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Jio Double Dhamaka Offer, Redmi 6 Launch, MIUI 10 Global Beta ROM, and More News This Week

Jio Double Dhamaka Offer, Redmi 6 Launch, MIUI 10 Global Beta ROM, and More News This Week 242yj

By Gadgets 360 Staff | Updated: 17 June 2018 15:27 IST

Jio is offering 1.5GB of additional data per day on prepaid recharges priced between Rs. 149 and Rs. 799 3d5j3

Highlights

Jio was not the only telco to make announcements this week
Redmi 6 was revealed in China; MIUI 10 Global beta ROM rolled out
Vivo also launched its anticipated Nex series of smartphones

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The week just past had some big stories, with plenty of action in the world of telecom, as seems to be the case every week. Apart from new plans and offers from telecom operators such as Google ad policies, a ban on cryptocurrency mining on Apple's mobile devices, and the launch of the Uber Lite Android app, among others.

Let's start with the launch of the Jio Double Dhamaka offer. Jio is offering 1.5GB of additional data per day on prepaid recharges priced between Rs. 149 and Rs. 799. The offer ends on June 30. Notably, the pack validities remain the same, and maintain other features like a post-FUP speed of 64kbps, unlimited calls, free 100 SMS messages per day, and access to Jio apps. Reliance Jio also launched a Rs. 499 recharge with a validity of 91 days and 3.5GB data per day, totalling 318GB for the period. Recharges of Rs. 300 and above will be eligible for Rs. 100 discount if purchased from MyJio app and if the transaction is made using PhonePe. For packs below Rs. 300, s get discounts of up to 20 percent.

Next up, was a just ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2018, both JioTV and Airtel TV platforms announced that matches from the tournament will be live streamed for free, with benefits like live broadcasts in local languages, access to match schedules, behind the scenes match snippets, and more.

How to Watch FIFA World Cup 2018 Live Online and Offline in India and the Rest of the World

Now we come to Airtel's new offerings in the period. The telco revised its Rs. 99 pack to offer 2GB data across the entire 28-day validity, up from its 1GB limit. Only valid for select s, the pack includes unlimited local, STD, and roaming voice call benefits as well as 100 SMS messages per day.

Vodafone on the other hand offer 4GB of data per day during the FIFA World Cup 2018, at just Rs. 149. The pack, called the FIFA World Cup Special Data STV 149, has a validity of 28 days but includes no voice calling or SMS benefits.

The next BSNL announced its Monsoon Offer that sees its existing 'unlimited' prepaid packs and special tariff vouchers (STVs) upgraded to offer 2GB of daily data for a 60 day promotional period. The offer is valid on Rs. 186, Rs. 429, Rs. 485, Rs. 666, and Rs. 999 prepaid packs, as well as the Rs. 187, Rs. 333, Rs. 349, Rs. 444, and Rs. 448 special tariff vouchers. All the BSNL prepaid combo packs include unlimited local, STD, and roaming calls, and 100 SMS messages per day.

Now, moving over to broadband Internet connections, special offer for Mi LED TV owners in India - valid in Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, and Hyderabad, the ISP is offering up to a free three-month trial across plans until August 31. All Xiaomi Mi LED TV s will get a one-month free trial, and special offers on the plans thereafter. If they choose an advanced plan, they will be able to get two more months of free subscription, along with a 1000GB extra data limit valid till December 31.

Finally, the much-awaited in-flight connectivity can now be expected to start within a year, approved in-flight connectivity for both voice calls and mobile data.

We're done with the major telecom announcements for the week, and now come to the biggest smartphone launch this week - the announced together in China on Tuesday. Both smartphones offer such features as Face Unlock and an 18:9 aspect ratio, apart from the presence of the Xiao Ai assistant. The Redmi 6 sports a fingerprint sensor on the rear , while the Redmi 6A foregoes this feature.

As for pricing - the Redmi 6's 3GB RAM/ 32GB inbuilt storage variant has been priced at CNY 799 (roughly Rs. 8,400), while its 4GB RAM/ 64GB storage variant is priced at CNY 999 (roughly Rs. 10,500). The Redmi 6A has only a single 2GB RAM/ 16GB inbuilt storage variant, and that has been priced at CNY 599 (roughly Rs. 6,300).

Let's get to the specifications - the Redmi 6 sports a 5.45-inch HD+ (720x1440 pixels) display with an 18:9 aspect ratio; an octa-core MediaTek Helio P22 SoC; 3GB/ 4GB of RAM; a dual rear camera setup with a 12-megapixel primary sensor and a 5-megapixel secondary sensor; a 5-megapixel front camera; 32GB/ 64GB of inbuilt storage that's expandable via microSD card (up to 256GB), and a 3000mAh battery. On the other hand, while the Redmi 6A sports the same display, it is powered by a quad-core MediaTek Helio A22 SoC with 2GB of RAM. It bears a single rear camera setup with a 13-megapixel sensor - retains the 5-megapixel front camera offering however. It also has a 3000mAh battery.

Xiaomi also MIUI 10 was now rolling out to beta testers with eligible devices. The company also detailed a changelog that the update (v8.6.14) brings, such as an updated Mi Browser with an optimised start page, PWA (Progressive Web App) , and better search functionality and App Vault with a World Cup card. The update also fixed Greek language localisation.

This week also saw the Vivo Nex A, two bezel-less display smartphones that are nearly identical apart from the processor, RAM, and the presence of an in-display fingerprint scanner. Their biggest highlight is the pop-up or elevating front camera. The Vivo Nex S sports a Snapdragon 845 SoC, 8GB RAM, up to 256GB inbuilt storage, and an in-display fingerprint sensor. The Nex A sports a Snapdragon 710 SoC, 6GB RAM, 128GB inbuilt storage, and a rear fingerprint sensor. Both phones have a 91.24 percent screen-to-body ratio. The company has done away with the top bezel, and moved the earpiece to the display itself using Screen SoundCasting technology, similar to the first-generation Mi Mix smartphone.

The Vivo Nex A is available in just one variant (6GB RAM/ 128GB inbuilt storage) priced at CNY 3,898 (roughly Rs. 41,000). The Vivo Nex S (8GB RAM/ 128GB inbuilt storage) is priced starting at CNY 4,498 (roughly Rs. 47,400) while its 8GB + 256GB inbuilt storage variant is priced at CNY 4,998 (roughly Rs. 52,600). Both the smartphones bear a 6.59-inch full-HD+ (1080x2316 pixels) Super AMOLED display with a 19.3:9 aspect ratio. Both have a dual rear camera setup, with a 12-megapixel primary and a 5-megapixel secondary sensor, apart from the 8-megapixel camera pop-up front camera.

This week also saw the 2013 model by the same name. Priced at Rs. 8,999, the new Canvas 2 Plus features a 5.7-inch HD+ (720x1440 pixels) HD IPS display, a 1.3GHz quad-core SoC, 3GB of RAM, a 13-megapixel rear camera, an 8-megapixel front camera, Face Unlock, 32GB of inbuilt storage, and a 4000mAh battery.

Finally, Asus ZenFone Ares sports a 5.7-inch QHD (1440x2560 pixels) Super AMOLED display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 SoC, 8GB of RAM, a 23-megapixel rear camera, an 8-megapixel front camera, 128GB of inbuilt storage expandable via microSD card, and a 3300mAh battery.

Beyond smartphones, there were plenty of gaming announcements this week at E3, the biggest gaming event of the year. Check out our full coverage of E3 2018 for details.

In other important news this week, unveiled new controls meant to better inform s about how companies are targeting them with advertising. From next month, Facebook for the first time will require rs to tell its s if a so-called data broker supplied information that led to them being served with an ad.

Next up, Gmail unveiled a new announced that it had signed a multi-year streaming deal with Oprah Winfrey. Apple said Winfrey will "create original programs that embrace her incomparable ability to connect with audiences around the world." For Apple, the announcement is significant for its own reasons, solidifying its status - both with consumers and in the Hollywood agent community - as a destination for original programming.

The Cupertino giant was also in the news this week for Waymo - Jaime Waydo. Before ing Waymo, Waydo was a long time engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. At Waymo, she oversaw systems engineering - the process of ensuring hardware and software work well together - and helped make key decisions about when to remove human safety drivers from the company's test fleet in Arizona.

released a fix later in the week with OxygenOS 5.1.7. Unfortunately for s in India, the OxygenOS 5.1.6 update from last week was causing stability issues, and so the company is skipping the OxygenOS 5.1.7 update for India and will release OxygenOS 5.1.8 for the region next week containing both fixes.

The Chinese company was also in the news this week for our review, while offering a detailed mid-range. They charged fast, and offered a good battery life, though on the flip side, the highs sounded a little sharp.

Separately, a Counterpoint Research Market Monitor service Huawei (including Honor) with an 8 percent share.

Google this week also released its fifth annual diversity report, and things aren't looking up for the company. The Mountain View company barely raised the number of women and under-represented minorities among its ranks, while it got less white and more Asian over the past year. Google increased the percentage of its female employees up by a measly tenth of a percentage point to 30.9 percent. White workers remained the majority at 53.1 percent, while Asians grew more than a percentage point to 36.3 percent. Black and Latino workers grew a tenth of a percent to 2.5 and 3.6 percent.

Apple CEO cracked down on apps sharing information on s' s - Sharing and selling a 's list with third parties is now forbidden. An app also can't pretend to use the list for one thing, and then use it for something else unless explicit consent is sought again.

This week, some iPhone s also upgraded artist profiles with a Featured Release section.

Other happenings this week include the announced the launch of its Blood Donations hub, after a pilot launch last year. The new hub is available in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, and helps people and contribute as blood donors in their area.

announced earlier this week.

Coming back to India, launched the Uber Lite app for Android, and India is the first market to receive it. The lightweight app that works on basic smartphones and on 2G connectivity is currently only available to use in Jaipur, Hyderabad, and Delhi.

Finally, let's take a look at some major leaks this week. A new Nokia smartphone from licensee claim this unknown button may be a physical camera shutter button.

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