noises will be minimized which has a huge advantage of receiving calls no matter where you are.

giphy

Facebook to Acquire GIF-giant Giphy in A Major Tech Buy-Out

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There have not been major acquisitions in the tech space in recent times due to the impact of the COVID-19. However, that seems to be changing, with a significant announcement coming from Facebook yesterday. Facebook has decided to acquire the GIF-giant Giphy in a bid to control the GIF industry. Here’s a look at what the acquisition will mean for Facebook and its competitors.

Facebook Buys Giphy

Facebook’s acquisition of Giphy can change the way we send and receive GIFs forever. Studies have shown that over 700 million people use Giphy to send and receive short video content daily. Most of this happens over popular social media apps such as Twitter, TikTok, WhatsApp, and iMessage. All these applications make use of Giphy’s API to send others GIFs and other such content. An issue will arise because of these companies will not want to integrate with a Facebook platform. Since Facebook has had notorious privacy issues, they would prefer not to utilise Facebook-owned platforms for their content. Also, Facebook’s reliability has taken a big hit due to frequent bugs, crashes, and upgrade issues. 

Moving Forward

However, Facebook has made it clear that developers will be able to utilise Giphy even after the acquisition. Instagram VP for product, Vishal Shah remarked that users will still be able to use Giphy to send and receive content. Further, Giphy’s in-house team will also continue to create and upload new GIFs. Furthermore, the GIFs do not contain any cookies or tracking mechanisms, meaning people do not have to worry about privacy. Giphy has also confirmed that the app can view only search terms, and not any of the data stored on your phone. However, many experts worry that after the acquisition, Facebook can change how the company works. Therefore, a lot of applications that now use Giphy could drop the service after the big buy-out. 

Major Applications Which Use Giphy

Here’s a look at some of the world’s most popular apps that make use of Giphy. 

iMessage: The #images application, which is pre-built into the iOS, allows users to send GIFs via the iMessage. However, the integration with Facebook could lead to some tension between Apple and the social media giant. Apple has strong privacy norms, which they will not like to dilute, which can lead to them stopping their collaboration with the GIF company. 

MailChimp: MailChimp, which is one of the world’s most used email marketing, and mailing list software, allows users to add GIFs into emails. Reports state that the company will continue offering this service, even after the buy-out. This does not come as a surprise as the company already had some Facebook integration built into their software.

Signal: Signal sources a lot of their GIFs from Giphy, and also allows users to add GIFs to their messages. Since it is a privacy-focused messaging application that provides end-to-end encryption, we are unsure whether they will continue this service post-acquisition. Even if they do, due to their high-security measures, Facebook might not be able to access any data. 

Slack: Slack also allowed users to add GIFs into their messages and chats while using the messaging app. Their VP, Brian Elliot, released a statement that Giphy had information only about GIF searches, and hence, privacy would not become a pressing concern. 

Snapchat: Snapchat added a Giphy integration in 2018, and has not yet decided whether it will continue to allow the union to function. 

Telegram: Telegram, coupled with Giphy to allow users to add GIFs to their messages. The application also confirmed that Giphy receives no information regarding the users who utilise Telegram. Therefore, they were not concerned with privacy issues. However, they are in plans to transition away from their dependence on Giphy. 

TikTok and Tinder: TikTok allows you to send GIFs and stickers through Giphy. However, they have not released any comment regarding the future of this partnership after the acquisition. Tinder, too, has refused to comment on the issue. However, since both these apps allow users to log in using their Facebook account, in most likelihood, the union will continue. 

Twitter: Twitter makes use of both Tenor and Giphy to source their GIFs. Since Twitter and Facebook have a running feud, it is highly likely that the company will now depend entirely on Tenor for their GIFs. 

The deal is reportedly said to cost somewhere around $400 million, and once in place can have a lot of implications to the way we send and receive GIFs. We will have, however, have to wait and see how the deal plays through, and how these companies react to the acquisition.