Your daily tech news digest – 10 biggest stories (July 19, 2018)

This is our daily digest series, wherein we bring to you a curated list of top 10 technology news from around the world.

In today’s edition, you’ll read about Google’s warning to European Union, Samsung’s foldable smartphone and smart speaker plans, fastest mobile internet in the US, Ed Sheeran documentary, and much more interesting and impactful news.

So without any further ado, here’s the list:

Xiaomi Mi Max 3 announced with nearly 7-inch display

Large screen phones are all the rage these days. Aiming to cash on the demand, China’s Xiaomi has refreshed its Max series of large screen smartphones phones. The company has announced the Mi Max 3 which features a huge 6.9-inch display and packs in a 5,500mAh battery.

Other key specs include Snapdragon 636 chipset, 12MP+5MP dual camera module on the back, 8MP selfie camera, and 4GB/6GB RAM options. The device starts at $250, but is currently only available in China. Global availability should be announced soon.

More info here.

Instagram testing Story Reactions

While its parent company Facebook already provides this feature, proofs have emerged that Instagram is currently testing Story Reactions.

Some users say their app already has this feature. So it seems there has been a limited roll out. If you don’t see the feature already, keep patience as it’ll likely arrive soon in your region as well.

More info here.

Samsung’s answer to Google Home and Amazon Alexa coming

There have already been rumors that Samsung is working on a smart speaker powered by the company’s own Bixby virtual assistant. Now, a new report from the Wall Street Journal says that the device will be made official in the coming weeks.

Google Home series

The report notes the speaker is internally called Lux, and has shape similar to that of a bowl (with legs and top-mounted lights). The $300 device will be able to direct music towards the direction from which the command was issued, the report says.

The “coming weeks” time frame means the speaker will arrive along side the Galaxy Note9, which is set for August 9 unveil.

More info here.

Truly foldable smartphone coming early next year

As per a new report, Samsung will launch a truly foldable smartphone early next year. The device – internally code named Winner – will have a 7-inch display when opened. However, when closed, it will look like a wallet.

Rumored price tag is $1,500. For more info, head here.

EU slaps $5 billion fine on Google; Company warns it may start charging for Android

Android phones might get pricier. No, no need to panic. That’s least likely at the moment, but certainly not off the table, as Google has warned the European Union that their decision to slap a whopping $5 billion fine on the company could disturb Android’s free business model.

EU has been investigating Google’s practice of forcing device makers and carriers to include its Chrome browser and Search app as default apps. The investigation concluded that this practice is illegal and consequently, the company was handed over a $5 billion fine.

This forced Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai to pen down the implications this development might have on the future of Android. You can read Pichai’s blog post here.

Fastest mobile Internet in US: which city and carrier?

Leading Internet speed testing provider Ookla has revealed that Minneapolis citizens enjoy the fastest mobile internet speed in whole of the US. Data shows a mean download speed of 44.92 Mbps in the city.

https://youtu.be/HHw1Y0l4iS4

Among carriers, T-Mobile took the crown of the fastest overall carrier. The magenta carrier was followed by Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint.

More info here.

HTC exiting world’s third largest smartphone market

According to a new report, HTC is quitting the Indian smartphone market, which is the third largest in the world. Many of the top executives have stepped down, a development which follows a large number of layoffs at the company.

The report says HTC Taiwan will handle the company’s India operations for the time being. It further adds that the company may make a come back in the market in future, but only as an online-brand.

More info here.

When a flagship phone doesn’t work with your carrier

Yes, that’s definitely not something you’d like to hear about your device. But Airtel users in India are facing this problem with their brand new OnePlus 6 phones. Users have shared screenshots showing the “Phone not allowed” error they get after they insert their SIM.

The problem means users can’t use their devices for basic things like calls. For its part, OnePlus has been telling users that this is a known problem, and a fix should be rolling out in a few days.

More info here.

Screen on your next phone will likely survive multiple drops

As many of you may already know, Corning is a company that makes strengthened glass (dubbed Gorilla Glass) which many smartphone manufacturers use for their devices. The news is the company has unveiled the next gen Gorilla Glass 6.

Subjected to a new and rigorous test methodology in our labs, on average, Gorilla Glass 6 survived 15 consecutive drops from 1 meter onto rough surfaces and is up to 2x better than Gorilla® Glass 5. Under the same test conditions, competitive glass compositions didn’t even survive the first drop. Gorilla Glass 6 also survives at higher heights than Gorilla Glass 5.

More info here.

Ed Sheeran documentary ‘Songwriter’ to be Apple Music exclusive

Fans of Ed Sheeran take note. The Singer has announced that his documentary ‘Songwriter’ will be available next month exclusively on Apple Music.

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