Sony Xperia XA Ultra With 6-Inch Display Launched

Sony has expanded its Xperia X series of smartphones with the launch of the Xperia XA Ultra. The smartphone is listed on the company's global website and Sony has already confirmed that a global release of the Xperia XA Ultra is planned.

The company has not revealed pricing or availability details of the new Sony Xperia XA Ultra smartphone but can be expected to be announced around local launch.

The biggest highlight of the Xperia XA Ultra is its front 16-megapixel front camera which packs Sony Exmor R for Mobile sensor and also included front-facing flash. The front camera includes features such as OIS (optical image stabilisation), auto-focus, wide angle lens (up to 88 degrees), and HDR photo. The single-SIM (Nano SIM) Xperia XA Ultra features a 6-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) and sports Mobile BRAVIA engine 2, another notable feature of the handset.

It runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow and is powered by a MediaTek Helio P10 (MT6755) processor coupled with 3GB of RAM and includes 16GB storage. The smartphone supports expandable storage via microSD card (up to 200GB).

It sports a 21.5-megapixel rear camera with Exmor RS for mobile sensor, quick launch, hybrid autofocus, HDR photo, auto-scene recognition, and LED flash. The Xperia XA Ultra comes with 4G LTE and supports LTE Cat. 4 download speeds. Apart from 4G, it supports GPRS/ EDGE, 3G, A-GPS, Wi-Fi Miracast, Bluetooth 4.1, DLNA, NFC, and Micro-USB.

The Sony listing confirms that the Xperia XA Ultra ships with a quick charger tipping that the handset may support fast-charging. The handset will be available in White, Black, and Lime Gold colours. It packs a 2700mAh battery which is said to deliver up to 2 days of battery life. It measures 164.2x79.4x8.4mm and weighs 190 grams.

Additionally, Sony has also listed some accessories including the Style Cover Flip SCR60, Style Cover SBC34, and Style Cover SBC32 for the Xperia XA Ultra.

iOS 9.3.2 Now Available for Download; Brings Minor Improvements, Fixes

Apple on Monday released iOS 9.3.2 to eligible users, bringing minor improvements and bug fixes. The update is available to download for free for all iPhone, iPad, and iPod models that support iOS 9 including the dated iPhone 4s, the iPad 2, and the first-generation iPad mini.

iOS 9.3.2 is available over-the-air (OTA) on compatible devices (Settings -> General -> Software Update) as well as via iTunes on your PC or Mac. This update is a minor one and there aren't any significant changes. It primarily restores Night Shift in Low Power Mode. With iOS 9.3.2, Apple also fixes an issue where some Bluetooth accessories were experiencing audio quality problems when paired to the iPhone SE.

Apple has also solved the issue where dictionary definitions used to freeze sporadically. It addressed the issue that prevented typing email addresses when using the Japanese Kana keyboard in Mail and Messages. With this update, the device will no longer switch to another voice to announce punctuation or spaces for VoiceOver users using the Alex voice. Lastly, Apple fixes the issue that prevented MDM servers from installing custom B2B apps.

It is important to note that few Twitter users have been complaining that the new update is bricking their 9.7-inch iPad Pro devices. Macrumors spotted this issue first, and the affected users are seeing an "Error 56" message that asks them to plug their devices into iTunes. Restoring through iTunes has not been able to resolve the issue either, and rebooting the iPad only leads back to the error. However, not all 9.7-inch iPad Pro users are experiencing this issue.

With iOS 9, Apple shrunk the size of its updates, and this one is 89.4MB. To all 9.7-inch iPad Pro users, it is advised to not update until Apple comes out with a fix. No issues have been reported so far for other iPad and iPhone devices. It is recommended that you download this update with good Wi-Fi connection and strong battery backup (at least 50 percent or connected to a power backup). Apple has also simultaneously released similar minor updates for OSX, tvOS, and watchOS.

Over 600,000 Redmi Note 3 Units Sold in India, Says Xiaomi

Xiaomi has announced that it has sold over 600,000 units of the Redmi Note 3 smartphone in roughly 2 months of weekly sales in India. Xiaomi's Global VP, Hugo Barra, announced the news in a Facebook post and added that this is the company's "biggest record yet" for the country.

(Also see: Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 Review)

The company has lately been selling the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 in open sales alongside the flagship Mi 5 smartphone.

To recall, Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 was launched in India back in March. Some of the notable features of the smartphone included an all-metal body and also a fingerprint scanner at the back. The Chinese company has confirmed that users can store up to 5 fingerprint profiles on the Redmi Note 3. Users also received a 2-month free subscription to Hungama. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 was announced to be available via Mi.com as well as Amazon and was promised to be available from more e-commerce partners including Flipkart and Snapdeal.

The Redmi Note 3 has been available in India two memory and storage versions - one including 2GB of RAM and 16GB of inbuilt storage, and other 3GB of RAM and 32GB of inbuilt storage. The 2GB variant is priced at Rs. 9,999, while the 3GB variant is priced at Rs. 11,999.
The highlight of the new Redmi Note 3 is it packs a hexa-core Snapdragon 650 processor (four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.4GHz and two Cortex-A72 cores clocked at 1.8GHz). Other specifications of the smartphone are identical with the original, including a 5.5-inch full-HD 1080x1920 pixels IPS display and offers 178-degree viewing angle. It runs MIUI 7 based on Android Lollipop and supports dual 4G SIM cards (Micro + Nano).

OnePlus 3 Leaked in New Image; 3000mAh Battery and Amoled Display Tipped

The rumour mills have picked up pace when it comes to the OnePlus 3. A day after the images showing the front and bottom of the device leaked, noted tipster @evleaks has taken to Twitter to post what appears to be an official render image of the upcoming OnePlus smartphone.

This fresh image gives us a look at the OnePlus 3 from up close. The sandstone-textured removable cover at the back is gone, replaced by a metal unibody design. The entire camera structure at the back has changed. The position of the camera still remains at the centre, but the lens is now square shaped with the flash now placed at the bottom, instead of on top of the camera lens as seen in the OnePlus 2. The top and bottom antenna bands that stretch through to the sides makes this design look heavily inspired from Apple's iPhone design structure.

There is no tapered edge at the back that was found on the OnePlus 3. The flat back with round edges again matches with the iPhone design structure a lot. The bottom of the device is also exposed in the images, reiterating what we saw in previous leaks. The speaker holes now reside only on the left, while the 3.5mm audio jack moves to the bottom right. The USB Type-C port for charging remains in the centre.

The image reveals that the home button stays on the OnePlus 3, and will most likely house the fingerprint sensor. The tipster adds that the smartphone will come with an Amoled display. He also refutes previous rumours of a 3500mAh battery, and confers that the OnePlus 3 will only house a 3000mAh battery.

Co-founder Carl Pei had suggested in the past that the OnePlus 3 will come wrapped in a completely new design. Leaks have pointed towards two storage variants of the OnePlus 3 -32GB and 64GB with 4GB and 6GB RAM options respectively. The 32GB variant will be priced at $308, and the 64GB variant is pegged to be priced at $385. The display is said to be 5-inch in size, and the smartphone is expected to be powered by the Snapdragon 820 SoC.

Furthermore, the OnePlus 3 is said to sports 16-megapixel front camera, 8-megapixel rear camera, and the new "Dash Charge" fast charging feature. The smartphone is expected to launch sometime in the second quarter.

Moto G4, Moto G4 Plus Launched in India: Price, Specifications, and More

Motorola at it New Delhi event on Tuesday has launched the fourth generation Moto G smartphone in India in two variants, as expected, the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus. Motorola has not revealed the Moto G4 price in India, or its availability details. The Moto G4 Plus on the other hand has been priced at Rs. 13,499 for its 2GB RAM/ 16GB storage variant, and Rs. 14,999 for its 3GB RAM/ 32GB storage variant. It will be exclusively available from Amazon from Wednesday (Tuesday midnight) in Black and White colour variants.

The company said pricing of the Motorola Moto G4 will be provided closer to launch. The Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus are nearly identical in terms of specifications, however, there are slight differences.

The Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow-based Motorola Moto G4 Plus is a dual-SIM (Micro-SIM cards) smartphone that features a fingerprint sensor on the home button. It bears a 5.5-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) display with a pixel density of 401ppi and Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection. The smartphone is powered by a 1.5GHz octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 617 (MSM8952) SoC coupled with an Adreno 405 GPU and a choice of either 2GB or 3GB of RAM.

(Also see: Moto G4 vs Moto G4 Plus vs Moto G (Gen 3))

The Moto G4 Plus (seen below) bears a 16-megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 aperture, phase detection autofocus (PDAF), and laser autofocus, apart from a dual-LED colour-balancing flash. It sports a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with an 84-degree wide field of view and f/2.2. As we mentioned, it will be sold in two inbuilt storage options (16GB and 32GB) that are expandable via microSD card (up to 128GB).

The smartphone supports 4G LTE, Bluetooth v4.1, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Micro-USB, 3.5mm audio jack, and GPS/ A-GPS. The Moto G4 Plus weighs in at 155 grams, and measures 153x76.6x9.8mm, with its thinnest point being 7.9mm thick. It is powered by a 3000mAh battery that is rated to deliver up to 24 hours of mixed usage battery life. A TurboCharger is bundled with the Moto G4 Plus, and is said to provide 6 hours worth of charge in 15 minutes. Sensors on board include the accelerometer, ambient light sensor, and proximity sensor.

The Moto G4 sports the same specifications as the Moto G4 Plus, but features a 13-megapixel rear camera (with an f/2.2 aperture) instead of a 16-megapixel offering, and ditches the laser autofocus. It has no fingerprint sensor, and only comes in 2GB RAM/ 16GB storage variant. Notably, both smartphones support 4G on one SIM card slot, and 3G on the other.

The Lenovo-owned company is also touting the 'dual-SIM with intelligent calling' functionality on both smartphones that allows users to assign contacts to a SIM card, enabling them to switch between two call plans for business and home, for example.

Alcatel Flash Plus 2 With 5.5-Inch Display, Front LED Flash Launched

Alcatel on Tuesday announced the Flash Plus 2 smartphone. The smartphone will first be available in Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Monaco, and Thailand. There is no word on a future global rollout.

The Flash Plus 2 is the successor of the Flash Plus smartphone released last year. It runs on Android Marshmallow out-of-the-box, and supports dual-SIM functionality. The smartphone comes with a 5.5-inch 1080p display, and is by powered by the MediaTek Helio P10 octa-core SoC (four Cortex-A53 cores at 1.8GHz, and four Cortex-A53 cores at 1GHz). Notably, the company had launched the Alcatel Flash 2 in India in October last year.

The Alcatel Flash Plus 2 comes in two memory and storage variants. The 2GB RAM/ 16GB storage variant is priced at $160 (roughly Rs. 10,700), while the 3GB RAM/ 32GB storage variant is priced at $190 (roughly Rs. 12,700). The optics include a 13-megapixel rear camera with dual-tone RealTone flash, accompanied by a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with LED flash.

The Flash 2 also sports a microSD slot to expand storage (up to 128GB). In comparison, the Alcatel Flash Plus only had a 16GB variant with a microSD slot that let you expand up to 32GB only.

It is interesting to note that the battery on the Alcatel Flash Plus 2 has seen a downgrade from its predecessor. The Flash Plus had a 3500mAh battery, while the new smartphone only packs a 3000mAh battery (with support for fast charging). The company claims that it's up to three times faster than traditional charging, and is rated to deliver 15 hours of talk time on 3G, and 405 hours of standby time on 4G. The smartphone also supports 4G LTE, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity options.

The Alcatel Flash Plus 2 has a fingerprint scanner embedded in the home button on the front. It sports dimensions at 152.6x76.4x8.2mm, weighs 157gms, and comes in Luna Silver and Venus Gold colour variants.

Windows 10 to Soon Get More Promoted Apps in Start Menu

The Windows 10 Anniversary Update is due to arrive in July, and it is expected to come with a host of new improvements and features. The most recent feature that has come to light, is that Microsoft is planning to pin more Promoted apps to the Start menu.

The biggest downer in Windows 10 are the advertisements. And Microsoft is set to increase the Promoted advertisement tiles in the Start Menu to 10. Microsoft confirmed this addition at the WinHEC conference.

To make space for these ads, stock apps that are by default pinned to the Start menu, will be decreased to 12. In the current version, there are 17 static apps and five Promoted apps pinned to the Start menu.

These Promoted apps are basically links to the Windows Store. Once the Start menu is opened, these selected tiles will show ads of apps from the Windows Store. Clicking on these tiles will redirect to the Store, where the user can then download.

Microsoft asserts that this is done to "introduce users and expose them to the Windows Store." The company claims that these tiles show apps that are locally relevant to the user, and can be uninstalled easily (if they already have been installed). Alternatively, the user can easily unpin them as well.

Apart from this feature, Microsoft is introducing a lot of other new features with the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. The biggest one is the support for fingerprint readers with Windows 10 Mobile. There will be deeper Cortana integration, removal of Wi-Fi Sense's password sharing feature, extension support for Microsoft Edge browser, and will also introduce the new Windows Ink platform that will support a stylus or pen in Windows 10 apps.

Xolo Black 1X Gets Another Price Cut in India

Xolo on Tuesday announced another price cut for its the Black 1X smartphone. To recall, the smartphone was first launched in November last year at Rs. 9,999. It saw its first price drop in January this year, bringing the price to Rs. 8,999. The smartphone is now available at Rs. 7,999.

The Xolo Black 1X is the second handset in the company's premium Black lineup. The Black 1X has a glass back and also sports leather finishing on the top and the bottom of the body.

As for the specifications, the Xolo Black 1X sports a 5-inch full-HD (1080x1920 pixels) display protected by a coating of Dragontrail Glass. It is powered by a 64-bit capable MediaTek MT6753 octa-core SoC clocked at 1.3GHz with 450MHz Mali-T720 GPU, paired with 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal storage which can be expanded using a microSD card.

(Also see: Xolo Black 1X vs. Xolo Black)

Other features of the handset include a 13-megapixel rear-camera with LED flash, a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with LED flash, and a 2400mAh battery. The dual-SIM capable smartphone supports 4G Indian LTE bands, 3G HSPA+, Wi-FI 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and other standard connectivity options.

On the software front, the handset runs Android 5.1 Lollipop with HIVE Atlas UI running on top of it. The handset comes in only Black colour option.

Apple CEO Tim Cook Said to Unveil Maps Centre on India Trip

Apple Inc. Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook will unveil a development center for digital maps during his multiday visit to India this week, a person with knowledge of the trip said, as he seeks to make further inroads in the world's fastest-growing smartphone market.

Cook is on his first official trip to the country, where he will also introduce an accelerator program for iOS developers. The maps center will be based in Hyderabad. Apple, which is seeking to open retail stores in the country, has also been facing opposition to its efforts to import and sell refurbished iPhones in India.

The CEO is planning to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, although that schedule hasn't been finalized because the results of several Indian state assembly elections are due this week, said the person, who asked not to be identified as the information is not yet public.

"Mr. Cook is certainly going to come with an agenda," said Vishal Tripathi, a research director at Gartner India. "High on that list is permission to open Apple Stores in India, bring up the closed chapter of importing and selling refurbished phones in the country and also explore what's in it for Apple if it brings assembly and manufacturing to the country."

Top executives from Facebook Inc., Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. and other global technology firms from have trekked to India to meet Modi these past few months. India is on the cusp of become a potentially huge consumer market, as more of the country's 1.3 billion people move into the middle class.

"For Apple and other technology makers, India may not yet be a China - but it is an under-penetrated market where per capita income and purchasing power are going up offering huge growth opportunities," Tripathi said.

Cook's trip comes on the heels of a deal struck in China this month, where Apple is investing $1 billion in car-hailing app Didi. The CEO has said in the past that he sees India as where China was seven to 10 years ago. While Apple's iPhone sales declined globally for the first time ever in the first three months of 2016, shipments in India grew 56 percent in the period.

Apple CEO Tim Cook Said to Have Busy Schedule for India Trip

With Tim Cook set to arrive in Delhi on his first visit as Apple CEO on Tuesday, his diary seems to be full with visits to various places in Gurgaon, Delhi, Hyderabad and Mumbai.

Cook's visit to India comes at a time when the US technology giant is hit by slower growth in global sales of its flagship products iPhone, iPad and Mac.

He is expected to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday. He had met Modi at a Silicon Valley event in the US last September, where they discussed manufacturing plans under Modi's 'Make in India' initiative.

"In Delhi, after greeting employees at the Apple's corporate office at One Horizon Centre in Gurgaon, he is expected to visit iZen Store (Apple authorised reseller) in Green Park and the iWorld Store (Apple premium store) in Ambience Mall in Vasant Kunj," an Apple source told IANS on condition of anonymity.

The source, however, did not give details of his meeting with Modi.

Meanwhile, officials in Hyderabad said that Apple will launch its development centre there on Thursday.

The facility will commence operations on one lakh square feet leased space in WaveRock, a building owned by real estate giant Tishman Speyer at Nanakramguda.

However, it was not confirmed if Cook will be present to inaugurate the company's first development centre in India.

"Will share a big news with you all day after tomorrow. Suspense till then," tweeted Telangana IT minister K.T. Rama Rao.

The US-based firm plans to expand the facility to 2.5 lakh square feet by next year. It will have 2,500 employees, sources said.

The company, which has taken the space on lease at WaveRock, is also planning to build its own campus.

Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao or his son and IT Minister K.T. Rama Rao may make an announcement for allocation of land to Apple for its campus.

Cook is also expected to meet Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who is trying to attract big ticket investments for his state.

The Apple CEO is flying to the country from China, where Apple announced a $1 billion investment in the local ride-hailing app Didi Chuxing.

"The trip signifies how significant Indian market has become for Apple. Cook is coming here to announce technology for the future," Vishal Tripathi, research director at global market consultancy firm Gartner, told IANS.

Apple's manufacturing partner Foxconn is already present here and is looking to set up a manufacturing base in the country.

"If Cook announces concrete plans to set up a manufacturing unit here, this will create more jobs and bring in better competition in the smartphone and other devices market in the low-price segment," Tripathi added.

According to him, Cook may raise the issue of allowing Apple to import and sell refurbished iPhones at a cheaper price in India. This will give Apple a slot in mid and low-price segment.

"India is incredibly exciting. The population of India is incredibly young. Almost half the people in India are below 25. And so I see the demographics there also being incredibly great for a consumer brand and for people that really want the best products," Cook had said earlier this year.

Cook, who joined Apple in March 1998, was made chief executive of the company, succeeding Steve Jobs, on August 24, 2011.

Hit by slower growth in the sale of its flagship products iPhone, iPad and Mac globally, Apple's revenue dropped for the first time since 2003 as the tech giant released earning reports for the second quarter of fiscal 2016 in March.

Eevenue was down in both Americas and China Apple's two biggest territories. It declined around 10 percent in the Americas and 26 percent in China.

According to reports, the company is looking for new growth markets like India after its sales declined.

After Modi became prime minister, top global executives have lined up to visit India. These include Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, India-born CEO of Microsoft Satya Nadella, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, Chennai-born CEO of Google Sundar Pichai, and Alibaba chairman Jack Ma among others.

Apple to Inaugurate Hyderabad Development Centre on Thursday: Ranjan

Global tech giant Apple is set to inaugurate its development centre in Hyderabad on Thursday, a senior Telangana government official said Tuesday.

State IT Department's Secretary Jayesh Ranjan, however, did not confirm if Apple CEO Tim Cook, who is scheduled to visit India this week, will be present on the occasion.

"Apple team is coming. But we do not know who are the members of the team which is coming on May 19 (Thursday) for the launch of the facility. We are not 100 per cent sure whether Apple CEO Tim Cook will be there or not. We also asked them. We are waiting for the confirmation," Ranjan told PTI.

(Also see: Apple Opening Development Centre in Hyderabad, Likely to Focus on Maps)

He had earlier said executives of the California-based technology company that owns popular consumer electronic brands such as iPhone and iPad had already met state government officials, requesting their support for some of the clearances.

"They have already identified space in a building owned by Tishman Speyer at Nanakramguda. We are also extending support to the company in terms of obtaining necessary approvals from various departments," he had said.

He, however, did not specify the amount of investment Apple is planning to make into the centre.

Cook will be visiting India this week and is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is also expected to visit Hyderabad and Bengaluru.

Sony to Build Up AI as Key Business Pillar, Invests in US Startup

Japan's Sony Corp said it plans to build up its artificial intelligence (AI) business and eventually turn it into a major revenue source, beginning with an investment in a US startup.

The electronics maker has invested an undisclosed sum in California-based Cogitai. The year-old firm, founded by three researchers, focuses on technology that allows machines to learn continually and autonomously from interaction in the real world.

The move comes a time when major technology companies such as Facebook Inc, Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google are spending aggressively on AI ventures.

"From an objective perspective, we are lagging behind," Chief Executive Hiroaki Kitano at Sony Computer Science Laboratories said in an interview.

"But there are still unexplored areas - some in cyberspace but vastly more in the physical world," Kitano said. "And we have a number of products in the physical world. We make hardware. That's our strength."

Sony was a pioneer in AI with robotic dog AIBO in 1999 and humanoid robot QRIO in 2003, both launched with much fanfare.

But its AI drive stalled during a decade-long struggle for profitability in its core consumer electronics business as it faced price competition from Asian rivals. It produced its last AIBO and QRIO robots in 2006.

Sony has since restructured its television set, laptop computer and mobile phone operations and is now seeking to regain its technological competitiveness through AI.

The firm plans to release a product or service derived from collaboration with Cogitai as early as next year, Kitano said.

Oracle Co-CEO Says Google Caused Oracle Revenue to Plummet

Longtime customers dramatically reduced the amount of licensing revenue they paid to use Oracle products after Google stole its copyrighted software to enter the smartphone market, Oracle's co-chief executive Safra Catz told jurors on Tuesday.

In a trial at San Francisco federal court, Oracle Corp has claimed Google's Android smartphone operating system violated its copyright on parts of Java, a development platform. Alphabet Inc's Google unit said it should be able to use Java without paying a fee under the fair-use provision of copyright law.

Oracle acquired Sun in 2010 and sued Google after negotiations over its use of Java broke down. The jury was deadlocked in a trial in 2012, and if the current jury rules against Google on fair use, then it would consider Oracle's request for $9 billion (roughly Rs. 60,222 crores) in damages.

The case has been closely watched by software developers who fear an Oracle victory could spur more software copyright lawsuits.

In court on Tuesday, Catz said the decision by Google to distribute Android for free to phone manufacturers like Samsung undercut traditional licensing revenue those manufacturers paid for Java.

"It had a very negative impact," Catz said.

Samsung, for instance, reduced payments from about $40 million to about $1 million, Catz said.

Amazon had traditionally used Java to develop its Kindle reader, Catz said, but switched to Android for the Fire. When Amazon was developing a new reader, the Paperwhite, Catz said Oracle was forced to offer a 97.5 percent discount to entice Amazon to use Java.

Google has attempted to portray itself as a true innovator and claims Oracle only turned to the courts because it could not succeed in the market. Under questioning from a Google attorney, Catz acknowledged that Oracle had considered developing its own phone but did not pursue the project.

Jurors viewed an internal Oracle memo on its phone project, which concluded that Oracle had "very limited internal expertise to make smart decisions."

Oracle has argued that Google violated basic moral principles by using elements of Java without a license. During her testimony, Catz said she encountered Google general counsel Kent Walker at a bat mitzvah in 2012.

Home | Laptops | Laptops News Microsoft Says UK Staying in EU Important for Investment

Microsoft said on Tuesday that Britain should stay in the European Union if it wanted to receive more investment, the same day the Confederation of British Industry urged firms to discuss the vote with staff.

The US software giant employs 5,000 staff in Britain and plans to offer Europeans remote access to data from centres based in Britain, but said further investment could be at risk if Britain votes to leave the EU in next month's referendum.

"Our view is that the UK should remain in the EU," Microsoft's UK chief executive Michel Van der Bel said on the firm's website. "The UK remaining in the EU supports important criteria for continued and future investment by Microsoft and others."

The CBI, which also says there is a strong economic argument for Britain to stay in the EU, said firms should discuss the issues with their employees.

"Responsible business leaders should give their employees the choice to hear what impact a Brexit would have on company growth, their jobs and their local community," CBI director-general Carolyn Fairbairn said.

"This is not about telling people how to vote but having calm, evidence-based conversations, whichever camp the business is in, or if they are neutral."

Opinion polls in recent days have shown a wide range of results, with some showing moderate leads for those planning to vote "Out" on June 23, and others showing a majority for "In".

Moto G4 Play With 5-Inch Display, Snapdragon 410 SoC Launched

Motorola has confirmed that the Moto G4 Play will go on sale starting mid-summer 2016 though has not revealed any pricing details. We can expect the company to announce it near release. Interested consumers can sign-up to get availability details of the Motorola Moto G4 Play. Notably, the new Moto G4 Play is currently listed only in the US.

Unlike the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus, the Moto G4 Play features a 5-inch HD (720x1280 pixels) display with a pixel density of 294ppi. The smartphone is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 SoC clocked at 1.2GHz paired with 2GB of RAM and the Adreno 306 GPU. The handset packs 16GB of storage and also supports expandable storage via microSD card (up to 128GB).

The Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow-based Moto G4 Play supports a single Micro-SIM card and comes with water repellent nano-coating. It sports an 8-megapixel rear camera f/2.2 aperture and LED flash. The rear camera comes with features such as tap anywhere to capture, burst mode, auto HDR, panorama, drag to focus & exposure, and can record full-HD videos at 30 fps. There is a 5-megapixel front camera with display flash also on board. The Moto G4 Play comes with GPRS/ EDGE, 3G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.1, A-GPS, and Micro-USB connectivity options. The handset comes in Black and White colours.

It packs an accelerometer, proximity sensor, and ambient light sensor. Motorola has also promised that the Moto G4 Play will offer two years of free storage at original quality in Google Photos app. It ships with 2800mAh battery and is claimed to offer full-day battery life. The smartphone is compatible with 10W rapid charger which is sold separately.

Apple Announces iOS App Design and Development Accelerator in Bengaluru

Apple on Wednesday announced it would establish a Design and Development Accelerator in Bengaluru for iOS apps, with the aims to help "support engineering talent" and "accelerate growth" in India's developer community. The company said the development centre is planned to open in early 2017.

Calling Bengaluru the "home of India's startup scene," the company in a press statement said the opening of the development centre will help provide additional, specialized support for the "tens of thousands of developers in India" that make apps for iOS.

Apple CEO Tim Cook spoke about the initiative in the statement, saying, "India is home to one of the most vibrant and entrepreneurial iOS development communities in the world. With the opening of this new facility in Bengaluru, we're giving developers access to tools which will help them create innovative apps for customers around the world."

The Design and Development Accelerator in Bengaluru will see the Apple team work alongside developers to teach best practices, with experts from the company holding briefings and providing one-on-one app reviews for developers. Apple said the Bengaluru facility will teach Swift to developers, Apple's programming language used to build apps for iOS, OS X, Apple TV, and Apple Watch.

Nasscom President R Chandrashekhar was also quoted to say, "Apple's investment in Bengaluru through its iOS Development Accelerator will have far-reaching effects for the area's rapidly growing and highly talented developer community. The skills and training they gain through this effort will significantly improve their app design and help them reach a broader market. Initiatives like these move the country forward in our efforts to advance a growth-led and sustainable technology sector."

Moto G4, Moto G4 Plus Launch: Motorola Says India Is Its Second Largest Market

Lenovo-owned Motorola on Tuesday launched its fourth-generation Moto G smartphone in India. The Moto G4 (and Moto G4 Plus) brings a lot of improvements over its predecessor. The Moto G4 Plus in particular ships with a fingerprint scanner which is the highlight of the handset.

(Also see: Moto G4 Plus Review)

At launch, Lenovo's Dillon Ye, Vice President, MBG Asia Pacific kicked off the event sharing some of the figures the company achieved in recent months in India. The Chinese company claimed that it was the second online smartphone brand apart from being second 4G smartphone brand in the country. In terms of value, Lenovo combined with Motorola claimed was the third top smartphone brand in value. The company also claimed that it was the fourth smartphone brand by volume.

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Moto G4, Moto G4 Plus Launch: Motorola Says India Is Its Second Largest Market Ketan Pratap , 18 May 2016
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Moto G4, Moto G4 Plus Launch: Motorola Says India Is Its Second Largest Market
HIGHLIGHTS
In terms of volumes, Brazil is still the biggest market for Motorola.
Lenovo said that it was second biggest online smartphone brand.
The Moto G4 Plus packs fingerprint scanner.
Lenovo-owned Motorola on Tuesday launched its fourth-generation Moto G smartphone in India. The Moto G4 (and Moto G4 Plus) brings a lot of improvements over its predecessor. The Moto G4 Plus in particular ships with a fingerprint scanner which is the highlight of the handset.

(Also see: Moto G4 Plus Review)

At launch, Lenovo's Dillon Ye, Vice President, MBG Asia Pacific kicked off the event sharing some of the figures the company achieved in recent months in India. The Chinese company claimed that it was the second online smartphone brand apart from being second 4G smartphone brand in the country. In terms of value, Lenovo combined with Motorola claimed was the third top smartphone brand in value. The company also claimed that it was the fourth smartphone brand by volume.

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At launch, Amit Boni, Country Manager, Motorola India said that the Indian market was the second biggest country for the company in terms of volume. The Brazilian market is still the biggest market for Motorola. To recall, Motorola initially launched the original Moto G back in November 2013 at an event in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

At the side-lines of the New Delhi event, Gadgets 360 got a chance to talk to Allison Yi, Director of Product Management, Motorola, who stressed that the company ahead of the launch of a new product looks at different consumer research data including usage patterns and usage behaviours. When asked how different the Indian market is compared to other markets, Yi said that India is quite different from other markets and added that it is definitely a "price conscious" market. She added that the company has to sometimes cut down on some of the features from the device to maintain a competitive price.

On being asked about the Moto Maker customisation offer, which has been available in select markets for several years. Allison Yi said, "We are still on working on it." The company also confirmed that the Moto G4 and Moto G4 Plus will be available in markets worldwide.

Out of the two new smartphones, the company revealed pricing and availability details of the Moto G4 Plus while said that the Moto G4 price will be announced near local launch.